Bubble Creek Canyon

I saw this floating around the interwebz today.





I think I've met people who think this would be a good idea.

You Are Not David!

From 1 Samuel 17

"And the Philistine moved forward and came near to David, with his shield-bearer in front of him. And when the Philistine looked and saw David, he disdained him, for he was but a youth, ruddy and handsome in appearance. And the Philistine said to David, “Am I a dog, that you come to me with sticks?” And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. The Philistine said to David, “Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the air and to the beasts of the field.” Then David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword and with a spear and with a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you down and cut off your head. And I will give the dead bodies of the host of the Philistines this day to the birds of the air and to the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel, and that all this assembly may know that the Lord saves not with sword and spear. For the battle is the Lord's, and he will give you into our hand.” When the Philistine arose and came and drew near to meet David, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet the Philistine. And David put his hand in his bag and took out a stone and slung it and struck the Philistine on his forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell on his face to the ground. So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and with a stone, and struck the Philistine and killed him. There was no sword in the hand of David. Then David ran and stood over the Philistine and took his sword and drew it out of its sheath and killed him and cut off his head with it. When the Philistines saw that their champion was dead, they fled."

When I was in Jr. high and high school, I used to go nearly every year to a Christian week-end retreat camp called Sky Ranch. It happened every March. I have many fond memories of this place. Water slides, canoeing, rope swings...it was pretty fun.
 Of course, this Christian camp was not all fun and games, right? We had "services" in the afternoon and at night. And after the Saturday night service (the last one), we would all walk down to this big fire pit and sit around discussing our weekend.

 One year, the Saturday service must have had a sermon on 1 Samuel 17. I don't remember the sermon at all. Not a word. I don't even remember if 1 Samuel 17 was the text. What I do remember is that when we all walked down to the fire pit, we walked with a piece of paper in our hands that contained a word or two about some "giant" we were facing. In a word or two, we wrote down some thing, some Goliath in our lives, some situation or sin that was causing us to have a difficult time at home or at school. Once around the fire, we were given the chance to get up in front of everybody (if we wanted to, or better yet, if we "felt led" to) and (tastefully) talk about our "giant" and how, with God's help, we would slay the mighty beast. For a bunch of ninth and tenth graders, this type of thing is generally a mention of a boyfriend/girlfriend we needed to dump for God's Glory, or how we needed to be a better Christian at school, or how we needed better friends because bad character corrupts badly (or something). Of course there were some truly heart breaking stories of abuse, illness, busted families. I do not want to make light of sad situations so I'll move on...
 The point was that in this story, we play the part of David and our troubles play the part of a formidable foe named Goliath.

That story is not this story.

About a month ago I read a wonderfully titled article in a favorite magazine of mine called, "You're So Vain You Probably Think This Text Is About You". That idea was the theme of the issue. I read it and was reminded of a sermon I heard (and remembered!) from 2007. This sermon came fully 10 years after the Camp experience. My pastor was preaching through 1 Samuel. When he got to chapter 17, we all got to hear another sermon about David and Goliath. But what he said was quite the opposite of what we learned(?) at camp. I can summarize in 4 words.

YOU ARE NOT DAVID!

This was a mind blower for me. He said if we must compare ourselves to anyone in this passage we must compare ourselves to the fearful and unable Israelites. I learned that the story of David and Goliath is a story of rescue and redemption. David plays the part of Christ who fights and wins for us. We do nothing to contribute to the victory. Christ alone is victorious. Goliath doesn't represent a promotion we seek, or a brake job we can't afford, or even a broken family. He played a part in a story that demonstrates the power and effectiveness of our Lord's salvation for His people. If a lesson must be found, let it be this lesson.

When we read old testament narratives we are tempted to look for the "moral lesson". What can we learn from this? How can we apply this to our lives in a modern way? Keith Mathison said,

"However well intentioned such preachers may be, handling the Scriptures in this manner conditions people to treat the stories of the Bible in a way not unlike Aesop's Fables."

To be sure, there are "moral lessons" to be learned from Scripture and I don't mean to take away from that. But injecting life application where it isn't takes away from the greater purpose of Scripture. That purpose is to teach Christ and Him crucified. The salvation for God's people.

