Granny Russell singing, Huntington

The annual Granny Russell Memorial Sacred Harp Singing will be held Saturday November the 3rd, 2007 (d.v.) at Little Hope community and church. The Little Hope church building is located on FM 1669 about 4 or 5 miles northeast of Huntington, Texas. Singing starts around 10:00 a.m. and lunch will be served at noon.

Free grace in revealing Christ

HYMN 12 C. M.
Free grace in revealing Christ. Luke 10:21.

Jesus, the man of constant grief,
A mourner all his days;
His spirit once rejoiced aloud,
And tuned his joy to praise:

"Father, I thank thy wondrous love,
That hath revealed thy Son
To men unlearned, and to babes
Has made thy gospel known.

"The mysteries of redeeming grace
Are hidden from the wise,
While pride and carnal reasonings join
To swell and blind their eyes."

Thus doth the Lord of heav'n and earth
His great decrees fulfil,
And orders all his works of grace
By his own sovereign will.

Isaac Watts (1674-1748)
Hymns and Spiritual Songs, 1707.

Enumerated Powers Act

In an op-ed piece entitled Congressional Constitutional Contempt, Walter Williams mentions a bill entitled the Enumerated Powers Act.

The Enumerated Powers Act is an interesting bill that "would require Congress to specify the source of authority under the United States Constitution for the enactment of laws, and for other purposes." Representative John Shadegg [R-AZ] has offered this each year since 1995. The current bill was introduced March 6, 2007 and has 29 cosponsors as of October 20, 2007: Todd Akin, Roscoe Bartlett, Rob Bishop, John Boozman, Dan Burton, Michael Conaway, David Davis, John Duncan, Tom Feeney, Jeff Flake, Virginia Foxx, Trent Franks, Scott Garrett, John Gingrey, Louis Gohmert, Robert Goodlatte, Dean Heller, Walter Herger, Doug Lamborn, Kenny Marchant, Thaddeus McCotter, Jeff Miller, Sue Myrick, Ron Paul, Ted Poe, Clifford Stearns, Timothy Walberg, David Weldon, and Lynn Westmoreland.

Now we might think that Congress WOULD NOT make laws that have no constitutional authority, but we know better. This act would at least make the dishonest try to sham up some bogus constitutional ground for the unconstitutional laws they try to enact. Hopefully the American people would take note and realize the persons in Congress who have "contempt for the Constitution." Hopefully the American people care.

The full text may be found here.

Steve and the B.A.I. Team

After my father passed away, a number of people sent flowers to the funeral home. There is one sender we have not been able to identify, and therefore unable to send a thank you card. So I am making this post with the hope that a thank you will get to the correct person.

This was sent through the West Main Flower Shop in Henderson, Texas and labeled as being from "Steve and the B.A.I. Team". I'm sure we should recognize this, but none of us could make it click. If you see this -- (1) thank you for your thoughtful gesture in the flowers you sent, (2) contact us and let us know who you are.

Thanks.

Mondegreens and idiots

...uh, idioms, that is. So now the following really random thoughts:

The elephant in the room is an English idiom for an obvious truth that is being ignored. It is based on the idea that an elephant in a small room would be quite impossible to overlook.

When people cherry pick, they choose things that support their position, while ignoring anything that contradicts it.

A person who is extremely talkative can talk the hind legs off a donkey.

A dog and pony show is a presentation that has lots of style, but no real content.

"A mondegreen* is repeating the mishearing of a phrase in such a way that it acquires a new meaning."

"Shirley, good Mrs. Murphy shall follow me all the days of my life" instead of "Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me... "

"Andy walks with me, Andy talks with me, Andy tells me I am his own ..." as opposed to "And He walks with me, and He talks with me..."

"Gladly, my cross-eyed bear" instead of "Gladly my cross I'd bear".

Or "While shepherds washed their socks at night" instead of "While shepherds watched their flocks by night..."

* Somewhat the opposite of malapropism, which a saying of the wrong word or words.

Jesus' View of Scripture, by Kohler

Jesus is and should be considered the criterion of Bible interpretation. Consider John Kohler's comments on Jesus' own view of the Scriptures.

