Fantasy Church (08/31/06 - 44 Comments)
Fantasy church is a game in which players moderate imaginary denominations based on the real-life performance of churches and pastors, and compete against one another using those churches' statistics to score points. The most recent addition to the long list of fantasy activities (other fantasy games include fantasy baseball, fantasy football, fantasy hockey, and so on), it is surely also the most exciting and the most edifying. So why not form a league today and...
Book Review - Godless (08/30/06 - 39 Comments)
I tend to agree with those who believe that liberalism is a mental disorder. I can think of no other explanation for those who hold steadfast to a system of beliefs that are self-contradictory, contrary to reason, and entirely Godless. Nor does Ann Coulter. In her latest book, Godless, she attempts to "throw open the doors of the church of liberalism" to expose the lunacy that exists within. "Liberals love to boast that they are...
The Demands of Justice (08/29/06 - 37 Comments)
John Mark Karr has been cleared in the slaying of JonBenet Ramsey. Clearly a sick and disturbed individual, Karr claimed responsibility for a crime he did not commit. Only a monstrously sick individual would claim responsibility for the rape and murder of a 6-year-old knowing full well that the crime was not his. Some are suggesting that his claim to this murder is a well-constructed plan to ensure that he will not be convicted for...
Directory of Reformed Conferences (08/28/06 - 23 Comments)
I believe in the value of good conferences. Though short-lived, conferences can be a wonderful time of growth, challenge and refreshment. I have been privileged to attend many such conferences in recent years and hope to attend many more in the years to come. As a service to the Christian community, I've decided to create a list of conferences that are either offered by Reformed ministries or are of particular interest to Reformed Christians. I...
Book Review - Flight Path (08/28/06 - 6 Comments)
A biography is an account of a person's life written by another person. An autobiography is an account of a person's life written by that person. We would assume that a biography would be written in the third-person and an autobiography would be written in the first-person. Through reading hundreds of books, that has been my experience. Or it has been until I read Flight Path, A Biography of Frank Barker Jr.. A biography of...
Book Review - My Beloved Russia (08/27/06 - 7 Comments)
I remember praying for the Christian men and women who lived in the Soviet Union. During the Cold War we knew that countless Christians lived on the far side of the Iron Curtain and that they suffered immeasurably for their faith. We knew they needed prayer that God would sustain them and allow the faith to spread despite vigorous persecution. I remember hearing Brother Andrew speak at a nearby church and rejoiced to hear the...
Dispatches From The Edge (08/26/06 - 3 Comments)
The first I remember of Anderson Cooper was as host of the short-lived reality program The Mole. Prior to The Mole he had apparently been a successful reporter for the Channel One and ABC networks, both as correspondent and news anchor. I knew nothing of this and thought he made a more than adequate host for what was surely one of the better shows to appears at the dawn of the reality craze. After 9/11...
2007 Conferences (08/25/06 - 29 Comments)
I came to my office this morning ready to post the utterly brilliant article I wrote yesterday. I couldn't remember exactly what it was that I had written about, but knew it was good. I opened up the folder where I keep the upcoming posts I've written for this site and was unable to find the article. That's strange. I looked on my desktop and other likely spots and found nothing. And, try as I...
Enslaved (08/24/06 - 25 Comments)
Through the past week or so my wife and I have been working our way through the Extended Editions of the three The Lord of the Rings movies. I had seen Fellowship of the Ring and The Two Towers many times in the past, but had not yet had opportunity to watch the Extended Edition of The Return of the King. Aileen had seen only the theatrical editions of the first two. Three movies, each...
A Theo-Doping Scandal (08/23/06 - 28 Comments)
Mark Driscoll is a bestselling and highly-regarded author. He is pastor of Mars Hill Church in Seattle, Washington, a popular speaker at conferences, and is founder of the Acts 29 Church Planting Network. But is there more to this man than meets the eye? According to a shocking new article in Preaching Illustrated, there may be. In a bizarre turn of events, Mark Driscoll has become embroiled in a theological doping scandal. Random testing, conducted...
