manhatten declaration

An interesting controversy has cropped up in an unexpected place. The Manhatten Declaration is circulating for signatures. Kevin DeYoung has a thorough and balanced explanation of the controversy, including why there is a controversy and the positions of both sides. here is his position: So where do I stand on The Manhattan Declaration? Well, I [...]

Delight yourself in the Lord

Psalm 37:4 says that we should delight ourselves in the Lord and he will give us the desires of our heart. Verse 5 follows that up by telling us to commit our ways to him, trust in him and he will act. Psalm 103 is a great one extolling the goodness of God to us. [...]

Marriage is like Christ and the Church

this is the important responsibility that married people have. To demonstrate the relationship of Christ and the church. Here is John Piper on why this reminder is important. It lifts marriage out of sordid sitcom images and gives it the magnificent meaning God meant it to have. It gives marriage a solid basis in grace, [...]

Brain food

for the day after Thanksgiving here is some brain food from John Piper and G.K. Chesterton. G. K. Chesterton helps explain why. It’s not merely true that a creed unites men. Nay a difference of creed unites men—so long as it is a clear difference . . . So a Tory can walk up to the [...]

a great Thanksgiving story

here is a great story for Thanksgiving. Check it out. Davis said he was sad to leave Yonan behind and worried about the interpreter’s safety. “I told him, ‘If you come to the Austin-Round Rock area, I will do everything I can to help you live the American dream. … I will not let you [...]

D.A. Carson on God’s existence

How do I know God exists? HT to Ramblin’ Pastor Man

Genesis

At our church, the Austin Stone Community Church, we are going through Genesis. So far the messages have been convicting and edifying. Today Matt preached on the bigness of God and the closeness of God. God is both the sovereign almighty God who created the universe and everything in it and the friend that sticks [...]

Glory to God in suffering

Here is a video from John Jordan’s facebook page explaining further how God can be glorified in the midst of suffering. further information on this topic in II Corinthians 4:7-5:15 and Hebrews 10:32-39.

phridai photoes

love depth of field, bokeh and flowers rediscovering film photography with a Nikon F5 and Fuji velvia 100. wide angle lens and a polarizer

God’s Glory

An interesting twitter discussion has arisen between Mark Lamprecht Wes Widner and Jacob Hall. Friends of Mark’s have a six year old son who has developed a brain tumor and on his blog, Mark posted John’s facebook entry about Faith, Sovereignty, and God’s glory. Go take a look at John’s response to this situation and [...]

cooperation

Timmy Brister posted an extended discourse yesterday on cooperation between Calvinists and Arminians that is well worth your time. This morning, Timmy’s senior pastor, Tom Ascol, followed up with a quote from Charles Simeon that is too good not to repeat. Charles Simeon is talking about himself as a young calvinist minister meeting the elderly [...]

atheism’s despair

Mark Driscoll with an excellent rundown of the hopelessness of an atheistic worldview: Here is a related example from via challies: Indifference to the Disappearance as the Months Pass Not every atheist was horror-stricken at the O’Hairs’ disappearance. Frankly, some — those who disapproved of Madalyn O’Hair’s combative and vulgar style — were relieved that [...]

Grace

Austin Christian Fellowship is having a series on the Most Beautiful Word. If you want to hear a demonstration of what Grace is and why it is indeed the most beautiful word, then listen to the interview with Bob and Audrey Meisner. Wow! wow.

African Aid

Keving DeYoung takes a look at Dead Aid: Why Aid is Not Working and How There is a Better Way for Africa by Dambisa Moyo. Kevin says the book is: “a short, pungent, provocative book.” The thesis is simple and controversial: aid is the problem, not the solution. “In the past fifty years,” she writes, [...]

foto friday

sunset with fill morning snapshot finally got the B&W film I took at Katherine’s wedding developed

Veterans Day

Veterans, thank you so much for your service to this country. HT to Veronique de Rugy from Normandy for whom Veterans Day has special significance.

lukewarm and loving it?

Francis Chan’s question three years ago is are you lukewarm and loving it? well?

Health Care Reform

The Wall Street Journal is quoting John Cassidy from The New Yorker explaining what Obamacare really is and why Nancy Pelosi was willing to sacrifice the careers of several House members to get it passed: Mr. Cassidy is more honest than the politicians whose dishonesty he supports. “The U.S. government is making a costly and [...]

20 years ago today

the Berlin Wall came down. It was an amazingly euphoric moment in time celebrating the end of Stasi driven tyranny of the East German Government over its people. I remember Lech Walesa and Solidarity in Poland and just what an amazing year 1989 was for the world. Most of all, I remember a man in [...]

health care

Nancy Pelosi has pulled out an armtwistinghardballnoholdsbarredrazorthinpartisan “victory” in passing a plan for the Government to take over all of our health care decisions. Notice the bipartisan nature of the opposition. anyway, check out this very important Wall Street Journal editorial on the bill and what it means if it passes the Senate. Let no [...]

six flags over Jesus

compare and contrast this to this. here is an excerpt from the first one: Q: What can the church expect to gain from all the changes? A: The transformation of our campus will dramatically increase First Baptist’s ability to minister to our city. It will make room for hundreds or even thousands more worshipers and [...]

phriday photos

we went camping last weekend and here is one of the dogs camping with us. Nikon F5 on Fujifilm Some trees, sun and campfire smoke nikon d300 and here are David and Paula, our friends with whom we were camping canon powershot S90 with forced flash for fill

This is the end of the line for the prosperity gospel

I wish that I could embed vimeo videos. you have got to see this 8.5 minute clip from The Global Conversation. It might make you sick, but you must watch it. The Prosperity Gospel from The Global Conversation on Vimeo. after watching that, don’t you hate the prosperity gospel as much as John Piper does? [...]

Logos 4 is out

Libronix has come out with Logos 4. Here is a video introduction of the new product. It looks really great, but I will wait till they get the Mac kinks worked out before I make the leap. Can’t wait to keep everything in Logos synced on my iPhone. I am still using the old Logos [...]

more from Piper on the prosperity gospel

here are ten minutes from John Piper about the prosperity gospel and why he hates it. more here from Dr. Mohler and John Piper being more strident on this topic. Hat tip to Vitamin Z.