Cease ye from man

Cease ye from man, whose breath is in his nostrils: for wherein is he to be accounted of? Isaiah 2:22

God's prophet urges the house of Jacob to trust in God and not man. They had mingled with and counted on other people (v. 6). They heaped up material wealth and accumulated martial power (v. 7). They worshiped in their own ways (vs. 8-9). They trusted in their high towers and fenced walls (v. 15). They savored their flourishing trade and artistic pursuits (v. 16). But when God is exalted they will be brought low (v. 17). Their confidence will turn to fear (vs. 10, 19, 21). "It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man." (Psalm 118:8)

No confidence can be placed in men, even the greatest of them (Psalm 118:8-9). Let all be ashamed of such thoughts, for:

Man is temporal, a creature whose origin is outside himself. He has a beginning. The very life and breath that he has comes from God: "And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul." (Genesis 2:7)  Man as a creature, as well as individual men and women, have a beginning and an ending in the annals of time. Only God is eternal and self-existent (Exodus 3:14). We cannot depend on that which cannot control of the breath of its own nostrils. Our life is so fragile that if the breath of nose and mouth is stopped, the man is dead. Trust (and fear) God -- In whose hand is the soul of every living thing, and the breath of all mankind (Job 12:10) -- rather than man who has no control over it (Matthew 10:28).

Man is mortal, a creature of the material world who is subject to death (Romans 5:12; 6:23). He has an end. We are of few days and full or trouble (Job 14:1). Our life is a fleeting breath which briefly appears and then vanishes (James 4:14). If God but "gather unto himself his spirit and his breath; All flesh shall perish together, and man shall turn again unto dust." (Job 34:14-15) Man who cannot control his being is unfit for the trust of another. Cease from man! -- who only survives on the breath God has loaned him, who is here today and gone tomorrow. Trust in the eternal one who abides forever (Hebrews 7:24).

Proverbs 14:12 There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.
Proverbs 3:5 Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
Proverbs 29:25 The fear of man bringeth a snare: but whoso putteth his trust in the Lord shall be safe.
Psalm 125:1 They that trust in the Lord shall be as mount Zion, which cannot be removed, but abideth for ever.

Make Him thy Fear, thy Love, thy Hope,
Thy Confidence and Joy. (Thomas Gibbons, 1769)

Sad, sad

Owner of 'Pay to Pray' Website Ordered to Return $7.8M to Consumers

"You go to his website and it looks very official. There's a seal that looks official."

"The Christian Prayer Center website not only charged consumers $9 to $35 for prayers but also "deliberately" confused some consumers into signing up for recurring monthly payments, according to authorities."

Mark Twain, and other quotes

The posting of quotes by human authors does not constitute agreement with either the quotes or their sources.

"Sometimes I wonder whether the world is being run by smart people who are putting us on, or by imbeciles who really mean it." -- Mark Twain

"Character flaws are not partisan." -- Dave Miller

"As political speech increases, spiritual authority necessarily diminishes." -- Russell St. John

"When God wants to judge a nation, He gives them wicked rulers." -- John Calvin

"If the Pope himself would lend me his pulpit, I would gladly preach the righteousness of Christ therein." -- George Whitefield

"If God is sovereign at all, He is sovereign in all and over all." -- Jim Durham

"While some in our day have opened the door to ecumenism and “non-doctrinal Christianity”, we have tightened the bolts to our door!" -- Covenant Baptist Church

"Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts." -- Said or written by someone who was not Winston Churchill

"A pastor needs to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable." -- copied

"Wealth means nothing; enjoy what you have." -- copied (sometimes credited to Steve Jobs, but not by him)

In memory of lost lives and in honor of heroic deeds

This day in history, March 18, 1937, the wealthiest rural school district in the world suffered the greatest school disaster in history.

Preconceived ideas

I like crossword puzzles. I try to complete one every day. It's supposed to keep the brain stimulated, but I'm not sure how much it does this. My mind is like a steel trap -- an old one, that is, rusty and hard to open! But I don't work them because it stimulates the mind. I work them because I enjoy doing so.

Sometimes I misread puzzle clues, and once in awhile I misunderstand them. Last night's 40 across clue was "on the shelves". The answer was a six-letter word that I knew would start with "U". My preconception for some reason or another was that "on the shelves" referred to books. Didn't say that, but that was what immediately came to my mind. So I kept thinking U N R E A D -- except that wouldn't work with other answers I was seeing. When I had enough surrounding answers to know the answer -- U N S O L D -- then I also understood the meaning of the clue. It wasn't about books on shelves (which wouldn't have to be "unread", by the way) but about merchandise on shelves.

It is easy for our preconceived ideas to get in the way and to give us wrong answers (and wrong actions). It is always good when we can move from a preconception back to reality and truth. Don't let preconceived ideas keep you from learning the truth. Find the truth and let it change your preconceived ideas. The truth will set you free.

