Question? Email or post a comment!

Take me outta the ballgame!

The boys of summer are about to go at it again. The records are pretty much level across the board. The prevailing question is, which players made the team? Let Abbott and Costello give you a not so brief rundown on the roster: Link to Who's on First

Teddies

For fun, if you like teddy-bears, here's a few to play with: Teddy-bear Pyramid. Rejoice (or simply chuckle) - mouseover for animation!

Wrestlers for Christ

In his book Miracles or Magic, with co-author Al Janssen, professional magician Andre Kole tells this story: “In the days when the ruling passion of the Roman Emperor Nero was the extermination of the Christians, he had a band of soldiers known as the “Emperor's Wrestlers”. These men were the best and bravest of the land. In the great amphitheater they upheld the arms of the emperor against all challengers. Before each contest they stood before the emperor's throne and cried, “We, the wrestlers, wrestling for thee, O Emperor, to win for thee the victory and from thee the victor's crown”.

When the great Roman army was sent to fight in faraway Gaul, no soldiers were braver or more loyal than this band of wrestlers led by their centurion, Vespasian. But news reached Nero that many of the wrestlers had accepted the Christian faith.

To be a Christian meant death, even to those who served Nero best. Therefore this decree was immediately dispatched to Vespasian: “If there be any among the soldiers who cling to the faith of the Christian, they must die”. He received the decree in the dead of winter, while the soldiers were camped on the shore of a frozen inland lake. The winter had been hard, but enduring the many hardships together united them more closely.

Vespasian's heart sank as he read the emperor's message. He called the soldiers together and asked, “Are there any among you who cling to the faith of the Christian? If so, let him step forward”. Forty wrestlers instantly stepped forward two paces, respectfully saluted, and stood at attention. Vespasian paused. He had not expected so many. “The decree has come from your emperor” he said “that any who cling to the faith of the christian must die. For the sake of your country, your comrades, your loved ones, renounce this false faith”. Not one of the 40 moved.

Vespasian pleaded with them long and earnestly without prevailing upon a single man to deny his Lord. Finally he said, “The decree of the emperor must be obeyed, but I am not willing that your blood be on your comrades. I am going to order that you march out upon the lake of ice and I shall leave you there to the mercy of the elements. Fires, however, will be waiting here on the shore to welcome any willing to renounce this false faith”.

At sundown, the 40 wrestlers were stripped of all their clothing. Without a word they turned and, falling into columns of four, marched onto the lake. As they marched, they broke into a chorus with the old chant of the arena: “Forty wrestlers, wrestling for Thee, O Christ, to win for Thee the victory, and from Thee the Victor's crown”.

Through the long hours of the night, Vespasian stood by his campfire and waited. The words of the wrestlers' song became fainter and fainter. As morning drew near, one figure, overcome by exposure, crept quietly toward the fire. In the extremity of his suffering he had renounced his Lord. Then faintly but clearly from out of the darkness came the song. “Thirty-nine wrestlers, wrestling for thee, O Christ, to win for Thee the victory, and from Thee the Victor's crown”.

Vespasian looked at the figure drawing close to the fire, then out toward the frozen lake. Who can say, but perhaps he saw the greater light shining there in the darkness. Off came his helmet, down went his shield, and he sprang onto the ice crying “Forty wrestlers, wrestling for Thee, O Christ, to win for Thee the victory, and from Thee the Victor's crown”.

The number of God's 40 singing wrestlers was complete.”

Find this book at Amazon.com

Okay, just step back a couple steps - for a little clearer perspective.

