Friends, Food and Fun

A few weekends ago we packed up and headed to Chicago. I needed to finish getting some Continuing Education credits, so we decided to do it in Chicago and to make a mini-vacation out of it.

The plan was for Wally to stay with our dear friends, the Giddenses, but somehow he hurt his back at the last minute and wouldn't move because of the pain, so the vet thought it would be best if he came with us. Praise the Lord that the hotel we had already booked and payed for accepted pets! (By the way, Wally seems to be fine now.)

Our first night in Chicago we ate at Gino's East with some sweet friends, the Hutchesons and the Anizors. Both of these couples were in our current Sunday school class before God led them to Chicago. It was so great to catch up with everyone. It's hard not to see the Hutchesons and the Anizors on a regular basis, but God is doing great things in their lives. After our deep-dish Chicago pizza, we headed over to Ghirardelli for some hot chocolate. It was freezing out, so that really hit the spot! Our time with our friends was brief, but it just gives us one more reason to go back!

The rest of our time in Chicago was great too. We spent most of the time walking along the Magnificent Mile, which is this part of town that stretches for a mile and is lined with big stores. It was so beautiful! There were a lot of people out doing their Christmas shopping, the trees were draped with bright white lights, the snow was coming down and best of all, I was experiencing all of it with my best friend. We also ate at Giordano's, which we think we've both decided is our favorite of the Chicago pizza places we've tried so far.

I spent our last morning in Chicago getting my CE credits while Ryan studied, packed and loaded the car. Before we left Chicago, we stopped at Chipotle. Still no clue why Chipotle hasn't made it to Louisville yet, but we're still hoping it will soon.

We had a great time in Chicago. We've already been twice this year, but we can't wait to go back!

"The Gods Aren't Angry" and The Wrath-Appeasing Blood of Jesus

No comparison: This was my favorite part of the day. That ringing bell signaled my release from the mundane into the glorious. Every recess, from First Grade through Sixth, I raced from the classroom to the soccer field. Well, on this day, I never made it to the field. En route to the big game, my sprinting sidestep to avoid Alicia collided with her sidestep to trip me. I was airborne for what seemed like half of recess. Finally, though, I had to come down. I stood, ready to rejoin the race to the game. But before long, a concerned classmate noted the blood freely flowing down my leg. Whether it was my insensitivity to pain or, more likely, the adrenaline, I didn't feel the jagged fall-breaking rock break my skin.

After attempting to cure the cut in the bathroom--and after the school thug offered to suck the intruding rocks out of my gaping knee with a straw--I realized I could not heal myself, and this wound could not go undressed. The school nurse will know what to do!

Sure enough, my worries were quickly eased as I sat under the comforting care of this professional. After all, healing was her business, and she got right to work. Her best butterfly bandage did the trick. I had missed the game, but I wouldn't tomorrow. Thank you very kindly, nice nurse. All better. And best of all, the solution was painless.

When I got up to return to class, my bent knee broke the butterfly. Her healing didn't hold. My wound was deep, and her consolation was shallow. What I needed was more costly and less comfortable comfort.

Jeremiah wasn't given a popular message. For hundreds of years, God's chosen people were committing atrocious injustice against one another and, worse, they gave their hearts and bodies to other gods, committing adultery in the high places, cheating on their faithful, loving husband, Yahweh. In his mercy and because of his love, Yahweh provided a way through sacrifice for sinners to dwell with the holy, but he was personally affected by the unfaithfulness of his people. And God's anger would not be stayed forever. God sent Jeremiah to warn the people to repent and return to Yahweh, for his wrath was about to bring the punishment they deserved: Exile, loss of God's presence and their promised land. But I'll let Jeremiah and Yahweh tell it (from Jer 6):

Yahweh: Flee for safety, O people of Benjamin, from the midst of Jerusalem! For disaster looms out of the north, and great destruction. The lovely and delicately bred I will destroy, the daughter of Zion. This is the city that must be punished; there is nothing but oppression within her. As a well keeps its water fresh, so she keeps fresh her evil; violence and destruction are heard within her; sickness and wounds are ever before me. Be warned, O Jerusalem, lest I turn from you in disgust, lest I make you a desolation, an uninhabited land."

Jeremiah: To whom shall I speak and give warning, that they may hear? Behold, their ears are uncircumcised, they cannot listen; behold, the word of the LORD is to them an object of scorn; they take no pleasure in it. Therefore I am full of the wrath of the LORD; I am weary of holding it in.

Yahweh: "Pour it out upon the children in the street, and upon the gatherings of young men, also; both husband and wife shall be taken, the elderly and the very aged. Their houses shall be turned over to others, their fields and wives together, for I will stretch out my hand against the inhabitants of the land. For from the least to the greatest of them, everyone is greedy for unjust gain; and from prophet to priest, everyone deals falsely. They have healed the wound of my people lightly, saying, 'Peace, peace,' when there is no peace. Were they ashamed when they committed abomination? No, they were not at all ashamed; they did not know how to blush. Therefore they shall fall among those who fall; at the time that I punish them, they shall be overthrown.

Stand by the roads, and look, and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way is; and walk in it, and find rest for your souls. But they said, 'We will not walk in it.' I set watchmen over you, saying, 'Pay attention to the sound of the trumpet!'
But they said, 'We will not pay attention.' Therefore hear, O nations, and know, O congregation, what will happen to them. Hear, O earth; behold, I am bringing disaster upon this people, the fruit of their devices, because they have not paid attention to my words; and as for my law, they have rejected it. What use to me is frankincense that comes from Sheba, or sweet cane from a distant land? Your burnt offerings are not acceptable, nor your sacrifices pleasing to me.

The people's sacrifices were unacceptable to Rob Bell too. Last week, some friends and I caught "The Gods Aren't Angry" tour at the Brown Theater in Louisville. From first applauded step on the stage to his last emotional appeal for audience peace, Bell masterfully communicated his message. Nearly a two-hour engagement, and the whole theater was engaged all the way (save maybe three dozing members of our group).

What Bell does so well is draw his hearer into his world. We walked with him through the fields of ancient civilizations. Bell showed us how people resolved to make sense of their world, and how they realized that the produce of their land and their relationship to other creatures--really the value of their life--were related somehow to a divine being they could not coerce or control. As these sincerely seeking people searched for god, they didn't have to look far to see truly magnificent powers they couldn't coerce or control. So they made the sun and moon and stars and rain and seas their gods. Bell took us to the altars where people offered sacrifices to these gods in hopes that the people would be blessed with better crops, submissive game, and peace with rival tribes. For all their searching, the people never found good reason for why they constantly were struggling against a cursed ground, cantankerous creatures, and embittered enemies. One thing is certain, though: The gods are angry. For their own good, the people did all they could to appease the gods' anger, however unwarranted.

Self-determined sacrifices were offered to self-made statues of the gods the people could not coerce or control but to whom they wanted to relate. And though they found relief in offering the gods sacrifices, that relief was fleeting. Therefore, greater sacrifices were made, till the people cut themselves to give their own blood for appeasement. They even started offering their beloved firstborn to satisfy the irrationally angry, supremely powerful gods. But they weren't satisfied. The gods' anger seemed unquenchable, so the people's mysterious sense of guilt endured.

