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...

Voddie Baucham on Sarah Palin

I can't say that I disagree with him.

Did McCain Make a Pro-Family VP Pick?
Saturday, August 30, 2008
Conservatives are all aglow as John McCain pulled off an apparent coup d’état this week by naming Sarah Palin as his choice for Vice President. Bob Unruh, writing for the conservative Christian web magazine, Worldnet Daily may have put it best when he opened his column:

Pro-family advocates and Republicans are saying presumptive GOP nominee for president Sen. John McCain may have checkmated Democrat Sen. Barack Obama with his choice of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as his vice-presidential running mate.

Everyone from Liberty Counsel to FRC is raving about the political genius displayed by Mr. McCain. It seems Christian conservatives have received the bone they were hoping McCain would throw their way in order to alleviate doubts about his conservative bona fides.

While I agree that from a political standpoint Mr. McCain made a brilliant political move, I am not so sure his pick can be portrayed as “pro-family.” It is true that Mrs. Palin is ardently pro-life –a distinction bolstered by the fact that she has five children, and chose not to abort a Down Syndrome baby—and she is also a fiscal conservative, a Washington outsider, and she hunts wolves from helicopters! What more could the Neocons ask for?

Unfortunately, Christians appear to be headed toward a hairpin turn at breakneck speed without the slightest clue as to the danger ahead. I don’t see this as a pro-family pick at all! Moreover, I believe the conservative fervor over this pick shows how politicized Christians have become at the expense of maintaining a prophetic voice. I believe that Mr. McCain has proven with his VP pick that he is pro-victory, not pro-family. In fact, I believe this was the anti-family pick. I say that for at least two reasons.

NOT A PRO FAMILY JOB

First, if Mr. McCain was pro-family, he would want to see Mrs. Palin at home taking care of her five children, not headed to Washington to be consumed by the responsibilities of being second in command to the most powerful man in the world (or serving as the Governor of Alaska for that matter). Let me also say that I would have the same reservations about a man with five children at home seeking the VP office. It’s not exactly a pro-family job.

FRC’s piece on Mrs. Palin links to a Wallstreet Journal article outlining her political career. While many Christian conservatives are highlighting Palin’s toughness, integrity and obvious conservative credentials (more conservative than McCain, in fact), they also seem to be ignoring several red flags.

For example, the Journal article, in an effort to highlight Palin’s ‘eco-friendly’ lifestyle, uncovers a disturbing trend that plagues far too many young women with families. The article refers to Palin’s habit of “driving herself to and from work every day from the Anchorage suburb of Wasilla, about 45 miles away.” Does this bother anyone else? Lets say the Governor averages sixty miles per hour on her daily commute (which I seriously doubt). That adds seven and a half hours per week to what one would assume is already a fifty to sixty-hour workweek (at least that if she is as driven as the article implies). This is supposed to be pro-family?

Perhaps the most disturbing revelation in the article is Mrs. Palin’s recent decision to travel for work (against her doctor’s orders) in the final days of her pregnancy. According to the article:

“Gov. Palin's opted to board a jet from Dallas in April while about to deliver a child. Gov. Palin, who was eight months pregnant, says she felt a few contractions shortly before she was to give a keynote speech to an energy summit of governors in Dallas. But she says she went ahead with it after her doctor in Alaska advised her to put her feet up to rest. "I was not going to miss that speech," she says.”

She put her child at risk, not for an official, necessary, or emergency duty as the Governor of Alaska, but because she simply “was not going to miss out on that speech.” A speech! The more I learn about the choices this woman has made, the less inclined I am to see Mr. McCain’s choice as pro-family. She may be the best working mother in America, but the evidence is questionable at best.

NOT A PRO FAMILY MESSAGE

Not only do I believe that a pro-family candidate would prefer to see Mrs. Palin at home taking care of her children, I believe a pro-family candidate would also avoid validating and advancing our culture’s desire to completely erase gender roles. Much of the discussion about Mrs. Palin’s candidacy centers around her opportunity to “break through the class ceiling” and be a “role model for young women.” The same was said of Mrs. Clinton’s candidacy in the Democratic primary. But what does this mean?

