What is that over in the weeds? 7/23

1. Alveda C. King, Niece of Dr. Martin Luther King, makes the link between Abortion and Racism

"I am asking you to join me. Let me tell you why. Abortion and racism are evil twins, born of the same lie. Where racism now hides its face in public, abortion is accomplishing the goals of which racism only once dreamed. Together, abortionists are destroying humanity at large and the black community in particular.

Abortion has taken a gruesome toll on the black community, killing more than AIDS and crime combined. Some 14 million black babies have been aborted since the 1973 U.S. Supreme Court Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion in all stages in all 50 states. That's equal to one-third of the number of blacks living today."

2. The Pelagian Captivity of the Church

A great article that is more than worthwhile of your time.

Do we have a will? Yes, of course we have a will. Calvin said, if you mean by a free will a faculty of choosing by which you have the power within yourself to choose what you desire, then we all have free will. If you mean by free will the ability for fallen human beings to incline themselves and exercise that will to choose the things of God without the prior monergistic work of regeneration then, said Calvin, free will is far too grandiose a term to apply to a human being.

3. Kick em in the grill Ron...



4.






5. Four websites that teach you how to do anything

6. I averaged 0.22 Seconds

Reminder

Bible Study at my house...July 7th 7:15ish. We will be starting our study of the Gospel of John.

What is that over in the weeds? 6/15

1. The Rise of Child Abuse as a Result of Abortion

“Studies indicate that child abuse is more frequent among mothers who have previously had an abortion.” Dr. Philip Ney’s studies indicate that this is partially due to the guilt and depression caused by abortion, which hinders the mother’s ability to bond with future children. He documents that having an abortion decreases a parent’s natural restraint against feelings of rage toward small children

2. Pixar vs Dreamworks

Brilliant!

3. You are a child in the womb and you show several markers for down syndrome, you can kiss your life goodbye.

I got to gaze upon my baby for almost a full hour – it was wonderful! I was there alone as my husband was out of town. The specialist doctor called me in after the ultrasound to go over the findings. The first words out of his mouth to me were “Well you will have to come in tomorrow for your abortion because of how far along you are.” I was utterly shocked and devastated. All I could do was mutter “What??????” He then proceeded to tell me that my baby had more “markers” for down syndrome and it didn’t look good......I found that over 90% of babies that are diagnosed with down syndrome are aborted. Those words the doctor spoke to me were for a reason and out of his experience.

4. I am not really political but this was really funny

Paul Washer

In my opinion one of the best sermons I have ever heard.

Calvin for Breakfast

~ God preordained, for his own glory and the display of His attributes of mercy and justice, a part of the human race, without any merit of their own, to eternal salvation, and another part, in just punishment of their sin, to eternal damnation. ~

~ A dog barks when his master is attacked. I would be a coward if I saw that God's truth is attacked and yet would remain silent. ~

~ Man's mind is like a store of idolatry and superstition; so much so that if a man believes his own mind it is certain that he will forsake God and forge some idol in his own brain. ~

~ Every one of us is, even from his mother's womb, a master craftsman of idols. ~

Martin Luther Quote

“If you are a preacher of grace, then preach a true and not a fictitious grace; if grace is true, you must bear a true and not a fictitious sin. God does not save people who are only fictitious sinners. Be a sinner and sin boldly,  but believe and rejoice in Christ even more boldly, for he is victorious over sin, death, and the world. As long as we are here [in this world]  we have to sin. This life is not the dwelling place of righteousness,  but, as Peter says,  we look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. It is enough that by the riches of God’s glory we have come to know the Lamb that takes away the sin of the world.  No sin will separate us from the Lamb, even though we commit fornication and murder a thousand times a day. Do you think that the purchase price that was paid for the redemption of our sins by so great a Lamb is too small? Pray boldly—you too are a mighty sinner.”

What is that over in the weeds? 5/18

It's an AMISH AMBUSH!!!

1. Steve Hayes over at Triablogue asks why the Catholic layman is left out to dry by their leadership over and over again?

"When will Catholic laymen ever learn? How often do they have to have the ground cut out from under them by their own leadership before they wise up? If you keep marching into battle while your commanders are retreating from the battlefield, isn’t it time to cashier your generals? Why stand up for Catholic teachings when your teachers refuse to stand behind you? If they don’t stand behind what they teach, by their deeds as well as their words, then what use are they?"

2. Lawrence Welk skit on SNL


3. The Sacred Sandwich gives us obscure preachers in history.

4. Calvinist rap? Well done.

I John 2:3-6: Tests of knowing Him part 1

3By this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments. 4The one who says, "I have come to know Him," and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him; 5but whoever keeps His word, in him the love of God has truly been perfected By this we know that we are in Him: 6the one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked.