Bell then took us to the Bible to find hope for this desperate situation. He showed us Abraham, an idolator, who, according to Bell, for the first time in the history of the world, was spoken to by a Divine. Before, people could only guess who the gods were. It was astonishing for a Divine to actually stoop down to relate to a person. What's more astonishing was what the Divine said to Abraham. "Leave your father's household, and come to a land that I will give you. And I will bless you." When the Divine told Abraham to leave his father's household, Bell explained, he was telling Abraham to leave his father's worldview, specifically his misunderstanding that the gods were angry with people and must be appeased with sacrifices.

Even though Abraham's Divine was unlike the angry pagan gods, Bell said the Divine still set up a sacrificial system. But over the years, the priests in charge of the Temple services became solely focused on turning a profit. So, when a man somehow related to the Divine, shows up, he drives the greedy out of the Temple with a whip. More, Jesus announced that he would tear down the Temple and rebuild it in three days. Though the religious leaders thought him crazy for suggesting such speedy building, this Jesus was becoming more popular, so his threats to tear down their place of business was a threat that could not go unpunished. The religious leaders resolved to kill Jesus. And though this Jesus had performed amazing miracles and was clearly powerful, he went silently to his death. All the while the watchers wondered why this great man with great power did not object at this scandalous conviction and unjust death sentence. Heightening the audience's confusion, Jesus prays for forgiveness for his murderers even as they are murdering.

Bell relieved his hearers with an explanation of Jesus' final moments. To model his extravagant love and to make clear the truth that the Divine is not angry like the pagan gods, Jesus had to be different. He had to be counter-cultural. Everyone would expect Jesus to exhibit his power and lash out at the corrupt religious leaders and bloodthirsty executioners. But Jesus didn't, and he achieved his aim: To show people the love of God, that the old way of doing things was wrong and over, and that those who want to know the Divine will live loving, counter-cultural lives like Jesus.

Bell then helped the audience to know how they may live the way the Divine intends. Let people know that the culmination of the ages has come in the reconciliation of all things that Jesus achieved. It is done. No one has to feel guilty about anything anymore. That's the old way, and it was derived from perceptions of false gods anyway. The Divine is not like them. He is not angry. He is love. Therefore, show love to people. Let them know they don't have to live the old routine of guilt and appeasement and more guilt.

We show the love of the Divine when we buy groceries for people who need it. Bell even told a story of a friend whose other friends bought her a house when she could no longer pay the mortgage of her old one.

Bell told tragic stories too. A young lady he was talking to told him that she slit her wrists to dull the painful guilt she carried. "Why?" Bell asked. "Where would this girl--who lives in the most technologically advanced culture in the history of the world, who lives thousands of years and thousands of miles from those confused ancient people who spilled their blood in guilt--where did she get this idea that she was guilty and had to cut herself?"

Bell's presentation climaxed with his revelation. Carrying the burden of guilt and pressure, one of Bell's friends told him one day, "You don't have to live like this." Bell quickly said, "Yeah, I know..." "No, Rob, you don't have to live like this. You don't have to live like this. You don't have to live like this. You don't have to live like this. You don't have to live like this. You don't have to live like this. You don't have to live like this."

"Repentance," Bell closed, "is awakening to the reality that the culmination of the ages has come, and reconciliation has been made. You don't have to live like this. You don't have to live like this. You don't have to live like this. You don't have to live like this. You don't have to live like this. You don't have to live like this."

Ovation rang when Bell finished. Nearly a theater full of patrons left seemingly satisfied and, perhaps, encouraged. But I wonder what they were encouraged to do. What I couldn't stop thinking about during Bell's performance was: Why did Jesus have to die? Specifically, why did he have to die the death he did? Could God in his infinite wisdom not have come up with a solution for giving people an extravagant exhibition of his love without his Son having to be betrayed, tortured, and murdered? And if Bell's explanation doesn't explain why Jesus died the way he did, it certainly doesn't tell why he lived the life he did.

Bell pondered a most-interesting question: How is it that a 17-year-old girl living thousands of years and thousands of miles from those confused ancient people who spilled their blood in guilt...how is it that she too went to morbid lengths to relieve the guilt she felt? Why did she feel guilty? Why is it that people across time and space have always participated in rituals that include sacrifices for the purpose of appeasing the wrath they sense in a god? Just look at this week's news for another example. An Indian man killed two dogs, whose bodies he hung from a tree. Fifteen years later he still carries the guilt of his childhood offense and believes he is cursed. His astrologer's solution: Marry a dog. So he did.

Why do people from all time feel guilty and responsible? Is it true, like Bell suggests, that they are victims of false traditions and notions that the gods are angry? Or is it possible their sense of responsibility is real? Is it possible they actually are guilty?

Could it be that this is exactly what Paul spoke about in Romans 1?

For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.

Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.

The ancient people Bell introduced to us looked to the skies--the sun and moon and stars--and knew there was something divinely powerful out there, something or someone they could not coerce or control. They knew--and we know--God exists, and he deserves our obedience. But our foolish hearts are darkened. We know we're guilty, and we long to relieve our guilt. So we name our gods the sun and moon and stars and money and sex and feeling good about ourselves in the name of "love." We worship those things instead of our Creator.

Isn't it possible that Bell has misunderstood? That it's not that we unnecessarily feel guilty, but we feel guilty because we are guilty. And we look to professionals who surely know better than we. We're delighted when they tell us, "Peace, peace," but there is no peace. Not in their prescriptions. The pagan priests' remedies never satisfied the gods' wrath or the people's guilt. The religious leaders of Jeremiah's day wrongly comforted the people, whose evil hearts were not cured by their outward obedience. The Indian man's astrologer will be shown a charlatan. And Bell's gift groceries will run out. My nurse's butterfly bandage didn't hold, and neither will Bell's.

There's truth to Bell's comments. Yahweh is not like the pagan Gods; they had no reason to be angry because they had no relationship to the people. But Yahweh does. Anyone trying to understand the plight of humanity and who God is will likely get confused if they start with Abraham, rather than Adam. We're wise to open the Bible to Genesis 1, not skip to Chapter 12. And we quickly learn that Abraham was not the first person in history to whom God stooped down to reveal himself.

In Genesis 1, we see the Creator at work. In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth, in fact all that exists (Gen 1:1-2). It is by royal fiat—not by manipulation of pre-existing material—that God creates. God commands, and light shines; an expanse separates the waters; the waters gather, and the land is set; vegetation sprouts and yields seed; the Sun, moon, and stars are established; sea creatures, flying birds, and livestock take their places (Gen 1:3-25). He will not have chaos, and all do his bidding.

On the sixth day, God creates humanity to be like himself, for man is created "in God's image." Without question, all God’s creative work culminates in his creation of man. Mankind is to have dominion on earth (Gen 1:26). Made male and female, mankind is commanded to be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it (Gen 1:27-28). After all his decrees are executed, God the King reveals himself as God the Judge and declares his final evaluation, “It is very good” (Gen 1:31). On the seventh day, God rests from his work, having accomplished all he set out to do.

