through the window

good

2011-10-31T10:29:00.001-04:00

Sara Groves' latest album, Invisible Empires, once again puts things in perspective, hits various proverbial nails on the head, and shares concerns and questions that are worth wrestling with.

From her song "Open My Hands":

"I believe in a peace that flows deeper than pain
The broken find healing in love
Pain is no measure of His faithfulness
He withholds no good thing from us"

WT

2011-07-29T08:15:00.003-04:00

"Prayer is the communication by which the weapons of warfare are deployed according to the will of God. Prayer is for war. ...The number one reason why prayer malfunctions in the hands of believers is that they try to turn a wartime walkie-talkie into a domestic intercom. Until you believe that life is war, you cannot know what prayer is for. Prayer is for the accomplishment of a wartime mission." – John Piper

Some references:

2 Corinthians 10:3-5
Revelation 12:17
Revelation 17:14
Ephesians 6:12-18
John 15:16-17

http://www.desiringgod.org/resource-library/conference-messages/prayer-the-work-of-missions

debilitating

2011-07-28T11:21:00.001-04:00

An insightful look at poverty. The end of this article is especially poignant.

http://www.missionfrontiers.org/issue/article/poverty-is-a-lie

Bryant Myers is quoted in the article as saying: "Poverty is a result of relationships that do not work, that are not just, that are not for life, that are not harmonious or enjoyable."

continuous

2011-07-23T22:42:00.000-04:00

"It is common but not reasonable for people to assume the Bible is what they thought it should be and not what it is." - Ralph Winter

Brief article here: http://www.ralphwinter.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=12:lets-be-fair-to-the-bible&catid=5:articles-information&Itemid=10

disciple

2011-07-13T12:55:00.004-04:00

David Platt, author of Radical: Taking Back Your Faith from the American Dream, speaking at a special Immersion held at The Navigators headquarters in August 2010

(The video is here: http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid599655671001?bctid=694516670001)

Matthew 28:18-20: “And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, ‘All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.’” (NASB) (Emphasis mine)

--------------------------------------------
David Platt on Matthew 28:18-20:

“Even this, as simple as it is, don’t we—don’t we have a tendency to miss it?

When you look at how to grow a church in our day—a few simple components, that if we can put together, will suffice.

First , you need a good performance—you need a good charismatic speaker. Do whatever you can to get the good charismatic speaker, even if you have to put him on video, make sure he’s a good speaker—like, do a hologram, it’d be even cooler. So start with this: performance. And it’s even better if you got cool music and the arts around it.

Now in order to house the performance, we need a place. So we spend our millions on a place for the people to gather for the performance.

Now once they come to the place, we’ve got to keep them coming back, and so we need programs for every age and stage—first-class top of the line programs.

Now in order to have that, we need professionals to run the programs. So we need to hire people who will run the programs. That way we can encourage our parents to drop their kids off, and we’ll take care of disciple-making for them—they need not try this at home.

This is the church I pastor. And I don’t want to even come across as being critical of church. This is the daily wrestling I have as a pastor—this philosophy is what the church I pastor has been engulfed in.

But missing in the whole picture of performances, and places, and programs, and professionals is people—the people of God.

What if the Kingdom was never intended to be advanced through performances at places with programs run by professionals? What if it was intended to be advanced by the people of God following after Christ, sharing life with one-another and taking the Gospel to the ends of the earth? And what if we can do that apart from all of those things [that is—performances, places, programs, and professionals]?

You say, ‘Well, I don’t know…’

Well, look at our brothers and sisters in the world. Listen, Cuba—okay. All these things [performances, places, programs, and professionals] are out the window in communist Cuba. So we go to this one small, impoverished Cuban house church. And this one small, impoverished Cuban house church has planted 60 other churches. We go to one of the other churches they planted—this church had planted 25 other churches, and so on and so on….

I sat down with this pastor and said, ‘How are you planting all these churches?’

And he said, ‘We make disciples.’”

- David Platt in August 2010

-------------------------------

sides

2011-05-16T11:22:00.000-04:00

Quite a statement:
"Joshua 5:13-14 is the story of the angel who appears to Joshua right before he takes Jericho. Whose side is the angel on? Neither. He is the Commander of the Lord’s army. Understanding that God is on His own side is a great place to start when we think about our enemies. God is neither “for” or “against” America. He is hoping we are on His side, but He’s not on ours." - Ted Dekker and Carl Medearis (Emphasis mine)

That quote is an excerpt from this thought-provoking article: Loving Bin Laden: What Does Jesus Expect Us To Do?

