cah_leb's Xanga

This is some amazing music! (1st set @ 7:21, 2nd set @ 28:50)

Fri, 08 May 2009 19:14:38 GMT

N.T. Wright, Bishop of Durham on the Colbert Report

Fri, 20 Jun 2008 19:15:37 GMT

I don't agree with N.T. Wright on everything, but I thank God for his work in defending the resurrection of Jesus. I think he is right in this interview when he is talking about heaven as the intermediate state and the new heavens and new earth as the final state. I don't know that I agree with him about how we get there in terms of people here and now being involved in re-creating the world, but aside from that, this is a great interview.

Lyrics from a song called Beg

Tue, 20 May 2008 02:31:18 GMT

Below are the lyrics (as far as I can tell) of a song by Shane and Shane called Beg. I love the music that those two guys put together; the lyrics of most of their songs are either based on Scripture or on Scriptural principles. This song, Beg, is one of a few similar songs that I think are amazing in how they capture much of what American "Christianity" has become. What do you think about the song?

Verse 1:
So here I am one more day I’m not loving him the way he asks
In fact my heart is singing praises to the things that make me feel alright

So, sinking fast like a stone heart should, and on the way down
I’ve done what I could to try and try to change stone to flesh

Verse 2:
So here I am, got my needs for the day
All my cute little words about how I am saved…am I saved

Could I love you with my mouth like a church kid should
At the end of the day my words get burned as wood…but I was good.

Abortion is evil!

Wed, 16 Apr 2008 04:00:14 GMT

"More than 40 million of the unborn have been aborted here since 1973." (This quote is from Al Mohler's blog)

Did you guys know that sex-selection abortion is huge in India:
"The births of up to 10 million girls in India may have been prevented by selective abortion in the past 20 years, researchers say. Half a million babies are aborted every year because they are girls, even though termination on the grounds of gender was outlawed in India in 1994, a study published online yesterday by the British medical journal The Lancet said."

Think about it...

Quotes from Jonathan Edwards

Sun, 06 Apr 2008 04:07:55 GMT

Enjoy and be humbled by this quote from Jonathan Edwards:

All gracious affections that are a sweet odor to Christ, and that fill the soul of a Christian with a heavenly sweetness and fragrancy, are broken hearted affections. A truly Christian love, either to God or men, is a humble broken hearted love. The desires of the saints, however earnest, are humble desires. Their hope is a humble hope; and their joy, even when it is unspeakable, and full of glory, is a humble broken hearted joy, and leaves the Christian more poor in spirit; and more like a little child, and more disposed to a universal lowliness of behavior.

The paragraph is from the Religious Affections. You can find the entire book on this page.

Here's another taste of Jonathan Edwards to whet your appetite: "Gracious affections are attended with evangelical humiliation. Evangelical humiliation is a sense that a Christian has of his own utter insufficiency, despicableness, and odiousnesss..."

HT: John Piper

Dangerous Joel Osteen.

Fri, 09 Nov 2007 02:06:40 GMT

If you think Joel Osteen is a Christian pastor, or a good Christian pastor please watch this video and learn about discernment from a very good pastor named Mark Driscoll. Even if you are not quite approving of Joel Osteen's ministry you should watch this video to learn more about discernment and also about how to critique someone with whom you disagree.

Mark is pastor of Mars Hill Church in Seattle, WA and he leads the Acts29 church planting network.

(HT Adrian Warnock)

GIVEAWAY AT CHALLIES.COM

Wed, 07 Nov 2007 16:34:40 GMT

Please, please, please take the link below to enter the drawing!! Thank you so much!!

Take THIS LINK to enter the drawing.

Here are the prizes:

First prize: The first prize winner will take home One copy of The ESV Listener’s Bible on CD (as read by Max McLean) and one copy of Classics of the Christian Faith CD collection. The retail value of this prize is over $180.
Second prize: One copy of Classics of the Christian Faith CD collection.
Third Prize: One copy of Classics of the Christian Faith CD collection.

Just click on THIS LINK and follow the simple directions and you will be entered into the drawing.

How Much is Enough?

