Banner 2008 -- Day One

I know as I post this Day two of the banner has already come to an end, which means tomorrow we will be heading home by about 4PM. However, I did want to post on the events of the first day.

As is the practice of the group of men I travel with, we headed down to Pennsylvania on Monday and spent the night at a Motel 6. While there we met up with a group of ministers who traveled up from down South who pastor or serve as elders in the ARP. Together we went out for dinner where there were some excellent discussions in spite of our being tired.

The next day, day one of the Banner conference, we headed into Carlisle for breakfast at a place called Fays, and then went to Cumberland Valley Books. Having made our book purchases we headed to Messiah College. I was pretty sure I knew the way, and I actually did, but I missed a turn so we enjoyed a scenic drive in the area before arriving to register.

Registration went well, although I ordered a shirt size that doesn't fit me. I don't know if that was intentional on my part, or if I accidentally clicked the wrong box. Either way, it is an encouragement to loose weight.

The first session started at 3:30PM with the opening conference sermon by Iain Murray. He focused on the passage from John 21:15-22, in particular the call of Jesus to follow me. In this sermon he pointed out that the call to us is to follow Jesus as well. To seek to keep close to him in all our life. Usually I would take quite detailed notes, but when I hooked up my keyboard to my PDA, I found I had forgotten to install the keyboard drives after my last hard reset, so I simply listened.

One point that was made which stuck in my mind was the reason Jesus told Peter by what death he would glorify God. I had never considered why Jesus would tell Peter this, but Iain Murray pointed out that it was given to Peter to encourage him. He had denied Jesus three times, even having been warned before hand that he would do so. Just before this, three times Jesus asked Peter if he loved him which brings those denials to mind. This information on how Peter would glorify God in his death was meant to encourage him, that when the time came, he would not deny Jesus again, but instead would glorify God in his death. What a wonderful reminder of the love and care of our Saviour and Lord to encourage Peter that way.

Supper was good, and it was a time to reconnect with people I have not talked to (at least in person) since last year. I talked for a very short while with Tim Challies, and then went and sat with Peter Butler who I had not seen since last year. He is a fellow RCA minister, and it was good to reconnect.

The second message came after supper, and so I had time to go to my room, download the keyboard driver and install it. My notes are not the greatest, but hopefully they will give you a sense of the message delivered by Craig Troxel entitled "Fan The Flame" based on 2 Timothy 1:6. For some reason (probably that I forgot my binder that I usually set the keyboard on when I don't have a desk handy so it remains stable) I had a difficult time typing. I edited things up, but there are probably still a bunch of errors. The day ended with a run out to Friendlies for Ice-cream. With that, here are my notes from Craig Troxel's sermon:

Banner 2 Craig Troxel

Fan The Flame

2 Tim 1:3-7

1. The Gift

-first we need to remember this is given by the grace of God

-not something you buy or earn or purchase

-in fact we don't deserve it at all

-manifestation of the Spirit

-given for the good of god's people

-to strengthen edify build up

-not a collectors item

-or something we hide away

-all gifts are given to bring about greater purity in the church and the glory of god

-not to brag about

-but for betterment of other people

-Paul points to gift received when Timothy commissioned by the laying on of hands (1 Timothy 1:4) implies gifts are a stewardship

-they have divine origin

-yet still include human responsibility

-as they are entrusted to human hands

-Colossians 1:25 also points to this truth that we are stewards of the gifts given to us

-what a steward does is oversee what does not belong to him

-he doesn't use it for his own good

-but use it for the purpose of God

2 Timothy 4:5 gives a call to fulfill your ministry

-this call can be made because he is a steward of the gift of ministry

-remember the parable of the talents

2. Fanning the gift

-so fan into flame the gift of God

-it is something that needs to be kindled afresh

-that means it can be quenched as well

-sin lack of pray and other things can quench this gift

-even our negligence to fan it can quench it

-the call then is to not neglect it

-but instead to fan it

-lest it go out

-there is very great danger of those who have great gifts

-they can lead to carelessness

-tendency to coast rather than fan the flame of their gifts

-but great gifts bring great obligation

-so seek to excel

-people around us do this all the time

-doctors lawyers and the like

-all seek to increase their abilities

-to strive for excellence

-gifts can fail from self sufficiency

-changes we long to see can only come through a sovereign gift of grace

-yet we should always be striving to be always reforming

-rather than being satisfied with the status quo

3. Gift is of the Spirit.

-our work with all its frustrations forces us to confront our weaknesses and inability

-in doing so we are directed to cast ourselves on God again and again

-because if we seek to do fan the flame of our gift by own strength -we will fail

-we seek to do this instead by going to the source of the gift

-to God

-because we are called to kindle what we cannot inflame

-only god can do this

-so need to seek god

-this is a work of cooperation but not synergy

-so don't confuse means of doing this with the one who causes it

-the Holy Spirit

-so in calling us to fan the flame we are called to fall back on the one who gave the gift and who empowers gift

-this gift must be stirred up, cultivated, stirred up

-but while we use means to do so the one effectively working is the Holy Spirit

-the key to whole passage is this for God gave us a spirit

-not a spirit of fear

-so don't fall back into the fleshly fear and worry

-and not shrink back from declaring truth for fear of men

-or fear of failure

-or fear of guilty conscience

-that says you are unworthy

-it is true you are unworthy

-but the truth that you are unworthy is meant to make you turn to Christ not give way

-the Spirit is here typified by power

-Jesus charge to disciples to wait for Spirit in Jerusalem who will cloth them with power (Acts 1)

-this is only one of several passages in Bible that speak of the Spirit being a Spirit of power

