Dominion

And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”
Genesis 1:28


Yesterday was my first time hunting.  


My friend John from church asked me to join him on his family land near LaGrange and I met up with him around 3pm at their camp.  We shot a test round from by rifle (to check the zero) before we headed into the thick.


My uncle died in 2006 and I inhereited his Ruger M77 (300 WinMag) and a Glock .45 - as well as a Mossberg shotgun (don't try to break in my house :)

The rifle zeroed good and we were off.  John took me out to a big feed plot and he showed me the tree stand I was supposed to climb into.  That was the most nerve-racking part of the trip.  I am not overly fond of heights and I was definitely worried about getting us a foot wide ladder thats chained to a medium sized pine tree.  But, at the end of the harrowing climb, I was seated comfortably.


John has two way radios and we were able to quietly chat about life as we sat up in the trees on opposite ends of the plot.  Time passed quick the first hour, then the cold began to show itself and we were both quiet until just before dark.  


Right as the light began to fade into that haze of twilight, two deer came out onto the plot about 100 yards and 180 degrees of me.  I heard John say "theres deer on the field" and then he asked me if I had a shot.  I replied "yes" and he said "take it."  


As I was quietly inching my rifle into place, two more deer arrived.  Now there were 4 deer on the plot and I was in place.  John told me to "shoot the biggest one."  I lined up the crosshairs and began a slow steady trigger squeeze.  I was terribly excited and my breathing was way too sporadic to hit my target (or so I thought).  


BANG!


The gun went off, the deer jumped up in the air and ran off the field.  I observed her flight and I was for sure that I missed.  Then I heard John shoot twice.  I realized that deer were still on the field and I told John as much - he replied "Shoot them!"


I reploaded and set back up.  Unfortunately, by the time I was ready again - the field was clear.  I began to talk with John and tell him that I felt I had missed.  Just then, two deer peeked out back onto the feed plot about 80 yards away from me.  I took aim on one of them  and hastily fired.


BANG!


I was positive that I hit him even as he ran off.  The crash in the woods just ahead of me confirmed my shot.  John radioed me to carefully get down outta the stand.  We met up on the field.


Tracking consumed about an hour.  We found both of my deer via the blood trails.  We also found a lobe of liver from one of them which had fallen out.  As we looked them over we pieced together the scenario...


My first shot was dead on and it felled a 140 lbs doe.  

My second shot went in at an angle and it exited low and back (making it a gut shot - hence the organs falling out)  That kill was a young buck - which is a no-no...of course, in the low light I thought it was a female.

Not bad for my first time out John told me.


We went back to the camp and I soon realized that "the fun ends when you pull the trigger."  Skinning, gutting, and slinging around dead deer is less than stimulating.  I was bloody up to my elbow and the smell was horrible.  


We ended the night by dropping the deer off at a local deer processing establishment.  Meat should be ready middle of the week.


THE VERDICT:


I enjoyed the hunt.  I do not consider hunting a sport however.  I consider it a skill.  Its a skill that is mostly dead in the "civilized" west and I was happy to reconnect with some of that pioneer spirit.  I imagine that I will pester John to go once a year in the future.  


Two shots, two kills...the US Marines taught me well.  Semper Fi.


Thanks John!

Reformed Rap

Most of you have tomorrow off...spend 15 minutes exploring my favorite think to listen to at work...Reformed Rap.  I know it sounds cheesy given all the hokey Christian music out there - but you might be surprised.

Reach Records is the home of my favorite artists: Lecrae and the 116 Clique

http://www.reachrecords.com/

Here is an example of 116 Clique. They did an album where they rapped each of Paul's 13 epistles.

This link is to the rap on Titus:




And to the Colossians rap:



LeCrae teamed up with John Piper for the "Don't Waste your Life" campaign:

http://dontwasteyourlife.com/

This is the music video associated with that:



Here is Thabiti Anyabwile discussing Reformed Rap:

http://www.youtube.com/user/DGdwyl#p/u/11/Sp-8-C9954Q

Also, there are some really good local guys, The Plumbline Collective. A guy at Southpoint works with one of the members of that group.

Check them out:



AND

http://theplumblinecollective.com/

If you want more info or if you want me to burn you a sample CD, let me know.

