Let My People Read!

Giving Away A Small Theology Library

noreply@blogger.com (Frank Recinos) — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 22:54:00 +0000

FREE!!!! It's everyone's favorite word. If you read this blog FREE BOOKS is even better. It's true, I'm going to give away a small theological library for FREE! Here's what I'm offering:

Rules and Conditions

This is where some of you are asking "Oh great what do I have to do?" and I'm glad you asked. I've been out of work for a while, and so I'll be blunt. I offer these books as a reward to the person who can help me get a full time job in Orange County (Southern California) by the end of the month. If you think you can do that, message me in the comments and I'll send you my resume. My background is in school (substitute), office (and warehouse) and church work. Get me a job and the books are yours. Thanks again.

How The World See's Christians [INFOGRAPHIC]

noreply@blogger.com (Frank Recinos) — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 23:51:00 +0000

Found this at the Brainz website. There's a lot to nitpick, but it's something to consider when we think about how people see us.

From: Online Christian Colleges

Blogging Through The Complete Works Of Francis Schaeffer

noreply@blogger.com (Frank Recinos) — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 20:30:00 +0000

A few years ago I had the great pleasure of being introduced to the works of Francis Schaeffer. He was first and foremost an evangelist and a pastor who sought to speak Christianity to the world he lived in. He believed that the Christian worldview alone could speak to modern man and his need. If you haven't seen it, I highly recommend his documentary (and companion book) "How Should We Then Live?". Not long ago, I was able to buy his complete works from a former professor (for 20 bucks no less!) and have had them sitting on my book shelf ever since. It's time I take them out and read them.

In honor of Dr. Schaeffer's 100th Birthday, I shall be reading all five volumes of his complete works and will be blogging my way through them. It's something I'll be working on for the rest of the year. I will also be reading through some thoughtful criticisms and evaluations of Schaeffer's work. What I really want is to learn from a man who's writings are still making a mark in people today and hopefully see how his ideas speak to where I'm at in my time and space. My first post will be next week. Til then, here is a post I did last week on the anniversary of his 100th birthday. I posted video of his sermon titled "A Christian Manifesto"

Spanish Reformed Resources

noreply@blogger.com (Frank Recinos) — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 22:51:00 +0000

Today one of my readers let me know that Chapel Library (a ministry of Mt.Zion Bible Church) has a Spanish page. It's still growing, but I would highly recommend you take a look if you want to share Spanish translations of the works of people like A.W. Pink and Charles Spurgeon. I've lamented the fact that I haven't see n much in the way of resources for Spanish speakers, but today I was given a little hope.

Justin Taylor Weighs In On The Elephant Room

noreply@blogger.com (Frank Recinos) — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 20:19:00 +0000

The key word for him? Wisdom. Wisdom in the planning and in the approach on the part of the people involved. Time will tell if they were wise or not, but Taylor hits the nail on the head when he writes:

But I think the whole thing could have been better if conceived in a different way.

The Elephant Room could have achieved virtually of the same results, perhaps better ones, without any of the negative relational repercussions and doctrinal confusion.

How? By holding the conversations offline.

Read the whole post HERE

In Honor of Francis Schaffer's Birthday, Here He Is Preaching "A Christian Manifesto"

noreply@blogger.com (Frank Recinos) — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 00:23:00 +0000

He would have turned 100 today. A lot of people will be talking about his great work so I wanted to show you the man himself. It was given the day after his 70th Birthday. We might not always agree with him, but I wish we had MORE people like him today.

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

A List Of Systematic Theologies On Kindle For $1.99 Or Less!!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Frank Recinos) — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 08:55:00 +0000

Last year, my good friend Jonathan Chan gave me a Kindle for my birthday. As a book lover, I could not have been more pleased. As a Reformed book lover, I'm bursting at the seams! If you have a Kindle you know Amazon has a lot of great deals on classic books. They're usually free or cheap. What I recently learned was how MANY classic systematic theologies and theology books are for sale on Kindle for $1.99 or less. Here's the list of books you can start reading today*, but if you know of any others, please let me know in the comments.

Just for fun here are a few that are 2.99 or more

*If you don't own a kindle, you can still read the books on your computer or smart phone by using Amazon's free cloud reader.

Tennis Player Yells "GOD" In Anger After A Missed Shot. Guess What Happens Next

noreply@blogger.com (Frank Recinos) — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 04:47:00 +0000

At about the 15 second mark. Enjoy.