 Sometimes God is not saying "Here's a lesson for you." Sometimes God is showing His great love for for us that while we were still sinners He sent His son to die for us.


P.S. If you've never read the old testament looking for the types and shadows of Christ, I encourage you to do that. For example, Abraham and his son Isaac is less about how we need to be faithful to God even to the point of killing our own children. Abraham learned that God provides the sacrifice our sins. Abraham's son would never be able to pay the debt. The story is a shadow of Christ. How God sends His own Son, a spotless Lamb to die in our place. Try  reading the Bible this way. I think you'll like it.

An Introduction

"A careful study of the Bible would convince many people that it is a very different book than what they assume it to be."

-Loraine Boettner

"I don't want another dedication. I don't want another invitation. I just wanna know that I'm Yours."
-Paul Carpenter

I've wanted to write a bit about my journey into Orthodoxy for some time. Since I started writing things here, the desire has been quite nagging. So this is my attempt. This is where I will discuss the changes and shifts in my worldview. I'm not talking about my conversion to Christ. I'm talking about how my perspective concerning this conversion changed. There are a few people who would be interested to know how I can explain my beliefs and how I came to understand soteriology from the reformed perspective.

So over the next few weeks I will be posting 5 blog entries. Each dealing with a certain bit of theology that shook my doctrine to it's core. I hope to explain why my theological box got completely dumped out, and how (through the grace of God) I examined each piece, adjusted for Biblical accuracy, and then placed back in the box that is my brain. I know I'm no longer a Charismatic in the popular sense of the word. But I also hope it's understood that I believe "charismata" is essential to the Christian faith. I will say from the outset that I have many friends and family in many different denominations and I have nothing but the utmost respect and appreciation for each denomination. I believe there are certain attitudes and ideas found in them that could inform many in my own tradition.

But the issue is God.

Who He says He is. His relationship with His creation. And the salvation He provides for His children. He is truly a good God. Worthy to be worshiped. May His kingdom come on earth.


Coming Soon: Part 1. Totally unfamiliar with my own sin.

Calvinism and Alice in Wonderland

My better half and I finally made it to see Alice in Wonderland in 3D. I enjoyed this movie. I felt like it was fun and dark and had plenty of that creepy secret sauce Tim Burton injects into his films. The 3D experience was decent at best. The last 3D movie I saw was Spy Kids 3D. Alice in Wonderland was quite a bit better. I still think the technology for 3D has some ways to go before it's truly a worthwhile experience. Though I must admit that the 3D glasses have improved greatly. I found that sometimes the 3D image was quite fantastic and nicely done. Other times it seemed to completely fall flat. The effect being so poor that it took away from the movie itself. During a scene very early in the film I noticed a pixalated green-screen pop in view at the base of Alice's father's neck. It only happened in that one shot. But it was one more thing that distracted me causing my disbelief to lose it's suspension. Also, sometimes the action was a bit too fast for the 3D effect to really have an effect, so it seemed lost at times. I'm not fully sold on 3D yet. Stu Maschwitzhe said, "How exactly is 3D "immersive?" Is there stuff behind me? Should I turn around? You know what's immersive? Good movies."

As for the story...

This was a good movie. I didn't care that it didn't follow the original story. In fact, I'm glad it didn't follow the original story. I liked this story. It reminded me of a certain theology I believe. You see, Alice falls down a hole after being drawn to that hole by a Rabbit. She finds herself being told who she is, what she's there to do, and how she's going to do it. Of course, Alice's natural reaction is to reject the notion that she is who they say she is, and that she will do the things they say she will do. For the next hour and a half we watch as Alice is "circumstantially" placed in situations that drive her toward the goal that is laid out before her. The entire time she is making decisions that she believes are contrary to the path that leads to her slaying the dreaded beast, Jabberwocky.

I don't believe Alice is Jesus, or that the Jabberwocky is Satan or even Sin. I just think this was colorful movie that dealt fairly with the idea that we all believe this is "our dream" and we can do whatever we want but that in the end, if we're honest, we can look back on our life and see the work and guidance of something else. This is Calvinism as I believe it.

I am called to an end.

Daily, I make decisions concerning my life. I decide whether or not I will go to this town or that town and if I will do business there. Yet, I also say, "Only if the Lord wills shall I do these things."

