Think.

Lord willing, I don't plan to be in the US in October, but this does sound like a VERY helpful conference.



As a side note, if it seems like the blog has been a lot of short punches and videos the last few weeks, you would be right. I just today turned in my last MDiv assignment. Praise the Lord! I aim to get back to regular blogging quite soon...

Monday Video

This is hilarious and educational. Be careful, you may lose a million dollars!



Happy Memorial Day!

HT: Z

Whatever it Takes

As I am finishing up my last seminary assignment, I think this video is quite appropriate on multiple levels...



Can you believe I posted two hip hop songs in one week? Honestly, I can't believe it myself!

HT: Thabiti

Raising Purity Review

Awhile back I was mailed a complementary copy of Gerald Hiestand's new book Raising Purity: Helping Parents Understand the Bible's Perspective on Sex, Dating, and Relationships. I was asked to write a brief review and post it to my blog. Below is my brief (probably too brief!) review of the book. I'd love to respond to this important book in greater detail, but for now this review will have to suffice. I hope it's helpful for you!

---------------------------

As parents of 3 young children, the issue of training our children is ever before my wife and I, and our hope is that we are training them to love Christ, love His church, and love others. As our children have gotten older, we’ve found that the training “curriculum” has diversified. One issue that has come increasingly before us is how to train our children to glorify God in the area of sexual purity. To this end, Gerald Hiestand’s book Raising Purity is a welcome edition. This book is theologically meaty and practically helpful. I am better equipped to help my children honor God with their bodies after reading this book. As a case in point, chapters 3-6 are veritable gold mine of Biblical theology, pastoral wisdom, and practical help. The Biblical distinctions Hiestand draws between categories of relationships (our family, our neighbors, and our spouse) were helpful towards thinking about the place of sexual expression in a “dating” relationship. Sexual expression is Biblically forbidden with one's family and with one's neighbors, but it is commanded with our spouses. Why would be assume there is any place for sexual expression with our “neighbor?” We must be careful not to let “dating” become a relational category. Hiestand describes it this way: “Herein lies a potential for great danger, for when we invent our own categories of male/female relationships, we are focused to invent our own purity guidelines within those categories” (pg. 46). He’s right. To rightly understand the Biblical categories for relationships clarifies “pretty dramatically and gives an objective answer to the question ‘How far is too far?’” (pg. 48). This kind of helpful teaching runs rampant in this book, and it worth the time to read it. I do, though, have a few concerns over Hiestand’s theological underpinnings. He continually describes sex as a “picture of the gospel,” and I understand what he is getting at. Sexual intercourse between a husband and a wife is a picture of the intimate relationship Christ has with His church. Sex pictures our union with Christ that is absolutely essential to our justification. But our union with Christ is not the gospel; it is an implication of the gospel – an effect of the gospel. This may seem like theological semantics, but it is an important distinction. We want to proclaim the gospel (what Christ has accomplished - 1 Cor 15:3ff) to ourselves, our children, and to our neighbors. We want to then glory in the union we have with Christ as a result of the Spirit bringing us to repentance and faith in Christ upon hearing the gospel. It is this union that sex so gloriously pictures. The point is: sex doesn't picture the gospel because it doesn't cover the bases of God, man, sin, and Christ. BUT this does not change the teaching point Hiestand is making. We must elevate our view of sex as something sacred and gloriously significant.

The reader ought to be aware of these subtleties, and glean from this book the wealth of valuable teaching it puts forth. On the whole though (the above differences aside), I highly recommend this book, and we plan to use the Biblical principles Hiestand so clearly teaches as we seek to train our children to honor God with their bodies.

Kinda Big

There's kind of a big football (soccer) tournament beginning in a little under three weeks... are you ready?



It should be a lot of fun. Especially England v. US on June 12th. Who am I going to support?

Update: As as side note, I agree with Tim Challies' assessment of this advertisement. You can find it here.

Golimar! Monday!