HT:Reddit

The Prosperity Gospel: The Other Elephant In The Room

noreply@blogger.com (Frank Recinos) — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 21:12:00 +0000

The team over at Wretched Radio have made an interesting collection of video clips where Mark Driscoll and James Macdonald come down hard on the Prosperity Gospel. There are also clips of T.D. Jakes peddling that kind of theology. Interesting that they didn't bring any of this up at the Elephant Room. (So far as we know).

HT: Tim Challies

Click On This: Trinity Edition

noreply@blogger.com (Frank Recinos) — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 17:47:00 +0000

Every now and again there are some cool links I think I should share with you. Given that the Trinity was a big issue on the blogosphere this week (due to T.D. Jake's Interview at the Elephant Room), I picked a few posts I found dedicated to the Trinity.

Trinity Power Point Presentation By My Professor John Shouse

The Doctrine of The Trinity In A Nutshell-Reclaiming The Mind

How the Trinity Relates to Marriage-Audio from The Resurgence

Studying the Trinity Is An Exercise In Love-Trevin Wax

On Heretics and Helpfulness-Ed Stetzer

Trevin Wax On How To Process The Elephant Room

noreply@blogger.com (Frank Recinos) — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 21:27:00 +0000

Travin Wax was at the Elephant Room Sessions yesterday and live blogged the event. He's a solid brother (and a fellow Southern Baptist!) and I trust him. He gives some great guidelines on how to reflect on yesterday's event and, with much grace, he still zeroes in on some of the concerns many people still have. I really hope people take what he has to say to heart.

Frank Turk also had a lot to say about yesterday's event, but he's more to the point. Still, worth checking out.

The Reading Pyramid

noreply@blogger.com (Frank Recinos) — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 05:13:00 +0000

Here's some great advice on how to read through a book and get a good feel for it.

Moonwalking With Einstein-Book Review

noreply@blogger.com (Frank Recinos) — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 02:43:00 +0000

How good is your memory? I've always had a good memory for trivia and random facts (I've been told to try out for Jeopardy). Now, many of us have pretty decent memories for school and work. But how many of us can memorize a deck of cards in under two minutes? How about fourteen decks (you read right) in under an hour? Can you remember the names and faces of ninety-nine people having seen them only once? Those are some of the challenges someone who tries out for the U.S.A Memory Championship has to face. And in writing his book Moonwalking With Einstein Joshua Foer did exactly all those things. He even set an American memory record in the process of winning the U.S.A. Memory Championship. The title of the book comes from one of the techniques he used to memorized a deck of cards. Einstein stood for a card in the deck. Seeing him moonwalk reminded him Michael Jackson (The King of Hearts). I'll spare you the crass descriptions he used for other cards! (Be warned there is some cussing in the book).

It's interesting to read about the strange and unusual feats people can accomplish. But Foer makes it a point to show just how difficult it is to do a lot of what these uber-geeks do. And it is difficult, but not impossible. Having seen the competition, he decides to spend a year training for the event. Along the way he shows some of the debates, crazy antics, and cool tricks a lot of the memory champs are able to accomplish. He befrends, and is trained by British Memory Champ Ed Cooke. Cooke seems to come off as a bit smug in the book, but that seems to run in the blood of a lot of the people Foer meets. He gets to meet famous memory man Tony Buzan. I have to admit, having read Buzan's books in the past, I was expecting him to come off geeky and neebish. Turns out, the man is a flashy diva and he has the clothes to prove it. Along the way Foer takes his readers through the history of mnemonics (the art and techniques used in memorizing). Some of them include the Memory Palace, Linking, and The Peg.

I was glad to see the role medieval theologians played in keeping the art of memory alive. The truth is, they had to. For instance, Foer mentions that a lot of theologians like St. Augustine might have access to a book for a short while. After that, they might never see it again. So they had to be able to memorize the contents of the book. If they ever quoted it in any of their writings, it was done from memory. And that is what really impressed me about this book. I was able to see one of God's gifts and see how useful it is. Imagine not being able to read any scripture for a while? How much of it would you have had memorized? Before the mass printing of the Bible, pastors and theologians and laypeople had to have large parts of scripture memorized. We really are spoiled in the west. We have easy access to a Bible and most any other reference work (even wikipedia!). But the book points out that for the longest time, people's libraries were made up of maybe a bible, a devotional book, and few other things. After reading the book, I felt very challenged to memorize more scripture. I think I'll start using my memory to memorize the Book of Mark.

