You know you will have a HAPPY new year if...

You fear the Lord

• "Blessed is everyone who fears the Lord, who walks in his ways!" (Ps 128:1)
  

You trust the Lord

• "He who heeds the word wisely will find good, And whoever trusts in the Lord, happy is he." (Pr 16:20)

You obey the Lord

• "I delight to do your will, O my God; your law is within my heart.” (Ps 40:8)

You hope in the Lord

• "Happy is he who has the God of Jacob for his help, Whose hope is in the LORD his God" (Ps 146:5)

You find wisdom

• "Happy is the man who finds wisdom, And the man who gains understanding" (Pr 3:13)

You also know you will be happy or blessed this new year if you are poor in spirit... mourning... meek... hungering and thirsting for righteousness... merciful... pure in heart... being a peacemaker... and being persecuted for righteousness sake (Mt 5:2-10)

HAPPY NEW YEAR

My Kids - My Blessings

Looking Back - Richard Baxter

"It much more concerned us, to be sure that we deserved not suffering, than that we be delivered from it."

~ Richard Baxter (1615-1691)

Looking Back - Augustine's Christmas Sermon

"Man’s Maker was made man, that He, Ruler of the stars, might nurse at His mother’s breasts; that the Bread might be hungry, the Fountain thirst, the Light sleep, the Way be tired from the journey; that the Truth might be accused by false witnesses, the Judge of the living and the dead be judged by a mortal judge, Justice be sentenced by the unjust, the Teacher be beaten with whips, the Vine be crowned with thorns, the Foundation be suspended on wood; that Strength might be made weak, that He who makes well might be wounded, that Life might die. He was made man to suffer these and similar undeserved things for us, that He might free us who were undeserving; and He who on account of us endured such great evils, merited no evil, while we through Him were so bountifully blessed, had no merits to show for such blessings."

~ Augustine of Hippo

My Daughter Katrina - Mary Did You Know?

Looking Back - John Piper

"If God were not just, there would be no demand for His Son to suffer and die. And if God were not loving, there would be no willingness for His Son to suffer and die. But God is both just and loving. Therefore His love is willing to meet the demands of His justice."

~ John Piper

Tim Hawkins - Cletus Take the Reel

12 Days of Christmas - Men's A Cappella

Joy To The World

An email has been circulating concerning the great hymn "Joy To The World" and Christmas. I couldn't believe what I was reading. Someone was really suggesting that it was wrong that we sing "Joy To The World" to celebrate the birth of Christ. The person who wrote the email actually said "the song is better suited for acknowledging the Second Coming of Christ when he truly will Rule the World”. That philosophy or theology or eschatology is not only disgusting, it is destructive. The email went on to say "next time you hear the song, think of the glorious time when Christ will return..." That is just pathetic. "Joy to the World" is a perfect song to celebrate the incarnation; it's a wonderful song to commemorate the blessed and glorious birth of our King.

When Christ came and took on human flesh in the form of a baby He was beginning His once-and-for-all accomplishment of redemption. There was His birth, His life, His death, His resurrection, His ascension to the throne of Heaven and His sending of His Holy Spirit at Pentecost. The first coming of Christ, not the Second, was successfully intended to enthrone Him as King. As Zechariah's prophecy made crystal clear: "Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he has visited and redeemed his people and has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David, as he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets from of old, that we should be saved from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us; to show the mercy promised to our fathers and to remember his holy covenant, the oath that he swore to our father Abraham, to grant us that we, being delivered from the hand of our enemies, might serve him without fear, in holiness and righteousness before him all our days." (Luke 1:68-75)

He came as a child to deliver His people from their enemies. Believe it or not, we actually have enemies who hate us. We don't have to wait for the Second Coming. We celebrate the birth of Christ who is "the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God." His birth marked the beginning of His enthronement. He now reigns as King of Kings and He "he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet." (1 Cor 15:25) Joy to the world the Lord IS come. We do not have to wait till He comes again. He has already gained the victory. He is coming again for His bride but only after all enemies have been put under His feet.

Christmas is a celebration of the incarnation. It is a celebration of the embodiment of the Second Person of the Trinity. Those of us who have a postmillennial view of eschatology (an optimistic view of the future of the world) can celebrate all the more. We can truly sing that He now "rules the world with truth and grace..." He is seated on the throne right now and "The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever." (Rev 11:15) We have a greater desire and more of a hope to see the embodiment of the kingdom in time and in history. Christ taking on flesh was the beginning of Christ taking on the world. This Christmas, let's remember that He reigns and He has all dominion and power and authority. Merry Christmas!

