by Rick on November 29, 2007
In the spirit of giving thanks, let me quickly say that I’m thankful Amy scours the net, finding good links so that I don’t have to do the work. :P These are two pages from her archives today:
The first is on the lighter side and is about a couple who have adopted twenty foreign children. As per Amy’s comment about the site, be sure to watch the slide show, which has pictures (obviously) and some audio.
Twenty kids, aged 21 and under. Would you believe they’re home schooled? Amazing!
The second link isn’t nearly as joyful — more so because someone close to me is facing the issue at this very moment. It’s called, Divorce in the Church: Exploring the Epidemic (part 1). Why is it that divorce rates within the church are just as high as they are without? And why do fellow Christians do so little to stop divorce among their numbers? I honestly had never thought about it this way before, and so I want to share two quotes which were extremely poignant to me:
When a man (or woman) in a church body announces his intention to set off down the road to divorce in spite of clear teaching from Scripture, he ought to find it a rocky one. In this case, it is the duty of his Christian family to put up as many obstacles as possible between him and his sinful end. This man should know he is not simply rejecting his wife, but Christ and His church as well. And the church need not make it easy for him.
And this one from JimmyV in a comment:
Without trying to minimize the difficulty of being married to someone with whom one is “miserable”, I have yet to find in Scripture where God wants us to be happy more than holy. I have had this argument given to me. “I just want to be happy. God would want me to be happy.” Yes, but not at the expense of going against His Word. He will *never* contradict His Word.
by Rick on October 18, 2007
- 100 Truths in 30 Years with Christ — Dan Edelen shares 100 things which he has learned over the course of his Christian life. This is a great list, and I’m recommending all my readers go check it out. I’ll not say I agree with the list 100%, but it’s darn close. I choke on #42, which says the Holy Spirit shows up only when He’s invited. I believe that people only seek the Spirit if the Spirit has already regenerated them and granted them faith; otherwise, there are none — no, not one! — who seek after God.
- Random Thoughts from Gordan Runyan about being a pastor of a Southern Baptist church. I’d say they hold equally true for independent, fundamental Baptist churches as well, though I can’t speak as one having experience as a pastor of such a church. Regardless, they are great observations… err, random thoughts.
- Individualism & Christianity: A Personal Relationship with Jesus — It has always been a pet peeve of mine when people claim to not understand the Scriptures, but shrug it off because they have “a personal relationship with Jesus.” I find such rhetoric hard to believe simply because the fruit of such claims is typically their “personal relationship” is one which doesn’t match anything found within God’s Word. Joshua A. Hitchcock in “Individualism & Christianity…” briefly explorers such “personal relationships” with a “personal Savior.”
- All Needing Something — Amy Scott weighs in on the blessings of having a large family (she currently has five, with another still in utero) as well as how she manages as a mother of almost-six.
by Rick on September 18, 2007
- Hello, Out There #2 — Is it arrogant for Christians to claim to know absolute truth? Dan Phillips weighs in and points out the obvious: If it is arrogant to agree with Jesus that God has revealed His truth to man (which, in reality, isn’t arrogance at all), then it is immeasurably more arrogant for anyone to ever claim that they have found out truth for themselves, that they — in their own wisdom, their own works, or even (more likely) their own foolishness — have found out anything absolutely.
- Two from Amy Scott’s linkroll:
- Hair and Worship from the Faith and Gender blog provides a look at why Paul goes on about hair in 1 Corinthians 11, with an emphasis on the reasons thereof (particularly the “because of the angels” clause).
- Glory To God Alone » Baptism, Church Membership, and Graduation — This is more of a “note to self” kinda thing. I haven’t read it yet, but am leaving myself the link here so that I can check it out after work.
by Rick on August 23, 2007
- Undisciplined Rant about “Yahweh/LORD” — Undisciplined or not, I think Dan Phillips makes a good point. There is simply no reason for “the Lord” or “the Lord God” to continue appearing in English Bible translations. We know better than that. Let the Jewish superstition die, and let us glory in the name of Yahweh, which men have been calling on for thousands of years (Genesis 4:26). I’m going to resolve to make use of God’s name more often, reserving “the Lord” or “the Lord God” only for direct quotations of versions which employed them. And for those who are geeky enough to have noticed, I mark up those words thusly:
<span class="yhwh"></span>.
- THE Least-Heard Marriage Truth — Another from Dan Phillips; I don’t know if it is really the least heard, but it is a good one nonetheless. He calls all those who are wed to hold firm to their vows — failure to do so is a sin against God Himself. To the unwed, this message of fidelity to one’s vows & spouse should be the first thing they are told by their pastor when they are preparing to get married. If one cannot live with it, one should not get married. Period.
- How to Pray for Our Children — From Amy Scott comes a list of nearly fifty things that should be prayed about when raising children. Even if you don’t have children (I don’t), read through the list and invigorate your prayers with new focuses!
- Jesus Songs — Keith ponders whether or not “Back in Black” really is an appropriate song to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus with. What do you say?
by Rick on August 20, 2007
Vladstudio — Wonderfully creative desktop backgrounds by Vlad Gerasimov. Vladstudio is the source of all of those great images used in the header here (with Vlad’s permission, of course). The attached image is a preview of his latest work, whatever it may be when you read this!- Legend of Legaia — I’m not for sure what brought it to mind yesterday, but I stumbled back upon Legend of Legaia, one of my favorite PlayStation games of all time. While it’s nowhere near the role-playing caliber of, say, Final Fantasy VII, Legend is an incredible game in its own right. If you have the chance to play it, don’t pass it up!
- “Frozen Smoke” Miracle Material — It’s kinda like activated carbon in that it has an incredibly high surface area, but it’s also one of the world’s lightest solids, being almost 100% comprised of a gas. Plastics & silicone are old hat; ’bout time we get a new miracle material!
- Good Doctrine Makes Better (Teenage) Saints — I have gotten the impression from the “emerging/emergent/whatever” church that emphasizing doctrine is not only unnecessary but is harmful to “missional” living. Turns out there is evidence that people without a strong doctrinal understanding will not be all too different from the world around them. Imagine that: the Word and the truths contained therein really are a lamp unto our feet, a light unto our paths! Hat tip: Amy Scott.
- Two German Scientists Claim to Have Broken the Speed of Light — A quantum miracle? Or misinterpreted results? I’m unsure what the significance would be of transporting microwaves instantaneously between two points would be; though I imagine if they figure that out, it’d be a step toward revolutionizing the pizza delivery market. Mmmm, Telepizza™.
- Adam got bord so God made a woman for Adam — Oh, so that’s why. :)