Yahweh gives man permission to eat of any tree in the garden, except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Gen 2:16-17). When Yahweh forbids man from eating of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, it is telling that he does so with the promise of punishment for disobedience. And the punishment for sin is not a slap on the wrist, but death. That Yahweh takes sin seriously is evident in his demand of perfect obedience; just one sin is all it would take for man to be punished with death.

God gave man breath to live (Gen 2:7), food to eat (Gen 2:16), and a purpose for living (Gen 1:26-28). Just like the animals, man is a creature and, as such, is utterly dependent on his Creator. Utterly unique from the animals, though, man is made in God's image and, thus, is uniquely responsible to live as God has intended. Man is responsible to God because he is related to God as his image. That is why God is just and right to cast Adam and Eve out of the Garden for their first sin of disobedience (Gen 3). Cursed ground, cantankerous creatures, and warring people are all explained in the curse Adam received because of his sin (Gen 3:14-19).

Notice though that God's judgment mingles with mercy. God sounds a promise of redemption: The seed of the woman would crush the head of the seed of the serpent (Gen 3:15). One of Eve’s sons would succeed where his father, Adam, failed. Yahweh makes clear that Adam and Eve’s hope for salvation is found in another.

The Scriptures show the true picture of humanity. It is not that people feel guilty but are not; every person after Adam is guilty because they have sinned (Gen 6:5). God takes sin personally because it is rebellion against his rightful rule as King of the universe, and God is angry.

Adam and Eve wanted to decide for themselves what was right and wrong, and they disobeyed God's command (Gen 3:5). Likewise we pervert morality and determine for ourselves what's right and wrong. We come up with solutions for guilt and try to appease God by offering babies in sacrifice or cutting ourselves, hoping some blood will work, even if our hearts aren't in the right place.

God and Jeremiah were angry because though the people were offering sacrifices, their hearts betrayed them because all the while they were worshipping other gods and treating people terribly. And the Bible says all are guilty. All have gone astray and sinned (Isa 53:5; Rom 3:23). But God's not only angry with sinners, he also loves them because they are his precious creatures (Rom 5:8). So he sent his Son to earth to become a man who could stand in place of man. Infinitely more than "somehow related" to God, Jesus is his Son, the God-man. And he lived life just like us, only Jesus did so without sin. He was tempted in every way, but he always obeyed (Heb 4:15).

Bell's right, Jesus did face false charges and was sentenced to death though he committed no crime. And Bell's right that Jesus' silence en route to execution is an extraordinary demonstration of his love for people. But it's a demonstration of Jesus' great love not just because he didn't retaliate against evil men. Jesus demonstrated his love in silence because he would not protest or try to stop the death that was demanded. Jesus had to die! This is why he lived. And he had to die because sin earns the death penalty, and Jesus came to stand in place of beloved sinners. Compared to all the priests before who sacrificed at the altar, Jesus brought a better sacrifice; he brought himself. The spotless lamb of God. Paul says Jesus—being hung on a tree—became a curse for the sinners for whom he died (Gal 3:10).

Signaling the sufficiency of Jesus' sacrifice (and that God's wrath was appeased), God raised Jesus from the dead.

Bell's right: Because of Jesus' death on the cross, the old ways of sacrifices to appease God's anger are gone. They're gone not because they never were valid but because Jesus has initiated a new covenant between God and man, and it's marked by forgiveness of sins (see Jer 31). The old way was replaced because the blood of bulls and goats could not bring forgiveness of sins (Heb 10:4). But the blood of the sinless Son of God does. Sins that bring guilt are the problem, even if Bell doesn't acknowledge it. People are guilty, and God is angry. The wrath of God is still aimed at those who have not repented and believed and obeyed Jesus (John 3:36). And that wrath is sure to reach them on the day of judgment, when they have no hope (Rev 6:16-17).

Jesus died then not just to exemplify love. Jesus died primarily to take the righteous wrath of God that was aimed at sinners (Rom 3:21-26). It is his substitutionary atonement that gives meaning to the loving display. Jesus faced the judgment, so sinners would not have to.

Bell has missed the mark with repentance, which he said is done when people wake up to the reality that they are not guilty. But the Bible defines repentance as realizing guilt and turning away from sin and to Jesus in faith.

Bell doesn't address sin, yet sin is exactly what Jesus came to address. Bell leads people to believe that no one is guilty and no one stands before an angry God. But the benefits of Jesus' sacrificial death are bestowed on those who give their lives to the Savior who spilled his blood and life for them. There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved (Acts 4:12).

In Bell's "The Gods Aren't Angry" Tour, he doesn't suggest that anyone is justifiably separated from God. Bell's presentation leads the audience to believe no one is guilty and that all anyone has to do to be reconciled to God is wake to that reality and embrace Jesus. To get a fuller understanding of Bell's theology, stop by his church's Web site, and read his Narrative Theology and his comments on the New Exodus. There, Bell mentions the problem of sin, but I still get the sense that guilt and punishment are less than primary to the issues that Jesus addressed on his cross. For Bell, it seems that a liberated and more loving society is the end to which Jesus lived and died. But when Jesus' substitutionary punishment goes unmentioned or is just an afterthought, the proclaimer may comfort people all the way to the eternal judgment their unforgiven sins has earned them. Bell surely doesn't want that.

The Bible is clear: Out of your love for Jesus, do love people. Do feed the hungry, and clothe the naked, and provide for the poor (Matt 25). But do it because you were a great sinner saved by a great Savior! Our hearts are wicked from birth, and we can do no good thing till our hearts are changed by the wrath-appeasing blood of Jesus, whose substitutionary punishment we accept and then are able to do worthy things, for the glory of God and good of man (Gen 6:5; Jer 17:9; Heb 11:6).

If God is not angry--if we have done nothing wrong to earn God's anger--we don't need Jesus. Man is cursed and gone astray (Gen 3; Isa 53). But you don't have to live like this (1 Pet 2:24). Repent of your sins, and believe in Jesus. And if you do, God is not angry at you; he has nothing but love for you. And that is good news...

Pampered Chef Party

Last night I hosted my first Pampered Chef party. It was actually only my second Pampered Chef party to attend. It was a lot of fun. Quite a few girls were able to come over, and while the girls hung out at our house, the boys went over and played cards at the Ostranders' house.

We made wreaths out of pretzels and white chocolate and learned how to make Festive Cranberry Crunch Bark as well as Celebration Cookies. We also got to learn about some of the fun Pampered Chef toys.

Thank you to all of you who were able to come and play last night. My show closes this coming Sunday, but between now and then, if you would like to order something or would like to schedule to host your own show, please let me know. Their products also make great Christmas presents! Click here to browse the Pampered Chef website.

Mavs with the Giddenses

There are an amazing number of our friends who are from Texas. Well, we recently got to talking with some of our Texas friends, Tory and Kedra, and discovered that we are all Mavs fans. And by Mavs, of course I am talking about the Dallas Mavericks. We checked the NBA schedule and saw that the Mavs were playing in Indianapolis, which is only a two hour drive. We bought tickets, and last Friday, the six of us (Tory, Kedra, Abigail, Nathan, Ryan and I) headed to Indy.

Unfortunately, it was a heartbreaking loss for the Mavs, but we had a lot of fun. Great memories with sweet friends...what could be better!?

