HAPPY REFORMATION DAY!

The Reformation Polka

by Robert Gebel

[Sung to the tune of "Supercalifragilistic-expialidocious"]

When I was just ein junger Mann I studied canon law
While Erfurt was a challenge, it was just to please my Pa.
Then came the storm, the lightning struck, I called upon Saint Anne,
I shaved my head, I took my vows, an Augustinian!
Oh...

Papal bulls, indulgences, and transubstantiation
Speak your mind against them and face excommunication!
Nail your theses to the door, let's start a Reformation!
Papal bulls, indulgences, and transubstantiation!

When Tetzel came near Wittenberg, St. Peter's profits soared,
I wrote a little notice for the All Saints' Bull'tin board:
"You cannot purchase merits, for we're justified by grace!
Here's 95 more reasons, Brother Tetzel, in your face!"
Oh...

Papal bulls, indulgences, and transubstantiation
Speak your mind against them and face excommunication!
Nail your theses to the door, let's start a Reformation!
Papal bulls, indulgences, and transubstantiation!

They loved my tracts, adored my wit, all were exempleror;
The Pope, however, hauled me up before the Emperor.
"Are these your books? Do you recant?" King Charles did demand,
"I will not change my Diet, Sir, God help me here I stand!"
Oh...

Papal bulls, indulgences, and transubstantiation
Speak your mind against them and face excommunication!
Nail your theses to the door, let's start a Reformation!
Papal bulls, indulgences, and transubstantiation!

Duke Frederick took the Wise approach, responding to my words,
By knighting "George" as hostage in the Kingdom of the Birds.
Use Brother Martin's model if the languages you seek,
Stay locked inside a castle with your Hebrew and your Greek!
Oh...

Papal bulls, indulgences, and transubstantiation
Speak your mind against them and face excommunication!
Nail your theses to the door, let's start a Reformation!
Papal bulls, indulgences, and transubstantiation!

Let's raise our steins and Concord Books while gathered in this place,
And spread the word that 'catholic' is spelled with lower case;
The Word remains unfettered when the Spirit gets his chance,
So come on, Katy, drop your lute, and join us in our dance!
Oh...

Papal bulls, indulgences, and transubstantiation
Speak your mind against them and face excommunication!
Nail your theses to the door, let's start a Reformation!
Papal bulls, indulgences, and transubstantiation!

(Thanks to Nigel at EtIncarnatusEst for this COMPLETELY HILARIOUS MOMENT in my day. Good times... *wipes tears*)

Don't go see Marie Antoinette...

...if you're looking for a documentary-style history of pre-revolutionary France.

...if you hate movies that don't take historical characters "seriously" enough.

...if you are offended by the portrayal of adultery when it really did happen.

...if you need lots of special effects to keep you interested.

...if you are sickened by the sight of a sea of flower-print gowns.


However, DO go see Marie Antoinette...

...if you like Kirsten Dunst.

...if you are interested in character development more than a fast-moving plot.

...if you like cool, indie music.

...if watching harpies make digs at people cracks you up.

...if you want a different perspective on the key players at the end of the French monarchy.

...if you like Sofia Coppola.

...if you think slightly bawdy old grandfather-types are hilarious.

...and finally, if you're not boring.

C.J. Mahaney, People!

C.J. Mahaney has been one of my heroes ever since I saw the interviews on the Together for the Gospel website, oh, probably a year or so ago. There he was in all his glory, sitting with Dr. Mohler, Mark Dever, and Lig Duncan, and I felt like the song, "One of these things is not like the other" should have been playing in the background. Lig Duncan and Al Mohler were in dark suits and conservative ties. But not C.J. He's a bloke, a mensch -- he's just folks, as we would say in the South, totally without theologian airs. I've seen him in a suit twice this week, which is highly unusual, evidenced by the fact that he called suits "an effect of the Fall." On the videos, he was in a button-down with the collar open and a pair of very comfy-looking cargo khakis.

And understand that the T4G videos were somewhat promotional in purpose; in other words, people were supposed to get excited about coming to T4G after watching these impressive leaders of the faith preview the topics they were going to teach on at the conference. But C.J. is so genuinely joyful that he couldn't help falling into gales of laughter at even the most benign comment by one of the other participants. The man laughed so hard that he literally bounced in his formal queen Anne chair. (Oh! Good news! The videos are still available!)

