odd doings at fbc

Tonight, while I was sitting at the church studying (read: googling and watching dueling banjos on youtube) I heard a little squeak.

I got up and walked down the hallway, thinking that a friend was trying to sneak in and scare me (which happens on a fairly regular basis.) Seeing and hearing nothing, I went back to work.

So I'm sitting, as God ordained, reading and thinking and out of nowhere this HUGE! and I mean MONSTROUS! bat COMES FLYING AT ME AND HITS ME IN THE HEAD!!!

IN THE HEAD!! Not near my head, not next to my head, not around my head. INTO my head.

So, of course, I freak out a bit. The bat is bigger than most dogs and probably has 400 different kinds of rabies and bat flu. So, I do what any logical person would do. I run into the sanctuary and the bat follows me in.

After doing some sweet acrobatic maneuvers (that I learned from my gymnastics classes) I tumbled back into the office and slammed the door behind me, hoping that the bat had latched onto one of the giant rafters in the sanctuary.

Except, I forgot that I'd left the piano open and the light on. Not good. So, I took my Russian hat and flipped the piano shut and the light off.

Problem solved, until tomorrow...when the secretary gets here and a bat hits her in the head.

And, because I don't think you get how big this bat was...I'll draw you a picture:

-joe

puritan picks

I've been a subscriber to Netflix for a couple of months now. My most recent movie: Robin Hood...it was awesome. Classic comedy with such lines as "Spiders, snakes and a lizard head. If I tattle-tale I'll die till I'm dead."

Back to the news at hand.

A few weeks ago I saw a little bit of newsfeed on facebook called Puritan Picks. I read the description and quickly became a fan.

Well, as of yesterday, Puritan Picks is up and running and I'm pretty excited. I think I might just cancel Netflix and get a little more meat in my diet of movies.

Give it a look:



-joe

upcoming sermon

My pastor and I are working through the book of Luke and preaching on all the folks that Jesus meets along the way. My first in the series will be Luke 8:40-56Luke 8:40-56

Now when Jesus returned, the crowd welcomed him, for they were all waiting for him. And there came a man named Jairus, who was a ruler of the synagogue. And falling at Jesus' feet, he implored him to come to his house, for he had an only daughter, about twelve years of age, and she was dying.

As Jesus went, the people pressed around him. And there was a woman who had had a discharge of blood for twelve years, and though she had spent all her living on physicians, she could not be healed by anyone. She came up behind him and touched the fringe of his garment, and immediately her discharge of blood ceased. And Jesus said, "Who was it that touched me?" When all denied it, Peter said, "Master, the crowds surround you and are pressing in on you!" But Jesus said, "Someone touched me, for I perceive that power has gone out from me." And when the woman saw that she was not hidden, she came trembling, and falling down before him declared in the presence of all the people why she had touched him, and how she had been immediately healed. And he said to her, "Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace."

While he was still speaking, someone from the ruler's house came and said, "Your daughter is dead; do not trouble the Teacher any more." But Jesus on hearing this answered him, "Do not fear; only believe, and she will be well." And when he came to the house, he allowed no one to enter with him, except Peter and John and James, and the father and mother of the child. And all were weeping and mourning for her, but he said, "Do not weep, for she is not dead but sleeping." And they laughed at him, knowing that she was dead. But taking her by the hand he called, saying, "Child, arise." And her spirit returned, and she got up at once. And he directed that something should be given her to eat. And her parents were amazed, but he charged them to tell no one what had happened. (ESV)

I know about the tassel (see Numbers 15:37-40) but I would welcome any thoughts on the two miracles. Specifically, I'd like to better understand the 'messianic secret' of Jesus saying to tell no one of the miracles he performed and anything regarding the raising of the dead girl.

I'll be reading Calvin's notes and Spurgeon's (if he has some) tomorrow.

-joe

Matt Henning

Matt and I met in college and started hanging out sometime at the beginning of our senior year. He went to IUPUI and I went to Butler but we both went to the same Campus Crusade meetings.

For most of that year we spent many late nights reading and writing commentary and theology. We also came up with some horrible ideas that, thankfully by the grace of God, never saw the light of day.

Matt was also the brainchild behind our infamous band Sealed.

Matt's a guy who is passionate about evangelism and discipleship and here are his answers to the questions:

What is the name of and location of your mission?

Indiana Cru: State of Indiana


Why did you decide to get into the ministry?

I believe college is right before students get married, start families, and begin a life in the church. Who they marry, how they raise a family, and what church they submit too-- is quite possibly the 3 most important decisions of their life.

What kinds of things do you do in your work to spread the gospel?

I run ministry at Butler University, Notre Dame, and IPFW. This year I will also be taking Valparaiso University. I disciple men, lead bible studies, organize outreaches, and hold weekly meetings at each campus. In a nutshell, I don't stop working and living life with college students.

Who has been the most influential person in your life?

Pastor John Piper

Where do you see yourself in 10 years?

Only God knows, but hopefully pouring myself out like a drink offering somewhere...