Recent Happenings

As the semester draws to an end, life has been a bit more chaotic than normal. Here are some highlights from the last few weeks:

•Girls' night at Carrabba's to celebrate Jaimie's birthday. Happy birthday, JZ!

•Beautiful fall colors. The leaves are so pretty this time of year. We were able to marvel at God's creativity last fall, but just today Ryan and I had the joy of raking up all the leaves after they fell. Seriously, we had so many leaves in our yard. I wish I had stopped to take pictures of our enormous piles of leaves, but we were trying to beat the impending thunderstorm. God so graciously held off the rain until the moment we were tying up the last bag of leaves. Thank you, Lord!

•I had a few days off from work, so Ryan and I made a day trip to Indianapolis (aka: "Indy"). We walked around downtown and along the canal. It was a relaxing way to spend the day.

•Fellowship at the McHardy's for our monthly small group meeting. The McHardy's live in a large house provided by Operation Appreciation (a ministry that reaches out to soldiers stationed nearby). I don't think you could ever run out of things to do at that house--ping pong, darts, air hockey, foosball, pool and so much more. It's incredible! We also had the privilege of babysitting Abigail and Nathan Giddens that night. It was fun getting a glimpse of what it will be like to one day expand our family.

•Thanksgiving at the Willemses'. We were so blessed to celebrate with the Willemses, Carey's family, the Giddenses and the Borns. It can be difficult to be so far from our family, but what a blessing to have such a great family of friends here. The feast was incredible, mostly provided by Carey's mom. The dessert was so good too. I think we had every cake/pie/cookie/brownie imaginable! For those of you who know me well, you know there were no objections on my end when we were sent home with a sampler plate of all the desserts.

Ganging Up on Gratitude: Piper Responds to the Thankless

I wish I had discovered this before today, but it's well worth sharing still. This week, John Piper responded to recent comments from famed atheist Christopher Hitchens and from former clergy John Shelby Spong. Each degraded gratitude: Hitchens for its implication that God is worth thanking; and Spong because giving thanks is weak. Take in Piper's illuminating remarks.

Surprisingly, Piper doesn't likewise address the two cents of Spong's counterpart, Dwight K. Schrute.

Procrastination's Cure: The Emergent Church

Few things infuriate me more than the Health & Wealth Gospel, how Osteen and others even less subtle are leading millions to hell by holding out a Jesus who was betrayed, tortured, and murdered just so you can drive a Bentley or get a promotion over the "unfaithful" or never get cancer or have your best life now.

Perhaps a close second are the truth-for-tolerance traders in the Emergent Church. Sure, Brian McLaren can turn a clever phrase. And Donald Miller helped me to remember that true faith is proven in faithful living, that Jesus meant what he said when he called his disciples to clothe the naked and feed the hungry and provide for the poor. However, in the name of relevance, the Emergent movement has lost its belief. To make Jesus more attractive to its hearers, Emergent reps don't mention the virgin birth, the wrath of God, the responsibility of people, Jesus' resurrection. Along the way, they've lost Jesus and present their hearers a prescription for peace, when they have no peace.

With papers due and finals coming, I have too much to do in the next two weeks. And when I get overwhelmed, shamefully, I procrastinate. During my putting off, I stopped by my daily blogs and found John MacArthur's Pulpit Magazine, which just responded to Emergent leader Rob Bell's new show, "The Gods Aren't Angry" (see the review, here). And I was reminded why I study: False gospels abound. Ministers of the gospel (including those who make their living in other ways), give yourselves to the faithful study and proclamation of God's word!

Till people see the glory of their Creator, who deserves His creature's obedience and allegiance...till they see that all have gone astray and sinned against their holy God, and that God's wrath is rightly aimed at them for unfaithfulness...until then, no one will know his need for a Savior. He will not see Jesus, who lived the life no other man did, and who, on the cross, took the punishment deserved by the sinners He came to save (Isa 53, 2 Cor 5.21). Alas, sinners will only know peace with God when they trust in Jesus only for salvation. And from that salvation, yes, believers' lives will be changed, and they will relate to God and others rightly.

We do listeners more than a disservice when we mislead them into believing that God is not angry with those who do not believe in Jesus. Rom 1.18-23: For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.

Paul--not Joel and not Rob--reveals the real good news of the gospel--that God is wrathful and loving. Rom 5.8: God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Though the time has come when people have accumulated for themselves teachers to suit their passions (love of self and money), contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints!

We are Adam: A Day of Dominion

Along with three dear friends, I recently had the opportunity to exercise dominion over Rough River creation (see Gen 1.26-28). To see images of image-bearers bearing God's image, stop by Tory's blog. But first, see what Notoryous T.D.G had to say about my response to the Cultural Mandate:

It was 22 degrees, but we were well prepared for the night: Dan and I in the tent with our sleeping bags, Ryan and Eric in the car with the heater on. To Eric's credit, all he had was an old bed sheet while the rest of us hunkered down in our 20 degree sleeping bags. Turns out, Ryan had brought two 20 degree sleeping bags, one of which had been laying tightly rolled up within arms reach of Eric the entire night before they made their 6 AM dash to the 4 Runner. Ryan brought handy wipes, too...very resourceful.

Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, Part 3

Well, the home makover is complete! We only went to watch it once, but it was fun getting to see the progress every time we drove by. As the home was revealed to the Hughes family, Patrick was presented a 3-D model of it so he could tell what it looked like.

Here's the Hughes' original home:

Here's the Hughes' new home:

The Louisville Courier Journal has many articles about the makeover, including this one, but here are a few highlights:

•The family — which packed for both a warm- and a cold-weather vacation — was surprised and flown to London for the duration of the makeover. Their house was demolished Nov. 9.

•Construction began later that day and continued through the weekend until, 105 hours later, a new house stood in place of the other.

•Their above-ground pool has been replaced with a handicapped-accessible ground-level pool, complete with a wheelchair ramp coming from Hughes' new, apartment-like portion of the home.

•One of the most amazing aspects of the house is a verbal-command automation system that has been installed in Patrick's portion of the 3,200-square-foot home.

•The home is equipped with technology that is able to respond to 350 verbal commands, from opening doors to changing the channel on the flat-screen television to telling the time or outside temperature.

•"The coolest thing is that Patrick can say, "Computer goodnight" and the system prepares the home for bedtime. It shuts off or dims lights, makes sure the doors are locked and will even play mellow nighttime music.

One of My Favorite New Songs: Embracing Accusation

For the last few weeks, iTunes has been set to repeat my Shane & Shane: Pages Playlist. And one of my favorite new songs is "Embracing Accusation." Shane melodiously affirms the devil's accusation that cursed are the ones that cannot abide by God's law. However, in all his schemes to make the believer despair, the father of lies leaves out the truth that Jesus saves those who trust in him.

This song crescendos to exalt Christ's complete work on the cross. It is there that the believer's hope is found. And the devil is right to remind us that no one is good enough to merit God's salvation. I pray your affections are provoked and that you worship the glory of God in Christ's cross. Believe!



