The Holdfast

The Holdfast has MOVED

2007-01-18T01:17:00.000-06:00

For various reasons, I have abandoned Blogger.com, and I am now hosting my blog using WordPress at my own web site. Please go to The Holdfast - new edition, and bookmark the new address and forget this one!

High-res trailers of Amazing Grace

2007-01-12T23:27:00.000-06:00

They are starting to appear. The best one I've seen so far is at IGN. I'll update this post if better ones become available.

The Poster

2007-01-10T23:15:00.000-06:00

I've been waiting for a high-definition trailer to be posted, but still there is only the low-quality Flash version that is on the Amazing Grace movie website. Still, here is a little piece of media for today: the movie poster. Very well done. Click on it for a large version!

Amazing Grace - the trailer is up

2006-12-19T10:40:00.000-06:00

I'm waiting to see it in high quality, but for those who can't wait, the trailer is up now at http://www.amazinggracemovie.com/.

It looks like there is to be a bit of anachronism here, with the American tune of "Amazing Grace" being played by bagpipes! Will these movie making types never tire of changing history? But perhaps that scene is really not in the movie?

Mount Hood and God

2006-12-18T15:24:00.000-06:00

I have been praying for the family of an old Texas Tech school mate, Kelly James, who was identified today as being found at the top of Mt Hood. I admire the way Frank James, his brother, has handled this tragedy in public for the families. How different it has been from some of the antics of other families in trouble! God is a life-changing God, and he changes everything about our lives, even how we handle tragedy and death. I would like to have as much maturity as this family has shown.

A blog for the three families is at this site.

Family tree makers

2006-12-12T22:40:00.000-06:00

As Ricky Skaggs once sang, "It's the newest craze in town ... there's an old kind of love goin' round." I'm so happy for Eric and Jenny. You can also read a poem about it here...

The Chilling Reality of Islam

2006-11-29T23:46:00.000-06:00

My day was bracketed with depressing news about Islam. It began during my drive to work, where NPR was featuring a story about Turkey and how its "secular" state was putting two men on trial for converting to Christianity. Hmm. Turkey is supposed to be a model for how you can have an Islamic state that is also secular and free. The charge against these two brothers is that they "insulted Turkishness."

My work day ended (late) while I was putting the finishing touches on a software fix, while listening to two episodes of the White Horse Inn on Islam. I knew Islam was a challenge, but these two radio shows brought its hideous untruth and aggression into much clearer focus. I highly recommend you download the MP3's and listen to them without delay.

When I was a kid, the fear was that worldwide Communism would take over and erase all our freedoms forever. I believe worldwide Islam is a much greater danger than Communism ever turned out to be.

Our trust is not in the United States military, but in the King of Kings who will appear personally from the clouds. Until then, the brethren must be willing to die, if necessary, preaching the gospel to Muslims and others who will want to kill us, and who will "think they offer service to God" (John 16:2).

Wilberforce again

2006-11-23T01:18:00.000-06:00

John Piper is getting in on the act. Even though his mini-biography of Wilberforce is already in print, a new 80-page paperback will be released on January 12, presumably to tie in with the movie. The title is Amazing Grace in the Life of William Wilberforce. I suspect, although I have no evidence, that it will be an expansion of what Piper has already published. Either way, I'll get several copies for my church's bookshelf!

Amazing Grace movie

2006-11-12T22:04:00.000-06:00

Well, it's time to get excited. The Amazing Grace movie website is up now.

Tozer on real faith

2006-11-11T23:10:00.000-06:00

It is always dangerous to quote or read Tozer. At some point we actually might believe what he says. It is much easier to applaud what he says while keeping a safe distance.

This is from The Shepherd’s Scrapbook:

"Pseudo faith always arranges a way out to serve in case God fails. Real faith knows only one way and gladly allows itself to be stripped of any second way or makeshift substitutes. For true faith, it is either God or total collapse. And not since Adam first stood up on earth has God failed a single man or woman who trusted Him.

The man of pseudo faith will fight for his verbal creed but refuse flatly to allow himself to get into a predicament where his future must depend upon that creed being true. He always provides himself with secondary ways of escape so he will have a way out if the roof caves in.

The faith of Paul or Luther was a revolutionizing thing. It upset the whole life of the individual and made him into another person altogether. It laid hold on the life and brought it under obedience to Christ. It took up its cross and followed along after Jesus with no intention of going back. It said goodbye to its old friends as certainly as Elijah when he stepped into the fiery chariot and went away in the whirlwind. It had a finality about it … It realigned all life’s actions and brought them into accord with the will of God.

What we need very badly these days is a company of Christians who are prepared to trust God as completely now, as they must do at the last day. For each of us the time is surely coming when we shall have nothing but God! Health and wealth and friends and hiding places will all be swept away and we shall have only God. To the man of pseudo faith that is a terrifying thought, but to real faith it is one of the most comforting thoughts the heart can entertain.

It would be a tragedy indeed to come to the place where we have no other but God and find that we had not really been trusting God during the days or our earthly sojourn. It would be better to invite God now to remove every false trust, to disengage our hearts from all secret hiding places and to bring us out into the open where we can discover for ourselves whether we actually trust Him. This is a harsh cure for our troubles, it is a sure one! Gentler cures may be too weak to do the work. And time is running out on us.

- A.W. Tozer (source unknown)"

Newton speaks again

2006-10-19T00:33:00.000-05:00

I'll never get tired of John Newton. I've been listening to the Desiring God Conference mp3's from two weekends ago, and I was greatly blessed by the address by Tim Keller. One thing that he continually did during his lecture was quote John Newton -- a sure way to gain MY favor. Here's one that he quoted in full:

Prayer answered by crosses.

I asked the LORD that I might grow
In faith, and love, and every grace;
Might more of his salvation know,
And seek, more earnestly, his face.

'Twas he who taught me thus to pray,
And he, I trust, has answered prayer!
But it has been in such a way,
As almost drove me to despair.

I hoped that in some favored hour,
At once he'd answer my request;
And by his love's constraining pow'r,
Subdue my sins, and give me rest.

Instead of this, he made me feel
The hidden evils of my heart;
And let the angry pow'rs of hell
Assault my soul in every part.

Yea more, with his own hand he seemed
Intent to aggravate my woe;
Crossed all the fair designs I schemed,
Blasted my gourds, and laid me low.

LORD, why is this, I trembling cried,
Wilt thou pursue thy worm to death?
"'Tis in this way, the LORD replied,
I answer prayer for grace and faith.

These inward trials I employ,
From self, and pride, to set thee free;
And break thy schemes of earthly joy,
That thou may'st find thy all in me."

She is a blue ribbon wife.

2006-10-13T10:46:00.000-05:00

You have to check out Kim's 15 minutes of fame over at the Dallas Morning News State Fair blog. They even have a picture of her.

William Wilberforce - 3

2006-10-11T12:03:00.000-05:00

If you are an Anglophile like me, you might want to check out the 360 degree panoramas of Wilberforce House in Hull, provided by the BBC. The actual website of Wilberforce House is kind of skimpy.

You can also visit the very interesting Wilberforce 2007 anniversary site that is centered around the activities in Hull in the next few months, as well as the topic of anti-slavery today. Another anti-slavery site that is tied into the anniversary is here.

William Wilberforce - 2

2006-10-11T00:28:00.000-05:00

Well, my books have come in and I've been reading all kinds of stuff about Wilberforce. I also listened to John Piper's biography of him from one of his Pastor's Conferences, and I heard Piper say that to understand Wilberforce, you must understand his Christianity, and the way to understand that is to read his book: A Practical View Of Christianity. In there, you will find that his social reform agenda was built completely on his salvation-centered, Christ-centered Christianity, not a social, moralistic pragmatic Christianity such as we've been afflicted with for centuries.

Piper was lamenting that the book was out of print, but that will soon be remedied by Hendricksen Publishers. In fact, scanning the Amazon lists, I see that there will be a mini-boom of Wilberforce related books issued or re-issued in connection with this movie (or in connection with the celebration of the 200th anniversary of the abolition of the slave trade by Wilberforce's Parliament bill). Did I say that the movie is timed to match that anniversary?

Then, I went to the State Fair tonight, and Walden Media was out there promoting the movie! (Along with their other new movie, Charlotte's Web.) Here's a poster that they hung up. Also, they had big screen TV's showing clips from the movie, and folks, it looks like it might just be really good.