-so the Spirit overcomes fear by his power

-enables boldness for Christ

-so we will not compromise

-this is a gift of love

-gives confidence in God

-his love for us

-comes by abiding presence of the Holy Spirit

-so we know God has not abandoned us

-this is what we need to cultivate in our church as well

-that God does not cast off those who make mistakes

-but receives all who repent

-and it is a gift of self-control

-where did Moses go wrong at Meribah

-told to speak to rock

-but he hit rock

-and did not uphold God as holy before Israel

-he acted in unbelief

-in 1 Corinthians 2:1ff Paul saw the same danger

-that people would put confidence in him if he preached the wrong way

-that they would be distracted away from God

-since he realized this danger is effected both the message he proclaimed and the way he proclaimed it

-this danger comes from forgetting we are stewards of the gift

-and it is not for our good or glory

-need self-control from spirit

-to not give into this temptation

-to be full of faith instead of full of ourselves

-showing power of spirit

-not our own sufficiency

-this is an ongoing battle

-because we are so given to self-sufficiency, arrogance, and thinking that something is ours that never belonged to us in the first place

-Spirit is a Spirit of self-control that works against this

-as we find in Proverbs 27:21, “The crucible is for silver, and the furnace is for gold, and a man is tested by his praise.”

-the amazing thing is God uses our meager abilities to do something great

-he can make bad sermons bring about good blessings

-and something we think is really good and have it crumbles before our eyes

-but even this is fanned into flame

-by making us go to the Holy Spirit

-who gives what is needed to fan gift into flame

-the one who gave the gift is the one who inflames the gift

-so go in prayer that gift would be fanned for the people of God

-ministry is a work of faith

-and thus is a ministry of prayer

-go to scripture

-when see how you are the problem holding church back

-Matthew 12:20 the smoldering wick the embers are there

-Christ sees them and will not put them out

-even now they can be fanned

-because the good work Christ began will be continued Philippians 1:6

-when you ascend pulpit as smoldering wick

- Jesus can stir it into life

-for it is his work

-carried out by his Spirit

-we don't always see it

-and that is why it is a ministry is a ministry of faith

-but Satan cannot snuff this gift out

-Christ's grace is sufficient

-and his power made perfect in weakness

-so praise to him

At the Banner

I am currently at the Banner of Truth Minister's conference. I was planning on blogging the various talks, but found I had run out of energy, not to mention forgetting to re-install the keyboard driver for my PDA for the first session. I have notes from the rest of them, and will post them later tonight, but for now a bunch of us pastors are heading out for ice-cream. The conference is wonderful, and has challenged and encouraged me exactly in the areas I need.

That's all for now. I will post more later. Now for some ice-cream.

Why Can't They Do It Right The First Time?

I had a crack in the windshield of the Safari which I finally got around to having replaced. Since there is only one place in the town we live in, I thought I would help the local economy and keep my business and money in town. That was a mistake.

The place installed a new window, but when the first rain came, it leaked. He came around today to fix it while we were at the Toronto Zoo. I never should have let him at the car a second time. His idea of a fix was to slather the compound they use to seal the window along the top of the window, thus effectively sealing the window to the headliner. I have no idea if that will actually seal the window leak, but it may very well redirect the water to above the headliner. I have not seen it in the light, but it feels like a real hack job, and the attempt at a picture made it look that way as well.

I'm not sure if I want him touching the van again, as this "fix" made things look worse. I can only imagine what a third attempt might result in.

I'm not sure what my options are now, but I will take the van out for a test drive and listen for wind noise, and then I will give it a good drenching with the hose to see if there are any leaks.

I just wonder how a guy can keep in business with that sort of lack of quality. If that is typical, I would guess that word would get around town. I know even if he corrects this--I'm not sure how he could as no matter what the compound is on the headliner and I doubt it will come off--I will not be doing business with him when I replace the window on our mazda protege. He had his chance, and has lost my business and the business of anyone I talk to as well.

Any one know if the windshield can be removed and replaced without breaking it? If it can I may call around in London where there are lots of places, and see about someone else fixing his mistakes although in the long run is may require removing the front headliner and repairing it.

Some More Work On The Van

I haven't cleaned the van yet, but I did get some other work on it done. I put the summer tires on, and although they need to be replaced and I will probably do that this year, they are better than what was on there. I also replaced the centre caps with a different style. The new one look like this.

Moved The Rose Garden

So far my week has been fairly busy, just what I need for a week of vacation.

Monday, I did some work on the van. I did an oil, lube and filter, worked at changing a broken lug bolt, with little success, and started to prepare some lug nuts to switch with the ones I currently have by removing the rust and giving them a coat of paint. I got about half of them done. Then Annette and I headed to London to see The Chronicles of Narnia - Prince Caspian. We both enjoyed it, although I found I had forgotten a lot of what is in the book. I decided to read the book, which I finished today, and can say that while making an entertaining movie, the adaptation missed the main point of the book completely.

Today, Tuesday, I woke up feeling miserable. My plans were to move the rose garden and get some of the patio re-done. However, all I wanted to do was stay in bed, sleep and read. On the positive side it let me read the entirety of Prince Caspian, on the down side I didn't get done what I would like. I did get the rose garden moved, more or less, but still have to move two more roses and add some more soil to the new garden. I also received the bar code reader that Library Thing sells to help people enter their books today, so while resting I entered the vast majority of the books I have not yet added to my Library Thing. Now I am sore, I have not eaten well today, and I have more to do tomorrow.

Our plans were to go to the Toronto Zoo tomorrow, but the weather forecast is calling for cold and rain. We will make the call tomorrow, but we may have to put it off until Thursday. I also have to clean the van in preparation for our travel to the Banner of Truth Minister's Conference next week. This is not to mention I have to pick up my passport, get some US cash, and various other preparations to do as well.