Are we really saying that we want to completely erase the distinctions between men and women. Do we really believe that it is good for our country to promote the view that women are merely men who happen to be biologically capable of having children (when it does not interfere with career advancement, of course)? I don’t think so. What do we do with the Bible’s admonition in Titus chapter two? Are Christian conservatives saying that Paul’s instructions concerning women’s duty to be “keepers of their homes” has somehow been overturned in light of recent discoveries? Or are we saying that pro-family means one thing when we’re in church, but something else when we’re trying to beat the Democrats?

Let me be clear. I am not arguing that it is always wrong for a woman to be engaged in affairs outside the home. I agree with Albert Barnes who wrote:

This does not mean, of course, that they are never to go abroad, but they are not to neglect their domestic affairs; they are not to be better known abroad than at home; they are not to omit their own duties, and become “busy-bodies” in the concerns of others. (Barnes’ Notes on the Bible)

My point is simple. The job of a wife and mother is to be a wife and mother. Anything in addition to that must also be subservient to it. There is no higher calling. Moreover, I believe Paul’s admonition should lead us to reject any notion of a wife and mother taking on the level of responsibility that Mrs. Palin is seeking.

My heart breaks for her. She has been blessed beyond measure with five incredible children, but she is running hard after what the world says is ‘something more.’ I fear she will regret this some day. In fact, I believe she already does. I can’t imagine her going to sleep at night without a nagging doubt in the back of her mind as she thinks about the time with her children that she will never get back.

My heart breaks for her children. Their mother, by all reports, is an incredible, intelligent, energetic woman with a great deal to offer. Unfortunately, right now she is offering it to the people of Alaska, and the people of the United States of America when her first priority is to offer it to them. God designed them to flourish under the nurturing care of their mother, not some surrogate.

My heart breaks for her husband. Mrs. Palin is not even supposed to be the head of her own household (Eph. 5:22ff; Col. 3:18; Titus 2:5; 1 Peter 3:1-7), let alone the State of Alaska, or the United States Senate (The VP oversees the Senate). He should be shepherding her, but instead she is ruling over him (Rom 13:1-7; 1Pet 2:13-17). How difficult it must be for him to walk the fine line of bowing to the culture that is stealing his bride while still trying to love his wife and lead his family.

My heart breaks for the so-called Christian right. All the usual subjects have been falling all over themselves to praise Mr. McCain and justify their blind allegiance to the Republican Party in an effort to secure more “pro-family” judges. They want to protect marriage from redefinition by the homosexual movement, and they are willing to redefine marriage (and motherhood) to do it.

Ironically, the Neocons are merely using Mrs. Palin as a political pawn. She is beloved because she gives them the coveted “moral high ground” in the upcoming debates. Read recent articles and the goals become clear. We must win on abortion. She makes it hard to argue for it. We must win on the race/gender issue. She gives us a woman to their ethnic minority. We must win on being young and hip. Obama is 47; Palin is 44. We must win the “change” argument. Obama is new to Washington; Palin has never served there. Checkmate!

Unfortunately, this political pawn represents a fatal flaw worldview flaw. In an effort to win the pro-family political argument, we are sacrificing the pro-family biblical argument. In essence, the message being sent to women by conservative Christians backing McCain/Palin is, “It’s ok to sacrifice your family on the altar of your career; just don’t have an abortion.” How pro-family is that?

VB

From his blog

Spectacular Sins

You can now preorder John Piper's new book Spectacular Sins for just $5!

Here is the write up on it:

What does the fall of Satan reveal about Christ’s glory? How does Adam’s sin magnify our Lord? How does the glory of Jesus shine through in Judas’ betrayal? How is the honor of Jesus at stake in the sin and evil, the suffering and the calamities and the wickedness, which abound in the world today? In this book John Piper seeks to provide a biblical perspective on God’s sovereign and righteous governance over even the sinful acts of men. History’s greatest sins do not thwart God’s purposes to save his people and glorify his Son; they fulfill them. And being grounded in this hope is the key to “Christ-exalting strength in calamity and Christ-exalting courage in conflict.”

