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Showing posts from 2010

Bifrost Arts inspires some reflections on music and worship

I did a Sunday School class this summer on worship using John Frame's book called "Worship in Spirit and in Truth". It was a good class but in the end, I felt like I was just starting. My musical training is that I learned to read music by playing the saxophone in a school band. I later learned to sing music in a church choir. My music is really tied to the notes on the page and I really miss it, but I am not really sure how to reconnect with my music. I do find myself singing more for meaning in church these days, but I am still on a quest for more of God in worship which includes music but also prayer, Scripture reading, preaching and the sacraments. I just want more of God. Tomorrow is a day of worship. Bifrost Arts from josh franer on Vimeo .

SMS [Shine] - David Crowder Band

Shine -

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P8cAU475dQo

Tim Keller on WHAT’S SO GREAT ABOUT THE PCA

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I'm working on my paper on preaching sin in a postmodern age. I ran across this article by Tim Keller on the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA). His main point seems to be that the PCA is pluralistic. Really. Not pluralistic in the sense of there being no truth but in the sense that the Reformed tradition brings the emphasis from a lot of different perspectives. A paragraph that caught my attention: The best systematic theologies (here I’m thinking particularly of Herman Bavinck’s) are conscious of how the doctrinalist, pietist, and culturalist impulses all grow out of the same basic Reformed theological soil. The richness of Reformed theology inevitably inspires vigorous evangelism and sound doctrine; subjective spiritual experience and the ‘great objectivities’ of the sacraments; building the church and serving in society; creative cultural engagement and rootedness in historic tradition. In actual practice, however, these emphases are very difficult to combine in a local

Can You Legislate Morality?

The following is a partial thread on a discussion on the question, "Can you legislate morality?" My original position stated that we can't help but legislate morality. That is explained further in my response to Steve W. Personally think that the law is, from a pragmatic stance, more effective at encouraging good behavior than prohibiting poor choices. The bad moral choices, I've found, tend to be dissuaded by community opinion, not by law--more people refrained from drunkenness because their neighbors disapprove than because of prohibition, for example. I do agree that the law always has a moral component to it, but on the whole, I'm an advocate of shame (public opinion) rather than punishment as a restraint on human evil. -- Steve W. Steve, As I look at your post, I appreciate your nuanced thoughts, and I do agree with the idea that shame can bring a restraint on individuals in a society. I'm posting my response in my blogspot account since it i

O For a Thousand Tongues To Sing by Charlies Wesley

O for a thousand tongues to sing My great Redeemer’s praise, The glories of my God and King, The triumphs of His grace! Terry's Comments: Our capacity to praise God does not equal his glory. I'm not sure if Wesley is saying he desires 1,000 different languages or 1,000 organs of speech to praise God. Either way, the human capacity to praise God is only giving partial glory to the wondrous God. My gracious Master and my God, Assist me to proclaim, To spread through all the earth abroad The honors of Thy Name. Terry's Comments: Since God's glory is so great, we actually need divine assistance to do that proclamation justice. It is not just enough to praise God in the USA or England, every nation of the earth just needs to praise God. Jesus! the Name that charms our fears, That bids our sorrows cease; ’Tis music in the sinner’s ears, ’Tis life, and health, and peace. Terry's Comments: The name of Jesus brings wholeness to our broken soul. He breaks the power o

Pursue Love

I was afforded the opportunity to preach this morning. My church was a blessing to me. The sermon was on 1 Corinthians 13, the love chapter. The sermon can be heard on Sermon Cloud . Follow the link.

The Odes Project

I am going through a iTunes university course on Worship from Liberty University. One of the lecturers mention the " The Odes Project ". It is an interesting look at ancient Christian hymns. Below is an embedded video of Ode 13, there are 42 in all. (Disclaimer: I wish the fellow who did this wonderful reading had not said "the word of the Lord.")

A Mentor

Talking to a friend, we were discussing mentorship and training. I'm on my second internship for ministry that is formal. I have been mentored a number of times in less formal settings and in other formal settings. I see a lot of mentorships fail to meet the development goals. Often they get side tracked. Often people are recruited to be a mentor, but they don't know what to do. They know what a teacher does, but what does a mentor do? So they try to teach and often what they teach are procedures to do a job. In that way people mistake On the Job Training (OJT) for mentoring someone. OJT involves doing tasks that are supervised. A good OJT method is "I do, we do, you do." What that means is that first someone watches the trainer do the task. They talk about it. There is healthy discussion about the task. Then the trainer and the trainee do it together. Lastly the trainer watches the trainee do it. This is good OJT. OJT is training. Mentoring on the ot

Ye Ol' Garden

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May 28th and we have been eating from our garden a few weeks. It has not been unusual for me to plant the garden after May. Because one does not harvest before he plants, I have never had May crops before. Spring gardening has been fun and I hope I never go back to planting in June. The blackberry (not BlackBerry) hedge is blooming. We have been eating the lettuce and trying to give it away. We have made a couple salads for church. My wife like broccoli but I have never been successful at growing it. Maybe it was the late planting cycles. They seem to like the cool spring. We have peaches starting to form. Our peaches are usually best in a pie and not great slicing peaches. I'm looking forward to cinnamon peach cobbler.

