I was reading about William Cowper on Micah's blog and I really loved the lyrics to "There is a Fountain." I hadn't read them in a long time, and I think I'm finally beginning to understand the beautiful depth of them. However, I'm not a big fan of the tune. It's not a bad tune. It's just not my favorite. So I decided to rewrite it. This is my second tune rewrite. The first was "Be Still My Soul." But I did something different with this one. As I played through my rewrite I decided I needed to add a chorus. Personally, I really like this recent twist on old, awesome hymns. I know, it might be close to blaspheme for some :) but I like it. I think it adds a central thought to fix your attention on and not be lost in the number of deep thoughts that are being sung. Anyway, here is my rewrite:
There Is A Fountain
Verse 1
There is a fountain filled with blood, Drawn from Emmanuel’s veins;
And sinners plunged beneath that flood, Lose all their guilty stains.
The dying thief rejoiced to see, That fountain in his day;
And there may I, though vile as he, Wash all my sins away. (2x last half)
Chorus
There is a fountain so rich and free,
There grace was bought and applied to me
Glory displayed and peace restored
And but the cross I boast no more
Verse 2
Dear dying Lamb, Thy precious blood, Shall never lose its power
’Til all the ransomed church of God, Be saved to sin no more.
E’er since, by faith, I saw the stream, Thy flowing wounds supply,
Redeeming love has been my theme, And shall be ’til I die. (2x last half)
(Chorus)
Verse 3
When this poor lisping, stammering tongue, Lies silent in the grave,
Then in a nobler, sweeter song, I’ll sing Thy pow’r to save. (2x last half)
(Chorus)
(End on last verse)
©Darwin Jordan Music.
Wednesday, March 21, 2007
You Satisfy
This is a song I started writing a while ago and I finally got around to finish it. I guess I'm still a pretty massive procrastinator :)
You Satisfy
Verse 1
Two sin I commit, they always find me out
I have turned from You, the Living Fount
Then I turn to the broken cup this world sold
And I drink the sand, for no water it holds
Chorus
O Living Water, You satisfy, You satisfy
And pleasure You possess when I behold You on high
You filled my heart with more joy than all other things
To You and You alone will my praise I bring
Verse 2
Now I live for You, my blessed Savior
And I breath You in, for it’s You that I adore
Now I take delight in You, my portion forevermore
Draw near to me, help me love You more
Ending
My Portion, My Savior, You are good, draw near to me
I live You, breathe You, die to me for You
I hunger, I thirst for You, You fill me, I’m satisfied
All others I forsake now, To You alone I turn
You Satisfy
Verse 1
Two sin I commit, they always find me out
I have turned from You, the Living Fount
Then I turn to the broken cup this world sold
And I drink the sand, for no water it holds
Chorus
O Living Water, You satisfy, You satisfy
And pleasure You possess when I behold You on high
You filled my heart with more joy than all other things
To You and You alone will my praise I bring
Verse 2
Now I live for You, my blessed Savior
And I breath You in, for it’s You that I adore
Now I take delight in You, my portion forevermore
Draw near to me, help me love You more
Ending
My Portion, My Savior, You are good, draw near to me
I live You, breathe You, die to me for You
I hunger, I thirst for You, You fill me, I’m satisfied
All others I forsake now, To You alone I turn
Thursday, March 15, 2007
Ockham's Razor and the Problem of Evil
Ockham’s Razor and the Problem of Evil
How can a good and omnipotent God allow sin and evil to exist in His creation? This is the basic question the drives the so-called Problem of Evil (PoE). It has been stated in other formats as well. Such as, how can a loving God allow such bad things to happen. In this phrasing it is assumed that God has the attribute of omnipotence (that is, all powerful) and bad things are evil. The obvious reason why the problem of evil exists is that evil does definitely exist and God could have prevented it. We know evil exists because of things and people like Hitler, the Holocaust, murder, theft, lying, serial killers, etc. And if God is who the Bible claims He is, then He is an omnipotent Being that is capable of keeping evil from ever appearing. He is also a good God and would apparently have cause to keep evil from appearing because of His intrinsic and perfect goodness. It is assumed that God’s intrinsic and perfect goodness conflicts with the existence of evil such that God’s omnipotence would be forced to eradicate it. Therefore, if the God of the Bible exists, then the existence of evil is incongruous with His existence. Therefore, it would appear that if we want to solve this problem, then we will have to change one of the three variables in this equation. However, I’m not going to go into the arguments for and against which variables to do away with or lessen (i.e. lessen the extent of God’s omnipotence). I will say, however, that I don’t think we should or need to eradicate or lesson any of God’s attributes or the extent of the existence and depravity of evil. My goal, however, is to respond to a common objection based on this problem. In a past philosophy class, I was asked by a professor, “Wouldn’t it have been easier to create us without the capacity for evil and sin?” My response at the time was that in order for us to see the fullness of the glory of God displayed in His justice as well as His grace, sin had to exist. He then responded by saying, “Couldn’t God just have shown us a Simpsons episode that described what evil was and then we would have been able to see God’s justice?” I responded by saying that we can’t truly know what grace and justice are (as well as a myriad of other attributes of God) if we don’t experience them. I am not completely satisfied with my answers to these questions. In my first response I think I touched on the truth, but I don’t know about my second response. It may very well be true, but it isn’t the most convincing argument and doesn’t exalt God as highly as He could be. Therefore, it is my purpose to examine this issue further and demonstrate how evil is necessary for God’s glory to be displayed in its fullness.
