R.I.P. Heavy D

"Heavy Weight Luv-a . . ." Thank you for providing the background for all those hard times. Lord have mercy on your soul.

J.I. Packer on Why We Need Inerrancy

J.I. Packer on Why We Need Inerrancy

John Wesley's Three Kinds of Grace

God's Preparing, Accepting, and Sustaining Grace

God's grace is a wonderful gift to humankind. Grace is God's love freely offered to us. We do not do anything to "earn" it. Take a moment and reflect upon how you have experienced God's grace in your life. Jot some notes down, if you like, before reading the next paragraph.

Did you know that John Wesley believed that God provides us with three kinds of grace? He believed in:

- prevenient (preparing) grace
- accepting (justifying) grace
- sustaining (sanctifying) grace

God's prevenient grace is with us from birth, preparing us for new life in Christ. "Prevenient" means "comes before." Wesley did not believe that humanity was totally "depraved" but rather God places a little spark of divine grace within us which enables us to recognize and accept God's justifying grace. Preparing grace is "free in all for all," as Wesley used to say.

Today some call God's justifying grace "conversion" or being "born again." When we experience God's justifying grace, we come into that new life in Christ. Wesley believed that people have freedom of choice. We are free to accept or reject God's justifying grace. Wesley emphasized "Free Grace" saying:

The grace or love of God, whence cometh our salvation, is FREE IN ALL, and FREE FOR ALL.... It is free in all to whom it is given. It does not depend on any power or merit in man; no, not in any degree, neither in whole, nor in part. It does not in anywise depend either on the good works or righteousness of the receiver; not on anything he has done, or anything he is. It does not depend on his endeavors. It does not depend on his good tempers, or good desires, or good purposes and intentions; for all these flow from the free grace of God; they are the streams only, not the fountain. They are the fruits of free grace, and not the root. They are not the cause, but the effects of it.

Wesley believed that, after we have accepted God's grace, we are to move on in God's sustaining grace toward perfection. Wesley believed the people could "fall from grace" or "backslide." We cannot just sit on our laurels, so to speak, and claim God's salvation and then do nothing. We are to participate in the what Wesley called "the means of grace" and to continue to grow in Christian life.

Some Christians tend to focus on God's justifying grace, but Wesley asserted that the Christian walk does not stop with acceptance of new life in Christ. Wesley said in his sermon, "On Repentance of Believers":

It is generally supposed, that repentance and faith are only the gate of religion; that they are necessary only at the beginning of our Christian course, when we are setting out in the way to the kingdom.... And this is undoubtedly true, that there is a repentance and a faith, which are, more especially, necessary at the beginning: a repentance, which is a conviction of our utter sinfulness, and guiltiness, and helplessness.... But, notwithstanding this, there is also a repentance and a faith (taking the words in another sense, a sense not quite the same, nor yet entirely different) which are requisite after we have "believed the gospel;" yea, and in every subsequent stage of our Christian course, or we cannot "run the race which is set before us." And this repentance and faith are full as necessary, in order to our continuance and growth in grace, as the former faith and repentance were, in order to our entering into the kingdom of God.

This article was originally posted here.

Bloodlines Documentary with John Piper

Bloodlines Documentary with John Piper from Crossway on Vimeo.

Silly but Useful Clichés

"Couples who pray together, stay together"

As opposed to couples who don't cultivate a spiritual life that places Jesus at the center - of their affections which in turn informs their attitudes, behaviors and actions. "They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer" (Acts 2.42 NIV84).

"Couples who serve together, grow together"

The dynamic which results enables the other to appreciate and appropriately position themselves based on the observation of the gifts, skills and passions of the other - sanctified service. "For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many" (MK 10.45 NIV84)

"Good roots produce good fruits"

As Jesus often said, "you have heard it said, but truly I tell you . . ." Affections which make much of Jesus express and display themselves in the same manner as healthy plants bearing fruit. Too often, we chase the fruit without considering the reason or cause behind it. "A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit" (MT 7.18 NIV84).

I Will Never Forget . . .

Nailing the Essentials

Driscoll weighs in on the the essentials and non-essentials . . . (@The Elephant Room)

Nailing the Essentials

Tim Keller's 5 Questions to Ask of Scripture

Something quite helpful I recently found while perusing the blogosphere:

______________________________________________________________


Some years ago, I heard Keller speak on his five questions to ask as you read the bible daily . . .

1. How can I praise him?

2. How can I confess my sins on the basis of this text?

3. If this is really true, what wrong behaviour, what harmful emotions or false attitudes result in me when I forget this? Every problem is because you have forgotten something. What problems are you facing?

4. What should I be aspiring to on the basis of this text?

5. Why are you telling me this today?

______________________________________________________________

Thank you once again Dr. Keller!

Make God's Word Your "Thing"

Thank you Dr. Keller . . . again.

Make God's Word Your 'Thing' from The Gospel Coalition on Vimeo.

Speaking with Conviction

I found this off Josh Harris' site (who got it off Tim Challies). Like, totally solid?



OR "visualizing the typography"

Typography from Ronnie Bruce on Vimeo.

The Godly Man (the ongoing saga . . .)

Psalm 112 (NIV '84)

1 Praise the LORD.

Blessed is the man who fears the LORD,
who finds great delight in his commands.

