Mr. President

Heather and I have been watching the History Channel's "The Presidents" bit by bit over the past week or so. There have been several comments that are worth noting.

Thomas Jefferson designed his own gravestone before he died and it was said he grew to so despise the presidency that he left it off.

John Adams sent his son, John Quincy Adams a note following his election in which he wrote, "No man who ever held the office of President would ever congratulate a friend on obtaining it."


One of my favorite bits of trivia resulted from the 1828 election between Andrew Jackson and John Quincy Adams. It was an ugly campaign with much mud slinging. There were many accusations made, and lies created. President Jackson even went so far as to send out a pamphlet accusing President Adams of being a Sabbath breaker. However, his notable habit of skinny dipping in the Potomac was never brought up.

Kara's Turn

Last night we went to the Lapel basketball game (they won by nearly 40), but the kids stayed home with a babysitter. I guess during the course of the evening many discussions arose. Some how the subject of Uncle Bobby came up and Kara let this one loose:

"Uncle Bobby needs to find a wife, because he has not had one since he was little."

End of the Spear

There is a new movie out today about Jim Elliot and the others who died in Ecuador in 1956. The true story is an amazing missionary account and should be read by all. I recommend Shadow of the Almighty by Elizabeth Elliot.

This new movie End of the Spear has sparked controversy because of the casting of a homosexual in one of the lead roles. Dr. Mohler of SBTS has a great article out on how we should react to this as Christians. The article has benefits beyond just the movie, as it hits at the heart of many needless "Christian Controversies," while at the same time holding high the standards that God's Word establishes for all men and women.

(Thanks to SBTS Student Tony Zetterberg for the link)

IU

I have little theological to say today, unless you are from the hoosier state and consider basketball religion. The Colts are done and Indiana is back to a normal winter with all attention upon basketball. The Anderson Indians are ranked #2 in the state and may have their best team ever, the Lapel Bulldogs are ranked #3 in "A" after losing all-state Jason Holsinger, and the Hoosiers finally beat a top 10 team again at home. Ah, the air just seems to breath in easier today in the Hoosier state.

Here is a great quote from our coach Mike Davis.

"When Marco was shooting those free throws with 20 seconds left, you looked like you were praying,'' somebody mentioned.

Davis smiled.

"Have you seen Marco shoot free throws?'' he asked.

Context Matters

Peyton Manning: "I'm trying to be a good teammate here, but let's just say we had some protection problems."

Sometime even a correct quote taken out of context takes on a life of it's own. I had heard this quote of Manning broadcast on ESPN and ESPN radio and just about everywhere else. I was surprised by the statement because Manning is usually one to let the buck stop with him and be guarded. This morning they interviewed Archie Manning about the quote and he helped put it into context. He talked to "Mike and Mike in the Morning" about the quote. There is a problem with the national media, they are not there to hear the whole press conference. They only get a few sound bites. This quote happened to come after Manning was asked for a fifth time about protection problems in the game. He had avoided saying anything like this four times, trying to be a good teammate, but on the fifth time finally but simply stated we had some protection problems. If you don't hear it in its context it sounds like he is backhandedly being critical of his offensive line, but in the context it is much less attacking.

Lessons:

1. The national media is much like gossip. They have enough of the truth to be credible, but are second hand and not in the real context. There is a reason we are warned so much in scripture about gossip, but we love to push forward our ideas and feel like we are in the know. Therefore, we spread whatever knowledge we have, or we spread certain knowledge so we can give our opinion or put our spin on something. Guard your tongue
2. Too many try and interpret Scripture as soundbites. It needs to be read, first in its immediate context, and then in the context of the book and genre it is found in, and finally in the context of the whole of the Bible.
   

Ships Ahoy for Jesus

Does every leading conservative pastor in America have their own cruise? I posted several days about Steve Camp's Cruise, but now several have drawn my attention to the fact that the Pastors at Edgewood may have missed the boat! I ran across this recent option with R.C. Sproul. The wealth of Western Evangelicalism never ceases to amaze me. Sure we need to have times of rest and refreshment, but Cruises for Jesus? Google for a little while and I bet you can find a majority of the prominent Christian leader on a cruise sometime in the next two years. I have to admit that I would love to go on one of these for the enjoyment of it (You may have to forgive my pure selfishness, but if I do go on a cruise I will probably forgo any religious ones and just take it all in). I just see a real tension here though. Who can go on these trips to hear the gospel? The wealthy. Who are the pastors trying to attract as people they want to spend intimate time with on a boat? The wealthy. Who did Christ come to spend time with? The poor, and lowly. Are they all wrong? We can debate that until we are blue in the face, but doesn't anyone else see the great difficulty with the wealth of western religion? Are our priorities where they ought to be?

