The Good Portion

Ever since I first laid eyes on this image several weeks ago, I don't think a day has gone by without me thinking of it at least once.  The ways in which it has reached it's grip into my thoughts of God have been manifold. I think there is something in every person, when seeing ourselves in this perspective, which will cry out, "Then there can't be a God!"  I hear that voice.  It is the knee jerk utterance of one who can't imagine anything that big, let alone anything that big caring about anything that small.  It is a truly human reaction - a response from human limitations.  It shakes us and shows the inadequacy of the views of God which we hold. It presents to us at least two possibilities, both dreadful: 1) that there is no God, and no meaning in all our joys and anguish, or 2) that there is a God, one to Whom we are at least that small. Does your view of God take in all of this?  Is your God that big?  Are you that small? Think about it. ...

 Perhaps you didn't notice, but I completely forgot to post my Meanderings last week, well, either that, or I didn't have enough of a collection.  I don't remember now.  Welcome to my middle-aged mind, or what's left of it.  But here's my collection for today: This is an excellent post , helpful and succinct, about how to avoid knee-jerk reactions in discussions of faith.  I think this may be one for the refrigerator. Perhaps you've heard the explanation of hell (intended, I think, to make it seem not as bad, or at least to make sending them more defensible) as a place people choose to go, and would really prefer to heaven - as in "heaven would be hell to such people". Or maybe you've heard the notion that hell is really a place we make for ourselves, by virtue of our own rottenness.  John Piper explains how hell is not the place we wish it was. Here's a testimony to the power of those prayers prayed in front of abortion clinics: A Plann...

Charity and Its Fruits (This week we continue our reading together of the Jonathan Edwards' classic, Charity and Its Fruits. We have just concluded the reading of the "Doctrine" portion of Lecture 1. We will continue with the "Application" portion of the Lecture in next week's reading. This is the pattern we will be using for the entirety of the reading. My notes here will follow Edwards' own outline directly, with my commentary inserted. I will attempt to make each post edifying even to those who are not reading along with us. Feel free to leave your questions or comments in the form below.) Lecture I. (Part One) Charity, or Love, the Sum of All Virtues “ Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not char...

Okay, take it from me, you don't have to speak Japanese to love this! ________________________________________ Did you know even lung cancer has a beauty all its own? "This scanning electron micrograph was also produced by Anne Weston. It shows a single cell grown from a culture of lung cancer cells. The irregular purple bulges are called blebs, a localised decoupling of the cytoskeleton from the plasma membrane caused by the cancer." For more of the years best science images click here . (HT to Tim Challies ) _________________________________________ Well, they've finally admitted what most of us already intuited: TV won't make your baby smarter. Act now, Disney's offering refunds. ________________________________________ 5 untestable yet rational types of knowledge: (I feel a need here to apologize for the disrespectful title of this clip, even though I am not responsible for it.) (HT to Abraham Piper )

"Let those who will keep the narrow way keep it, and suffer for their choice; but to hope to follow the broad road at the same time is an absurdity. What communion hath Christ with Belial? Thus far we come, and pause. Let us, as many as are of one mind, wait upon the Lord to know what Israel ought to do. With steadfast faith let us take our places; not in anger, not in the spirit of suspicion or division, but in watchfulness and resolve. Let us not pretend to a fellowship which we do not feel, nor hide convictions which are burning in our hearts. The times are perilous, and the responsibility of every individual believer is a burden which he must bear, or prove a traitor. What each man's place and course should be the Lord will make clear unto him." - Charles Spurgeon (This was a quote from amid the Downgrade Controversy.  You can learn more about that event here .)

(This week we begin our reading together of the Jonathan Edwards classic, Charity and Its Fruits. This is the second of two introductory posts. The first was focused on what led Edwards to undertake his study. Today my focus is on what has led me to undertake this study.) I began this year with a recognition of my need to grow in love and a New Year's resolution to study Scripture to that end. I made a lot of other resolutions which have fallen by the wayside, but my study thus far has shown me that this is one resolution that must be kept. Love, for the Christian, is not optional. Most of you know that I was raised a Lutheran, went to Lutheran schools, but later spent several years attending various Pentecostal and charismatic churches, even attending an Assemblies of God college for two years. (All this was prior my abandoning church altogether and prior to my conversion, years later, at the age of forty.) Throughout those years I heard quite a bit of discussion of “lo...

