Hollow and Deceptive Philosophies

Colossians 2:8 gives us a strong command ("See to it") to guard ourselves against worldviews and thinking patterns not grounded in Jesus Christ:

"See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ."

There is a lot of good advice and counsel available in this world. There are also many false teachers who are skilled at persuasive rhetoric.

Here is our guide, then: If the instruction does not have Christ at the center, then it as best hollow, and may well be deceptive.

Looking at financial advice for what to do with your 401K, or counsel for guiding your teenager through difficult years, or instruction about pursuing additional education? Prayerfully ask if Christ is at the center. If not, it may be still be useful, but it is hollow.

Be Done with Opinion Polls

I'm done with opinion polls. I can hardly believe how prevalent they have become in our news media; they're frequently cited now in newspapers, radio, and TV news.

I encourage you to be done with them, too.

Here's why: paying attention to opinion polls fosters a greater willingness to let your convictions be established or changed by what other people say and think. (Actually, more dangerous than that -- what is reported that other people think and say.)

We need to be men of God, focusing our attention on God, and drawing our beliefs and convictions from God.

Fighting the Temptation to Be Lazy

I love Perry Noble's counsel here for leaders (applies to leadership in the home as well as church and community):

“Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, A WORKMAN…”
One of the biggest temptations for a leader is to become lazy and the begin to expect God to do what HE has clearly commanded the leader to do.
It is my responsibility as a leader to make sure I am prepared to preach God’s Word every Sunday.
It is my responsibility as a leader to make sure that I am growing in my faith and in my leadership abilities.
It is my responsibility as a leader to work hard, to put time, effort and energy into the things God has called me to lead.
One of the most dangerous things a leader can do is put their leadership on cruise control. God didn’t call us to cruise…He called us to create…and that ONLY comes through us being willing to roll up our sleeves and WORK HARD.

How Religious Is Your State?

While this analysis of the religious across the United States is interesting, I'm concerned that people will draw the wrong conclusions.

The article does not give us the survey questions, or how the sampling was done, so I have to be immediately on guard. Surveys are extremely difficult to do well, and intrepretation must be cautious.

Our news media have "trained" us to love surveys and use the results to drive decisions. This is a dangerous direction.

In this case, if you live in one of the "Bible belt" states, are you supposed to feel superior and smug? Complacent about witnessing about Jesus? (There remain not-yet believers around you.)

If you live in a more "secularized" state, are you supposed to be envious of your brothers and sisters elsewhere? Or take more pride that you're in a mission field and they aren't?

The issue boils down to this: Do you know Jesus yourself? What are you doing {today!} as a disciple of Jesus? Whom are you influencing and for whose glory?

Three Rules for Success in Business

When I left academia and took a position with a large corporation, my father gave me his "three rules for success in business." They are

1. Always tell the truth

2. As far as #1 allows, make your boss look good

3. Always be very nice to the receptionists and secretaries, because they can choose not to help you.

More than 15 years of experience in that corporation has proved the wisdom of these three rules!

God Is Not Procrastinating

Have you ever considered how long God waits between the big milestone points of history? Adam and Eve sin in the Garden of Eden. Four thousand years later God sends His son Jesus. The Church has now been waiting another two thousand years for the second coming of King Jesus, looking forward to the new heaven and new earth.

In the human perspective, long delays usually mean something is hard to accomplish. And we tend to procrastinate rather than tackle hard things, don’t we?

God is not procrastinating.

We learn from the Bible that God’s timing is perfect (though we may not understand it). For example, God the Father sends His son Jesus in the “fullness of time” (see Galatians 4:4) – when the time is right.

Fixing what is wrong with the world is not going to be difficult for God. To illustrate this, read what will happen to Satan:

“And I saw an angel coming down out of heaven, having the key to the Abyss and holding in his hand a great chain. He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil, or Satan, and bound him for a thousand years. 3He threw him into the Abyss, and locked and sealed it over him…”

(Revelation 20:1-3) Note the ordinariness of this account. It’s one angel who does this – not an army, not a super-special hero angel, not even a named angel. (Let’s call him “Bob.”) There is no spectacular fight, no massive resistance, and no doubt that one angel is adequate to do the job. There is no evidence that this unnamed angel gets a medal of commendation for service “above and beyond the call of duty.”

Take encouragement from this, and enlarge your confidence that our God is able and will set everything right – in the fullness of time. This hope helps us endure all things as ministers of reconciliation and grace to people in darkness.

Weighing the Alternatives

I've written before that Christians should be, and must be, the best thinkers on the planet. A common perception of Christians is that we're dogmatists and dittoheads, rather than thinkers.

One of the most important skills you can develop in yourself (yes, you can really do this), and foster in your family, is the ability to weigh the merits and problems of multiple perspectives.

If you like an idea, practice thinking through the alternatives. If you a critical of an idea, practice thinking through the alternatives.

When you are thinking through and through, remember:
* We are not intrinsically good people, but sinners.
* We are not intrinsically logical or rational beings (though we excel at rationalizing)
* Cause and effect are rarely close in time and space.
* We have biases and filters which make it difficult to see clearly all aspects of complex problems
* This world is not our home. We live in Babylon, which will only be fully transformed when Christ comes again.
* We are the created, not the Creator

The Two Biggest Drivers of Human Behavior

To ponder:

"The two biggest drivers of human behavior are the desire for
significance and contribution." -- Frank Kern

Listening to The Word

Eugene Peterson advocates lectio divina, a process of listening to God's Word as poetry, allowing it to seep into our souls.

He rightly points out that we can slip into Bible study as an autopsy on a dead thing, dissecting and probing to find out how the mechanics work.

I loved this section:

"In the last class I taught at Regent, a young woman came up to me and was very irritated.

"Dr. Peterson," she said, "three times during the lecture you did not say anything for twenty seconds. I know because I timed you. I'm from Hong Kong. In Hong Kong, teachers go: Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! I want my money's worth."

We're going to have people like that, people who want very polished and efficient teaching. But when I see people in my congregation taking notes during the sermon, I stop and say, "Put your pencils away. I want you to listen. Listen to the Word of God. It's not something for you to figure out; it's something for you to respond to."

The whole interview is good. What can you do today to listen to the living Word, and help others do so also? It might mean less polish, more depth, more effectiveness.

Chess, Religion, and Living Under Grace

I loved chess as a young person, and every few years I dust off some of my chess books and think again and play a few games. I taught my children how to play, because I firmly believed it was a good avenue to think constructively more than one move ahead. (My observation is simple: if more humans thought "more than one move ahead" in their decisions in life, we'd suffer many fewer problems!)

So I was delighted to read this short essay by Michael Spenser (aka, "the Internet Monk") comparing his love of chess, religion, and life in the kingdom of God. Excerpt:

"Chess is a very unforgiving game, especially against any competent player. If you want to know what I mean, set your chess computer to the level of anything above an amateur and see what happens to you if you play anything less than perfection.

Chess isn’t a game for blunderers and people who make serious errors. You can tell a computer to take it all back, but after years of making the same mistakes, that sort of cheap grace doesn’t go very far in making a real player.

I’m not mentally equipped to play the game well. My ability to concentrate is sporadic. My mind works with multiple topics and makes quick judgments. I see my own actions, but rarely calculate consequences with any real accuracy. My move always seems like the best move. I like to believe that my errors will be overlooked, and of course, that’s never the case.

So I have a house full of nice chess sets and books. I can keep a game going while I’m working on other things. (I’m getting cooked right now by Sigma Chess.) I can teach the game, appreciate the game, tell you stories about great chess players. But I’m a very poor player and always will be.

Sound familiar? Anyone?

I know a lot about Jesus. I have a lot of books about him. I know stories about great Christians. I’m a very good teacher of the basics of Christianity. I’m great at explaining how to get started. I have all the standard information memorized.

I study the Bible, and I know it well. I teach it and I can answer most of your questions. I think I’m right most of the time, too. (Surprised?)

I enjoy the music, the worship, the fellowship, the discussion. I can play the songs. I can lead in prayer and preach a good sermon. I like liturgy, church history, reformation theology…even Christian blogs.

