Harmless Thoughts Comic #1

I was inspired by that comic from Doghouse Diaries so I decided to try one of my own.

It isn't all that funny, especially if you knew that this actually happens all of the time.

I Love Questions!

From Doghouse Diaries:

click the image to enlarge

Why I love my CR-48 (Reason #2)

The Cloud!

Google's CR-48 is all about cloud computing.  What is cloud computing?  Here is a video that will help:



Using the CR-48 has forced me to become more acquainted with the cloud. There are several useful sites out there, and you can do almost anything right in the browser. I use Google Docs more and more. I even added the extra storage (20 gig) for only $5/year. That 20 gig spans across all of my Google products, including Google Docs, Gmail, and Picasa(for my pictures).

Here is another little video I think you might enjoy.

Preaching Christ

Thanks to Justin Taylor who blogs via the Gospel Coalition, I just found a couple of great new resources.

The First is from the Gospel Coalition website.  This is going to be an expanding work from the Gospel Coalition.  The page is called Preaching Christ from the Old Testament.  Here is the overview from their site.

When Christians understand all the scriptures as God’s Word for them, their eyes open to the incomparable beauty of the divine character. God loves us, despite how we persistently rebel against him. God stands over and against us in judgment, yet he pursues us. He has shown us the way to live in the world he graciously created, even as we ignore his perfect law. And from the beginning of all things he planned to take on flesh and dwell among us, faithfully pursuing his unfaithful servants, even unto death on the cross, so that in this death we might find eternal life.

Sadly, too many Christians jump into this story midstream. They know bits and pieces of the Old Testament—how God created the heavens and the earth, what rules he wants us to follow, how he worked through faithful believers to inflict justice on enemies. But they often fail to see how it all fits together as one story of grace from first to last, featuring God’s ultimate act of salvation in Jesus Christ. This project seeks to equip teachers so they can acquaint Christians with this story, beginning with the Old Testament. Whether you preach regularly, lead a small group, or simply want to learn more about the Bible, you’ll find resources here that will unveil the beauty of this story.

The other resource is called  Bible Mesh - One God. One Book. One Story., which is a website devoted to teaching the big picture, redemptive story of the Bible.  This one costs money... unless you are a Pastor!  Which I am!  You can read more about Bible Mesh by clicking here.

As a Pastor, I am to be devoted to prayer and the study and preaching of the Word.  I am always excited when I find a new resource to assist in these endeavors and I always want to share them with you.

Westminster Larger Catechism (Q1)

Q. 1. What is the chief and highest end of man?

A. Man's chief and highest end is to glorify God, and fully to enjoy him forever.

Proof Texts: Romans 11:36, I Cor. 10:31, Ps. 73:24-28, John 17:21-23

What does this mean for me? 

I was not created for myself, therefore my purposes in life should not revolve around me.  I was not created for my comforts, my successes, my dreams, my aspirations, my career, my family, my friends, or even my ministry.  I was created for the Glory of God.  Since that is my chief purpose, I should submit all areas of my life to God and for that purpose.

Since God is the greatest good in the universe, living for His glory will also bring the greatest enjoyment of this life and the next.

Love Haiku #6

pink valentine hearts
constant reminders of her
can't wait to get home

Love Letter by Jonathan Edwards

From the 19 year old Jonathan Edwards:

They say there is a young lady in [New Haven] who is beloved of that great Being who made and rules the world, and that there are certain seasons in which this great Being, in some way or other invisible, comes to her and fills her mind with exceeding sweet delight, and that she hardly cares for anything, except to meditate on him—that she expects after a while to be received up where he is, to be raised up out of the world and caught up into heaven; being assured that he loves her too well to let her remain at a distance from him always. There she is to dwell with him, and to be ravished with his love and delight forever…. She has a strange sweetness in her mind, and singular purity in her affections; is most just and conscientious in all her conduct; and you could not persuade her to do anything wrong or sinful, if you would give her all the world, lest she should offend this great Being. She is of a wonderful sweetness, calmness and universal benevolence of mind; especially after this great God has manifested himself to her mind…. She loves to be alone, walking in the fields and groves, and seems to have someone invisible always conversing with her.