6.ways

2011-05-10T21:28:00.006-04:00

These videos are eye-opening and insightful. The first one is an overview of the six that follow. I encourage you to also find something among the resources I've listed below that interests you and check it out.

6 WAYS TO REACH GOD'S WORLD - OVERVIEW from Ken Haron on Vimeo.
The 5-minute overview video highlights a unique series of six additional segments designed to help Christ-followers more effectively show his love for all people from home, community and around the world.

6 WAYS - LEARN from Ken Haron on Vimeo.
One of the 6 Ways to Reach God's World video series: Learn, Pray, Go, Send, Welcome and Mobilize. Simple, yet powerful ways to make a difference from home and around the world.

6 WAYS - PRAY from Ken Haron on Vimeo.

6 WAYS - GO from Ken Haron on Vimeo.

6 WAYS - SEND from Ken Haron on Vimeo.

6 WAYS - WELCOME from Ken Haron on Vimeo.

6 WAYS - MOBILIZE from Ken Haron on Vimeo.

Further Resources:

6 Ways 2 Reach - http://www.6ways2reach.org
Perspectives on the World Christian Movement - http://www.perspectives.org/
US Center for World Mission - http://www.uscwm.org/
Joshua Project - http://www.joshuaproject.net/
Encountering the World of Islam - http://encounteringislam.org/
Every Ethne - http://www.everyethne.org/
Global Prayer Digest - http://www.globalprayerdigest.org/
Prayercast - http://prayercast.com/prayercast-list
Educating Children in Missions -(3 downloads) http://www.dualreach.org/missions/resources/Print-8.shtml
Mission Frontiers (The News and Issues Journal from the USCWM) - http://www.missionfrontiers.org/
The Traveling Team: Audio Downloads - http://thetravelingteam.org/?q=node/309
The Willowbank Report: Consultation on Gospel and Culture - http://www.lausanne.org/nl/all-documents/lop-2.html
Dr. Ralph Winter's "The Kingdom Strikes Back: Ten Epochs of Redemptive History" - http://www.ralphwinter.org/C/view.htm?id=61&section=2&part=3 (This is a gripping, fascinating article. Read each section by clicking through the links, starting with "Introduction," followed by "The First Half of the 4,000-year Story.")

objectivity

2011-05-06T12:23:00.002-04:00

A poignant response to Rob Bell's latest book Love Wins:
http://www.boundlessline.org/2011/03/how-firm-a-foundation-episode-166.html
(Skip to about halfway through the show to get to that particular segment.)

Some verses referenced:
Matthew 25:46
Luke 13:3
John 8:24
John 14:6
John 10:30
Luke 16:19-31
Matthew 13:49-50
Revelation 20:11-15
Hebrews 9:27
Mark 9:47-49

The referenced review of the book by Kevin DeYoung is summarized and also available in PDF format here:
http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/kevindeyoung/2011/03/14/rob-bell-love-wins-review/

Some quotes from the segment:
"If there's no divine retribution--no punishment of sin--God becomes less than holy, and the sacrifice Jesus made on the cross was actually unnecessary." Paraphrase of statement by Alex McFarland

"If I put more stock in the worthiness of man rather than the holiness of God and the clear revelation of scripture, that's really a type of idolatry" - Alex McFarland

"We are called to proclaim the gospel, not revise it; we are called to make disciples, not placate those that haven't been changed." - Alex McFarland

Stated things that support the reality of hell, punishment of sin, etc:
Scripture, sound reasoning, church history, church leaders, some of the best and brightest thinkers throughout history, and Jesus Christ Himself.....all support the doctrine of hell.

Words mentioned and discussed:
Exegesis
ex (Greek prefix) = to draw out of
Meaning: to draw the meaning out of the text

Eisogesis / Eisegesis
eis (Greek prefix) = to project into
Meaning: to project our meaning into the text

Objectivity - There is an objective meaning in the text.
Thus, the question to ask when reading scripture IS: "What does that mean?"
The question ISN'T: "What does that mean to you?" or "What does this mean to me?"
(And I might add, an appropriate question to ask when reading scripture passages is the following: "What does this passage reveal and emphasize about the character of God--Who He is, what He is about, what He has done and is doing?")

Paraphrased statement by Alex McFarland in the segment:
While man was not intended to go to hell, humanity that rejects God's way--humanity that chooses disobedience over fellowship with the Lord, the destination of the spiritually dead is hell....that's what the Bible teaches. I don't like it, that's why we have to tell the world about....the restoration that Jesus offers, about forgiveness and Christian growth.

dependency

2011-05-05T22:19:00.000-04:00

Thoughtful video about the wrong kind of dependency in mission work.

Dependency from U.S. Center for World Mission on Vimeo.