This weekend we will be volunteering at the Ontario Regional Agility Association of Canada trials, so I don't expect to get much more done on Friday or Saturday.
Once again I have more to do than time to do it

I Know This Is Wrong

I know I was a reasonable high-school student, but I certainly did not pay attention this much.

You paid attention during 100% of high school!

85-100% You must be an autodidact, because American high schools don't get scores that high! Good show, old chap!

Do you deserve your high school diploma?
Create a Quiz

It is OFF

I finally got the one fender off my Sunrunner. What was holding me up were two screws that were somewhat inaccessible and quite rusted. After soaking them for a long time (weeks in fact) with penetrating oil, I finally got it off. Of course now I see all the rust that was hidden underneath, but with it off, I can now access those points and hopefully get it fixed while I am fixing the fender. This is all a learning experience and in many ways an experiment to see what I can do. Up to this point all my attempts to do body work has been quite a failure. Hopefully this will be less of a problem with the actual fender off. It certainly will be easier to get at working on it one a workbench rather than on the vehicle.

Two More Weeks To The Banner

It is only two more weeks until our group leaves for the Banner of Truth Minister's Conference. I can already feel the anticipation growing. I have been very drained from a very busy couple of months. Even when it wasn't busy, I found that I have been spiritually flat. God has been gracious in that sermons did get written every week, but each week the task became more and more difficult. Just knowing I will have some time off to recharge is encouraging. Knowing that, DV, I will be doing that under the preaching of God's word with other men who serve as pastors, elders, and those who are studying to do so, is something I look forward to even more.

Can You Say Manufactured Shortage

I was reading this article which concludes with these words,

The notion that this planet is running out of oil is one of the great misnomers of our age. There is more oil available today than there was a hundred, fifty or ten years ago. And there is every indication that this trend will continue into the future. Instead of lamenting that we are running out of it, it would be far more accurate to say that we are constantly bumping into new oil. This is why two years ago the Economist headlined an article on the topic The Bottomless Beer Mug.
The general public, however, is largely ignorant of these facts. The divergence between the conventional wisdom and reality could hardly be any wider. Profoundly misinformed and alarmed, people place false hopes in misguided alternatives. Rather than implementing harmful, inefficient and expensive substitutes, we should insist that our government lift the obstacles which prevent us from availing ourselves of this superabundant resource.

It made me realize once again how the radical environmentalist want to keep people ignorant of the facts, not to mention the oil companies that manufacture shortages by not only not building new refineries but closing refineries so they can keep the prices up with a manufactured shortage.

I Cannot Imagine Doing This

(HT: DR Brooker)

Early Bird Cut-off For Banner Coming Up

I have mentioned the Banner of Truth Conference before. I was reminded today that the early bird cut off date is May 2nd. After that the prices go up. Head over to The Banner website and sign up in the conferences section.

Engineer's Guide To Cats

Worth the 7 minutes it runs.



(HT: Challies Dot Com)

Why Are Plastic Bags Bad?

With the growing anti-plastic bag movement including bans in various Canadian towns, I have been considering what lies behind this. I know the statements that generally are part of this movement is that plastic bags are environmentally unfriendly, but rarely do I find any actual support for that beyond an outright statement. While I can understand that other than some biodegradable bags these bags do not disappear particularly quickly, at the same time plastic bags are recyclable and can be reused. The study that claimed that animals were being killed by plastic bags in the ocean has been shown to be an outright lie and has been changed to reflect that (something that is not generally ever mentioned by the way).

Paper on the other hand requires the destruction of trees, and while it can be recycled will likely get soaked with various fluids that will require it to be garbaged and thus will end up in the landfill where it will take up the supposedly unavailable landfill space as much as plastic.

So, why are plastic bags bad? I want something more than opinion, I want facts, especially with supporting scientific literature to show the evil of plastic bags.

For Those Big Companies That Threaten Small Ones -- Some Turn About

While reading through Slashdot.com I found this link to a letter responding to Monster Cables who threatened Blue Jeans Cable, a small cable company. Little did those who sent the letter from Monster Cables know that the head of that company was a lawyer for 25 years before going to Blue Jeans Cable. His letter, which is both humorous and insightful, can be found here. It is long, but well worth the read. BTW, this is a lawyer I could actually like.


Technorati Tags: Humor, Litigation, Big Business Bullies

Sign On To Ban DiHydrogen Monxide

This substance that is used by pesticide companies, nuclear companies, chemical companies among others. It is found in the food and drink we consume, and tests have shown it is in everyones bodies.

Protest this ubiquitous threat.

Watch the following video for more information:

Luther on Charity and Unity in the Context of False Doctrine

As I was doing some preparations for next weeks morning sermon, I was reading through Luther's commentary on Galatians which I just recently added to one of my Bible Study programs. As I read the quote below, I started to wonder if Luther lived today and was facing the same doctrinal controversies that I am others face in the denomination I serve within. Even though he did not, his comments strike true even today.

Let others praise charity and concord to the skies; we magnify the authority of the Word and faith. Charity may be neglected at times without peril, but not the Word and faith. Charity suffers all things, it gives in. Faith suffers nothing; it never yields. Charity is often deceived but is never put out because it has nothing to lose; it continues to do well even to the ungrateful. When it comes to faith and salvation in the midst of lies and errors that parade as truth and deceive many, charity has no voice or vote. Let us not be influenced by the popular cry for charity and unity. If we do not love God and His Word what difference does it make if we love anything at all?

Paul, therefore, admonishes both teachers and hearers not to esteem lightly the doctrine of faith as if it were a toy with which to amuse oneself in idle hours.

