Collision

You can check out a couple of trailers for the Collison Movie, which is a film based on the recent debates and conversations between Chrisopher Hitchens and Douglas Wilson.

The Ghost Hornet

After getting home from seminary today, I went outside to feed my dogs. Unfortunately, it was raining and the gate to our new fence was stuck. (The wood had swelled and caused the gate to fit a bit too tightly.) Once I finally got the gate open I was greeted by two wet and muddy dogs who decided that it would be a good idea to make sure that I shared in their muddiness. Well, in the midst of trying to avoid the onslaught of my dogs and attempting to close the fence, I managed to cut off the tip of my thumb by closing it in the gate. It didn't take long for my thumb to go numb and begin bleeding. By the time I made it back inside the house Amy said that I looked "pale as a ghost" and "angry as a hornet." Thankfully, after I cleaned the blood off my hand, it wasn't as bad as I first expected. But I have a feeling that it's going to be sore in the morning. On a brighter note, at least it was my left thumb instead of my right one.

Hair on Your Chest

Well, I guess you don't have to have hair on your chest in order to appreciate these links, but it would probably help.

* The Gospel Man Fellowship and Conferences - If you live near the Atlanta area, there is a conference planned for April 24-25. Lord willing, I'll be there.

*How Grace Changes Men Blog - This is the blog of the guy who started the

*Samson Society - "A fellowship of Christian men who are serious about authenticity, community, humility and recovery - serious, but not grave."

The Difficulty of Defining "Love," Part I

Let me begin by thanking those of you who took time to respond to last week's post regarding love. (The first post in this series was Seven Things I Love). So, what was the point of the exercise? If most of us were to compare our lists, we would probably notice a similarity between the things we listed, namely, the variety of the things that we love. We love everything/everyone from Jesus to spouses to pets to certain foods, etc. Yet, when we say "I love" what do we mean exactly and do we mean the say thing in each case? Do we love our spouses the same way that we love steak? Do we love our children the same way that we love sports? Hopefully, we love our wife/husband differently than we love a steak, yet we use "love" language to describe our relationship to both of these. And this brings us to one of the difficulties with the topic of love: the problem of defining what we mean by "love."

So, what is a good definition for love? Can we think of a definition that encompasses all the things that we supposedly love?

A couple of weeks ago, I asked a group of young people to give me a definition for love. After a few minutes, they had compiled about five possible definitions for love. Interestingly, every definition that they gave me defined love in emotive terms: "Love is...an intense emotion...an urge...a strong desire...etc."

So, let me ask you a few questions regarding love: How would you define love? Why is love so difficult to define? Is love an emotion? Can you define love apart from using emotive language?

Once again, if you're feeling cooperative, please take time to comment. In a few days, I'll make an attempt to answer my own questions. The comment section is waiting for you...

"Help!"

God, in his grace, has used addiction to shatter my moralistic understanding of the Christian faith and force me to accept the gospel. I am not a faithful man. That's why I need a Savior. I cannot live victoriously on my own. That's why I need a Helper and brothers. I cannot keep my promises to God--the very act of making them is delusional--but God will keep his promises to me.

As a Christian, I am perpetually reduced to the role of a supplicant. No more can I offer God a bargain, his favor in exchange for my faithfulness, or go toe-to-toe with him, demanding payment for years of service. But when I approach him humbly, as a restored prodigal son, he responds with overwhelming generosity to my requests for aid.

No fancy prayers are required. In fact, God finds fancy prayers repugnant. He loves it, however, when I acknowledge my need and my belief in his benevolence with a simple one-word prayer:

"Help!"

-Nate Larkin, Samson and the Pirate Monks, p. 132

Monday Morning Blues

Most people don't look forward to Monday's since the weekend is over and the work-week is beginning. But the dislike of Monday's isn't limited to those that have to go to work--even my 4-year-old doesn't like Monday's. Here's a conversation that took place between my wife and daughter:

Alora: "I don't like Monday's. I wish God didn't make 'em."

Amy: "Why don't you like Monday's, baby?"

Alora: "Cause I don't get to go to church and cause Dad has to go to work."

Amy: "Why don't you like Daddy to go to work?"

Alora: "Because I don't get to play tag with him."

Seven Things I Love

We'll this is the first post in a series that will deal with the topic of love. But before we can jump into the subject, I need you to help me with something. Trust me, I'm not going to ask you to do anything too difficult. If you're up to task, keep reading.