2 His children will be mighty in the land;
the generation of the upright will be blessed.
3 Wealth and riches are in his house,
and his righteousness endures forever.
4 Even in darkness light dawns for the upright,
for the gracious and compassionate and righteous man.
5 Good will come to him who is generous and lends freely,
who conducts his affairs with justice.
6 Surely he will never be shaken;
a righteous man will be remembered forever.
7 He will have no fear of bad news;
his heart is steadfast, trusting in the LORD.
8 His heart is secure, he will have no fear;
in the end he will look in triumph on his foes.
9 He has scattered abroad his gifts to the poor,
his righteousness endures forever;
his horn will be lifted high in honor.

10 The wicked man will see and be vexed,
he will gnash his teeth and waste away;
the longings of the wicked will come to nothing.

For more reading, check out the Puritan Thomas Watson's work "The Godly Man's Picture . . ."

John Piper & the Prosperity Gospel

Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner.

Terribly Vexed

Commodus: "It vexes me. I'm terribly vexed." Thank you Dr. Keller.

Asian American Christian Thought and Theological History: Pastoral Implications for Diversity and Innovation in a Multiracial Church

Stephen Um and Julius Kim do a great job of capturing some key thoughts regarding Asian-American Christian ministry. They led a workshop during round 2 of the 2011 The Gospel Coalition National Conference entitled, "Asian American Christian Thought and Theological History: Pastoral Implications for Diversity and Innovation in a Multiracial Church." Nothing radically seismic in regards to theology or ecclesiology, I just found it refreshing and candid. It also doesn't hurt that Um is a council member of The Gospel Coalition and Kim is on faculty at Westminster Seminary California . . . not to mention that both are "on team" with the PCA. Too often, the only voices being barked in this conversation are the left of center, inclusive hugging, social gospel hopping, eisegesis processing, allegorical thinking, less-than-biblical & more-on-psychological/culture/experience, local-born and/or N-American raised Korean/Chinese/Japanese . . . how refreshing it is to hear people who truly have a high view of Scripture prophetically speak into the Body of Christ. Yes, it really has been that long.

Moralism & the Canucks

Everything spilled over for the best stew of godless behavior last night immediately following the end of the final period of game 7 of the Stanley Game playoffs. Whether it was a good idea to mix families and drunken deadbeat single men should probably be reviewed by the likes of the City of Vancouver and CBC ("fan zone"). Every other city on the planet has experiences like this. For the Euro-Latin soccer fans, they know if they riot they WILL pay with pain and police-inflicted impunity. I was hoping to see VPD crack some heads (they're probably worried about the socialist anti-cop groups following them around). However for both residents of Vancouver and the surrounding boroughs (who support the team both financially and via social media), who exactly showed up to do damage to the city? Where were they from, which demographic did they fit, when did they arrive to burn Vancouver? Repeatedly throughout last evening's broadcast, I found myself hearing the quips of amoralistic and moralistic banter being driven by blatant images and acts of immorality and severe stupidity. Even the mayor of Vancouver was able to note that "the acts of violence were being committed by a small group of young men." For a city which prides itself in being amoral and inclusive, it seems that Vancouver does have a moral compass after all. The obvious evidence of 15 years worth of culture-induced hatred towards godly ideals regarding manhood and womanhood were clearly being displayed last night. Nothing just came out of nowhere. The groups of opportunistic, indifferent, voyeuristic, curiosity-driven, irresponsible punks who ran around downtown were raised on the likes of lousy television, goofy movies, celebrity moronic behavior and a wholesale all-around insulated privileged upbringing resulting from the hard work of their parents and a liberal government trying to fight tradition for the sake of progress and innovation. Clearly, everyone ought to agree that sometimes old school is just not that bad. This most recent riot is quite revealing in that it tells of mankind's inability to save itself in and of itself. This town needs Jesus, even the well-wishing, good intentioned radio call-in folk . . . this town need some godly parenting to spank, beat up, knock out, then trash their loser sons to the curb when they stumbled home at 7:00AM this morning smelling like beer, smoke and tear gas.



On a side note, even for the innocent passerby (who should have but did not leave downtown for 5 hours) or the seemingly helpless Iphone video-ing person, grab all the fools and dump them off in Syria for a government sponsored session on corporal punishment. Better yet, drop them off in Pakistan for some awareness training in maintaining the image of the country in which you currently receive welfare from.

Should heckling be banned in Parliament?

That was the subject of discussion this morning on Q. "The former Liberal MP and Deputy Prime Minister, Sheila Copps, argued that heckling, or hectoring, can't be eliminated, and probably shouldn't either." This was a surreal discussion by a grown, adult, middle-aged woman arguing for "name calling" and verbal bullying as an acceptable form of communication within the public federal parliamentary forum when its only other obvious and perceivable option is "picking up arms and bombing our neighbors."

I can already hear it now, "You @#$%!?! Don't worry son, saying that is much better than maiming, killing, amputating, bombing or shooting your opponent" (as Copps would refer to "the opposition"). Now that's worth fighting for.

Discerning Pagan Spirituality from Christianity

Recently on CBC Radio One's "The Current," a documentary was featured which highlighted the conflict which emerged in the village of Oujé Bougamou in Northern Quebec. Apparently, Redfern Mianscum built a sweat lodge behind the home of a village resident. It was "to help his people." However, since the majority of the village are evangelicals, a petition was circulated to remove the lodge and following a municipal vote the structure was torn down.