Judas and the Gospel of Jesus (08/22/06 - 6 Comments)
The Gospel of Judas has had its fifteen minutes of fame. It is but another in an endlessly long line of stories or documents meant to shake the foundations of the Christian faith. Like its many predecessors, it gave National Geographic and anti-Christian authors an opportunity to voice their dissension with the biblical story of Jesus. A book titled The Gospel of Judas shot to near the top of the bestsellers lists and nearly as...
CD Review - Valley of Vision (08/22/06 - 27 Comments)
Contemporary praise and worship music has achieved a poor reputation. It is often regarded as being of poor quality both musically and lyrically. Sadly, this critique is often accurate. Yet there are some who swim against this current. It is only in the last year or so that I have been introduced to an organization that produces music to which these critiques cannot apply. Sovereign Grace Music has released a wide variety of albums which...
Book Review - No One... (08/21/06 - 6 Comments)
In an uncertain world, there are at least six things we can always count on. These six are the focus of J.D. Wetterling's new book, No One.... Quoting Jesus' words from the book of John we know that: No One can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again. No One can come to me unless the Father Who sent me draws him. No One comes to the Father except through me. No...
A Vehicular Retrospective (08/21/06 - 14 Comments)
I hate cars. While they are clearly a necessity, they are just as clearly evil. I guess that makes them necessary evils. I can't think of too many other significant investments in life that we purchase knowing full well that each time we use it, it will decrease in value. Every day the car becomes less and less valuable whether it drives around or sits in a parking lot. There is no joy in buying...
Does Anyone Choose Hell? (08/20/06 - 69 Comments)
Not too long ago, I was faced with the question of whether God is active in sending people to hell, or if he is passive, choosing instead to allow unbelievers to send themselves their through their free will. "God does not send people to hell," the common saying goes. "They choose to go there themselves." When reading The Great Work of the Gospel by John Ensor I found that he has also faced this question....
Liveblogging (08/19/06 - 18 Comments)
My first liveblogging opportunity happened just about a year ago when I was asked to blog the 2005 Desiring God National Conference. I knew nothing about the art of liveblogging (and neither did anyone else I knew) so I just sort of made it up as I went along. I was gratified to see that the response was good and than many people took the opportunity to visit my site to read about the conference...
King For A Week - Pure Church (08/18/06 - 2 Comments)
King for a Week is an honor I bestow on blogs that I feel are making a valuable contribution to my faith and the faith of other believers. Every week (or so) I select a blog, link to it from my site, and add that site's most recent headlines to my left sidebar. While this is really not much, I do feel that it allows me to encourage and support other bloggers while making my...
Repaying A Gift (08/17/06 - 19 Comments)
A few weeks before last Christmas, we had my son and daughter compile a list of the gifts they most desired. Topping my son's list was a Playmobil castle--a huge, grey castle that looks like the kind of toy every boy dreams about. He asked for this with some hesitation, though, because he knew that it was expensive. We told him several times leading up to Christmas that we did not think we would be...
Shepherding A Child's Heart (08/16/06 - 27 Comments)
There are many things in life that are easy to do poorly but are much more difficult to do with excellence. It did not take me long as a parent to discover that it would not be difficult to raise children, but that it would be exceedingly difficult to do it with excellence. In the six years since my eldest child was born I have looked often for help and advice in becoming an excellent...
WorshipGod06 - Reflections (08/15/06 - 54 Comments)
It was a great thrill for me to spend several days of the last week among the men and women of Sovereign Grace Ministries and Covenant Life Church at the WorshipGod06 Conference. Being among these people was an opportunity for me to learn a great deal about worship and to learn how other believers express their worship to God. Sovereign Grace Ministries is often described as being "Reformed Charismatic" but it seems that this may...