T-Giving Cartoons

Thanksgiving

Thankful to Who
Thanks be to God for his inexpressible gift!
2 Cor 9:15

Thankful for What
But we ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers beloved by the Lord, because God chose you as the firstfruits to be saved, through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth.
2 Thess 2:13

Thankful When
...giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Eph 5:20

Ultimately Why Thankful
For it is all for your sake, so that as grace extends to more and more people it may increase thanksgiving, to the glory of God.
2 Cor 4:15

How to express Thanksgiving
...but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.
Phil 4:6
Out of them shall come songs of thanksgiving, and the voices of those who celebrate.
Jer 30:19a
___________________________________

Like so many of our American holidays, Thanksgiving has largely become a commercialized and humanistic model of familial idolatry.

Break that mold tomorrow. 

Be purposeful in centering your day around thanksgiving to God.  Eat lots of food, hang with seldom seen relatives, watch football...but don't let Jesus slip into obscurity as you do those things. 

Don't be like those of Romans 1:21
"For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened."

Make your blessing (grace) before the big meal count.  Use that 30 seconds when everyone is willing to close their eyes and listen to lavish praise and honor on our glorious king.  Without the gift of His Son, the notion of thanksgiving would be of much less importance.

Thanks be to God for his inexpressible gift!
2 Cor 9:15

Great Resource!

The H. Henry Meeter Center for Calvin Studies has funded a project at Calvin College that looks to be of monumental importance to theologians, students, pastors, and Christian intellectuals.

Click HERE to go to the "Post-Reformation Digital Library"

As they say on their webpage...

Nescire autem quid ante quam natus sis acciderit, id est semper esse puerum. Quid enim est aetas hominis, nisi ea memoria rerum veterum cum superiorum aetate contexitur? Cicero, Orator XXXIV [120].


translated:
"Not knowing what happened before you were born is to be stuck in childhood forever. What does a person's life amount to without the historical consciousness that weaves one's life into the life of earlier generations?"

Somethings not right...

I took a momentary break from scanning documents this morning to look up some gift ideas for myself.  This time of year people are always asking what I want for Christmas - much of that has already been decided for 2009...

We're getting a Nintendo Wii from my parents, a video camcorder from my wife's parents, and gift cards from my wife's siblings.  That leaves the gifts from my aunt and the gifts that my wife and I exchange to think about.

I looked over a few pages of MMA fight tee shirts.  I liked this one from Fairtex Muay Thai.

Then I thought about getting a shirt to express my faith.  I headed over to cafe press and found this nice, simple tee that captures the 5 points of biblical truth in subtle way.

As I kept looking at the webpage for Reformed apparel, I ran across something that disturbed me...

Yes, those are TULIP panties...correction, TULIP thongs!

I am all for sex.  Its an awesome gift of God in marriage to bring spouses closer together (and make babies of course!)

I am just fine with a wife wearing a thong or anything else she wants to don for her man...well most anything else...

Something seems wrong to me about putting a TULIP on a thong.  Why would one do that?

I am sort of a theological nerd, but seeing a TULIP on my wife's underwear would NOT be stimulating.

I know we are suppossed to do whatever we do to the glory of God, but some things are best left at the proverbial theological threshold.

Weird.

The New Gospel

I saw this at Kevin DeYoung's blog this morning.  Worth a look. - sorry for the weird format, can't get it straight??
_____________________

The Gospel, Old and New

Have you heard the New Gospel? It’s not been codified. It’s not owned by any one person or movement. But it is increasingly common.

The New Gospel generally has four parts to it.

It usually starts with an apology: “I’m sorry for my fellow Christians. I understand why you hate Christianity. It’s like that thing Ghandi said, ‘why can’t the Christians be more like their Christ?’ Christians are hypocritical, judgmental, and self-righteous. I know we screwed up with the Crusades, slavery, and the Witch Trials. All I can say is: I apologize. We’ve not give you a reason to believe.”

