Start linkin

The posting of links does not constitute an endorsement of the sites linked, and not necessarily even agreement with the specific posts linked.

* 8 Numbers Identity Thieves Want to Steal From You -- "You probably realize that identity thieves are after your email addresses and passwords, but that’s not all they want."
* “Baptists, Just Without the Baptisms -- "A task force of Southern Baptist ministers reports its finding on the sect's declining rate of dunkings, saying, 'We have a spiritual problem.'"
* Franklin Graham Is the Worst Thing to Happen to God in a While --"In a speech at the Family Research Council’s Watchmen on the Wall, Graham made it his business to remind the audience of pastors about the people God hates."
* Highland Baptist to perform same-sex marriages -- "...Deacons have decided Louisville's Highland Baptist Church will perform marriages for same-sex couples, though the full congregation has not voted on the issue."
* Study: King Richard III maligned as hunchback -- "Richard III died in 1485, the last English king killed on a battlefield."
* The scoliosis of Richard III, last Plantagenet King of England: diagnosis and clinical significance -- "Richard III was king of England from 1483 to 1485, after declaring his nephew, Edward V, illegitimate."

Quoteth

"Genealogy, begins as an interest, becomes a hobby, continues as an avocation and in the last stages, is an incurable disease." -- copied

"One who feels no pride in ancestors is unworthy to be remembered by descendants." -- copied

"Movies may not reflect reality, but they powerfully condition what we desire, expect and feel we deserve from it." -- Ann Hornaday

"The way to stop discrimination on the basis of race is to stop discriminating on the basis of race." -- John Roberts

"There is more real pleasure, satisfaction, and happiness in half an hour with God...than in all the delights of sin, all the lusts of the flesh, all the pride of life, and all the amusements that the world has ever devised..." -- J. C. Philpot

"God wants you to love people more than He wants you to fix people." -- Steve Brown

"You can't bed with skunks and expect to smell like roses." -- Traditional proverb

"You have to remember that babies are fresh from God." -- Sue Hillman (foster parent)

"Truth is still truth, even if no one believes it."

Dueling politicians

* A future American president’s deadly duel -- "On this day in 1806, future President Andrew Jackson nearly died in a duel when he killed his opponent, a fellow plantation owner."

No less than the blood

Ye are bought with a price. - 1 Corinthians 6:20

"How deep, how dreadful, of what awful magnitude, of how black a dye, of how ingrained a stamp must sin be, to need such an atonement--no less than the blood of him who was the Son of God--to put it away." -- J. C. Philpot

What can wash away my sin?
Nothing but the blood of Jesus!
What can make me whole again?
Nothing but the blood of Jesus!
   Robert Lowery

Lotsa Links

The posting of links does not constitute an endorsement of the sites linked, and not necessarily even agreement with the specific posts linked.

* 11 Healthiest Foods in the World -- "Grown without chemicals and loaded with nutrition, these 11 foods will keep you (and the planet) healthy for life.
* Blaming NRA over killings shows no amount of laws enough for anti-gunners -- "...no amount of 'gun control', for which California has been hailed as a leader by citizen disarmament groups, will ever be enough for them."
* British court orders Richard III to be buried in Leicester -- "Britain's High Court ordered on Friday that king Richard III should be buried in a cathedral in Leicester, the city where his remains were found under a car park two years ago."
* Doctors Think Emergency Room Visits Are Going To Explode Under Obamacare -- "One of the major selling points of the Affordable Care Act was its theoretical potential to reduce costly emergency room visits, given the law's access to coverage.
* In a final videotaped message, a sad reflection of the sexist stories we so often see on screen -- "Movies may not reflect reality, but they powerfully condition what we desire, expect and feel we deserve from it."
* Is Gay Marriage Unstoppable? -- "...in Justice Scalia’s world, people get gay-married. In Justice Kennedy’s, gay (and straight) people get married. The distinction is subtle but makes a tremendous difference."
* Pakistan woman stoned to death by family for marrying man she loved -- "All the suspects except her father escaped. He admitted killing his daughter, Cheema said, and explained it was a matter of honor."
* Remains of 40 Confederate soldiers discovered in Virginia cemetery -- "Their remains sat, unmarked, in shallow graves at the Old City Cemetery in Lynchburg, Va., for decades."
* Sharia Law Interrupts a Woman's Wedding -- "Seventeen women were detained for several hours. The team of men who held them gave the reason as listening to loud music and not wearing Islamic dress."
* Sharing Finances in a Marriage: 5 Stats You Should Know -- "Here are a few statistics on marriage and finances, some of which may surprise you."
* Sudanese Christian shackled while awaiting death sentence, husband says -- "Meriam Ibrahim, 26, who is eight months pregnant, was sentenced to death last Thursday after being convicted of apostasy."
* The Kissing Cousins of Divorce and Heresy -- "As a pastor of more than 20 years, my heart breaks every time I hear of a couple splitting up."