CT even caught wind of this and posted an article reporting on the incident. Within the CT article, even Native American Christians seem to be divided on the issue - and it doesn't surprise anyone to point out that the Native Americans from the liberal Christian camps are the ones landing squarely within the "inclusive" zone.

So we've got white media reporting on a Native issue (or as we in Canada refer to as "First Nations"), FN Christians from both the left and right - in reality TV fashion - battling out in front of media. Then there is this "white guilt" temporary separation of "religious freedoms and traditions" thing happening. White north Americans will never fully understand that traditions and customs for the rest of the world is often times rooted deeply in spirituality. To argue for one's customs and traditions is very often a fight for one's spiritual beliefs and values.

The village elders of Oujé Bougamou (who incidentally belong to the Pentecostal tradition) felt deeply about the meaning behind the tradition in question. Their ban on the sweat lodge was a ban against the open practice and acceptance of shamanism and pagan spirituality. Maybe this was motivated by numerous testimonies of people who were experiencing demonic attacks which resulted in the inability to sleep and function? Whether or not this was a decision which was made "justly" (according to our pluralist North American legal worldview) is another story. What I found interesting was the commenting from "well-meaning white folk" and "jaded FN folk." I guess all FN people are "suppose" contain within their DNA anti-establishment and "church"-hating tendencies. Or at least that's what the FN activists teach. But then what about the FN Christians? Are they all suppose to pick up assault rifles, march the standoff lines, sign petitions, and adopt the leftist agenda?

Or perhaps we should be asking, "Can Christians attend pow wows, sweat lodge ceremonies, rain dances, etc.?"

From the CT article one pastor commented, "Where in the Bible can you go where sacred objects used by nations were ever redeemed and used to worship God?" asks Ojibwe evangelist Craig Smith, whose ministry is affiliated with the Christian and Missionary Alliance. "In the Old Testament, that didn't bring God into the sanctuary. That drove him away."

Regardless of what Pastor Smith (who is native) has to say, "freedom of religious expression" seems to be the band wagon on this round . . . which only further promotes my confusion of white folk. How and why do they "go to battle" over certain religious/tradition-related issues and not over others? For example, down the road at UBC, the majority non-Asian Board of Governors (2 Chinese) has approved the building of a hospice next to a neighboring high-rise. Despite the protest of the many Chinese & Korean tenants, the white liberal, pacific northwest agenda still goes forward.

*Side note: Even though 40% of the UBC student population is Asian, out of 49 seats in the student council (for the 2010-2011 year) only 7 are Asian. My math is pretty bad, is that 14%? Back in 2009, MacLeans reported that there were no Asians on the student council.

For those who are late to the show, there is some cultural nuance and hidden gems worth mining in this story. For the majority of Asian cultures, customs and superstitions regarding the dying and dead inform and dictate daily life and existence. If someone in the family dies, depending on whether the person is older or younger, the rites of the dead will follow suite accordingly. If the person who dies is younger, the elderly never show respect to those who are younger. Whereas if the person who dies is older, everyone who is younger must show respect to that individual even to the extent of postponing weddings and other festive events (everyone pays and everyone mourns - life ceases and stops). In regards to death itself, it is very improper (bad luck) and potentially virally improper to reside in a dwelling so close to a place where people who are confirmed to die are spending their last day. To live next to a hospice could potentially destroy a person's future, livelihood and social network; the cause & effect of the present situation will ruin one's future of luck, success and happiness.

But then again, for the Chinese Christian, this is a area of familiar tension. Many Chinese Christians do not bow - out of the respect - for the dead at funerals. Many Chinese Christians do not live in superstitious paranoia as many Chinese normally do. Many Chinese Christians don't care about flow of fire, water and spiritual energy in their homes as many other Chinese may do. Then there are the Chinese Christians who are so afraid of their dead relatives, parents and grand parents that they "do all the Chinese stuff" anyways. So aside from the the issue of the Oujé Bougamou elders perhaps unjustly using their municipal powers to ban something they felt was not right, what was the issue again? Then again, if the entire community which voted and supported the elders in the first place democratically decided and confirmed the ruling . . . what was the issue again? This sounds a lot like the folks down in Lynden, WA fighting over whether or not businesses should be allowed to be open on Sunday . . . the Lord's Day . . . the Sabbath . . . and did I mention the town was founded by Dutch Reformed folks?

I vaguely remember something about a pagan golden calf being God's temporary stand-in somewhere in Exodus. I guess He didn't like that one either.

Who are the Enemies of 21st Century 2nd Generation Chinese Christians?

"2nd generation" is a generic reference to anyone who is raised/born somewhere else than wherever their "respective mother country" (ethnic country of origin) may be. Other terms such as "local-born" (Canadian or American-born; CBC/ABC) or "N. American-raised" [or UK, Australian, South American, etc.] can also be used synonymously with this description.

But in particular, for the North American raised (or born) Chinese Christian, what are the present threats that seek to undermine their faith in Jesus? Increasingly and more clearly, over the past 15 years, I have observed the steady increase of the following idols gaining power within the CBC/ABC church:

- materialism
- consumerism
- confused individualism

I guess "materialism" in this case would be "economic materialism" which is something that describes a behavior or value that places priority and importance in the collection of material goods. This is nothing new for CBC/ABCs, we always have the latest tech, gadgets and thing-a-ma-bobs the free market has to sell. Price is no obstacle in many instances, the temptation for "more stuff" is greater than one's desire to glorify God. Just look at what is parked in your garage, what is plugged into the lighter in that thing parked in the garage, what your garage is attached/detached to, the stuff that is plugged into that attached/detached home, etc. For a vomit-inducing experience, just go on facebook or twitter.