Here's your task: Take a few moments and think of seven things that you love. Then, if some of you are feeling extremely cooperative, I'd love for you to place your list of seven in the comment section. You don't even have to leave your name if you don't want to. Once everyone has had some time to at least think of seven things, I'll give you my own list and explain the point of the exercise.

The comment section is open and waiting for you...

Rainy Weather

For some people rainy weather is depressing and undesireable. Yet, I really enjoy rainy weather. I love to watch the rain hit the ground and I love to hear the sound it makes on the roof of my house. As I watch and listen to the rain now, I am reminded of God's provision--the way that He refreshes the earth and makes all things grow and thrive.

I am second.

I am second.

Intriguing Title

This book isn't out yet, but it certainly has an intriguing title.

Prodigal God?

Many people are familiar with Jesus' parable about the prodigal son. In reference to this wayward son, the word "prodigal" takes on a negative connotation. So, some people may wonder why Tim Keller titled his most recent book The Prodigal God. Go here to find out more about the title of the book.

And while your at it, buy the book here for 40% off! It's great.

Whole Wide World

Thankfully, I didn't have to search the whole wide world to find my bride...I only had to go to Tigerville! (Unless you graduated from North Greenville University, you probably have no idea where Tigerville is located.)

Wedding Festivities

Over the weekend Amy, Alora, and I will be enjoying some wedding festivities. Our friends Emily and Gus will be getting married on Saturday and Alora is the flower girl. We have rehearsal tonight and then the three of us are staying the night in Greenville. It should be a great weekend.

Davis' Downtown Market

Recently, a local newspaper ran a story about supporting local businesses. Well, I certainly want to contribute to the growth of Anderson, so during my lunch break my family and I decided to stop by one of the newer businesses in downtown Anderson: Davis' Downtown Market. The market had a nice variety of offerings: tomatoes, bananas, cookbooks, sauces, ciders, dairy products, meats, baking supplies, snacks, drinks (in glass bottles!), and more. I imagine their offerings will continue to increase as the weather warms and fresh vegetables become more readily available.

Today, I purchased a few tomatoes, a couple of bottles of imitation flavoring (butter and vanilla), and a Dr. Pepper (in a glass bottle!). If you haven't taken an opportunity to visit Davis' Downtown Market, it is located on Main St. across from Bank of America. Support a local business, get to know some new people, and enjoy a few great products.

A Living Hope

The sermon that I preached on Sunday (3/1/09) is now available online: A Traveler's Guide for Christian Pilgrims: A Living Hope

Self-Evaluative Questions

Is it just me or are self-evaluative questions often difficult to answer? For instance, I was recently asked how I would describe my style of leadership and it took me a while to think through the question. Although we should be able to describe ourselves easily, we are often unaware of the things that are so clear and evident to others.

Who is...?

Recently, I came across a website that has a lot of Bible Trivia Quizzes. The website has a large selection, so you're sure to find one that interest you. If you're a parent, why not plan to have a quiz/game night this week? Not only will you be spending time with your family, you'll also be growing in your knowledge of God's Word. You can check out the website here.

Here is a sample of the quizzes that are available:

New Beginnings

Books of the Bible

Bible Quiz for Kids - Old Testament

Bible Quiz for Kids - New Testament

Love and Marriage

ESV Online Study Bible

A number of months ago, I recommended to you the ESV Study Bible. Well, if you haven't purchased a copy yet, Crossway is giving you an opportunity to check it out for free! Beginning on March 2, 2009 (yesterday) Crossway is offering a free trial for the ESV Online Study Bible. The Online version offers a number of additional features, so it's worth checking out. Here's the information that you need to start the free trial:

For full access and free trial use of these features for one month, visit www.esvstudybible.org/online. Simply create a login and password. Email information will not be shared, nor will there be any obligation to purchase. Free trial offer expires March 31, 2009.

You can read the full announcement from Crossway here.

A Brief Conversation About God and Snow

Here's a conversation that Alora and I had before church this morning:

Alora: Daddy, it's raining outside. Why isn't it snowing? I guess God doesn't like snow.

Me: God likes snow. He makes it all the time. He just doesn't make it snow here very often.

Alora: I want Him to make it snow here.

Me: Maybe He will. We'll just wait and see.

Well, soon after we came home from church, it started snowing. The real irony about this story is that we had no idea that our area was even expecting snow. (We currently don't have cable or regular television, so we're usually out of the news loop.) Needless to say, the girls are super excited. I guess God does like snow.