Then there is an appeal to God as love: “I know you’ve seen the preachers with the sandwich boards and bullhorns saying ‘Repent or Die.’ But I’m here to tell you God is love. Look at Jesus. He hung out with prostitutes and tax collectors. He loved unconditionally. There is so much brokenness in the world, but the good news of the Bible is that God came to live right in the middle of our brokenness. He’s a messy God and his mission is love. ‘I did not come into the world to condemn the world,’ that’s what Jesus said (John 3:17). He loved everyone, no matter who you were or what you had done. That’s what got him killed.”


The third part of the New Gospel is an invitation to join God on his mission in the world: “It’s a shame that Christians haven’t shown the world this God. But that’s what we are called to do. God’s kingdom is being established on earth. On earth! Not in some distant heaven after we die, but right here, right now. Even though we all mess up, we are God’s agents to show his love and bring this kingdom. And we don’t do that by scaring people with religious language or by forcing them into some religious mold. We do it by love. That’s the way of Jesus. That’s what it means to follow him. We love our neighbor and work for peace and justice. God wants us to become the good news for a troubled planet.”

And finally, there is a studied ambivalence about eternity: “Don’t get me wrong, I still believe in life after death. But our focus should be on what kind of life we can live right now. Will some people go to hell when they die? Who am I to say? Does God really require the right prayer or the right statement of faith to get into heaven? I don’t know, but I guess I can leave that in his hands. My job is not to judge people, but to bless. In the end, God’s amazing grace may surprise us all. That’s certainly what I hope for.”

Why So Hot?

This way of telling the good news of Christianity is very chic. It’s popular for several reasons

1. It is partially true. God is love. The kingdom has come. Christians can be stupid. The particulars of the New Gospel are often justifiable.


2. It deals with strawmen. The bad guys are apocalyptic street preachers, Crusaders, and caricatures of an evangelical view of salvation.

3. The New Gospel leads people to believe wrong things without explicitly stating those wrong things. That is, Christians who espouse the New Gospel feel safe from criticism because they never actually said belief is unimportant, or there is no hell, or that Jesus isn’t the only way, or that God has no wrath, or that there is no need for repentance. These distortions are not explicitly stated, but the New Gospel is presented in such a way that non-believers could, and by design should, come to these conclusions. In other words, the New Gospel allows the non-Christian to hear what he wants, while still providing an out against criticism from other Christians. The preacher of the New Gospel can always say when challenged, “But I never said I don’t believe those things.”

4. It is manageable. The New Gospel meets people where they are and leaves them there. It appeals to love and helping our neighbors. And it makes the appeal in a way that repudiates any hint of judgmentalism, intolerance, or religiosity. This is bound to be popular. It tells us what we want to hear and gives us something we can do.

5. The New Gospel is inspirational. This is what makes the message so appealing to young people in particular. They get the thrill and purpose of being part of a big cause, without all the baggage of the Church’s history, doctrine, and hard edges. Who wouldn’t want to join a revolution of love?

6. The New Gospel has no offense to it. This is why the message is so attractive. The bad guys are all “out there.” This can be a problem for any of us. We are all prone to soft-pedaling the gospel, only presenting the attractive parts and failing to mention where Christ does not just comfort but also confronts. And it must confront more than the sins of others. It is far too easy to use the New Gospel as a way to differentiate yourself from all the bad Christians. This makes you look good and confirms to the non-Christians that the obstacle to their commitment lies with the hypocrisy and failure of others. There is no talk of repentance or judgment. There is no hint that Jesus was killed, not so much for his inclusive love as his outrageous Godlike claims (Matt. 26:63-66; 27:39-43). The New Gospel only talks of salvation in strictly cosmic terms. In fact, the door is left wide open to imagine that hell, if it even exists, is probably not a big threat for most people.

Why So Wrong?
It shouldn’t be hard to see what is missing in the new gospel. What’s missing is the old gospel, the one preached by the Apostles, the one defined in 1 Corinthians 15, the one summarized later in The Apostles’ Creed.
“But what you call the New Gospel is not a substitute for the old gospel. We still believe all that stuff.”
Ok, but why don’t you say it? And not just privately to your friends or on a statement of faith somewhere, but in public? You don’t have to be meaner, but you do have to be clearer. You don’t have to unload the whole truck of systematic theology on someone, but to leave the impression that hell is no big deal is so un-Jesus like (Matt. 10:26-33). And when you don’t talk about the need for faith and repentance you are very un-apostolic (Acts 2:38; 16:31)

