Tried With Fire

"If we have an infinite number of monkeys sitting at typewriters, and an infinite amount of time, eventually they will type out the works of Shakespeare. So goes the theory, at least. But researchers in England recently put the theory to the test. They placed a computer in a cage with six monkeys to see what would happen. The monkeys' main response was to bang the computer with stones; for some reason many of them also found it appealing as an outhouse. When a few actually got around to pressing the keys, the result was a lot of s's, along with about four other letters. After a month the monkeys had not written anything even close to a word of human language. Shakespeare? Not a chance." Total Truth , Nancy Pearcey, Crossway, 2004, pg. 193.

Need a way to catalog your books? Check this out.  I'm investigating the software for our church library, thanks to a recommendation from Dr. Sills.  An added plus - it's available for Mac as well as PC. Although I am not a man and don't have a beard, those of you who are and do might find this amusing: Bearded Gospel Men . (ht: Craig via FB.) My friend, Christina , is giving away Brother Jon Cardwell 's book, Christ and Him Crucified . You don't want to miss out on this gem of a book which I highly recommend. Finally a quote from James Smith, C.H. Spurgeon's predecessor at New Park Street, on the gospel: The gospel is an everlasting monument of God's wisdom, grace, and love. O may I feel more of the power, receive more of the light, and manifest more of the spirit of the gospel! O may I find it as sweet as honey, yes sweeter than the honeycomb to my taste! May I be taught to despise everything in compare with it, and say —  Should all the forms ...

26. Q. What do you believe when you say, "I believe in God, the Father Almighty, creator of heaven and earth"? A. That the eternal Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who out of nothing created heaven and earth and everything in them, who still upholds and rules them by His eternal counsel and providence, is my God and Father because of Christ His Son. I trust Him so much that I do not doubt He will provide whatever I need for body and soul, and He will turn to my good whatever adversity He sends me in this sad world. He is able to do this because He is almighty God; He desires to do this because He is a faithful Father. "He will turn to good whatever adversity He sends me. The Bible is not naive about suffering. Trusting in God's provision does not mean we expect to float to heaven on flowery beds of ease. This is a "sad world" we live in, one in which God not only allows trouble but at times sends adversity to us. Trust, therefore, does not mean hoping ...

We had the privilege of touring the U.S.S. Enterprise this afternoon. It's massive: 12 levels above the flight deck and 7 below and longer than a football field.  We got a good bit of exercise climbing up and down the skinny stairs/ladders. Here are a few pics from the visit. In the CO's chair on the bridge

Let all those acute censors, whose highest pleasure it is to banish a reverential regard of Scripture from their own and other men's hearts, come forward; let them read the Gospel of John, and, willing or unwilling, they will find a thousand sentences which will at least arouse them from their sloth; no, which will burn into their consciences as with a hot iron, and check their derision. The same thing may be said of Peter and Paul, whose writings, though the greater part read them blindfold, exhibit a heavenly majesty, which in a manner binds and rivets every reader. But one circumstance, sufficient of itself to exalt their doctrine above the world, is, that Matthew, who was formerly fixed down to his money-table, Peter and John, who were employed with their little boats; being all rude and illiterate, had never learned in any human school that which they delivered to others. Paul, moreover, who had not only been an avowed but cruel and bloody foe, being changed into a new man, ...

Stay awake... click to see what happens And a repost...

This week's list: ~ Impromptu farewell party last night.  We're blessed by the military families in our church, but it's sad when Uncle Sam moves them away. ~ More spring-like weather. A sunny 70 degree day is my kind of February even if it's just for today. ~ The opportunity to tour this on Saturday. ~ Small group tonight and discussion about the theology conference.  So much to pray and ponder. ~ Conviction of the Holy Spirit but also the encouragement that He is changing me. ~ These verses: And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God. May you be strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy, giving thanks to the Father, who has qu...

In Total Truth , Nancy Pearcey gives a simple yet effective way of analyzing a worldview by asking 3 questions: 1. Creation: Where did it all come from? Who are we and how did we get here? 2. Fall: What has gone wrong with the world? Why is there warfare and conflict? 3. Redemption: What hope/answer is being offered to reverse the "Fall" and set the world right again? To give the reader practice, she breaks down several philosophies, the last of which is Eastern thought/pantheism: Creation: Q. What is the ultimate reality, the origin of all things, in New Age Pantheism? A. The Absolute, the One, a Universal Spiritual Essence. Fall: Q. In pantheism, what is the source of evil and suffering? A. Our sense of individuality. Redemption: Q. How does pantheism tell us to solve the problem of evil and suffering? A. By being reunited with the Universal Spiritual Essence from which we all came. In a nutshell, the ultimate reality is not a personal ...

