The Casualties of Sledding

Haddon had a rough morning sledding....


He was surprised to get as beat up as he did....


But it's all good...that's part of being a boy, right?

Merry Christmas

Things have been a bit hectic...in a good way!

We traveled up to Maine for Christmas. The kids did great and in the two days we took to get here, we only stopped three times...yes, THREE TIMES! How amazing is that? In that time, I was able to crochet Paysie some booties to match her blanket that I finished in the car and two scarves. I also read the first several chapters of a Piper book that I have been wanting to read.

We woke up Wednesday morning to ice in New Jersey and the going was rough at first, but wasn't too bad once we got going.

Everyone was so happy to see the kids and meet Paysie!

We went to Amatos (a local Italian place) to eat on Christmas Eve...a tradition! And settled in, only to wake up before 7am by some excited little boys.

I was quite surprised to open a Canon Rebel that John got me. My camera was on its way out, and I thought that maybe he would get me a camera, but never thought he would get me a Rebel!! I'm still learning how to use it, but love it!

The day was filled with lots of food, family, and faith. We planned to have a devotional that afternoon....which turned into 6pm....and had printed up some booklets of hymns to sing to Jesus on His birthday. There is nothing sweeter than family gathering together to worship Him. John read out of Isaiah and it was just really nice how we were able to do that with people we don't see too often!

The boys were excited to see everyone and received lots of gifts :) My parents know how much the boys love to cook...





We really can't forget that it was Paysie's first Christmas! She just ate up the attention and was enjoyed by all!






To be cont'd....

There are some games where cheering for the other side feels better than winning

They played the oddest game in high school football history last month down in Grapevine, Texas.

It was Grapevine Faith vs. Gainesville State School and everything about it was upside down. For instance, when Gainesville came out to take the field, the Faith fans made a 40-yard spirit line for them to run through.

Did you hear that? The other team's fans?

They even made a banner for players to crash through at the end. It said, "Go Tornadoes!" Which is also weird, because Faith is the Lions.

"I WOULDN'T EXPECT ANOTHER PARENT TO TELL SOMEBODY TO HIT THEIR KIDS. BUT THEY WANTED US TO!"

It was rivers running uphill and cats petting dogs. More than 200 Faith fans sat on the Gainesville side and kept cheering the Gainesville players on—by name.

"I never in my life thought I'd hear people cheering for us to hit their kids," recalls Gainesville's QB and middle linebacker, Isaiah. "I wouldn't expect another parent to tell somebody to hit their kids. But they wanted us to!"

And even though Faith walloped them 33-14, the Gainesville kids were so happy that after the game they gave head coach Mark Williams a sideline squirt-bottle shower like he'd just won state. Gotta be the first Gatorade bath in history for an 0-9 coach.

But then you saw the 12 uniformed officers escorting the 14 Gainesville players off the field and two and two started to make four. They lined the players up in groups of five—handcuffs ready in their back pockets—and marched them to the team bus. That's because Gainesville is a maximum-security correctional facility 75 miles north of Dallas. Every game it plays is on the road.


You can read the rest of the article here

I think my wife's a Calvinist

The fun of having boys

I am participating in the 22 word challenge over at Abraham Piper's blog. You have to write a story about your kids in 22 words. If you know my kids...the hardest part was picking which story to write about!!

Gideon: "My lip has red on it."

Mommy: "Why is your lip bleeding?"

Gideon: "I hit my head on the Incredible Hulk!"

I was driving down the road with the kids yesterday, and we saw this sign:



Nolan tells Gideon that this is a sign that trucks will tip over if they go too fast on the road.

Gideon replies, "Mommy! I need to pray for all the trucks that are going to tip over!!"

BTLOG....another year, another GREAT concert!

Christmas is just not the same unless you've gone to see Behold the Lamb of God! We missed it last year, and we made sure to see it this year. We drove 3-1/2 hours to Charlotte, NC to see our old friend Andrew Peterson.

On the drive down, we were trying to figure out how many times we have seen him in concert. It's gotta be close to 10 or 11 times by now!



Since John didn't want to hold the girlie diaper bag...Andrew did, lol


Here is the first song off the cd....



And a great video of Labor of Love..

Booties for the boys!