A very brief article accompanies the video at the link below.
(Video from here: http://www.uscwm.org/index.php/resources/detail_page/dependency/?tr=y&auid=7884016)

living

2011-04-09T16:26:00.001-04:00

"The foremost obstacle perhaps has been a narrow definition of evangelism, limiting it to the verbal presentation of the gospel. The Gospel of Jesus Christ, however, is not simply a spoken word; it is a Living Word. The gospel is Life. It is the incarnation of the Word of God into the cultures and lives of humankind." - James W. Gustafson

word

2011-04-04T11:35:00.000-04:00

Remarkable.

The Kimyal tribe in West Papua, Indonesia, receive the Bible translated into their own language.

commodity

2011-03-11T09:28:00.000-05:00

Eggsploitation is a documentary film by the Center for Bioethics and Culture.

http://eggsploitation.com/index.htm

The film presents the hidden dangers, health risks, and exploitation of young women through egg donation.

Three other brief videos on that main page illuminate more on this topic covered by the documentary.

Eggsploitation renders the medical risks of paid egg donation with care and truth in every detail and makes a thoroughly devastating case against the commodification of women and their eggs. - Donald Landry, MD, PhD, Chair, Department of Medicine, Columbia University School of Medicine

Eggsploitation is a compelling and revealing documentary that gives the viewer an up-close look at the flipside of the infertility industry. You will meet women whose lives were changed forever after undergoing the procedure for egg donation. Their disturbing and heart wrenching stories tell a cautionary tale to all women who are considering egg donation for the purpose of in-vitro fertilization or embryonic stem cell research. A must see film for researchers, physicians, professors, college students and feminists. - Kelly Vincent-Brunacini, President, Feminists Choosing Life New York

An informative FAQ page: http://eggsploitation.com/faq.htm

Summary of the documentary: http://eggsploitation.com/pr.htm

More articles, videos, and links with information on this topic are here: http://eggsploitation.com/resources.htm
-One such article: Eggsploitation Exposed, by Torey Hall

(This is shocking. I had no idea about this.)

u4u

2011-02-22T20:56:00.000-05:00

This song is very well done.
JJ Heller - "What Love Really Means"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PgGUKWiw7Wk

overpopulation

2011-02-18T09:57:00.002-05:00

This is an interesting video.

past

2011-01-25T12:47:00.000-05:00

"The Gospel has come to you and me because generations before us were faithful." - Dr. Charles Powell

huge

2011-01-25T12:42:00.001-05:00

Fascinating how Isaiah foretold the coming of Jesus, continuing God's mission to gather to Himself peoples from all nations (excluding none and honoring none above the rest, but desiring that all would come to know Him). He is good.

Isaiah 49:5-6
"And now the Lord says,
Who formed Me from the womb to be His Servant,
To bring Jacob back to Him,
So that Israel is gathered to Him
(For I shall be glorious in the eyes of the Lord,
And My God shall be My strength),
Indeed He says,
'It is too small a thing that You should be My Servant
To raise up the tribes of Jacob,
And to restore the preserved ones of Israel;
I will also give You as a light to the Gentiles,
That You should be My salvation to the ends of the earth.'"

that

2010-12-27T10:05:00.002-05:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DKk9rv2hUfA

trifling

2010-12-03T14:42:00.002-05:00

"Life as we know it in our painfully intricate civilization can be deadly unless we learn to distinguish the things that matter from those that do not. It is never the major things that destroy us, but invariably the multitude of trifling things which are mistakenly thought to be of major importance. These are so many that, unless we get out from under them, they will crush us body and soul..." - A.W. Tozer

It's true.
Sometimes a person is able to compose something in just the right way that it makes sense.
Tozer here makes sense.

And it is the "intricate civilization" of today that must be considered. With all its clamoring and clawing and grasping for every minutiae of our moments...plus more that we haven't to give, but wish we could, because there is so much to do (if only we could)...

The Age in which we live makes a multitude of things simpler, easier, and faster, and thus we are overwhelmed by all the possibilities. Yet we scramble to keep up, to stay in touch, to draw in all that information, to collect and gather and consume. And we don't want to miss anything. Why?

And our circle of acquaintances expands and expands, made possible through digital media, while our true relationships remain static in their small number (small because that is all we truly need)....or, dare I postulate, their numbers dwindle. We gain a sense of closeness and community and connectedness that is merely psychological, not actual, because we "know" what is going on in the lives of our many acquaintances....but we don't really know them. And we can't. We can't know them all.

I read stories and see films of times when life was simpler. When people walked, and talked, and sat, and thought, and did nothing. And I wish for those times to return. But in those times, life was often harder and often more dangerous. With advancements in technology and medicine and media there always arise new problems--new difficulties.