"St. Patrick" the Baptist

Recovering from "Time Change" Day and recognizing St. Patrick's Day, I offer the following sermon by Wally Amos Criswell:

St. Patrick Was A Baptist Preacher

If you forgot to wear green, maybe you'll see green.

Pulpit dictator, and other links

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

• A Dictator in the Pulpit -- "Strong leadership from the top has been demonstrated as successful in the modern business world."
• Court strikes down university ban on ‘communicating … in a manner likely to cause … emotional or physical discomfort’ -- "The court held that the second sentence was unconstitutionally overbroad — and thus invalid, without regard to the particular speech in said by the particular student in this case..."
• Deflate-gate Poll: More Americans believe NFL than Tom Brady -- "A Yahoo Sports survey conducted in early March indicates that 43.4 percent of all Americans continue to believe the NFL's side of the deflate-gate story, with only 16.3 percent believing Tom Brady and the Patriots." [Tom Brady, here's your wake up call. You know you've got bad PR when folks in general believe the NFL and Roger Goodell over you!!]
• If You’re A Real Feminist, You’re Pro-Life -- "Daniel Payne wrote for The Federalist last month that it is impossible to be a feminist and be pro-life...All Payne succeeds in saying is that the most common mainstream incarnation of feminism is adamantly pro-abortion."
• It Really Sucks to Be a Christian Right Now -- "I’m a walking contradiction."
• Jim Daly Joins Muslim Sheikh and Robot Spiritual Guide at Ecumenical Culture Conference -- "Will Jim Daly, a self-described proclaimer of God’s Word, actually preach God’s word at this conference?"
• NRB Terminates Gospel for Asia's Membership Over Financial Accountability Issues -- "The NRB membership termination came approximately three months after the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability cut ties with GFA last October for violating five of the ECFA's seven core standards."
• On False Teachers: Why We Insist on One Degree of Separation -- "Why is speaking with women preachers, charismatic prophets and faith-healers, people teaching positive confession and Word-Faith theology or other serious issues a problem?
• Racism Charges in Bus Incident, and Their Unraveling, Upset University at Albany -- "I feel like they kind of messed it up for the rest of us."
• Rehire teacher who resigned over nude photo, students demand -- "South Carolina teacher should not have left cellphone containing nude photo on her classroom desk, school officials say."
• Report Details Why Gospel for Asia Lost ECFA Membership -- "For years, one of the world’s largest missions agencies has told supporters that 100 percent of donations for its work in India are sent to the field."
• Seven Reasons Why Your Church Should Have a Ministry to Widows -- "The Bible is not ambiguous on this topic."
• The Scandal of Biblical Illiteracy: It’s Our Problem -- "Americans revere the Bible–but, by and large, they don’t read it."
• Why so many scientists are so ignorant -- "Bill Nye was recently asked to opine about whether philosophy is a worthy pursuit."

“Taboo” marriage practice

My Georgia ancestors were 26 years old and 16 years old when they married. They lived together in holy matrimony, apparently peacefully and happily, until his death in 1864. Their marriage resulted in 8 children who helped populate the Oak Flat community of East Texas. Many of our genealogies look something like that, and sometimes that beloved grandmother and great-grandmother was even younger than that when she married.

Lisa Suhay of The Christian Science Monitor reports on several states trying to outlaw a ‘taboo’ marriage practice, writing “In the state of Virginia, a 13-year-old child can legally marry an adult twice her age, and all that’s needed is a clerk’s consent, provided she is pregnant and has parental consent.” She points out that many states allow exemptions (usually with parental or judicial consent) below their standard marriage age limits. Some lobbyists, including the National Organization for Women, have set their sights on outlawing these kinds of exceptions in all 50 states, claiming they support “physical, psychological, sexual, and economic abuse.” The emotional appeal to our current societal state of mind is on the side of these lobbyists, and they seemingly have the facts as well.

Marriage at 12 or 13 doesn’t seem advisable to me, and I recognize that there are specific arranged marriages that children are forced into which include lifelong abuse. On the other hand, there are plenty of marriages into which both parties enter willingly – and at a legal adult age – in which one party (or both) suffers lifelong abuse. Arranged marriages have a long and respectable history, and can result in lifelong stability and happiness. Abraham arranged a marriage for his son Isaac, in which Abraham and (mainly) his servant were the parties who arranged it (interestingly, in this case, the woman had a choice of whether to accept the proposal). Our current American system based on love-struck feelings can also culminate in lifelong stability and happiness – but there are as many wrecked lives in its wake as in the system of arranged marriages.

Suhay quotes Jeanne Smoot saying “The data shows it’s girls under the age 18, including some who are well under age 15, being married to adults and one-third of the time that adult is over 21.” Unfortunately, the article (and movement) seems long on data of how many and how old, but short on data of how these marriages turn out. Those who are against it can point to how some have turned out badly, where are the references to those that are successful? There are marriages under the legal exceptions that turn out badly, but what percentage of the whole are they? Are lawmakers throwing out the baby with the bathwater? And have they asked what are the unintended consequences of no exceptions?

