Thursday, January 05, 2012

Behold Our God

Today Bob Kauflin  at Worship Matters featured a video of the wonderful Sovereign Grace song, Behold Our God, performed with a full orchestra. At our church we sang this numerous times over the course of our Advent observation, but never did we come close to sounding like this.

I still loved the song while we were singing it, but this is a great version to listen to.

Tuesday, January 03, 2012

Best Blog-post Title Ever

How do you top “The Next Billy Graham Might Be Drunk Right Now”?

Russell Moore, who is always worth reading, has crafted more than just a great title here. His post makes the great point that the ultimate success of the church is not dependent on what we can see, but rather on what God will do.

Here is some of Moore’s reasoning:

“The next Jonathan Edwards might be the man driving in front of you with the Darwin Fish bumper decal. The next Charles Wesley might be a misogynist, profanity-spewing hip-hop artist right now. The next Billy Graham might be passed out drunk in a fraternity house right now. The next Charles Spurgeon might be making posters for a Gay Pride March right now. The next Mother Teresa might be managing an abortion clinic right now.

But the Spirit of God can turn all that around. And seems to delight to do so. The new birth doesn’t just transform lives, creating repentance and faith; it also provides new leadership to the church, and fulfills Jesus’ promise to gift his church with everything needed for her onward march through space and time (Eph. 4:8-16).

After all, while Phillip was leading the Ethiopian eunuch to Christ, Saul of Tarsus was still a murderer.”

Not only is this a great reminder of how God is able to superintend his church, it’s gives hope to those of us who worry about our ability to adequately carry out our Christian responsibilities. After all, if he could use murderous Saul of Tarsus, surely he can use Michael of Ashland, who’s already on his side. Reminds me of one of my favorite scripture passages: For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. (Romans 5:10; ESV)

Sunday, January 01, 2012

New Year’s Resolutions

Ok, so New Year’s resolutions seldom work, don’t last, and generally aren’t much worth the effort. But this list from John Piper’s beloved English Lit. Professor, Clyde Kilby, is a joy simply to read. Doing any one of them just once has got to make your year better.

Some samples:

  • At least once every day I shall look steadily up at the sky and remember that I, a consciousness with a conscience, am on a planet traveling in space with wonderfully mysterious things above and about me.
  • I shall open my eyes and ears. Once every day I shall simply stare at a tree, a flower, a cloud, or a person. I shall not then be concerned at all to ask what they are but simply be glad that they are. I shall joyfully allow them the mystery of what Lewis calls their “divine, magical, terrifying and ecstatic” existence.
  • Even if I turn out to be wrong, I shall bet my life on the assumption that this world is not idiotic, neither run by an absentee landlord, but that today, this very day, some stroke is being added to the cosmic canvas that in due course I shall understand with joy as a stroke made by the architect who calls himself Alpha and Omega.

Read the whole list here. It improved my already good day.