earthonmyhead

TBN Fun

2008-08-06T11:20:00.002-05:00

Michael Mckinley over at The 9Marks Blog has a very funny article about the Sunday he recorded several televangelists. Two of my favorite quotes are below.

"Rod Parsley

-- Homiletics lesson #3 -- If you lack the authority that comes with the truth, garner authority by screaming and then staring into the camera like a serial killer."

"And finally, Ed Young TV

-- After all the prosperity gospel stuff, Ed Young, Jr. seems like Charles Spurgeon.

-- We're talking sex today on Ed Young TV. At one point he said, "When you make love to your spouse, you are like the Trinity. You can't tell where one ends and another begins." Those, gentle reader, are the two least sexy sentences ever uttered.

-- If When I become the old guy dressing twenty years younger than I am, please tell me. I don't blame Ed Young for dressing like he's a 25 year old with a perma-tan. I blame the people around him who enable it. It's not OK. Ed, I say this as a friend... it's time to rock the distinguished professor look."

Church Planting Franchise Style (Part 3 1/2)

2008-08-05T10:52:00.007-05:00

Driscoll gives some good balanced insight to the theology issue discussed in the previous Church Planting Franchise Style (Part 3) post. I've also added another goodie. :)

Church Planting Franchise Style (Part 3)

2008-08-02T20:07:00.017-05:00

The question I raised with a previous post "why would or should I or anyone else for that matter get angry about Northpoint franchising itself and placing its product only in large metro areas so that people are changed" hopefully and prayerfully will be answered below. I would also like to raise one more question at the end of this post that may or rather will definitely suprise those of you who know me and/or have read much at all of this blog.

I'm not angry that Northpoint wants to plant a ton of churches.

I'm not mad at the fact they are only targeting major metro areas either.

I am distubred by the language one of their own church plants uses to describe their church planting philosophy using terms such as "franchise, brand, company, our customers, raving fans," and thus one of the reasons I obviously am not a fan of their methods. It is not disturbing because those particular words are part of some evil satanic incantation. They are disturbing because of the connotations these words have in relation to a church or church planting. It seems the Gospel has become a commodity to be peddled rather than the instrument for the life change that the Northpoint folks desire. But then again if you were to read the post you won't find one mention of the Gospel at all. Sure you'll find a desire that their "customers" buy into life change. But instead of the Holy Spirit working with the Word, and through the Word, and never against the Word which all points to the Gospel of Jesus Christ which is the power of God unto salvation (they call it lifechange) Northpoint's philosophy is to win their "customers" with environments. Environments? Yes environments. There's no mentioning of that boring ole played out Gospel, but you sure can find interesting, helpful, and irresistible environments to promote life change in the Northpoint franchises-just what consumers need. But is it what sinners need?

Another reason I get angry and frustrated is the cow dung you can read straight from the horse's mouth as it were. They offer lip service in regards to not wanting to promote Andy, but I'm not drinking the Northpoint Kool-aid. If you did happen to read #4 under Questions from Potential Staff I hope that you ask yourself just what is being promoted. Is it Andy? Is it Andy's gift? Is it Jesus? Is it the Gospel? I think the answer is obvious.

The last thing that I want to comment on is the dichotomy they place between communication and leadership. Cumberland's lead pastor says this "NP churches no longer fight that leadership battle. We can find leaders to do both lead AND teach. We purposefully separate "communication" from "leadership". We don't feel biblically, or from a church leadership standpoint, that they necessarily have to be one in the same." So the Biblical example is that of the Apostle encouraging a shy, timid, cowardly man to find someone else to make up where he lacked and to find all the men that were skilled in the precise areas he was insufficient and use them instead. Or rather the Biblical example is that of the Apostle boasting in his weakness because grace is sufficient; Christ's power is made perfect in weakness. Or maybe my ESV is jacked up and I'm reading it wrong. And please don't misunderstand what I'm saying. I'm not naive enough to think that one man can pastor a church as effectively as a plurality of leaders. I understand that we all have areas where we lack and God uses other men and women as means to fill those holes so our ministries are made more complete. I'm simply arguing that there's no need for the distinction or rather separation between communication and leadership in a pastoral role especially when that distinction is more aligned with a business model than a Biblical model.

To put it all together, the franchise church isn't what necessarily gets me red faced. It is the promotion of man over God, experience over truth, environment over supernatural sovereign grace, and methods and strategies over the life changing freedom and adoption in Christ through the power of the Gospel that perfectly and eternally saves.

Here's my point. And no I'm not going to use the old cliche "what you win them with is what you win them to" although I think it is certainly fitting. The heart of the matter, and the answer to question at hand, and really the bottom line of the old cliche just quoted is theology. These examples I hope serve as a reminder to how crucial and foundational theology is. From your theology flows your ideas, methods, and strategies into whatever goals/ends you may have. So if you have a high view of man guess who you're going to promote and prop up. And if you have a low view of scripture and the gospel guess what you're going to use in their place...environments and productions. The reason followers of Christ should rail against methods and philosophies like this is because it ultimately denies Him, His work, His saving grace, and His glory.

This may surprise some of you. In the next post I want to answer the question "Why I am glad Northpoint is planting churches?" And then the last post in this series I will take a look at some of the other church planting organizations, and why I think they are a much better model.

Church Planting Franchise Style (part 2)

2008-07-26T07:23:00.003-05:00

As stated in the previous post I am going on vacation. The answer to question I posed "So why would or should I or anyone else for that matter get angry about Northpoint franchising itself and placing its product only in large metro areas so that people are changed??" will have to be answered sometime this coming week if I get access to a computer. In the meantime Red and Black had an interesting and in my opinion accurate description of the specific example of the north point partners. Anyone else care to chime in on the specific example or even church planting in general?

