Christianity & Culture

I received William Wilberforce’s book, Real Christianity, as a Father’s Day gift, and I just started reading it last week. I can tell already, that it is going to be a wonderfully encouraging and convicting book to read. As we were driving somewhere I was talking to Jessica about the book and some of the very insightful things to he says that are amazingly relevant today in regards to Christianity and culture. In the opening paragraph of the first chapter he writes, “You might think that if you consider yourself a “good” person and are against “bad” things, your faith is adequate. The fact is, you might not be a Christian at all but simply a moral person. You might understand the Christianity our culture has adopted without understanding what constitutes authentic faith. You might know some of the basic facts about Christianity but have no idea how those facts should apply to your life.”

Amazing Grace

Amazing Grace has to be one of my all-time favorite hymns, despite the fact that it is so familiar and so well known. Since I just finished reading an autobiography by Newton, I thought it would be a good idea to post his most famous song. This particular version has seven verses, while five of them are familiar and dearly loved, I must say that I really like verse six here, “But God, who called me here below, Will be forever mine.” Though all I know on earth will fade away, God will forever be mine, Praise the Lord! You also can’t help but love the proper understanding of grace that Newton has as he describes it as not just what saved him, past tense, but also what saves him, present tense, and what will save him, future tense. Enjoy the lyrics again, and have a blessed and graced Lord’s Day.

Amazing grace! How sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me!
I once was lost, but now am found;
Was blind, but now I see.

Happy Independence Day

We want to wish all of you a very happy Fourth of July, for those of you in Massachusetts, may it not rain on your parades or cook-outs even though for most towns it has already rained on the fireworks because of economic reasons. Well, at least we can still watch the Boston show on TV (one of those rare occasions, no bug spray needed). However, as we enjoy our day(s) off, let’s not forget what we celebrate.

July 4 1776, Two hundred thirty-three years ago, some of the greatest minds this country has ever and probably will ever know were finishing up their work on the Declaration of Independence and were “for the support of this declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes and our sacred honor.” Probably some of the most famous words ever written come closer to the beginning, “We hold these truths to be self-evident: That all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” A while back I wrote a post reflecting on the phrase “pursuit of happiness” and I thought with it being a holiday that I would revisit that post with you here.

A What and Why List

Just over a week ago, Jess wrote her first post in a long time, Amusing Ourselves to Death. In commenting on the post one of our friends, Steve, said, “I would be interested in a list (from John and Jess) of music, books, movies, plays, TV shows, etc. that you found to be entertaining and also worthwhile of some very serious thought. A what and why kind of a list.” So here is our response, our what and why list.

Jessica and I spent some time discussing this topic at length together and decided to answer this request in this manner. These are our personal views and convictions and of course do not have the same weight as Biblical commands. We’re not judging anyone who doesn’t view things exactly as we do, and we trust that will be reciprocated when you consider your comments (Romans 14:12 So then each of us will give an account of himself to God.). Now to the list that we promised.

It’s beginning to look a lot like June!

Today is July 1st, happy July everyone. Typically known for the dog days of summer with its characteristic triple “H” days (Hazy, Hot, Humid), this July is beginning much like the month of June. In a recent post on all the rain we are having I checked the rain for the month of June and said that if the forecast held for the month there would be 19 of 30 days with some rain, not to mention the days that were just plain cloudy. Well, the forecast held true and 19 of June’s 30 days were wet. As I look out the window this morning and see the rain coming down hard, I wonder will July be any different?

Anyway, no matter what the weather I can be content because as Psalms 118:24 says, “This is the day the LORD has made; We will rejoice and be glad in it.” So I rejoice in the rain as it continues to fall in July. Thank God that I have plenty of reading material .

The Selfishness of Boredom

I know that many people do not like it when one writes about their pet peeves, but I just had to write a post regarding one of my “facebook” peeves. Setting aside all that is often said in people’s status’s for the moment, I just wanted to comment on when people post their status as “bored.” As a teacher, I have told my students on many occasions that this drives me crazy, and maybe that is why some of them continue to put it on as their status from time to time. Since seeing this most recently, I have spent some time thinking about what it means to say that we are bored and not just in the context of Facebook, but anytime we declare our boredom. Here are some of my thoughts, and again, they are just some brief thoughts that are open for discussion:

The Gospel Insults

I recently posted this on our church website, and while I know that some of our readers saw it there I know that some didn’t and I wanted to share it here as well. It also serves as a free post as we prepare to answer a question that we received in a recent comment on the post, Amusing Ourselves to Death. So please forgive the double posting, and read or re-read this article.

Have you ever had someone tell you part of a story, but leave out a really important part? When your child does poorly on a test, and he describes how unfair the questions were but fails to mention that he didn’t study. Or maybe when he gets into an accident with the car and talks about how mean the officer on the scene was; however, again failing to mention that he ran a red light. We could list countless examples of when we have heard stories that were maybe the truth, but not the whole truth. It seems at times that many Christians do this with the gospel.

God Moves in a Mysterious Way

One of my favorite hymns, “God moves in a mysterious way,” written by William Cowper has a powerfully encouraging message for us in turning to God in our trials. I think it is especially powerful knowing that Cowper went through bouts of severe depression during his life. Despite his difficulties, God still used him greatly in blessing the church with his hymns. Many of his hymns were published in the Olney Hymnal put together by Cowper and John Newton.  This one is among the most recognizable of his songs.

God moves in a mysterious way
His wonders to perform;
He plants His footsteps in the sea
And rides upon the storm.

Expositional Listening

The care-group that Jess and I are a part of is reading through Thabiti Anyabwile’s little book, What is a Healthy Church Member. In our most recent meeting, this past Wednesday, we read chapter one together, which as you can see from the title dealt with listening expositionally. I had read the book before, but in re-reading it I was reminded of some great practical suggestions that Thabiti gives us in this opening chapter. In light of tomorrow being Sunay, I thought that it would be a great encouragement for us to consider as we prepare our hearts for our corporate worship services.

New Music

Many of you are probably familiar with the song In Christ Alone, a song that I love for the cross-centered message that it has; well, this more recent hymn was written by Keith Getty and Stuart Townend. Keith and his wife Kristyn have a music ministry together known as Getty Music; Keith writes the songs and puts them to music and Kristyn adds her beautiful voice to the songs. As a family, we have come to love and appreciate the musical talents and ministry of the Getty’s. We have their first CD, In Christ Alone, and we listen to it a lot. So, you can imagine how excited we were to hear that they have released a brand new album. Keith writes some wonderfully God-centered, gospel-saturated songs. Let me quote from a bio that someone wrote of them to give you an idea of what they are trying to accomplish,

“Charles Wesley.  Fanny Crosby.  John Newton.  Their names evoke timeless melodies and lyrical truths synonymous with the Christian faith, and as writers of such prolific hymns as “Christ The Lord Is Risen Today,” “Blessed Assurance” and “Amazing Grace,” they are among the musical theologians who forever changed the Church.  While there’s no disputing the perennial relevancy of their great songs, a look at history’s renowned hymn writers begs two important questions for today. Who is creating the next generation of hymns for the Church?  And greater still, has the unique formula of the hymn been abandoned on the back pew of the praise & worship movement?  Irish composers and artists Keith & Kristyn Getty don’t believe so, and they’re on a mission to revive the art of hymnody for a new generation.”

To this point, they have been enabled by God to do a very good job in accomplishing their mission. We have been blessed by their ministry of music and we hope that you will be as well. Click the CD cover below and it will bring you to Westminster bookstore where you can purchase the CD.