Tue, 14 Aug 2007 00:49:11 GMT

I took the title from an article Albert Mohler wrote last Tuesday. In it he talks about millionaires
in Silicon Valley who feel economically insecure. I cannot even fathom that situation, but it is reality. Al Mohler made the situation personal when he asked personally how much is enough? I benefited reflecting on this, and so I want to share it with you:

"How much money is enough?" "When will you be satisfied?"

Another way to put the question is: "When will you be content with the amount of money God has given you?" This question is for anyone because no matter where we are in life we can become sinfully discontent with what God has given us. The question applies whether we are still in high school or college, or retired or in the middle of a career.

When Paul wrote the words "I can do all things through him who strengthens me." he wasn't talking about dealing with sexual lust or depression or anger; he was talking about his financial situation. A couple verses earlier he says "I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content." Whether he has no money or lots of money, he is content -- "I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need." (Phil. 4)

Let's imitate Paul and strive to be content in whatever financial situation God has put us in.

John Piper's God Exalting Grammar

Tue, 19 Jun 2007 20:55:48 GMT

The Plague of Abortion.

Thu, 17 May 2007 17:47:26 GMT

If the American people were asked in a poll: “Is abortion morally wrong? Why or why not?”, what would be the response?
I think the responses would vary widely. People replying to this question would be forced to show the foundation on which their answers are based. I would venture to say most responses would show a great deal of selfishness. Beyond that, we would see a morality that's like a wax nose - they shape it any way they want. Moral hypocrisy would be revealed in some because although they believe it’s wrong to kill a child after it is born, a baby still in the womb at the same age is subject to abortion.

So, why is abortion wrong? This is the presumed Christian standpoint, but the reason it’s wrong is not because we’re Christians. It’s not wrong because of some argument about rights, or having rights God gives us not in the Constitution. Nor is it wrong because babies are cute, or some other sentimental reason. Nor is it because of the political position we hold, it is not because one is conservative.

Abortion is immoral because babies are people. Babies in the womb are not just wanted or unwanted mass or tissue. They’re human beings. They’re the high point in God's creation, and more importantly, they possess the image of God. Out of all the creatures God made, only one is said to be made “in the image of God” (Genesis 1:27). This simply means that we are like God and we represent God, it refers to every way in which man is like God. The image of God in us has been twisted since sin entered the world, but “no matter how much the image of God is marred, every single human being still has the status of being in God's image and therefore must be treated with the dignity and respect that is due to God's image-bearer” (Grudem). Because they bear the image of God, unborn children must be shown “full protection and honor as human beings” (Grudem). We must not treat them as less than human because they’re made in God's image in the same way that you and I are.

It’s disgusting to think of what actually happens in an abortion, and it must end. We shouldn’t ignore abortion’s grotesque reality. It’s amazing to see the scope of evil beyond this. In the US alone, abortion kills nearly 4,000 human beings every day. That’s 25,000 a week. 109,000 a month. 1.3 million a year. That’s a huge number of people killed daily, weekly, monthly, and annually. According to abort73.com, over 40 million children have lost their lives to abortion since 1973. It’s different in some countries in that some babies are killed more often than others. In India, the line is drawn at gender- girls are chosen to be murdered. According to The Daily Mail [London], at least 10 million baby girls have been aborted in India over the last twenty years – and likely millions more.

We as Christians must care about this, and we must act. It’s not enough to merely know that abortion is wrong. We must pray about it and think of ways we can affect the situation.

Prayer is a big way to change the reality of abortion we are faced with. Pray for:
- salvation for those who aren't in Christ
- God to change women's minds so they choose not to have abortions
- women who have had an abortion to seek reconciliation and forgiveness in Christ
- abortion to be illegal once again

We must think about how God wants us to act in the face of this terrible evil. We are not called to passively sit back. I praise God for ministries that face the evil of abortion head on, such as www.abort73.com. One thing everyone should do when shopping on Amazon.com is to take a link from the abort73 website. By doing this, they will get 4-8% of the total you spend. The website has much information about abortion, and a section on what we can do right now. Another place to find ideas is an article written by Randy Alcorn. It is called "50 Ways To Help Unborn Babies and Their Mothers" and you can find it here: http://epm.org/articles/plhelp.html.