Vacation Smokes

2008-07-25T16:09:00.006-05:00

The picture of the Rocky Patel's a couple of posts down got me thinking of the vacation cigars I'm going to have the opportunity to enjoy this coming week. I don't have a large collection by any means. But what little I do have I thoroughly enjoy. It looks like this week I'll be enjoying a couple of Gurkha Fuertes and an Edge by Rocky Patel while I read good theology on the sandy shores of Fernandina Beach. Who is jealous?

Church Planting Franchise Style

2008-07-24T11:19:00.006-05:00

For the past several days I've been doing some reading and thinking about church planting. But be forewarned and note that I have not read best-selling books on this subject, nor have I formally interviewed any church planters. Essentially all I have read is the ministry philosophy and general information behind a few church planting organizations, and I have talked with a couple friends who know more and have some experience in church planting. I'm not an expert, nor do I claim to be. I just have been rolling these things around in my head for a few days and wanted to share some thoughts.

Specifically the one church planting organization that sparked my interest in church planting philosophy is northpointpartners.org. This is Andy Stanley's church planting division from his organization known and branded as Northpoint Community Church. After reading through their faqs and some blog posts from one of their "strategic partners" "lead pastor" I'll be honest and say that I became a tad angry.

This is childish and immature right? There was no reason to be upset and there is no reason to be upset now. After all, lives are being changed and people reached- approximately 30,000 at all of the campuses and strategic partner locations each week. They are "winning" and successful. "I’ve found a model and a set of systems I believe in, I fit in and I chose to commit myself to....and I'm going with that."As the "lead pastor" from Cumberland says in this blog post "I’ve found a model and a set of systems I believe in, I fit in and I chose to commit myself to....and I'm going with that." And "... are we seeing people becoming more intimate with God? Are we seeing believers in our churches connect more meaningfully and regularly with other believers? Are they changing and maturing to be more like Jesus? Are we seeing the committed core in our churches leveraging their influence in the lives of those aren't in church anywhere and are disconnected from God? Are they strategically and boldly inviting their friends and neighbors into the right environments we are creating together, so that they can discover the life-changing message of Jesus Christ?"

So why would or should I or anyone else for that matter get angry about Northpoint franchising itself and placing its product only in large metro areas so that people are changed?

The answer to that question at least from my perspective will be forthcoming...until then though does anyone else have any thoughts/comments/rants/praises on church planting in general or the above example specifically?

New Link

2008-07-23T10:48:00.007-05:00

I found this blog The Red and Black Redneck while taking a look at Phil Johnson and company's Pyromaniacs. I guess I won't hold a grudge against him for being a Georgia Bulldog fan and add him to my roll. Nobody is perfect right?

I read through a few posts and it seems to live up to the description "commentary from the deep South on life, football, religion, and politics (not necessarily in that order.)" There are some helpful insights as well as a couple of things I can really relate to like reformed theology, SEC football, and fine hand rolled goodness. Or for the visually stimulated...

RTS Bound...

2008-07-21T10:10:00.004-05:00

I received word the end of last week that I was accepted to RTS. I'm super excited and thankful for the opportunity.

God has been most gracious in the journey to this point, and I know he'll continue to be. Also, my wife has been such an encouragement. God has really used her in so many ways. I'll probably never know most of them, but am grateful and longing to spend the rest of my life finding out. She is such a blessing and a treasure that without her strength, motivation, and compassion I'd be far worse today than I am. The Lord has used her in a mighty way and will continue to do so as we grow in our marriage to God's glory.

I just wanted to give thanksgiving to God for His faithfulness and His plan. He really does know what He's doing even if I don't have a clue.

A new perspective on Piper...

2008-07-17T16:15:00.003-05:00

I saw this on Josh Harris' blog. I thought it was hilarious. Piper representin'.

Tupac would be proud.

Criticism and Affirmation

2008-07-17T10:28:00.004-05:00

If you've read any number of the somewhat substantive posts on this blog I'm sure you've picked up on the fact I lean more toward the criticism side of the fence. To be honest it is a little more than a lean. You could probably describe it as a full fledged encampment on the critical side of the fence only ever so often glancing over in the direction of the affirmation side.

Why?

That's a very good question and one that I've been asking myself lately. Am I critical because I love truth and hate error? Or maybe it is because there are too many weak and cowardly men that refuse to stand for what is right and call error error? I wish I could answer so righteously and courageously to say yes without reservation. But I cannot.

I do love truth and hate error, and I do think there too many weak and cowardly men. But I am one of the cowards. I am overly critical because it is easier to take a stand against something than it is to take a stand for something.

So I cower because of my ignorance and lack of faith. To all the men who may read this I pray that we will not just stand against something but that we'll also fight and affirm what is right and holy and good.

Ignorance or Apathy?

2008-07-16T11:38:00.005-05:00

The recent post over at Contend Earnestly has encouraged me to post again. Seth admits to having a bit of a dry spell physically and spiritually. I can definitely relate to that.

The biggest problems for me are the two things in the title of this post. And the funny thing is that God used a sports radio show to point that out to me. The radio show has several intros and outros with the famous voice over movie guy or at least it sounds like him. Anyway, the one that got my attention went like this...

"Which is worse ignorance or apathy? Here at the Finebaum radio network we don't know and we don't care..."

I laughed at first because I thought it was pretty clever. But then the ole conviction started kicking in. I realized that described me better than it did a sports talk show. I just wanted to confess that and say that the Spirit is working in me and changing me slowly but surely for His glory and my good.

A Phil Collins song...

2008-06-03T07:49:00.004-05:00

never seemed so cool. And yes I'm aware of the Bone Thugs-N-Harmony collaboration. Enjoy.

Fundamentalists

2008-06-02T11:19:00.004-05:00

John Piper pastor from Bethlehem Baptist Church has an interesting blog post about Fundamentalists. More specifically it is his 20 reasons why he does not take potshots at them.

