Food for the Soul #2

November 13, 2010 in Christian Life with 0 Comments

Some things on which to meditate and pray over.

Bible Passage

“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
(Matthew 5:4 ESV)

Collect (Prayer)

1.  Father above

2. Who is holy, holy, holy

3.  Cleanse us of sexually polluted minds and hearts

4.  That we might be holy as you are holy and discern your will

5.  Through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, ever one God.

The Baptist Catechism – 1813

Q.  Ought every one believe their is a God?

A.  Everyone ought to believe there is a God; and it is their great sin and folly who do not.

–Q&A #2

Confession (from The Abstract of Principles)

II.  God

There is but one God, the Maker, Preserver and Ruler of all things, having in and of himself, all perfections, and being infinite in them all; and to Him all creatures owe the highest love, reverence and obedience.

Hymn

Forbid it, Lord, that I should boast,

Save in the death of Christ my Lord!

All the vain things that charm me most,

I sacrifice them to his blood.

– When I Survey the Wondrous Cross v2 by Isaac Watts

Quote

Sin is blatant mutiny against God, and either sin or God must die in my life. If sin rules, God dies. If God rules, sin dies.

–Oswald Chambers

Missions

Watch this video and pray along that the gospel would go forth in power in Germany.

Preaching

Music to Nourish Your Soul: All I Owe by Matthew Smith

November 7, 2010 in Music with 0 Comments

Food for the Soul #1

November 6, 2010 in Christian Life with 1 Comment

I hope to provide on a weekly or regular basis, an article called Food for the Soul.  Unless the format changes, these articles will include various items for each of us to chew on, reflect, pray, think about, etc.  Let me know if this is helpful.

Bible Passage

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
(Matthew 5:3 ESV)

Collect (Prayer)

1.  Our Father in heaven

2.  Who reigns over all

3.  Grant that we understand the poverty of our own spirit and live a life of repentance

4.  That we might live in your heavenly kingdom

5.  Through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, ever one God.

Cathecism (from The Baptist Catechism – 1813)

Q.  Who is the first and chiefest being?

A.  God is the first and chiefest being.

–Q&A #1

Confession (from The Abstract of Principles)

I.  The Scriptures

The Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments were given by inspiration of God, and are the only sufficient, certain and authoritative rule of all saving knowledge, faith and obedience.

Hymn

When I survey the wondrous cross

on which the Prince of Glory died;

my richest gain I count but loss,

and pour contempt on all my pride.

– When I Survey the Wondrous Cross v1 by Isaac Watts

Quote

The first great and primary business to which I ought to attend every day was, to have my soul happy in the Lord.

– George Mueller

Video

Link

* How to Avoid Christless Christianity by Tullian Tchividijian

Do You Need a Therapist?

October 29, 2010 in Culture with 3 Comments

Here is the kind of therapist (or counselor for Christians) that some people need.

10 More Hilarious Tweets from @XIANITY

October 27, 2010 in Christian Life with 0 Comments

@XIANITY is a twitterer that makes me chuckle.  He pokes fun at some of the things in modern Christianity with some made up tweets.  See if you think these are funny.

IN FOCUS: Strangely, ‘Christians for Cannabis’ church decides to replace communion bread with Cool Ranch Doritos.

LOCAL: Area legalist desperate for new rules, now taking suggestions.

WORSHIP: Praise band loses audio, congregation confused and disoriented by sound of their own voices.

BREAKING NEWS: Fitness now next to Godliness, cleanliness drops to second place.

BREAKING NEWS: Prominent prosperity preacher pressured by economy changes name to Creflo Nickel.

HEALTH: Epidemic of flu-like symptoms among missional pastors traced back to contaminated batch of tattoo ink.

MOVIE NEWS: In production, Tim Burton’s American Puritan epic, “Jonathan Edwards Scissor-Hands”

SPORTS: Vikings football is God’s way of telling Minnesota you have better things to do with your time.

CHURCH: Bachelor Acts29 planter misses point completely by tweeting about how hot another pastor’s wife is.

CHURCH: Local congregation bewildered when usher breaks out singing OMG

Music to Nourish Your Soul: The Road Sessions Collection by Matthew Smith

October 25, 2010 in Music with 0 Comments

Music To Nourish Your Soul: Watch the Rising Day by Matthew Smith

October 24, 2010 in Uncategorized with 0 Comments

Great theologically based music can really feed our souls. In the Bible, we have the record of David’s songs in the book of Psalms. They cover times when he was on the mountain tops as well as in the valleys. Most of us have learned to relish in God as we read these Psalms. My hope is that the music that I feature from time to time will also cause us to relish in our great God.

