I was listening to a little bluegrass this morning on Yahoo radio when Bill Clifton came on, with a song entitled You Go to Your Church. The lyrics:
You Go To Your Church
You go to your church and I'll go to mine
But let's walk along together
Our fathers built them side by side
So let's walk along together
The road is rough and the way is long
But we'll help each other over
You go to your church and I'll go to mine
But let's walk along together
You go to your church and I'll go to mine
But let's walk along together
Our Heavenly Father is the same
So let's walk along together
The Lord will be at your church today
But he'll be at my church also
You go to your church and I'll go to mine
But let's walk along together
Now, that's the spirit, Bill! Sometimes us Calvinists get a little too muddled in the details (we call them "distinctions") to realize that there are Christians on their way to heaven that might not agree with us on every point. Yes, we should be diligent to search the scriptures and we should place a high value on truth in our doctrine. But, there are some on the other side of the soteriological aisle that have just as much zeal and fervor for Biblical truth as we do. The Bible is full of things mysterious and difficult. We shouldn't be surprised that genuine, Christ-following Christians might come up with different conclusions than we do.
Where I draw the line, though, is when a person or group throws the authority of Bible out the window completely. "Sure, the Bible says X, but we really believe Y because it makes more sense to us." When you lose the authority of the Bible in your theology, you lose everything. When you've passed this point, evolution, homosexuality, and abortion are just as valid and "right" as creation, one-man-one-woman marriage, and the protection of life at all stages of development.
Jesus prayed for unity among his followers, and we should keep this in mind. But, the Bible is also full of warnings about false teachers and the threat they pose to Christ's church. When we disagree on disputable points of doctrine, but both have biblical support for our positions, then we can walk along together in Christian humility. When we disagree because you are worshipping a god of your own imagination and you are unwilling to submit your theology to the authority of the Bible, that's the point where we need to part company. That's the point that Luther came to back in 1517 when the church in Rome offered indulgences in place of the atonement of Christ. That's the point that we are near (if not past already) with many mainline denominations in the U.S. today that call themselves "Christian." We should love the people in those churches, as Christ does, but we can't throw Truth to the wayside for the sake of ecumenical unity. As Luther said, "Peace if possible, truth at all costs."
In honor of Reformation Day, I've designed a T-Shirt featuring my favorite revolutionary. No, I'm not talking about Che Guevara. I'm talking about Martin Luther, the German reformer whose 95 theses sparked what we now know as the Reformation. You can see an example of the t-shirt design below, in army green:
We will also be throwing a Reformation Day party tonight at my house. Should be a blast! Let me know if you're interested in ordering a t-shirt.
I have a little desktop calendar that has a little quote, story, or proverb for dads each day of the year. Today's:
All fathers are invisible in daytime; daytime is ruled by mothers and fathers come out at night. Darkness brings home fathers, with their real, unspeakable power. There is more to fathers than meets the eye.
— Margaret Atwood, author, The Cat's Eyes
I work all day long, but I know when I step through the door and hear my son exclaim, "Daddy's home!" that I have just clocked in. Two hours a night, and two days a week, for 18 years. Those are my hours, and there is much to be done within them. I am a father, and my boss is the Creator of galaxies and children. My job is simple, though not easy. By God's grace, I am to take my young, immature children and train them to become wise, righteous adults who love, worship, and serve the Lord. In a way that may be peculiar only to parenting, the work is also the paycheck.
The father of a righteous man has great joy;
he who has a wise son delights in him.
- Proverbs 23:24 (NIV)
In a George Will column published not even two weeks ago, Will posed this riddle: "What do the Cubs and Cardinals have in common? Neither team has won a World Series in its new ballpark." The joke here is that Wrigley Field opened for business in 1914, and the Cardinals started playing in their new stadium in April of this year.
I was hoping to get some good mileage out of that joke, but I can't say I'm all that dissapointed with the way things turned out.
For some reason, I'm feeling sentimental today. So, in honor of my childhood, I've thrown together a pictorial pop-quiz using images from films and television shows from my younger days. See if you can answer these five questions. I hope you have as much fun taking this quiz as I had making it!
