Take Your Vitamin Z

Powerful Testimony

noreply@blogger.com (Vitamin Z) — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 22:42:00 +0000

John MacArthur - Study Video from Together for the Gospel (T4G) on Vimeo.

What the Grinch Can Teach Us

noreply@blogger.com (Vitamin Z) — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 22:07:00 +0000

Tonight at 8:00 on ABC is Dr. Suess’ 1966 classic, How the Grinch Stole Christmas. I encourage you to watch it with your kids. Why? Besides Dr. Suess’ uncanny ability to tell a story, the Grinch can teach us a lot about “life together”–especially during this holiday season.
Read more here …

James MacDonald - Wise Up About Alcohol - Part 1

noreply@blogger.com (Vitamin Z) — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 20:00:00 +0000

James MacDonald is the Senior Pastor of Harvest Bible Chapel in Illinois. He is a very gifted communicator and has a ministry that reaches thousands through his preaching and various forms of media. I have personally benefited from his blog and find myself agreeing with much of what he has posted.

Recently Pastor MacDonald preached a sermon from his series on the Proverbs called "Wise Up About Alcohol". You can listen to the two parts here and here.

In the next few days I want to interact with what Pastor MacDonald presents here. I care little about resurrecting a tired debate about alcohol and Christians, but I think there are deeper issues in this message that I would like to address.

In his message he gives six reasons why he believes that total abstinence from alcohol should be the norm for all Christians. His six reasons are:

1. Because drunkenness is a sin and not a disease.
2. Because alcohol impairs wisdom.
3. Because alcohol is an unnecessary drug.
4. Because alcohol is destructive.
5. Because alcohol is addictive.
6. Because wisdom calls me to set it aside.

I want to start today by looking at point #1.

1. Because drunkenness is a sin and not a disease.

Agreed. I greatly appreciated Pastor McDonald’s thoughts there. The Bible always presents drunkenness as a sin issue and not a disease. What about genetic predisposition? There are conflicting studies about this and the subject is far from settled.

I would add that even if alcoholism was found to be a genetic disposition it wouldn't matter in the least. Christian theology has a category for this. In light of the Fall, Romans 8 speaks of the creation being subjected to frustration or futility. That means that on this side of The New Heavens and The New Earth, things don't work right. We are broken from the DNA on up. If alcoholism can be shown to be a "disease", this does not absolve anyone of the responsibility to address this as sin. I know that straight from the womb I have a disposition towards certain sin issues. I am still called to "put to death" these misdeeds (Col. 3:5).

Tomorrow I'll address his second point, that alcohol impairs wisdom.

What Is the Biggest Upcoming Theological Battle?

noreply@blogger.com (Vitamin Z) — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 19:19:00 +0000

R.C. Sproul answers.

Profile of Tim Keller

noreply@blogger.com (Vitamin Z) — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 19:10:00 +0000

NY Mag profiles pastor Tim Keller. The subtitle reads:

The evangelical Christian preacher says the secular holy trinity of money, ambition, and achievement is the root of all evil. So why are so many New Yorkers flocking to him?

Read the whole thing.

New MuteMath Video

noreply@blogger.com (Vitamin Z) — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 19:03:00 +0000

Here they are playing the same song on Letterman.

Whose Approval?

noreply@blogger.com (Vitamin Z) — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 16:43:00 +0000

D.A. Carson:

Would it be unduly cynical of me to suggest that most of us are more likely to feel troubled by something we have said or done that has upset a colleague or parishioner than by something that has dishonored God? Some do not want to be too closely associated with anything the scholarly guild judges old-fashioned or fundamentalist: that, surely, would be shameful. On the other hand, Jesus says some blunt things about those who are ashamed of him and his words (Mark 8:38). The question resolves into something pretty straightforward: Whose approval do we most earnestly desire? Whose approval do we want when we prepare for a lecture (whether to deliver it or to learn from it)? Whose approval do we seek when we preach a sermon? Whose approval matters most when we write a paper or slog away at a dissertation? Whose approval do we hunger for when we choose a vocation, decide how to use our time, take pains to build links of affection and accountability in the local church, exercise, bring up our children, nurture our families, read, lead a Bible study, help a neighbor?

(Editorial, Themelios, Nov. 2009)

Read the rest.

