Battery Hack

Check out what is inside an A23 12 volt battery! Crazy!

(HT: Challies)

New Trends in Church Music

This was posted on Tim Hughe's blog a few days ago. Tim is the guy who wrote "Here I Am to Worship" and "Beautiful One" to name a few. Pretty interesting.

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Below is an extract from an American Newspaper objecting to new trends in church music.

“There are several reasons for opposing it. One, it’s too new. Two, it’s often worldly, even blasphemous. The new Christian music is not as pleasant as the more established style. Because there are so many new songs, you can’t learn them all. It puts too much emphasis on instrumental music rather than godly lyrics. This new music creates disturbances making people act indecently and disorderly. The preceding generation got along without it. It’s a money making scam and some of these new music upstarts are lewd and loose.”

Who were they attacking? It wasn't Delirious? or Matt Redman. They were attacking the hymn writer Isaac Watts, famous for writing ‘When I survey,’ in 1723! The old hymns once upon a time were radical and cutting edge. Our music and our songs must also always be pushing new ground. Let's go for it.

Piper on Cultural Engagement in Worship

The frightening freedom of worship in the New Testament is a missionary mandate. We must not lock this gospel treasure in any cultural strait-jacket. Rather let us find the place, the time, the dress, the forms, the music that kindles and carries a passion of the supremacy of God in all things. And may our communion with the living God be so real and the Spirit of God so powerfully present that the heart of what we do becomes the joy of all the peoples we are called to reach.

John Piper, “Our High Priest is he Son of God Perfect Forever” (Sermon)

(HT: Worship Notes)

End of the Rainbow

So it's true. There really is a pot at the end of the rainbow.

Evangelicals and Art

Forbes recently did a feature on the upsurge of the arts in Evangelical churches. It's an interesting read. Below are some clips from the article.

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Evangelical unease with the visual arts dates to the Protestant Reformation of the 16th century. Andy Crouch, editorial director for Christianity Today's Christian Vision Project, which examines how evangelicals intersect with the broader culture, notes that Protestantism traces its origins to an era when noses were snapped off sculptures in a rejection of Catholic visual tradition while the word of God was elevated.

Attitudes began to change in the 1960s and 1970s, when Christian theologian Francis Schaeffer and Dutch art historian Hans Rookmaaker challenged believers to emerge from their cocoons and engage the culture, including in the arts.

Now, Crouch said, those ideas are resonating with a younger generation of believers who live in an image-saturated culture. They sense a disconnect worshipping in churches bare of anything that's visually arresting.

"The very parched nature of evangelical visual culture is making people who have grown up in this culture thirsty for beauty," he said…

"If we as Christians believe that creativity and imagination is a gift from God, why have we neglected it for so many years?" said center director Steve Halla, a former Dallas Theological Seminary professor and a woodcut artist.

(HT: Taylor)

Parkview Anniversary Celebration

Parkview friends, I hope you are all planning to join us for our 75th Anniversary weekend celebration on September 15-16. On Saturday the 15th we’ll have a huge BBQ on the east side of the church facility. There will be activities for people of all ages including inflatable games, dunk tank, sand volleyball, singing (hymn sing at an early portion and youth band later in the evening), etc… One portion of the evening will involve Jeff and others from the past sharing thoughts and memories about Parkview’s history.

On Sunday the chapel venue will be joining the worship center for three services. The times will be 8:00, 9:30, and 11:00 am. Because we are anticipating large crowds that weekend, it is imperative that as many as possible attend the 8:00 and 11:00 am service in order to free up space during the 9:30 am service. There will be overflow seating in the chapel but we are hoping to avoid using it if possible.

Finally, we are trying to round up a HUGE choir for the Sunday services, so please spread the word. We’ll have a sign-up, music, and CD’s available in the lobby for those interested in singing. Rehearsals will be September 5, 12, 14, and 15.

Stewardship of Creation

The Cornwall Declaration is an environmental statement crafted by an interfaith council including several leading Evangelicals. It's been around a while, but this is the first time I was able to read the statement. In line with yesterday's post on the redemptive qualities of our physical universe, I thought I would share these "belief statements" from the declaration.