It strikes me as a strange approach from groups like the National Organization for Women, who promote for a woman’s right over her own body for abortions – even promoting sexual promiscuity in teenagers – and yet want the state to take over the right in these exceptional cases. In broader context, some of these protest groups give the aura that marriage as an institution is a form of physical, psychological, and sexual abuse. If N.O.W. had their way, I’m sure they would not have let Mary marry Joseph!

Marlena Hartz with the Tahirih Justice Center says, “Child pregnancy should trigger alarm bells, not wedding bells.” I can agree with that. It is a good thing to discourage and prevent as much as is possible both child sexual activity and child pregnancy. In cases of rape, the rapist should be imprisoned rather than being allowed to marry the victim. But I also find it a little unusual and unbelievable that hordes of child rapists are trying to marry their victims. I’d like to see proof beyond what was submitted. (Yes, if the person is underage and pregnant, they have been raped, whether statutorily or otherwise). It is furthermore not true that all cases of exceptional marriage include underage girls who are pregnant.

We should discourage teenage sexual activity and child marriages. We should discourage all sexual activity outside of marriage. We should prosecute and punish rapists. In our haste to succeed in these areas, let’s not produce unforeseeable and unintended consequences by disallowing all exceptions. The parents and the legal system looking at specific cases should usually provide the needed protection for exceptional marriages. If not, let’s see why it doesn’t and address those problems in a less invasive way to outlawing it altogether.

Lewis's Lesson

"I do not believe one can settle how much we ought to give. I am afraid the only safe rule is to give more than we can spare. In other words, if our expenditure on comforts, luxuries, amusements, etc, is up to the standard common among those with the same income as our own, we are probably giving away too little. If our charities do not at all pinch or hamper us, I should say they are too small. There ought to be things we should like to do and cannot do because our charitable expenditure excludes them." -- C. S. Lewis

What Jesus Looked Like

Is This What Jesus Really Looked Like?  

In North America he is most often depicted as being taller than his disciples, lean, with long, flowing, light brown hair, fair skin and light-colored eyes...In the absence of evidence, our images of Jesus have been left to the imagination of artists. 

Richard Neave, a medical artist retired from The University of Manchester in England, realized [forensic anthropology] also could shed light on the appearance of Jesus.

And so the first step for Neave and his research team was to acquire skulls from near Jerusalem, the region where Jesus lived and preached.

Neave emphasizes that his re-creation is simply that of an adult man who lived in the same place and at the same time as Jesus. 

"This is probably a lot closer to the truth than the work of many great masters." 

Two things, or maybe three or four

• I have long thought Jesus did not look like any of the portraits we generally see of Him. 
• The Bible has no interest in detailing how Jesus looked physically. 
• Churches and Christians should avoid depicting Jesus on their walls. Since we have no idea of what He looked like, we have no need of creating such image in children's minds. 
• Neave's forensic attempt is helpful in at least challenging the common North American mental picture of Jesus.

Celebrating the Joyful Noise, and other music/worship links

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

• Celebrating The Joyful Noise Of Sacred Harp Singing -- "No one could have predicted that a strange and primitive form of gospel music would become one of the South’s most potent cultural exports."
• FOR OR AGAINST: Style-Based Worship Services -- "Offering a buffet line of worship services is a poor way for churches to accurately reflect the Gospel to their congregation and the onlooking world."
  
• Let Everybody Sing -- "Anyone could do it, as long as someone’s voice or an instrument could sing out the root note of the key in which the song was written..."
• Professional, Spectacular, Fleshly Music -- "...what we are now complaining about is church-singing that is professional and spectacular, that which is of the flesh, and rendered to please the ear of man."
  
• Responding to Gathered Worship: With a Life of Worship -- "A right response to worship encompasses our whole being."
• Sacred Harp singing Sunday at Powerhouse -- "The long tradition of “Old Harp” singing in Lafayette County, revived in 1981 by Warren Steel and the late George Boswell, attracts singers from all parts of Mississippi, as well as Alabama, Tennessee, Georgia and other states."
• Sacred Harp Convention to be held at local church -- "Shape Note/Sacred Harp singers from many states and from Canada will once again gather in Warren County for the Annual Missouri State Sacred Harp Convention."
• Sovereign Ruler of the Skies -- ""The hymn begins with doctrine that overflows into devotion."
• The Inspirations' Martin Cook Hospitalized -- "After several tests, doctors determined that Martin's heart is strong but a pacemaker would be of benefit to him."
• Why I Don't Clap for Sacred Music -- "Music in church is not a performance, it’s worship."

Saviour of Sinners by Parks

The Saviour of Sinners

1. Jesus condescended to sinners – for “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners” (1 Timothy 1:15).  God’s divine and sinless Son came from heaven to earth “in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin” (Romans 8:3).

