Little Christian Children

I've enjoyed listening to the latest audio release from St Anne's Pub on "Leading our Little Ones to Christ." I was encouraged to try reading J.C. Ryle's Boys and Girls Playing (first published in 1881) to the children again. This time I'm reading it once they are in bed--they're more interested in non-picture books when the alternative is lights out.

This section from the first sermon made an immediate impact on Eli and Grace,

You are never too young or too little to begin thinking of God. Are you old enough to be naughty? Then be sure that you are old enough to be good. Are you old enough to talk? Then be sure that you are old enough to say your prayers. Are you old enough to learn bad words? Then be sure that you are old enough to learn texts. Are you old enough to know and love your mother? Then be sure that you are old enough to know and love Jesus who died to save your souls.

Adoption Update (The Biggie)

Welcome Faith Alethea Bailey!

The adoption is not official yet, but the birthmother surrendered her rights to the child (she has until Saturday to change her mind). Faith is currently with a foster family until we can pick her up. The adoption is very likely; however, there are several things that concern us and we ask for your prayer. Specifically, that a fingerprint check (on us) would go through quickly, the birthmother to have peace of mind with her decision, the birthmother's recovery from an emergency C-section, that paperwork would go smoothly, and the travel arrangements.

We should know more as the week progresses, but we hope to bring baby Faith home in the next couple of weeks. We greatly appreciate your prayers.

Tails of the Bizarre


While we wait for the baby to be born (currently one-week past the due date), Eli and I went camping at a state park in the mountains west of town. We caught trout, rock-climbed, pitched a tent, roasted marshmallows, and enjoyed a beautiful piece of God's creation. Lava fields, crawdads the size of small lobsters, and violent cloudbursts are some of the bizarre facets of camping in New Mexico.

This photo overlooks the canyon that we hiked down. At the bottom is a little river that feeds into one of the few lakes anywhere around us.

During the camping trip I started reading Augustine's Confessions by lantern light. I regret how long this book has sat on my shelf unread! It has one of the best beginnings of any book I've read!

Our church combined worship services today with a reformed Baptist work south of town. The sermons were on community. Bizarrely (bear with me), we bumped into a friend that we haven't seen in several years, since our time at Community Bible Church in Illinois.

In his sermon our pastor rebuked our lame attempts at evangelism, likening us to the Gospel Blimpers, a reference to a Christian movie from the '60s. The bizarre storyline entails a group of Christians wanting to spread the Gospel to the neighborhood, and so for some reason they buy a blimp to spread the Word. They upset the whole town by leaflet-bombing Gospel tracts on freshly raked lawns. This is supposed to be a satire on how we will do anything to "reach our neighbors for Christ" except actually get to know them so we can then love them.

Plowing in Hope

This book helped me articulate part of what makes up good preaching, which is odd since preaching was not in view. Here's a quick summary of the book and then I'll come back to the insight on preaching.

The Bible begins in a garden and ends in a glorious city. We have a divine calling to transform the Earth from its initial natural state to a beautiful network of gardens and cities. As we bring out the latent beauty of creation we glorify the Creator. Importantly, we can expect our best works to follow us into the New Heavens and New Earth (Rev 14:13)! There is a real continuity between this world and the next, between the works done now to the glory of God and the surroundings we will enjoy in our eternal home.

Now for the idea about preaching. Redemption and Dominion go hand-in-hand; neither should be neglected. If redemption is neglected then we're no better than secular humanists, forgetting Christ and Him crucified. And if the dominion mandate is neglected then we fail to know what we are redeemed unto. We will forget that we've been graciously restored so that we can carry out the original culturative calling (Gen 1:28).

The book's author also has a blog.

Baby Watch

The birthmother in Alabama that we are matched with was due Sunday, 7 August. As of today she's not in labor. But I think Kristin might be. There are more butterflys flitting around inside of her than in all of Callaway Gardens.

When Did God Become So Apathetic?

Orthodoxy used to be so much clearer. No Israelite doubted whether there was a Sabbath to keep. Nobody questioned whether children should receive the covenant sign and the covenant meal. It was simpler back when God would smite those who messed up the liturgy with a little "strange fire". That's a sure way to clear up any doctrinal controversy.

But I guess God doesn't care so much anymore. I don't see Him smiting anybody for strange worship, and there's plenty of that around, so it must not be a big deal. There was a time when He would kill a child for not having the covenant sign (remember Moses' boy?), but most Christians these days don't have Zipporahs to make things right, and nothing happens to their kids. Are we supposed to still keep the Sabbath? Who says you have to dress up for worship? Does God really expect us to figure out what the Old Testament says about these things? Come on, if it was really so important to Him wouldn't He spell it out for us in the New?

I'll dislodge the tongue from my cheek now and only say that where sin increases, grace in Christ abounds all the more.

Fatherly Benedictions

Here are a couple of verses that have stood out to me from this week's family readings.

A bed-time blessing for the wise child: "If you lie down, you will not be afraid; when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet." (Proverbs 3:24)

Next, something that every godly man longs for: "In place of your fathers shall be your sons; you will make them princes in all the earth." (Psalms 45:16)

Two Men and a Truck

A pastor we knew in Ohio believed that to be happy in a church you've got to serve. If you don't then you'll never feel like part of the body. Scripture backs him up; consider how forthright the command of Romans 12:13 is, "Contribute to the needs of the saints."

So I've been praying about how to serve in our new church. But when the pastor announced last Sunday that help is needed on Saturday to move someone from Santa Fe to here, I wrote this request off as not really applying to me. It's strange how easy that is to do.

Then on Tuesday night, out of the blue, Kristin says I should help out. I'll take that as a graciously-stubborn answer to my prayer.

My pastor and I are going to pick up the U-haul and ride together to Santa Fe and back--I look forward to getting to know him better.

A Parting Shot

Here's a question inspired from Gilead. If you could grab a book immediately before you fell over dead, and thereby call your posterity to pay that text special attention, which one would you choose? Of course, the Bible is exempt.

The main character in the novel, before dismissing the whole idea as self-defeating, thought of falling with Calvin's Institutes (2nd volume) in his grip. I'm ashamed to admit my choice would be much less impressive. Maybe Pilgrim's Progress, or even Stepping Heavenward. Perhaps my i-Pod!

What about you?

Staunch but Starched

I met one of the homeschooling mothers in our neighborhood today. Their family has been here for several months, has tried many churches, but has been unable to decide on one. Her complaint against the Presbyterians is that the worship lacked emotion. I agree with her.

This is a common weakness of many churches and, as hard as it is to admit, we could learn a thing or two from the Charismatics. But I wonder if the emotion on display in many churches is rightly placed. I mean, are people delighting in God, or just enjoying the lead guitar?

Given our contemporary culture, emotion is the wrong "litmus test" for good worship. If you really must have a litmus test how about reverence and awe (Heb 12:28)? Pastor Rayburn, in this lecture, made many convincing points about the importance of proper worship. He covered a wide range of topics, but just his comments on dressing up for worship was worth listening to the lecture.

If you would go to a job interview in shorts and a tee-shirt; fine, come to worship that way. But if you'd dress up for a job interview but not for worship, it's clear which activity you don't take seriously. At a wedding when the doors open and the bride looks down the aisle, she doesn't want to see her husband-to-be in flip-flops and a Hawaiian shirt. That would show a lack of respect on his part. The same is true in worship.

House Number 10

We moved into our new house on Tuesday--this is our tenth home together! I've been too busy unpacking boxes to take any pictures, so here's a shot our friend Joe Sexton took of a house very similar to ours.

We're going to enjoy living here. The neighborhood consists of about 50 houses on one circle. We're all about the same age, so there are lots of children everywhere. This will be a great place for get togethers and I hope ministry. There are 7 other families on the circle that homeschool, and there are plenty of potential friends for Kristin and the children--that's answered prayer!

Since we have a high speed connection again, here are a couple of photos. The first one is taken at the New Mexico welcome station. The second picture is a family shot on the east side of town.

Agin' It!

I finished Pastor Peter Leithart's provocative little book Against Christianity. Here Christianity is described as it's commonly found in our culture: a private, individual, spiritual, propositional religion; i.e. an unbiblical faith. Christianity is an invention designed to keep Christians and the Church in its proper marginal place rather than the biblical view of the Church as the beginning of a new city with a distinct holy culture--the City of God. The link provides a more thorough review, so I'll only add some of my favorite quotes and points below.

Christian community is not an extra "religious layer" on social life. The Church is not a club for religious people. The Church is a way of living together before God, a new way of being human together.

