I was taking a quick scroll through my Facebook feed this morning, mostly to hide all of the ads, and came across something that I thought was a The Babylon Bee article.
Concerning Halloween
You might still disagree, but at least consider this article from James B. Jordan on the Christian History of All Hallows Eve (Halloween).
OPEN BOOK, Views & Reviews, No. 28
Copyright (c) 1996 Biblical Horizons
August, 1996
It has become routine in October for some Christian schools to send out letters warning parents about the evils of Halloween, and it has become equally routine for me to be asked questions about this matter.
Irrelevant God
“When God is excluded from the classroom, we are not merely remaining silent about God. We are teaching children that they may safely disregard Him. Whether or not God exists, the lesson goes, His existence is irrelevant to what we are doing here. So when God is omitted, we are not silent about Him; rather, we are teaching the children in the most convincing way possible that God is irrelevant. They can safely omit Him when it is convenient to do so.”
~Douglas Wilson, Excused Absence, pg. 56
The Last Days According to Jesus by R.C. Sproul
Have you ever struggled with the passages in scripture that seem to make one think that the writers of the New Testament thought that something was coming soon? That there was something impending that was near? If you have ever felt that, you are not alone.
If you would like a helpful perspective on how to study and read those prophetic discourses (instead of ignoring them), then I would encourage you to listen to this series from R.C. Sproul. I am highly recommending it.
You can get the Study Guide here: Click Here for the Study Guide.
I am on part 9 of this series. If you don't want to watch the entire thing, I would at least recommend that you listen to the first 4 videos. In fact, if you make it through the first 4, you will most likely want to finish the series.
Let me know if you listen to it and what you think.
Things We Used To Know - You Are Created With Purpose
There are things we used to know.
When I say we, I don't necessarily mean me and you. I am intending this in the larger sense of us, as a people. The people of our community, of our area, of our country. This means that when I additionally say used to know, I am talking about something that our ancestors knew and we no longer know.
One of the many sources of my assessment of our lack of knowledge and our ancestors actual knowledge is in the textbooks that they would give to their children. The number one textbook that was given to children in this country is The New England Primer. This textbook was the number one selling book in the American colonies and eventually in these United States. It was based on an older Primary School Textbook from England, which means ... to put this bluntly... it was around for a really long time. It was literally around - and used - for generations. It was used, until it was replaced by men like Horace Mann.
In the very center of this children's reader was the Westminster Shorter Catechism. Here is a screenshot of that page in the Primer. (And yes, sometimes their "s" will look like an "f".)
Ephesians Sermon Number 11
This sermon was originally delivered on November 6, 2011 at Edgewood Baptist Church.
Sermon number 10 has been lost to the internet.
Ephesians Sermon Number 9
This sermon was originally delivered on October 23, 2011 at Edgewood Baptist Church.
Ephesians Sermon Number 8
This sermon was originally delivered on October 16, 2011 at Edgewood Baptist Church.
Were verses "left out" of modern
Wes Huff just posted something he calls "Manuscript Monday" that is very relevant for the "How to Study the Bible" class that we are currently taking at First Baptist Church in Covington. This particular one deals with the supposed verses that some think were left out of modern translations. I found it very helpful.
Ever heard someone say “I don’t read modern English translations because they took verses out of the Bible!” Well today’s #manuscriptmonday tackles that very issue. What if I told you that whatever Bible they’re using as the standard (although let’s be honest, they’re probably… pic.twitter.com/6ixdqWxDu8
— Wes Huff (@WesleyLHuff) October 6, 2025
I am very grateful for smart people. Read the full thread here.
A Note on Christian Education -- Part 1
(I'm calling this post "part 1" because I don't want anyone to think that it contains everything that I might say about Christian Education.)
Next month I am going to attend a conference focused on Christian Education. The organizers of this conference are the Fight Laugh Feast Network. Their conferences are a thing that I have been wanting to attend for a few years now, but this particular one is right up my alley.