I’m an educated minister, a trained amateur theologian and a writer with a decent reputation. I have a lot of mail saying I’ve been helpful to people wanting to live this Christian life. I’ve tried to pass my faith on to my children and to live it out at home.

But, like chess, living out the life of a disciple can a very unforgiving business. I blunder, make wrong moves, throw away opportunities and live by a double standard. God can’t point at me with any pride and say “There’s someone doing it right.”

I’m just not very good at following Jesus. I’m a “poor player.” I collect the stuff, the stories and the information. I hang around and admire, even hope to imitate. But I’m not much of a player at living out this Jesus business.

I’m better than the beginners, but I’m nowhere near the saints. I have a lot of “know” and very little “do” in my Christianity. I’m more of a fan than a follower.

Of course, religion is like chess. The Kingdom of God, thankfully, is not."

Read the whole essay, and be encouraged.

Postmodern Economics

Gene Veith comments on the US congress passing the stimulus bill. Here is his critical insight: “Note the postmodernism of all of this: What we have done to truth we are now doing to economics.”

That is worth pondering. There apparently are no absolute economic truths. Having speculated on these things, and made the bet, now we will have to see what results from the experiment.

Who Was St. Valentine?

Happy Valentine's Day to all! Make it special for someone!

Here's a useful article about the [sometimes confusing] history of St. Valentine and how we arrived at this traditions of this holiday.

How Far Did Jonah Walk in Whale-Vomit Clothes?

A good friend dropped me a note encouraging me to try BibleMap.org. Here's his hilarious excerpt:

"Need to know where Jesus went when He was in Gadara or how far Jonah had to walk in whale-vomit clothes when he finally went to Ninevah? This tool is better than any Bible Atlas and sure beats the heck out of the maps in the back of your Bible! And no wonder; it actually harnesses the power of Google Maps! Try it out here: http://www.biblemap.org/ "

It is a fun and easy tool. Just put in the book of the Bible and chapter, all the place names are linked to a Google map. The interactivity makes it more interesting for working with others, too -- like your kids.

About "The Shack"

I'm asked about once a week for my thoughts on the controversial book, "The Shack."

I haven't read it. It's not in my reading pile. I might read it someday, but right now I'm compelled to read lots of other books and articles.

You can find pro and con reviews all over the Internet. This may be the most helpful review I've seen, so I 'm going to steer you there. I have high regard for the folks at Stand to Reason.

Being Wise about Creation Care

My friend Kevin Nelstead points us to "21 Reasons that Evangelicals Don't 'Get' Creation Care."

There are helpful insights there. I'm guilty of some of this, at least.

There are serious ditches on both sides of a wise road here. For example, the Swiss constitution "requires respect for “the dignity of creation when handling animals, plants and other organisms.” Sound ok until you learn about the laws created out of their stance:

"Now their parliament has decreed that Swiss goldfish, too, must be treated with dignity. And not because they are gold, but because they are fish. Beginning in September, a new law will set rigorous standards for the treatment of all “social animals.” Swiss aquariums must have an opaque side to allow the fish to live in a natural cycle of day and night. It will also be an offense to keep a lone goldfish, guinea pig, or budgerigar."

And they appear to be moving on to laws protecting plants, as well.

Part of this is obviously that we, being imperfect but sincere humans, can't help but build up bodies of law to control (fix?) what are really problems of the heart. Animal cruelty is wrong, but some of the applications of animal cruelty laws become ridiculous. Especially when human beings don't always qualify as animals.

I appreciate Kevin bringing the importance of Creation care to my attention. I need that, to avoid the ditch. I need God's wisdom and a transformed heart to avoid the ditches on both sides of the road!

Going off TV

Michael Spenser writes a humorous article about going off network or cable TV, or as he puts it, "preparing to meet the void." He and his wife will still have DVDs and Netflix and their fast internet connection (he has to get his baseball games somehow!).

I suspect this will actually be a trend we will see amplified.

It's not a bad one.

When Atheists Gather

Leslie Sillars gives us "Our Smear Campaign," a biting and hilarious psuedo-letter written by an atheist to fellow atheists. It's in the same spirit as The Screwtape Letters. Brilliant!

Insights from Jeremiah 29 on the Culture War

David Van Drunen recommends those of us deeply concerned about the problems of American culture to study Jeremiah 29.

"Two extremes they were to avoid. First, they were not to shun involvement in pagan Babylonian culture. Second, they were not to become so involved that they lost sight of their true destiny or the true destiny of Babylon. Instead, they were to do their various cultural tasks, building homes, planting farms, raising families, while all along recognizing the temporary and limited nature of the work they did."

"So many who are on the front lines speak as if America once was in some manner the Promised Land and that the culture war has been engaged recently to restore America to that position it once held. Such talk is not only remarkably short-sighted but also theologically untenable. America never was paradise, never will be paradise, and the culture war is not some recently begun phenomenon which will terminate anywhere short of the supernatural intervention of Christ's coming. If we choose political tactics in fighting the culture war, then we should be prepared to keep using them indefinitely, because the political challenges to our cultural dreams will never die.

However, this is not to say that we as Christians should not participate in the culture war, and it does not mean that all the methods or goals of those on the frontlines of the culture war are wrong. Not at all. God commanded the people in Jeremiah 29 to seek the peace and prosperity of the city in which they lived, and this applies to us as well. We know that a nation with increasing numbers of cocaine-addicts, abortions, thefts, child-abuse cases, illiterates, etc., etc., will not retain desirable levels of peace and prosperity for long. Therefore we do have an obligation to do things which will, if not eliminate such things, at least substantially reduce their rate of occurrence. The peace and prosperity of our society, not to mention our personal peace and prosperity, depend on it. And the political sphere certainly is one of the institutions of culture which will make its indelible stamp on the peace and prosperity of the society. Christians therefore should have an interest in the political process when their form of government allows it, as ours does. To turn our backs on politics would mean to turn our backs in part to the command of God to seek the peace and prosperity of our nation. We may debate amongst ourselves which political positions to promote and how much emphasis should be given to the political process, but the interest and involvement in politics which we see among the "religious right" is in itself a good thing. But, it must always be accompanied by the realization that we are participating in the politics of Babylon. What should we hope to gain by our cultural, including political, activity? Only a relatively better life for society, ourselves, and our children in the years to come than what we would otherwise face. We seek not the destruction of our enemies, but simply a modestly better society which in the future will face exactly the same kinds of threats and require the same sort of opposition. Perhaps we can turn America back to the culture of the 1950's. But the 1960's will always follow."

Read the whole article (6 pages). Recommended.

Change the World Through Your Tribe

Seth Godin's book Tribes is excellent. I think Christian men, and Christian leaders, should read it.

If you don't want to read it, check out this video interview to whet your appetite, and get some insights.



HT: Matt Perman

Making A Way Forward for Victory

Another insight from reading "The Victors," by Stephen Ambrose.

The Royal Winnipegs (a Canadian group, all volunteers) landed at Sword Beach on D-Day. The Germans had presighted machine gun firing lines and were pouring murderous fire on a platoon as they approached a roll of barbed wire and a strip of land mines. The strategy to get through the wire was to use a bangalore torpedo to blow a gap through the wire, and then they could run forward to attack the machine gun positions. The Royal Winnipegs had already lost many men getting to the wire; it was a death zone. The only hope of survival was to move forward off that beach.

The torpedo failed to explode. Machine gun fire continued to pour on their position. There were no other torpedos available.

One of the soldiers [Ambrose does not list his name] threw himself facedown on the wire so that others could cross on his back to safety.

There's a great illustration here for us. Jesus fell upon the cross to make a way for us, his physical body reconciling us to God. (See Colossians 1:21-22)

We are ambassadors for Christ, living for His greater purposes, putting others ahead of our own interests, extending ourselves and suffering that others might live. What barbed wire do we need to fall on so others have an escape, our very bodies creating a safe path? What obstacles and difficulties must we flatten so others can move forward out of certain death?