(I can't resist plugging John Newton as seen on the poster: "A former ship captain and slave trader who wrote 'Amazing Grace' out of deep gratitude for the forgiveness he received. Newton encouraged Wilberforce to persevere as an abolitionist.")

William Wilberforce

2006-09-13T23:19:00.000-05:00

John Newton has always been a hero of mine. Right now we are reading Newton's autobiography of his early life and conversion in our family, and we are almost finished. He started as a blaspheming sailor, but was converted in a direct act of God upon his heart during a storm at sea. Afterward he was captain of a slave ship until he found a more certain employment on land. As his understanding grew, he became an enemy of the slave trade and wrote against his former occupation.

I could go on and on about Newton, how he became an evangelical leader, knew many of the preachers of the Great Awakening and was one himself, how he cooperated among all evangelicals despite his conviction that the Church of England was his calling, and how he wrote some of the greatest hymns of all time, including "Amazing Grace."

But one thing about Newton was that he was influential among the evangelicals in London in his old age, and was a mentor to young William Wilberforce, member of parliament, friend of the rich and famous, and evangelical. Wilberforce became the driving force in parliament for the abolishing of the British slave trade, and eventually of slavery itself. He is a man I want to know more about.

And now there will be a new opportunity to learn about him, because a new movie from Walden Media (makers of The Chronicles of Narnia) is to feature the life of Wilberforce. It is called Amazing Grace (nice) and it is supposed to come out early in 2007. It actually premieres this week in Toronto, but supposedly it will be officially released in February. This is really exciting!

While we are waiting for this great event, there are some books we can read. I am ordering the following books from Cumberland Valley: Hero For Humanity: A Biography of William Wilberforce, by Kevin Belmonte; Travel With Wilberforce, by the same; and Footsteps Of The Past: William Wilberforce, a children's workbook.

Meet me at the movie theater in Spring 2007!

Are you OF this world or IN it?

2006-08-24T22:47:00.000-05:00

Sometimes I feel postmillennial and I just want to "redeem the culture" and I suspect that this world IS my home. And the weird thing is that there is a way in which it is true! God never meant for us to exist without a world to take care of. There will be a new heaven and a NEW EARTH. We will always be taking care of the earth, the earth the way it should have been all along. But THIS world... is not my home.

Once again I have been challenged by John Piper's sermon on Romans 12:1-2. I hope that every single one who reads this will download the audio from June 27, 2004, and listen carefully to it.

Piper quotes a guy named Andrew Walls as saying that there are two equally true principles which must be held in tension; he called them "the pilgrim principle" and "the indigenous principle." The pilgrim principle holds the world, and this life, loosely: I'm ready to go, and you can come with me if you will. The indigenous principle says that the Gospel has something to say to every culture, and we better get ready to contextualize and speak to our culture.

In other words, the gospel can and must become indigenous in every (fallen!) culture in the world. It can and must find a home in the culture. It must fit in. That’s the indigenous impulse. But at the same time, and just as powerful, the gospel produces a pilgrim mindset. It loosens people from their culture. It criticizes and corrects culture. It turns people into pilgrims and aliens and exiles in their own culture. When Paul says, “Do not conformed to this world,” and “I became all things to all people,” he is not confused; he is calling for a critical balance of two crucial biblical impulses.

I find that this disctinction helps explain a lot of the contradictions in the Christian life, and it is very dangerous to adopt just one of the two principles. Alone, the pilgrim principle produces wonderful, death-defying missionaries, but with no appreciation for the idea of "common grace" or the link we have with fallen humanity. Alone, the indigenous principle could produce something like mainstream liberal theology, with concern for "the poor" but no concern for their eternal souls. We must have both, somehow.

The Gospel Worthy Of All Acceptation

2006-08-14T00:55:00.000-05:00

Andrew Fuller's classic book of the above title was published in the late 1700's. Depending on your perspective, it either killed Calvinism or revived it. My perspective is that it revived Calvinism and that it was a legitimate development of the Puritans and the Great Awakening evangelists. Fuller's friend William Carey was the first Protestant English missionary to foreign lands, and is usually credited with kicking off the modern missions movement.

Fuller's accomplishment was to provide the theological underpinnings for the new foreign missions, by combating the deadening hypercalvinism/antinomianism that had gripped English Baptist life. Drawing heavily upon the thought of Owen and Edwards, Fuller showed that because it was moral inability, not natural inability, that prevented men and women from receiving the gospel, the gospel was to be preached to all, indiscriminately. This seems so obvious to us now, but there are dear brothers even today who believe that Fuller was the source of all heresy and apostasy and that he perverted the doctrines of salvation.

I believe that Fuller is important and that the doctrines contained in The Gospel Worthy Of All Acceptation are mostly the pure doctrine of Scripture. (Whether Fuller in later life can be charged with any other errors is not in my area of knowledge, and it doesn't affect my opinion of this book.)

I used to access this book at a site called thebaptistpage.com, now known as baptistpage.org, but it seems to be out of date and broken. So I've republished the files on my site here. As far as I know, they are available nowhere else on the web.

Fellowship of Reformed Churches conference

2006-07-22T14:40:00.000-05:00

A group based near Ft Worth (actually Glen Rose), called the Fellowship of Reformed Churches, has not only a website, but an annual conference. The information is located here. It looks great! The date is Oct 14 (during the State Fair, yikes) and the location is Southwestern Baptist Seminary. The title of the conference is "Humble Orthodoxy."

Ralph Erskine's poems

2006-07-18T23:08:00.000-05:00

Wow. How about a Reformed Presbyterian preacher who uses poetry to make fun of, and refute, false doctrine? Such a man was Ralph Erskine (1685-1752). But on the White Horse Inn last week, Michael Horton quoted one of his more mainstream poems, a selection from his Gospel Sonnets entitled "Redemption in Christ." Here is a selection; the complete poem is in Section II of this page at Reformation Ink.

The second Adam, sov'reign Lord of all,
Did, by his Father's authorizing call,
From bosom of eternal love descend,
To save the guilty race that him offend;
To treat an everlasting peace with those,
Who were, and ever would have been his foes.
His errand, never-ending life to give
To them, whose malice would not let him live;
To make a match with rebels, and espouse
The brat which at his love her spite avows.
Himself he humbled, to depress her pride,
And make his mortal foe his loving bride.
But, ere there marriage can be solemniz'd,
All lets must be remov'd, all parties pleas'd.
Law-righteousness requir'd, must be procur'd,
Law-vengeance threatned, must be full endur'd,
Stern justice must have credit by the match,
Sweet mercy by the heart the bride must catch.
Poor Bankrupt! all her debt must first be paid,
Her former husband in the grave be laid:
Her present Lover must be at the cost,
To save and ransom to the uttermost.

Flattering Harmony Hill pictures

2006-07-16T19:59:00.000-05:00

If you let Everett loose with a camera, you're bound to get some fun. Here is Kim's reaction to some of the times Everett wanted to point a camera at her:

On the other hand, when he does catch you unaware, you might not totally like the result. Thus the hand in the face. Here, he catches his Mama from below:

But I love it when he caught his teacher in a great teaching moment:

But sometimes, he hits it just right. Here, he captures two of my favorite people at the lunch table.

New Herbert poems

2006-07-16T18:41:00.000-05:00

After several months of nothing, I posted three new George Herbert poems today - Faith, Prayer (1), and Holy Communion. No matter how many years go by, I will never get tired of Herbert.

Excerpts from "Faith":

          I owed thousands and much more:
I did believe that I did nothing owe,
And lived accordingly; my creditor
          Believes so too, and lets me go.

          If bliss had lien in art or strength,
None but the wise and strong had gained it:
Where now by Faith all arms are of a length;
          One size doth all conditions fit.

"Prayer"

Prayer, the Church's banquet, Angel's age.
          God's breath in man returning to his birth,
          The soul in paraphrase, heart in pilgrimage,
The Christian plummet sounding heaven and earth;

Engine against th' Almighty, sinner's tower,
          Reversed thunder, Christ-side-piercing spear,
          The six days' world-transposing in an hour,
A kind of tune, which all things hear and fear;

Softness, and peace, and joy, and love, and bliss.
          Exalted Manna, gladness of the best,
          Heaven in ordinary, men well drest,
The Milky Way, the bird of Paradise,

          Church-bells beyond the stars heard, the soul's blood,
          The land of spices, something understood.

