Life Here and There

I’ve always believed in an age of accountability for sin. Children and babies who die don’t go to hell, period, and John Piper does a wonderful job of explaining why in ultra-simple terms.

I don’t write too many blog posts that are negative in tone, but I’m not afraid to sound out a warning against something dangerous or offensive to the glory of God. The prosperity gospel is just that – it’s dangerous and it’s offensive to the Author of redemption. Al Mohler describes it more eloquently that I, but we feel the same.

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I said a couple of days ago, and in our midweek Bible study, that one of the hardest things I deal with is not being able to help or repair broken situations. It’s not in me, but it is in the power of God to do so. Nonetheless, there are times I face a question I just can’t answer for one who is suffering, and this one is common, “My spouse doesn’t love me.”

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For the record, I’m not a Calvinist. For the record, I’m not threatened by Calvinism and some of my greatest heroes are/were Calvinists (W. A. Criswell, Charles Spurgeon, George Whitefield). And for the record, I’m definitely not an Arminianist either.

If you haven’t heard, Time Magazine has declared “New Calvinism” to be third on it’s list of 10 world-changing movements. (Mark Driscoll explains the differences between old and new Calvinism. I like Mark Driscoll, John Piper, and Al Mohler, all of whom the article names as leading voices among modern Calvinists who definitely have a heavy influence in modern evangelical thinking.

I don’t want to use this post (or the comments) to debate the theological issue of Calvinism itself. Rather I wanted to offer some of my own personal reflections on this movement in the form of what I appreciate about it and what annoys me. Feel free to disagree. I’ve already said I will love you anyway.

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John Piper has written a post with 4 of the most powerful and difficult questions any President could potentially have to answer in defense of abortion. I know that many Christians are struggling with this question and I wanted to pass on the link here on my blog. So check out his brief article.

John Piper posted a great article about the Christian’s attitude toward voting. I love the fact that voting, though an important privilege, doesn’t ultimately determine eternal outcomes – evangelism and worship do. Voting is not the end-all, be-all of our approach to impacting culture. Read for yourself…

Let Christians Vote As Though They Were Not Voting :: Desiring God Christian Resource Library.

Hey fellow Pastors, I’ve been writing my own blog since 2005. I’ve recently passed the 300 article mark and consisently receive a good number of visits via various search engines and other incoming links. It’s been a fun way to reflect on life, Scripture, culture, family, and everything in between. Here’s a link to a great article on John Piper’s blog on why every Pastor ought to have a blog.

The easiest way to get started is with a blogger blog, though I’d highly recommend WordPress as the ultimate blogging platform. You can use the free, hosted solution at WordPress.com or I’d be happy to host your blog for you (and handle some backend issues like email, upgrades, etc.) for a minimal hosting charge – just contact me if you’re interested.

“O taste and see that the Lord is good:blessed is the man that trusteth in him.O fear the Lord, ye his saints: for there isno want to them that fear him.” –Psalm 34:8-9

Fruit is best when it is fresh and ripe. Imagine crossing the Sahara desert for a week with little to drink and coming to the African coast where someone offers you a nice, freshly peeled California navel orange, ready for you to sink your teeth into. God invites us to “taste” and see that He is “good.”

One of my favorite quotes is from John Piper, “He is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him.” Little in our world truly satisfies. The refreshment the world has to offer is fleeting at best. God invites all of creation to taste Him, to get to know Him, to experience His sweet fellowship.

Then God invites us deeper. It may seem strange that fearing the Lord follows tasting the Lord in this passage. But that’s usually our approach. As mere spiritual infants in a newfound faith, we innocently explore the sweetness of His loving Fatherhood. But as our knowledge of Him and His Word grows, so does our sense of awe and wonder. Though His size never changes, our perspective of Him grows, as does our amazement. Feast today on His goodness, trust him fully, stand in awe of Him and you’ll never be hungry again!