Submerged

I got dunked this past Sunday.

I was baptized as an infant, but since that day my theology concerning baptism has changed considerably, given the fact that I now possess the ability to comprehend the world around me.

Check out Brett's blog to find out all the double dunking details.

Baptism has been a bit of a difficult topic for me. I guess I know where I stand theologically, but I constantly struggled with the right time and place to be baptized. I was always worried that my heart would not be in the right place. And if it were up to me, it would never be in the right place.

One word: Grace.

Well. Sunday morning rolled around and God made Grace as real as it ever has been to me. I was moved deeply by God's Grace throughout the service until I went into the tank and it continued throughout the day.

Shoot. I just need to trust that God will get me where I need to go. He makes my heart right, not me.

Tree of the Week (5.13.08)

I like trees. Trees are in the Bible. Therefore I dub this blog segment "Tree of the Week."

“Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord,
whose trust is the Lord.
He is like a tree planted by water,
that sends out its roots by the stream,
and does not fear when heat comes,
for its leaves remain green,
and is not anxious in the year of drought,
for it does not cease to bear fruit.” -Jeremiah 17:7-8

"The trees of the LORD are watered abundantly, the cedars of Lebanon that he planted." -Psalm 104:16

"So he ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him, for he was about to pass that way. And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, 'Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for I must stay at your house today.'" -Luke 19:4-5

Resolutions 2 & 3

Since Resolutions 2 & 3 essentially go to support Resolution 1, I am posting them together.

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

Edwards decides that he must exert energy and make it his ultimate aim to keep Resolution 1. And in that he must find fresh new ways to continue to carry out Resolution 1 in his life.

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

If Edwards were to become lazy in the things that he resolved, and his lack of diligence is brought to his attention, then repentance would be the proper response. This one is extremely important when you consider the lofty nature of the resolutions that follow.

Recognize Your Mom for Real

This morning I read a brief article on npr.org about the founding of Mother's Day 100 years ago. The article was called "Mother's Day Founder Opposed Commercialization."

Ann Jarvis, the founder of Mother's Day, hated the idea of commercializing Mother's Day. Most of us these days send our mothers card or flowers or gifts, but "Anna Jarvis would want us to give mothers a white carnation — she felt it signified the purity of a mother's love." And when the holiday continued down the path of materialism "Jarvis became known for scathing letters in which she would berate people who purchased greeting cards, saying they were too lazy to write personal letters 'to the woman who has done more for you than anyone in the world.'"

Jarvis died in 1948 and was arrested earlier that year on Mother's Day for disturbing the peace in protest of a Mother's Day celebration in New York.

In 2008 it was estimated that Americans will spend a grand total of $15 billion on their mothers.

Mothers deserve to be recognized. But not with blatant materialism. They deserve to be honored with our words and our actions and our appreciation. Thank God for them. Abraham Piper used his blog, "22 Words", as the venue to honor his mother.

If you want to honor your mother more than with the greeting card, e-card, flowers, or even jewelry that you bought her, then write her a poem, a song, a letter, or just make a list of things that you appreciate about her. That would honor her deeply.

Less Sand: The Fruit of a Storm

Sometimes I think in photoshop. Here is what has been going on in my mind:

Things are good. The sun is shining. There is sand beneath your feet. You are learning about the Hand that upholds you, but you hope to know Him more...


Then a storm comes. The rain is beating down. The wind is blowing. The sand beneath your feet is swirling. And you feel like the bottom is falling out. Where is the Hand you have been learning about?


It's not until the storm ends that you see the Hand was there the whole time. But some of the sand that used to be below your feet is gone. And you are more aware of the Hand than you have ever been before...

The storm is weathered. There is less sand between you and the Hand. Could it be that the Hand used the storm to draw you closer to Himself?

DL Moody?

When I visited Southern Baptist Theological Seminary over my Christmas vacation I took this picture:

Initially I thought it was pretty sweet to see DL Moody's graduation picture from Southern. I didn't know that DL Moody went to Southern. Well, this one did.

However, I was thinking about this picture today and I sensed that this picture was far too recent to be the actual DL Moody. I wikipediaed Moody and found that he died in 1899. This is the Southern graduating class of 1958. So who is this guy? Is he related to DL Moody? I found a family tree going through DL Moody's grandkids, but part of it was cut off and I could not tell if that was the case. Am I missing something here?

Does anyone know who this DL Moody is?

A Metaphorical Safari

Watch this outrageous video.

This is how I am watching it:

Baby Water Buffalo: You/Me
Lions: Sin
Alligator: Satan/the World
Herd of Water Buffalo: The Body of Christ/the means which God uses to encourage and protect us



Praise God for the Body of Christ!

Resolution 1: What does it mean?

It was suggested to me that I include a 21st century interpretation of the Resolutions of Jonathan Edward that I post on a weekly basis. If I miss the mark on any one of the resolutions please correct me or include your own input. And hopefully some beneficial discussion will ensue.