Now if you are as ignorant as me you're wondering what in the crap is a potshot. Well the definition from this website says a potshot is criticism aimed at an easy target and made without careful consideration. The fact that Piper uses a word that denotes Fundies are an easy target is a little ironic considering the content of the post don't you think?

Well I thought it would be fun to post at least one reason to take potshots at them.

Anyone else have a favorite they'd like to share?

Motivational Posters

2008-05-28T16:42:00.004-05:00

I'm sure you've seen the Demotivational posters out there such as:

At Phil Johnson's blog Pyromaniacs I found something similar but geared toward emergents. They call it Emergent-See Po-Motivators. Enjoy.

Some of my favorites:

New Attitude 2008

2008-05-22T16:02:00.004-05:00

Anyone reading this blog going?

A friend and I were talking today about some conferences we wanted to attend. I forgot all about this one until I ran across it in a search. I watched the promo video below and got all excited...until I saw the dates-May 24-27. That's this weekend. And yeah I can't go. Maybe next year I can plan accordingly.

If anyone has been I would love to read some feedback about what you liked and what you didn't. Thanks in advance.

25 warning signs...

2008-05-19T11:23:00.002-05:00

that you might be obsessing about Calvinism. I saw this on Poop Is Emergent Too and thought it was pretty funny. Enjoy.

Help! I'm Going Hyper!

Why We're Not Emergent

2008-05-14T10:32:00.008-05:00

There is a fairly new book entitled Why I'm Not Emergent by Two Guys Who Should Be that my pastor/father-in-law passed to me a couple of weeks ago.

I have been slowly reading the book-as if there was any other way I read- and it has been very interesting. It is a mix of sound teaching and information alongside entertaining story telling in regards to the Emergent conversation or movement.

Between Two Worlds has posted some excerpts from a review of this book from Kristen Scharold. You can read the full review here. The conclusion of the review is below along with the most memorable quote from Kristen's review. Enjoy.

"In the end, the authors of Why We’re Not Emergent are not making a case for a new kind of Christianity. They are not trying lure emergent Christians into their fold with a hipper take on things. "We want a story with a climax...And if that story comes with a Guinness and some Coldplay, great. If not, no big deal."They are simply trying to replace the errors of the emergent church—which is, nonetheless, making important contributions to evangelicalism—with scripturally sound theology.

And it should not be so counterintuitive that young evangelicals such as myself prefer theology rooted in tradition to a spirituality waffling in relativism. We want a story with a climax so profound that it leaves us worshiping God, not reducing him to fit into our cultural paradigm. And if that story comes with a Guinness and some Coldplay, great. If not, no big deal."

New Links in the Blogroll

2008-05-06T10:03:00.012-05:00

I have added two new links in my blogroll. One is called Contend Earnestly. There is a ton of useful information there. Check it out.

The other if for no other reason than its name alone has been placed in my blogroll. The name of it is Poop is Emergent Too. I'll just go ahead and say that you're probably not going to be as blessed and edified choosing this one over Contend Earnestly. However, if you dig deep enough you can certainly glean some blessings and insights from these guys along with a few laughs. Here is an excerpt from a Benny Hinn post. He references a quote of Benny's in which he has this comment about it. Classic stuff.

"Benny Hinn cracks me up…in a strange sort of way…My favorite part is..where he says he is talking to Jesus, but he is not sure if it is true or not. As if Jesus has a credibility problem. (Come on Jesus, don’t lie to me…) Oh Benny, you are funny, but you should live it up now, cause as I understand it hell is hot."

Paul Washer Project

2008-05-01T16:14:00.002-05:00

This guy is an animal. I probably should post a warning that this is not for the faint of heart. You may even get saved. Just pray the prayer he talks about. :)

Wintley Phipps

2008-04-29T17:26:00.002-05:00

Yes it is another video clip. Just watch it! :)

This is a little more powerful than the 7-11 "praise and worship" songs we hear all too often huh? And by 7-11 I mean those songs that have you sing 7 words 11 times over and over and over again until your in a mind numbing trance; or at least that what it feels like.

Truth & Presentation

2008-04-24T12:42:00.024-05:00

At Between Two Worlds Abraham Piper of 22Words and the Desiring God Blog writes a guest post dealing with ways in which to improve your blog. It is very helpful, and I'm glad God has gifted such men as Abraham to have the kind of voice and talent he has and use it for God's glory. I wish I had that type of gift. But I don't use the gifts God has given me now so...I digress.

Anyway, he makes an interesting statement very early in that post noted below. A statement I totally disagree with as I'm sure you have already guessed.

"Truth needs to be proclaimed, but trueness alone doesn’t make what I have to say worth saying. I need to say true things well...Falsehood well said, doesn’t serve readers. It won’t lead people toward what is worthwhile because it’s, well, false. Truth poorly said is similarly unhelpful. It won’t lead people toward what is worthwhile, because it’s unclear or boring.""Truth needs to be proclaimed, but trueness alone doesn’t make what I have to say worth saying. I need to say true things well"

Keep in mind that I know the context of the quote is about improving your blog and that I'm not interested in nitpicking every sentence. I just want to point out something I feel is dangerous in the Church which is clearly seen in the quote above. It is that presentation tends to take precedence over truth.

So where do we draw the line between our blogs and our lives? That sounds a little dramatic I know. But in all seriousness do we draw a line or not? Specifically I have in mind the Gospel when I ask this question as it relates to the way we do church and evangelism. I guess what I'm getting at is that if we concern ourselves more with presentation then will we give enough time, attention, and prayer to the truth? At the heart of the matter I guess is the importance of truth. And not just 2+2=4. I'm talking about universal, absolute, all eternity hangs in the balance kind of truth. I've already admitted to being dramatic so I might as well keep it going right?

Take for example this article. Basically this is a critique and suggestion article on how christians can better witness to atheists. He has some very interesting thoughts such as the technique some christians use to witness is similar to email spam. He also points out that the techniques used by christians to sell their product are also very similar to the very annoying techniques the cult-like business Amway uses. One of his examples you see below.