Consumerism describes the environment or "social/economic order" which fosters the desire to purchase and acquire goods and services in increasingly greater amounts. Not to be confused with "consumer protection" or "consumer awareness" (which is something that your local Better Business Bureau attempts to promote). Obviously, consumerism and materialism are connected. The desire to acquire "more stuff" could be described as the "consumerist" tendency for greater amounts of material wealth.

Lastly, there is something which would be best described as "confused individualism" which is quite present in many CBC/ABC Christian communities. This is that odd tension which surfaces when local-born Chinese fight for their rights, promote themselves and hang out their shameless laundry of self-serving, "spoiled & privileged" values. Call it equality or the "emperor [or empress] syndrome," many CBC/ABCs gain entry into adulthood believing that they have a "license to sin" and "permission to express themselves" with utter freedom and "a right which I have earned to." "Pay now or later" often comes to mind as many eventually insanely engage warp speed then smash into a wall of reality, shame and humiliation years later. Over compensating for a shame-based culture? Probably. But seriously, are you really that important and deserving? Suck it up, shut up and grow up. You are a sinner, a whinner and a baby. Are you really that which Mommy and Daddy say you are? (or didn't say you are?) No, not really - but God really is "all that" (and more).

Anyhow, all three of these "things" seem to be of greater importance to many CBC/ABC Christians nowadays (is that nominalism?). Many have bought into the fallacy that "with wealth comes power" when in fact for the CBC/ABC "with love of money comes destruction." Scripture offers a stable and steady encouragement of both "ands" - suffer and sacrifice for the sake of righteousness (Jesus) and you will experience real life. Patience and long-suffering are valued in God's economy "wait patiently for the Lord" - God is not about "customer care and satisfaction." How far deep are we into this now? 25 years? The theological and ecclesiological divide is deeper and further now as time goes on.

A sobering reminder of the global inequality that results from consumerism and materialism is found here.

This inequality is not just a poverty/developing country thing either. For example, the current population of Canada & the US is roughly 345,939,000 people. There are around 6,920,000,000 people on planet earth. North America accounts for ONLY 4% of the global population. Currently China (Atheist), India (Hindu) & Indonesia (Muslim) combined have around 2,787,474,637 people - that's 40% of the global population. Food for thought, where do we (N. Americans) get off thinking that our ideas, books and theology are somehow more developed and better than the rest of the world? Moreover, where do we get off believing that our elite ideas ought to govern and inform the global Christian community? When materialism, consumerism collide with Zondervan, ridiculously over priced N. American seminaries, the silliness of N. American "christian" (with a small "c") spirituality . . . it's just an elite group of people with too much time, money, privilege and goofiness. That's western theological colonialism (inequality) on a global scale . . . and sadly, many CBC/ABCs are either platinum card carriers of that program or would like to sign up when it becomes available.

How ought we respond to this? Do we buy into more N. American culture? Do we adapt third world principles? Do we bury our heads in the sand? Perhaps, we could start by repenting of our sins and submitting ourselves to God's established created order as set forth by His word. Perhaps as people repent of their sins the Holy Spirit may begin a real work within the heart of people who humbly come before God with the desire for Jesus to be uplifted and glorified in their lives. Yes, there are the programs, methods and steps for church growth, spirituality and missional living - but seriously? Nothing . . . like nothing (nada) . . . nothing beats the power of the Holy Spirit convicting the world of sin and righteousness. Nothing beats that.

"Jesus replied: 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments." (Matthew 22.37 - 40 NIV)

The Father's Work in Salvation

"No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day." (Jesus in JN 6.44 NIV) "On hearing it, many of his disciples said, 'This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?'" (v.60). "He [Jesus] went on to say, 'This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless the Father has enabled him'" (v.65).

ΙΧΘΥΣ [Ickthoos] = fish [Koine Greek]

"And he directed the people to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people" (Matthew 14.19 NIV).

Ἰησοῦς - Yae-sue (Jesus)
Χριστός - Chris-tos (Anointed One)
Θεοῦ - The-ou (God)
Υἱός - Hui-os (Son)
Σωτήρ - So-ter (Saviour)

Collin Hansen over at CT writes a great article on the origins of this symbol of Christian bumper stick fame.

Proud of Our Troops!

A salute to my brethren south of the border!

Home, home on the range . . .

During the safety briefing, the Range Officer looks over at me and my companion "so uh, anyone here ever shoot a gun before?" As I looked around, I knew 2 in the party were newbs . . . so I raised my hand. With a somewhat puzzled look, the RO carefully studied me to read whether or not I was telling the truth. "Yeah sure . . . you a cop? Is this a safety check on our facility?" After confirming his insecurities with another party who also thought he was correct the RO continued with his firearms safety demo with a smile "just in case, I will be extra thorough in my demo this afternoon."


Aside from admiring the Steyr .50 BMG (single shot, no mag - that would be the M1) sitting in the showroom, it was a great afternoon date with a great pair: a Glock 17 and a "Die Hard" Beretta 92FS. Checked out the new Roni pistol/carbine conversion for the Glock 17 (and 23) as well, click here for a great video review, go here for the Roni in action. Inventive and clever system for close quarters combat; not to mention $$$ saver.