I believe that the PoE exists in human minds because of Ockham’s razor working in the mind of humanity, which is bent on suppressing the truth in unrighteousness (Rom. 1:18). Ockham’s razor states that “entities should not be multiplied unnecessarily.'' Basically, this means that given two or more scenarios that have the same or similar result, the simplest is usually the right answer. The simplest answer in the minds of humans regarding the PoE is that God should have made us incapable of evil and then sin wouldn’t exist. We know God is capable of this because of His omnipotence and we know that He created heaven which is a place where we will be incapable of sin and still see the glory of God. Incapablility of sin and ability to see God’s glory are not incongruous. In fact, the Bible tells us that because of our glorification and final sanctification we will actually be able to glorify God perfectly. As is the case in many false teachings, the objection to the existence of evil is based partly on truth. So the root question in the minds of men is why did God create us with the capacity to sin? Wouldn’t it have been simpler to create us without an ability to sin and then we wouldn’t have all the problems that we have now? But I think we need to go back even further to a more basic question. Why did God create the world? Being a perfect God, He didn’t lack something that creation provided. The triune God enjoyed perfect unity, perfect love, perfect enjoyment, and perfect satisfaction in Himself. Why even create the world in the first place? And why create a world that God knows will sin and need saving? Why create a world where one member of the Godhead will have to suffer and die on the cross and bear the sins of many? That doesn’t make sense. To our minds, God would have been better off without this world. God has one purpose and end in all that He does: namely, to glorify Himself. If He failed to have this purpose, then God wouldn’t be God. He would be an idolater. God must glorify Himself in all that He does or He would be worshiping something else and thereby making that object a God and removing His deity from Himself and giving it to another. In Isaiah 48:11 God says, “For my own sake, for my own sake, I do it, for how should my name be profaned? My glory I will not give to another.” Therefore, the only conclusion we can come to about the creation and continued existence of the world is that God intends to glorify Himself through it as its ultimate end. Therefore, in light of this truth, sin is necessary in order to display the fullness of His glory as seen in His manifold attributes. God must glorify Himself by displaying both love and justice, mercy and wrath, as well as many other attributes that are only seen with the existence of sin. God would not create a universe that displays His glory, but does not give a full picture of that glory. So God’s simplest answer to the right question – namely, how can God glorify Himself most fully – is to create a world where sin is possible and then allow it to occur. God cannot defeat His own purpose – His glory – by creating a world that fails to display His glory. This means that His purpose is not only to create beings to see and enjoy His glory, but that creation itself is meant to demonstrate the fullness of His glory as well as a finite creation can display infinite glory. Creation wasn’t just meant to see and enjoy; it is meant to demonstrate and show forth. The only way the universe can show forth the fullness of God’s glory is if sin and evil exist and God can conquer them and show forth mercy and justice, grace, love, wrath, etc.
How can a good and omnipotent God allow sin and evil to exist in His creation? This is the basic question the drives the so-called Problem of Evil (PoE). It has been stated in other formats as well. Such as, how can a loving God allow such bad things to happen. In this phrasing it is assumed that God has the attribute of omnipotence (that is, all powerful) and bad things are evil. The obvious reason why the problem of evil exists is that evil does definitely exist and God could have prevented it. We know evil exists because of things and people like Hitler, the Holocaust, murder, theft, lying, serial killers, etc. And if God is who the Bible claims He is, then He is an omnipotent Being that is capable of keeping evil from ever appearing. He is also a good God and would apparently have cause to keep evil from appearing because of His intrinsic and perfect goodness. It is assumed that God’s intrinsic and perfect goodness conflicts with the existence of evil such that God’s omnipotence would be forced to eradicate it. Therefore, if the God of the Bible exists, then the existence of evil is incongruous with His existence. Therefore, it would appear that if we want to solve this problem, then we will have to change one of the three variables in this equation. However, I’m not going to go into the arguments for and against which variables to do away with or lessen (i.e. lessen the extent of God’s omnipotence). I will say, however, that I don’t think we should or need to eradicate or lesson any of God’s attributes or the extent of the existence and depravity of evil. My goal, however, is to respond to a common objection based on this problem. In a past philosophy class, I was asked by a professor, “Wouldn’t it have been easier to create us without the capacity for evil and sin?” My response at the time was that in order for us to see the fullness of the glory of God displayed in His justice as well as His grace, sin had to exist. He then responded by saying, “Couldn’t God just have shown us a Simpsons episode that described what evil was and then we would have been able to see God’s justice?” I responded by saying that we can’t truly know what grace and justice are (as well as a myriad of other attributes of God) if we don’t experience them. I am not completely satisfied with my answers to these questions. In my first response I think I touched on the truth, but I don’t know about my second response. It may very well be true, but it isn’t the most convincing argument and doesn’t exalt God as highly as He could be. Therefore, it is my purpose to examine this issue further and demonstrate how evil is necessary for God’s glory to be displayed in its fullness.
