11.19.2009

What is an Idol?

counterfeit_gods 

What is an idol? It is anything more important to you than God, anything that absorbs your heart and imagination more than God, anything you seek to give you what only God can give. A counterfeit god is anything so central and essential to your life that, should you lose it, your life would feel hardly worth living. An idol has such a controlling position in your heart that you can spend most of your passion and energy, your emotional and financial resources, on it without a second thought. It can be family and children, or career and making money, or achievement and critical acclaim, or saving “face” and social standing. It can be a romantic relationship, peer approval, competence and skill, secure and comfortable circumstances, your beauty or your brains, a great political or social cause, your morality and virtue, or even success in the Christian ministry. When your meaning in life is to fix someone else’s life, we may call it “codependency” but it is really idolatry. An idol is whatever you look at and say, in your heart of hearts, “If I have that, then I’ll feel my life has meaning, then I’ll know I have value, then I’ll feel significant and secure.” ~ taken from Counterfeit Gods by Timothy Keller

 

Here’s a video clip of Keller sharing on some of the principles in his most recently released book:

11.17.2009

Tim Keller on The White Horse Inn

Tim Keller and The Reason for God on The White Horse Inn

the reason for god

How can we believe in God when there is so much evil and suffering in the world? Isn't it arrogant to insist that Christianity is the only true religion? These questions and more will be addressed on this edition of the White Horse Inn as Tim Keller joins the panel to discuss his New York Times bestselling book,The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism.

Play Windows Media Play Audio  Free MP3 File

11.09.2009

Should Fallen Pastors Be Given a Second Chance?

Ted Haggard seemed to have it all: everyone loved Pastor Ted. However, underneath the smile was a broken and hurting man. Eventually, his secrets were uncovered and the world was exposed to his brokenness. For almost three years, showImage.aspxTed and Gayle have been on the journey back to restoration. What can we, the church, learn from the Haggard's experience about the importance of relationships, demonstrating grace, giving people a second chance and making the church a welcome place for those who are hurting?

Check out “People of Second Chance” from a recent Q Talk (from Q:Ideas) with Ted and Gayle Haggard.

11.06.2009

White Horse Inn Interview with Jim Belcher (Deep Church)

deep church 

“What is the Emerging Church movement all about? Are some of its concerns with the traditional church legitimate, or does it sometimes go too far? On this edition of the White Horse Inn, Michael Horton talks with Jim Belcher, a person who has been intimately involved with the Emerging movement since it began. Jim's new book on this subject is titled, Deep Church: A Third Way Beyond Emerging and Traditional.” 

Play Windows MediaPlay AudioFree MP3 File

It’s a tremendous book and I highly recommend it!

Moralizing: How to Destroy Scripture & Cultivate Pride

In this clip from this week’s sermon, Pastor Mark looks at how moralizing destroys scripture and how you don’t even have to be a Christian to moralize. How? Worth checking out and considering…

11.01.2009

Desiring God – Audio Book

piper-desiring-god 

Free Audio Book: Desiring God

This month you can download the Desiring God audio book for free from Christian Audio.

10.29.2009

Who and What I’m Listening To….

There are certain questions I’m asked on a regular basis; one of them is “Can you give me some podcast recommendations?” or “What preachers and/or ministries do you listen to and recommend?”  We live at a great time for Christian learning because of the wide array of teachers and ministries on line.  I say take advantage of it and tap into some incredible teachings – and most of the sites provide the teaching for FREE! 

Listen to some sermons while you commute to work; listen to some teaching while you exercise; listen to some while you work in the yard; etc…   Use your time wisely and learn some wonderful truth!  We need to be challenged to live correctly and how can we live correctly without thinking correctly?

So here’s the ministry/teaching podcasts I listen to every week (yes, I actually listen to these dudes every week!):headphones (2)

Here’s some other ministries and teachers I frequently listen to:

10.23.2009

Remembering Luther and the Reformation

"Wir sein pettler. Hoc est verum."
"We are all beggars. This is true."
Taken from "The Last Written Words of Luther," Table Talk No. 5468


This piece of art was done by my brother-in-law, Daryn Kinney.