This week, I've had the total joy of getting to hear C.J. teach three times (well, four if you count the audio message on the Song of Solomon that I listened to online), and the privilege of speaking with him in person three times (all too briefly) as well. He is truly a man of humility and a man of the Cross. I've been challenged both by his excellent treatment of Scripture and by his obvious love for the church and for the Lord. The moment that brought tears to my eyes was watching him worship in chapel -- since he was up on the stage during worship, we all got to glimpse his time in God's presence. Even at a stodgy Southern Baptist gathering, he raised his hands, and tipped his head back, and sang with gusto, periodically wiping tears.

I respect his teachings, but admire him as a man of God even more now than before. He laughs quickly and often, cries easily, confesses readily, and eagerly passes the credit for his incredibly successful ministry to his team of elders and ultimately to the Lord. Praise God for this man.

If you've never heard him teach, you are seriously missing out. Check out Southern's website for audio versions of his messages this week, or go to the Sovereign Grace website to download outlines and order CDs, or head to the CBMW website to listen to his (fantastic) messages on sexual intimacy in marriage, and on submission in marriage.

Random Thoughts

Why is the fat guy Lost from getting fatter and not thinner?

Groundhog Day is a great movie! Lines:

Phil: Do you want to throw up here, or you wanna throw up in the car?
Drunk Guy: I think (ulp), both.

Phil (to groundhog): Don't drive angry! Don't drive angry!

Rita: I like to see a man of advancing years throwing caution to the wind. It's inspiring, in a way.
Phil: My years are not advancing as fast as you might think.

Drunk Guy 2: Hey Phil, if we wanted to hit mailboxes we woulda let Ralph drive.

I had my spinal alignment checked today at the women's health fair on campus, and, while I was relieved to discover that I do in fact have a spine, not just a bundle of incredibly tight muscles, I found out that there's a reason my neck has hurt for the last couple of days. Turns out the right side of my neck is 1000% tighter than the left side. Whoops. I also got a little short massage from a really nice massage therapist, and made an appointment for a free (FREE!) consultation, including x-rays, if necessary. They'll also do all the work with my insurance company, even if I need a referral from a "real" doctor in order to get chiropractic work done. OK, so I'm not sure if I buy into all the holistic stuff that goes along with chiropraxis (chiropracty? chiropractice?), but the woman who did my spinal analysis said that the nerves in your upper shoulders and neck are linked to the sinuses, which is probably why I've been congested and sneezy for the last couple days.

I do really love school, but I think sitting at my computer and reading is contributing to my neck tension. Hmmm... you think I could send the bill for my chiropractic work to Dr. Mohler?

What Do You Think?

Some of you may know that I've been considering veganism, mostly for health reasons, but also because I've become more aware of the ickiness (is that a word?) of factory farming. Before anybody starts calling me a hippie or a tree-hugger or something, remember that we've been given the responsibility of caring for God's creation, and that driving our 2.3 kids through the McDonald's drive-through in a gas-guzzling SUV doesn't actually resemble the Biblical picture of filling the Earth and subduing it. ;)

I'm getting closer to a decision about this (pretty major) lifestyle change, but I'd like some input from anyone still patient enough to check this blog. Whether you're against it, in favor of it, think it's unwise, or are uncertain, tell me why. If you're brave, argue the counterpoint as well -- i.e., if you're in favor of veganism or vegetarianism, list a few reasons why, and then a few reasons why a person might be opposed to veganism. No straw men, please! In other words, if you argue against veganism, don't put "because they're idiots and tree-hugging hippies" as your pro-vegan argument! Obviously! (Now, Mike, please put the above phrase in quotations in your comment to show just how clever you are.)

Oh, and if you're vegan or vegetarian, maybe include some advice!

Thanks in advance for your thoughtful opinions.

Tell me, blog friends...

... does it count as schadenfreude, or something else, to thank God that I'm single when a friend goes through a really bad breakup?

The Richness of the Whole Counsel of God

I'm in Old Testament I this semester -- what a fantastic blessing, since I've often struggled with understanding how to apply the OT to my life, or even how to read it faithfully. So how do you do this? Spurgeon said it in regards to preaching, but I think it applies to reading scripture as well. Place it properly in the big picture, and then "make a beeline to the cross."