The word of God changes those that hear and believe. Once the Holy Spirit has regenerated your heart, once you have responded to the call of the gospel, once the Holy Spirit indwells you there is a change. You have become a new man no longer enslaved to the desires of the flesh. John knew this first hand being a disciple and follower of Christ. To claim to know Christ yet not keep His commandments was absurd. It was obvious to John that the one who made that sort of claim was lying.


We have established (in an earlier com box) that John wrote this letter in response to the Docetists who were starting to infiltrate the church. The Docetists taught that it was an illusion that Christ came in the flesh. Christ was, they taught, a spiritual being with a spiritual body. Christ could not possess a physical body because flesh was evil. Jesus was a spiritual being; an example of what we would be like after death. Thus it did not matter how you lived your life, you could live how you liked. The only thing that mattered, they taught, was that you possessed knowledge about Christ and who he was.

Today, strip off the whole flesh is evil thing and what you have left is the general attitude of most people today. ‘I believe in a god/Jesus so I must be okay’ type of attitude is prevalent today. But is this what Christ taught? Can one live a carnal life, live in opposition to what Jesus taught and still claim to know him? Some may know who Christ is but do they know Him? Do they know what He taught about sin? What He taught about Himself? Do they know what His purpose was as He walked here among us?

Robert Candlish writes in his commentary on I John:
It is as if you asked me about one of my familiars, whose name I am fond of using, whose opinions I am apt to quote, whose patronage I rather boast of; - “But do you know that you know him? Are you sure that you understand him?” The abrupt question takes me aback. I think I know him. But your doubt startles me. I must inquire and see.

It is here where we need to reexamine our claim. Is it true? Do I really know Christ? How do I know that I know Christ? In I John 2:3-4, the apostle John tells us that the standard by which we know we know him is if we keep his commandments. But why is keeping the commandments of Christ evidence that we know him? (1)Commandment keeping is a product of the Holy Spirit, not of man and (2) Christ taught that to love Him is to keep His commandments.

Knowing Christ and following his commands isn’t something that we do to build “Brownie points” with God. Instead it is the Holy Spirit working in and through his people. The Docetists were liars because they taught contrary to this. These were people who fulfill the desires of the flesh; that show no evidence of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. They deceive others and themselves. The difference between one such as this and the Christian is evident. When the Christian sins the Holy Spirit draws that person to repentance and sorrow; they remember and keep the commandments of Christ. Those that are in the flesh practice the deeds of the flesh. They walk contrary to the Spirit.

The apostle Paul writes in Galatians 5:19-23
19Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, 20idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, 21envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
In contrast:
22But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

Those that claim to know Christ are in possession of the Holy Spirit of God who is sanctifying them, perfecting them and making them into the image of Christ. Their knowledge of Christ and his teachings are made evident by the working of the Holy Spirit in their lives.

2. We know that we know Him when we keep His commandments. What are the commandments of Christ? Verse 6 gives us clarification. “The one who says he abides in him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked.” It was Christ’s aim to submit Himself to the Father when he walked amongst us. Those that would claim to follow Christ should seek to do the same.

I do not seek My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. – John 5:30b

24"Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. 25"He who loves his life loses it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it to life eternal. 26"If anyone serves Me, he must follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also; if anyone serves Me, the Father will honor him. – John 12: 24-26

15"If you love Me, you will keep My commandments. – John 14:15


19"After a little while the world will no longer see Me, but you will see Me; because I live, you will live also. 20"In that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you. 21"He who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me; and he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will disclose Myself to him." – John 14:19-21

This list is by no means exhaustive but you get the picture. Christ’s desire was to honor the Father. How can we claim to know him and not do the same?

What is that over in the weeds? 4/21

It's an AMISH AMBUSH!!!!!!!

1. Pyromaniacs compares porn and paper pastors

2. Want to learn how to smoke? Toward a theology of Pipe smoking is a great place to start. Part 1 and Part 2

3. Play Puerto Rico (Low Fi) online here. If you don't know what PR is. Here is a link to the boardgamegeek.com page.

Needs more funny 4/9

The book of I John: Chapter 2 verses 3 - 6 An Illustration

By this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments. The one who says, “I have come to know Him," and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him; 5but whoever keeps His word, in him the love of God has truly been perfected By this we know that we are in Him: 6the one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked. – I John 2:3-6

I recently took up pipe smoking about a year and a half ago. At first it was something that I did on occasion. Mostly when meeting up with a book club I belong to. Later when I was diagnosed with a medical condition was causing me great abdominal pain (two years misdiagnosed if you can believe it) I did some reading and found out one of the ways to alleviate the symptoms was to smoke.