This=Human Spam

Now I think that example is actually pretty funny. There is definitely some truth to that as there is also with what Abraham suggested. I guess the whole reason for this post is that I have been thinking for a long time and probably will for a long time about how to have a balanced approach to Truth & Presentation.

My concern is that too many christians are focused more on presentation than on truth. It is not that I think presentation isn't important. It is that truth is the most important. And it is the foundation for presentation. The truth is what gives your presentation value, not the other way around. Or at least that is the idea I get when I read Paul's words to the Corinthians in chapter 2. I love the Piper's and their gifts that the Lord has blessed the Church with for His glory. And I also realize that Piper's suggestion is in the context of blogging, but I wanted to point out that if we take that suggestion into evangelism then we end up trying to raise the dead with techniques and programs rather than the life giving truth of the cross of Jesus Christ.

Julio Jones comes in third for SGA president

2008-04-23T10:26:00.003-05:00

How awesome or sad is the University of Alabama, fans, and students that a senior in highschool would come in third for the office of president for the Student Government Association? This guy is still in highschool. He hasn't played one down of football yet for Alabama. And the students at UA write him in with enough votes for third place. I don't know whether to laugh or shake my head. Or maybe I should be doing both. Here is a link to the article from the school newspaper The Crimson White.

Bear Bryant vs Chuck Norris

2008-04-19T06:00:00.000-05:00

Ok ok ok. I will chill out on the videos for a while. I thought I should at least put this one up since it is Saturday. Roll Tide!

The Robert Schuller Special

2008-04-18T09:49:00.001-05:00

How about another? Enjoy

GodCo

2008-04-17T12:39:00.004-05:00

This is hilarious unless of course you tend to lean more toward the Pharisee side of the Christian fence. Enjoy!

I'm not sure what the last minute is so just forget that part.

Month +

2008-04-16T10:27:00.005-05:00

Well it has been over a month since my last post. It would be great if I could say the reason was due to my incredibly small amount of extra time due to 60+ hour work weeks, or 5 mile runs in the morning and evening, or the library of books I'm reading, or the extra long hours given in study and prayer to the glory of the Lord. But it would also be great if I could say I take dumps on a solid gold commode. But we all know that ain't happening.

Needless to say none of the above is a reality. The truth of the matter is I'm a lazy bum with delusions of grandeur which paralyzes me to do even the simplest of tasks. Nice huh? And if that truth were just true of this blog that would be one thing. But unfortunately to my detriment and my family's dismay this is true for all aspects of my life.

Thank God that He is good. Without His grace and mercy I'd be even more messed up. How scary is that? One of the many things I love about Steve Brown is his honesty. I remember listening to him teach about something that will always stick with me. He basically pointed out that constant lingering on our failures is a form of idolatry. If we constantly obsess over the fact we messed up and continue to mess up, which is more than anything an obsession over our goodness, then we our idolaters. Instead he said we need to acknowledge our mistakes and failures sure and repent of our sin but rather obsess on the perfection, love, grace, and strength that is Christ our Saviour. We are His and He is ours.

I say all of that to say that I'm working my way out of my pity party with the Spirit's help. And that I don't feel so bad about not posting for a month. One reason is that the guy I linked to Steve Brown hasn't posted for a month either. Yeah I know he is way busier than I am. And the second reason is that only about 5 people even read this. :) Hey fam!

Audacity of Hope

2008-03-12T17:43:00.002-05:00

"Dear Senator Obama:

As an immigrant from Kenya, your father found new hope in America’s noble principles and vast opportunities. The same promise brought my parents here from Egypt when I was still too young to thank them. Now you have inspired my generation with your vision of a country united around the same ideals of liberty and justice, “filled with hope and possibility for all Americans.”

But do you mean it?...

Can we provide every member of the human family equal protection under the law? Your record as a legislator gives a resounding answer: No, we can’t. That is the answer the Confederacy gave the Union, the answer segregationists gave young children, the answer a complacent bus driver once gave a defiant Rosa Parks. But a different answer brought your father from Kenya so many years ago; a different answer brought my family from Egypt some years later. Now is your chance, Senator Obama, to make good on the spontaneous slogan of your campaign, to adopt the more American and more humane answer to the question of whether we can secure liberty and justice for all: Yes, we can."

The above is written by a Princeton University student Sherif Girgis of Dover, Delware. You can read the short but powerful letter here.

You know what they say...

2008-03-10T13:40:00.013-05:00

Once you go Mac, you never go back!

A couple of days ago we got new computers at work. Guess what we got. They are terrific. My wife has threatened divorce if I don't stop talking about it. I guess I shouldn't tell her I almost kissed the sleek shiny 20" screen this morning. I had mentioned we take our Bush money and go get one. But she thought a trip to a tropical paradise would be a better use of that money. I know, I can't believe it either.

prosperity gospel

2008-03-05T21:35:00.005-06:00

Comments??

Spurgeon Quote

2008-03-04T08:10:00.004-06:00

I don't just like Spurgeon because he enjoyed a fine hand rolled cigar quite often. He could craft a sermon the way a sculptor chisels out a masterpiece. To be sure this was the work of the Spirit in him, and I'm thankful that the Lord saw fit to use him in such a mighty way both past and present. As people even today are being blessed and shaped through his ministry, I thought it appropriate to post this quote. A few days ago I was struggling to articulate the reason for suffering and why it is necessary and good for those who believe in Christ. So below is a quote from the Morning and Evening Readings of Spurgeon for this morning of March 4.