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I encourage you to check Matt out at his website (where you can pick up his book, read his blog and see some of the papers we wrote in college and financially back him in his ministry.)

Pray for Matt in Indy.

-joe

bunch of stuff for the week

Here are some of the top things out of my reader for the week. (If you'd like to see all of the 30 or so items I share in a week, go here.)

Free stuff: ESV Bible giveaway, Monergism Books giveaway (1599 Geneva Bible, ESV Study Bible, ESV Literary Study Bible),songs sampler from the soon to be launched Re:Sound, get into national parks for free, and Challies will probably have a post up later today for his giveaway.

Everything that D.A. "the Don" Carson has written.

A crazy story about a missionary.

Go watch Up

and be content.

-joe

chance to win

The Monergism Bookstore (part of Monergism.com) is having a sweet giveaway. Go here for your chance to win.

1st place: 1599 Geneva Bible Anniversary Edition
2nd place: ESV Study Bible
3rd place: ESV Literary Study Bible

Enter away.

-joe

Alex & Sarah Costa

I've known Alex since college, although we recently have gotten to know each other better. I had the privelege of attending his wedding last summer to Sarah. On top of the fact that it was a joyful Christian union, the music was top-notch.

I'll let him tell you some more about what he and Sarah are doing for the Gospel.

What is the name of and location of your mission?
I'm currently in transition. For the past three years, I worked with Campus Crusade for Christ at Ohio State. But now, my wife and I are moving to Long Beach, California to work with CCC's Latino ministry, Destino.

Why did you decide to get into the ministry?
I became a believer some time during my freshman year of college. Within three months of accepting Christ, I knew that I was called to full-time ministry. Since then, that feeling never wavered. My reasons for continuing in the ministry are similar to my reasons for wanting to originally get into it. I want to devote the best hours of my days to seeing the Gospel transform the lives of people. Some time around my sophomore year in college, my heart for world missions started growing. Surely anybody could be in ministry while doing a full-time job in the marketplace, but God is leading my wife and me overseas in the long-term. We want to see people who never heard of Jesus come in to a loving relationship with Him.

What kinds of things do you do in your work to spread the gospel?
I preach the Word. The power of the Gospel is a heart-level belief, and as it says in 10:17, faith comes from hearing. Because of this, I try to give as many people as possible an opportunity to hear. Also, I meet with guys in a discipleship relationship, and we share the Gospel together.

Who has been the most influential person in your life?
I'll break it down to four categories. 1) Obviously, Jesus. 2) Dead person - Spurgeon. Particularly his seven volume commentary on the Psalms "The Treasury of David." I haven't read every Psalm, but he goes so in depth, and his theology is rich. 3) Living person that I haven't met - This may be controversial, but I'm going to have to go with Paul Washer. God used him to remove me from having a mindset of decisionism to having a mindset of regeneration. In other words, I no longer look for people to pray a prayer to receive Christ so that I can count them in my tally of people who I have converted. I look for the signs of true conversion. I look for regeneration. God used Paul Washer to teach me that. 4) Living person that I know personally - My wife Sarah. That may sound cliche, but I seriously wish that you could compare my life before our wedding and after. My walk with God took off after we got married. Just her presence makes me more faithful in almost everything I do, including my study of the Word.

Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
Sarah and I want to go overseas to the unreached. I'm going to start seminary in the Fall, while I'm in Long Beach, and hopefully graduate in six years. God could throw a wrench in there, but I believe that we'll leave the USA shortly after six years. We're praying that God would send us to India. Children are a blessing from the Lord, and I want to be blessed richly in that area. So hopefully in 10 years, my wife and I will be in India with our huge family reaching the lost and seeing Jesus move mountains in people's hearts.
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I hope you'll join me in praying for the Costa's as they move out west over the summer. Also, if you're interested, they would love to have your financial support too. They have a site called Two Bones that is dedicated to their ministry and Alex blogs over at Spurgeon Dreamer.

Up next week is the man, the myth, the legend: Matt Henning.

-joe

a bunch of stuff

Here's the best of the best from my reader this week:

A whole lotta stuff on twitter, texting and entertainment: Al Mohler on texting, John Piper on entertainment, reflections from imonk, Melinda from STR on twittering, Christianity Today chimes in, Piper continuing from Josh Harris' post.

Some things that made me laugh: Spurgeon quote from Pyro, a poem by Andrew Peterson,

Free stuff from Challies, free song from Phatfish and a free song from willy porter, and a chance to win a couple copies of The Bookends of the Christian Life.

A good article from imonk on the Bible study fiasco out west.

A good thinker from Russell Moore on how to actual live out the gospel in counseling someone with a very difficult sin: part 1, part 2 and part 3.

A couple of great pamphlets from Boundless.

And a couple of things to encourage: learning from flawed faith and coming to Jesus messy.

-joe

missionaries

In order to help out my missionary friends, I've decided to dedicate some space to them each week on my blog. These are men and women that I support either monetarily or through prayer as they seek to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I encourage you to take some time and pray for them and, if you have the means, support them in their work.

