Free Will

Here is a pretty good post on the Free Will of God. "Does God Have a Libertarian Free Will? by J.W. Hendryx"

Chickens

I like this one too. lol

Puritan Quote of the Week

"Remember the perfections of that God whom you worship, that he is a Spirit, and therefore to be worshipped in spirit and truth; and that he is most great and terrible, and therefore to be worshipped with seriousness and reverence, and not to be dallied with, or served with toys or lifeless lip-service; and that he is most holy, pure, and jealous, and therefore to be purely worshipped; and that he is still present with you, and all things are naked and open to him with whom we have to do. The knowledge of God, and the remembrance of his all-seeing presence, are the most powerful means against hypocrisy."
RICHARD BAXTER

Which Polyhedral Are You?

Take the quiz at dicepool.com

ok if you say so

That man will never be a proud man!

Humility may well be called the 'queen of the Christian graces'. To know our own sinfulness and weakness, and to feel our need of Christ, is the very beginning of saving religion.
Humility is a grace which has always been the distinguishing feature in the character of the holiest saints in every age. Abraham, and Moses, and Job, and David, and Daniel, and Paul--were all eminently humble men. Humility is a grace within the reach of every true Christian.
Would we know the root and spring of humility? One word describes it. The root of humility is right knowledge. The man who really knows . . . himself--and his own heart; God--and His infinite majesty and holiness; Christ--and the price at which he was redeemed;that man will never be a proud man!
He will count himself, like Jacob, "unworthy of the least of all God's mercies!"
He will say of himself, like Job, "I am vile!"
He will cry, like Paul, "I am chief of sinners!"
Ignorance! nothing but sheer ignorance! ignorance . . .of self, of God, of Christ, is the real secret of pride! From that miserable self-ignorance may we daily pray to be delivered!
He is the wise man who knows himself! And he who knows himself, will find nothing within to make him proud.
(J. C. Ryle, "The Gospel of Luke" 1858)

Savage Chickens

Weird Friday

The Theology of kissing

Here is a link about the theology of kissing I found it at nelmezzo. Check both links out, they both have pretty good quotes on the Kiss.

Purpose Driven Message Bible

Here is another great parody from the Sacred Sandwich

The Language of Patience

Patience consists of a willing submission to the dispensations of divine providence. When Job said, "Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble? " (Job 2:10), that was the language of patience. "The cup which my Father has given me, shall I not drink it?" (John 18:11) was the supreme example of this grace. It is the ready acquiescence of the soul to whatever God sees fit to lay upon it. It is the calm enduring of provocation and persecution, especially trial which comes unexpectedly. It is a steady and thankful bearing of all troubles, however grievous and long protracted, mortifying the opposite passions of fear, anger, anxiety, inordinate grief; refusing to be overwhelmed by those troubles, persevering in the discharge of duty to the end; finding relief by faith and in communion with God: resting in His love, leaning on His arms, and encouraging oneself by the certain expectation of that eternal and blessed glory which awaits us after our appointed race is run.
(A.W. Pink)

My friend Bill and his new Baby Audrey

Bill and his new Baby



Bill's mother and the new baby



Bill and I and his new baby



They even let me hold the Baby!

8-ball

This is awful. But kind of funny.

Happy Valentine's Day!

HOW FIRM A FOUNDATION

by John Rippon

How firm a foundation, ye saints of the Lord,
Is laid for your faith in His excellent Word!
What more can He say than to you He hath said,
You, who unto Jesus for refuge have fled?

In every condition, in sickness, in health;
In poverty’s vale, or abounding in wealth;
At home and abroad, on the land, on the sea,
As thy days may demand, shall thy strength ever be.

Fear not, I am with thee, O be not dismayed,
For I am thy God and will still give thee aid;
I’ll strengthen and help thee, and cause thee to stand
Upheld by My righteous, omnipotent hand.

When through the deep waters I call thee to go,
The rivers of woe shall not thee overflow;
For I will be with thee, thy troubles to bless,
And sanctify to thee thy deepest distress.

When through fiery trials thy pathways shall lie,
My grace, all sufficient, shall be thy supply;
The flame shall not hurt thee; I only design
Thy dross to consume, and thy gold to refine.

Even down to old age all My people shall prove
My sovereign, eternal, unchangeable love;
And when hoary hairs shall their temples adorn,
Like lambs they shall still in My bosom be borne.

The soul that on Jesus has leaned for repose,
I will not, I will not desert to its foes;
That soul, though all hell should endeavor to shake,
I’ll never, no never, no never forsake.

Puritan Quote of the Week

"None so empty of grace as he that thinks he is full."
THOMAS WATSON

"Knowledge without repentance will be but a torch to light men to hell."
THOMAS WATSON

Sin hath the devil for its father, shame for its companion, and death for its wages."
THOMAS WATSON

How Weird Are You?

You Are 20% Weird

Not enough to scare other people... But sometimes you scare yourself.

How Weird Are You?

ok if you say so

The Hobbit

Rolling Stone interview Peter Jackson last December and this is what he said about the making of The Hobbit

"And what's the status of The Hobbit?