(HT: Mike Pohlman)

Girls Gone Mild

noreply@blogger.com (Vitamin Z) — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 15:46:00 +0000

Denny Burk:

Nightline ran a story last week called “Girls Gone Mild” about a program called “Pure Fashion” that encourages young girls to dress modestly. This story registers high on the counter-cultural meter, so I thought it would be worth passing along to you.
You can watch the video here or read the text version here.

He's Here

noreply@blogger.com (Vitamin Z) — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 13:24:00 +0000

Watch this with your kids as Christmas draws near.

Read more about The Jesus Storybook Bible here.

(HT: Timmy Brister)

Cyber Monday Deals

noreply@blogger.com (Vitamin Z) — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 13:12:00 +0000

Check it out here.

iPod Touch 8GB - $158. Best Price?

AmazonMP3 Daily Deal

noreply@blogger.com (Vitamin Z) — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 18:35:00 +0000

A Jolly Christmas From Frank Sinatra

by Frank Sinatra

Price:

$2.99

Jake and The USC Football Team

noreply@blogger.com (Vitamin Z) — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 16:57:00 +0000

Wow. This will make you cry. But you should watch it. Very powerful.

Christmas Business Boycott? No Thanks.

noreply@blogger.com (Vitamin Z) — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 01:49:00 +0000

Today I got an email from a prominent Christian ministry concerning all the businesses that fail to promote Christmas. They have a whole host of businesses rated on a scale from Christmas "Friendly", "Negligent", and "Offensive". Based on these three categories all these different stores get a rating. You can click over and see for yourself. You can then boycott the stores that use the words "Happy Holidays".

Here is how part of it reads:

Through our StandForChristmas.com site, you can provide feedback directly about whether or not select retailers are respecting Christmas. Our interactive system compiles shoppers' ratings of retailers, posts consumer comments and sends your message automatically to the retailer's inbox. (my emphasis)

This is your opportunity to rate your shopping experiences and share them with others--including the retailers! YOU decide which retailers are "Christmas Friendly!" Go here to post your ratings and to see our latest customer-generated rankings for retailers.

'Tis the season to expose folly!

In our country which was founded with the ideal of providing religious liberty, we can encourage genuine mutual respect amid diversity without denying the prominent place Christmas holds both here and worldwide. Our commonsense appeal is not to encourage retailers to be exclusive but to be more inclusive by notably featuring the word Christmas.

I am very excited about this new Focus on the Family Action™ effort. StandForChristmas.com puts you in the driver's seat! And I believe retailers will take note of how consumers are rating their Christmas shopping experiences.

Christmas is not only a memorable family time, it is the season in which we celebrate God's greatest gift to man. Christ is the centerpiece of our holiday season. Help us encourage the many retailers who are doing it well and urge those who censor the word "Christmas" to change their approach!

Why are we expecting non-believers to ascribe to something that means nothing to them? Does this help us promote the true meaning of Christmas? Why would we expect any different? I don't get it.

Whether unbelievers use the words Happy Holidays or Christmas is of little consequence as to their understanding of the Gospel. In my view, this kind of stuff only hurts our mission to communicate the truth of the Gospel. If you think people using the word Christmas somehow makes our materialistic holiday extravaganza more pure you are probably not paying attention very well. Boycotting secular businesses that do not exhibit the kind of behavior that we think they should is the last thing that an unbelieving world needs to see.

The main question this website asks is, "How Christmas Friendly Are Retailers?" What does retail have to do with the essence of Christmas anyway? Obviously, the true meaning of Christmas is very important to us and we want to teach our kids the meaning of Christmas, but that is not going to be found in any retail store, no matter how "Christmas friendly" they are.

Let's say that the CEO of Best Buy somehow stumbles upon this website and he happens to be a hard-core Christian skeptic. Do you think that this kind of a website is a helpful Christian witness for him? I doubt it. It serves the opposite goal. If we want people to cherish Christmas the path to seeing that accomplished is not paved with boycotts and angry comment sections on a public website.

Do we expect our unbelieving Muslim friends to acknowledge Christmas? Do we expect our unbelieving Hindu friends to acknowledge Christmas? Do we have unbelieving friends? Isn't this just a subtle (or not so subtle ) form of legalism?

What do you think?

Re-Visiting The Manhattan Declaration

noreply@blogger.com (Vitamin Z) — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 19:34:00 +0000

Kevin DeYoung with a good reflection on The Manhattan Declaration.