Each time I make booties for Paysie, my boys always say that they want a pair too. I mentioned this to my mom, and she quickly volunteered to make them!

The kids are excited to be able to wear them! Gramma has promised the boys that their booties will be waiting by the door!

My Gideon

A few days ago, the kids and I went grocery shopping.

When we pulled into the garage, I began assigning the kids their jobs. Nolan is in charge of collecting their cups and putting them into the bag to take into the house.

Then, I begin picking up the lightest bags to have them bring into the kitchen for me.

The complaining usually follows.

"Mommy, I don't like jobs!"
"Mommy, it's too heavy!!"
"Mommy, I'm too tired!!!"

I think you get the idea!

But this time, Nolan was handed his bag and ran up the stairs without a word!

Haddon put his arm out to me, and I placed the bag over his wrist!

And Gideon...sweet Gideon, quickly had a look of complete disdain for the task at hand that I can only describe as the most pathetic thing you've ever seen.

"Mommy, I don't like jobs", he said to me.

I bent down to look him in the face...

"Gideon, I really appreciate it when you guys help me bring the groceries in. It isn't a very fun job, but when you help mommy bring in the bags, you are glorifying God by obeying and helping me out!"

He brought his bag up the stairs.

As I remained in the garage, grabbing the diaper bag and Paysie in her carrier, Gideon appeared at my side.

"Mommy, do you have any more jobs for me?" he asked.

"Are you asking me if I need any more help?"

"Yep!"

The look on his face was one of genuine helpfulness. I gave him the diaper bag to carry for me.

"Gideon, that was so nice of you to come down here! You are really being a great helper to me and are really glorifying God right now!"

His face beamed.

"I know! Thank you for saying that mommy!"

And my little 5 year old boy ran up the stairs.

The Children's Choir

Every Wednesday night, my boys go to their class called Sing to the King. In October, they went to a local nursing home to sing some songs they have been learning.

Since then, they have been singing Christmas Carols!

Here they are last weekend singing for the church services!



Nolan is on the right, at the end. Gideon is in the second row, 5th one in from the right. Haddon is on the bottom row, 2nd one in from the left.

They were so darling standing up there!

A trip to the movies

A new skirt for the girl

Notice how the hands and feet are blurry....yeah, she doesn't stop moving!

Santa Claus??

We don't do Santa Claus. The kids know who he is. They wave to him at the mall. They recognize the red suit, the white beard and his reindeer.

And it ends there.

When Nolan was little, John and I discussed whether or not we would hold up the charade of Santa, and we decided not to. We also don't believe in the Easter Bunny, the tooth fairy or leprechauns either.

As I looked around for some articles on this very subject, I came across a few that may be helpful to you in understanding why we are raising our family this way.

Here is what I found....

To Live is Christ: Why I don't believe in Santa...

Christian Parenting Daily: Do Christian Kids Believe in Santa

John Piper: How We See Christmas Symbols

22 Words: My Thoughts on Santa Claus: Who Cares?

I found the perfect shoe.

And that's all I have to say about that.


I don't own it, but someday I will.

Happy 2nd Birthday Jamison!

My littlest boy is two!

Jamison,

I remember the late nights I spent contracting, wondering if tonight would be the night. But the night would often turn into morning, and you were happy where you were.

Your due date was November 30th...and you've always known how to make an entrance! You walked in the footsteps of your brothers and arrived quickly...before the doctor could even make it to the hospital! And then you entered the world full of life and curiosity...which has only grown as you have gotten older!

Oh, how I love my little man! You are loved by so many!

My prayer for you is that you love the Lord with all your heart, with all your mind and with all your strength! I pray that God uses you to further His kingdom. I pray that if it is His will that you marry, that He is preparing the heart of your bride. That she becomes a True Woman and is the perfect compliment to you. I hope you learn that your mommy and daddy really do have your best interest ay heart, even though you may disagree with us at times.

You are a joy, my sweet boy...

Love,
Mommy

I watched a sappy Hallmark movie tonight

I can get away with watching sappy movies when John isn't home!

So there I was...watching this movie about a boy that grew up with Tourette's Syndrome (which was very good and made me cry!)...and then came the commercials.