(HT Will)

Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, Part 2

Well, we haven't experienced much of the transformation. We haven't walked up the street to watch the progress yet, but we do see it each time we leave the house. I usually take some pictures as we pass it, and I've posted a few--some are ones I've taken, and some are from the newspaper.

Anyway, it's amazing how quickly they can demolish a home, remove all the debris from it, lay the foundation, put up the framework, roof, etc. They still have three days left, and the house looks just about done from the outside. I read online that they had gotten 4 hours behind schedule because the concrete wouldn't set due to the cold climate, but they're back on schedule now. They work through the night too. We drove home Friday night at about 12:30, and the construction site was lit up like it was the middle of the day. People are constantly everywhere. Praise the Lord for the hard work of all these people to serve this family.

I'm planning on walking to the construction site tomorrow, so I'll keep you posted.

Extreme Makeover: Home Edition

So, for the last couple of days, Ryan and I have noticed lots of police cars lined along one of the streets we drive down to get to our house, though we had no clue why they were there. Well, yesterday, I found out why. Apparently one of the families on that street has been chosen by Extreme Makeover: Home Edition to have their house redone. (Extreme Makeover is a show on abc that picks families whose homes are not conducive to live in for one reason or another. They send the family on vacation for a week, and during that week, they completely rebuild their home.) Anyway, there's a 19 year-old boy, Patrick Henry Hughes, who lives there who was born without eyes and is unable to straighten his arms or legs. He is in a wheelchair and plays for the University of Louisville marching band. He plays the trumpet while his dad pushes him around the field into the proper formations. Click here to read more about it.


Construction starts at 12:30 this afternoon to build this family a wheelchair accessible home. I'm so excited for this family, and I'm excited to watch the construction of this home. It's so neat that it's just a few blocks away, a house we drive and run by on a regular basis. The unveiling of the house to the Hughes family is next Wednesday afternoon. I'll keep you posted on the progress and hope to post some pictures too.

Praise the Lord for providing for this Louisville family in such a big way!

Making Jesus Look Beautiful

Jill posted this video of John Piper on their blog the other day, and I thought it was so great that I had to post it on ours as well. It's a clip of Piper preaching in Birmingham about the Prosperity Gospel. So powerful and convicting! It's only three minutes--you have to watch it!

Hanging with Heather

Our dear friend, Heather Miller, came to Louisville recently to visit some old friends. Jeff, Heather, Rayah and Ashlyn moved from Louisville back to California about one year ago. We only had a few short months with them, but it's amazing how God blessed our brief time together.

Anyway, Ryan and I got to have lunch with Heather while she was here. It was great to catch up and hear what God has been doing in their lives over the last year.

We miss you, Millers!

Flying with the Pattersons

AMAZING! That's the only way to describe our night with the Pattersons.

Ok, so our good friends, Robert and Jennifer, are preparing to do missionary aviation, meaning that they will be able to fly missionaries where they need to go and to bring them supplies and what not. Anyway, Robert has finished aviation school and is now in mechanic school. As a fun little date for the four of us, Robert flew us to Sikeston, Missouri for dinner. Yes, that's right. We flew to another state just to have dinner and flew back right after. We ate at this really fun restaurant called Lambert's Cafe, "The Only Home of Throwed Rolls." I'm getting ahead of myself, so I'll start from the beginning.

Ryan and I pulled up to Bowman's Field that night. Robert gave us a quick tour of the hangar and the planes in it, and then we headed outside to see our plane. It was this small four-person plane. We climbed in and we were off. We all wore headphones, both to protect our ears from the loud noise and so we could talk to one another throughout the flight. It was overcast and drizzling when we took off, but as we climbed in altitude, we went above all the clouds, allowing us to see the end of a beautiful sunset. The sky seemed endless, and the clouds below us looked like waves in the ocean. It was breathtaking! I mean, when in your life do you feel like you are the only person in the world!? That's how it felt as we flew above the clouds. The hustle and bustle of the world was far below us, hidden by a sea of clouds.

"Bless the LORD, O my soul!
O LORD my God, you are very great!
You are clothed with splendor and majesty,
covering yourself with light as with a garment,
stretching out the heavens like a tent.
He lays the beams of his chambers on the waters;
he makes the clouds his chariot;
he rides on the wings of the wind;
he makes his messengers winds,
his ministers a flaming fire."
Psalm 104:1-4

When we landed in Sikeston, we used a phone to call the restaurant, and they sent a courtesy van to come pick us up. Though it was a busy Saturday night, we were given the next available table. We quickly understood the tagline for the restaurant as we walked to our table with rolls flying overhead. Ryan and I had seen a segment about this restaurant on the Food Network, so we were excited to experience it in person.

As soon as we sat down, rolls were being thrown to us from the other side of the room. Right after that, a guy came around and put large scoops of fried okra onto paper towels we had laid out. We ordered our food and then watched the rolls flying around. One guy even proposed to his girlfriend while we were there. He apparently hid the ring in a roll that was thrown to the girl. Our portions were huge, and yet when we were done eating, I had lots more food on my plate than when I first got it. That's because throughout the meal, people walked around scooping different side dishes onto our plates. After dinner, we packed up a total of five completely full to-go boxes between the four of us. I'm not sure how that was possible, but it made for some yummy leftovers!

I hope you can appreciate the humor in this picture. Right as Jennifer was taking a picture of Ryan and me, Robert decided to throw a roll at us.

We got back in the courtesy van and were driven back to the airport, where we loaded up for the flight home. This time, Ryan rode in the front seat with Robert. On the way home, Robert taught us all about flying. He explained the importance of looking at the instruments in the plane, as opposed to relying on your own intuition. Ryan even got to fly the plane for 20-30 minutes. He was so excited! I must say, he was the cutest pilot ever! I am amazed at how much goes into keeping the plane level and at a constant altitude. Ryan did such a great job, though.

It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and it's one that we will never forget! Thanks, Robert and Jennifer, for sharing this part of your life with us! May God bless you and your ministry.

Bishops: Bocce, Bonding and Bernheim

Ok, so I'm behind on my blogging. What's new? :)

Brandon, Jill, Joshua and Aby came to visit the week before last. They drove in Tuesday night and left Saturday around lunch. On Wednesday, Jill and I drove to the Gap Clearance Center in Hebron, Kentucky. We found some good deals and were able to spend some precious time talking. Girl time is so important! We even picked up some Chipotle on the way home. YUM! (Sidenote--Can someone please tell me why there is a Chipotle in Cincinnati and Lexington, but not in Louisville?)

On Friday, we went hiking at Bernheim Forest. It was a perfect day to be out in God's creation. It was a cool day, the sun was out, the birds were chirping, the leaves on the trees were starting to turn their brilliant colors. It was amazing. I can't imagine being in a place like that and trying to argue that there's not a God.

"Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice;
let the sea roar, and all that fills it;
let the field exult, and everything in it!
Then shall all the trees of the forest sing for joy
before the LORD, for he comes,
for he comes to judge the earth.
He will judge the world in righteousness,
and the peoples in his faithfulness."
Psalm 96:11-13

Later we played Bocce Ball in our backyard. Some kids from the neighborhood came over and played for awhile too. That night Jill and I played Ryan and Brandon in a mean game of Rook. There were moments when we were laughing so hard we were crying. So fun!