Apparently nicotine, for some unknown reason, masks the painful symptoms of my condition. (Funny Side note: I had commented to my wife, just a couple of weeks before the diagnosis came in, that the pain I was experiencing was alleviated after having smoked my pipe.) There was no way I was going to start up the lazy and nasty habit of smoking cigarettes. No, I decided to go with what I already knew. As you can imagine since then I have become quiet knowledgeable on how to properly smoke and upkeep a pipe.

I carry pipe cleaners, a tamper and a lighter with me where ever I go. I know that if the pipe I am smoking starts to gurgle it means that the tobacco is too wet and I need to slide a pipe cleaner down the stem to absorb any moister. I know one should rotate between (at least) two pipes throughout the day if they are a regular smoker. Rotating pipes keeps them from burning too hot and keeps them properly dry. I could go on but you get the idea. Someone who claims to be knowledge about pipes will be knowledgeable on how to use them properly.

Now lets say that someone comes along and claims to be knowledgeable pipe smoker. While he is talking to you he takes out his dirty pipe and starts to stuff the tobacco down the stem.(The long shaft of the pipe) After doing that he raises the bowl (The big round part of the pipe) to his lips and starts to inhale. Observing this behavior we would conclude that he doesn’t know what he is doing and that he had never smoked a pipe in his life.

This is the sort of thing that John is talking about. There are many who claim Christ who do not know him at all. They may know the name,they might have learned a little something in Sunday school when they were young or they may have even picked up a bible a couple of times. Yet their claims to know the Christ of the bible are proven to be false by their actions.

For instance lets say i have this friend named Larry. If I go to Larry's house, burn it down, run away with his wife and shoot his dog then what kind of friend am I? I am no friend at all. I have shown by my actions that I hold Larry in contempt and that I do in fact hate him. So it is with Christ when claim to love Him yet hate our brothers in Christ, live in sin and fraternize so comfortably with a world that hates God.

to be continued...

What is that over in the weeds? 3/26

It's an Amish AMBUSH!!!!

1. Everyone has a Blog now; even Barack Obama's teleprompter. My favorite quote:

"back when they lived in Chicago, Greek Independence Day meant another tradition in the Obama household: a showing of "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" with the volume muted so Big Guy could do all the voices himself. And now that we have that 52-inch monitor, the horror will be hi-def."

I expect my friend Rusty to actually attempt this feat.

2. I hate the BCS more than anyone. With that being said I think it is a joke that the Senate is actually spending time trying to fix it. But hey, we have fixed all the big problems America is facing, now we can get to this. Right?

3. Rick Phillips Excellent post on the Evangelical Collapse Revealed by Studies of Parenting.

Personally, I am ready for the end of the era of the mega-church. If you are preaching "Christian" consumerism instead of the gospel then it is no wonder why your kids are leaving the church in droves.

4. Franz Kafka International Airport

Prague's Franz Kafka International Named World's Most Alienating Airport

What is that over in the weeds? 3/15

It's an AMISH AMBUSH!!!!

1. Time ranks New Calvinism the no. 3 idea that is changing the world.

2. Happy Halloween from Michael McDonald


3. Best in Show? Hilarious picture check it out.

4. R.C.Sproul reviews Michael Horton's "Christless Christianity"

The book of I John: Chapter 2 verses 1-2

My little children, I write these things to you so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. And He is the propitiation concerning our sins, and not concerning ours only, but also concerning the sins of all the world. I John 2:1-2


1. If someone comes up to you and asks you to sum up the gospel in two sentences or less you could point them to I John Chapter 2 verses 1-2. It is here where we find a summation of the gospel. Christ, who stood in our place, (propitiation) took upon himself punishment for sins that He himself did not commit (righteous). He now stands in heaven interceding for us before God the Father when we do sin (advocate). The sins that he is advocating for are not just the nation of Israel’s but for any man in any nation that are followers of Christ (all the world).

2. John’s reason for writing the letter is made known to us in the first verse. He is writing these things so that we may not sin. I had written in the com box on my last post that John was perhaps warning the early church about the Docetism that was starting to creep into the church. They were bringing with them (amongst other things) the false teaching that one could live an immoral life and still have fellowship with God. John had just written in the last chapter that this was not so. The Christian who stumbles into sin will repent by virtue of his fellowship with God; being washed and cleansed by Christ. Here in the second chapter John makes it clear that this washing and cleansing does not give us a license to sin; in fact very purpose of this letter is so that we may refrain from sinning.