"If none of God’s saints were poor and tried, we should not know half so well the consolations of divine grace. When we find the wanderer who has not where to lay his head, who yet can say, “Still will I trust in the Lord;” when we see the pauper starving on bread and water, who still glories in Jesus; when we see the bereaved widow overwhelmed in affliction, and yet having faith in Christ, oh! what honour it reflects on the gospel. God’s grace is illustrated and magnified in the poverty and trials of believers. Saints bear up under every discouragement, believing that all things work together for their good, and that out of apparent evils a real blessing shall ultimately spring—that their God will either work a deliverance for them speedily, or most assuredly support them in the trouble, as long as he is pleased to keep them in it. This patience of the saints proves the power of divine grace. There is a lighthouse out at sea: it is a calm night—I cannot tell whether the edifice is firm; the tempest must rage about it, and then I shall know whether it will stand. So with the Spirit’s work: if it were not on many occasions surrounded with tempestuous waters, we should not know that it was true and strong; if the winds did not blow upon it, we should not know how firm and secure it was. The master-works of God are those men who stand in the midst of difficulties, stedfast, unmoveable,—
“Calm mid the bewildering cry,
Confident of victory.”
He who would glorify his God must set his account upon meeting with many trials. No man can be illustrious before the Lord unless his conflicts be many. If then, yours be a much-tried path, rejoice in it, because you will the better show forth the all-sufficient grace of God. As for his failing you, never dream of it—hate the thought. The God who has been sufficient until now, should be trusted to the end."

Baptist Joke

2008-03-01T10:00:00.001-06:00

During these serious times, people of all faiths should remember these four religious truths:
1. Muslims do not recognize Jews as God's chosen people. 2. Jews do not recognize Jesus as the Messiah. 3. Protestants do not recognize the Pope as the leader of the Christian world. 4. Baptists do not recognize each other at Hooters.

Vintage Jesus

2008-02-29T11:00:00.003-06:00

I am four chapters in to this book (yeah I should be farther along than that) and I must say it is great. Driscoll is incredibly gifted at teaching and declaring doctrinal truth using clear plain language that anyone can understand-even me. One of the things that makes him so popular is also one of the things that brings him so much criticism. It is his humor. Some people fall over laughing and some people absolutely despise it. Below is an example of vintage Driscoll declaring doctrinal truth laced with his unmistakable humor. Enjoy!

"Roughly two thousand years ago, Jesus was born in a dumpy, rural, hick town, not unlike those today where guys change their own oil, think pro wrestling is real, find women who chew tobacco sexy, and eat a lot of Hot Pockets with their uncle-daddy. Jesus’ mom was a poor, unwed teenage girl who was mocked for claiming she conceived via the Holy Spirit. Most people thought she concocted a crazy story to cover the “fact” she was knocking boots with some guy in the backseat of a car at the prom. Jesus was adopted by a simple carpenter named Joseph and spent the first thirty years of his life in obscurity, swinging a hammer with his dad."

Mac Users/Calvinists

2008-02-27T09:26:00.006-06:00

First let me add a little caveat to the title of this post lest one of the Mac users I offend hunts me down and shoves their Macbook Air up somewhere it doesn't belong. Yeah its small but not that small. If I could have or knew how to use an approximate sign in the title I would have. I'm not saying that every single person can be grouped in these two categories or that these groups are characteristic of all people that could be classified in them. I'm writing in general terms. I think it is true in a general sense at least from my experience, and I thought it was somewhat humorous so I decided to share.

If you have ever talked to any number of Mac users you will ultimately find out very quickly they're a Mac user. This title is boldly worn as a badge of honor.

The same can be said of some Calvinists. If you have ever had a conversation with one of these guys then you will no doubt learn fairly quickly they are 5 pointers, also a badge of honor.

Mac users/Calvinists give the infamous "look down" after they realize you're not one of them. You know the way someone looks at you like you're 2 foot tall. They look at your feet then look up quickly most of the time with their eyebrows narrowed and eyes crossed. Sometimes you will even be lucky enough to induce a teeth suck. I love that one. It makes me feel like I've hit a chord with my brothers and sisters.

Undoubtedly the conversation moves from condescension to conversion mode. The Mac user/Calvinist tries to convert the pagans to the straight and narrow or the thin and portable.

Mac users/Calvinists unleash a vigorous barrage of indisputable artillery to defeat the enemy and win the day for their respective ideas. Then after the smoke and dust have settled, excel spreadsheets torched to a crisp are trampled under feet, and hymns like "I Have Decided To Follow Jesus" are changed to "I Never Wanted to Follow Jesus" we should all embrace in a loving hug and laugh at each other.

You are a good person!

2008-02-24T22:41:00.006-06:00

The exclamation above was the climatic horse manure I heard in a worship service this past weekend. After the singing there was the offering time which was introduced by the following phrase "your seed determines the harvest." I don't have enough time to get into that one. But if I hadn't been with family I would have left at the very moment. Not surprisingly it got worse. There was a guest speaker. You know the ones...they travel around the country with a pocketful of sermonettes, plenty of stale but occasionally funny jokes, and enough amen'ing to conjure up images of tent revivals gone wild.

So without getting into a major spill turned novel just let me give a quick overview of the "sermon." He talked about three verses of scriptures for a total length of maybe 15 mintues if we give him the benefit of the doubt. I highly doubt he exposited each verse for an average of 5 minutes, but like I said we'll give him the benefit of the doubt.

Did he ever get to the main points of these passages? Did he explain the passages? Did he "preach" on them in the context of surrounding passages or even the Bible at large? As Spurgeon would say, did he make a bee line straight to the cross and grace of Jesus? The answer to all of these questions would be a big honkin' NO SIR! The question I asked my mom on the way home as we discussed the service was "Would you consider what you just heard a message preached from God's word or a talk given from that guy's heart?" The answer was obvious. But this was not the worst part...