The Butt of Too Many Jokes (08/14/06 - 24 Comments)
I am travelling today so thought I'd take the opportunity to post an article from just over a year ago. I used to watch a lot of the show "King of the Hill." For those who don't know it, it is an animated show targeted at adults (like The Simpsons and any number of other shows these days, most of which are not worth watching). The main character is Hank Hill, a proud, Republican Texan...
Spiritual Eavesdropping (08/13/06 - 3 Comments)
I returned home from Gaithersburg last night after a rather uneventful flight. Airport security was, thankfully, anticlimactic. It turns out that the airline we were flying, Air Canada, shares a terminal with only Air Iceland and British Airways. Neither of those airlines seemed to be awfully busy, so we had the terminal nearly to ourselves. There was no lineup at security and it seemed no different than usual. We weren't even asked whether we were...
WorshipGod06 - Sixth Session (08/12/06 - 6 Comments)
The final day of the conference began with seminars, so Julian and I decided to attend one led by Dr. Bruce Ware who spoke on "Worshiping the Triune God." As I expected from the man who wrote such a convicting book on the Trinity, Dr. Ware covered the topic thoroughly and biblically. This is a seminar that you may want to consider purchasing a listening to a couple of times. It will prove well worth...
WorshipGod06 - Fifth Session (08/11/06 - 18 Comments)
This evening's session, the fifth general session of the conference, was primarily a time of singing and worship. I have attempted to capture an account of the evening's events that those who have never attended a Sovereign Grace event may be able to understand how they worship. The evening began with "Come Now Almighty King" and soon transitioned to a Valley of Vision video featuring the prayer "Spiritus Sanctus." Awe in God's Presence: We sang...
WorshipGod06 - Fourth Session (08/11/06 - 3 Comments)
The fourth session of the WorshipGod06 Conference will be led by Bob Kauflin who was first honored by Mark Altrogge and others for his years of outstanding service to the Lord through ministry. Bob will be speaking from 1 Corinthians 12. Too often we approach God like the subject of a biography. We read about him, but do not expect to actually encounter Him. We pray but don't think He'll talk back. We read His...
WorshipGod06 - Meet The Prez (08/10/06 - 5 Comments)
As I mentioned in my write-up for session three, George W. Bush took some time out of his busy schedule to drop in to the conference and introduce Keith and Kristyn Getty. As much as I hate having my photograph taken, a photo op with the President was forced upon me. So here it is: this is myself with George W. Bush: And here he is signing one of his 8x10 glossies for me: Incidentally,...
WorshipGod06 - Third Session (08/10/06 - 6 Comments)
We were led this evening by Devon Kauflin and 1Band. We also endured more of Mark Altrogge's mostly-hilarious antics and anti-pianist commentary. I will continue to accept reasons why guitar players are better than piano players or why guitars are better than pianos. Feel free to let me know via the comments and I'll pass them along to Mark. And then, to the tune of "Hail to the Chief," a George Bush lookalike took the...
WorshipGod06 - Prayer Room (08/10/06 - 4 Comments)
One interesting feature here at the WorshipGod06 Conference is the prayer room. This is a small room that has been set aside for times of individual prayer. We have all been invited to go into this room whenever we feel the urge to sit quietly, to journal, or to pray. There are several "stations" in the room, each with its own focus. The stations feature prayers and quotes collected from The Valley of Vision. There...
WorshipGod06 - Second Session (08/10/06 - 10 Comments)
We awoke this morning to hear about the terror plot that was foiled in England. While we are grateful that no harm was caused and no damage was done, we quickly realized that it may make getting home more of a chore. We're expecting long lines through security. And I guess my hair gel and toothpaste will have to be left behind. How sad. This morning's conference kicked off with a wonderful time of worship...
WorshipGod06 - First Session (08/09/06 - 16 Comments)
After leading us in "Come Christians Join To Sing" and "The Glories of Calvary," Bob Kauflin asked everyone to divide into groups of four or five to pray together. One person was to thank God for safe travel and for the opportunity to worship and fellowship together; one was to pray for our minds, one was to pray for our hearts and one was to pray for our lives. We had a brief but edifying...
