Tried With Fire

The expression “chew the meat and spit out the bones” is an interesting one. Christians say this when reading books with questionable theology, meaning “I'll keep what I think is Biblical and ignore the other stuff.”  But what bones are we willing to gnaw around and which ones should we avoid like the plague?  I've been wondering about this for some time and finally have come up with a list (in writing, not just mental) of things I would consider problematic.  You may think I'm going over the top by considering these as potential items in  Christian books. But frankly there's a lot of garbage out there written by professing Christians and sold by Christian booksellers.  Also these aren't necessarily no-brainers as error can be camouflaged very well.   The Shack  contained bones #1-#4, and it still went viral among Christians.   Granted  there as many views on what's kosher as believers, but orthodoxy isn't a matter of consensus.  So...

In honor of Memorial Day, here is a family story from WW II: When my dad was a boy, his family immigrated from southern China to the Philippines. My grandfather was led to preach the gospel and plant a church in Quezon City on Luzon Island.  Shortly afterward, World War II broke out, and the Philippines were ultimately invaded by the Japanese. An airstrip was hidden near their house, and every day my dad and his younger siblings would watch the planes take off in the morning.  They could gauge the state of the war by how many took off and how many returned.  It was a difficult and dangerous time, to say the least. Meanwhile a top Chinese nationalist spy had been sent to the Philippines to gather information for the Allies.  The Japanese knew he was there, so he was a hunted man in daily fear of capture and death.  Somehow he knew about my grandfather.  (But being a spy, he would know these things.) This man was not a Christian, but whenever...

To Him that loved us, ere we lay Concealed within the passive clay; To Him that loved us though we fell, And saved us from the pains of hell! To him that found us dead in sin, And planted holy life within; To Him that taught our feet the way From endless night to endless day; To Him that wrought our righteousness, And sanctified us by His grace; To Him that brought us back to God, Through the red sea of His own blood; To Him that sits upon the throne, The great eternal Three-in-One; To Him let saints and angels raise An everlasting song of praise. Joseph Swain (1761-1796)

'On babies and bathwater: I don’t need to give my respect to men of dubious character or qualification “because they make a valuable contribution to the conversation.” I can throw out their baby with their bathwater because that same baby can be found in cleaner water elsewhere.' From David Kjos, the Thirsty Theologian .  Check out his other  observations regarding truth .  

HT: Twisted Crown of Thorns

I'm thankful for: Fans and air conditioning.  We're supposed to reach 94 today.  With the heat, humidity, and thunderstorms, summer has arrived. Seeing new life among the wildlife.  When I raised the shade this morning, I saw a grackle mom pursued by two fat, fuzzy chicks with their beaks wide open.  Yesterday, we were entertained by a pair of squirrel kits playing near the "watering hole". Books, old and new.  It may take the rest of my life, but I'm looking forward to tackling the Institutes. Christian community.  I'm so thankful that my faith family is family. Ongoing trial.  Smooth sailing can be dangerous, because I am prone to wander and leave the God I love.  So I'm thankful for the choppy waters. It's not the tempest it was a few years ago, but it drives me to cling to what really matters. When all around my soul gives way, He then is all my hope and stay. On Christ the solid rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand.

At my other sporadic blog: a little musical satire inspired by last week-end's non-event.

Dr. Russell Moore on what is and isn't the gospel: “If we are telling our children the way in which you learn the Bible is to learn to look at characters and to emulate them; to learn how to get along with one another, “Jesus had friends, you have friends,” “Noah took care of pets, you take care of pets,” “the apostle shared, you share,” you are creating and training up an army of Protestant liberals who will die and go to hell with signed   True Love Waits   cards.” HT:  Jared Moore

Check out this giveaway by Christian Focus Publishers.  They are giving away 2 books: Feminine Threads: Women in the Tapestry of Christian History by Diana Lynn Severance Touched by Greatness: Women in the Life of Moses by Dorothy K. Patterson The giveaway runs May 24 - May 30.