Time in Texas

Ryan had Fall Break last week, so we decided to make a trip back to Texas to see our loved ones. We first dropped Wally off in Nashville with Brandon and Jill. It was fun hanging out with them for the day before leaving the next morning for Texas. The boys were so cute playing Wii.

Of course we were very excited to see our family and friends, but we were also excited about all the great places we wanted to eat while at home. Contrary to popular belief, Kentucky is not known for its Mexican food, so we were ready for some good ole' Tex Mex! We arrived in Texas on Saturday and spent the day with Ryan's mom. We ate lunch at Cadillac Bar, which was one of our favorite Mexican food restaurants in Houston and then we had dinner at Shady Oak Barbeque. If you've never eaten at Shady Oak, you are really missing out! It was one of my favorite meals of the week.

On Sunday, we went to La Madeleine after church and to Uncle Julio's for dinner. These are both restaurants that we wish would make their way to Kentucky. It was so much fun hanging out with Ryan's mom.

We headed out to Ryan's dad's ranch on Monday. We spent some good time with his dad and Terri. We even got our first pair of cowboy boots so we would have them to ride horses. That night for dinner, we met Ryan's cousin, Tim, and his wife, Therese, at Mama's Pizza, which is a favorite among the boys in Ryan's family. We were so blessed to be able to catch up with them.

On Tuesday, we headed to Ryan's grandparents' house for lunch and games. After a good homemade meal, we played the marble game. I had never played it, but it's very similar to the game, Sorry. Ryan played on a team with his grandmother, "Gamie," and I played with his mom. Ryan and Gamie killed us! His grandfather, "Dagy" kept trying to help me and Ryan's mom, but we still lost two games in a row. Oh well! We had Taco Bueno that night for dinner--what I wouldn't give to have a Taco Bueno here!

Ok, I know I'm obsessing about food, but these are luxuries that we only get once a year.

Anyway, on Wednesday, we had lunch at Freebird's with Mandi, who is a dear family friend. Freebird's, for those of you who aren't familiar, is famous for their monstrous burritos. Seriously, they're huge! After lunch, my sister, Jenna, and I went shopping. It was fun playing around in the different stores. We spent so much time laughing. That night, we had dinner with my dad and his new wife, Janet. We hadn't gotten to meet Janet yet, so it was great getting to know her.

On Thursday, we met Brandon, Michelle and Luke (Ryan's cousin) for lunch. They came to visit a couple weeks ago, and we were so blessed to get to see them again. That night, we went with my mom and Steve to Texas de Brazil, which is a Brazillian steakhouse. Holy cow! I'm normally not a huge meat person, but my plate was overflowing with meat that night. They have "gauchos" who walk around with skewers of different kinds of meat giving you as much as you want. It was delicious!

We went and rode horses at Ryan's dad's ranch on Friday. We had only ridden horses once before so had to be trained a little before we got on. It was a lot of fun. Ryan rode "T.C." and I was on "Maud." I had no clue how many muscles I used to ride a horse--I was so sore the next day. After riding horses, we went over to see Ryan's best friend, Kyle, and his wife, Jessica. They are such sweet friends, and I really wish we got to see them more. That night we hung out at my mom's house and played with Steve's kids.

We spent Saturday hanging out at my mom's house. Steve's parents even came over that night for dinner.

We flew back to Nashville first thing Sunday morning. We got to hang out with Brandon and Jill for a few hours before heading back to Louisville.

The week went by quickly, but we were thankful for the time we got to spend with our family and friends.

I've Been Tagged...

By Jennifer, to tell about my sweet husband.

1. Who is your man? Ryan Anton Bishop. He's a godly man who loves me as Christ loves the church. Ryan daily seeks to become more like our Lord and Savior. I am so incredibly blessed to have this man as my husband--a man who fears God, who loves me so sacrificially and unconditionally and who, I know, will keep me laughing all the days of my life.

2. How long have you been together? We met in March 1998 (we both worked at the Black-Eyed Pea Market Grill in Arlington, Texas) and started dating that July.

3. How long did you date? This sounds like an easy question, but the answer isn't quite as simple. Ryan and I actually dated for a couple months (starting July 1998) and then broke up for about a year. We went to college in different cities, so for that next year, we didn't see each other much. Let's stop here for a second to clarify that at that time, I was a Christian but Ryan was not. We both came back to Arlington the following summer and started working and hanging out together again. When August rolled around, we went back to school. Ryan was only in College Station for one night before he moved back to Arlington for good. You see, the next day, through a series of circumstances, Ryan recognized that he was a sinner who needed a Savior. He recognized Jesus as Lord and the rest is pretty much history. Side note--Ryan has a pretty incredible testimony. You should ask him about it if you haven't heard it. Anyway, we started dating again a couple months later (October 1999). We got engaged 6 months after that (April 2000) and then married 2 years later (April 2002). I can't believe we've known each other for almost a whole decade!

4. How old is your man? Ryan will be the big 3-0 on January 13! (My sweet husband was actually born on Friday the 13th.)

5. Who eats more? It depends. I would say he can typically eat more than I can, but when it comes to sweet treats, I can beat him hands down!

6. Who said "I love you" first? Ryan did.

7. Who is taller? Ryan definitely is. 6'3". He's one tall drink of water! It's great to be able to wear heels as tall as I want, and he's still much taller.

8. Who sings better? I think Ryan does. Besides his singing talents, he's also an excellent song-writer. We often make up silly songs for each other.

9. Who is smarter? Definitely Ryan. He might try and argue with me on that, but he'd be wrong. :) Ryan excels at EVERYTHING he does, especially at school. He is brilliant!

10. Whose temper is worse? That's a tough call. His, I guess. I don't really see it all that often though.

11. Who does the laundry? I usually do, but Ryan started it for me tonight.

12. Who takes out the garbage? Whoever has time.

13. Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? If you're facing our bed, then Ryan does. Really, though, it depends on where the door is in whatever room we sleep in. Ryan always sleeps closest to the door. It makes me feel safer. He's my Knight in Shining Armor. He also always walks between me and the street.

14. Who pays the bills? I used to, but Ryan took over awhile back and does a great job at it!

15. Who is better with the computer? Ryan. He knows HTML and all that advanced stuff.

16. Who mows the lawn? Ryan does.

17. Who cooks dinner? Ryan does. Praise the Lord for this one! I am not a good cook, nor do I enjoy cooking. God so perfectly designed us that Ryan is everything I'm not. Ryan is an excellent cook and likes to do it. (I told you before Ryan is really good at everything he does.)

18. Who drives when you are together? Ryan does.

19. Who pays when you go out? Ryan does. I hate calculating the tip. Ryan is really good at math and can do it so quickly. Are you noticing a pattern yet on who does everything around our house? I promise--it doesn't sound like it, but I do help some.

20. Who is most stubborn? Hmm. Very tough question. We definitely both have our stubborn streaks. I would probably say Ryan, but he would probably say me. :)

21. Who is the first to admit when they are wrong? Again, tough question. Really, it depends on what we're wrong about. We're both fairly good at it.

22. Whose parents do you see the most? It's pretty close, but I would say Ryan's mom. Almost all of our family lives in Texas, so visits are somewhat rare. Ryan's brother lives in Nashville, so his mom can usually see them both in one visit.