I've found the following questions helpful (examples from my morning reading [Leviticus 10-18] in parentheses):

1. How does this section of Scripture fit into God's plan to redeem for Himself a people? (Israel is out of Egypt! Now God is shaping them into a people who will stand out from those around them. He is concerned with every detail of their lives -- what they eat, what they wear, their sex lives, their friendships, etc. -- and provides guidance for each step. He also gives them a system to deal with sin.)

2. How does this section of Scripture point to Christ? (Emphasizes the need for Christ! The blood of an animal cannot fully atone for the sins of people. Also emphasizes God's grace in dealing with His people despite their sinfulness, and His forbearance in forgiving them until the time for the Messiah is fulfilled. There are also pictures of Christ: the sacrificial lamb, the intercession of the High Priest, etc., as well as reminders of the life of Christ: Mary and Joseph followed these very guidelines when they brought Jesus to the temple.)

3. What does this section of Scripture say about the Character of God? (He cares for His people in the direst of circumstances, and no detail is too small for His personal direction and care. He is a God of truth and clarity! He will not go back on His word -- He will carry out His promises to His people, and will keep the terms of the covenant even when His people fail.)

4. What element of this section of Scripture can I cherish today as I meditate on God's word? (God's faithfulness! I have been incorporated into God's promises, because I am part of God's people! Christ kept the law for me, since I could not, so my salvation does not depend on holding to these ceremonial laws.)

These questions have been so helpful as I read the "boring" parts of the OT. As Christians, we read all of Scripture in light of its climactic event: the incarnation of Christ.

In Which I Discover Just How Juvenile I Truly Am.

Disturbing moment this afternoon. Turns out that I am completely obsessed with Hugh Laurie, who plays the eponymous main character of my favorite TV program, House.

In case you don't know already (and what on EARTH is the matter with you if you don’t? It’s only been hailed as the best show on television!), House is a medical drama primarily involving a crabby antisocial doctor who bears more than passing resemblance to Sherlock Holmes, both in his brilliance and his drug addiction. Every Tuesday night, Greg House manages to comment on his boss's rack, hit someone with his cane, alienate his only friend (that adorable kid from Dead Poet's Society, all grown up), insult his partners, irreversibly offend his patients, play his Gameboy obsessively, and, somewhere in there, to diagnose and cure a mysterious (and sometimes heretofore unknown) illness that had the rest of the hospital staff totally stymied.

I suspected the obsession during last night's episode, which probably was not but definitely should have been titled (á la Friends) "The One Where House Has To Decide Whether Or Not To Make Out With Sexy Blonde Jailbait." If you'll indulge me, I'll give you insight into my entire thought process during said episode:

On Screen: (House blustering around, comparing autistic child to monkey, making sheep’s-eyes at Jailbait, commenting on Dr. Cuddy's low-cut top, etc., etc.)

Me: Wow. That Dr. House is pretty. Love him. Lots. Wonder if I could get a walk-on role on the show and hide myself in his trailer. He's only 8 years younger than my mother. Huh. But has two sons. Interesting possibility. Would he be more or less attractive with English accent? Stoppit. Must pay attention to show. (10 minutes pass without another thought.) Wow. That Dr. House is pretty. Love him. Lots. (Etc.)

So, you see, this has become a problem. I have a full month to attempt to conquer my addiction, since evidently baseball playoffs will be taking the place of Fox's primetime lineup until the end of October. Augh!

I think I might barf if...

I hear one more person say, "You have to feel complete in yourself before you can be in a relationship with someone else." Or, the "Christianese" version: "You have to be content in this season of singleness before God will give you a relationship."

Sorry for the break from Total Truth. It just struck me today what an absurd sentiment this really is. I may elaborate more later, if my brain ever recovers from 89 kids at VBS today -- and that includes 29 preschoolers!!

What is Total Truth?

(From a conversation recorded in Nancy Pearcey's book, Total Truth.)

"Your earlier book says Christians are called to redeem entire cultures, not just individuals," a schoolteacher commented, joining me for lunch at a conference where I had just spoken. Then he added thoughtfully, "I'd never heard that before."