A man has gone on long in sin. At last God arrests him, shows him what desperate hazard he has run, and he is filled with anguish.  Within a while, the tempest of conscience is blown over, and he is quiet. Then he concludes that he is a true penitent because he has felt some bitterness in sin. Do not be deceived, this is not repentance. Ahab and Judas had some trouble of mind.  It is one thing to be a terrified sinner and another to be a repenting sinner. Sense of guilt is enough to breed terror.  Infusion of grace breeds repentance.  If pain and trouble were sufficient to repentance, then the damned in hell should be most penitent, for they are most in anguish.  Repentance depends upon a change of heart.  There may be terror, yet with no change of heart. The Doctrine of Repentance , Thomas Watson, Banner of Truth Trust, 2009 (orginially published in 1668), pg 15.

Here's a refreshing version of Taco Bell's Pachelbel's Canon. It would be an accomplishment to play this alone, but to perform it in unison with another musician? Here's an added bonus.  Yes, there are 5 capos.

I was curious about the why's and how's of other bloggers, hence the following questions.  Thanks for responding. 1. Why do you blog? 2. How long have you been blogging? 3. How much time to you spend writing a post? 4. How much time to you spend reading blogs? 5. Do you have a backlog of ideas or do you post what's on your mind as you sit in front of your computer? 6. Based on your experience, what are some positives and negatives about blogging? [Comments not subject to statistical analysis, and no fancy bar graphs will be forth coming. :-)]

Nothing know we of the season When the world shall pass away; But we know the saints have reason To expect a glorious day; When the Saviour will return And his people cease to mourn. O what sacred joys await them! They shall see the Saviour then; Those who now oppose and hate them, Never can oppose again. Brethren, let us think of this; All is ours if we are his. Waiting for our Lord's returning, Be it ours his word to keep; May our lamps be always burning, May we watch while others sleep. We're no longer of the night; We are children of the light. Being of the favoured number; Whom the Saviour calls his own, 'Tis not meet that we should slumber; Nothing should be left undone. This should be his people's aim Still to glorify his name. Thomas Kelly (1769-1855)

Be sure to read these before 6:00 PM. Seriously, here is a compassionate letter to Harold Camping's followers. May his folly be an opportunity to spread the gospel to unbelievers and restore those who have been prey to his false teaching. One More Time on Moral Equivalence - Kevin DeYoung takes on the partial truth that "all sins are equal" and its potential slippery slope. Can Romance Novels Hurt Your Heart? - Russell Moore nails this one. The Theologian's Alphabet - What's your favorite letter? Cooking with tea: ice cream - with links to assorted tea-flavored treats. The ultimate bizarre ice cream: candied bacon ice cream .  It boggles the mind and the taste buds. Finally as we prepare to meet with God's people tomorrow, here 's an excellent quote about the place of music in worship: "Or let’s say that I deeply love Jesus but I detest the music–it is not “my music.”  What am I then to do in the absence if a linkage between havi...

Thanks, Eddie!

Source: Jina Lee This week's list: ~ The ladies in my church.  In this week's meeting, we discussed the need to be open and vulnerable with one another so we can help one another actively appropriate God's grace.  Afterwards, it was a privilege to see this in action as one sister was able to unburden her heart and receive prayer and encouragement. I am so glad to be walking with these women! ~ Our pastor and his wife, Ryan and Christie Davidson, for their godly counsel to us personally and their service to this little flock. Congratulations, Pastor, on receiving your Th.M. from Southern. ~ My daughter.  We've been wrestling through defining forgiveness this week, wanting to go beyond the merely sentimental and  pop psychology meanings it has taken, and having numerous conversations on the subject.  (If you read this, Pastor, we have lots of questions!) I am encouraged by her desire to grasp the full-orbed Biblical truth and live it, particularly...

Just found this in my inbox: Michael Horton will be discussing Love Wins by Rob Bell at Stoney Point Church in Richmond, Virginia on May 27, 2011 at 7:00 - 9:00 PM.  More info here . Anyone interested in going?

And the winners of The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment are .... Congratulations to SLP and HER Impressions!!!! Please send an email to pilgrim dot mommy at gmail dot com with your contact info, and I will get the books in the mail. Thanks to everyone for entering this month. God willing, there will be another Puritan Paperback giveaway in June, so stay tuned...