2. Jesus identified with sinners – for Jehovah says, “He was numbered with the transgressors, and He bore the sin of many” (Isaiah 53:12).  Jesus was treated as a sinner (Mark 15:28), and died as the substitute for many sinners (Isaiah 53:4-8).

3. Jesus sought sinners – as when “He needed to go through Samaria” in order to save an adulterous woman (John 4:4ff).

4. Jesus called sinners – for He said, “I did not come to call the righteous [such as self-righteous pharisaical people], but sinners [including the worst of them], to repentance” (Mark 2:17).

5. Jesus forgave sinners – such as the notoriously sinful woman who came and showed to Him kindness in the house of a certain Pharisee (Luke 7:36ff).  Jesus said to her, “Your sins are forgiven. ... Your faith has saved you.  Go in peace” (vv.48-50).

6. Jesus justified sinners – such as the tax collector despised by Pharisees, who cried “God, be merciful to me the sinner!”  Jesus then said, “I tell you, this man [the humble sinner] went down to his house justified rather than the other [the proud Pharisee]; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted” (Luke 18:9-14).

7. Jesus welcomed sinners.  Jesus is like the father of the prodigal son who repented of his sin and returned home (Luke 15:11-24): “But when [the prodigal] was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him. ... the father said to his servants, ‘Bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet.  And bring the fatted calf here and kill it, and let us eat and be merry; for this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’  And they began to be merry.”

8. Jesus received sinners – for when “sinners drew near to Him to hear Him ... the Pharisees and scribes complained, saying, ‘This Man receives sinners and eats with them’” (Luke 15:1f).

9. Jesus befriended sinners – for Pharisees called Him “a friend of sinners” (Matthew 11:19), a term of derision Jesus wore as a badge of honor.

10. Jesus saved sinners – for this is Paul the apostle’s testimony regarding himself in our present text (1 Timothy 1:15).  Therefore, sinner, be assured that if you come to Jesus in repentance and faith, He will welcome and save you.

– Daniel E. Parks

Twice as likely, and other links

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

• Churches Are Twice as Likely to Fear Refugees as to Help Them -- "Telephone survey studies how American Protestants are engaging the refugee crisis, and why many are not."
• Corrective Church Discipline -- "One of the most important and difficult tasks a pastor must undertake is leading his congregation to understand and obey what the Bible says about church discipline."
• Defining Evangelicals in an Election Year -- "We think there is a more coherent and consistent way to understand who evangelicals are—one based on what evangelicals believe."
• Don’t Take Your Kids to a Megachurch: An Open Letter to Andy Stanley -- "Don’t take your kids to a megachurch, where the preacher and “worship leader” are rock stars."
• Is Anyone Really Surprised by Elevation Church’s ‘Spontaneous Baptisms’? -- "What if no one wants to get baptized?...Plant a few “volunteers” in the crowd to respond to the baptism calls first, and others will surely follow."
• Meet The Revolutionary Abigail Adams -- "...this remarkable woman recorded 1,200 letter exchanges with her husband John Adams throughout their marriage, likely making her one of the most documented women of her time."
• PC Hysteria Claims Another Professor -- "The movement to purge all offensive speech from American college campuses has claimed another scalp."
• Preachers, Politics, and Spiritual Authority -- "When men see that a Christian minister’s hopes and fears are invested in this world just like other men, then they naturally assume that he is no more invested in the world to come than they themselves are."
• Recovering the Satellites -- "While the bible is silent about the proper operation of universities, it does provide the standards by which churches should operate. Unlike the case of university expansion, there is an inherent ecclesiological problem with the creation of church satellite campuses."
• Tech and civil rights groups rally behind Apple in court filings -- "For practical reasons, the security bypass this Court would order Apple to create almost certainly will be used on other iPhones in the future. This spread increases the risk that the forensic software will escape Apple’s control either through theft, embezzlement, or order of another court, including a foreign government."
• The Myth of the Evangelical Trump Voters -- "...Trump does not come out on top among those voters for whom the religious faith of the candidate matters most."
• The Science Behind Why It Hurts So Much to Step on a LEGO -- "Death, taxes, and stepping on a LEGO: the three universal inevitabilities."
• This Is the Oldest Dairy Queen in Texas. Yes, Really -- "There are no fancy signs outside proclaiming it to be the oldest Dairy Queen..."
• Three Reasons We Should Refuse to Be Colorblind -- "If you don't notice the differences in musical notes, you can't notice the beauty of harmony when very different notes are artfully brought together."
• Will Lee Daniels, Bishop Yvette Flunder and Dr. Forrest Harris Convince the Black Church/Community to Affirm Homosexuality? -- "In the dawning of this new millennium, homosexuality has burst out of the closet and into the mainstream of American life and society."
  

