New Blog

This blog is no longer active. Please visit my new blog called After Darkness Light.

afterdarknesslight.com

Thanks.

"Bubbles"

 

 

Tubby Time

 

 

 

 

Back from Thailand

Here are some pictures from Thailand. For more on the trip, see here.

 

 

 

 

Back from Thailand

Here are some pictures from Thailand. For more on the trip, see here.

Thailand

I haven't had time for blogging lately. I've been busy getting ready to leave for two weeks to Bangkok, Thailand with several members of our church. We'll be supporting the work of the PCA church planting team there. For insight into the life of a Bangkok missionary, check out this blog - Grace for the Moment.

Paul and Crystal are friends and missionaries supported by our church. I'm looking forward to being involved first-hand with their ministry in Bangkok. If possible, I'll post a few pics while there.

Emily's Vocabulary

Emily's vocabulary seems to grow every day. Here are some of the words she currently knows and understands...

Shoe
Keys
Bear
Car
Baaah (sheep)
Woof (dog)
Hoo Hoo (Owl)
Fishy
Duck
Hi/Bye
Clock
Ball
Pool
Wee (Swing)
Balloon
Mommy/Daddy
Mama (llama)
Cookie
Pie
Cheese
Bird
Kitty
Bitz (Blankie)
Juice (Milk)
Beep
Baby

Suffering and the Modern Christian

This Sunday evening I'll be preaching on suffering and the gospel. I have a hunch that many modern Christians in the west (myself included), don't grasp the implications of Jesus' words...

Matthew 16:24-25 If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 25 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.

This blog post, Wearing Crosses or Bearing Them, by a Westminster Seminary California grad seems to confirm my suspicions.

Firefox

Since switching from Internet Explorer to Firefox a couple of years ago, internet life has generally been much better. If you haven't yet switched, here are a number of reasons to do so.

Memorial Day with Ems

 

 

 

 

The Kingdom of God (and a little hip hop)

I've always appreciated the preaching ministry of Alistair Begg. And, I've always felt the "two kingdoms" view of theology was spot on. And now, to find Alistair Begg preaching the "two kingdoms" - set to music! This very well may be the coolest thing ever.

There is a whole ministry dedicated to setting sermons to music (Relevant Revolution). True, this may go beyond the "ordinary means," but still, it's very cool - and it makes my secret desire to be some sort of rock star more tangible.

They encourage folks to download the "sermon jams" and then give them away. With their list of preachers (Alistair Begg, John Piper, Ravi Zacharias, etc.), this may not be a bad idea.

Summertime!

 

Charles Spurgeon on the fact that there was no room for Christ in the Inn...

If you have room for Christ, then from this day forth remember The World Has No Room For You... remember henceforth there is no room in this world for any true follower of Christ. There is no room for you to take your ease; no, you are to be a soldier of the cross, and you will find no ease in all your life-warfare. There is no room for you to sit down contented with your own attainments, for you are a traveler, and you are to forget the things that are behind, and press forward to that which is before; no room for you to hide your treasure in, for here the moth and rust doth corrupt; no room for you to put your confidence, for “Cursed is he that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm.” From this day there will be no room for you in the world’s good opinion — they will count you to be an offscouring; no room for you in the world’s polite society — you must go without the camp, bearing his reproach. From this time forth, I say, if you have room for Christ, the world will hardly find room of sufferance for you; you must expect now to be laughed at; now you must wear the fool’s cap in men’s esteem; and your song must be at the very beginning of your pilgrimage,

“Jesus, I thy cross have taken, All to leave and follow thee; Naked, poor, despised, forsaken, Thou from hence my all shall be.”

The Perils of Preaching...

Church: Sucks or Doesn't Suck?

GracePoint Church in Wichita, Kansas has created a bit of a stir with their new marketing slogan, "Church Doesn't Suck." Apparently, the slogan comes from a comment the pastor received from a woman attending their church who said, "Hey, this doesn't suck." So, after that comment, up went the "Church Doesn't Suck" billboard, along with the comment on an advertising website that says, "At GracePoint, church doesn't suck."