23. Who kissed who first? He kissed me first.

24. Who asked who out? Ryan did. He did.

25. Who proposed? Ryan did. It was such an elaborate proposal and is a wonderful story. He planned everything out, and it began with a bridal bouquet being sent to me in my Marriage and Family class one Friday morning. Ryan is such a romantic! I mean, who has flowers delivered to them during their college class!? I'm so tempted to spill the whole story. But I'll leave it at this, and you'll just have to ask to find out more. ;)

26. Who is more sensitive? It depends what you mean by "sensitive." Ryan is really good at being sensitive to people's feelings. I probably get my feelings hurt more easily, though.

27. Who has more friends? Ryan does. We have pretty much the same friends, but Ryan is much better about keeping up with people than I am.

28. Who has more siblings? Hmm. Let me think. I guess Ryan does. He has 1 brother, 6 half brothers and a half sister. I have a half brother and a half sister, as well as a half sister whom I've never met. I also have 2 step brothers and 2 step sisters.

29. Who wears the pants in the family? Ryan does. I am so thankful that I was designed to submit because I would hate to have to lead all the time.

30. What's your favorite thing about your man? The way he loves other people. He genuinely wants to know the hearts of others. He cares for people in such a Christ-like way.

Jennifer, thank you for the tag. I don't take nearly enough time thinking and talking about how blessed I am to have Ryan.

Now, tag you're it:
Jill
Suzanne
Jenny
Ashley
Cara
Heather
Kelly
Kristi
Karen
LeeAnn
Heather
Jennifer
Emily
Stephanie
Emily
Jaimie
Jessica

(By the way, I added that last question. Feel free to add your own!

More Visitors!

After Joe and Terri left last week, Brandon, Michelle and Luke Pettke came to visit us from Texas. Brandon is Ryan's second cousin. I actually knew Brandon and Michelle before I knew Ryan. Brandon, Michelle and I all graduated from high school together (Kick 'em Colts!), and Michelle and I even went to junior high together. They're so much fun to be around, and it seems we are always laughing about something.

Michelle flew in Friday afternoon. We picked up some lunch and brought it back to our house so Luke could take a nap. We later went to visit Southern. (Side note--Brandon and Michelle lived in Louisville for 5 or 6 months several years ago, so there was a lot of stuff they wanted to see again. Michelle even took a class (or two) at Southern while they were here.) We walked around and experienced the beauty of the campus. Southern really is gorgeous, which reminds me that I should one day post some more pictures of it for those of you who have never seen it. After that, we made a quick trip to Wild Oats (a healthy grocery store) to get food for Luke and then headed to McAllisters's Deli for dinner.

We picked up Brandon from the airport at midnight and then headed to bed. I worked on Saturday, so Brandon and Michelle met some old friends for breakfast. The got back in time for Luke to take a nap and for Brandon to go to Ryan's soccer game. (Ryan coaches a soccer team through Upward at our church. His kids are 8-10 years old--pretty cute!)

Saturday night we met Brandon and Michelle to have dinner at Wick's Pizza with some other friends of theirs. We then spent the night at our house just talking. Again, much laughter was involved.

We all went to church on Sunday and then headed to Joe Huber Farm that afternoon. We're all huge fans of Joe Huber Farm, so it was fun. Unfortunately, it was extremely hot and we were very limited on time since we had to be back in Louisville so they could make their flight late Sunday afternoon. We did get to watch Luke eat some ice cream, which was adorable. I'm not sure how much of it actually ended up in his mouth, but he seemed to enjoy it.

Brandon and Michelle, we love you and are so blessed to have you as family, friends and brothers in Christ!

Visitors!

Last week we were blessed to have Ryan's dad and his wife, Terri, come to visit us from Texas. It was a quick trip, but we were so thankful to get to spend time with them.

They flew in Tuesday afternoon. Ryan had class and I had to work all day, but we were able to all meet for a late dinner that night. Ryan also had class on Wednesday, but I met up with his dad and Terri so I could give them both eye exams that morning. Ryan's dad then joined him for his Work of Christ class while us girls drove to Cincinnati so Terri could see some of her family there. We met for dinner when Terri and I got back to Louisville. After dinner, we headed back to our house to hang out for a little bit. It was fun, and we were able to watch Wally play with their puppy, Angel. It was cute watching the dogs trying to get each other's bones.

Despite it being such a short visit, we had a wonderful time with Ryan's dad and Terri.

Challenge to Devotion

I had no idea what to expect on my first day at Southwestern Seminary in Houston. After taking my seat in the back of the classroom, I soon received advice from my Greek professor. Advice that has marked my memory. Jaime--my professor was very informal, despite his serious command of the biblical languages--said, "One of the most important things you can leave seminary with is friendships." Eager yet anxious to start learning, I was surprised by his advice. Not knowledge or training--which, of course, are immensely important--but friendships.

Indeed some of the sweetest fruit of my time in seminary is the handful of, I pray, lifelong, deep friendships with brothers who long to faithfully serve the Lord and his church. (Little did I know that one of my best friends received the same counsel from Jaime that night, and we would only get to know each other a year later at a seminary in Louisville.)

Today was one of my favorite days in seminary. After hearing a deeply challenging sermon in chapel, a couple of friends and I discussed its implications on us and our families. Jaime's advice resonates as I anticipate some of my most treasured moments in seminary happening outside the class, in a room, where friends exhort one another to love Jesus and love people. I share this with encouragement (1) to listen to David Platt's message on Hebrews 13.11-14 and (2) to establish and savor the rewards of meaningful friendships that count for Christ.

I close with a quote from C.S. Lewis' "Weight of Glory," which was shared with my Doctrine of Humanity class this week. It's relevant, I think, to this post. Read it, considering that all people are made in the image of God, and that all people ultimately will either bear that image gloriously as a result of Christ's work in their lives or they will continue to distort the image to destruction with sin. And consider that our interactions with one another are meaningful...

It is a serious thing to live in a society of possible gods and goddesses, to remember that the dullest and most uninteresting person you talk to may one day be a creature which, if you saw it now, you would be strongly tempted to worship, or else a horror and a corruption such as you now meet, if at all, only in a nightmare. All day long we are, in some degree, helping each other to one or the other of these destinations. It is in the light of these overwhelming possibilities, it is with the awe and the circumspection proper to them, that we should conduct all our dealings with one another, all friendships, all loves, all play, all politics. There are no ordinary people. You have never talked to a mere mortal.

Wally's New Cut

Wally recently got a new haircut. This is a fairly regular occurrence for him, but I thought that this time he looked particularly fetching.

Here's our debonair dog.

Fall Kick-off

Ryan and I had the pleasure of hosting our Sunday school class Fall Kick-off last Saturday. There were 37 people there, including us, which made things a little tight but not too bad. Dr. Wellum, our Sunday school teacher, was also able to come with his wife and their five kids. They are such a wonderful example of a godly family, and we're just so blessed to know them. This is a picture of the Wellum family.







































Anyway, we mainly hung out and talked, while munching on an amazing spread of food. Some of the boys went outside and played an entertaining game of Monkey Bar Golf, also known as Hill-Billy Horseshoes. It's hard to explain but consists of sets of two golf balls connected by a rope being flung over PVC pipes. You get a certain amount of points depending on which rung the balls wrap around when they're thrown. The first team to get 11 points (or maybe it's 15--I can't remember) wins.




















