Reformed Baptist apologist James White commented on the Pope's insistence that he respects the religion of Islam. James points out that to treat all religions as equal is to actively reject the claims of Christianity. This is unacceptable.

I would not join the Pope in saying "I respect Islam." That is a far cry from saying I do not respect certain Muslims, and, equally far from saying I cannot or will not treat a Muslim with respect. Sadly, people muddle these categories. Modern shallow thinkers assume that if you wish to show respect for a Muslim you must respect Islam. That is untrue. A Muslim is made in the image of God, and though he follows a false religion, he is still due respect due to the fact that he bears the image of God.

Read the entire post at www.aomin.org.

The miraculous garden

Isaiah 45:8

Shower, O heavens, from above,
and let the clouds rain down righteousness;
let the earth open, that salvation and righteousness may bear fruit;
let the earth cause them both to sprout;
I the Lord have created it.

I found the metaphor in Isaiah 45:8 to be absolutely wonderful! That is no surprise since God is the one who spoke it.

God, the engine that powers nature and plant growth, is also the engine that powers salvation and righteousness. He uses the metaphor of plant growth to help us understand that salvation and righteousness come from him—not from our own efforts.

God plants the seed of faith, God rains down righteousness and salvation from the heavens, and God causes the earth (us) to open allowing righteousness and salvation to sprout. I love the imagery of this, I love the grace of it, I love the truth of it.

What a wonderful and gracious God we serve!

Comforted so that we may comfort others

2 Corinthians 1:3–4

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.

It is so easy for me to feel sorry for myself when I go through tough times. I often presume to ask God why He is allowing something I don't like to happen to me. This response is not consistent with what I know of God (that He didn't just allow it to happen but rather ordained that it would happen) and it ignores the clear teaching of scripture about one of the reasons why we go through tough times.

Our suffering allows us to commiserate with others who are enduring tough times. And the comfort we gain from Christ, oftentimes through the actions of fellow believers, allows us to comfort others who are enduring tough times.

John Piper

Not grace to bar what is not bliss,
Nor flight from all distress, but this:
The grace that orders our trouble and pain,
And then, in the darkness, is there to sustain.

So the answer to the question, "Why, God?" is "that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God."

God, please show me the opportunities to share the comfort you have provided to me with others who are in need.

Words mean things, at least they should

John 18:37–38

Pilate therefore said to Him, “Are You a king then?” Jesus answered, “You say rightly that I am a king. For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.” Pilate said to Him, “What is truth?”

I am continually amazed at how sloppy and squishy our language is. I have at times chalked it up to a lack of verbal skills, a lack of intelligence, or simple laziness. But I think that the depth of our cultural/societal problem goes much deeper than those excuses. I think our society has developed an appreciation of inexact language because it makes it so much easier to defend our inappropriate actions at a later date. "Well, I didn't really mean that" and "what I meant to say was...." These are much easier defensive stances when our original language was so squishy that it could have meant many different things.

Perhaps the postmodern mindset with its rejection of definitions has contributed to the problem. But even those who strongly reject the postmodern paradigm use this same squishy language.

I recently ran across a quote that speaks to this situation very well:

The English language ... becomes ugly and inaccurate because our thoughts are foolish, but the slovenliness of our language makes it easier for us to have foolish thoughts.

George Orwell, Politics and the English Language

Sad, but true.

Blog Header - June 5, 2008

I took this header photo from the outdoor dining deck of the Sequoia Restaurant in Washington, D.C. If the photo extended to the left you would see the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and the Watergate Condominiums.

I photograph the Technology Fast 50 event at this restaurant every year and always enjoy the beauty there.

Wizard's First Rule

Amazon.com

"Wizard's First Rule: people are stupid." Richard and Kahlan frowned even more. "People are stupid; given proper motivation, almost anyone will believe almost anything. Because people are stupid, they will believe a lie because they want to believe it's true, or because they are afraid it might be true. People's heads are full of knowledge, facts, and beliefs, and most of it is false, yet they think it all true. People are stupid; they can only rarely tell the difference between a lie and the truth, and yet they are confident they can, and so are all the easier to fool."

Not much more needs be said. Sometimes you find truth from the strangest sources. I found this quote to be tremendously truth-laden.

About the book:   I don't read many books in the fiction genre, but was attracted to this book at the bookstore for some reason. I read the back cover and decided to purchase it. I was hooked by the story almost immediately.

It is very well-written and Terry Goodkind weaves an amazing tale as he creates a believable fantasy world that sucks you in and holds you spellbound. There are no profanities and for the first half of the book there were no objectionable situations, so I began reading this book to my son at bedtime.

I soon stopped that bedtime reading—not because the story turned foul but because it turned dark and continued to get darker and darker as I developed more and more empathy or antipathy with and for the various characters. I'm glad I stopped reading this book to my son because by the final few chapters the situations became so severe that I would not want my son to read them.