At the top of this website is a new category, “Music.” Each time I add particular resource, that resource will be added to the Music page. That means you can go to that page and reflect on God through music. You are welcome to enjoy each resource. You will also find a way to connect with the source of the music in case you are interested in purchasing a CD or download. P2P gets nothing from this, but you will be supporting these Christian artists.

This first resource is the latest CD by Matthew Smith, Watch the Rising Day. Each song from the CD is here. Enjoy.

Jesus Draws Tourists Better Than a Racetrack or Golf Course

October 21, 2010 in Culture with 0 Comments

Jesus Statue in Poland

So Jesus is a tourist attraction.  One that will attract more tourists than a racetrack or golf course.  At least that is the opinion of the folks in Swiebodzin, Poland.  According to a news report, this town of 21,000 is nearing completion on a 108 foot statue of Jesus.  With additional height added by a base and the crown of thorns, this statue will be the largest Jesus statue in the world.  It will surpass the ones in Rio de Janeiro and in Bolivia.

For some it is a symbol of gratitude to God.  Yet here is what one local official recently said,

If we had opened a racetrack or a golf course here, tourists would have come only for the season. But with a statue of Jesus the season will last the whole year.

I’m not sure this is what Jesus had in mind when he said,

And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.”
(John 12:32 ESV)

But let’s apply this to our own lives.  Do we do things which should be motivated by gratitude to God, but instead are our attempts to profit for ourselves?

Footnote: How to Pray Better in Public and in Private, too

October 20, 2010 in Footnotes, Prayer with 0 Comments

It seems like each time I read something from Tim Keller on prayer, I can’t wait to begin praying.  I previously posted an article after reading an earlier article on prayer.

In a new article, Keller mentions his use of prayers by Thomas Cranmer.  I’ll let you read his thoughts by clicking on the link below.  But I do want to include the 5 point breakdown of Cranmer’s prayers.  What I love about this is how focused on God, how rich in theology and how our petitions are based on God’s character.

1. The address – a name of God
2. The doctrine – a truth about God’s nature that is the basis for the prayer
3. The petition – what is being asked for
4. The aspiration – what good result will come if the request is granted
5. In Jesus’ name – this remembers the mediatorial role of Jesus
Check out the examples he provides.  Make them your own prayers.

Who Is to Blame for Bankruptcy of the Crystal Cathedral?

October 18, 2010 in Church Life with 10 Comments

Crystal Cathedral

The Orange County Register has reported that Crystal Cathedral has filed for bankruptcy.  This is the church founded by “Possibility Thinking” Robert Schuller.  His daughter, Sheila Shuller Coleman, is now the pastor of the church that owes creditors about 7.5 million dollars.  In total they are about $44 million in debt.

Even if we allow that our economic times make it difficult for the megachurch to operate business as usual (which we probably should not do), I am more concerned with the quoted comments about those to whom the church owes money.

Jim Penner, executive producer of their television program and a teaching pastor, seems to want the blame to be on those who have not been paid by the church.

A few didn’t want to play ball.  They tried to get ahead of the others.  It became difficult for us to hold the coalition of vendors together.

Playing ball is not an appropriate word picture.  When a baseball umpire yells, “Play ball!”, he then tosses a baseball to the starting pitcher.  When a basketball game begins, the referee tosses a ball in the air.  When a football game begins, a ball is kicked off of a tee.  In this relationship between vendors and the church, the ball would be money.  The church obviously wanted the vendors to step into the batters box while the pitcher (church) stood only with a glove on their hand.  That is a balk.

Penner’s comment also seems to indicate that the church failed to act like a good usher.  They couldn’t keep people in line.  Again, the analogy breaks down because the people in line had already been admitted.  They already provided their resources.  In fact, one of the creditors has had her home foreclosed while awaiting payment for services rendered.

Finally, it appears the church has been in the business of coalition building instead of coming up with payment.  The creditors could care less about being organized.  They want paid.

The board of creditors claims that the church could pay off everybody in 5 years.  The church initially offered to pay them 30% of what they owed over a 5 year period.  Then they offered to pay 100% in 12 years.  Let’s do the math.

Say you are owed $100 by your friend.

First, he doesn’t pay you anything.

Second, he says let’s talk about paying you for 90 days.

Third, he offers you $30 within 3 years or $0.83 a month for 3 years.  He forgets the other $70.

Fourth, he offers you $100 within 12 years or $0.69 a month for 12 years.

Fifth, he files for bankruptcy and says he intends to pay you your $100 at some point.

In this scenario, who is to blame?

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