Sharper Irony

Of Hair and Hair Products

2011-12-14T14:42:00.007-07:00

Melville might be on to something...

In common life we esteem but meanly and contemptibly a fellow who anoints his hair, and palpably smells of that anointing. In truth, a mature man who uses hair-oil, unless medicinally, that man has probably got a quoggy spot in him somewhere. As a general rule, he can't amount to much in his totality.

---Herman Melville in Moby Dick, chapter 25 "Postscript."

It Took Very Little...

2011-10-18T11:45:00.004-06:00

...to get me to stop blogging. Like, say, I had other things to do, such as driving back and forth between my house and the grocery store, and stopping on the way home to pick a dandelion.

But then, a dandelion burned my hand. Left a scar, too. It hurt.

Pardon my thievery --- I recently enjoyed reading Dandelion Fire to my kids. And the other two.

It is taking a lot to get me back into the mood to blog. But, that lot just might push me back over the edge.

Who knows.

But then, if click on the "publish post" button, I guess that would be my answer, huh.

Burn Out or Rust Out?

2008-12-04T14:30:00.004-07:00

I feel compelled to make the following comments. Most of what I say is to both my surprise and chagrin.

It seems that in trying to correct some possible pastoral abuses of the past, seminaries are exposing their students to a recurring theme: don't burn out... be sure to get your day(s) off... marriage first, ministry second." These refrains may all be quite true, but they come with such repetitive force that I fear that the pendulum has swung from those who jeopardized their families in the name of "ministry" to men who think that they have something coming to them because they are "in the ministry." We now have men who are so thoroughly warned of sacrificing their families that they sacrifice nothing!

I say this from my own experience. After my first six months of ministry I was shocked to discover that my biggest danger was not burn out but rusting out. I was lazy! I assumed that I was putting in my forty-plus hours of the ministry, being careful to guard my "time off." But, when I added up my hours I was short of forty. How could this be true of "hardworking Jonathan?"

Fortunately it is not now true of "hardworking Jonathan." His letter was a de facto testimony to his handling of the problem.

But his letter does point to a real, ongoing problem with many in the ministry. No one keeps track of a pastor's time. There are not clocks to punch or time cards to turn in. So if a man is not a self-starter, it is so easy to come in late and go home early. It is also very easy to let prayer and sermon preparation slip, and, generally, to imagine that extraneous interests are "ministry." There is more sloth in the pastoral ministry than we like to admit.

--- Kent and Barbara Hughes, Liberating Ministry from the Success Syndrome, pp. 41-42

How to Have Revival

2008-12-04T13:55:00.002-07:00

To publish the doctrine of a reconciled God, to tell men that the Lord has laid help upon Jesus by punishing him instead of us; to proclaim that there is life in a look at the Crucified One, to tell them that the Holy Ghost creates men new creatures in Christ Jesus, to give a full and comprehensive view of the doctrines of grace; this is one of the surest ways, under God, of promoting a revival of religion.

--- C.H. Spurgeon in Sermon #725 "A Message from God to His Church and People"

Hell is a Humorless Place

2008-12-03T10:14:00.003-07:00

For humour involves a sense of proportion and a power of seeing yourself from the outside. Whatever else we attribute to beings who sinned through pride, we must not attribute this. Satan, said Chesterton, fell through force of gravity. We must picture Hell as a state where everyone is perpetually concerned about his own dignity and advancement, where everyone has a grievance, and where everyone lives the deadly serious passions of envy, self-importance, and resentment.

--- C.S. Lewis, The Screwtape Letters, in his "Preface to the 1961 Edition

God Knows, God Cares, God Acts

2008-12-03T10:12:00.002-07:00

Omniscience is not ignorant; God knows. Love is not indifferent; He cares. Omnipotence is not powerless; He acts.

--- H. C. Thiessen, Lectures in Systematic Theology, p. 88

It's Not Just My Interpretation

2008-12-02T12:48:00.005-07:00

Some of us compartmentalize our lives. We imagine that obedience to God's Word in one area means we have obeyed in other areas. Others of us rationalize. For example, one common rationalization is the "many-interpretation" theory - that Scripture is subject to so many interpretations we cannot really know what it means. This is especially convenient when we do not like what it says! But, the fact is God's Word is generally clear. Usually, it's painfully clear. As Mark Twain once said, "It's not what I don't understand about the Bible that bothers me; it's what I do understand!"

Success, then, comes when we faithfully study God's Word and faithfully obey it, applying what we understand to all areas of our lives under the direction of the Holy Spirit. A growing knowledge of the Bible matched by a growing obedience is the path to faithfulness and success.

--- Kent and Barbara Hughes in Liberating Ministry from the Success Syndrome, p. 40

A Passage for the Sword of the Lord

2008-12-02T09:31:00.004-07:00

I have heard what the prophets said, that prophesy lies in my name, saying, I have dreamed, I have dreamed. How long shall this be in the heart of the prophets that prophesy lies? yea, they are prophets of the deceit of their own heart; Which think to cause my people to forget my name by their dreams which they tell every man to his neighbour, as their fathers have forgotten my name for Baal. The prophet that hath a dream, let him tell a dream; and he that hath my word, let him speak my word faithfully. What is the chaff to the wheat? saith the LORD. Is not my word like as a fire? saith the LORD; and like a hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces? Therefore, behold, I am against the prophets, saith the LORD, that steal my words every one from his neighbour. Behold, I am against the prophets, saith the LORD, that use their tongues, and say, He saith. Behold, I am against them that prophesy false dreams, saith the LORD, and do tell them, and cause my people to err by their lies, and by their lightness; yet I sent them not, nor commanded them: therefore they shall not profit this people at all, saith the LORD.

Lessons of Revival

2008-12-01T15:50:00.002-07:00

What is taught to us by a revival? I think it is just this, - that God is absolute monarch of the hearts of men.

--- C. H. Spurgeon, Sermon #296 "A Revival"

(he goes on to say, "Divine Omnipotence is the doctrine of a revival. We may not see it in ordinary days, by reason of the coldness of our hearts; but we must see it when these extraordinary works of grace are wrought."

- and then -

"So, brethren, when we see the church gradually built up and converted, we lose the sense perhaps of a present God; but when the Lord causes the tree suddenly to grow from a sapling to a strong tall monarch of the forest, then we say, 'This is God.'")

Stupid Questions

2008-12-01T15:42:00.002-07:00

If there are no stupid questions, then what kind of questions do stupid people ask? Do they get smart just in time to ask questions?

--- Scott Adams

A Blessed Farewell

2008-11-26T12:11:00.003-07:00

We received a phone call on Friday night at around 11:30. My 92-year-old grandmother was in a car accident earlier that evening. My aunt was calling to tell me that after needing about an hour to extract her from the vehicle, they had rushed her to the hospital, life-flighted her to yet another, and rushed her into surgery. She was awake leading up to the surgery, and, according to the doctor, came through the surgery fine. But, as she was 92 years old, they said that there was a very good chance that she would not survive the night. While my aunt was explaining this to me, she received a phone call from the doctor, urging her to return to the hospital immediately.

My wife and I waited in bed, talking and reflecting. She lived a full, rich life, and was very special to us. Around 12:30, my wife said, "I think she's gone now." I called my cousin to see. She had gone on to her reward about five minutes earlier.

She was a grand old lady. I count myself blessed beyond degree to have known her, to have been able to introduce her to all five of my children, to have had the privilege of having her around for so late into my life.

When my grandfather died, some three or four years ago now, my grandmother began to look forward to the day when she could see him again in eternity. My grandfather was a godly man, and one of the great influences in my life, as well as in my ministry. Grandpa showed his piety in his love for the Word of God, in his constant references to God and to God's goodness. But my grandmother was different. Grandpa showed his piety in his zeal for the Lord. Grandma showed her piety at home. She was faithful to my grandfather. For the last several years of his life, he was unable to walk, and was unable to care for himself. My grandma cared for him. Because of his condition, she had to do everything for him... and she did these things without complaint. For those years, she was bound to him, and would not leave his side. He was everything to her.

When he died, my grandmother grieved for a long time. She wanted to go to be with him right away. But she understood that this was in God's hand. And so, she went back to living. I am very grateful for the opportunities that my grandmother had in these last years of her life. In the last couple of years, she has been able to travel to Disney, to Texas, on a Caribbean Cruise, on an Alaskan Cruise, and to spend a few months with my cousin down in Florida. I am very thankful that she was able to do so much in her last days.

But most of all, I would like to praise our Great God, the Creator and Sustainer of all life, for His marvelous works on her behalf. When a loved one is taken so suddenly, so tragically, what is there to praise the Lord for? My family and I gathered together on Saturday night, as has been our custom for several years now, and listed out all the things that we had to be thankful for from the week that was then finishing. Among those things that were named, we thanked the Lord for taking my grandmother home. We thanked God because, although she was old, she remained healthy until the very end. She did not spend her last days in bed, dependent on others for her care. She was healthy right up to her final hours. In fact, the day that she died was taken up with doctor visits, shopping, and running around with my aunt. She even put in an order for a new set of teeth on that day.

We thanked God that, although we would miss her, she was even then reunited with her husband of over 65 years, and with her son (my father) who died thirty-some years earlier. We thanked God that, although we were sorry to see her go, that we could be sure of a reunion some day, when God calls each one of us home to be with Him. We thanked God that she is even now enjoying God forever. We thanked God for the wonderful assurance that He gives us, that we can know Him, and that we can know that we have eternal life.

There is so much more to say. My grandmother left us a legacy, and a great basket full of memories to cherish. I am very grateful to God for having brought us together, for giving me to her as a grandson. I will miss her. We all will miss her. But we are thankful that we can say with full assurance, that we'll not miss her forever. We'll see her again. As her faith rested fully and completely on Jesus Christ alone for salvation, we'll see her again. As surely as we will see Christ in that day, we will see her with Christ. Praise be to God!

Blessings on her memory.

Molten Blessing

2008-11-26T12:08:00.001-07:00

Oh that thou wouldest rend the heavens, that thou wouldest come down, that the mountains might flow down at thy presence, As when the melting fire burneth, the fire causeth the waters to boil, to make thy name known to thine adversaries, that the nations may tremble at thy presence!

More on the Obama Presidency

2008-11-21T11:41:00.003-07:00

The greatest evil is not now done in those sordid "dens of crime" that Dickens loved to paint. It is not done even in concentration and labour camps. In those we see its final result. But it is conceived and ordered (moved, seconded, carried, and minuted) in clean, carpeted, warmed, and well-lighted offices, by quiet men with white collars and cut fingernails and smooth-shaven cheeks who do not need to raise their voice.

--- C.S. Lewis in The Screwtape Letters, in his preface to the 1961 Edition

Endless Possibilities

2008-11-21T11:34:00.003-07:00

Genius may have its limitations, but stupidity is not thus handicapped.

--- Elbert Hubbard

One End of Revival

2008-11-20T13:51:00.003-07:00

...one sign of a true revival, and indeed an essential part of it, is the increased activity of God's laborers.

--- C.H. Spurgeon, Sermon #296 "A Revival"

Why God Alone Should be Praised

2008-11-20T09:15:00.003-07:00

I am the LORD, and there is none else, there is no God beside me: I girded thee, though thou has not known me: That they may know from the rising of the sun, and from the west, that there is none beside me. I am the LORD, and there is none else. I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil. I the LORD do all these things. Drop down, ye heavens, from above, and let the skies pour down righteousness: let the earth open, and let them bring forth salvation, and let righteousness spring up together; I the LORD have created it. Woe unto him that striveth with his Maker! Let the potsherd strive with the potsherds of the earth. Shall the clay say to him that fashioneth it, What makest thou? or thy work, He hath no hands? Woe unto him that saith unto his father, What begettest thou? or to the woman, What hast thou brought forth?

Why God Cannot Sin

2008-11-18T13:54:00.003-07:00

"In God purity of being is before purity of willing or doing. God does not will the good because it is good, nor is the good good because God wills it; if such were the case, there would be a good above God or the good would be arbitrary or changeable. Instead, God's will is the expression of his nature, which is holy."

--- Henry C. Thiessen, Lectures in Systematic Theology, p. 84

2008-11-17T15:00:00.000-07:00

Man's promises even at the best, are like a cistern which holds but a temporary supply; but God's promises are as a fountain, never emptied, ever overflowing, so that you may draw from them the whole of that which they apparently contain, and they shall be still as full as ever.

--- C.H. Spurgeon, from Sermon #296 "A Revival"

Another Benefit of Big Government

2008-11-17T00:00:00.001-07:00

"We may not imagine how our lives could be more frustrating and complex... but Congress can."

--- Cullen Hightower

Of Nice Angels (as opposed to the real ones)

2008-11-14T12:01:00.001-07:00

In Scripture, the visitation of an angel is always alarming; it has to begin by saying "Fear not." The Victorian angel looks as if it were going to say, "There, there."

--- C.S. Lewis in The Screwtape Letters Preface to the 1961 Edition

Towards an Even Bigger Government

2008-11-14T11:57:00.002-07:00

"The nine most terrifying words in the English Language are, "I'm from the government and I'm here to help."

---Ronald Reagan

Legalism as a Badge of Honor

2008-11-13T11:27:00.002-07:00

"If anybody accuses you of being too strict and precise, do not grieve but try to deserve the charge. I cannot suppose that at the last great day our Lord Jesus Christ will say to anyone, "You were not worldly enough. You were too jealous over your conduct, and did not sufficiently conform to the world."

--- Charles Spurgeon, from the Sword and Trowel, Issue 1995, No. 2 "Spurgeon and Places of Entertainment"

It's Been a Long, Long Time

2008-11-13T11:24:00.003-07:00

But I won't be hugging anybody.

Since people insist on following my now long inactive blog, and since I can't seem to shake them, even by long inactivity, I've decided to try something with this blog.

I read a lot. Sometimes, I like what I read. Sometimes, I think that someone else might like it too. So, I've decided to put some stuff up here from my reading. You can feel free to comment as you like.

And, who knows. Maybe I'll even write something that is on my mind from time to time. You know, on the rare occassion when something gets on my mind.

Rather Unimpressive

2008-02-08T10:48:00.000-07:00

Work ethic is a strange animal. Some work diligently because they find work pleasant. Others are driven by their lust for glory. Still others crave accomplishment. Some work hard because they must. In other words, some work hard for what is in front of them, while others work hard for what is behind them. Motivations for work lie in all directions, and while one man works hard for survival, another works hard for supremacy.

God’s Word instructs us,

Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest.

As obedient Christians, we find that the purest motive for diligent effort is found in a desire to please God and obey His commands. We would do all to the glory of God, whether it brings any personal fulfillment or not. This is the first motivation for all we do.

And the second is like unto it: Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. In seeking the glory of God, we also seek the benefit of mankind. As we go about our business then, these two thoughts must be at the forefront – the driving force that compels us to work diligently.

This drive for diligence will look different in each of our various occupations and vocations. In the case of Jonathan Edwards, the next two resolutions he made related directly to his occupation as a preacher of the gospel. Namely…

11. Resolved, when I think of any theorem in divinity to be solved, immediately to do what I can towards solving it, if circumstances do not hinder.

12. Resolved, if I take delight in it as a gratification of pride, or vanity, or on any such account, immediately to throw it by.

I find a lesson of humble diligence in these resolutions. First, that my love to God should always drive me to dig deeper into His Word, hungering for Divine truth. Secondly, that my love to man should equally motivate my diligent inquiry into the truth of God’s Word. And thirdly, that the more diligent I am, the more I want to be impressed with myself. And that last lesson is rather unimpressive.

A Living Death

2008-01-31T14:19:00.000-07:00

In all things, we are told, we must remember that we are dead, and our life is hid with Christ in God (Col 3:3). Thinking this way results in some specific attitude changes – seeking those things which are above, setting affections on things above, not things of the earth, mortifying our members which are upon the earth. In short, living as if we are dead, but alive, yet not I, but Christ living in me.

Jonathan Edwards reflected this idea in the resolutions listed below. The eighth resolution addresses this idea indirectly --- Edwards saw himself as he really was… a living death.

Resolved, to act, in all respects, both speaking and doing, as if nobody
had been so vile as I, and as if I had committed the same sins, or had the same
infirmities or failings as others; and that I will let the knowledge of their
failings promote nothing but shame in myself, and prove only an occasion of my
confessing my own sins and misery to God.

Keeping the cause of his condition at the forefront of his mind, he also kept the reality of his condition at the center. Think of it… what will the day of your death be like? Edwards determined to be prepared at all times for that day.

Resolved, to think much on all occasions of my own dying, and of the common
circumstances which attend death.

If I can imagine my own death, and can see how justly God should remove me from this life, then any suffering I endure in this life will be seen as deserved, though far short of my true deserts. Since God would be justified to send me to hell, it is not hard to think of the torments of hell. Many Christians resolve to be always conscious of the torments of hell in order to be more zealous for souls. But Edwards used this vision for a different purpose. Consider his tenth resolution:

Resolved, when I feel pain, to think of the pains of martyrdom, and of hell.

If I die daily to self, then my suffering works greater glory for the Lord, and I can rejoice in my weaknesses, my sorrows, my sufferings.

With Eternity’s Values in View

2008-01-24T12:50:00.000-07:00

The next set of Jonathan Edward’s resolutions demonstrate his insistence on living life as if the details matter, as if God is watching everything we do, as if there is something important beyond today. These resolutions bring to mind our instructions to redeem the time because the days are evil, to do all to the glory of God, down to our eating and drinking, in short, to live life with eternity’s values in view.

Once again, I want to recommend these resolutions to you as the best way to keep an eye heavenward.

Resolved, Never to do any manner of thing, whether in soul or body, less or more, but what tends to the glory of God; nor be, nor suffer it, if I can possibly avoid it.

Resolved, Never to lose one moment of time, but to improve it in the most profitable way I possibly can.

Resolved, To live with all my might while I do live.

Resolved, Never to do anything which I should be afraid to do, if it were the last hour of my life.

New Designs

2008-01-15T09:55:00.000-07:00

Early in 1723, Jonathan Edwards wrote out seventy resolutions by which he determined to live his life. Last week, we looked at the first of those resolutions, which was as follows:

Resolved, That I will do whatsoever I think to be most to the glory of God and my own good, profit, and pleasure, in the whole of my duration, without any consideration of the time, whether now, or never so many myriads of ages hence. Resolved, to do whatever I think to be my duty, and most for the good of mankind in general. Resolved so to do, whatever difficulties I meet with, how many soever, and how great soever.

Edward’s second and third resolutions refer back to this first resolution. They are as follows:

Resolved, To be continually endeavoring to find out some new contrivance and invention to promote the forementioned things.

Resolved, If ever I shall fall and grow dull, so as to neglect to keep any part of these resolutions, to repent of all I can remember, when I come to myself again.

Edwards determined to do all to the glory of God (I Cor. 10:31). And with that Scriptural determination in mind, he then determined to strive with all his might to glorify God, and to repent whenever he fell short.

I recommend these resolutions for several reasons. First, God created us for Himself and for His pleasure (Col. 1:16 and Rev. 4:11), and therefore we fulfill our life’s purpose only inasmuch as we please God. So, our first and best resolution is to seek God’s glory in everything.

Secondly, since our highest calling is to please God, we should always strive to find new designs, new plans, new ways for accomplishing this purpose. This effort itself pleases and glorifies God.

And thirdly, whenever we slacken from our efforts to give God glory, whenever our efforts fall short of diligence, we are in sin, and we must repent. And such repentance also pleases God, giving Him glory. May we so strive to fulfill our "chief end."

Let it Snow!

2008-01-09T11:23:00.001-07:00

We are in the midst of my "dream" winter... snow upon snow upon snow. This morning when I roused myself from under the cover, close to a foot had blanketed the ground, and more than a few hours worth hovered between space and earth. I found myself faced with a decision --- to cancel school, or not to cancel school. I took the high road. Which is why I find myself typing this right now.

Schools in our area rarely cancel for weather. Utah snow is unique amongst the species of snows that visit the earth. In the midwest, a snow like we are getting at the moment would shut down the entire state. But Utah snow is "powder snow" - it freezes before it lands, making it very light and fluffy, and perfect for skiing. It can still be treacherous, but not nearly as treacherous as the icy stuff people get in points east. So, snow does not send everybody scrambling into their cellars here as it does in, say, Terre Haute. Plus, we are a bit more used to getting it.

But today has me scratching my head. Of all days that you would think schools would cancel for snow, today would be the most likely. To be honest, I can't figure out why our area schools are still in session. After getting about an eight inch dump before 7:00 this morning, the snow has not slackened a bit. Nor is it supposed to until after noon. Since 7:00 this morning, we have received probably another six to eight inches of snow. Even though many walk to school in our city, I would think the schools would cancel.

Forgive my wondering out loud, but I have a theory to test --- maybe you can help me test it. I think schools stay open because the officials don't want 30,000 juveniles running the streets while their parents are at work. Schools have become as much about day care and babysitting as they have about education. Could that be the reason why, in such severe weather, our institutions of lower learning remain in operation when it is dangerous to be on the road?

Resolutions

2008-01-08T15:04:00.000-07:00

In January of 1723, Jonathan Edwards, one of America’s greatest preachers, wrote a list of 70 resolutions by which he determined to live his life. He determined to review this list regularly, searching for where he fell short, finding where he could improve. Judging by the end of this great man’s life, we can be sure that he did, in fact, live by these standards.