John Piper also had a recent entry that has to do with this book:

Thoughts On Why Everything Exists

One of the main points of the forthcoming book Spectacular Sins and Their Global Purpose in the Glory of Christ is that sin and God’s wrath against it were part of God’s plan when he created the world. This is different from saying that God sins or that he approves of sinning.

The main reason for making this point is to exalt the revelation of God’s grace in the crucifixion of Jesus to the highest place. This is the point of the universe—the glorification of the grace of God in the apex of its expression in the death of Jesus.

Jesus died for sin (1 Corinthians 15:3). The death of Jesus for sin was planned before the foundation of the world (Revelation 13:8; Ephesians 1:4-6). Therefore, sin was part of the plan. God carries this plan through in a way that maintains full human accountability, full hatred for sin, full divine justice, and full saving love for all who trust Christ. And we don’t need to know how he does it to believe it and rest in it and worship him for it.

This morning I was meditating for my devotions on Ezra 8 and 9. I saw there another pointer to the truth of God’s planning for human sin and divine wrath.

In Ezra 8:22, Ezra says, “The hand of our God is for good on all who seek him, and his power and his wrath are against all who forsake him.” This text leads me to ask: Did God know before creation that his creatures would “forsake him.” Yes, he did. The plan for their redemption was in place before the foundation of the world (Ephesians 1:3-6).

Was Ezra 8:22 true before the foundation of the world? Yes, it was. God did not become holy and just after creation. He has always been holy and just. “His power and his wrath are against all who forsake him” because this is, and always has been, the holy and just thing for God to do.

Therefore, since God knew that his creatures would forsake him, he also knew that his power and wrath would be against them. Therefore, this was part of his plan. He created the world knowing that sin would happen and that he would respond as Ezra 8:22 says he does.

This planning is what Paul means in Romans 9:22 when he says that God was “desiring to show his wrath and to make known his power. . .” And if you ask Paul why God would go forward with this plan, his most ultimate answer is in the next verse: “in order to make known the riches of his glory for vessels of mercy” (Romans 9:23).

God knew that the revelation of his wrath and power against sin would make the riches of his glory shine all the brighter and taste all the sweeter for the vessels of mercy.

“The riches of his glory” are the riches we inherit when we see his glory in all the fullness that we can bear (Ephesians 1:18) and are transformed by it (Romans 8:30; 2 Corinthians 3:18; 1 John 3:2). These riches of glory reach their supreme height of wonder and beauty in the death of Jesus as he bore the condemnation of God’s wrath and power in our place (Romans 8:3; Galatians 3:13).

In other words, God’s plan that there be sin and wrath in the universe was ultimately to bring about “the praise of the glory of his grace” in the death of Christ (Ephesians 1:6). What is at stake in the sovereignty of God over sin is the ultimate aim of the universe, namely, the exaltation of the Son of God in the greatest act of wrath-removing, sin-forgiving, justice-vindicating grace that ever was or ever could be. The praise of the glory of God’s grace in the death of Christ for sinners is the ultimate end of all things.

Christ is the aim of all things. When Paul says, “All things were created . . . for him” (Colossians 1:16), he means that the entire universe and all the events in it serve to glorify Jesus Christ. May the meditations of our hearts take us ever deeper into this mystery. And may the words of our mouths and the actions of our hands serve to magnify the infinite worth of Jesus and his death. This is why we exist.

Barack Obama: A Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing

by Voddie Baucham

Barack Obama is the most pro-abortion candidate ever to run for President. He could not even bring himself to vote for the Born Alive Infant Protection Act which would have protected children born in the process of an abortion. That’s right, Mr. Obama cannot even bring himself to support a plan that simply says to doctors, “If they slip past while you are trying to kill them, you have to let ‘em live.” With this vote, Obama was more pro-abortion than the radical abortion group NARAL.

