In Pursuit of That Which is True

This Blog Has Moved

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah Geis) — Mon, 22 Aug 2011 03:50:00 +0000

Due to this blog's (apparently) irreversible connection to an e-mail address I no longer use, any new posts will be located at scgeis.blogspot.com.

Hymn of the Day

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah Geis) — Mon, 27 Jun 2011 19:19:00 +0000

Abide With Me

Henry Lyte, 1847

Abide with me; fast falls the eventide;
The darkness deepens; Lord with me abide.
When other helpers fail and comforts flee,
Help of the helpless, O abide with me.

Swift to its close ebbs out life’s little day;
Earth’s joys grow dim; its glories pass away;
Change and decay in all around I see;
O Thou who changest not, abide with me.

Not a brief glance I beg, a passing word;
But as Thou dwell’st with Thy disciples, Lord,
Familiar, condescending, patient, free.
Come not to sojourn, but abide with me.

Come not in terrors, as the King of kings,
But kind and good, with healing in Thy wings,
Tears for all woes, a heart for every plea—
Come, Friend of sinners, and thus bide with me.

Thou on my head in early youth didst smile;
And, though rebellious and perverse meanwhile,
Thou hast not left me, oft as I left Thee,
On to the close, O Lord, abide with me.

I need Thy presence every passing hour.
What but Thy grace can foil the tempter’s power?
Who, like Thyself, my guide and stay can be?
Through cloud and sunshine, Lord, abide with me.

I fear no foe, with Thee at hand to bless;
Ills have no weight, and tears no bitterness.
Where is death’s sting? Where, grave, thy victory?
I triumph still, if Thou abide with me.

Hold Thou Thy cross before my closing eyes;
Shine through the gloom and point me to the skies.
Heaven’s morning breaks, and earth’s vain shadows flee;
In life, in death, O Lord, abide with me.

Music can be found here.

The Power and Sovereignty of God

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah Geis) — Fri, 22 Apr 2011 22:14:00 +0000

2 Chronicles 32:7-8

"Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or discouraged because of the king of Assyria and the vast army with him, for there is a greater power with us than with him. With him is only the arm of flesh, but with us is the LORD our God to help us and to fight our battles.” And the people gained confidence from what Hezekiah the king of Judah said.

A Forthcoming Book That Everyone Needs to Read

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah Geis) — Sun, 27 Feb 2011 00:47:00 +0000

Christian Apologetics by Douglas Groothuis, due out September 4, 2011

This is a large, comprehensive apologetics textbook that includes extensive research, solid arguments, and supremely clear, well-organized writing (I know because I have seen it). This is a book well worth pre-ordering.

Lest One Buy Into the Lie that the Gospels are Too Full of Contradictions to be True...

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah Geis) — Wed, 12 Jan 2011 23:53:00 +0000

...(though this will benefit anyone who listens), the opposite is true. They support each other in such a way as to bear the mark of truth. Here is the link to Tim McGrew's exceptional sermon on internal evidence for the truth of the Gospels—the “undesigned coincidences” between the different accounts.

"I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day"

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah Geis) — Sun, 12 Dec 2010 03:37:00 +0000

This is one of my favorite Christmas hymns. It is musically arranged a few different ways, and the lyrics reflect a man's (Henry Longfellow) realistic response to Christmas. After Longfellow observes the Christmas-time desire for peace and good will as reflected in "old familiar carols" and the songs of the belfries (belltowers), the third verse depicts his sorrowful response to the actual state of the world. However, the fourth verse triumphantly responds to that sorrow with hope for the future.

Here we live, between the Incarnation of Christ and his return, in a time filled with great sadness for the state of the fallen world alongside hope for future restoration.

I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day

I heard the bells on Christmas day
Their old familiar carols play,
And wild and sweet the words repeat
Of peace on earth, good will to men.

And thought how, as the day had come,
The belfries of all Christendom
Had rolled along the unbroken song
Of peace on earth, good will to men.

And in despair I bowed my head
“There is no peace on earth,” I said,
“For hate is strong and mocks the song
Of peace on earth, good will to men.”

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:
“God is not dead, nor doth He sleep;
The wrong shall fail, the right prevail
With peace on earth, good will to men.”

Henry W. Longfellow, 1864

Review of Donald Miller's Latest

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah Geis) — Tue, 02 Nov 2010 22:21:00 +0000

Here is my review of Donald Miller's A Million Miles in a Thousand Years at the Denver Journal.

I was less than impressed.

The Danger of the Internet Age

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah Geis) — Tue, 02 Nov 2010 22:20:00 +0000

When everyone is speaking, no one is listening.