I don't know about you, but half the fun of watching Hallmark movies is watching the sentimental commercials that they have throughout the movie!

I've seen this commercial before, but thought it was worth sharing.

You see, over the past several years, I've had three miscarriages. They were incredibly hard to get through, and it's only by God's incredible grace that we have come through those periods of suffering even stronger than we were before.

Hallmark has this one commercial, where the writer's of the cards talk about some of the things they have written.

One of those writers spoke that there never seemed to be the right card to give to someone who lost a baby.

She began saying that when a friend of hers had a miscarriage, people just didn't know what to say to her and they wondered why after a week or two, why she wasn't over it yet.

Her response was...Because I already fell in love.

When someone you know suffers a miscarriage, don't pretend that baby never existed. Don't expect them to just get over it. Don't tell them they can just have another child to replace the one they lost.

It doesn't work that way.

For those few short days, there was life....and then there wasn't.

Because the moment a woman realizes she is pregnant...she is instantly in love...

Today we met Mike Huckabee!

Unfortunately, the one picture I have is on the internal memory on my camera, and I don't know how to get it off! Someone I met in line took one for me on my phone, but even that wasn't stored properly. I should be receiving a pic soon from one of these really nice ladies I met while waiting :)

Just believe me, I was there!

First off, I couldn't find the bookstore. Nolan and Gideon kept telling me that I should call up Mike Huckabee and ask him. But I thought that he probably doesn't know where he is either!

I'm not too familiar with Bristol, VA, and kinda wandered around exit 7 until I found it! Good thing I left early :)

We arrive and buy his book...then I am told I need a number to stand in line.

We were number 195.

I had Nolan, Gideon and Paysie with me. Jamison needed to nap and Haddon spent last night with a fever, and I wanted him resting today.

The boys were happy to wait in line...especially since we were in the map/atlas/geography/calendar section. When the line began to move, they discovered new things to look at and even spent awhile playing I Spy!

Then we could see him. The kids were excited and were pointing at him.

I shook his hand, and he asked how old the baby was. I told him almost 4 months old and that I had seen him when he was running for President at the airport with all my boys wearing their I Like Mike shirts. He said...she wasn't there, right? And I said, well, I was pregnant...to which he replied...Wow, that really puts it into perspective how long ago it was that he was running, lol.

He was very appreciative of our support. I can only hope that he runs again one of these days!

Christmas Picture Outtakes

It's that time of year again, lol

Don't worry, I did get a couple decent ones...you'll just have to wait until you get your Christmas card :)

A Few Videos

Pictures from The Barn at Buladean!

Last Saturday, we went up to the mountains in NC, to spend some time with friends! I could seriously live my life in Buladean, and not have a care in the world!

Here are some pictures!

The Advent Conspiracy....

What do you think of this?

The current state of the SBC

Timelines and an organized list of events can be helpful to see how things evolve (or devolve), so I thought I would provide a play-by-play run down of the events that have transpired (and will continue to transpire) since the John 3:16 conference, and more particularly the revival of the charge of hyper-Calvinism by Dr. David Allen, dean of the school of theology at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.

Here’s the rundown thus far (I will be updating this regularly in the future).

1. [11.07.08] David Allen gives his message against limited atonement at the John 3:16 Conference wherein he charges James White (among others) as a hyper-Calvinist.

2. [11.07.08] James White offers and immediate response while in the UK evangelizing Muslims.

3. [11.07.08] Phil Johnson, author of the “Primer on Hyper-Calvinism“, comes to the defense of James White and refutes the charges made by David Allen.

4. [11.08.08] Tony Byrne (YnottonY) storms the blogosphere as Dr. Allen’s apologist. Eventually it was revealed that Byrne drafted the chart distributed at the conference and was influential in both the 34-page response by Allen to the Building Bridges Conference as well as the presentation on limited atonement. The extent to which Allen’s presentation and thinking has been influenced remains uncertain.

5. [11.09.08] Timmy Brister provides a compilation post of live-blogging entries along with some noteworthy items from the John 3:16 conference.

6. [11.17.08] Gene Cook interviews Tony Byrne about his chart and understanding of hyper-Calvinism on the Narrow Mind.