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Our common Judeo-Christian heritage teaches that the following theological and anthropological principles are the foundation of environmental stewardship:

1. God, the Creator of all things, rules over all and deserves our worship and adoration.
2. The earth, and with it all the cosmos, reveals its Creator's wisdom and is sustained and governed by His power and loving kindness.
3. Men and women were created in the image of God, given a privileged place among creatures, and commanded to exercise stewardship over the earth. Human persons are moral agents for whom freedom is an essential condition of responsible action. Sound environmental stewardship must attend both to the demands of human well being and to a divine call for human beings to exercise caring dominion over the earth. It affirms that human well being and the integrity of creation are not only compatible but also dynamically interdependent realities.
4. God's Law–summarized in the Decalogue and the two Great Commandments (to love God and neighbor), which are written on the human heart, thus revealing His own righteous character to the human person–represents God's design for shalom, or peace, and is the supreme rule of all conduct, for which personal or social prejudices must not be substituted.
5. By disobeying God's Law, humankind brought on itself moral and physical corruption as well as divine condemnation in the form of a curse on the earth. Since the fall into sin people have often ignored their Creator, harmed their neighbors, and defiled the good creation.
6. God in His mercy has not abandoned sinful people or the created order but has acted throughout history to restore men and women to fellowship with Him and through their stewardship to enhance the beauty and fertility of the earth.
7. Human beings are called to be fruitful, to bring forth good things from the earth, to join with God in making provision for our temporal well being, and to enhance the beauty and fruitfulness of the rest of the earth. Our call to fruitfulness, therefore, is not contrary to but mutually complementary with our call to steward God's gifts. This call implies a serious commitment to fostering the intellectual, moral, and religious habits and practices needed for free economies and genuine care for the environment.

Becoming Human

For various reasons, evangelical Christians managed to give the physical universe a bad wrap. Comments like “it’s all going to burn” were frequently used in my younger Christian days. The reality is that much about the physical universe is, by God’s common grace, good and beautiful. Years ago I remember a Christian song which sang, “Why should the devil have all the good music?” I think a similar song could be sung, “Why should the devil have all of creation?” It is true that cancer, pollution, aging, and relational strife are all signs of the futility creation became subject to with the fall, but it is also true that Christ is presently and for all eternity in human form, that we physically participate in His sacrifice with the bread and wine of communion, and that natural creation testifies of God and His creative power. Followers of Christ are not only being renewed spiritually, but are being prepared for a physical renewal. Some of this renewal can be experienced now and other aspects will be fully realized in the new creation.

I’ll conclude with this quote from Gerhard Forde from page 30 in the book Christian Spirituality...

Instead of viewing ourselves on some kind of journey upward toward heaven, virtue and morality, our sanctification (growing in Christ likeness) would be viewed more in terms of our journey back down to earth, the business of becoming human, the kind of creature God made.

Gospel Series

This weekend at Parkview we're starting a new mini-series on the Gospel. Josh Malone, our Pastor of Young Adults, and Nate Hobert, our Pastor of College Ministries, are teaming up for this one. The series promises to include many important and impacting messages for our Church. The following is the schedule:

The Gospel in Your Heart
August 18-19: Nate Hobert

The Gospel in Your Community
August 25-26: Josh Malone

The Gospel in Your World
September 1-2: Josh Malone
Communion Weekend

The Mighty Furminator

A friend recently recommended that Carrie and I try the Furminator for our 2 year old black lab who sheds generously. Today after about an hour of working on “Amos” we ended up filling a box full of his hair. Supposedly this little tool cuts down shedding up to 90 percent. If you’ve got a shedding dog or cat, you need to get yourself the Furminator!

Suffering and Tragedy

A few days ago I posted a video from John Piper with images from the bridge collapse in Minneapolis. The message clip was from Romans 8. In this clip Piper was teaching how God subjected creation to “futility” in order to give us a taste of His disdain for sin and to create a longing for the glory of eternity with Christ and the “redemption of our bodies”.

There was a very interesting comment from my good friend John regarding how it is we are to explain the intentional role God plays in suffering to a person who is an unbeliever/seeker. What a great question! Some of the scriptures which talk about God hardening hearts (Ex 9:13), creating objects of wrath prepared for destruction (Rom 9:22), or subjecting all of creation to futility (Rom 8:20) are hard to understand, even for the Christian and especially for the non-Christian. The following is my attempt to wrestle a bit with this issue.

I recognize that even among Christian’s God’s role in tragedy is debated. Some Christians profess that the only reason we are living under the curse is because God gave man a free will and man sinned. In other words the curse was not an act of the Father in response to our sin, but rather a chain reaction or “knee jerk” that just happened as result of sin. Genesis 3:17-19 shows that the “curse upon the earth” was the result of Adam’s sin; however, it is also clear in the text that God had an active role in initiating the curse. This is confirmed very clearly in Romans 8:20. So, if God’s participation in calamity is clearly articulated in the Bible, why do so many deny it? I believe the primary answer is because it doesn’t seem rational to believe that an all-loving God would subject his children to suffering. It is far more rational (and palatable) to say it is completely our own fault because of our sin. The only problem with this type of thinking is, it reduces God to a state of helplessness and passivity that is contrary to what we read about Him in the scriptures.