—Luther's Commentary on Galatians

Weather Control

This article looks at China's intention to control the weather during the upcoming Olympic games. Personally, this seems like an exercise in futility and hubris.

Asian Carp, Don't Want Them

Check out this video. As an avid fisherman, I can say that I don't want them in the Great Lakes. However, my guess is it is only a matter of time.

Christ Has Risen

This Easter remember that it is not bunnies and chocolate that are important, it is this truth:

Christ Has Risen!

He Died For Sinners -- Romans 5:6-11

The sermon from our Good Friday service:

He Died For Sinners -- Romans 5:6-11

Sex -- Great Article

This is a very worthwhile read. Go to it. Read it. Read it again.

The Oldest Member Of The Congregation I Serve Just Died

Last night, technically early this morning, the eldest member of the congregation I serve was called home to be with the Lord in her 98th year. The last several months, if not the last couple of years, had been very difficult for her, but she kept on looking to her Lord, waiting for him to call her home. While there is sadness, I even found my emotions effected as I was by her bed earlier in the day yesterday reading the scriptures and praying, at the same time there is joy. Her last weeks and days were not plesant. Pain had started and her body was slowly shutting down, but now she is with her Lord. It brought to mind two texts from the Bible to me.

First from 2 Corinthians 5,

For we know that if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. 2 For in this tent we groan, longing to put on our heavenly dwelling, 3 if indeed by putting it on we may not be found naked. 4 For while we are still in this tent, we groan, being burdened—not that we would be unclothed, but that we would be further clothed, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. 5 He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who has given us the Spirit as a guarantee. 6 So we are always of good courage. We know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord, 7 for we walk by faith, not by sight. 8 Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord. 9 So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him. 10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.

2 Cor 5:1-10 (ESV)

And the other from Philippians:

For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. 22 If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. 23 I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better.

Phil 1:21-23 (ESV)

For one whose faith is in the Lord Jesus Christ, death is not to lose anything. It is to gain all things. It is to be with Christ who is better, more beautiful, more amazing, than anything else this world has to offer. She groaned in those last days of her life with pain, weakness, loneliness, and more, to be with her Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

Pray for the family as they go through this difficult time. Pray for me as well as with Good Friday and Easter, this makes for a very busy weekend which I enter with a cold seeming to be coming on. Most of all, pray that in this the glory of Christ may shine out that those who do not know him may see him and know him and trust him.

Pocket PC is Missing

Today I was looking for my Dell Pocket PC. After having looked where I thought it should be, and looked where I did not think it should be, I have officially declared it missing. This is troubling to me, not so much because of the information on it, although there is some that I will miss such as mileage information and the like. the biggest thing is that I have gotten very used to using it, and if I cannot track it down, I will have to start shopping for another one. Not something I want to do from an expenditure standpoint.

That Cat Again

Banner 2008 -- Be There

The last couple of weeks have been very difficult for me physically. My schedule was very busy with many late nights, followed by a week of being ill which put me behind in my preparations for Good Friday/Easter not to mention various other tasks that are part of ministry. I know from past experience I have always found myself feeling very run down after the Easter season, and entering it still feeling a little of the after effects of the stomach ailment I had and the tiredness of those two very busy weeks that have left me with two busy weeks to catch up, I am guessing I will be even more run down.

Due to this, I am looking forward to the Banner of Truth Minister's Conference. I started going to this particular conference 5 years back (or was it 6?) I found it one of the most spiritually rejuvenating time I had experienced in a long time. It was a time where I had the great opportunity to sit under the preaching of the Word by many excellent preachers. Better yet, it was a time of great fellowship where I was able to make many minister friends, many of whom faced the same struggles as I do in ministry. Finally, there is always opportunity to spend time speaking with the speakers and some of the other people who attend who you have only interacted with before in the books and articles they have written.

With all that said, I encourage Pastors, Elders and men training to minister as pastors to seriously consider attending this conference. For more information you can check out the Banner of Truth website.

Again, this has been one of the best things I have done for my own spiritual health and for the ministry God has called me to.

New Members Class

In the past I have used a course with the senior high class I teach called What We Beleive. However, while I like that study it is set up as a 24 week study and is lacking in some areas. I would like to do something more condensed 5-6 weeks, but I cannot even remember what was used with me as a pre-confession course. Thus this post.

What things have those of you who read here who have lead new member/pre-confession classes used? If you could actually e-mail it to me I would appreciate it a great deal as it would help me to put something together that would fit our needs here.

It Was One Of Those Weeks

This week was marked for me by this . . . I was ill for most of it. I was achy and my stomach was upset through most of the day every day so that I kept feeling like throwing up. On top of it all my mind didn't seem to want to work. Apparently my Mother has the same thing. Thankfully, we are both getting better, and I am at least sort of ready to tomorrow. Today I felt well until early afternoon, and even then I felt better than I did yesterday. I am hoping a good nights rest will be had tonight, and that tomorrow God will give me what I need to lead his people in worship and point them to him in Jesus Christ.

Worst Police Dog, But At Least He Had Fun

Not a particularly good Police Dog.


Then you have dogs like Skidboot.

He Is Almost Potty Trained

I was reminded today of how close to being potty trained Justin is. He was busy playing, but suddenly he stopped, pulled down his pants and went to the potty all on his own. I know it is a strange thing to blog about, but I am so happy that he did that rather than poop in his pants.

ER on January 17th 2008

Update: Apparently the clip of this interaction is now on Youtube (see below)

I don't usually watch ER (not like Heros), but I did watch it last night. I did watch it last night, and I was pleasantly surprised. No, they didn't get rid of the gratuitous sex. Instead, what I was amazing and surprised in a good way about was a section of dialog between the so called "chaplain" and an older patient who was a doctor in the prison who would administer lethal injections to those sentenced to death.