The pastor says that if you are the type of person offended by this slogan, then you're not the type of person they are trying to reach.

I'm not the type of person they are trying to reach.

Honesty

Sometimes, we just need to be told the truth.

Heaven Without Christ?

As noted in the previous blog, many who call themselves Christians are satisfied with a religion without Christ. In light of that I appreciate John Piper's stinging question from God is the Gospel.

The critical question for our generation--and for every generation--is this: If you could have heaven, with no sickness, and with all the friends you ever had on earth, and all the food you ever liked, and all the leisure activities you ever enjoyed, and all the natural beauties you ever saw, all the physical pleasures you ever tasted, and no human conflict or any natural disasters, could you be satisfied with heaven, if Christ was not there?

Where Christ Is Not Preached

Our church youth director Chris M. says, "many evangelicals today would be happy with a public religion without any content." Indeed, this certainly seems to be the case. I was shocked to read the presidential proclamation on the National Day of Prayer. In it George Bush says,

Americans of many faiths and traditions share a common belief that God hears the prayers of His children and shows grace to those who seek Him. Following the tragedy at Virginia Tech, in towns all across America, in houses of worship from every faith, Americans have joined together to pray for the lives that were lost and for their families, friends, and loved ones. We hold the victims in our hearts and pray for those who suffer and grieve. There is a power in these prayers, and we can find comfort in the grace and guidance of a loving God.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, GEORGE W. BUSH, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim May 3, 2007, as a National Day of Prayer. I ask the citizens of our Nation to give thanks, each according to his or her own faith

Do you hear what he's saying? He is essentially saying that there is "power" in the prayers of people of all faiths. He is in fact urging people of all faiths to pray to whatever God they choose to pray to. As president, this is fine - we live in a society with the blessing of freedom of religion. But if the president is a Christian as he says he is, his statements are in fact heresy and a direct denial of the supremacy of Christ.

Here's my point. Chris is right. As long as the president says he is a Christian and promotes certain moral issues that Christians generally support, many evangelicals are perfectly happy with that sort of public religion, without any content, and without any Christ.

Oh, that the evangelical church in America would return to its first love (Rev. 2:4)! Michael Horton's comment below is very telling...

What would things look like if Satan actually took over a city? The first frames in our imaginative slide show probably depict mayhem on a massive scale: Widespread violence, deviant sexualities, pornography in every vending machine, churches closed down and worshipers dragged off to City Hall. Over a half-century ago, Donald Grey Barnhouse, pastor of Philadelphia's Tenth Presbyterian Church, gave his CBS radio audience a different picture of what it would look like if Satan took control of a town in America. He said that all of the bars and pool halls would be closed, pornography banished, pristine streets and sidewalks would be occupied by tidy pedestrians who smiled at each other. There would be no swearing. The kids would answer "Yes, sir," "No, ma'am," and the churches would be full on Sunday ... where Christ is not preached.

Jerry Falwell

Cal Thomas on Jerry Falwell...

The Jerry Falwell I knew was torn between the two kingdoms he represented: one not of this world and the other very much of this world; one with tactics and tools that could change lives and the other with tactics and tools that changed little....

It makes one wonder why he put so much time, effort and money into political organizing when with his other role as preacher he shared a message about a King and a Kingdom that was better able to change people for the better than either political party could ever hope to do.

via Postscript Posthaste

A Great Ride

I'm looking through some of my older files - here's one of my favorites. This is video of a sledride at Jumonville Camp outside of Pittsburgh. It's the biggest sledding hill I've ever seen. This video was taken in February 2005. When we went back in 2006 they said no one was aloud to sled on the hill anymore - something about a kid getting stuck in a tree at the bottom of the hill. Enjoy

Church Hopping

John Calvin says we ought to thank God for gifts from "natural men" (non-Christians) who are "sharp and penetrating" in their investigation of things (Institutes 2.2.15). Could it be that God could teach the church a few things through the makers of "King of the Hill?" Decide for yourself.