At the end of this guy's "sermon" he began to prophesy over a few of the people who came forward. If you have never seen something like that here is an example. Well maybe it wasn't quite like that. Here is a better example. Just imagine a bunch of country white people instead of a black congregation. If you watched the second clip you heard the speaker promising blessings to everyone in that building. Why do people do this? Why do men who claim to preach the Word of God speak where the Word does not? At least he did not say that those people were good people.

This is what was the last straw for me this weekend. After all the promising of blessings whether financial or emotional, freedom from addiction, promises of leadership in the church, he told more than a handful of people "you're a good person you really are." "You're not a bad person don't let the enemy lie to you. The devil is a liar." And seemingly I was the only one in the whole building who had a problem with this. How can a preacher tell people the exact opposite of what Scripture teaches? How can it be so acceptable to coddle so much to people's emotions and self-esteem that we don't tell them the truth.

Do we love people or not? If so let's tell the truth. We are not good people. None of us are. Christians are not good people. None of them are. That is why we need a savior. That is why we continually need the Saviour. Because just as the Apostle says there is nothing good in us that is in ourselves. These kinds of statements burn me up to no end. I've tried to be patient and understanding but I cannot. And quite frankly if the Lord doesn't move me I will not. Ever.

This is the end of the rant.

Copy and Paste from Word

2008-02-20T22:47:00.009-06:00

I finally sat down and read another chapter of the book Instruments in the Redeemer's Hands by Paul David Tripp. I know I know it seems like I will never get through this one. Anyway, one of the points Tripp makes goes along with one of my previous posts or at least the end of that post where I rant about "this is my world and everyone else is just living in it" attitude.

In the second chapter of this book he makes the argument that most Christians really do not understand what the Bible is and what we're supposed to do with it especially in regards to ministering to others. He basically boils it down to say that we most often will use a command, principle, or promise to fit the moment. This approach he describes as copy and paste from Word. He goes on to say...

"This kind of ministry rarely leads to lasting change because it does not bring the power of the Word to the places where change is really needed. In this kind of ministry, self is still at the center, personal need is the focus, and personal happiness remains the goal. But a truly effective ministry of the Word must confront our self-focus and self-absorption at its roots, opening us up to the vastness of a God-defined, God-centered world. Unless this happens, we will use the promises, principles, and commands of the Word to serve the thing we really love: ourselves. This may be why many people read and hear God's Word regularly while their lives remain unchanged. Only when the rain of the Word penetrates the roots of the problem does lasting change occur."

He follows this quote up by explaining that we need the over arching themes of the Bible to properly understand and apply those principles and promises. You know, the ones that we love to hand out as if they were some type of spiritual fortune cookies. Tripp then ends the chapter with a story to describe the last theme of glory. It is a cute little story about a boy at a birthday party who is mad because he doesn't have all the gifts around him and he doesn't have all the attention. It is not even his birthday party. And before he ruins the party for everyone else he is quickly reminded. The point is that this life we call our own is really not our own. It is not our party. And it is not our world. It is His and we're just living in it.

Confession

2008-02-19T09:26:00.003-06:00

I guess I should confess about how critical I am. I have blogged recently about things that have griped me, and quite honestly I'm sure I will again-probably tomorrow. But while I won't confess that pointing out errors is necessarily wrong I will confess that the heart and tone of recent posts have been less than loving. I am a critical know-it-all arrogant jerk and for that I confess.

I wish that my posts could be more engaging. And I wish that I could articulate the greatness and the glory and the love of Christ with each blog post. But I haven't. And I can't. At least not now. (Honestly, this second wish should be in front of the first one but I guess this is just a great reminder of how much I'm in need of a Savior because I'd wish to be a good writer or have people like what I write rather than to glorify the Lord) I know one sweet day will come when all of His people will be able to worship and magnify His name as perfectly as possible for that is why we were made. And I won't have to confess anymore about my bad attitude or any of my crap. I will be able to finally articulate and live out the love of Christ in all that I say and do.

Real and/or Relevant

2008-01-30T21:34:00.008-06:00

Let me just say I am pretty frustrated about these words. I have heard them from friends. I have seen them plastered on a graphic behind a ceo, err I mean pastor, of a large church. I have read about them in books. And don't let me forget about another word that also gets thrown around with the two mentioned above in the title: Authentic.

Would someone please clue me in on to why they are used so often? I think I can understand some of the reasons why they are used. We want to make people feel comfortable I guess. We want to "relate"-that's another one of these words. We want to build relationships. We want to appear to be truthful. We want others to think that we really do have something important to say and maybe they will listen if we say the right things and wear the right clothes and act just like them.

Let me clarify before someone misunderstands what I am griping about. I think we should definitely be real and relevant. And I don't think anyone would argue that trying to relate to someone isn't a great way to build relationships. Authenticity is really just a two dollar word that communicates the idea that we don't want to be a hypocrite. And I think that is great too.

I guess my real gripe is that these words have become the buzz words of American Christianity at least in a broad sense. And the reason I think it is a bad thing is because it places too much emphasis on individual perception and feelings rather than transcendent truth and reality. I think emphasizing all these things/words/feelings reinforce selfish thoughts and deeds. The idea that "this is my world and the rest of you all are just living in it" is indeed one of the most common bases of thought that most of us experience day in and day out. We have become so concerned with experience that we lose sight of the bigger picture, of the lives that surround us, and the great big huge God we call Father.

If you don't think this is a problem for you Justin Taylor had a blog post that asks some questions that might shed some light on whether or not you are more concerned with how something relates to you and your world. They are listed below.

