Why do we name Hurricanes?

This photo struck me as very interesting. God has the power to move mountains, or to take a dolphin out of the gulf of Mexico and put in a hotel swimming pool.

Meet the Walt Disney of the Funeral Business

I next to never watch CNN, but last night I happened to catch a news story about the newest in tombstones and funerals. (click on the title to watch the news story) The computer age has even caught up with the dead now. I don't think this is what the puritans meant when they encouraged us to think often of death, and plan to die well.

Funny Story

Today we took Kara to buy her first big girl bike with money she earned by taking care of the puppies. So, I was a little nervous in the SuperWal-Mart parking lot as she rode it out to the van. I began doing a head check. Heather had Tyler in the buggy. Kara was riding beside me on her princess bike. Oh no, where it Lauren! Quickly, in a panic, I turned to Heather and cried, "where is Lauren?!" To which she replied in laughter, "you are carrying her." And there she was in my right arm, all 30 some odd pounds of her. I was glad my wife got such a laugh out of my panic. I was even more glad that Lauren was with us and safe, I think.

Meth Lab Church

A custodian was arrested for making methamphetamine inside the First Baptist Church where he worked, police said.Richard J. Mosley, 30, of Peru, has been charged with felony manufacturing methamphetamine within 1,000 feet of a youth center.

It is sad to read a story like this, and to think it has marred the church and name of Christ. Most of us could never imagine doing anything like what Mosley did. However, all of us do. Few of us end up in the papers for it or prison, but each of our sins is a mar on the name of Christ and the gospel. We are the church of Christ and therefore our sins all take place within the church. For some reason we think of sins within the walls of the brick buildings as far greater, but it is not the building that is the church, we are.

What does a watered down gospel look like?

Many of us have heard or used the phrase "watered down gospel", but what does that mean? Let us begin with what it does not mean. It does not mean that there is no truth present in the gospel presented. Watered down may be thought of as adding water to a spicy soup. The water is added to make the soup a little less hard for the mouth or stomach to accept. It weakens the strong taste. So, when the gospel is watered down it does not mean that you won't hear about Jesus and truths about him. What it does mean is that in an attempt to make the gospel more acceptable, palatable, or relevant someone or some group has weakened it in some manner. This can be done by softening the doctrine of hell or eternal punishment, by only focusing on the positives in the message, by not making it clear what one is being saved from, by omitting sin from the message, by appealing to man's free will and decision rather than the saving work of the Holy Spirit and sovereignty of God, etc. As you can see in the picture, it does not destroy or remove everything, but it distorts a clear view of the truths of scripture. How dangerous is this? One's salvation can be at stake! Depending on the level of watering down or the truth blurred one can be lead to trust in the wrong thing, other than salvation by the work of Christ alone. One may accept a better life and the morals of Christianity, but never die to self and find life in Christ.
This could also be described as sugar coating the gospel. My parents used to do this with our medicine. They would trick us by putting the medicine in some apple sauce. We would then swallow what we needed inadvertently. Some have tried to do this with the gospel. They have tried to make it as sweet as possible, by omitting truth or overly focusing on certain truths. In order to give people what they need, Jesus, they weaken or sweeten the gospel to help it slide down. It sounds good, it is coated in terms of evangelism, witnessing, reaching the lost, etc., but we must we must hold fast to the truths of scripture so that our picture of salvation, Christ and God is not blurred.

Tearing Down Fences

(I have linked an article by Jerry Bridges in the title)
It sounds like a great thing, to tear down the barriers and fences that surround us, keep us hemmed in, and that keep others out, and there are times when it must occur. However, what if the fences serve a purpose for which we have lost sight? Fences in our spiritual life are the barriers we put up to keep us from going over into sin and sin from entering into our path. It is part of the process of throwing off the sins that entangle us. Sometimes we too quickly forget how easily sin does entangle and we stop taking it seriously. Examples of some fences in the past, some good and some not as good; don't go to movies, don't use slang words, don't play cards, don't drink, don't watch any movie over PG, don't go to dances, not owning a TV, turning off a TV show if they curse once, not listening to secular music, etc. Some of these you can find direct scriptures to show us the lesson, others are indirect applications of biblical principles. These indirect applications are fences. There is no virtue in them, but they are there to help us maintain a steadfast walk with God.
It seems that in a response to legalism (placing virtue in fences or claiming them for righteousness) much of evangelicalism has removed all its fences. Therefore, there is nothing between us and the world, between us and sin. We have little to distinguish the line between a Christian and a lost person, and we have little cushion between and steadfast walk and sin. What are the answers? Hopefully they will come in later posts.

Mega-Size that please.

The title is linked to an interesting article on the mega-church emphasis of our generation. It should be helpful it sparking discussion on the subject. Trends in church methodology come and go nearly as quickly as fashions change, but the part of the article about disconnecting the church from its spiritual heritage is a frightening thought. Although most trends come and go, it does not mean that one is not more dangerous than another.


In other news, I went to the State Fair yesterday with my family. Very few states can boast of a state fair as grand as Indiana's, for we know farming, cows, and pigs. I am a little shocked and slightly grossed out by the fact that they give an award to the World's Largest Boar every year, but it is one of those things that you simply have to see. This years winner, 1150 lbs! Unsurprisingly, I have yet to see any of the winners standing up. I am not sure such an award is healthy for anyone involved. The best part of the day was getting to be a part of the tractor parade at 6 PM. Every night there is a parade of classic tractors throughout the fair grounds. A man from Noblesville asked our family if we wanted to ride with him. He even hooked the Prices up with a ride in a wagon pulled by the tractor behind us. Kara and Tyler both got a chance to drive the 1948 Farmall. There is something very relaxing about being up on a tractor. Call me a hick, but it was the highlight of my day.

Golf in Korea

As we approach the annual River Cup vs. Owensboro, I have been brought to an all-time low in terms of my golf game. I read this article and now feel I have wasted 15 years of golf. I have yet to have one Hole in One! For those of you that trust the political media or any media read this article.

Eleven holes-in-one in a single round...

Chuck E Cheese Party

I am now resorting to normal blogging, rather than profound posts. I will still try and mix it up a bit though. Last night we took all the kids to a birthday party for our neighbor. After getting stamped with the mark of the beast at the door (security stamp), we walked back towards the party table and dancing mouse. As we got to the eating area, there was a familiar face there that stood 6'6". Mike, the father of the birthday girl, is a Purdue grad and was sure he played basketball for Purdue a few years back. Later I talked to him and found out it was Rodney Smith. He played from 1998-2002, graduated from Pike where he lead them to a State Championship and is now coaching there. So for all you Purdue fans out there, for a Purdue guy he was really nice, and for the IU fans, no he was not wearing any carhartt clothing.