Memorial Day

"Three years after the Civil War ended, on May 5, 1868, the head of an organization of Union veterans — the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) — established Decoration Day as a time for the nation to decorate the graves of the war dead with flowers. Maj. Gen. John A. Logan declared that Decoration Day should be observed on May 30. It is believed that date was chosen because flowers would be in bloom all over the country."

For more Memorial Day History see the Office of Public and Intergovernmental Affairs site.

The use of the voice

"When man was created he was blessed in many ways above other creatures; one blessing in particular was the voice with which to speak, and sing hymns of love and adoration to the Creator. He who uses not the voice given him, deprives himself of much pleasure, and is guilty of the sin of omission. Nothing short of the use of the voice to the fullest extent will suffice." -- "B. L. Vaughn, Singer and Instructor in Vocal Music" (Benjamin Lewis Vaughn, 1885--1912)

The Edge of Links

The posting of links does not constitute an endorsement of the sites linked, and not necessarily even agreement with the specific posts linked.

* 19 Words That Will Make People Like You More -- "First impressions can lead to lasting impressions."
* How to See Yourself as the Web Sees You: 5 Tips -- "Searching for yourself on the Web is not just an activity of the vain and shallow. It is an important tool in managing your career and your personal life.
* Mega Church Pastor: Obama Legacy is that He Destroyed the Experiment Called America -- "I do not recall in my lifetime anything remotely close to what we are seeing. For the law enforcer in Washington D.C., the chief in America, to tell the Attorneys General across the states that you don’t have to enforce the law if you don’t like it. That is beyond anything I was taught in school. Rule of law and consent of the governed has been lost."
* Pope Francis says half of marriages today are invalid -- "To much fanfare in the press, Pope Francis has started a 'dialogue' about the Catholic Church's marriage practices."
* Researchers Who Provided Key Evidence For Gluten Sensitivity Have Now Thoroughly Shown That It Doesn't Exist -- "Since gluten is a protein found in any normal diet, Gibson was unsatisfied with his finding. He wanted to find out why the gluten seemed to be causing this reaction and if there could be something else going on."
* Scientists Rebut White House Global Warming Claims -- "The scientists do not have any affiliation with any particular organization and have worked together pro bono for several years."
* The actress who helped Lincoln defeat the Confederacy -- "Pauline Cushman donned disguises, dodged death and secretly slipped behind enemy lines as a Civil War spy."

Tulips, Roses, Poinsettias and Lilies: a veritable theological garden

Several years ago I posted on Calvinism and other acrostics. Since that time I’ve noticed a few other theological acronyms blooming. Here’s some of the old and new.

The oldest and most established flower, of course, is the Tulip.
* The Five Points of Calvinism

Others that have appeared in the soteriological hot bed, though not necessarily flourished, include:

Roses
* “Roses” (an Alternative to TULIP)

Two different Daisies (one of which sounds more like a caricature of Arminian theology than a flower planted by an Arminian)
* The Five Points of Arminianism
* DAISY: The 5 Points of Arminianism

The Lily
* Malcolm Yarnell’s Lily

Lilac (an “Arminian” list also crafted by a Calvinist)
* The Poisonous Petals of the Arminian LILAC

As if Calvinism needed another, there is always the Aster:
Absolute predestination
Specific atonement
Total inability
Effectual calling
Reliable promise

Perhaps the best supported of the new acronyms is the Poinsettia, sporting many more than the traditional five petals.
* Doctrinal Statement -- “Poinsettia: a new flower in the soteriological garden”

Search for Links

The posting of links does not constitute an endorsement of the sites linked, and not necessarily even agreement with the specific posts linked.