The Work of the Trinity in Regeneration

*Regeneration is a sovereign work of God (Jn. 1:12-13; 3:3-8; Jas. 1:18; 1 Pet. 1:3) a radical work or total transformation (Ezek. 36:26-27; 1 Jn. 3:9) not just an addition.

- The SOURCE of regeneration is Christ (1 Pet 1:3; Eph 1:3, 2:4, 4:24; 2 Cor 5:17)
- The AGENT of regeneration is the Holy Spirit (Jn. 3:3-8; Titus 3:5)
- The INSTRUMENT of regeneration is the Word of God (Jas. 1:18; 1 Pet. 1:23, 25) which precedes and causes faith (Jn 6:63-65, 1 Jn 5:1, Eph. 2:5)

(*credit to John Hendryx for the above mentioned)

What is regeneration?

In his book, Concise Theology, Dr. J.I. Packer writes the following under the heading, "REGENERATION THE CHRISTIAN IS BORN AGAIN."

In reply Jesus declared, "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again." JOHN 3:3

Regeneration is a New Testament concept that grew, it seems, out of a parabolic picture-phrase that Jesus used to show Nicodemus the inwardness and depth of the change that even religious Jews must undergo if they were ever to see and enter the kingdom of God, and so have eternal life (John 3:3-15). Jesus pictured the change as being "born again."

The concept is of God renovating the heart, the core of a person’s being, by implanting a new principle of desire, purpose, and action, a dispositional dynamic that finds expression in positive response to the gospel and its Christ. Jesus’ phrase "born of water and the Spirit" (John 3:5) harks back to Ezekiel 36:25-27, where God is pictured as symbolically cleansing persons from sin’s pollution (by water) and bestowing a "new heart" by putting his Spirit within them. Because this is so explicit, Jesus chides Nicodemus, "Israel’s teacher," for not understanding how new birth happens (John 3:9-10). Jesus’ point throughout is that there is no exercise of faith in himself as the supernatural Savior, no repentance, and no true discipleship apart from this new birth.

Elsewhere John teaches that belief in the Incarnation and Atonement, with faith and love, holiness and righteousness, is the fruit and proof that one is born of God (1 John 2:29; 3:9; 4:7; 5:1, 4). It thus appears that as there is no conversion without new birth, so there is no new birth without conversion.

Though infant regeneration can be a reality when God so purposes (Luke 1:15, 41-44), the ordinary context of new birth is one of effectual calling—that is, confrontation with the gospel and illumination as to its truth and significance as a message from God to oneself. Regeneration is always the decisive element in effectual calling.

Regeneration is monergistic: that is, entirely the work of God the Holy Spirit. It raises the elect among the spiritually dead to new life in Christ (Eph. 2:1-10). Regeneration is a transition from spiritual death to spiritual life, and conscious, intentional, active faith in Christ is its immediate fruit, not its immediate cause. Regeneration is the work of what Augustine called "prevenient" grace, the grace that precedes our outgoings of heart toward God.

Thank you Dr. Packer!

Quoting Myself

"Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." (Jesus of Nazareth, cf. Matthew 5.10)

"There is a difference between being persecuted for being ignorant versus being persecuted for righteousness." (JP circa. early 2000s)

Spec-OPS Cooperate in N. Africa

Where is the UK (SAS) and France (Legion) in all this? Their operators are specifically skilled and familiar with the people and terrain.

For the record, my thoughts on Bin Laden's death are echoed and in full agreement with Dr. Mohler. I believe his thoughts reflect quite clearly my views on the situation.

Being Satisfied With Nothing Else

"Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love, that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days" (Psalm 90.14).

What does "being satisfied by God's love" look like for those who profess to be followers of Jesus? Aren't we a culture satisfied by practices, methods, approaches, value systems, ideology and brands? A quick search on Amazon reveals the different types of Christianity that one could subscribe to . . . the different types of church or non-churches . . . types of eschatology . . . missional approaches . . . theologizing . . . central or decentralized leadership . . .

What does "being satisfied by God's love" look like for those who profess that Jesus is Lord and Savior of their lives?

What's wrong with a little harmless idealism?

Since the world just received news of Bin Laden's untimely death ~ and witnessed the idealist response of an idealistic presidential administration. It is poetic and providentially-enriching to reflect upon the principles that caused the world's most wanted man to deviate from orthodoxy.

According to Eric Marrapodi's evaluation, Bin Laden was just another religious, idealistic, radical liberal in his own right. In his editorial entitled, "Bin Laden's Theology a Radical Break with traditional Islam" Marrapodi suggests that the core of what Bin Laden taught or ranted about was NOT Islamic orthodoxy - in fact, according to this CNN Blog Co-Editor, he was a down right, old fashion apostate. Bin Laden was just another liberal who fulfilled his liberal mandate of utopian pipe dreams and fantasy. Another guy who stepped away from orthodoxy and made his beliefs the law.

Apparently, when one no longer abides by their team's Holy Writ, and for example - adds spice with external sources and "good ideas" - they can potentially fall away from their team's perspective of truth and become just another infidel. In my circles we call this the inerrancy debate - substituting the advanced human brain for the infinite wisdom of a Holy God. Ironic? Think Emergent, Classical Liberalism & Radical Extremism. Try nailing jello to the wall for more luck. No accountability, no tracks to run on, no real dialogue and definately no acceptance. Not much different from each other.