R. J. Rushdoony wrote this: "One of the most important prophecies concerning the birth of our Lord is in Isaiah 9:6–7. Christ, eight centuries before His coming, is hailed as the “Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, the everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace,” and it is declared that “the government shall be upon his shoulder.” This is the first great declaration concerning Christ and all government: the ultimate and absolute government of all things shall belong to Christ. The second great declaration is that “[o]f the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end.” Christ, coming into a sinful and rebellious world to establish His dominion as Lord and Savior, will in the face of all enmity and warfare increase His power, government, and peace."

Theology of Suffering

There is so much wrong thinking in the area of suffering. Mark Driscoll clears away a lot of unbiblical philosophies that people have about suffering. This is definitely worth the watch.

Have to or Get to?

Whichever one of these two phrases you choose to use every day determines your attitude throughout the day toward everything. Do you say I have to or do you say I get to? There are many people who have never been able to have kids or who have lost kids to death or divorce. Do you have to teach and train and nurture and discipline and love your kids every day or do you get to? There was a time when the Bible was only written in a language that only the priests could understand and there were many who died bloody and torturous deaths making that Bible accessible to the common man. Do you have to read and study your Bible, the inspired and living Word of God, today or do you get to? Praise God we get to! There was a time when no one could go directly to the throne of God and make petitions to Him. There had to be sacrifices made, blood poured and priests interceding. Do I have to pray today or do I get to run right through that torn veil into the Holy Place and pray directly to the King of Kings and the Lord of Lord's through faith in the blood-bought righteousness of Jesus Christ my once-and-for-all sacrifice? There are so many things I don't have to do today because Jesus already did them and they never have to be done again. There are so many things I get to do today. Hallelujah!

Man Climbs Many Tall Buildings with Only His Bare Hands

Free climbing Frenchman Alain Robert, nicknamed spiderman, climbs many tall buildings and structures with bare hands. WARNING! Kids, this guy is a trained professional and crazy; do not try this at home (it's not tall enough).

Looking Back - Theonomy

"Dr. Van Til taught us that "There is no alternative but that of theonomy and autonomy" (Christian-Theistic Ethics, p. 134). Every ethical decision assumes some final authority or standard, and that will either be self-law ("autonomy") or God's law ("theonomy"). While unbelievers consider themselves the ultimate authority in determining moral right or wrong, believers acknowledge that God alone has that position and prerogative. The position which has come to be labeled "theonomy" today thus holds that the word of the Lord is the sole, supreme, and unchallengeable standard for the actions and attitudes of all men in all areas of life. Our obligation to keep God's commands cannot be judged by any extrascriptural standard, such as whether its specific requirements (when properly interpreted) are congenial to past traditions or modern feelings and practices."

~ Greg Bahnsen

Without Holiness ALL IS LOST

"The loss of the traditional vision of God as holy is now manifested everywhere in the evangelical world. It is the key to understanding why sin and grace have become such empty terms. What depth or meaning, P.T. Forsyth asked, can these terms have except in relation to the holiness of God? Divorced from the holiness of God, sin is merely self-defeating behavior or a breach in etiquette. Divorced from the holiness of God, grace is merely empty rhetoric, pious window dressing for the modern technique by which sinners work out their own salvation. Divorced from the holiness of God, our gospel becomes indistinguishable from any of a host of alternative self-help doctrines. Divorced from the holiness of God, our public morality is reduced to little more than an accumulation of trade-offs between competing private interests. Divorced from the holiness of God, our worship becomes mere entertainment. The holiness of God is the [foundation of reality]. Sin is defiance of God's holiness, the Cross is the outworking and victory of God's holiness, and faith is the recognition of God's holiness. Knowing that God is holy is therefore the key to knowing life as it truly is, knowing Christ as he truly is, knowing why he came, and knowing how life will end."

~ David Wells - No Place for Truth, Whatever Happened to Evangelical Theology?

Do Christians need a Rabi to teach them?

Here's a great little tolerance rant by Mark Driscoll:

Looking Back - Riches

"It is hard to carry a full cup without spilling, and a full estate without sinning."

~ Thomas Watson

How To Sneeze

Maybe there is something wrong with me but I just thought this was funny and felt the need to post it.

Looking Back - We are not our own

"We are not our own: let not our reason nor our will, therefore, sway our plans and deeds. We are not our own: let us therefore not set it as our goal to seek what is expedient for us according to the flesh. We are not our own: in so far as we can, let us therefore forget ourselves and all that is ours. Conversely, we are God's: let us therefore live for him and die for him. We are God's: let his wisdom and will therefore rule all our actions. We are God's: let all the parts of our life accordingly strive toward him as our only lawful goal (Rom. 14:8; cf. 1 Cor. 6:19)...."