Do you get bored when someone reads a longish passage of Scripture in your church? Do you start wishing they’d get on with the music?
Do you need music playing in the background for the reading of Scripture to affect your emotions?
Does a prayer seem too “plain” or “stark” to you if it doesn’t have music playing behind it?
Do you feel depressed a few weeks after a worship conference because you haven’t felt close to God in a long time?
Do you desperately look forward to the next conference you’re going to attend because you know that, finally, you’ll be able to feel close to God again?
If you’re in a big church with great music, are you able to worship when you visit your parents’ small rural church?
Do you ever feel worshipful in the middle of the week, at work, at school, etc. just because of thinking about God and his grace? Or does that only happen when the music’s playing?
Do you tend to feel closer to God when you’re alone with your iPOD than you do when you’re gathered with God’s people in your church?
Do you feel like you just can’t connect with other believers who haven’t had the same “worship experiences” that you have? Can you only connect with other believers who “know what it feels like to really worship?”
Is your sense of spiritual well-being based more on feeling close to God, or knowing that you are close to God because of Jesus Christ?

Too Good to be True

2008-01-30T13:04:00.000-06:00

Here is a story about my boy Mike Huckabee. Basically the gist of the story is Huck holds his hand out to Kenneth Copeland. There is probably, no there is definitely, more disgust in my heart towards him and his "ministry" than I have for diarrhea. There are more reasons than I have time to type or you have time to read about how he has lead untold numbers of followers down a path of destruction. And for Huck to hold his hand out to him makes me want to rage against his campaign. But I won't. Huck is not perfect. Nor is anyone else for that matter. Even if Huck does get a few dollars from Copeland and his minions I think he is still the best choice. But they way it is looking I wouldn't mind voting for a McCain/Huckabee combo.

2 Books and a Website

2008-01-28T15:32:00.000-06:00

If you have noticed there is a section in the right column of my blog that reads "Book(s) I'm Reading." To be honest, I haven't even started the book that is listed there. I could come up with as many excuses as you would ever want to read. But the sad fact is that as busy as I have been the past few weeks, it is out of sheer laziness that I haven't started reading that book yet. It is called Instruments in the Redeemer's Hands. I know that it sounds contradictory to say that I'm excited about reading this since I have had it for a full month now without even smelling the new book smell. But I don't care. I'm going to say it anyway. I'm excited about reading this book.
Another book that I'm excited about is on its way from Mark Driscoll & Gerry Breshears entitled Vintage Jesus. If you don't know who Mark Driscoll is then you owe it to yourself to at least do some investigation into his ministry. You may be surprised. You may laugh. You may cry. You may be blessed. You may even be offended. But more than likely you are going to get a mix of all of these. Enjoy!
The website that I mentioned in the title is BiblicalTraining.org This is a fantastic website dedicated to offering FREE SEMINARY LEVEL CLASSES!! Yes I said free. What a fantastic opportunity to study quality material from quality teachers.
In the coming weeks I will be posting some commentary and insights about these 2 Books and a Website.

"He raised taxes"

2008-01-25T11:26:00.000-06:00

Here is a comment: Thats Joseph Smith, the great Mormon prophet whispering in is ear. Mitt is a moron and a Mormon, and he will never be president. Looney as Tom Cruise.
I had to share that comment since I almost laughed out loud when I read it. The more I watched this though the angrier I became. Yeah there are several people saying that it was Brian Williams whispering to Russert to basically explain what "The Reagan" did about Social Security. Then I have also read where it was an audio "flub." There was also a comment that perhaps it was McCain helping Mitt out. Give me a freaking break. It is more likely that Mitt has the ability to think out loud than any of these other explanations. I want to rage against the powers that be who think all Americans are lemmings who will follow the piper to the cliff and be happy to jump off. There is no mention of this on MSNBC about this. Oh wait... there was a mention of it but evidently it was removed from their site. Why? If it was really a glitch or a "flub" why not address it and put to death any confusion? I just hate to be jerked around like nothing happened. Though I guess with Romney's lead in Florida there may be more lemmings than I thought. Or maybe I am just paranoid and I feel the need to express my anti-Romney bias.

Moment of Truth

2008-01-24T10:20:00.000-06:00

Who watched this? What did you think?

Gatlinburg!!!

2008-01-17T12:55:00.000-06:00

My wife and I are leaving for Gatlinburg tomorrow for a marriage retreat!!!! We are looking forward to a wintery Gatlinburg. So to all three of you who might read this I won't be posting for a few days.

Fuel for Discernment

2008-01-15T11:18:00.001-06:00

Here's a nifty title: Shot Glass Evangelism

I bet some of you are thinking "Sweet!" and probably some of you are thinking "That's terrible!" I guess it depends on whether you're a presbyterian or southern baptist huh? That is a title of a blog post from a website that "...is a non-interactive newsand comment site regarding the state of the contemporary evangelical church." In otherwords it is basically a discernment site. And if I did not state this in my last post let me state it now; discernment is a great thing. Indeed, it is a necessity in the battle we face everyday. But done with wrong motives and without love it is just as sinful as getting drunk using those shot glasses to shoot your favorite liquor.
The story of that church is found here. If you were to read this short article and look closely at what is going on and why this discernment site chose to write about it you will see what mainly fuels these discernment ministries: contextualization. Tim Keller gives a terrific definition of contextualization. He says, “Contextualization is not giving people what they want. It’s giving them God’s answers which they may not want to questions they are asking in forms and language they can comprehend.”
So these discernment ministries are basically calling out ministers or ministries they feel are changing the Gospel in order to grow a large church or have a large following. And I think that is great they see through some of this and have a desire to spread the news. I just wish we could all model the grace and love of Jesus more when dealing with error. However, having said that and agreeing that passing out shot glasses to bar patrons to increase your church attendance or "impress people" is downright ridiculous, at least these guys were out among the people. Mark Driscoll spoke at a session at one of Piper's national conferences on this very issue. He basically said that if we do not contend for sound Biblical doctrine then when we contextualize we will go wrong and fall into heresy "certainly having new kinds of Chrstians...nonChristians." We will start to do things just because they seem to work while ignoring the eternal implications of some of these strategies and methods.
The above article about that church is a perfect example. The pastor of that church said his goal in passing out the shot glasses was to impress people that do not go to church. Please show me where the Bible commands or suggests we impress people. Please show me where we are to care more about the quantity of souls sitting in our churches rather than their eternal destinies. Let us love people more by caring more about their souls than where their butt is sitting on Sunday morning. And let us go and contextualize and make known the love of Jesus.