The teacher was talking about How Now Shall We Live? and at his words I looked up from my plate in surprise. Was he really saying he'd never even heard the idea of being a redemptive force in every area of culture? He shook his head: "No, I've always thought of salvation strictly in terms of individual souls."

God has given me the grace of attending a church that views its task as transforming culture with the Gospel, so this concept was not foreign to me. But several years ago, it certainly would have been. And even had someone suggested to me that the job of the Church was to transform and redeem culture with the Gospel, I, like many (or dare I say most!) evangelicals today would likely have located that transformative power in political activism. How do we transform American culture? Well, by going to Washington and getting a bill passed, of course!

But have we gotten it backwards? A member of congress once told Pearcey, "I got involved in politics... because I thought that was the fastest way to moral reform. Well, we've won some legislative victories, but we've lost the culture."

If I haven't lost all of you by my long absence, discuss!

Worldview

world·view (wûrldvy)
n. In both senses also called Weltanschauung.

1. The overall perspective from which one sees and interprets the world.
2. A collection of beliefs about life and the universe held by an individual or a group.

[Translation of German Weltanschauung.]


"Christianity is not a series of truths in the plural, but rather truth spelled with a capital "T." Truth about total reality, not just about religious things. Biblical Christianity is Truth concerning total reality -- and the intellectual holding of that truth and then living in light of that Truth."
-- Francis Schaeffer


cul·ture (klchr)
n.

The totality of socially transmitted behavior patterns, arts, beliefs, institutions, and all other products of human work and thought.

1. 1. These patterns, traits, and products considered as the expression of a particular period, class, community, or population: Edwardian culture; Japanese culture; the culture of poverty.
   2. These patterns, traits, and products considered with respect to a particular category, such as a field, subject, or mode of expression: religious culture in the Middle Ages; musical culture; oral culture.
   3. The predominating attitudes and behavior that characterize the functioning of a group or organization.

re·deem (r-dm)
tr.v. re·deemed, re·deem·ing, re·deems

1. To recover ownership of by paying a specified sum.
2. To pay off (a promissory note, for example).
3. To turn in (coupons, for example) and receive something in exchange.
4. To fulfill (a pledge, for example).
5. To convert into cash: redeem stocks.
6. To set free; rescue or ransom.
7. To save from a state of sinfulness and its consequences.
   
8. To make up for: The low price of the clothes dryer redeems its lack of special features.
9. To restore the honor, worth, or reputation of: You botched the last job but can redeem yourself on this one.

Coming Soon...

A post about Nancy Pearcey's book Total Truth. I know I'm probably the last person to read it, but in case I'm not, I encourage you to go out and buy it.

There's so much great stuff in it that the problem will be narrowing down what to write about!

Meanwhile, sorry for the long absence from the land of blogs. I've missed you!

A Writer's Challenge

I'm inspired by Bobby's latest post to give all you writers a challenge.

For the next month, write something, anything, EVERY DAY. Write two lines of dialogue you overheard in the grocery store. Write a question and its answer. Write two or ten haikus, one after another. Anything at all. Feel uninspired? Write about how uninspired you are. Some of my most satisfying poems have been about how I don't feel like writing poems. Overwhelmed by impending tests or papers or a deadline? Dash off a few quick lines about how your hands shake when you feel frantic and overwhelmed. ANYTHING.

Why? Here's why:

"To think how to express some passion properly is the only way to be possessed by it, for unformed feelings lack impact, just as unfelt ideas lose weight. So walk around unrewritten, if you like. Live on broken phrases and syllable gristle, telegraphese and film reviews. No one will suspect…until you speak, and your soul falls out of your mouth like a can of corn from the shelf."
-- William Gass

"Make my life a prayer to you
I want to do what you want me to
No empty words and no white lies
No token prayers, no compromise."
--Keith Green

"Whatever you do, do it all for the Glory of God. Do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus. Work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord."
--Paul, 1 Corinthians 10:31, Colossians 3:17, and Colossians 3:23

Nearing the end of Cultivate Beauty Month - Random thoughts in haiku form

clean, clean apartment
at least the bookshelf is clean
books lined up neatly

the Doppler effect
goose honks change pitch past window
high, lower, lower

dust on the keyboard
is it really true that it's
made up of my skin?