I believe that the PoE exists in human minds because of Ockham’s razor working in the mind of humanity, which is bent on suppressing the truth in unrighteousness (Rom. 1:18). Ockham’s razor states that “entities should not be multiplied unnecessarily.'' Basically, this means that given two or more scenarios that have the same or similar result, the simplest is usually the right answer. The simplest answer in the minds of humans regarding the PoE is that God should have made us incapable of evil and then sin wouldn’t exist. We know God is capable of this because of His omnipotence and we know that He created heaven which is a place where we will be incapable of sin and still see the glory of God. Incapablility of sin and ability to see God’s glory are not incongruous. In fact, the Bible tells us that because of our glorification and final sanctification we will actually be able to glorify God perfectly. As is the case in many false teachings, the objection to the existence of evil is based partly on truth. So the root question in the minds of men is why did God create us with the capacity to sin? Wouldn’t it have been simpler to create us without an ability to sin and then we wouldn’t have all the problems that we have now? But I think we need to go back even further to a more basic question. Why did God create the world? Being a perfect God, He didn’t lack something that creation provided. The triune God enjoyed perfect unity, perfect love, perfect enjoyment, and perfect satisfaction in Himself. Why even create the world in the first place? And why create a world that God knows will sin and need saving? Why create a world where one member of the Godhead will have to suffer and die on the cross and bear the sins of many? That doesn’t make sense. To our minds, God would have been better off without this world. God has one purpose and end in all that He does: namely, to glorify Himself. If He failed to have this purpose, then God wouldn’t be God. He would be an idolater. God must glorify Himself in all that He does or He would be worshiping something else and thereby making that object a God and removing His deity from Himself and giving it to another. In Isaiah 48:11 God says, “For my own sake, for my own sake, I do it, for how should my name be profaned? My glory I will not give to another.” Therefore, the only conclusion we can come to about the creation and continued existence of the world is that God intends to glorify Himself through it as its ultimate end. Therefore, in light of this truth, sin is necessary in order to display the fullness of His glory as seen in His manifold attributes. God must glorify Himself by displaying both love and justice, mercy and wrath, as well as many other attributes that are only seen with the existence of sin. God would not create a universe that displays His glory, but does not give a full picture of that glory. So God’s simplest answer to the right question – namely, how can God glorify Himself most fully – is to create a world where sin is possible and then allow it to occur. God cannot defeat His own purpose – His glory – by creating a world that fails to display His glory. This means that His purpose is not only to create beings to see and enjoy His glory, but that creation itself is meant to demonstrate the fullness of His glory as well as a finite creation can display infinite glory. Creation wasn’t just meant to see and enjoy; it is meant to demonstrate and show forth. The only way the universe can show forth the fullness of God’s glory is if sin and evil exist and God can conquer them and show forth mercy and justice, grace, love, wrath, etc.
Monday, March 12, 2007
Prayer Request
If you guys would, I could really use some prayer for my living situation. I have about two-and-a-half weeks to either find a roommate or another place to live. I think God is teaching me how to rely on Him through all of this. I tend to not learn this lesson very well. I find it really easy to rely on myself far too often, which is completely insane considering who God is and who I am. Amazing how a pitiful creature like me tries to say to God, "It's okay, I got this one." So if you would, I would appreciate your prayers for me in this situation. The resolution of my living situation doesn't really concern me as much as seeing Christ in all of this and treasuring that. Wherever I end up living, I just want to trust God more. He is a good and sovereign God, and no matter how hard it gets, He always has my good and His glory in mind. Praise the LORD!
Thursday, March 08, 2007
"Please Come Home"
Okay. I've listened to the new, aforementioned, Dustin Kensrue called "Please Come Home." It is an excellent cd. The only way I can describe it is as Johnny Cash-blues-folk rock. I absolutely love it. And I wish I could write stuff like that. The cd receives a solid A from me. Great music and really good lyrics too. The title track is based on the prodigal son and focuses on the father's love for his son. It's really good. I highly encourage everyone to check it out. But if you have doubts, you can check out a few of his songs at myspace.com/dustinkensrue. Well, I should be getting to bed soon. Don't know if I will, but I should :) May God give you all a blessed night.
Check out this video
This is a really cool song by Dustin Kensrue. Very good. In fact, I've been waiting for his solo cd to come out for a while and I just found out that it's been available for a month and a half so I'm leaving my house right now to go get it.
The weather recently has been absolutely beautiful. I love this time of year. Enjoy!
The weather recently has been absolutely beautiful. I love this time of year. Enjoy!
Tuesday, March 06, 2007
And the #1 Single on the Country-Rock-Half Folk-Kinda Bluesy Chart is...
So I'm sitting in my living room, messing around on my guitar and I start playing this really basic chord progression (literally A, D, A, D, etc.). As I'm playing it I feel the need to sing something to it. But not just anything, it has to be about a girl. (They always have to be about a girl, right?) And not just about a girl, but something vaguely sad, yet oddly uplifting. So I start making up some lyrics and I think I might have just written the first half of the next hit single on the aforementioned Country-Rock-Half Folk-Kinda Bluesy Chart (yeah, I don't know what that means either). So here it is:
She's goin' back home to Georgia (she has to be from the south, right?)
She's goin' back home
She don't know what she's goin' to
But she know's what she's been from
She's going' back home (are you catching a theme?)
To those that know her best
She hates where she's been from
She's tired of being out west
Just for the record, there is no inspiration for this song. Just whatever was going through my head in the two minutes it took to compose this. Anyway, that's the long and short of it.
She's goin' back home to Georgia (she has to be from the south, right?)
She's goin' back home
She don't know what she's goin' to
But she know's what she's been from
She's going' back home (are you catching a theme?)
To those that know her best
She hates where she's been from
She's tired of being out west
Just for the record, there is no inspiration for this song. Just whatever was going through my head in the two minutes it took to compose this. Anyway, that's the long and short of it.