* 10 Tech Terms You Might Be Pronouncing Incorrectly -- "To ensure that you don’t come off sounding silly next time you’re chatting with nerds, we’ve compiled this guide on how to properly pronounce some of the terms popular in tech and tech culture."
* 17-year-old high school student beats sitting W.Va. lawmaker in primary -- "A week before her high school graduation, Saira Blair was barely old enough to vote when she unseated a West Virginia lawmaker almost four times her age."
* A Castrated Language Is A Weaker Language -- "A castrated  or neutered language is a weaker language and a weaker language leads toward more weakness."
* Arkansas judge strengthens ruling striking down gay marriage ban -- "The state's initial appeals of Piazza's ruling were rejected on Wednesday by the Arkansas Supreme Court, which said it had no jurisdiction until the lower court's finding was finalized and formally entered."
* Coalition Of Black Pastors Speaks Out Against Gay Marriage -- "A coalition of black pastors have condemned gay marriage, saying it's incorrect to compare the fight for equal marriage rights to the civil rights movement."
* New Paltz Students Find $40K in a Couch -- "So that's why this $20 couch was so lumpy
* 'Pro-choice' Is Just a Propaganda Term -- "Pro-abortionists are fit to be tied over the Missouri Legislature's approval of a bill that requires women to wait 72 hours after first seeing a doctor before having an abortion...opponents of the bill, in keeping with the practice of pro-abortionists never to find any argument too preposterous to assert, said the longer waiting period would push women further into pregnancy before an abortion, which could increase their risk."
* School integration slipping 60 years after Brown -- "For black students, the South now is the least segregated section of America...more than half of black students in New York, Illinois, Maryland and Michigan attend schools where 90 percent or more are minority."
* What does the Extent of the Atonement have to do with Baptist Ecclesiology? -- "Wellum showed from a biblical-theological reading of Scripture, with emphasis on Christ’s  priestly office and New Covenant mediation, how Christ’s death relates to the subjects of particular redemption and Baptist ecclesiology."

We are called Baptists

We are called Baptists. A name which was once better understood than at present, once applied exclusively to the followers of the Lamb of God, but now prostituted in many instances, as a cognomen to conceal the murderous spirit of those who “have gone in the way of Cain, ran greedily after the error of Balaam, and perished in the gainsaying of Core.” (Jude 11) The first man that ever bore the Baptist name was beheaded by the decree of Herod, and from the day he suffered, to the present, the history of the people to whom that name legitimately belongs, may be traced in characters of blood.

-- Gilbert Beebe, Signs of the Times, June 15, 1844

Thoughts on same-sex marriage

Some comments from a Michigan black pastors' coalition, and two links:

"The fact that American media or other factions erroneously characterize the traditional meaning of 'marriage' as being on par with the civil rights deprivations of Black Americans does not make it so."

"A person’s sexuality and sexual preferences, however, are not their state of being, or even an immutable aspect of who they are, as race is," it reads. "The truth of the matter is that it is merely activity in which they engage. The state has no responsibility to promote any person’s sexual proclivities, whether heterosexual, homosexual, or otherwise."

"All states routinely require certain qualifications to obtain a marriage license and disallow certain individuals who do not meet those qualifications. States discriminate against first cousins, for example, by not allowing them to marry. States discriminate against bigamists, polygamists, and polyamorists in the licensing of marriage, and it is within the states’ right to do so."

• Federal judge rules Idaho's same-sex marriage ban is unconstitutional -- "A federal magistrate judge, Candy Dale, has ruled that Idaho's ban on same-sex marriage is unconstitutional."
• The Mirage of Same-Sex Marriage -- "This indeed is a complicated ruling."

Contemplation of God by Simpson

“Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God” (1 John 3:1)

Consider four truths: God’s love is –

Eternal – it is without beginning and end. ‘In love, having predestined us’ (Eph 1:4-5). ‘Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with loving kindness have I drawn thee’ (Jer 31:3).

Sovereign – it is without external influence. ‘Jacob have I loved, Esau have I hated’ (Rom 9:13). ‘According to the good pleasure of his will’ (Eph 1:4)

Immutable –it is without change. ‘strong as death…many waters cannot quench it’ (SS 8:6-7). ‘having loved his own which were in the world, he loved them unto the end’ (John 13:1). ‘Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?’(Rom 8:35)

Gracious – it is without condition. ‘God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son’ (Jn 3:16). God’s definite love rested on the fulfillment of one condition: the obedience of Christ unto death. The Father was satisfied with everything concerning His Son; likewise, He was satisfied with His elect.

Christ didn’t die to make God love them; rather, Christ died because God loved them. His love sent the Son; and love moved the Son to give His life. The ultimate purpose of all God did in behalf of those chosen before the foundation of the world was for “the praise of the glory of his grace” (Eph 1:6). The imputation of Christ’s righteous work resulted in the elect being forgiven from sin, redeemed from the Law’s curse, justified from condemnation, and adopted as God’s children. John said, God “bestowed” love and “called” us His “sons”. This relationship isn’t by natural birth or human decision. It came by declaration and Christ’s finished work.