In search of how memory works, Foer interviewed people with unusual memories. People like Kim Peek. He inspired Dustin Hoffman's character in Rain Man. Turns out even his sharp mind isn't fallible. But he was able to remember vast amounts of information and recall them immediately. Another person he interviewed was a man known only as EP. He was studied by psychologists because he had lost a large portion of his memory due to a syphiliss infection that ate away parts of his brain. The result was that he only remembered his life this his late 50's. He was in his 80's when Foer interviewed him. EP would forget things after a few minutes, so he was confined to his home. Foer describes his daily routine of going for a walk and talking to neighbors. Talking to them was like meeting them for the first time. A weird and sad bliss to live in. Reading about this man was moving. I hope I never forget my loved ones like that. But while I do have access to a good memory, I hope to make the best use of it.

'Moonwalking' isn't a how-to book. But it does have a lot of helpful advice on how to prepare for the memory championship, as well as a lot of insight into how memory techniques helped society before the printing press. If you'd like to read some good books on memory improvement, take a look here.

The Real Elephant In The Room

noreply@blogger.com (Frank Recinos) — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 21:38:00 +0000

Chris Rosebrough of Fighting for the Faith and Pirate Christian Radio has had rather busy morning. He went to the latest meeting of the pastoral minds held at the event The Elephant Room 2. Here is what Chris said happened this morning.

Today, I traveled to Rowling Meadows, Illinois to attend James MacDonald's Elephant Room 2 conversations. Upon entering the event venue I was met by a security guard and Jim Rowan, an elder at Harvest Bible Chapel and was promptly told that my entrance to the Elephant Room had been revoked and that I had to immediately leave the premises or I would be arrested for trespassing.

You can read the rest of what he said here.

It's sad that even within the reformed tribe which I claim as my own, we can see such unchristlike behavior. The situation is bad enough, but it comes at the tail end of a very interesting few weeks revolving around key players who will be at today's Elephant Room.

This week James Macdonald, who's church is hosting the event, resigned from the Gospel Coalition. His resignation letter can be read here. This was, I think, partly due to criticism for his involvement with The Elephant Room and the people he's had visiting.

T.D. Jakes is being interviewed today. As many of you know, people have had serious problems with Jake's Word-Faith theology as well as his modalist views of the Trinity.

Mark Driscoll is also at The Elephant Room. This week, his church, Mars Hill, was brought under scrutiny after a former member released information that brings to light what appears to be a hard handed approach to church discipline.

When you have all these things happening at once, they're going to get attention. So that brings me back to the title of this post. What is the REAL elephant in the room? Our lack of accountability. We've given our rock star pastors an easy pass. As long as they say the right things, quote from the right guys and affirm TULIP, it's all cool. Now, I'm not saying that all allegations against them are right, or that we should wikileak them (as Sovereign Grace unfortunately experienced last year). But, I think we need to stop putting people on a pedestal. We've let that happen too easily in the reformed camp, and unless we get our house in order, the world will happily oblige to do it. And they won't be as gracious.

From The Web: 25 Things I Learned Opening Up A Bookstore

noreply@blogger.com (Frank Recinos) — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 21:50:00 +0000

Over at the Open.Salon blog, JL Sathrie gives a list of 25 things she's learned since opening her used bookstore. I support local bookstores and thrift stores (and you should too!) and I found some of these pretty funny and helpful. Take a look.

Newt Gingrich's Family Values

noreply@blogger.com (Frank Recinos) — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 13:07:00 +0000

Will Amazon Destroy The Publishing Industry?

noreply@blogger.com (Frank Recinos) — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 02:44:00 +0000

Tech blog PandoDaily is reporting what many of us have seen for a while: Amazon is slowly killing the publishing industry. Have you seen how cheap they price e-books? The biggest threat isn't their cheap prices, but the fact that they now have a publishing arm, and may soon take blockbuster authors away from the traditional publishing houses. From an anonymous source in the article

We can’t pay $1 million (advances) for books anymore. Amazon could probably afford to lose $20 million/year in their publishing arm just to put the other publishers out of business. I think that’s what they’re trying to do–throw money around in an industry that doesn’t have any, until Amazon becomes not only the only place where you buy books, but the only place that publishes books, too.