Wednesday, February 21, 2007
Chapter One
That's the name of one of Shane & Shane's songs. It's based on John 1:18 "No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father's side, he has made him known." I was listening to my ipod at work today on shuffle and this song happened to come on. As I listened to the lyrics and thought about what that verse was talking about I just started crying. I realized that lately I've had somewhat of a hard heart toward God and haven't seen Christ as who he truly is and considered him my only source of joy. He is the image of the invisible God and because of him we get the awesome pleasure of seeing God displayed in Christ's face. This is the joy of the world. We see God through Christ, and it is everything to us. Psalm 16:2 "I say to the Lord, 'You are my Lord;I have no good apart from you.'" God has shone into our hearts and has allowed us to not only know him, but delight in him. Praise God that he caused this song to come on and allowed me to truly hear it. I'll leave you with the lyrics. They make an awesome and humble prayer.
Chapter 1
Stir my affections
Stir my affections
Stir my affection for You
for You're my only hope
You Yeshua
explained the way He moves
as just an ordinary man
then again, You're the first, Jesus
and by Your hand we move
You're the image of the invisible God
You are God, You are God
Bring fascination
Bring fascination
Bring fascination of You
for You're my only hope
Chapter 1
Stir my affections
Stir my affections
Stir my affection for You
for You're my only hope
You Yeshua
explained the way He moves
as just an ordinary man
then again, You're the first, Jesus
and by Your hand we move
You're the image of the invisible God
You are God, You are God
Bring fascination
Bring fascination
Bring fascination of You
for You're my only hope
Saturday, February 17, 2007
Crash and Burn
Can you crash and burn at a job fair without even an interview? I think that's what just happened. Some background: I am trying to find a better job right now. Preferably one that requires some thought. I would like to try and use my degree somewhere. I heard that a local company was having a job fair. The company is ATK Thiokol. You might have heard of them, they do a lot with NASA and the space program. They were looking to fill about 300 engineering jobs. I'm a communication major with a bunch of clerical jobs under my belt. You can probably already imagine how this turned out. I knew I was a long shot, but they were hiring for some non-specialized engineering jobs like quality, so I thought what the heck, I'll give it a try. I got there at around 9 a.m. this morning and went to the front desk to sign in. I greeted the woman behind the desk, handed her my resume and proceeded to sign in. When I finished I looked back up at her and could tell she was wondering what on earth I was doing there. She asked what I was looking into and I told her quality or logistics because with my skill set I thought I would be good at them. She told me that they didn't have any of those hiring managers at the job fair and the best way to get my resume into their hands would be to go on their website and apply that way. I'm pretty sure I just got the boot. She told me I could go in and look at their materials and help myself to some refreshments if I wanted to. So I decided to not make the morning a total waste and took some information and a free pen. The pen looks like it might be a decent one, too. Anyway, that's how you can crash and burn without even an interview.
Thursday, February 15, 2007
Clothing
I've been listening to Piper's current series on marriage lately. Ipods and podcasts are really cool, by the way. A week or two ago, he talked about being naked and not ashamed. He was referring back to Genesis 2:25 and the end of God's definition of marriage. As he was talking about the clothing Adam and Eve used to cover themselves after the fall I was really struck with the gospel in this passage. Adam and Eve started out as perfect and therefore there was no need to cover themselves. There was no sin. But as soon as they sinned, they knew they needed to cover themselves. And I was struck with the truth that as fallen human beings, we recognize our sinfulness and attempt to cover ourselves with our own handmade clothing. We do good deeds, give money to the poor, try to live a good life, attend some church, etc. We even recognize those individuals who don't attempt to cover their sins as evil (e.g. serial killers). But this doesn't even come close to acheiving God's standard. We are standing before God with garments of fig leaves saying "See God, I clothed myself, aren't you happy?" When what we need to do is fall before Him, and acknowledge our sinfulness and need to be clothed by Him. When we do that, God shows mercy on us and clothes us with new clothes - the blood of Christ, our righteousness. In the Garden of Eden, God removed the man-made clothes of Adam and Eve and killed an animal to give them clothes of skin. Blood was required to cover up their sin. God demanded a greater blood sacrifice to not just cover sin, but eradicate it. As Christians, we no longer walk around in our man-made fig leaf abominations. Rather we walk around in clothes wrought with blood. Praise God for that! Praise God that we can't earn it! Praise God that we don't have to try and make adequate clothing for ourselves, but that He has graciously provided all we will ever need to be holy before Him!
Wednesday, February 14, 2007
This week in work
My first post in February of '07. Work has been kicking my butt this past week. As you may remember (I think I've mentioned it here, anyway) I work for IAP in the IRS files division (the IRS contracted it out in December). This means that we have long rows of files on shelves in our buildings so we can reference certain tax returns from within the last year or two. We just got finished shipping a bunch of these out, so we now have to move everything around to make room for the new stuff. You might be able to guess where this is going. Because I'm one of the only guys in the building (the ratio is something like 2 guys to 15 girls) and the biggest at that, I got picked to do the biggest job. We have these boxes that we call shoe boxes because they're about that size (unless their my shoe boxes, in which case they are about half the size). They weigh around ten pounds each and forty of them fit in one column. As of today, I have probably moved around 45-55 columns. This means I take them off the shelving, put them on a cart, attempt to roll the cart on the catwalk grating without tipping it over, and then unload them back onto some other shelves. I counted and I have at least 39 more columns to move. That's right, that equals approx. 1,160 boxes, weighing approx. 11,600 lbs. cumulatively, lifted twice for a grand total of approx. 23,200 total pounds of lifting that I will have to do in the next two days. Wow, I just realized that's over 11 tons. You may think I'm complaining, but I'm not. It's actually nice to do work that requires physical effort. I feel like I've accomplished something at the end of the day (I ususally work the mail desk). Plus, I haven't needed to go to the gym this whole week. All-in-all, it's been pretty good.