Misc. Quotes From Martin Luther:
"Faith is a living, bold trust in God's grace, so certain of God's favor that it would risk death a thousand times trusting in it. Such confidence and knowledge of God's grace makes you happy, joyful and bold in your relationship to God and all creatures. The Holy Spirit makes this happen through faith. Because of it, you freely, willingly and joyfully do good to everyone, serve everyone, suffer all kinds of things, love and praise the God who has shown you such grace." Taken from Luther's An Introduction to St. Paul's Letter to the Romans

"We are all ministers of the Gospel. Some of us just happen to be the clergymen." Martin Luther, unsourced

“... Besides, the Word is the principal part of baptism. If in an emergency there’s no water at hand, it doesn’t matter whether water or beer is used.” Taken from "Prenatal Baptisms Are Ridiculed," Table Talk No. 394




10.20.2009

Neue Podcast: Rob Bell

Here’s a great interview with Rob Bell.  Neue interviews Bell on ministry, pastoral development, creativity, disillusionments with church ministry, outreach, Bell’s recent book, and other great topics.  Check it out.

Neue Podcast | 19 OCTOBER 2009

On this podcast, senior editor Josh Loveless talks with Rob Bell, pastor and founder of Mars Hill (Grand Rapids, MI) and author of Drops Like Stars, a book dedicated to trying to find beauty and imagination within suffering. Loveless and Bell discuss preparation and planning, what good things can come out of our brokenness, Bell's own experience of suffering and how church leaders are uniquely positioned to engage in suffering with others.

10.01.2009

The Cycle of Kindness – Reflections on the Book of Ruth

The Book of Ruth is a fascinating and stirring novella about a young, childless widower named Ruth meeting and marrying a gentleman named Boaz.  It was truly a match made in heaven!  (No pun intended!)  In the story of Ruth, God, through ordinary and everyday means, works mightily to accomplish his Jesus Mission; and the story reminds us that the darkest and loneliest times in life are not times to give up or to stop doing what is right.  No, it is in those dark and lonely times that we must trust God in our hearts and actions all the more.

The Story:
In the period of the judges, Elimelech, Naomi, and their sons leave Bethlehem because of a famine to Naomi and her daughters-in-lawsojourn in Moab. Naomi's husband, Elimelech, dies there. Mahlon and Chilion, the sons, marry Moabite women, Ruth and Orpah. Ten years later the sons die too, leaving no children. Naomi has lost her family and devastated (1:1–5). Learning that the famine in Israel is over, she decides to return to Bethlehem; Orpah stays behind, but Ruth, after expressing her love and loyalty to Naomi, accompanies Naomi back to Bethlehem (1:6–22). At harvest time, Ruth goes to glean in a field that happens to belong to Elimelech's relative, Boaz (2:1–23). Naomi knows he is an eligible kinsman-redeemer. Following Naomi's daring plan, in a midnight encounter at the threshing floor Ruth, at great risk to herself, boldly asks him, as a redeemer, to marry her (3:1–18). After a closer kinsman refuses to take Ruth, Boaz redeems all the property of the deceased and marries Ruth (4:1–12). They have a son, Obed, who becomes the grandfather of King David (4:13–22).  Ruth is no longer a childless widower and Naomi has a family again.  There is a cycle of kindness/mercy is displayed throughout the book by Ruth, Boaz and YHWH.  A simple thematic division of the book of Ruth could quite possibly be – The kindness of Ruth (ch. 1), the kindness of Boaz (ch. 2), the kindness of Boaz and Ruth collide (ch. 3), and the kindness of God (ch. 4).

The "Jesus Mission" in Ruth:

Matthew 1:5-6
Salmon the father of Boaz, whose mother was Rahab, Boaz the father of Obed, whose mother was Ruth, Obed the father of Jesse, 6 and Jesse the father of King David… (Both Mary and Joseph were descendants from David)

The Jesus Mission is the Old Testament’s running theme and purpose; i.e., the plan of God to make right and correct the wayward world.  Throughout the writings of the Old Testament we see the hope of Christ, the One appointed by God to crush evil and sufferings – to put an end to sin and all its horrible ramifications. This plan is first revealed in Genesis 3:15 where God promises to put an end to the rebellion and perverted-nature of sin by crushing the serpent's head through the seed of the woman.  And thus begins the line of Christ, “the seed of promise.”  This line (Gen. 11) can be traced to Abraham when God makes a covenant promising that through Abraham “all the peoples on the earth will be blessed” (Gen. 11:3). Ruth & Boaz are two of the many individuals included in God’s Jesus Mission.