7. [11.24.08] David Allen responds with his reasoning behind the charge of hyper-Calvinism and James White (very similar to what Byrne had already been arguing).

8. [11.24.08] James White responds to Allen’s “false accusation” on the AOMIN blog.

9. [11.24.08] Tom Ascol addresses the widening of the divide in the SBC as a result of (1) Lemke’s article, (2) Allen’s PDF review, and (3) the John 3:16 Conference.

10. [11.26.08] Phil Johnson addresses (again) the issue of hyper-Calvinism, refuting point-by-point the argumentation by David Allen.

11. [11.26.08] James White responds ot Phil Johnson’s refutation of Allen.

12. [11.26.08] James White addresses Allen’s historical sources for his presentation.

13. [11.26.08] The “open letter” by David Miller was published along with Jerry Vines’ response.

14. [11.28.08] R. Scott Clark, a non Southern Baptist and professor of Historical Theology at Westminster Seminary, chimes in on the shared rationalism of both hyper-Calvinism and Arminianism.

15. [11.28.08] Justin Taylor provides information to answer the question, “What Is Hyper-Calvinism?”

16. [11.28.08] James White plays the testimony of Thomas Dickerson who was “saved out of Calvinism” (to the applause of the crowd) and responds both to Dickerson’s mysticism and the panel’s reaction (YouTube video).

17. [11.28.08] Malcolm Yarnell, after having left nearly a dozen comments on Ascol’s post, takes his partying agenda elsewhere.

18. [11.29.08] James White addresses Allen’s treatment of the “double payment argument” and John Owen (YouTube video)

(HTT: Timmy Brister)

Obedience

Our boys go to bed at 7pm. Haddon and Jamison go right to bed, lights out. Nolan and Gideon get to read in their beds until 8pm.

I'd be lying if I told you that all they do is read. They usually play church, sing some hymns, maybe even read out of their Bible. Once that is done, they begin practicing the best way to tackle someone when playing football. They call it: Playing Defense.

Have I mentioned that my boys are quite the sports fans?

Haddon and Jamison go down without a fight (most nights), while Nolan and Gideon really struggled in obeying us once the lights were out and it was time for peace and quiet.

A lot of times, it took 3 or 4 spanking sessions to bring the boys into obedience...which we like to call 'the circle'. You see, inside the circle, you are protected by God. There is peace, comfort, and you are safe. If you disobey, you have fallen outside the circle. There is trouble, fire, death and hell. The way to be brought back into the circle is to be have spankings and a talk to get to the heart issue that made you disobey in the first place.

It has now been 3 nights in a row of obedience and quiet. When we ask them why they think they have been going to bed so good and quiet, these are the answers we get:

Gideon: "Mommy, we are obeying because we prayed to God to not sin."

Nolan: "We are obeying because we want to obey to make you happy and please God."

I can really see them wanting and trying to obey us. It's not just their behavior either...you can see their heart wanting to glorify God and there is nothing sweeter for a parent to experience.

Happy Thanksgiving!

We had a nice day, filled with family and friends...and let's not forget about the food!!

The turkey was brined and cooked to perfection....as was everything else!

The kids spoke of nothing but turkey for the past two days, but weren't too thrilled with it on their plate. They each ate their share of pie, though. There were lots of choices: apple, cherry or pumpkin. I'm thinking they might want more for dinner!

Paysie wished she could partake of the turkey and fixings, but will patiently wait until next year!

Here she is wearing the jumper I made her before she was born:


All my guys and my girl:

Stay at Home Dad?

A sign of the times....

The Mother Letter

Over at Rocks in My Dryer there is the sweetest request that has been made from a husband, wanting to give his wife something very special.

Read this post:

It Would Make Me Very Happy If You'd Read This Post. Thank You.

Then go to The Mother Letter Project.

Here is a small write up:

As you may already know, I am creating Christmas for my wife this year and this
is the site devoted to her present. Simply stated, I am collecting a series of
“open letters” from mothers, to mothers. I am asking you to share your
stories—no matter how raw or difficult. Share you concerns or worries—no matter
how foolish they may seem. Share your wisdom—no matter how you came by it. Share
your mother story. The only request? Start the letter “Dear Mother” and sign it.
I will compile all of the letters in a Christmas book for both my wife AND YOU.
If you share a letter before Christmas you will receive an electronic copy of
the Mother Letters. Submit your letter by leaving a comment here, or
email you letter to motherletter@gmail.com.