Wednesday, January 31, 2007
Tea
I think I'm turning into a tea guy. I never would have thought this would happen. I'm not a hot drink kind of guy. But I must say, I like tea. I'm kind of new to it and I haven't tried too many different flavors, but so far I think my favorite is raspberry herbal. It's pretty good. Plus, it doesn't keep me up at night. I just thought I'd share that with you.
Saturday, January 27, 2007
II Samuel 17:14
And Absalom and all the men of Israel said, “The counsel of Hushai the Archite is better than the counsel of Ahithophel.” For the LORD had ordained to defeat the good counsel of Ahithophel, so that the Lord might bring harm upon Absalom.
Setting: Absalom conspired against David and has driven him from Jeursalem. Ahithophel went to Absalom and forsook David. Hushai is loyal to David and seeks to confound and override Ahitohphel’s good counsel.
In 15:31 David prays that God would turn the counsel of Ahithophel into foolishness.
In 17:14 God answers David’s prayer, but not in the way we would expect. Ahithophel still gave good and sound counsel. But God turned this counsel into foolishness in the ears of Absalom and the rest of his advisors. In this verse, we see a glimpse of how God did this. We get a glimpse into the inner workings of Heaven and God. In short, God manipulated man in order to accomplish His purposes
God ordained – This is the decreed will of God. He commanded that Absalom would fail to heed Ahithophel’s counsel. This wasn’t a small matter either. In 16:23 we learn that Ahithophel’s counsel was highly esteemed by both David and Absalom and was like seeking the mind of God. So God’s command required a reversal of thought and attitude that had been built up over time. Absalom and his men went against their own better judgment. God changes our inclinations to effect change in our wills. They followed their strongest inclination (Freedom of the Will, Jonathan Edwards), but God decreed that their strongest inclination be changed. He moves the hearts of men like rivers of water.
God ordained to defeat Ahithophel’s counsel – He defeated it. How? God used human means to bring about His ends. God used Hushai – a faithful follower of David – to bring about Absalom’s death. God did the initial work of changing and hardening their hearts so they would be inclined to listen to Hushai. Then God used Hushai to bring about His ends. How often this is the case in all aspects of life. God uses His creation to help bring about His ends. Even in salvation, God changes the hearts of men, but He uses us to deliver the message. This should give us all the more incentive to be faithful in all aspects of our lives so that God will use us and bless us through that and bring us joy.
God intended to bring harm against Absalom – God is indeed the judge. God metes out punishment. He is not simply a God of love. He is also a God of wrath. We see that He punishes Absalom for his wickedness, and He disciplines David for his sin with Bathsheba (in the death of Absalom). God intended to do this. It pleased God to glorify Himself in bringing harm against a human being by violating his so-called free will to effect His purposes.
God manipulates man and uses us in order to accomplish His purposes.
Setting: Absalom conspired against David and has driven him from Jeursalem. Ahithophel went to Absalom and forsook David. Hushai is loyal to David and seeks to confound and override Ahitohphel’s good counsel.
In 15:31 David prays that God would turn the counsel of Ahithophel into foolishness.
In 17:14 God answers David’s prayer, but not in the way we would expect. Ahithophel still gave good and sound counsel. But God turned this counsel into foolishness in the ears of Absalom and the rest of his advisors. In this verse, we see a glimpse of how God did this. We get a glimpse into the inner workings of Heaven and God. In short, God manipulated man in order to accomplish His purposes
God ordained – This is the decreed will of God. He commanded that Absalom would fail to heed Ahithophel’s counsel. This wasn’t a small matter either. In 16:23 we learn that Ahithophel’s counsel was highly esteemed by both David and Absalom and was like seeking the mind of God. So God’s command required a reversal of thought and attitude that had been built up over time. Absalom and his men went against their own better judgment. God changes our inclinations to effect change in our wills. They followed their strongest inclination (Freedom of the Will, Jonathan Edwards), but God decreed that their strongest inclination be changed. He moves the hearts of men like rivers of water.
God ordained to defeat Ahithophel’s counsel – He defeated it. How? God used human means to bring about His ends. God used Hushai – a faithful follower of David – to bring about Absalom’s death. God did the initial work of changing and hardening their hearts so they would be inclined to listen to Hushai. Then God used Hushai to bring about His ends. How often this is the case in all aspects of life. God uses His creation to help bring about His ends. Even in salvation, God changes the hearts of men, but He uses us to deliver the message. This should give us all the more incentive to be faithful in all aspects of our lives so that God will use us and bless us through that and bring us joy.
God intended to bring harm against Absalom – God is indeed the judge. God metes out punishment. He is not simply a God of love. He is also a God of wrath. We see that He punishes Absalom for his wickedness, and He disciplines David for his sin with Bathsheba (in the death of Absalom). God intended to do this. It pleased God to glorify Himself in bringing harm against a human being by violating his so-called free will to effect His purposes.
God manipulates man and uses us in order to accomplish His purposes.