Scary, but I do see one upside of this for Christian publishing: authors who deserve a voice being able to get a chance without having to jump so many hurdles. As someone who is hoping to publish an e-book soon, I can't wait to see what happens.

Thanks Kregel Publications, Plus News and Prayer Request

noreply@blogger.com (Frank Recinos) — Sat, 10 Dec 2011 20:08:00 +0000

I have been (unfortunately) been able to keep up with my all book reviews, but I will try and have some up by the end of the year. Kregel Publications has sent me the first in a series of books on the text of the New Testament. They kindly sent me a copy of Revisiting The Corruption of the New Testament edited by Daniel Wallace. I hope to have a review of the book up just before Christmas. I'll also be reviewing graphic novels as I've been reading more of them lately.

Before I go I'd just like to ask prayer for a personal matter. For the better part of the year I've no been working. I have done work as a notary, but I need steady work. I'll be embarking on new ways to look for work soon. Please pray I find something soon. It would be a big blessing.

Finally, I plan on doing more blogging in the future, but I'll also be doing more fiction writing and blogging over at my tumblr page Frank Writes! Thanks again, and I'll see you soon.

A Secular Noah? Aronofsky To Make "Noah" Epic

noreply@blogger.com (Frank Recinos) — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 22:04:00 +0000

Today it was reported that Darren Aronofsky finally got 150 million dollars to make an epic movie about the biblical story of the flood and the life of Noah. The artwork he released some time ago for a graphic novel is very striking. Here's a trailer he made for the comic.

His own take on the story may not be filled with the themes found in the Bible. In one interview he states:

“It’s the end of the world and it’s the second most famous ship after the Titanic. So I’m not sure why any studio won’t want to make it,” said Aronofsky. “I think it’s really timely because it’s about environmental apocalypse which is the biggest theme, for me, right now for what’s going on on this planet. So I think it’s got these big, big themes that connect with us. Noah was the first environmentalist. He’s a really interesting character. Hopefully they’ll let me make it"

And it shouldn't entirely surprise us, Aronofsky is an atheist. He's also very involved in environmental charity work. Of course, that doesn't stop him from touching on spiritual issues in movies like "The Fountain". However, it is a secular spirituality that according to him is based on

"We’re all just borrowing this matter and energy for a little bit, while we’re here, until it goes back into everything else, and that connects us all. The cynics out there laugh at this crap, but it’s true....To me, that’s where the spirituality is. Whatever you want to call that connection -- some people would use that term God. That, to me, is what I think is holy."

Should we worry? Well he says that it "[i]sn't a very religious story". Of course a quick look at the Biblical text shows that this isn't so. He can anachronistically read environmental ruin into the story, but that ruin came about because of God. Its human sin that brings about God's wrath. But his grace towards Noah is what ultimately saves mankind. Sin, mercy, and redemption, are all biblical themes that can make for great story telling. But a post-modern twist to the story leaves us only with a Noah who has only himself to survive. It tells us that mankind hasn't really learned anything (if we're still facing the same problems Noah did) and doesn't give us much reason to hope. But if we live in an endless cycle of matter and energy that eventually goes back to everything else, why should anyone care? But if one day we have a God who once destroyed humanity, and promises to do it again, then caring for his creation makes much more sense.

A response to "Is God A Christian"?

noreply@blogger.com (Frank Recinos) — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 21:03:00 +0000

Hi guys, it's been a while, but I have been wanting to come back to this place and I finally found a reason. Last night, I came across a message called "Is God A Christian". I took the time to respond. Here you go.

An interesting watch, and I'm sympathetic to what he wants to do. However, there are a few things I think he's very misguided on. I'll give some approximate quotes and times so people can follow along.

16:43 Fundamentalism is a corruption of faith...driven by fear and anger.
17:50No difference between fundametalism. Born from the same instincts, with evil results. A religion of fear leads us to a religion of violence... Fear is the root of terrorism...it acts with arrogance and bitterness. 18:34 Fear, not faith declares doctrinal absolutes and moral certainties.