This week we begin our reading here of Jonathan Edwards' classic, Charity and Its Fruits. By way of introduction I thought it would be very helpful to understand as best we can where Edwards was coming from when he set out to lead his congregation through a study of Christian love, and so I've provided a brief introduction of His life and times. I will not pretend that one blog post is sufficient for such a task. Nor will I pretend to be comprehensive; but I do hope that what I've selectively provided will enrich our future study. I also intend, Lord willing, to provide further posts on aspects of the life and thought of Edwards which I have found intriguing. Over the last five years I've read much from Jonathan Edwards, and listened to several biographical lectures about him, but the information and direct quotes ( in italics ) I've provided here have been derived entirely from George M. Marsden's biography, Jonathan Edwards, A Life . First of all, it...

Sorry, my meanderings this week have been few - well two - to be exact.  But here's what I've got: First, and rather important to my blogging friends.  If you review books or products on your blog, you need to check out the new FTA disclosure rules for product endorsers.  I don't find them prohibitive.  In fact I think the rules seem to be in the public's best interest; but whatever you think, rules are rules and you can read about them here . _______________________________________________ Secondly, if you've ever heard more than three sentences about John Calvin, likely the fourth sentence you heard was: "And you know, he got Michael Servetus burned at the stake don't you?!" So, if you've never bothered to check out the facts of that story, here's your chance.  This is a brief article which happens to link to several others as well . 

"We shall benefit very much from the Sacrament if this thought is impressed and engraved upon our minds: that none of the brethren can be injured, despised, rejected, abused, or in any way offended by us, without at the same time, injuring, despising, and abusing Christ by the wrongs we do; that we cannot disagree with our brethren without at the same time disagreeing with Christ; that we cannot love Christ without loving him in the brethren; that we ought to take the same care of our brethren's bodies as we take of our own; for they are members of our body; and that, as no part of our body is touched by any feeling of pain which is not spread among all the rest, so we ought not to allow a brother to be affected by any evil, without being touched with compassion for him. Accordingly, Augustine with good reason frequently calls this Sacrament 'the bond of love.'" (Calvin's Institutes, 4.17.38) When I happened upon this passage from the Institutes, I was re...

Due to circumstances beyond my control (our book order did not go through on time), our study of Jonathan Edwards', Charity and Its Fruits will be postponed by one week. For those of you here in Chico, that means we will have our first meeting at 6:30 on Monday, October 19. For those of you reading along here, it means I will begin with an introductory post on that date, and the reading will begin at that time. Since I am on the west coast, and will be posting in the evening, unless you are in Hawaii, you should probably plan on finding my posts on Tuesday morning.

In preparation for our upcoming study of Jonathan Edwards', Charity and It's Fruits, I've been reading George Marsden's biography, Jonathan Edwards, a Life . I've started to read this book three times in the last year, checking it out from the library on three separate occasions before finally admitting to myself that I'll need to own a copy if I'm ever going to get through it. I'm so glad I did, as I know I'll be referring to it time and time again, and for that reason feel the need to do my share of underlining and margin notation as well. I bring all this up really as an excuse to share a bit I really like from the author's Introduction. Marsden is explaining that Edwards is an eighteenth century figure and encouraging his readers to be careful to let that context "shape their understanding of him". He goes on then to briefly sum up what he considers to be the role of a responsible historian, words I wish more current historians...

I happened upon a lot of really interesting stuff this week. I hope you'll enjoy my finds as much as I did. Jewelry Diplomacy "In her new book, Read My Pins, former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright reveals that she used jewelry as a diplomatic tool during her years with the Clinton administration. " Check out the story, and a slide show of some of her pins here . The value of scholarship in the original Biblical languages Is the Era of Age Segmentation Over? A researcher argues that the future of youth ministry will require bringing the generations together. This informative and thought provoking article from Leadership Journal is a must read for all interested in ministry to children and youth. Imprecatory Psalms Here are a few thoughts from John Piper on those Psalms that make you cringe . What's Baby Thinking? For all you new mommies and mom's to be, here's an interesting discussion about what goes on in the minds of...

I apologize for the dearth of posts this week. It's been a busy week at work and home; and my free time has been consumed by preparations for our church's upcoming ladies' study of Jonathan Edwards, Charity and It's Fruits . Which brings me to the point of this brief notice: Our class here in Chico will begin meeting at Pastor Pat and Andi's house on Monday, Oct. 12 at 6:30 pm. If you do not have a copy of the book already, you can pick one up then. The first meeting will be introductory and we will begin our readings in the week that follows. Now, a few of my blog friends have expressed an interest in reading along with our study; and so I would like to extend the invitation to anyone else who might be interested. If you'd like to participate, just obtain a copy of the book. I will be using the Banner of Truth Edition (pictured), but you should have little trouble following along from any other edition. The actual reading will not begin until the twelft...