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| https://events.flfnetwork.com/conferences/school-wars/ |
I wouldn't be able to afford to go to this, if it wasn't for the kindness of Gabe Rench, which was brought about by a providential social media comment. Now, not only am I going, but my wife will be able to attend with me! We've even been the recipients of an additional donation, which will cover our hotel costs. I am full of both gratitude and excitement over this opportunity and I'm genuinely hoping it will be a personal encouragement in our Christian Education endeavor and a motivator to keep-at-it... but... I have one particular thing to say in regards to this whole thing. One thing that I wish, if given access to a microphone and a platform, I could say at an event on this topic: this is hard.
Shire Ambience
I'm not sure why, but I have grown to love putting different ambient videos in the background. I mostly choose the ones where there is rain or simple nature sounds with the occasional crackling fire. But lately, I've been selecting the ones that are Shire themed.
Because of my familiarity with the movies, scenes come to mind with the different musical scores playing in the background. These mental scenes, combined with my own reading of these books stirs a sense of longing within me for a thing I've never fully experienced: Shire Life.
Shire Life.
I was reading the beginning of the Fellowship of the Ring, and there is a prologue Concerning Hobbits... and so much of what Tolkien envisioned with this fictional folk speaks to my heart. I'm a Hobbit at heart. I'd live in a little hole in the ground. I'd drink pints and smoke pipes and wouldn't concern myself with the workings of the greater world around me. Oh sure, I wouldn't mind hearing tales of great deeds done by much greater men than myself... I'd sit near my fireplace and learn how to blow smoke rings while I contemplated the adventurous histories of those who had gone before.
It isn't that I've never had a peaceful moment in my life. Those, I am sure, have been more plentiful than my memory is willing to admit. But the world we live in has lost its simplicity... maybe for a long time... maybe we haven't really had it since the beginning. And maybe that is why I actually long for it. I want the Shire because it echoes forward of the coming New Earth. To a peaceful home of tranquil contentedness where all that is sad is becoming untrue.
But here we are now, and there are times where I, like Samwise Gamgee, feel like my close companion has found the one ring, and I am bound to travel with him to Mordor... to the very gates of Mount Doom. And I am not the one for this task and I wish it would have fallen to someone else: reminding me of a moment in Chapter 2 of the Fellowship of the Ring
So we decide to keep going. To do our part. To be faithful every step of the way. But we remember the Shire... though we've never been there... not really... we remember it in our collective ancient memories. We remember it from our first mother and father, and it fills our hearts with longing.
I hope it won't be too long.
Can we make Christianity Today ... Christian?
Canon Press has put in an offer to purchase Christianity Today.
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| source: https://x.com/megbasham/status/1972740199533682998/photo/1 |
So... I am thinking that the next issue of Christianity Today might be more like this:
School Wars
I'm going to this!
I was the recipient of free tickets! Gabe Rench offered to take care of my tickets if it would get me there!
Galatians Study (notes)
I'm embarking on a new sermon series. This time I will study Galatians. The first sermon, on the introductory verses, has been delivered. (You could watch it here.)
In the process of preparing for a new message, there are always several thoughts and quotes from the various commentaries that I am using, that don't make it into the sermon. I think I might try an collect them here. Here is one from tonight:
Meditate on Paul's opening words and recognize the nature of the gospel. It is the salvation of God through Christ applied by the Holy Spirit to deliver us from this present evil age and into the age to come, the Kingdom of God. Regardless of the origins of error, whether from within the church or without, we must be vigilant to protect the purity of the gospel. We must herald the exclusivity of the gospel, the saving work of Jesus Christ on behalf of sinners. We must be willing, in humility and with love, to confront the sinners of this world so that they will see their sin and turn to Christ. In the end, with Paul, our desire should be to lift high the gospel of Jesus Christ to the glory of our triune Lord, to whom be the glory forever and ever.