I'll start with this. He's under the impression that people who believe in doctrinal and moral absolutes are fearful fundamentalists. He obviously holds Christ in high esteem. That's great. But I think it's only fair to see of Jesus himself passes his test here. He says in Matthew 7:21-23:

21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ 23 Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’

That sounds pretty dogmatic and absolute to me. Apparently, just because someone says they know Jesus isn't enough. Heck, anyone who doesn't know him will get kicked out of his presence. Let's keep going.

20:05 it is ignorance, not faith that wants to teach creationism, ignorance, not faith that wants us to believe the bible is inerrant or infallible.

So. Dr. Godsey believes that anyone who teaches creationism is fear driven, afraid of reason/science. More so, anyone who teaches the Bible is inerrant or infallible is a fear driven fundamentalist. Again, let's see if Jesus passes his test. Let's start with Mark 10:5-7 (though he basically says the same thing in Matthew 19:3-5). He says:

6 “But at the beginning of creation God ‘made them male and female.’ 7 ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife,

Seems like Jesus takes the teachings of the OT on creation and marriage pretty seriously. Now to be fair, Dr. Godsey may not be aware that Christians take creation differently. But according to Jesus, the Adam and Eve story was important enough for him to quote it authoritatively to settle a theological dispute. Again, seems like Jesus fails Dr. Godsey's test. What about the Bible being inerrant or infallible? Again, Jesus states in Luke 4:17-21

17 and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written:

18 “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, 19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

20 Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him. 21 He began by saying to them, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”

So according to Jesus, the passage from Isaiah was a prophecy that was fulfilled in him. It seems he takes scriptures very seriously. I might add, Dr. Godsey talks a lot about people being in God's image and such. I hope he knows that that phrase originates in the Adam and Eve story in Genesis.

20:20 It is ignorance not faith that claims God is the exclusive possession of Christians etc....

Jesus mention something interesting in John 4. He's at the well talking to a Samaritan woman when he says:

22 You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews.

Sounds like Jesus was making the claim that the Jews had a better grasp on God that the Samaritans did. Which would make sense, since they only held to the Torah, but not the rest of the OT (as is my understanding). Still that sounds pretty exclusivist.

23:58 Jesus came to enable to see the light of God that had been eclipsed by doctrine and systems. 24:55 Jesus message was to forgive and be makers of peace, to live a new way, and get along with those of different religious traditions. 26:10 Jesus brings a new way, that says love with prevail 26: 54 We are all seeking to prevail the light of God's presence in the world

Sounds pretty nice, but Jesus's words in Matthew 28:18-20 say other wise. He states:

18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Not the teachings of someone else, his own. Again, that sounds pretty snobbish if you think God's light can be found elsewhere. But Jesus addresses that when he says in John 12

46 I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness.

47 “If anyone hears my words but does not keep them, I do not judge that person. For I did not come to judge the world, but to save the world. 48 There is a judge for the one who rejects me and does not accept my words; the very words I have spoken will condemn them at the last day. 49 For I did not speak on my own, but the Father who sent me commanded me to say all that I have spoken. 50 I know that his command leads to eternal life. So whatever I say is just what the Father has told me to say.”

Again, he says he is the light, and that anyone who doesn't believe him stands condemned. He even says his words are God's words. Pretty exclusive, and really, it just goes against whatever it is Dr. Godsey thinks Jesus' message is.

27:15 We have no basis for concluding that any of the worlds religions didn't have it's roots in authentic revelation. 27:46 Who are we to limit God's speaking?

I think the previous passages by Christ should be enough to show that he claimed his message was God's message and that it was limited to that. Again, Dr. Godsey's own standards have labeled Jesus a fundamentalist exclusivist.

27:49 What unholy arrogance promps us to say that the way the truth and the life has been communicated only to us?

What's interesting is that Jesus himself said it in John 14:6

6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

By Dr. Godsey's own standards, Jesus is an unholy arrogant man.

28:54 The claim to posses absolute truth says far more than we know.

I'm glad that as a Christian, I don't have to make such claims based on my own ideas or experience. Christ is the one I look to and he seemed to have a very good grasp about what he should or shouldn't claim. I may not know everything, but he certainly does. Is Mr. Godsey ready to say Jesus stated more than he knew?

29:16 Commited believing does not require hateful and mean spirited exclusivist rhetoric.