Doug Groothuis on Social Media

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah Geis) — Fri, 15 Oct 2010 18:42:00 +0000

This is an excellent segment on the "Issues, Etc." radio program that is well worth your time. I urge you to put away e-mail, Twitter and Facebook for a little while, cease multitasking, and listen.

Tim McGrew on Miracles

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah Geis) — Tue, 12 Oct 2010 20:27:00 +0000

This is a new entry in the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy by Timothy McGrew.

Yoga and Christianity

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah Geis) — Tue, 21 Sep 2010 01:06:00 +0000

Please take the time to listen to this podcast: After Al Mohler interviews Stephanie Syman, a yoga historian and practitioner, Doug Groothuis presents a very solid case for why yoga is not compatible with Christianity.

Why Study History?

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah Geis) — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 15:08:00 +0000

We ought study history because "history reminds us that actions and ideas have consequences not only in our own generation but also for generations to come. What we believe, teach and practice affects future generations of believers. Therefore history helps us to not act or teach impulsively. We must employ caution. We must enter into self-criticism and self-evaluation. History helps keep us from taking ourselves too seriously, as if we had all the best answers. At the same time history helps us take ourselves very seriously, because we affect others." -- D. Jeffrey Bingham, Pocket History of the Church, p. 11.

Thinking vs. Scholarship

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah Geis) — Sun, 13 Jun 2010 19:43:00 +0000

Here is a passage worth deeply pondering from Harry Blamires: "Obviously there is no scholar who does not think; and there is no thinker who is quite devoid of scholarship. Nevertheless the distinction between Scholarship and Thinking is a fruitful one to ponder: and at least it will serve to indicate that just as there is a dearth of Christian thinking in the Church, so in our secular culture there a dearth of pure thinking as opposed to that recording, commenting, and elucidating which constitute scholarship" ("The Christian Mind," pp. 51-51, 1963).

Too few people engage in good or any scholarship, and even fewer are truly thinkers. Let us strive to do both well.

The Refiner's Fire

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah Geis) — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 18:25:00 +0000

4:7-9 "But we have this treasure in clay jars, so that the extraordinary power belongs to God and does not come from us. We are experiencing trouble on every side, but are not crushed; we are perplexed,but not driven to despair; we are persecuted, but not abandoned;we are knocked down,but not destroyed..." 4:15-18 "For all these things are for your sake, so that the grace that is includingmore and more people may cause thanksgiving to increaseto the glory of God. Therefore we do not despair, but even if our physical bodyis wearing away, our inner person is being renewed day by day. For our momentary, light sufferingis producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison because we are not looking at what can be seen but at what cannot be seen. For what can be seen is temporary, but what cannot be seen is eternal."
--I Corinthians 4:4-7; 4:15-18 (NET)

Why does God allow his children to experience hardships, or allow some who are already experiencing pain to plummet still further? It is for these reasons: (1) so that we might fall before the sovereign Lord in a state of broken surrender, in order to to be reminded that we have no choice but to radically, deeply depend on him, recognizing our own efforts as ultimately futile, and (2) so that we might be forced to trust that in his infinite love, wisdom, and power, he works for the ultimate good in all situations-- whether or not we perceive it. Out of the sadness, weeping, wailing and chaos of his beloved children, God can bring comfort, peace, order, and healing, and thus displays his perfect love, grace and glory.

And yet, all too often this hope is not felt: "Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God," the Psalmist says to his own aching soul. - Psalm 42:11 (NIV)

By all means, lament at the brokenness of the world, but turn your face to the only one who is able to save, able to restore. He is our source of hope for glorious redemption to come.

"When the fig tree does not bud,
and there are no grapes on the vines;
when the olive trees do not produce,
and the fields yield no crops;
when the sheep disappear from the pen,
and there are no cattle in the stalls,
3:18 I will rejoice because of the Lord;
I will be happy because of the God who delivers me!
3:19 The sovereign Lord is my source of strength.
He gives me the agility of a deer;
he enables me to negotiate the rugged terrain."
Habakkuk 3:17-19 (NET)

Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, oh my soul.

Amen.

Rethinking the Meaning of Servant-Leadership

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah Geis) — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 21:19:00 +0000

Please read this excellent article by my 8th grade Bible teacher and one of my greatest influences, Steve Williamson.

An Easter Prayer

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah Geis) — Sat, 03 Apr 2010 04:42:00 +0000

God of all joy,
fill our souls to overflowing
with the fullness of your grace.
In this season,
remind us of your triumph over the tragedy of the cross,
and your victory for us over the powers of sin and death,
so that we may reflect your glory
as disciples of Jesus Christ,
our risen Lord. [483]

-From The Book of Common Worship, Daily Prayer

Heritage Foundation vs. Obama

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah Geis) — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 15:50:00 +0000

Go here to listen to a concise and articulate rebuttal of Obama's talk of the "centrism" of Obamacare.

