Against Nothingness

Sometimes I wish I could manufacture life change. I day-dream of a formula, or a series of well-timed maneuvers, or a set of input points, and think that it would be nice if you just hit these things hard enough, threw enough energy, or talent, or money in their direction that things would happen. ........................................ You see, I'm a results kind of person. I take great pleasure in seeing the positive results of my efforts. They don't need to be quantifiable, but they need to be visible, at least to me. I don't care if others know, I don't care if I'm appreciated, but I do care if I have made a difference. And in 'my line of work' that means life change towards Christ. Or at least, it does to me. I suppose other pastors may use other measuring rods; whatever. But even if I were not a pastor, those would be the results I sought more than anything else.  Unfortunately, there is a subtle and dangerous form of idolatry at work he...

The Critic Revisits the Monsters - Wonderfully insightful essay on the fantasy genre in our time. Caine's Arcade - Just plain fun. Is Facebook Making Us Lonely?  -  "We were promised a global village; instead we inhabit the drab cul-de-sacs and endless freeways of a vast suburb of information." That quote should make you want to read this article.  Understanding Amazon's Strategy   - Frightening... too much to keep track of and I like my kindle... but still.  Shift Happens -  Examining Kuhn's "Structures of Scientific revolutions." The last paragraph is stunning.  A/B Testing - Do you  wonder if this has ever happened to you? I do.  The Worlds Most Important Story - More to think about. TED Video:  How Small is an Atom? - - fun, entertaining, mind-boggling... it's like the high school science class I wish I had.  TED Video:  Reinventing Fire; a 50 year plan for Energy - - if this is real...

"Our No. 1 'job' in discipleship and ministry is to so live in Christ that we live and serve out of the fullness of Christ. Our No. 2 'job' is to do everything we can to make No. 1 possible. Our No. 3 'job' is not to do the things which hold us back from No. 2 and No. 1." - Darrell Johnson, Speaking at the 2012 Regent Pastors Conference 'Overflow' Response: This weeks pastors conference has been good in many ways. Above all, I have been reminded of the true nature of my position as pastor and the priorities which come with it. If this is not number one in my life and conduct then all else will fall apart. 

" You anoint my head with oil;  my cup  overflows." - What I want Top 3 Posts from April 1. "Daddy, Be a Monster..."  - With a resounding lead for traffic this month, we have a brief reflection on playing with my daughter and experiencing heaven.  2. Prayer: A Word I Need to Hear  - Also with higher than average traffic, and a strong second place, a brief reflection and response to some words from Timothy Jones.  3. Forgiveness: A Hard Word From Luther - Third place goes to a good quote.  Three Most Visited Posts in April 1.    "Daddy, Be a Monster..."  - It has been a long time since my top most "googled" posts have been knocked off the top. Clearly I need to write more about Hannah :)  2. Heaven and Hell - ... but some things don't change... 3. We're Sinking - Indeed... April has been a hard month. For some time now I have been doing my best to exercise discernment in what to priori...

"I try to remember that words do not matter to God as much as many of us suppose. They carry less weight than we think.  Our culture seems infatuated by words. By the millions they stream from our radios, televisions, newspapers, internet sites, and yes, books. Drive through any metropolitan area, with its billboards, neon ads, and bannered signs, and you get the strange sensation of driving through a phone book or huge dictionary. Words seem essential. But much that is profound can happen in their absence.  ... Rather than defining prayer as something solely expressed in words, I see it more fundamentally as being present to God. Sometimes words are eminently appropriate. Sometimes they get in the way. Often they simply don't matter. The important thing is to stand before God without our constant chatter, ready to be in heartfelt relationship with him. Where our whole selves are engaged in relationship with God, there prayer will be, even if words are not used." ...

"Both our transformation and the imputation of Christ's righteousness depend on union with Christ. And so does forgiveness, the fact that God doesn't count our sins against us. Because we are one, Christ's life is our life. Because we are one, Christ's qualities are our qualities. Because we are one, we have died in Christ's death, and our sins are no loner ours but are 'swallowed up' by Christ. ... God gives, faith receives. And because God gives even before the hands of faith open to receive, faith never goes away empty-handed. To have faith is to have christ and, with Christ, a new life and forgiveness of sins." - Miroslav Volf, Free of Charge . 151, 153

Today I read: "The contemporary climate is therapeutic, not religious. People today hunger not for personal salvation, let alone for the restoration of an earlier golden age, but for the feeling, the momentary illusion, of personal well-being, health, and psychic security." So wrote Christopher Lasch in his 1979 book The Culture of Narcissism. It has, perhaps, never been more true than now in 2012.(1) Today I also read:  ... The length of our days is seventy years-- or eighty, if we have the strength; yet their span is but trouble and sorrow, for they quickly pass, and we fly away. Who knows the power of your anger? For your wrath is as great as the fear that is due you. Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom. Relent, O LORD! How long will it be? Have compassion on your servants. Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love, that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days. Make us glad for as many days as you have afflicted us, for as ...