Amen and Amen and Ouch

Carl Treumen's words from the Reformation21 blog regarding women in Reformed circles are oh-so-accurate. Proverbs 31 without the gospel can be a deadly burden (Proverbs 31:10-31).

I have lost count of the number of women I have come across, particularly in presbyterian circles, who feel the need to conform to some Reformed cultural norm. You can tell them on the Sundays: the exhausted and haggard mothers whose husbands expect them not only to cook and to clean, but also to home-school the kids. For every omnicompetent wife who seems to be able to run the world and then some, and still look like a million dollars when hubbie gets home for dinner (already on the table, of course), there are ten or more who look crushed and dispirited, who really need to send their kids out of the house in the morning so they can get some rest and some mental sanity, who need their husbands to see the problem and take steps to help them. Are they inadequate as Christian mothers? No. They are crushed by a "Christian" culture that demands their all and gives no slack.

I am no feminist (my wife will confirm my impeccable Neanderthal credentials); I have strong views on women's ordination; but I am saddened by the way Reformed church culture so often tramples its women underfoot with its mindless identification of biblical manhood with something akin to John Wayne and its assumption that all Christian women should make Mary Poppins look domestically incompetent.

Charles Spurgeon on Weekly Communion

“So with the Lord's Supper. My witness is, and I think I speak the mind of many of God's people now present, that coming as some of us do, weekly, to the Lord's table, we do not find the breaking of bread to have lost its significance—it is always fresh to us. I have often remarked on Lord's-day evening, whatever the subject may have been, whether Sinai has thundered over our heads, or the plaintive notes of Calvary have pierced our hearts, it always seems equally appropriate to come to the breaking of bread. Shame on the Christian church that she should put it off to once a month, and mar the first day of the week by depriving it of its glory in the meeting together for fellowship and breaking of bread, and showing forth of the death of Christ till he come. They who once know the sweetness of each Lord's-day celebrating his Supper, will not be content, I am sure, to put it off to less frequent seasons. Beloved, when the Holy Ghost is with us, ordinances are wells to the Christian, wells of rich comfort and of near communion.”

via Postscript Posthaste

Fun in the Pool

Emily Eating With a Spoon

Emily Walks

Emily's starting to prefer walking to crawling. Very exciting!

Pray for Zimbabwe

I know, a lot of places need prayer, but a couple of friends of ours from Zimbabwe have been sending emails about the plight of their nation. Under the leadership of President Mugabe, things are pretty ugly. Below are a few sections of their most recent email.

We are very aware of how much Zimbabwe has featured in the news in the last few months and even that is but a fraction of all that goes on here. A few weeks ago we sent out an urgent prayer request for our nation as it was once again rocked by political violence and unrest. Many people have been arrested and tortured for just wanting to voice their feelings. Prayer meetings have been stopped, people have been abducted from their homes and several people have lost their lives.
Unfortunately I have been unable to take any pictures of the Zimbabwe that has now become common place simply because I would probably be arrested....

Zimbabwe has been marked by political violence, power cuts/outages, inflation and corruption in the last month in record rates. In March the government withheld the 'official' inflation figures, simply because they were just so bad. Let me try and put it into a meaningful setting for you. In January a school exercise book, (the most basic one) was at Z$500 each, in March they went up to $3000 each, by the end of March they were $5000. A few days ago M--- went to go and buy some, because every child who goes to government schools requires a minimum of 10, and they were between $12 - $18000.00 each-!!
In January the $US was trading at Z$3000 :US$1, today it is $24 000: US$1. We are living in very interesting times.
Thankfully the UN has been allowed in to to an actual assessment of food availability this year, and will hopefully be allowed to bring food into the country and distribute it. Rather than having our president telling the rest of the world that we have produced bumper crops and that we have excess food to our requirements. My oh my.
Well I shall close now and with all these things in mind would ask you to be praying for us for the following:

* Please pray for all those in Zimbabwe who are just unable to cope financially at this time. Many people have no food to eat, no clean water to drink, no access to medical help, no employment and certainly no prospects to getting work. Pray that we can be sensitive to the situation and have discernment in helping where we can.