I'm also adding a column along the side of my blog with links to many of my missionary friends so that you, too, can join in the great joy of spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ to all people.

-joe

the cross centered life

I just finished up a short (and I mean short, 85 pages) book by C.J. Mahaney called The Cross Centered Life.

If you are looking for a good, short, easy read on the true nature of the Christian life then go out and pick up a copy.

From the book:

Reminding ourselves of the gospel is the most important daily habit we can establish. If the gospel is the most vital news in the world, and if salvation by grace is the defining truth of our existence, we should create ways to immerse ourselves in these truths every day. No days off allowed.

"To preach the gospel to yourself," [Jerry] Bridges explains, "means that you continually face up to your own sinfulness and then flee to Jesus though faith in His shed blood and righteous life."

What I hope you see is that the cross centered life isn't just one option among many that God offers. It is the life that every Christian is called to.

Yes, we are all called to the cross centered life, may God grant us the grace to live it.

-joe

for alex costa

A while back (maybe even a couple of years) a friend of mine, Alex Costa, had a post decrying the use of pithy catch-phrases in the Christian culture.

Today, as I was finishing up Kevin DeYoung's book Just Do Something I read this and thought of one particular phrase that he hated: "Let go and let God."

And so, without further ado, I give you this:

I know I've been pretty hard on my generation, especially the men. I don't write as one who is the model of manly courage or decision making. And I don't write to crush your spirits. Remember, even if we have made mistakes--or are in the middle of mistakes--God loves to help the helpless. He loves to forgive the brokenhearted and give second and third chances to those who've gone through a dozen mistakes already. The Spirit is stronger than our timidty and wiser than our foolishness. But instead of "letting go and letting God" we nee dto make every effort to grow up in our faith (2 Peter 1:5ff).

Quite blaming God for your inaction and go after living a life for the glory of God.

-joe

from an old professor

I frequently read the blog of a former professor of mine. I tend to agree with little to nothing he has to say and, because of that, I won't be linking to his blog in this post lest he should gain a wider audience for the things he says.

Today he had a quote from a lady that went like this:

"The question of which scriptural teachings are “non-negotiable,” and which bear multiple plausible interpretations, continues to divide the church, as it has ever since Peter and Paul debated the circumcision and dietary laws."

-- Marilyn McEntyre, "Dogma and Disagreement", God's politics

Let me just say a couple of things about why this kind of statement is dangerous to the church (I would say dangerous to the Gospel, but the Gospel is never in danger because it will always win.)

1. Peter and Paul didn't have an ongoing theological debate where both sides thought they were right. Paul corrected Peter and Peter recanted the position. (Galatians 2, Acts 10 and 15)

2. This was not a quibble over differing views of circumcision and dietary laws, it was vital to the Gospel. (It was either free or it was with works, see Galatians 2.)

3. By not stating the real nature of the debate (the Gospel) she opens the thought that ALL matters of faith and practice are open to interpretation.

4. The debate between Peter and Paul clearly shows that when it is a matter pertaining to the nature of the Gospel it is not open to interpretation (since God intervened with a vision to Peter.)

These kinds of "questions" being asked are dangerous because of their deceptive nature and hostility toward the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

-joe

the telling of the heavens

From The Treasury of David, Psalm 19:

It is not merely glory that the heavens declare, but the "glory of God," for they deliver to us such unanswerable arguments for a conscious, intelligent, planning, controlling, and presiding Creator, that no unprejudiced person can remain unconvinced by them. The testimony given by the heavens is no mere hint, but a plain, unmistakable declaration; and it is a declaration of the most constant and abiding kind. Yet for all this, to what avail is the loudest declaration to a deaf man, or the clearest showing to one spiritually blind? God the Holy Ghost must illuminate us, or all the suns in the milky way never will.

Romans 1 says that these declarations make all men guilty before God because they have seen them and not given him His due glory. Oh, that Psalm 19 and Romans 1 would awaken us to the importance and immediacy of evangelism.

They may have the heavens to declare them guilty but we have the Truth to declare them righteous and free! Why are we so small minded not to pray, as Paul commands in 1 Timothy, for all peoples to be saved? Why are we so slow to act when every night we see the judgment of God on our neighbors?

-joe

a bunch of stuff

Here are some of the things that really caught my eye this week in blogland:

Here are some chances at free stuff from the Resurgence and Challies. (By the way...I won last week from Challies! Thanks, Tim, for the books that will hopefully be arriving soon.)

A trio of links from Z:

All three of his posts on Spiritual Alzheimer's. (Think Piper's book Future Grace in super, super condensed form.

And, a quoted post on the emergency of giving.

A little something that made me laugh even though it is kind of sad: 100 million in budget cuts.

Obduracy has become a new favorite word thanks to the Pyros.


Excellent prayer from Melinda at STR.

A little bit of encouragement from the 9 Marks blog.

-joe