3. Having established the point that he was not giving us a free reign to sin with impunity John once more assures us that if we do sin we have someone who sits at the right hand of the throne of God interceding for us. Since we are Christ’s people for whom he died we need not fear judgment from God.

4. This gets over looked a lot and I am surprised that more pastors have not caught onto it. The early Christian church was made up of Jewish believers that saw in Christ the coming Messiah. Of course they are going to think that the Messiah has come to save his people, which would be people who were a part of the nation of Israel. Makes sense right? But fast-forward 15-25 years later and you start to have Gentile converts on a massive scale. (Mostly through the ministry of the Apostle Paul) Well the question naturally arises “what must they do to be saved?” It only makes sense that they must convert to Judaism and be circumcised, right? Well if you read through the New Testament you will observe that this was the predominant issue that the early church wrestled with in it’s formative years. You even see the beginnings of this controversy beginning to sprout during Jesus’ ministry.

And there were certain Greeks among those who came up to worship at the Feast. Then these came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida of Galilee, and asked him, saying Sir, we want to see Jesus. Philip came and told Andrew. And again Andrew and Philip told Jesus. And Jesus answered them, saying, The hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified. Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. He who loves his life loses it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it to life eternal. If anyone serves Me, he must follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also; if anyone serves Me, the Father will honor him. – John 12:20-26

I am not going to exegete the whole passage but the announcement from Christ is a big one. Basically you have Phillip asking Andrew and then them both going to Christ to ask if he will speak to these Gentiles. Why the big deal? Because they themselves thought the answer from Jesus would be no; But what does Jesus say? If anyone serves me (read Jew or Gentile) the father will honor him. This is a reversal of thousands of years of training. Teaching that Gentiles could be followers of the one true God without first converting to Judaism was preposterous to the Jewish listener. But Jesus taught this throughout his earthly ministry and from there you start to get the true meaning behind John 3:16; It wasn’t an announcement of universalism or universal atonement (Jesus died for everyone) but it was that God has people all over the world and they are not found solely in the nation of Israel. Go back and read the reaction of Nicodemus (a Jewish religious leader) in John Chapter 3 to Jesus’ teaching on the subject, he cannot believe what he is hearing. (“How can these things be?”)

The issue is brought up over and over again throughout the bible:

A. In Acts 10 Peter gets a vision to visit the gentile Cornelius in Joppa. After Cornelius’ conversion Peter announces “I most certainly understand now that God is not one to show partiality, but in every nation the man who fears Him and does what is right is welcome to Him.” Peter, when he returns to Jerusalem, is confronted by “those of the circumcision” (Jews who taught that one had to believe in Christ and be circumcised according to the law to be saved) for going into an uncircumcised man’s house and eating with him but after hearing Peter’s story are forced to admit that “God has granted to the Gentiles also the repentance that leads to life.”

B. In Galatians when the Apostle Paul confronts the Apostle Peter over his hypocrisy of living like, eating with and fellowshipping with gentile Christians when living in Antioch; that is until he gets a visit from some Jewish Christians that had come from Jerusalem. (To eat with gentiles is one thing; to live like them is a different thing altogether) Why does Paul then get upset with Peter? Because he is sending the signal that one must do something in addition to having faith in Christ to be saved.

But when I saw that they were not straightforward about the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas in the presence of all, "If you, being a Jew, live like the Gentiles and not like the Jews, how is it that you compel the Gentiles to live like Jews? We are Jews by nature and not sinners from among the Gentiles; nevertheless knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the Law but through faith in Christ Jesus, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the Law; since by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified. – Galatians 2:14-16

C. The argument with “those of the circumcision” is taken from Antioch to Jerusalem where the church calls it’s very first council. Want to guess the subject?

Some men came down from Judea and began teaching the brethren, "Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved." And when Paul and Barnabas had great dissension and debate with them, the brethren determined that Paul and Barnabas and some others of them should go up to Jerusalem to the apostles and elders concerning this issue. – Acts 15:1-2

From there the church decides that Christian gentile converts do not have to be circumcised in order to be saved. Peter (redeeming himself from his earlier hypocrisy) proclaims a the council::

"Brethren, you know that in the early days God made a choice among you, that by my mouth the Gentiles would hear the word of the gospel and believe. And God, who knows the heart, testified to them giving them the Holy Spirit, just as He also did to us; and He made no distinction between us and them, cleansing their hearts by faith. Now therefore why do you put God to the test by placing upon the neck of the disciples a yoke which neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear? "But we believe that we are saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, in the same way as they also are." - Acts 15:7b -12

This is not an exhaustive list by any means but it does show us how much the early church struggled with the subject and why the writers of the New Testament had to continually reinforce the idea. Unfortunately, many fail to see this thread running through the NT and it has lead to some pretty poor exegesis (and beliefs for that matter).