Galatians, J.V. Fesko; The Lectio Continua: Expository Commentary on the New Testament, pg. 14,15
Casey's Cash for Classrooms.
Did you know that you could donate your Casey's Rewards points to a school?
Did you also know that once you donate those points, they are donated to that school in the form of cash?
Well, if you didn't already know that, now you do. Here is a description on Casey's site about the program:
I also created a Google Doc with step by step directions on how to donate those points.
...except precisely that little point...
“If I profess with the loudest voice
and clearest exposition
every portion of the truth of God
except precisely that little point
which the world and the devil
are at the moment attacking,
I am not confessing Christ,
however boldly I may be professing Christ.
and clearest exposition
every portion of the truth of God
except precisely that little point
which the world and the devil
are at the moment attacking,
I am not confessing Christ,
however boldly I may be professing Christ.
“Where the battle rages,
there the loyalty of the soldier is proved.
there the loyalty of the soldier is proved.
“And to be steady on all the battle fields besides
is merely flight and disgrace
if he flinches at that point.”
is merely flight and disgrace
if he flinches at that point.”
~ Martin Luther
"I don't need to be their Holy Spirit"
As always, I gotta be honest... And I'm gonna be real honest about this phrase right now. And here it is -- If I hear another person say, "I don't need to be their Holy Spirit" one more time... I'm one camel hair and two locusts away from going all John the Baptist on them.
Ok Matt. Take a step back. Re-group.
I get it, I get it. I'm not the Holy Spirit. You're not the Holy Spirit. None of us is the Holy Spirit. And... the Holy Spirit needs no help! He is doing great. He is not putting out any Help Wanted signs. He is not hiring. I know that. I get that.
But people keep using that phrase, and I don't think it means what they think it means.
Every single time I hear that phrase being used, it is in the context of coddling someone in their sin. So they say that to mean that they aren't going to point out that person's obvious and blatant sin. That, by itself, would be fine, but it is almost always partnered with someone attempting shelter that person from any consequences of their sin -- specifically familial and relational consequences.
And I don't get it.
There are about 20 reasons why I don't get it, but the biggest one and the main one is that God gives a prescription for the saving of that person's spirit on judgment day, and this behavior is actively ignoring that prescription.
It is found in 1 Corinthians. The Corinthian church was ... surprise, surprise ... struggling with the same issues that we struggle with, one of them being sexual immorality. They were coddling these people... and being arrogant about it. (See 1 Cor. 5:1-2). So Paul lays out a way of relating to one who is actively involved in immoral behavior, but he gives hope for their soul, for their spirit. He says it plainly in verse 5:
"you are to deliver this man to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord." (1 Corinthians 5:5, ESV)
If you love that person who has walked into open sin, why would you not take God at His word in how to relate to that person? Especially if you desire their soul to be saved on the Day of the Lord?
You might be thinking, "... well... what does that actually look like?" You're in luck! Paul actually goes on to describe what this looks like!
"I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people— not at all meaning the sexually immoral of this world, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world. But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler—not even to eat with such a one." (1 Corinthians 5:9–11, ESV)
Not even eat! Sure... don't be their Holy Spirit! But don't get in the way of the Holy Spirit! This getting together and pretending like nothing is wrong... like nothing is broken... actively goes against God's prescription for the saving of the soul! This person, in their rebellion against God's laws, has aligned themselves with Satan. Handing them over means that you are giving them what they want. When you attempt to curb any relational deaths, you are preaching -- by your life and your representation of God -- that God is just fine with this and that the Holy Spirit can still bring them (in their sin) all of those Spiritual blessings.
"... don't need to be their Holy Spirit..." I agree. But please stop being the distorted, bizarro version of the Holy Spirit.