The Church's mission is not to disguise herself so to slip in unnoticed and blend in with the existing culture. Her mission is to confront the existing culture with a culture of her own.

Prayer is not "quiet time" but a time of wrestling and passion. Contemporary hymnology, by contrast, gives us words for a small segment of our experience, the happy, fluffy, light experiences of life. If we are trained in prayer by contemporary praise choruses, when we face the pain and tests of life, we will lack the vocabulary to name them. Singing the Psalms makes the biblical story and biblical language part of us.

A test for your local church: which holiday receives more attention, the Fourth of July or Ascension? Mother's Day or Pentecost? Now, why is that?

Pastors see themselves as proponents of Christianity, teaching "religious" things or assisting people on their personal spiritual journeys. Pastors have lost any sense that they are overseers of a new city and that they therefore have responsibilities for governance.

How Good and Pleasant it is

We are so happy with our new church home (Covenant of Grace Orthodox Presbyterian Church). We had intended to look more at other churches, but we can't pull ourselves away! He's preaching on the means of grace, the centrality of the Church, the love of the Father for His Son's Bride; it is so good! Next week we're going to learn how to listen to a sermon. He says he's heard of folks that can listen to a sermon with their eyes shut, but "if I see people with their eyes closed, I just preach louder!" And he's already loud!

I'm still puzzled over the small size of the church. Maybe this is kind of like finding a great little hole-in-the-wall restaurant--you're bursting to tell others about what you've found, but instead you decide not to because you're greedy and don't want to share.

"How good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity!" (Ps 133:1)--how glad we are to find a place where we fit! "I was glad when they said to me, 'Let us go to the house of the Lord!'" (Ps 122:1)

A Biblical Guide to Parenting

Greg Grindinger, our pastor in Illinois, highly recommended Age of Opportunity by Paul David Trip. This gospel-drenched guide is aimed at parents of teenagers, but I'm convinced that it's not limited to just that age group. This book continues the theme of Mr. Tripp's brother's book that the goal of parenting is to shepherd the hearts of our children.

The author rejects the notion that parents must settle for merely surviving the teen years. Yet he also rejects the idea that our focus should be on getting the right behavior. This produces a short-term victory, at best, and as soon as our children are out from our system of control they will begin to act in ways that are more consistent with the true motives of their heart. Instead we are to focus on the spiritual struggle, viewing the difficult, problem situations as God-given opportunities to develop a biblical mind in your child.

The Cost of Reverent Worship

We returned to the OPC church today. They use a Geneva liturgy (including weekly communion, a creed, recitation of the Law, singing from the Psalter, etc), which we enjoy. They also have an evening worship service that consists of a hymn-sing, intercessory prayer, and a sermon. The pastor is a powerful preacher, yet he comes across with the humility of a servant. I think we've found a church home!

They've been meeting since the 70s, but regrettably the body is quite small (around 100). We were surprised and pleased to meet Carol Ruvolo there today.

A block up from where we meet to worship is Calvary chapel, which I think is the largest church in town. Why do so few attend the OPC church and so many Calvary? Is it because they want to wear shorts to church, be a number, and check the box? Or to give them more credit, maybe it's because they want a better chance at good fellowship and friends for their children?

We have talked with our new friends on-base about coming to church with us. Maybe they will, but when people don't understand why we worship the way we do, it's hard to compete with the bigger, more popular churches.

This general formula seems to hold for most churches today. Emphasize doctrine or reverent worship and you'll stay small. Emphasize both and you'll be tiny. But if you maximize fellowship and kid's activities you'll get huge.

How rare it is for a church to emphasize doctrine and right worship and also be warm and hospitable!

Albuquirky

From our backyard today we watched a thick bolt of lightening strike the base of the mountain behind us (less than 2 miles away) and start a prairie fire. It blazed a large swath of desert brush turning the sand black and sending up a large plume of smoke.

From the comforts of home we also regularly see (and chase) large tumbleweeds and occasionally road runners and oversized hummingbirds. So far we've only seen one snake in our yard.

Every major park in Albuquerque, including the one on base, provides children up to 18 years of age "free" lunch every day throughout the summer.

Most houses don't have air conditioning but a simpler device called a swamp cooler that sits on the roof and works like a water-cooled attic fan (no thermostat).

The city of Albuquerque has "free" wireless Internet connectivity throughout the city. Meanwhile, folks in base lodging, like me, are stuck with dial-up which is creeping along at 21.6 kps. I've got some great photos but I won't be uploading them until I get something faster.

That didn't take long (Adoption Update)

After making ourselves available last week as adoptive parents to the adoption networks we're matched already! The birthmother is due to give birth to an African American girl on 7 Aug (less than a month away!) in Birmingham, AL. It'll be great to celebrate our new baby with Kristin's parents who live in-town! The only thing that may de-rail this one is if the birthmother changes her mind and decides to parent. But I don't think she will based on her situation.

So many of these birthmothers come from strikingly broken homes--it's very sad.

Let's pray this is the one!

God is good

Thank you for remembering us in your prayers! A wonderful, Christian family checked in two doors down from us today. We spent the afternoon together, sharing dinner while the children had a grand time playing outside. They'll be great neighbors for us while we wait for our house; they have a reformed/Lutheran background, the husband has a seminary degree, and the wife is starting to homeschool. We've already agreed to take turns watching each others' children so the parents can enjoy an evening on the town.

The Wal-Mart of the Christian Community

We've visited the PCA and OPC churches in Albuquerque now. Based on our experience in six states, it seems that reformed Presbyterian churches are only strong in the Southeast U.S. and in isolated pockets scattered throughout the country. Both of the churches here are small congregations and haven't grown in years. Neither church has many children; there may be one family in each body that has children similar in age to ours. Thankfully, both churches have good preaching and reverent worship.

At times like these I think how much easier moving would be if I were a mainstream evangelical. Imagine how easy finding a church must be! Every city we've been assigned to has been filled with thriving Baptist, Pentecostal, and non-denominational churches. If I was a broad evangelical I'm certain there'd always be several close churches with rooms full of children the same ages as ours.

The mega-churches are the Super Wal-Marts of the Christian community. Why drive all over town looking for stuff at little mom and pop stores when I can just go over to Wal-Mart and get everything I need?

That answer is rather simple. The tiny PCA and OPC churches in-town offer more grace and a purer gospel than even the best equipped, richest mega-churches around. That's not to say that both the PCA and OPC churches don't need significant improvement--they do. We hope to help out with that.

The next best thing to being there...

Our beloved pastor from a previous assignment now has a blog!!!

Adoption Update

In the last update I said we were matched with a birthmother in Oklahoma City who is due in November. We met with her a couple of weeks ago, and we thought the meeting went well. We spent a couple of hours getting to know each other while our children played together in the adoption lawyer's office and later at a McDonalds Playplace. Grace really hit it off with the birthmother's oldest daughter, holding hands and playing princesses together. They even wanted to ride in the same car on the way to and from McDonalds.

But last week we received a phone call that apparently our meeting raised some doubts in the birthmother's mind. She is concerned about Kristin's diabetes and that this bi-racial child will be a minority in a blonde-headed, blue-eyed family. Consequently, we have low confidence that she will place the baby with us.

Nonetheless, there is still a possibility that we will have the privilege of parenting this baby and so we are continuing our support. She is under considerable stress (emotional, financial, etc) and we want to help her find peace with this decision. We have asked the adoption firm to show her other adoptive families in an effort to find one that she thinks would be a better match.

In the meantime we have contacted the adoption networks that we were involved with before and told them that we are once again available as an adoptive family.

I realize this is rather confusing, here's a summary. We remain matched with the birthmother in OKC, but this match will come to an end if she selects a different adoptive family or we adopt a different baby before she delivers. If we haven't adopted a baby before she delivers, then we'll adopt her baby, if she is willing to place with us.

In Your Anger, Do Not Sin

I'm not known to be an angry person. Actually, there are times that I should be angry that I'm not--whether it's cowardice or apathy, I'm not sure. The past week has been difficult for us, and gave me an occasion to attempt to be Christlike in a situation that demanded I be angry.

We're living in the base Temporary Lodging Facility (TLF) until our house is ready late this month. The TLF is very appealing to the eye (and the wallet)--recently remodeled, two-bedroom, full kitchen and laundry. But the monsters come out at night--it's infested with earwigs, a black, beetle looking bug with a pincher at the tail. It's mating season and each morning we find them in the children's beds, in the towels, all over.