“But we are just building bridges. We are relating to the culture first, speaking in a language they can understand, presenting the parts of the gospel that make the most sense to them. Once we have their trust and attention, then we can disciple and teach them about sin, repentance, faith and all the rest. This is only pre-evangelism.”
Yes, it’s true, we don’t have to start our conversations where we want to end up. But does the New Gospel really prime the pump for evangelism or just mislead the non-Christian into a false assurance? It’s one thing to open a door for further conversation. It’s another to make Christianity so palatable that it sounds like something the non-Christian already does. And this is assuming the best about the New Gospel, that underneath there really is a desire to get the old gospel out.

Paul’s approach with non-Christians in Athens is instructive for us (Acts 17:16-34). First, Paul is provoked that the city is so full of idols (16). His preaching is not guided by his disappointment with other Christians, but by his anger over unbelief. Next, he gets permission to speak (19-20). Paul did not berate people. He spoke to those who were willing to listen. But then look at what he does. He makes some cultural connection (22-23, 28), but from there he shows the contrast between the Athenian understanding of God and the way God really is (24-29). His message is not about a way of life, but about worshiping the true God in the right way. After that, he urges repentance (30), warns of judgment (31), and talks about Jesus’ resurrection (31).


The result is that some mocked (32). Who in the world mocks the New Gospel? There is nothing not to like. There is no scandal in a message about lame Christians, a loving God, changing the world, and how most of us are most likely not going to hell. This message will never be mocked, but Paul’s Mars Hill sermon was. And keep in mind, this teaching in Athens was only an entre into the Christian message. This was just the beginning, after which some wanted to hear him again (32). Paul said more in his opening salvo than some Christians ever dare to say. We may not be able to say everything Paul said at Athens all at once, but we certainly must not give the impression in our “pre-evangelism” that repentance, judgment, the necessity of faith, the importance of right belief, the centrality of the cross and the resurrection, the sinfulness of sin and the fallenness of man–the stuff that some suggest will be our actual evangelism–are outdated relics of a mean-spirited, hurtful Christianity.

A Final Plea

Please, please, please, if you are enamored with the New Gospel or anything like it, consider if you are really being fair with your fellow Christians in always throwing them under the bus. Consider if you are preaching like Jesus did, who called people, not first of all to a way of life, but to repent and believe (Mark 1:15). And as me and my friends consider if we lack the necessary patience and humility to speak tenderly with non-Christians, consider if your God is a lopsided cartoon God who never takes offense at sin (because sin is more than just un-neighborliness) and never pours out wrath (except for the occasional judgment against the judgmental). Consider if you are giving due attention to the cross and the Lamb of God who died there to take away the sin of the world. Consider if your explanation of the Christian message sounds anything like what we hear from the Apostles in the book of Acts when they engage the world.

This is no small issue. And it is not just a matter of emphasis. The New Gospel will not sustain the church. It cannot change the heart. And it does not save. It is crucial, therefore, that our evangelical schools, camps, conferences, publishing houses, and churches can discern the new gospel from the old.

The Gospel in 3 words...

“Were I asked to focus the New Testament message in three words, my proposal would be adoption through propitiation, and I do not expect ever to meet a richer or more pregnant summary of the gospel than that.”
—J.I. Packer, Knowing God (Downers Grove, IL: 1993), 214

(I grabbed this from Of First Importance)

evangelicals/ catholics NOT together

The new issue of Christianity Today arrived in the mail this week. It contains an article titled "Not all Evangelicals and Catholics Together." The article explores the renewed debate on justification between the two facets of the faith.

It brought to mind something I have long tried to comprehend. Despite my play-acting on this blog, I am no theologian and I have a difficult time grasping the nuiansces between Protestant and Catholic views of salvation. I am hoping to give a brief sketch of my thoughts here and the I will stand back and wait for some of my friends (Adam, Doc, Aaron) to weigh in on the matter and set me straight!

I think this is an important issue because I sense that the two sides see the issue more differently than the vast majority of people realize. I also think its important because we need to understand what is believed in each camp to make sound judgments regarding who is a (duh,duh,duh) heretic. Through the years each side has accussed the other of being outside the true faith. I am undecided on the issue of whether or not I think Catholicism is unbiblical. Dialogue here may help sway me one way or the other.