Rather than list all 70 at once for you, I will be listing, over the course of the next few weeks, a handful of these resolutions at a time, along with some commentary. Let it be said from the start that I will not be in full agreement with each and every resolution, but in general I agree with what Edwards set out to do.

It is important that we grow into the habit of examining our actions in the light of God’s Word, searching for sinful actions or attitudes, and striving to improve ourselves and our usefulness for the glory of our God. For this reason, I would encourage you to follow Mr. Edward’s godly example, setting down determinations and resolutions for your own life.

For starters, I will simply recommend Mr. Edward’s first resolution as a most excellent course of action in the life of any Christian.

Resolved, That I will do whatsoever I think to be most to the glory of God and my own good, profit, and pleasure, in the whole of my duration, without any consideration of the time, whether now, or never so many myriads of ages hence. Resolved, to do whatever I think to be my duty, and most for the good of mankind in general. Resolved so to do, whatever difficulties I meet with, how many soever, and how great soever.

Strings Attached

2007-12-31T17:37:00.000-07:00

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever
believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not
his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him
might be saved.

More than any other holiday, Christmas is a time of giving. We find many occasions for gift giving: birthdays, anniversaries, Easter, Valentine’s day, or "Just Because." But at Christmas time, we give more gifts than at any other time of the year. And this is good.

Whether we will admit it or not, we follow the example of our Creator. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above. Before God created us, he spent six days making gifts for us. When God created man, He made a garden paradise, God’s special gift to man. God made a wife for man, another of God’s most special gifts.

God’s mercies are new every morning. His faithfulness is great. His provisions are boundless. Do any read this who do not have the necessities of life? God has filled the earth with food. Who among us has no place of shelter? Who has not even one stitch of clothing? Who has had no food available? God provides for the lilies of the field. How much more does He provide for us?

As if that were not enough, God has provided a means for rescuing us from our own corruption and sin as well. God provided a way to escape His own wrath and punishment for sin. God did not provide us with a gift that would eventually need replacing. The box was not marked "batteries not included." There was no "satisfaction guaranteed or your money back" to be found on the wrapper. This gift left nothing to be desired, though there are plenty of those who find it most undesirable. In fact, some find that they absolutely despise the gift. You might wonder why. So I hope you will let me explain.

My father died when I was five. A few years later, my mother met a man, and after a brief courtship (which, as I recall, consisted mostly of their painting a picket fence in front of my house), they married. That year for Christmas, we traveled to Lakewood, Ohio, where my "new" dad’s parents lived. On Christmas morning, when we came downstairs, there was a very large box wrapped and sitting in the living room. The box was big enough to hold a wash machine, as I recall. And the tag said, "to David, Jennifer, and Mary, from Jesus." Our mom pointed out the gift, and we all started (rather timidly) tearing the wrapper off the gift. As we unwrapped, the contents of the box seemed to come alive, and we heard something moving inside. And sure enough, when we opened the box, out popped our new dad.

He really was God’s gift to us, and we were all young enough to think so. But as time went by, we didn’t always think so. You see, it was a great gift to us that we had a dad. And he really was a dad to us, for all of those years. To me, he was never less than that. But as a dad, he wasn’t always "warm and cuddly" or my "best buddy." Certainly, my dad did a lot with us. He took us for walks and for hikes. He played with us and built us forts. He really was a friend.

But he was more than just a friend to us. When we misbehaved, he corrected us. And sometimes the correction was fairly painful. And that caused us, at times, to despise the gift. We didn’t mind the "warm and fuzzy" kind of benefits to the gift. But we did mind the "bossing us around all the time" kind of stuff that came with the gift.

Which brings us to the point. God’s greatest gift to mankind was His own Son, Jesus Christ. God loved us so much that He gave His only begotten son. And His Son comes with many wonderful benefits. And if the "warm and cozy" blessings were all there were to it, I suppose that we would all take it and be happy. But Jesus Christ is more than just a Savior to us. He is Lord of everything. And that means He is Lord of everyone. And this means that He is Lord over you, whether you call Him your Lord or not.

And men resent that. They want salvation. They want to escape the consequences of their sin. They want heaven. They want all the benefits of Jesus Christ. They want the gift, but they want it with no strings attached. They want a father, but they don’t want him acting like a father all the time. Just when they want him. The rest of the time, if he would kindly stay out of the way?

And that explains why men despise the greatest gift ever given. Why it is that they want nothing to do with that gift. Unless, of course, He wouldn’t mind improving their life without all the interference.

Progymnasmata Pieces, Part the First

2007-11-14T11:04:00.000-07:00

Part of my duties as principal of Berean Baptist Academy include teaching second year Rhetoric. Our Rhetoric students will, over the course of a school year, give both written and oral presentations on a variety of topics and on an almost weekly basis. Students compose written work that gives them practice in using the six parts of discourse, that gives them practice with ethical, pathetic, and logical proofs, and that gives them practice at persuasive speech.

The following is a piece from the Progymnasmata or elementary excercises, known as "commonplace." In it, the student is given a commonplace idea, and required to amplify it using a series of prescribed headings such as prologue, contrary, exposition, and etc. One of our Rhetoric students composed the piece, amplifying a commonplace provided by Erasmus: "Offense is easy, reconciliation hard." Feel free to give my student some encouragement!

None can go through life without offending someone. Jesus, the perfect Son of God offended many. It can follow that we as people will offend others and need reconciliation at some time or another. Whether it be on purpose and we regret it, or unintentional and we still regret it, offence will occur. Reconciliation, even if attempted, may not be successful, proving the difficulty of it. But if we offend, we ought to reconcile.

Consider reconciliation, how difficult it is to restore fellowship with one we’ve offended. If it were hard to offend and easy to reconcile, then there would be no hatred in the world, no feuds, no problems, no misunderstandings. No one wants to go through life without friends, and at some time or another, we will need help from those around us and we wish to be in good standing with those around, but sometimes it is impossible to go without offending or someone taking offence. Thus reconciliation is both good and necessary.

People both offend and are offended easily. On the same token it is hard to reconcile or to be reconciled. Even the nicest person you know will have a hard time forgiving you, as you will if that nice person offends you. Even if the offence is unintentional, reconciliation from it is hard. People have a hard time saying they were wrong, and letting the matter go. That is just the way people are. The easy offence and difficult reconciliation plays on both sides of the coin: the receiver and the doer.

Getting someone to like you is hard, and something you have to work at. Reconciliation is even harder after having broken that someone’s trust. They already made the effort to like you and look what you went and did? Getting someone to hate you on the other hand is quite easy, just like offending someone. They don’t like you, and now they know exactly why. Compare offence like a hole in the ground, about ten feet deep. Getting into it, or offending someone is easy; it’s getting out of it that is hard, the reconciliation part.

Why is this so? Why do we offend easily and not reconcile the same way? It is because of our nature. The human nature is naturally centered around Self, making Self happy, ‘looking out for number one,’ etc. We offend others because we do not care what they think, we are too busy with ourselves, or we can offend them to make ourselves feel better, or even, we can offend someone to make them look less than us in public. These things feed Self and offend others. If you are on the receiving end, Self gets upset when anyone slights you in any way. Self thinks everyone is out to get him and is bent on Self-preservation, meaning making enemies with anyone who dares offend us. Self also hates saying sorry or that it was wrong. This is why reconciliation is so hard. Self is too prideful to admit he was acting childish, and Self likes to hang on to every wrong and hold it against people as evidence. Self does not want renewed fellowship with that one who wronged them, they want to drag it out and make them feel bad. Self is the motive for easy offense and difficult reconciliation.

Everyone tends to offend. Some more easily than others, but everyone has a past riddled with people they have angered, or people they have wronged that they wish to avoid. This can be resolved if we seek reconciliation, but Self usually in its pride refuses to reconcile wanting to continue the strife. On the other hand, everyone has people they want to stay away from because that someone harmed them, and no matter how many times they apologize we refuse to believe they are truly sorry. This also is Self wishing to maintain enmity. We ought to reconcile if we are offended or the offender.

We ought not to feel pity for the one who offends others. He ought to know reconciliation is hard, and that hard reconciliation is his punishment for offending another. We also should not pity the offended, for he ought to have tougher skin and learn to forgive as our Lord forgave: seventy times seven.

It is against the moral law to withhold forgiveness and to offend others, while it is part of God’s command to restore fellowship with our fellow man. It is just to reconcile one whom we have offended, and it is just to forgive one who has offended you. It is expedient to regain a friend through reconciliation, even if it is hard. To reconcile is practicable; though it is hard, it will benefit you by regaining a friend, and taking back a harm done. So, it is true that offence is easy, and reconciliation is difficult, but reconciliation should be sought by all.

Why We Have Special Meetings

2007-09-17T16:41:00.000-06:00

Spring and Fall Meetings have become a usual part of our annual routine, and in ten years, we have bypassed these meetings maybe once. But why? And for what purpose? And what are we to do about this tradition?

First, we have special meetings for the sake of. Our Lord. We long to know Him more, to hear His Word and to believe it, to be stirred and challenged and convinced and convicted. We would give Him glory, and we believe that we give God great glory as we know Him more and better. We have special meetings so that in all things he might have the preeminence.

Secondly, we have special meetings for the sake of believers. We want God to have His way in our hearts and in our lives, and we want God to work in us. We know that God works through His Word, that His power rests there. While it is certainly true that God does His work in the weekly routines of Sunday worship and Wednesday Bible study, we also desire to have special times for God to work in special ways. We have special meetings so that the Word of Christ will dwell in us richly.

Thirdly, we have special meetings for the sake of inquirers. Others seek the Lord. others long to know Him, to know that they have eternal life, that they will enjoy God forever in heaven. Special meetings can have a great impact on the Seeker. For one thing, God can use these special meetings to draw a sinner to Himself. As the preacher upholds the Word of God, as he faithfully preaches the Gospel, as he pleads with men, God draws sinners to their Redeemer and Savior. But also, God uses these meetings in the witness of believers. The preaching of a special week of meetings stirs, encourages, and further equips us for the work of evangelism. We therefore hold special meetings so that holding fast the faithful word… we may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers.

Finally, we have special meetings for the sake of . If the good hand of our God will be upon us, these special meetings can have the effect of a much needed vacation, of a special time set aside for refreshment and encouragement and fellowship. Like a breath of fresh air, special meetings revitalize and reinvigorate. We have special meetings so that we can all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:

But of course, all the designs of our week of Special Meetings will be in vain if you neglect to attend each and every night. As your pastor, I encourage you to set this time aside. Seek the Lord in a special way, and for special blessing during this week. Be at the church early each night, and come with your plate washed and wiped clean, so that the preacher might fill it each night. Then go home and chew on the messages preached. And may God bless us in a very special way during this week.

Its All in the Look

2007-09-10T15:14:00.000-06:00

Recently, an older man came to me with a quandary. It seems he was frustrated that people, from time to time, came to him with gripes about other people in the church. He did not understand why they would come to him. He did not want to talk about these things, and did not want these things to be brought to him.

But they were. And, from the sound of it, more than a little regularly.

Why is it that gossips always seem to go to the same person? How do they know who to go to and who to leave alone? Is there some kind of vibration that a person gives off when they are willing listeners to this sort of thing?

The answer is, “Yes! Absolutely!” The person who listens to gossip demonstrates their willingness by… listening. It really is that simple. Now, that’s not to say that the listener never protests, or protests that they really don’t want to hear it or discuss it. In fact, those who listen to gossip are very likely to say a thing like that. After all, they need something to salve their conscience.

What they don’t do is the one thing necessary to drive away the gossip. And that one necessary thing is to give one good old-fashioned dirty look.

The north wind driveth away rain: so doth an angry countenance a backbiting tongue. Proverbs 25:23

When a gossip approaches you with some “news” about a friend, it should sound something like this… “What are you trying to say? Are you talking about my friend? If you have a problem with my friend, then you have a problem with me. In fact, let’s go talk to him about it right now.”

And suddenly, almost surreally, the gossips avoid you.

What I Missed While I was Out

2007-08-25T10:57:00.000-06:00

You who follow conversations on this blog might like to know that I've been away for a bit, doing my nails and stuff... No, not really. I took the month off from blogging, other than an occasional peek. My wife stepped back into teaching for half days, which has brought all sorts of changes to our family. Our challenge is getting our five little indians up and dressed in the morning, and it takes real teamwork to get us all to school by 7:45 each morning. Then, I take care of our youngest in my office while my wife does the teaching. Needless to say, this requires some real effort, and I felt that blogs would be a distraction during this time of adjustment. Perhaps I will be able to get back to business soon.

Meanwhile, I've had some comments sitting there in my box for several weeks now. Not wanting everyone to miss out, you can find them under "Profile of a Predator Pastor" (yes, another victim), and "Why Predators Must be Kept from Pulpits." I got another comment from some IFB basher (anonymous, of course). I can't find where she put it, so I'll answer it here...

I suppose that I should be happy that you are happy now that you are out of the IFB. It is, after all, important that you be like, happy, and stuff. If your joy is in the Lord your God, and you've found Him in a more real way somewhere else (not an impossibility), then I'm glad for you. If you've found that you are happier without Jesus Christ, then I'm skeptical. It won't last forever, if that is the case.

Anyway, there's my answer, Ms. Anonymous. And, y'all come back and read some more. I'll try to have something worth seeing soon.

To Cut and Paste or Not to Cut and Paste

2007-07-10T13:14:00.000-06:00

Okay, I'll not cut and paste. Most have already read my most recent posts dealing with Predator Pastors, but for those who never visit our JackHammer blog, you might have missed these attempts at further understanding. So, I'll link them here and here for you, and invite you to make a habit out of scooting over to Jackhammr.org. Who knows, you might find something of interest. Or then again, you might decide to just stay over here in the safe zone.

Blessings!

Dave

What the “Everything” Means in Giving Thanks

2007-07-02T13:23:00.000-06:00

Once upon a time, a young man bent his pastor’s ear, telling him all the horrible things that had happened to him in his last church. And, truth be told, some really horrible things had happened in his last church. Some of them were shameful. Some were downright scandalous. Some were a reproach to the very name of Christ. Naturally, they grew worse with the telling.

Patiently, the pastor listened for some time with only an occasional comment or question. When it appeared that the young man had exhausted the issue, the pastor began to tell a story. Slowly, and with great deliberation, he began:

“Once upon a time,” he said, “a particularly severe father raised two boys. His demands were impossible, and his rebukes excessive. On more than a few occasions, each boy had experienced the unbridled wrath of their father. But the younger of the two boys was by nature especially mischievous, and therefore the younger often bore the brunt of his father’s wrath. Not to say that the older escaped the father’s demeaning chastisement. Both boys suffered much by their father. And each had their own personal difficulties dealing with the numerous oppressions of their home.”

“For instance,” the pastor continued, “the father often took the boys golfing. It was especially during their golf outings that the father’s tirades would get out of control. He would get in the boy’s faces, taunt them, scream at them, trying to get in their head. He would berate them, sometimes shame them, and make them go back and redo a shot that they did wrong. Needless to say, the boys did not always look forward to golf trips.”

“When the boys were fully-grown, the older hated his father, and refused to speak to him, even with an uncivil tone. He often passed the evenings telling tales of his childhood, and his stories naturally brought a response of shock and horror from those who listened. Encouraged by his friends, he started a blog, which he used to catalogue the many wrongs his father had carried out against him. His readers were unanimous in their agreement. ‘What kind of dad would do that to his son. You call that love? That isn’t what a father should do.’ And they would go on and on.”

“Meanwhile,” the pastor continued, “the younger brother also grew up. And in the end, the younger was much different from his brother. He regularly visited his father, honored him, loved him, and thanked God for him. Somehow, he managed to forgive his father of all his wrongs. In fact, the younger of the two often said that it was his father’s toughness that made him what he was.”

The pastor gravely turned to the young man seated before him. “What do you think was the difference between the two young men?” he asked. The young man thought for a moment, and then answered, “Well, I would say first of all that the older son must have been more sensitive. Maybe he had a more refined sense of justice. Obviously the younger son learned to ignore things. They say that oblivion can be a defense mechanism.”

The pastor smiled inwardly. “What you say about the two boys could be so. Who knows. But the real difference between them was something simpler than that. At the time they were suffering the wrongs, they had their own struggles dealing with it. But after it was done and they were out from under their father, then what made the difference in how they dealt with it?”

The young man thought for a few more minutes, and then finally gave up. “I guess I can’t explain it,” he said. The pastor smiled. “The difference was a thankful heart. People can complain about anything. People will complain about a steak dinner. Nothing ever tastes quite right until you’ve given thanks for it.”

Not of Him that Willeth

2007-06-27T14:46:00.000-06:00

Occasionally, we hear a pastor or teacher or evangelist plead with the lost by saying something like this:

God is calling you to salvation right now. He wants to save you. He loves you, and is not willing that you should perish. But God will not overrule your free will. God cannot save you unless you let him. Won’t you let him save you?

Now of course, the Bible nowhere says that God will not overrule one’s free will. But that is a different issue for a different time. Right now, we are more concerned with the question of how much our salvation depends on our own will, our own desire for salvation. Is it true that God cannot save us unless we let him? Must we be willing in order to be saved?

If one must first be willing, then salvation comes by the will of man. When it is my will to be saved, then I will be saved, and not until then. I cannot be saved unless it is my will that I be saved, nor can God save me unless it is my will. Everything depends on my being willing. When I will it, then I am saved.

If we believe Scripture to be ultimate, then we must evaluate the traditional opinion outlined above with what the Bible says.

So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy.

But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:
Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

Perhaps so many believers struggle with doubt about their salvation because they are constantly evaluating themselves and their response to the gospel, looking there for evidence of salvation. Rather than depending on Christ alone for salvation, we depend on our own desires for it. Rather than asking, “has God saved me,” we wonder, “did I ask for it right?” Rather than trusting Christ, we make sure that we believed enough, or with our heart rather than simply our head, or wanted it enough, or for the right reasons. Rather than resting on Christ, we rest on our prayer. We rest on what we said, how we said it, how we felt when we said it, and how we feel now that we have said it.

Were we born of the will of the flesh or not? Is it of him that willeth, or not? Is it of him that runneth or not? Is it of the will of man, or not? If it is of the will of the flesh, if it is of him that willeth, then we better make sure that we willed it correctly and properly, with all our heart. You might say perfectly. But if not, then we must rest on God that sheweth mercy, who gives man the power to become a son of God.

Who Is on My Side?

2007-06-10T08:49:00.000-06:00

And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted up his eyes and looked, and, behold, there stood a man over against him with his sword drawn in his hand: and Joshua went unto him, and said unto him, Art thou for us, or for our adversaries?

And he said, Nay; but as captain of the host of the LORD am I now come. And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and did worship, and said unto him, What saith my lord unto his servant?

Joshua 5:13-14

When Joshua asked the man whose sword was drawn, to identify which side he was on, the man answered “neither.” He was not come to take sides. He came as captain of the host of the LORD.

At times, we are tempted to think that God stands behind us because we are good, and stands against “them” because they are not. But God is not choosing between good and bad. The Lord of glory does not pick sides in a fight. He is the Lord of hosts. He comes as that.

The Lord of hosts is neither for us nor is he for our adversaries, as if God were choosing who is right. The Lord of hosts does as He pleases. He is the God of battles, and has no obligation to one person over another. The question is not, “is the Lord on my side?” Rather, the question is, “am I on the Lord’s side?” It is not for us to demand of God that he choose sides, but rather it is for us to fall on our face and worship, and to say, “What saith my lord unto his servant?”

In eternity past, God set the course of this world, and decreed all that would be. God established his eternal purpose and works all things after the counsel of his own will. And in His goodness and mercy, God has chosen us out of the world to walk in his ways. We are honored above all others, for we fight the Lord’s battles. As we fight His battles, He fights against those that fight against us. He sends us conquering and to conquer, and He that is in us is greater than He that is in the world.

But sometimes, He is not for us. At Jericho, God fought for His people, but at Ai, God fought against them. The question is not, “is God for me” but, “am I for God.” When I am on the Lord’s side, then God will not be fighting against me. But when I, who am on the Lord’s side, stand in the way or fail to submit, I can expect a cuff, a “get thee behind me, thou satan,” an opposition.

We must learn to say always, “what saith my lord unto his servant?”

A Break from my Hiatus

2007-06-09T15:02:00.000-06:00

I’ve been away from this outfit for a bit, but not for lack of things to say. Most of my limited blog time has been dedicated to our other blog at Jackhammr.org, and I simply have not taken the time to post over here. But I’m not finished.

For quite a while now, this blog has been dedicated exclusively to dealing with John Price in particular, and to the issue of Predator Pastors in general. I’ll have some more on that in short order, but its time to diversify into some other areas as well, so I’ll be doing that pronto.

Meanwhile, you should know that Hannah Elliot over at ABPnews.com, the website for the Associated Baptist Press, has done a story regarding Predator Pastors over at the Baptist Standard. Part of the reason for pointing that out is that she quotes me some in her story, which you can read here. Thanks, Hannah, for your story. They do have some good and helpful material on this issue.

As the readers of this blog know, this is an issue about which I am passionate, and I’ll be saying more in the future. Meanwhile, we hope to add some material for your edification shortly.

Blessings!