I've requested pesticide treatment three times--nobody has shown. I've gone through a can of Raid, a bottle of Ortho, and 3 fumigators, but military bugs die hard. Last night, with Kristin in tears, we woke the children up and checked into an off-base motel about midnight.

Today I filed a formal complaint and met with lodging management. I was able to communicate with controlled anger--I didn't blow up and I didn't back-down. They promise that the bug guy will come tomorrow. I pray he will.

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

We made it to Albuquerque; thanks be to God. Here are some highlights:

Good

• Visiting with several friends along the way
• Worship in Oklahoma
• Met with birthmother in OKC
• Every hotel lodged our pets and had an indoor pool
• No mechanical troubles with the cars
• TravMatix provided accurate info along the way
• Gilead audio book--quietly beautiful narrative and message

Bad

• Eli and I locked the keys in my car in Indiana while it was running with the dog inside; Kristin was in Illinois and backtracked to rescue us with help from the Illinois Rest Area staff, Quizno's Staff, and others
• Rocky-McTocky died in Texas. This bubbly beta had been with us for several years and this was his third road trip. Grace took the loss especially hard, throwing herself onto the hotel bed and wailing, "he was my best friend!" We gave him a proper toilet burial with eulogies. Rocky-McTocky is survived by beta-friend Flash

Ugly

• Pretty much all of Missouri road system. St Louis traffic (due to a major factory fire/explosion and resulting evacuation) and lots of detours and alternate routes
• My underpowered, overloaded car in the mountains of New Mexico. I floored it going downhill to build up speed and at the bottom cut the air conditioner to get a few more horsepower to lumber over the hills

Packin' Up, Movin' Out


It's a 22 hour trip!!

The move starts tomorrow when the packers arrive and should end 8 days later with a safe arrival in the Land of Enchantment. The blog will be on-break 'til then.

The Rod of God

During a combined Sunday school today I presented my research on the future of Islam to about 70 people. I was pleased to get some more "mileage" out of my school project, and I think it was well received.

I adapted the presentation for today's audience by teaching on the great Islamic threat in the days of Luther. In his time Christians in Western Europe faced the very real possibility that they would soon live under the rule of Islamic law. He wrote several treatises refuting Islam and, surprisingly, was instrumental in publishing an updated Qu'ran.

Luther was unwilling to advocate any form of "holy war" and got into big trouble for teaching that the Islamic threat was the well-deserved rod of God for the transgressions and unbelief of Western Europe. We explored some parallels to the Islamic threat of our day, and if it is a "rod of God" then what is it for?

This was our last Sunday with our Lutheran friends. We look forward, Lord willing, to stopping in at Heritage PCA in Oklahoma City next Lord's Day and worshiping with our pastor friend, Mark Balthrop, once again.

June 18, 1994 

Move over, Mapquest

Next week we'll make our longest road trip. Kristin and the children will be in one car and I and the animals in the other. A frustrating part of past road trips was the difficulty in picking good resting points along the way. Whether we were ready for a hotel (that allows pets) or a McDonald's with an indoor playland, we'd often waste time exiting the Interstate hoping and not finding what we needed.

Thankfully, it appears that TravMatix has gone a long way towards fixing that problem. Based on our route and our hotel and eatery preferences this free product lists, by Interstate exit, every place that meets our criteria. They even claim to tell you who has the cleanest restrooms along the way!

Breaking Down

We've been pretty busy this week preparing for the packers to come on Monday. I had hoped to visit a couple more fun family places before leaving this area, but my 14-year old car was falling apart and it's taken more time (and money) than I thought to get it ready for the 1,400 mile trip to Albuquerque. At home, our air conditioner has also been on the blink for a few days and has kept me tied up.

But what really is troubling is my waning passion for God over the last few months. My Bible reading has suffered, I cover only a fraction of what I used to. I've intentionally read more this week, but it feels too much like drudgery. My prayer life is in the same slump. I have a hard time paying attention to the Preached Word. Family prayer time sounds canned.

Is this spiritual slump because we've been without the Lord's Supper for several months while sojourning in a Lutheran church? Or perhaps a lack of fellowship here has something to do with it? We're envious of Valerie and want what she has.

The stress of a move easily results in spats and coldness between Kristin, the children and I. We're not strong enough to resist that temptation on our own. I need to set a good example for my family, and earnestly pray for the fruit of the Spirit as we move.

Adoption Update

The adoption process is ripe with perplexing decisions that keep you in prayer and Proverbs. Readers of this blog have seen us wrestle with race and health already. Every adoption opportunity comes with a unique set of risks and consequences.

Should we celebrate over the news that after many months of trying we have been matched with a bi-racial girl due in November? This is wonderful news for us -- a birthmother likes us! She likes us!! -- but we aren't popping open the wine bottle just yet.

This is a private adoption, not through an adoption agency but a lawyer, which means that we pay monthly support to the birthmother throughout the pregnancy. If she surprises the lawyer and us by deciding to parent then we would loose a significant amount of money.

After several hour-long conversations with the Bados--a Christian husband and wife adoption law firm in Oklahoma City recommended by Special Link--we have decided to go through with this risky venture. We plan to visit with them and the birthmother in OKC during our move out West in a couple of weeks.

The Horse and His Boy

One of the many great things about the Dayton, Ohio area is the metroparks. Each one has their own appeal; the children have enjoyed farm chores at a restored 1800s farm, I've nearly drowned in the Mad river, and Eli has done two week-long horse camps. Here's a picture from today's end-of-camp show where Eli and Garth (the hairy one) cantered and even did a little barrel racing.

 

Update: Beat-the-Buzzer Evangelism

Today I met with a classmate who wanted to understand my faith. We had a lengthy, in-depth conversation about the Christian gospel.

About a year ago my friend was teaching at a Mormon church on the history of that faith and while doing his research lost all confidence in the Latter Day Saints. Regrettably, he rejected more than just the Mormon faith, he dismissed all forms of Special Revelation. Today he is a Deist, reading their anti-Christian websites. His "apostasy" from Mormonism threatens his marriage and has alienated him from extended family.

I didn't intend to take an "Evangelism Explosion" approach, but my friend said that when he appears before God he'll say that God didn't make it clear enough what to believe; it's too hard to tell which prophet (Mohammed, Joseph Smith, Buddha, or Jesus) to believe. I mentioned the uniqueness of the Resurrection and a Gospel of grace. I wished I would have thought of C.S. Lewis' Liar, Lunatic, or Lord question.

I also took a Van Til tactic, talking about what his "final authority" is for deciding what to believe--reason or the Scriptures. I also informed him of the trustworthiness and authenticity of the Scriptures compared to other historical documents.

In the end what he wanted was a personal vision, direct revelation, or a miracle to tell him what to believe. I explained from Hebrews why the first two weren't going to happen, but the third very well may (referring to the miracle of the New Birth). I offered to give him my copy of C.S. Lewis' Miracles. He has read Mere Christianity, Screwtape Letters, and told me he'd read it, too.

I offered to follow-up with him at his convenience. Perhaps he'll call or write after we move. Overall I feel I presented the Gospel clearly, pleaded with him earnestly, and provided him with reasonable responses to his questions. Yet I don't have any chummy feelings about this conversation; here is a man who has heard the Gospel and doesn't believe. I pray that will change.

Graduation Dinner

Here's a picture of us at last night's Air Force Institute of Technology graduation dinner. It was held at the National Museum of the Air Force where we dined between wonderful, restored military airplanes, feasted off a 10-station buffet, and were entertained by a military band. It was a grand time--a rewarding end to a year of brute force learning.

 

Does Theology Have to Make Sense?

Martin Luther knew it was absurd to believe such things as "God is man, the son of a virgin, crucified, sitting at the right hand of the Father." A reasonable man cannot stomach such contradictions. Reason always attacks theology that is faithful to the Bible, and so Luther retaliated.

Luther, according to The Foolishness of God, lambasted reason as "a big red murderess, devil's bride, a damned whore, a blind guide, the enemy of faith." He defended the sole authority of Scripture in all matters of faith; reason must yield to faith.

He fires more than a few broadsides at Calvinism for its desire to "play carpenter with God's Word; whittling away at it until all the pieces fit." Luther sought to maintain the paradoxical nature of Christian doctrine. I'll summarize just one area (election) in this space.

Reformed theologians often say that a man must be either a Calvinist or an Arminian -- that is, he must find the answer to why some are converted and others aren't, either in a difference in God or a difference in man. A true Lutheran can only say, "A plague on both your houses!" Luther says without reservation that the will of God cannot be hindered, and just as firmly he asserts that man can resist the will of God. We should not tear ourselves to pieces over this mystery; the Lord simply wants both truths to stand.

