Rescuing Orphans

Here's a great article on adoption by Russell D. Moore. Here's a snippet:

When someone learns that I'm going to speak at their church about adoption, typically the first question is, "So will you be talking about the doctrine of adoption or, you know, real adoption?" That's a hard question, because I cannot address one without addressing the other. We cannot master one aspect and then move to the other, from the vertical aspect of adoption to the horizontal aspect, or vice versa.

Families, the Bible tells us, reflect something eternally true about God. It is God's fatherhood after which every family in heaven and on earth is named (Eph. 3:14-15). We know what human parenting should look like based on our Father's behavior toward us.

The reverse is also true. We see something of God's fatherhood in our relationship with our human fathers. Jesus tells us that our fathers' provision and discipline show us God's active love toward us (Matt. 7:9-11; Heb. 12:5-17).

for the rest click here.

For LOTR and World Cup Fans

Very Funny!

If the Church Was Like the World Cup

Stephen Altrogge has a hilarious post. I really think we could some of these practices this Sunday. Here's a glimpse:

I walked into church this past Sunday.

That’s strange, I thought. The place is packed. There must be thousands of new people here. I walked up to one guy who was wearing a gold cross, a “Got Jesus?” t-shirt, a WWJD bracelet, and a hat with a fish on it. I asked him if this was his first time attending a church.

“Yeah it is, but dude, I’ve always loved church. I mean, it’s totally awesome.” I then asked him what he loved about church. “Well you know. It’s just amazing. You know, there’s stuff about God and prayer. And, what’s that book called?”

I just looked at him and kept going.

********

As I walked toward the main sanctuary I heard a strange noise. It sounded like…

“Hey man here’s your trumpet,” someone shouted in my ear. A young couple was standing at the entrance to the sanctuary, handing trumpets to everyone who came in. I looked around and saw that everyone in the auditorium was wildly blowing on their trumpet.

“What am I supposed to do with it?” I shouted.

“You just blow on it the whole service. Especially when you get excited, like when the worship band starts playing something by Chris Tomlin or the pastor gives an awesome illustration from the show Lost.” The noise in the auditorium was deafening, but nobody seemed to care.

You can read the rest here.

Are You a Misfit in the Church?

C. Michael Patton has a great article for all those that feel they don't quite fit in. This is just a small part:

Do you feel out of place as a Christian? I suspect you sometimes do. I think everyone, at some time in their lives, feels like a misfit within the Church. I do. Often. Believe me, I have my stories.

We are all different kinds of Christians. We are different due to upbringing, personalities, genetics, differing passions, and the like. Many times we will get discouraged because of our differences. Sometimes we ask ourselves “What is wrong with me?”

Here are some of the feelings that you might have.

* I don’t like to fellowship with other believers very much, whats wrong with me?
* I haven’t felt the presence of God like others do, what’s wrong with me?
* I don’t love to read my Bible like other Christians do, what’s wrong with me?
* The Lord’s supper/Eucharist is not a spiritual experience for me like it is for others, what’s wrong with me?
* I am not very emotional, what’s wrong with me?
* I hate the way Christians talk, what’s wrong with me?
* I can’t keep my kids under control, what’s wrong with me?
* I am not very nice and talkative, what’s wrong with me?
* I dread going to prayer groups, what’s wrong with me?
* I ask too many questions and have too many doubts, what’s wrong with me?
* I don’t have a good marriage like other Christians do, what’s wrong with me?
* I am scared to death to pray in public, what’s wrong with me?
* I find it hard to pray for other people, what’s wrong with me?
* I don’t like to study, what’s wrong with me?
* I am addicted to so many things, what’s wrong with me?
* I am so pessimistic about things, what’s wrong with me?
* I am depressed all the time, what’s wrong with me?

The simple fact is that we are not yet dressed for heaven. Not only this, but we are all wearing different clothes. Not only this, but the Holy Spirit does not seem intent to dress us in a uniform way. Not only this, but some of us feel like we are wearing our underwear on the outside of our pants. Yeah, it is awkward. . . .

For the rest click here.

The Secret Powers of Time

Very good talk here:

Manute Bol's Radical Christianity

The Wall Street Journal had a challenging article about Manute Bol, the former NBA player from Sudan who recently died. Here's an excerpt:

What does redemption mean in the world of professional basketball and sports more broadly? It involves making up for—or, yes, "atoning"—for a poor performance. When the Lakers beat Boston, for instance, Bill Plaschke of the Los Angeles Times called the victory "redemption for the Celtics' 2008 Finals beating."