Does this all seem judgmental of me? Sure. Unashamedly. But as Jesus said, "...judge with right judgment..." (see John 7:24b) or as Paul said in the same passage I've been sharing:
"For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge? God judges those outside. “Purge the evil person from among you.” (1 Corinthians 5:12–13, ESV)
The Clockwork Boy - Chapter 1 - New
Chapter 1: NEW
Whirr… Click. Whirr… Click.
(muffled voice) … “... could you…” (muffled) “... to the baker?”
Whirr… Click. Whirr… Click.
Tommy blinked his eyes. Before him stood the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. She had dark brown hair pulled back in a loose ponytail. Her eyes were blue-green and sparkled with the glare of the sun that shone between the leaves of the tree that overshadowed her features. She had the most pristine little lips that seemed to be saying something to him.
“Hello?” said the lips. “I said, ‘Could you please take this to the baker?’”
Whirr… Click. Whirr… Click.
Thoughts on Deconstructed Faith
De-Construction of one's childhood faith is a thing. The numbers of people who are dismantling their faith and abandoning it are significant. If you Google statistics on deconstructing faith, you will not find that the numbers are zero. Our Christian youth are leaving Christianity. I'll leave it to you to research this, but some of the most recent research claims that 42% of adults have deconstructed the faith of their youth.
For those who are unfamiliar with the term, deconstruction is what it is called when an individual dismantles their beliefs (usually their Christian beliefs), leading to an abandonment of those beliefs. It does not always end with one walking away from their faith, but for the most part, when it is labeled as such, that is precisely what has happened.
There are always those in the public eye that have taken this route. They usually tend to get a decent amount of attention, especially when their "celebrity" status is rooted in their Christian life. Such is the case with Christian authors and speakers or pastors. There are also those on the fringe of Christian Culture (like Rhett and Link), and much could be said concerning these deconstructionists and their impact. In fact, I believe that there are probably a few really good books out there that address this in a truly helpful way, so I am not going to attempt to address any of that in this post. Instead, I'd like to offer a few thoughts from my own experience, rooted in my own encounters... I'll leave the analytical breakdown of famous deconstruction stories and their impact for the famous people to write about.
Ch-Ch-Ch- Changes
Before I get into my announcement, I can't help but share an announcement made by Bilbo Baggins on his a-hundred-and-eleventh birthday. (This is the version from the book, not the movie.) If you are not a lover of excellent literature, feel free to skip it and go directly to my announcement.
My dear People, My dear Bagginses and Boffins, and my dear Tooks and Brandybucks, and Grubbs, and Chubbs, and Burrowses, and Hornblowers, and Bolgers, Bracegirdles, Goodbodies, Brockhouses and Proudfoots. Also my good Sackville-Bagginses that I welcome back at last to Bag End. Today is my one hundred and eleventh birthday: I am eleventy-one today!
I hope you are all enjoying yourselves as much as I am. I shall not keep you long. I have called you all together for a Purpose. Indeed, for Three Purposes!
First of all, to tell you that I am immensely fond of you all, and that eleventy-one years is too short a time to live among such excellent and admirable hobbits.
I don't know half of you half as well as I should like; and I like less than half of you half as well as you deserve.
Secondly, to celebrate my birthday. I should say: OUR birthday. For it is, of course, also the birthday of my heir and nephew, Frodo. He comes of age and into his inheritance today. Together we score one hundred and forty-four. Your numbers were chosen to fit this remarkable total: One Gross, if I may use the expression.
It is also, if I may be allowed to refer to ancient history, the anniversary of my arrival by barrel at Esgaroth on the Long Lake; though the fact that it was my birthday slipped my memory on that occasion. I was only fifty-one then, and birthdays did not seem so important. The banquet was very splendid, however, though I had a bad cold at the time, I remember, and could only say 'thag you very buch'. I now repeat it more correctly: Thank you very much for coming to my little party.
I wish to make an ANNOUNCEMENT.
I regret to announce that - though, as I said, eleventy-one years is far too short a time to spend among you - this is the END. I am going. I am leaving NOW.
GOOD-BYE!