The Book of I John: Chapter 1 verses 5-10

The following passage should give us pause. The apostle John, a disciple of Christ, one of the three closest disciples to Christ (along with James and Peter) and perhaps Christ’s closest companion while He was on earth is telling you “…this is the message that we have heard from him and we declare to you”. There is so much weight in just that one statement. Think about it. This man that traveled with Christ every day for three years, he listened to him preach, he walked where he walked, slept when he slept, ate what he ate and he is about to tell you what he took from that experience. I don’t know about you but I am ready to hear what the man has to say.

This is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth; but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar and His word is not in us. – I John 1:5-10 (New American Standard Bible)

This part of the passage tells us something about God’s nature; that He is light. It also tells us that there is no darkness present in God. He is a pure luminescent light; exposing all sin and filth in the lives of those that are in fellowship with Him. Thus anyone claiming to fellowship with God will display certain characteristics in their life. It isn’t that these characteristics save you; rather they indicate whom you are fellowshipping with. It sort of like telling someone you just got done swimming yet your clothes and hair are not wet. Likewise you cannot claim fellowship with God, who is light, and walk in darkness. The story doesn’t match with what we would see in front of us.

As we study the passage the fruits of fellowshipping with God are plain. Those in Fellowship with God: 1) Do not walk in the darkness. 2) Do walk in the light.3) Enjoy fellowship with other believers. 4) Are cleansed from sin in their lives by the blood of Christ. 5) Are confessing their sins. 6) Are having their sins forgiven. 6) Will acknowledge their sin. This, my friends, is what true fellowship with God looks like. On the other hand those that claim to have fellowship with God yet walk in darkness: 1) Are lying about it. 2) Are not practicing the truth 3) Are deceiving themselves 4) Have no claim to the truth being in them 5) Are making God out to be a liar by claiming they are without sin 6) Have no claim to the Word being in them. These are people claiming to be in fellowship with God without evidence of it in their lives. Our Lord warned us about such people. John’s teaching here echoes what Christ said on the Sermon on the Mount:

"Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes nor figs from thistles, are they? So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. So then, you will know them by their fruits. Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. Many will say to Me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?' And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from me, you who practice lawlessness.” – Mathew 7:15-23 (New American Standard Bible)


Notice the correlations between those in I John who walked in darkness and those in this passage that practice lawlessness. Note their claims of Christ being their Lord, their claims of works done in service to God and in I John their claims of being without sin. They claimed fellowship with God but how they walked told a different story. It seems they believed that since they could perform these great spiritual feats that it was proof enough that they were in fellowship with God. Yet when they finally meet Christ they were told to depart from him because they practiced lawlessness. May these passages cause us to keep our eyes fixed on Christ; being in fellowship with him.

I do want to finish up and say this. Our works does not save us; there are not enough good deeds that you could ever perform that would buy you a ticket into heaven. We are saved by grace alone, through faith alone by Christ alone. Do not mistake what John is saying here. He is not teaching salvation by works but rather showing us what fellowshipping with God looks like. You will know a tree by its fruits indeed.

A look at LOTRO Online

Above: Contemplating killing the Sackville-Baggins. Yodrick will teach you to take over Bags end!

If you don't know LOTRO stands for Lord of the Rings Online. This is a subscription Massively Multiplayer Online (MMO) game that I and Vander (My friend Brandon) have gotten into. You can play as one of four races Human, Dwarf, Hobbit or Elf. There are several classes to choose that you will find fun to play. LOTRO is more focused on Player vs the environment rather than player vs player. Meaning that no one can come up to you in game and attack your character.
Rather it focuses on getting groups of players together (called fellowships in the game) to finish various quests. Yes there is your standard "Yodrick, please go out and kill ten boars and bring the skins to me" type quests. But it quickly gets better from there offering you a wide variety to do. One quest had me turn into a chicken and help a sick chicken find some worms to eat. Hey, it is more fun than it sounds. While you cannot travel with Bilbo and the fellowship you will meet those characters in game. For instance I did some quests for Strider while he decided what to do with the hobbits at the prancing poney. It does make you feel like you are apart of the storyline albiet behind the scenes. I have also ran into Gandalf and Tom Bambadil which was pretty cool.














Above: Looking out over a swamp. Yes you can travel down there


In place of Player vs Player they have an option called monster play that is available to you after your character reaches the 10th level. You will get a 60 level monster that will inhabit one part of the map where you can battle other players characters for control of castles and forts. I have just dabbled into that but what little time I have spent in MP has been fun. You can raise your characters level to 60 wth the new Mines of Moria expansion but I haven't gotten that far yet.