Eisenhower on Leadership

Another insight from reading "The Victors," by Stephen Ambrose.

In the weeks leading up to D-Day, Dwight D. Eisenhower wrote this to his son at West Point: "The one quality that can be developed by studious reflection and practice is the leadership of men."

Later, in the introduction to his memoirs, Eisenhower wrote:

"Optimism and pessimism are infectious and they spread more rapidly from the head downward than in any other direction. The habit [of a cheerful and hopeful attitude] tends to minimize potentialities within the individual himself to become demoralized. It has the most extraordinary effect upon all with whom he comes into contact. With this clear realization, I firmly determined that my mannerisms and speech in public would always reflect the cheerful certainty of victory -- that any pessimism and discouragement I might ever feel would be reserved for my pillow. I adopted a policy of circulating through the whole force to the full limit imposed by physical considerations. I did my best to meet everyone from general to private with a smile, a pat on the back and a definite interest in his problems."

These are key lessons for leadership in our families, churches, neighborhoods, and businesses. They must be learned and put into practice! These are exactly the times which call for a cheerful and hopeful attitude -- and with our security resting in Christ Almighty, we should be cheerful and hopeful.

Runners Are Targets

I'm rereading a terrific book about D-Day and the redemption of France from Nazi occupation, titled "The Victors," by Stephen Ambrose. He interviewed hundreds of survivors of these battles and shares their stories and perspectives. It's amazing and humbling to read what these young men accomplished.

Because radio communications were sometimes poor, or were not secure, men were assigned to carry messages to forward positions, or between forward positions. This became the most hazardous job in the infantry: every enemy soldier spotting a runner would immediately begin shooting at them. Disrupting communication was key. Runners were automatic targets and bullet magnets. (Allied forces acted the same towards German runners.)

As we carry the Gospel message in battle zones -- and make no mistake, you are in one now -- you will be a target. You're going to be shot at. Don't be surprised by this! Be confident that our Great Commander King Jesus protects us and does not abandon us.

I'll post more from this book soon.

Education is Not...

"Education is not the same as school." -- Seth Godin

"Education is by definition an inefficient process." -- Howie Smith

Ponder these...and pursue education.

150 Years of OoS

Charles Darwin published his book, Origin of Species 150 years ago. You'll probably see lots of press about this, and watch for another round of related stories (such as self-replicating RNA molecules that might be the beginning of life).

I recommend Christians take care before slamming all aspects of evolution. As Marvin Olasky points out, we have no fundamental arguments against microevolution, genetic change within a species. It is good to engage with Darwinists about the meaning of life, because they work very hard to add that context to their worldview.

Keep in mind, too, that Charles Darwin was himself a complicated individual, with many influences in his life. Most of the people I have met who pontificate about evolution have never actually read Origin of Species, and don't realize how much has been added to evolutionary thought that is not in Darwin's book at all. Darwin based his ideas on natural selection of superior individuals in populations, and how this would change the gene pool for that population over time. He did extrapolate with some major leaps of insight to suggest this could account for speciation (developing new kinds of animals).

Facebook

I have not joined the ranks of Facebook. Sometimes I think I should, and then I hesitate and pull back from the precipice.

A friend pointed out this Newsweek article by Steve Tuttle, and I laughed out loud and said "amen!"

NBC Banned This Commercial

Apparently NBC banned this commercial by a Catholic pro-life group from being played during the SuperBowl. So of course it's getting a lot of attention on YouTube :-)




I can understand why some would take this as a slam against President Obama, but his autobiographies support the facts they used to make their point -- we utterly lack the wisdom to say that what great contributions could come from any particular baby.

The Bible is Clear

I'm amazed at how many people I've heard say, "Oh, the Bible is hard to understand and confusing."

Yes, the Bible has depth will will never exhaust. Yes, there is breadth. Yes, there are aspects of God's power, majesty, might, and ways that we barely comprehend. Yes, God's crummy enemy seeks to confuse people and blind their eyes to the truth of the Gospel message.

But the key messages of the Bible are plain, even to not-yet believers. As Mark Twain said, "It's not the things that I don't understand about the Bible that bother me."

So as a husband and father you need to build confidence in the Word -- for yourself and especially for your family. Read this short blog post by Peter Mead to reinforce this in your heart and mind.

Even A Dim Bulb Lights Up the Darkness

“The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world.” (John 1:9)
“You are the light of the world.” (Matthew 5:14)

Believers in Jesus Christ are (not will be, or could be, but are) the light of the world, because Jesus is the true light.

The world is full of spiritual darkness. We should not be surprised at this, for the Bible tells us it has been and will be so (though not forever). We should not despair at this fact, either, but be strengthened with all God’s power (Colossians 1:29) and living intentionally to honor the Lord as we love others.

The human eye is exquisitely sensitive to light. If you were in a completely dark space, you could see a lit match 90 miles away.

Think about the night light in your hallway or child’s bedroom. A dinky 2 watt bulb is more than ample to keep you from stumbling even when half-asleep. Even a dim bulb lights up the darkness, and the darkness cannot overcome it!

“I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness.” (John 12:46)

Our Lord Jesus, the persistent rescuer reaching out to save all mankind, uses each of us to help light up dark places and let people see Him in us.

Do not be concerned if you feel your “wattage” is too small for the scope of the darkness. Do not underestimate what God can do to boost your wattage and the transforming light of Christ in you. Let us be deeply thankful that God has given us the light of Christ, and shine more brightly that everyone around us may see Jesus, and worship Him.

Our View of Jesus Christ Cannot Be Too Big

Axiom: Our view of Jesus Christ cannot be too big. Read this passage from Colossians 1 aloud and be awed, humbled, and encouraged:

"We look at this Son and see the God who cannot be seen. We look at this Son and see God's original purpose in everything created. For everything, absolutely everything, above and below, visible and invisible, rank after rank after rank of angels—everything got started in him and finds its purpose in him. He was there before any of it came into existence and holds it all together right up to this moment. And when it comes to the church, he organizes and holds it together, like a head does a body.

He was supreme in the beginning and—leading the resurrection parade—he is supreme in the end. From beginning to end he's there, towering far above everything, everyone. So spacious is he, so roomy, that everything of God finds its proper place in him without crowding. Not only that, but all the broken and dislocated pieces of the universe—people and things, animals and atoms—get properly fixed and fit together in vibrant harmonies, all because of his death, his blood that poured down from the cross.

You yourselves are a case study of what he does. At one time you all had your backs turned to God, thinking rebellious thoughts of him, giving him trouble every chance you got. But now, by giving himself completely at the Cross, actually dying for you, Christ brought you over to God's side and put your lives together, whole and holy in his presence. You don't walk away from a gift like that! You stay grounded and steady in that bond of trust, constantly tuned in to the Message, careful not to be distracted or diverted. There is no other Message—just this one. Every creature under heaven gets this same Message. I, Paul, am a messenger of this Message"

10 Things Only Women Understand

1. Cats’ facial expressions.
2. The need for the same style of shoes in different colors.
3. Why bean sprouts aren’t just weeds.
4. Fat clothes.
5. Taking a car trip without trying to beat your best time.
6. The difference between beige, ecru, cream, off-white, and eggshell.
7. Cutting your hair to make it grow.
8. Eyelash curlers.
9. The inaccuracy of every bathroom scale ever made.
10. OTHER WOMEN !!

HT: FamilyMan

Instead of a "Stimulus Package," Let's Try This

Matt Perman expounds on a WJS editorial and lays out good arguments why the proposed stimulus package will not work well. Instead, go for permanent tax cuts to help businesses and increase investments.

I'm in agreement with Matt. Part of our political challenge is the delay interval between enacting tax cuts and seeing results. One of the key principles of system dynamics is that cause and effect are not closely related in time and space.

Over the history of the 19th and 20th centuries we've done all kinds of government and economic experiments (check the histories of Great Britain, Japan, Argentina, France, Russia, and the US for prime examples. There is a body of results to look at for stimulus efforts and it is not pretty. Tax cuts have always worked.