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
Contending for the Truth
That's the name of the 2007 Ligonier National Conference. It features Piper, MacArthur, Mohler, Sproul, and Ravi Zacharias. It's in the middle of March in Orlando. I am definitely going to try to be there. The lineup of speakers and topics alone is enough to make me salivate over it, and then you throw in Orlando at the end of winter (9 straight days of below freezing and counting). It would be totally awesome to be there! We'll see what God has in store.
Monday, January 22, 2007
I promise I'm trying to post regularly
It's just not happening for whatever reason. I guess I just haven't had a lot I felt like posting about. Anyway, I had some friends over to watch the Colts-Pats game. It was a lot of fun watching the Colts come back and win it. It was a lot more fun watching it with good friends that were rooting for the same team. Toward the end of the game we cheered so loud that we startled the Kibbey's baby, Reed. So when the Colt's player intercepted the last pass we all cheered quietly and Tim jumped up and hit his hands on my ceiling. We all had a good time. We'll see what the superbowl holds in store for us.
Other things of note: I put in for a promotion at work. The interview went well and I'm just waiting to see what God does with it. I also got the opportunity to witness to a prank caller. It was an interesting conversation. It was some girl and her friends, and she was claiming that I had ditched her at the mall. At first I didn't know whether or not it was a prank call. I thought maybe it was a friend playing a joke on me. God used that to keep me on the line. I kept talking to her and God really put it on my heart to share Him with her. By God's grace, I was able to give her the basic gospel message. I know that God's word won't return void. I only pray that He uses it to convict of sin and lead them to Himself. Whatever the result, I know I learned something from the experience as well. I learned the importance of being ready to give a defense and that you have to take advantage of every opportunity, and I saw again that salvation is only of God. Praise God for that, for if it was up to me, nobody would be saved. But even while it only God that can open the eyes of their hearts, we carry this treasure in jars of clay. I love that whole section of scripture. It declares the greatness of the gospel and our lowliness in order that God might be glorified even in the delivery of the gospel. There is never a time when we can look to ourselves and call ourselves great. We are but jars of clay-pottery-but we carry the greatest treasure of all time. "But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us." (II Cor. 4:7) What an awesome truth. Far be it from me to glory in anything but the cross.
Other things of note: I put in for a promotion at work. The interview went well and I'm just waiting to see what God does with it. I also got the opportunity to witness to a prank caller. It was an interesting conversation. It was some girl and her friends, and she was claiming that I had ditched her at the mall. At first I didn't know whether or not it was a prank call. I thought maybe it was a friend playing a joke on me. God used that to keep me on the line. I kept talking to her and God really put it on my heart to share Him with her. By God's grace, I was able to give her the basic gospel message. I know that God's word won't return void. I only pray that He uses it to convict of sin and lead them to Himself. Whatever the result, I know I learned something from the experience as well. I learned the importance of being ready to give a defense and that you have to take advantage of every opportunity, and I saw again that salvation is only of God. Praise God for that, for if it was up to me, nobody would be saved. But even while it only God that can open the eyes of their hearts, we carry this treasure in jars of clay. I love that whole section of scripture. It declares the greatness of the gospel and our lowliness in order that God might be glorified even in the delivery of the gospel. There is never a time when we can look to ourselves and call ourselves great. We are but jars of clay-pottery-but we carry the greatest treasure of all time. "But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us." (II Cor. 4:7) What an awesome truth. Far be it from me to glory in anything but the cross.
Monday, January 15, 2007
God's change of plans
Isn't it amazing when God reveals His will to us!
For the better part of the last two months God has really been working on me and showing me what He wants to do with me. You may remember that I have wanted to go to seminary and go to The Bethlehem Institute. These plans have changed. God has used a sermon by Piper to really effect this change. The sermon is based on Romans 15:18-24 where Paul relates his calling and, as Piper puts it, his "holy ambition." In this section, Paul talks about how he really wants to see the Roman Christians, but he is constrained by His calling and strong desire to preach the name of Jesus where it has not been named. The thing that really struck me about this section is the constrained part. Paul had a strong desire to see the Romans, but because he had an even stronger desire to preach to the unreached he couldn't go to them. I've been talking a lot with Kellen and my parents about this and have been earnestly seeking God's will. I still think it would be awesome to learn from Piper and attend seminary, but my strongest desire by far is to minister in some way to the people in Utah. Utah is not only a physical desert, but it is a spiritual one as well. The people here are lost to the deception of the mormon heresy or they've been so burned by religion that they don't want to have anything to do with God. There is also a very strong satanic subculture that has established itself in the top of Utah. And on top of all of this, the Christians in this area, for the most part, are very lukewarm. I truly think Utah is an oddity in this way. Usually, in areas of persecution (physical, social, or emotional) the Christian community tends to be very strong and united, even if it is small. This is not the case in Utah. There are very few Christian churches in the area, and I believe that there are not very many Christians in those churches. There is very little striving after God and very little desire to plumb the depths of His word. Therefore, my strongest desire is to be used by God to effect change in this area. I believe God is calling me into pastoral ministry and I want to be used here. Of course, God could always change my mind, as He has so many times in the past, but until then this is what I will pursue. I'll probably still try to obtain some seminary level education and I would like to take some Greek and Hebrew courses at Salt Lake Theological Seminary. I'm also being mentored by my dad and sharpened by Kellen and others around me. In the end, God will use me as He sees fit, and I'm completely fine with that :)