Oh and by the way, did anyone else note the tab that this guy cost us? $2.5 trillion according to CNN. Yes, let's allow the idealists to shoot their mouths off now because our present inaction will increase in value when they bomb and shoot us later . . . and go on to destroy our economy of community and orthodoxy. Yes, let's respond to the "do gooders" with more useless idealistic stupidity . . . and hope that as we embrace the rhythms of contemplative spirituality something like a rainbow will pop out of some donkey's . . .

Osama said he would bring down capitalism while others have said they would bring down the North American evangelical movement. Similar principals? Oh yeah, you bet your momma's car on that! Everything starts somewhere . . . everything will come to an end . . . everything has a cost . . . everything draws us close to God or away. To choose to do nothing is a choice in itself.

"God is better . . ."

Don't take the bait, swim away . . . you gonna leave God for that?

Divine Wisdom

"Every word of God is flawless; He is a shield to those who take refuge in Him. Do not add to His words, or He will rebuke you and prove you a liar" (Proverbs 30.5 - 6 NIV).

"It's not fair . . ."

It's not fair that I'm in a small church.
It's not fair that I'm not in a small church.
It's not fair that I'm a pastor.
It's not fair that I'm not a pastor.
It's not fair that I'm a leader and not a follower.
It's not fair that I'm a follower and not a leader.
It's not fair that I'm still married.
It's not fair that I'm still not married.
It's not fair that I've got kids.
It's not fair that I don't got kids.
It's not fair that I'm a man and not a woman.
It's not fair that I'm a woman and not a man.
It's not fair that I work so hard.
It's not fair that I'm such a slacker.
It's not fair that I'm a husband and not a wife.
It's not fair that I'm a wife and not a husband.
It's not fair that I'm Chinese.
It's not fair that I'm not Chinese.
It's not fair that I'm a Christian.
It's not fair that I'm not Christian.

It's not fair that Kangaroos carry their young in their pouch.
It's not fair that Rabbits can reproduce so quickly.
It's not fair that Dogs can lick their behinds.
It's not fair that birds can fly, fish can swim and bears can sleep all winter.

It's not fair that I'm in jail.
It's not fair that I'm not in jail.

It's not fair that heroin is so addictive.
It's not fair that I can't operate on myself.
It's not fair that I have a heart and brain.
It's not fair that I need air to breath and food to eat.
It's not fair that woman can bear children and men can't.
It's not fair that men can marry women but can't marry their sister, mother or daughter.
It's not fair that I can't have multiple wives.
It's not fair that I grew up middle-class.
It's not fair that I'm not in abject poverty.
It's not fair that our government is so easy going.
It's not fair that things are fair.

It's not fair that God has a position on so many things.
It's not fair that there is only one way to heaven.
It's not fair that good things happen to bad people.
It's not fair that God created everything each according to its own . . .

"Life's not fair, but God is good." To say "it's not fair" is to desire equality in some area that we do not want responsibility in. In some weird manner, it is to defy and oppose God and His created order . . . because we secretly think that it's not fair that God is God and we are not.

What is liberal theology?

According to Dr. Al Mohler, he quotes Richard Niebuhr, "A God without wrath brought men without sin into a kingdom without judgment through the ministrations of a Christ without a cross" (H. Richard Niebuhr, The Kingdom of God in America; New York: Harper and Row, 1959; page 193). A Christless Christianity that is void of God's wrath, man's sin and a Jesus who never went to the cross (because it's just too violent and grotesque to think about as civilized, rational beings).

I had a theology professor who once quipped, "if a rat falls into a cookie jar, does it make it a cookie?" Nope.

If a tree fell in the forest . . .

. . . would you hear it? This was too sweet to pass up.

Ekklesia & The Missional Church

Something which has been stewing on my mind as of late is the whole idea of "ekklesia" being this "source of wisdom and good counsel for the wider society in which it is embedded" (ala Frost & Hirsch). I did lousy with 2 semester of Greek, but I do remember that along with the typical usage of "assembly" or "gathering of town folk," the biblical meaning could be taken literally. "Ek" - out from and to; "kaleo" - to call. Not only would this imply an organized [called] gathering, but in addition the implication that the assembly is composed of those who are "called out" and in a Christian sense "separate." Biblically, this would suggest that this particular assembly would be composed of those who are called by God, regenerated by the Spirit, justified by grace and now disciples of Jesus Christ. Having said that, "F & H" have more recently been using the quote "if [the church] were taken away from its neightborhood, would the whole community grieve its loss?" Nowadays, with this evangelical pendulum swing towards the social gospel, we are witnessing an evangelical Costco-sizec purchase of all things moralistic and community-oriented. Does the church of Jesus Christ serve the community for the sake of the community? OR does the church of Jesus Christ serve the community for the sake of Jesus? The missional concept - in some circles - is quite solid, however in other circles might we remember the impact of the "ekklesia" as recorded in Acts by Paul? For example, the "city within a city" called the church of Ephesus? Have we forgotten the riot that resulted with the presence of the gospel of Jesus Christ in that place? Or for that matter, Jesus' own teaching of faith as absolute surrender and loyalty to Him, "If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters — yes, even his own life — he cannot be my disciple" (Lk 14.26). Why does "missional" in some circles seem to forget that the church is the locus of missions (ala Leslie Newbigen) - it is the place where the redemptive power of Jesus Christ is declared and displayed (proclamation & demonstration of the gospel)? "Missional" is not just about turning the church into my highschool service club, it's got to be about Jesus and find its root/source in Him. Otherwise, close down your church and start a service club . . . becuase that's all you really are. Next we'll be counter-cultural, commune-living hippies . . . wait, that's already happened.

