Stolen From Another Blog - Parenting 001

This post on parenting from Kevin DeYoung is brilliant, humble and realistic. If you have kids, take it to heart...

Parenting 001 by Kevin DeYoung

Dead Egyptians

"For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall never see again." Exodus 14:13

Captors, pursuers, enslavers, dead. And not just dead - gone. Every time I read this passage about Israel's exodus I get really excited. It reminds me of my separation from sin through the blood of the Savior and that I am dead to sin. It also gives me hope. Although I still live in corrupt flesh and I'm often disturbed and downtrodden because of the sin that still lives in me, there will be a day when those Egyptians will be dead, too, and I'll never see them again.

Daylight

Here's a song to enjoy (if it's your style) as you head into the weekend. The band is Remedy Drive, and I like their sound. Lyrics from their other songs are also solid, and I appreciate that. Plus the fact that these fellas aren't from Seattle or the West Coast or Miami...they hail from just up the road from me in Lincoln, Nebraska. Good ol' midwestern boys like my man Rich Mullins! Oh, and does anybody think the lead singer resembles a cross between Steven Tyler and Jim Morrison???


Hover here: ROMANS 13:12

Fig Leaves of Morality

Are you trying to get on God's good side with good deeds? Are you banking on your morality securing you a spot in heaven? I'm sorry. It doesn't work that way.

The Lord in his mercy will bruise us will whatever afflictions are necessary until we see our only hope is in Christ.

Quoting Richard Sibbes:

"This bruising is required before conversion that so the Spirit may make way for himself into the heart by levelling all proud, high thoughts, and that we may understand ourselves to be what indeed we are by nature. We love to wander from ourselves and to be strangers at home, till God bruises us by one cross or other, and then we 'begin to think', and come home to ourselves with the prodigal...this bruising makes us set a high price upon Christ. Then the gospel becomes the gospel indeed; then the fig-leaves of morality will do us no good."

Where is your confidence for the covering of your soul? Just fig leaves...or just Jesus?

A Symbolic Death

Proverbs 11:10 (Hover your mouse over that for a second...)

My Facebook news feed was buzzing about Osama last night. Nearly every status update had something to do with bin Laden's death. Sprinkled in amongst all the celebratory comments were occasional posts that basically urged people to not be so happy about it, since God takes no pleasure in the death of his enemies (Ezekiel 18:32) and we should be saddened that Osama was no believer.

I agree with that sentiment, but I'm not going to fault people for rejoicing in his death. His death means much, much more than "Hey, we finally got that sucker." His death is symbolic; it carries with it the weight of the 3000 souls lost on 9/11. The death of this one man is a whole lot bigger than he was. His death was personal to multiplied millions of people. What people are rejoicing over, I think, is Justice. So I won't chide folks for being happy that he's gone.

When it comes down to it, Osama's death is the same as Joe Schmoe's down the street in that anyone who expires apart from Christ is lost, and lost to the very same degree. Osama's soul is no more depraved than mine. The extent of his crimes was farther reaching, perhaps, but his sinful affront to God's holiness separated him just as effectively as I did in the past with my own sins. And let's remember that God has saved worse critters than bin Laden...

I agree with my friends who say we shouldn't celebrate someone's death, who urge compassion. But I also celebrate in a fashion with everyone else that we finally got this evil man. Didn't people in 1945 mourn Hitler's death? Anyone remember Dietrich Bonhoeffer and his part in the plot to eliminate Hitler?

Ultimately we need to understand that there's more than one thing at work here: there is Justice in which a cold-blooded murderer has been dispatched; there is the power of a nation's memory stirring up sincere emotions; there is the eternal Truth that souls who perish apart from Christ are eternally, horribly, lost.

Biblioburro

Now, if you're much of a linguist at all, you've cleverly discerned that the title of this post can be translated as "book donkey." And that's exactly what it is. I ran across a delightful story of a man in Colombia who hauls library books around on two donkeys (named Alfa and Beto) so that children can have the chance to read. You can watch a video about the Biblioburro below. Then, when you're finished watching, would you consider a couple of simple questions I've asked at the end of the post?

Of interest while watching: At 4:04, you understand that Luis Soriano's purposes are deep and intentional and altruistic, and at 4:55, you see his heart shine through.


Now isn't that fantastic? A simple passion, a simple - almost silly! - idea, and lives are changed. Wow. So, what is it that you love? What is it that you can do? How can you, out of simple love for Jesus and for people, enrich their lives and bring glory to God? It's the heart that counts; there's no need to do something shiny, flashy, loud or large - just strap some books on a donkey and get going!

A Few of the Most Powerful Songs I Know

If I fail to celebrate over the next few days, I'm a miserable Christian indeed. Let's all be reminded...(thanks, Chris, for bringing the first one to my attention!)