A Brief Note about Greenwood

2007-01-25T08:56:00.000-07:00

If you came across this blog by looking up “Greenwood Bible Baptist Church” or “Todd Poynter”, you may have read some things that put this church and this man in a bad light. I would ask you to keep in mind that I have not said nor do I say that this church or this pastor is at fault in the John Price affair. I would remind the reader that John Price no longer works for this church or this pastor. Todd Poynter did the right thing. He protected the church. Greenwood Bible Baptist Church did the right thing.

The name of Christ is glorified when we deal with sin properly. We live in a fallen world, and we are fallen creatures. Men will fall into sin. Sometimes, men will fall into gross and infamous sin. When they do, it is very important how the people of God respond. If we avert our gaze, turn our eyes, and ignore the sin, then we certainly “give Christ a black eye,” so to speak. But if we respond in a Biblical fashion, if we deal with the sin and refuse to cover it, then we honor the Lord.

That men, including pastors, fall into sin is no indictment against Christ. Nor should we allow any person to slander Christ’s name because men sin. Rather, the wickedness of men reveals the righteousness of Christ in a greater and more meaningful way. The despicable acts of men shows the power of Christ in cleansing men from sin. The many wrongdoings of men remind us that Christ did not come to save us from a few “mistakes.” He came to forgive evil, and to take it away. He carried our sins in his own body on the cross, and when the Father placed those sins on Him, then the Father proceeded to punish Christ as if He Himself were the one who committed these sins. By this, Christ is able to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him. Only Christ has the power to defeat evil and to drive it from the face of the earth.

Far from exposing the weaknesses of the Christian faith, great evil and famous sins reveal the hopelessness of humanity apart from Christ. For, despite all of our best efforts at reforming men like John Price, society has never been able to make any real or lasting difference. Only Christ has the power to save men from their sins.

Please do not judge Pastor Poynter too harshly. He was placed in a very difficult position by this whole ordeal, especially as John Price denies all the charges which have been substantiated against him. Unfortunately, Price refuses either to acknowledge his sin or to deal with his accusers. Instead, he insists on running from these things, always looking for another church where he can continue in his evil ways. Thus, Price put Poynter in an extremely awkward and difficult position. I appreciate Pastor Poynter’s decision in this.

We trust that God will bring John Price to a place of true repentance.

Why Predators Must Be Kept From Pulpits

2007-01-18T14:15:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I was told that John Price no longer works for Greenwood Bible Baptist. I was told that his removal has nothing to do with me, or with what I said, but that he needs to take some time to “clear things up.” Let me just say that I appreciate Pastor Todd Poynter for doing the right thing in this case, whatever the reason behind that decision.

For those who have been following this blog, you might wonder why it would be important that John Price be kept from ever getting another ministry. Let me say first that this is not simply a matter of opinion, as some have tried to make it out to be. This is a matter of Bible standards for preachers of the gospel.

If you want an easy way to dismiss what has been catalogued on this blog, I suppose you can simply call it “allegations.” I suppose, if it will help your conscience, you can refer to the number of years that have passed since these crimes were committed. I suppose, if you must, you can dismiss it as “one guy, who lives hundreds of miles away, who has an axe to grind with someone from 17 years ago.” And, in a way, you’d be right.

But then again, you really don’t need all of that if you want to dismiss it. If you want to dismiss it, you will. The facts don’t matter. You simply want to ignore it, pretend that it isn’t important, and take Price’s side in this matter.

But if you have read the article, and read the many comments that followed it, and if you new how much more there is that has not been said, you might think differently. The Bible says, in the mouth of two or three witnesses, let every word be established. That requirement has been met and exceeded here, and here, and here. So, these are not simply allegations.

There are many reasons why Predators must be kept out of the pulpit. Most of those reasons are obvious to the average person, whether Christian or non-Christian. Unfortunately, we have a faction of those in the believing world who like to keep the blinders on when it comes to their Pastoral leadership. Like it or not, a large number of those in the Hyles camp believe that a man who used his position as pastor to access teenaged girls, a man who used his pastoral influence to lure them into bed, should be allowed back in the ministry. “After all, it was over ten years ago. Whatever happened to forgiveness.”

How many times did the “forgiveness” argument work for Dave Hyles? How many churches in the Hyles circle took him in and enabled him once again? Yet, we still won’t learn our lesson, will we? How sad. And that is the reason I have put this on the Internet. If John Price is not at this time looking for another church to pastor or at least where he can work with the teenaged girls, he soon will be. His friends will help him get another job. We can be sure of that.

Predators must never be allowed back in the pulpit in any capacity. They are disqualified Scripturally. They have violated a trust. They are incurable. Repentance – genuine repentance, as opposed to the kind that demands that everybody forgive me right now – would involve a confession that what he did has limited his future. In other words, if he really repented, then he would never seek another pulpit.

Once a man has used his position to take advantage of teenaged girls, he will do it again if he gets the position again. This is why men like him, so far from being qualified pastoral candidates, should spend the rest of their life in jail.

But that isn’t all. The reason that John Price is not in jail today is because he was able to use the intimidation factor to keep his victims silent. That is how it works. These girls fear to come forward. One had the courage to file a police report. Others didn’t. And what is our response? We blame the girls and clear the pastor. Don’t tell me that Price doesn’t know this. Don’t tell me that he would never use his power to do this again.

Pastors are shepherds. Another reason that a predator should never be allowed in the pulpit again is because predators are wolves. Wolves do not belong in the pulpit. Not ever. And the sheep must be warned.

It should not surprise us that John Price wants to be in the ministry. John Price wishing for a pulpit is like a wolf wishing for his own private flock. Sheep, be warned.

God Cares

2007-01-09T13:43:00.000-07:00

Continuing a thought from our last post, consider this from Spurgeon’s Morning and Evening:

“Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.”
— 1 Peter 5:7

It is a happy way of soothing sorrow when we can feel—“HE careth for me.” Christian! do not dishonour religion by always wearing a brow of care; come, cast your burden upon your Lord. You are staggering beneath a weight which your Father would not feel. What seems to you a crushing burden, would be to him but as the small dust of the balance. Nothing is so sweet as to

“Lie passive in God’s hands,
And know no will but his.”

O child of suffering, be thou patient; God has not passed thee over in his providence. He who is the feeder of sparrows, will also furnish you with what you need. Sit not down in despair; hope on, hope ever. Take up the arms of faith against a sea of trouble, and your opposition shall yet end your distresses. There is One who careth for you. His eye is fixed on you, his heart beats with pity for your woe, and his hand omnipotent shall yet bring you the needed help. The darkest cloud shall scatter itself in showers of mercy. The blackest gloom shall give place to the morning. He, if thou art one of his family, will bind up thy wounds, and heal thy broken heart. Doubt not his grace because of thy tribulation, but believe that he loveth thee as much in seasons of trouble as in times of happiness. What a serene and quiet life might you lead if you would leave providing to the God of providence! With a little oil in the cruse, and a handful of meal in the barrel, Elijah outlived the famine, and you will do the same. If God cares for you, why need you care too? Can you trust him for your soul, and not for your body? He has never refused to bear your burdens, he has never fainted under their weight. Come, then, soul! have done with fretful care, and leave all thy concerns in the hand of a gracious God.

Freedom

2007-01-06T15:10:00.001-07:00

This is the third time that I have attempted to add more thoughts to this blog. The first two just weren’t right. Maybe this won’t be either. But it’s a shot anyway.

I am not God’s avenging angel. As much as I hope that we can put John Price away, as much as I want to (at the very least) prevent him from ever gaining another ministry, and as much as I would like to see him pay for his crimes, that is not and cannot be my focus any longer. I have one more thing that I need to do regarding John Price himself, and that is to deal with his current pastor, Pastor Matthew Todd Poynter of Greenwood Bible Baptist Church, where John Price is the assistant pastor. I will be dealing with him shortly.

But besides that, I must move on to the real need. Since writing my original article exposing John Price, I have been overwhelmed by the comments, private e-mails, phone calls, and conversations regarding this issue. Many of you are hurt. Some can never trust another pastor. Some have fallen away from God because of Freedom Baptist Church.

I want to help you. I wish that I could help you. I wish that I could take that burden away, flush it down the toilet, and make it never come back. But I can’t do that. I find myself completely powerless to make a difference in your heart or in your thoughts.

Proverbs 12:25 says, Heaviness in the heart of man maketh it stoop: but a good word maketh it glad.

Many of you can vouch for the first part of this verse. You know what heaviness is. You can testify that heaviness makes your heart stoop. Many times, you have cried out to God for help and deliverance. Often you have wished for healing. Yet, you have often despaired of ever finding any sort of recovery. Healing seems impossible.

Our burdens are too heavy for us to carry. And that is why Christ calls for us to cast our burden on him (Psalm 55:22; I Peter 5:7). He cares for you. He will sustain you. He will not suffer the righteous to be moved.

The purpose of this post is not to encourage you to “picture a great big balloon, and then picture all your troubles, and then blow them into that balloon, and then blow again, and then blow again until all your problems and all your troubles are in that balloon, and then tie them up inside the balloon, and then let the balloon go, and watch that balloon fly away with all your troubles.” First, no balloon can carry away your troubles, and no balloon can be trusted not to fly up for awhile, but somehow to make it back to your lap. Secondly, because that would be asking a balloon to do what only God can do… namely, to take away all your anxieties and all your cares. My purpose is to encourage you to focus on Christ.

Picture all those worries, all those troubles and all those problems. Get them in your mind. Dredge them up if you need to. Now picture Jesus Christ. Put all those burdens on him. That is what he says to do. They are too heavy for you to carry. They stoop your heart. They make you so that you cannot stand up straight. Put them all on him. Don’t hold on to any. I know that he does not deserve to carry them. He did not deserve to be punished for the sins of the whole world either. But he was. That was His choice. And it is His choice to take your burdens as well. So put them on Him. They do not stoop Him over. He takes them, no matter how heavy they are, and He carries them. And He is able to do this.

Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. 2 Corinthians 3:7

…the truth shall make you free. John 8:32

God promises freedom. That freedom is found in Jesus Christ. If Christ is able to remove your sins, and all of your sins from you, then He is able to remove your sorrows as well. So, go ahead. Put it on him. He is able to deliver thee.

More Thoughts for My Freedom Friends

2006-11-07T11:26:00.000-07:00

Although we haven’t come to an agreement yet, I think that we are making progress in sorting through the issue of John Price and predator pastors. I’m not so foolish as to think that I can answer every objection, or even give an answer that will put this issue to rest forever. Some of that, and some of our struggles here, will probably never fully be put to rest. After all, we are dealing with some pretty awful things, and we probably have only scratched the surface at this point. So, I’ll not flatter myself that I have all the answers on this issue.

It seems that our last discussion got bogged down a little with whether or not John Price is regenerate, and whether or not he ever was a good pastor (1). First, I would point out that I am no judge of a man’s heart. As God reminded Samuel, man looks on the outward appearance, but God looks on the heart. Only God knows his heart, as we like to say. But that is also my point. I can’t see his heart. I can only judge by the fruit, which I think is the best way to judge in this case. For clarity’s sake, by fruit I don’t mean people. If I am the fruit of John, then I am not the fruit of God. Paul planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, that which is born of the spirit is spirit. Certainly the seed, tossed into good ground by the vilest of sowers, will still grow up into fruitfulness. But I am not talking about you and me when I say fruit.

When I say fruit, I mean all those fruits of the spirit, those fruits that only the Spirit of God can produce, and that the Spirit only produces in those who have been regenerated. And that is where I struggle. The works of the flesh are very manifest in his life, particularly that work of the flesh called fornication. His lifestyle clearly leads to hell. I have a hard time arguing that a man who lives like the devil is headed for heaven. Maybe he is, but how does one argue that?

Was John ever a good pastor? I have said before that I enjoyed many things from that period of my life. I for one cannot argue that everything was bad. And we certainly could make the case that Price started out right at the very least.

But the fact that John started so well and seemed so right I think is further proof that he was a wolf from the beginning. It reminds me of a passage from J.R.R. Tolkien’s Fellowship of the Ring, when Frodo and his friends questioned whether Strider were truly a friend or not. Frodo said, “You have frightened me several times tonight, but never in the way that servants of the Enemy would, or so I imagine. I think one of his spies would – well, seem fairer and feel fouler, if you understand.” To which Strider replied, “I see… I look foul and feel fair. Is that it? All that is gold does not glitter, not all those who wander are lost.”

Put another way, when a shepherd first comes along, the sheep might have some struggles, some “personality conflicts” with him. He might seem a little rough. He must discipline the flock. But when the flock submits under his hand, he need only deal with the occasional stray.

A wolf, on the other hand, starts out to gain the trust of the sheep. He flatters and soothes and gains their confidence, and then he begins to devour the sheep. Aesop wrote a fable about this. It seems that a certain wolf, after prowling around a flock of sheep for some time, set out to gain the confidence of the Shepherd. The Shepherd, of course, watched the wolf very carefully, ever suspicious that the wolf would harm one of his lambs. So, the Shepherd was surprised when the wolf actually seemed to be helping him. Through time, the Shepherd grew used to seeing the wolf around, and since the wolf had never done anything wrong, and in fact seemed to have the same care for the sheep as a Shepherd would, the Shepherd forgot how wicked the wolf could be.

One day, the Shepherd asked the wolf to keep watch over the sheep for him while he ran a few errands. But when he came back, and saw how many of his lambs had been killed and carried off, the Shepherd knew how foolish it had been to ever trust a wolf.

I understand why this is troubling. After all, if a man like John could start well, and could earn the trust of many or even most adults, if he could seem so right and yet turn out so wrong, what’s to say that the next pastor we come across won’t do the same thing?

One thing is certain here… we need that wisdom that is from above.

If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. James 1:5

Footnotes:
(1) I use the word “regenerate” here to make a distinction. It is possible to profess faith in Christ and remain unconverted. It is possible to be a Christian but never born “from above”.

An Open Letter To All My Friends from Freedom Baptist.

2006-10-25T14:09:00.000-06:00

Dear Friend,

I hate to be so formal, but I’m not sure who all will be reading this letter. So I promise not to be any more formal than necessary. Just figure that I am talking to you personally, one-on-one, as one friend to another.

I know that things that went on at Freedom Baptist Church hurt you. I knew that before I set out to write the story of John Price. But to be honest, after I posted his story I was caught off guard by the emotions in your comments. I hope you will forgive me for thinking this way – I should have known better, but I guess that for a moment, I forgot about everyone except myself. I’m glad you set me straight on that.

So, now what do we do? We’ve both been hurt. It still hurts. Putting it up on the Internet helped; it helped to think that we might be able to keep him out of other churches. But how do we sort through things now? What about us?

Have you thought about quitting church? Do you wonder if you can ever trust a pastor again? I know I have had these thoughts. But let me ask you something: do you really think that John was a pastor? I mean a real pastor? A shepherd of God’s people? Do you think he was a man of God?

This is an important question, of course. If we are talking about whether we can ever trust another pastor because of what John did, we have to ask whether John was, in fact a pastor. And in this case, we have to get past the title, the degree, the position he held in the church we grew up in. I’m not asking if he had the position of pastor. He definitely “held” that position…held it hostage, held it over our heads, held it for himself. But was he a pastor in the way God intends, and in the way other good, godly men are pastors?

I say no, he wasn’t. And I think there are some good reasons to say this. First, a real pastor, a pastor in the true sense of the word, would be a saint. That means, he would be a good man for sure. He would be a godly man. But it also means that he would be a “Born Again” man. Only those who have been “Born Again” are saints. And no, I do not believe that John was ever “Born Again”, at least not in the time that he was our pastor. I know that he professed to be regenerated, but Christ gave us a standard for testing these things – by their fruits ye shall know them. Was his the fruit of a saint? Please tell me it wasn’t!

When Christ saves a man, He makes a change in that man. Christ doesn’t change a man from bad to horrid. Christ changes a man from bad to becoming better. That man may slip or stumble or even fall from time to time. But, always you will see him repenting, confessing his sin, getting back up, and changed for the better.

John was not changed for the better. John was not changing for the better. Anyone making an honest assessment of his life would not insist that he was on the path to Sainthood. You would not say that, would you? He was no Saint.

There are more reasons. I will only bring up one more. A true pastor, a pastor in the sense that God intends, would be a shepherd. Jesus set the example of a Good Shepherd: the Good Shepherd gives his life for the sheep. Now, ask yourself: Was John a good shepherd?

You see, I know that we struggle with ever trusting another pastor. But I want to point out to you that he wasn’t really a pastor in the first place. So, while you trusted him, it wasn’t really a Pastor that you were trusting. Actually, it was a wolf, and you were deceived into thinking that the wolf was a shepherd.

Imagine if Little Red Riding Hood refused to ever trust her grandmother again because that wolf that was dressed like her grandmother tricked her. Would you say that Little Red Riding Hood made the wise choice? I wouldn’t. I would urge her to trust her grandmother – the real one, mind you, not the wolf. Forget about the wolf that dressed up like your grandmother. Chase him away. Watch out for him, sure. But only because you don’t want the wolf to keep you from grandma.

More later…

THE PREDATOR’S PATH

2006-10-20T16:35:00.000-06:00

In this second installment of a series on Predator Pastors, we will explore the downward spiral that changes a pastor into a predator. We will look at one particular case, the case of Pastor John Price, a wolf in shepherd’s clothing.

If you have not yet read Sharper Irony’s previous post “Profile of a Predator Pastor”, then you really should read that before reading this. The question for this post to answer might not be as complex as it appears. How does a pastor become a predator? How could the one meant for our spiritual health become instead an agent of spiritual death?

But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.
Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.
Do not err, my beloved brethren. James 1:14-16

So then, it should be no mystery to us what brought down this man. We live in a fallen world. We are a fallen race. Whenever these kinds of horrible things happen, we know that sin is involved. John Price’s problem was a sin problem. Not an “IFB” problem, not a Fundamentalist problem, not a religion problem. The problem did not stem from his education at Hyles-Anderson College. The problem came from his own flesh. Not from outside of him, in his environment or his culture, but from inside of him, from his own heart and his own flesh.

Sins, like grapes, grow in clusters. Like termites, wherever you find one, you can be sure there are many. Sins eat into the very grain of the wood, weakening the very structure of the building. Sin wreaks havoc on lives, and even more so when a person does not restrain himself from his desires, and fails to discipline himself. If you can’t say “no” to yourself, you won’t say “no” to sin.

The believer should live his life for God’s pleasure, not his own. When the pastor sends everyone out soul winning, then takes his assistant pastor over to the house for some video games, we have a person who is given to appetite. His pursuit of pleasure takes priority over his purpose of pleasing God. The sin can be traced back to pleasure. A Christian should find his highest pleasure in pleasing God. He should live for that pleasure. But John Price lived for other pleasures.

Amusement was an important part of John Price’s life. He once invited me over to his house for an afternoon of video games. As a teen, I felt funny about this. Now that I am a pastor, I see the absurdity of it. A pastor’s work is never done. How does a pastor have time for video games? I couldn’t say it was wrong. But those who know Price know that he dedicated a significant portion of his life to these and other amusements.

Now, amusement did not make him a predator. But the pursuit of pleasure did. And particularly, the pursuit of sexual pleasures. But even before he became predator, there was another pleasure which preoccupied Price’s mind. One word: admiration. It is pleasant to be loved and admired. And John Price loved to be admired. The fast growth of Freedom Baptist garnered a lot of attention and admiration. Sadly, the quest for fame is like a tapeworm. It is always eating, and never filled. A man who craves admiration, no matter how much he gets, will never be satisfied.

At first, it was that hunger for admiration that attracted Price to other women, and eventually to teen-aged girls. There was something intoxicating about the adoring eyes of his followers. He could do no wrong. He was a big man, an important man. They loved him. And he was hungry.

Price learned from some of the best of the best how to stir up the awe of the women. Had he not watched “Dr. Poopsy-Whoopsie” himself, the grand master of women? Technique doesn’t cause sin, but it sure makes it easier. The flirting grew and increased, the women responded and were flattered, and soon, Price found himself in a position to benefit from the adoration of these women.

Sin is the problem, but several things make the sin easier, the slope slicker. Ecclesiastes 8:11 says,

Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil.

No doubt Price made mistakes. But few he owned up to. And people simply would not hold him accountable. I believe that men like this start with small failings, and rather than owning up to those failures, they excuse them or ignore them. Sure, they are ashamed, but they also have the ability to cover up, rather than facing the sin in a manly way, dealing with it, and making it right. Glossing over small sin paves the way for greater. Soon, the man believes himself to be invincible.

The preacher turned predator believes that he can carry out these horrible crimes, and can gratify his lusts with married women and teen-aged girls. Sure, he knows it is sin. But when personal pleasure dictates decisions, then the only sin will be restraint. So long as he has the opportunity, he will take it.

The preacher, of all people, believes that he would never be suspected of such a thing. After all, he is the preacher, revered, and held in the highest esteem in his society. And molesting teen-aged girls? Statutory Rape? Who would think such a thing possible? Besides, he figures that nobody will find out.

So, John Price felt pretty secure in pursuing carnal pleasures. Besides, he could always talk his way out of it if somebody stumbled into the knowledge of what he had done. He had important friends in high places who, no doubt, would vouch for him. And he had many enemies. Successful pastors always do. He would simply say it was “the devil fighting”. Besides, who would take the word of a teen-ager over his?