So why did God subject all of creation to futility? This is a very difficult question to answer. Unfortunately when we study the Bible we find many realities about God that are difficult to understand. Take for example…

1. How can God be 3 and also 1? The Trinitarian nature of God is enforced throughout the scriptures and is a complete mystery. To believe He is only one being is rational, and to believe he is three independent beings is also rational. Despite these realities, the scriptures give us no choice but to believe that which is irrational, He is both three and one.
2. How can God be sovereign while also giving man a choice in His salvation? Romans 9 teaches that God creates some people to live eternally with him and others to be condemned to hell. Romans 10 teaches that people have the ability to choose salvation by faith. So which is it? Is God sovereign or is man responsible? To choose either one independent of the other would be a very rational thing to do; however, the scriptures don’t give us that option. We must believe that which is humanly irrational, namely that God is sovereign and man is responsible.

As we parallel these cases with the topic at hand, we can understand how for God, tragedy is both the exertion of His will and the result of sin.

If I was speaking with an unbeliever I would probably start by explaining the role sin had in the fall of humanity and the curse all creation is now living under. I would then explain how the scriptures teach that God also initiates and works through tragedy for several reasons. Here are a few…

1. God’s glory is magnified in the depths of suffering. It is like the consonance and dissonance in a beautiful music composition. The resolution is made more beautiful when shown in contrast to dissonance.
2. Suffering illustrates how desperately we need restored fellowship with God and how this restoration will one day be fully realized in all of creation by those who trust in Him.
3. For the believer, suffering is actually an act by which we are refined in our faith. (James 1:2)
4. As Piper taught, suffering illustrates for us the way our sin grieves the heart of God. Our response to this grief should be to surrender to the awesome and matchless grace of Jesus which removes our sin from us and clothes us in the righteousness of Christ.

In closing, I want to remind all of us where the scriptures lead us after considering the mysteries of God. Romans 11:33-36 says “Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways! “For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor?” “Or who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid?” For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.”

* I understand that this is not a comprehensive discussion on the subject of tragedy and suffering. Please feel free to leave your thoughts or comments regarding this issue.

Why the Bridge Collapsed?

Here's a video from Desiring God ministries with footage from the recent bridge collapse set to a message by Piper. Pretty moving and challenging.



(HT: Desiring God Blog)

I Hate School Shopping

If you’re like me, you hate those long lists of school supplies that every class is required to buy before the start of the school year. For years we would go from store to store trying to find all the supplies in picked over and super busy school supply departments. Last year we tried purchasing the majority of our supplies from Staples.com and it’s been awesome! If you purchase up to $50 of supplies (no problem if you have 2 or more kids) then shipping is free. They are very prompt about shipping out the materials and for the kids it’s like Christmas in August when all their supplies come in. So, anyone else have some tips for getting school supplies without the headache of crowded shopping centers?

The Man in the Shadow of Adultery

Tonight I read a powerful essay from Internetmonk on Adultery. It is written to men and is a must read for you guys. We all need a wake-up call on this issue, so if you are a married guy please take the time to read it and embrace the transforming power of the gospel that will strengthen you to remain faithful in your covenant marriage. Below is the excerpt and here is the entire essay.

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David is looking at Bathsheba, and he is sexually stimulated. He sends messengers to her home. She arrives and he orders those men away. He takes her to his chamber.

At what point is this mysterious? Nathan was right: The rich man took the poor man’s one sheep while awake, sober and rational.

Men, that sexual stirring you feel when engaging a co-worker in intentional conversation? That laughter over the slightly off-color humor? That extra email, voice mail or visit to the cubicle? That unnecessary phone conversation? That intentional proximity to a lunch table? That extra attention to a problem? That intentional “pastoral” call? That willingness to listen? That second glance? That touch on the arm? That nod and smile? Those assurances of friendship? That promise to “pray” and be there?

What in hell are you doing? (And I mean that. Don’t edit for the church ladies, please.)

If the above paragraph seemed a bit obsessive, I’m sorry. By age 50, you should be able to write it yourself. Actually, you should be able to write a much longer one.

There is more that could be said about the later actions and feelings, when the other party is joining in, secrets are shared, plans are made, more lies are told and the whole business takes on a life of its own. But by that time, the mortal damage has often been done. I want to gain your attention now, early on, when there is much more hope for genuine repentance and healing.

You know what is happening, and you know that it is the edge of something completely dangerous. You are taking steps- baby steps, but steps- away from the one-heartedness you promised. You promised to be a one woman man. She is counting on you to keep that promise. She is counting on you to be better than other men; to be devoted to her through everything. And now you are looking, talking, returning, even touching, with another woman in mind. You have put yourself above your marriage. You have put the momentary excitement, the eventual fantasy, the immoral boost to the ego above your love for your wife.