Congratulations to.... Raine and Samuel!!!!! Thanks to all who entered. Stay tuned for another giveaway next month, Lord willing.

We were privileged to have Dr. M. David Sills of SBTS and Reaching and Teaching International and Brother Paul Washer of HeartCry Missionary Society at our annual theology conference. The audio is available here (scroll to the bottom of the page) and worth every minute of your time. I had only seen clips of Brother Washer on YouTube and listened to sermons online. Some would mislabel him only a fire and brimstone preacher, but his passion is the glory of Christ. He gave the unvarnished, ugly truth of our condition apart from God so that the glories of Christ in the gospel would shine like diamonds in comparison. When he spoke, I think he made eye contact with almost everyone who was there - as though he was speaking to each one of us personally.  His intent was not to guilt us into action but show the beauty of Jesus Christ so our love for Him would propel us to go across the world,  across the street, or even across the room. Dr. Sills is an excellent and engaging teac...

(God willing, I will continue with the Heidelberg catechism next week, but my heart is so full from the the conference on missions.  These are Mary Ann Paton's last words, wife of John G. Paton.) "You must not think I regret coming here, and leaving my mother. If I had the same thing to do over again, I would do it with far more pleasure, yes, with all my heart. Oh, no! I do not regret leaving home and friends, though at the time I felt it keenly." Soon after this, looking up and putting her hand in mine, she said, - "J.C. wrote to our Janet saying, that young Christians under their first impressions thought they could do anything or make any sacrifice for Jesus, and he asked if she believed it, for he did not think they could, when tested; but Janet wrote back that she believed they could, and" (added she with great emphasis) " I believe it is true! " In a moment, altogether unexpectedly, she fell asleep in  Jesus, with these words on her...

Let it therefore be fixed, that those who are inwardly taught by the Holy Spirit acquiesce implicitly in Scripture; that Scripture carrying its own evidence along with it, deigns not to submit to proofs and arguments, but owes the full conviction with which we ought to receive it to the testimony of the Spirit. Enlightened by him, we no longer believe either on our own judgment or that of others, that the Scriptures are from God; but , in a way superior to human judgment, feel perfectly assured - as much so as if we beheld the divine image visibly impressed on it - that it came to us, by the instrumentality of men, from the very mouth of God. We ask not for proofs or probabilities on which to rest our judgment, but we subject our intellect and judgment to it as too transcendent for us to estimate. This, however, we do, not in the manner in which some are wont to fasten on an unknown object, which, as soon as known, displeases, but because we have a thorough conviction that in holding...

Classic Monty Python...  

This week's list: ~ Seeing Jupiter and Venus shining in the night sky. The heavens truly declare the glory of God. ~ Time to organize (and cull) the books in the church library. There's empty shelf space which will need to be filled over time, which will be very exciting. ~ Listening to the talks from the Finding the Will of God conference . I am thankful to no longer be panicking over hitting the bull's eye. ~ The Theology Conference beginning tomorrow. I'm looking forward to hearing Dr. M. David Sills and Paul Washer speak on missions. ~ The missionaries who traveled to China to preach the gospel. My paternal great-grandmother and my maternal grandparents came to Christ because of those efforts. I thank God for those missionaries, though I don't know their names. Perhaps in heaven I will.

Oh, I can remember those happy Sabbath evenings; no blinds down, and shutters up, to keep out the sun from us, as some scandalously affirm; but a holy, happy, entirely human day, for a Christian father, mother, and children to spend. How my father would parade across and across our flag-floor, telling over the substance of the day's sermons to our dear mother, who, because of the great distance [4 miles by foot] and because of her many living "encumbrances" got very seldom indeed to the church, but gladly embraced every chance, when there was prospect or promise of a "lift" either way from some friendly gig!  How he would entice us to help him to recall some idea or other, praising us when we got the length of "taking notes" and reading them over on our return; how he would turn the talk ever so naturally to some Bible story or some Martyr reminiscence, or some happy allusion to the "Pilgrim's Progress"! And then it was quite a contest, ...