But in the worst possible scenario, there would always be repentance. If he had to, he could always stand before the church and cry about how sorry he was, and how the pressures of the ministry overcame him, and how, as Jack always said, “you can’t fall down from a crawl; if you are in the race, you are going to fall down.”

I doubt that the possibility of jail time ever crossed his mind. Certainly, the more he got away with it, the bolder he became. In John Price’s mind, he could do this, and he could get away with it.

So, John Price went out to get what he wanted – sexual gratification. And, when adult women did not meet his needs, he sought out teen-aged girls. He chose them, not because of anything they had done, but simply because they had what he wanted. They were accessible to him, and besides, they trusted him. And they would no doubt be so ashamed that they would keep quiet about it. He counted on that. In fact, he probably discussed their shame with them, maybe even told them that he was ashamed too, and that it was best that it be their little secret.

This is the nature of these kinds of men. The above describes their mindset, their motive, and their mode of operation. This is how they think, how they rationalize their crimes, and often (sadly) how they get away with it. We should be cautious, we should be warned, and we should beware. Pastors must keep themselves clean and pure, must keep their body under and bring it into subjection. And their people must love their pastor enough to keep him accountable.

In the days since posting the crimes of John Price, many have responded both with support and with anguish of heart. Healing, which I believe can take place, will require some understanding. Many wonder, “how could this man do these things?” “How could he get away with them?” “Who is to blame for this?” The answer is sin. Sin caused it, sin blinded eyes to it, sin led this man into it.

In order to heal, we need to understand how this happened. I hope this was helpful. And may God heal us and help us.

Profile of a Predator Pastor

2006-10-10T12:55:00.000-06:00

This post begins a series of articles dealing with the scourge of predator pastors. In this first of the series, we will address a particular predator pastor. In future articles, we will deal with how these men turn into the monsters they are, why God allows men like this to get into the ministry in the first place, how these wolves find such easy prey in the sheep, who enables these wolves to prey on the sheep, how the wounded can find healing, and what can be done to protect the sheep from predators in the future. We hope it will help!

Is it right to expose an unrepentant pastor in such a public forum as the blog portion of the Internet? This was a question that needed to be answered in my own mind before I set out to write this post. I am not God. Vengeance is not mine. And God did not commission me as His special agent in this matter. So, how can I possibly justify this post?

When a pastor becomes a predator, and when that predator pastor continually attempts to find a new pulpit, and thus new victims, then those who have something to say must speak up. Further silence would be sinful. God’s sheep must be protected from wolves in shepherd’s clothing.

In this case, the predator pastor continuously seeks new pulpits. I have personally been involved in exposing him to two different pulpit committees. A friend of mine got him removed from an interim position in a third church. I was told about a fourth church he applied for, and he currently serves as the assistant pastor and Christian School Administrator at the Greenwood Bible Baptist Church in Greenwood, Indiana.

I wrote a letter to the pastor of the church in Greenwood. I received no response. If I receive a response, I will note it on this blog. But in the meantime, the case is too grave, the situation too serious, to warrant any further delay. This predator pastor will not stop until he gains another pulpit.

It is impossible to know what church might be next. If, in some small way, this post can be used to alert someone to this dangerous man, then it will have served its purpose. This author has lived in silence with the terrible truth for nearly eighteen years now. I have no personal need to put this out on the Internet. Contrary to what this man has already said, we are not attacking him because he is so “on fire for God”. Despite his charm, despite his impressive resume (which conveniently excludes at least one former church that would expose him for what he is), this man is not a “Man of God” as he would have you think. Nor is the purpose of this article to prevent the work of God. Just the opposite in fact. The purpose of this article is to further the work of God.

The “work of God” as we term it, the ministry of the church, is greatly hindered by predator pastors such as this man. This article is motivated by a desire to see the work of God advanced. And exposing this man will greatly advance the health and prosperity of any church that might be infected by a predator such as this. Dragon slaying is a Christian occupation.

So, the purpose for writing an article like this, and posting it on the Internet where it can easily be discovered by some unsuspecting pulpit committee should be, shall we say, obvious? In this article, we are not trying to destroy a man’s reputation. Rather, we are pointing out the fact that this man has destroyed his own reputation, and refuses to live with it. More importantly, we are protesting the fact that this man, who has already destroyed several lives, continues to seek other lives to destroy. We trust that our protests will not fall on deaf ears.

Nothing that is said here should be misconstrued as a refusal on our part to forgive this pastor. I cannot speak for all who comment, but I can speak for myself. It took many years to deal with his sins in my own heart. As I write this, I believe with all my heart that, by the power of God, I have forgiven him. I know for certain that his sins against us do not compare to our sins against Christ. If Christ has forgiven me, and I believe He has, then I must forgive this man. To refuse him forgiveness would only add sin to the sins that I must be forgiven of. And furthermore, it would bar me from the forgiveness God offers in Jesus Christ. Besides, when I consider what God has forgiven in me, forgiving this man is easy.

Now, down to business. John W. Price pastored the Freedom Baptist Church in Terre Haute, Indiana, for about ten years. My family and I first began to attend the church when I was in the seventh grade, and the church was approaching their third anniversary. At the time, the church met at Howard Johnson’s Motor Lodge in Terre Haute, and was building a new building south of town.

The church experienced phenomenal growth, mostly through the hard work of the people and the charisma of the pastor. For the third anniversary, the church hit a record of over 300 people in the morning service, which was also the first service in the new building. Over the next five years, the church grew to high days above five hundred, added an education wing and a gymnasium, and became somewhat famous throughout the Midwest.

I loved Freedom Baptist Church. And I loved and admired John Price. He was my pastor. For those of my old friends reading this post, I know that we don’t like to admit that we ever liked him. We need to be honest here. Sure, he gave us plenty of reasons to hold grudges. But there was a time when he held our highest admiration. He was our pastor.

And that is exactly what makes his crimes so very heinous. It is one thing for a thirty-five year old man to fall in love with a teen-aged girl. While it seems absurd and unnatural, and forbidden by law, yet a case like that somehow pales in comparison to a pastor who, because of the admiration of those who follow him, takes the opportunity to lure teen-aged girls.

Yes, John Price is a thief. His financial crimes have been well documented in other places (1). If his only sin was embezzlement, perhaps we wouldn’t feel quite so strongly about keeping him out of the ministry. But his crimes against teen-aged girls far outweigh his other failings.

Now, John Price denies any of this. When confronted with this information recently (2) Price claimed that he left the church with every bill paid. And he called preposterous the charges of intercourse with a fifteen-year-old girl (3).

But he did this. There was a day when I became very suspicious that something was going on that shouldn’t be. I heard the low voices – his voice, husky with passion, and another’s… a girl’s voice. Then, silence. My body tensed. I grabbed a club in my hand, and headed down the hallway. I came to the place where the voices were. Afraid, I put down the club. When I looked around the corner, John Price had stepped back. His hands were on her shoulders. He stepped back against her, pulled her to him and put his arms around her. He held her, and she held him. He pulled her close and moved towards her lips…

And I exploded. I stepped around the corner, and screamed at him. Get out of here. Get out now. Surprised, he looked at me. He tried to act like he didn’t know what I was talking about. But I would have none of it. You leave, right now! Go! I pointed at the door. Then, he tried his bully tactic. “You calm down, David. Now sit down. What is your problem?” You know what my problem is. You pervert. Then, the shocked, hurt routine started. He was “as pure as the driven snow, of course”. “I was just giving her a hug and a kiss! I always do that! I’m her pastor!”

Finally, he left, though reluctantly. I wasn’t convinced. I was eighteen. I was stupid, but not that stupid. I knew the difference between a “good-bye” hug and what he was doing, tucked away as they were in a corner.

The next day, I was “talked to”, and told that Price was very “hurt” that I would think so badly of him. I was told that he considered resigning because of the accusation. Good, I said. He should resign. I should have called the police. In fact, I still think I should. He definitely should resign. He shouldn’t be a pastor. Not here, not anywhere.

What more can I say? I saw what I saw, and it was no illusion. At the time, the girl denied vehemently that there was anything happening. So, I dropped it. About five months later, I witnessed Price sitting on a couch between two teen-aged girls, tickling them. I went to various people in the room. They saw what I saw, but they refused to believe anything was going on.

I am ashamed to say that I did nothing. I should have called the police. I should have called the deacons of the church. I should have called other pastors. I did not. Was it fear? Was it intimidation? Was it shame that kept me from it? Whatever it was, I did not do what I should have done.

Some time later, both teen girls confirmed my suspicions. They told me of many, many sexual encounters in his office, in his van behind the church, in his home while babysitting, in their own home. He offered to pay for an abortion for one who thought she was pregnant.

One girl was willing to file charges. The other was too afraid. And so, John Price is a free man. John Price can deny these charges, because they have never been proven in court. John Price can call these charges preposterous. But, on my honor, this happened.

I wonder where else he will do this. Maybe he already has. Maybe there are others. Maybe not. Price does not believe that we are serious, dead serious, about keeping him out of the ministry. So, this might come as a surprise to him, that we are out here, and we won’t go away. I’m guessing that there might be some out there who are willing to put their name on a comment, and show their support of this article. You maybe can’t vouch for everything here, but you could say something. I’m sure that you are willing to vouch for the fact that John Price should not be in the ministry. Maybe I’m wrong. I would invite you to make a comment on this post. Spread the word. I know that several of you read this. Go ahead and say something. It’s safe! I’ll leave comment moderation on in order to insure integrity, but all comments will be posted unless they are absolutely inappropriate.

What about you, John Price? I know you’ll be reading this. Will you take the opportunity to clear your name? Or to smear mine? Either way, you are welcome to comment here.

Matthew 18:6 But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea.

If you are considering John Price for a pastoral position, or for that matter, for any position, please hear what I am saying. Please contact me. This is important.

Footnotes:

(1) A major news source did a report in the early 1990’s on Price’s financial mismanagement of Freedom Baptist, mismanagement that led to the eventual bankruptcy and foreclosure of the church property to attempt recovery of around $750,000 in debts. ***(Edited October 11, 2006) I have been informed that the church did not declare bankruptcy, nor did it foreclose. The leadership of the church sold the property in order to settle all debts, which (if I understand correctly) were paid in full.

(2) Two weeks ago, a church in Michigan that was considering Price for the pastorate confronted him about this information. He, of course, denied everything, stating, “I’m as pure as the driven snow!”

(3) Charges were filed at the Vigo County Sheriff’s Office in Terre Haute, Indiana.

Weather

2006-09-18T11:38:00.000-06:00

Hast thou commanded the morning since thy days; and caused the dayspring to know his place;
Hast thou entered into the treasures of the snow? or hast thou seen the treasures of the hail,
Which I have reserved against the time of trouble, against the day of battle and war?
By what way is the light parted, which scattereth the east wind upon the earth?
Who hath divided a watercourse for the overflowing of waters, or a way for the lightning of thunder;
To cause it to rain on the earth, where no man is; on the wilderness, wherein there is no man;
To satisfy the desolate and waste ground; and to cause the bud of the tender herb to spring forth?
Hath the rain a father? or who hath begotten the drops of dew?
Out of whose womb came the ice? and the hoary frost of heaven, who hath gendered it?
The waters are hid as with a stone, and the face of the deep is frozen.
Canst thou lift up thy voice to the clouds, that abundance of waters may cover thee?
Canst thou send lightnings, that they may go, and say unto thee, Here we are?
Who hath put wisdom in the inward parts? or who hath given understanding to the heart?
Who can number the clouds in wisdom? or who can stay the bottles of heaven,
When the dust groweth into hardness, and the clods cleave fast together?

Wednesday it was summer. We ran our cooler during the midweek service. Thursday was still summer, for about half the day. And then, as if it was keeping an appointment, fall moved in Thursday afternoon. Utah weather at its finest!

We tend to think that our weather is unpredictable, as if it is predictable or normal everywhere else. But this is simply not true. Weather is unpredictable everywhere, and in every place it baffles the experts, mocks our plans, and in general, makes a nuisance of itself.

There is a simple explanation for this. The weather is not controlled by the Tri-lateral commission, or by The People with Black Helicopters. Nor is it controlled by The Predictors of Weather. God controls the weather. Weather is unpredictable because God is unpredictable.

I imagine that God, upon hearing the weather report explained in absolute detail, says, “Oh really!” And then, I imagine that he pushes a cloud from nowhere in particular, fills it with rain, and dumps it on the heads of the suits and haircuts down at Broadcast House. Weather is God’s toy train. Every once in a while, He wrecks the train, makes a mess of things, and then leaves it to us to clean up.

God is Sovereign; we are in his hands, not the weatherman’s. The wind and the waves obey God’s voice. This reminds us that we often act as if our plans are sovereign, and not God’s. It reminds us of the many times we grow irritated at changes in circumstances, and lose our temper whenever things don’t go as planned. God brings these disruptions according to his will. When we respond in anger and frustration, we show our own lack of submission to his impulses.

Five Years Later

2006-09-12T08:49:00.000-06:00

Airplanes crashed. Buildings burned. Paper flew. People jumped. America watched. Horrified. Passengers resisted. Airplanes crashed. Buildings toppled. People ran. Terrorists died. Americans died. Fighter jets scrambled. Air traffic stopped. A President stood firm. Americans wondered. Heroes responded. Flags flew. America cried. America resolved.

But many forgot.

Despite all the anti-W hysteria, it has been five years since a terrorist attack of any kind has touched America. If that is losing the war on terror, then I’ll take losing. Thanks to our military, many of whom have made the ultimate sacrifice defending our freedom.

Five years ago. It seems like it was just yesterday. Five years ago came this generation’s defining moment. For better or for worse, September 11 changed America.

And as our country reeled, my pastor, Pastor Mark Short, sent me an e-mail from the Fijian Islands, where he was visiting his daughter and son-in-law, Kory and Wendy Mears.

Pastor Short heard about the terrorist attack from Fiji. He wanted me to know that he had heard, and he had some thoughts about it. He saw in those attacks God’s hand of judgement against America. He gave me a verse: the horse is prepared against the day of battle, but safety is of the LORD. He encouraged us to pray for national revival. And he hoped that America would defend herself.

Then, another day later, Pastor Short e-mailed once again. This time, he told me that air traffic was restricted, that it didn’t look like he would be back for Sunday as originally planned. I e-mailed him back to tell him that I was preparing, and that we would miss him. Somehow, we managed to catch each other at the right time. Within thirty minutes, I had another reply. This time, Pastor Short told me that he would be enjoying the extra time in Fiji, that he and his boys were headed for a secluded beach where the waves were ten feet high, and they could have some fun playing in the water. It was the last we ever heard from him.

Later that night, we received the phone call that Pastor Short had been lost at sea. Three days later, they recovered his body.

Our church, already reeling from the terrorist attacks of September 11, was crushed. Our nation’s tragedy was forgotten, as we dealt with our own. Our deacons gathered on the night Pastor Short was lost, and poured out their hearts in prayer to God. Though we didn’t know for sure what God intended, when we finished praying, we had a peace that this was God’s will. We prayed more. We prayed for our church. We prayed for wisdom. We rested on God that night.

Friday morning came early. While Pastor Short was in Fiji, I was covering his paper route for him. I was up at 4:00 in the morning, driving to the route, when it finally hit me. Pastor Short was gone. I couldn’t see. I couldn’t drive. I pulled over on the side of the road, and cried. I can’t describe the pain I felt. I can’t imagine how Pastor Short’s boys felt as they watched the waves carry away their father. I can’t imagine the pain his family felt as they waited to no avail, hoping for a miracle, yet knowing there would be none. My pain was not their pain. But I remember the pain nevertheless. Pastor Short was my pastor, my friend, a father to me, as Paul was to Timothy. He was one of the most important influences in my life. As I sat there alongside the road, wave after wave of sorrow washed over my soul. And I cried. There was no holding back.

Finally, I was able to drive to the route. Time after time, as I tossed newspapers onto porches, I stopped for a fresh flood of tears. Back at home once again, I sat with my wife in the bedroom and together we poured out our heart to each other. Pastors called to comfort and help, friends called to offer a shoulder to cry on. I will always appreciate their help. I remember when my closest friends, the staff at Fairhaven, called. I remember that several times, I broke down on the phone while a fresh fountain of tears overflowed.

Five years later, as I look back, I realize that it was that time, holding my wife, pouring out my heart to God, crying, praying, talking, that God gave me the strength I would need. Some worried that, in comforting the church, I did not have time to mourn. It wasn’t something I could talk about at the time. But in those early morning hours, God allowed me that time. And then, the Comforter came, and gave me strength for the task.

Friday passed, and Saturday. I was to preach on Sunday. What do you say? What do you preach at a time like this? The weight of a church rested on me. I remember talking to Dr. Voegtlin about it. I remember his counsel and comfort. Look to God. Talk about him.

Saturday night, I still wondered what I should say. How can I comfort God’s people? What would you have me to say, Lord? And then, God drew my mind to the passage that my Grandfather had taught me so many years before, the passage that had sustained him through the death of his son, my father. I went to Romans chapter 8: Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, for thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principlaities, nor powers, nor things present, nor thing to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Sunday morning came. I walked in the door, heard the sobbing of our people, and walked back out. What could I say? I wasn’t the right person for the job. So many men were better equipped. What was I doing here? Yet I was the right person for the job. God put me there for such a time as this. It couldn’t be someone else. I walked back in. I saw our men, I looked them in the eye, and I cried. On that day in particular, I determined that I would hold back nothing. The tears came many times, yet we all found some level of comfort in the knowledge of the love of God, of His Sovereign hand guiding in our affairs.

Somehow, God got us all through that service. And when the day was over, we had found God's promise to be true. His grace was sufficient, his strength was perfected in our weakness.

Five years later, we look back with awe and wonder at all God has done. He brought us through this time, and we are better for it. Surely, we can say, though we do not understand all that he has done, that The LORD is righteous in all his ways, and holy in all his works. What a God we serve!

Announcing Jackhammr.org

2006-09-01T15:18:00.000-06:00

If you like my Sharper Irony blog, you might like our new “Jackhammr” blog…www.Jackhammr.org. If you don’t like my Sharper Irony blog, you still might like our new Jackhammr blog. If you are blogged down with blogs, you still might like our new Jackhammr blog. If you need dental work, you might like our new Jackhammr blog.

Kent Brandenburg, Jeff Voegtlin, Dave Mallinak. Jackhammr.org. Take a look. Hard hats and safety glasses not included.

Adventures in Mormon land: Polygamy Lives

2006-09-01T12:13:00.000-06:00

Utah breathed a collective sigh of relief this week. Maybe it was more of a gasp. They had been holding their breath. Now they let it go. It was long. It was loud. Warren Jeffs is finally under arrest.

For those not familiar with Mormon sub-culture, Warren Jeffs is a Fundamentalist. A Mormon Fundamentalist. Jeffs reportedly has eighty wives. Jeffs heads the Fundamentalist Mormon Church (FLDS). Jeffs was a big embarrassment to Utah Mormons, ever striving to be considered mainstream.

Since his arrest, the news has been about Jeffs, with a short break for President Bush’s visit. The talk shows have been consumed with Jeffs. Doug Wright of the Doug Wright show, KSL radio’s morning talk show, described Warren Jeffs’ doctrines as heard in sermons as “archaic”. Utahns wonder aloud where this guy came from. They are glad to have him locked away, hopefully for good.

What is the problem with Warren Jeff’s? Why are Utahns so anxious to shut him down and lock him away? Why is Utah embarrassed by Warren Jeff’s? After all, he is one of the few Mormons on the planet who actually believes what Joseph Smith and Brigham Young taught.

Then again that might be the reason…

Providence House

2006-08-22T11:27:00.000-06:00

Once again, we at Sharper Irony wish to waste more of your precious time with personal information. Please forgive our presumption. Our hearts are overflowing with God's blessing. As I sat in my dining room on Sunday afternoon, I was overwhelmed with the feeling that we don't belong where we are, with what we have. God took our feet out of the miry clay and set them on the rock...

The story is amazing. I don't believe the written word can adequately tell it. You need to see the expression of the face, to read the body language. In fact, you need to see the house to believe it. But that won't be possible here. So instead, Sharper Irony invited crack reporter Belinda Mallinak (Dave's wife) to tell the story. The writing is hers...

We decided in February that it was time to sell our beloved home of the last seven years. With only 2 ½ bedrooms and the fifth child on the way, we were out of space. We knew that we had a few projects to do but had no concept of the time that we would need to do them. We decided to call a realtor.

After completing some projects and finding a few more with the help of our realtor, the big day for our home to enter the market was to be May 1. The realtor decided that the top dollar would be around $97,000. That was okay. It allowed us make a little profit and we should settle into a larger home. Then things began to happen. With a 120 year-old home, projects do not proceed as quickly as we would have liked. We were finally ready to debut on July 1. The interesting fact was that because of some local projects, the housing value was going up. The new price was $108,000. Because of the holiday, our home was not shown for the first five days of July. In the next seven days, it was shown 12 times and was under contract on July 11. Wow! The same day that our house went under contract, the house we liked went under contract too.

Talk about disappointment. Dave and I were so discouraged. The next day we woke up with a peace that God had something better for us (though we really liked that other house). We spent the next week and a half, crossing houses off our list. Nothing seemed to be suitable for our family. Our current house has a great yard and nothing else seemed to compare. Several evenings were spent sitting on our deck, talking about our foolishness in selling a house with such an ideal yard. Our realtor, Doug, kept trying.