The subscription rate is pretty steep at 15.00 a month but you can get a cheaper price if you buy a several months at a time. ($300 buys you a life time subscription. Sometimes they are known to offer it at $200) I am going to eye the life time option because this game is a lot of fun compared to the other MMO's I have tried out. Most of which are not this good looking graphically. If you have a little extra time and money, consider taking a trip to middle earth.

Below: Overlooking the Shire from Bag's End.

Happy Birthday

I am 35 today. Wow

Awesome discussion

There is a great discussion on love and forgiveness going on at my facebook page. I tend to post both here and there so there you go. Jump into the conversation.

The Book of I John: Chapter 1 verses 1-4

1 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life— 2 the life was manifested, and we have seen, and bear witness, and declare to you that eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested to us—the life was manifested, and we have seen, and bear witness, and declare to you that eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested to us— 3 that which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ. 4 And these things we write to you that your[a] joy may be full.

I John 1:1-4

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.

The Gospel of John 1:1-3

Several thoughts about this passage: (not exhaustive)

I

There are two sets of credentials presented here. The former gives credence to the later. Without the former the later doesn’t matter. What John has to say here is legitimate because he received it from “That which was from the beginning”. He is not giving us his opinion, which he came up with. Nor is he telling us about someone else’s opinion. If John was spouting his own opinion we could say “Well, that’s a very nice idea John, but there are thousands upon thousands of opinions on how we ought to live our lives and yours isn’t anymore legitimate than the next fellows”. Even if John were presenting an idea from a great teacher our argument would still hold. John, by himself, wouldn’t have the authority to tell us to get out of bed in the morning. At best John could present his case and we could choose to follow it or not follow it.

But if John is repeating what he heard from The Word, who was in the beginning, who was with God and who was God, then what he has to say takes on importance. What John has to say is now legitimate and has basis because he has heard, seen, touched and handled That which was from the beginning. He was there, he has heard and he is now going to communicate to us what The Word has to say to us. .

II

Jesus was not just a great moral teacher. He is much more than that. John tell us in his gospel that Jesus, presented here as The Word, existed in the beginning. He is not a creature that was made by God but that he is God himself. There was never a time where Christ did not exist. So great is this Jesus that He had created all things; without Him nothing was made that was made. John, later in his gospel, tells us that The Word was made flesh and dwelt among us. God the creator takes on the flesh and becomes like the created. He becomes the God-man. It is this God-man that John hears, sees and handles. It is this Word that was manifested before John’s eyes.

III

John gives us the purpose of this letter in verse 3. The purpose of the letter is this: that the reader will have fellowship with those whose fellowship is with the Father and the Son. True happiness is found only in fellowship with brethren that are in fellowship with God the Father and God the Son. These are believers joined together by virtue of their faith in Christ. Again, the fellowship with the brethren is important because it is in fellowship with God the Father and God the Son. We will explore this concept later in the book.

I will give you love and hate

My response to a blog post my friend had posted. My wife has convinced me that it was too good to languish in some com box:

Okay I am going to clue you in on something. I know you are a young man and you have to learn things the hard way but here it goes.There are certain things in this world that you just don't do and if you do do them then you deserve what you get. Case in point, if the girl you are dating is the youngest of three or more siblings then you need to run away. You are dating what we call a princess. This girl has been spoiled to death not only by her parents but she has been given a free ride by her older siblings as well. There is no pleasing this girl...ever. She (or he for that matter ladies) is going to expect you to bow down and worship the ground she walks on because that is what mommy and daddy has done her (or his) whole life. Think about it, the oldest child has gotten the snot beat out of him by the parents because they are going to be all super strict on their first born, but by the time princess buttercup comes around they have either chilled out or are just too tired to care anymore. (Can you image what kind of monster that last Duggar kid is going to be? Seriously. At the very least he is going to be an evil dictator of a small central American country.)

But even worse than that is buying the newest Microsoft operating system before it has been on the market for at least 6 years. This is not an operating system, this is a program in beta (at best) and you are there to work out the bugs. You know what the funny thing is? Microsoft isn't paying you to be a beta tester, you have paid them for the privilege losing your data on a nightly basis. FUN! Bill Gates is swimming in a vault full of money life Scrooge McDuck while you are wiping your hard drive clean for the fourth time in a month. (OH! Look! He is rolling back and forth in all that money laughing at you. muahahahahahahahahahaha) You know what operating system I bought when I got my new computer 3 months ago? That's right. Windows XP baby. You know why? Because sorry saps like you finally worked the kinks out of that operating system and have now moved on to Vista. So long losers, here is a picture of me resting in your labors. *Slurps a drink in a coconut husk*

The Book of I John: A Look at the Author

What kind of person was John? We often think of John as the guy laying his head on the Lord’s breast during the last supper. Couple that picture with his emphasizing love for the Christian brethren in I John and you may come away with the idea that John was kind of an effeminate wuss. But that is kind of like describing Anakin Skywalker as a bald, frail old man based upon the removing the helmet scene in “Return of the Jedi”. There is so much more in view here. If you don’t see the whole picture then you are missing a great story of spiritual growth and redemption.