He ended up in the ER because he had jumped into the frozen lake to save a boy who fell in. As the show continued we find out that the reason he did this was because he had administered the lethal injection that killed the boys father only to find out later that the police officer who testified at his trial lied and the boys father was not guilty. He was racked by remorse and wanted forgiveness because he was dying of cancer. So Pratt brings in the relatively new character who is the hospital chaplain, Julia.

Julia is one of those make up your religion from a little of this and a little of that. Here is the dialog of her interaction with this man seeking to have his sins and guilt dealt with:

Man: (Recounts how when he first administered the lethal injection it did not work, and the family considered it a sign from God of innocence. Instead of listening he administered a second injection which kill the man in 90 seconds) Seven months later a police officer came forward. The boy was framed for the murder. He didn't do it.

Julia: (Look at him with sad eyes) You couldn't have known that.

Man: God tried to stop me from killing and innocent man and I ignored the sign. How can I even hope for forgiveness?

Julia: I think sometimes it's easier to feel guilty than forgiven.

Man: (Looks in confusion) Which means what?

Julia: That maybe your guilt over these deaths has become your reason for living. Maybe you need a new reason to go on. (Pratt enters in background)

Man: I..I..I don't want to go on. Can't you see I'm old. I have cancer. I've had enough. The only thing that is holding me back is that I am afraid. I'm afraid of what comes next.

Julia: What do you think that is?

Man: (Looking more surprised) You tell me. Is atonement even possible? What does God want from me?

Julia: I think it's up to each one of us to interpret what God wants.

Man: (Flabbergasted) So people can do anything? They can rape, murder they can steal all in the name of God and it's ok?

Julia: No! That's not what I'm saying.

Man: (Agitated interrupts) What are you saying? Because all I'm hearing is some New Age, God is love, one size fits all crap.

Pratt: Hey Dr. Truman.

Man: No! I don't have time for this now!

Julia: Greg, it's ok. I understand . . .

Man: (Interrupts angry) No you don't understand. You don't understand! How could you possibly say that. Now you listen to me. I want a real chaplain who believes in a real God and a real hell.

Julia: I hear that you're frustrated, but you need to ask yourself . . .

Man: (Interrupts again) No I don't need to ask myself. I need answers, and all your questions and your uncertainty are only making things worse.

Julia: I . . I know you're upset . . .

Man: God, I need someone who will look me in the eye and tell me how to find forgiveness because I am running out of time.

Julia: I'm trying to help.

Man: Well don't! Get out! Get out! Get out!

(Julia leaves upset)

What amazed me is how a show like ER. A show that is so in the dark on the things of God, would have even one writer who would write such dialog. In the end the conclusion of this situation was not very satisfactory, but it does show that this user friendly gospel light that is so prevalent today will not satisfy. What a man like the one portrayed in this episode of ER needed to hear was the gospel. Is there hope of forgiveness for someone like him? Is their atonement? Yes! In Jesus, God's own Son who died for him. He thought the only one he had put to death that was innocent was that young man. But the only innocent to ever die is Jesus and he did so for sin of people like me and like him.

Update:

At last this is hitting the blogosphere. It probably had to wait until the clip showed up on YouTube as most people will not type out the dialog as I did.

Here is the clip:


Dan Phillips posted on this today (2/26/2008) over at Pyromaniacs.

Justin's Current Favorite Story

Our boy loves it when we read him or tell him stories. His current favorite is one his mother made up called Tiger Soup that traces the misadventures of Little Cat who gets into lots of trouble. If you have a little one (or little ones), see if they like it. I think it is a pretty good children's story.

Things That Make You Go Hummm.

I read the following at the National Post. Check it out there or read it here. All I can say is it is something that makes a person think. HT: ...and his ministers a flame of fire

This story can be found at http://www.nationalpost.com/opinion/columnists/story.html?id=332289

Forget global warming: Welcome to the new Ice Age

Lorne Gunter,
National Post

Published: Monday, February 25, 2008

Snow cover over North America and much of Siberia, Mongolia and China is greater than at any time since 1966.

The
U.S. National Climatic Data Center (NCDC) reported that many American
cities and towns suffered record cold temperatures in January and early
February. According to the NCDC, the average temperature in January
"was -0.3 F cooler than the 1901-2000 (20th century) average."

China
is surviving its most brutal winter in a century. Temperatures in the
normally balmy south were so low for so long that some middle-sized
cities went days and even weeks without electricity because once power
lines had toppled it was too cold or too icy to repair them.

There
have been so many snow and ice storms in Ontario and Quebec in the past
two months that the real estate market has felt the pinch as home
buyers have stayed home rather than venturing out looking for new
houses.

In just the first two weeks of February, Toronto received
70 cm of snow, smashing the record of 66.6 cm for the entire month set
back in the pre-SUV, pre-Kyoto, pre-carbon footprint days of 1950.

And
remember the Arctic Sea ice? The ice we were told so hysterically last
fall had melted to its "lowest levels on record? Never mind that those
records only date back as far as 1972 and that there is anthropological
and geological evidence of much greater melts in the past.

The ice is back.

Gilles
Langis, a senior forecaster with the Canadian Ice Service in Ottawa,
says the Arctic winter has been so severe the ice has not only
recovered, it is actually 10 to 20 cm thicker in many places than at
this time last year.

OK, so one winter does not a climate make.
It would be premature to claim an Ice Age is looming just because we
have had one of our most brutal winters in decades.

But if
environmentalists and environment reporters can run around shrieking
about the manmade destruction of the natural order every time a robin
shows up on Georgian Bay two weeks early, then it is at least fair game
to use this winter's weather stories to wonder whether the alarmist are
being a tad premature.