Sony has a new LCD television on the market, and they are doing a fine job of marketing it. Earlier this year they released an ad featuring 250,000 "superballs" (above) bouncing down the streets of San Francisco. Last week they introduced another ad that is unlike anything I've ever seen. It is a 70 second piece featuring hundreds of huge paint explosions (below) in and around an apartment complex in Glasgow, Scotland. Trust me, you have to see it for yourself. The dowload is pretty huge, but it is worth it. You can also visit the main page of the site for more videos, images, and even a "Colour Launcher" game.
Click on either of the pictures to view each respective ad. (HT: The Grand)
Just in time for the elections, Rush Limbaugh is on the hot seat again. In an article on MSNBC.com, David Montgomery reports that Limbaugh made fun of Michael J. Fox, accusing him of faking his Parkinson's disease for political ads1. Rush is quoted in the article as having said, "He is exaggerating the effects of the disease… He's moving all around and shaking and it's purely an act… This is really shameless of Michael J. Fox. Either he didn't take his medication or he's acting." Continue reading this post »
There are two types of people in the world: Journey fans and liars.
I don't know why, but I've had this quote in my head for the past few days, and I have no idea where it came from. I googled it, but didn't come up with much. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Anyway, if you're too cool to admit that you are a Journey fan, just remember this: "Lies make baby Jesus cry."
As for me and my house, we will proudly listen to Journey's Greatest Hits on Yahoo! Music Unlimited.
I finally gave in. In an effort to keep my little girl *little* for the rest of her life, I had put my foot down and decreed that Elsie would NOT get her ears pierced for at least a decade or so. Not in my house, daddgummit. Kids have enough pressure to grow up too quickly, and I rationalized that pierced ears were an unneccessary step in that direction.
But, next thing I know we're at the YMCA on Friday night for a Halloween Costume Party with the kids. Pete went as Peter Pan, and Elsie was dressed up as Tinkerbell, complete with little magnetic "diamond" earrings on. She didn't look like a grown-up or immodest or inappropriately attired. She just looked… beautiful.
So, we headed down to Claire's on Saturday afternoon to do what had to be done. Distracted by the sucker in her mouth, she didn't even see it coming. Daddy held her still, and the ladies started counting. 1… 2… 3… pop. That was it. My daugher had pierced ears. She cried for a moment or two, but she didn't do too bad. And, those little earrings do look pretty cute in thost little ears.
Round 1 goes to Elsie.
My wife and I have greatly benefited for Michael and Debbi Pearl's ministry, 1. We get their monthly magazine, and this month's edition contains an article I had to pass on. It is available No Greater Joy. Their books (Created to be His Help Meet, To Train Up a Child) have had a significant impact on our marriage and our parentinghere.
The article is entitled What does it mean to be a man?, by Michael Pearl. I'll cut to the chase. His definition is this: "A real man is someone who does his duty and doesn't shun the hard work that is necessary in providing for all the needs of his family."
Also from the article…
Sometimes a man has to do what is unpleasant. That is the demarcation line. Boys stop and look for sympathy and understanding, while the men keep going into territory where it gets hard, painful, and more than that, boring?sickeningly and painfully boring. But they go resolutely on and do it because it has to be done. Men don?t put it off until tomorrow, that nebulous time where it is certain to never get done; they knuckle down and do their duty today. That is a real man.
…
One's willingness to do unpleasant daily duties is tied inextricably to his manly character. A dutiful man is a good man. A lazy man who puts off doing his duty over the years experiences an erosion of character, for he must resort to lies and excuses to explain his continual failure to do what is expected of him. He soon develops a propensity to be dishonest, self-centered, lustful, gluttonous, fearful, and insecure.
Pearl also goes on to describe the importance of teaching our children the value of work. He recommends starting early, allowing your children to participate in the daily duties around the house. He makes the point that a child's self-image doesn't depend only on our words, but also on his perception of his value to his family.
Amanda does a great job of this. Pete helps with the laundry. He puts dishes in the sink. He takes Elsie's diapers to the trash can for us, which would definitely cross over into the "unpleasant" category. I still don't understand how a creature this cute could possibly produce something that smells so bad. But, I digress.
As a man, and as a child trainer appointed by and accountable to the God of the universe, I was challenged and convicted by this article. I know I have room to grow as a man and as a "worker." I also know I have room to grow as a parent whose goal is to turn our young, immature children into strong, God-fearing men and women.
Take a few minutes to read the article. I'm confident you will benefit from it.
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