Discernment

2008-01-15T10:14:00.000-06:00

What is this? Well the definition from m-w.com is 1 : the quality of being able to grasp and comprehend what is obscure : skill in discerning And the definition for discerning is showing insight and understanding. So I guess a discernment ministry would be one that is able to grasp and understand with insight things that are Biblical. Or nonbiblical?
After reading this post from Between Two Worlds I began to think about one of the issues he raised and another issue that really fuels the whole "discernment (for lack of a better word) movement." The one issue he raised that I want to comment on is the mean spirit or feel from some of these ministries. I only read one of these discerning blogs with any regularity, and a couple more on rare occasions if I see something interesting. From the first time I visited these blogs to this day I can honestly say that I have never read any post that I could describe as grace filled words. Sure there are posts on these blogs that point to church leaders past and things they have said or hymns written that are great reminders and motivators. But never have I seen a story or post that pointed to a church or ministry that was doing what they thought was Biblical with encouragement or praise to God. Please do not read between the lines here or try to find the hidden meaning in my last few statements. I am not saying that these ministries are not loving. I am not saying that they are spiritually oppressed by a demon of meanness either. I am simply stating that the impression I get when I visit the only discerning sites I have visited is that there is a tone about the words that is not indicative of grace.
In the post linked above from Between Two Worlds Challies said this, "So while I appreciate that there are many bloggers and webmasters and others out there who are interested in guarding the church and who value being able to see in the black and white terms so necessary for biblical discernment, I believe we have not properly done our task of discernment until we have spoken the truth in love." The reason I am even posting on this is because by nature I'm very critical. And I also love to be right. So when I can point my big bad righteous finger at some of the big names of Christendom then it makes me feel better about being me. It makes me feel like I have some insight some nugget of truth that God especially chose to reveal to me and not them. I know it is wrong. I know it is sinful. And God has really worked in me in this area. Granted I need infinitely more work. But that is why I appreciate Challies' quote here to remember love and remember grace. And the best way to do this is to remember Jesus and the cross.
Later, I will look at what I mentioned earlier, the issue that really fuels discernment ministries.

Vote for Satan

2008-01-14T12:07:00.000-06:00

I came across this a few minutes ago and thought it was appropriate for the topic below.

Enjoy

Here is another. I love this guy. If you don't want to click the link and read the whole thing here is a snippet:

"Okay, what about the candidates?!

Clinton? She reminds me of a third grade teacher I didn’t like.
Edwards? Rich malpractice lawyers scare me when they want to help.
Giuliani? His next wife (before he marries her) may live in the White House.
Huckabee? I remember Jimmy Carter…he was born again and a Baptist too.
Kucinich? You’ve got to be kidding. Only his mother likes him and she’s not sure.
McCain? Good heavens! He’s older than I am and I’m older than dirt.
Obama? Kind of like “Time Magazine”…I wish they would get some adults.
Paul? He says what he means…but, then, so did Hitler.
Romney? I wish he would get drunk and drop some food on his tie.
Thompson? Someone should wake him up because he really doesn’t care.

Man! It’s a hard decision. They’re all flawed!

Um…me too!

You too!"

Politics

2008-01-14T10:18:00.000-06:00

I have wanted to write on this subject for a few weeks now. I'm sure we have all at least seen a clip of recent debates. Whether you vote Republican, Democrat, Libertarian, Indy, or not at all, (and no I'm not going to take the time to scold the non-voters) have you ever listened to some of the other candidates occasionally make a good point and thought to yourself "hmm...He's got a good point"? Well I did the other night while watching the Fox News South Carolina debate. Thompson went after Huckabee on several issues. I thought that if this happened all night Huck would need to call in Chuck Norris to drop kick someone. Then Huckabee responded as well as he could I guess.
It seems like in their best moments all the candidates have at least one point or one issue or one policy stance or one personality trait that would be in line with what I would want in a president. Then after the debate was over Hannity and Colmes had each nominee hopeful except Ron Paul sit down for about a 7 minute interview. So during the debate we see people attacking policies, votes, ideas with little time for rebuttal. Then during the interview with a little more time we see a response to those attacks in more details. So we get both sides to the story albeit an abbreviated one.

So basically I typed all that to get to this:
1. How do we pick a candidate because if we were really honest there is probably not a candidate that we will agree with about everything?

2. Which issues are more important? Why?

3. Is the religious faith of a candidate important in our decision? Why?

I know the audience of this blog is quite small so I don't expect a boat load of answers to these questions. And even if you decide not to answer them at least you will have thought about them for a brief moment.

Why the name?

2008-01-10T16:06:00.000-06:00

I'm sure that anyone who will visit this site will wonder why I named my site this. Well I will be honest and admit that this was not my first choice. I would liked to have had sackclothandashes, but would you believe this is already taken in .com and .net? Nevertheless, earthonmyhead is the name, and it is growing on me every time I say it. Go ahead, try it. It rolls off the tongue with surprising ease. I bet it even brings a smile to your face!

Reference

This phrase is a biblical reference from Nehemiah 9:1. You may need to read the ESV to get the full effect. Here is a great outline of Nehemiah chapter nine by Dr. Ralph Davis. I didn't pick the name because this is my favorite passage or phrase from the Bible. I wanted something that would serve as a reminder, not just for me but for anyone who may visit, about the need for repentance and the need for reformation. I think this phrase will be just that.

As the outline from Dr. Davis points out, the preparation for reformation starts with repentance. Regardless of whether you hold to the doctrinal distinctives of the Reformation, I would hope and pray that we can all call ourselves reforming. Prayerfully, we will all have a little earth on our heads before our time here ends.