I will be giving away 2 copies of Jesus, the Only Way to God by John Piper. This book gives a biblical defense of salvation through Christ alone in a day that demands inclusivism in the name of tolerance and love.  I also chose this book because of the topic of our annual theology conference, The Theology of Missions . If Jesus is not the only way, doesn't that render the Great Commission superfluous? What is to be said of the missionaries who have laid down their lives to take the gospel to the ends of the earth? Was their sacrifice all for nought? "At stake in this issue are our own souls. If we embrace a limitation on the universal necessity of the gospel to be heard and believed, we will begin to lose the gospel and with it our own souls. When God appoints the gospel of his Son as the universal remedy for the guilt and corruption of mankind, and we diminish that, the gospel is diminished. And you cannot diminish the gospel without diminishing yourself. The spiritual ...

Literally... Many thanks to my dear friend, Trisha , for this unexpected surprise.

1. I like to have a mental plan for my posts each week. However, if I don't have enough time to write (like this morning), I will shamelessly borrow ideas like this one. 2. Coffee or tea? Tea! In the summer, unsweetened iced tea sometimes with a smidgen of lemonade. 3. Chocolate? Most definitely! Dark, Trader Joe's Pound Plus bar, but not all at once. 4.  Food? Home-style comfort, not fancy-schmancy gourmet. 5. I've entered and finished NaNoWriM o three times. The stories would be categorized as fan fiction because it is easier to borrow characters than invent your own. I don't take my novels very seriously as the last one was fan fiction based on Calvinist humor blogs with church history, Star Wars, and Doctor Who thrown into the mix. Maybe I'll post it one day with profuse apologies to Messieurs Duncan , Eddings , Slawson , Luther, Spurgeon, and Owen. 6. Another example of less-than-serious writing: I once wrote a duet for Mr. Collins and Lady Catherin...

Our annual theology conference on  The Theology of Missions is this coming week-end, Feb. 17-19.  In addition to Dr. M. David Sills  from SBTS, Paul Washer will be speaking on"The Gospel We Proclaim and an Introduction to HeartCry Missionary Society" at a 2nd session Friday evening.  If you're interested in attending, the conference starts at 7 PM (dinner at 6 PM). There are two sessions on Saturday morning starting at 9 AM, and two sessions on Sunday beginning at 10 AM.  More info here.

20. Q. Are all saved through Christ just as all were lost through Adam? A. No. Only those are saved who by faith are grafted into Christ and accept all His blessings. 21. Q. What is true faith? A. True faith is not only a knowledge and conviction that everything God reveals in His Word is true; it is also a deep-rooted assurance created in me by the Holy Spirit through the gospel, that, out of sheer grace earned for us by Christ, not only others, but I too, have had my sins forgiven, have been made forever right with God, and have been granted salvation. 22. Q. What then must a Christian believe? A. Everything God promises us in the gospel. That gospel is summarized for us in the articles of our Christian faith - a creed beyond doubt, and confessed throughout the world. 23 Q. What are these articles? A. I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth. I believe in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the v...

"If true religion is to beam upon us, our principle must be, that it is necessary to begin with heavenly teaching, and that it is impossible for any man to obtain even the minutest portion of right and sound doctrine without being a disciple of Scripture. Hence the first step to true knowledge is taken, when we reverently embrace the testimony which God has been pleased to give of himself. For not only does faith, full and perfect faith, but all correct knowledge of God, originate in obedience. And surely in this respect God has with singular providence provided for mankind in all ages. "It being thus manifest that God, forseeing the inefficiency of his image imprinted on the fair form of the universe, has given the assistance of his word to all whom he has ever been pleased to instruct effectually; we, too, must pursue this straight path, if we aspire in earnest to genuine contemplation of God - we must go, I say, to the word, where the character of God, drawn from the h...

Thanks, Diane! (ht: Theology for Girls )

This week's list: ~ More signs of spring. Thankfully we haven't had any hard frosts that might kill these confused plants. ~ A mega-church nearby with several large parking lots which are perfect for driving practice. ~ Sound waves, music, a master class, and the opportunity for my daughter to play a Bosendorfer . ~ Not-so-small group dinner tonight. We will share a last meal together before we undergo mitotic division and form 2 groups. It's wonderful to see how the Lord has drawn us together over the last few years. I'm a little sad but thankful for the growth and the new relationships to come. ~ The women's Bible study. Our times have become richer and deeper in the word. I'm also thankful to be able to pray with these women. ~ The absolute truth of the Word of God.