~ Bilbo Baggins' Birthday Speech, The Fellowship of the Ring, J.R.R. Tolkien
Intelligence
When I meet someone who believes in any variety of Darwinistic Evolution, I just think of this in my mind.
And then I go. "Yeah. Right."
Education is Fundamentally Religious
The following is an excerpt from The Case for Classical Christian Education by Douglas Wilson, pages 21 and 22.
---------------------------------------------
The NEA knows what it wants and is willing to dedicate its resources to get it. Sad to say, on the other hand, most Christian parents do not know what they want and are not willing to sacrifice anything. Many within the system still have a biblical view of morality, and so they want to work against this sinful agenda and try to restore "traditional" morality to American schools.
On what moral basis shall the teacher who wholly suppresses all appeal to religion rest that authority which he must exercise in the classroom? He will find it necessary to say to the pupil, "Be diligent. Be obedient. Do not lie." This must be done so the student may acquire his secular knowledge. But on who's authority? By what standard?*
Education is fundamentally religious. Consequently, there is no question about whether a morality will be imposed in that education, but rather which morality will be imposed. Christians and assorted traditionalists who want a secular school system to instill anything other than secular ethics are wanting something that has never happened and can never happen.
Because all truths converge towards God, the teacher who cannot name God must have fragmented teaching. He can only construct a truncated figure. In history, ethics, philosophy, and jurisprudence, religious facts and propositions are absolutely inseparable from the subject at hand. The necessary discipline of a schoolroom and secular fidelity of teaching require religion.*
If they converge toward the Christian God, then He will be acknowledged, and His Word will be honored. If all "truths" converge on the Sinai of another God, then we will see his law/word imposed. And that "law" will in our day amount to some variation of catering to the powers that be.
-----------------------------------------------------
* These two quotes are from R.L. Dabney, On Secular Education (Moscow, ID: Canon Press, 1989) pg 19,24
No Chance to Repent
Consider...
See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no “root of bitterness” springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled; that no one is sexually immoral or unholy like Esau, who sold his birthright for a single meal. For you know that afterward, when he desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no chance to repent, though he sought it with tears. ( Hebrews 12:15–17 ESV)
Thought experiment:
I'd like to create a thought experiment by briefly describing, or rather, by creating a scenario. I could take several different routes in the creation of this thought experiment, because there have been many versions of this scenario which have played out in many different ways over... well... over the centuries. But I will choose to illustrate a scenario which may be a little bit more typical of our modern context.
Here we go: A man leaves his wife. The reasons aren't as important as one might think. Sure, there are reasons, and I am not saying that reasons are irrelevant, but let's be honest with each other: The vast majority of articulated arguments for doing such a thing will rarely match the underlying reasons which ought to be given when it is done. Regardless, for the purpose of our scenario-painting, this man has left his wife, and the reasons for doing so (whether articulated or not) don't come close, in any stretch of the imagination, to validating that breaking of a covenant before (and with) God.
In the leaving of his wife, this man has also left God. You see, you cannot break covenant with and before God without leaving God. It does not matter what this man may claim, that is what has happened. As the Apostle John says, "Whoever says 'I know him' but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him." (1 John 2:4 ESV) or James "For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead." (James 2:26 ESV) or Jesus, "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me." (John 10:27 ESV) I could go on, but you'd have to be completely oblivious to the Bible to think that you can live whatever life you want, making whatever sinful decisions you want, while simultaneously being cleansed by the blood of Jesus, secure in the hand of the Father, and made alive by the securing work of the Holy Spirit of God. Jesus again, "Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father." (John 14:12 ESV) And was not the greatest work of Jesus his work of obedience to the Cross? Self-sacrificial, love-motivated obedience to the Father is the work of Christ in us for His glory.
What is this?