They're just more important than you are

2006-06-26T18:10:00.000-05:00

The mainstream media, bless their ugly, leftist hearts. The elites who couldn't care less about your safety, if a terrorist's safety is in danger. National Review's website runs a great article today about the kind of people we're up against.

Good old Baptists

2006-06-22T14:25:00.000-05:00

We Southern Baptists still insist that you abstain from the manufacturing, advertising, distributing, and consuming of alcoholic beverages.

However, we encourage you to engage, influence, and be salt and light in public schools.

Seems to me it ought to be the reverse.

Peggy Noonan helps clarify the issues

2006-06-02T17:23:00.000-05:00

I know I'm beating a drum, but here it is again: The political problems in this country, humanly speaking, are between Washington and the people, not between Demopublicans and Republicrats. See Peggy Noonan's new article.

I want to clarify that there is no political problem that is not really a heart problem with hearts not connected to Christ. Only one Kingdom is really important, and this isn't it. But just as it's sad to see poorly coded software, a badly built building, or an ugly city, it's even more sad to see a nation being thrown away. As custodians of this earth, we should do better.

Jaroslav Pelikan, R.I.P.

2006-05-18T12:37:00.000-05:00

A short post in tribute of one of the great scholars of our time - Jaroslav Pelikan of Yale, preeminent historian of Christian doctrine, Lutheran convert to Eastern Orthodoxy, and one of the great storytellers. Yale's article is here. His five-volume The Christian Tradition has been a great book to have in my life. It would be nice if people who think The Da Vinci Code was based on scholarship could read something like this instead. Real life is more thrilling anyway than fiction.

Also a belated thank you to my Texas Tech "History of Christian Thought" professor Rev. Arthur Preisinger, now retired from Texas Lutheran University, for introducing me to this magnificent author. You can also read Al Mohler's tribute to Dr. Pelikan here.

Trivia: If you look closely at the credits for the classic B&W Martin Luther movie from the 50's, you will see Dr. Pelikan credited as a consultant there.

He who finds a wife...

2006-05-10T14:25:00.000-05:00

In honor of our 25th anniversary (Seven weeks ago! ... yes, you can send gifts if you want to), I offer this English folk song that expresses how we all love our wives:

Both sexes give ear to my fancy,
While in praise of dear woman I sing;
Confined not to Moll, Sue, or Nancy,
But mates from a beggar to king.

When old Adam first was created,
And lord of the universe crowned,
His happiness was not completed,
Until that an helpmate was found.

He'd all things in food that were wanting
To keep and support him through life;
He'd horses and foxes for hunting,
Which some men love better than wife.

He'd a garden so planted by nature,
Man cannot produce in his life;
But yet the all-wise great Creator
Still saw that he wanted a wife.

Then Adam he laid in a slumber,
And there he lost part of his side;
And when he awoke, with a wonder,
Beheld his most beautiful bride!

In transport he gazed upon her,
His happiness now was complete!
He praised his bountiful donor,
Who thus had bestowed him a mate.

She was not took out of his head, sir,
To reign and triumph over man;
Nor was she took out of his feet, sir,
By man to be trampled upon.

But she was took out of his side, sir,
His equal and partner to be;
But as they're united in one, sir,
The man is the top of the tree.

Man without a woman's a beggar,
Suppose the whole world he possessed;
And the beggar that's got a good woman,
With more than the world he is blest.

Then let not the fair be despised
By man, as she's part of himself;
For woman by Adam was prized
More than the whole globe full of wealth.

Why Conservatives are abandoning Bush, Republicans

2006-05-10T12:40:00.000-05:00

Because Bush and the Republicans are abandoning them, just like the Democratic Party did 40 years ago. Your representatives are selling you out.

Music That Changed Me - 3

2006-04-25T23:27:00.000-05:00

People who know me well probably know where I'm going next. Handel's Messiah is the most incredible choral piece for a lover of the Scriptures. I'm well aware that music lovers are going to name Bach's St Matthew's Passion as an even greater masterpiece, and certainly Messiah has suffered from some overexposure. But most people are only overexposed to a few parts of it, or maybe just one: the Hallelujah Chorus.

You need to listen to the whole thing, with the book in front of you. Notice how Handel and his librettist, Charles Jennens, weave together the Old Testament prophecies of the Messiah. In fact the first strictly New Testament quote does not come until track 14. The work is structured into three parts: Part 1 is the prophecies, birth, and ministry of Christ, Part 2 is his death and resurrection and this age of preaching the gospel, and Part 3 is the resurrection of the dead and the end of the world. It is interesting that the Hallelujah Chorus is at the end of Part 2, not Part 3, and presumably commemorates Christ's second coming. That's okay, because in my opinion the chorus at the end of Part 3 (Worthy Is The Lamb) is even grander and more glorious than Hallelujah.

Which brings us to the musical highlights. How can you "highlight" a work that is uninterrupted genius from beginning to end? (Away with single-CD Messiah highlights editions.) But here are a few of my very favorite parts.

The beginning "Comfort ye my people." How merciful our God is to send a long-promised Savior to live among us and comfort us!
The prophecy (from Isaiah), "For unto us a child is born." When they sing WONDERFUL, COUNSELOR, THE MIGHTY GOD, THE PRINCE OF PEACE, it will send shivers up your back.
The way the "Pastoral Symphony," which is instrumental, leads into the peaceful "There were shepherds abiding in a field." I can't describe this. You have to hear it.
"Lift up your heads, O ye gates," an Old Testament passage, which Handel inserts into the triumpant Resurrection section.
"Since by man came death," where Handel alternates between quiet choruses representing Death, and loud shouts of triumph over death by the Man, the Last Adam, who killed Death once and for all. "EVEN SO IN CHRIST SHALL ALL BE MADE ALIVE!" Yeah!
"The trumpet shall sound," where, of course, a trumpet is used to great effect.
And, of course, the chorus "Worthy is the Lamb," which is from Revelation 5. If this track does not inspire you, then you are a block of wood.

Every word of Messiah is Scripture. That's not to take away from excellent works like Bach's Passions, which consist of many added words. But when you sing Messiah, you are singing Scripture. It's very inspiring. Most of the scriptures that are used in Messiah are so familiar to me now, that I can hardly read them in the Bible without singing Handel's music to myself.

This piece has been with me since college, but I've recently acquired one of the best CD versions, shown in the graphic. You need to get one!

Join the Gridlock Party

2006-04-18T17:40:00.000-05:00

I can't resist. Politics continually intrudes upon my thinking. Music commentary will come back; however, for the time being, read this paragraph which expresses exactly the frustration which I feel.

Goatees and Funky Glasses

2006-04-18T00:19:00.000-05:00

We interrupt the musings on music to refer you to the hilarious site Goatees and Funky Glasses, where the Emergent Church gets gently parodied.

Some of the topics to be explored at their conference include:
1. The Role of Facial Hair in Missional Postmodernity.
2. Linguistic Obfuscation and its role in Post-colonial Heretical Schematics.
3. Art as Personal Nomenclature: Cheese Sculpting, Church and the Nararative of Me
4. Beyond Right and Wrong: Re-imagining Truth and Error

.... Funky eyewear can be picked up at the Lenscrafters Booth in the Conference Expo center.

Music That Changed Me - 2

2006-04-01T21:55:00.000-06:00

Should I go in chronological order, or backwards from what is most important to me now? I'll focus today on someone and something that has been important to me since the mid-80's, and continues in that role. I speak of Baroque music generally, and Trevor Pinnock in particular.

Anyone looking for some sort of music-theory analysis of Baroque music will have to go elsewhere. As I explained in the last post, Baroque music has been special to me, out of all the "classical" musics, becuase it seemed that it was the highest development of pre-Enlightenment music, informed by the Christian tradition. I've since discovered Renaissance and even Reformation music on CD, but Baroque stays at the top of my charts.

One of the earliest ensembles to capitalize on the Compact Disc format was Trevor Pinnock and the English Concert, published by the Archiv record sub-label of Deutsche Grammophon. I remember seeing an early copy of their Vivaldi's Four Seasons which still had some of the numerals printed in that silly "LED" computer font which several early CD's were sold with. (It didn't take long for publishers to realize that was a mistake and didn't sell extra CD's.) I early obtained copies of their Royal Fireworks Music and Water Music by Handel, along with the Four Seasons and others.