We later played Four on a Couch. Also hard to explain, but you start off sitting in a big circle, alternating guys and girls. The idea is to strategically move people so that there are four girls on the couch if you're a girl, and four guys on the couch if you're a guy. The tricky part is that everyone has drawn a different name, so you have to try and remember what the name is that everyone drew. It's kind of complicated, but was lots of fun, especially with a group this size.

The boys winning Four on a Couch...

and the girls winning Four on a Couch.

We ended the game at 2 wins for the guys and 2 wins for the girls.

It was a wonderful night, and it's such a blessing to be surrounded by such strong Christian friends. We love all of you--thank you so much for your friendship!

New Restaurant

The Overlook Restaurant. Tonight Ryan and I went to Leavenworth, Indiana to eat dinner, a 45 minute drive but was well worth it. The drive up there was amazing. Tons of green, tree-covered rolling hills. This restaurant sits right on the Ohio River, and as the name would indicate, you eat dinner overlooking a beautiful portion of the river. The food was just ok, but the view made up for it.

Such beauty in this world that God created for us, that when we look upon it we may be reminded of His beauty, goodness and love for us.

"Jesus, Take the Meal"

I'll admit: Only recently have I started to appreciate the significance of the Lord's Supper for the church, in general, and for me, in particular. Maybe it was the infrequency of taking communion at church. Perhaps it was my reformed flesh's inclination to resist any hint of Catholic sacramental mysticism. Certainly it was because I lack spiritual maturity and biblical understanding of the institution and its institutor. Whatever the reasons, I'm still leagues away from grasping the glory and majesty of our proclamation at the Lord's table.

If you're like me, you'll be richly blessed by considering these in Dr. Russell Moore's sermon on Luke 22.7-30, "Jesus, Take the Meal: Why We're Afraid of the Lord's Table." And do yourself a favor by subscribing to the Southern Seminary Chapel Podcast!

(Open iTunes; open iTunes Store; within the Search iTunes Store Bar, search "Southern Seminary Chapel"; subcribe for free.)

Southern, Hogwarts, Wellum's Couples

Southern
Last week marked the beginning of my second year at Southern Seminary. And with it came excitement and, honestly, some anxiety. To make my last semester (Fall 08, Lord willing) lighter--so that I may focus on PhD applications--I am taking an extra class this go round. I'll say it again: I count myself among the most favored and blessed people who've ever lived! To have the opportunity to study these wonderful truths, exposed by men who've given their lives to these wonders, founded in God's revealed word. I am uniquely blessed! Consider this: That we may know at all the spendor and glory of God, because he has revealed himself in Scripture and has enabled his believers, by his Holy Spirit, to understand the Scriptures, to see ourselves there and to see a great savior there...astonishing!

Anyway, the classes:

Hebrew I. demlehwrevo dna regae m'I .gnihcaet si yrtneG reteP .rD ,srosseforp etirovaf ym fo enO (Learning a new language is no joke!)

Old Testament I. It's my second semester with Dr. Terry Betts (I took OTII first). Everyone who has ever lived may find themself in the Old Testament; because everyone who has ever lived has lived in Adam. Created by God, in his image to rule as his representative. Completely dependent on our Creator. Yet we all, like Adam, have rejected God's leadership and have gone our own way. Like Adam, we need one who is like us (human) and yet greater (God, faithful), who will succeed where Adam (and we) failed. One who will crush the head of the serpent's seed. In the Old Testament, especially, we see ourselves for who we are (great sinners who were made not to be so but for much more), and we see our need for Jesus (a great savior who redeems us to our relationship with the Father and who is restoring the fallen image in us that we may be all that we were created to be: God's image-bearers). I am thrilled to walk through these foundational texts with this pastor at heart.

Work of Christ. Another favorite professor, Dr. Stephen Wellum, will take us through the priestly work of Jesus. The material of this class will be most influential in the topic on which I hope to write my dissertation.

Humanity and Sin. My first class with Dr. Greg Allison. Before I leave seminary, I hope to have a better grasp on these two universal characteristics of humanity: 1) That all men and women are created in the image of God. And 2) that all men and women have distorted the image of God in them by choosing to sin. A greater understanding of these will no doubt result in a greater affection for the one who perfectly reflects God's image, who paid the penalty of sin and reverses its effects, and who enables humans to be truly human (knowing and loving God, bearing his image, without sin).

Personal Evangelism. A challenging semester is before me...Adam Greenway will require us to participate in the Great Commission. Considering that those who do not trust and obey Jesus will perish for their sins, it is sad, truly, that it takes a far lesser man than Jesus to compel me to do what our Lord left us to do: To share the good news of Jesus' life, death, resurrection. I am humbled by my negligence in evangelism and am thankful for this class.

Hogwarts
Kelli and I were loading into my uncle and aunt's car on Christmas Eve (because they had so generously invited Kelli and me to their church service). While we were taking our seats, my cousin said, "So Dagy says you hate Harry Potter.?." Now, I didn't hate Harry Potter. I never hated Harry Potter. So I did not appreciate this exaggeration...but it wasn't unfounded. Years earlier, I joined Christian groups who denounced the children's stories of wizards and witches. To be truthful, I had not exercised discernment in forming this opinion. In my spiritual immaturity, I did not base my decisions solely on Scripture. On this issue, I just had heard that Christians were to protest this magical fantasy for fear that its readers would be lead into the occult.

While I still fear that young readers (and old) are in danger of becoming too enamored with the world of Harry Potter, such that they would be carried away into almost worship of this great, fictional hero and miss the greatness and triumph of history's true hero, Jesus. Too, we muggles are in danger if we find Rowling's series more important or valuable than God's Word. I sincerely pray against that.

But, my prior evaluation of Harry Potter was hasty. Yes, I am hooked! So's Kelli. Our friends, the Borns, loaned us the first four movies to prepare to see Order of the Phoenix in the theaters, which I did twice! And, again our friends loaned us the last two books in the series, which we're both reading now. What a fantastic story! And I'm really involved. I care whether Harry finally defeats Voldemart (don't any of you dare Comment with the answer). Oh, how I hope Harry will end up with Ginny, and that they are lifelong friends with Ron and Hermione Weasley.

I think though my excitement for Harry Potter is for the hints of truth I find there. Epic battle of good and evil. Our need for one another. Stuff like that. But we know the enemy is far more cunning and evil than Voldemart, and our hero is infinitely more heroic, good, unselfish, powerful, triumphant than Harry Potter!

Wellum's Couples
(So this isn't a school in the sense that Southern and Hogwarts are. The marketer in me, though, craves continuity, but I rely on creativity to call my Sunday school class a school.) Some have asked where they might find the lesson I just taught on Jonah. At WellumsCouples.com, you may download it here. By the by, if you're for a community in The 'Ville, visit Wellum's Couples Sunday mornings at 10:30 on the second floor of Ninth & O Baptist Church.