So then, what category do we have for this man who walked away? Is our only recourse to state that the regenerative power of the Spirit of God, which brought Christ back from the dead, can be done and undone at the whimsical will of man? That flies in the face of everything we can learn from the Scriptures about what actually happens when one is regenerated -- made alive in Christ -- sealed with the promised Holy Spirit -- brought from death to life -- are true sheep which cannot be plucked from the Father's hand. Surely our wills cannot undo all of that, especially considering that those who have this eternal life are those "who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. (John 1:13 ESV) Truly it must be said that, "...it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy. (Romans 9:16 ESV)
What else do we have? Where do apostates fit in a Theologically accurate universe? Are we left stumped? Are we more stumped because this particular waif may have seemed like a strong and secure Christian at one point? Are we trapped in a Biblical conundrum because it appeared that the Word of God was making an impact in this fella's life? No. Surely not... and in reality not. The Bible is big enough and sturdy enough to handle this situation as well.
Let's start with what we saw in his life by asking ourselves this question: Is there room in God's economy for one to seemingly grow because of God's truth, but not in reality be a regenerated believer because of that same truth? Answer: Yes. Consider the parable of the Sower. You can read this parable in all three of the synoptic gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke). If you are not familiar with it, I would highly recommend reading at least one of those accounts before continuing.
I will assume that you've done that or are already familiar with this story. Since that is the case, then most of you know that there are 4 representations of different "soils" (which may be a better name for the parable, "the parable of the soils" might be more accurate). The soils are representations of people and the seed is the word of God, Jesus plainly tells us this in Luke 8:11-15. There are two situations where the word of God (the seed) begins to grow in a person's life (the soil), but it does not last. I would argue that neither of these situations represent genuinely regenerate souls. In fact, I would say one of the main purposes of this parable is to point that out. When people seem to adopt the Word of God, the final assessment on that reality is not in its initial springing up, but in its endurance. Jesus even says that in his Olivet Discourse, "But the one who endures to the end will be saved." (Matthew 24:13 ESV)
Not to stray too far from our nameless dude and his tenuous grasp of a choked out or rootless Word of God in the soil of his heart, but consider taking a deep-dive into the word "saved" in the New Testament. It is rarely used in the past tense, but almost also used in the present and future senses of the word. It is no wonder that Biblical Scholars discuss salvation as past, present, and future when they say, "... we have been saved, we are being saved, and we will be saved."
Back to the scenario:
We've got our man who has left his wife. He now has one and only one directive from God: Repent. This man needs a Nathan the Prophet looking him square in the eye and stating, "You're the man." He must repent of his sin, turn back to God, and seek restoration with his wife. That last part is not irrelevant. The seeking of restoration with his wife is the clearest outward demonstration of his repenting of his sin. There are a lot of what-abouts that want to creep in here, but one could still say that the over-arching command is repent: and a repentance that is demonstrated in a humbly sought-after restoration cannot be ignored. He needs to confess and forsake his sin and any so-called relationships that were a result of that sin. Part of that confession (an agreeing with God) is saying that as well: That was not a loving relationship you found yourself in, that was a relationship based on and rooted in selfishness and God-defying rebelliousness.
I know what you're thinking, "Wait a minute, when did we start talking about another relationship?" You may have had your blinders on, but we were. Whether it was a flesh-and-blood other or just an imagination of another, there is always another.
With that stated, let's introduce the final element of this thought experiment. Let's say that something happens to this guy's wife (or ex-wife). The specific details of the "something happens" is irrelevant for this particular thought experiment. The important part is that whatever it is, the door to a reconciled marriage has closed. Would that reality bear any weight with regard to this scenario?
Think about it. Repentance just got a whole lot (for lack of a better word) easier. At least from the perspective of the spineless wimp that wanted out. I mean, really, that is the one thing he didn't want. He didn't mind all of the other "Christian-y" stuff, but that marriage wasn't suiting him anymore. He was willing to abandon the whole thing, the things he liked and the things he put up with, just to get what he wanted: out. But now... but now there is the opportunity to get those things back that he liked without having to take back the one thing he didn't.