Found this on the Desiring God website.  It is also listed on Yale's Jonathan Edwards Library.

My daily companion...

Richard Baxter said of marriage,

"It is a mercy to have a faithful friend, that loveth you entirely, and is as true to you as yourself, to who you may open your mind and communicate your affairs, and who could be ready to strengthen you, and divide the cares of your affairs and family with you, and help you to bear your burdens and comfort you in your sorrows, and be the daily companion of your lives and partaker of your joys and sorrows.  And it is a mercy to have so near a friend to be a helper to your soul; to join with you in prayer and other holy exercises; to watch over you and tell you of your sins and dangers, and to stir up in you the grace of God, and remember to you of the life to come, and cheerfully accompany you in the ways of holiness."

I am glad that I have that in my own sweet wife.

Love Letter by D. Martyn Lloyd Jones

This letter was written by Martyn Lloyd Jones when he was 40 years old.

My dear Bethan,
Thank you for your letter of this morning, though I am very angry that you should have been up till 11:30 PM writing it! I see that you are quite incorrigible! The idea that I shall become used to being without you is really funny. I could speak for a long time on the subject. As I have told you many, many times, the passing of the years does nothing but deepen and intensify my love for you. When I think of those days in London in 1925 and ’26, when I thought that no greater love was possible, I could laugh.
But honestly, during this last year I had come to believe that it was not possible for a man to love his wife more than I loved you. And yet I see that there is no reason to live, and that it is still true that “absence makes the heart grow fonder.” I am quite certain that there is no lover, anywhere, writing to his girl who is quite as mad about her as I am. Indeed I pity those lovers who are not married. Well, I had better put a curb on things or I shall spend the night writing to you . . . .
Ever yours,
—Martyn

(via Desiring God)

8 ominously vicious animal photos

I am reposting this from the 22 words blog. Here is a link to the original...

8 ominously vicious animal photos:
These images and their captions are all taken from The Telegraph’s 2010 Animal Pictures of the Year.

Shark and Seal

A lucky seal launches itself to safety from the mouth of a great white shark – using the predator’s razor sharp teeth for leverage. Photographer Chris Fallows, 38, watched as the Cape fur seal darted left and right in a desperate bid to evade the vicious 11-foot-long shark. The massive creature failed to get a proper grip allowing the seal to launch itself to safety as the shark tried to get a second bite. Miraculously, the seal escaped with a minor flesh wound off Seal Island in False Bay, Cape Town, South Africa

Pelican and Pigeon

An unlucky pigeon takes its final look at the world – peeking out from a pelican’s beak. The little bird had been eating near a pond in St James Park, London, when it was scooped up by the much bigger bird. Adults and children watched in horror as the pigeon tried desperately to escape for 15 minutes. At one point it looked like it was going to break free as the pelican opened its beak, allowing the pigeon to gaze out. But the startled creature missed its opportunity and was swallowed whole. Photographer Paul Mansfield, 44, captured the remarkable scene while on a day trip to the capital with his family.

Tigers and Chicken

Siberian tigers look up waiting for a chicken to land at the Siberian Tiger Park in Harbin, China. Visitors to the park can buy birds for 50 yuan (£4.50), pieces of meat, or even a live calf to be fed to the tigers…

Eagle and Starling

This tiny starling didn’t stand a chance when a hungry bald eagle swooped in for a mid-air snack. The bird flies on, unaware of the enormous predator closing in behind it

Crocodile and Elephant

Photographer Martin Nyfeler was traveling through South Luangwa National Park in Zambia when he saw this female elephant and her baby drinking from the Luangwa River. Leaping out of the murky waters a vicious crocodile set upon the pair, biting into the female’s trunk. Aided by her baby, she survived the attack and was seen feeding from the river later in the day.

Heron and Gopher

A gopher looks horrified as it realises that it is dinner for a heron in Arrowhead Marsh, California

Elephant and Lizard

Madhuri, an Indian elephant, swings a monitor lizard around by its tail. The unlucky creature had been swept off the ground and was carried around for a number of days by the elephant. With its tail firmly clamped in the animal’s trunk the lizard was swung around and occasionally put back on the ground. The scene was captured by Jagdeep Rajput during a trip to Corbett National Park in India

Frog and Mouse

A mouse looks out from the jaws of a huge voracious African bullfrog. These carnivorous amphibians have an aggressive temper and can jump 3.5 metres.