The Holy Observer

THE SOVEREIGNTY OF GOD and the FREE-WILL OF MEN

The sovereignty of God may be defined as the purposeful and all-pervading superintendence of His creation. In that, nothing is left to random chance or happenstance. Nothing goes out of control. Nothing devolves into chaos – beyond His control. He is in charge, without exclusion or exception. There are no maverick molecules in His universe.
Of course, that does not take into consideration the sovereign, free-will choices of human beings, which, in the minds of some, trump the sovereignty of God. It must be noted, however, that such a perspective renders God’s choices and intentions, in, with, and for His finite creatures, utterly null and void. It creates a god of the possible, whose autonomous power and purposes are made subject to the arbitrary whims and decisions of ‘mere mortals’. The God of infinite power becomes a god of contingent possibilities - contingent upon the whims and foibles of finite, fallen, humans.
The concept of unfettered human free-will fails at it’s most critical point. It fails to consider the implications of two distinct and differing categories. The primary misrepresentation that the idea of unfettered free-will produces is a fundamental lack of recognition of the dire consequences of the fall. In the fall, man (mankind) was plummeted into an abyss that dictated that the decisions and choices that he would, henceforth, be able to make would be in complete keeping and concert with his fallen nature. He would no longer be able to make decisions, and perform deeds, that were not consistent with this recently acquired spiritual depravity. He could no longer be spiritually alive and free to please God – in perfect obedience to God’s will and purposes. He became spiritually dead, not having the life of God within him. Rather, he would serve his master, his sin nature. He was no longer capable of not sinning. He could not not sin.
What might it mean, if one were to coin the phrase, redeemed from the fall? Was there really a fall, and, if so, was it radical, or was it simply a mildly debilitating condition? What, in the case of a "mildly debilitating condition" is the purpose, and the benefits to mankind, of a Redeemer? Redeemer from what? Savior of whom? Without a radical fall, would there be such a necessity? Might it be that we take far too lightly the notion that we are, or have been, “dead in sins and trespasses”? Would God have provided, at so great a cost to Himself, a Redeemer, if the fall was no big deal?
Okay, so that represents the first category. What is the second category?
I am so glad you asked! The second category addresses the issue of free-will as it relates to the choices and decisions of redeemed, or regenerated individuals. The freedom of the will, as it relates to true Christians - those who have been made alive by the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit - might by explained in this manner: It is, according to the biblical model, impossible for an unregenerate sinner to not sin. However, to state it in a succinct manner, it is not only possible for a regenerate person to not sin, it is a violation of that person's new (regenerate) nature, to sin. It is possible, therefore, for a regenerate person to sin, or to not sin. Gloriously, progressive cessation of sinning is represented as sanctification in the life of the believer. The possibility of sinning remains, and, though entire sanctification is, in the minds of a significant number of people, entirely possible, that is only a temporal illusion. Notwithstanding those people's pious pronouncements, it will be fully achieved only in the ultimate salvific state: glorification. Ultimately it must be seen that regeneration by the Holy Spirit, unto repentance toward God, and faith in the Lord, Jesus Christ, is the cloth of which right standing before God is woven. Right standing before God [rightly termed: justification] is based upon the merit of another, that is, Jesus Christ. He bore the wrath that my rebellion, pride, and disobedience deserves. I am convinced that Christ's redemption is full and free. He has bought me, in the sense of his redeeming work, and He has brought me back, in the sense of His sending forth His Holy Spirit, to enliven me, to regenerate me, to translate me out of death into life. Spiritual death, no more. Death in Adam. Life in Christ, the new Adam. "Redeeming Love Has Been My Theme, and shall be til I die." Oh, not only until death - into, and throughout, the eons of eternity. GRACE, amazing. Reconciled [brought back - brought near] to God - by the blood of the cross!

THE SPIDER AND THE FLY

This poem was written as a child's 'verse'. I think that it can well apply to adults, as a strong caution against the casual, undiscerning acceptance of whatever theological 'web' may be being 'spun' in the church. Just because it has a shallow baptism in the scriptural 'font' doesn't mean that it has solid biblical (doctrinal) warrant.

THE SPIDER AND THE FLY.
"Will you walk into my parlor?" said the spider to the fly;
"'Tis the prettiest little parlor that ever you may spy.
The way into my parlor is up a winding stair,
And I have many curious things to show when you are there."
"Oh no, no," said the little fly; "to ask me is in vain,
For who goes up your winding stair can ne'er come down again."
"I'm sure you must be weary, dear, with soaring up so high.
Well you rest upon my little bed?" said the spider to the fly.
"There are pretty curtains drawn around; the sheets are fine and

thin, And if you like to rest a while, I'll snugly tuck you in!"
"Oh no, no," said the little fly, "for I've often heard it said,
They never, never wake again who sleep upon your bed!"
Said the cunning spider to the fly: "Dear friend, what can I do
To prove the warm affection I've always felt for you?
I have within my pantry good store of all that's nice;
I'm sure you're very welcome - will you please to take a slice?
"Oh no, no," said the little fly; "kind sir, that cannot be:
I've heard what's in your pantry, and I do not wish to see!"
"Sweet creature!" said the spider, "you're witty and you're wise;
How handsome are your gauzy wings; how brilliant are your eyes!
I have a little looking-glass upon my parlor shelf;
If you'd step in one moment, dear, you shall behold yourself."
"I thank you, gentle sir," she said, "for what you're pleased to say,
And, bidding you good morning now, I'll call another day."