1. He believed in the Genesis account of creation - Mark 10:6 But from the beginning of the creation God made them male and female.
2. He believed in the Mosaic authorship of the Pentateuch - John 5:46-47 For had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me: for he wrote of me. But if ye believe not his writings, how shall ye believe my words?
3. He believed in the historicity and universality of the Noahic Flood - Matt. 24:37-39 But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
4. He believed in the historicity of Abraham - John 8:56 Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad.
5. He believed in the historicity of Sodom and Gomorrah - Matt. 11:23-24 And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted unto heaven, shalt be brought down to hell: for if the mighty works, which have been done in thee, had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. But I say unto you, That it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment, than for thee.
6. He believed God gave manna from heaven to Israel - John 6:31 Our fathers did eat manna in the desert; as it is written, He gave them bread from heaven to eat.
7. He believed in the Davidic authorship of the Psalms - Matt. 22:43-45 He saith unto them, How then doth David in spirit call him Lord, saying, The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool? If David then call him Lord, how is he his son?
8. He believed in the historicity of Jonah and the whale - Matt. 12:39-41 But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas: For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. The men of Nineveh shall rise in judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: because they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas is here.
9. He believed the Jews had a history of rejecting God's word - Luke 11:47-51 Woe unto you! for ye build the sepulchres of the prophets, and your fathers killed them. Truly ye bear witness that ye allow the deeds of your fathers: for they indeed killed them, and ye build their sepulchres. Therefore also said the wisdom of God, I will send them prophets and apostles, and some of them they shall slay and persecute: That the blood of all the prophets, which was shed from the foundation of the world, may be required of this generation; From the blood of Abel unto the blood of Zacharias, which perished between the altar and the temple: verily I say unto you, It shall be required of this generation.
10. He scolded the Sadducees for their ignorance of Scripture - Matt. 22:29 Jesus answered and said unto them, Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God.
11. He taught that every word of Scripture proceeded from God - Matt. 4:4 But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.
12. He taught the doctrine of the preservation of Scripture - Matt. 5:17-18 Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.
13. He taught that man will be judged by God's word - John 12:47-48 And if any man hear my words, and believe not, I judge him not: for I came not to judge the world, but to save the world. He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day.
14. He taught the absolute authority of Scripture - John 10:34-36 Jesus answered them, Is it not written in your law, I said, Ye are gods? If he called them gods, unto whom the word of God came, and the scripture cannot be broken; Say ye of him, whom the Father hath sanctified, and sent into the world, Thou blasphemest; because I said, I am the Son of God?
15. He pre-authenticated the New Testament writings as Scripture - John 16:12-13 I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now. Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.
16. He never corrected or criticized Scripture, even though He did not possess the original autographs - John 17:13-17 And now come I to thee; and these things I speak in the world, that they might have my joy fulfilled in themselves. I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil. They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.

Jesus never involved Himself in higher or lower criticism or attempted to recover the original autographs during his earthly ministry. He either 1) knew Scripture was the word of God and said it was so, 2) did not know if Scripture was the word of God or not and said it was, or 3) knew Scripture was not the word of God and said it was anyway. The first option is the whole truth of the matter!!!

Those who claim to be followers of the Lord Jesus Christ ought to hold the same high view of Scripture that He had. What right do they have to hold any other view??? Obviously, no right at all!!!!!

(Some excerpts from an article by John Kohler III as posted on Jim's Standing In The Gap blog, Friday, May 25, 2007)

The Lollard Bible

The Significance of the Lollard Bible by Margaret Deanesly, 1951

The Anchor

"My flesh and my heart faileth; but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever." (Psalm 73:26)

When darkness veils His lovely face,
I rest on His unchanging grace;
In every high and stormy gale,
My anchor holds within the veil…
(a verse from a hymn by Edward Mote )

"WHEN HE LEADS US THROUGH THE STORMS, IT IS TO TEACH US THE STRENGTH OF OUR ANCHOR."
- Leonard Burrell (posted 22 Sept. 2007 on Sentence Sermon for Today, by D. Paul Tuck)

How to Write Your Local Church History

I received an e-mail concerning a book titled How to Write Your Local Church History, by Donald L. Hughes. This is an electronic book and might be something worth looking into for any person/committee/church considering writing a local church history. The cost in $14.00.

I am neither familiar with the book nor acquainted with the author. SO, this is NOT an endorsement. I'm just passing along information that might be helpful.

Whooya

...votin' for?

My nephew sent me the following link. For fun, whether anything else, try the Candidate Calculator to see how you line up with your preference for President of the United States (and the rest of the pack as well). *

I matched up closest to Tom Tancredo -- 84.31% match -- about whom I know nothing. My second match was Texas Representative Ron Paul (82.35%), the candidate I plan to vote for in the primary. I was glad to see that I disagree with New Yorkers Guiliani and Clinton 63% and 73% of the time, respectively! :-D

* Disclaimer -- While anyone can take this test, please check United States voting laws to see whether you can vote in the upcoming election! ;-)

Purpose of Music in the Church

Because of readers' interest, I like to post something from time to time on music and singing. The following directs you to some articles on church music.

In Purpose of Music in the Church, Paul Foltz writes (found in Grace Notes, Newsletter of Grace For All Publications):

The Word of God presents only two purposes for music in the church:
1. that of worshiping and praising God;
2. that of edifying the saints.
There are well over 800 references to music and its use in the Bible...We have no command or example from the Scriptures for music to be used for any other purpose.

Do you agree or disagree? Click the link above to read the entire article. Other views can be found in The Philosophy of our Music Ministry and Music and the Church: Finding Our Voice in Worship, By Ken Puls.