And it's not just anecdotal evidence that is piling up against the climate-change dogma.

According
to Robert Toggweiler of the Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory at
Princeton University and Joellen Russell, assistant professor of
biogeochemical dynamics at the University of Arizona -- two prominent
climate modellers -- the computer models that show polar ice-melt
cooling the oceans, stopping the circulation of warm equatorial water
to northern latitudes and triggering another Ice Age (a la the movie
The Day After Tomorrow) are all wrong.

"We missed what was right
in front of our eyes," says Prof. Russell. It's not ice melt but rather
wind circulation that drives ocean currents northward from the tropics.
Climate models until now have not properly accounted for the wind's
effects on ocean circulation, so researchers have compensated by
over-emphasizing the role of manmade warming on polar ice melt.

But
when Profs. Toggweiler and Russell rejigged their model to include the
40-year cycle of winds away from the equator (then back towards it
again), the role of ocean currents bringing warm southern waters to the
north was obvious in the current Arctic warming.

Last month, Oleg
Sorokhtin, a fellow of the Russian Academy of Natural Sciences,
shrugged off manmade climate change as "a drop in the bucket." Showing
that solar activity has entered an inactive phase, Prof. Sorokhtin
advised people to "stock up on fur coats."

He is not alone.
Kenneth Tapping of our own National Research Council, who oversees a
giant radio telescope focused on the sun, is convinced we are in for a
long period of severely cold weather if sunspot activity does not pick
up soon.

The last time the sun was this inactive, Earth suffered
the Little Ice Age that lasted about five centuries and ended in 1850.
Crops failed through killer frosts and drought. Famine, plague and war
were widespread. Harbours froze, so did rivers, and trade ceased.

It's
way too early to claim the same is about to happen again, but then it's
way too early for the hysteria of the global warmers, too.

lgunter@shaw.ca

Turk Encouraged Me :)

Over at Frank Turk's blog he posted this and it encouraged me to look for the Iron Man movie trailer. Well here it is.

German Shepherd Dog

What Breed of Dog Are You?

My Result: German Shepherd

No bones, about it, you're a loyal, hard-working German Shepherd. Dedicated and always low-maintenance, people flock to you — they know they can count on you to get any job done, and done well. That focus and attention to detail spans from your personal to your professional life, too. Although you can be a bit of a perfectionist when it comes to the projects you tackle, you still manage to keep cool and laid-back in social situations. You get a kick out of the little things and thrive when you're constantly busy and on-the-go. Easygoing and unpretentious, you don't need constant pampering and reassurance. A genuine, carefree pup, you're a true-blue friend, employee, and partner. Woof!

What are you?
http://web.tickle.com/jumpto?test=dogogt&c=50652

Looking Forward Or Back

Commentaries can be helpful, but at other times they only seem to raise questions that make things seem less clear (not to mention they can tend toward getting into ruts of interpretation and not notice other things that are there simply because the previous commentators did not focus on them as Dan Phillips was lamenting over a Pyromaniacs.)

My general approach to a text I will be preaching on is to first of all deal with the text, its immediate context and it overall context in the scriptures. I read it, pray about it, look at the original languages and the like repeatedly. Then I turn to commentaries. The problem is sometimes they don't answer a question that I have of the text on which I want additional input from godly men through their commentaries. Other times, they point out things that I had not thought of.

This coming Sunday evening I will be preaching on 1 John 2:7-8 (I may go further but from my study there is enough there for one sermon):

7 Beloved, I am writing you no new commandment, but an old commandment that you had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word that you have heard. 8 At the same time, it is a new commandment that I am writing to you, which is true in him and in you, because the darkness is passing away and the true light is already shining.

1 John 2:7-8 (ESV)

As with many people who have read this book of the Bible and the gospel according to John over many times in my life, my first thought when I read this is that it is referring to Jesus teaching in John 13 in his Upper Room discourse:

31 When he had gone out, Jesus said, “Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in him. 32 If God is glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself, and glorify him at once. 33 Little children, yet a little while I am with you. You will seek me, and just as I said to the Jews, so now I also say to you, ‘Where I am going you cannot come.’ 34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. 35 By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

John 13:31-35 (ESV)

Thus, the first thing that comes to mind is the new commandment is the old commandment to love on another. This is supported by the fact that the next thing John wrote about in his first letter was a call to mutual love between believers. Most of us make that assumption without actually considering it.

However, reading the commentaries I found that a few of them (Matthew Henry, Robert S. Candlish and Albert Barnes) who ask the question if he is looking forward to the command of love that Christ gave which John would deal with next, or whether John was looking back at what he has just wrote and was affirming that none of this was new, but was know by those he was writing to from the beginning when they received Christ.

I had never thought of even asking that question. The points for this looking back make sense. John writes and a clear style and it would seem more likely that he was dealing with something he had already wrote rather that something he was about to speak of, especially since he does not mention love at all until the following verses. The reference to the beginning (see 1 John 1:1 and John 1:1ff) and the mention of the true light already shining all fall into the argument why this is looking back. The point of looking back is that what John had just written about could have been under attack by the false teachers who left the church as a 'new' or 'novel' teaching, and because of it strong call to a life transformed by grace.

On the other hand looking forward fits nicely with John 13 and the coming call to love.

So what do those who read this blog think? Is John looking back or forward with these verses and why?