Email or comment on the thread and join many other women who are sending letters for this project!

Holiday Recipes!

Last year, I posted my Thanksgiving Recipes...and since then, have gotten many requests on them.

Here are the links to last years posts:

Brining and Cooking a Turkey

Bread Stuffing and Gravy

Party Potatoes

Swiss Cheese Green Bean Casserole

Sweet Potato Casserole

Some Favorite Holiday Desserts

Enjoy!!!

Let me know about your favorite recipes too!

"There's a dead COW in the backyard!"

That is what the kids came running into my room this morning to tell me.

Apparently there is a dead cow in the backyard.

Here is how the conversation went:

Nolan: "Mommy, I've got some bad news for you."
Me: "What?"
Nolan: "There is a dead cow in the backyard or something. It's covered with snow."
Me: "Really? A dead cow?"
Nolan: "Yeah, it's just laying there in the backyard...you gotta come and see! And I'm not kidding!"

and then Gideon ran in...

Gideon: "Mommy, did Nolan tell you about the dead cow?"
Me: "Yeah!"
Gideon: "Where did you get a dead cow?"
Me: "I'm thinking it's not a dead cow, silly."

and Haddon ran in....

Haddon: "Mommy! Mommy! The cow is maybe dead or sleeping!"


It's always nice to start your morning with a good laugh!

Here is the 'dead cow':


Oh, and did I mention that we have SNOW!?! This is going to be an interesting winter...I can feel it already!

Homeade Holidays

Again, at Sew Mama Sew, there are posts upon posts of gift ideas that you can make for those on your list!

I look forward to visiting her blog daily to see what ideas she will be posting!

Check it out...

3 months

Can you believe it?

Paysie is doing extremely well. I believe that when she nurses, she gets pure buttercream. She definitely is getting big!

She now wears size 6-12 month clothing. I'm hoping that she will be able to wear this size for the rest of the winter, but really, who are we kidding?

She is very laidback and loves to watch her brothers run all around her. She loves to talk to them and smiles so easily.

She is in size 3 diapers...and really, it wasn't too long ago that Jamison was in size 3's. I'm guessing she is pushing the 15-16 pound mark.

Paysie is a great little sleeper and is sleeping about 10-11 hours a night straight! She doesn't even wake up crying...she wakes up talking and cooing in her crib.

She is a sweet girl who can definitely light up a room!

Here she was in the hospital:

At one month:

At two months old:

At three months old:

A Personal Perspective on the SBC from Voddie Baucham

The SBC and Calvinism: A Personal Perspective
Wednesday, November 12, 2008


Those who know me have probably asked me at one time or another why I am part of the Southern Baptist Convention. To tell you the truth, I’ve been thinking that a lot myself lately. I am especially disturbed by events at the recent John 3:16 conference sponsored by Jerry Vines Ministries, New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary, Luther Rice Seminary and Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. The conference represents a growing antagonism in Southern Baptist life toward those who embrace the Doctrines of Grace. Unfortunately, this conference lacked some of the the balance and tact of the Building Bridges Conference. See critiques here, here, and here. The last link is especially revealing since James White was labeled a hyper-Calvinist while he was in London pressing the claims of Christ among Muslims! Hyper-Calvinist? “You keep using that word... I do not think it means what you think it means.” (Inigo Montoya, The Princess Bride)

For a ‘lighter’ take on things look here. I only post this because I have been bombarded with questions as to where I am in this ‘fight’. Of course, it is not much of a fight. The SBC establishment is firmly and openly anti-Calvinist. There is no question about that. There is but one question. How long before the SBC realizes that defeating Calvinism would represent a Phyrric victory at best. Anyone paying attention sees the stark contrast between ministries like T4G, 9Marks, Desiring God, and the SBC Annual meeting. One of these groups is known for being 1) anti-Calvinistic, 2) highly politicized, and 3) void of the youth and vitality needed to sustain it in the future (hence, that ubiquitous question, “Exactly why are you in the SBC?”).