Why I Love my CR-48 (Reason #1)

It's fast!

From the Chrome OS website:

Chrome notebooks boot in about 10 seconds and resume from sleep instantly. Your favorite websites load quickly and run smoothly, with full support for the latest web standards and Adobe Flash.

Sometimes I think that it is even faster. Here is a little video giving a break down of the speed of the Chrome OS.



I already knew that their browser was fast.

Give me Jesus!

I've heard this song before, but I really enjoyed this version and thought I would share with you.

Fernando Ortega - "Give Me Jesus" from Adamson.TV on Vimeo.

[via Justin Taylor]

A Believer's Assurance by John MacArthur (Review)

A Believer's Assurance by John MacArthur is more of a booklet than a book.  It is only 16 pages long, but frankly, that is an appropriate length for anyone who is struggling with a lack of assurance.

The beginning of the book has a quote from Thomas Brooks which I feel is worth quoting, to give you an idea of the importance of a book like this.

Assurance is the believer's ark where he sits, Noah like, quiet and still in the midst of all distractions and destructions commotions and confusions... [However] most Christians live between fears and hopes, and hang, as it were, between heaven and hell. Sometimes they hope that their state is good, at other times they fear that their state is bad: now they hope that all is well, and that it shall go well with them for ever; [then] they fear that they shall perish by the hand of such a corruption, or by the prevalency of such or such a temptation ... They are like a ship  in a storm, tossed here and there. (Heaven on Earth, 11)

The issue of assurance in an important one.  I appreciated how the beginning of the book deals with this importance.  I also appreciate the bit that deals with Undeserved Assurance:

Some people have assurance, but they have no right to enjoy it.  The old African-American spiritual put it simply: "Everybody talkin' about heaven ain't goin' there."  Some feel all is well between them and God when it isn't.  They don't understand the truth about salvation and their own spiritual condition.

The majority of the booklet is devoted to a section titled, Eight Reasons for Shaken Assurance.  With each of the eight reasons he offers some Biblical teaching to counter the lack of assurance and build the assurance in the believer.

This was an excellent little read and I highly recommend it.  This makes an excellent addition to anyone's library, especially those in the ministry.

The Pursuit of God (Review)

I just finished another Christian Audio book.  This one was called The Pursuit of God by A.W. Tozer. I first read this book back in 2004, and it has continued to play an influential role in my life since that first reading.

I just finished writing my review for the Christian Audio site and would like to quote that review here:

In searching for the words to write a proper review for this book, I continue to find that my vocabulary is coming up short.  My desire is to write a review that will point you to the purchase of this book, whether you buy the audio version or the print version it is a purchase that I highly recommend.

I read through this book several years ago, and find that it still holds a place of prominence in my thinking.  His words stirred in me a deeper passion for God and answered questions that I didn't even know that I was asking.  I hesitate writing this way at the risk of sounding over-dramatic, but it had a truly dramatic impact in my life.  Nearly every page of the book is filled with thoughts and ideas that deserve quoting and reveal the accumulated wisdom of this man.

In the preface of the book we hear how there is a scarcity of attributed quotes because this is a work of Tozer's years of study and accumulated knowledge.  In other words, there are ideas that he freely attributes to others, but because of the years of study he can't pinpoint where specific ideas came from.  It is also told that Tozer wrote this book while on his knees.  That position of prayer if felt throughout every page.

Over the last few days as I have listened to the audio version of this book, I have found that it has once again added fuel to the fire of my passions for God.  The voice talent for this book, Grover Gardner, read in such a way that I felt as if I was listening to Tozer himself narrating this book to me while he prayed through these words.

I would like to encourage to you consider purchasing this book.  Especially if you already own the print version, the audio version will bring things to the surface that you have never noticed before.

To go to Christian Audio to see the listing for this book, click here.  You can also go to amazon.com to purchase a print version of this book.  To see a few other posts that I have done regarding A.W. Tozer, click here.