For the record, the Ephesians grieved the presence of the Christians in their city ~ especially the Ephesian temple-related business and artisans . . . they would've celebrated their departure. Talk about counter-cultural.

God's Sovereignty Over Disasters

"As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today" (Genesis 50.20 ESV).

"And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose" (Romans 8.28 ESV).

The NIV translates Genesis 50.20 as "God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives" . . . perhaps the most difficult thing for a fallen and sinful humanity to imagine is simply "what is good?" Is the present suffering, hardship, tragedy, death, disease that I am enduring good? "Finitum non capax infinitum" as John Calvin posited, "the finite cannot grasp the infinite," As a sinful humanity evaluates the good of a situation with the limitations and temporalness of the finite, will they ever grasp the eternal, infinite holy goodness of the sovereignty God?

Preaching is Important

How does one "be the gospel" without words and preaching? According to Scripture, "being the gospel" requires first the preaching and declaration of the gospel.

"For he spoke, and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood firm" (Psalms 33.9 ESV). Both the Father and the Son share this one thing in common - proclamation that precedes demonstration. J.I. Packer reminds us that the first act of public ministry performed by Jesus was to preach the gospel, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand" (Matthew 4.17 ESV & cf. v.23). Such is the importance of such a ministry that a Mighty God would use "speaking" as the primary means of "creating" . . . how important and significant it is for us to always remember "to preach the word."

Divine Wisdom

"It is not good to have zeal without knowledge . . ." (Proverbs 19.2a)

"When I Don't Desire God" ~ Piper's Teaching on Prayer

An excerpt from Dr. John Piper's "When I Don't Desire God" (pages 151 - 152) . . .

"Here’s the way I pray over the Word in my fight for joy . . . IOUS"

I—(Incline!) The first thing my soul needs is an inclination toward God and his Word. Without that, nothing else will happen of any value in my life. I must want to know God and read his Word and draw near to him. Where does that “want to” come from? It comes from God. So Psalm 119:36 teaches us to pray, “Incline my heart to your testimonies, and not to selfish gain!” Very simply we ask God to take our hearts, which are more inclined to breakfast and the newspaper, and change that inclination. We are asking that God create desires that are not there.

O—(Open!) Next I need to have the eyes of my heart opened so that when my inclination leads me to the Word, I see what is really there, and not just my own ideas. Who opens the eyes of the heart? God does. So Psalm 119:18 teaches us to pray, “Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of your law.” So many times we read the Bible and see nothing wonderful. Its reading does not produce joy. So what can we do? We can cry to God: “Open the eyes of my heart, O Lord, to see what it says about you as wonderful.”

U—(Unite!) Then I am concerned that my heart is badly fragmented. Parts of it are inclined, and parts of it are not. Parts see wonder, and parts say, “That’s not so wonderful.” What I long for is a united heart where all the parts say a joyful Yes! to what God reveals in his Word. Where does that wholeness and unity come from? It comes from God. So Psalm 86:11 teaches us to pray, “Unite my heart to fear your name.” Don’t stumble over the word fear when you thought we were seeking joy. The fear of the Lord is a joyful experience when you renounce all sin. A thunderstorm can be a trembling joy when you know you can’t be destroyed by lightning. “O Lord, let your ear be attentive to . . . the prayer of your servants who delight to fear your name” (Neh. 1:11). “His delight shall be in the fear of the LORD” (Isa. 11:3). Therefore pray that God would unite your heart to joyfully fear the Lord.

S—(Satisfy!) What I really want from all this engagement with the Word of God and the work of his Spirit in answer to my prayers is for my heart to be satisfied with God and not with the world. Where does that satisfaction come from? It comes from God. So Psalm 90:14 teaches us to pray, “Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.”

Vancouver BC Real Estate Market Roller Coaster

This is a great video produced by the market saavy http://vancouvercondo.info/ ~ "real estate don't hurt people, people hurt people." When I first moved out to the GVRD back in 2006, one group of people swore that post-2010 Winter Olympics would produce the best affordable real estate prices within the Lower Mainland in years. Dude, that never happened ~ maybe, at most, a soft landing and immediate re-launch back into the stupid-sphere. What's up with the agents out here? What's up with realtors in Canada? What's up with the entire industry? Crazy.

Divine Wisdom

Proverbs 3.19 - 27 (ESV)

"The LORD by wisdom founded the earth; by understanding he established the heavens; by his knowledge the deeps broke open, and the clouds drop down the dew. My son, do not lose sight of these — keep sound wisdom and discretion, and they will be life for your soul and adornment for your neck. Then you will walk on your way securely, and your foot will not stumble. If you lie down, you will not be afraid; when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet. Do not be afraid of sudden terror or of the ruin of the wicked, when it comes, for the LORD will be your confidence and will keep your foot from being caught. Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to do it."

Public Service Announcement to All Pastors ~ Be Yourself!

For all you Driscoll-haters and Driscoll wannabes out there . . . check this out. God uses those whom He calls for His purposes. Thank you Matt Chandler for this PSA to pastors everywhere.

Getting Schooled by a Kid in Biblical Theology

God bless his parents!