I have in my drawer
one-hundred and forty-three
real Hong Kong dollars

in case you wondered,
that much amounts to not quite
twenty of our own

can I help it if
on a prom-queen May evening
I cannot study?

can't write a haiku
about Mere Christiani-
ty, for I'll run out

looking at bookshelves
I guess I once loved pulp, dime-
store, sad, trite novels

I'm very thirsty
I guess that means this is the
penultimate one

dearest friends, near, far --
patient, indulgent of my
poetic whims -- thanks.

Summer Reading List

I've got loads of books on my shelf, and not just school books, but fiction and anthologies from my college days as well as ones I've picked up since. I love books. I love everything about them. I love the smell of new books, and how the spines crackle when they're opened for the first time, and the rustle of thin pages. I've got a friend who will actually have time to read this summer, and I've made her a list of books to borrow, read, and enjoy. So, for the curious, and in honor of Cultivate Beauty month as it draws to a close, I will, Oprah-like, give you my recommended summer reading list, in no particular order:

Cold Mountain by Charles Frazier
Beloved by Toni Morrison
How the Irish Saved Civilization (nonfiction) by Thomas Cahill
Proof (a play) by David Auburn
Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe
The English Patient by Michael Ondaatje
The Professor and the Madman (historical fiction, based on real events) by Simon Winchester
The Devil in the White City (another historical fiction) by Erik Larson
Daughter of Fortune by Isabel Allende
The Awakening by Kate Chopin
House of Sand and Fog by Andre Dubus III
Chocolat by Joanne Harris
Wit (a play) by Margaret Edson
The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros

Had anybody read any of these? What are your favorite books, or some that you've lately read that you loved?

Spurgeon on Missionaries Teaching Christ to the Natives

Hey, all. I took this from Wade Burleson's blog (with permission, bien sur) because I think it reminds us to focus on what's important. This month, I want to remember that nothing is more beautiful or worthy of cultivating than the Gospel. Our focus must be on the Gospel and its power to bring lost, spiritually dead, doomed people to a saving relationship with the Messiah. I hope you all are keeping up with Wade's blog and with Marty Duren as well, and that you are praying that God's peace will reign in the hearts of every believer caught up in the dispute, and that the Enemy's schemes for division would be utterly thwarted in the face of a renewed commitment to the Gospel. That, brothers and sisters, would be a beautiful thing.

Let Spurgeon teach us from across the years:

I do not know whether all our missionaries have caught the idea of Christ — “Go ye and teach all nations,” but many of them have, and these have been honored with many conversions.

The more fully they have been simple teachers, not philosophers of the Western philosophy, not eager disputants concerning some English dogma, I say the more plainly they have gone forth as teachers sent from God to teach the world, the more successful have they been.

“Go ye, therefore, and teach.” Some may think, perhaps, there is less difficulty in teaching the learned than in teaching the uncivilized and barbarous. There is the same duty to the one as to the other: “Go and teach.”

“But they brandish the tomahawk.” Teach them, and lie down and sleep in their hut, and they shall marvel at your fearlessness and spare your life.

“But they feed on the blood of their fellows, they make a bloody feast about the cauldron in which a man’s body is the horrible viand.” Teach them and they shall empty their war-kettle, and they shall bury their swords, and bow before you, and acknowledge King Jesus.

“But they are brutalised, they have scarce a language — a few clicking sounds make up all that they can say.” Teach them, and they shall speak the language of Canaan, and sing the songs of heaven.

The fact has been proved, brethren, that there are no nations incapable of being taught, nay, that there are no nations incapable afterwards of teaching others. The Negro slave has perished under the lash, rather than dishonor his Master.

The Esquimaux has climbed his barren steeps, and borne his toil, while he has recollected the burden which Jesus bore. The Hindoo has patiently submitted to the loss of all things, because he loved Christ better than all. Feeble Malagasay women have been prepared to suffer and to die, and have taken joyfully suffering for Christ’s sake. There has been heroism in every land for Christ; men of every color and of every race have died for him; upon his altar has been found the blood of all kindreds that be upon the face of the earth.

Oh! tell me not they cannot be taught. Sirs, they can be taught to die for Christ; and this is more than some of you have learned. They can rehearse the very highest lesson of the Christian religion — that self sacrifice which knows not itself but gives up all for him.