Trevor Pinnock was and is a proponent of "period" performances: playing music with instruments and styles of the same time periods in which the music was written. I'm sure a lot of his interpretations sounded bold when they were first performed, but to me, they just sound like Baroque music ought to sound. Every Trevor Pinnock CD is performed with the utmost accuracy but with great emotion and style. Every CD that I've owned is also recorded with the very highest sound quality. I have no hesitation in saying that for any piece you want to own, if there is a Trevor Pinnock version to buy, you will be delighted with it. Currently I own 14 of them, and I want more.

Pinnock has moved on, and the English Concert is now directed by Andrew Manze. I haven't heard any recordings with the new combination, but I can vouch for the old one. This is music that will last you a lifetime.

Music That Changed Me - 1

2006-03-30T00:09:00.000-06:00

The next few blog posts will be reflections on music that has changed my life. Music is a big part of living at our house. Whether it is singing of hymns, playing stringed instruments, or - longest of all - listening to recorded music, there is always something in the air.

I attribute a lot of that to my dad's love of music. He always had a decent stereo, way back to when it was a "Hi-Fi" and it took up one whole wall of your living room.

My parents had two classical records in their large record collection, as far as I can remember. Beethoven's Fifth Symphony, backed by Schubert's Unfinished, conducted by Bruno Walter. A classic recording, I'm sure. The other one was a set of overtures played at the Hollywood Bowl by somebody or other. But that was enough to thrill to the opening notes of the Fifth Symphony or the closing notes of the William Tell Overture.

When I came under the influence of the young men at Believers Chapel, especially Frank Seay, and also when I heard Francis Schaeffer on his classic How Should We Then Live movie, I came to see that music reflected the "worldview" of its composers. The concept of "worldview" was new to me then, but gradually I began to see world history in terms of the shift in worldviews from age to age. No age is perfect, but I could see how people like Bach and Handel expressed a pre-Enlightenment Christian view of the world, and Mozart and Haydn a post-Enlightenment version of the same, even if some of them were not personally believers in Christ. Later composers reflected the Transcendental/Romantic philosophies of the 19th century, emancipating themselves from even the Christian memory, a shift which continued into the 20th century.

Baroque music became my favorite music. The first classical album I remember purchasing was an LP of "Best of Bach" by E. Power Biggs on the organ. Then the greatest choral work of all time, Handel's Messiah with Raymond Leppard conducting. But the advent of compact discs was the great eye opening experience. Music reproduction in the home was suddenly as good as the best equipment had ever been. For $15 a pop you could have infallibly great recordings that would essentially last forever. (At least mine have. Thanks to computers, they probably will last my lifetime at least.)

I'm going to try to write up my favorite performers, albums, or genres in the next few posts. This is more than a "top ten" list. This is music that has become woven into the fabric of my life, and that of my family. Mostly for good, I hope.

Who's That Man Touching My Daughter

2006-03-11T22:27:00.000-06:00

It's my new son-in-law. Welcome to the family Adam! May God richly bless your new life together.

she's pretty special

2006-03-07T22:27:00.000-06:00

I am very blessed to be attending the wedding of this young lady on Saturday. They have assigned me only one job: to give away the bride.

We should fear Holland’s silence

2006-02-28T11:58:00.000-06:00

The end of one European country is fast approaching due to Muslim violence and Western cowardice.

Before Nazism, "civilized" people said that such things could never happen. Afterward, they vowed "Never again." They have forgotten their vow.

The Adversary Culture

2006-02-22T11:48:00.000-06:00

I'm sure I've bored even my most patient friends with the long articles that I link to, but everybody ought to read The Adversary Culture: The perverse anti-Westernism of the cultural elite by Keith Windschuttle. It provides a historical overview of how we got to the point where supposed "liberals" now believe that free speech applies to everyone except where Islam is being spoken of. If you are a homeschooler, you should read this and consider it part of your education in 20th century history. If you have taken a Worldview class at some point, this should be easy reading for you. Everybody should absorb this information in order to make sense out of the craziness that is our world.

Hmm. Galactica tied with Enterprise D.

2006-02-15T17:43:00.000-06:00

You scored as Galactica (Battlestar: Galactica). You are leery of your surroundings, and with good reason. Anyone could be a cylon. But you have close friends and you know they would never hurt you. Now if only the darn XO would stop drinking.

Galactica (Battlestar: Galactica)

75%

Enterprise D (Star Trek)

75%

Babylon 5 (Babylon 5)

63%

Serenity (Firefly)

63%

Nebuchadnezzar (The Matrix)

56%

SG-1 (Stargate)

56%

Deep Space Nine (Star Trek)

56%

Bebop (Cowboy Bebop)

50%

Millennium Falcon (Star Wars)

50%

Moya (Farscape)

50%

FBI's X-Files Division (The X-Files)

38%

Andromeda Ascendant (Andromeda)

31%

Your Ultimate Sci-Fi Profile II: which sci-fi crew would you best fit in? (pics)
created with QuizFarm.com

Western freedom or dhimmitude?

2006-02-11T19:48:00.000-06:00

I am sure that God's Kingdom is not linked to the survival of Western freedoms, bought with such a high price by our ancestors. But, as a side issue, I will continue to desire and support the survival of Western freedoms, best expressed in the American Bill of Rights. Here is another article for you to read on this topic.

'Sensitivity' can have brutal consequences

2006-02-07T17:40:00.000-06:00

Time and again I find that Mark Steyn says it all, and says it better than anyone else. He is apparently of no Christian persuasion, but some Christians could certainly learn common sense from him. I heartily recommend this for anyone who still cares about Western freedoms.

The Last Telegram

2006-02-03T09:42:00.000-06:00

The Wall Street Journal reports this morning that Western Union has gotten out of the telegram business. The last telegram was sent January 27.

I never actually got a telegram even once in my life.

Test yourself on Salt

2006-02-01T14:47:00.000-06:00

It's quiz time again. The Salt Quiz at the BBC proves that I know a lot more about salt than I do about Winnie the Pooh. I got 8 out of 10 on this one.

Now this is architecture

2006-01-27T21:31:00.000-06:00

So who says that downtown Garland doesn't have any charm?

Please discuss

2006-01-19T11:59:00.000-06:00

I wonder what you people (whoever you are) would say to this blog post. I find it interesting that she

had a strict evangelical upbringing. Christian school for 12 years, Christian girl scouts (called Pioneer Girls), Christian summer camp, Christian youth group and Christian after-school activities... I realize that no one is perfect, but through all of this I saw so much hypocrisy and personal insecurity. Especially throughout my high school career. The result being that neither of my children has ever seen the inside of a church....or been baptized...

Budget buster

2006-01-18T15:22:00.000-06:00

Just when I've paid for more than half of the Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture, a wonderful set, comes news of the Reformation Commentary on Scripture. Yikes! Can there be too much of a good thing?

Winnie the Pooh quiz

2006-01-18T09:44:00.000-06:00

Today is A A Milne's birthday. He was born in 1882. To celebrate, you need to take the Pooh Quiz over at the BBC. I'm sorry to say that I got 1 right out of 10.

Liberals Should Know Better

2006-01-17T11:43:00.000-06:00

Those of you who really, deep in your heart, believe that legislation and judicial decisions will provide better for the less fortunate, than a free market will, need to get an education in economics. A good start would be for you to read, carefully, this essay at TCS Daily. If you are reading this and you are one of my children, consider this a school assignment.

Being a Child of Christians

2006-01-06T12:39:00.000-06:00

It is no longer theory, but practice, with my generation, to watch our children either embrace and profess Christ, or not. A friend of mine has written an entire book about his experience with this stage of parenthood.

But I address myself to the grown children today (and not just my own). Here is a passage from Spurgeon's autobiography (online here) which expresses his regret at putting aside his Lord for part of his youth. Note that he had every advantage, but our Lord deals with each of you separately, and you must come to him separately.

I was privileged with godly parents, watched with jealous eyes, scarcely ever permitted to mingle with questionable associates, warned not to listen to anything profane or licentious, and taught the way of God from my youth up. There came a time when the solemnities of eternity pressed upon me for a decision, and when a mother's tears and a father's supplications were offered to Heaven on my behalf. At such a time, had I not been helped by the grace of God, but had I been left alone to do violence to conscience, and to struggle against conviction, I might perhaps have been at this moment dead, buried, and doomed, having through a course of vice brought myself to my grave, or I might have been as earnest a ringleader amongst the ungodly as I now desire to be an eager champion for Christ and His truth.