---T. David Simpson

All My Links

The posting of links does not constitute an endorsement of the sites linked, and not necessarily even agreement with the specific posts linked.

* 2 Big Problems with Overly Simple Sermons -- "Many sermons are a lot like popular sitcoms."
* Cameras Catch Family Cat Taking on Dog That Bit Boy -- "Roger Triantafilo said his son Jeremy, 4, was riding his bike Tuesday outside the family home when the dog bit him on his left leg."
* Campaign to turn away same-sex couples moves ahead -- "Religious freedom is more than just private worship," the measure's filers wrote. "It involves public expression on moral and social issues."
* Eat Butter, Lose Weight -- "Meet ghee, a fat-burning, paleo- and elimination-diet-approved superfood that's derived from—yes—butter."
* Fire, Faith & Forgiveness: 2010 East Texas church arsonists explain why they did it -- "Two infamous church arsonists are explaining why they waged war on East Texas congregations in 2010."
* Giant boulder nearly collides with Massachusetts church -- "The Lord just kinda said, 'That's enough.'"
* Gym Banishes Breastfeeding Mom to Bathroom -- "Two dozen mothers staged a 'nurse-in' outside an LA Fitness club to support a fellow mom who was recently asked to leave the women's locker room for breastfeeding her baby."
* Pope Francis shocks world by saying the devil exists -- "On Monday, May 12, Lauren Barbato of Bustle wrote an article stating that Pope Francis talks more about Satan than Catholic Church leaders have since 1987..."

* Pope says baptism is for everyone, even Martians -- "Pope Francis on Monday declared that everyone has the right to be baptised, even aliens should they come knocking on the church's door."
* Rod and Staff Music Programs -- Workbooks, Teacher's Guides, etc. in shape notes
* Supreme Court puts its legitimacy at risk -- "...there is little doubt that the results demonstrated that the American people are becoming more disenchanted with the nation's highest Court."
* Why Theological Study Is for Everyone -- "Every Christian must be a theologian."

Philpot Devotional

"Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?" -- Romans 8:35

      

      Be this never forgotten, that if we have ever been brought near to the Lord Jesus Christ by the actings of living faith, there never can be any final, actual separation from him. In the darkest moments, in the dreariest hours, under the most painful exercises, the most fiery temptations, there is, as with Jonah in the belly of hell, a looking again toward the holy temple. There is sometimes a sigh, a cry, a groan, a breathing forth of the heart's desire to "know Him, and the power of his resurrection;" that he would draw us near unto himself, and make himself precious to our souls. And these very cries and sighs, groanings and breathings, all prove that whatever darkness of mind, guilt of conscience, or unbelief we may feel, there is no real separation. It is in grace as it is in nature; the clouds do not blot out the sun; it is still in the sky, though they often intercept his bright rays. And so with the blessed Sun of righteousness; our unbelief, our ignorance, our darkness of mind, our guilt of conscience, our many temptations--these do not blot out the Sun of righteousness from the sky of grace. Though thick clouds come between him and us and make us feel as though he was blotted out, or at least as if we were blotted from his remembrance, yet, through mercy, where grace has begun the work, grace carries it on: "Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ" (Phil. 1:6).

J. C. Philpot (1802-1869)

Guiding Link

The posting of links does not constitute an endorsement of the sites linked, and not necessarily even agreement with the specific posts linked.

* Benham Brothers Speak Out on HGTV Show Being Canned: We're Committed to Biblical Principles -- "Our faith is the fundamental calling in our lives, and the centerpiece of who we are. As Christians we are called to love our fellow man. Anyone who suggests that we hate homosexuals or people of other faiths is either misinformed or lying."
* Doctrinal Statement -- "Poinsettia: a new flower in the soteriological garden"
* Five items Congress deleted from Madison’s original Bill of Rights -- “The right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed; a well armed and well regulated militia being the best security of a free country: but no person religiously scrupulous of bearing arms shall be compelled to render military service in person.”
* Four foods that lower blood pressure -- "...consuming foods that are proven to produce significant cardiovascular benefits is a great way to prevent and treat the disorder naturally."
* Mel Brooks on Blazing New Comedic Trails in 'Blazing Saddles' -- "Politically correct is absolutely wrong. Because it inhibits the freedom of thought."
* Mohler Mistaken About N.C. Marriage Law -- "...recently (Tuesday, April 29) on his daily broadcast called “The Briefing,” Mohler erroneously maligned North Carolina’s Marriage Protection Amendment."
* New bid to topple Obamacare in court: Did Harry Reid bend the rules? -- "Senate majority leader Harry Reid violated the Constitution in his maneuverings to pass Obamacare, a conservative legal fund argues."
* More Hispanics are leaving Catholic Church: survey -- "A growing number of U.S. Hispanics are turning away from the Roman Catholic religion of their youth and now identify as Protestant or unaffiliated with any church..."
* Racial Diversity Seems to Have Become an End in Itself -- "I've thought of racial diversity initiatives as a means to an end, but Justice Sotomayor seems to view racial diversity as the desired end of public policy."