~ John Calvin

The Homeschool Family

Amazing Christmas Lights

This guy has a small radio frequency transmitter so that cars can listen to the music on their radios for about a block away.

Pilgrim or Soldier?

I was reading from Gary North's book today which you can download for free here entitled Backward Christian Soldiers. He was comparing the old Hymn "Onward Christian Soldiers" to another hymn "Wayfaring Stranger." Although most people know the soldier hymn better, today they are more likely to have the stranger attitude. Since most Christians, at least in America, travel in style, comfortable and happy, they seem to prefer the pilgrim paradigm more than the soldier one.

North gives the example of John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress. Christian, in the allegory, was basically just an unemployed drifter before conversion and an unemployed traveler after. He didn't seem to have any means of support or calling. Christian kind of just plods on through life. Bunyan, who was just a tinker in real life, at least contributed to the market and culture with a valuable service. Christian, in the story, seems to be more of a vagrant. I've always like Pilgrim's Progress but I think North brings up a good point here.

The pilgrim paradigm emphasizes internal and personal struggles over sin rather than external enemies. The soldier moves from boot camp and training into the battlefield where he knows he has real enemies to fight. The pilgrim is introspective and struggling constantly within himself. He is at war with his flesh but not with his external environment. All the allegorical characters of Pilgrim's Progress were external representations of internal enemies like vanity, doubt and despair. While the pilgrim is just passing through the soldier is more about conquering and dominion (overcoming evil by doing good).

Gary North gives another example from the seventeenth-century book by William Gurnall entitled The Christian in Complete Armor. North calls this book the most "detailed pilgrim manual." The book devotes over 2000 pages to every possible personal temptation imaginable except, unfortunately, the temptations of the battlefield. Gurnall didn't want to get involved with the great theological battles of his day. He insured his income as a State-certified pastor by signing the Act of Uniformity in 1662 while 2000 puritan pastors were thrown from their pulpits or thrown into jail for refusing to sign.

As North points out: "Gurnall preferred a life of irrelevance, warring with his own internal lusts, ignoring the external civil issues of his day. However harrowing his internal battles may have been, this pilgrim made his journey through his environment in comfort and relative safety." The battlefield is not safe. People get hurt and killed. They don't get paid much and they are always at risk.

We are, in one sense, pilgrims who are here today and will be gone tomorrow. But there is also a war going on between the Kingdom of light and the kingdom of darkness. We do have to fight against our internal temptations and struggles but that is for the purpose of making us better soldiers. "You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier." (2 Tim 2:3-4) The struggle within is not an end in itself. It only prepares us to fight the real battle within the culture.

We shouldn't be content to just be pilgrim survivors who lost the earth and made it through to heaven and took a few with us on the way. We must pray that we can be used by God as soldiers of Christ to bring God's will and way to our culture on earth as it is in heaven. The harvest is plentiful but the laborers are few. Their is work to be done here and now. Christ is reigning and giving His faithful followers dominion in the earth.

This can't be good! Pictures

Ever had that feeling something bad was about to happen?

Looking Back - St. Augustine

"And what is there in me that could be hidden from thee, Lord, to whose eyes the abysses of man’s conscience are naked, even if I were unwilling to confess it to thee? In doing so I would only hide thee from myself, not myself from thee. But now that my groaning is witness to the fact that I am dissatisfied with myself, thou shinest forth and satisfiest. Thou art beloved and desired; so that I blush for myself, and renounce myself and choose thee, for I can neither please thee nor myself except in thee."

~ St. Augustine (Confessions Book X - translated by Albert C. Outler)

Top secret drum corps from Basel Switzerland.

Speed Bump

Evil, Evil, Holiness Retrieval

EVIL?

What is evil? Is there evil? Does evil exist in our postmodern world? Do we need to worry about evil? Do we need to be ready to fight against evil? Is evil a problem? Is evil an allusion? What is the real source of evil? Is evil really evil? How do we relate to evil? When is the last time you called evil evil? How should we respond to evil?

Many of us are deluded into thinking that life as a Christian is all hunky dory. Evil only happens to those who are evil, right? Should we, Christians, be concerned about evil? Is the word "evil" even relevant to those who have been saved by grace through faith? Do evil things happen to "good" people? First, we need to realize and acknowledge that God is completely sovereign. "I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things." (Isa 45:7) So how do we respond to evil?