John was a fisherman with his Brother James and Father Zebedee. I am also convinced that John was the unnamed follower (John 1:35-40) of John the Baptist that left with Andrew to follow Jesus seeing how John never mentions himself in his gospel; preferring to conceal his name instead. (See John 13:23 and John 20:3 for example) Andrew, fellow disciple of John the Baptist runs to tell Peter (his brother) after spending the day with Jesus that he and John have found the Messiah. This tells us John, James, the brother of John, Andrew and Peter all knew each other and were possibly disciples (of various degrees) of John the Baptist. Jesus later comes by the Sea of Galilee where all four of them are fishing/mending nets to bid them to follow Him. (Matt 4:21) Also note that John (concealing himself yet again in John 18:15) is able to gain entrance to Jesus’ trial because he was “known to the high priest”. This is a man who has connections in high places. Taking this all into account we can surmise that John was a spiritual man, a good Jew and someone who was actively looking for the Messiah.


John and his brother James, the sons of Zebedee were known as “Sons of Thunder” and rightly so. John is revealed in the gospels as a man of quick temperament who has a rather high opinion of himself. We see this when John asks Jesus for permission to call fire from heaven to consume a Samaritan village for rejecting him. In the passage before that one we see John telling Jesus that he and the other disciples had forbade someone from casting out demons in Jesus’ name just because that person “does not follow us”. In the Gospel of Mark and the Gospel of Matthew we see John and James (through mommy), asking Jesus for thrones at his left and right hand side. In all three instances Jesus rebukes this hot-headed, smug disciple. But something happens to John while he follows Christ; his heart softens. This once boisterous disciple learns humility. He learns that the first shall be last and the last shall be first. He learns to love Christ supremely and dearly. (John was the only disciple to stick around after Jesus was arrested and crucified.) In I John we get an intimate look at what John has taken away from the his time with Jesus Christ and it isn’t a call to burn Samaritan villages with fire from heaven. Instead we get a call to love Christ and our Christian brethren.

The book of I John: a prologue

What is my favorite book of the bible? The book of I John. No question about it.

Now let us not get I John confused with the gospel of John, which is a better-known book. No I am talking about the little book in the back of the bible. I John. I John plays “Bleach” to the Gospel of John’s “Nevermind” in the sense that The Gospel of John is mainstream and I John is a book you later stumble upon and say to yourself “Did he put this one out too? How did I miss that?”

What I like about I John is that it gives it to you both barrels; it reloads and gives you both barrels again. I John is plain and simply a punch to the gut, a drop kick to the face, a blaring bugle call in the early morning. I John starts by wrecking your preconceived notions about what it means to walk with Christ and ends with putting to flame the idea that one can walk with the world and God. There is no gray area with I John; there is no “and” and “both”. All there is God who is light and you who may not be walking in the light and that is where I found myself back in 2003 alone in an apartment, reading this little book. *pow*

And that is why I am going to cover this book on my blog in the coming months.

Stay tuned

An overview of abortion

What is that over in the weeds? 2/10

It's an Amish AMBUSH!!!!

1. TV IN CONTACT LENSES! TV IN CONTACT LENSES!

We should do it just to do it of course. But do we really need to watch TV anywhere and everywhere we go? I was ahead of my time about cancer/cell phones while my friends laughed and told me I was full of it. So let me be the first to announce that I won't be getting TV lenses because they will cause cancer of the eyeballs! Let the derision begin

2.Chris Brown: Respecter of women and all around nice guy

3. The Puritan Board discusses the importance of being confessional.

4. My "Beer Advocate" Beer reviews

5. Fly on the wall - Undercover: Working for Walmart

A man goes undercover to discern if all the bad press is true.

Fla. doctor investigated in badly botched abortion

The Department of Health account continues as follows: Just before noon she began to feel ill. The clinic contacted Renelique. Two hours later, he still hadn't shown up. Williams went into labor and delivered the baby.

"She came face to face with a human being," Pennekamp said. "And that changed everything."

The complaint says one of the clinic owners, Belkis Gonzalez came in and cut the umbilical cord with scissors, then placed the baby in a plastic bag, and the bag in a trash can.