The spider turned him round about, and went into his den,
For well he knew the silly fly would soon come back again:
So he wove a subtle web in a little corner sly,
And set his table ready to dine upon the fly;
Then came out to his door again and merrily did sing:
"Come hither, hither, pretty fly, with pearl and silver wing;
Your robes are green and purple; there's a crest upon your head;
Your eyes are like diamond bright, but mine are dull as lead!"

Alas, alas! how very soon this silly little fly,
Hearing his wily, flattering words, came slowly flitting by;
With buzzing wings she hung aloft, then near and nearer grew,
Thinking only of her brilliant eyes and green and purple hue,
Thinking only of her crested head. Poor, foolish thing! at last
Up jumped the cunning spider, and fiercely held her fast;
He dragged her up his winding stair, into the dismal den -
Within his little parlor - but she ne'er came out again!

And now, dear little children, who may this story read,
To idle, silly flattering words I pray you ne'er give heed;
Unto an evil counselor close heart and ear and eye,
And take a lesson from this tale of the spider and the fly.

Mary Howitt

The Reason for God

Recently, I picked up a copy of Tim Keller's The Reason for God from our church book-rack (I paid for it!). I haven't gotten past the Introduction, which is fairly lengthy, but it has definite prospects for being very good - if the intro is any clear indication. Anyway, I found this (also fairly lengthy) video, in which Dr. Keller presents the basic premises upon which he bases the book:
Authors@Google: Tim Keller - The Reason for God (w/q&a)

Really Against Heresies!

Hey, y'all, I like the material on Martin Downes' blog, Against Heresies. I like it so much that, if it became a matter of preference or choice, I'd be willing to close this blog to any of my own personal comments having anything to say about theological issues. It's a technological miracle that we can shoot on over to North Wales, UK, from central USA, to glean an actual plethora of wonderfully helpful and edifying material.

Speaking (writing) of shoot(ing), the picture of the revolver with the cigarettes speaks volumes regarding the Galatian dilemma – the issue of legalism vs. antinomianism. Check the Against Heresies. archives for some great articles, most of which are short and succinct.

Where'd I put that dumb video?

----------------------------------------
A Tale of Two Sisters
The Tragedy of Ecumenical Unfaithfulness

With heart so kind and gentle,
And sympathetic eye;
With touching deep affection,
And loyal, tender tie;
Was LOVE betrothed to DOCTRINE
To hold him all her days,
And walk the path of gladness
United in His ways.

Her younger sister also,
Had qualities so fair,
Of caring, selfless, kindness,
And warmth without compare;
Thus UNITY was drawn to
The husband of her youth;
And pledged herself forever
To be the bride of TRUTH.

But TIME, with bitter envy,
Across the testing years.
Pursued the slow erosion
Of happiness to tears;
Till LOVE began to weary
Of DOCTRINE'S pleasant voice,
And UNITY grew cold to
The partner of her choice.

Then LOVE began to notice
The charms of HERESY,
And awed by his opinions,
She wanted to be free;
And UNITY perceived that
Her virtues were desired
By many, many others
Whose ways she so admired.

At length, two precious unions,
So promising, so blest,
Were darkened by delusion,
Disloyalty, unrest;
Till came the day of sorrows,
And rendering vows of youth,
When LOVE divorced her DOCTRINE
And UNITY her TRUTH.
-Author unknown

Solo, or Sola (Scriptura)?

The picture on the right is from: The Holy Observer. It is to be received with the proverbial grain of salt. Do you suppose that PhotoShop is a tool of the devil?

If you don't have a clear grasp of the distinction between sola scriptura and solo scriptura, I strongly, that is, I heartily, recommend this article by Keith Mathison, in Modern Reformation Magazine. It addresses some legitimate concerns relating to the abandoning of evangelicalism, to, for example, the synergistic imperatives of the Roman church.

Not directly pertinent, but: Imagine, for a moment, that you have been invited to a banquet at Buckingham Palace. You are treated to the finest of foods, prepared by world class chefs, in the most sumptuous of surroundings, and in the presence of your most gracious host.

Toward the end of the evening you beckon over one of the royal servants attending the table. Reaching into your pocket for a twenty pound note, you quietly whisper "I wondered whether you could pass this to her majesty. A small contribution toward the evening."

That would be a great insult. It would also be a pathetically inadequate gesture in the face of overwhelming riches. Not for one moment would you think that such an act would be intelligible or appropriate.