Spiritual blessings in heavenly places

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ. Ephesians 1:3 

"Look at the words; examine them again and again; think over in your mind, one by one, the spiritual blessings that you most covet. Is it pardon? Is it peace? Is it the love of God shed abroad in your heart? Is it the spirit of adoption, enabling you to cry, "Abba, Father?" Is it communion with God? Is it the enjoyment of his presence and smiles? Is it deliverance from every doubt and fear? Is it a large measure of his fear in your heart, a subduing of all your lusts and corruptions, a godly, holy life, and a happy, blessed death? Are not these the spiritual blessings which you prize above house or land, wife or husband, child or relative, or any earthly good? With these, then, and with every other are you blessed, already blessed, if you are one of God's saints and a believer in Christ Jesus. God has not yet to bless you, beyond giving you a foretaste here and the full enjoyment hereafter. He has already blessed you with them all in Christ Jesus." 

​Excerpt from J. C. Philpot's Daily Portions

California school, and other links

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

• Augusta Heights Baptist Church dismissed from Greenville Association after pastor performs same-sex marriage -- "It was clear that Augusta Heights had left the biblical view of marriage as being between a man and a woman and accepted same sex marriage..."
• California school lets students wear anti-LGBT stickers -- "...administrators and lawyers have decided that students have as much right to wear anti-gay stickers on their school ID badges as they do to wear stickers supporting gay rights..."
• Closing The Book On Vengeance -- "We must constantly resist the temptation to cast ourselves in the role of those who deserve mercy, while casting those outside our tribe in the role of those who deserve vengeance."
• Controversial Pastor Ran Mars Hill Megachurch Like a Crime Syndicate -- "Also at issue are millions donated by church members who were told offerings went to missions in Ethiopia and India through the church’s “Global Fund.” In reality, those tithes appear to have stayed right at home."
• Gay, transgender movements need a divorce -- "If the gay community allows the trans community to co-opt its success and redefine the movement as one seeking to upend the human experience, it does so at its own peril."
• On Dog Funerals and Being an Inadvertent Propagandist -- "Literally nothing is said regarding those grieving the loss of an animal."
• On the Ethics of Online Shaming -- "Is online shaming just a new version of something that humans have always done, or is it substantially different..."
• On Traveling -- "Traveling has not always been a big deal but for the past two centuries it has become fashionable to travel."
• Pastor says Trump ‘true friend’ to evangelicals -- "'Donald Trump cares about and loves evangelical Christians,' Robert Jeffress, Fox News personality and pastor of First Baptist Church in Dallas said..."
• SBC boots church for allowing pastor to officiate gay wedding -- "Previously voted out of the Greenville Baptist Association and South Carolina Baptist Convention, Augusta Heights becomes the...first [church voted out of the Southern Baptist Convention] involving a marriage cermony performed since the U.S. Supreme Court ruled last June that same-sex marriage is legal in all 50 states."
• 40 harmful effects of Christianity – #17 -- "This post is the seventeenth in a series that addresses a list of “40 harmful effects of Christianity” that originated on the American Atheists Facebook page..."
• 93-Mile-Long Ancient Wall in Jordan Puzzles Archaeologists -- "When was the wall built? Who built it and why?"

Substantial Truth

1. Substantial Truth, O Christ, thou art,

The Witness and the Theme;

The Light of life thou dost impart,

And by thy Truth redeem.

Thee of thy Church the only Head,

Master and Lord we own;

And by thy Word and Spirit led,

Will follow thee alone.

2. Thou Lamb of God for sinners slain,

We glorify thy love;

High-Priest in heaven's eternal fane,*

Our Advocate above,

Now, through thy rended veil of flesh,

We dare the Throne draw nigh,

And, sprinkled with thy blood afresh,

With boldness, Abba, cry.

3. Thou art the King of glory, Lord,

Of every realm and race;

Omnipotent thy sovereign word,

Invincible thy grace.

Assume thy universal sway,

Tread down thy monster foes;

Let earth and heaven thy will obey,

And sin's mad conflict close.

--Josiah Conder

* fane = a temple

These Old Hymns

“We cannot afford to lose these old hymns. They are full of the Gospel; they breathe the deepest emotions of pious hearts in the noblest strains of poetry; they have been tested and approved by successive generations of those that loved the Lord; they are the surviving fittest ones from thousands of inferior productions; they are hallowed by abundant usefulness and tenderest memories.” 

Basil Manly Jr., from his preface to Manly’s Choice: A New Selection of Approved Hymns for Baptist Churches, 1891.

Buds And Babies

Buds And Babies by Christina Georgina Rossetti 

A million buds are born that never blow, 
That sweet with promise lift a pretty head 
To blush and wither on a barren bed 
And leave no fruit to show. 

Sweet, unfulfilled. Yet have I understood 
One joy, by their fragility made plain: 
Nothing was ever beautiful in vain, 
Or all in vain was good.