I do speak of myself with many deep regrets of heart. I hid as it were my face from Him, and I let the years run round--not without twinges of conscience, not without rebukes, when I knew how much I needed a Saviour; not without the warnings which came from others whom I saw happy and rejoicing in Christ, while I had no share in His salvation. Still, I put it off, as others are doing, from day to day, and month to month, and thought that Christ might come in some odd hour, and when I had nothing else to do, I might think of Him whose blood could cleanse me. O my soul, I could fain smite thee now! Truly, I could lay this rod about my own heart to think that weeks and months should have rolled over my head, and I should have hid as it were my face from Christ in willful neglect of my dear Lord whose heart had bled for me.

Even now, some of you are holding out! Perhaps, against all the advice of your parents, you think that you have some secret side-entrance into salvation, unavailable to others? Or did you have a childhood profession that you now know was false? Drop everything now, and come before the Lord. I can assure you gaining him is worth everything that you could possibly lose.

You're Not Losing A Daughter, You're Gaining A Son

2005-12-27T22:26:00.000-06:00

I have been asked, why I am maintaining a blog if I'm not going to use it to announce the fact that my daughter is engaged?

I suppose the answer is that while a blog is good for exposing some parts of your life, such as favorite movies, music, and random thoughts, it may not be correspondingly useful to mark the momentous events around which life itself is structured. Unless one is especially good, and especially practiced, at writing an online diary that is meant to be consumed publicly, one's reflections on something as serious as the marriage of his children are bound to be perceived as inappropriate, bombastic, or shallow. Or maybe all three.

Now that we've had the private conversations with interested parties who needed to know first, I'll just say briefly here that I'm delighted that I have a daughter that is engaged to be married, and that I'm equally delighted in her young man and in his family.

May God be praised, especially by my future son-in-law, because

"House and wealth are inherited from fathers,
But a prudent wife is from the Lord."
Proverbs 19:14

A Good Quote

2005-12-13T12:31:00.000-06:00

This is an oldie but goodie. "Christianity has not been tried and found wanting; it has been found difficult and left untried." From G. K. Chesterton.

Chesterton's works are a balm for the soul and a rest for the weary (but they are not for the lazy). And even though he was a diehard Catholic and hated Calvinism more than any other brand of Christianity, I find in him a kindred spirit. How weird is that? [1] [2]

A Bach Christmas!

2005-12-02T16:48:00.000-06:00

OK folks, THIS is where to point your browser between Dec 16 and Dec 25th. BBC Radio 3, bless them, is going to play every known work by Bach in those ten days. It's easy to listen live wherever you have an Internet connection.

Be sure to check out the cool interactive "Bach Advent Calendar" on that page.

Why Did Jesus Become A Man? - 2

2005-11-13T00:11:00.000-06:00

Let’s consider some reasons why Jesus Christ had to be a true man. In Scripture, there are many reasons. (I am indebted to Wayne Grudem for the following categories, found in his Systematic Theology.)

1. For representative obedience. In the first Letter to the Corinthians, Paul describes how the resurrection of Christ is the only basis for our hope in this life. (See point 6 below for more on the resurrection.) In the process, he calls Christ the “last Adam” and the “second Man.” His point is that because Adam’s disobedience, which plunged our race into sin, was committed by a man, the corresponding “act of righteousness” (Romans 5:18) had to be the action of a man. There is a sense in which Christ re-enacted the original testing of man, and passed the test (unlike the first Adam). This means that mankind is actually rescued by a member of our own human race.

2. To be a substitute sacrifice. Closely related to the first point is the fact we needed a Substitute to suffer for our sins, in our place. God foreshadowed this fact in many ways to the Jewish nation by the system of animal sacrifices. However, as the author of the Letter to the Hebrews says, “it is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats could take away sins” (Heb 10:4). In fact it was a member of our own human race that spilled his own blood as a sacrifice for us. “Therefore, in all things He had to be made like His brethren, that He might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people” (Heb 2:17).

3. To be the one Mediator between God and Man. While we may believe, in our ignorance, that approaching the immortal God directly is the best way, the Scriptures are much more careful. In fact, the Old Testament has many stories of people afraid to even speak to God, much less hear his voice, because they were so sinful and un-Godlike. The Father, in his wisdom, solved this problem by sending his Son as a true man, who could be understood as both a man and as revealing God. Like any mediator, Christ is our representative towards God, and He is also God’s representative towards us. “For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus” (1 Tim 2:5).

4. To fulfill God’s original purpose for Man to rule over creation. When God created Adam and Eve, He gave them a command: “Fill the earth and subdue it: have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth” (Gen 1:28). Sadly, this command has never been fulfilled completely, because Adam and Eve sinned and lost much of their authority over the earth, which was now cursed by God (Gen 3:17-19). But we are promised that Christ will one day assume full rulership of this world. As God, He already rules and reigns, but as man, He will one day fulfill the commandment God gave to Adam. “And there shall be no more curse, but the throne of God and of the Lamb [Jesus Christ] shall be in it, and His servants shall serve Him” (Rev 22:3).

5. To be our example and pattern in life. This needs no explanation. By walking on earth as a man, Jesus Christ showed us how all men should walk. We all understand that if we want a picture of what a perfect life would be, we look at the life of Jesus. How much less would we understand about a perfect life before God, if it had not been showed to us as an example by One who was a true member of our race?

6. To be the pattern for our redeemed bodies. As we said before, the resurrection of our bodies is the true hope for every Christian. A disembodied life in heaven is not promised in Scripture; instead, we are taught to believe that our human bodies have great value before God, and will be raised and will live eternally. Once again, we have Jesus Christ as our great example. He did not appear to his disciples after the crucifixion as a disembodied spirit, a vision, or some other mystical appearance. Instead, He proved that He was resurrected in a real body by showing them the wounds of the crucifixion (John 20:27), by asking them to touch him, and by eating fish in front of them (Luke 24:39-43).

7. To sympathize as high priest. Jesus represents his people before the Father as high priest, always interceding for them (Heb 7:26). By becoming a human being, Jesus for all eternity knows how it was to be tempted as a human. “For in that He Himself has suffered, being tempted, He is able to aid those who are tempted” (Heb 2:18). “For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Heb 4:15,16).

I hope that this quick summary will inspire you to study your Bible, and see if these things are so. If you are a Christian, then praise God for his wisdom in saving you through a man, and redeeming and recovering His creation story which He has never abandoned. There is a great and eternal hope for you, living in a permanent, resurrected human body like your Lord!

If you are not a Christian, then consider: God has worked in your life, putting the Gospel before you. In your community, and by this article, “Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed among you as crucified” (Galatians 3:1). The Father has set forth the Son as the way that He will “save His people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21). Will you answer his call? This life is not about your “spirituality,” and the next one is not about strumming harps in the clouds. It is about your physical human, life, now and forever. A savior who is God and Man is the only kind of Savior you are offered.

And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day. (John 6:40)

Why Did Jesus Become A Man?

2005-11-10T12:58:00.000-06:00

If the thing happened, it was the central event in the history of the Earth. – C. S. Lewis

Why did the Son of God have to become a true human being?

It may surprise you that you would need to consider a question like this. If you have been a Christian for many years, you may suppose that Jesus’ humanity is the least of your worries, because you may have had to spend time trying to convince other people (your friends who are in cults, for instance) that Jesus was really God. You’ve never had to waste any time proving that He was actually a man!

Unfortunately, if you are a Christian you may find that you have never considered this issue at all. In fact, you may suspect, deep in your heart, that Jesus was really not a real man. You may wonder whether He really sympathizes with you in the problems of human life. After all, wasn’t He sinless? How hard can that be?

On the other hand, if you are not a Christian, I hope that by considering the question of whether God had to become a man, you will be able to see clearly why you needed this kind of Savior, and why there can only be one Savior of the world.

I am assuming for the sake of argument that Jesus Christ is God the Son, Second Person of the Trinity. My task here is to ask, Was it necessary for God to become fully human, and why?