This Monday morning video must include a shout out to my seminary brother... Jeremy Oliver. For better or worse, he sent this to me. Enjoy or get sick! You choose!



It's like Thriller but ALOT worse!

Shai Linne

Hip hop isn't usually my first choice musical style, but I REALLY like Shai Linne. I definitely like this kind of hip hop. Listen how he explains (rightly I believe) this thorny theological issue...



If you like Shai's music, you can hear more of it here.

HT: Nathan W. Bingham

Backwards and Forwards Living

"Thus, we are people who constantly look backward and forward as we live our stories in the present. The Bible shows us that we cannot live as mere "present tense" Christians. Our present moments are framed by God's past acts of redemption and by the glorious future he has planned" (1 Cor 2:9-10).

Michael Emlet, CrossTalk: Where Life and Scripture Meet, pg. 60.

3 days

Together for the Gospel was a powerful 3 days. I praise the Lord for the opportunity to go, and the gracious wife who lovingly sent me!

T4G2010 - O Great God from Together for the Gospel (T4G) on Vimeo.

What is the Bible about?

"Now, some people think the Bible is a book of rules, telling you what you should and shouldn't do. The Bible certainly does have some rules in it. They show you how life works best. But the Bible isn't mainly about you and what you should be doing. It's about God and what he has done. Other people think the Bible is a book of heroes, showing you people you should copy. The Bible does have some heroes in it, but (as you'll soon find out) most of the people in the Bible aren't heroes at all. They make some big mistakes (sometimes on purpose). They get afraid and run away. At times they are downright mean."

Sally Lloyd-Jones, The Jesus Storybook Bible, pg. 14-15

Two More Weeks of Seminary

Every Monday morning deserves a good video...

This video is dedicated to my fellow intern here at Faith - Sacha Mendes.



He has encouraged all of us (more times than we can count) to "Don't Stop Believing." I don't think I'll be able to hear this song ever again without thinking of Sacha. Is that a good thing or a bad thing?

Radical

I received a copy of this book at Band of Bloggers. I was already challenged by the video about the book. I look forward to reading the book!

RADICAL from David Platt on Vimeo.

Greatness

"Consequently, if we try to make ourselves great, then we are actually reflecting our own egos in a greater and greater way. Wanting to reflect an idol of ourselves and to make ourselves appear greater leads to being made small because of judgment. But desiring to expand the glory of the true God and acknowledging his greatness by mirroring that glory and reflecting it back upon him leads to sharing in God's greatness and glory. Thus he is seen as the unique, massive, great One who inhabits the center of the entire created order."

G.K. Beale, We Become What We Worship, pg. 297.

What is Doctrine?

"Doctrine can never take the place of Jesus himself, but we can't know him and relate to him in the right way without doctrine. This is because doctrine tells us not only what God has done but also what his actions mean to us... 'These two elements are always combined in the Christian message,' [J. Gresham] Machen continues. 'The narration of the facts is history; the narration of the facts with the meaning of the facts is doctrine. Suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried - that is history. He loved me and gave himself for me - this is doctrine.' Doctrine is the meaning of the story God is writing in the world. It's the explanation of what he's done and why he's done it and why it matters to you and me."

Joshua Harris, Dug Down Deep, pg. 31.

The Will of God

"Most movements that spring up from the fertile soils of Christendom appeal, in one way or another, to the will of God. Few probe the will of God very deeply. God is for evangelism; therefore he is for the way we are proposing to do evangelism, and we invoke his will to sanction our methods. God is love; therefore he is against church discipline except in the most egregious cases (which either never arise, or, if they do, by the time they do they too are covered by the love of God), and we invoke God's will to sanction our determined niceness. God wants his people to be separate and holy; therefore we must withdraw into huddled isolationism and lob hateful barbs against all who disagree with us, and we invoke God's will to authorize our tearless harshness and ruthless condescension. These wretched pits are terribly easy to fall into. All it takes is resolution, and no more real interest in the will of God than what we need to sanction our preferences."