Abigail Kopf, and other links

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

• Abigail Kopf, Teen Shot by Kalamazoo Uber Driver, 'Fighting For Her Life' -- "Doctors first thought Abigail's injuries had left her brain-dead and had started planning to harvest her organs for donation when she squeezed her mother's hand. Her mother, Vicki Kopf, described the moment as 'breathtaking'."
• Bad news for Ted Cruz: his eligibility for president is going to court -- "...while there is no longer any law defining 'natural born,' there used to be one — way back in 1790."
• Deaf Man Receives Touching Note From Starbucks Barista -- "I usually use my phone and I'll text them what I want to order."
• Did Jesus Contradict Himself about Who’s on His Side? -- "...the situation in the second passage is quite different from the one in the first passage."
• Five Observations of the Modern-Day Downgrade -- "But the illusion of unity among these religious systems is false, and dangerous...False doctrine creates divisions..."
• Grinding Axes -- "One may pride himself on bluntness or boldness but a word not spoken in love will never be heard!"
• How All the Apostles Died and Where You Can Find Their Remains Today -- Not really accurate, but interesting nonetheless
• ‘I could feel my intestines outside my body': Woman describes attack that killed her baby -- "Colorado woman Michelle Wilkins took the stand Feb. 17, in the trial of the woman accused of cutting Wilkins' baby from her womb in March 2015."
• Reader Mail: The NAR’s (Mis)use of Luke 9:49-50 -- "Notice that the disciples did not say 'we tried to stop him, because he is promoting aberrant and dangerous teachings'."
• Scalia’s Surprising Advice for Who His Replacement Should Be -- "Before Scalia’s death, six Catholics and three Jews made up the court."
• Seattle man tests transgender rule by undressing in women's locker room -- "Seattle Parks and Recreation is facing a first-of-a-kind challenge to gender bathroom rules."
• The Un-Resume: An Exercise in Professional Humility -- "I would like to pull back part of the curtain by writing a resume...of my failures..."

Happy 180th!

Today is the 180th anniversary of Texas independence. On March 2, 1836, delegates at Washington (on-the-Brazos) passed a declaration of independence from Mexico. In recognition of this date, I offer a link to The Myth and Meaning of Texas Independence by Stephen L. Hardin of Victoria College.

"March 2, 1836 dawned, frigid and gray; cutting winds blew through glass-less windows."

"Both Anglo-Celtic Texians and the native Tejanos fought for self-government within the federalist system created by the Constitution of 1824."

"Southern bankers...let Austin and the other agents know, however, that they might be interested if - and only if, Texians declared their complete separation from Mexico."

"The Republic of Texas was an ephemeral empire. Like the spring bluebonnets, it bloomed, blossomed, and blanched with the sands of time. But also like the state flower, its scent lingers in the hearts and imaginations of every Texan."

Though None Go With Me

Last week I watched a movie titled Though None Go With Me (2006). I don't make a habit of recommending movies, but I thought this one was well done and sent out a good message. Though None Go With Me is based on a novel by Jerry Jenkins with that same title. Sources say the movie premiered on Hallmark Channel. It was directed by Armand Mastroianni and stars Cheryl Ladd. It tells the story Elizabeth LeRoy, a Christian woman who endures great losses in her life. We can trust the Lord in our sorrow and suffering. The book's and movie's title comes from the words of a Christian song called I Have Decided to Follow Jesus (and part of the song is referenced in the movie).

I have decided to follow Jesus; 
I have decided to follow Jesus; 
I have decided to follow Jesus; 
No turning back, no turning back.

Though none go with me, still I will follow; 
Though none go with me, still I will follow; 
Though none go with me, still I will follow; 
No turning back, no turning back.

The world behind me, the cross before me; 
The world behind me, the cross before me; 
The world behind me, the cross before me; 
No turning back, no turning back.

The origin of this song lies in obscurity, and is often attributed as "author unknown" or "anonymous". The words were possibly written down by Sadhu Sundar Singh (1889--circa 1929) an Indian Christian minister, a Sikh who converted to Christianity circa 1905. In his book Why, God, Why, Peramangalam Porinju Job tells a story of the origin of the words -- some of which were based on the last words of a Christian convert in Assam in northeast India in the mid-1800s. Tribal leaders persecuted the man and his family and adjured him to renounce his faith. He replied, "I have decided to follow Jesus, no turning back." The chief ordered the execution of the man's children, but the man said, "Though no one joins me, still I will follow." Next they killed his wife. With a final opportunity to recant, he refused to deny Christ. Before he was executed he said, "The cross before me, the world behind me." Job's story goes on to relate that the village chief came to know Christ, as well as many others in the village.

Singh, it is said, formed the words into an hymn. According to some sources, the melody is also Indian. It is titled ASSAM after the region where the martyr lived and died. William Jensen Reynolds, American musician, teacher, composer and Sacred Harp singer, made an arrangement of the tune, which was published in the Assembly Songbook (of which he was the editor, 1959, Broadman Press). This book was (apparently) used at the 1959 Southern Baptist Convention and Reynolds's version would later become a regular feature in Billy Graham's revival meetings. Much of the song's popularity can be attributed to that connection.