New Line have the rights to produce a film of The Hobbit, but it has to be distributed by MGM. If you remember, about six or eight months ago, MGM was bought by Sony, which was frustrating, because it looked like Time Warner [New Line's parent corporation] was going to be the buyer -- and then all the rights would've been in the family. But now Sony and New Line will have to talk to each other. I keep asking about it, just out of interest, but they haven't sat down yet. Hopefully someday the phone will ring -- "Hey, let's do The Hobbit" -- which I'd be perfectly happy to do."

Idolatry of the heart

IDOLATRY is the sin of the entire human race. When we speak of idolatry we need not think of blocks of wood and stone, and men bowing down before them; for our native land swarms with idolaters. Neither need you go into the streets to find them: stay where you are, and look into your own hearts, and you shall find idols there. This is the one easily besetting sin of our nature-to turn aside from the living God and to make unto ourselves idols in some fashion or another; for the essence of idolatry is this-to love anything better than God, to trust anything more than God, to wish to have a God other than we have, or to have some signs and wonders by which we may see him, some outward symbol or manifestation that can be seen with the eye or heard with the ear rather than to rest in an invisible God and believe the faithful promise of Him whom eye hath not seen nor ear heard. In some form or other this great sin is the main mischief in the heart of man; and even in saved men this is one of the developments of remaining corruption. We may very easily make an idol of anything, and in different ways. No doubt many mothers and fathers make idols of their children, and so many husbands and wives idolize each other. Equally is it certain that many a thoughtful man makes an idol of his intellect, and many another makes an idol of his gold, or even of that little home wherein he enjoys so much contentment. Anything, however holy, which comes between us and the personal dealing of our soul with God, as he is revealed in Christ Jesus, by faith and love and hope, becomes an idol to us. – C.H. Spurgeon

"...we may gather that man's nature…is a perpetual factory of idols" (Institutes I.xi.8).
-John Calvin

It Mom and I

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

Not that I would recommend this movie but here is a few of my favorite quotes from this movie


Joel: random thoughts for Valentine's day, 2004. Today is a holiday invented by greeting card companies to make people feel like crap.

Joel: Why do I fall in love with every woman I see who shows me the least bit of attention?

Dilbert

These are funny:) lol

Advice to the Inquiring Sinner

by Dr. W.G.T. Shedd

"Then he called for a light, and sprang in, and came trembling, and fell down before Paul and Silas, And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house." Acts16:29-31

It is not right or safe to depart from the method prescribed in the Scriptures for an anxious soul to take in order to salvation. Even a slight deviation, however well intended, works mischief. We have heard during seasons of religious awakening, the inquirer exhorted to "give his heart to God," to "submit to God," to "resolve to serve Christ." This is not the direction which Paul gave to the anxious jailer, and neither does it agree with the declarations of our Lord respecting the particular kind of act which man must perform in order to salvation. The Jews once came to the Redeemer asking what they must do to work the works of God, and his reply was, "This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent." The first act for the soul in order to salvation is the act of faith. "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ," is the first and only direction, therefore, which should be given to an inquiring sinner. When this has been done, other things will follow naturally, and be done in their order and place; but until it has been done, not a step toward heaven can be taken.

There are objections to the other direction to which we have alluded, which we will specify: In the first place, when an inquiring person is bidden to give his heart to God, he is commanded to present something to God, instead of being invited to receive something from him. The gospel method is thus wholly reversed. The Scripture representation of the way of salvation indisputably makes it, from first to last, a blessing which comes down from God to man. It does not go up from man to God. "Ask and ye shall receive." Christ is appointed "to give both faith and repentance," as well as the remission of sins. Even the very first exercises of sorrow for sin, and the very first and faintest exercise of faith, are wrought by God. When, therefore, a sinful man is bidden, as the first act upon his part, to give his heart to God, he is converted from a recipient of salvation to an agent and author of it. He is urged to do a "work" as the very first thing in the process. And it is a work which is the most difficult of performance, for a helpless and guilt-smitten sinner, that can be conceived of. In reality, the whole immense burden is thrown upon the poor despairing soul, in the very outset. He is told that if he will give his heart to God, if he will submit his will to Christ, his salvation is assured. But this is to put in the forefront of the religious experience something that does not belong there. No man can surrender and sweetly submit his heart to God, unless he believes that the blood of Jesus Christ cleanses from all sin.

We are not speaking, of course, of the succession in time. The two things may not be distinguishable in time measured by the clock, but in the order of nature the soul must first accept and receive Christ as its atonement before God, before it can become subject and submissive to his will. And, therefore, this act of faith must be urged upon the inquirer first of any, and before any other act is spoken of or enjoined.