Here we have an either/or fallacy. It seems to Dr. Godsey that if you speak in exclusive terms, it makes you mean and hateful. And yet, we have seen, this is how Jesus spoke in his ministry while being loved and hated. And he WAS hated for it. He was killed for it to be honest. Can believers today act or come off arrogant and mean? Sure. It is inexcusable. The bible itself tells us to "speak the truth in love" for a reason. But attacking the exclusive claims of Christ is not the answer.

29:40 It is misguided, wrong headed, treacherous, to think that respecting another's faith confession is disloyal to our own. It is religious narcicism at its worst. We are not wise enough or good enough to judge the faith of others.

In one sense, he's right. I can't judge another man's heart. Good thing the Bible doesn't tell me to do that. I am told :to judge their fruit and confession. Again Jesus's own words in John 10 state

25 Jesus answered, “I did tell you, but you do not believe. The works I do in my Father’s name testify about me, 26 but you do not believe because you are not my sheep. 27 My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. 30 I and the Father are one.”

It seemed Jesus was able to judge people's confession quite easily: if they don't believe in him they aren't his sheep. I can't judge a man's heart, but I can tell you they aren't Christ's if they don't believe in him. Does this mean Jesus is, in Dr. Godsey's words, "misguided, rong headed, treacherous"? How about narcissistic?

30:00 most people are in their tradition because of where they are. We are children of our religious traditions.

An oft stated critique of religion in general is that you're born into it. However, it's a problem for him too. He's born at a time and place where religion developed a more pluralistic outlook. Does that mean I should say that because he was born under those circumstances I shouldn't listen to him? I should add, would he be saying this had be been born a hundred years ago? Had he been born in China? These things have no bearing on the truth or validity of the claims of Christ. And it would seem that he's decided to create a Christ he's comfortable with, but not the one who said "I am the way, the truth and the life".

I empathize with his aims of having religious dialogue. But attacking the exclusive claims of Christ is not the answer.

ESV New Classic Makoto Fujimura Edition | Giveaway

noreply@blogger.com (Frank Recinos) — Thu, 05 May 2011 00:22:00 +0000

This week marks the 400th anniverary of the King James Bible. In commemoration of that, the good people at Crossway commissioned the talented Christian artist Makoto Fujimura to create some incredible artwork for a commemorative ESV. Over at his blog, G.A. Dietrich is having a giveaway. I'd say it's something worth signing up for.

Live From The Desiring God Conference-Morning Session

noreply@blogger.com (Frank Recinos) — Sat, 30 Apr 2011 16:34:00 +0000

9:29
Spent a great time in praise and worship. Dr. Piper states, "Preaching does not follow worship, it is worship".
-We should see parables of God's glory everywhere.
-God's so called megalomania, is him seeking my joy.
-God is just stuck with being glorious, he can't point us anywhere else for Joy. He's the one being in the universe in which self-exhaltation is the most loving act.

9:30
-Think about why people do what they do. Why do they go to movies to get scared? Why do they jump out of airplanes, like in the trailer for Fast5. We were made to see galaxies made, not car crashes. Get a life! There's good stuff in the universe, not in the movies.

9:40
-No chapter on suffering in the first ed. of Desiring God. There has been one since then.
-Rom 2:9 Paul had unceasing anguish. Caring about the lost is anguish.
-2 Cor 11:28 Daily anxiety for all the churches.
-2 Cor 6:10 sorrowful, yet always rejoicing.
-2 Cor 7:5, 1:8 we despaired of life itself.
-Joy is not the absence of suffering. Joy is warfare.

9:46
-Always be on a quest, pursuing maximum joy in God.
-Delight Yourself in the Lord
-Pastors should work for the joy of their people 2 Cor 1:24. Paul's mission was working for their joy. Happy in God at the cost of his life, Phil 1:25
-We should pursue our Joy based on how faith is defined. John 6:35 Believing in Jesus is coming to him for soul satisfaction.

9:54
Evil is tasting God's all satisfying fountain and saying I don't like it, turning to the world and tasting the dirt and liking it. If you don't want to be evil, go to the fountain and drink and say awwww that's worship. People should come to church to GET GOD AND ALL OF GOD THEY CAN GET.

9:57
-Matt 13:44 Nothing is more precious than the Kingdom. Being in the Kingdom is having a King that valuable. -To treasure Christ is to be converted. Treasure is a noun and a verb.
-Deut 28:47 God threatens terrible things if we will not be happy.