These words falling from the lips of modern Western Christians give the hymn a "decided" decision theology flavor. Knowledge of it's origin in the grace of martyrdom and movement of the Holy Spirit should set a more serious and solemn tone for it.

God's will, and other quotes

The posting of quotes by human authors does not constitute agreement with either the quotes or their sources.

"It's not the will of God if it goes against the word of God." -- copied

"Often we tend to miss the point [of the Scriptures] in an attempt to clinically and lifelessly probe a passage until it gives us either something new, or confirms our latest hypothesis." -- Braxton Hunter

"Public errors don’t have to acquire two or three witnesses for accusations to be made publicly, because the errors are already public."--  J. D. Hall

"Tolerance is a bludgeoning tool used to silence those with whom you disagree." -- Attributed to Josh McDowell (but I could not confirm it)

"The Bible doesn't need to be updated. It tells us truths about ourselves and about God that will never change." -- Billy Graham

"People foolishly choose celebrity personalities over truth." -- Sheryl [last name unknown]

"Theologians can end up looking less like scholars and more like mad scientists in a lab mixing and stirring various scriptural texts together in an attempt to find some way of elucidating a “truth” that is not there." -- Braxton Hunter

"The majority is almost always wrong. The crowd is untruth." -- Brian Zahnd

"God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him." -- John Piper

"Far too few who believe in the risen Christ actually believe in his revolutionary ideas. There is a sense in which we create religion as a category to keep Jesus from meddling with our cherished ideas about nationalism, freedom, and war." -- Brian Zahnd

"The Lord gets his best soldiers out of the highlands of affliction." -- Charles Spurgeon

It's Leap Day!

What is "Leap Year"?
A leap year is a year that has 366 days, instead 365 days. A day is added to the end of the month of February so that it has 29 days instead of 28.

What is the purpose of "Leap Year"?
The time it takes for the Earth to orbit the Sun is 365.2421 days rather than the exact 365 days of the calendar. Every four years, an extra day is added to the calendar to realign our calendar with the Earth’s orbit around the Sun. There is an exception to the "four year rule" -- every four years "except for years evenly divisible by 100 and not by 400." According to mathematicians, 97 out of every 400 years will be leap years -- rather than 100 out of every 400.

What is the history/origin of "Leap Year"?
For us in the U.S.A. it goes back to what is known as “Julian Calendar”, though Egyptians were among the first people to calculate a leap year. The “Julian Calendar” was adopted in 46 B.C. (and instituted in 45 B.C.) under the reign of Julius Caesar, adding a leap day every four years. Before this, the Roman calendar (and many others, such as the Jewish calendar) used a "lunar calendar" that added an extra month on a recurring basis. Pope Gregory XIII adopted a calendar revision in 1582. Known as the “Gregorian Calendar,” it is still in use today. It gave the "evenly divisible" exception rule (mentioned above) to readjust for the discrepancies that had occurred between the “Julian Calendar” and the solar year.

Why is it called "Leap Year"?
A "Leap Year" is a year that contains a "Leap Day". Some say it is because in leap years fixed dates advance (leap forward) two days instead of one. That is, in regular (non-leap) years, fixed dates advance one day in the week per year; with the inclusion of a leap day, fixed dates advance two days instead of one. For example, Christmas fell on a Thursday in 2014. It fell on a Friday in 2015. If 2016 were a common year, Christmas would fall on a Saturday. But since 2016 is a leap year, Christmas will leap over Saturday and fall on a Sunday.

Why February?
When the 365-day “Julian Calendar” was devised, February was the last month of the year and the extra day was added to it.

Who are some people born on Leap Day?

• Ann Lee, founder of the Shaker movement (born 1736)
• Gioacchino Rossini, Italian composer (born 1792)
• Adolph Blaine Charles David Earl Frederick Gerald Hubert Irvin John Kenneth Lloyd Martin Nero Oliver Paul Quincy Randolph Sherman Thomas Uncas Victor William Xerxes Yancy Zeus Wolfeschlegelsteinhausenberdorft Sr., German individual with the longest name officially used by any known person (born 1904)
• Dinah Shore, American singer and actress (born 1916)
• Gretchen Christopher, American singer and songwriter, co-founder of The Fleetwoods (born 1940)
• Bart Stupak, American politician (born 1952)
• Peter Brouwer, leapling and co-founder of the Honor Society of Leap Year Day Babies, says, “The law of averages means your chance of being born on Feb. 29 are one out of 1,461.”