We were out looking at one more trashed home, when Doug took us in a different area. We felt that we would live in a “bad” area with a really big house. The realtor began to talk up this different area. Not many homes for sale in it (good sign), quiet, without B-B gun holes in windows, etc. … “This is a great street… I almost sold a house on this street, the girl was so in love with the house and lost the bid by $300, Oh look, there is a house for sale, I’ll turn around and go look…” “Wait, wait, wait! I’m going on eight months, it’s 104 degrees, this isn’t our “style” and it will be way out of our range or too small.” these were the thoughts going through my head. Anyhow, we turned around and looked at the for sale house. It was too small. Next to it though was a vacant house. It happened to be a bank foreclosure. Realtor stops car and asks the famous words, “Want to see it?” Dave says “Sure!” and I think “NO!” “It is kind of pretty.” I say. It reminds me of our first home that we rented. We all get out. Doug begins to make calls to find out how we can get into the home, and Dave and I waddle out the driveway toward a tall privacy fence. Dave opens the gate and then tries to open it further so that I can fit through it. CRASH. The gate falls in and lands on a cement patio. “Dave!” I hear myself saying in irritation. “Belin!” he says in amazement. We are looking at an in-ground swimming pool! “Ha! Ha! This is all very nice and funny! We are really in the wrong place!” we think, but with Doug on the phone in the front yard, we decide to check this all out. There was a garage with a big enclosed porch to the side of it. Going down the hill in the back yard, past the pool, there was a big deck with a tree growing up the middle of it, all very shady and cool. Under the garage, there is … another garage. It is a workshop with a heater for the garage, a pool heater and pump. We go back up all the stairs and begin to peek in the house windows. Doug is still on his phone in the front trying to figure out how to get in, when I open the sliding glass doors leading into the formal dining room. The formal dining room, decorated with roosters. I currently have roosters in my dining room. I said, “Look! It’s a sign! (The ladies will appreciate that! My husband just rolled his eyes at me.) Then we let the realtor into the house. It has everything we wanted. It has four bedrooms, formal dining room, two baths, fireplace and family room. The master bedroom even has a wet bar in it! (That made up our minds!) We liked it but it cost more than we had. We decided to put in our best offer. There was one other offer in, and three more on the way. To make a long story short, our offer was accepted and the house is now under contract! What a story! The extra ten thousand that our house went up by putting it on the market in July was the extra we needed to be able to make the accepted offer. The house is two minutes from church, and has many, wonderful niceties. Then, even more happened. We, not being what you would call “wealthy”, began to figure out the down payment and how we would come up with it. After collecting from all our stashes, we were $2,500 short. We called the man who is doing all the work in getting us approved for our loan. We began to question him on our money, how long it would it have to be “seasoned”, could it be gifted, etc… He became silent and asked what we were talking about. Now it was our turn to be silent. Then he said, “ I think that I forgot to tell you that I got you 100% financed, there is no down payment needed.” Needless to say, we were rejoicing once again.

From the beginning to the end of this project, God has allowed many odd and wonderful things to happen. Whether it was of the slightly scratched new refrigerator that the shop gave us a discount on or the finding of a Home Depot gift card when cleaning out the new house (valid for $50), God has provided in ways, “exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think.” How God allowed this all to transpire will go down in the pages of the growing history of how God has blessed the Mallinak family.

“I waited patiently on the Lord, and he heard my cry…” By the way, we are calling it “Providence House”.

Blessings!

2006-08-17T11:18:00.000-06:00

Once again, Sharper Irony author Dave Mallinak is forced to explain a prolonged absence. With apologies to my faithful reader (Hi, Mom!)I regret that I must stay away from this blog for a while longer. We completed the sale of our home on Tuesday, signed the papers on the new one Wednesday, must be out of the old house Friday, and have a few tons of property to move in between.

In the meantime, there is a valuable and on-going discussion of Free Will taking place on a previous post (Whosoever Will). Feel free to jump in on it. I am enjoying the debate, and look forward to jumping back in when I can. Meanwhile, I will keep the comments posting. It has been a rigorous and I think helpful discussion.

God bless you all!

It’s Nothing!

2006-08-13T12:48:00.000-06:00

2 Chronicles 14:11 … LORD, it is nothing with thee to help, whether with many, or with them that have no power: help us, O LORD our God; for we rest on thee, and in thy name we go against this multitude. O LORD, thou art our God; let not man prevail against thee.

One of our most common failures as Christians is our failure to see worship as warfare. We equate worship with praise, with clapping, with singing, with rejoicing. And worship is certainly all of that.

But worship is warfare. The hosts of the enemy line up against us. They would steal our joy, would destroy our faith, would stifle our effectiveness, and would destroy our children. Heathen gods seek the preeminence over our God. We defeat them in worship.

But too often, men want something comfortable, something relaxing, something pleasant. In other words, they want to rest in themselves. But we rest on (the Lord our God), and in (his) name we go against this multitude.

In worship, we bring our petitions before the Almighty God. Our prayers mingle and ascend before God like the smoke of so many altars, and God is pleased and glorified.

It is nothing for God to hear our prayers and to help us. If we are many, it is nothing with God to help us. If we are few and weak, it is nothing with God to help. God helps the mighty, and God helps the weak. God helps those who need help, and God helps those who don’t. God hears the prayer of the powerful, and God hears those that have no power.

And so we lift up our petition to the LORD our God in worship. We need his help, no matter how much we think we don’t need it. Help us, O LORD our God; for we rest on thee.

Will we prevail in this war? Will we war a good warfare? Will we fight a good fight? Through God we shall do valiantly: for he it is that shall tread down our enemies.

O LORD, thou art our God; let not man prevail against thee.

Unto thee, O LORD, do I lift up my soul.
O my God, I trust in thee: let me not be ashamed, let not mine enemies triumph over me.
Yea, let none that wait on thee be ashamed: let them be ashamed which transgress without cause.

Whosoever Will

2006-08-07T16:59:00.000-06:00

And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely. Revelation 22:17

What does this “whosoever will” mean, and how far does it extend? We normally use it as a proof text for the doctrine of the “free will of man”. If “whosoever will” may come, then we must choose Christ. So, really it is up to me to accept or reject Christ, because I must make the choice. “The Savior is waiting to enter your heart. Why don’t you let him come in?” Thus, my job as a pastor, as an evangelist, is to convince men to choose Christ, because man is free to accept Him or reject Him.

That man has some degree of what we call “free will” is undeniable. We see men to some extent choosing to believe or not. 2 Peter 3 tells us about the scoffers who are “willingly ignorant”. But it is impossible to Scripturally prove that man’s will is free in the same sense that God’s will is free. Nor can we possibly prove that God saves a man because of any decision he makes, though God will save men who make decisions for Christ.

For example, Romans 10:13 says, for whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. God does not save a man because he called upon the name of the Lord. On the other hand, no man who calls upon the name of the Lord for salvation will be rejected. If you seek God, you will find him, if you search for him with all your heart. Not because you searched for him, or searched with all your heart, but because God is gracious and merciful, and because God has purposed to be found of you. And why do you seek God? “Whosoever will” may come, but what causes them to will? A personal choice? Or something deeper, mysterious?

That is the question I intend to answer in this brief study. We will examine what “whosoever will” means, and then why “whosoever” wills it. Revelation 22:17 is true, but what does it really mean? Is the fact that “whosoever” wills a cause for pride or praise? Does your flesh desire God, seek God, please God? Do you work, or does God work?

First, whosoever will may come.

This is true. Whosoever will, let him drink.

Isaiah 55:1 Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.

Are you hungering and thirsting after righteousness? God promises you blessing. You shall be filled. By all means, come. God the Spirit says, “Come”. Our churches say, “Come”. Drink of that water of life from that well of living water, that well from which, if a man drink, he shall never thirst again.

The stream is in the desert, a dry and thirsty land where no water is. You need that water, more than you need anything else. God calls you to come and drink it. And if you want to drink it, that is good. That is all the more reason to drink it. God calls you to drink from that stream. “Whosoever will”.

The word “will” is the Greek word thelo. It means desire, a resolute striving, a decided and convinced seeking. We find that same word, thelo, in Matthew 15:28:

Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt. And her daughter was made whole from that very hour.

We find thelo in John 7:17:

If any man will (desires to, resolves to) do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself.

We find thelo in 2 Peter 3:5:

For this they willingly are ignorant of (desire resolutely to be ignorant of), that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water:

So, “whosoever will” means whosoever desires resolutely. A man who would drink of that stream will “sell out” to do it. And those who sell out may come. They reject everything else, sell all they have, give up every cumbrance, and seek for that living water with all their heart. When a man once drinks it, he will need no more, and he will want nothing else. The more he drinks of it, the more he wants it, and the less he wants of anything else.

“Whosoever will”, let him take the water of life freely. That is the first thing. Desire it. More than anything else, thirst for that.

But secondly, WHY does “whosoever” will?

Can we really take credit for our thirst? Is it really praiseworthy that you were thirsty? Some will argue, “I could have gone after anything else to quench my thirst, but I thirsted for the Right Thing”.

But that is just it, you did go after everything else to quench your thirst. Nothing else worked. You tried other things, but you thirsted again. How did you come across the Right Thing?

That is the question. Why did you will it? What made you desire the water of life? What caused you to resolve to have it?

It was not your own flesh. Your flesh may know what should be done and not done, but it has no power to do right. We find the Greek word thelo again (the word for will – desire, resolute seeking) in the following verses:

Romans 7:15 For that which I do I allow not: for what I would (thelo), that do I not; but what I hate, that do I.
16 If then I do that which I would (thelo) not, I consent unto the law that it is good.
18 For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will (thelo) is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.
19 For the good that I would (thelo) I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do.

Your flesh does not know the things of God, does not understand, and does not desire to know. (Thus, Ro 3:10-18; also Ps 14:1-3) And that is why Romans 8:8 says, So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.

Romans 8:5-8 For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.

Galatians 5:17 For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would (thelo).

So, the fact that you “willed” (desired, determined, resolutely thirsted) to drink the water of life is no cause for praise or pride. Why did you “will”? Was it not the working of God in your heart?

Philippians 2:13 For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.

John 3:8 The wind bloweth where it listeth (thelo), and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.

If God has saved you, it is because God determined to save you. If you desired salvation (are there any saved who do not desire it?), God put that thirst in you.

Proverbs 16:1 The preparations of the heart in man, and the answer of the tongue, is from the LORD. And verse 9: A man's heart deviseth his way: but the LORD directeth his steps.

Thirst is a natural thing. God put it in there. And thirst is a good thing too, because we must drink to survive. But God gives us the thirst because he wants us to drink. He is calling us to drink. Do you want to drink? God gave you that desire, and by his grace, God gives you the water. In other words, if you will, if you desire salvation, God put that desire there, because God has purposed to save you.

John 6:44 No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.

Romans 9:16 So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy.

Understand that I am not denying any participation on the part of man. Contrary! I am asserting that there is in fact participation on the part of man. In salvation, man has a part and God has a part. The majority of the work is God’s part. He has done the work already. Man has a very tiny part to play… a cooperative role, but that is all. God does the calling, man does the responding. God does the wooing, man is wooed. We love him because he first loved us.

And even as we look at man’s part, we see God’s hand there too. God is working in us to will and to do of his good pleasure. And thus we see that God does not call us because of any merit he sees in us. Not because he sees in us a willing heart. But because God gave us a willing heart. Not because we desire salvation, but because he purposed that we would desire salvation.

2 Timothy 1:9 Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began,

John 5:21 For as the Father raiseth up the dead, and quickeneth them; even so the Son quickeneth whom he will (thelo).

Romans 9:18 Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will (thelo) have mercy, and whom he will (thelo) he hardeneth.

On the other hand, before you accuse God of an injustice, remember:

1Timothy 2:4 Who will (thelo) have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.

So, whosoever will, may come! But we shouldn’t be puffed up because we desire salvation. After all, who put that desire, who created that longing in your heart? Who steered you towards the object of your longing? Who directed you to that well of the water of life? Was it not God himself? Then give him the glory!

Hang Tite

2006-08-05T10:27:00.000-06:00

I’ll be back with a vengeance shortly. Not that I’ll be short, or even that I’ll speak shortly, but that I’ll be back shortly. I mean soon. And there might be some vengeance, though I have nothing to ‘venge. Only the lost time, that needs vengeance. So, I’ll be making up for lost time, shortly. Anyway, hang in there, you’ll see me soon. That is, if you still watch.

Bloggers shouldn’t flatter themselves that their readers actually care about their private lives. Which is why I shouldn’t waste your time telling you that we found a new home, and it is under contract. I really shouldn’t be using up valuable blog time to tell you that it is a miracle house. You probably don’t have time for me to tell you that God has done some truly incredible things, has supplied all our need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus, has done exceeding abundantly above all that we asked or thought. So, I won’t take time right now for that.

We’re calling it Providence House. We will be across the street from a Mormon Ward (church). Maybe we’ll put up a sign.

Be back soon.

Bring Back the Glory

2006-08-02T13:11:00.000-06:00

If we really want to “make America great” again, then we need to stop singing songs like Bring Back the Glory to America. OK, so I’m probably touching someone’s sacred cow here, but think about it. What are we saying when we sing this song? What is the point?

I understand why we sing it… we love America. But at what point does love for America turn into idolatry? Do you question my patriotism here? I question the value of the song.

First, do we need to bring back the glory? America is full of glory. Look at her. America is all about glory. When did America lose her sense of self-glory? We glory in our “ideals”, in our goodness, in our greatness, in our generosity, in our prosperity, in our military prowess. We haven’t lost anything. We certainly didn’t lose our glory. What glory should we bring back to America? I mean, we are all proud to be Americans, where at least we know we’re free, right? Politicians, liberal and conservative, expound on the glory of America. Pundits wax eloquent on the glory of America. Pastors preach on the glory of America. We glory in ourselves. So, do we need to bring back the glory? It doesn’t seem that we’ve lost any.

Secondly, why do we want to bring back the glory to America? I’m not sure the glory belongs to America. I think we lost the luster of our glory because we want the glory for America. We have no lack of patriotic fervor in our country, but that could be the problem. We have an idol named Patriotism – Sentimentalism’s twin sister. We want to bring back the glory to America.
Our end is destruction, our God is our belly, and our glory is in our shame, and we mind earthly things, and we want to bring back the glory to America.

We ought to repent, and bring back the glory to God.

I almost said we ought to bring back the glory to America’s God, but that wouldn’t be necessary. America’s God gets all the glory now. We need a return to the Triune God. Bring Back the Glory to the Lord God of Heaven. That ought to be our song. Maybe Patch could write us a tune. That way fundamentalist churches would sing it (just so it doesn’t resemble a Psalm, that is).

Why do Christians care if America is ever glorious again? I love my country, my native land. I want America to be right, to be under God’s blessing. But if we love our country, then we long for the day when she will glorify God once again. And who cares if she is ever great again. After all, she stopped being great when she wanted to be great. Ironically, America became glorious when she didn’t care to be glorious.

I heard about a very revealing discussion among the men of a certain church. The pastor pointed out the American flag and the “Christian flag” on the platform. According to its pledge, the “Christian” flag stands for the Savior, and his kingdom. (I’m not sure what Scriptural defense there would be for pledging allegiance to a Christian flag, but anyway…) The pastor then pointed out that the Christian flag presents us with a dilemma. If it in fact stands for our Savior, then it should take the place of honor on the platform. If it should not take the place of honor, then we should take it off the platform. The response of the men of the church was revealing --- they acknowledged that the Christian flag did in fact represent Christ, and they in turn insisted that the American flag should remain in the place of honor.

Their reason? They were Americans, and America gave them the freedom to worship God. Hey! We’re proud to be Americans, where at least we know we’re free! I mean, America gives us freedom to break the Ten Commandments. All of them.

The truth is, America is under chastisement, and doesn’t even know it. Prosperity has blinded our eyes. The prosperity of fools shall destroy them. You don’t agree that we are a nation of fools? Think about X-box, and picture the modern American adult male. We’re fools all right. Prospering fools. Fools fitted for destruction.

We don’t need to consider the multiple disasters, the wars and rumors of wars, or 9-11 to know that we are under chastisement. Simply consider the rampant sin, immorality, and homosexuality that now characterizes our country. Righteousness exalteth a nation, but sin is a reproach (chastisement) to any people. The more wicked our nation grows, the more we can be sure that God is judging us.

But so long as Christians get to live the “American dream”, I doubt we’ll even notice.

An Update

2006-07-29T21:56:00.000-06:00

I always hesitate to give personal updates in this space. First, it seems a little conceited to assume that anyone is actually interested in what I am doing privately. Second, it might be good to actually keep my personal doings hidden in obscurity, lest you all find out just how boring I really am. And third, since familiarity breeds contempt, and since the contempt part already comes fairly easily, it might be good not to add familiarity to the mix.

However, my normal writing activities have dwindled considerably, and it might be helpful to let you in on the reason. Summers are always busier than the school year, believe it or not, and this summer has compounded the busy-ness. In addition to losing out on all the benefits that routine affords, there are additional activities (like camp and Vacation Bible School) – activities that devour the time. But this summer, our family had one other major event that has swallowed every solitary spare moment that wasn’t already designated for some other duty. We are selling our home: our one hundred twenty-year-old home.

Now, one hundred twenty-year-old homes present challenges that the average home couldn’t imagine. Needless to say, we have been working day and night to accomplish this, with the help of some wonderful people in our church. I thank God for every one of you that helped – from teen-ager to seasoned carpenter. You were and are a great blessing to this pastor.

I’d love to fill you in on all the details. It has taken much energy and effort, and has cost more in both money and time than I ever would have imagined. If you were wondering why I have not been writing, you have your answer. Hours that would normally go to writing have instead been spent wondering the aisles of Home Depot, looking for someone with an orange vest. And, of course, even more hours have been spent looking for someone with an orange vest that actually knows where to find the grout sealer. And, not less than a few hours were spent trying to find someone with an orange vest who knows where another person in an orange vest is that knows where to find the grout sealer. The hard part of home projects is not actually the home project; it is shopping for the materials needed to do the home project. But that is another story.

Anyway, in case you are interested, we are now officially finished with the repair. We put our house on the market on July 1, showed it 12 times in the next 11 days (skipping July 2, 3, and 4), and sold it on the 12th day! Better yet, when all is said and done, we stand to make $10,000 more than we thought we could get for it just three months ago. God answered our prayer, more than we asked or thought.

The day after the house went under contract, we went to make an offer on the home that we wanted to buy. It sold the day before. So, we started the hunt all over again.

House hunting takes time, especially when you need to find a place pronto. Our fifth child will be born in mid-September, our house will close in mid-August, and we needed to dedicate a significant amount of time to finding the next homestead. We think that we might be done with the hunt, but we won’t know for sure until we hear back on a couple of offers we put out this week. Then, of course, comes the fun job of packing up our life and moving it to a home nearby. Needless to say, we have surrendered our summer to making this move.

So, when will I get back to my routine of daily writing? Good question. Let me consult my list of weasel words here for a second. Let’s see… eventually, I might possibly find some spare time not taken up with starting this next school year, training our staff, conducting our family camp, and preparing sermons, to maybe possibly have a little time to feasibly, wind and weather permitting, think a little about conceivably thinking about kinda sorta trying to find some time to think a little about maybe trying to write again.

You wanted something more definite, did you? Well, so-o-o-r-r-r-y! I’m definitely too busy to definitely tell you if I definitely will start writing again, but I definitely will try to definitely think about definitely telling you if I will definitely get back to definitely doing it again. In the meantime, would you just definitely hold your horses? I mean, come on, a guy can definitely only do so much before he definitely runs out of daylight hours. Definitely.

So, I’ll be seeing you around. Definitely. Hopefully somewhere around here. Be sure to check back… definitely sooner than later.

As Plain As the Nose on Your Face

2006-07-11T18:49:00.000-06:00

I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well. Psalm 139:14

Should you run short of reasons to praise Jehovah, you won’t need to look past the end of your nose. In fact, your nose would be a good starting point. After all, your nose itself is fearfully and wonderfully made. Your nose is a marvel of creative power and wisdom. It reminds you that dinner is ready, allows you to eat with your mouth closed, and lets you enjoy flowers at a whole different dimension. Your nose tells your head that you are hungry, and tells your stomach to get ready to work. Your nose recognizes your wife or your child. Your nose warns you that the dinner might be burning, better than any smoke alarm. But usually your nose will remind you to check long before the dinner burns.

But those are not all the wonders of your nose. Your nose distinguishes you from all other people. It is one of the marks of your individuality. Your nose has memory. It can recognize and remember scents and odors, and it can distinguish between them. Isaac’s nose could tell Jacob from Esau. Your nose enhances your ability to taste, to speak, to see, and to love.

When we lose our “wonder of the world”, we grow cold in our praise and adoration of the Most High God. We have good reason to praise the Creator --- we are fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works. Do you know that? Do you know that right well?

Or are you one of those vain fellows, strutting your stuff for the mirror, admiring your profile, gazing in admiration at your own image, thinking that it gives cause for self-glory? Does the fact that you are fearfully and wonderfully made cause pride? Do you think of yourself as marvellous? Does your physique inspire praise for God or self? I will praise thee (not me); for I am fearfully and wonderfully made…

My soul knows that God’s works are marvellous, and knows it right well. I’m no agnostic. All thy works shall praise thy name. We need not look far for a reason.