10:04
-What about self-denial? Jesus says that we take up our cross and follow him. Why? So if we lose our life for him, we will save it. He wants us to save our life, so lose it!!!
-John 12:25

10:12
-Piper admits that he can only read as fast as he can talk. It's a weakness, but he can atleast read a paragraph and squeeze the juice out of it.
-Be ok with the way God made you and lay envy down. We should be glad with weakness.

10:17
-2 Cor 8:2,8 In their affliction, the Macedonians were abundant in Joy and generosity. That is love. What is love? The grace of God was shown in the churches. Sovereign Grace came down and took hold of these people. Affliction increased. Joy in creased. Poverty did not go away. The joy overflowed with a wealth of generocity. Love is the overflow of joy in God, that meets the needs of others. High pressure zone of joy meets a pocket of need is wind. That wind is love.
-The more authentic your joy in Jesus is, the more there will be an impulse to include other's in it.

10:24
-Evangelicals care about suffering, including eternal suffering.
-Jesus wants a cheerful giver. When you give, God wants you happy. Giving to look good is hypocrisy. Knowing it isn't joyful and still not hypocritical.

10:37
-Joy gets bigger when it is shared with someone else.
-Christ suffered, the righteous for the unrightouss, to bring us go God, as who's right hand pleasurres forever more. Psalm 40

11:05
-Didn't get to meet Dr. Piper. I was the next person to meet him, and a bunch of people cut in front of me. Dan it!!!!!!!!

11:08 Q and A
-If we can do all things to the glory of God, we can love the people in our lives to the glory of God without making them idols.
-How do you study and find time for devotional reading? John 15:11, the Bible is for your Joy. If it hasn't moved you, it hasn't accomplished it's purpose. We can come to the Bible bored.
-IOUS is an acronym Piper uses. I-Incline my heart to your testimonies Ps 119:36. The Psalmist prays to want to go to the Bible. O-Open my eyes to see wonderful things 119:18 U-Unite my heart to fear your name Ps 86:11 S-satisfy me in the morning with your love. Psalm 90:14
-Be rigorous in your meditation and attention to the words. Say it over and over til it is memorized. Savor it. Taste it. It will take time.

11:23
-How do we deal with our affluence in So.Cal yet tithe to little? Everyone in America is wealthy. We live in the Disneyland of the world, it's called America. There are warnings against the desire to be rich. There is nothing wrong with making a lot of money, but not with keeping a lot of money. You don't have to have all the accoutrements.
-The meek will inherit the world. We are on our way. When you turn 65, the finish line is closer, and you can see Jesus more clearly. So what should we do, build a house?

11:43
-Missions is displaying the superior worth of Jesus among unreached people groups. Showing that Islam, is false, buddhism is false, secularism is false and Jesus is true.

11:50
-What is the baptism of the Holy Spirit? 1 Cor 12:13 or Acts 1:8 or Luke 24 doesn't mean a second special event. It happens at conversion. We are made to drink of one Spirit. As Christians we are baptized in the Holy Spirit. Puritans used baptism's. In Acts 1, the people are already saved, but filled with the power of the Spirit. We can ask to be filled anew with the Spirit.
-Should you doubt your salvation if you're not treasuring Jesus? Not necessarily, it could only be a season. Nobody who is distant from Jesus should be comfortable with that.

God is doing a Nu Thang!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Frank Recinos) — Sat, 30 Apr 2011 07:01:00 +0000

Somehow, I doubt his career took off.

Live From The Desiring God Conference

noreply@blogger.com (Frank Recinos) — Sat, 30 Apr 2011 01:38:00 +0000

Friday Night
6:36-Registered for the conference and got a free book!

All attendants got a free copy of John Piper's Think. "It's your ticket in". Best ticket ever :)

So far I've met a friend and fellow blogger, and made friends with the good people at The Gospel for OC. I can't wait to see their coverage of this event. If you're following along, there's after party tomorrow as well.

7:08- The event should have started, but we're still waiting for people to make it. The place is definitely getting packed.

7:11-Rick Warren is up front shaking hands. That was random.

7:13- I should add that the event is very diverse. Lot's of Asians, Hispanic, White, Young, Old, Geek, Chic, etc... It truly is good to worship God with so many people from many backgrounds.

7:24-"You look like Franklin Graham, but better looking" Rick Warren said that to my Pastor. It's true, he does look like Franklin Graham.