In the second place, this direction conceals Christ and his sacrificial work from the guilt-smitten soul. While it is engaged in the attempt to overcome the love of self, and to give itself wholly to God, it cannot see the cross, because, if for no other reason, it is too much absorbed. It is looking within, instead of looking out and away to the Lamb of God. It is summoning its energies to overcome its own self-love, and subdue its obstinate aversion to holiness, instead of sending up an imploring and believing glance to the merciful Redeemer who "of God is made unto it wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification." The true answer to the sinner's inquiry, What shall I do?" is, to say to him, " Do nothing only believe." But if the answer that is given be the one which we are criticizing; if he be told to give his heart to God; he is bidden to "do," and this will prevent his "believing." No one can do two things at once; and if the anxious inquirer be straining every muscle to its utmost tension in order to subdue his native depravity, how can he relax every muscle and in helpless impotence cast himself upon Christ? We cannot open and shut the hand in one and the same instant, and by one and the same volition. Our Lord affirms that his yoke is easy. It is so, because the act of faith is not a strenuous and vehement act, but a trusting and recipient one. It does not try to originate holiness by its own volition, but it longs to receive the holiness which is freely given it of God. The eye and not the hand is the member of the body which the Holy Spirit has chosen, by which to explain the act by which salvation is secured. Look unto me, and be ye saved. Behold the Lamb of God. We are not to raise the hand and lift at a burden; we are not to raise the foot and run a long and severe race; but we are simply to open the eye and gaze steadily upon the atoning Christ, dying a sacrifice for our guilt.

It is indeed true that after faith has come, after the soul has beheld the cross, after the eye has performed its function, the hand and the foot and all the members of the body come into requisition. Having accepted and received Christ by faith, and having thereby been delivered from condemnation, the soul is then to run a race, and fight a fight, and carry a burden. But the previous faith makes all this activity easy and successful. When the eye has seen the Lord, it is easy then to lift the hand for him. Faith works by love, and the love of Christ constraineth us. In giving advice, therefore, to inquiring souls, we should not direct their attention, first of all, to the results of faith in Christ, but to faith itself.

The surrender of the heart to God, entire submission to his will, a steady and strong determination to obey the commandments of Christ, renunciation of the world as the chief good, these fruits of belief on the Lord Jesus Christ ought to be kept in the background while the soul is urged, first of all, and as the one thing needful, to cast itself humbly and penitently upon the atoning work of the Son of God. There is no danger of undervaluing the consequences of faith, by thus laying stress upon faith in the outset; for only from faith as the root can all these consequences spring. He who has believed on the Lord Jesus Christ finds that in so doing he has given his heart to God as the natural result. But he who attempts to give his heart to God, before he has believed on the Son of God, is attempting an impossibility, and that too by a dead lift.

There are two invitations given by the Lord Jesus Christ, which cover the whole subject of a sinner's salvation. One is an invitation to come to him, and the other an, invitation to come after him. Examples of the first are: "Come unto me all ye that are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest." Matt.11 :28. "All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out." John 6:37. Examples of the second are: "Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me, for I am meek and lowly in heart." Matt.11:29. "If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me." Matt.16:24.

The first of these is an invitation to come to the Saviour, by trusting penitently in his atoning blood in order to pardon and reconciliation with God's holiness. The second is an invitation to come after the Saviour, by imitating his character and example. And they must be accepted in the order in which the Saviour has placed them. A reversal of the order is fatal. If the sinner attempts to come after the Saviour before he has come to him, to copy the Redeemer's life and conduct without seeking peace with God by trust in the Redeemer's offering for sin, it will be an utter failure. A pacified conscience and a sense of being forgiven, must go before all true obedience. If, again, the sinner separates these two invitations, the consequence is equally fatal. If he attempts to obey the first without obeying the second, to come to Christ without coming after him, he is James's antinomian and his faith is dead faith without works. And if he attempts to obey the second invitation without obeying the first, to come after Christ without coming to him, he is Paul's legalist, who has no true sense of sin, rejects Christ's expiation, and expects salvation by moral character and a moral life.

W.T.G. Shedd was the Baldwin Professor in Union Theological Seminary, New York

This article is taken from his work called: Orthodoxy and Heterodoxy: A Miscellany. (1893) Pages 216-221.

Wednesday

Im still here but my new job doesn’t allow me as much free time to blog as I had before.

INDWELLING OF Holy Spirit

It is asserted many times in Scripture, that the bodies of the saints are the temples of the Holy Ghost. God dwelleth in you: ye are the temples of God. Now, do not cut that down, and say that it means that he influences us and operates upon us. It does mean that, but it means a great deal more; it means literally this—that the Holy Ghost, the third Person of the sacred Trinity actually dwells in every regenerate man and woman, that he has made our bodies to be his shrine, and he is the indwelling Lord. 754.322

The Spirit of God doubtless illuminates the intellect and guides the judgment, but this is not the commencement nor the main part of his work. He comes chiefly to the affections, he dwells with the heart, for with the heart man believeth unto righteousness, and “God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts.” Now,the heart is the centre of our being, and therefore doth the Holy Ghost occupy this place of vantage. He comes into the central fortress and universal citadel of our nature, and thus takes possession of the whole. 1435.536

Wednesday

This is funny. l0l