It does no good to say, "Oh, but it's different now with X group in charge." Economic behaviors are derived from fundamental human tendencies -- irrespective of which government is leading or their political philosophy.

Those who argue that tax cuts do not help everyone proportionally have some merit to stand on. There is room for compassion-based approaches, including handouts and help-ups.

One final question: where do people get the idea that the US Federal government has an independent source of money than state governments or companies? I've heard people in Iowa say, "Well, if the Feds won't pay for that we would." Uhm...our taxes and fees are what the Fed uses...

Perspectives on the World Christian Movement

I'm going through the 15 week Perspectives course now. Excellent! This is a college level course on God's work in the world through history, with world-class traveling faculty. I recommend you pursue it when it is available in your area. In the meantime, you can get a lot of good information just from their website.

Lack of Expectation

Martyn Lloyd-Jones provided us with a keen insight about a significant problem: we often have no expectation that God will act as we worship, praise, and serve Him.

"This is Christianity: the Lord appears! Suddenly, in the midst of the drudgery and the routine and the sameness and the dullness and the drabness, unexpectedly, surprisingly, he meets with you and he says something to you that changes the whole of your life and your outlook and lifts you to a level that you had never conceived could be possible for you."

Let us be expectant husbands and fathers, always receptive to our Lord speaking and acting. Let us keep our eyes and hearts open, and our minds attuned that God is always at work (John 5:17)

HT: Between Two Worlds

Countering Abortion

A new US President, our president, has reversed direction on the Mexico City policy . Let us continue to pray for him, and also for the protection of life.

Three good reads:

The President's statement on the 36th anniversary of Roe v. Wade -- and a good point about the question of human rights

Information about the Jewish beliefs and the early Church stands against abortion in the vicious Roman culture

Abraham Lincoln's logic on slavery (which applies to abortion and euthanasia, also)

Christianity is a Verb, Not a Noun

I really appreciated Mark Batterson's view on what's wrong with the Church today:

"I think the modern church has fixated on sins of commission. Don't do this and don't do that and you're alright. But that's not alright. Why? Because goodness is not the absence of badness. You can do nothing wrong and still do nothing right. That is why we're more known for what we're against than what we're for. Christianity was never intended to be a noun. It was meant to be a verb. It is sins of omission, those things we could have, would have, or should have done for the cause of Christ, that grieve our Heavenly Father. We've got to quit playing defense and start playing offense. We need to quit fighting amongst ourselves and start loving our enemies. We need to quit pointing out problems and become part of the solution. Discipleship is so much more than the accumulation of rote knowledge. It's a sanctified imagination that dreams God-sized dreams. It is a heart that breaks for the things that break the heart of God. It's not enough to create our own sub-culture. We desperately need to raise up a generation that feels called to culture-shaping professions as God-ordained vocations. We cannot reduce the gospel to the forgiveness of sins. It's about glorifying God by maximizing our God-given potential and serving our God-ordained purpose. It can't just be about creeds. It's got to be about deeds. It can't just be about us. It's got to be about others. We need the courage to stand up for what's right in a culture where nothing is wrong. But we need to do it in a spirit of humility. We need the courage to incarnate the gospel in creative ways. But we need to do it in a spirit of authenticity. And we need the courage to preach the truth, the whole truth, nothing but the truth. But we need to do it in a spirit of grace."

Two Good Books by a Ranger

I have a friend who is a retired Army Ranger. I've heard some of his stories of what it took through Ranger training -- amazing stuff. My son (12 at the time) commented, "I bet only the baddest and meanest tough guys get through it." This man profoundly influenced my son at a critical age when he responded, "Oh no. They're far too selfish. They wash out early."

I recently read these two books by Chuck Holton about his Ranger experiences and the faith lessons that he absorbed.

A More Elite Soldier

Bulletproof

I appreciated his writing style, the stories, and the faith lessons. These would be good material for a small group of guys to read and discuss. A More Elite Soldier is primarily about Ranger training and his experiences in combat in Panama. Bulletproof is about overcoming fear.

Recommended.

John Piper on the Economic Downturn

John Piper gives some wise counsel on the economic downturn we're experiencing. "It may be bad for our pocketbooks and our egos, but it may not be bad for our souls."

A Man's Prayer

"Do not pray for easy lives, pray to be a stronger man.
Do not pray for tasks equal to your powers, pray for powers equal to your tasks."
-- Phillip Brooks

Add a Bible Search box to Firefox

Firefox (you need version 3) lets you add a Bible search box in the browser! This means that no matter what web page you're looking at, you can immediately search for a Bible passage without first navigating to a special page.

You can get Firefox (free) here. Firefox has many nice features, and feels faster than Internet Explorer. You can have more than one web browser on your PC or Mac at once.

Here is how to set up for searching (takes 1 minute):
1. Open Firefox 3

2. Navigate to a Bible search tool. Both of these work, there may be others you like:
BibleGateway
ESV Bible

3. Find the search bar, which will be on the upper right side of the brower. Click on the small down arrow at the left side of the search bar. Use your mouse to select BibleGateway or ESV. It will look like this:







Another handy site to add to Search is Wikipedia.org. (Just be cautious about trusting Wikipedia articles; most are very good, but cross-check the information you find there against other sources.)


Here is how to use it:

Let's say you are working on something and want to use that reference to "the unfolding of your Word brings light," -- you know it's in Psalms or Proverbs, but don't have that memorized. Or you know it well but prefer to copy/paste it rather than typing it!

Click the down arrow on the search bar and select your Bible search page. Then fill in keywords or a reference (like James 3) in the search box. Press or click on the magnifying glass icon to start the search.

Voila! In a few seconds you have it:

"The unfolding of your words gives light;
it imparts understanding to the simple. (Psalm 119:30)"

This is very slick!

HT: Between Two Worlds

Leaving Behind and Going Forward

Mark Batterson provides some good counsel on transitioning as you discern the will of God for you:

"I thought I'd share one of my litmus tests when it comes to discerning the will of God. I think the will of God is like a double-lock. You need to feel called to something. That's the first lock. But you also need to feel released from where you are or what you're doing. That is the second lock.

Here's where it gets complicated. Feeling called to and released from don't always happen simultaneously. In fact, they rarely do! If you feel called to something, but don't feel released from where you are, then you need to stay put. And God will honor your faithfulness! Where it gets even tougher, emotionally and spiritually, is when you feel released from something, but you don't know what God wants you to do next. It's like spiritual no-man's land. And that is when you need the courage to take a step of faith."

A Simple Way to Keep Up With Blogs

You're busy, and want to maximize the value of your time while staying informed, right? Then stop surfing through your list of favorite blogs and websites to see if there is something new. Subscribe to blogs in feed readers -- and then you'll be notified when there is new content. You'll save a TON of time and be a more efficient reader.

Surprisingly to me, only about 6% of blog readers do this. Let's increase that number!

If you use a feed reader, you can easily subscribe to this blog's content by clicking on the orange RSS icon in the address bar or on the side bar.

If you don’t use a reader, there is still a very easy way for you to keep up with this blog. You can subscribe by email. There is a form on the right side of this blog. Then, each morning the posts from the previous day will be delivered right to your inbox.

And if you don’t use an RSS reader but want to get started with one, Abraham Piper has a very helpful post on how to do that called What is RSS? A Step-by-Step Guide to Google Reader. He provides step by step instructions to seeting up this free tool. Recommended!

Faithy by Proxy? Check the Context

Matt Capps tackles the question about faith by proxy -- the idea that if the head of a household is saved, the whole family would be saved. He looks closely at Acts 11:14; 16:31 and other passages. There's a very nice description of how households actually worked in NT times. Plus you'll pick up some useful tips on interpreting Scripture.

Recommended.

Argue Like Jesus

This new book looks very interesting: How to Argue Like Jesus. I haven't read the book yet, but the free excerpt is very good (get it a their website), and I have great respect for Joe Carter based on his years of blogging at different sites.