I have a rudimentary understanding of this...

In Protestant theology, we are saved by grace alone thru faith alone in Christ alone. That is determined to mean that by God's grace, Christ died and took our sin upon himself for punishment, then he rose from the grave after conquering death and "imputed" his righteousness to us as a holy covering. In this imputation he doesn't just forgive us for being dirty as we stand before him dirty - he actually washes us and declares that we were never dirty. This declaration is the "justification" of our soul before the Father as worthy to be in his family. Its a one time deal, many Protestants can refer to that moment of "justification" in their life when they were "saved" by God...in obedient response to Christs work they expressed their faith.

So, everything that is done in Protestant soteriology is done by Christ, we have no part to play in our "justification" other than subsequent, declaratory, affirmation of what has been done for us . Afterwards, as we still live out our mortal drama, we stand as "justified sinners" - relying upon the Holy Spirit to guide our lives into a more Christ-like model. This is explained as "santification." Finally, upon our death, we come into the presence of God and all affects of sin are removed as we become wholy clean, in body and spirit, before the Father. That is our "glorification." Thus is my understanding of the basics regarding Protestant salvation.

On the other hand, I understand the Catholic view to be that Chirst does remove our sin on the cross and then he "infuses" his righteousness to us. That is, he doesn't give us his holiness that we might be seen in Gods eyes as pure as he is, he gives us his power to cooperate with God's grace. Here is why so many Catholics are accussed of seeing salvation as being of "faith and works."

This means, at least as I get it, that justification is not a one time deal. Catholics run justification and sanctification together. I think that they would argue that we are never declared pure before God until after our death - when we have finished a life of divine cooperation and when we have been purged of the last bit of our sin.

I wonder if I understand the Catholic view correctly - they say they espouse "salvation by grace alone thru faith alone," but the teaching of cooperation with grace as a necessity for salvation appears to contradict that view. If you have to cooperate, thats an addition to grace/ faith - a "Jesus plus______" position on getting saved.

SO...

Where did I get it wrong, in either view, and how can I better understand this issue?

Selling Birthdays, Smoke Rings, and a Right Hook to some Ants.

Odd title I know.  I was trying to encapsulate my weekend with a quick phrase.

On Thursday night I was up until 1:30 am getting ready for our big Friday yard sale.  Then I was up at 4:30 on Friday to finish the prep.  It paid off pretty well thought - $400.  All of that went to Tiffany for her to buy a new lens that she has been wanting for her photography business.  

The rest of Friday night was prepping for my youngest son's 1st birthday party.  We decided to host the festivities in our backyard - that required some work.  I also got up butt-early on Saturday to finish the arrangements for the celebration.  It was worth it though, things turned out GREAT!  And we made our ritualistic Chic-Fil-A birthday meal run that night for din-din.  Check out the photos HERE.

After those exhausting 2 days you might think I would go home and crash.  Not so, the fights were on...StrikeForce MMA was being broadcast live on CBS from 9 until 11 and a friend from church invited me over to watch the action on a projector - NICE.  Two other friends from church were there, and artist and an accountant.  Also present was a blog buddy I had yet to meet in person.  Good men, one and all.  I blogged about the results at one of my other thought arenas.

As Presbyterians, we enjoyed some fine brewed beverages and some tobacco in moderation.  It is so nice to belong to a denomination that loves Jesus and the Gospel so enormously while also knowing how to enjoy all of Gods good creation in responsible liberty.

In fact, it was my first foray into smoking a pipe.  I had some difficulty keeping it lit, but thats apparently par for the course as a newbie.  I certainly felt like a hobbit and that made me very happy.

On a last note, we got invaded by ants again.  They took over my boys bedroom.  I waged war on them with the Terro gel that my friend recommended.  Great stuff.  They eat it, take it back to the hive, then hours later it hardens in their belly and they die.  Its nice having dominion.

UPDATE:  I checked on-line.  The new ants are carpenter ants.  The bait might not always wipe them put completely, they have some tricks up their sleeves - I will get them though!

Prosperity Gospel in Africa

The Prosperity Gospel from The Global Conversation on Vimeo.