This provocative book claims that Calvinism remains true to the law of non-contradiction in doctrines such as election, perseverance, conversion, and the Lord's Supper, while Lutheranism doesn't see how you can do that and be faithful to all that the Scripture says. Lutherans simply resolve not to explain apparent contradictions, resisting the pressures of reason to act as judge over God's truth.

This was an interesting read and reminded me of Dr. Rayburn's lecture on "Preaching the Poles".

Which is Worse in a Church: Worldliness or Pharisaism?

Our pastor's bold sermon yesterday reminded me of some comments I've heard in the past from homeschoolers when looking for a church. They show up Sunday morning for worship, take a look at the congregation's appearance (especially the mothers and teenagers), and automatically know if this is the place for them.

Here's the quote from yesterday's sermon that brought this to mind,

The conservative churches of today, and we are one of them, are in greater danger than ever of falling into the idolatry of Pharisaism. Pharisaism is the chief idolatry because it is all about circling the wagons to exclude the unclean and maintain moral values. When you are worshipping the false pharisaic god, you exclude those who do not pass the latest moral acid test. In some churches that acid test is drinking, smoking and dancing. For others the acid test is your political persuasion, your stance on abortion or how loudly you denounce homosexuality. We are investing too much of our time in passing legislation designed to make our country more moral and not enough time practicing mercy.

The pastor has a point. When I look around a church body and see immodestly dressed women, wild-looking teenagers, and bored men I label that church as "worldly" and move on to a place that's "safer" for my family. This approach probably does lead us to churches that have circled the wagons to exclude the unclean.

But there is a counterpoint. If those worldly-looking people in the church have been there for years, perhaps even raised there, and yet they still look, think, and act like the world then it's clear that in not circling the wagons the church went too far and gave away the farm.

Parenting the Poles

Our children are basically perfect. This is what the grandparents say when they spend time with one child at a time. But when the Bailey children are grouped together, watch out! Their behavior swings violently between two poles; they're either cruel to each other, or annoyingly goofy with each other.

In any given day our children fall off both sides of this horse many times. This afternoon I explained this observation to my oldest child (7); based on his response I think he may have got it, "This is what you mean by "self-control?" Right!

Maturity is at least knowing how to stay out of both the meanness and silliness ditches. My children are slowly learning this; as am I. I'm better with self-control now than I was as a new parent. I was better then than I was in college, and so on.

Naturally, children have childish behavior, which is often unpleasant. The difficulty for the parent is to patiently teach the children how to keep out of the ditches they keep falling into.

Gladness from Mourning

I enjoyed an e-mail exchange on transracial adoption with a friend of a friend from Georgia this week. This adoptive mother has a story to tell, here's an excerpt with names removed,

Our little girl is full African American (now 2 1/2 yrs old). We went into our adoption process wanting to provide a covenant home to a child that needed it...seeing race as a rather non-issue. Yes, we'd have things to overcome even in ourselves, but they were based on society rather than the Word so we NEEDED to get over them. We never expected what was to come.

Our daughter's race has not been a non-issue for our family but a radically positive one. As [Pastor] Piper mentions, when bringing one of a different race into your family, you are forced to recognize an individual outside of a lumped-together race. My Mississippi grandfather (who initially had an intense period of mourning regarding our adoption choice) eventually came around with tears in his eyes commenting that our daughter was "the first black girl to ever love him". You can translate that as the first he'd ever loved, or allowed to crawl up in his lap for sure!

Amazingly, graciously, we've been blessed with one positive experience after another, and an almost alarming absence of negative experiences. Black strangers have literally hugged me in the mall "for embracing their race". Socialites in our church have seen their elementary-aged-kids attach themselves to our ever-lovable little girl...even took her to show-n-tell at their predominately white private school since they didn't have a baby sister like their classmates to show off!?!?

In summary, we have realized that transracial adoption is amazing, exciting, and sanctifying in so many ways. We hope to bring at least one more AA child into our family before too long.

Our friend also provided the following links (here, here, and here) to some of John Piper's thoughts on race and the family.

Kristin and I hope that our adoption will be soon; in the meantime we're thankful for our Georgia cheering section!

The Celebrated Jumping Frogs of Montgomery County

Kristin says...."talk about gross"; but when young boys are involved I find frogging to be much more satisfying than fishing. Yesterday we caught 7 frogs in about 20 minutes; Saturday's fishing expedition resulted in boredom and no fish.

Catching frogs is also more exciting than catching little fish. The frogs aggressively attack the worms above the water (fun to watch). Frogs are easier to de-hook (no sharp fins and a big mouth). And best of all, once de-hooked you can play with a frog for as long as you like!

Gone Froggin'

The War on Terror As I Understand It

I finished my research project on Islamic Terrorism. My focus was mainly on how information technology (satellite TV, internet, etc) is moving Islamic culture towards extremism.

Many Americans ask "why do they hate us?" The answer: U.S. policy toward the Middle East (e.g. supporting corrupt tyrannies) and especially our policy with the Palestinians. For us the Palestinian problem is just one issue out of many; for the average Arab it is the most important issue of his life.

Most people identify Madrassas (Islamic religious schools) as the main propagator of anti-Western hate. In some cases (Saudi and in the Stan-lands) they are problematic, but by far the larger problem is with the media.

In a land that banned the printing press for several hundreds of years and censors all forms of media, satellite TV is breaking through the information blockade. Up to 90% of homes in some Middle East countries have satellite-TV dishes, and 30 percent of the stations are independent (i.e. uncensored). This is a great opportunity to influence the Arab people.

Regrettably, the Islamic extremists have capitalized on this opportunity, waging a full-scale propaganda war against the U.S. Violent anti-West "values" are inculcated into Arab children at a very early age and saturate the lives of every viewer.

Only 2 percent of homes in the Middle East have internet access but every Islamic terrorist group has their own web site. Why? The internet is their outreach vehicle to Muslim communities and sympathizers around the world. Yahoo! Groups, and other tools, provides anonymous command and control of the terrorist networks in addition to recruitment, training, and fundraising.

The U.S. is a latecomer to this war of ideas. We've made some naive attempts to engage in this battle, but find ourselves at a disadvantage reaching out cross-culturally to an audience that long ago turned against us.

We must find and popularize the moderate, indigenous voices of the Middle East before the mass population moves from what today is mild opposition of the U.S. to militant opposition.

An Alien Nation or is it just Alienation?

Because it was TRs that first woke up Kristin and I to the twin dangers of evangelicalism and thoughtlessly consuming modern culture, we naturally thought that those outside mainstream-Presbyterianism had the answer. We didn't know that just because someone understands the problem well doesn't guarantee that they also have the right answer. The '60's offer the classic proof text.

A funny thing happened. As our convictions widened (I won't say deepened), the churches that interested us kept getting smaller and farther away. The typical PCA church didn't suit us anymore, and the double-earring wearing male worship leader at the one in this town cemented our feelings. Fortunately, a lack of courage on my part (and the level-headedness of my wife) moderated my impulse to do something really wild.

The Church, as the people of God, is an Alien Nation in some sense. But what we felt as we spent time in TR-ish churches was not belonging but rather alienation. What we wanted was a church that lives together before God in a reverent way, but what we got was more like a weekly club for the misfits of Presbyterianism.

That's too one-sided. I can't explain why the TR-type churches we've seen are the coldest we've ever known. Maybe it's not so much "penal-colony" syndrome as it is how far apart the people of the church live. Or maybe the problem lies with us. We move too often; surely this is at least partly responsible for our feelings of isolation.

It took time but we're finally realizing that it's not just the TRs who are aware of the cultural and ecclesial problems of today. Some mainstream PCA evangelicals get this; they just don't let it define them. When we move next month we so strongly hope to find a warm, friendly reformed church close to where we live. Enough with alienation; life in the Alien Nation shouldn't have to be this way.

Beat-the-Buzzer Evangelism

I had a nice surprise at the gym today. One of my classmates came up to me and wanted to meet before I move to New Mexico to talk about my faith. During the last year he has "let go" of much of what he believed (his background is Mormon) and is basically a Deist at this point. He's curious to know more about what I believe, not because he's ready to embrace it, but simply to understand.

We plan to get together next week. Please pray for God's illumination.

Some Recommendations

Skip McDonald's on your next road trip and enjoy some of the best food in America by looking here before you head out.