I am absolutely amazed that at a time when Margaret Sanger’s Darwinian, Eugenics inspired dream of eliminating the poor, the lame, and the inferior races through targeted abortion is being propagated at record rates, black people still support the man who epitomizes her murderous philosophy. Black and hispanic women make up less than 13% of the population, but account for nearly half of all abortions. The overwhelming majority of Planned Parenthood’s abortion mills are located in minority neighborhoods. Abortion is absolutely racist. Yet most blacks have no problem supporting people like Mr. Obama who want to make sure that the killing doesn’t stop.

In his article, “Shepherds Leading the Sheep to Slaughter,” Rev. Clenard Childress notes:

“Here are the birth statistics for African-American babies in the City of Philadelphia just a couple a years ago: 10,880 born, 9,259 aborted. Nearly half or 46% of all babies in the City of Brotherly love were dismembered and brutally killed by means of abortion. Moreover, there are twenty-five other major urban cities in America that report having a higher abortion rate than live birth rate.”

This is absolutely astonishing! The only thing more astonishing is the fact that black clergymen in Philadelphia are supporting Mr. Obama. Then there is the consistent mantra from black supporters of America’s first bi-racial candidate... “I’m just happy to see a black man in this position.” Amazing! That’s like Hitler hiring a Jewish doctor (on his father’s side) to run the human experiments at Dachau and hearing the Jewish prisoners hail the fact that ‘one of their own’ has ascended to such great heights in the Nazi regime.

I recommend reading the rest here: Barack Obama: A Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing

We've registered...and not a moment too soon!

Last night, John and I finally decided to register for the Band of Bloggers. Today is the last day for registration, so if you are attending TG4G, and you have a blog....be sure to check it out!

As of right now...there are 3 book giveaways!

Here is the list of bloggers that have registered so far:

1. Timmy Brister - Louisville, KY
2. Justin Taylor - Wheaton, IL
3. Tim Challies - Toronto, ON
4. Thabiti Anyabwile - Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands
5. Mark Lauterbach - San Diego, CA
6. Abraham Piper - Minneapolis, MN
7. Frank Turk - Siloma Springs, AR
8. Trevin Wax - Shelbyville, TN
9. John Kang - Tigard, OR
10. John Hollandsworth - Kingsport, TN
11. Mike Hall - Raleigh, NC
12. Chris Larson - Lake Mary, FL
13. Mel Duncan - Greer, SC
14. Nicholas Kennicott - Guyton, GA
15. Joe Holland - Kosciusko, MS
16. David Kjos - Hazen, ND
17. Kelly Kjos - Hazen, ND
18. Tim Ellsworth - Jackson, TN
19. Carlos Griego - Albuquerque, NM
20. Joshua Gelatt - Indian River, MI
21. Neil Cox - Carmel, IN
22. Zach Nielson - Albuquerque, NM
23. Greg Schneeberger - Albuquerque, NM
24. Ryan Wood - Tacoma, WA
25. Darryl Dash - Etobicoke, ON
26. Greg Austin - Kirkwood, MO
27. Marc Backes - Nixa, MO
28. Annette Harrison - Milwaukee, WI
29. Les Harrison - Milwaukee, WI
30. Michael Daily - Ashland, VA
31. Reid Monaghan - Franklin, TN
32. Brian Boone - Monterey, CA
33. Todd Gaslin - Fisherville, KY
34. Trent Hunter - Louisville, KY
35. Scott Anderson - Minneapolis, MN
36. Ricky Alcantar - El Paso, TX
37. James Kinnard - Wheaton, IL
38. Jonathan Leeman - Washington D.C.
39. Washington D.C.
40. Scott Lawry - Montgomery, AL
41. John Kuvakas - Warrenton, VA
42. Yogi Taylor - Mobile, AL
43. Jerry Wall - Billings, MT
44. Tom Ascol - Cape Coral, FL
45. Richard Barcellos - Owensboro, KY
46. Sam Waldron - Owensboro, KY
47. Andrew Randazzo - Knoxville, TN
48. Stephen Newell - Louisville, KY
49. Steve Burlew - Harrisburg, PA
50. John Swaska - Cape Coral, FL
51. Tony Kummer - Madison, IN
52. Owen Strachan - Highland Park, IL
53. Keith Throop - Bloomington, IL
54. William Haughery - Millersville, PA
55. David Kotter - Louisville, KY
56. Douglas Davis - Glendora, CA
57. Arthur Sido - Alanson, MI
58. Daniel Slavich - Louisville, KY
59. Stephen Jones - Yucca Valley, CA
60. Jake Stutzman - Muscle Shoals, AL
61. Chris Braun - Stillman Valley, IL
62. Jams Kubecki - Westfield, IN
63. Kevin Janes - Louisville, KY
64. Bobby Gilles - Louisville, KY
65. Aaron Marshall - Louisville, KY
66. Gordon Thiessen - Kearney, NE
67. Collin Hansen - Carol Stream, IL
68. Tyler Kenney - Minneapolis, MN
69. James Lee - Romulus, MI
70. Jonathan Colegrove - Romulus, MI
71. Josh Reynolds - Hastings, NE
72. Michael Dewalt - Grand Rapids, MI
73. Steve Weaver - Lenoir City, TN
74. Jeremy Weaver - Lenoir City, TN
75. Garry Weaver - Titusville, FL
76. Michael Haykin - Dundas, ON
77. Don Elbourne - Bay St. Louis, MS
78. Joshua Etter - Langley, BC
79. Frederick Eaton - Surrey, BC
80. Timothy Massaro - Hilliard, OH
81. Kerry Gilliard - Ellicott City, MD
82. Jon Maxim - Painted Post, NY
83. Alex Leung - Toronto, ON
84. Dave Bish - Exeter, UK
85. Peter Cockrell - Worthing, UK
86. Kevin Giddings - Petrolia, PA
87. Jason Meyer - Pineville, LA
88. David Cimino - Lenoir City, TN
89. Joe VonDoloski - Vanderbilt, MI
90. Terry Delaney - Louisville, KY
91. Scott Lee - Louisville, KY
92. Charlie Albright - Louisville, KY
93. W. Hank Balch - Louisville, KY
94. Daniel Cruver - Travelers Rest, SC
95. Anthony Diehl - Dunbar, WI
96. Mike Seaver - Charlotte, NC
97. John Moody - Mount Vernon, WA
98. Drew Dixon - Louisville, KY
99. Stephen Altrogge - Indiana, PA
100. Mark Altrogge - Indiana, PA
101. Justin Buzzard - San Carlos, CA
102. Matt Perman - Minneapolis, MN
103. Jason Kovacs - Charlotte, NC
104. Bryan Lopez - Albuquerque, NM
105. Phil Awtry - Columbus, NE
106. Clint Humfrey - High River, Alberta, Canada
107. Beth Covington - Lexington, KY
108. Scott Lamb - St. Louis, MO
109. Shannon Jordan - Johnson City, TN
110. John Jordan - Johnson City, TN

Let the Nations Be Glad

Speaking of mission trips...Noel and Talitha Piper are currently on a mission trip in Africa!

You can read about it here.

We'll be praying for safe travels!

Bloggers go to Uganda

It's blog month at Compassion International. I've never been to Africa, but know that there are many here who have. Every single time I hear or read about someone's experiences there, I hear very similar things. Things like, 'I knew the poverty was bad, but I didn't know how bad until I saw it firsthand.'. Until we see things up close and personal, it is too easy to put our blinders on and pretend that dirt floors and empty bellies don't exist.

If you visit Compassion and read about what they are doing right now, I think it will excite you! They have brought a bunch of bloggers from all walks of life in the blogosphere to share their witness with the world! I heard about it through Shannon at Rocks In My Dryer, because she was given the opportunity to go. You can go to her blog now and see her updated posts about how her journey has begun.