Which leaves me with a dilemma of sorts. This is one of the best books I have ever read. The story is captivating, the characters are solid and well-developed, and the fantasy world is so well described that I feel that if I could visit it I would know my way around. But it has moments darker than anything I've ever read. And I'm a Stephen King fan, so that's saying something.

I guess I'd have to highly recommend this book—with the caveat that the reader must be able to withstand the onslaught that is coming his or her way. This book is a rollercoaster ride that will leave you elated at times, petrified at times, frightened at times, feeling dirty and in need of a bath at times ... and you will love it all the way.

You've been warned.

Friends, fun, and food

The one and only "Dunkum Funeral Home"

Traveling through small towns can be fun. This past Sunday we had the opportunity to do that.

Some good friends from Northern Virginia were going to be traveling to a dog breeder in the direction of where we live so we all agreed to get together for dinner. It was great to see them again and to spend some time with them. We miss them.

On our way to meeting them, we traveled through some very interesting small Virginia towns. Some of them were obviously not doing well and had a depressed look about them. There were buildings boarded up, parking lots with weeds growing out of them, and other indications that times are tough in the town.

The town of Dillwyn was our favorite though. We had to stop twice in this town to enjoy it. Our first stop was at the aptly named "Dunkum Funeral Home," which we thought really should also be the name of a Baptist Church.

David enjoying the trains

Our next stop was not much further down the road. It was at the old Dillwyn Train Station. They have a wonderful collection of old trains including box cars, cabooses, and other rail cars—all in mint condition. David, who absolutely loves trains, had a blast climbing onto them and pretending he was a train engineer.

The Starkstons and the Gelinas

But the best part of the trip was seeing our good friends again. This is a family from our previous church, when we lived in Northern Virginia. They are a unique and outstanding family and have always shown us committed love and friendship. This is a part of our current culture that is almost completely missing—to our society's shame and detriment. And we cherish this friendship.

What will the neighbors think?

My friend Cindy Kunsman is reading Unchristian: What A New Generation Really Thinks About Christianity ... And Why It Matters by Dave Kinnaman and Gabe Lyons. According to her recent post Born again or born against?, the research explored in this book includes discussions of "the most common points of skepticism and objections raised by outsiders" (those outside Christianity). Those six themes are as follows:

1. Hypocritical. ...morally superior attitudes... pretend to be something unreal... polished image that is not accurate... the church is only a place for virtuous and morally pure people...
2. Too focused on getting converts. Outsiders wonder if we genuinely care about them. They feel like targets rather than people.They question our motives... Antihomosexual. ...bigoted and show disdain... fixated on curing homosexuals... political solutions...
3. Sheltered. ...old fashioned, boring and out of touch with reality... preferring simplistic solutions and answers... not willing to deal with the grit and grime of people's lives...
4. Too political ....motivated by a political agenda...
5. Judgmental. ...quick to judge... not honest about our attitudes and perspectives... They doubt that we really love people as we say we do...

Apparently the research that formed the foundation for the observations in this book are from the Barna Group. I am very uncomfortable with George Barna and his ways of influencing the church. But if we hold a firm grasp on scriptural mandates, the results of his surveys can provide us with some good insight and may, perhaps, give us some direction that will help us to recognize where we are doing things improperly and to make adjustments within the confines of our true authority, which is scripture.

Moral superiority — I think the world has pegged us here. And this one fits hand-in-glove with number 5, Judgmental. We Christians are prone to thinking that we have earned God's favor through our actions. Even those of us who fully understand that it is "not of works of righteousness which I have done" and that it is "not of works, lest any man should boast" still seem to have trouble getting the concept that "there, but for the grace of God, go I." This we need to change. And although it is easy to see the sanctimonious and self-righteous attitudes of folks in the Patriarchy movement and other staunchly legalistic groups, we are all prone to looking down our noses at others and must take stock of how we are presenting ourselves to the watching world. We are sinners saved by grace—nothing more. And we are certainly not morally superior to those in need of evangelism.

Too focused on getting converts — I would have to disagree with this one as I think we are way too underfocused on this. However, I understand the reason that those outside the church walls would think this of us. Again, our theology should affect our behavior toward others. If we truly believe that salvation is of God and not of man, we will not try to "close the sale," as I heard one evangelism teacher put it. It is not up to us to close the sale. That is the job of the Holy Spirit. We cannot pressure folks into belief in Christ. We are called to present the good news to all people. The good news is that although they have put themselves under the penalty of eternal death by sinning against God, Jesus Christ died on the cross to pay the penalty of death for all those who believe in him. If we show that we care enough about others to truly want them to turn in faith to Christ, we will not be pushy—we will be penitent and patient and will call them to Christ with tears and with love, not condemnation or with a superior and self-righteous attitude.

Antihomosexual. ...bigoted and show disdain — We Christians should be antihomosexuality and not antihomosexual. This is a hard line to walk properly as we strive to protect our children from seeing blatant sin practiced in front of their eyes. I need to remind myself that I should be just as concerned about my son seeing me drive over the speed limit or hearing me gossip as I would be about having a homosexual couple over to dinner.