Expect

“Do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you” (1 Peter 4:12). Evil should never surprise us and catch us off guard. God is going to test you. He loves you and He will cut and carve your character so as to make look more like Him. The cutting and the carving isn't fun but it is fulfilling to those who are faithful. Evil things are going to happen. Buckle up and be ready. Remember God is sovereign through it all.

Pray

Jesus taught us how to pray when He said, "Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil" (Matthew 6:13). The problem with many of us (not evil) is that we deliver ourselves into evil and then pray to be delivered from it. You can't drive yourself into a strip club (evil) and then pray to be delivered from evil. You can't pray "lead me not into temptation" when you really want and long to to be led there.

Hate

“Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good” (Romans 12:9). We are told to love and then to hate. If you don't hate than you don't really love. Love is not tolerance. If I love my own children then I wouldn’t tolerate those things that are destroying my children. As the Psalmist said, "Do I not hate those who hate you, O Lord? (Ps 139) Is prayer and hatred contradictory? Of course not. When it comes to evil we are told to pray and to hate.

Expose

“Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them” (Ephesians 5:11). We have a tendency to enjoy and be entertained by evil rather than exposing it for what it is. We are children of light in a dark, evil world. We are here to expose and to shine. We are supposed to be a city on a hill. Christians who do not shine are "thrown out and trampled under people's feet" (Mt.5:13) Exposing is never popular to those who love the darkness. We should, though, be seeking after righteousness not popularity. Shine on!

Overcome

“Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good” (Romans 12:21). Don't given in or give up when evil entices or attacks. Evil is there for us to conquer. We are "more than conquerors through him who loved us." (Rom 8:37) The narrow road less traveled is difficult and sometimes lonely but it is the only path that leads to life. We must overcome by doing good "so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven." (Mt. 5:16) Is there evil around us? Then there is work ahead of us. It's time for us to overcome, have dominion and advance His Kingdom.

John Piper wrote: "Never doubt that God is totally for you in Christ. If you trust him with your life, you are in Christ. Never doubt that all the evil that befalls you—even if it takes your life—is God’s loving, purifying, saving, fatherly discipline. It is not an expression of his punishment in wrath. That fell on Jesus Christ our substitute. “The Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives” (Hebrews 12:6)."

Looking Back - Sufferings

"In our sufferings for Christ there is joy, not so when we suffer for our sins."

~ John Trapp

My Son Noah

Looking Back - R. J. Rushdoony

"So you don’t like problems, troubles, and frustrations? Join the babies; you will have lots of company. And buy yourself a pacifier and go to bed. Get out of the way. The rest of us have work to do."

~ R. J. Rushdoony

God make us ANGRY!

Happiness and anger are God-given emotions that must be God-ordered and God-ordained. Anger is not something that Christians should be ashamed of. In fact, many believers today would probably be surprised to find out that we are commanded, in Scripture, to be angry. The apostle Paul says, “Be angry and do not sin…” (Eph 4:26) Right before Paul tells us to be angry he is talking about those who are “darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart. They have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity. But that is not the way you learned Christ!” (Eph 4:18-20) We need to be angry at sin when we see it but we shouldn’t sin in our anger.

There is so much corruption and sensuality in our culture that has been entertaining us Christians for so many years. There are scenes in movies that we, as Christian parents have seen, that would horrify us if our children were watching them. There are things I have seen on the silver screen, as entertainment, that I would be disgusted if my children had seen them. Rousas J. Rushdoony says “What disgusts God should disgust us.” Why would I be angry if my kids have watched something that I was entertained by? Where was my anger when I was laughing at something that should have made me furious? The response of parents should not be apathy but anger. We can’t cower under the fear of being labeled as hypocrites. Its one thing to stumble but it’s far worse to cause our little ones to stumble. Jesus said “Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him if a great millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea.” (Mark 9:42)

The problem with America is that Christians are too nice. Christians have been so afraid of anger. Anger is a great and godly emotion as long as you do not sin. It is not a sin to be angry; it is a sin to sin out of anger. As a parent it’s always amazing to me how the same thoughts that would anger me coming from my kid’s mind would be ignored coming from my own. Words that easily slip out of my mouth with impunity are met with wrath if caught through the teeth of one of my kids. Am I saying that my kids should get a free pass? Not at all! I just need to be impartial with my judgment. I shouldn’t stop being angry; I should just be angry more consistently. What we need is an anger that moves us to solutions not to sin.