Justice Understood

noreply@blogger.com (Vitamin Z) — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 19:15:00 +0000

Great Testimony on Transracial Adoption

noreply@blogger.com (Vitamin Z) — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 16:22:00 +0000

(HT: Shawnda)

Consider A Very Easy Way To Help Our Church Plant on Black Friday

noreply@blogger.com (Vitamin Z) — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 15:59:00 +0000

Sorry for all the promo posts lately, but this one could be a huge blessing for our church plant in Madison, WI. Right now, as many of you know, we are raising money to get our church off the ground in 2010 or 2011.

Today, for one day only, you can be a huge blessing for The Vine if you want to do some of your Black Friday shopping on Amazon.com. If you use this link (or click on the image below) for today only I'll get 15% on whatever you buy. That is double what I usually get for people buying on Amazon through my affiliate links.

Amazon might be cheaper on a ton of things that you might want to get for family and friends for Christmas. Might be worth a look if you are going to be buying for Christmas anyway. Thanks!

AmazonMP3 Daily Deal

noreply@blogger.com (Vitamin Z) — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 15:13:00 +0000

Crazy Love (Amazon MP3 Exclusive Version)
by Michael Bublé

Price:

$3.99

Baby Zoowon - T-Day Sale

noreply@blogger.com (Vitamin Z) — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 19:54:00 +0000

Visit the site – or be a friend on Facebook. This would be a great idea for someone with a baby this Christmas. Gift a gift that serves orphans too!

"They Wouldn't Have To Leave Would They?"

noreply@blogger.com (Vitamin Z) — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 16:35:00 +0000

iMonk:

I’m supply preaching these days at a small Presbyterian church in town. I usually arrive half an hour early, turn on the heat and just enjoy the silence of the sanctuary until the congregation arrives.
Most of my folks live right around the adjacent blocks, some within walking distance. Last Lord’s day, two older ladies arrived together, having walked together from just around the corner.

“Yes,” one said, “we had a conversation with the girl that’s moved in across the street. We invited her to church and she said she might come. But she wanted to know if she brought her boyfriend, would she have to leave.”

For a moment, I was puzzled, but then it began to be clear to me.

“I’m guessing she lives with her boyfriend, right?” Both ladies nodded with a bit of embarassment. Co-habitation is hardly an unusual situation in southeastern Kentucky, but it’s still not a frequent topic with your minister.

The other lady- who has been listening to my preaching at this church for most of 13 years- looked at me and said “They wouldn’t have to leave, would they?”

Read the rest.

Happy Thanksgiving From The Swedish Chef - "Bork, Bork, Bork!"

noreply@blogger.com (Vitamin Z) — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 15:44:00 +0000

My kids would have watched this 100 times in a row if I would have let them. They had never seen The Swedish Chef before. Good comedy is ageless. I remember watching this stuff as a kid. Good memories.

(HT: Michael Kelley)

Some Thanksgiving Reading

noreply@blogger.com (Vitamin Z) — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 15:39:00 +0000

DG Blog:

Here are four past Thanksgiving meditations for you to read today if you'd like:

Pray for More Thanksgiving
A Tribute to Gratitude
3 Truths to Induce Thanksgiving
Ganging Up on Gratitude

AmazonMP3 Daily Deal

noreply@blogger.com (Vitamin Z) — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 14:38:00 +0000

For Black Friday, AmazonMP3 is listing a huge number of $5 MP3 recordings. It covers many different genres. Many of you will probably be interested the variety of choices. Check it out.

Here is the featured deal:

The 99 Most Essential Tchaikovsky Masterpieces (Amazon Exclusive)
by Various Artists

Price:

$1.99

The Blind Side - A Review

noreply@blogger.com (Vitamin Z) — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 22:52:00 +0000

Ben Witherington reviews The Blind Side. He writes:

You can count on the fingers of one hand the number of memorable football movies there are out there in which there is actually some decent acting and a good plot. When you add the requirement of it being a true story, there are even less to choose from (e.g. 'Radio'). It was then with considerable skepticism that I went to see 'The Blind Side', taking with me my best Missouri attitude (i.e.-- 'show me!'). Part of the skepticism was because this movie starred Sandra Bullock, not noted for her Oscar winning performances in the past. Let me just say--- I didn't see this coming, was blindsided by this movie. It is not only a thoroughly enjoyable movie based on a true story, Sandra Bullock actually deserves to be nominated in the best actress category for this film. Who knew she had it in her? Not me at least.

Read the whole thing.

Separated At Birth?

noreply@blogger.com (Vitamin Z) — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 22:48:00 +0000

Click here for more musical look alikes.