When I was in junior high school, I used to play a lot of ping pong. Occasionally, in the course of these bouts, one of my friends would hit a lofter — a slow ball about three feet above the table, just on my side of the net. I confess that when this happened it …
Sometimes An Excuse Is Just An Excuse
Just finished a book called The Lost Message of Jesus, by Steve Chalke and Alan Mann. The book was a mix — a small handful of good insights, a few places where I was glad they didn’t give that part of the store away, a few sections of thundering naivete, and overall that general bleh …
More of What You Subsidize
“At thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore” (Ps. 16: 11) Growing Dominion, Part 49 One of the fundamental laws of life, and therefore of business, is that you get more of what you subsidize, and less of what you penalize. In every social context, certain behaviors are rewarded (in some way), and other …
John Knox Meets Siddhartha
In a recent post to Vision 20/20, one of our adversaries (Nick Gier) listed fourteen ways in which we kirkers differ from other conservative evangelical Christians (what he calls CECs). Normally this kind of superficial analysis would not warrant a response on the merits, but because purveyors of this kind of superficial analysis appear to …
Oh Yeah
Some time ago, I unsubscribed from a community listserve discussion called Vision 20/20, though in calling it a “discussion” my charitable faculties are fully extended. A less strenuous description of it would have to include words and phrases like fulmination, jeremiad, screed, baying at the moon, and other forms of progressivist yodeling. Anyhow, I unsubscribed …
A New Creation Spoken
Minister: Lift up your hearts! Congregation: We lift them up to the Lord! God of all creation, we lift up our voices in praise and adoration because You are worthy of all praise and adoration. We know that You have spoken the universe into existence, and when our father Adam rebelled against You, in your …
Little Ones in the Heavenly Courts
This morning the exhortation is for a particular (and very important) part of our congregation—the little ones. I want to begin by asking all the children who are eight-years-old and younger to pay close attention. Step out in the aisle if you need to, or stand on your chair, or have your mom or dad …
The Glory of Matter
We are created and shaped in the image of God, and we are the crowning glory of matter. Our first father Adam was fashioned out of the earth, and when we die, we return to that earth. For a time, matter is organized in such a way as to love, think, sing praises to God, …
No Handles
“‘This is a a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church’ (Eph. 5:31-32). Those who want the formation of this great mystery to be reeduced to a simple checkoff list want something that cannot be. For those who have no hands, wisdom has no handles” (Future Men, p. 147).
Yet Another Sabbath
Our Father and God, we thank You now for all the kindness You have shown to us in bringing us to yet another Sabbath day. The food before us is wonderful, the hands that prepared it are blessed, the wine is rich. We are so grateful that You have brought us into the salvation that …