Listen to some of America's best speeches here. Several are good for Memorial Day. (HT: www.worldmagblog.com)

Kristin laughed and cried throughout this easy read (HT: Carmon's blog). The children and I really like this ranching story, (HT: Rick's blog).

Roamin' Catholics

I was worried about dinner tonight. I invited a military family over to eat with us who are new to the area; they have 5 young children and eagerly talk of more. They also homeschool. Since this is Trinity Sunday, I had put together a devotion for after dinner on that topic but were worried that the family might be Mormon. But when they offered to bring a bottle of wine my fears were put to rest--they're either Reformational or Catholic!

They are Roman Catholic. This is the first homeschooling Catholic family we've met. We enjoyed dining with them very much. I was able to learn why they homeschool instead of using a Catholic school, who their influences are, and some things about their family catechism time.

They are a great family; someone we'd enjoy spending more time with. The wife is a cradle Catholic, but the husband was baptized in the Methodist church, like me. His understanding of the differences between Roman Catholics and Protesting Catholics lacked a little, and he is such an affable guy, I can't help but wonder what would happen if we had more time together.

And he brings a mighty fine wine!

Amazing Adoption Stories Part 1

A big howdy to the Geaslen family! Thanks for relaying the amazing adoption story to us tonight. Since the mainstream media often relays only horror stories about domestic adoptions, it's good to hear and pass on some good news.

While we wait for our adoption in God's timing, we have opportunities to speak to many people about our experiences. As Kristin spreads the news about the many black American babies that need loving families to adopt them, some extended family of the Geaslens wondered why they have never heard of any as they wait to adopt. They inquired, found out that their agency does not do transracial adoptions, and just recently switched to one that did. Right away the situation changed.

Just a few days ago they received a request to meet for lunch with a birthmother who needed to place her 10 month old child. At the end of the meal the birthmother decided this was the right family to raise the child and placed her in the hands of her new mother right there in the restaurant! Needless to say the adoptive family was surprised to go from childless to parenting a 10 month old in a matter of minutes!

We rejoice that this child now has a loving two-parent home--complete with a special aunt, uncle, and several cousins!

God is Good

The folks in charge of base housing at our next base (Kirtland AFB) called yesterday and offered us a house! We were delighted to accept and very surprised since it was just the day before when they told us everything was booked.

Living on base is great for the family--no commute time, often home for lunch, etc. And in this particular situation, the church we're most interested in is close to the base. It would be great to work, live, and worship in the same community!

On Women in the Military

There's been more news than normal lately on the role of women in the military. Some want to further restrict their presence by barring them from forward support companies such as some supply, transport and medical units. I support this idea.

A few others want to completely remove women from military service. While I share much of the same values as those that support this position, I don't think this particular step is necessary.

When the general public thinks about women in the military they often picture them running an obstacle course with an M-16 in their hand. That does happen--women are too close to the tip of the spear in our military.

But many more women in the service are not. The Air Force, which I think has the highest percentage of women of any service, is a good example. Because of new advances in technology, only a small percentage of the force is in harm's way. New technology requires more people in the "tail" than in the "tooth".

Don't get me wrong. The lines between combat and support have been blurred and this puts our combat support units in greater danger--there are women assigned to these units. That's why I support the idea of restricting women from the forward support units.

But barring women from military service entirely is like barring women from any career--and that's a different subject.

Saving Lives Through Relationships

The Air Force set aside part of today to focus on the importance of taking care of each other. Part of the event entails a keynote speaker who addresses the 900-person student body. Today's speaker is an alcoholic who came within a hair of killing himself--he's also a friend of mine and a fellow student. He will soon be separated from the Air Force and almost ruined his marriage. At the last event a few months ago another keynote speaker explained how close she came to killing herself (note written out, plans made, etc)--she is also a friend and one of my professors. Both friends of mine, and I had no idea of their struggles!

I met both of them at a previous assignment, they each worked just a couple of cubicles from me every day. Who would have guessed what was just below the surface in their lives? How many more friends do I have now (and will soon have in New Mexico) that hide such terrible secrets?

This is a call to prayer...that God would help me be better at developing genuine relationships...that God would enlarge my heart for those around me...that God would use me to save lives.

I Found the Answer to World Peace

Why is it that my two oldest children (7 and 5) can bicker and nag each other all day long but as soon as we send them off to bed for the night they instantly become best friends, giggling and babbling until we split them up an hour later so they can get some sleep?

Has anybody thought to try this in the Middle East Peace Process?--seems like they've tried everything else...

I'm a Blog Luddite (sounds like Troglodyte)

n. Someone who doesn't think blogs will change the world and strives to use them cautiously, knowing that this is probably not the wisest use of their time.

The Problem with Lists

Kristin and I are "list" people. To-do lists, library book lists, grocery lists, all work out very fine for us--but church lists are another matter. As we prepare to move again, we're trying to change and that means not listing out what we're looking for in a church.

It's supposed to be the military that always fights the last war, but we're just as likely to dwell too much on that church we were in before. "Oh how we loved how they did [insert something like weekly communion, small groups, etc]", and so that goes on our list of "must-haves" for the next church. But when we find a church that matches our list, they do it all "wrong." And we end up being too contrary.

Maybe a list for what you want in a church is about as dumb as a list for what you want in a spouse. There are too many variables that can't be quantified and qualified accurately. There are tacit elements that can't be written down.

Lists are out, but I'm not sure what goes in their place...a dart board?

We are little lambs who don't know which way to go. Savior, like a shepherd lead us.

Skipping Pentecost

In the Lutheran church Pentecost Sunday (today) is often when people join the church. At the one we've been attending the Information Class finished a couple of weeks ago, but we've continued to meet with the pastor to talk through some Lutheran distinctives.

Until a month ago I didn't know that membership in a Lutheran church is by confession, not profession. What confessional membership means is that to join the church you have to agree with Luther's small catechism, not just profess faith in Christ.

We weren't able to affirm a few of their beliefs, but really appreciate the one-on-one time with the pastor. The Lutheran faith is an "alternate" interpretation of the Scriptures--more incompatible with Calvinism than I thought--but consistent in its own teachings.

So we were not among those who joined the church today, and although it was encouraging to see several Roman Catholics convert to Lutheranism today, we look forward to returning to a Reformed church at our next assignment.

Merchants of Cool

PBS's Frontline has posted some of their documentaries for on-line viewing. A past MARS HILL AUDIO conversation recommended Merchants of Cool so Kristin and I watched it on the laptop earlier this week via this link.

If you're interested in understanding youth pop culture, or in general, the thoughtless consumption of modern culture, this is an intriguing expose. Be warned it is graphic--not for little ones to see or hear.

Ideas for Mother's Days

Kristin does more than most moms are expected to these days--homeschooling is a big part of it, but other convictions also increase the demands upon her as a mother. Therefore, "I am determined that [my wife] shall not be driven to desperation," (can you cite that quote?) and have thought of a few good ways to keep that from happening. Here are the ones that come to mind:

• Sabbaticals: An overnight "get-away" somewhere relaxing. This is not so much an escape as it is a time of reflection. I give her an edifying book or audio recording that reminds her how special this time of life is
• Weekly Time: An evening or an afternoon to do something alone -- either crafts, or even just errands
• Reading: Besides giving her books to read, I also have her periodically review notes that I took on helpful books that we've read together in the past. This is a quick way to remember the wisdom of previous year's reading.
• Sabbath Feasting: Like the Israelites in the wilderness, we pick up twice as much manna the day before the Sabbath, so there's no need to cook or go out on the Sabbath. We order enough carry-out for Saturday night's dinner to also supply Sunday's lunch.

Any other ideas?

Meet a Friend of Ours

We met Joe and Melene during our time in Illinois. I worked with Joe and our families were soon worshipping together and part of the same small group. Joe is an Air Force pilot and Melene is a gifted musician and mother of two beautiful daughters. They currently live in North Carolina. Melene started blogging and is the first blogger that we've known in real life before meeting in the blogosphere! I hope you'll stop in at Sing for Joy.

What Day is it?

Lots of folks celebrated Cinco de Mayo today. Many Christians celebrated the National Day of Prayer. But this day the Church celebrates Ascension Day.

I don't want to make too much out of this, but the Christians I spoke with today that participated in the National Day of Prayer hadn't a clue about Ascension Day--and there's a reason why. It's the difference between a God-centered ministry and a man-centered one.