You may be surprised at this, but the New Testament writers spent as much time trying to convince people that Jesus came as a man as they did trying to prove that He was God. Let’s just review a few of the places in Scripture that insist that Jesus came as a man. I’ll put the important words in bold so they are easy to see.

Gal 4:4,5 But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.

1 Tim 2:5 For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus.

Heb 2:16,17 For indeed He does not give aid to angels, but He does give aid to the seed of Abraham. Therefore, in all things He had to be made like His brethren, that He might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.

1 John 4:2 By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God.

1 Peter 3:18 For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit.

You see that the apostles were very concerned that people know that their Savior was a true man, a man of “flesh and blood,” not an image or a spirit or simply an appearance.

Tomorrow: What are some reasons why Jesus had to become true man?

Challies is interviewing Derek Webb

2005-11-02T23:30:00.000-06:00

Tim Challies, one of the greatest Christian bloggers out there, is featuring an upcoming interview with Derek Webb, one of the greatest Christian musicians out there. He invites your submission of questions.

Which comes first: Magician, or Lion?

2005-10-28T13:56:00.000-05:00

My, my. Some of my children are quite exercised that the publishers of The Chronicles Of Narnia have been arranging the book sets so that The Magician's Nephew comes first, rather than The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe. I never thought it was of great importance, but now that National Review has taken a stand, I guess I stand corrected!

Cool pic

2005-10-09T17:59:00.000-05:00

OK, since I'm not getting comments on anything anymore (whine), I think I'll resort to posting pictures of my kids. (Talk about desperate.) Here is a cool picture of Ellen that was taken by Emily, on film, for a class project.

Backyard Circus

2005-10-07T21:58:00.000-05:00

While we're on the subject of the State Fair, I have to mention our good friends Bill and Johnnie. Every year they come to the Fair to put on the best show at the whole place -- the Backyard Circus. It's free with your admission and it is so good for kids from 4 to, well, 22. I don't think any of our kids has gotten over being best friends with Bill and Johnnie for so many years. It's a privilege to know them and to be their "customers" every year. I won't try to describe the Backyard Circus except to say that it is very participatory. They and their co-workers travel the country every year, so if you ever see a Backyard Circus at your fair, be sure to go see the show!

Thanks Bill and Johnnie for another great Fair season! And it's not over yet! (And, a great big thank you to Dallas's Schepps Dairy for sponsoring their show this year.)

When life gives you lemons, you make apple cobbler

2005-10-07T13:45:00.000-05:00

Don't miss Kim's appearance in the Dallas Morning News article today, where she pops up briefly. (She didn't win yesterday.)

You can also still catch the feature article on Kim from last year.

The Rockford Files: Season One

2005-10-06T00:29:00.000-05:00

OK boys and girls, as this blog continues its devolution from "thinking great thoughts a la George Herbert" to "lame Christian riffs on politics and now pop culture," we must all pause in reverence at the fact that the greatest detective TV show of all time, the Rockford Files, is soon to be released on DVD. It doesn't get any better than this, folks. (But to really own it? Not sure I'd go that far. Far better to have it in a very convenient rental format, or even better, online! Hey Verizon! You know that fiber that you strung to my house?)

Out with the Fake Republicans

2005-09-29T13:32:00.000-05:00

Well, I haven't blogged anything for a while, so how about a reference to this article at :: Metro Pulse Online ::. It's about time to stop voting for Republicans if they want to destroy the country financially.

Baton Rouge - 2

2005-09-14T09:07:00.000-05:00

I can't believe I have to leave today. The time has gone by so fast, and has been such a blessing. I have now learned what NDMS is: the National Disaster Medical System. All of the teams here have been part of this system, which is part of FEMA. I really admire these people, who drop everything and become responders in our country's worst situations for two week shifts and sometimes more.

This is a part of the USA that we can be really proud of. Nuff said. And I'm really not going to be able to say bad things about FEMA after this experience. Whenever I hear "FEMA," I will always think of these great men and women.

Here are Ed and Tim, two members of the AR-1 DMAT team:

Ed is a pastor in the ARP (Associate Reformed Presbyterian) church.

Here are some photos of the wonderful Veterinary team, VMAT-1:

Baton Rouge

2005-09-12T12:57:00.000-05:00

Hey, here I am in Baton Rouge. My friend and hero Peter is down here representing our Scout troop and representing Jesus Christ, and he is set up as the cook at one of the FEMA areas in Baton Rouge. His job is to give them hot food while they are not out in the field eating MRE's. There are doctors, nurses, veterinarians, and other support staff, from all over the country. These teams, who all have day jobs, train all the time to work together and travel to disaster sites, and now they are deployed to the New Orleans area.

Several people have gone down to support him for shorter periods of time, but Peter's stay is likely to be two weeks.

Here is a picture of Peter's kitchen.

And here's Peter.

Here are some pictures, brought back by some of the teams, of the devastation in the heart of New Orleans.

More on the tomb

2005-09-08T12:07:00.000-05:00

In keeping with yesterday's "Steady aiming at a tomb" posting, why don't you check out an article in the current World magazine on the cemetery in Princeton, NJ. I like the Matthew Henry comments which are quoted in the article:

"Death to a godly man is like a fair gale of wind to convey him to the heavenly country; but to a wicked man it is an east wind, a storm, a tempest, that hurries him away in confusion and amazement, to destruction."

"Dying saints may be justly envied, while living sinners are justly pitied."

More Herbert

2005-09-07T21:56:00.000-05:00

Affliction (1) and Repentance now posted.

Again here comes one of my favorite Herbert poems, "Repentance." This one contains the immortal (to me!) line that our life consists of "a steady aiming at a tomb."

New Herbert poems

2005-09-05T22:05:00.000-05:00

Nature and Sin (1) now posted.

Once again, in "Nature," Herbert uses the metaphor of a stone. He loves stones. Just look at how many ways he uses them in his poems. Here, a stone means at least two things: the stony heart that Herbert wishes were smoothed and engraved with the law, and the stony grave which might "hide my dust."

Full of rebellion, I would die,
Or fight, or travel, or deny
That thou hast aught to do with me.
O tame my heart;
It is thy highest art
To captivate strong holds to thee.

If thou shalt let this venom lurk,
And in suggestions fume and work,
My soul will turn to bubbles straight,
And thence by kind
Vanish into a wind,
Making thy workmanship deceit.

O smooth my rugged heart, and there
Engrave thy reverend law and fear;
Or make a new one, since the old
Is sapless grown,
And a much fitter stone
To hide my dust, than thee to hold.

Bush - At fault?

2005-09-03T13:40:00.000-05:00

FreeWillBlog has an interesting post recounting what went on before the hurricane.

Uh, check out this story from August 28th.
In the face of a catastrophic Hurricane Katrina, a mandatory evacuation was ordered Sunday for New Orleans by Mayor Ray Nagin.

The mayor called the order unprecedented and said anyone who could leave the city should. He exempted hotels from the evacuation order because airlines had already cancelled all flights.

Gov. Kathleen Blanco, standing beside the mayor at a news conference, said President Bush called and personally appealed for a mandatory evacuation for the low-lying city, which is prone to flooding.
Wait a minute. Are you kidding me? These ostensible chief executives couldn't seriously have been so clueless that the only reason they finally bothered to evacuate was because the President called them up on the telephone and told them how to do their jobs? I'd like to find an exact quote.

New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin

2005-09-02T13:12:00.000-05:00

Is it just me, or does New Orleans' mayor seem to be the total opposite of a guy like Rudy Guiliani? Why does he do nothing but whine and carp and lash out? Do we see images of him at the Superdome or the convention center, taking charge? I think I see the end of his political career anyway. (But don't count anyone down in Louisiana, where you basically have to be crooked to be a politician anyway.)

[UPDATE] It's not just me. I'm not going crazy. Tim Challies has noticed it, and has commented far more eloquently than I could. But the major media websites (cnn, msnbc, fox, etc) simply parrot his pronouncements.

Texas History Movies

2005-09-01T00:54:00.000-05:00

All true native Texans should be well versed in the famous Texas History Movies, a comic book version of Texas history. Take the quiz to see how up on this (skewed but lovable) version of Texas you are....

PS - I got eight out of ten.