As a foreigner and ancestor of David (4:17, 22), Ruth is a forerunner of the universal blessing and supreme act of kindness/mercy that Christ's redemptive work has ushered in. Many Old Testament prophecies anticipate a new King David (e.g., Jer. 33:15, 17; Ezek. 37:24; Hos. 3:5; Zech. 12:7–10) reigning over Israel and incorporating the Gentiles into his benevolent empire (e.g., Isa. 55:3–5; Amos 9:11–12). This expectation is fulfilled in David's “son,” Jesus the Christ (or Messiah; cf. Matt. 1:1–6;Luke 3:31–33; Acts 13:23; Rom. 1:3–5). In him, the “gospel” preached beforehand to Abraham (Gen. 12:3; Rom. 15:8–12; Gal. 3:8), that all nations will be blessed, is fully realized (Rom. 4:9–12; Gal. 3:7–9, 14). Through Christ, David's throne is reestablished forever (Acts 15:16; Rev. 3:7; 5:5; 22:16) and his reign is universal (Matt. 28:18–20; Rom. 1:5; 15:8–12). In him, people from all nations and the entire cosmos become redeemed from the corruption of sin and death – which is the ultimate of merciful redemption!

The Controversy:
The book of Ruth is not without controversy though.  There are apparent sexual connotations in the “threshing floor” scene in 3:1-15.  Our English translations have a difficult time articulating some of the phrases – and for good reason!  The phrase “uncover his feet (NIV)” in vs. 4 and 7 in Hebrew is an euphemism for the male genitalia.  (For example, the same Hebrew wordings appear in 1 Sam. 24:3 which is translated “to relieve himself” – referring to King Saul going pee.) In addition, the Hebrew wordings which are translated “lie down (NIV)” in vs.4 and “lay down (NIV)” in vs.7 are almost always used to denote sexual relations. 

This is not the only controversy or apparent breaking of God’s law in the book of Ruth.  There’s the issue of Ruth being a Moabite, which is not even addressed in the book!  In Deut. 23:3-6, the people of Israel are prohibited from welcoming the Ammonites and Moabites into the assembly of God.  Elimech and Naomi’s move to Moab, their allowance of the daughters to marry Moabite women, Bethlehem’s welcoming of Ruth, and Boaz’s marriage to Ruth (a Moabite) isn’t even addressed in the slightest! 

Also, the outworking of the laws concerning re-marriage, levirate marriage and kinsman redeemer seem to be very loosely adhered to.  Interesting….what are we to make of these apparent violations of God’s Law?

Mercy/Kindness as "The Heart of the Law":
Barry Webb, in Five Festal Garments, gives us some insight into these apparent violations of God’s law and a little background in the purpose of the book of Ruth helps.  Traditionally, the book of Ruth is/was viewed as one of the 5 Old Testament books (known as “The Writings”) which were liturgically read during the 5 festival Hebrew seasons.  Ruth was read during the Feast of Weeks (or Pentecost) which was the time of harvest and a time commemorating the giving of the law to the Israelites.  Webb writes:

“Life is always more complex than law alone can handle, and what we see in Ruth is custom that reflects the spirit if not the letter of the law, and in doing so distinguishes between its lesser and weightier matters.  Ruth is a Moabitess, but she is also a widow and a landless alien who has taken refuge under YHWH’s wings.  And the author of Ruth apparently takes the view that, in such a case, it would be inappropriate to invoke the bam on Moabites.  This ban on Moabites was no more intended to exclude someone like Ruth than the ban on the Canaanites (i.e. Ammonites) was to  exclude someone like Rahab, and, if we are to take the book as a guide [to live out the law of God], Boaz is a model of law-keeping rather than law-breaking.  In other words, the book identifies the spirit of the law as kindness [Hebrew - “hesed” which is also translated as “mercy”], or more specifically, loving-kindness

So, the reading of Ruth during the Feast of Weeks would have been a tremendous way to remember the importance of not legalistically (and therefore, improperly) living out the law of God, but rather living out the spirit of the law.  And the spirit of the law is and always has been love – particularly, loving-kindness which always displays itself in acts of mercy to those around us!

…but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord.
Leviticus 19:18

Here are some great resources to help you better understand the Book of Ruth:

9.29.2009

Abortion Reduction – Worth Considering?

Is there a third way in a debate that seems so two-sided?

Thank you Relevant Magazine for never shying away from controversial issues.  This is a discussion worth having that many Christians are resistant to….

article_Abortion

Finding common ground while still working to completely abolish abortion is something all pro-lifers should agree on. While our current laws exist, why not work to save lives? As Hunter says, “People who in the past have only been concerned with women’s rights to choose are now willing to talk about reduction. I think that is a godsend.”

See the article here.

9.28.2009

Dartmouth’s “The Reality of the Resurrection: The Historical Evidence for the Resurrection of Jesus”

apol09s-front

Here’s a great article by The Dartmouth Apologia: Charles Dunn on the Resurrection.