Dangers of Intellectual Relativism

Bob Lewis, an IT consultant, wrote recently about intellectual relativism. I think this insight is useful and applies in many areas, not just business decision-making:

"A perennially popular myth has it that trusting your gut is a good idea. It's distinct from, but closely related to a parallel cognitive sin, Intellectual Relativism. The difference: Intellectual relativists consider the use of evidence and logic in making decisions to be futile, where those who trust their guts consider it to be a waste of time....

For the record: Intellectual relativism and gut-based decision-making affect organizations at all levels and sizes, with potentially disastrous results. At the smallest scale they can prevent workgroups from achieving basic competence. At the largest it can drive entire nations to ruin."

I believe we Christians should be the best thinkers on the planet, since we have been given access to the mind of Christ! But our behavior suggests this is far from true...yet.

Starting Point: Old Earth Creation Views

My friend Kevin Nelstead at the GeoChristian blog has a nice post if you'd like to see a starting point for discussion about old earth creation views. It's not only the "new" science in recent times that leads people to think the earth is old, but the biblical text itself.

It hurts when I see brothers and sisters and whole churches dividing over creation accounts. I have strong convictions now, having studied the issues, but will not break fellowship with another believer who does not share my convictions. These are disputable matters -- and dialogue about them should encourage us and actually draw us together, rather than plowing ground for bitter roots to grow.

Like No Other Leadership Book You'll Read

I'm recommending Pete Blabler's new book, "The Mission, The Men, and Me" as a leadership book like no other you're likely to read.



The author recounts leadership lessons he mastered as a Delta Force commander. This is not really book about military battles -- he's focused on the mission planning and leadership responsibilities.

The title comes from some advice he received early in his Army career: The 3 Ms. Mission, then the Men, and then last, Me.

The insight he shares are tremendous for leaders in all kinds of situations, summarized into these pithy aphorisms:

• When in doubt, develop the situation.
• Always listen to the guy on the ground.
• Humor your imagination.
• It's not reality unless it's shared.
• Don't get treed by a chihuahua.

I'll leave it to you to get the book and understand how they engineered the only "Bigfoot" sighting in Bosnia as a means of slowing down a car long enough to capture the wanted war criminal inside.

Good Bible Study Tactics

It's imperative that fathers and husbands be good students of the Word.

Imperative.

There are proven ways to study the Bible that you should know. Reading the text is a first step. Then you need to interact with it!

Go to the page of helps for Donald Whitney's classes at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. Check out the resources under the section titled "Files related to meditation on Scripture" -- terrific stuff here for you:
* Questions to ask as you study a verse or passage -- based on Philippians 4:8 and from Joseph Hall
* Methods of Meditation
* Meditation mapping
* How to organize times of silence and solitude
* Praying through Scripture (alone, or with a group)

I've been experimenting with mind mapping as a way of organizing my thoughts and notes -- very helpful! (If you'd like free software to do this, I recommend FreeMind.)

And here's a free bookmark with the questions to dive into Scripture based on Philippians 4:8 and Joseph Hall.

Recommended!

The study you did yesterday or last year was good. What Bible study will you do today? And how can you teach your children to study the Word?

HT: Between Two Worlds

Instead of "Happy Holidays," Let's Say...

Scott Aughtmon, a church planter in the Redwood City area of California, suggests that instead of saying "Happy Holidays," we could say

"Happy Chris-Kwan-ukkah!"

What a hoot!

Athiest: Africa Needs God

Check out Matthew Paris' remarkable column, "As an Athiest, I Truly Believe Africa Needs God." He testifies to the effectiveness and impact of Christian mission work vs. the secular NGOs and government efforts.

"But travelling in Malawi refreshed another belief, too: one I've been trying to banish all my life, but an observation I've been unable to avoid since my African childhood. It confounds my ideological beliefs, stubbornly refuses to fit my world view, and has embarrassed my growing belief that there is no God.
Now a confirmed atheist, I've become convinced of the enormous contribution that Christian evangelism makes in Africa: sharply distinct from the work of secular NGOs, government projects and international aid efforts. These alone will not do. Education and training alone will not do. In Africa Christianity changes people's hearts. It brings a spiritual transformation. The rebirth is real. The change is good. "

The whole article is worth reading.

Question for us to answer: do the athiests observing the community impact of our lives, and our families, concur with the transforming change -- and call it good?

Developing Leaders -- Would Like Your Help

I'm thinking a lot these days about how to better develop leaders in the church. I find many weaknesses the typical leadership development programs used by business groups. The church needs leaders, and better leaders. We need a holistic framework for developing people, rooted in theology, and anchored in the purpose of glorifying God through serving others.

Peter Drucker pointed out that "We need far too many leaders to depend upon natural talent." So there must be efforts put into developing leaders.

Can you help me out? In the comments below, could you let us know what you see as the need for developing leaders -- at all levels and for all areas -- for ministry? What's working well, what's not? What has helped you develop as a leader (for many of you reading this are indeed leaders now)? What would help you develop more?

If you prefer to email your response to me, send a message to info@teachtochangelives.com

Thanks!

Not Grim Strength but Glory-Strength

"Be assured that from the first day we heard of you, we haven't stopped praying for you, asking God to give you wise minds and spirits attuned to his will, and so acquire a thorough understanding of the ways in which God works. We pray that you'll live well for the Master, making him proud of you as you work hard in his orchard. As you learn more and more how God works, you will learn how to do your work. We pray that you'll have the strength to stick it out over the long haul—not the grim strength of gritting your teeth but the glory-strength God gives. It is strength that endures the unendurable and spills over into joy, thanking the Father who makes us strong enough to take part in everything bright and beautiful that he has for us."
(Colossians 1:9-12, The Message)

Merry Christmas!

Emotional Being, Sometimes Thinking

New Harris poll findings:

"The numbers clearly favor the proverbial Big Man Upstairs: 80 percent say they believe in God; among those who attend church weekly, the number is 98 percent. Three-quarters believe in miracles, 73 percent believe in heaven, 71 percent say Jesus is the Son of God and 71 percent believe in angels, the survey found. Seven out of 10 say Jesus Christ rose from the dead and that the Bible is, all or in part, the "Word of God."

More than two-thirds - 68 percent - believe in the "survival of the soul after death" and would describe themselves as religious. About 62 percent think that hell exists, 61 percent believe in the Virgin Birth and 59 percent say the devil exists.

In contrast, fewer than half - 47 percent - said they believe in Darwin's theory of evolution; a third said they did not believe in it while 22 percent were not sure what they thought. A full 40 percent said they believe in creationism, though the question did not elaborate on exactly what that term meant.

Supernatural phenomena of other kinds attract Americans' attention.

Overall, 44 percent of the respondents said they believe in ghosts, 36 percent say UFOs are real while 31 percent believe in both witches and astrology. About a quarter believe in reincarnation, or "that you were once another person," the survey found." (HT: Gene Veith)

As we work with people (and ourselves!) let us remember something important: We are not essentially thinking people who also have emotions; we are mostly emotional beings who sometimes think.

Let me repeat that, so it sinks in: We are not essentially thinking people who also have emotions; we are mostly emotional beings who sometimes think.

Thinking is a discipline and hard work. Over many years we've developed habits of judgments and inconsistent frameworks as substitute for thinking. (It's easier!) This is why Romans 12:1-2 emphasizes renewal of our minds.

As you teach and work with people, it is rare to find someone who is more persuadable through logic than emotion. Most sales people know that we make buying decisions based on the emotional content of the stories we tell ourselves, and then build up rationale after that to justify our decision.