As for me, the SBC is still home. I am still a Baptist by confession and conviction. However, the is not the welcoming place it was for me earlier in this decade. In 2001 I had the privilege of being appointed Chair of the ‘Teller’s Committee’ at the Annual Convention in New Orleans (unfortunately, flooding in Houston prevented me from attending what would have been my first Convention). In late 2002 I got a call out of the blue from LifeWay/Broadman & Holman (the Southern Baptist publishing arm) offering me --an unpublished, unproven author-- a three-book publishing deal, which I accepted. I wrote The Ever Loving Truth (B&H, 2004), and The Ever Loving Truth Bible Study (LifeWay, 2004), before parting ways. During the same period, I received three invitations to preach at the SBC Pastor’s Conference (the event that kicks off the Southern Baptist Convention) in 2002, 2004 and 2005 (a family commitment prevented my participation the first year). This was, as we say here in the South, high cotton! Not many guys in their early thirties who have never pastored a church get a shot at preaching in the Pastor’s Conference. As my dear friend and brother, Derry Hodge said at the time, my “star was on the rise.”

However, things have changed drastically since then. That change is due in large part to three main issues that left me on the outside looking in. First, many of my brethren and I do not agree on the urgency of Christian parents giving their children a Christian Education. Though the Baptist Faith and Message seems to state the matter plainly (See Baptist Faith & Message, 2000, section XII: Education), my view is deemed extremist, un-evangelistic, and unwarranted. My partner in crime Bruce Shortt and I discovered that government education was a sacred cow not to be messed with in the SBC. In 2004, our education resolution created a firestorm, but fell to defeat. In 2005, we rang the bell again and gained a victory. However, while the Associated Press, and thousands of other publications (including Ethics Daily) covered the 2005 story incessantly, there was a virtual blackout over at Baptist Press. A look at the stories they wrote about ‘yours truly’ before vs. after 2005 makes for an interesting search to say the least. Not to mention the fact that we were taking on the homosexual agenda and received international coverage, but the BP blackout concerning my part in the resolution persisted.

My second SBC faux pas was going public with my position on Youth Ministry/Family Discipleship. While I voiced concerns for years, these were not “public” until I began to blog about them, then preach about them on the SBC stage. In February of 2006, I preached the message, The Centrality of the Home in the Evangelism and Discipleship of the Next Generation at the SBTC Evangelism Conference. I began to call Youth Ministry into question, not just for its shallowness, or ineffective track record (as did Christian Smith, George Barna, Mike Yakonelli, Alvin Reid, Allen Jackson, Richard Rossand scores of others); I had the audacity to point out the fact that it wasn’t even biblical in the first place. This, coupled with the release of Family Driven Faith, and planting Grace Family Baptist Church, set off a chain of SBC events that would culminate in the SBTC Youth Ministry Forum, and (some would argue) the recent “Patriarchy” rant at Midwestern Seminary by Cynthia Kunsman.

However, neither of these constituted fatal infractions. I co-sponsored an education in 2004, but preached at the SBC in 2005. I stood against YM for years and while many were uncomfortable, I was still part of the gang. That is, until I came out of the closet. No... I’m not gay. It’s far worse than that. I’m a Calvinist! That’s right, I’m a fire-breathing, TULIP believing, five-point Calvinist. That, my friends, is the unpardonable sin in contemporary Southern Baptist life (unless your name is Al Mohler and you’ve been President of the flagship Southern Baptist Theological Seminary since you were in your early thirties and happen to be the most intelligent, articulate, winsome public face the Convention has).

I was ‘outed’ in 2006 when I preached at the Desiring God National Conference. Prior to that I had preached at Alistair Begg’s conferences, but Desiring God was the fatal blow. After that the questions began to swirl. After preaching a message in a Pastor’s conference in 2006 a dear friend approached me (he is a well-known Calvinist whose name I won’t mention... TOM ASCOL ...and I was going to be preaching in his church the next day). He was laughing about a debate he overheard between two pastors. The issue? Whether or not I believed regeneration precedes faith! These brothers had begun to put two and two together but they just knew it couldn’t be four. It was as though I had contracted AIDS. These guys were actually mourning! “I had him in my church!” one of them lamented. I could have done a lot of things and been just fine. However, the dreaded “C” word has become a death sentence in “mainstream”