Faltering

2006-07-05T12:30:00.000-06:00

I came across this from Spurgeon’s Morning and Evening in my devotions this morning. It was an encouragement to me, and describes my experience better than I could. If we are honest, this precisely describes our Christian life. But if we are not careful, we will pretend it isn’t so, we will deny that we have ups and downs, and in hiding our sins, we will not prosper. I trust this will bless and encourage you as it did me.

“The ill favoured and leanfleshed kine did eat up the seven wellfavoured and fat kine.” — Genesis 41:4

Pharaoh’s dream has too often been my waking experience. My days of sloth have ruinously destroyed all that I had achieved in times of zealous industry; my seasons of coldness have frozen all the genial glow of my periods of fervency and enthusiasm; and my fits of worldliness have thrown me back from my advances in the divine life. I had need to beware of lean prayers, lean praises, lean duties, and lean experiences, for these will eat up the fat of my comfort and peace. If I neglect prayer for never so short a time, I lose all the spirituality to which I had attained; if I draw no fresh supplies from heaven, the old corn in my granary is soon consumed by the famine which rages in my soul. When the caterpillars of indifference, the cankerworms of worldliness, and the palmerworms of self-indulgence, lay my heart completely desolate, and make my soul to languish, all my former fruitfulness and growth in grace avails me nothing whatever. How anxious should I be to have no lean-fleshed days, no ill-favoured hours! If every day I journeyed towards the goal of my desires I should soon reach it, but backsliding leaves me still far off from the prize of my high calling, and robs me of the advances which I had so laboriously made. The only way in which all my days can be as the “fat kine,” is to feed them in the right meadow, to spend them with the Lord, in His service, in His company, in His fear, and in His way. Why should not every year be richer than the past, in love, and usefulness, and joy?—I am nearer the celestial hills, I have had more experience of my Lord, and should be more like Him. O Lord, keep far from me the curse of leanness of soul; let me not have to cry, “My leanness, my leanness, woe unto me!” but may I be well-fed and nourished in thy house, that I may praise thy name.

Faith and Freedom

2006-07-03T12:46:00.000-06:00

Thou art my hiding place; thou shalt preserve me from trouble; thou shalt compass me about with songs of deliverance. Selah.Psalm 32:7

Liberty is not an invention of man. Men invented slavery and made it into an institution, but God proclaims liberty throughout the land unto all the inhabitants thereof. The God of all truth guides us into truth, and ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

There is a liberty that really is slavery. Much of America’s modern idolatry, the idolizing of freedom, has made slaves of us all. Ralph Dunkley’s State Farm Agency has a quote on their sign: Faith in freedom can keep us free. Wrong! Faith in God, the true and living God, will make us free and keep us free. But as it turns out, “faith in freedom” is really idolatry. Making freedom into your newest idol will bind us into slavery. And when we turn freedom into an idol, we lose that thing we worship.

Thou art my hiding place; thou shalt preserve me… thou shalt compass me about with songs of deliverance. Think about it. God makes us free, or we are not free. If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.

When we look to God for our deliverance and our salvation, when we rest on Christ, and have a relationship with God through Christ alone, then we have freedom. Our freedom, then, depends on Christ, not on the Federal Government, the Constitution, the Congress, the President, the Supreme Court, or Fox News.

With Christ, we have more freedom then any human institution could possibly give. Without Christ, we live as slaves in a free country.

As we worship, we celebrate our freedoms in Christ. American, don’t be lifted up in pride at the greatness of your country. Rather, be humbled by the freedoms and privileges God has granted you. Thank the Lord, and hide in him. He will preserve us from trouble. He will compass us about with songs of deliverance.

Prairie Wisdom

2006-07-02T12:18:00.000-06:00

While reading to our kids, I came across this passage in Little Town on the Prairie. I enjoyed reading it, commenting on it, teaching it to my children. I hope you will enjoy it as well.

It was a Fourth of July celebration in a prairie town. The townspeople gathered to hear the Declaration of Independence recited, and a fifteen year old girl takes it all in. Hear the wisdom of Laura Ingalls Wilder as she shares her thoughts on that day.

The recitation finished, the crowd was silent…

No one cheered. It was more like a moment to say, “Amen.” But no one quite knew what to do.

Then Pa began to sing. All at once everyone was singing,

My country, ‘tis of thee ,
Sweet land of liberty,
Of thee I sing…

Long may our land be bright
With Freedom’s holy light.
Protect us by Thy might,
Great God, our King!

The crowd was scattering away then, but Laura stood stock still. Suddenly she had a completely new thought. The Declaration and the song came together in her mind, and she thought; God is America’s king.

She thought: Americans won’t obey any king on earth. Americans are free. That means they have to obey their own consciences. No king bosses Pa; he has to bos himself. Why (she thought), when I am a little olde4r, Pa and Ma will stop telling me what to do, and there isn’t anyone else who has a right to give me orders. I will have to make myself be good.

Her whole mind seemed to be lighted uip by that thought. This is what it means to be free. It means, you have to be good. “Our father’;s God, author of liberty -” The laws of Nature and of Nature’s God endow you with a right to life and liberty. Then you have to keep the laws of God, for God’s law is the only thing that gives you a right to be free.

So, You Don’t Sing Psalms, Eh!

2006-06-21T14:23:00.000-06:00

Psalm-singing is strange. At least, that’s what they tell me. And that stops people from doing it. Of course, they don’t say it is wrong. They can’t say that. It isn’t wrong. It’s right! The Bible demands it. Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs… The Bible calls for Psalm-singing. The Bible also allows some of the other. But Psalm-singing is required. Weird or not. So, they don’t say it is wrong. Just that it is “strange”.

But that is a strange argument to me. We are Independent. That is strange. We are “fundamentalists”. That is strange. We are Baptists. When did Baptists ever shy away from doing something because it is strange? They call us extremists – IFB-“X”, they say. They think we are strange. Our ladies wear culottes. That is strange. Did strange ever stop us before? Then what’s the problem?

Strange. Strange that we don’t sing Psalms. But then, we do. We sing Psalms. I will sing of the mercies of the Lord forever. Therefore the redeemed of the Lord shall return, and come with singing unto Zion, and everlasting joy shall be upon their head (I know, it’s Isaiah). This is the day that the Lord hath made, we will rejoice and be glad in it. We sing Psalms. We sing the nice ones. But not the whole thing. We sing the nice parts of some of the Psalms. But we skip the hard stuff. After all, its strange (to sing, at least).

But we’ll say it. We’ll say all of it. All of the Psalms. We preach them. We love them. They make us feel good. We’ll even shout the Psalms. We’ll pound the pulpit while we do. But we don’t sing Psalms. Singing it is too, well, that is strange. It doesn’t fit with our tradition. We sing Mac and Patch. Psalm 109 wouldn’t work in any of their arrangements. We’ll stick to our traditions. And in our tradition, we don’t sing Psalms.

It’s too bad, really. Because Psalm-singing is “strange”, good people miss out on singing about crushing heads and chopping arms. They have to sing Christianity according to Frank, and miss out on Christianity according to David, the giant-slayer, the warrior-harpist.

Psalm-singing is strange, but only because we haven’t done it in years. We’ve forgotten how. We’ve forgotten about all the bloodshed. But we shouldn’t let our amnesia last forever. Nor should we let our traditions stop us, no matter how steeped in them we are. Get out a good Psalter, and praise the Lord like men. It will do you good, even if you aren’t one. But then, we encounter something else that is strange. Praising the Lord like men. That is strange. Maybe we’ve been singing In the Garden for too long.

Our HEAVENLY Father

2006-06-19T15:20:00.000-06:00

Psalm 68:5 A father of the fatherless, and a judge of the widows, is God in his holy habitation.

Our holy God, whose throne is in the heavens, who makes a footstool of the earth, and measures the oceans in the palm of his hand, our great and terrible God calls himself a father of the fatherless. God Almighty takes in the orphans, and appoints Himself protector of the widows.

I know what it is to be fatherless. God took my father when I was a small boy. I remember the pain of it, the insecurity of it, the hunger for a father. I was the same age as my oldest when I was fatherless. I remember how I longed for a father. I remember when my mother remarried. My new dad not only married my mother, but he married her three children as well. And he took me in and made me his child. I’ll never forget that.

One of the greatest blessings of that man, my dad, was that I could go to him, I could talk to him, he would listen to me, he would answer me, and he would give me what I needed.

Of all the names of God, it seems that we use the name of “Heavenly Father” the most. I think it reminds us that our God is approachable. When we pray in that name, we are reminded that he is not a distant God ruling from an unreachable throne. He is father. He is our Father. A father of the fatherless. He is the father of all that believe. He is our Father, which art in heaven.

I will receive you, and will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.

Think of the blessing in that name. As Father, he is available to us, and he is accessible to us, so long as we approach him through Jesus Christ. As Father, he feeds us, provides for us, pities us, protects us, chastises us, and forgives us. As Father, he loves us as only a Father can.

This Father’s Day, be sure you praise and thank your heavenly Father. Worship him, and give him gifts: the fruit of your lips giving thanks to his name.

Where Y'All Been?

2006-06-09T21:00:00.000-06:00

Shouldn't you be asking me that? Where've I been? Well, everywhere I go, there I am. But everywhere I go, my keyboard ain't always. I been gone. I'll be gone some more. Camp starts Monday. That means, of course, that I am losing readers. Gone. Outa here. Losing 'em by the bucketful. What to do?

Well, first, let me suggest that you check out some of the new comments and add some of your own. That would be neat! Second, check back with me in a bit. I might surprise you with something.

Finally, I won't worry too much. You'll both be back regularly soon as I am.

Gotta go. See ya!

I Don't Understand

2006-06-04T12:43:00.000-06:00

We rejoice that we can understand God, that he has revealed himself to us. He has shown himself unto us and to our children. He hides himself from the wise and prudent, and has revealed himself unto babes. We are privileged to know him, and our hearts yearn to know him better. Praise the Lord for understanding.

But we must not pride ourselves in what we understand. Our knowledge must not be an idol to us. It is good to say, "I understand", but even better to say, "I don't understand". We are privileged to understand, but even more privileged that we do not understand. We are privileged because we have a God so infinite that man cannot fully know him or explain him. We feel sorry for the poor slaves who worship a god that is just like themselves, that once was what they are. We pity those who worship a god that can be explained, like a carved stone or a block of wood.

Our God is infinite. Only by grace can finite man know the Infinite God. We gratefully confess that we cannot fully understand Him. We admit that we cannot understand how the Father is not the Son and the Son is not the Spirit, and yet the Father and Son and Spirit are but One God. We acknowledge that we cannot understand how the Father begat the Son in eternity, so that the Son has no beginning and has no end. We concede that we cannot explain this, and it is our glory to confess it.

God knows all, and we know God. Yet we do not know Him. Therefore, in worship we seek knowledge and wisdom. He gives understanding to the simple, and wisdom to those who lack. In worship, we seek the Lord. We seek to know him. We seek him, knowing that the more we know about him, the more we find that we do not understand.

What a God we serve!

Announcing the IFB X-Games

2006-06-02T17:23:00.000-06:00

With so much attention being focused on the so-called “IFBx” crowd, especially in the blogosphere, really, the idea is way past due. Just as the Olympics are designed to unite, so IFBx’s wish to offer up their own version, in order to promote peace, harmony, and EXTREME unity. We EXTREMELY want to just get along. We EXTREMELY hope you’ll join us. This will be EXTREMELY fun and you will EXTREMELY enjoy it, or you just aren’t saved, Brutha!
Announcing the IFB “X” Games. Inspired by the vast amount of commentary on IFBxers, and by xIFBxers, we thought it would be appropriate to invite everyone to come together for a fun time of EXTREME games. The IFB “X” games will feature events for all stripes. Please pay attention to the following guidelines.

FIRST, all are welcome (certainly appropriate for a church/gathering). Seriously, in fact EXTREMELY seriously, the following may participate:

All EXTREME IFB’s are welcome to participate.
All “X” IFBx’s are welcome to participate.
All “X” xIFBx’s are welcome to participate.
If you have an even number of x’s before IFBx, you are welcome to participate.
If you have an odd number of x’s before IFBx, you are welcome to participate.
If you are an “X” reader of mine, you are welcome to participate.
If you are an “X” reader of an “X” reader of mine, you are welcome to participate.
If you are an “X” reader of xIFBxers, you are welcome to participate.
So, come one, come all, and come just as I am. SOMEBODY SAY AMEN!

SECOND, participants may participate in the following EXTREME events:

In the fencing category, participants may enter the EXTREME backstabbing competition.
Also included in the fencing category will be fences. Real fences. Fences separating the IFB’s from the IFBx’s, and the xIFBx’s from the xxIFBx’s.
Also included in the fencing category will be fence straddling, splinters and all.
Sorry, but there won’t be any fence hopping, unless of course you are an xIFBxer wishing to become an xxIFBxer. Or if you are an IFBx wishing to become an xIFBx. Of course, if you are an IFB wishing to become an IFBx, that too can be arranged.

There will be EXTREME text stretching held under the big top. The EXTREME text stretching competition will feature competitions in stretching texts out of shape. Context? Who needs context? Shoot, we don’t even need the exact words of Scripture. If the exact words don’t fit with what we wanted to preach, we’d just pretend it says something else.

In the EXTREME text stretching competition, points will be awarded for stretching the meaning of a single word, of a phrase, or of an entire verse. Extra points will be rewarded for reshaping the entire passage, inventing new doctrines, re-inventing old ones, or simply quoting your favorite author in the place of Scripture. Points will be deducted for quoting any preacher on the banned list, including… (please see the banned list).

As part of the EXTREME text stretching competition, there will also be a super-sized standards competition. This competition will feature an intense, one-on-one competition between left-wing legalists and right-wing legalists. You won’t want to miss this one, participant or not. IFBxers will be proclaiming everywhere, “We have standards, yes we do! We have standards, how about you”. To which xIFBxers will reply, “We have none, none, none”.

The IFB “X” games would be incomplete, of course, without showcasing some of our EXTREME egos. The ego competition will not take place under the big top. There isn’t room there. Participants will instead please make their way to the hot air balloon field, where they will be given their own opportunity to see who can fly theirs the highest. After all, God is not impressed with mediocrity. Or at least, that’s what they tell us. (But what about Gideon?)

Not wanting to leave xIFBxers out, there will also be a category for EXTREME sarcasm. Be sure to select the tongue-in-cheek competition, the irony man competition, or the EXTREME mocking division. Participants may also enter this category as a biathlon or as a triathlon.

Of course, the final event of the “X” games will be the EXTREME hockey. It will be IFBx taking on xIFBx. Plain old IFB’s will be refereeing the fight (oops! I mean game). Don’t worry, they won’t make any bad calls. In fact, they probably won’t make any calls at all, not being judgmental and all. Of course, there will be plenty of heavy hitting. Who is bringing the puck, did you say? Puck? Who needs a puck?

Hope you enjoy?

Who's the Boss

2006-05-23T09:26:00.000-06:00

I probably shouldn’t tell you this, but in my younger years, when I worked at a retail store, I once arrived to work late. Shocking I know, but it is true. I arrived late. The boss wasn’t happy. When I arrived, he met me at the door. “Dave,” he said, “the Bible has a saying. It goes something like this: Give to God what is God’s, and give to man what is man’s.” He went on. “I hired you to be here at the opening time, and I expect you to be here on time.” I agreed.

When it comes to work, we have a duty to show up when we are supposed to, to show up on time, to work all day, and to earn our wages. The boss has the right to tell us when to be there, when to go home, and what to do while we are there. The boss is the boss. But how far does the boss’ authority extend? Can the boss tell us to miss church?

God demands that we set aside one day to worship (Ex. 20:8). On that day, God commands us to lay aside all servile work (Ex. 20:9-10). God commands us to assemble together and worship on that day, and we must not forsake that assembling. But Christians sometimes make exceptions. “I have to work on Sunday.” Says who?

Can the boss tell you to miss church? Can the boss tell you to disobey God? Does the boss have that power? Yet believers sometimes cave on that point. In their mind, the boss can tell them to skip church, but God cannot tell them to miss work on Sunday. I beg to differ. Who is the boss?

If the boss can command you to forsake the assembling, then God is not the boss. What right does the boss have to demand that you work on the Lord’s Day? Before you answer, I’ve heard a few already. Like this one for instance: “The boss has the right because he writes my paycheck. God isn’t the one writing the checks.”

But of course, God does write the check. God does feed us. God does clothe us. God does provide for our needs according to his riches. The fact that you can’t see God writing the checks does not mean that He doesn’t. Not only does God give you the paycheck, God also ensures that you get the pay that you earned. God gives you the ability to get the paycheck. God gives your employer the ability to pay you. So, God does “write the checks”. Since God is writing the checks, God is the boss. And God commands us to remember the Sabbath Day, to keep it holy.

Christians rationalize when they need to salve a guilty conscience. They come up with an exception. There are exceptions when you can miss church. Like if you work in a hospital or something.

Get ready to be offended, folks. You will not like what I am about to say. There are no exceptions. There is lawful work that can be done on the Sabbath, like rescuing your donkey or healing the sick (as Christ showed us), but there are no exceptions to the prohibitions of the fourth commandment. God forbids any servile work on the Sabbath day. That means there is no exception for McDonald’s employees. Gas station attendants get no pass. The grocery store gets no exemption. The Sabbath is to be kept. Christ came not to destroy the law, but to fulfill it. And for those who cry foul because “that is Old Testament”, remember that not one jot or tittle of the law will pass away until all is fulfilled.

God is the boss.

Keep the Foxhole Promise

2006-05-22T19:22:00.000-06:00

Psalm 66:13 I will go into thy house with burnt offerings: I will pay thee my vows,
14 Which my lips have uttered, and my mouth hath spoken, when I was in trouble.
15 I will offer unto thee burnt sacrifices of fatlings, with the incense of rams; I will offer bullocks with goats.

The offering is a very important part of worship. When we come before God’s throne, we must not come empty-handed. In worship we bring an offering; in gratitude, we bring a fat offering. The offering is an act of worship.

God loves a cheerful giver. He loves a joyful offering. He loves the offering given with reckless abandon. If we set our eyes on the Lord, we will give, and give generously. But when we set our eyes on circumstances, we tend to hold back. What if…? (we say)

When we try to avoid trouble, our offering becomes stingy. Don’t give what you’d give if you were trying to avoid trouble. Follow David’s example. Give what you promised to give when you were in trouble. Keep the foxhole promise. Remember that one? You made it when you hit rock bottom. You promised to give everything. Your whole life. Give that.

Do we miser out our offering? Are we stingy with our gifts? Offer the fatlings, not the scrawny. Offer the healthiest, not the sickest. Offer the best ram, not the diseased sheep. Give of your best. Your best praise, your best attention, the best time of your day, the best day of your week, the first and best of your money, the best of your talents, all must be offered up to the Lord your God.

The Cowardly Lion

2006-05-19T15:19:00.000-06:00

Some who have been following this blog might be confused about several posts. Who is this Bob fella, and what is our problem with him? One anonymous commenter, using the handle “Hiding Behind the Keyboard”, asked some pointed questions about one particular post What I learned from Bob. His questions were legitimate, and seemed to be asked in a good spirit, and so it seems I have some ‘splainin’ to do.

It isn’t that I dislike Bob. I dislike the way Bob has attacked certain churches and institutions. I dislike some of the slanders he has leveled against those institutions. But I don’t know that I like or dislike him personally. That really isn’t the issue. Nor is the issue merely doctrinal difference.

The problem alluded to in previous posts is a problem of cowardice and slander that characterize Bob’s attacks against the churches he named in his story. Bob was a member of both churches at one time. When he left those churches, he expressed that he was in agreement with them. After joining a third church, Bob changed. After leaving the third church, an Independent, Fundamental Baptist church, Bob began to attend a Reformed church. He changed doctrinally. He found himself in direct disagreement with the former churches. But instead of addressing his disagreement to those former churches, Bob put the disagreements up on the Internet for everyone else to read. He could have done this without naming the actual churches, but he didn’t. In his story, Bob named those churches. He named their pastors. But he never contacted either pastor, either before or after. He should have gone to them first. He should have gone to them privately. But he didn’t. And instead, he put it all on the Internet, of all places.

The Internet is a very public forum. It seems indecent to air out your differences on the Internet, especially when you haven’t addressed your differences privately. No pastor at either of the two churches named in Bob’s story was contacted. Bob put it on the Internet, and they just happened to stumble across it. That, to me, is cowardice.

It is not cowardly because Bob disagrees with these two churches. It is not cowardly because he questions things or because he has an “inquisitive mind”. It is cowardly because he never talked to either of these pastors about his differences. It is cowardly because the World Wide Web knew about it before these pastors knew about it.

The point about hiding behind the keyboard had nothing to do with the anonymity that is inherent to the Internet. Bob clearly did not make himself anonymous. Bob did not leave his former churches anonymous either. He put it all out there for everyone to see. But he did it from the safety of his computer. That way he could attack first, and put his former churches on the defensive. That way he wouldn’t need to deal with them directly. That way he could get his knocks in. He left them only one option – “come on my blog if you want to answer me”. This is unscriptural (Matt 18, James 3). And it is cowardly.