Williams' lawsuit offers a cruder account: She says Gonzalez knocked the baby off the recliner chair where she had given birth, onto the floor. The baby's umbilical cord was not clamped, allowing her to bleed out. Gonzalez scooped the baby, placenta and afterbirth into a red plastic biohazard bag and threw it out.

Couple of thoughts

If you are for abortion, then what does it mater if the baby was delivered or not? Why would murdering the child outside the womb be any different morally inside the womb? Answer: There is no difference. It is a person inside and outside the womb. What does it matter if you are tearing apart the baby inside the womb or stuffing it in a plastic bag after it has been delivered? Secondly, If you do not think that this happens every day then you are fooling yourself.

Caution: Zombies Ahead

What is that over in the weeds? 2/2

It's an Amish AMBUSH!!!!!

1. Steve Hayes over at Triablogue asks "saving babies or preaching the gospel?"

2. Abortion decision least popular of president's early actions

3. Carl Trueman's article "The freedom of the christian market" is a great read.

"The credit boom is part and parcel of the con-trick that modern consumer society has played on us, the notion that material acquisition is what makes life meaningful. It has provided the fuel, as untrammeled free market theory has provided the rationale, for the mess in which we now find ourselves. And we are not victims of this; we are all at best hapless and willing dupes, at worst active perpetrators, whether borrowers or lenders; we are all part of a system that is designed simultaneously to satiate greed and exacerbate avarice."

4. Phil Johnson on "teaching your children spiritual truth"

5. Left for Dead Valentines

Chosen Few Brew

I just got into home brewing in the fall of 2008. My first batch "95 Thesis" bock did not turn out as well as I expected. First off I scorched the wort, not good but that is what you get when brewing on an electric stove. Secondly I had forgot to add some dry malt to the wart and had to add it 24 hours after the fact. Third, I fermented the beer at too high a temperature (82 degrees as opposed to 69 degrees) and lastly bock's are lagers and are suppose to be kept in much cooler temperatures while they sit. Needless to say it was a sub par beer. The second times around I brewed a red ale (Chosen Few Brew) in honor of John Calvin's 500th birthday. This time I did everything right (mostly) and just cracked one open this evening. It still is a bit green but already it tastes much better than my previous effort. Maybe I will stick with this after all.

Civilized Man II

Every one of us is, even from his mother's womb, a master craftsman of idols.
- John Calvin

Civilized man

Come on we all do it. We all think it is hilarious. I mean really. Are they stupid? Maybe being stupid has nothing to do with it. But they are definitely naïve. Who else would do that but some naïve unsophisticated untouched by civilization jungle/island dweller?? I mean they do know that it's just stone? They do know that their little stone idol doesn’t answer their prayers? It is just downright silly.

amirightoramiright?

But don’t we do the same when we eschew what is written in the bible about God and in its place erect our own beliefs? Do we not ascribe attributes and attitudes to little pet idols of our own making? Of course most of us do not chisel or carve little figurines but are we doing anything different than our naive” brethren?

When we declare that god will see that I am a good person and I need not to worry about getting into heaven. *carve carve carve* When you declare that you don’t need to go to church, that god knows your heart. *whittle whittle whittle* When you claim to have said a prayer one time and thus you are “good to go with God”. *clink clink clink*

The Christian God is…….who He is. He will be worshiped in the way he prescribes, He will be followed in the way he prescribes, and He will be approached in the way he prescribes.If following Christ, going to church, reading the scriptures to find out just what the true God demands does not appeal to you, then carve away. But hold no illusions that you a child of God.

amirightoramiright?


Because, knowing God, they did not glorify Him as God, neither were thankful. But they became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.

Professing to be wise, they became fools and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man, and birds, and four-footed animals, and creeping things.

Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their hearts, to
dishonor their own bodies between themselves.

For they changed the truth of God into a lie, and they worshiped and served the created thing more than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen. – Romans 1:21-25

The Super Bowl Commercial You Won't See

NBC had originally responded positively to the ad but later decided it did not want to run it.

What is that over in the weeds? 1/29

1. Twitter
2. Facebook
3. My Space

Dan Phillips says carpe diem, preacherdude
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Trial by Fury - Scandal Sentenced Ted Haggard to a New Life

"And I call it my sin," he says. "That's my sin. I'm not saying everybody is a sinner that does it. I'm just saying with my standards and my values, it was a sin against me and God. For me."
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Reformation Heritage Conference Lectures 2008 - Michael Horton
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Old School Steve Taylor
Lifeboat
I want to be a clone
What ever happened to sin?

Am I the only one who remembers this guy?