Southern Baptist life. Some may say that’s not it at all. Perhaps I’m simply too controversial, or vitriolic. Really? Then explain Ergun Caner (whom, by the way, I consider a friend even though we differ on this issue). Caner has been on of the most vitriolic voices in recent SBC history. However, his vitriol has been pointed at the enemy, Calvinism. Jerry Vines called the Prophet Mohammad a “Demon-possessed pedophile” and brought scorn on the entire Convention, but he hosts conferences with some of the top names and institutions in the SBC. Jerry Fallwell made a career out of vitriol and controversy and the SBC gave him the Keys to the Kingdom when he joined. No, I don’t think vitriol is my crime. My crime is being a part of a movement the SBC sees as a threat to evangelism, and our already declining baptismal numbers.

Calvinists can be an easy target when it comes to evangelism and baptism. Never mind names like Augustine of Hippo, Martin Luther, John Calvin, Adonirum Judson, William Carey, Charles Spurgeon, Richard Baxter, Matthew Henry, John Bunyan, George Whitefield, Jonathan Edwards, Arthur Pink, Boyce, Andrew Fuller, Luther Rice, J.L. Dagg, Daniel & Abraham Marshall, D. Martin Lloyd-Jones, J.I. Packer, Ian Murray, D.A. Carson, John Piper, James White, Tom Nettles, Tom Schriner, Tom Ascol, Timothy George, Mark Dever, and Al Mohler. The strawman (who doesn’t believe in evangelism because he believes in election) that was beaten about the head and shoulders at the John 3:16 Conference is a much easier target. Can you imagine that conference with the living members of the aforementioned list sitting there defending themselves? I’d pay a pretty penny to see that!

Instead, guys like White get hammered for not believing in evangelism while out doing evangelism! Good thing we’re protecting the Convention from the likes of him. If not we might start having bus tours with slogans like “Everyone Can”. Convention leaders with churches that boast memberships of 10,000 when their actual attendance (resident, participating, regenerate, ‘real’ members) is well under 2,000. Or fire engine baptistries to coax children into the sacred waters (Paige Patterson called this “blasphemy” right before calling Southern Baptists “some of the worst paedo-baptizers there are”). If we don’t rid ourselves of guys like White, we may end up adding a category in our baptismal reports for “Under Age 6,” or have a pastor join the Youth Ministry at the beach and have himself and staff ‘re-baptized’ in an effort to ‘prime-the-pump’ and get the baptismal numbers up for the annual beach retreat (true story!). Or who knows, if the likes of James White are not stopped, we may have non-Trinitarians like T.D. Jakes come and teach at our conferences.

Of course anyone paying attention knows these atrocities are actual occurrences in our beloved Convention and they are the types of things Calvinists (like White) bemoan. Moreover, our Arminian and Amyraldian brethren also despise these things (funny how people berate Calvinists for “following doctrine named for a man” when the various other positions are named for men as well). Unfortunately, they don’t despise these atrocities quite as much as they despise Calvinism. So where does that leave me? Still here. Sill lovin’ the brethren. Still holding to the Doctrines of Grace. Still in the SBC. No longer considering a future of any significance in the Convention. Praying for reconciliation, revival and reformation. Grieving over the status quo. Still holding to the Fives!

The Five Solas
Sola Scriptura
Sola Fide
Sola Gratia
Solus Christus
Soli Deo Gloria!
The Five Points
Total or Radical Depravity
Unconditional or Sovereign Election
Limited Atonement/Particular Redemption
Irresistible or Effectual Grace
Perseverance of the Saints

VB

Voddie Baucham Ministries

Jeff Noblit on The Baptist Sacrament and Altar Calls

A quote

"All this emergent church stuff, much of the church growth stuff, all the cultural sensitivity throwing out the window biblical sensitivity, it's just a bunch of little boys wanting to play church without the power of God on their life, and I'll stand on that statement. It's a lesser than David trying to fit himself in Saul's armor. To the wind with it. The more you trust in the arm of the flesh, the less you're going to see of the power of God."
-Paul Washer

Piggy Paysie

November 23rd

Are you ready?

I am.

A Paysie Video

You supply the caption...