Courage would involve actually talking over disagreements with those you disagree with, especially if you intend to name names on the Internet. Sniping from the bushes, or in this case, from behind the keyboard, is anything but courageous. Any coward can do that.

Ironically, Bob says that he wishes he could still fellowship with these two churches. After he sniped at them from behind his keyboard! It seems disingenuous to make such a claim. It reminds me of the fox who asked the farmer, “why can’t we all just get along?” Bob called them shallow, mocked all they stand for, attacked their pastors, and then claims to long for fellowship with their people. He wants to fellowship with them like a wolf wants to fellowship with a flock of sheep.

The cowardice is inexcusable, but the slander Bob levied against these two places is deplorable. Bob attempted to lump them with the Hyles’ crowd and their ilk. That is a slander. There simply is no comparison between them and the “IFBx” crowd Bob is so fond of attacking. They differ in their philosophy, in their preaching styles, in their view of the gospel. They differ in nearly every way. But Bob attempted to paint these good churches as if they were all in the same crowd.

Interestingly, Bob has backed way off those attacks in his later posts. This is good. But there needs to be a full retraction. Did Bob use these church names to gain readers? Did he use them because they are well known among fundamentalists? Did he purposely paint them blacker than they are in order to score points with his targeted audience? I don’t know, though many of us feel that he did. But regardless, Bob slandered their good names, and did it in the most cowardly of ways.

That being said, this is not all bad. As David said when he was cursed, “God told him to curse and he has cursed”. We should count it all joy that he has done this. It is a blessing from God. And we must pray for him. God commands it. When he reviles, we must not revile again. When he curses, we must not curse. We must bless him, and pray that he would be blessed, and that God would turn his heart. God calls us to be peacemakers. We must be peacemakers. But woe to any Christian who believes that peace can be made without war.

We love our enemies, and we will not give way, no not for a moment.

Is Rhetoric Christian?

2006-05-17T10:22:00.000-06:00

Should Christians be studying rhetoric? After all, most of the books about rhetoric were written by idolatrous pagans, like Aristotle, Cicero, and Quintillian. Why would we study such men? Shouldn’t we just be reading our Bibles? Is the Bible not good enough for us?

This is a legitimate question, and deserves consideration. If we can’t give a biblical defense, then we shouldn’t do it, no matter how scholarly or noble it sounds. We live by every word that proceeds from God’s mouth, and we must submit to the authority of Scripture in everything. So, we should be asking whether we should study rhetoric or not. Should we follow the advice of pagans in our approach to discourse? Is rhetoric Christian or pagan?

First, we should note that not all rhetoric is Christian. In fact, much of the rhetoric of our day is very pagan. That includes much of the rhetoric of modern Christianity, which amounts to nothing more than relativistic drivel. The modern Christian should stop and listen to himself talk from time to time. Does he find himself saying things like, “who’s to say that we are right and they are wrong?” Does he chafe at the “absolutism” of Christianity? Does he assume neutrality when he deals with the world and seeks to persuade men of Christ? Then he has joined up with the pagans in his use of rhetoric.

Rhetoric, you see, is inescapable. All men use rhetoric. The question is not whether you should use rhetoric, but rather, how should we use rhetoric. Should it be Christian or should it be pagan? But we have no choice about whether or not we will use rhetoric. Imagine someone arguing that we shouldn’t use rhetoric. How would he explain it? How would he persuade us? Would he avoid using rhetoric in his arguments? All men use rhetoric. The rhetoric we use must be Christian. And in order for our rhetoric to be Christian, in order to speak like Christians, we must first think like Christians, for out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaketh.

When did rhetoric begin? Did Aristotle or Socrates or the Sophists “invent” rhetoric? They discovered it, they observed it, they structured it, they organized it, but they did not invent it. Rhetoric has been around since the foundations of the world. Adam spoke artfully, even poetically, when God brought him Eve and he said, This is now bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman because she was taken out of Man.

But Adam did not invent Rhetoric either. God created the world with rhetoric. We see the power of words in the story of Creation. God spoke, and it was done. He spoke the universe into existence. He spoke and the flowers appeared. He spoke and the mountains were fashioned. He spoke and birds flew, fish swam, and stars sang. But Creation is not the beginning of rhetoric.

Before God formed the earth, in eternity past, the Godhead took counsel together. Before time began, God decreed all that would happen, all that would be. Long before Creation, there was rhetoric.

Is rhetoric Christian? God used rhetoric, uses rhetoric, and demands that we his people use rhetoric. The gift of speech must not be taken lightly. God gave us speech, and promised to empower it. The preaching of the cross is the power of God to us that are saved. It pleases God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe. How shall they hear without a preacher? God manifests his word through preaching. And God sends us to persuade men.

For rhetoric to be Christian, Christians must reclaim it. It is theirs by divine right. Christians must study it, learn it, subdue it and have dominion over it, to the glory of God. When we learn to submit our words to the Lord, and when we seek his glory in everything, including our speech, then rhetoric can once again be truly Christian. Rhetoric must be to the glory of God.

Thank you, Mr. HBK

2006-05-16T10:01:00.000-06:00

Finally, someone called me on it. I was waiting for it. I was refreshed to see it. And since I wouldn’t want my thanks to be relegated to some hidden comment on a past post, I will come right out and say it publicly. Thank you, Mr. HBK. You are welcome on my blog anytime, anonymous or not. And no, I’m not being sarcastic.

We bloggers should be concerned when we blog along like so many dufflepuds, always saying what everyone agrees with, then loudly applauding ourselves for saying it. Must we always be so confounded agreeable all the time? If I mess up, say so, for crying out loud!

That isn’t to say that disagreeableness is a virtue. Nor does it mean that I will always agree with you. I won’t. Especially if it is plain that you jes don’ git it. In that case, I might even get smart with you. In love, of course. But you might not think so.

About this time, I’m supposed to say something along the lines of, “I can take it”. And I’d like to think so. But the truth is, I can’t always take it. I don’t always take criticism well. Actually (the modern word for I really mean this), I hate to be criticized. Plain and simple. I wish it were otherwise. But it isn’t. And that is exactly why I need to be criticized. I need to have my flaws and foibles pointed out. And that is why I say to Mr. HBK, a hearty thank you. You didn’t just come in with an “atta-boy”. You had something to say, and you said it. I like that. Kinda.

An answer to your comment will be forth-coming. You obviously are acquainted with the case, more than you let on, so I should not hesitate to answer. For now, suffice it to say, you have a point, otherwise, I would leave it be.

On the other hand, let me quickly interject that I don’t intend to shoot down my supporters either. To those who encourage and agree, feel free to comment as well. I won’t call you a dufflepud. I promise. Only an obstinate fool would shoot down his backers and egg on his foes. This blogger appreciates all the encouragement he has received on this blog. Really, he does! He was somewhat overwhelmed by all the attention it received almost from the start, probably due in a large part to having some well-known friends. To those who care, thank you.

So, what’s the point? Why waste a whole post discussing a comment that I’m not even answering? Well for one thing, now is as good a time as any to acquaint you the reader with a few of the goals and desires of this attempt at blogging. So, here goes.

First, I have no desire to be relevant. Relevance is highly overrated. In fact, relevance is irrelevant. My first desire is to bring glory to the Savior. I will fall short of that goal. And when I do, please point that out. Second, I strive to love the Word of God above all else, including my own opinion. That in itself is a tall order for anyone, especially for one as opinionated as myself. I want to be consistent with the Word, to promote the Word, to contend for the Word. Third, if you like what you read, feel free to say so. If you wish to add to my thoughts, I won’t stand in your way (for the most part). The only comments I have removed so far have been my own, or double-entries, though that may not always be the case.

And finally, if you don’t like what I said, or consider it to be “ill-witted” humor, go right ahead and poke holes in it. If my “ill-witted humor” inspires you to start a blog in its honor, go right ahead. But if you do, please please please give credit where credit is due! At least you could put my name on the new blog. In fact, you could make it a team blog. Me and you. You could still be anonymous. It would be fun. Of course, if you want to let us in on your identity, we are all fine with that too. We admire courage, but we aren’t afraid of cowards either. Do what you want, but by all means, keep it coming!

What Gentleness Makes Me

2006-05-11T08:47:00.000-06:00

Psalm 18:35 …thy gentleness hath made me great.

No Christian is great in his own right. But God makes His people a great people. And that means Christians are great, because God makes them great. His gentleness makes them great.

What an amazing truth! Almighty God makes His people great by His gentleness. He uses His power for us, not against us. The hand that should destroy us for our sin instead reaches out to us in kindness. God is good, so He makes us great. God is benevolent, so He makes us great. God is compassionate. His mercies are new every morning. Gently, he provides from His bounty. And it is the helping hand of God that makes us great.

Consider how His gentleness has made us great. God humbled Himself so that we might be lifted up. God abased Himself so that we might abound. God made himself lower than the angels so He could elevate us to heaven. He condescended to us, so that we could ascend to Him. He decreased, so that I might increase.

No wonder God highly exalted Christ, and gave him a name that is above every name. He must increase, and I must decrease. I must be abased, and He must abound. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, God will not despise. Gratitude makes the humble heart forever loyal to God. Are you thankful, believer? The goodness of God leads us to repentance. And God’s gentleness makes us great!

The shield of God's favor

2006-05-10T11:19:00.000-06:00

But let all those that put their trust in thee rejoice: let them ever shout for joy, because thou defendest them: let them also that love thy name be joyful in thee.
For thou, LORD, wilt bless the righteous; with favour wilt thou compass him as with a shield. Psalm 5:11-12

God our shield places a hedge of protection around his children. He is a bulwark never failing. And the hedge of protection God places around us is a shield of favor.

God surrounds us with His favor. He protects us with His favor. We find it on every side. Every place that we look, we see that all things work together for good to them that love the Lord.

Consider some of the favors that God surrounds us with. We are troubled on every side, but not perplexed; cast down but not forsaken. God blesses us with trials and troubles. These troubles humble us and keep us dependent on God. Were it not for these trials, we would soon forget God, and stop thanking and praising.

God surrounds us with enemies, and then prepares us a table in their presence. He fills the earth with good things. We eat and are satisfied, and our youth is renewed like the eagle’s. God surrounds us with lovingkindness and tender mercies. God covers us with his wings. We find the hand of God surrounding us, enclosing us, keeping us. The Spirit of God seals us until the day of redemption.

Do we see how God compasses us with favor? Then we must put our trust in him. Trust the shield. And as we trust, we rejoice, we shout for joy, our hearts overflow, because our shield and defender, the ancient of days, defends us with His favor.

Against Blogging

2006-05-09T13:02:00.000-06:00

Satisfying his occassional urge to go long, SI writer Dave once again decides to make you read for a while. And he gets smart with you at the same time. Hope you enjoy!

People blog. Lots of people blog. Experts blog, idiots blog, smart people blog, stupid people blog. People blog about cats. People blog about cars. People blog about theology, about politics, about their friends, about their enemies, about their former church, about those blogging about their former church. People blog. Some blog and blog and blog. Some blogs are informative, and some give way too much information. Some blogs are helpful, and some need help. Some blogs add to our lives, and some add to our annoyance.

I blog. And I am against blogging. Already. Maybe I’ll change. Your blog might change my mind. But then some other blog will re-confirm my opinion.

There are good reasons to be against blogging. One reason is that people talk too much. In the multitude of words, there wanteth not sin. Ecclesiastes 5:2 gives good advice to budding bloggers: let thy words be few.

Another reason to oppose blogging is that blogging is vain. What do we accomplish with all this blogging? We are like the boy sitting on the back porch blowing bubbles with all his might, blowing big bubbles, and little bubbles, and middle-sized bubbles. He blows and blows, and he hardly notices how quickly the bubbles pop, because he already started on the next batch.

To the vanity of the exercise, we add our own opinion. Opinion is vain. Now, Americans think opinion is pretty important stuff. Of all the American idols, opinion might be our greatest. But opinion is vain. Opinion adds as much to our mental diets as jet-puffed marshmallows. And considering the amount of opinion we devour, we shouldn’t wander that so many are mentally obese.

Blogging is vain, and blogging makes people vain. Readers become vain, but bloggers become vain as well. We set up our blogs, write our posts, post our writings, sit back and watch it all happen. Look at all those readers! Look at all those comments! These people think I’m great! I should write a book or something.

And it gets worse. We start believing the things we write about ourselves. We start believing the things people say about us in the comments. We get impressed with our last post, or the one before that. Our heads swell, jet-puffed style.

A related reason to oppose blogging has to do with how little we know compared to how much we write. Some people write more than they have read, and it shows. They insist on proving it to us. They blog us down, they blog us to death. And they ran out of good ideas right before their second post. They told us everything they know the post before. The river of treacle might overflow its banks, but Bob will insist on adding more blog.

And that brings up another point. Blogging gives a new venue to cowards everywhere. Not that all bloggers are cowards. But many cowards blog. You can be pretty big man with a keyboard. You can hide there and snipe at people. You can thump your chest and toot your horn and rattle your saber. But that doesn’t mean you are courageous, just because you hide behind your keyboard. If you don’t have the courage to discuss the matter when you could, you are a coward. No matter how brave you sound.

Blogging gives a voice to the slanderer. Church members become disgruntled, leave the church, and start a blog about it. It would be sin to send e-mails to a few select members against the pastor. But to blog about it, so the whole world can get in on the issue? That is worse. But bloggers do this. They are doing it now.

Matthew 18 applies to the blog world. James 3 applies to the blog world. Gossip, slander, deceit, and malicious lies are sins in the blog world, just the same as anywhere else. For that matter, the World Wide Web would do well to remember that God rules and reigns everywhere. His laws apply, even to your blog.

Blogging has much potential for good. Through it, we can attack the wickedness and idolatry of this world. We believers have an opportunity like never before in the history of the world to get the message out. We have the power of the pen like our Puritan fathers never had. But what do we do with all that power? They (the Puritans) wrote magnificent works that we still find relevant and useful today. And they wrote it by hand. We write drivel, long rivers of treacle, hundreds of miles wide, but only about a half-inch deep. We must consider our ways. I am not for blogging. I am for repentance. Judgement must begin at the house of God. We must blog for the glory of God, or we must blog off.

What I Learned From Bob

2006-05-05T12:53:00.000-06:00

Not long ago, I came across a blog written by a person I know. His name is Bob. Bob likes to blog. Bob’s blog teaches us things about unity. Bob’s blog taught me a lot about blogging. It literally revolutionized my understanding of unity, of courage, of slander, and of many other things. In this feeble attempt at blogging, I would like to share with you all, my faithful readers, My Story © (thanks to both of you for reading it).

First, I learned from Bob that you can say anything when you are hiding behind a keyboard. Before, I had always thought that courage consisted of talking to people directly when you had a disagreement with them. But then I saw Bob. I saw that Bob had a controversy with his college. But his college never knew. That is, they never knew until they stumbled across his blog. Then, paraded out in front of the world wide web, they saw that Bob didn’t agree with them. See, I learned from Bob the courage of conviction. When you could talk to all those you disagree with, don’t do it! Instead, hide behind your keyboard.

I also found out what excellent hiding places keyboards are. Like Joseph Smith, I can say whatever I want, because No Man Knows My History. If I sound intelligent, I must be godly. No man knows my history. No man knows about my troubled past. No man knows how many times I have had to hit the reset button of life. No man knows the trail of tears I have left behind me. In the blog world, I am anonymous, yet well known. Because I can blog.

I also learned that Matthew 18 and James 2 don’t apply to the blog world. They aren’t necessary when I’m trying to slander one of God’s churches, or a group of God’s men. I can say what I want. I'm unhappy. I can say so. I don’t need to go talk to the Pastor or Assistants at the church and college I am criticizing. I can just boldly use their name, cut them down, criticize them, mock their stand, all from the safety of my keyboard. And there are no consequences either! No church discipline in the blog world! It’s great.

I’m excited. I look forward to sharing more of these lessons from Bob with you all, as I discover them. Meanwhile, I’ll be hiding behind my keyboard, promoting unity through slander, escape from past actions through intelligent sounding nonsense, and in general trying to follow the pattern of my good friend Bob. Thanks Bob. You’re really special to me.

God Prepared for Jonah

2006-05-03T12:06:00.000-06:00

Jonah 1:17 Now the LORD had prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.
Jonah 4:6 And the LORD God prepared a gourd, and made it to come up over Jonah, that it might be a shadow over his head, to deliver him from his grief. So Jonah was exceeding glad of the gourd.
7 But God prepared a worm when the morning rose the next day, and it smote the gourd that it withered.
8 And it came to pass, when the sun did arise, that God prepared a vehement east wind; and the sun beat upon the head of Jonah, that he fainted, and wished in himself to die, and said, It is better for me to die than to live.

Sometimes the great men of the Bible show us our own reflection. Certainly we should follow the faith of Abraham and Moses and Peter and Paul. But we also find that we have much in common with ole’ Jonah. And in the verses above, we see exactly how God deals with his finicky and unfaithful people.

In the verses listed above, we see four things that God prepared for Jonah: a great fish, a gourd, a worm, and a vehement east wind. They were a mixed bag of cursing and blessing. They teach us about God, and they teach us about ourselves as well.

When Jonah tried to escape God’s will, God prepared a great fish to spare his life, to bring him safely to the place God prepared for him, and to cause him to do the work that God had prepared him for. The great fish prepared Jonah for the work God had. It also teaches us about the Sovereignty of Almighty God. We can neither hide from God, nor escape His will for our lives. When God intends to use us for His purpose, He will use us, willingly or not. We will do His will happily, or He will drag us kicking and screaming.

The second thing God prepared for Jonah was a gourd. God prepared it because Jonah became a little cranky when God spared the Ninevites. Rather than rejoicing, Jonah asked God to kill him. Instead, God prepared the gourd, a gourd to shelter Jonah. And, crabby as Jonah was, he was glad of the gourd. Here, God shows us the other side of Sovereignty – Providence. As Sovereign, God causes all that comes to pass. As Providence, God graciously provides out of His own abundance. The great fish was Providence. The gourd was also Providence.

The next day, God prepared a worm to eat the gourd. In a day Jonah lost that thing that delighted him. God prepared the worm as an object lesson (see v. 10). Often, we are more concerned about the material and temporal than we are with the souls of men. Men who may burn in hell one day. Sadly, some Christians mourn longer over a lost watch or a spilled glass of milk than they would over a perishing soul.

When the worm had destroyed the gourd, then God prepared a vehement east wind. As the sun beat on his head and the hot wind blew, God gave Jonah a little taste of hell. The hell that many Ninevites were headed for just two days earlier. It was only a taste, only a drop from the lake of fire. It was only to remind Jonah that his preaching had saved many. Resentment is a temptation for Christian workers. We may resent God’s work in hearts. But it is more likely that we resent the struggles we face personally in God’s service. Those who work the hardest for God may grow the weariest in the work. Some resent the burdens they must bear. They lose sight of the glory of the work of God, of the great things He does and is doing through them. They forget that they are merely vessels for his use. They resent the way God uses them.

Christian worker, do not let this be your case. Be not weary in well-doing, for in due season ye shall reap, if ye faint not.

Rhetoric on Itself

2006-05-02T11:33:00.000-06:00

So, what is rhetoric? when we think of rhetoric in this day and age, we think of politicians, thirty-second sound bites, “that depends on what the meaning of ‘is’ is”, and so on. Because rhetoric has fallen on hard times, we typically associate it with overblown bombast. But while propaganda and bombast may be forms of rhetoric, they actually abuse it. Propaganda and bombast are pretend rhetoric, an imitation of the true art.

So, what is rhetoric? Gorgias called it the art of persuasion. Socrates called it a form of flattery. When Aristotle wrote his monumental work on Rhetoric, he attempted to avoid the criticisms of Plato and Socrates, calling rhetoric the counterpart to dialectic. All men use dialectic (logic), and all men use rhetoric (the expression of logic). Thus, Aristotle defined Rhetoric as the faculty of observing in any given case the available means of persuasion.

Aristotle’s definition seems to describe rhetoric in a theoretical sense. A rhetorician (student of rhetoric) learns to observe the available means of persuasion. He learns to examine his audience to know how he should approach them on the given topic. He learns to pay attention to himself, and how his audience will perceive him. He wants to be credible. He wants his audience to listen to what he has to say. He learns to find the arguments that can and will persuade his audience, and he uses them. He learns how to present those arguments clearly and effectively. In other words, Rhetoric as a formal subject teaches exactly what Aristotle described in his definition.

Practically speaking, there is a sense in which all men are rhetors (users of rhetoric). All men speak, all men seek to persuade. Rhetoric then, in a practical sense, is the art of speaking clearly and effectively (For a thorough discussion of this definition, see Douglas Wilson, Repairing the Ruins (Moscow, ID: Canon Press, 1996), p.177ff).

The truth is, both definitions correctly identify the true art of rhetoric. All men speak. All men attempt to persuade. All men look for the available means of persuasion. In other words, all men look at the situation and try to find the best way to get their point across. Is Aristotle’s definition correct? Is Wilson’s definition correct? The answer is yes, and both are useful as well.

Would it be correct then to say that rhetoric is persuasion? No, rhetoric does its best to persuade, but it may or may not. A rhetor observes all the available means of persuasion, and then employs the approach that seems best, the approach that gives him the better chance to persuade his audience. He then uses that approach to present his ideas clearly and effectively.