*Please continue to pray for Zimbabwe. Praise God that He is sovereign and in control and so we can walk in confidence knowing that we are in the best place ever (in His hands). Pray for our leaders, pray that they might be convicted of their responsibilities to the people of Zimbabwe and that they would also come to know Christ. Pray that we, the Christians in Zimbabwe would be fearless in standing up for what is right, not bowing to corruption and would be a witness to everyone around us.

A Few More Pics

Here are a few more pics (for the grandparents). Emily turned one on March 20th.

Orlando

In March we visited Orlando - part vacation, part church conference. It was Emily's first big theological conference. We also felt it important for Emily to see as many giant orbs as possible.

A Day in the Life of Little Ems

Finally time to post some blogs again. Here are some random pictures of Emily. The first is with her best bud Codey. Codey's been at his vacation home up in the mountains of Curwensville the last few weeks, so Emily misses him. Below, Emily always tries to help me play guitar. Maybe someday she'll teach me how to sing. Finally, the last picture shows the darker side of parenthood. Sure, she's smiling. But if you look closely you'll ask, "how many different sorts of ooze are on, or are coming out of her?"

Good Beer = Good Theology?

In his excellent article on the church, Richard Phillips, senior minister of First Presbyterian Church in Coral Springs/Margate, Florida (PCA), asks an interesting question about the intersection between beer and theology. "Why is it that so much great theology has been produced by drinkers of beer?"

His answer is very insightful:

The answer is found in the origins of beer, in its medieval version. It turns out that in the Middle Ages, the brewing of beer was dominated by monasteries. The monks took a keen interest in beer, mainly because they needed nutritious sustenance for their protracted periods of fasting. The consumption of liquids was permitted during fasts, so the monks specialized in liquid bread. Over the years they perfected its taste, along with their own capacity to imbibe at astounding levels. Perhaps it was in his Augustinian monastery that Martin Luther gained his love of beer. His wife, Katherina von Bora was a noted brewer; there is a famous letter in which Luther, who had been long absent from home and family, wrote to her, "Oh my dear Katie, I miss you so much—and especially your beer!"

If so much great theology is produced by beer drinkers, could it be that so much bad theology is produced by non-beer drinkers? Charles Finney, one of the great champions of bad theology, was in fact a prohibitionist. He wrote,

I SHALL STATE MY PROPOSITION, WHICH IS SIMPLY THIS:--THE MANUFACTURE, SALE, AND USE OF INTOXICATING DRINKS, AS A BEVERAGE, OR AS AN ARTICLE OF LUXURY OR OF DIET--OR TO PROVIDE THEM, AS SUCH, FOR OTHERS--IS NEITHER BENEVOLENT, NOR EXPEDIENT, AND IS, THEREFORE, WRONG.

I guess if you forget that Jesus himself turned water into wine - and very good wine at that - then you're probably much more likely to forget many other things Jesus did as well.

Like Mike

I'm trying to work on getting some good video of Emily doing something - anything really. Whenever I film though, she just wants to come and grab the shiny silver camera. As you can see, when she's concentrating really, really hard, her tongue sticks out - just like MJ.

Cable TV

Today Lacey and I finally decided to get cable TV - at least I think that's what we've decided. Currently, the one channel we pick up well is Cornerstone - a Christian channel. It is such an awful channel. Although there are a handful of decent programs, most are nowhere close to reflecting Biblical truth. Lacey saw a woman prophesying to someone on one show - the prophesying woman told this man that he was like the Indiana Jones of the spiritual world. She then compared another woman to a character in a Jodie Foster movie. Apparently the more movies you see the better able you are to prophesy.

