Tried With Fire

Here are a few more summarizing thoughts on You Are What You Love by James K.A. Smith mainly from the 2nd chapter. After making the argument that we are more than thinking things and brains-on-a-stick, it's very reasonable to consider that we might be what we love. But then this question comes up -   what if we don't love what we think we love ? If someone asks me, "What do I love?," I know what the right answer should be just like every kid in Sunday school - Jesus. But what about the competing loves in my heart? The rival kingdoms that fight for my allegiance? And how did they get there in the first place? This is where Smith proposes something that I had never really considered before. We think of habits as something we do, but what if these habits do something to us ? Therefore, the seemingly mindless, seemingly amoral routines, the rituals, and  secular liturgies that we participate in day in and day out may be (probably are) shaping our loves in ways in...

The Romantic period is typified by an uncontested embrace of personal experience, not merely as self-expression or self-representation, but also as epistemology and personal identity (who I am, ontologically)... Romanticism claimed that you know truth through the lens of your personal experience, and that no overriding or objective opposition can challenge the primal wisdom of someones subjective frame of intelligibility. In romanticism, this knowing and being known is identity-rooted and identity-expressive. Romanticism went beyond a solipsistic, me-centered understanding of selfhood. Solipsism is the belief that only one's own mind and its properties are sure to exist. Romanticism took this one step further to declare personal feelings and experience the most reliable measure and means of discerning truth. 1 This quote from Rosaria Butterfield's Openness Unhindered  makes the case that sexual orientation as identity is a byproduct of romanticism. I agree with her complet...

"May not our own fancies be the rule of our worship? No." A Scriptural Exposition of the Baptist Catechism , Benjamin Beddome "When false images of God dictate our worship,  we are undoubtedly worshiping a false God. " Pastor Ryan Davidson When I read the above question and answer in the Baptist Catechism , my first reaction was to laugh. It's not that the 2nd commandment is a laughing matter, and I mean no disrespect. But the stark and very obvious answer puts worshipping God according to my personal preference in its place. No excuses. No ifs, ands, or buts. Who do I think I am? I don't get to decide how God should be worshipped. That is God's prerogative alone. Period. But then in Sunday's sermon  on the 2nd commandment, Pastor Ryan stated that worshipping God based on false images, whether physical or mental, is worshipping a false God. Thus the conviction boom was lowered even further. After the sermon, I couldn't help b...

I am posting at Out of the Ordinary today: When I was a child, there were times when I would lie awake at night and think about God after my parents tucked me into bed. I knew a little about Him from Bible stories and Sunday school, but I still wondered what He was really like. Having been taught that God was already  there  before Genesis 1:1, I imagined going back in time just prior to Creation or traveling into deep space to find Him. Needless to say, it was more than my young mind could handle. God was so completely  other  that I felt very small, not just in age but in significance. Well, I had a similar feeling of smallness this past Sunday... Read the rest of the post here.

While Moses was receiving God's instructions concerning the construction of the tabernacle, the people who remained at the foot of Sinai desired to have a symbol of the LORD's presence. This resulted ironically in the making of a golden calf. Whereas the tabernacle, with its golden furnishings, portrayed the LORD as a royal personage, the golden calf, in marked contrast, represented him as a mere beast. Although the people offered sacrifices, their worship of the calf degraded the one who had truly deliver them from slavery in Egypt. Worship, to be true, must be based on the right perception of God . The book of Exodus emphasizes the importance of knowing God as he truly is, and not as we imagine him to be . I couldn't help it, but my mind immediately went to the genre of "Jesus is my boyfriend" books after reading this. Am I being too critical? Perhaps, but it may be worth considering why we feel it is permissible and even necessary to go beyond how Scriptur...

The grand-design spiral galaxy Messier 74 It's my turn at Out of the Ordinary : The first chapter of Genesis is probably one of the most familiar passages in the Bible. It's read by many believers on January 1 to kick-off their Bible reading plans. These verses are also scrutinized when discussing the origin of the universe both inside and outside of Christendom. But after listening to a recent  sermon  on Genesis 1, I've looked at this chapter in a fresh way. My pastor stated that our response to this text should be to  look at our God as He is gloriously displayed . His words gave me reason to pause. I've focused so much on the details of what happened on which day and what it could possibly mean in terms of time, space, and science that I may have missed the forest for the trees. So I reread Genesis 1, and it brought me to worship… Read more here . And as a bonus, check out the Scale of the Universe and consider the greatness and awesome creativity of ou...

It's my turn at Out of the Ordinary today.  "If you could pick a fantasy worship team like fantasy football, who would you choose? Keith and Kristyn Getty? Chris Tomlin? Or how about a converted Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Philadelphia Orchestra to lead the hymn singing? A cappella Psalms anyone? If you could satisfy your musical taste every Sunday, would you be able to worship better?" Read more here .

I'm sharing a few thoughts on the place of sound preaching in worship at Out of the Ordinary . Here is a quote from John MacArthur that sparked my post: "Many people see preaching and worship as two distinct aspects of the church service, as if preaching has nothing to do with worship and vice versa. But that is an erroneous concept. The ministry of the Word is the platform on which all genuine worship is built. " Read more here .