For the better part of the last two months God has really been working on me and showing me what He wants to do with me. You may remember that I have wanted to go to seminary and go to The Bethlehem Institute. These plans have changed. God has used a sermon by Piper to really effect this change. The sermon is based on Romans 15:18-24 where Paul relates his calling and, as Piper puts it, his "holy ambition." In this section, Paul talks about how he really wants to see the Roman Christians, but he is constrained by His calling and strong desire to preach the name of Jesus where it has not been named. The thing that really struck me about this section is the constrained part. Paul had a strong desire to see the Romans, but because he had an even stronger desire to preach to the unreached he couldn't go to them. I've been talking a lot with Kellen and my parents about this and have been earnestly seeking God's will. I still think it would be awesome to learn from Piper and attend seminary, but my strongest desire by far is to minister in some way to the people in Utah. Utah is not only a physical desert, but it is a spiritual one as well. The people here are lost to the deception of the mormon heresy or they've been so burned by religion that they don't want to have anything to do with God. There is also a very strong satanic subculture that has established itself in the top of Utah. And on top of all of this, the Christians in this area, for the most part, are very lukewarm. I truly think Utah is an oddity in this way. Usually, in areas of persecution (physical, social, or emotional) the Christian community tends to be very strong and united, even if it is small. This is not the case in Utah. There are very few Christian churches in the area, and I believe that there are not very many Christians in those churches. There is very little striving after God and very little desire to plumb the depths of His word. Therefore, my strongest desire is to be used by God to effect change in this area. I believe God is calling me into pastoral ministry and I want to be used here. Of course, God could always change my mind, as He has so many times in the past, but until then this is what I will pursue. I'll probably still try to obtain some seminary level education and I would like to take some Greek and Hebrew courses at Salt Lake Theological Seminary. I'm also being mentored by my dad and sharpened by Kellen and others around me. In the end, God will use me as He sees fit, and I'm completely fine with that :)
Saturday, January 06, 2007
My computer is healed!
Happy New Year everybody! I hope God continues to bless all of you this year and draw you ever nearer to Him.
Well, northern Utah has finally experienced its first really winter storm system. The mountains have gotten snow and the valleys have had a little bit so far, but a couple days ago we got 4-6 inches in only a few hours timeframe. It was pretty cool.
I'm not much of a new year's resolution kind of guy. My family never really did that growing up, so I guess it never became a tradition for me. So, instead of posting some resolutions, I think I'll give some music awards. (Totally similar, right?)
Top 5 Artists/Bands of All Time
In order to qualify for this list, I must have listened to at least two of their cds. One-timers and newbies are left off.
1. Shane and Shane (as if there could be anybody else in this position)
2. Sandra McCracken
3. Matt Redman
4. Thrice
5. Trace Bundy
Runners-up: Underoath, Norah Jones, Further Seems Forever, Johnny Cash
Best Guitarists I Have Ever Seen
1. Trace Bundy (If you think he's amazing when you hear him, you should watch him play. Incredible!)
2. Jason Truby, guitarist for P.O.D. (I saw him pull off a five minute solo flawlessly at a concert one time. Truly a great guitarist.)
3. Shane Barnard (I have never seen anybody do what he does on the guitar and sing like he does at the same time. God has really gifted him.)
4. Kellen Criswell, and Eric Ahern (I know, I know. They're my brothers-in-law, and I'm a little biased. But they are really good, even though they won't admit it.)
Best One and Done of All Time (The Rest in Peace Award)
1. Beloved, cd: Failure On
Best New Artist (New for me anyway, and discovered this past year)
1. Sandra McCracken (Thanks Lauren!)
Best Song to Listen to at the End of a Long Day
1. Rock of Ages (When the Day Seems Long), by Sandra McCracken
2. Say it Ain't So, by Weezer
3. The Long Day is Over, by Norah Jones
4. In a Little While, by U2
Best Song that gets the Adrenaline Pumping (Renamed the Queen Award or the We Will Rock You award)
1. Music Box, by Thrice
2. Running from me, TrustCompany
3. The Earth Will Shake, by Thrice
4. A Moment Suspended in Time, by Underoath
And now the moment you have all been waiting for: the final award of the night.
Best Albums of All Time
These are the cds that I can listen to over and over again and never tire of them. If I were stranded on a desert island, these are the cds I would want with me.
1. Tie between Clean and An Evening with Shane and Shane, by Shane and Shane
2. The Builder and the Architect, by Sandra McCracken
3. Facedown, by Matt Redman
4. Silence, by Blindside
5. Adapt, by Trace Bundy
Runners-up: The Illusion of Safety, by Thrice; The Lonely Position of Neutral, by TrustCompany, The Pride and Prejudice Soundtrack; any other Shane and Shane cd (I thought I should only pick one or two of them for the top five); MMHMM, by Reliant K
That just about does it for me. I welcome discussion, comments, or jokes aimed at my musical tastes (or lack thereof, depending on your view).
Well, northern Utah has finally experienced its first really winter storm system. The mountains have gotten snow and the valleys have had a little bit so far, but a couple days ago we got 4-6 inches in only a few hours timeframe. It was pretty cool.
I'm not much of a new year's resolution kind of guy. My family never really did that growing up, so I guess it never became a tradition for me. So, instead of posting some resolutions, I think I'll give some music awards. (Totally similar, right?)
Top 5 Artists/Bands of All Time
In order to qualify for this list, I must have listened to at least two of their cds. One-timers and newbies are left off.
