The Museum of Idolatry: Relevancy EPIC FAIL!

Laws to Live By

~ If you dance with a grizzly bear, you had better let him lead.

~ When putting cheese in a mousetrap, always leave room for the mouse.

~ Never get into fights with ugly people; they have nothing to lose.

~ When you starve with a tiger, the tiger starves last.

~ Nothing is impossible for the man who doesn’t have to do it himself.

~ Whatever hits the fan will not be evenly distributed.

~ People are always available for work in the past tense.

~ In any organization, there is one person who knows what is going on. That person must be fired.

~ The first myth of management is that it exists.

~ For every action, there is an equal and opposite government program.
(from Pastor Tim’s “PearlyGate List”)

WHO IS A DISCIPLE?
He who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me.
MATTHEW 10:38

A disciple is someone who confesses Christ as Lord and Savior, believes that God has raised Him from the dead, and declares that belief publicly through baptism. He is not some sort of “upper–level” Christian.
You don’t have to wait to become a disciple at some future time in your Christian life when you have reached a certain level of maturity. According to Matthew 28:19–20, a disciple is made at the moment of salvation.
Some claim that there are many Christians who are not disciples. They recall today’s verse and say that in order to be a disciple, one has to deny himself, take up his cross, and follow Christ. If one is not up to that level of commitment, they think, then he is not worthy to be Christ’s disciple. But you cannot separate discipleship from conversion.
When someone is saved, he receives a submissive spirit that manifests itself by a willingness to make a public confession and obey whatever else Christ commands. Are you, then, a disciple?
John MacArthur, Truth for Today : A Daily Touch of God’s Grace (Nashville, Tenn.: J. Countryman, 2001). 74.

Test Post

It truly does seem that at times our burdens are overwhelming. These long nights of the soul are hard to forget and usually lonely even with the closest of family and friends.
However, in the last few weeks we have been burdened for those who are in need of prayer. To genuinely empathize and pray for those in need of great spiritual comfort and strength is the burden I face tonight.

It has been a rough season to be a Tarheel fan! It has been even worse to pull for the Wolfpack!

Tar Heels end skid by beating Wolfpack 74-61 – WRALSportsFan.com

Just a little new paint, some varmint rustling, and a new desire to write and blog

SBTS – Resources – Video: The President’s Forum on the Future of the Southern Baptist Convention
столове

The Scandal of the Public Evangelical | Christianity Today | A Magazine of Evangelical Conviction

The Scandal of the Public Evangelical
What we really have to offer the world.
Mark Galli | posted 7/02/2009 09:10AM

It’s been a tough couple of months for evangelical public figures. We discovered that Carrie Prejean, Miss California, sudden heroine in the gay marriage debate, posed nude for the cameras to kick-start her modeling career.

Then there were the Gosselins, a seemingly devout couple who were sacrificially raising a “ginormous” family on reality TV for all to see their Christian witness. They have decided to divorce. They mouthed the usual mantra, about doing it for the sake of the kids—and the hearts of the devout nationwide sank in despair.

Honestly, last night was a roller coaster of emotions. We were so happy that Reilly was finishing Kindergarten, but melancholy that he was the last cousin to do so. Ariel, Allison, Carissa, and now Reilly all are in grade school.

He did win the trophy he wanted to win and he received $50 in cash from everyone and he got the DS game he wanted… all told it was the best night of his life.

We pray that he and Allison will love the Lord with all their hearts.

That would be the best graduation present.

You Supply the Caption #118 – purgatorio

You Supply the Caption #118

via Doug Phillips

Christianity Today’s Tragic Endorsement of Pro-Homosexual Filmmaking

Saint Harvey Gets Three Stars
By Geoffrey Botkin

For several years, frustrated American readers have been wondering just who in the world is discipling the writers at Christianity Today magazine. The recent CT review of Milk may hold clues – important theological clues. The review appears to reflect doctrines of an obscure religious order which uses uniquely creative theology to unchain the human spirit, respect diversity, and expiate stigmatic guilt, especially in the interpretation of popular culture. See the rest at Doug’s Blog: Christianity Today’s Tragic Endorsement of Pro-Homosexual Filmmaking

The Next Big Things via www.christianitytoday.com

Boy, I hope he is really off in his predictions

The Next BIG Things

I’ve
been giving a lot of thought to the state of the church as we enter a
new year. In these uncertain, times we naturally look to reliable and
wise voices to guide us through the fog. And who is more reliable and
wise than yours truly? To help you plan ahead, I’ve compiled my list of
the top five predictions to watch for in 2009.

The next BIG word: Post-Missional
There was a time when everything was “postmodern.” Then we all
“emerged.” Now it’s nearly impossible to find a ministry that isn’t
passionately “missional.” But in 2009, I predict the truly innovative
ministries will be “post-missional.” No one will actually know what
post-missional means, but the word will become ubiquitous, finding its
way into the subtitles of at least 34 percent of all ministry books
published in 2009.

The next BIG outreach trend: The 30-Day Alcohol Challenge
A number of churches have gotten enormous attention for variations of
the 30-Day Sex Challenge. These ministries have tried to attract the
sexually-charged unchurched by proclaiming that Christians have better
sex and more of it. In this “more is more” philosophy of Christian
liberty, I predict the next hot outreach trend will focus on alcohol as
a way of deconstructing the church’s tee-totaling reputation. Pastors
will challenge church members over 21 to drink every day for a month—an
expensive proposition for Lutherans who only drink imports.

The next BIG book: REVEAL 3: You Go, I’m Staying Right Here.
The Willow Creek Association published REVEAL: Where Are You? in 2007. Last year brought REVEAL 2: Follow Me. In 2009 I predict we’ll see the publication of a third book in the series, REVEAL 3: You Go, I’m Staying Right Here.
The new book will outline why changes to Willow’s ministry strategy
really aren’t, and how it’s more seeker-sensitive than ever.

The next BIG celebrity pastor: Rod Blagojevich
I predict that after the embattled, corrupt governor of Illinois is
forcibly removed from office, he will have a “come to Jesus” moment at
the federal penitentiary. He will emerge with a new mission and one of
the most marketable conversion stories since Stephen Baldwin’s. Because
of his bountiful mane, Brother Blago (as he’ll be known) will likely
end up a televangelist.

The next BIG catch phrase: “Jesus is my bailout plan”
With the government issuing bailouts to banks, mortgage brokers, and
the Big 3, I predict that the “bailout” language will quickly be
adapted to Christian T-shirts and bumper stickers. Other possible
phrases to be seen in ‘09: “My 401k is in Heaven,” “Father, Son, and
Holy Spirit: These Big 3 Don’t Need a Bailout,” and “SEC: Secured
Eternally in Christ.”

Url Scaramanga is the moderator of Out of Ur.