[T]oday if you talk about Christianity being true or historically verifiable, many people would be puzzled. Religion is assumed to be a product of human subjectivity so that the test of "good" religion is not whether it is objectively true but only whether it has beneficial effects in the lives of those who believe it. Total Truth , Nancy Pearcey, Crossway, 2004, pp. 116-117. This quote reminded me of a pitch made by a popular preacher on television a number of years ago. He suggested that the host "try Jesus for 60 days and see if He won't change your life."  While it's true that Christ will change our lives, "try Jesus because it works" seems to be just a subtle form of the prosperity gospel. This is quite different from truth claim that God's wrath is coming, you must repent and believe the gospel. This also makes me wonder about the over emphasis placed on personal testimony. If the testimony is more dramatic, it's more convincing...

I would have thought that something as black and white as math would be exempt from the spreading ooze of postmodernism. Obviously not: Today, however, most philosophers no longer even regard mathematics as a body of truths. The dominant philosophy of mathematics treats it as a social construction, like the game of baseball. "Three strikes and you're out" is an arbitrary rule. It's not true or false; it's just the way we choose to play the game. By the same token, mathematical rules are regarded as just the way we play the game. Even American schoolchildren are now taught this postmodern view of math. A popular middle school curriculum says students should learn that "mathematics is man-made, that it is arbitrary, and good solutions are arrived at by consensus among those who are considered expert." Man-made? Arbitrary? Clearly, our public schools have waded deeply into the muddy waves of postmodernism. Moreover, if math is arbitrary, then there ar...

16. Q. Why must He be truly human and truly righteous? A. God's justice demands that human nature, which has sinned, must pay for sin; but a sinner could never pay for others. 17. Q. Why must He also be true God? A. So that, by the power of His divinity, He might bear the weight of God's anger in His humanity, and earn for us and restore to us righteousness and life. 18. Q. And who is this true mediator - true God and at the same time truly human and truly righteous? A. Our Lord Jesus Christ, who was given us to set us completely free and to make us right with God. 19. Q. How do you come to know this? A. The holy gospel tells me. God Himself began to reveal the gospel already in Paradise; later, He proclaimed it by the holy patriarchs and prophets, and portrayed it by the sacrifice and other ceremonies of the law; finally, He fulfilled it through His own dear Son. "Several theological words are used to describe Christ's work on the cross, all of them impo...

Since the perfection of blessedness consists in the knowledge of God, he has been pleased, in order that none might be excluded from the means of obtaining this felicity, not only to deposit in our minds that seed of religion of which we have already spoken, but so to manifest his perfections in the whole structure of the universe, and daily place himself in our view, that we cannot open our eyes without being compelled to behold him.  His essence, indeed, is incomprehensible, utterly transcending human thought; but on each of his works his glory is engraved in characters so bright, so distinct, so illustrious, that none, however dull and illiterate, can plead ignorance as their excuse. Hence, with perfect truth, the psalmist exclaims, "He covereth himself with light as with a garment" (Ps. 104:2); as if he had said, that God for the first time arrayed in visible attire when, in the creation of the world, he displayed those glorious banners, on which, to whatever side we tu...

That'll do, bun. That'll do... Info on Champis  here . (ht: Disapproving Rabbits )

This week's list: Signs of spring. Driving practice with my daughter. She's doing great so far. We needed to move to a bigger church parking lot so she could get up to 15 mph. Being able to ask for prayer from sisters in Christ. Oh, how I thank God for you! God's patience in delivering me from past and present fears. Just when I think they've been finally laid to rest, something triggers them and how quickly they rise up to try and overwhelm me. It's an ongoing, often painful process, but I know He will complete it to His glory.

Faith is an abiding duty, a perpetual privilege. We should trust when we can see, as well as when we are utterly in the dark. Adversity is a fit season for faith; but prosperity is not less so. God at all times deserves our confidence. We at all times need to place our confidence in him. A day without trust in God is a day of wrath, even if it be a day of mirth. Lean ever, ye saints, on him, on whom the world leans. Ye people, pour out your heart before him. Ye to whom his love is revealed, reveal yourselves to him. His heart is set on you, lay bare your hearts to him. Turn the vessel of your soul upside down in his secret presence, and let your inmost thoughts, desires, sorrows, and sins be poured out like water. Hide nothing from him, for you can hide nothing. To the Lord unburden your soul; let him be your only father confessor, for he only can absolve you when he has heard your confession. To keep our griefs to ourselves is to hoard up wretchedness. The stream will swell and rage ...