1. Shane and Shane (as if there could be anybody else in this position)
2. Sandra McCracken
3. Matt Redman
4. Thrice
5. Trace Bundy
Runners-up: Underoath, Norah Jones, Further Seems Forever, Johnny Cash
Best Guitarists I Have Ever Seen
1. Trace Bundy (If you think he's amazing when you hear him, you should watch him play. Incredible!)
2. Jason Truby, guitarist for P.O.D. (I saw him pull off a five minute solo flawlessly at a concert one time. Truly a great guitarist.)
3. Shane Barnard (I have never seen anybody do what he does on the guitar and sing like he does at the same time. God has really gifted him.)
4. Kellen Criswell, and Eric Ahern (I know, I know. They're my brothers-in-law, and I'm a little biased. But they are really good, even though they won't admit it.)
Best One and Done of All Time (The Rest in Peace Award)
1. Beloved, cd: Failure On
Best New Artist (New for me anyway, and discovered this past year)
1. Sandra McCracken (Thanks Lauren!)
Best Song to Listen to at the End of a Long Day
1. Rock of Ages (When the Day Seems Long), by Sandra McCracken
2. Say it Ain't So, by Weezer
3. The Long Day is Over, by Norah Jones
4. In a Little While, by U2
Best Song that gets the Adrenaline Pumping (Renamed the Queen Award or the We Will Rock You award)
1. Music Box, by Thrice
2. Running from me, TrustCompany
3. The Earth Will Shake, by Thrice
4. A Moment Suspended in Time, by Underoath
And now the moment you have all been waiting for: the final award of the night.
Best Albums of All Time
These are the cds that I can listen to over and over again and never tire of them. If I were stranded on a desert island, these are the cds I would want with me.
1. Tie between Clean and An Evening with Shane and Shane, by Shane and Shane
2. The Builder and the Architect, by Sandra McCracken
3. Facedown, by Matt Redman
4. Silence, by Blindside
5. Adapt, by Trace Bundy
Runners-up: The Illusion of Safety, by Thrice; The Lonely Position of Neutral, by TrustCompany, The Pride and Prejudice Soundtrack; any other Shane and Shane cd (I thought I should only pick one or two of them for the top five); MMHMM, by Reliant K
That just about does it for me. I welcome discussion, comments, or jokes aimed at my musical tastes (or lack thereof, depending on your view).
Wednesday, December 27, 2006
Some recent happenings
I'm at my parent's again and thus I will write a short blog entry. I hope your Christmases have all gone well. Kellen and Jen are due to arrive in a few hours and will stay through the new year. My Christmas was pretty good. We didn't do anything too special because we're waiting on the aforementioned Kellen and Jen (is that one word or too?). We just hung out and ate food. All in all, a good day. Sunday was really cool though. I went skeet shooting with some friends from church. It was my first time shooting a shot gun. I did pretty good for my first time though. I hit probably six out of twenty-five. I definitely feel more like a man now. I think I might need to go out and get me a shotgun now. It was really fun. Anyway, I need to get going. My aunt, grandma, and cousin are here and we are about to watch Christmas in Connecticut. Mind you, this is not the old version. This is the new version with Dyan Cannon and Kris Kristofferson. I'll leave it at that :)
Wednesday, December 20, 2006
Hey everybody!
I'm back. I haven't died or anything, but my computer did. At least that's my excuse for not posting any time recently. I can turn it on, but the keyboard and touchpad don't work. I just sent it back to the manufacturer yesterday, so hopefully I'll get it back soon and working. There have been a lot of things going on recently. I'm in the middle of planning a missions conference for May 13th. My work schedule changed recently and I'm now working 6:00 am to 2:30 pm. I don't like getting up so early, but I do like my afternoons. I also turn 23 tomorrow. In fact, as I write this I'm at my parents house and we're going to have a family thing tonight because I'm pretty busy the next two nights. I'm not too big on my birthday. I don't like to make a big deal out of it or have a big party or anything. I would like to think that it's because I'm just a really humble guy and I don't like being the center of attention. But I know that isn't the case. So I don't really know why I don't make a big deal out of it. Or perhaps that's what I'm doing right now? The world may never know. Kellen and Jen are also coming to visit over New Years. So we are going to celebrate Christmas then with them. I figure the day doesn't really matter as long as you're celebrating it with family. I'm really excited for that.
Is it just me, or does anyone else feel convicted for focusing on Christ's birth mainly during this time of the year? It just seems like I don't think about the incarnation more during the rest of the year. The incarnation is inextricably linked with Christ's oblation and should be as much of a focus for us as the cross is, but yet I don't think much about it until I come across those passages that talk about the incarnation and, of course, Christmas time.
Anyway, I better get going. Merry Christmas to everyone and may the glory of Christ be on all your minds and in all your hearts. And may you all have a great holiday season.
Is it just me, or does anyone else feel convicted for focusing on Christ's birth mainly during this time of the year? It just seems like I don't think about the incarnation more during the rest of the year. The incarnation is inextricably linked with Christ's oblation and should be as much of a focus for us as the cross is, but yet I don't think much about it until I come across those passages that talk about the incarnation and, of course, Christmas time.
Anyway, I better get going. Merry Christmas to everyone and may the glory of Christ be on all your minds and in all your hearts. And may you all have a great holiday season.
Thursday, December 07, 2006
Beta
As you can tell, I've decided to switch to the new blogger beta. I like the customizability (that's not a word, is it?). I also started a new blog titled In season and out of season at letusreturn.blogspot.com. I didn't really mean to, it just kind of happened when I was trying to switch over from old blogger to new. I don't really know if I'm going to keep it going (I kind of doubt I will since I can't update this blog regularly). Anyway, let me know what you guys think.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