How do we laugh at the things that crushed our Saviour? How are we entertained by the things that caused our Lord to suffer? How can we joke about the things that nailed God’s Son to the cross? Why are we amused by the things that caused Jesus to be accursed? There are so many things in our culture that should anger us and move us to faithful Kingdom service. We need to be angry at sin and sin not. The very things that have been attractive to us are the things that are trying to steal, kill and destroy our children. There is a battle for the hearts and minds of our kids. The enemy in the battle has been masquerading around as our friend for years. We need the kind of anger the Psalmist had when he said “Do I not hate those who hate you, O Lord? And do I not loathe those who rise up against you? I hate them with complete hatred; I count them my enemies.” (Psalms 139:21-22)

Looking Back - William Fenner

"Grace comes not to take away a man's affections, but to take them up."

~ William Fenner (1600–1640)

Give this guy a hand!

OK this is just weird and pointless and bewildering but I still felt the need to share it with you. Do I hear an applause?

Looking Back - Thomas Watson

"We are called to the enjoyment of the ever blessed God: as if a man were called out of a prison to sit upon a throne.... What is the glory among men, which most so hunt after, but a feather blown in the air? What is it to the weight of glory? Is there not great reason we should follow God's call? God would have us part with nothing for Him, but that which will damn us if we keep it. He has no design upon us, but to make us happy. He calls us to salvation, He calls us to a kingdom."

~ Thomas Watson

Left Behind (The Rapture Song)

The Drug vs The Disease

Compare, in this commercial, the symptoms of the disease with the risks of the side-effects. The cure is worse then the disease. Maybe nutrition is a better option here. This commercial almost seems fake but it isn't.

Fat Chance

Fat chance and slim chance mean the same thing. Either way... I still got a chance.

Looking Back - Justice, Mercy, Grace

• "Justice is when you get what you deserve
• Mercy is when you don't get what you deserve
• Grace is when you get what you don't deserve."

~ Author Unknown

TV and your BRAIN

The Modern 23rd Psalm

The TV is my Shepherd, I shall not want.
It maketh me to lie down on the sofa.
It leadeth me away from the scriptures.
It destroyeth my soul.

It leadeth me in the paths of immorality,
For the sponsors' sake.
Yea, though I walk in the shadow of my Christian duties,
There will be no interruptions,
For the handheld TV is with me.
Its cable or wireless controls,
They comfort me.

It prepareth a commercial before me,
In the presence of my carnality.
It anointeth my head with humanism.
My coveting runneth over.

Surely laziness and ignorance shall follow me,
All the days of my life,
And I shall dwell in the house of TV forever.

-Author Unknown

Kaila's in deep yogurt

That last quote was a from Augustine and before I had a chance to post it Kaila got on my computer and added the last part. Oooo someone's busted. Payback is torture.

Looking Back - Augustine

"Our hearts were made for You, O Lord, and they are restless until they rest in Thee."

I have to admit that Kaila is my FAVORITE daughter! Favorite child for that matter :)
and I think I shall get her a puppy fro Christmas.
Don't you all agree?

Standing in the Gap - Men Wanted!

Here are some distressing and disturbing statistics taken from Mark Driscoll message a while back.

"So I sought for a man among them who would make a wall, and stand in the gap before Me on behalf of the land, that I should not destroy it; but I found no one." (Ezekiel 22:30)

• There are 11-13 million MORE women Christians in the US than men

Women are:

• 100% more likely than men to be involved in DISCIPLESHIP
• 56% more likely than men to be involved in CHURCH LEADERSHIP
• 54% more likely than men to be involved in SMALL GROUPS
• 39% more likely than men to HAVE A NORMAL DEVOTIONAL/QUIET TIME
• 33% more likely than men to VOLUNTEER AT CHURCH
• 29% more likely than men to READ THEIR BIBLES
• 29% more likely than men to ATTEND CHURCH
• 29% more likely than men to SHARE THEIR FAITH
• 29% more likely than men to GIVE FINANCIALLY TO A CHURCH

John Adams on Education

This is a good encouraging reminder to us parents who are home educators. We want to build strong Christian character in our children so that their lives will bring honor to God. We are raising world-changers who will advance the Kingdom of God in the earth. This quote comes from the pen of John Adams to his wife:

"Education makes a greater difference between man and man, than nature has made between man and brute. The virtues and powers to which men may be trained, by early education and constant discipline, are truly sublime and astonishing… It should be your care therefore, and mine, to elevate the minds of our children, and exalt their courage, to accelerate and animate their industry and activity, to excite in them an habitual contempt of meanness, abhorrence of injustice and inhumanity, and an ambition to excel in every capacity, faculty, and virtue. If we suffer their minds to grovel and creep in infancy, they will grovel and creep all their lives."