I'm not against the National Day of Prayer, I believe some good comes out of it, but its focus often seems to be "let's see if we can get Mr. [Muckety-Muck] Government Leader to support our event. This will show the liberals how much influence we wield!" If we realized the truth of Ascension Day, we'd have such a different perspective!

This Day we remember that our Lord has been raised to Heaven and is seated at the right hand of God Almighty, everything has been placed under his feet, he rules it all! We remember this Day that Christ is praying for us--so who cares if the Governor won't pray with us! We recall that Christ was raised in the flesh, the first fruits of the harvest to come, where we too will join Him, to be with Him in our glorified bodies forever!

Celebrate the real meaning of today!

Lighten Up

Tomorrow starts our 3-day garbage, er I mean, garage sale. Everything must go! As we move in June (to our 10th home in 11 years) we're sick and tired of packing and unpacking the same unlistened to CDs, unlooked at books, unplayed with toys, unworn clothes, etc. Plants are free, but my children will gleefully charge you a quarter for a cup of lemonade.

I'm reminded of the time after our wedding ceremony when a retired military wife looked at our stash of stuff and sadly warned us, "after 3 moves it's firewood." Well, it certainly has a way of piling up. Hopefully, we'll sell enough this weekend to cut down our trips to Goodwill.

Freedom of Religion

All I know about the emergent church movement is what I've heard on the White Horse Inn and Issues, etc. Both programs are very critical of it, probably rightly so.

But they both missed the e-church appeal -- sadly, it's probably a false one -- of getting answers to doctrinal questions from an "unbiased" source. Here's what I mean. As I wrestle with a doctrine, let's say baptism for example, can I really expect a Lutheran pastor to genuinely explore beyond the standard Lutheran position? He'll explain all the relevant Scriptures from the Lutheran point of view and when I mention how others view the same passages, he'll say something like, "that's not how our church understands them." Or perhaps, he'll set up a strawman argument out of the others' position and then beat it senseless. Calvin sharply said, "There is not a more destructive plague than when men are so intoxicated by the scanty portion of knowledge which they possess, that they boldly reject everything that is contrary to their opinion." Rare is the person who has seriously tried to understand the different positions on a doctrine before arguing with others over the right way to believe.

Emergent churches, because much of their doctrine is "in process", seem like a more objective place to learn. But, for the same reason, they terrify me. Freedom of religion means complete freedom, even to believe lies, or not to believe at all.

What Kind of Presbyterian Are You?

A new quiz based on this paper by Tim Keller. The quiz is short on questions, big on generalizations.

My results:

1: You are Reformed Historical! Most in this group support ‘strict subscription’ to the Confession and are mainly inspired by earlier forms of Presbyterianism. What divides Reformed-historicals and the rest of the PCA is not so much doctrinal differences as differences in perspective (and attitude) regarding how to communicate our doctrine and relate it to the post-Christian culture. (100%)

2: You are Reformed Conservative! You may be more culturally conservative than committed to a specific form of Presbyterianism. Many in this group don't like the strident rhetoric of the "Truly Reformed" crowd. You are standing for very good causes and are appropriately concerned for the moral decline of our culture. (73%)

3: You are Reformed Evangelical! You focus more on "distributing nutrients" to the church rather than "attacking infection". You are committed to Reformed theology that you feel is more biblically than culturally derived and are devoted to present-day ‘missions and ministry.’ However, you are susceptible to adopting pragmatic approaches to ministry that are not reflective of Reformed/biblical distinctives. You may be prone to evaluate influence by size of church numbers rather than by evidences of transformation in society. (57%)

Taking Confirmation Seriously

Today's sermon was a great example of preaching with a deep love for your people and a healthy fear of God. It was a confirmation service and one of the two boys being confirmed was the pastor's son. The sermon, and in some sense the whole service, was a celebration and exhortation for the confirmands, who were draped in a white garment and spent the service directly in front of the pulpit or kneeling at the alter. The pastor was noticeably affected by the presence of his son, his preaching was more impassioned. His burden for the souls of his "congregation" was obvious, providing a good example of how all preaching should be.

I'm not sure about the Biblical basis for confirmation (although there's historical basis), but the Lutherans certainly make more of it than the Presbyterians. Most of the confirmation ceremonies I've seen in Presbyterian churches are squeezed into the regular liturgy and come across as half-hearted--the confirmands I saw today won't soon forget theirs.

Captive Audiences

I got a McOpinion this evening from the McDonalds drive-through attendant. He saw my Texas plates and while making the change decided to tell me how Bush is just a power-monger.

My barber is known for making use of her captive audience, too. Her themes are racism and rich folks. A friend's barber literally raps (softly) to his customers about oppression and racism.

This reminds me of my captive audience -- bathtime is a great time for catechizing the little ones!

Another rejection for us, but...

We've been praying for closure for Baby Moriah who has been in "adoption limbo" since she was born 6 weeks ago. God answered that prayer today, not by placing her with us, but with another family.

Maybe we're getting used to the rejections, knowing they're just part of God's wiser purposes, yet we still feel a little sting each time.

Our rejection is probably only temporary; Moriah's acceptance into her family is forever. And for that we're thankful.

Intoleristas

There's a regular stream of articles on the pressure to muzzle outspoken Christians at the Air Force Academy. Some excerpts from today's L.A. Times article shows what's really going on.

Members of the Yale Divinity School, who visited the academy last year to observe pastoral care on campus, were surprised by the overtly evangelical tone they found. They sent a memo to school leaders.

During Protestant worship services, the report said, cadets chanted, "This is our Chapel and the Lord is our God." They were encouraged to proselytize to others and "remind them of the consequences of apostasy."

SAY IT AIN'T SO!! Declaring 'the Lord is God' in a worship service! Encouraging the worshippers to obey the Great Commission! NOOOO!!!

Protestant cadets were reminded that those not 'born again will burn in the fires of hell,' " the report said. "Protestant cadets were regularly encouraged to 'witness' to fellow Basic Cadets."

Kristen Leslie, an assistant professor in pastoral care at Yale, led the team. "There was a religious arrogance," Leslie said.

So let's get this straight...believing there is only one way of salvation is 'religious arrogance'.

In a crowded room on the edge of the Air Force Academy, Chaplain Melinda Morton was doing her bit for culture change.

She dimmed the lights and rolled the video.

Morton was teaching an RSVP — Respecting the Spiritual Values of all People — class, a 50-minute exercise in trying to stop what critics called a culture of intolerance on campus.

So far 1,500 of 4,300 cadets have taken the class and eventually all 9,000 employees and military personnel at the academy will complete it.

As the class ended, one participant, Lt. Col. Marcia Meeks-Eure, paused before leaving.

"I think this sort of thing is very good because it underscores what we are supposed to be doing," she said. "I am Baptist but I won't talk about my faith unless someone asks."

Ahhh, yes. That's what the Intolaristas love to hear.

A baby...maybe

Deep in the woods of my South Carolina home was a murky pond. As a boy, I spent many dawns and dusks crouching on the bank watching for my bob to suddenly run and submerge.

You learn a lot about patience from fishing. You can't see what's going on below the surface, you wonder if maybe the worm came off during the cast leaving just a string and a hook--not very enticing to the fish. Sometimes something would play with the bob; bump it, move it around, but never commit to the hook. This could go on for a while; sometimes it was a turtle, other times it was a fish too small to swallow the hook. But occasionally, after waiting and watching the dancing bob for what seemed like hours, a nice size fish would snatch it and run.

For six weeks we've been waiting and watching as the birthmom I mentioned earlier, considers us. The baby is now 6 weeks old, the birthmother has terminated her rights to the child, and the child waits in foster care for the agency and the birthmom to pick an adoptive family. For weeks we've been told that we're "very strong contenders but it will be a day or two before she decides", only to wait a day or two and find that no decision has been made.

Nothing more to do but trust God's timing and ask him to incline the birthmother to choose us. Meanwhile we'll patiently crouch by the phone, hoping that one of the calls will be the one we've been waiting for.

Agents of Cool

Youth Pastor


This youth pastor of a local church displays his new hairstyle, which was the result of his promise to the youth group. They could cut and style his hair if they raised funds to match the amount spent on a recent ski trip. The group raised $6,250 for charities, and the pastor got a new doo.

Giving to charity is a good work, yet if done out of selfish motives instead of to the glory of God, even large gifts to charity cannot please God. Augustine called such good works splendid sins, splendid in one way, but in another way nothing more than sins.

"It is like a sacrament ever on the lips...

For its words are not mere words. They are, 'the twigs of the burning bush aflame with God'.