7:34-Finally starting. Scott Anderson has given a great welcome.

8:05-Great time of worship. Now, Rick Warren is giving an introduction to tonight's message, and an encouragement to follow the leaders in our lives.

8:07 -Dr. Piper takes the state. Rick Warren is much bigger than him.

8:12-Why does he do this? Because it makes him happy. There are truth's that are just strong enough to still our boat when it is being rocked by things going on in the world. What is the origin of the book Desiring God? It was born out of the moral issue of being happy. At least it's in the Bible, so his back is covered.

8:14 The problem of motivation became a problem. Paul writes that it is good to be alone and living for other's. But he wanted to get married and be a minister. I want, I want, I want, I can't stop wanting. Human beings were made to want.

8:16 John PIper just started singing "Wouldn't it be nice" by the Beach Boys :) That is how he was feeling when he was engaged.

8:18 5 Steps
1. God and what motivates him
-How my wants relates to his wants.
-God is into being God. He has no one to report to but himself.
2. He bids all of us to join him in the goal that he be glorified.
3. The most important discovery: God is most glorified in me, when I am most satisfied in him.
-This is the banner that must fly over our lives.
4. The implications: We should devote our lives to being happy....in God.
-We must maximize our joy.
-Love is like a high pressure zone, that just wants to fill massive pockets of joylessness.
-It must expand to other people.
5. This is the only path to radical love for other people.

8:39- What drives God as the cross? Christ took on God’s wrath to show God’s righteousness. There is a link between sin and glory. People lack the glory of God.

It is God’s unwavering commitment to uphold the value of his glory. He didn’t sweep sin away, he dumped it on his son. Every day I wake up and say I’m not in hell, it’s a good day where I belong.

God does everything to display the infinite value of his Glory.

8:43 We are asked by God to join him in this goal. 1 Peter 4:11 Let him who serves, serve in the strength that God supplies, so that in everything GOd may get the glory. Be the receiver. We do the good works, God get's the glory.

8:59 -point 3: God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him.

It’s called desiring god, not arriving at joy in god, this isn’t finished sanctification, this is war. Don’t think any of your teachers is Jesus, none of us measure up to what we preach. John Piper

The Trinity: The nature of the Trinity is a reason for why God has designed us so that he is most satisfied in us when we are most satisfied in him.

They are 3 divine persons, one essence (appreciate the difficulty). The father has always had an image of himself, he’s always known himself, this knowledge is so full of all he is, that this self known is a fully divine person. The energy and love that flows between father and son (each with divine perfections) carries in it him, all he is, and a third person is there, The Spirit. So at the heart of God’s being is God knowing and God enjoying.

When he made us, he made our souls with two main capacities, the capacity to know and feel. What about will? The capacity to will and feel are the same.

9:07- God is glorified not only by his glories being seen, but in their being rejoiced in-Jonathan Edwards.

Phil 1:20-23 Why would death be gain? When he’s about to lose everything, and all he gets is Jesus. He’s losing everything but HIM.

9:19 -C.S. Lewis was a sceptic at 29. God’s constant command for us to praise him, is like an old woman wanting complements. Matthew 10:34-39 Some people would see Jesus’s words as an egomaniac.

Piper uses an ad for granola bars to make a point. Two people at the top of the mountain, “you never felt more alive, you never felt more insignificant”. Who are they marketing to? Do people like to feel insignificant? WHy do they go to the grand canyon, to feel big? Here’s the ad http://bit.ly/jECQ8f

Lewis realized that we praise what is praiseworthy. God is ultimately praiseworthy.

11:43 -Final Update
Wow, what a day! Dr. Piper has a lot of energy and passion for the message of joy in God. I'm really glad I got to meet some old friends, and made some new ones. Keep checking here and at twitter.com/frankfusion for my updates tomorrow.

Live Blogging Tonight's Desiring God Conference

noreply@blogger.com (Frank Recinos) — Fri, 29 Apr 2011 21:20:00 +0000

Tonight I'll have the pleasure of going to the Desiring God Conference being held at Saddleback Church (gasp!). I've always wanted to hear John Piper preach, so I'm glad to be able to share in that with a lot of Southern California Reformed bretheren. If you're going tonight, please let me know, I'd love to say hi. I'm really excited. Thanks again to my Pastor for playing a role in making this happen. You can find him over at his blog Treasuring Christ. See you guys later.