Sheltered. ...old fashioned, boring and out of touch with reality — I probably need to give this one extensive thought. On the surface I would say that it's probably a good thing for us to be sheltered. But we should also undersand enough of the world around us to be able to present the gospel in the terms of those we are talking to as Paul did when he presented "the unknown god" to the philosophers of his day. Had Paul not known his culture, he would not have been able to so deftly handle that situation with such a tough audience.

Too political — Amen! amen! When we realize that it is our duty to present the gospel—to call our neighbors to faith in Christ through our loving presentation of the gospel message and through our lives lived out under their watchful eye—rather than to force them to our way of thinking by judicial and legislative fiat we will be much more winning than when we think our primary goal is to pull America back from the brink of destruction. Christ's message was never a message of establishing a Christian government. At least not while we still live in this world.

Interesting thoughts. It would behoove Christians to remember the old adage, you can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar.

Another reason to love Lynchburg

This past Saturday we had another enjoyable day in downtown Lynchburg. My wife and I found ourselves with four unclaimed hours on a Saturday morning and took full advantage of the unusual situation.

Bluegrass band playing at the Market

We headed first to the Lynchburg open air Market. During the summer, this market is usually full of people and full of wonderful foods, flowers, plants, and crafts. There are usually quite a few people sitting on the edge of the fountain in the center of the market or on the picnic tables in the nearby grassy area. But this past Saturday there was a band playing near the fountain. We stopped for a while to listen.

It was a bluegrass band that played a variety of fun instruments that were eclectic and interesting and antique and sounded great. The banjo player had an old banjo and a tambourine that looked like it might have begun its musical career in the hippie days. The lone girl in the group played a washboard—quite well, in fact. The guitarist had a very old Dobro guitar and a hand-tooled guitar strap. But the most amazing musician in the group was the drummer, who had the most interesting drum kit I've ever seen.

A closeup of the drum kit

The drum kit was a collection of odds and ends cobbled together to make a solid drum kit sound. The cymbal was mounted on a standard cymbal stand. But attached to the crook in the arm of the stand was a pan, held onto the stand by a pair of Vise grips. The snare drum was an antique drummer-boy type snare—the sort of snare drum you might see in a picture of a drummer marching with a Civil War detachment.

The bass drum was not a drum at all, but rather a smallish suitcase. The top of the leather suitcase was opened toward the audience and a velvet cloth had been draped inside, presumably to alter the tone of the suitcase when the foot pedal hit it. I heard the drummer explaining to one of the people in the audience that the suitcase had belonged to his grandfather many years ago. His grandfather had been a traveling shoe salesman and had kept his sample shoes in this case when he traveled.

The audience beginning to gather at the fountain

Even the drummer's seat was unusual—a stack of guitar cases piled to the correct height. He also had a wonderful assortment of other antique percussion instruments that he pulled out from time to time depending on the needed sound. It was great fun watching him. And the band was fantastic. Their voices were great. Their blend and harmony were perfect. It was great fun watching and listening to them.

After listening to the band for a bit, we strolled through the market. We purchased some fresh fruits and vegetables, some goat cheese, and other items. I just can't explain how great this market is. You'll simply have to visit it for yourself. It's open every Saturday.

Even the kids stopped playing to listen to the music

We also visited one of our favorite spots downtown—The White Stag coffee house. This delightful café has the best coffee around and includes a bookstore with a fantastic selection of classics and unusual books. I got a cup of coffee and we began to browse the bookshelves—always a way to ensure that we will end up going home with more books than we intended to purchase.

My wife pointed out a book called Solomon Among the Postmoderns. From the back cover: Solomon's words from a famous passage of Ecclesiastes have been translated, "Vanity of vanities, all is vanity." In Solomon Among the Postmoderns, Peter Leithart says those words are better translated "Vapor of vapors, all is vapor," emphasizing that human life is fleeting. He uses this theme, as well as the entire book of Ecclesiastes, to indicate how Solomon resonated with the themes of today's postmodernism. I read that and just had to take the book home with me. I've just begun reading it last night and am finding it a very well-written and enjoyable book.

Vegetables at the market

After our trip to the market and the coffee house, we strolled around Lynchburg for a while, enjoying the sights and the people—the friendliest and warmest people you'll find in any city. All in all, a great day.

I wish I could bottle Essence of Lynchburg and have it sprinkled over every city in our nation. The quality of life for everyone would improve beyond belief. Having lived in the shadow of Washington, D.C.; Philadelphia, Pa.; New York City; Richmond, Va.; and Scranton, Pa.; I can say that there is no city quite like Lynchburg (at least of the cities I've been to), and no city nearly as wonderful!

Blog Header - June 1, 2008

This blog header photo was taken during our family vacation this past summer in Disneyworld. This was in Epcot as we were riding the ferry around the center of the international section.

We love Disneyworld and try to go there every time we visit my parents, who live in St. Petersburg, Florida. The next month or so will feature a few photos from our last vacation there and I'll comment on some of the things we love about Disneyworld along the way.