D.A. Carson, For the Love of God, Vol. 2, August 14.

Plumb its depths

“To speak of Christ’s love as ‘surpassing knowledge’ means that it is so great that one can never know it fully. We can never plumb its depths or comprehend its magnitude. No matter how much we know of the love of Christ, how fully we enter into His love for us, there is always more to know and experience.

And the implication, in the light of the following words, is that we cannot be as spiritually mature as we should be unless we are empowered by God to grasp the limitless dimensions of the love of Christ.”

–Peter T. O’Brien, The Letter to the Ephesians, PNTC (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999), 264.

HT: Tolle Lege

Quotes, quotes and more quotes

Over the next three weeks, I am going to be working like crazy to finish my MDiv and finish out our support raising in preparations for our family's transition to England. During this time, be on the lookout for quotes on this blog of things I've been reading or have read recently. My hope is that these quotes will be an encouragement and a help to you. I plan to get back to regular posting in a few weeks.

Our quote today comes from Joshua Harris' helpful new book entitled Dug Down Deep.


"All the imagery God uses about salvation is designed to assure us how real his love for us is, how comprehensive his restoration of us is. So when we feel overwhelmed by guilt, God uses the legal language of the court and tells us that through Christ we're justified, declared completely righteous before Him (Romans 5:8-9). When we feel enslaved and unworthy, he uses the language of the marketplace and tells us that he has bought us, ransomed us from sin (1 Peter 1:18-19).

And God uses the language of adoption to encourage us in the hard, ongoing work of learning to obey and follow Jesus as we wait for his return. God doesn't just point back to his love in forgiving us and redeeming us in the past. He uses the language of the family to say, 'I love you right now. You have a relationship with me that isn't changed by your performance. I am your dad. You are my son. You are my daughter. Nothing can change that. I love you. I am always your Father.'"

2 for the Price of 1

Here's two Monday videos to get your week off to a good start...

Do you speak English?



Where's Rob? (This video is absolutely hilarious! - click the link below)

Find the video here.

I apologize in advance for brief bit of profanity in the second video.

Historic Biblical Counseling Coalition Summit

Reading the post below was tremendously encouraging! These are exciting days in the Biblical counseling world...

A Report on the Historic Biblical Counseling Coalition Summit

A Personal Note

I realize I don't put a lot of personal info on this blog, but I can't help but pass this along. As many of you know, my family will be transitioning to England this summer as I have been invited to serve as the assistant minister at Eythorne Baptist Church in Kent. It seems like there are a million interlocking pieces to the puzzle that God in His sovereign providence is bringing about. It is fun to see God show Himself to be our faithful provider - for our good and His glory.


It was especially fun yesterday afternoon to get an E-mail in my inbox that opened with the following line...

"Your application has been approved and the visa has been issued."

Praise the Lord.

Champions League

This is a beautiful highlight of last night's Spurs/Man City Match.



Come on you Spurs!

Faithful Plodders

I stumbled across this great quote on the Reformation 21 blog today.

It's originally from a Tabletalk article by Kevin DeYoung.

"My generation in particular is prone to radicalism without followthrough. We have dreams of changing the world, and the world should take notice accordingly. But we've not proved faithful in much of anything yet. We haven't held a steady job or raised godly kids or done our time in VBS or, in some cases, even moved off the parental dole. We want global change and expect a few more dollars to the ONE campaign or Habitat for Humanity chapter to just about wrap things up. What the church and the world needs, we imagine, is for us to be another Bono -- Christian, but more spiritual than religious and more into social justice than the church. As great as it is that Bono is using his fame for some noble purpose, I just don't believe that the happy future of the church, or the world for that matter, rests on our ability to raise up a million more Bonos (as at least one author suggests). With all due respect, what's harder: to be an idolized rock star who travels around the world touting good causes and chiding governments for their lack of foreign aid, or to be a line worker at GM with four kids and a mortgage, who tithes to his church, sings in the choir every week, serves on the school board, and supports a Christian relief agency and a few missionaries from his disposable income?"

