Newsflash

Convicted Hitman Jimmy "Two Shoes" McCarthy confessed today that he was once hired to beat a cow to death in a rice field using only two small porcelain figures. Police admit that this may be the first known case of a Knick-Knack Paddy whack.

Colin Mochrie

Marriage: Still Relevant? Absolutely.

In light of the recent US marital scandals, a fascinating, insightful article
http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1908243-1,00.html

From the article's conclusion:

The fundamental question we must ask ourselves at the beginning of the century is this: What is the purpose of marriage? Is it — given the game-changing realities of birth control, female equality and the fact that motherhood outside of marriage is no longer stigmatized — simply an institution that has the capacity to increase the pleasure of the adults who enter into it? If so, we might as well hold the wake now: there probably aren't many people whose idea of 24-hour-a-day good times consists of being yoked to the same romantic partner, through bouts of stomach flu and depression, financial setbacks and emotional upsets, until after many a long decade, one or the other eventually dies in harness.

Or is marriage an institution that still hews to its old intention and function — to raise the next generation, to protect and teach it, to instill in it the habits of conduct and character that will ensure the generation's own safe passage into adulthood? Think of it this way: the current generation of children, the one watching commitments between adults snap like dry twigs and observing parents who simply can't be bothered to marry each other and who hence drift in and out of their children's lives — that's the generation who will be taking care of us when we are old.

Who is left to ensure that these kids grow up into estimable people once the Mark Sanfords and other marital frauds and casual sadists have jumped ship? The good among us, the ones who are willing to sacrifice the thrill of a love letter for the betterment of their children. "His career is not a concern of mine," says Jenny Sanford. "He'll be worrying about that, and I'll be worrying about my family and the character of my children." What we teach about the true meaning of marriage will determine a great deal about our fate.

Smile, Christian!

"Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."
Phil 4:4-7

To me, here's the long and short of it: When focused on Christ and the Gospel, Thanksgiving looking back keeps you humble. Thanksgiving looking forward keeps you hopeful. Thanksgiving in the present keeps you peaceful.

So give thanks, and for crying out loud, smile!

Stop Talking, Start Listening

"Listen once in a while. It's amazing what you can hear. On a hot summer day in the country you can hear the corn growing, the crack of a tin roof buckling under the power of the sun. In a real old-fashioned parlor silence so deep you can hear the dust settling on the velveteen settee, you might hear the footsteps of something sinister gaining on you, or a heart-stoppingly beautiful phrase from Mozart you haven't heard since childhood, or the voice of somebody — now gone — whom you loved. Or sometime when you're talking up a storm so brilliant, so charming that you can hardly believe how wonderful you are, pause just a moment and listen to yourself. It's good for the soul to hear yourself as others hear you, and next time maybe, just maybe, you will not talk so much, so loudly, so brilliantly, so charmingly, so utterly shamelessly foolishly."

-Russell Baker, 1995 Connecticut College Commencement Address

Even a fool who keeps silent is considered wise;
when he closes his lips, he is deemed intelligent.

-Proverbs 17:28

Addressing Atheism's Difficulty With the Supernatural

These thoughts came as a response to some friends of mine we've been discussing addressing atheistic/agnostic/new-age ideas and realizing that the proponents of such ideas are not irrational, not always dishonest in their approach, and should be treated with respect, not dismissal. Richard Dawkins, the prominent atheist was one example mentioned. One of their problems is that they just cannot accept the supernatural claims of Christ. I can't remember the exact context that this occurred to me a little while ago. It seems the reason that they look at us in frustration is because they associate our position with "magic". After all, we believe in supernatural things, and that's the same thing in their minds as carriages turning into pumpkins at 12:00. How do we hold to one thing and deny the other?

It's interesting, that when you study the new birth (read Piper's new book, I highly recommend it, "Finally Alive") that it is the, if I can use an evolutionary term, "big bang" of all spiritual life. By it is created a new life, a new nature, a new attitude, a new thinking, new desires, new passions, new pursuits, new understanding, new action, new effects; What is not is made to be, by the word of God. The pattern of creation is repeated in the soul of the one who is regenerated, God speaks life into being.

This is miraculous in the literal sense of the word. It's not like saying, "oh, I got saved from being run over a bus, that was miraculous." That's not literally a miracle, the laws of nature were at work (unless you were saved by teleportation or the like), and it safe to say that how you were saved from that bus can be naturally explained - cause and effect. Of course God was involved, but he didn't need to supersede the laws he created for you to be saved from the bus. The new birth is a technical miracle in the literal sense since the laws of nature cannot account for it. How a rebellious, determined sinner becomes a permanently God-pursuing saint is without satisfactory human explanation. It is, if you want to put it crassly, true magic.

The irony is that the person who reacts against this as "magic" is denying the very thing that he or she needs in order to experience the existence of the thing that he or she denies. Therefore, this is a self-limiting belief system.

I reiterate, it is true that these people are rational, that many of them are attempting an honest pursuit. But their very approach, as I think I have shown, is self-limiting. How do you explain the existence of light to a single blind man but by relating your own experience? If he denies it, because his experience tells him otherwise, you'd call him a fool - but he is undeniably consistent in his own system. But if a million blind men lived together, then all of a sudden their belief that light is a myth takes on a new strength, and becomes a valid belief system. But that doesn't change the truth... no matter how rational their argument. And we should realize the parallel is very much the same. It's just that there are more blind people than light-exposed in the spiritual realm, that is why the power of their belief is so palpable, if misguided.

In this context, it is interesting then, what John says (from John 1):

4 In him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it...
...9 The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him.

The light analogy here is vivid. And I'll relate it to my point. They cannot see the light, therefore they reject the light. And why?

3:19 And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil.

While rationality cannot be denied of those who reject Christ... it all comes back to one thing... their sin keeps them from Christ.

On one hand, it can be very discouraging. But on the other hand is God, who is outside the system, who supersedes it. He is the only one who can and does intervene, and because He is who He is, and because He is who we are not, it is why we are not cowed in the face of an onslaught by the blind Richard Dawkinses of the world. For we can face the onslaught with a secret smile, knowing, that just by one word by the Lord whom he denies, Richard Dawkins would bow His knee and come to love Jesus, who is the one true Lord and eternal life. It is not for us to cause the change, and this is good news both for both the Richard Dawkinses and those who preach Christ to him.

We don't need to "save" Christ as Deepak Chopra so snarkily puts it. We just preach Him, and He does the saving.

So stand strong, in Christ.

Not too little, not too great

Hence it is necessary that Christians contend on both sides against the devil and their own flesh. For when they begin to repent and would gladly become different people, then they first feel the devil's influence, how he excites, hinders and controls them, so that they make no progress, but remain in their old state, etc. Again, if they cannot prevent this, and in spite of the devil turn to God and call upon him, he will attack them with weak courage and cowardice. First, he makes sin so very small, and puts them so far beyond the reach of the eyes and hearts of men, that men may despise them and not desire grace, or they put off repentance. Then on the contrary, he makes sin really too great, as he can blow a fire from a spark greater than heaven and earth, so that it will again be difficult to lay hold of forgiveness, or to bring into his heart the words: "God be thou merciful to me!" Thus indeed it is and will continue to be a great art, and we may well take this publican as our example, our teacher and doctor, and learn of him, and call upon God that we may also obtain the end of our faith.

Martin Luther, The Publican & The Pharisee

Amen. All that is left is for me to say, "God be merciful to me, a sinner".

Super Size Me

Fair or not fair, whether too simplistic or unbalanced, I think some great points are made. This is the entire movie.