Doing the Right Thing Even When Out of Synch with Power

Carl Trueman, commenting about evangelicals needing to stand on orthodox biblical doctrine, even when out of synch with the culture and power:

"There's the rub for Christian colleges, seminaries, and denominations: the winds of cultural change on this issue are so strong that they will very quickly expose the strength of the commitment to scripture amongst these various groups. My view? When church leaders, faculty, and the movers and shakers of the evangelical world find themselves excluded from the reputable avenues of power and cultural and professional influence and preferment, then we will see what their doctrine of scripture is really like, whether it really is solid, whether it really shapes their lives, their actions, and their priorities. The question is: will those in positions of authority in the schools, colleges, denomination and seminaries have the backbone to do what is necessary? Will they be willing to consider the reproach of Christ greater than the treasures of Egypt? When the invitations to the Larry King Show dry up, to be replaced by those from Jerry Springer, will they hold the line? I wish I had seen more evidence that that was the case and could be more confident about the future. As Don Carson commented recently, American Christians have yet to wake up to the fact that the gospel really is despised by the world. And I would add: in a culture where everyone seems to need to be liked, affirmed and, above all, agreed with, that realization is going to be very hard and challenging for the evangelical establishment to take on board."

I'm In Love With My Wife

Don't Just Memorize a Verse, but Scripture

Follow this interview and watch the videos of Ryan Ferguson, who memorizes long passages of Scripture, including whole books. His process for memorization is quite interesting -- he doesn't concern himself with the specific verse numbers, for example. I like his emphasis on grasping the meaning as he memorizes.

There's reasonable evidence that in the centuries leading up to Jesus' time, pious Jewish boys would routinely memorize Torah, the 1st five books of the Bible. We obviously have pretty low expectations of kids today.

Honoring Heroes

R. Emmett Tyrrell points out that we often laud NFL stars more than military heroes. Read this account of the group of Green Berets in Afghanistan.

D.A. Carson on Technology

As a Jesus-follower immersed in a world of communication technologies, I appreciated D.A. Carson's insights about technology. He makes a compelling case for watchfulness lest we be pulled too far away from deep reflective time in the Word. He also points out the addictive nature of high-speed communication access to everything from drivel to Gospel:

"Scarcely less important than speed of access is the Internet's sheer intoxicating addictiveness—or, more broadly, we might be better to think of the intoxicating addictiveness of the entire digital world. Many are those who are never quiet, alone, and reflective, who never read material that demands reflection and imagination. The iPods provide the music, the phones constant access to friends, phones and computers tie us to news, video, YouTube, Facebook, and on and on. This is not to demonize tools that are so very useful. Rather, it is to point out the obvious: information does not necessarily spell knowledge, and knowledge does not necessarily spell wisdom, and the incessant demand for unending sensory input from the digital world (says he, as he writes this on a computer for an electronic theological journal) does not guarantee we make good choices. We have the potential to become world citizens, informed about every corner of the globe, but in many western countries the standards of geographical and cross-cultural awareness have seriously declined. We have access to spectacularly useful information, but most of us diddle around on ephemeral blogs and listen to music as enduring as a snowball in a blast furnace. Sometimes we just become burned out by the endless waves of bad news, and decide the best course is to turn the iPod volume up a bit."

Read the whole essay.

Gift Wrapping Tips for Men (humor)

Enjoy a humor break with this hilarious article, "Gift Wrapping Tips for Men."

An excerpt, to whet your appetite:

"If there had been wrapping paper, Matthew would have said so “And lo, the gifts were inside 600 square cubits of paper. And the paper was festooned with pictures of Frosty the Snowman. And Joseph was going to throweth it away, but Mary saideth unto him, she saideth, ‘Holdeth it! That is nice paper! Saveth it for next year!’ And Joseph did rolleth his eyeballs. And the baby Jesus was more interested in the paper than the frankincense.” But these words do not appear in the Bible, which means that the very first Christmas gifts were NOT wrapped. This is because the people giving those gifts had two important characteristics 1. They were wise. 2. They were men."

Quote of the Week

“A fallacy is still a fallacy even it becomes fashionable.” -- GK Chesterton

Pay Attention to This Media Bias

Newspapers and major network television news is pumping out bad economic news right, left, and center.

Something to consider: Newspapers and mainstream media outlets are themselves experiencing the worst of the current economic situation. Major newspapers (the NY Times, the Chicago Tribune, the Miami Herald, and others) are laying off staff and may declare bankruptcy. Ad buys on television are way down.

There are difficult economic markets right now. Some old business models are failing and may collapse entirely. But the US and world economies are not uniformly bad.

Keep in mind that the main reporting on these events have a personal experience bias that could be shaping the way they are reporting them.

Pack the Right Ammo

Heard this yesterday, loved it: “If you’re going to charge hell with a water pistol, make sure it’s loaded with Living Water.”

Explaining Economics to Your Family

Dads, it's YOUR job to explain economics to your family. That's a leadership role, dude. If you don't, they'll be left to figure it out based on the odd bits they pick up from media sources and school and conversations with friends.

Need some help with this?

Two books that you may want to check out:

Whatever Happened to Penny Candy?
Basic Economics

This stuff is NOT too hard to understand.

Mission, then Men, then Me

I haven't read this book, but I love the title and premise:

The Mission, The Men, and Me

His leadership paradigm is that the mission is most important, then his men, and then himself last of all.

We would do well to emulate this pattern: our mission as Jesus-followers, then our families and communities of faith, and lastly ourselves.

But What About David and Jonathan?

Professor Gagnon has put out a detailed, 23 page response to the Newsweek article suggesting that the Bible supports homosexual marriage , which has stirred a lot of attention on all sides of this religious and civic issue (see my earlier post on this).

I appreciated the logic and detail of Professor Gagnon's response. I particularly thought the information about the David/Jonathan relationship was helpful.. He writes "Homosexualist interpretations of David and Jonathan mistake non-erotic covenant/kinship language for erotic intimacy." (You'll need to see his article for more details.) This is one of the more common supporting arguments that I encounter about homosexual love being honored in the Bible.

Recommended.

The False Trinity of Noise, Hurry, and Crowds

Mark Driscoll gives us good counsel about the importance of Silence in our spiritual lives. Addicts to "the false trinity of noise, hurry, and crowds" like me will do well to consider the benefits of silence Driscoll identifies , including

hearing from God (1 Kings 19:11–13)
waiting patiently for the Lord to act (Lamentations 3:25–28)
worshiping God (Habakkuk 2:20)
knowing God better (Psalm 46:10)
praying effectively (Luke 5:16)

Recommended.

Satire on Bailouts

Daniel Henniger's brilliant satire, "The U.S. Says It Will Bail Out Christmas" is worth your reading time. It's very effective, and humbling.

MindMapping Software -- Ramp Up Your Productivity

I'm a fan of mind-mapping software, use it a lot to help me organize my thoughts and plan projects. It's also great for tracking group discussions. My last two books were actually started as elaborate mindmaps, and then I exported the map to a Word outline. There's something empowering about the non-linear format that helps me get a lot of ideas out into usable form.

I paid for MindManager Pro from mindjet.com, because it's worth it to me.

If you'd like to explore Mindmapping software, but aren't ready to spend $ yet, check out these sources:

Wikipedia (compares a bunch of tools, links to all)

Free trial of version 8 (I’m using version 7) of MindManager from Mindjet

I hear good things about FreeMind

There are a number of Youtube videos about Mindmapping if you care to browse those, bur I think a better place to begin is this page at Mindjet.com, "The Power of Visual Thinking," and looking at their gallery of maps.

On Derek Kidner

Derek Kidner recently went home to be with the Lord, at age 95. His commentary on the Psalms and Proverbs has been influential on me. For example, here is his succinct insight about Psalm 127:

"Those children who will be a quiverful are often first a handful."

I absolutely loved reading this excerpt from his funeral oratory. May we all be men of whom others would honor this way!

Responding to Newsweek on Homosexual Marriage

The recent Newsweek article, purportedly a true Biblical response about loving homosexuals and supporting homosexual marriage, is really disturbing.

Men, be prepared to respond in dialogue with proponents of homosexual marriage. Be prepared to help your families think through the issues. This is a key issue of our day.

Go here for a terrific 30 minute video presentation by Professor Robert Gagnon. Great presentation, far better than the usual "lite" presentation.

Event Scheduling Made Simpler

If you're trying to figure when a bunch of people could get together, you might want to try Doodle. Pretty slick.

