Philosophical Tidbit of the Break

Philip Johnson writes in his brilliant yet all-but-over-my-head book, Reason in the Balance:

"(A) theory that is the product of a mind can never adequately explain the mind the produced the theory. . . Once we try to explain the mind as a product of its own discoveries, we are in a hall of mirrors with no exit."


That simple thought gave me great encouragement and comfort when I read it. In order to explain our own minds, the "theory" that created it must be beyond our comprehension. In other words, there must be a certain element of the truth that we cannot possibly understand.


"Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways! 'For who has known the mind of the Lord,
or who has been his counselor?'" (Romans 11:33-34)

the weight of our words

So I've been listening to a band called Ivoryline recently, and while I'm not advocating them at all in this note, they really laid it down in a song called "Days End":

We should scream "thank you"
with every waking breath.
And cry "mercy! mercy" at every day's end.
Yet we remain quiet and comfortable in our A to B lives.
We're so quiet and comfortable in our A to B lives.

Our complacency won't last much longer.
An urgency will sweep, sweep, sweep
our sleep, sleep, sleeping hearts.
Our complacency won't last much longer.
An urgency will sweep.

It is then when we will cry for forgiveness,
yet not understand the weight of our words
nor the depth of His love.
But he will deliver. Failure is beneath him.
Yes, he will deliver. Failure's not an option.


First, the usual disclaimer: if I'm wrong on anything that follows, please correct me.

Now that last verse in particular hit me: "we will cry for forgiveness, yet not understand the weight of our words nor the depth of His love." Think about it, do we really understand the full depth of what we are asking when we come before God begging for forgiveness? Do we know exactly what we are saying when we sing "amazing grace how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me"?

I think it's easy to toss around attributes of God in our prayers and songs without considering the full implications of what they mean.

"God, You are sovereign."

Okay, so do you trust, 24/7, in His promise to work everything out for your good?

"Lord, I deserve to go to hell; thank You so much for Your grace."

Right, so do you attack and despise the sin in your life as if even the tiniest violation was strong enough to damn you forever?


I don't want to sound postmodern, but it seems to me that one of the beautiful things about God is that we cannot completely understand Him. We've heard the gospel countless times in our life, but it should never get old or boring.

Why? Well, for one, there's the simple fact that we can hardly begin to wrap our minds around it all. Think about it: how do you feel every time you come back to the idea that Jesus Christ, God Himself, took the Father's wrath to save someone who had done nothing but hate Him? I don't care whether you've heard that for the first time or the millionth, the gospel should absolutely FLOOR you.

Just a few weeks ago it was Christmas time, a time when we celebrate the birth of Christ. Perhaps we should take a few solid moments to mediate on Immanuel: God with us.

Try understanding the weight of that name; the idea that the almighty Creator of the universe would be mindful of man--mere specks on an already tiny globe--and that He would actually enter into His creation and take the form of a man. Not only that, but He would come in a feeding trough behind an inn, wash people's feet, and suffer the worst injustice mankind has ever committed. And He would do this because of His love for rebels, thieves, murderers, and perverts like us.

What?!?!?! That doesn't make any sense.

Nope, not really. But how awesome is this God we serve?

Christmas Eve thought...

Merry Christmas all!

Now get off the computer and take time to be with your family, meditate on the miracle of the incarnation, and praise God for the wondrous love and grace He has extended to us!

I'll leave it at that.

we need more of this

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081218/ap_on_go_pr_wh/bush_popularity


Words of wisdom from a great man. Perhaps the American church could take a hint. . .

Oh...My

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=97537385


As if the study Bible for teen girls wasn't enough.

There's more than one audience, I guess...

I gotta get me some of that.

http://www.sandofchrist.com/?lc=



The things you get in your spam folder...

Election Reflection

Yeah, yeah, the election is over. Obama won. What have we Americans done?

"But," you say, "No worries. God is sovereign, it was in His will somehow. It's sad but it's okay. Everything is going to be alright. Praise the Lord of the nations!"

No question, God is sovereign, but He was sovereign when Hitler came to power too. Is everything going to be fine? Well, yes, but only for those who love God and are called according to His purposes.

I would implore you to remember that just because God allows something to happen doesn't mean we're in for smooth sailing. It doesn't mean that we can sit back and let the world spin without a care in the world. I have a feeling that trials, insecurity, and chaos might be in store for America. Are we, as Christians, ready to face the madness? Is the church ready to stand in the face of persecution, love others, and preach the truth like Christ did?

Oh yes God is on the throne, but somehow He allowed millions of Jews to be killed sixty-something years ago. He has allowed millions of babies to be murdered in our very midst. No matter how you slice it, that's wrong, that's bad, that's evil. Let's face the reality of things: the world has been messed up, and I doubt that Mr. Obama is going to make it much better.

Look Christians, God did not put us here to fill out a ballot, go sit at home, and proclaim that He is sovereign. His people are about more than that.



Preach the gospel to all the nations. Consider others more important than yourself. Destroy every argument and opinion raised against the knowledge of God. Care for orphans and widows in their distress. Pray without ceasing.


Yeah, that's what I want to be about.

This isn't the time to twiddle our thumbs and wait for Jesus to come back. Seriously, Obama is president; what now? The war hasn't been lost (it never will be), but it hasn't been won either.

Maybe now is a good time for us to start fighting.