He saw the whole of Christianity, the fellowship of the saints, the church community with all of its friendships... but also he took a look at the redemptive work of Jesus displayed on the cross, the infinite, unconditional Love of the Father to bring about that work of redemption, and the amazingly effective power of the Spirit demonstrating itself in the perfection of a worked out plan of redemption in history, but also in each individual... Our theoretical thought experiment guy took a long, hard look at it all and said, "Yeah, but... I gotta stay married to her."
For it is impossible, in the case of those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, and have shared in the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to come, and then have fallen away, to restore them again to repentance, since they are crucifying once again the Son of God to their own harm and holding him up to contempt. (Hebrews 6:4–6 ESV)
For this guy, that one thing (being free from that marriage) that seemed better than all that God offers has been removed and what is now presented to him is a seemingly easy way back to fellowship and community and eventually (after he can get all the stuff he wants now) heaven. But has it? To be completely honest, I can't help but wonder, as I contemplate the realities of this thought experiment, what may be lost when a death of self is no longer a part of the process. Would the rich young ruler have followed if Jesus had said, "Don't worry about it! You don't really have to sell all that you have!" (See Matthew 19:16-22) Is it not, rather, the very Grace of God when he presents our crosses to us to carry? Is it not his grace when he presents trials that, not only refine our faith, but reveal its presence?
In conclusion, hear the words of the prophet, Isaiah 55:6–7 (ESV)
“Seek the LORD while he may be found;
call upon him while he is near;
let the wicked forsake his way,
and the unrighteous man his thoughts;
let him return to the LORD, that he may have compassion on him,
and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon."
call upon him while he is near;
let the wicked forsake his way,
and the unrighteous man his thoughts;
let him return to the LORD, that he may have compassion on him,
and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon."
Don't Get Me Wrong!
Please don't misunderstand me. Please. I am not saying that anyone who is currently alive is beyond the opportunity to repent. If you are even thinking about repenting, that is the grace of God in your life. So please: Repent. Do it now. Seriously. Stop reading, get on your knees, and repent. Then get up, thank God that he has changed your mind about your life choices and helped you see them as sin, and go start living for Him.
If I were to offer any clarification here, it would be this: It is abundantly difficult for people to repent when they love other things more than God. That is what Jesus was talking about when he referred to it being more difficult for a camel to enter through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter heaven (Luke 18:25). So, here is the remainder of the clarification: If you are only willing to follow Jesus when following Jesus has no person cost, you may not be able to discern whether or not you are following him or following yourself. Discipleship is most clearly seen when there is great personal cost.
Good Bye to a Dream (a sonnet)
Here now the time has come to say good bye.
It came to me the way the night arrives.
O let the dusk remain like a long sigh.
Alas but now in darkness my dream dies.
No breath or life does dream have of its own,
but life it has within the dreamer's lungs.
So when a dream its final breath has blown,
the dreamer feels like final song has sung.
Good bye my dream I know you were not meant
to live beyond the constraints of my mind.
Imagination now forever sent...
I leave you now on trail I've left behind.
Eulogy now spoke the deed is done,
I lift my eyes and pray new dream will come.
Are looks more important than personality? No, Actually. (My Son)
He worked on this for almost a year.
I'll admit two things regarding this video. The first is that it speaks to an audience that I am (mostly) unfamiliar with. He uses terminology that I've not heard. Mewing... Looks-maxing... etc. He acknowledged this audience, for sure, but as I learned what the words meant and who this audience is, I realized that the terms might be different, but the audience is age-old and permeates most other audiences.
The second is that... and I've told him this... I don't think he goes far enough with his answer. Now, for the record, he goes as far as he wants to go with the video. He doesn't want to answer the question with an entirely new solution, he is primarily (as he has told me) sought to destroy the concept that looks are of primary importance.
It is a long video, documentary movie length... but I think it is interesting... and so I share.
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