They recite it constantly through the daily round, at prayer times, through the passage of the year, and through all the stages of life. They strive to learn as much of it as possible by heart. It is not given to many to learn to recite the whole of the Book, and the title thus won by those who do is greatly respected.

The Quran is more central to Islamic theology than the Bible is for Christians."

Francis Robinson, "Islam and the Impact of Print"

Weaker Brothers

I've been reading studies on how using the Internet is affecting people's lives in terms of social relationships, community commitment, and psychological well-being. Although I'm reading this for a class, the results of the studies are relevant to me as a blogger and blog-reader.

Most studies show that time spent on-line forming relationships often displaces face-to-face relationships with family and your own community. On-line relationships are weaker on average than those formed and maintained off-line. On-line friends, because they are not embedded in the same day-to-day environment, are less likely to provide tangible support (like a small loan, rides, or baby-sitting) and less likely to understand the context of your life. People can form strong relationships on-line, but they are rare.

Application: Don't spend more time and attention on weak ties at the expense of what should be strong ties in the real-world.

Although this wasn't included in the studies, I'd like to point out another healthy precaution with the Internet--watch your doctrine closely. In the blogosphere you will come across more arguments for and against every conceivable theological position than you ever would encounter in real life. Just thinking back to the last week, blogs I enjoy have surprised me by denouncing inerrancy and a 6-day Creation.

As threatening as higher criticism was for pastors in the 19th and 20th centuries, the "wider criticism" provided by the Internet may be more dangerous to the laity. As a general rule, when it comes to theology, don't talk to strangers.

Family Worship



Since Eli can read well enough now, he participates more in family worship. One way is by reading the opening Psalm with me responsively (we alternate reading every 2 verses). Standardizing on one Bible translation within the family avoids confusion.

I'm regularly tweaking the liturgy, currently it looks like this:

• Opening Hymn (first verse only, from memory)
• Opening Psalm (a short one)
• Gloria Patria
• Bible Passage (short reading, lately from Portals of Prayer)
• Meditation on Passage (lately from Portals of Prayer)
• First Catechism , Scripture memory, or Creed
• Missions Moment (from Operation World)
• Prayer requests
• Family Prayer (everyone takes turn praying)
• Lord's Prayer in unison
• Benediction

This takes about 20 minutes and happens between dinner and bath time. Now that I've written it out, I see that a closing hymn would be nice, too. The children especially enjoy the missions moment, where I briefly talk to them about the needs of a different nation each night. In addition to finding that nation on the globe, Eli enjoys showing everyone the nation's flag from a book he bought at a library book sale.

There's still work to be done concerning the Hebrews 12:28 command to worship God with reverence and awe, but the ants-in-the-pants are gradually going away. Also, this is not the primary time for learning new memory work, it's better if that happens other times in the day. This is simply a time of coming together to worship God as a family.

A New Adoption Strategy

When we move to New Mexico, if we haven't adopted yet, we're going to change our strategy. To date, we've focused on domestic non-Caucasian babies. There is a constant need for families to adopt these babies.

But we continue to get rejected over and over simply because we already have children. There is such a strong preference among birthmothers, and the adoption agencies that counsel them, for childless couples. Did none of these folks like their brothers and sisters?

In a recent situation, the birthmother and adoption agency decided to keep the baby in foster care rather than place the child with us. They're still waiting for a childless couple to materialize.

So once we get to New Mexico we're going to also look at international adoptions. We prefer to meet a need here in our own country, but that appears unlikely.

Luther's Warrior Children

With apologies to Rev. John Frame and his lecture on Machen's Warrior Children, the reason why Protestants don't know when to stop fighting may actually lie with Dr. Luther himself.

Today in the Lutheran catechism class we began discussing the Lord's Supper. As far as I can tell, the difference between the Lutheran and Reformed views of the Supper is not something we should fight over. Neither of us are memorialists, and neither hold the Catholic view of transubstantiation. Both believe in the same purpose for the Supper. Both say it's a means of grace and, significantly, affirm that Christ is present in a special way like no other.

The difference comes down to how Christ is present. Reformed say that Christ is spiritually present. The Lutherans talk about a Real Presence (don't confuse with consubstantiation), which means that Christ's human nature is also present "in, with, and around" the elements. The Westminster Confession of Faith denounces the Lutheran view, apparently because it violates human nature (how can Christ's human body be both here and there?). Lutherans reply that resurrected human nature is capable of this and then accuse the Reformed of separating the two natures of Christ, which of course the Reformed deny.

So the real difference comes down to what we believe about the nature of a resurrected human body, something that Scripture chooses not to tell us much about. But sadly enough, the focus of our class today (and others I've been in) is on the difference that separates Lutherans from the Reformed, to the point that the blessing of the Lord's Supper, its purpose in the life of the believer, gets over shadowed and easily forgotten about.

Like protestors looking for a cause, we focus too much on teaching people what to reject, without first ensuring they know what to affirm.

Happy Birthday Blog

The blog is 2 years old today -- time for a new look.

Last year at this time I explained why I write. That's still true.

Some of my favorite memories come from casual conversations with friends during a meal together. It's a great time for genuine discipleship. Blogs, to me, are like the talk without the food. Not nearly as good as in-person, but better than eating alone.

The military lifestyle results in a string of broken or weakened relationships (let's not kid ourselves with euphemisms) but also forces you to start new friendships. Maybe this blog helps a little with both those things.

Tokenism

A recent WORLD interview contained an interesting observation from Daniel.

You criticize "tokenizing our religion," and after describing the courage of Daniel...you note that he accepted a Babylonian name and worked alongside astrologers and sorcerers: "Daniel is just as instructive for the issues he wasn't willing to go to the wall for, as much as for the ones he was."

Tokenism practices religion publicly just to be seen doing it. I'm talking instead about publicly expressed scruples, matters of individual conscience that illustrate that our behavior has spiritual roots. (Daniel risked his life to pray three times a day toward Jerusalem--a scruple of conscience, not a biblical command).

Call Waiting

The interview we were supposed to have today with the birthmother didn't happen. Twice we were asked to drive up to Akron and meet with her, but both times she changed her mind and asked for a phone interview instead. About an hour before our scheduled phone call she decided against it too. At this point, she has decided to try parenting again; the baby is now 5 weeks old.

Our prayer is for both mom and baby. The mother is distraught, unstable, and obviously unsure what to do. The baby needs a family to bond with and some stability in her life.

Meanwhile, we wait for the next call.

Putting the Em-PHA-sis on a Different Syl-LAB-le

As I look for a church in Albuquerque one particular – and unspoken – difference stands out between the Reformed and the Lutherans. They tend to emphasize different means of grace; specifically, the reformed tend to emphasize preaching of the Word, while Lutherans tend to emphasize the Sacraments. Notice I said “tend” three times in that sentence – don’t take this too far. And let me add a hearty thanks be to God that both groups affirm the centrality of the Church in the means of grace.

One large (and beautiful) Lutheran church in Albuquerque posts their sermons on-line; the typical length – 7 minutes. But they get to be strengthened and comforted by the Lord’s Supper every week. The PCA church there also posts their sermons on-line, with a typical length of 45 minutes. But they only get communion every 6th week.

The difference in preaching between the two camps is striking. While I don’t think a 7 minute sermon is right, and I’m somewhat uncomfortable with the lack of an expository approach, when the Lutherans preach they do preach Christ and Him crucified for the forgiveness of sins as THE emphasis. From what’s emphasized in Presbyterian sermons, one may doubt whether there is a central teaching of Scripture.

If you ask a group of Lutheran pastors what Baptism did for my children, every one of them would give you a straight answer -- and the same answer. Now whether it’s the right answer is still an issue for me. But it’s clear that the reformed camp lacks any consensus on the matter.

I’ve generalized in a way that’s favorable to the Lutherans and critical of the reformed. Exceptions abound. There is much in Lutheranism that I have yet to make sense of; I still feel more comfortable with reformed doctrine.

Adoption Update

When a birthmother selects a family to adopt her baby, normally only the chosen family is notified. For the other families, "no news is bad news." Since we didn't get a call last week about a baby girl who needs a home, we figured the adoption agency placed her with the other interested family. Well, the agency called today and told us that the birthmother would like to interview us this Wednesday before making her choice. We love surprise phone calls like these!

We would appreciate prayer.

Air Force Academy Rejecting Christianity
excerpts from Rocky Mountain News

Air Force Academy officials described plans Friday to give sensitivity training to all 4,000 cadets and all academy personnel after charges of religious intolerance.

