Saturday, November 30, 2013

Terra Vs. Glover



Caio Terra versus one of the all-time greats Paragon's very own Jeff "The Pipelayer" Glover.

Sunday, October 13, 2013

Friday, October 04, 2013

Shawn Tubbs "Doing It"



Great playing from a session guy I've been following for over 20 years now (former SoCal boy now in Nashville).

Wednesday, September 11, 2013

Tuesday, September 03, 2013

Discipleship Nuggets

"When a church has been built on a profession of faith, rather than faith that is rooted in obedience, being baptized doesn't change much" (Bill Hull's "The Disciple-Making Church" p.27).  Yet another nugget of wisdom reminding us of the "first importance" of the gospel ~ if understood properly, it not only informs the Christian but the church as well.

Wednesday, August 07, 2013

*The Life of Christian Holiness ~ as a Three-Legged Stool (ala Packer)



Earlier I likened the life of Christian holiness to a three-legged stool, in which the three legs were:

  • D (doctrine: truth taken into the mind and heart to live by)
  • E (experience: the conscientious pursuit and conscious enjoyment of fellowship with the Father and the Son)
  • P (practice: in the sense of the specific and habitual response of obedience to the doctrinal truth one has received).

The point of the illustration was that a stool cannot stand on less than its three legs. In the absence of any one of them, the stool falls down. If one leg is larger or smaller than the other two, stability is lost, and the stool is in danger of tipping over as soon as any weight is put on it. So it is only when D, E, and P are balanced together in proper proportions that the spiritual life is solid and steady.

*Excerpt from "Rediscovering Holiness" by J. I. Packer (p. 57).

Thursday, June 20, 2013

Which is better? "No de faixa" or the "Super Knot"?


BJJ enthusiasts everywhere swear that their method for tying a belt is the best . . . you decide.

The GB "No de Faixa":



The ATT method (3 ways):



Another guy with a partial "super knot":



The one and only "Rener Gracie" 3 variations/slices (ala "Super Knot"):


Why is there denominationalism?


Gary Thomas, in his book "Sacred Pathways," offers one response to this question "Why is there denominationalism?"

"Instead of learning from others, Christians have often chosen to segregate themselves by starting a new church whenever worship preferences diverge.  This segregation has erected denominational walls and impoverished many Christians.  Unless you happen to be born into just the right tradition, you're brought up to feed on somebody else's diet.  Unfortunately, some Christians have a tendency to question the legitimacy of any experience that may not particularly interest them.  Instead of saying, 'That's not for me,' they proclaim, "That shouldn't be for anybody.'"

The context of Thomas' point is that different people have different spiritual temperaments (ala Meyers Brigg) hence different people will experience God differently.  He also writes that "It would be simplistic to suggest that such differences were the sole or even primary cause of many church splits and denominations, but they did have some effect."  Interesting . . . interesting . . .

Friday, May 24, 2013

The Five Church Membership Vows of the OPC



The Five Membership Vows of the OPC (Orthodox Presbyterian Church)

  1. Do you believe the Bible, consisting of the Old and New Testaments, to be the Word of God, and its doctrine of salvation to be the perfect and only true doctrine of salvation?
  2. Do you believe in one living and true God, in whom eternally there are three distinct persons – God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit – who are the same in being and equal in power and glory, and that Jesus Christ is God the Son, come in the flesh?
  3. Do you confess that because of your sinfulness you abhor and humble yourself before God, that you repent of your sin, and that you trust for salvation not in yourself but in Jesus Christ alone?
  4. Do you acknowledge Jesus Christ as your sovereign Lord, and do you promise that, in reliance on the grace of God, you will serve him with all that is in you, forsake the world, resist the devil, put to death your sinful deeds and desires, and lead a godly life?
  5. Do you promise to participate faithfully in this church’s worship and service, to submit in the Lord to its government, and to heed its discipline, even in case you should be found delinquent in doctrine or life?
Apparently these are similar to those found in the PCA (Presbyterian Church of America).  Simple, concise and straight forward . . . wait there is no mention of infant baptism, does this mean I'm Presbyterian? =)

Thursday, May 16, 2013

Responding to the Pluralist

Some argue for tolerance and a response which is more anti-intellectual/traditional to appease the modern skeptic schooled in pop culture . . . "In Christianity, however, the answer to bad theology can never be no theology. It must be good theology" Dr. Bruce L. Shelley (Church History in Plain Language, 3rd ed.).

Thursday, May 09, 2013

Technique Conquers All

Caio Terra ("Kai-Ho Tay-Ha") is one of the new breed of the upper echelon postmodern BJJ champions . . . internet learning and all! From white belt to black belt in 3 years . . . AND the medals to boot! (some old BJJ guy is probably seriously pissed off right about here)

An Ideal And A Vision

"Where there is no vision (or revelation), the people are unrestrained" Proverbs 29.18 (NASB). According to Oswald Chambers, "There is a difference between an ideal and a vision. An ideal has no moral inspiration; a vision has." Therein lies the chasm between the idealistic motivations of a fallen humanity and the divine call to obedience from the righteous Most High God.

Thursday, April 04, 2013

Dr. David Wells on "Barth & Evangelicals"

Here is Dr. David Wells offering some cautionary wisdom to evangelicals who love Barth . . .

Friday, March 08, 2013

"What Bible Should I Use?"


Three practical and insightful suggestions given by Dr. Bill Mounce:

  1. Adopt one [translation] as your main Bible (e.g. NIV'84, NLT, HCSB, ESV, etc.)
  2. When you are studying a passage, always check at least one other translation.  If your main Bible is dynamic, check with a formal translation, and vice versa
  3. I enjoy checking a passage in several dynamic translations, telling myself that I am reading the translators' opinions of what the text means

Sunday, February 03, 2013

Chris Kyle - RIP


Chris Kyle, believer, soldier, husband, father, hero - rest in peace.  You served your country well and made us proud to be Americans.  God's grace upon your family and loved ones.

http://www.thecraft.com/AboutUs.html
http://www.dallasnews.com/news/crime/headlines/20130203-chris-kyle-record-holding-sniper-as-navy-seal-killed-in-double-slaying-at-erath-county-gun-range.ece

Thursday, January 31, 2013

Tim Keller on "Discerning Calling"


  1. AFFINITY: What "people needs" do I resonate with? Are your friends and community telling you to do it?
  2. ABILITY: What are my abilities and deficiencies? Do you have the ability to do it?
  3. OPPORTUNITY: Where does the community tell me I am needed? Is there the opportunity to do it?

Click here for the entire article.

Saturday, January 12, 2013