If you have a blog and have a Compassion story, share it. February is blog month at Compassion and they want you to Share Your Love for Compassion. If you blog your experience, you can receive a free Compassion scrapbook!

Check out these blogs and support them!

Read Compassion's Blog

"Ragamuffinsoul" by Carlos Whittaker, innovative worship leader
Read Carlos' Blog.

"Chris Elrod Properties" by real estate agent Chris Elrod, married to Randy
Read Chris' Blog.

Doug Van Pelt, Owner, operator and editor of The Hard Music Magazine
Read Doug's Blog.

"Whittaker Woman," a refreshing blog by Heather Whittaker, Carlos' wife
Read Heather's Blog.

Phil Ware "The Phil Files," blog of Phil Ware, president of Heartlight Inc.
Read Phil's Blog.

"Ethos … a Cultural Watercooler," blog of Randy Elrod, a Hugh Hewitt "blog of the month" winner
Read Randy's Blog.

"Shlog," blog of Shaun Groves, an insightful songwriter and musician
Read Shaun's Blog.

"BooMama" from Sophie, author of this hilarious women's blog
Read Sophie's Blog.

"Flowerdust.net" by Anne Jackson, who is a writer and serves on staff at LifeChurch.tv.
Read Anne's Blog

"Rocks in My Dryer" by Shannon, a 30-something stay-at-home mom, featured in Good Housekeeping
Read Shannon's Blog

"J-Walking" by David Kuo, Washington editor for Beliefnet.com and former special assistant to President George W. Bush
Read David's Blog

Tom Emmons, Compassion's Internet Marketing Program Manager and sponsor of two Compassion children
Read Tom's Blog

Spence Smith, Artist Relations Manager for Compassion
Read Spence's Blog

"Queen Anne's Lace," blog of Keely Scott, photographer
Read Keely's Blog

"A Simple Journey" by Brian Seay, Artist Relations Manager for Compassion
Read Brian's Blog

Some Super Bowl tips

from CJ Mahaney

Here are four tips for watching the Super Bowl to the glory of God.

1. Strategically assign the remote.

The remote control needs to be specifically assigned to someone. This cannot be just anybody. Viewers are assaulted with lame commercials, immoral commercials, commercials that assault and offend one’s intelligence, and commercials that parade immodestly-dressed women. These are as much a part of the Super Bowl as the game itself.

Working the remote requires skill, coordination, and discernment. This person needs to be paying attention and anticipating commercial breaks. While everyone else enjoys the game, this person is working and always aware of what’s on the TV.

I recommend you establish on the remote an alternative channel that presents no temptation (C-SPAN for example). Turning to C-SPAN at appropriate moments also means conversation will take place.

For those assigned to this task I recommend further reading. I trained my sons-in-law in the art and craft of strategic clickery. One of them, Steve Whitacre (married to my daughter Nicole), has written up these notes and you can read his post here.

2. Don’t watch passively.

I encourage fathers to watch actively and discerningly, never passively and superficially. There is no doubt that throughout the game you will hear one superlative after another attributed to the skill of the athletes. The accent throughout the game will be on skill, not character.

In my book, Humility: True Greatness, I wrote,

Nowhere is the word great mentioned more often in our culture than in the context of professional sports. If you watch any game this weekend and listen to the announcer’s commentary, then like a mantra you’ll probably hear the word great repeated throughout—great, great, great. Yet it may well be that nowhere in our culture is the absence of true greatness more evident than in professional sports. So be careful about cultivating an excessive love for professional or collegiate athletics in your child. (pp. 161-162)
Without minimizing the skill as a gift from God, I want to direct my son’s attention to character as theologically defined and described. So as Chad and I watch the game, I will draw his attention to any evidence of humility or unselfishness I observe, as well as any expression of arrogance or selfishness. I will celebrate the former and ridicule the latter.

I don’t just watch the game with Chad; I seize it as a teaching moment to equip him with discernment about true greatness in the eyes of God. Watching sports actively is about imparting theologically informed discernment.

3. Foster fellowship.

We need to make sure a room full of people are not simply passively watching the Super Bowl. With the right leadership, and with a simple changing of the channel, commercial time can be time redeemed.