Praying Hard and Working Hard

Epaphras is an outstanding model of lay leadership. Listen as his mentor, Paul, describes him:

“Epaphras, who is one of you and a servant of Christ Jesus, sends greetings. He is always wrestling in prayer for you, that you may stand firm in all the will of God, mature and fully assured. I vouch for him that he is working hard for you and for those at Laodicea and Hierapolis.” -- Colossians 4:12-13

Three things characterize Epaphras here:

1. He is one of you and a servant of Jesus
2. He is always wrestling in prayer
3. He is working hard

Epaphras is identified with the Colossians, and is a servant of Jesus. There is much to think about here, but I will save that for another time.

Epaphras prays hard. “Wrestling” in prayer is active, and aggressive. It’s not a milquetoast, wimpy attitude of prayer.

I encourage you to use this model prayer for the people around you:

That each would stand firm (not sit weakly) in all (not just some of) the will of God (nothing self-centered)
That each would be mature – solid in the faith, actively growing, using gifts well, discerning between good and evil
That each would be fully assured (in Christ and truth He has revealed, and in His wonderful promises of provision, care, protection, purpose)

Please consider the positive feedback loop: We grow in assurance, and then we become better able to stand firm in all the will of God as mature disciples -- which strengthens our assurance in Christ!

None of us are as yet mature as God means for us to be. And many among us are not yet standing firm, obedient, or fully assured. There is work to be done, progress to be made, and it begins with dedicated prayer for God to transform lives.

Epaphras is working hard (in addition to praying hard) for not only the Colossians, his local congregation, but for two churches in other cities in that region. Leaders must both pray hard and work hard. And the hard work should not only be directed to our immediate family, but should serve the larger work in the kingdom of God. I believe God intends for his people to have disproportionately large impacts for the world.

Let me ask you a few questions:

* How old is Epaphras?
* What was his theological training?
* What was his occupation? Did he get good grades in school?
* Did he have godly parents in a good home? Is he married? Does he have children?
* What did he look like, and sound like?
* How much free time did he have from other responsibilities?

We aren’t told any of these things, because they aren’t relevant. Prayer and hard work are not spiritual gifts – they are for all of us!

If Epaphras had a headstone or grave marker, did they write on it, “He wrestled in prayer and worked hard for us”? Let’s recommit to prayer and work, and leave a wonderful legacy.

A Delightful Madeup Word

Apparently this isn't "real," but it sure if fun.

Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia
Definition: "the fear of long words"

Try saying it out loud to your kids.

We Have But One Rule Here...

Robert E. Lee became President of Washington College (now Washington & Lee) after the US Civil War. There were only men in the College of course, and President Lee referred to them as "his boys." He took an active interest in their lives and held them to high standards.

Before his arrival there was apparently a thick book of rules. One of his early acts was to throw out this rulebook, and declare "We have but one rule here, and it is that every student must be a gentlemen."

The "boys" soon discovered that being a gentlemen was a very high standard indeed! I suspect some of them wished for the rule book to be returned, because it was probably easier to live up to the letter of the rule book than the ideal of a gentlemen :-)

As we work with our boys, we do well to think about guiding them to become gentlemen. Gentleness is strength under control.

Here is how Lee described a gentleman:

"...the manner in which an individual enjoys certain advantages over others is the test of a true gentlemen. The power which the strong have over the weak, the magistrate over the citizen, the employer over the employed, the educated over the unlettered, the experienced over the confiding, even the clever over the silly -- the forbearing or inoffensive use of all this power or authority, or a total absence from it when the case admits it, will show the gentleman in plain light. The gentleman does not needlessly or unnecessarily remind an offender of a wrong he may committed against him. He can not only forgive, he can forget; and he strives for that nobleness of self and mildness of character which imparts sufficient strength to let the past be the past. A true gentleman of honor feels humbled himself when he cannot help humbling others."

Consider, men, how Lee describes the forgiving and forgetting character of a gentleman the way the Bible tells us about the character of God.

Since we're concerned about shaping our boys into gentlemen, we must first be gentleman ourselves.


Note: My primary source for this is the wonderful biography Robert E. Lee by Emory M. Thomas. An excellent book for husbands, fathers, and leaders!

How Christiantity Shaped the West

Dinesh D'Souza has an outstanding essay about the role of Christianity in shaping Western history -- moral equality, equal rights, elevating women, abandoning slavery, and political engagement by citizens.

His quick summary of Nietzsche's insight (destroy Christianity and you cannot retain these ideas that are the basis of Western civilization) is excellent.

Recommended. You need this kind of information to help your family understand the war.

An Encouraging Thought

Sometimes we need visceral encouragement in difficult times.



Frodo: “I wish the ring had never come to me — I wish none of this had ever happened.”
Gandalf: “So do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us. There are other forces at work in this world, Frodo, besides the will of evil. Bilbo was meant to find the Ring. In which case, you also were meant to have it. And that is an encouraging thought.”

Why is Psalm 2 such a favorite for the NT writers, who cited it nine times, matched only by Psalm 110?

"Psalm 2 provides a text-prayer for personally realizing and internalizing, feeling in our gut an din our muscles, the umbridgeable abyss fixed between the ways of this world -- its Herod and Caiaphas and Josephus ways, and also the counter ways pursued by the Pharisees and Essene and Zealot sects -- and the Strong God and His Messiah: 'Don't you know there is a King in Zion?' (Ps 2:6) " -- Eugene Peterson, from The Jesus Way

What Do the Bumper Stickers in Your Church Parking Lot Say?

Are these bumper stickers in your church parking lot? (Don't miss the extras suggested in the Comments.)

First Thanksgiving Day Proclamation (1777)

Here is the country's first Thanksgiving Day proclamation on Dec. 18, 1777:

"That at one Time and with one Voice, the good People may express the grateful Feelings of their Hearts, and consecrate themselves to the Service of their Divine Benefactor; and that, together with their sincere Acknowledgments and Offerings, they may join the penitent Confession of their manifold Sins, whereby they had forfeited every Favor; and their humble and earnest Supplication that it may please GOD through the Merits of JESUS CHRIST, mercifully to forgive and blot them out of Remembrance; That it may please him ­graciously to afford his Blessing on the Governments of these States respectively, and prosper the public Council of the whole." -- Henry Laurens, President of the Continental Congress

People just don't write like that anymore!

Eerie Similarity between US and British Economic Situations

KT McFarland, former Deputy Asst. Secretart of Defense points out the eerie similarities of the current US economic situation and what happened in Britain in the 1950's. They chose to nationalize all the major industries, valuing jobs over stronger businesses competitive. It cost them dearly.

To see this short video, go here:


http://www.foxnews.com/video/index.html


Scroll down and under Opinion, select "DefCon3 by KT" and select the video titled "American Economy in Trouble."

I haven't found a way to link directly to the video... there are other KT McFarland videos on YouTube, but not the one above.

What's the Opportunity Today?

In some business "leadership" literature I reviewed at the library, there was a suggestion to wake up each day and answer this question:

"What's the opportunity today? What great thing will I do today?" And then you're supposed to commit to that, getting it done as early as possible in the day.

Not bad counsel, but my heart is restless at the suggestion. I believe that's because the suggestion is focused on me, myself, and I.

Let's put Christ at the center, keeping Him enthroned in our lives. There's a war on, gentlemen. As Voddie Bauchum, Jr. says, "If there's a conflict between Christ and something else, Jesus wins all day, every day, and twice on Sunday!"

Perhaps the question we need to ask each day is

"How will obey my Lord, Master, Teacher, Savior, and Friend today?"

Ben Hur Gets More Than Water

This scene moves me to tears. Ben Hur prays for God to help him, Jesus tenderly provides him water, and the centurion is powerless in gaze of God incarnate!

Arguments for God's Existence

Thanksgiving is coming up here in the US. It's a time to get together with families. For many of us, we'll again be Christians among not-yet believers.

Suggestion: review this blog post, "Ten Arguments for God's Existence," before the big celebration.