Life

"Life is what happens to you while you are making other plans." -- A. J. Marshall *

* as best I can tell, Marshall is the source of this quote; sometimes it is credited to John Lennon

Attention Little Debbie fans

Over the past 20 years or so, I've been buying "Little Debbie"* snack cakes. During this period, individually packaged snack cakes cost .25¢. While candy and other brands' snack cakes soared to .79¢ or .89¢ or more, Debbie stayed put. Drinks consisting of sugar, water, coloring and little else rose to $1.19 and up. Debbie held her ground. But inflation has finally reached into the pockets of us poor working-class snack cake purchasers -- Little Debbie snacks have gone up to .35¢. Now I don't blame Debbie, she's a sweet gal. What surprises me is that the McKee Foods Corporation has been able to prosper while holding the price down for this long! I'll still be buying Little Debbie snacks and hoping for 20 or so years of Little Debbie snack cakes at .35¢.

As a matter of trivia, according to the Little Debbie website, their top selling items are:
1. Swiss Cake Rolls
2. Nutty Bars® Wafer Bars
3. Oatmeal Creme Pies
4. Fudge Brownies
5. Honey Buns
6. Zebra Cakes
7. Devil Squares®
8. Fudge Rounds
9. Star Crunch® Cosmic Snacks
10. Chocolate Cupcakes

* The "real" Little Debbie is the granddaughter of company founder O. D. McKee.

Doing positive things

"Any positive thing man does is done by God's grace. This has to be the case, because man is by nature a totally-depraved, totally-enslaved being.We repent, believe, confess Christ in baptism, and do good works by God's grace." -- John Kohler New Covenant Christian Forum, Mon, 20 Aug 2007

Full-time Christianity

"A great many so-called Christians think they may go to meeting weeks at a time and neglect their business, and that God approbates such idleness because it is religious, as if religion consisted in going to meeting and ended when meeting was over. But the truth is that Christ’s religion is as much in the field, the store room, the work shop, as it is in the church house." -- Elder J. R. Respess of Georgia writing in the Gospel Messenger, July 1886

Martin Byerly missing

From Texas EquuSearch:

Martin Byerly, age 58, was last seen on Friday, September 28, 2007 at Jake’s Place near Hwy 96 in Jasper, Texas and has not been seen or heard from since. It is not known what Martin was last seen wearing. His white 1990 Chevrolet pickup truck was located Saturday morning, the 29th, at the Payless Shoe store located on U.S. 190 in Jasper. Foul play is suspected.

Conservative vs Liberal

I generally view conservative not so much as what one believes, but how one approaches Scripture. First, one must believe it is inerrant and then that it is authoritative for faith and practice. Let me give you two examples of how I look at this.

I know some Baptists who believe in women preachers/pastors. Now I'm speaking from experience, so this doesn't apply across the board. Of those I've known personally (not speaking of anyone I've run across on the internet), they held women pastors based on cultural, progressive and even feminist ideas, without particular regard to what the Bible might have to say on the matter. On the other hand, I've known Pentecostals who believe in women preachers/pastors, and approach it in a completely different way. They based what they believed on what they think the Bible teaches and of which they think it gives examples.

Now, totally apart from what might be right or wrong on this matter, I would call those who hold the first approach "liberal", and those who hold the second approach "conservative". That's just an example of how I see it. Many people see "conservative" and "liberal" in regard to what they themselves believe -- and I guess perhaps we can't help approach it that way to some extent.

Random rambling

Cheap prize
I wonder about the value of a prize that can be awarded to a politician who makes a poor documentary based on a questionable scientific foundation. Where can I buy my Nobel?

Appendix
Interesting. A common explanation throughout modern times has been that the (vermiform) appendix is an organ that has lost its function through evolution of the human species. Researchers at Duke University School of Medicine have a new theory, recently published in the Journal of Theoretical Biology, that the appendix "acts as a good safe house for bacteria," by creating and protecting helpful microorganisms for the digestive system.

Carson on the Gospel

"We must avoid the view that, while the Gospel provides a sort of escape ticket from judgment and hell, all the real life-transforming power comes from something else–an esoteric doctrine, a mystical experience, a therapeutic technique, a discipleship course. That is too narrow a view of the Gospel. Worse, it ends up relativizing and marginalizing the Gospel, stripping it of its power while it directs the attention of people away from the Gospel and toward something less helpful." -- D. A. Carson, For the Love of God, Volume II

Prophecy and redemption

"All of the scripture from beginning to end is not written primarily for man's enlightenment on world events or proper conduct in the midst of it. The primary purpose of the Bible is as a text which testifies of the LORD’s purpose to redeem HIS people out of every tribe, kindred, and tongue on the earth." --- Mike McInnis from They that are with Him in the Grace Gazette, Volume V, Issue 34