Jason is back.
Post are resuming in the next weeks.Well, Tumblr has offically made me angry. So I have moved The Idea & Reality Daily to Posterous. There will be no more posts to the Tumblr site unless I return because of frustration with Posterous. See you over there.
After being off the internet for the summer I have not been able to bring myself back to posting really anything here. Sorry about that, for my three readers. I also am finding wordpress rather clunky next to Tumblr. As such I will not be posting here much at all in the future, and this site may go the way of the Golden Toad (just google it). I will be doing the vast majority of my blogging, what little there is, at my Tumblr site. So, fair friends: point your broswer to The Idea & Reality Daily and your RSS Reader here.
My respect for Carl Trueman grows. Read this. Tell me what you think in the comments.
After preaching this last Sunday’s sermon from Luke 12:1-12 I am more convinced than ever that the reason people don’t evangelize like they should is that they have a sin problem. So often the solution offered for the lack of evangelism is a new method. I just don’t buy the idea that most of our people don’t know the gospel well enough to tell their friends. And if I am wrong, then God help us pastors. If you cannot articulate a thought then you are not having it. If you can’t think the Gospel then you don’t know it. If you don’t know the Gospel, then you need to hear it, repent of your sins and believe in Jesus. Expecting church members to be able to know and articulate the Gospel just based on hearing the Sunday morning sermon is not crazy or expecting too much. Or maybe we have turned away from preaching the Gospel?
I also don’t buy the idea that people are afraid of screwing up the presentation. I think this is just an excuse to avoid acknowledging Jesus before men. If you don’t have all the answers, so what? Do you have all the answers for everything else you recommend or identify with in your daily life? Let’s say you have become convinced that the low-carb diet is the way to go. You tell a friend at work. They dispute the idea with some factoid of their own. So you refer them to a website by some expert or you go home and read in your copy of The Atkins Diet and then come back with more information. Why can’t we do this with our Christian faith? If someone challenges you, and you don’t know, find out why and go back and tell them.
We are afraid of what people think of us more than we fear and trust God. That’s why we don’t speak up for Jesus, that’s why we hesitate, that’s why we don’t acknowledge Jesus before men. We have a sin problem. Which means we need the Gospel. We need to see him who did not fear what man could do to him as he went to the cross for your refusing to acknowledge him. Until we confess this as sin, repent, and trust the Gospel all the methods in the world will not help a bit.
I need to get something off my chest. I installed Windows 7 via boot camp on my Macbook. Installing Windows 7 was painless, and I sort of enjoy using it. I still like Leopard better, but Windows 7 surprised me. Google’s Crome broswer absolutely rocks. Fast like no other. This might be game changing for me. I started using Macs because someone gave me one, not because I decided they were better. I quickly got used to the Mac OS and still like it better than anything else I have tried. But if Windows 7 only gets better by it’s final release, then I am not sure I could justify spending the extra money on a Mac the next time we need to buy a computer. I know Apple includes great software with every Mac you buy, but what if you only surf the internet, do light word processing, and keep track of photos without even editing them? Then again, Snow Leopard should be out soon, and it may well blow Windows 7 out of the water.
Moral of this short, completely unnecessary piece: use what you like for an OS. Leopard won’t make you happy, and neither will Ubuntu or Windows.
I used this article to get it done.
I preached on hypocrisy this last Sunday from Luke 11:37-54. Like almost never before the sermon really got ahold of me while I was preaching. I did not expect those emotions to come up like that for me, and I think I learned something. One of the application points I made was that as a church and as individuals within the church we need to be honest about our failings and struggles. We also need to be gentle with others, for we are not perfect either. The church should be a safe place, and all too often because of hypocrisy the church is dangerous. With that said, I realized that I need the church to be a safe place for me also. Becoming a pastor did not mean that I left all my struggles behind. The pressure I feel to not let people know just how broken and sinful I am and how God is still working on me in so many ways is enormous. So, without going into any detail, please know that I am a real person, I have real struggles, and I am as broken and sinful as you are, if not more. Thanks be to God for Jesus, who for our sake made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
You should read through the Heidelberg Catechism. I can say with some confidence that you probably have not, and even if you have, it would not hurt to give it another go. I really like the Heidelberg. You maybe wondering what the Heidelberg is at all. Check out this link. Obviously the Heidelberg is not a Baptist document so I have some basic disagreements with it, mostly about infant baptism. Yet the Heidelberg is devotional, warm, and quite beautiful. As I hate reading things online, I made up a pdf of the Heidelberg for personal or family study, complete with space to take notes. It is 39 pages long, but I suggest you print it anyways. Mark it up, study it, and benefit from some great theology.
Here are the Laws regarding coffee. First, you shall not brew coffee that you yourself did not grind. No ground coffee shall be found in your midst, it is an abomination to you. Instead, you shall make every effort to find freshly roasted whole bean coffee and grind it yourself with a burr grinder. You shall not follow the ways of those who use inexpensive grinders but shall remember that your coffee maker is an accessory to your grinder. And you shall be mindful of how your coffee is ground. You shall not put finely ground coffee in a french press nor coarsely ground coffee in an espresso maker but you shall respect the type of coffee maker you use.
Second, you shall not use any coffee maker that does not brew at the proper temperature. If you do not have the money to purchase a proper espresso maker or a Technivorm you shall use a pour over coffee maker or a french press. If you are using a french press the coffee must be ground coarse, with no dust. If you are using a pour over coffee maker the coffee must be ground fine, but with out dust or coarse chunks. You shall boil only fresh, filtered water. The water must be brought to a full boil and poured over the grounds as soon as it has stopped boiling. You shall not pour boiling water on your grounds, it is an abomination. Once your coffee has finished brewing you shall not leave it on a heat source, but shall only use a carafe or brew your coffee fresh each cup. You shall not let coffee sit in a french press past the brewing time for consumption later on, it is an abomination.