Totem Quot'em

"A love spread around: There, beauty is found." -- Shirley and Moe (elderly married couple)

"The larger the island of knowledge, the longer the shoreline of wonder." -- Ralph W. Sockman

"Feed your faith and starve your doubts." -- copied

"So many lives have touched mine during our years of singing; I feel blessed." -- Martha Beverly

"Music takes us out of the actual and whispers to us dim secrets that startles out wonder as to who we are, and for what, whence, and whereto." -- Ralph Waldo Emerson

"Music is the universal language of mankind — poetry their universal pastime and delight." -- Henry Wadsworth Longfellow 

"The final aim and reason of all music is nothing other than the glorification of God and the refreshment of the spirit." -- Johann Sebastian Bach

"It's easy to play any musical instrument: all you have to do is touch the right key at the right time and the instrument will play itself." -- Johann Sebastian Bach

Not an hireling

The horseleech has her daughters that still are crying, Give:

You must pay us for preaching, or else we cannot live.

You must give us ten dollars for every sabbath day—

It is no more than reason that we should have our PAY.

We have to write our sermons, and read them off to you—

We cannot work for nothing as the Old Baptists do.

It takes us time to study, and that you know full well—

We must be paid for learning attained at Waterville.

And now if you will give us five hundred by the year,

We'll try to read our sermons, and from work keep clear.

But if you will not pay us, we'll read no more to you;

But we will take a mission and see what we can do.

This looks not like a minister that Jesus Christ has made:

He never preached the gospel, and made of it a trade.

But when I see a preacher that will not preach or pray,

Unto the church of Jesus unless it be for pay.

It looks just like the lawyer, as I have heard them say,

Who pleads well for his client if he is sure of pay.

Now if I go to college and there do learn my trade,

In order to get money, what difference can be had,

Between me and the lawyer, I surely none can see.

And now if there is any, pray point it out to me.

But we want no such preachers to come along this way,

To peddle out the gospel, and gather up their pay.

The gospel of salvation we know was freely given,

Not to be bought with money, but freely sent from heaven.

Verses which were composed by Elder James Stewart; From a letter sent by Betsey Quint to THE SIGNS OF THE TIMES, October 17, 1842.

Brumbelow on same-sex marriage

The following was written by Pastor David Brumbelow, author of the Gulf Coast Pastor blog.

I believe Christians should oppose same-sex marriage for a number of reasons. They should do so while “speaking the truth in love.”
1. The Bible condemns it.
2. Legalization gives the practice governmental legitimacy. The government is placing its stamp of approval on homosexuality.
3. It encourages further homosexual activity and experimentation.
4. It is taught as normal and legitimate in public schools.
5. Christians are forced to give their approval of same-sex marriage or suffer the consequences. We thereby lose Religious Liberty.
6. Children struggling with sexual identity are encouraged toward homosexuality; or at least it‘s presented as a normal lifestyle. They can thereby be seriously harmed.
7. Children in homosexual marriages suffer and struggle.
8. The true meaning of marriage is re-defined.

David R. Brumbelow, by permission, originally posted HERE.

Mother's Day quotes for you

"The carnations on Mother's Day could easily represent all the babies the world will never meet." -- Sarah Arthur

"A mother is a person who seeing there are only four pieces of pie for five people, promptly announces she never did care for pie." -- Tenneva Jordan

“There’s no way to be a perfect mother and a million ways to be a good one.” -- Jill Churchill

“Motherhood: All love begins and ends there.” -- Robert Browning

"Mother's love is peace. It need not be acquired, it need not be deserved." -- Erich Fromm

“The phrase ‘working mother’ is redundant.” -- Jane Sellman

"When your mother asks, 'Do you want a piece of advice?' it’s a mere formality. It doesn’t matter if you answer yes or no. You’re going to get it anyway." -- Erma Bombeck