HT: Justin Taylor

The Heidelberg & the 10 Commandments

Many Christians wonder how the 10 commandments apply to them. That's a big question, and we aren't really going to address it right here right now. We do though want to think (with the Heidelberg) about a related question. The question we're pondering is: "Why would God give Israel the 10 commandments, if He knew they couldn't (and wouldn't) obey them?" Is God just a ogre, giving His creatures more heavy loads than they can carry?


The Heidelberg Catechism wrestles with these questions in Question # 115.

Q115: Why [assuming no one can keep the ten commandments], then does God so strictly enjoin upon us the ten commandments, since in this life no one can keep them?

A. First, that throughout our life we may more and more become aware of our sinful nature, and therefore seek more eagerly the forgiveness of sins and righteousness in Christ. Second, that we may be zealous for good deeds and constantly pray to God for the grace of the Holy Spirit, that He may more and more renew us after God's image, until after this life we reach the goal of perfection.

Why does God require His children to obey the 10 commandments... that we may know of our sinfulness. It wouldn't be a bad habit to everyday read the 10 commandments and meditate on how far we fall short of God's perfect standard. We were created display His glory in our lives, and the 10 commandments show us how we "fall short of the glory of God" (Rom 3:23). We need the 10 commandments (and all of God's law) to show us our rebellion. Why does God require His children to obey the 10 commandments... that they may run to Him for forgiveness in Christ AND righteousness in Christ. The 10 commandments remind us that we can never match up to God's standard. We are never going to be righteous enough. We need an "alien" righteousness. We need a righteous substitute to take the wrath of God we deserve and in whom/through whom we too can be righteous (1 Cor 5:21). The 10 commandments point us to Jesus Christ - the perfect substitute. Lastly the 10 commandments drive us to beg God for the grace needed to pursue holiness. Christians ought to seek daily to be more conformed to the image of Christ. The 10 commandments give us a good summary of what Christlikeness looks like. Jesus always worshiped God alone. Jesus never worshiped idols. Jesus never took God's name in vain, etc. The commandments should cause the Christian to fervently pray for more grace, and then encourage the Christian to work hard to put off old habits of thinking and acting and put on new. The commandments remind us that we are to be "zealous for good works" (Titus 3:14).

Come on you Spurs

In 15 minutes the match of the season begins between Spurs and Manchester City. This match will like decide who will play in the Champions League next season. I don't think I need tell you which side I support. Come on you Spurs!

In case you're wondering, I don't actually get to watch the game. Homework beckons!

Evangelism Linebacker

One word: Wow.



Quote of the video: "When I see selfishness, it's my job to blow them up!"

HT: Sacha

Favorite Hymns vol. 1

Every once and awhile, I'm going to try to put up here some of our family's favorite hymns. If you've ever talked with me about music for corporate worship, you know of my love for hymns (don't worry, I like modern songs too... some of them.). BUT I really like hymns! And I like to sing the Psalms, but that is an issue for another post. Hymns just seem to have a depth of theological truth to them that is missing from many of our more modern songs for corporate worship. I hope these hymns encourage and challenge you. Track down the music, sing them in your church, sing them at home with your family, sing them as you drive to work, read them as a help to your devotions, sing them in the shower! Whatever! I trust they will be helpful for you.


One of our family's favorite hymns is "God Moves in a Mysterious Way" written by William Cowper (pronounced "Cooper"). You can see his picture above. This song is a wonderful testimony to God's sovereign care of His children. He is sovereign over all things in our lives, even when we don't see it or feel like it. Cowper expresses this well.

God moves in a mysterious way
His wonders to perform;
He plants His footsteps in the sea
And rides upon the storm.

Deep in unfathomable mines
Of never failing skill
He treasures up His bright designs
And works His sovereign will.