Perhaps now the difficulties and problems are less obvious, and we are too busy to notice their existence. Perhaps the problem with which to contend is Distraction.
Distraction caused by the multitude of information, of possibilities, of ideas, and things all at our fingertips.
Distraction from the things that actually matter.

Perhaps the weight upon many a shoulder is caused by those "trifling things" which we have mistakenly believed to be of necessity.

Somehow, we'll have to sift through all that is available and narrow down the virtually endless possibilities to find those things that are wholesome, meaningful, helpful, and focused. Somehow, we'll have to exercise restraint, to cut back, and to endeavor to be purposeful. At least, I know that's what I have to do. How?

clarification

2010-11-22T22:56:00.000-05:00

[The reason I asked readers to contact me (by commenting) if they would want to follow a new blog is because I will not be linking to it from this one. I would contact readers directly with the URL--that's the only way one would know where to find the new one. Said "new one" is still an idea in formation, but we shall see.] :)

near

2010-11-18T11:41:00.001-05:00

My thanks goes out to the couple of people who responded about wanting to follow a new blog if I switch. Such a blog would have been focused less on politics and more on my own thoughts and such musings. This blog was kind of just mentioning politics-related articles and such for quite a while, but I've found that there are things more important and much less divisive than politics. In order to begin a new type of blog, I wanted to actually create a new blog. :) Perhaps I still will make a new one, but at this point it seems unlikely. This blog shall remain open for a time. Eventually I'll delete posts and close it down. Thanks again to those of you who have commented on occasion. :)

leaving

2010-11-18T11:11:00.002-05:00

Brandon Heath | Leaving Eden from American Songwriter on Vimeo.

Question To Readers

2010-11-05T11:09:00.001-04:00

-
If I were to close this blog and possibly begin another,
would you be interested in following it?

If so, please contact me by leaving a comment on this post.
Include this info in your comment:
-Your name
-Your email address

Important Note About Your Comment:
Comments responding to this question won't be published (only I will see your name and email address).

juxtapose

2010-11-05T10:58:00.002-04:00

"But censorship is not the 'solution' to the 'problem' of offensive  speech. John Stuart Mill correctly observed that there are two types of  harm that arise from censorship. The first, and most obvious harm, is  that censorship may deprive people of the truth. The second, and less  obvious harm, is that censorship may deprive people of a greater  appreciation of the truth via its juxtaposition with falsity." - Mike Adams 

genuine

2010-11-01T13:55:00.000-04:00

“ Christ very rarely called men ‘sinners’ and as far as we know never attempted deliberately to make them feel sinners, except in the case of the entrenched self-righteous, where He used the assault and battery of scathing denunciation. (This, we may surmise, is an instance of what He saw to be a desperate ill requiring a desperate remedy.) Some evangelists, whose chief weapon is the production of a sense of sin, would find themselves extraordinarily short of ammunition if they were obliged to use nothing but the recorded words of Christ. This is not, of course, to say that the life and words of Christ did not produce that genuine sense of guilt and failure which is outlined above, but it is undeniable that He did not set out to impress a sense of sin on His hearers.” - J.B. Phillips in Your God Is Too Small

Many a speaker have I heard use the "you are dirty, you are filthy rags" mantra in order to coerce listeners (generally teens) into some artificial sense of sin. The intentions are good, perhaps (bringing the lost to salvation), but the method is wrong, skewed, ineffective. Jesus did not emphasize some impossible attainment of perfection, to which His listening audience could not compare. Jesus didn't humiliate people. He taught, instructed, lead, and discipled. He showed everyone what the character of God looked like, "...focused and functioning in ordinary human circumstances..." (J.B. Phillips).

fahrenheit

2010-10-29T09:32:00.000-04:00

I have been listening to Fahrenheit 451 on my computer (downloaded audio book from my library). It is fascinating.

An excerpt (I have added the headings to keep it straight who says what):

Faber:"Well, there we have the first thing I said we need. Quality, texture of information.
Montag: "And the second?"
Faber: "Leisure."
Montag: "Oh, but we've plenty of off-hours."
Faber: "Off-hours, yes. But time to think? If you're not driving a hundred miles an hour, at a clip where you can't think of anything else but the danger, then you're playing some game or sitting in some room where you can't argue with the four-wall televisor. Why? The televisor is 'real.' It is immediate, it has dimension. It tells you what to think and blasts it in. It must be right. It seems so right. It rushes you on so quickly to its own conclusions your mind hasn't time to protest, 'What nonsense!'"
-From Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury (Part 2: The Seive and the Sand, page 84)