Are You Sure You Know Jesus? -- 1 John 2:3-6

In a world where many people who call themselves Christians live lives that look no different from those who do not, it raises the question of who is it who really knows Jesus? Who is it that really knows God? This sermon from our evening service of February 3rd, 2008 looks at how that question was answered in 1 John 2:3-6

Are You Sure You Know Jesus? -- 1 John 2:3-6

Stopping Time -- Sort Of

Good Question

While I was stuck in my sermon preparation I took a look at a blog I very much enjoy here. He quoted a good question from Mark Dever (the pastor of Capitol Hill Baptist Church) found in the latest 9Marks report card. The question was a good one, so I will reproduce it here as well.

“I want you to try a thought exercise. Suppose a business school class on non-profit organizations assigned its students the task of building a successful church. And assume all the students are non-Christians. Could they succeed?

Sure they could! With the right poll-tested methods, just about anyone can dreaw a crowd. If ambience sells coffee, why not use it to sell Jesus? The church might even win a “Most Innovative!” award.

Yet think about this: what does it say about God if we need to market his glory and gospel with the same tools we use to sell toothpaste and laundry detergent? Is he really that desperate?

God is so much more glorious. He has declared a mighty gospel and then backed up his words by changing a group of people. There’s the church’s appeal: The wisdom of God. The Might of God. The love of God. On display in the lives of a changed people for all the world to see!

Is your church relying on natural appeal or supernatural? Whose glory does it display?”

From A Formless Void God Creates A Very Good Creation

And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. 3 And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. 4 And God saw that the light was good. And God separated the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day. 6 And God said, “Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.” 7 And God made the expanse and separated the waters that were under the expanse from the waters that were above the expanse. And it was so. 8 And God called the expanse Heaven. And there was evening and there was morning, the second day. 9 And God said, “Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear.” And it was so. 10 God called the dry land Earth, and the waters that were gathered together he called Seas. And God saw that it was good. 11 And God said, “Let the earth sprout vegetation, plants yielding seed, and fruit trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind, on the earth.” And it was so. 12 The earth brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed according to their own kinds, and trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 13 And there was evening and there was morning, the third day. 14 And God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night. And let them be for signs and for seasons, and for days and years, 15 and let them be lights in the expanse of the heavens to give light upon the earth.” And it was so. 16 And God made the two great lights—the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night—and the stars. 17 And God set them in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth, 18 to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. 19 And there was evening and there was morning, the fourth day. 20 And God said, “Let the waters swarm with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the heavens.” 21 So God created the great sea creatures and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarm, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 22 And God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.” 23 And there was evening and there was morning, the fifth day. 24 And God said, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures according to their kinds—livestock and creeping things and beasts of the earth according to their kinds.” And it was so. 25 And God made the beasts of the earth according to their kinds and the livestock according to their kinds, and everything that creeps on the ground according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 26 Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”
27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.
28 And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” 29 And God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food. 30 And to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the heavens and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so. 31 And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.

Gen 1:2-31 (ESV)

I realized it has been a while since I posted on my daily Bible reading. Part of that was getting busy with other things, but another part was working my way through the rest of Chapter 1 of Genesis. As I considered what the Bible says here, I realized more and more how completely unacceptable this is to the vast majority of people today. They mock anyone who would hold to a six day creation because they say, "It took millions of years for the earth to evolve, and we have the fossil evidence to prove it." I must admit I have not read extensively in this area, especially not recently, however, it strikes me that the fossil evidence they present is far from being the iron tight evidence that many people present it as. There are others who are much more capable of dealing with those areas than I am.

Yet, even without the so called evidence, I think the objection actually goes deeper. Because what the creation account teaches first of all is that God made everything. There is not one thing that exists in the whole of the creation that was not created by him. That means that everything, including each of us, belongs to God. Just as when you make something, it is yours. That is a thought that the mind that rejects God does not want to hear, because that means they are accountable to God. It means that they cannot simply do whatever they want regardless of what God says and expect to get away with it forever. For God as the one who created everything, is himself outside of the bounds of this universe. He is not bound by time or space, and thus, there is no escape from him by us as we are bound by this universe.

Having said that, there is for me as a believer in Jesus Christ, a wonderful truth found here as well. For, out of the formless void, God created this universe. As each day passed in the creation process, as each step was taken in that process, God made the the pronouncement that what he had created was good. Then on the final day of creation, upon creating humankind in the image and likeness of God, we read, "God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good." From a formless void to a good creation. A creation that even now, while it is subject to frustration (Romans 8:20), reflects that goodness that was created with.

Since God did that, how much more can he take the lives of people that have been deformed by sin, lives that are void of hope whether the person realizes it or not, and bring form and fullness to them in his Son Jesus Christ.

We don't live in that very good creation any longer. It has been marred by our sin, by our disobedience, by our rebellion against God. That same rebellion that wants to reject that he is the one who created us. Yet, it still testifies to God. It still points out that all is not as it should be, and in doing that it cries out for someone to fix what is wrong. The only one who can fix what is really wrong, is Jesus Christ. Through him, we find elsewhere in the Bible, all things were made, and he can and will being creation again to where all things will be very good.

Purchased Plans For DIY Trailer

One of the things I like to do it work with my hands. If you have read this blog for a while you know that means I do most of the repair work on our vehicles, and help building and repairing things around the house. I think some of the appeal for me is that working in ministry the results of ones work are largely intangible. Yes, I produce two sermons (sometimes more) a week, that is a measure of work. Changes in people, however, which is what those sermons seek to bring as they bring forth the word of God, is something that is not really measurable, nor is it a task where you can ever say you have finished. When you fix the brakes on the car, once they are back together and working properly, you can take satisfaction in a job well done.

With all that in mind, this past Friday I purchased some plans to build my own trailer off of e-bay. This person had both plans for small tear-drop trailers and for larger ones that I would not really call tear-drop trailers, but are probably based on them. I purchased the plans for the larger one, although I may purchase them for the smaller one later. Once they arrive, my hope is to make that my relaxation project. If all goes well, in several months I will have a new trailer that can also serve as Justin's play-house in the back yard.