Ye fearful saints, fresh courage take;
The clouds ye so much dread
Are big with mercy and shall break
In blessings on your head.

Judge not the Lord by feeble sense,
But trust Him for His grace;
Behind a frowning providence
He hides a smiling face.

His purposes will ripen fast,
Unfolding every hour;
The bud may have a bitter taste,
But sweet will be the flower.

Blind unbelief is sure to err
And scan His work in vain;
God is His own interpreter,
And He will make it plain.

If you have a few minutes, read up on Cowper's personal history. The challenging circumstances he faced add another layer of personal interest to this hymn. Cowper battled much of his life with depressive tendencies, doubt, and fear. God used a close friendship with pastor John Newton (the writer of "Amazing Grace") as a real encouragement to Cowper.

The Church is "Otherworldly"

We continue again this week with some reflections on God in the Wasteland: The Reality of Truth in a World of Fading Dreams by David Wells. If you missed our first post (somewhat of an introduction last week), click here.


In chapter 3, Wells goes to great lengths to think through and describe worldliness. He offers a definition that is both Biblical and practical. Amidst this discussion of worldliness and its impact on the church, Wells said the following...

"There is a clear line, then, between those who belong to Christ and those who do not, a line separating two very different ways of viewing self and world. If we stay with John, we can easily see how sharply he differentiates these two spiritual realms. Those who belong to the church have been born of God (1 John 3:1-3); those who belong to the world have not (1 John 4:4-6). The church belongs to Christ (1 John 3:7-10); the world belongs to Satan (1 John 5:19), its 'prince' (John 12:31, 14:30, 16:11). All that is of Christ endures forever; all that is of the world is transient, fading (1 John 2:17), and under God's judgment (1 John 4:17). Love for God, therefore, is utterly incompatible with the love of the world (1 John 2:15). Thus there is a profound sense in which the church as to be 'otherworldly.' It carries within itself a discernibly different view of life from what passes as normal and normative in society." (pg. 40-41).

This quote got be thinking a few things...
1) This sounds a lot like a talk I heard given at Together for the Gospel by Thabiti Anyabwile a few weeks back. I can't recommend this talk fervently enough. Watch the video below or track down the audio.

T4G 2010 -- Session 4 -- Thabiti Anyabwile from Together for the Gospel (T4G) on Vimeo.

2) I agree with Wells. The church (individually and collectively) should look different than the world - not in an uppity ("better than you") kind of way, but in a humble ("we want to be imitators of God" - Eph 5:1) kind of way. This gets me asking myself questions. Let's think about our lives and our churches for a minute... do our lives look different than our unsaved neighbors? Does our church body look different than the knitting or sky-diving club in our town. If so, how? Are they different in: our love for one another in the church, our desires, our use of our money, our use of our free time, our parenting, our sex, our work ethic, our aims in life, our (fill in the blank)? The answer is yes on all fronts. We must be careful to guard our hearts against worldliness. Wells is arguing that our churches can very easily become worldly in practice and in priorities. We must guard our churches against the poison of worldliness, and this starts by guarding our own lives.

100 posts

[By the way, this is my 100th post since beginning this blog. I've had a lot of fun, and it's been quite helpful for me. I hope it has been for you. Melbourne!]

Monday Video

Apparently, Melbourne (properly pronounced mell-behrn) is the place to be! I'll let you watch the video below and make the determination for yourself.



... it's where you feel aliiiiive!

Holding 4th

Spurs pulled out the win yesterday against Bolton. This holds them in 4th place in the league. If you're just joining us, being in the top 4 in the league is a BIG deal. The top 4 play in the Champions League (the competition for the best club team in Europe) next year. Spurs are 1 point up on Manchester City (the 5th place team), and the teams play at Man City on Wednesday night.

Watch Spurs beat Bolton below.



You won't see many goals as pretty as Tom Huddlestone's against Bolton.