Why then in the face of overwhelming riches of grace and wisdom in Christ, and the total sufficiency of his finished work in obtaining for us righteousness, pardon and acceptance, would we ever think that our works could be included in the basis of our being right with God?

The tragedy is that the analogy of a banquet at Buckingham Palace is an infinitely weak, pale and insignificant comparison of what God does for us in the gospel. Our boast is in the Lord, and in the Cross, to the praise of his glorious grace. - Against Heresies

Vintage Jesus

This is the first of twelve sermons in the series Vintage Jesus.
Is Jesus the only God? - Mark Driscoll

Mark Driscoll's newly released book Vintage Jesus is available here. The book is based on the sermons in the series.

Class, and class-less - both!

I don't necessarily want to diminish the sobriety of current discussions, but I think that we may allow for a brief interlude. The first two videos are "class", and the third is "class-less", and hilarious. Watch it without attributing sinister intent, please! (I was gonna post It's Me Again Margaret, but decided that that is a little bit too over the top. You're on your own with that one).
Aniello Desiderio - Classical Guitar (part 3 of 10)

Antonio Vivaldi, Mandolin Concerto, 1st Movement

I'm My Own Grandpa - Ray Stevens

There is a very good article from John MacArthur on the Faith and Practice blog: What Doctrines Are Fundamental?

At the risk of a slight redundancy, I ask this question: what is the evangelical gospel? Is it, as the emergent conversation maintains, a wax nose, to be twisted and manipulated as desired? Is it the glory and sufficiency of Christ, as recovered in the sixteenth century Protestant Reformation? Are there non-negotiable truths that are absolutely essential to saving faith? If so, how does one who holds to the essentials of saving faith relate to, or deal with, the changes that darken the religious landscape? How do those who cling tenaciously to the evangelical gospel requisites respond to a charge of obscurantism? Are we obscurantists?
Happily, there does seem to be what may be referred to as parallel revivals – not that deviation from biblical orthodoxy should be viewed as revival, but that it does seem to be a fresh re-packaging of tired old un-belief. So, in the sense of this recent abandonment of gospel imperatives, the openness of God theology, the seeker-sensitive paradigms, and the emergent conversations are heretical, at best, and more likely, examples of sheer apostasy. They may remain garbed in some of the terminology of faith, but, in on-going word and practice, they are net denials of God's eternal truth(s).
The encouragement that I find, that is represented by the following YouTube videos, is the basis for my sense of optimism regarding true revival. In view of this, and as a, hopefully, rabid defender of the local church and its vital function in the life of believers, I am a vocal and unabashed advocate for the corporate affirmation of the historical ecumenical creeds. I believe that the regular practice of this could go far toward getting the people of God on the same page. Otherwise, it would serve to weed-out the unbelieving. That is not to say that we do not expect nor understand that there will be tares among the wheat. It could serve the additional function of identifying, to themselves, those who are in danger of being, or remain to be, tares. It would grant to them an on-going moment or opportunity for repentance. What do you think?
The sermon by Tony Miano is in seven segments. I'm skipping to Part 5, for brevity. But first, what do you think is the Most Important Word In The Bible? You'll probably be surprized.
Tony Miano - The Most Important Word In The Bible - Part 5

Tony Miano - The Most Important Word In The Bible - Part 6

Tony Miano - The Most Important Word In The Bible Part 7

One Way - Getting The Gospel Right

In the modern era of independent-thinking, self-help narcissism, it almost seems to be well-nigh impossible to 'get the GOSPEL right'. Read this short article from Modern Reformation Magazine. This link to the MR webpage, A Two-Part Gospel? should cover my bases.

Reformation Diaries - Jan. 15 , 2008
A Two-Part Gospel?
by Joseph Martin
“We’re concerned because you’ve cut off half the gospel!” Such was the exasperated, but sincere, comment from a senior staff member during the devotional time at a monthly clergy gathering. As a predominately evangelical group of clergy, we always began our district meetings with noonday prayer and a discussion of the upcoming Sunday readings. Being Advent, we were sharing our thoughts on Matthew 24:42, “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come.”

As expected, the discussion focused on the word “watch” and the various disciplines that Christians should be involved in during this season of preparation for the Lord’s coming. As Episcopal/Anglicans, we were to use the Advent season to refocus our lives on more contemplative prayer, Bible reading, and service, and to encourage our church members to do the same.