8 Reasons, and other music links

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

• 8 Reasons Churches Should Sing New Songs -- "Traditional worship, back before it needed to be called “traditional,” always featured new songs."
• 10 Worship Songs We Should Stop Singing -- "Congregational singing is a privilege; it’s also sacred duty, a discipline, part of the work of the people."
• Dewey Williams, 81st Birthday Singing -- "Short film about Dewey Williams made in 1979"
• Do words matter in worship songs in church? -- "Why sing these words if you don’t pay attention to the words?"
• Hymn Lining: A Disappearing African American Tradition -- "At 86, Troy Demps,of Orlando, Florida, is trying to preserve the tradition of this haunting and beautiful musical worship."
• It’s Time to Boycott the Worship Industry -- "Christian culture’s boycotts rarely do any good."
• Old-time hymns and beer combine for joyful noise in Nashville -- "...the Beer and Hymn Sing is attracting a growing number of people of various religious backgrounds, and some of them sip nothing stronger than a Diet Coke."
• South Alabama – Florida Panhandle Sacred Harp Singings -- Map of singing locations

Behaving brands, and other links

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

• An End to Pretending: On Being Taught How to be a Sinner -- "Theologians often make doubtful Christians."
• Are Baptists Protestants? -- "If a church is yet at one with the world we cannot recognize it as a true church."
• Brands Are Behaving Like Organized Religions -- "Scholars have found that every organized religion offers three key benefits to its followers, a) a set of core beliefs and values, b) symbols, myths, and rituals, and c) relationships with members of a like-minded community."
• Brazen sexism is pushing women out of America’s atheism movement -- "Why would women join a movement led by sexists and populated by trolls?"
• Death, the Prosperity Gospel and Me -- "Put simply, the prosperity gospel is the belief that God grants health and wealth to those with the right kind of faith."
• Evangelicals Are Not the Boogeyman -- "There are so many misconceptions about 'evangelicals'..."
• Man Skipped Work For 6 Years And No One Noticed Until He Won An Award -- "For six years, a building supervisor in Spain quietly collected a $41,500 salary from his local government without showing up for work."
• Same-Sex Marriage Is Constitutionally Illegitimate, the Result of an Anti-Democratic Litigation Campaign -- "Both marriage and our constitutional system have been weakened by the illegitimate judicial legalization of same-sex marriage."
• The middle ground in the abortion argument -- "The most effective anti-abortion placard I ever saw...said simply: 'Abortion stops a beating heart.'"
• Victim of former missionary’s theft loses health, wealth, but keeps sense of humor -- "A trustee decision not to prosecute a missionary caught embezzling funds wound up costing an Alabama businesswoman..."
• What B. B. Warfield Got Wrong in His Doctrine of the Trinity -- "It is not, however, an accidental omission..."
• Withholding or Delaying the Baptism of Believers — Is it ever right? -- "I know of baptistic churches that hold the particular view that no one should be baptized until they are eighteen years old, without exception."

Supreme Court nominee

A lot of energy has been expended jawing about filling the vacancy in the Supreme Court left by the death of Antonin Scalia (some of which began when his body was barely turning cold). The chief issue is whether a lame duck president should nominate a replacement (both theoretically and really). I heard someone on the radio today complain because the people don't get to choose the nominee (i.e., by the election process). Fact is, we do get to choose in the way the Constitution specifies -- we choose the President and Senate who choose the Supreme Justice. Some have used the rhetoric "let the people decide" in referring to letting the next elected president nominate a justice. The other side complains that it is the current president's right to nominate a justice. Both are right. The currently seated president has the constitutional right to set forth his candidate. But the Senate also has the constitutional right to "advise and consent" -- which included the right to not consent. 

I personally believe is it wise to wait. But whichever side we come down on, it is US who elected (or will elect) the officials who will nominate and confirm the next Supreme Court justice. Like it or not, we are part of the process.

Kasich's Kupkakes

Speaking at the University of Virginia, Ohio governor (and nondescript presidential candidate) John Kasich, weighed in (sort of) the issue of bakeries and homosexual couples, saying, "But if you're a cupcake maker and somebody wants a cupcake, make them a cupcake." Perhaps Kasich doesn't understand what is at issue, or perhaps he was just playing to the crowd (though no presidential candidate has ever done such heretofore). The issue that has been front and center is about not selling cupcakes (or other baked goods) to someone who walks in off the street, but decorating wedding cakes and such like for a homosexual ceremony, which draws the baker's ideas and creativity into contact with the viewpoint of the ceremony being conducted. Whether or not you agree with bakers who refuse to do so, one should fairly represent what is at issue. A candidate for president should be clear and honest about where he stands.

Political signs

Hey, you. Yea, I mean you. You know who you are. You who damage, deface and destroy political road signs. If you want to oppose a political candidate, please do so by exercising your lawful right to vote. Don't oppose a candidate by breaking the law in damaging, destroying or illegally removing legitimate political signs. If they are placed on your property without authorization, remove them. If they are unlawfully displayed on state highway right-of-way, let the highway department remove them. If they are not illegally placed -- leave them alone! Be a shining example of American citizenry. Don't be a low-life nitwit.