If the e-bay ad can be trusted it will weigh in well under 1000 pounds, so my wife could even pull it with here Mazda and I could pull it with my Sunrunner. The advantage of that is cheaper gas costs while traveling. I will see how it turns out.

I don't know what I will do with it when it is finished. Definitely camp a few times, but I still prefer my tent trailer for camping because I like the canvas. Who knows, maybe I will sell it and build another.

Good Modern Proverb

This is something to make a person think.

Climate Change: The Deniers

I stumbled upon this while researching some things for my Sunday evening sermon. No I am not going to preach on climate change for or against. I was simply searching for the use of the word deniers. However, I am going to read through this collection of articles to see what I can see. It is nice to see a publication like the National Post putting together such a series of articles.

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It All Starts Here

In the beginning, God created
the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void, and
darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was
hovering over the face of the waters. Genesis 1:1-2 (ESV)

This
year I started to read through the Bible from beginning to end. This is
not something new to me, but for the last year or so, I have focused on
reading through the gospels and the letters of Paul. I originally had put a two year Bible reading plan together in E-sword and had been following that, but after a week or so, I realized I was reading to keep up with the plan, rather than seeking to let the Scriptures sink in and seeking to understand and apply them. So, I decided to start over again. I still use the E-sword plan, but I only plan to select it being read when I want to move ahead. That is one thing I like about it. I will allow me to keep looking at the same section of scripture until I select that it is read.

Having said that, what I have been looking at it Genesis 1. I have read through it, and contemplated it, but I still don't think it has sunk in the way it should, so I will keep looking at it.

What I have been particularly considering over the last day or so is the first several verses. The first thing that stands out, especially in a time when random chance in evolution is the dominant and accepted explanation of the origin of all things, is that in the beginning was God. That is who it all starts with. There was a time, if that word has any meaning at that point, where all that was, was God.

That leads to what I keep trying to wrap my head around is the description of what was, or better, wasn't there. In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth, but before he did so it was "without form and void." I keep trying to think what that would be like. Try as I might I cannot because I keep giving form to what was without form. Trying to consider what nothing is like is like trying to think of nothing. If you actively do it, you keep coming up with something. In the beginning it was God and nothing else.

Then God did something amazing. He made everything. He created the whole universe. It was not--then God created it. That is more amazing than anything I can imagine.

I would hazard a guess that at least part of the problem many people have with this is that it shows that God is completely 'other' than the universe around us. We live in this creation. Our whole frame of reference is this creation. It is through our created senses that we observe and interact with the creation around us. Yet, none of this, not one bit of it, existed before God created it. That means the frame of reference for God is completely outside of ours. It means that God is God not in the small way people often think of God, but in a way far bigger, far different, far more powerful than we usually ever consider.

If nothing else this should bring a sense of awe in who God is. A sense of his overarching status above all things. He is the one who made all things, who was before all things, and who is outside of all things.

The other thing this brings to mind is this. Since God created all things, that means they are all his. His right to command and do whatever he desires is founded in his position as the creator of all things. That is something it seems we do not like to consider. We prefer to be considered free agents, but this reminds us of the truth of what Paul said in Acts 17, "In him we live and move and have our being."

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Dutch Cowboys--Who Would Have Thought

Major Sci-Fi Geek

I actually thought I would do better, but there were at least a couple that I did not recognize at all and had to guess at.

	I received 78 credits on The Sci Fi Sounds Quiz How much of a Sci-Fi geek are you?
Take the Sci-Fi Movie Quiz Canon S5

I Found This Interesting

I had not thought about this before, but was referred to this link by an acquaintance of mine. It does a good job of explaining the monetary system that the world currently functions under, and for that it is quite useful. I realize it takes a particular view on this system and proposes some alternatives, but I also question some of the conclusions and alternatives proposed. Having said that, overall I see the danger of this sort of monetary system and understand how it takes the power out of the hands of the elected government and puts it into the hands of bankers. Is this some great conspiracy? It could be, but I sort of doubt it. More likely it is something that has allowed people to live the way they would like to live, and thus while not understood it is accepted. Take the time to watch it (47 minutes) so you can understand how our monetary system actually works and where money comes from.

Justin Wanted This Posted

On The Start Of a New Year

Once again it is a new year, and, as has become usual for me since I serve in a congregation that has both new year's eve and new year's day services, I simply went to bed and slept through the change of year. However, one of the things that I found to be a real answer to prayer for me, was that I actually slept well. I slept deeply and long, and feel better rested than I have in almost two weeks.

The reason I had not been sleeping well was that I had hurt my back shoveling snow on December 17th. Since then getting a good sleep has been difficult. Even pain killers and muscle relaxants did not give me the sort of sleep I had last night. Even though my back is not pain free, it no longer aches while I am not moving. That is something I have been praying for, and I thank God for it. I pray that he will heal my back all the way so that I can get my snowblower fixed and start to do things around the house again, but I am thankful that things seem to be getting better at last.

To everyone reading this, have a blessed new year, and may God by his Spirit and his Word, bring you to see him more clearly and love him more every day.

Today I started reading through the Bible. I am not planning on doing it in any quick manner. I have done the read through the Bible in a year plans, and they have value, but sometimes I find they simply cover too much for me to read it they way I would like. Over the past year or so I have been using a read through the gospels and letters of Paul. That has been very beneficial, but now I want to return to reading not just the New Testament but the Older one as well. How long this will take me I don't know. I expect at least a couple of years as I am going to take my time so I can consider what God is saying in the Bible more carefully.

Now I need to get going for our new year's day service.