"The Responsibility of Leadership" by A.W. Tozer

Originally written as an editorial for the Alliance Witness (now Alliance Life magazine), Tozer's writings have since been compiled into the book entitled, "God Tells the Man Who Cares." The following is from chapter 11, "The Responsibility of Leadership." Wise words from "a man of God" - A.W. Tozer.


The history of Israel and Judah points up a truth taught clearly enough by all history, viz., that the masses are or soon will be what their leaders are. The kings set the moral pace for the people.

The public is never capable of acting en masse. Without a leader it is headless and a headless body is powerless. Always someone must lead. Even the mob engaged in pillage and murder is not the disorganized thing it appears to be. Somewhere behind the violence is a leader whose ideas it is simply putting into effect.

Israel sometimes rebelled against her leaders, it is true, but the rebellions were not spontaneous. The people merely switched to a new leader and followed him. The point is, they always had to have a leader.

Whatever sort of man the king turned out to be, the people were soon following his leadership. They followed David in the worship of Jehovah, Solomon in the building of the Temple, Jeroboam in the making of a calf and Hezekiah in the restoration of the temple worship.

It is not complimentary to the masses that they are so easily led, but we are not interested in praising or blaming; we are concerned for truth, and the truth is that for better or for worse religious people follow leaders. A good man may change the moral complexion of a whole nation; or a corrupt and worldly clergy may lead a nation into bondage. The transposed proverb, "Like priest, like people," sums up in four words a truth taught plainly in the Scriptures and demonstrated again and again in religious history.

Today, Christianity in the Western world is what its leaders were in the recent past and is becoming what its present leaders are. The local church soon becomes like its pastor, and this is true even of those groups who do not believe in pastors. The true pastor of such a group is not hard to identify; he is usually the one who can present the strongest argument against any church having a pastor. The strong-minded leader of the local group who succeeds in influencing the flock through Bible teaching or frequent impromptu talks in the public gatherings is the pastor, no matter how earnestly he may deny it.

The poor condition of the churches today may be traced straight to their leaders. When, as sometimes happens, the members of a local church rise up and turn their pastor out for preaching the truth, they are still following a leader. Behind their act is sure to be found a carnal (and often well-to-do) deacon or elder who usurps the right to determine who the pastor shall be and what he shall say twice each Sunday. In such cases the pastor is unable to lead the flock. He merely works for the leader; a pitiful situation indeed.

A number of factors contribute to bad spiritual leadership. Here are a few:

1. Fear. The wish to be liked and admired is strong even among the clergy, so rather than risk public disapproval the pastor is tempted simply to sit on his hands and smile ingratiatingly at the people. "Fear of man will prove to be a snare" (Proverbs 29:25), says the Holy Spirit, and nowhere more than in the ministry.

2. The economic squeeze. The Protestant ministry is notoriously underpaid and the pastor's family is often large. Put these two facts together and you have a situation ready-made to bring trouble and temptation to the man of God. The ability of the congregation to turn off the flow of money to the church when the man in the pulpit gets on their toes is well known. The average Pastor lives from year to year barely making ends meet. To give vigorous moral leadership to the church is often to invite economic strangulation, so such leadership is withheld. But the evil thing is that leadership withheld is in fact a kind of inverted leadership. The man who will not lead his flock up the mountainside leads it down without knowing it.

3. Ambition. When Christ is not all in all to the minister he is tempted to seek place for himself, and pleasing the crowds is a time-proved way to get on in church circles. Instead of leading his people where they ought to go, he skillfully leads them where he knows they want to go. In this way he gives the appearance of being a bold leader of men, but avoids offending anyone, and thus assures ecclesiastical preferment when the big church or the high office is open.

4. Intellectual pride. Unfortunately there is in religious circles a cult of the intelligentsia, which, in my opinion, is merely beatnikism, turned wrong side out. As the beatnik, in spite of his loud protestations of individualism, is in reality one of the most slavish of conformists, so the young intellectual in the pulpit shakes in his carefully polished Oxfords lest he be guilty of saying something trite or common. The people look to him to lead them into green pastures but instead he leads them in circles over a sandy desert.

5. Absence of true spiritual experience. No one can lead another farther than he himself has gone. For many ministers this explains their failure to lead. They simply do not know where to go.

6. Inadequate preparation. The churches are cluttered with religious amateurs culturally unfit to minister at the altar, and the people suffer as a consequence. They are led astray and are not aware of it.

The rewards of godly leadership are so great and the responsibilities of the leader so heavy that no one can afford to take the matter lightly.

What to do when you got the right man for the job? Fire one of the other two men.

The left of Left political party otherwise known as the BC New Democrats [Party] is in a bit of a pickle. Apparently, in their overly idealistic world (aka. party constitution), the top three party spots must represent gender equality. I don't know how that "really" works . . . currently, the "honorable leader" is a woman and the other two spots are "manned" by men (president & treasurer). How does one determine equality with an odd number such as "3"? Or is the unspoken rule that the "leader" actually holds 2 votes and is somehow of more power and influence. In recent weeks, the current "dear leader" Carole James received the boot for no longer qualifying as this "supreme leader" . . . now if the current front runner for the leadership of the NDP just so happens to be a man. Too bad for their senior leadership, in order to get the "right man" for the job the NDP will need to drop either one or two of the other men.

For the NDP, it is more important to have the right man or woman in leadership versus finding the right person. Too bad for them. Maybe they should've planned this more carefully.

Read the article from CBC News below . . . so silly . . .