The Lord Our Righteousness

I just found this poem over at the blog Tolle Lege.  Loved it and had to share it with you.


Jehovah Tsidkenu
“The LORD our righteousness”
By Robert Murray M’Cheyne
November 18, 1331
(The watchword of the Reformers)

I ONCE was a stranger to grace and to God,
I knew not my danger, and felt not my load;
Though friends spoke in rapture of Christ on the tree.
Jehovah Tsidkenu was nothing to me.

I oft read with pleasure, to soothe or engage,
Isaiah’s wild measure and John’s simple page;
But e’en when they pictured the blood-sprinkled tree,
Jehovah Tsidkenu seem’d nothing to me.

Like tears from the daughters of Zion that roll,
I wept when the waters went over his soul
Yet thought not that my sins had nail’d to the tree,
Jehovah Tsidkenu—’twas nothing to me.

When free grace awoke me, by light from on high,
Then legal fears shook me, I trembled to die;
No refuge, no safety in self could I see—
Jehovah Tsidkenu my Saviour must be.

My terrors all vanished before the sweet name;
My guilty fears banished, with boldness I came
To drink at the fountain, life-giving and free—
Jehovah Tsidkenu is all things to me.

Jehovah Tsidkenu! my treasure and boast,
Jehovah Tsidkenu! I ne’er can be lost;
In Thee I shall conquer by flood and by field—
My cable, my anchor, my breastplate and shield!

Even treading the valley, the shadow of death,
This “watchword” shall rally my faltering breath,
For while from life’s fever my God sets me free,
Jehovah Tsidkenu my death-song shall be.

One Rat Short

One Rat Short from Charlex on Vimeo.

New book on the way!

I was just accepted by a website that I found called Book Sneeze. They have a program where they will give free books to bloggers. I'm a blogger and I love books, so I signed up. I was just accepted into their program about an hour ago, so I requested my first book.

Their selection wasn't huge, unless I am just not navigating the site correctly, but I found one that I think I might enjoy. It is called In Constant Prayer and is by a guy named Robert Benson.  I haven't heard of this guy before, so I am a bit skeptical and I will be cautious as I read it.  I believe it comes from a series of books from Thomas Nelson publishers called The Ancient Practices.  Once I am done with the book, I will offer up my thoughts in the form of a book review.

If you have already read this book, let me know what you think... but don't let me know yet!  Wait until after I read it, then let me know.

NASA's video of the snowstorm from space

I think that it is really interesting as you can even see the changing of the days as sunlight crosses over the surface of the planet.



[ht: 22 words]

Google is the King of Search!

... and Bing knows it!

Check out this blog post from Google showing how Bing is stealing search results. And it all started from the word torsorophy.

Google Hotpot

I need everyone I know to start using this tool!

Was that enough to convince you? No? Well, what about this little video about Google Hotpot?



Still not convinced? Read an official Google blog post about Google Hotpot by clicking here.

A great thing about being a dad...

Really enjoyed this commercial. Let me know if you like it, and if you've tried something like this on your kids.



[ht: 22 words]

Need something suspenseful to watch today?

Needing to watch a good movie on a snowy day? Check out this trailer...



[ht: 22 words]

Free Audio Book

Every month Christian Audio offers a free audio book, and nearly every month I download the book.  I have listened to most of them, because that is what I do on my commutes to work instead of listening to the radio.

This month's book is Adopted for Life by Russel D. Moore.  Christian Audio's page has this to say about the book:

The gospel of Jesus Christ—the good news that through Jesus we have been adopted as sons and daughters into God’s family—means that Christians ought to be at the forefront of the adoption of orphans in North America and around the world.

Moore does not shy away from this call in Adopted for Life, a popular-level, practical manifesto for Christians to adopt children and to help equip other Christian families to do the same. He shows that adoption is not just about couples who want children—or who want more children. It is about an entire culture within the church, a culture that sees adoption as part of the Great Commission mandate and as a sign of the gospel itself.

There has been some talk in our house of adoption, so I am interested in this book.  When I am done with it I will offer up a few thoughts about it.  If you get it and listen to it, let me know what you think.  If you are interested in the print version, please click here or click the picture of the book to go to Amazon.com.