Don’t misunderstand. It’s perfectly legitimate to watch and enjoy the game. I’m not advocating that you invite those who have no interest in the game and who want to distract your attention from the game. Actually, I don’t recommend you invite those folks over for the game. You can arrange to meet with those people at another time.

In strategically inviting people to watch the game with us we should make sure we don’t neglect interacting with others for the sake of simply watching the game. Watching the game should involve building relationships.

4. Draw attention to the eternal.

Sometime after the game—that same evening or the next day—it’s helpful for a father to draw his child’s attention to the game in light of eternity. It’s also helpful for us as fathers to be reminded of an eternal perspective.

Apart from those few who listen excessively to sports talk radio, this game will be quickly forgotten. Let me ask you this—who won the Super Bowl even five years ago?

The day before the 1972 Super Bowl, Dallas Cowboy running back Duane Thomas said, “If it’s the ultimate game, how come they’re playing it again next year?” Some players seem to get it. Sadly, many fans don’t.

More recently Tom Brady—quarterback of three Super Bowl championships—is quoted in a 60 Minutes interview saying,

Why do I have three Super Bowl rings and still think there’s something greater out there for me? I mean, maybe a lot of people would say, ‘Hey man, this is what is.’ I reached my goal, my dream, my life. I think, ‘God, it’s got to be more than this.’ I mean this isn’t, this can’t be, what it’s all cracked up to be.

I would anticipate that a week or two from now, even if the Patriots win and complete a perfect season, Brady will still experience the same dissatisfaction in his soul. As Augustine said, “You [God] made us for yourself, and our hearts find no peace till they rest in you.”

We must impart this eternal perspective to our children.

Band of Bloggers

As announced at the Said at Southern blog, "the 2008 Band of Bloggers fellowship will take place during lunch (11:30-1:30) on Tuesday, April 14, 2008 at the Galt House in downtown Louisville, Kentucky. Guest speakers and panelists for the event include Tim Challies, Justin Taylor, Thabiti Anyabwile, and Mark Lauterbach .... The theme for next year’s conference, 'The Gospel Trust,' will focus on what it means to be servants of God and stewards entrusted with the gospel of Jesus Christ."

You may find out more about the Band of Bloggers at their website. Here is a description from their About page:

Together.

For the Gospel of Jesus Christ.The Band of Bloggers was started with a vision and collaborative effort to unite bloggers who have a passion for the gospel of Jesus Christ. It carries with it a desire that the gospel be normative in our lives, central in our writing, and powerful in our witness to the world. The first Band of Bloggers fellowship developed when several bloggers who were attending the 2006 Together for the Gospel Conference discussed the possibility of holding a meeting to encourage one another to live and write with a gospel-centered emphasis. Within a matter of weeks, the idea had blossomed to an event with a panel of speakers–Justin Taylor, Tim Challies, Dr. Albert Mohler, and Dr. Russell Moore–and a gathering of more than 70 bloggers hosted by The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. The meeting served to compliment the thrust of the conference, viz. to come together for the sake of the gospel in this generation.

The second Band of Bloggers fellowship is slated to take place in 2008, again inconcert with the Together for the Gospel Conference. This year’s theme, “The Gospel Trust,” focuses on what it means to be entrusted as servants of God and stewards of His glorious gospel. During the period of time leading up to the 2008 Band of Bloggers fellowship, we will endeavor to fuel a greater passion for the gospel of the glory of Christ through resources, articles, and media (including podcasts).As we seek to facilitate discussion and foster gospel-driven lives and blogs, we encourage you to join in and share this vision with others. For comments, questions, or to contact us, please email to thegospeltrust@gmail.com.

I definitely plan on attending!

On Between Two Worlds...

Justin Taylor has a great post about how one should transition themselves on the way home from work.

You can read it here.

Fine Tuning

I chose 'Come Thou Fount' randomly. It is nice to be reminded that there is no randomness where God is concerned.

love her blog