WorshipGod06 - Introduction (08/09/06 - 1 Comments)
After waiting at the Toronto airport through a flight delay and a plane change, we arrived at Covenant Life Church just after 4 PM. We found our way to Carolyn McCulley.who was kind enough to give us a guided tour of both the church and Sovereign Grace Ministries (the two share a building). I was thrilled to meet many of the men and women of these organizations, many of whom I have corresponded with at...
Travelling (08/09/06 - 1 Comments)
By the time you read this, I will likely be on my way to Gaithersburg, Maryland. As you know, I'll be bringing live updates from the WorshipGod06 conference beginning this evening. The event kicks off at 7:00 PM and I should have the first update a couple of hours after that. I'll continue to update through Thursday, Friday and Saturday morning. I hope you'll check in over the next couple of days!...
A Prayer For A Conference (08/08/06 - 10 Comments)
At some point in my youth I got it into my head that conferences are a colossal waste of time. I somehow came to believe that they are not a good use of a Christian's time. I have since had to rethink this position. Having now attended many wonderful conferences, I've come to see that, contrary to my former beliefs, they can be a tremendous blessing. Already they have blessed me immeasurably. While good conferences...
WorshipGod06 (08/07/06 - 11 Comments)
Two days from now I will (Lord willing) hop on a plane and head down to Gaithersburg, Maryland. I have been invited to liveblog the WorshipGod06 Conference that will run from Wednesday evening until Saturday morning. While I would love to stay in town until Sunday and worship at Covenant Life Church, family duties will call me back to Toronto on Saturday. This is the fifth occurrence of this biannual event devoted to the theology,...
The Attribute of Mercy (08/06/06 - 17 Comments)
I have been reading John Ensor's The Great Work of the Gospel and came across an interesting section I thought I'd share with you today. Ensor is reflecting upon what motivates God to forgive sinful human beings. I was particularly interested in the quote he provides from his friend Dana Olson, who suggests the reason God decided to allow sin in this world: so that He might be able to show mercy, an attribute he...
A Disturbing Trend (08/05/06 - 68 Comments)
It was announced on Thursday that Multnomah Publishers has been purchased by Random House, Inc. In a press release, Random House says: The Oregon-based Multnomah publishes more than 100 new titles annually by such popular authors as Randy Alcorn, Shaunti Feldhahn, Robin Jones Gunn, and Andy Stanley. Its active backlist of more than 600 works of fiction and nonfiction includes classic books of faith by Dr. James Dobson, Francine Rivers, and Joshua Harris, and THE...
Thanksgiving For Thanksgiving (08/04/06 - 36 Comments)
I always carry my cell phone when I travel. Because I work from home, I rarely use this phone and have often thought of cancelling the service. But, because I like to have it when I'm out of the house, and especially when I am away at conferences, I have held onto it. Yesterday afternoon was one of the rare occasions that I've travelled without it. The charger disappeared a few days ago and the...
Thursday Ramblings (08/03/06 - 17 Comments)
I had a friend call me up this morning and ask if I'd like to get together for some breakfast. I'm always up for both eating and talking (and especially for both of them together), so I took him up on the offer. By the time we were done, the morning was well underway and my writing time had all but disappeared. But it was worth it. The book review I was going to post...
Christians and Film (08/02/06 - 63 Comments)
I began my post-secondary education by concentrating on the study of both English and history at McMaster University. After only a few months, I found myself increasingly frustrated with the English courses. It seemed my studies were based primarily on what, in theology, we would refer to as eisogesis. The professor would lead us in the study of an assigned story or a poem and would encourage us to read into it whatever we meaning...
The Hearts of My Children (08/01/06 - 32 Comments)
I hope this article will be the final one in a disorganized and rambling mini-series I've written about children. I've looked at my understanding of what happens to children when they die, and hope today to explain why I assume my young children to be unsaved. This will not be a theological treatise as much as a personal reflection. Tedd Tripp's Shepherding A Child's Heart has helped formulate my thoughts on this issue. He premises...