He (Christ) teaches him to understand what is the one thing that is necessary, which he never understood before. You know what he said to Martha: 'O Martha thou cumberest thyself about many things, but there is one thing necessary.' Before, the soul sought after this and that, but now it says, I see that it is not necessary for me to be rich, but it is necessary for me to make my peace with God; it s not necessary that I should live a pleasurable life in this world, but it is absolutely necessary that I should have pardon of my sin; it is not necessary that I should have honor and preferment, but it is necessary that I should have God as my portion, and have my part in Jesus Christ, it is necessary that my soul should be saved in the day of Jesus Christ . The other things are pretty fine indeed, and I should be glad if God would give me them, a fine house, and income, and clothes, and advancement for my wife and children: these are comfortable things, but they are not the neces...

O my soul with wonder tell, Jesus has done all things well; And through his atoning blood. I've a settled peace with God. He bequeathed his peace to me, As a gift divinely free; And it is his righteous will, That my soul in peace shall dwell. Love to such vile worms as I, Brought the Savior from the sky; Every foe for them to quell, Jesus conquered death and hell. Gifts like this, so full and free, Stand as firm as Deity; God has sworn, nor can he lie, It shall last eternally. Justice, mercy, truth, and love, Every attribute of God, Join to make this peace secure, And it must and shall endure. What a solid basis this! Such a peace can never miss, But produce a grateful mind, To a God so vastly kind. Mourning souls who feel the smart Of a guilty, treacherous heart, And with mighty care and pain, Struggle hard relief to gain; Labour hard you may, and long, But you'll find you foes too strong; Sold peace can ne'er be had, Only through a Saviour's blood, Jesus, migh...

Robin chick waiting to be fed  Brown thrasher chick - this was taken through the window next to my computer desk Freshly mulched bed  Unknown variety of rose

ht: the entire blogsphere

Blogger is up and running, but it looks like they haven't restored the posts and comments that were lost in the rollback. Regarding the giveaway , I have sem and SLP  as being the last to enter, so your names will be added to the hat.  If anyone else's comment was lost for the giveaway, please comment again.  Thanks!

My thankful list: ~ Perfect gardening weather.  I don't like the weeding, but it's worth it for the flowers and good exercise.  I'm so excited that I can start the mower by pulling the starter with one arm, too! ~ Three week-ends in a row with my daughter.  It's been a blessing to have this uninterrupted chunk of time.  My turn will come for her to be away, but there will be grace for that. ~ A small group where you don't want to leave even though it's late and you should go home to bed. ~ Getting a glimpse of the utter horribleness of human nature left to itself (Haman from Sunday's sermon on Esther) and seeing the redeeming power of the Gospel that saves wretches, worms, and blasphemers - myself included.   O to grace how great a debtor daily I'm constrained to be!

[The believer] does not perform duty that it may go well with him here; nor does he perform duty that he may gain glory hereafter. He regards communion and nearness to God as happiness enough. His spirit does not say to him: Act thus, pray, obey, and it shall go well with thee in this world, and gain heaven for thee hereafter.  No!  He esteems it a piece of his heaven to have communion with God.  This is "coelum extra coelum' (heaven this side of heaven).  There is enough in the thing itself - communion with God - to induce him to seek it and make his soul desire it. He engages in the duty as if, in itself, it were a part of his reward, and if he can but find God in it, and have converse and communion with God in it, oh, there is heaven enough and glory enough in his soul. The True Bounds of Christian Freedom by Samuel Bolton, Banner of Truth Trust, pg 140.

I'll be giving away 2 copies of The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment by Jeremiah Burroughs .  First published posthumously in 1648, Burroughs describes contentment as "that sweet, inward, quiet, gracious frame of spirit, which freely submits to and delights in God's wise and fatherly disposal in every condition." In addition to unpacking the meaning of contentment, he devotes several sections to its opposite condition, the sin of murmuring.  Finally, the book shows us how we learn this gracious frame of spirit in the school of Christ. On a personal note, the Rare Jewel was another pivotal book in my life. After coming to grips with the sovereignty of God, this book helped me see where true contentment lies in the face of an impending divorce.  It wasn't an easy read at the time, but it was a blessing in my distress by turning the focus away from my circumstances to the bigger picture.  I still go back to the Rare Jewel time and time again. To enter the ...