The Omission of the Gospel

2005-08-21T23:15:00.000-05:00

Yes, we are all guilty of it. I am guilty of it in my dealings every day. Even with Christians, but especially with non-Christians. It's not that we don't "preach the gospel" or "witness" to the world. Some of us do that, sometimes. We think of it as a separate activity. But what about the 99% of the rest of the time, when we pursue our unwritten, unspoken agreement with the world, to live life publicly among them as if we share a common foundation?

(Yes, Reformed theologians, I know the doctrine of common grace, and I'm not contradicting it here.)

We essentially allow our neighbors, friends, co-workers to believe that what motivates them motivates us. But it simply can't. At times like 9/11, we realize how utterly futile any motives and trustings are which aren't rooted in the one true God. But most of the time, we guiltily go along with the public fiction that we are, essentially, pulling in the same direction as most of our fellow men and women. Even if we know differently inside, we aren't willing to say so. Where is our duty to fellow man?

This posting is just a weak reflection of the excellent musings I found today on Rob Wilkerson's post on Adrian Warnock's blog. Thanks brother for the careful thinking.

Our Unfaithfulness vs. God's Faithfulness

2005-08-15T15:32:00.000-05:00

I could post this once a week, but here it is anyway, as if today is worse than any other.

How can God continue to forgive and love his people when we act so hateful towards him? Derek Webb wonders this in his own unique way:

So could you love this bastard child
though I don’t trust you to provide,
with one hand in a pot of gold
and with the other in your side? *
I am so easily satisfied
by the call of lovers less wild
that I would take a little cash
over your very flesh and blood...

* Reference is to John 20:27.

C. S. Lewis on the Fear of God

2005-08-08T12:28:00.000-05:00

I am, indeed, far from agreeing with those who think all religious fear barbarous and degrading and demand that it should be banished from the spiritual life. Perfect love, we know, casteth out fear. But so do several other things - ignorance, alcohol, passion, presumption, and stupidity. It is very desirable that we should all advance to that perfection of love in which we shall fear no longer; but it is very undesirable, until we have reached that stage, that we should allow any inferior agent to cast out our fear.

-- "The World's Last Night"

Ellen's postcard from Oxford

2005-07-29T21:07:00.000-05:00

Ellen wrote Saturday from Oxford: "This is a great picture - that's the roof of Blackwell's in the bottom left corner, above the seal you can just see the Bridge over the road, that's the Bodleian with the green roof, and I climbed up into the towers of the church in the top right, where I had a great view of the colleges. They're all so old and beautiful!"

Well you are getting old too, Daughter. I'll be glad to have you back.

(You can click on the picture to get a nice big version.)

"Chilly" dog in Texas

2005-07-28T23:53:00.000-05:00

Hey, a "cold" front roared through North Texas last night! It was 70 degrees for dinner instead of 90. To celebrate, we sat outside at Sonic.

Harry Potter vs. George Bailey

2005-07-27T13:23:00.000-05:00

It seems to me that every Christian parent who is trying to get a handle on pop culture, especially stuff like Harry Potter, should read this post from Phil Johnson. Every day his blog is good, but this post was especially helpful. We need to understand that we don't necessarily judge a book by whether it has wizards in it. What if it has angels, like It's A Wonderful Life? Does that make it OK? Read what Phil says.

Firewheel Town Center official web site

2005-07-20T15:04:00.000-05:00

There is an official site here: Firewheel Town Center. Check out the demographics, and especially the detailed site plan, buildings, 3D views, and animations.

"A Cup of Joe" blogs Firewheel

2005-07-20T12:38:00.000-05:00

My Internet neighbor Joe has been investigating the hidden details of Firewheel Town Center. His findings are published here.

Firewheel Town Center - 2

2005-07-15T22:37:00.000-05:00

Well, the mall is progressing. Now they have the street around the back open all the way around, so one can drive back there and see Foley's, etc. I've posted some new shots at the original site: Firewheel pix.

How Do We Treat the Smoking Flax?

2005-07-15T12:23:00.000-05:00

I'm reading Richard Sibbes's The Bruised Reed and Smoking Flax, based on Matthew 12:20. When Sibbes comes to the explanation of the smoking flax, he explains that the "smoke" coming from the wick is that portion of its output which is not wished for. What is wished for is light, not smoke. Yet Christ overlooks and purifies the smoke, for the sake of the little light that he has lit there.

Sibbes applies this lesson to Christians when he says:

Here see the opposite dispostition between the holy nature of Christ, and the impure nature of man. Man for a little smoke will quench the light; Christ ever we see cherisheth even the least beginnings. How bare [bore] he with the many imperfections of his poor disciples. If he did sharply check them, it was in love, and that they might shine the brighter. Can we have a better pattern to follow than this of him by whom we hope to be saved? 'We that are strong ought to bear with the infirmities of the weak,' Rom 15:1. 'I became all things to all men, that I may win some,' 1 Cor 9:22. O that this winning disposition were more in many! Many, so far as in us lieth, are lost for want of encouragement. . . . It is not the best way to fall foul presently with young beginners for some lesser vanities, but show them a more excellent way, and breed them up in positive grounds, and other things will be quickly out of credit with them. . . . It were [would be] a good strife among Christians, one to labour to give no offense, and the other to labour to take none. The best men are severe to themselves, tender over others. (Works, vol 1, 51-52)

More pictures

2005-07-11T13:07:00.000-05:00

If you really want to see pictures of these Southern gentlemen and ladies, head on over to Andrew's place where he has several posts full of them.

Southern experience

2005-07-10T23:13:00.000-05:00

It just doesn't get any better than this.... Evan's "16th" birthday party, actually being held half a year late. Everybody dressed in period costume, and we had traditional music with traditional dancing at the Onion Shed, a wonderful old pavilion in Farmersville.

Odd... there weren't any Yankees at this party. Perhaps that was because the invitation specified that this was a Confederate Ball!

What a weekend! Everyone should have 20 teenagers staying overnight at their house, making Confederate costumes! And everyone should have our good friends the Beauchamps helping out with every aspect of the gathering! Thanks Beauchamps!

63% of Southern Baptists: Unsaved

2005-07-06T22:14:00.000-05:00

How do you like my headline? Does it make you unhappy? Well, it should. But not because I'm being hateful or deliberately sensational. It should make you unhappy because it's probably true. We could argue the number, but the concept is sound. Read all about it here. And notice that the original headline is at least as sensationalistic as mine.

(That is, if you know the meaning of the word "unregenerate.")

Firewheel Town Center - 1

2005-07-04T19:16:00.000-05:00

The long-promised mall between Garland and Sachse is taking shape. Whether it is a good thing or bad, I'll leave for others, but I've taken a few pictures to give a look at how it's shaping up.

My least favorite thing was that they took down an entire hill on Ben Davis Road to make way for this development. (The hill at the end of the road here, and the hill I am on here, circa October 2002.)

And now they are putting ugly boxy storefronts up and down Highway 78 to cover up what was actually a pleasant view of the new mall.

Legalism again

2005-06-30T07:41:00.000-05:00

Bruce Blakey doesn't exactly disagree with my post on legalism's dangers (quoting him), but he feels the need to clarify what he is talking about:

Legalism is when you add to justification by faith alone. When you say that you must believe and be baptized or you must believe and home school or you must believe and avoid churches that use drums. Of course it is necessary to address issues like fornication, husband-wife relationships, and rebellious chidren. Those are all biblical issues and should be dealt with accordingly. Not every one who talks about legalism is antinomian (against law, living like there is no law). However I have noticed something interesting that you may have encountered as well. Some people who are very legalistic about things at church (no drums) are very antinomian when it comes to what their own children listen to and do. Go figure.

What am I getting at? Let's teach the Bible. Let's cut it straight. Let's consistently apply it in our churches and our lives. Sola Scriptura. When we teach the Bible we have the great joy of seeing the Lord bring forth fruit for His glory.

Of course, I couldn't agree more. Everybody would be helped by working through the series of articles collected at monergism on this topic.

However, again I feel we must clarify that just as the church is threatened by legalists, so also it is threatened, in some local churches, especially from certain doctrinal backgrounds, by "legalism hunters," who scurry about and try to homogenize everyone's behavior, stamping out variety and convictions on the part of other brethren. I have been in the middle of this situation.