Academy superintendent Lt. Gen. John Rosa's religious tolerance training plan fueled debate among board members. Rep. Joel Hefley, whose district includes the academy, defended religious expression, citing slogans chiseled on the walls of Congress.

Board chairman James Gilmore III asked whether safeguarding minority religious rights could trample on others' religious rights.

"Evangelical Christians do not check their religion at the door. I think that is not understood in American society," Gilmore said. "As a result of that, we're seeing a lot of condemnation of evangelical Christians because they are seen to be aggressively asserting themselves on other people, although they wouldn't see it that way."

General Rosa closed the door on favoritism. "Title X and the Constitution tells me that I must as a commander do this," Rosa said.

"It looks like you're rejecting Christianity," board member Bob Dornan said.

"Exactly," Rosa said.

Our Next Assignment


Albuquerque! Not our first choice, but it sure beats Iraq and a host of other undesirable places.

We move in June, we start church-hunting now. In this town of 500,000 there appears to be all of TWO reformed, Presbyterian churches. But there are about 10 confessional Lutheran ones and some possibilities in the Anglican department, too.

If you have any insights on the Albuquerque area, do tell!

Quirky Albuquerque

Here's what a normal house looks like in the "land of enchantment". This one goes for around $200K. Some of the amenities include a "spot of grass for the kids to play on" (actual wording).

"Grandmama is old and I think it is time she went home to Jesus"

World News Daily reports on another Terri-type murder-in-progress, but this one sounds even more egregious. According to the group Hospice Patients Alliance, Hospice regularly sedates and starves to death patients who were not terminal.

We're finally waking up to the fact that euthanasia has been rampant for years. But will we care?

What Denomination Are You (Now)?

Kristin and I were impressed with this quiz. It's not perfect, but overall does a good job of defining some important doctrinal differences. Here are my results:

1: Presbyterian/Reformed (100%)
2: Eastern Orthodox (79%)
3: Anglican/Episcopal/Church of England (75%)
4: Congregational/United Church of Christ (75%)
5: Lutheran (71%)
6: Baptist (Reformed/Particular/Calvinistic) (61%)
7: Roman Catholic (56%)
8: Church of Christ/Campbellite (47%)
9: Methodist/Wesleyan/Nazarene (42%)
10: Seventh-Day Adventist (25%)
11: Baptist (non-Calvinistic)/Plymouth Brethren/Fundamentalist (24%)
12: Pentecostal/Charismatic/Assemblies of God (24%)
13: Anabaptist (Mennonite/Quaker etc.) (14%)

In the post's title don't miss the "Now". Ordinarily you'll have a hard time properly understanding different Christian traditions if you only learn about them from your own denomination. Regrettably, denominations tend to present stawman arguments about "those other guys" which don't adequately represent others' distinctives. This is what thunderpuppies are made of.

"The one who states his case first seems right, until the other comes and examines him." (Prov 18:17 ESV)

Close Calls

Although I haven't written about adoption for a while, we have had some near matches. Yesterday we were one of only two families being considered for a little girl here in Ohio. It appears we weren't the one. A couple of other possibilities are still in the works. It's just speculation, but I think two things have kept us from being chosen by a birthmother earlier: we already have children, and our race. Yet, we seem to be handling the roller-coaster ride better than the first few close calls; thanks be to God.

It's also been a while since I've written about our next assignment, mainly because the Air Force has delayed telling us. It looks like we may know by next week, giving us a little time here before we move in June.

Tele-Islamists

Tele-evangelists are an embarrassment to Christianity, but at least they're not on every channel. In the Muslim world, the staple of TV programming is "tele-Islamists". By and large their messages are railing, angry, and extreme; but that may be changing. Apparently, Islamic TV producers have been watching TBN.

"Amr Khaled is a 37-year-old former accountant turned Islamic "televangelist." With his stylish business suits, trim moustache, large, expressive eyes, and magnetic charm, Khaled moves audiences to tears with his retellings of Quranic stories and promises of God's redeeming love. Ever since he began preaching in private homes and clubs in Cairo several years ago, Khaled's fame has grown astronomically, particularly among well-to-do Arab women and youth.

As a "born-again" Muslim who rediscovered his own faith as a teenager, Khaled offers himself as living proof that being religious does not have to mean being "backwards" or fanatical. Khaled said in an interview with the English-language Egyptian newspaper Al-Ahram Weekly, "My main concern is to make young people love religion instead of fearing it."

His first show, Kalam min al-Qalb, or Word from the Heart, used a talk-show format featuring audience participation and "testimonials" from famous actresses, football players, and ordinary young Muslims. Its producer and director, Ahmed Abu Haiba, asked Amr, "Have you ever seen Christian preaching channels in the West? I believe that if we did this with Islam it would be a new experience for Islam."

The filming took place in a space-age studio setting with soft pastel lighting, video screens, celebrity guest stars, and a live audience of young people, both boys and girls, who shared the microphone with Khaled as he moderated a discussion about a particular religious moral issue, or aspect of personal piety. "I chose subjects to be related to the heart, outside of the fiqh and the rules, halal and haram," Abu Haiba said, adding that key components were the use of colloquial Arabic and the exchange of personal feelings.

His show is part self-help psychology--an emotional and positive twelve-step program to a better Islamic life--part spiritual experience, and part televised call for social reform and grassroots organization. The young preacher's tapes, videos and CDs outsell the albums of today's hippest Arab pop stars, while his lectures in mosques and clubs across the Middle East, Canada, and the UK have attracted thousands. In some places people stand outside and clog the streets with traffic for hours to hear Khaled speak.

Students, businessmen, women and others have formed clubs named after the program. On college campuses and community centers, students sell t-shirts, key chains, and stickers bearing the shows logo and motto "Together We Build Life" in both English and Arabic. These trendy (and fairly expensive) commodities are reminiscent of the virginity promise rings and "What Would Jesus Do" bracelets so popular among born-again Christian youth in America.

Khaled's rise to superstardom--and his undeniable marketing success--is evidence of a new breed of media-savvy Islamic preachers. The messages resonate with an increasingly globalized Arab youth culture struggling to carve a third way between the excesses of religious extremism and disillusionment with state-subsidized clerics. As demonstrated by the growing popularity of everything from "dial-a-sheikh" telephone services that charge by the minute and online "fatwa sessions" that invite Internet users to submit religious questions by e-mail, there is a growing mass market catering to Muslims seeking spiritual guidance, both moral and mundane."

Lutherans and the 5 Points

If you're a Calvinist, and you're tired of brawling with Arminians, have you considered what the Lutherans say about Calvinism?

Free Lectures on Papal Succession

The Teaching Company has offered these two free lectures

From Tom Rolling, president of Teaching company:

A note on timing. We had planned to send these lectures the week of March 28, 2005, for some time. After the collapse of John Paul II's health on Thursday, March 31, I considered withholding these lectures out of respect for the pope. After much reflection, I believe that sending the lectures is appropriate, even at this hour.

You will hear much on papal succession in coming weeks, but little of it will offer the detail and depth of historical perspective contained in these two lectures.

In the end, I decided that the better service to our customers, perhaps especially our Catholic customers, would be to send the lectures. A papal succession is an extraordinary moment in history, continuing the longest surviving human institution of government.

Rags to Riches

It was a cold, windy, wet day here, so I played Monopoly with Eli and Grace--their first time. Eli, who was nearly broke, was the first to land on "Free Parking". He went berzerk--in this photo he's literally vibrating. Methinks he likes it.

The Local Church

It's nice for a change to live close to the church you're part of. It makes a big difference, not just with relationships but also with service. We participated in a church visit yesterday to a local nursing home. About a dozen wheel-chair bound residents delighted us with their joyful singing. And they took delight in seeing our children dance to "He's got the whole-world in His hands" and other simple songs. The similarities of life at its extremities -- infants and the elderly -- is striking. Both groups are dependent on others for many basic needs; most importantly, for love.

Later this month the church is forming small groups, not to cloister in a home for Bible study, but to go door-to-door to find out if our neighborhood residents attend a church, and if not to invite them to ours. According to the church newsletter "only God approved excuses will be accepted on this day of representing our Triune God and showing His love for Fairborn" and we will be contacted by phone to enlist our participation. The Mormon church is not the only one who wants to speak to this neighborhood about Christ.

The Jihadi Mat

After my long and careful study of Islam and in light of the weakness of the Christian church, I have become persuaded in the beliefs and practices of the purer forms of Islam. I respect my previous belief system but am convinced that Christian doctrine has gone too far and Jews not far enough.