If you love hymns, you may be interested in  History of Hymnody taught by Kevin Twit, founder of Indelible Grace . This course at Covenant Theological Seminary is available for online listening or free download if you set up an account. There are nine lectures that cover the history of hymns from the early church forward. I'm two-thirds the way through, and it has been fascinating. Here are some tidbits from the course: - Listen to the original tune to A Might Fortress is Our God as it would have been sung in Luther's day. - There was a period of 1000 years before the Reformation where congregational singing was forbidden by the Catholic Church. Only trained priests and singers were allowed to sing Gregorian chant in Latin.  - Calvin did not approve of harmony in church services because he wanted the church to be unified in its praise to God. He also disapproved of choirs and special music - anything that would make the believer feel like a spectator. - In the 1500...

Yesterday, Pastor Ryan began the sermon series on "Counsel in Job".  After giving an overview of the book, he walked us through the first chapter. The closing verses describe how Job shaved his head, tore his clothes, and fell on the ground - external symbols of grief. All his earthly possessions were gone. His ten children were killed in one fell swoop. Job's sorrow was to be expected. It was normal, and yet he worshipped. These aren't things we would typically associate together, but here is Job prostrate in the dust  and worshipping after burying his ten children. This may seem strange to our minds because "worship" has been reduced to pleasant feelings about God. It may also seem strange because we think being a Christian means always wearing a happy face.   But Job didn't blame God. even though he recognized His absolute sovereignty to do as He pleased.  Job didn't attempt to get God off the hook by attributing his calamity to any other...

Many see preaching and worship as two distinct aspects of the church service, as if preaching has nothing to do with worship and vice versa. But that is an erroneous concept. The ministry of the Word is the platform on which all genuine worship is built. In Between Two Worlds , John Stott says it well: "Word and worship belong indissolubly to each other. All worship is an intelligent and loving response to the revelation of God, because it is the adoration of His name. Therefore acceptable worship is impossible without preaching. For preaching is making known the Name of the Lord, and worship is praising the Name of the Lord made known. Far from being an alien intrusion into worship, the reading and preaching of the word and actually indispensable to it. The two cannot by divorced."   (Eerdmans, 1982, pg. 82.) Preaching is an irreplaceable aspect of all corporate worship. In fact, the whole church service should revolve around the ministry of the Word. Everything else is...

[Warning: Mini-rant ahead] The mega-church down the road recently built a new sanctuary, which we experienced firsthand at Tim Hawkins' show.  It was certainly impressive to say the least, but I had to shut my mouth more than once to keep the snark inside.  The stage had light panels above, below, and surrounding the 3 ginormous TV screens at the back. The color of the lights were varied depending on Tim's musical numbers and even changed to red, white, and blue for his grand finale. Very cool for the new Chick-fil-A song, but can anyone tell me why a light show would be necessary for the preaching of the word? It was so sad when the pastor of this congregation invited people to their worship service, telling the audience he was called the "Jeff Foxworthy" of  preachers. At the end of the show, another man (maybe the assistant pastor) also gave an invitation stating that if you liked Tim Hawkins you'd love it there Sunday morning. Is that any recommendation?...

The worship team at church has started reading Worship Matters by Bob Kauflin together.  Before delving into technique and style, this book starts out with the core issues of worship - what we love, what we believe, the purpose of our skills, and the lives we model. I appreciate that Kauflin devotes a chapter to the importance of doctrine and theology in our worship.  Biblical worship is impossible without these ingredients.  As we know God more accurately through his Word, our worship will be more genuine.  Conversely, without a right understanding of God, it could veer into idolatry. He gives several common misconceptions among worship leaders and musicians. Here is the first: Misconception #1: Studying This Stuff Shouldn't Be So Hard Studying doctrine and theology is hard.  Becoming a good theologian is harder than learning a new riff, and initially not as fun. Getting to know God is time-consuming.  We live in the age of instant everything. ...

I am often overwhelmed by circumstances and fears. However, I was blessed to be overwhelmed by the good news of the Gospel today. In the worship, the songs, and the preaching of the Word, the truth of the glorious Gospel of Jesus Christ was declared. I am "lost in wonder, love, and praise".

ht: Recover the Gospel

The song is available for download here .

This album has been at the top of my play list. It's not easy listening. In fact, I find myself mentally flinching at some of the lyrics. Not because any of the lyrics are offensive but that the lyrics are so honest . Shai Linne does not mince words in describing the total depravity of man. Any thoughts that people are basically good get demolished by In Adam All Die . He doesn't mince words about the brutality of the cross, physically as well as Christ being made the sin bearer. I naturally want to shy away from such things. In fact, I haven't seen Mel Gibson's Passion of Christ for that very reason. It is an offense and offends our 21st century civilized sensibilities. It's no wonder that so-called theologians want to strip the cross of it's real meaning - the penal substitutionary atonement of our Savior. Through My Eyes captures the fear and agony of the thief on the cross. I think this is the hardest song for me to listen to. Perhaps because it ...

that I would be listening to Christian rap music. Not your typical listening material for a 40-something, homeschooling mom. I also admit that rap is not a genre that I would naturally be drawn to. But I had read about a brother named Shai Linne here and here . Also, my curiosity was piqued about anyone who would write a rap about Charles Spurgeon. Well last night, a brother and sister graciously gave us a copy of Shai Linne's The Atonement . We listened to some of it and were stunned by what we heard. After we listened to Were You There , I wanted to cry and repent for my lack of love for Christ in the face of all that He has done. There are songs about the cross that express some of the horror of the event that secured our salvation. Yes, the brutality of the crucifixion is portrayed but the cruelty is greater because the spotless Son of God willing endured God's wrath to bring glory to the Father and secure my redemption. Some of these songs are not easy to listen to bec...