Take homeschooling for example. To homeschool is not legalistic. Even homeschooling, plus joining homeschool para-church groups, plus subscribing to magazines, plus being excited about it, plus talking about how the Lord has blessed our homeschooling, all of them put together, are not themselves legalistic. (Somehow I wonder about the grammar of that last sentence.) Having a conviction is not legalistic, folks! But the above list is enough for many pastors and elders to believe that you have, indeed, divided the church by your supposed legalism. They are not willing for other brethren to hold convictions different from theirs.

But, brother homeschooler, the minute you start judging your brother, whether in thought, word, or deed, for not sharing your convictions, then you have become a legalist. You are bound by the text of Romans 14:4; you must, you are required, to believe that your good-hearted, growing brother is implementing schooling for his kids the best he can before the Lord. Even if he sends them to public schools!

Both of these extremes are such a danger. Nuff said for now.

George Herbert again

2005-06-30T01:18:00.000-05:00

Posted two more poems to the George Herbert Project today: Holy Baptism 1 and 2. Even though I am a Baptist, I love Herbert's meditation on his (infant) baptism in #2. What lines of Christian poetry surpass this: "O let me still / Write thee great God, and me a child"? Herbert could say so much in so few words.

Legalism

2005-06-26T17:37:00.000-05:00

Today's post will juxtapose two views of legalism that seem perfectly opposed, but which I think both make good points.

First, for the "legalism is a real problem in the church today" side, Bruce Blakey says:

Legalism is a constant threat to Christianity. There are always those who come along to find fault and to add rules. If you are really saved, according to them, you will keep the rules that they have devised. Salvation by grace alone, through faith alone, based on the Scripture alone, focused on Christ alone is not enough for the legalist. Therefore, salvation is not for God's glory alone because legalism puts man in the place of God. It is all about what I do or don't do rather than all about what God has done in the person of Christ. Legalism is so enticing because our flesh, our pride, wants some of the credit. Legalism is also very intimidating because we don't want others to question our salvation or our spirituality. Legalism is attractive because it feeds a tendency in us all towards self-righteousness.
...
Sadly, a lot of legalism is spread by those who call themselves Calvinists or reformed. Keeping their rules is how you prove your election. How intimidating is that? Strange that those who proclaim the wonderful doctrines of grace want to add rules to grace. Even sadder is that they look down on those who do not hold their views. Sometimes the self-righteousness is overpowering.

But now, from the "I've heard them cry legalism so many times" side, here is Doug Phillips quoting Matt Chancey:

I find it odd that, in an age marked by an explosion of licentious antinomianism in the Church, most pastors are preoccupied with “legalism” so-called. Teenagers in the church can be fornicating with one another; wives can be leading their husbands around by the nose; or husbands can be passive and withdrawn from their responsibilities, but is this kind of open rebellion against the law of God attacked by pastors? Hardly. They’re too busy condemning the father whose daughters wear head coverings and Pilgrim dresses. “Legalism!” he cries, and most of his sermons denounce such “false piety,” while temple prostitution takes place right under his nose.

Christmas in 1953 - same old story

2005-06-25T18:13:00.000-05:00

How well C. S. Lewis captures my longtime thoughts about Christmas. In his book, Letters To An American Lady, which I recently scored in hardback (woo-hoo, thanks, Half Price Books!), Lewis says this, on November 27, 1953:

"I feel exactly as you do about the horrid commercial racket they have made out of Christmas. I send no cards and give no presents except to children."

My always-changing view of Christmas includes the following elements:
- Christmas has great music! At least the traditional and historical music...
- Christmas is two holidays! If I celebrate elements of the "commercial racket," it's not because I believe it has anything to do with the other holiday.
- I like my family, and I like doing nice things for them! But maybe we could give all that stuff a new name....?
- Maybe the Puritans were right when they abolished Christmas?

Comments? Anybody who wishes to comment should probably read Lewis's wonderful essay, Xmas and Christmas.

First steps into Podcasting

2005-06-24T00:06:00.000-05:00

I've posted a Podcast feed address on the Sermons page of Cornerstone Baptist Church. Now, every time I post a sermon on the web page, I'll update the RSS file, and folks who link to this in their Podcast client will automatically download Dr. Tullock's sermons without any effort whatsoever. Hi tech!

George Herbert

2005-06-21T23:27:00.000-05:00

I posted three more poems from Herbert this week. Good Friday, Easter, and Easter Wings make complete Herbert's mini-cycle on Easter week. Not all of his book is arranged thematically, but these poems are fit together: Good Friday/ Redemption/ Sepulchre/ Easter/ Easter-Wings.

Do you know Herbert? You should.

Baptist Confessions of Faith

2005-06-15T09:19:00.000-05:00

Check out the exchange of opinions on confessions of faith in Baptist churches over on 9marks.org. I also appreciate Phil Johnson's comments about the articles here.

New Perspective

2005-06-14T23:49:00.000-05:00

What Reformed blogger hasn't said something about the New Perspective on Paul? Well, I haven't.

I have at least one friend on the other side (sorry you're not at Nortel anymore, Jay!), but I remain distinctly uncomfortable with making the New Perspective the centerpiece of a new rethinking of the Bible. This is different from saying that there are not new insights and new "perspectives" to be gained. Semper Reformanda.

This week I have greatly enjoyed and benefited from the peaceful and helpful cautions from D. A. Carson, found in MP3 form here.

Verizon FIOS

2005-06-10T00:46:00.000-05:00

OK, switched over. Fiber was coming down the street. Unused fiber. Unlit fiber. Fiber that was lonely, next to copper that was hot. This could not be allowed to continue.
So Verizon came out today and switched my voice & data over to fiber. Now, I can blog at 5Mbps down, 2Mbps up.

I've already surfed the Verizon site to see what they expect me to do with all that speed. Surprise -- they want me to watch movie trailers and listen to music! Is that all they can come up with? Wasn't I doing that already? (or at least, the kids were.)

Now, here is how to use fiber optics. Put the whole library of Andy Griffith, The Rockford Files, Perry Mason, Star Trek, etc. online. Charge me fifty cents to watch a half hour episode, or a buck for a one hour show. Don't bother me with monthly fees -- I won't pay them. But give me a chance to see just one more Rockford Files show with a late night pizza, for a dollar, and I'll melt like --- well, I'll melt like mozzarella cheese.

Back from Vacation

2005-05-29T21:12:00.000-05:00

Our vacation was not one which was conducive to blogging. There are no wide area wireless networks in the Texas State Parks, who were my hosts for 14 nights.

What a state this is! Our family just scratched the surface of this great state, staying in eight different places and mostly concentrating on sites connected with Texas history. My ranking of the best state parks for tent camping, out of the ones we used:

8. Lake Houston. Yuck. The tent area doesn't have a bathroom. You have to walk a half mile to the showers. Watch for copperheads.
7. Palmetto. Nice spots, but you have to drive to the showers in your car.
6. Goose Island
5. Huntsville. Too crowded.
4. McKinney Falls. Nice swims in the river, but tent spots are tiny and bathrooms are old.
3. Guadalupe River. A really wonderful location, but small, un-flat tent pads made life a little difficult.
2. Enchanted Rock. The rock is enchanting, but the tent spots are mostly not near the parking lot. Hike to your campsite.
1. Stephen F Austin - the cleanest and best kept. Like camping in someone's back yard.

Challies Dot Com

2005-05-12T22:14:00.000-05:00

I guess a lot of blogs start by referring readers to the blogger's other favorite blogs. I hope everyone has heard of Challies Dot Com, written by a Reformed gentleman in Canada. I don't really know how people get enough time to sit around and write up all the insights that a person like Tim Challies does. I don't know him, but I'll certainly shake his hand when I do.

The Holdfast.

2005-05-11T20:07:00.000-05:00

I'll kick off this blog by posting the poem from which the blog takes its name.

George Herbert
THE HOLDFAST.

I THREATENED to observe the strict decree
Of my dear God with all my power and might :
But I was told by one, it could not be ;
Yet I might trust in God to be my light.

Then will I trust, said I, in him alone.
Nay, ev’n to trust in him, was also his :
We must confess, that nothing is our own.
Then I confess that he my succour is :

But to have nought is ours, not to confess
That we have nought. I stood amaz’d at this,
Much troubled, till I heard a friend express,
That all things were more ours by being his.
What Adam had, and forfeited for all,
Christ keepeth now, who cannot fail or fall.

Do I exist?

2004-12-29T22:15:00.000-06:00

More to the point, does Joe exist?