Do not misunderstand me. I am no more a robot or a puppet anymore than Alice is in her dream. But whatever happens and wherever I go, The Lord must receive the credit for all of it. This is, I assure you, His world. Nothing goes on in His world beyond or outside of His control.

Alice was shown a scroll that quite specifically laid out Wonderland's history and her slaying the Jabberwocky. Alice then goes "her own way" only to find herself facing the Jabberwocky in the end. I propose had she studied that scroll, she would have seen her own rebellion, her decisions, and the path that led to the end (of the movie). I think if we saw a scroll of our lives, we might shudder and reject the notion that God would direct our actions. We might run in the other direction. We might say repeatedly, "This is my dream. I decide the end." But, in the end, if we were to see the details of that scroll, we would find our situations and decisions written down. We would see that God has worked out every detail in favor of His glory and our good (if you are a Christian. If not, seek Christ. The work He has done on the sinner's behalf redeems every portion of sinner's sin who puts their faith in Him. That is truly good).

I recommend the film. The 3D experience is truly not necessary, but it's novel. You choose.

Or do you?

* I must admit that the preview for Tron looked mighty good.

Communion by Persecution

Last night at my church's Bible Study, we looked at some verses in 1 Peter 4. Specifically we looked at verses 12-19.

There were a couple of comments I wanted to make regarding Christian Persecution. A couple of things I find to be somewhat overlooked in conversation today.

But let's talk about persecution as we experience it today.

For most of us (at least most of you reading this), we don't really experience persecution. This, I believe, is for two reasons.

1. We live in a wonderful part of of the world that allows us to worship, or not worship, as we see fit. North America is truly free in regards to freedom of worship.

Sure, we have talking heads on every news channel with an opinion on what is right or wrong regarding the presence or absence of God in various institutions (school, government, work-place, etc.). There are name-calling activists in every camp. But Christopher Hitchens, or whoever, is probably not knocking on your door and hitting you in the face, shooting your child, and taking your Bible.

2. We don't talk about God very often.

We don't want to offend people. We think, well, I'm not going push my ideas on anybody. I'll let them learn through a relationship with me. I agree. They ("they" being the person who does not share your Christian worldview) should learn that way. Your life should testify to the greatness and glory of God.

But so should your voice. Your voice should be the primary means of spreading the Gospel. Your voice should be trained to boldly speak the truth of God in any appropriate situation. I say "appropriate situation" because there are times when it would be disrespectful. An argument with a co-worker about the next project proposal would be a bad time. Gentleness and respect is the key. And when I say "key" I don't just mean that gentleness and respect will illicit the best response (though it will), I mean that God is most glorified through right-actions. Gentleness and respect is the key to glorifying God in conversation.


So if we're being vocal about our faith in a gentle and respectful way, regularly in our lives, we may encounter backlash. Name calling. Contempt. You may get shunned. Not Invited. Excluded.

But you are not alone.

And this is what I want to talk about. Communion by persecution.

Dr. Nelson D. Kloosterman said a few things that caught my attention regarding this section of 1 Peter 4.

"Every Christian following in (Christ's) steps can expect abuse and affliction for His sake...Rather than be surprised or bewildered, persecuted Christians should practice joy....The basis for this joy is not the persecution itself, but participation and bonding with Christ...In their suffering God's children experience His presence, not His absence." (italics mine)

I found this to be very encouraging. When we are mocked for our
stupid,
un-scientific,
intolerant,
fun-hating,
societal non-conforming,
sexually inexperienced,
boring,
trite,
uneducated,
devolved,
troglodyte ways...

we are suffering with our Saviour. When we are shunned by the world, we are accepted by Him. When a Christian meekly presents the truth about God and is laughed at, Yahweh is present. You may be alone, but you are never alone. Your suffering increases your closeness to Christ.

So count it all joy.

Manly Dominion - Book Review

Some number of years ago I read the book Wild At Heart by John Eldridge. I'm sure you've heard of it. It's one of those slightly annoying "stop being a sissy and be a man" type of books for Christian men. After I got over the fact that Eldridge related everything to hunting and grunting, I enjoyed the book. I will now grant that it's better than "slightly annoying." But I feel no need to recommend it to any male reader interested in Godly man-hood.