In other words, rhetoric improves your chances at persuasion, just as the right golf club might improve your chances at a hole-in-one. Rhetoric used rightly will improve your ability to persuade, will help you speak clearly and effectively, and will improve your ability to listen and discern arguments.

Christ Became Sin

2006-04-27T12:25:00.000-06:00

2Corinthians 5:21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

Do you take sin to be a light thing? Do you call your sin a "little sin"? Remember that it was the sin of the whole world that nailed Christ to the cross. Thus, it was your sin that Christ carried to the grave. Certainly, the big sins nailed him to the cross, but the weight of sin was felt in the many little sins that Christ carried that day.

2 Corinthians 5:21 tells us that he hath made him to be sin for us. "He" being God, "him" being Christ. God made Christ to be sin for us who knew no sin. The spotless Lamb of God, Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth (I Peter 2:22), He became sin for us. Though Christ himself didn’t know sin, yet He became intimately acquainted with sin on that day. He knew of the shame, but that day He felt the shame. He bore our sins in His own body on that cross (2 Corinthians 5:24). God laid on him the iniquity of us all (Isaiah 53:6).

But that isn’t all. Christ carried our sins on that cross, and God made Christ to be sin. He bore our sin, and he became sin. He became all that is filthy, all that is vile, all that is stinking, all that is wicked about sin. Is sin exceeding sinful (Romans 7:13)? Christ became exceeding sinful. Are there evil men in the world? Christ became evil. God made Christ to be sin.

But why? Why did God make one man to be sin for all men? Were there not enough men who already qualified? Aren’t men already wicked enough to be called sin itself? Why would God make His own Son, His only begotten Son, to be sin? Why did the Father make the incarnate Word to become sin incarnate? The answer is found clearly in 2 Corinthians 5:21: he hath made him to be sin for us… I deserve to be called "sin" many times more than Jesus Christ does. Christ did no sin, while I am wretched and full of sin. But if I am sin, I must be cast into Hell. Sin must be destroyed. I cannot be sin and survive in God’s good grace. If I am sin, I must be destroyed. I cannot bear the weight. I cannot be sin. And therefore Christ became sin. He became sin for me. He became sin for us, so that our old man might be crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. When Christ was destroyed on the cross, the body of sin was destroyed. Therefore, Christ became sin for us
.
And, 2 Corinthians 5:21 tells us that Christ became sin for us with a particular goal in mind: that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. Christ became sin so that we could be glorified. God would be glorified in us, but sinful men can’t glorify God. And since we were without hope, powerless to glorify God, Christ became sin for us. Since even our righteousnesses are as filthy rags, Christ became sin for us, so that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. God looked down upon the children of men to see if there were any that did understand and that did seek God (Psalm 14:2). And what did God find? They are all gone aside, they are all together become filthy; there is none that doeth good, no, not one. God seeks for righteous men, but God found none. So, God himself became a man, so that there might be one righteous man. Then, the Father took all the sin of the whole world, and laid it on that one righteous man. When the Father had laid on Christ the iniquity of us all, then the Father took the sword of justice and went after Christ. He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquity, the chastisement of our peace was upon him, and with his stripes we are healed. And why did the Father do this? Why did the Son become sin for us? That we might be made the righteousness of God in him. The Son became sin so that, when God looked at us, he would find us without spot or blemish. He became sin so that we would be sinless, without fault when we stand before the throne (Revelation 14:5).

All of this to the praise of His grace. O sinner seek the Lord! Repent of all your sins. Turn to the Lord, turn from your sin. Seek the Lord while He may be found.

Denial is a River in Utah

2006-04-25T12:09:00.000-06:00

If Mormons believe that their religion is true and right, that their doctrines give life, then why do so many deny their own essential doctrines?

Mormons believe that the spirit of man exists eternally, or at least pre-exists the man himself. I should explain that the Mormon understanding of "eternal" is different than the Christian view. We understand eternal as extending infinitely in two directions: infinitely backwards (without beginning) and infinitely forward (without end). In Mormon theology, God is eternal, but only in the sense that he will never die. They view the pre-existent spirit of man the same way. Like men, God’s spirit pre-existed him, and God’s spirit received a body, grew as a man, became a Christ, and then became God. To be a Mormon God, one must first become a Mormon Christ, which has interesting ramifications for Mormons who want to become God.

But if you bring this up with a Mormon, you will likely get denial. I was discussing this with my friend at Maynard Motors. He was trying to prove to me the pre-existence of the spirit of man (he used Proverbs 8:23-31 to prove it). I denied that man’s soul pre-existed, but argued that God is the only eternal being. "In fact," I said, "God not only pre-exists, God is self-existent". And here is where the denial began. "Oh, I believe that God is self-existent too." "Really?" I asked. Then I explained further. "God exists eternally. As God is now, He always has been. There never has been a time in eternity past when God did not exist as He exists now. God has no beginning. God has always existed by his own power." And my Mormon friend said, "I believe that!"

I was flabbergasted. Yes, really. Flabbergasted. What could I say? What am I supposed to do here? Am I supposed to say, "No you don’t"? How can you have a discussion with someone who won’t even own up to what he believes?

This illustrates one of the frustrations of evangelizing Mormons. Rarely do we meet a Mormon who will admit to what he really believes. This is especially true when you get into the "upper crust" of Mormonism (the bishops and higher). You may recall that in my last post on Mormonism I mentioned that my friend at Maynard Motors even denied that the temple is necessary for admittance into the Celestial Kingdom. This is a key doctrine for the modern LDS, but he denied it. Of course, the Mormons who haven’t yet "made it" know the truth. They must do their temple work, or they will go to hell.

So, why don’t the bishops want me to know this? Maybe they see just how these doctrines put their people in bondage. Are they afraid that we Christians will point this out?

Hard Hearts

2006-04-23T12:52:00.000-06:00

Psalm 95:6-8
O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the LORD our maker.
For he is our God; and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand. To day if ye will hear his voice,
Harden not your heart, as in the provocation, and as in the day of temptation in the wilderness:

Hard hearts and hard heads cannot worship the Lord. A stone is no substitute for bread. How many will offer up an ice cube to God and call it worship? The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.

If we would worship and bow down, then our stony hearts must be made into hearts of flesh. God wrote the law on stone tables once. Now, God writes his law on fleshy tables of the heart. And this shows us why hard hearts are hardened. Sin is transgression of the law. Sin hardens the heart. Do you have a hard heart? Sin turns your ear from hearing the law. Yea, they made their hearts as an adamant stone, lest they should hear the law, and the words which the LORD of hosts hath sent in his spirit by the former prophets. (Zechariah 7:12)

Confess your sins. Ask God to turn you once again. Ask God to give you a tender heart once again. Come thou fount of every blessing, tune my heart to sing thy grace.

Jehovah is your maker. Is He your God? Are you the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand? Here is the sign: My sheep hear my voice. Do you hear his voice? Then harden not your heart.

O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the LORD our maker.

Rhetoric on Rhetoric

2006-04-22T11:43:00.000-06:00

In our church’s academy, we are attempting to restore the medieval system of education. Our methodology follows the Trivium, and we teach some unique courses including Latin, Logic, and Rhetoric. At this year’s conclusion, our academy will have students who have completed three years of Latin, students who have formally studied Logic, and students who have taken two years of Rhetoric. The teaching of Logic and Rhetoric currently falls on myself, a task that I thoroughly enjoy.

Having spent two years teaching first year Rhetoric and one year teaching second year Rhetoric, I have grown to admire the subject, to appreciate its right use, and to desire its promotion, especially among the people of God. It is my humble opinion that believers would do well to study the subject and to excel at its use. As one rhetorician has said, God’s people must be people of the Word, and that means they must also be people of words.

The Psalmist prayed, let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord. Acceptable words are not merely sin-free words. Acceptable words are rich words, beautiful words, effective words. The preacher sought to find out acceptable words: and that which was written was upright, even words of truth. The words of the wise are as goads, and as nails fastened by the masters of assemblies, which are given from one shepherd. We are in a war, and words are our weapons.

Which brings me to the point of all this. On introducing this blog, I told of my plan to familiarize the rest of you with Mormonism. Allow me to add another emphasis for these pages. This blog will attempt to share some of what rhetoric has to say about the right use of words. Hopefully, it will offer help to the "rhetorically challenged", and, with a little help from the Logos, it will give the reader a practical understanding of this important subject and how it applies to our speaking and writing.

Adventures in Mormon Land, Episode 1: The Used Car Salesman

2006-04-18T10:45:00.000-06:00

It is a long one, my post below, perhaps too long for a brand new blogger. You might get bored. You might get blogged down. You might quit reading half-way through. You might not like it. You might not ever come back to read my blog. What should I do? I can find but one answer: Just Post It! As Henry VIII said to one of his wives (probably)… I’ll be keeping you longer than you thought.

When Mormons evangelize, they like to start out by encouraging "open-mindedness" or "free thinking". Mormons flatter themselves that they are free thinkers, which they are in a sense, if you consider "free thinking" to be thinking without any boundaries. In that sense, they "boldly go where no man has gone before". And they want you to go there too. So, they will encourage you to read the Book of Mormon with an open mind and pray about it. And they will assure you that you will find it to be true. That is what they mean by "free thinking". You are a free thinker as long as you come to the same conclusion they did.

My son and I were at Maynard Motors, a used car lot in Midvale, Utah, when one of these Mormons evangelists cornered me. He started out with "you look like a free thinker." Then, he got his Bible out (yes, the real Bible), took me to Revelation 2:17, and proceeded to read. To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it. "Do you know," he said, "that there is only one church that knows what this means, and that practices this?" I didn’t really answer him, but he wasn’t looking for an answer anyway. He was busy launching.

He then told me about the Navajo Indians, and their ceremonies and their holy man, and he told me how they do this ceremony in a hut where they give a name. A secret name. But he said that the Navajos don’t know why they do it. It’s just an ancient custom that they still do. "And do you know where they learned it?" he asked (And he got kind of giddy while he awaited my answer). "They learned it from their ancestors who came up from South America, from the sons of Lehi who traveled to Brazil all the way from Israel and then up to Navajo country!"

You see, the Mormons believe that the American Indians are really Jews. Now, if you bring up the fact that there are DNA tests that say otherwise, they will quickly assert that that is only one or two tests. They haven’t proven against the "Jewish American Indian theory", so it must be true.

So, the Navajo Indians still practice giving this secret name, but don’t know why. According to Mr. Maynard, the Mormons do it too, and they know why. When you go to the temple, you get your secret name. Mike Haxton, a former Mormon bishop, told us all about the secret name. He was married in April, so his secret name was "Adam". His wife’s was "Adah" (or "Ada", I’m not sure which). They were told that they must not forget their secret name. But if they ever did, they should go to the nearest temple, tell them what month they were married, and the temple people would be able to tell them their secret name. So, apparently, if you are married in April, your name is Adam or Adah.

So, what is the point of all this? Well, to my friend at Maynard Motors, this meant that the LDS church is the true church. Because they give out secret names. Like the secret names talked about in Revelation 2:17.

I asked Mr. Maynard to explain to me why this was important. He explained that it was important because we need to have open minds, and we need to think freely, and (basically) we need to believe in the Book of Mormon and the LDS church. So, I asked him again why this was important. How will this affect my soul? I don’t think he really gave me an answer, so I attempted to get to the root of the whole matter.

"Isn’t it true", I asked, "that this is important to you because in order to get to the Celestial Kingdom I have to go to the temple? Aren’t you telling me this to convince me to become a Mormon so I can go to the temple and get my secret name?"

Please understand that I wasn’t trying to stump him or anything. I just wanted to get to the point. It was a long conversation. My son was falling asleep on the couch. We needed to get out of there. The conversation wasn’t going anywhere. So, I tried. And failed. His response? "You don’t have to go to the temple to get to the Celestial Kingdom! Who told you that?"

Well, I’ve lived in Utah for almost nine years now. I’ve had this conversation before. With the honest ones, it comes down to the temple. So, I told him, "Mormons told me that." "Those Mormons don’t understand their own religion," he said.

Which brings up one question that I don’t fully understand, though I think I might understand it. Why is it that Mormons run away from their key doctrines? Why is it that they don’t want to admit to what they believe? Why don’t they want us to know? If they think they are right and we are wrong, then why don’t they just tell us?

The truth is, the old-time Mormons did (and still do). My eighty year old neighbor, before he died, told me flat out that I couldn’t go to heaven because I hadn’t gone to the temple. But the modern Mormons want to be seen as a part of mainstream Christianity. In order to do that, they have to be watered down too (like modern Christianity… but I digress). They can’t call themselves Christians and at the same time assert that we all have to go to their temple to get into heaven. So, they hide that doctrine until they have you hooked, and they’re reeling you in.

The LDS fundamentally believe that in order to enter the Celestial Kingdom, you must go to the temple. And you should know that in order to go to the temple, one must be recommended by his or her bishop. The bishop won’t recommend you until you are worthy (it takes about a year to prove that you are worthy). And you can’t be worthy if you have sins in your life (smoking, drinking coffee, illegitimate children, etc.) Christ may have come into the world to save sinners, but the Mormon church is only out to save the righteous. Which also explains why the LDS church is so full of Pharisees.

Resurrection Day Blessings

2006-04-16T12:33:00.000-06:00

Psalm 16:8-11
I have set the LORD always before me: because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.
Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth: my flesh also shall rest in hope.
For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.
Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.

The Psalmist gives us a glimpse into the very soul of our redeemer as he prayed in the Garden. I will never understand this, but for a brief time, Jesus Christ, the Lord of Glory, feared to go forth to the suffering of the cross. But that fear, that desire to turn back, was only momentary. He said, nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done. What encouraged our Savior to go forward in His task? What made Him stay on the cross until he could cry, "It is finished"? Was it not hope? Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth: my flesh also shall rest in hope. And what hope? For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption. It was the hope of the resurrection. That same hope encourages us as we travel on the upward way to heaven.

The resurrection gives us hope in the valley of the shadow of death… I will fear no evil, for thou art with me. Thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me… But the resurrection of Jesus Christ gives us hope in life as well. He is not the God of the dead, but of the living. Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore. The resurrection is about life. Christ gives life, and life more abundantly. Don’t simply cling to the resurrection for death. Cling to it for life. Life in the present, and life continuously.

When we are in God’s house, we are in God’s presence, and God is in our midst. The house of God is the path of life. And in the house of God, we find fulness of joy. Lift up your hearts, your heads, your voices, and praise the Lord God of heaven, the Blessed Redeemer, for He lives!

The Spin Factor

2006-04-14T14:17:00.000-06:00

In his book The O’Reilly Factor: The Good, the Bad, and the Completely Ridiculous in American Life, Bill O’Reilly gives his spin on the current moral decline in America. In one paragraph, he counsels "religious fanatics who demonize gays…" to back off. "As long as a sexual issue is not intruding on your freedom or endangering your kids, leave it to God to sort out. The Deity is a lot smarter than we are."

In the very next paragraph, O’Reilly counsels gays who are "the victim of discrimination and abuse" to "exchange the high heels for a sensible business suit…and hire a lawyer who will put the screws to whatever **** (expletive removed) are interfering with your rights to private sexual expression. (emphasis his)

So, God will need to clean up the sexual perverts…while lawyers clean up the religious fanatics. Nice spin, Bill.

But, wait a minute. God already sorted it out. Remember Bill? It’s in the Old Testament (to be fair, O’Reilly does point this out, then dismisses it with "I also know what the Old Testament says about slavery"). The arguments are tired and worn out, but O’Reilly insists on spinning them on and on.

O’Reilly echoes a sentiment common now to Americans, the opinion that we have a right to private sexual expression, as if the founding fathers wrote the Bill of Rights to protect perverts.

Who guarantees this right to "private sexual expression"? It didn’t come from God. Don’t tell me our forefathers meant that when they described our "inalienable rights" to include the right to "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness"? The mainstream slanders our Puritan forefathers for their stand against adultery. Certainly the Puritans didn’t include homosexuality as an inalienable right!

It is hard to believe that even Mr. O’Reilly endorses every act of "private sexual expression." Surely, even Mr. O’Reilly has a standard. He must have one somewhere. Maybe at the bottom of his barrel, but still, he must have one.

Consider the irresponsibility of remarks like this from men like O’Reilly. If we do in fact have a right to private sexual expression in the privacy of our bedroom, then the law loses its ability to protect women and children from the now rampant abuse and degrading effect of pornography.

"Sexual expression" as O’Reilly calls it, is never private. If adultery were private, we wouldn’t use tax dollars to finance abortion. How can sexual expression be private when the government foots the bill for most unwed mothers? Divorce courts are not private. Food stamps are not private. Venereal diseases and AIDS are not private. Sex is not private.

And, as for "private sexual expression" being a protected right, rights are God-given, or they do not exist. Evil men claim this right, not because they are concerned about laws and morals, but because they would take advantage. Sexual desire and lawful sexual expression are both gifts of a benevolent God. When God our maker forbids a certain type of sexual conduct, no matter how Mr. O’Reilly spins it, that conduct is wrong. And, for the sake of all that is beautiful and good about sex, perversion must be stopped. Cold. No spin.

Pious Apathy

2006-04-12T15:05:00.000-06:00

Apathy plagues our churches in more ways than one. Lukewarmness is a curse, and incurs the wrath of God as quickly as anything else. Truly, in this day of big yawns and drooping eyelids, it is high time Christians awake out of sleep.

But the alternatives we currently offer for replacing our apathy aren’t much better either. We don’t want to be seen as lukewarm, so we zealously seek relevance. We wouldn’t want the world to view us as lumpy or grumpy or irrelevant, so we diligently seek the praise of men. And we seek that praise in the form of relevance. We must keep up with the times. This is 2006, ya know.

In our zeal for relevance, we miss the glaring problem. To be relevant with men, we become irrelevant with God. Craving relevance, we become irrelevant. And our hankering for relevance only adds to our apathy. The more we care about relevance, the less we care about God.

We must be apathetic, but apathetic to the glory of God. While apathy is not usually a good word, there is a sense in which every God-fearing Christian must strive for apathy, and strive for it with all their heart. We must be apathetic towards the things of this earth, towards the temporal, so that we can be zealous of good works.

This is what is meant by "pious apathy". Piety is the opposite of apathy, yet apathy is a necessary part of genuine piety. Now, I understand that we often equate the word pious with the word Pharisee, but that kind of piety really isn’t. It pretends at piety, but quickly exposes itself as pietism, the spirit of the Pharisees. The truly pious man deeply reverences God, loves His character, and exercises himself in obedience to God’s will and in devotion to God’s service. And the truly pious man is apathetic.

The truly pious man couldn’t care less what the world thinks. He cares too much what God thinks. The truly pious man cares little about relevance in man’s eyes; he strives to be relevant in God’s eyes. Do the professors and elitists despise him? "Hang on" he says, "while I see if I care." Do the modern evangelicals mock him? He probably doesn’t even know who they are. Do backsliders call him shallow? When he comes back up for air, he can only shrug. He won’t be leaving the deep end to visit their wading pool anyway.

Besides, he’s too busy paying attention to pay attention. Bulls aren’t likely to notice when the gnat finally flies away. Come to think of it, pious apathy can be a blessing. May we learn not to care because we care so much. When we become too apathetic to care about relevance, then we will finally become truly relevant once again.

Adventures in Mormon Land

2006-04-12T14:57:00.000-06:00

Living in Utah has its advantages and adventures. I hope to share some of them with you in this blog. More than a few months ago, one of the men in our church encouraged me to take up blogging, an idea that I resisted. After all, there are more blogs out there than there are good ideas, and I didn’t want to add to the river of treakle that seems to flow so freely. Nevertheless, here I am blogging, so what gives?

I finally figured out that I could offer a couple of helpful things that might benefit potential readers (both of them). Below, I will outline one area that I think might be helpful, and later I’ll introduce the other(s), if I can still remember what they are. Anyway, for the first offering…

In this blog, I intend to offer a little insight to the rest of the world (the 49 states that are not Utah) about life among the Mormons. And along with that, I hope to challenge Mormons who visit the site to think. Freely. With open minds. Some of the content on this page might aggravate, but my intention is to motivate you to pursue God, and leave behind the weights that hinder your pursuit.

I hope that believers who visit this site will find in it much that is helpful in witnessing to Mormons. Along with that, I hope to acquaint you with the quirks and oddities of the LDS faithful. (Utah Mormons call themselves LDS – short for Latter Day Saints). Many people in the "rest of the world" think Utah is full of wild-eyed, long-bearded polygamists. Having lived here for nine years now, I have yet to meet a polygamist (that I know of). Mormons look normal enough. The weirdness comes when you start discussing their beliefs. For instance, recently a Mormon explained how the bad sons of Lehi became dark-skinned, and how their descendants can turn white again (by being good). But that isn’t racist at all (or so he told me). Why did this come up, you ask? He was explaining to me that the American Indians are actually Jews… an otherwise rational man discussing such irrational topics on an otherwise ordinary day. And that is just a sampling of the kinds of conversations we have on any given day in Utah… a conversation you aren’t likely to have in Chicago.

A good part of this blog will also include much that I hope fellow believers will find to be edifying. I plan to include thoughts from my devotions, ideas I am studying, and anything else I come across that may be helpful, or not. Enjoy, and may God bless you.