At this day there are Karen missionaries preaching among the Karens with as fervid an eloquence as ever was known by Whitfield, there are Chinese teaching in Borneo, Sumatra, and Australia, with as much earnestness as Morison or Milne first taught in China. There are Hindoo evangelists who are not ashamed to have given up the Brahminical thread, and to eat with the Pariah, and to preach with him the riches of Christ. There have been men found of every class and kind, not only able to be taught, but able to become teachers themselves, and the most mighty teachers too, of the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Well was that command warranted by future facts, when Christ said, “Go ye, teach all nations.”


Excerpt from "NO. 383
A SERMON DELIVERED ON SUNDAY MORNING,
APRIL 21ST, 1861,
AT THE METROPOLITAN TABERNACLE, NEWINGTON"

A sermon preached by Charles Haddon Spurgeon 145 years ago today.

From "Long Ago In Oregon"

by Claudia Lewis

The Nelsons

I

In the early mornings
Mr. Nelson passed our house
on his walk,
in his neat dark suit
and coat, open and
flying a bit;
white hair,
sideburns,
stepping along
swinging umbrella for a cane.
When Mr. Nelson walked,
he walked,
enjoying the air
and the morning

Everyone knew
his big store
was the best in town
Always at Christmas
a Santa there
had gifts for children

When I was very small
we lived close by
Mrs. Nelson, plump and cozy
like a grandma,
would invite us in on days
when she made marshmallows.
Marshmallows! Not like
the puffs we bought in boxes
but trembling, glistening white,
arranged in fragile pieces
on a tray.

And her grown-up boys
and girls would play with us,
swing and toss us
in the yard
all around the snowball tree.

Far in the back of my mind
as time passed
I remembered once in a while--
almost not at all--
that the Nelsons were Catholics.
Mother had told us
any church in town
was all right for us--
except the Catholic.
"Why not the Catholic?"
"...Well, in that church
they worship images."

What did this have to do
with the snowball tree
with cozy marshmallow grandma,
and the jaunty man--
the gentleman--
who walked in the morning?

I never even tried
to fit these pieces together.

II
One day I realized
I hadn't seen him lately,
passing by.
"Mother, where is Mr. Nelson?"

"Oh, I meant to tell you.
We won't see him anymore--
He was old, very old,
...He has died..."

(Meant to tell me?
I don't think you did.)

Died--
I glimpse a great darkness
in spite of angels.

Dying?
I've heard snatches
of sad talk.
Now I know--

Death
is Mr. Nelson
striding along
alone
in the morning
toward something black and far
in the night.

Cultivate Beauty

In honor of Kill Your TV / Cultivate Beauty / National Poetry Month, I'll be posting some original poems (eek!) and some by my favorite poets throughout the month. To start things off right, settle into a metaphysical mindset (or mind/bodyset) and enjoy this delectable offering from one of my favorite poets, Li-Young Lee, an Indonesian-born Chinese-American poet. His writing is so gorgeous that it hurts my brain. Enjoy.


A Story

Sad is the man who is asked for a story
and can't come up with one.

His five-year-old son waits in his lap.
Not the same story, Baba. A new one.
The man rubs his chin, scratches his ear.

In a room full of books in a world
of stories, he can recall
not one, and soon, he thinks, the boy
will give up on his father.

Already the man lives far ahead, he sees
the day this boy will go. Don't go!
Hear the alligator story! The angel story once more!
You love the spider story. You laugh at the spider.
Let me tell it!

But the boy is packing his shirts,
he is looking for his keys. Are you a god,
the man screams, that I sit mute before you?
Am I a god that I should never disappoint?

But the boy is here. Please, Baba, a story?
It is an emotional rather than logical equation,
an earthly rather than heavenly one,
which posits that a boy's supplications
and a father's love add up to silence.

-- Li-Young Lee

March Madness, Indeed!

My friend Miss Swartz (huh, that's a character from Vanity Fair, too) and I have been planning on a March Madness party since the beginning of February, so I took a planned hiatus from the hiatus tonight while a bunch of us gathered at her casa to hang out and eat chips and lament the sad state of offensive rebounding in the NCAA and yell at that idiot Texas player who went for five 3-pointers (easy, kids, I'm talkin' basketball, not theology) in overtime even though he hadn't hit a single one in the whole stinking game.