I have since discovered a different book by a thoroughly reformed author. His name is Mark Chanski. He wrote a book called Manly Dominion. Already, by the title alone, you can see that it's on a different level than "Wild At Heart". Where "Wild At Heart" related manly life to adventure and danger and fairy-tale stuff, Manly Dominion is full of actual advice that packs quite the pragmatic punch.
Anyway, the advice is so practical and relevant (even to my situation where I'm not allowed to work, the manliest of all things, due to my immigration status), that I thought I would tell a few friends about it regardless of whatever step in life they are.

My one reserve: In the beginning of the book Chanski sings the praise of George W(MD's?) Bush. That irritated me.

1. Because I dislike George Bush and his word inventing ways.
2. Because I think it's sloppy to praise such a polarizing figure. If he wanted to raise the American flag of leader worship he should have praised John Adams, who nearly always chose the higher, better, more honest way in regards to his country even when nobody liked him. If we can say anything about Bush, it's that honesty and open-ness were not his strong points.
3. Maybe modern politics should have stayed out. Then nobody could be irritated about anything. He could have just as easily praised Obama for sticking to his guns in a racially charged presidential bid. (only problem? Published August 22, 2007. So we didn't know Obama was going to go all the way. But praising Obama would have irritated me too. But maybe I'm too irritable.) Okay. Done. That's for a different blog on a different day with different themes.

ANYWAY, that's really my only negative critique.

As reformed people, we're quite familiar with the concept of ignoring the "quivers in our livers" when it comes to decision-making. Chanski pulls no scriptural punch in making sure we understand why we believe this. His chapter on providence found (even) me wanting for biblical Christian decisiveness in certain situations. Either way I was reading this and smiling at his words, and highlighting some of them, and re-thinking some things I got used to thinking.

So I began pondering about my youth all the way to my ripe adulthood. I haven't been very manly all the time. At least not by conventional (worldly) standards.

By the conventional standard, one only has to look at me and see I'm no threat. What, with my skinny-jeans and v-neck shirt and scarf around my neck it's easy to see I project the image of a soft-spoken wimpy sissy man. But manliness has nothing to do with skinny-jeans and scarves and everything to do with biblical principles.

If I read your book about manhood and you tell me life is like football or big game hunting I'm likely to throw your book across the room in protest because, "You don't know me." (The author Donald Miller gives account of doing this very thing the first time he tried to read Wild At Heart. You can read about that in Miller's own book To Own A Dragon.) But, if you use the Bible and it's own metaphors for our existence (put on your armor, slay the enemy), then, well, okay...you got me there.

Time to suit up.

I'm not interested in condensing Chanki's book into blog form so you can read this and then say "Cool...that sounds good". I want you to read it. It's challenging. It's inspiring. It caused me to want to lead my household in manner pleasing to God. It made me want to do away with Cheeto's eating, channel surfing, slothfulness when I know I could spend an extra 30 mins talking with my wife while she prepares dinner (or ¡gasp! even help her).

It made me want to be where my church was. If there is Sunday School I want to be there. Bible study? Be there. And not just myself, but to encourage my household to faithfully support the church. Nay...to order my household to support the church and pursue Godly endeavors.

Someday (Lord willing) I'll have children. And they're gonna crap on stuff. And keep me awake. They'll probably break things that I thought were very important material possessions. That's going to tick me off and teach me Godly principles at the same time. (nothing quite like learning a lesson grudgingly) But having received biblical parenting advice via Mark Chanski I've never been more excited about it.

Manly Dominion. Sounds scary? Maybe not. Kinda in-yo-face. But it's absolutely necessary for the Godly man. We've been feminized and metro-sexualized and told to follow. Told to step aside. It's time to follow Christ. Then step in front, and lead by His example.

*Please read my wife's blog. It's interesting to read about her own journey into Biblical womanhood.

**And if you're a woman interested in your own journey into Biblical Woman-hood I recommend Mark Chanski's book Womanly Dominion.

***There is nothing wrong with a man who maintains a good skin-care regimen. So if you kinda fall into the metro-sexual stereotype, then I say, boldly lead your family in a good skin-care regimen.