My mother's day card from my daughter.  I love it!

Forgiveness! 'tis a joyful sound To malefactors doomed to die; Lord, may this bliss in me be found; May I redeeming grace enjoy. 'Tis the rich gift of love divine; 'Tis full, out-measuring every crime; Unclouded shall its glories shine, And feel no change by changing time. O'er sins unnumbered as the sand, And like the mountains for their size, The seas of sovereign grace expand, The seas of sovereign grace arise. For this stupendous love of heaven What grateful honours shall we show? Where much transgression is forgiven. May love in equal ardour glow. Thomas Gibbons (1720-1785)

This one's for my small group...

1 year ago A year ago we moved into our new home.  Given the dismal housing market then and now, the Lord sold the old house in His kindness. There's still work to be done here and there, inside and out, but I'm so thankful for this home He has provided for us. I'm thankful that my daughter and I have been able to join a ladies-only gym. I am now at the age where my ability to retain weight is now outweighing (no pun intended) my ability to lose it without  intervention. It's been fun and good for us to be actively taking care of the bodies God has given us. This is a picture from our church picnic last week. (Thanks, Erika!)  The field of buttercups was perfect for this Kodak moment.  I love this picture, because every face has a testimony of God's faithfulness.  We'll be losing 2 ladies in the future, one to the mission field and one returning to her home state.  Part of me is sad, but I'm thankful for this time God has given us to be together

In the women's meeting last night, we had an interesting discussion about God's sovereignty, specifically accepting the painful providences He ordains for our lives.  Often those providences are seeming contradictions of scriptural promises or statements. If so, what do we do?  Do we still trust the Word?  Do we still trust God? There is a temptation to "get God off the hook" by viewing the circumstance as being caused by man or Satan.  But if you take it to its logical conclusion, you end up with a God who is not completely sovereign. He wants A to take place, but B has happened, and He was unable to prevent its occurrence.  Also the gradation of "allowing" versus "ordaining" still implies, to me, a God who needs a backup because He was somehow prevented from exercising the original plan. Either way, He becomes subordinate to something else, thus making Him less than God. I wrestled with this issue when my ex- walked out on our marriage. Scrip...

Before Take one spiral bound notebook from Walmart.  Add fabric, one button, and approximately 1 hour of sewing time and you get: Front Back Inside with illegible sermon notes I used 12 five inch charm squares for the cover and scraps for the lining and inner flaps.  I padded the cover with a scrap of flannel, but didn't do any actual quilting since the fabric cover "sticks" to the flannel fairly well.  If anyone is interested, I will post a tutorial in the future.

It must always be remembered that, although Christ as borne the punishment of sin, and although God has forgiven the saints for their sins, yet God may God-fatherly correct His people for sin.  Christ endured the great shower of wrath, the black and dismal hours of displeasure for sin.  That which falls upon us is a sunshine shower, warmth with wet, wet with the warmth of His love to make us fruitful and humble. Christ drank the dregs of that bitter cup, so much of it as would damn us, and left only so much for us to drink as would humble us for our sin.  That which the believer suffers for sin is not penal, arising from vindictive justice, but medicinal, arising from a fatherly love.  It is his medicine, not his punishment; his chastisement, not his sentence; his correction, not his condemnation. The True Bounds of Christian Freedom , Samuel Bolton, Banner of Truth Trust, 2001 (originally published 1645), pgs 122-123.

Let everlasting glories crown Thy head, my  Saviour, and my Lord; Thy hands have brought salvation down, And writ the blessings in Thy word. In vain the trembling conscience seeks Some solid ground to rest upon; With long despair the spirit breaks, Till made to rest on Christ alone. How well Thy blessed truths agree! How wise and holy Thy commands! Thy promises, how firm they be! How firm Thy hope, Thy comfort stands! Isaac Watts (1674-1748)