A New Day in Indiana

From the Indy Star

The Indiana Senate opened its 2006 legislative session Monday with 20 seconds of silent prayer, voluntarily following a federal court order against sectarian prayer in the House. The Senate is not a defendant in the lawsuit that has forced the Indiana House to stop using prayers that single out Jesus.

In many ways it seems odd that it has taken this long for prayer in Jesus name to end in government. However, it is still a sad day for those who are Christians, and even for those who follow closely the intent of our founding fathers. Responses seem to vary among conservative Christians. Some may want to form some kind of boycott of the government or to form a group to defend our rights. I see some logic and truth in this, but seem to conclude that it goes more against the grain of scripture than with it. Rights in government appear to be more of an American idea than a scriptural idea. I fear many times in defending truth we violate other truths of Christianity. Others would suggest that this is only right for we would not want to be forced to sit under a Muslim prayer or a prayer to any other god. I have to admit that I see the logic in this argument and agree with much of it. I cannot conclude to accept this change though. As Christians we do not hold to another religion, but the one true religion. We do not worship one god while others may choose to worship another, but we worship the one true living God. We should not be content with saying we do not want to force others to have to sit under a prayer to God. So what is the answer? Pray! We cannot force others to worship God, it is an act of the Holy Spirit. We cannot trust in political groups to turn the hearts of men, we must trust in the Lord our God. I believe this new day, is a reminder to all believers that we need to pray for revival.

Floating Pulpits

As much as I enjoy Steve Camp and agree with his stand against CCM, this ad on his blog really seems ironic to me. A Cruise to discuss pulpit crimes? Pulpit crimes like using the ministry for personal gain and a life of ease? Making the truth more palatable? Using entertainment to spread the gospel?

I hope the Cruise goes well, and I know many popular and good speakers offer their own, but the combination of the topic and location seemed to ironic to pass up.

Application:

1. All of us are tempted to compromise is some area. Satan is always at work and loves for us to compromise the truth in any way.
   
2. We all have blind spots. As right as many of us think our theology and worldviews are, we all have chinkes in our armor. It is another reminder to be dependant upon the Holy Spirit and not our own understanding.
3. Reformed Theology needs to go further than knowledge. If you truly believe in the sovereignty of God and salvation by grace alone it needs to impact all of your Christian walk. It must impact your Justification, Sanctification, Worship, etc. Having the right theolgy is not enough, it has to be applied correctly in all areas.

I have thought of a few other possible cruises and topics, none of these actually exist.

* "Get Out of Debt" featuring Dave Ramsey. Rates begining at $499 per person. Plus you must pay the $185 seminar fee for copyright purposes. If you would like to keep up on your personal money make over, wireless internet is available at $4.95 a day (You must first have a monthly membership to his website at $8.95 a month). T-Shirts and hats will be available at the duty free gift shop. Port fees not included.
* "The Discipline of Fasting" featuring John Piper and Donald Whitney. A seven day cruise all drinks and meals are included.

Psalm 4:7

You have put more joy in my heart than they have when their grain and wine abound.

This is to be true of all believers. The joy that Christ has brought into our lives is everlasting and full. It surpasses any other joy known to mankind. The joy that Christ brings surpasses any pleasure of sin. The joy that Christ brings exceeds any joy that can be shared by the unbelieving and believer alike.
This is also a reminder to us of how satisfying heaven will be. No one will get to heaven and say, "this is it?" No one will think, "I was expecting something different but this will do." Right now in our family, we are anticipating a trip to Disney World. We have read many reviews of what to do with pre-schoolers. It is interesting to see how many people's anticipations were disappointed at the character meals, and various attractions. There is no chance of this being true with heaven.
In all of this we must be reminded that we should not be disappointed with our relationship with Christ here on earth either. The psalmist was not in heaven when he made this claim, but here on earth. What Christ brings into our lives in the here and now also exceeds the abundant pleasures of this earth. This phrase ought to bring conviction to many, if Christ is so satisfying, why am I craving other things? Why do I want Christ, plus what the world has to offer?