Anyway, we decided the Christian channel is harmful to our faith. We don't want our daughter growing up on that stuff.

OK, maybe that's not the real reason - but we did decide to get cable. And no thorough scientific study which suggests that television raises the risk of bad eyesight, obesity, premature puberty and autism (among other things) is going to stop us.

Way Left

Here's another Garber/Amburgey vacation video. This was for Chris's wedding - golfing in San Diego. Glynn hits it left - way left. Notice where the green is as opposed to where he is looking. And, of course, he reaches for another ball.

I'll work on some Emily videos for the grandparents. Emily doesn't realize it, but she's starting to stand unsupported.

Bobblehead Parents

I'm experimenting - going through some old files trying to figure out how to post video. Alex sent me this one - brings back some great family memories of Nashville.

Theological Worldview?

After taking the theological worldview quiz I was pleasantly surprised to discover that I'm 82% Reformed Evangelical. I guess that's pretty good since I am a Reformed Evangelical pastor. Some of the quiz questions aren't the best. The quiz is both interesting and unhelpful all at once. A good waste of time if nothing else.

You are a Reformed Evangelical. You take the Bible very seriously because it is God's Word. You most likely hold to TULIP and are sceptical about the possibilities of universal atonement or resistible grace. The most important thing the Church can do is make sure people hear how they can go to heaven when they die.

Reformed Evangelical		82%
Neo orthodox		71%
Fundamentalist		68%
Evangelical Holiness/Wesleyan		68%
Emergent/Postmodern		43%
Roman Catholic		36%
Classical Liberal		29%
Charismatic/Pentecostal		18%
Modern Liberal		7%

December Pics

Here's a few pics of our beloved daughter taken around Christmas time. Better late than never. Her name is Emily Ruth, but she has a lot of nicknames. Ru, Ems, Emmy, Spunky, Spunkers, Daughter, etc.

Statistically Indistinguishable Christians

As usual, one of Barna's latest surveys indicates that born again Christians are not much different in their behavior than the rest of Americans. That is in almost every area but music piracy. Only 2% of Christians pirate music. At least we've got that going for us.

The Role of Faith

Faith commitments sometimes play a role in what people do - but less often than might be assumed. In comparing the lifestyle choices of born again Christians to the national norms, there were more areas of similarity than distinction. (Note that in Barna surveys, the born again segment is not based upon whether a person uses that label, but based upon their profession of faith in Christ and confession of personal sin.) Born again Christians are more likely to volunteer for their church; however, they are no more likely than average to help the poor and homeless. Born again Christians were also among the least likely groups to recycle.

In evaluating 15 moral behaviors, born again Christians are statistically indistinguishable from non-born again adults on most of the behaviors studied. They are less likely to view sexually explicit movies and magazines, to use profanity in public, and to buy a lottery ticket. However, even in these cases, the gap between born agains and the norm is not wide - roughly one-third of the non-born again audience say they had engaged in the three activities compared to one-quarter of born again Christians.

The fourth area of difference is the lower rate of music piracy among born again Christians (2% versus 9% among non-born agains).

The Grand Canyon

The Grand Canyon was truly a wonderful place. I wish we had more time to do some hiking. Although it was January, the weather was quite nice. Wondering where to go on your next vacations? Tell your family you'd like to take them to one of the finest examples of arid-land erosion in the world.

The national park website describes the Canyon in the following:

Well known for its geologic significance, the Grand Canyon is one of the most studied geologic landscapes in the world. It offers an excellent record of three of the four eras of geological time, a rich and diverse fossil record, a vast array of geologic features and rock types, and numerous caves containing extensive and significant geological, paleontological, archeological and biological resources. It is considered one of the finest examples of arid-land erosion in the world. The Canyon, incised by the Colorado River, is immense, averaging 4,000 feet deep for its entire 277 miles. It is 6,000 feet deep at its deepest point and 15 miles at its widest.