And did you see that commercial they kept playing over and over? It looks like a beer commercial to begin with because it's a scantily dressed woman gyrating in a club, but then it turns out to be for Old Spice!?!? What!? It wasn't just that commercial, it was EVERY commercial. Going without TV for a few weeks makes every sexually-driven ad all that much more scandalous to me! I know I already live in a Bible Bubble, going to seminary and hanging outHere's what shocked me. Did y'all see that stupid Old Spice deodorant commercial they kept with my friends from church and stuff, but living in virtual media starvation even amps up the isolation. And I don't mean that in a bad way -- I mean, why do we (I, I mean) feel like we (I) need to be desensitized to this whole sex-sells, consumer-driven, godless culture? I know I never batted an eye about trashy commercials or skimpy outfits before I started doing this... I guess one more reason to thank God for Lent, right?

It reminds me of something a homeschooling proponent said: "People always ask me about socialization. And I say, look at our society! Do you really want your kids to be socialized into THAT?"

On a lighter (though not on the caloric side) note, I went for the first time into the (new) Homemade Ice Cream and Pie Kitchen today, a place with a cumbersome name and a heavenly purpose: to provide absolute, childlike joy and bliss to customers of all ages, in the form of toothsome sweets of every possible variety. As Lindie said tonight, "I tried to die." A 20-foot-long case full of creative homemade ice cream flavors and no less than 25 kinds of pie, plus county-fair-blue-ribbon-prize-deserving cake, and positively enormous cookies. Good heavens. I was grinning so much that I thought my teeth were going to fall out of my head, and that was BEFORE I sunk said teeth into a slice of coconut cream pie. Divine. The prices are reasonable, too. I fear that I may have to resign myself to a career in a sideshow now that I've found the place -- come one, come all, see the fat lady who'll eat any kind of pie you put in front of her! I do love pie. And they have sweet potato, and banana cream, and pecan, and 4 kinds of apple, and, and, and... oh, heaven.

Do you think there'll be pie in the resurrection?

Why I'm Such a Cry-Baby

Many of my friends, and anyone in my family, can attest to the fact that I am a cry-baby. I prefer to say that my heart is easily touched, because it sounds better, but the truth is, it's not hard to make me cry. In fact, all you really have to do to make me cry is talk about "the Nations," and I'm a goner. So the reading I've been doing for school has been pretty rough on me the last week or so. First, I've been reading a book for Missiology called Perspectives on the World Christian Movement. It sounds pretty dry, and some of the readings are, but others are so full of passion and tenderness for the lost people of the world that I can't help being moved. Second, I just finished a Faithful Witness: the Life and Mission of William Carey. Carey is the father of Baptist Missions, and the story of his struggle and success in India should be known to every believer. Third, I'm in the middle of reading Let the Nations Be Glad! by John Piper, which every believer really must read. The section on suffering... it was crushing. Let me give you an example of one true story that broke my heart.

An African man named Joseph heard the Gospel on a dusty road one day, and was so filled with joy and excitement that he couldn't wait to share his newfound Savior with his own village. When he did, he was shocked to discover that they did not share his excitement; in fact, the men of the village held him down while the women beat him with barbed wire, then dragged him out into the bush to die. Somehow he survived, and days later came back to the village and pleaded with his kinsmen to come to the crucified and risen Christ. Again they beat him, and left him for dead. By a miracle of God, he survived this beating too, and after lying unconscious for several days, came again to the village to share this message of Christ's forgiveness. The women beat him a third time, but, as he was losing consciousness, he saw the women beginning to weep. The next time he awoke, the same women were around his own bed, tending his terrible wounds and nursing him back to health. The entire village had come to Christ.

This is just one story in a series from the chapter on suffering. How small my own faith is! How little is my own trust in the sovereignty of God! How unwillingly I give up even the smallest convenience for the sake of the Gospel! How fearfully I approach evangelism, even when I know that my life and health are safe no matter how bold I might be!

I spent a lot of time crying as I read through that chapter, as I cried out to God for a faith so bold that pain would be a joy when compared to silence. And if that means I'm a cry-baby, I guess I'll take the title!