After a few exchanges of point-counterpoint to my attempts to establish the foundation of Christ’s righteousness as the basis on which anyone is prepared for the Lord’s return, I asked, “So what will be the bottom line of our sermons this week? What will we tell our people about how to be prepared for the Lord’s return?” Once again, all around the room, was more of the same: “Be diligent, be alert, be prepared.”

As the discussion was about to close—and I could see that the bottom line focused on what we do in order to be prepared without a mention of what Christ has done to provide our preparation—I shared as honestly as I could the frustration I felt in trying to establish the basis of being prepared in terms of trust, faith, and belief instead of works. “Why do I feel I’ve been in a sparing match over such a foundational evangelical principle as faith in Christ alone as the basis by which anyone can stand before God on the Day of his return?” I said with a genuinely broken and frustrated heart. Then the lid came off, “Because that’s not what the passage says and we’re concerned that you have cut off half the gospel!”

Never in a million years would I have believed that the evangelical church in which I found refuge twenty-five years ago would become an adversary in my understanding of the gospel. They had been my friends, my allies, my shelter from the wishy-washy secularized church in which I had grown up. Now, after my life-saving reception of the gospel, as articulated from a Reformation perspective, and my adherence to the sound Reformation scholarship represented by the Modern Reformation camp, suddenly I had become an irritant, an object of concern, and a one-dimensional grace hound unconcerned with “our part” in the gospel.

Space does not allow in this short article to outline the complexities of the evangelical transformation over the past twenty to fifty years, but suffice it to say that modern American evangelicalism has clearly reshaped the gospel of Christ into a two-part message: what Christ has done (on the cross), and what we need to do to complete the transformation. The announcement of the gospel as the “one way” love of God* that declares us righteous through the sacrificial death of Christ, completely apart from our participation or cooperation, is seen as narrowly one dimensional and dangerously antinomian, releasing Christians from the various spiritual disciplines necessary for the exaggerated progress that all followers of Christ are expected to make in this life.

Of course, nothing could be further from the truth, as the one-way declaration of our righteous standing before God propels us out of gratitude to love and serve him, and any addition to the once-offered sacrifice of Christ is clearly the Galatian problem; nevertheless, to take such a stand in the modern evangelical camp will no doubt raise some eyebrows and possibly bring on some heat. Either way, we can rest assured that we stand fully righteous and “prepared” to meet the Lord only because of the one-part gospel of Christ: his work done on our behalf. Oh, what a relief!

*The “one way” love of God is the definition of grace offered by the Rev. Dr. Paul F. M. Zahl in his book, Grace in Practice (Eerdmans, 2007). Grace in Practice - Monergism Books
Joseph Martin is pastor at Church of Our Saviour in Glenshaw, Pennsylvania.

More on this important issue can be gleaned from the Audio Clip on the View my complete profile page.

Red Mountain Music

There are some really nice songs available for free download, or for listening, at B-Sides. The emphasis at Red Mountain Music is on re-doing, and reviving, some of the old, obscure hymns. They have produced several albums, two of which I have, and enjoy immensely. I especially recommend Love Divine, All Loves Excelling. Also, Decide This Doubt for Me has a nice smooth sound – and a very good message.
I listened to a very good sermon, by Pastor Tom Cannon, on the Red Mountain Church website. It's in his Facing Up to Jesus series, Come As You Are (Or Don't Come At All). The audio is not great, but the message is clear.

Click on the cartoon image (below) to open it in a separate window, at the original size, or you could go to the web-site to view this cartoon. I'm sure that's what the Warrior Guys creator would prefer anyway. While you're there, you could browse the other sample cartoons. If you go to the site that offers the book for sale, be fore-warned; the material is skewed precipitously toward, IMO, highly questionable and, at best, marginally helpful, books and videos. YBTJ (You Be The Judge)! Warrior Guys

Potpourri - Off-site Joel Posters

I Will Sing Of My Redeemer - Selah

Was That Worship?

Raindrops keep falling on my head (Not intended as worship, but, hopefully, enjoyable.)

Certainly, my apologies to anyone who may be a Joel devotee - I may be giving away the farm, but I am not a member of this particular "Joel's Army". Joel represents, and presents, another gospel, IMO. I have no doubt that this pied-piper of boot-strap religion would be thoroughly comfortable on the cover of just such a tome, particularly if he could receive a thirteen million dollar 'royalty advance'. Oh well, a guy's gotta make a living. The picture shows him in an indecisive moment, between contemplative and bemused. Click on the link to see a Photo-Shopped rendition.

Become A Better Jesus - 7 STEPS TO BECOMING YOUR OWN SAVIOR See also: BEST SELLER POSTER