More often, though, sports journalists use the term to praise the individual performances of NBA superstars. Thus, the Associated Press reported that Kobe Bryant "found redemption" after he won a title in 2009 without the aid of his nemesis and former teammate Shaquille O'Neal.

Manute Bol, who died last week at the age of 47, is one player who never achieved redemption in the eyes of sports journalists. His life embodied an older, Christian conception of redemption that has been badly obscured by its current usage.

Although I don't think the author quite understood redemption, the article's worth the read. For the rest of the article, click here.

Greg Koukl Interview

I just listened to an interview with Greg Koukl of Stand to Reason . Extremely helpful advice for those wanting to live out 1Peter 3:15. Here's the link to the interview. Enjoy!

Dancing in the Rain

On my cardiac care unit, many of our patients are older. some of them are dealing with dementia or Alzheimer's Disease or caring for a loved one who has those dreaded conditions. I saw this story posted by Kansas Bob this morning and thought I would re-post it here. It shows a great perspective for anyone going through hardships and trials.

It was a busy morning, about 8:30 , when an elderly gentleman in his 80's arrived at the hospital to have stitches removed from his thumb. He said he was in a hurry as he had an appointment at 9:00 am.

The nurse took his vital signs and had him take a seat, knowing it would be over an hour before someone would to able to see him. I saw him looking at his watch and decided, since I was not busy with another patient, I would evaluate his wound. On exam, it was well healed, so I talked to one of the doctors, got the needed supplies to remove his sutures and redress his wound.

While taking care of his wound, I asked him if he had another doctor's appointment this morning, as he was in such a hurry.

The gentleman told me no, that he needed to go to the nursing home to eat breakfast with his wife. I inquired as to her health.

He told me that she had been there for a while and that she was a victim of Alzheimer's Disease.

As we talked, I asked if she would be upset if he was a bit late.

He replied that she no longer knew who he was, that she had not recognized him in five years now.

I was surprised, and asked him, 'And you still go every morning, even though she doesn't know who you are?'

He smiled ... As he patted my hand and said,

'She doesn't know me ... but ... I still know who she is.'

I had to hold back tears as he left, I had goose bumps on my arm, and thought, 'That is the kind of love I want in my life.'

Life isn't about learning to survive the storm but learning to dance in the rain.

Politics As Religion

Mr. Dawn Treader posted these very appropriate quotes from noted author and pastor Tim Keller.

"When love of one's people becomes an absolute, it turns into racism. When love of equality turns into a supreme thing, it can result in hatred and violence toward anyone who has a privileged life. It is the settled tendency of human societies to turn good political causes into counterfeit gods."

~ Pastor and Author, Tim Keller, Counterfeit Gods

"We can look upon our political leaders as "messiahs," our political policies as saving doctrine, and turn our political activism into a kind of religion."

~ Pastor and Author, Tim Keller, Counterfeit Gods

I don't think Keller believes that we should not be involved in the political process. I do think that we, as Democrats, Republicans, Independents, etc. should check our attitudes and priorities about politics. Idolizing politics has led nations and individuals down some very dangerous paths.

Check out The Dawn Treader blog for more thoughts on this

Free Sony Reader

Jon Acuff over at Stuff Christians Like is giving away a Sony Reader 505. To find out how to enter the contest click here.

Faith and Doubt

C. Michael Patton from Reclaiming the Mind has great post about trusting in God. He contrast two kinds of people facing "Goliath" situations. There are those like David facing Goliath who express faith that God will lead them victoriously through the situation. Then there are those that express faith in the way the three Hebrew men from Daniel 3:13-15 faced the king of Babylon who threatened them with a fiery death if the did not worship his idol. They believed God was able to deliver them but even if He chose not to, they would still follow Him.

Patton concludes with this thought:

I don’t want to be unduly pessimistic about any issue knowing that God can and does intervene and deliver people from their “Goliaths.” But I also want to be realistic and trust God no matter what the prospects are for the outcome of any “Goliath” situation. I believe that this attitude expresses just as much faith, even if it lacks certainty.

Remember, God has made a lot of promises, but there are also a lot of promises that he has not made. Don’t read promises into Scripture. Try saying this next time Goliath is at your door, “If it be so, God can deliver me, but even if you strike me dead, I will not abandon my faith because I will not place my faith in something God has not promised." You may raise some eyebrows, but you will be representing truth much more faithfully.

In the end, I don’t trust God for promises he has not made.