Stomping on Solzhenitsyn's Legacy

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah Geis) — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 18:17:00 +0000

Has Russia truly reformed since the public demise of the USSR? This makes one wonder. Honoring Josef Stalin with Moscow posters would be like Germany putting up posters of Hitler, which Germany would likely not dream of doing. Stalin holds the title of the second worst mass-murderer known to history, behind only Mao. Hitler comes in third.

Give to Caesar what is Caesar's; Give to God what is God's

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah Geis) — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 21:04:00 +0000

Christians are commanded to give to Caesar what is Caesar's. But who is Caesar in America? I submit for consideration that until formally revoked, our Caesar is not a person or group of people but rather our Constitution. The human element of our government is to serve, not rule this "written Caesar." Therefore the federal government only has the right to demand from us that which is reconcilable with this document. Above all, however, we are to give to God what is God's, and he is sovereign over all earthly rulers. What belongs to him supersedes all else.

Spurgeon Exposes a Double Standard (to Christians about Darwinists)

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah Geis) — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 21:54:00 +0000

"You are not to be dogmatic in theology, but for scientific men it is the correct thing. You are never to assert anything very strongly; but scientists may boldly assert what they cannot prove, which may demand a faith more credulous than any we possess." -Charles Spurgeon

Scientism for Kids: An Indoctrination Music Video

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah Geis) — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 05:08:00 +0000

Rudolf Carnap, the late logical positivist, is quoted at the beginning of "Science is Real," a music video intended for children's instruction and used in some classrooms. Kids are evidently supposed to listen to the wisdom of Carnap, never hearing that logical positivism has been veritably destroyed as a legitimate epistemology. Bursting forth from the corpse of logical positivism is scientism, the starring system that children are supposed to have embedded in their minds via the vehicle of the video's annoyingly catchy tune. During the video, the viewer is told that it's OK to like the "stories" about angels, unicorns, and such, but back in the land of reality, science is what gives us facts. So, the child has just been told that facts are only found through the scientific method, and everything else is just a quaint tale (never mind the very real and factual laws of logic, the real and factual existence of numbers, etc.; none of these are empirically testable). This grammar school fact-value split deals a devastating blow to a child's intellectual and spiritual development. Parents, please investigate what your children are being taught in school. Indoctrination is real.

Click here for the video.

Humorous side comment regarding "Science is Real":
"The science people apparently forgot to consult with the creative people." -- Justin Geis, my husband and discoverer of this video.

J.I. Packer on why "Theology is for Everyone"

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah Geis) — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 05:42:00 +0000

This talk by one of the great theologians of our day is a must-listen. He jokingly calls the topic, "Packer's Last Stand."

David Wells on Scripture

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah Geis) — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 06:58:00 +0000

"Scripture is not a manual for success, nor yet a textbook for therapeutic help, but the Word of God. It is by this Word that we are addressed by the triune God, summoned before him, and impelled to be his people in this world. It is not this Word by itself about which we must think, not about interpretive communities alone and not about speech/acts dynamics alone. All of these preoccupations have their place but at the end of the day we must end with what we only rarely have today, in our churches or among our young people, and that is this Word as it summons us to come outside of ourselves and to know the God who transcends all cultures and times."

David Wells, "Christian Discipleship in a Postmodern World," published in JETS March 2008

Ethical Arguments Against the Use of Twitter

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah Geis) — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 16:34:00 +0000

This is clever. Bravo, James Anderson.

O Worship the King

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah Geis) — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 02:43:00 +0000

O worship the King, all glorious above,
O gratefully sing His power and His love;
Our Shield and Defender, the Ancient of Days,
Pavilioned in splendor, and girded with praise.

O tell of His might, O sing of His grace,
Whose robe is the light, whose canopy space,
His chariots of wrath the deep thunderclouds form,
And dark is His path on the wings of the storm.

The earth with its store of wonders untold,
Almighty, Thy power hath founded of old;
Established it fast by a changeless decree,
And round it hath cast, like a mantle, the sea.

Thy bountiful care, what tongue can recite?
It breathes in the air, it shines in the light;
It streams from the hills, it descends to the plain,
And sweetly distills in the dew and the rain.

Frail children of dust, and feeble as frail,
In Thee do we trust, nor find Thee to fail;
Thy mercies how tender, how firm to the end,
Our Maker, Defender, Redeemer, and Friend.

O measureless might! Ineffable love!
While angels delight to worship Thee above,
The humbler creation, though feeble their lays,
With true adoration shall all sing Thy praise.

Lyrics by Robert Grant, 1833