We Pick Up Poop

In true entrepreneurial spirit my oldest son recently attempted to launch a dog poop removal business. Before you say "that is ridiculous" take a moment and google "pet waste removal". Some people are making a lot of money removing pet waste!

Gospel Coalition Media

Recently Josh Malone and I attended the first Gospel Coalition Conference at Trinity Seminary. The Gospel Coalition is the start of an association of churches (maybe better stated a movement of churches) intent upon making the Gospel of Jesus Christ central. If you are interested hearing a bit about this movement you can download these videos posted recently by the "reformissionary". You can also go to the coalition site and click on media.

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Tim Keller

What do you see yourself doing in The Gospel Coalition? | m4v
What is the state of the pulpit in America today?| m4v
How does preaching affect how christians see culture?| m4v
What do you tell pastors about their family life? | m4
What ways can people learn from your teachings | m4v

Don Carson & Tim Keller

What started The Gospel Coalition? | m4v
What makes The Gospel Coalition different? | m4v
Assessing The Gospel Coalition | m4v
How were the leaders of The Gospel Coalition gathered?| m4v
What is the future of The Gospel Coalition? | m4v
What threats and challenges face The Gospel Coalition? | m4v
What causes fragmentation in evangelicalism today? | m4v

Tim Hughes Worship Leader Tips

Tim Hughes the guy who wrote "Here I Am to Worship" had a few worship leader tips on his blog recently. There are a few good nuggets within. Below is a little segment on the importance of dynamics.

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We need to embrace musical dynamics

There can be a danger in our sung worship that we sing songs in the same way, same tempo and same musical arrangement. Pretty quickly it becomes very boring and people disengage. Let’s encourage each other to be creative and thoughtful in our song arrangements. It’s great to have the band rock out for a while, but after a number of songs there’s a danger that it can become over-bearing. Songs with just an acoustic guitar or just the piano - even just acapello. Let’s have songs that are loud and fast, songs that are powerful and emotive mixed with songs that are tender and quiet.

By working on the dynamics of the band we can keep things much fresher and more interesting. Constantly ask yourself - what is the song communicating lyrically and then ask yourself, does the music communicate a similar message. By really thinking through the musical dynamics it keeps us from doing the same old, same old.

(HT: Vitamin Z)

Gospel Centered Family Mission

This week at Covenant Seminary in St. Louis was truly revolutionary for me in many ways. One of the things I learned was what Dr. Douglass called the Johnathan Edwards principle where the indicatives empower the imperatives. I won't explain the principle right now but will say that the concept, as well as the focus on our union with Christ, convicted both Carrie and I that it was time to update our families mission and values. I post them welcoming your feedback to help refine them. They are a work in progress. I also hope they can be an encouragement to those of you who have not yet done a family mission and values. Our mission and values have been so helpful to us as we've tried to raise our children to love the Lord.

MISSION

To embrace our union with Christ and one another for the purpose of glorifying God, growing by His grace, and making the message of the Gospel known to all peoples in both word and action.

VALUES

1. Love others more than yourself: A new commandment I give to you… just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. John 13:34
2. Be humble and teachable: I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love. Ephesians 4:1-2
3. Always look for ways to serve one another: For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. Galatians 5:13
4. Respect and honor authority: Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Romans 13:1
5. Encourage one another: Each of us should please his neighbor for his good, to build him up. For even Christ did not please himself but, as it is written: "The insults of those who insult you have fallen on me.” Romans 15:2-3
6. Work hard, be on time, and do all things well: Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ. Colossians 3:23-24
7. Be grateful no matter the circumstance: Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
8. Be honest: Put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness. Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another. Ephesians 4:24-25
9. Keep your mind, body, and spirit pure: Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20
10. Resolve conflicts peacefully: Remind them to be submissive to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work, to speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show perfect courtesy toward all people. Titus 3:1-2
11. Trust in God: Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. 1 Peter 5:6-7

The Shortest Concert Ever

The band "White Stripe" performed a pre-concert show of one note. C# to be exact. Here's the article explaining it all. Thoroughly unusual, but interesting.

Luther on Our Union with Christ

Here's another quote from my Spiritual Formation course that is in true Martin Luther style. His sharp language is intended to powerfully contrast our sinfulness and the unbelievable reality that Christ took our sin on himself and, just as shocking, that he put upon us all good things and His holiness. This is known as the "double imputation" and has huge implications for how we live as Christians. More on that later...

“Christ, the rich, noble, and holy bridegroom, takes in marriage this poor contemptible and sinful little prostitute, takes away all her evil, and bestows all His goodness upon her! This means that what Christ possesses belongs to the believing soul, and what the soul possesses belongs to Christ. Thus Christ possesses all good things and holiness; these now belong to the soul. The soul possesses lots of vices and sin; these now belong to Christ.” Martin Luther