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Showing posts from February, 2011

what we have in common with Gadaffi

Here's Carl Trueman on "Me and Muammar: What We Have In Common": "And as we shudder at the sight of this lunatic rambling on our television screens, it is worth remembering that Gadaffi is only an extreme example of that which dwells in each of us.  The desire to be in control, to make a mark, to make ourselves indispensable: these are all drives that are universal within fallen humanity.  Our worlds may be smaller, the damage we do somewhat more modest, but our ambitions are in their own ways just as absurd as his."  The blog post is here . 

approach, my soul

Sojourn Music is graciously giving away an mp3 , “ Approach My Soul, The Mercy Seat .”  The words and music are by Jamie Barnes, inspired by John Newton’s hymn: Approach my soul, the mercy seat Where Holy One and helpless meet There fall before my Judges’ feet Thy promise is my only plea, O God Send wings to lift the clutch of sin You who dwell between the cherubim From war without and fear within Relieve the grief from the shoulders of crumbling men O God—Pour out your mercy to me My God, Oh what striking love to bleed. Fashion my heart in your alchemy With the brass to front the devil’s perjury And surefire grace my Jesus speaks I must. I will. I do believe. O Lord. Chords & lyrics here in pdf .  

fred smith letter

I have always profited from reading the letters of those who were good mentors.  I think of John Newton and Martyn Lloyd-Jones as examples.   Fred Smith, former Dallas businessman now deceased, apparently was a good letter-writer.  He wrote the following to a friend after a long conversation about a life crisis.  There's some very good counsel here from a man who was mentor to many.  I've highlighted some portions that spoke to me.   Dear Friend: You spoke of your struggle taking the advice of many as you make decisions and the guilt you feel when you fail.  You say over and over you want to do the will of God.  Let me think out loud with you on this. I firmly believe God has instituted processes that work and they don’t depend on doing what we cannot do.  He came to give us life “and that more abundantly” which I don’t think you are enjoying nor displaying.  It isn’t your unbelief but their unrealistic advice. I fully believe in the “witness of the Spirit” and what Cha

the mustangs of las colinas

When we lived and worked in Dallas I always enjoyed my visits to nearby Las Colinas.  In the plaza is one of my favorite sculptures, the "Mustangs of Las Colinas", which is the largest equestrian sculpture in the world.  With the water fountains placed near the horse's hooves it really looks like they are running through the water!  

the king who sings blues

Consider and answer me, O LORD my God; light up my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death, lest my enemy say, "I have prevailed over him," lest my foes rejoice because I am shaken.   (Psalm 13:3-4 ESV)   "My soul is very sorrowful, even to death; remain here, and watch with me."  (Matthew 26:38)  "What must be said … is that the Psalms are poems, and poems intended to be sung: not doctrinal treatises, nor even sermons. … Most emphatically the Psalms must be read as poems; as lyrics, with all the licenses and all the formalities, the hyperboles, the emotional rather than logical connections, which are proper to lyric poetry. They must be read as poems if they are to be understood.  (C. S. Lewis, Reflections on the Psalms ) In Romans 8 we learn that creation “groans,” ( stenazo word group, "to groan or sigh with deep concern or stress"), lamenting its fallen-ness and death (8:22).  We too groan inwardly (8:23), desperately longing for full liberat

dallas

I like this picture.  We enjoyed living in Dallas for 5 years. 

lack of diversity... of all places!

Gerry McDermott's post in his Northampton blog led me to an interesting NY Times article. Apparently, in an annual gathering of social scientists -- who routinely identify prejudice and bias -- it was discovered that there is a stunning lack of perception of their own bias and non-diversity:    Discrimination is always high on the agenda at the Society for Personality and Social Psychology’s conference, where psychologists discuss their research on racial prejudice, homophobia, sexism, stereotype threat and unconscious bias against minorities. But the most talked-about speech at this year’s meeting, which ended Jan. 30, involved a new “outgroup.” It was identified by Jonathan Haidt, a social psychologist at the University of Virginia who studies the intuitive foundations of morality and ideology. He polled his audience at the San Antonio Convention Center, starting by asking how many considered themselves politically liberal. A sea of hands appeared, and Dr. Haidt estimate

transitions

Sent to me by a friend...

humanity 2.0

"But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. ...  Thus it is written, 'The first man Adam became a living being'; the last Adam became a life-giving spirit."  (1 Corinthians 15:20-22, 45 ESV) "Adam and Christ stand against each other as two great figures at the entrance of two worlds, two creations, the old and the new... And in their actions and fates, lie the decisions for all who belong to them, because all men are comprehended in them."  (Hermann Ridderbos) "Every man will finish his life in the shadow of one of these men."  (Robert Lewis)

warfield on the word and faith

I came upon some good quotes by B. B. Warfield (1851-1921) on the Word and and on faith . (The picture above is from his grave in Princeton Cemetery ).    The Bible is authoritative, for it is the Word of God; it is intelligible, for it is the word of man. Because it is the word of man in every part and element, it comes home to our hearts. Because it is the word of God in every part and element, it is our constant law and guide. When the Christian asserts his faith in the divine origin of his Bible, he does not mean to deny that it was composed and written by men or that it was given by men to the world. He believes that the marks of its human origin are ineradicably stamped on every page of the whole volume. He means to state only that it is not merely human in its origin. Why may we not believe that the God who brings his purposes to fruition in his providential government of the world, without violence to second causes or to the intelligent free agency of his creatures, so super

stilled and quieted

"My heart is not proud, O Lord,  my eyes are not haughty; I do not concern myself with great matters  or things too wonderful for me. But I have stilled and quieted my soul;  like a weaned child with it mother, like a weaned child is my soul within me."  (Psalm 131) "Nothing comes into our life apart from the plan of God.  Not a sparrow falls to the ground apart from the will of the Father.   Not a cell in your body nor the orbit of a planet is out of His control.  There is great comfort in the assurance that every detail of your life has come through God’s hand – God does not make mistakes and every trial comes with a divine purpose.  The purpose may be to grow in obedience, or humility and dependence.  If the Bible says that Christ learned obedience from what He suffered, how much more do we need to learn obedience too."  (Joe Kelley, Sunday sermon at BCF) "The brain’s overall complexity is almost beyond belief.  One synapse, by itself, is more like a m