First, Edwards resolves to "do whatsoever I think to be most to God's glory." I think this piece is the fundamental basis for the rest of the resolution. And then he resolves to seek "my own good, profit and pleasure, in the whole of my duration, without any consideration of the time, whether now, or never so many myriad's of ages hence." This is all founded on God's glory. The greatest good that we can seek and the greatest profit and pleasure that we can desire will come when we strive to glorify God in all that we do and when we understand that the only good, the only profit, and the only pleasure there is comes through Christ.

Secondly, Edwards resolves to "do whatever I think to be my duty and most for the good and advantage of mankind in general." Again, this is placed squarely on the glory of God. Our duty is to glorify God. This will benefit every area of our lives, including our interactions with others.

Finally, there is a resolution to keep the resolutions.

I see this first resolution firmly founded in the Great Commandment. And the second resolution founded in the second greatest commandment. Both are found in Matthew 22:34-40.

Resolution 1

In 1722 Jonathan Edwards made some resolutions. Seventy in fact. They are big. I am planning to meditate on one each week and post it. And "being sensible that I am unable to do anything without God's help, I do humbly entreat him by his grace to enable me to keep these Resolutions, so far as they are agreeable to his will, for Christ's sake. Remember to read over these Resolutions once a week." Those were Edwards' words, not mine. But I am going to adopt them. So here is resolution #1:

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

Too Much Culture

Ever wonder what would happen if the culture had a larger impact on a church than Scripture? Well, it happened in a big way at Mars Hill Bible Church. Jeff Robinson posted his findings at theresurgence.com in an article entitled Engaged by the Culture: Michigan Megachurch Goes Egalitarian.

Mark Driscoll addresses the danger of cultural issues permeating Biblical Principles in this video. Check it out.

Unemployed, But More Like Christ

It was a rough day.

Two weeks ago I interviewed for a job. A job that I was supposed to get. No problem. That's what I thought and that was the problem.

My certainty was my pride. I prayed about the job, but presumptuously. I was qualified, over-qualified even, from a worldly standpoint at least.

When I found out that I had not been selected for the job, I was surprised.

Then I thought to myself, "God has something better. Probably higher pay, more flexibility, or something fabulous." Hmmm.

Let's take that thought and break it down. "God has something better." Indeed that is true. "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).

But what about the higher pay, more flexibility, something fabulous part? Well, it may not work that way. Jesus says, "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also" (Matthew 6:19-21). Yeah. I can work with that. But now combine the two notions.

What does God have that is better? Jesus Christ. What is my treasure? Jesus Christ. Not money. Not flexibility. Not fabulous earthly stuff. "For those whom He foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, in order that He may be the firstborn among many brothers" (Romans 8:29). That's better.

"For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD.
For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts." -Isaiah 55:8-9

"Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, 'You shall be holy, for I am holy.'" -1 Peter 1:13-16

I guess that I needed to be reminded of these things and humbled. What I think is best, may not be the best. I can pray for higher pay and more flexibility. If I ask for bread, will God give me a stone? Or a fish, will I get a serpent? Of course not! But if I ask for a stone or a serpent, and God's ways and thoughts are higher than mine and He always works for my good, then I will always receive bread and fish. It may not be what I want initially, but I will trust that it is best.

I need to be more like Christ and less like the world and if it takes not getting a job to rid me of my self-reliance that is keeping from being more like Christ, then so be it.

Globalization and the Gospel

We live in a world that is shrinking at an exponential rate. Global communication is becoming easier and easier. Many countries are becoming economically interdependent. Institutions, like the European Union, are making an effort to unite an entire continent, asking states to respond to a higher authority without domination by an authoritarian regime. With all of these things going on, how should Christians respond?

I think that there are two general responses that followers of Christ can choose from.

1. Isolate ourselves
2. Use opportunities for the sake of the Gospel

You can see where this is going. I just had a conversation with my mother about the state that the world is in. She asked if I was seeing things that would make me think that Christ's return was imminent. She was obviously referring to things that she had been hearing about globalization.

Here is the response to the question that I think is wrong: Yes. Christ's return is imminent. Globalization is a sign of it. I will not engage the world in any capacity and essentially isolate myself from the world.

Here is the proper response: Yes. Christ's return is imminent. Globalization may be a sign of it. Now is the time to act. Use the tools that are in place through the global communication process to spread the Good News of Jesus Christ. Send God-glorifying emails. Make God-glorifying websites. Write God-glorifying blogs. Do God-glorifying business in the global marketplace. Learn about other nations that you have the ability to communicate with like never before and communicate with them in a God-glorifying way.

Now, there will be objections to these things I am sure. For example: As Christians it is wrong to engage the world by the means of global communication, primarily the internet. This is because the internet makes pornography available and is a tool used by terrorists. I disagree heartily with this logic. If this is the argument then we must do away with all forms of communication all the way down to the post office. Pornography and anthrax both can be sent through the mail, but would we be so quick to do away with this service? The internet, as a communications platform, is no different. Very few people would probably make an argument against the post office, a means by which potentially carried Scripture from Paul's hand to his church-plants in the Roman Empire.

Globalization, or "international integration" in its literal sense, is important and glorifying to God. "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations" (Matthew 28:19)... The Gospel is meant to be integrated into all nations.