Thoughts on Love Inspired by 1 Cor 13

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Love is valuing someone from the heart. It is recognizing what is special in the other person. Philia love is valuing a friend. Eros is valuing someone with whom you have a romantic relationship or desire to have a romantic relationship. Agape love is valuing someone but there is no apparent benefit to loving the other person, you just see why he or she is special, nifty, and cool. When people talk about unconditional love I think what they mean is love without transactional benefit. Friendship often involves mutual benefit. Romance often assumes mutual benefit. Love that comes from our heavenly Father did not look for a benefit. He sent his One and Only Son into the world when we were his enemies. Love is not merely being polite to someone. It certainly isn't being mean either, but polite is just shy of love. Love goes beyond just treating someone fairly. Love is not merely not being at war with someone. Apathy does not communicate love, it may communicate hate

Integration of Truth and Emotion

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Listening to a speaker this past Thursday at a worship service, I noticed a strange dichotomy articulated. It was the concept that emotions are unreliable and that the Word of God is reliable. The man took the Scripture as factual but saw emotions as unreliable. I would define emotions as responses to one's value judgments. Those value judgments may be misguided or be an accurate assessment of the facts. Certainly one's emotions may be manipulated by others or ourselves. Emotions may also be influenced by one's health and environmental factors. Interactions with others influence one's emotions also. When the Scripture commands one to "love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might", it includes the emotions. An emotionless response to the Word of God would mean that one would fail to embrace the value judgments discussed therein. Worship is meant to engage the whole person. That does not mean one should eng

Great Video from John Piper

Seven Does Follow Six

This morning I was studying Isaiah 7, reading about the prophet asking the unbelieving king to find faith and if he lacked faith that God was willing to give him a miraculous sign. For years I have listened to message that I must pull myself up by my own boot straps, that it all depended upon me for success. If I failed, it would be because I did not try hard enough, I did not work enough, that I was a failure. Indeed, I should work hard. Certainly, I should not give a half effort. Surely, I must try, try again. However, I heard the ancient prophet say to Ahaz, and also whisper to me, "If you are not firm in faith, you will not be firm at all.’” As someone else paraphrased it, "Trust or bust." Ahaz was thinking that he was a clever politician, that he knew what to do. His solution to threats from his northern neighbors was to seek refuge in one of the superpowers of the day. He did not trust so in the end, he was busted. The kingdom was not ripped from his fam

Is the NIV being discontinued?

I'm not sure. What I mean by that is that the issue is not cut and dry. It depends what you consider the essence of the NIV to be. Some helpful links come from the NIV Bible Update website and Zondervan's blog . These sites explain how they are updating the NIV version of the Bible. I believe the question comes down to whether the updates will cause the same issues to resurface that the TNIV brought. I am in a wait and see attitude.

Westminster Confession on One God.

1. There is but one only1 living and true God,2 who is infinite in being and perfection,3 a most pure spirit,4 invisible,5 without body, parts,6 or passions;7 immutable,8 immense,9 eternal,10 incomprehensible,11 almighty,12 most wise,13 most holy,14 most free,15 most absolute,16 working all things according to the counsel of His own immutable and most righteous will,17 for His own glory;18 most loving,19 gracious, merciful, long-suffering, abundant in goodness and truth, forgiving iniquity, transgression, and sin,20 the rewarder of them that diligently seek Him;21 and withal, most just, and terrible in His judgments;22 hating all sin,23 and who will by no means clear the guilty.24 See also: WLC 7 | WSC 4 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1 Deut. 6:4; 1 Cor. 8:4,6. 2 1 Thess. 1:9; Jer. 10:10. 3 Job 11:7,8,9; Job 26:14. 4 John 4:24. 5 1 Tim. 1:17. 6 Deut. 4:15,16; John 4:24; Luke 24:39. 7 Acts 14:11,15. 8 James 1:17; Mal. 3:6. 9 1 Kings 8:27

Strange Punishment in Genesis 4: Mercy Given to the First Murderer

Cain spoke to Abel his brother. And when they were in the field, Cain rose up against his brother Abel and killed him. Then the LORD said to Cain, "Where is Abel your brother?" He said, "I do not know; am I my brother's keeper?" And the LORD said, "What have you done? The voice of your brother's blood is crying to me from the ground. And now you are cursed from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother's blood from your hand. When you work the ground, it shall no longer yield to you its strength. You shall be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth." Cain said to the LORD, "My punishment is greater than I can bear. Behold, you have driven me today away from the ground, and from your face I shall be hidden. I shall be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me." Then the LORD said to him, "Not so! If anyone kills Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold."

New Year with the Daily Audio Bible

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I make goals for the year, as you may know, I don't really prefer to do resolutions for the New Year. As a part of spiritual growth work out plan, I have made it a goal to listen to the Daily Audio Bible . It is not my intention to listen to it everyday. I think that would be too lofty of a goal since I am going to be reading the Bible for myself too. So if I can get some DAB in two or three times a week, I think that would be great. I encourage you to consider checking out this resource. Five Reason the DAB is Cool! 1. Brian reads from the heart. 2. You get a new version of the English Bible each week. 3. Hearing it read gives you a different perspective from reading it from the page. 4. It is prayerfully pursued. 5. It really is about being a part of the Christian family. You can get to DAB via their website, iTunes, and many other ways. Check them out.