Third, you shall only pour your coffee into cups that are clean and have been pre-heated. You shall not place any sugar in your coffee so as to dull the flavors. You may use cream in scant amounts but never so that the flavors are dulled. You shall enjoy the coffee that you brew, you shall not gulp it but shall praise the Lord who gives us all things richly to enjoy.
All humor aside, here is the bullet point version:
- Find freshly roasted coffee (less than 2 weeks old) and grind it yourself.
- Buy a good grinder first, your coffee maker is an accessory to the grinder!!!!
- Use enough coffee. 2 tablespoons per 6 oz water. Don’t use 3 tablespoons for a 12 cup pot, warm tap water is available from the faucet if that is your taste preference. Don’t be afraid to go a bit heavy as you explore how much coffee to use.
- Use a coffee maker that brews at the right temperature.
- If you are poor, this means a french press or pour over maker
- If you are rich, get a good espresso machine with thermal stability
- Pre-heat your cups! It matters.
- Consider giving up sugar and be careful with cream if you are a user.
If you follow these rules you can have outstanding coffee at home. If you can’t follow all of them but do as much as you can you will still surprise yourself. For example, I don’t have a good burr grinder, but a rather poor one. I also do not have access to fresh coffee anymore as I live in rural Quebec. But I do grind the freshest beans I can find, I do use a burr grinder, I brew with either a french press or a pour over maker, and I use water at the proper temperature. I pre-heat my cups. I abhor sugar in my coffee. And I consistently get compliments from people about the quality of my coffee. Have fun, and drink one for me.
We had a very good improvised meal a couples of weeks ago. We had cooked up some chicken breasts yesterday with the thought that we would find a use for them today. By the way, regarding chicken, brine it before you cook it. Just soak it in some salt water for a while before hand. The difference is incredible. So, I picked up some bread, some pesto (198g pack), and some mozzerella cheese. When I got home I diced some chicken, some onion, and some red pepper. Saute the onions and peppers.
Then mix the pesto, sauted onions and peppers, and chicken together.
Now, cut then split the baguette in half. I usually dig out the middles a bit, then put the chicken and pesto mixture on the bread. Cover liberally with mozzerella cheese. Place in a 500 degree oven for 6-10 minutes.
Use Lots of Cheese!
They were excellent, similiar in spirit to pizza, but a welcome change.
Throw in a slice of chocolate cake with mocha frosting and you should be set for a good meal.
So I read The Shack. As I had read some bad reviews of the book I was not looking forward to reading the book and the anger that was sure to follow. The book was not as bad as I had thought, and was genuinely touching and wise in parts. Then again the book’s theology was at times worse than I would have thought possible. I don’t feel that I can do a better job of reviewing the book than has already been done so this will be just few of my thoughts on the book. Douglas Wilson has reviewed the book here and Tim Challis has reviewed the book here. I invite you to check out their reviews.
First, as Douglas Wilson points out in his review, this book has some excellent insight into the way people work. Sin runs deep in our souls and is notoriously difficult to root out or even find sometimes. If The Shack was the first time many people were exposed to these insights into how people work and how sin weasels it’s way deeper into our souls, then shame on us pastors who have never taken our congregations through it ourselves. Most of the insights in this book have been discussed elsewhere and in greater depth and accuracy. Even so, as it stands the book is strong in this respect.
Second, I have a real problem when people mess with the Trinity. Suggested modalism, even if it is only suggested, is inexcusable. The church deemed modalism heretical over fifteen hundred years ago. Young also personifies the Father and the Holy Spirit in human form. I know that this does not bother all people equally, but in the Bible God is revealed in human form only in Jesus. I cannot see how Young has not made an image of God here when the Bible expressly forbids such action. This mixing of accurate and inaccurate statements regarding the Trinity will cause confusion among those who are not well grounded in doctrine. Again, shame on us pastors who have not taught our people the creeds and doctrine.
Third, Young at times openly contradicts scripture. He puts in the mouth of God the Father the words “I don’t need to punish people for sin. Sin is its own punishment, devouring you from the inside.” Here Young denies that God actively punishes people for sin. If that is the case then the cross has become nonsense. Sin can be it’s own punishment and God sometimes hands people over to their sinful desires as a punishment, but God as the righteous and holy judge of the universe also actively punishes sin.
Fourth, I find myself bewildered and saddened that so many people are so touched and ministered to by this book. I kept asking myself as I read it “Why do people find this picture of God so compelling?” Some people have found the picture of God in the Shack to be more compelling than the picture of God in the Bible. That’s dangerous. One of the blurbs on the back of the book stated “The Shack will leave you craving for the presence of God.” That’s exactly what happened to me, after reading his picture of God I was craving God as revealed in the Bible. The God of the Bible is warm, intimate, and loving, but never at the expense of being holy, just, and majestic. I am not telling you that you should not have been touched by this book. I simply hope that you will go to scripture and find the picture of God revealed there as more touching and compelling than the picture of God that Young gives us.
The other reviews mention numerous other problems with the book. Read them for more detailed analysis. I cannot recommend this book, but read it if you feel you must and even enjoy some parts of it. Then when you’re through with it, double check everything to the Word of God. Please leave your comments, I welcome the feedback and discussion.