Reagan on "God-fearing" public servants

"So, I tell you there are a great many God-fearing, dedicated, noble men and women in public life, present company included. And, yes, we need your help to keep us ever mindful of the ideas and the principles that brought us into the public arena in the first place. The basis of those ideals and principles is a commitment to freedom and personal liberty that, itself, is grounded in the much deeper realization that freedom prospers only where the blessings of God are avidly sought and humbly accepted.
The American experiment in democracy rests on this insight. Its discovery was the great triumph of our Founding Fathers, voiced by William Penn when he said: "If we will not be governed by God, we must be governed by tyrants." Explaining the inalienable rights of men, Jefferson said, "The God who gave us life, gave us liberty at the same time." And it was George Washington who said that "of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, religion and morality are indispensable supports."

Source: Ronald Reagan's address to the NAE in 1983

Questions about "Emergent" Churches

I've gotten several questions recently like this one: "What do you think about the emergent church movement?"

It's nice to see people excited about God and addressing the culture, trying to reach out to people that "traditional" churches are not reaching. My concern is that at least some of the leading pastors in this "movement" appear to me to be walking away from the clear Gospel message and orthodox theology.

I think Mark Driscoll has some useful insights. Here's a short video where he explains some of the variants of "emerging" churches. He also outlines some of the theological positions of "streams" within the movement in this PDF document.

So there are some positives, and some dangers. My counsel: Guard yourself! Stay true to the Gospel! Depend upon God's grace!

In David Wells' book “God in the Wasteland: The Reality of Truth in a World of Fading Dreams”, he makes the following observation about modern society:

“It is one of the defining marks of Our Time that God is now weightless. I do not mean by this that he is ethereal but rather that he has become unimportant. He rests upon the world so inconsequentially as not to be noticeable. He has lost his saliency for human life.

Those who assure the pollsters of their belief in God’s existence may nonetheless consider him less interesting than television, his commands less authoritative than their appetites for affluence and influence, his judgment no more awe-inspiring than the evening news, and his truth less compelling than the advertisers’ sweet fog of flattery and lies. That is weightlessness. It is a condition we have assigned him after having nudged him out to the periphery of our secularized life. . . . Weightlessness tells us nothing about God but everything about ourselves, about our condition, about our psychological disposition to exclude God from our reality.”

You can't manage time, only your focus. By focusing more on Jesus, we give Him more weight in our thoughts and questions and actions. It's telling that the word "Remember" is so frequently used as a command in Scripture! We're commanded to do the things which we tend NOT to do naturally.


HT: Matt Capps

Productivity Helps for Guys Under Information Barrage

Guys, I know many of you struggle with the incoming artillery barrage of information -- emails, texts, phone calls, physical mail, blog posts :-), etc.

My friend Matt Perman has some excellent counsel for you on his "What's Best Next?" blog. Check out the detailed guides for processing email, handling multiple email accounts, and connecting personal and organizational productivity.

This is not just GTD rehashed, there are some outstanding original ideas here.

Matt is the senior director of Internet Strategy at DesiringGod.org -- and well-grounded in theology, business, and family matters.

ESV Study Bible

I posted my video review of the ESV Study Bible on the "Teach to Change Lives" blog. Recommended resource!

Lost in the Middle -- recommended book

I'm 46. I'm at a point now where I think more about the past, trying to make sense of the story, and thinking about finishing strong.

This book has been extraordinarily helpful for me:

Lost in the Middle: Midlife and the Grace of God
by Paul David Tripp

Tripp ( the author of "Age of Opportunity," about parenting teenagers -- also very good) helped me recognize the grace of God in new ways. Frankly, my definition of Grace was simply too narrow, too selfish.

Complete details below -- HIGHLY recommended. Add this to your library, men.

Lost In The Middle: Midlife and The Grace of God By Paul Tripp / Shepherd Press The Bible never discusses midlife, just like it never discusses teenagers. Yet the Bible is able to unpack any of life’s experiences because it was written by the One who made them all. Life on this side of glory is hard. This world is a broken place. You will face things in midlife that beat at the borders of your faith, but you do not have to be lost in the middle of your story. You do not have to be paralyzed by regret, defeated by aging, and discouraged by the passing of your dreams. You do not have to make greater trouble out of the trouble you are already experiencing. This time of life, which can seem like the end of many things, can actually welcome you to a brand new way of living. As is so often the case in your walk with the Lord, this moment of pain is also a moment of grace. Because of this, all of us need to occasionally step back, slow down, and consider where we are going. Lost in the Middle will help you to do just that. One final word: Although this book is targeted at those who are struggling with the issues of midlife, it has a much broader net than that. Lost in the Middle can help all who are struggling with life in this broken world and have lost their way. The God who seems so distant to you in this moment is actually near and active. Lost in the Middle is written to give you eyes to see him, to see yourself more clearly, and to find the real hope that you need to carry on.

Not "Salvation Then?" but "Salvation Now?"

Earlier this year I taught a series at our church on Salvation. We explored what the Bible teaches us about the nature of salvation -- grace, repentence, forgiveness, new life. We discussed how the biblical picture of salvation is centered on an interactive knowledge of God: He knows us, and we have been enabled to know Him.

Check out these Scripture passages:

Jeremiah 24:7
John 10:14 the knowledge goes both ways
John 17:3 eternal life is knowing the only true God
1 Cor 1:9 called into fellowship with the Lord (not the same word, but the same idea – a personal, interactive relationship with God)
Philippians 3:7-10 surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus, and “I want to know Christ.”
1 John 2:4
Matthew 7:23 -- the “I never knew you” is the same meaning.

We also spent some time examining the historical views of Arminianism and Calvinism. (The Evangelical Free Church of America does not take a position on that debate, so our discussion was to examine the Bible passages and review both positions. I believe it's important to study this, and to have personal convictions, but I will not break fellowship whose views settle differently than mine.)

In the course of that class a number of people wanted to speak with me privately about their own faith history. Several seemed defensive and told me that they had been saved as a child, or long ago. I think the questions around eternal security prompted some concern in their hearts.

After a couple of these conversations, I realized that they were focusing on the past in the wrong way. It's not a question of "I was saved then." You may have been, you might not have been. Our hearts and minds have ways of deceiving us. We simply cannot be sure.

The real issue, if you're reading this, is to ask "Am I saved today? Do I have a life-transforming relationship with Jesus today?"

"Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you—unless, of course, you fail the test? And I trust that you will discover that we have not failed the test." (2 Cor 13:5-6)


When it comes to our salvation, we dare not put our trust in some past experience. We dare not put our trust in head-knowledge or feelings alone. We put our trust in Jesus, and the faithful promises of the Lord.

Time for Mastery

It's been estimated that mastery of a complex craft requires about 10,000 hours of instruction and practice. You can get going, even produce some useful work with fewer hours, but let's accept this estimate.

Let's translate 10,000 hours into years, based on the number of hours you practice each week:

2 hours/week ---> 96.2 years to achieve mastery
10 hours/week---> 19.2 years to achieve mastery
20 hours/week---> 9.6 years to achieve mastery
40 hours/week---> 4.8 years to achieve mastery

Being a husband and father is a complex craft. There are basic skills, some art, and a changing environment (you change, your wife changes, your kids change, the world changes).

How many hours a week are you really working at the husband and father role? I confess there are plenty of weeks when I haven't worked 10 hours at it. Maybe not even 2 hours some weeks.

Should it surprise me that I already have one child out of the house and still haven't mastered being a dad? That I've been married 21 wonderful years and still making foolish mistakes in what I say or do?

No. I'm grateful to be on a continuous learning curve. I strongly suspect that our gracious Lord will continue to draw me forward by keeping the changes coming, because He loves me too much to let me wallow in pride or any thoughts of having "arrived" at some level of mastery.

Concerns about Evangelicals

The GeoChristian points us to Phil Johnson's objections about evangelicals and voting. Outstanding, recommended. My favorite:

"I object to the fact that when the average unbeliever today hears the word evangelical, he thinks of a voting bloc rather than anything spiritual. "

Check the others. Then let's repent and pray.

Life Without Limbs

Need some inspiration? Check out any of these videos for this extraordinary ministry -- a man born without limbs, full of joy. Amazing.