08 Tuesday Mar 2011
Posted in Personal
My next sermon’s text is Romans 4:1-12. I plan to discuss as my two main points the wages of the law vs. the gift of faith. Now that I have some potential direction, I can start to work on other things. Fortunately, this means I only have to have four illustrations total, instead of the customary five.
23 Sunday Jan 2011
Posted in Personal
Tags
A short, late-night musing.
I suppose a person who has as many friends (and even more acquaintances) as I do, this sort of thing is bound to happen. I maybe three or four friends right now who I will text and who won’t text back…or they text me, I ask them a question in return, and they won’t text back.
Or something along these lines.
21 Friday Jan 2011
Posted in Theology
A friend of mine here at the seminary sent me this link to Justin Taylor’s blog regarding some comments made by Randy Alcorn about Sanctity of Human Life Sunday. Last night, a few of us from the seminary discussed at some length the merits and demerits of having services which commemorate extra-biblical events, holidays, etc. This friend, who was involved in the conversation, was interested to know what I’d say to Alcorn’s assertion. Here’s the email I sent to my friend.
10 Monday Jan 2011
Posted in Theology
Tags
Gospel, marriage, preaching, relationships, repentance, theology
A friend recently sent me some notes he took during a sermon at his church. Here’s what he sent me:
- It’s easy to pick someone [as a spouse] to have fun with, but it’s more important to chose someone you want to go thru hardship with.
- My responsibility in marriage is to guard our oneness.
- The biggest enemy of marriage is selfishness.
- We get into trouble when WE decide what parts of scripture are relevant.
- Learning to pursue God indicates the ability to pursue our spouses.
The trouble, in short, is that none of these takeaways require a crucified and risen Savior.
Let me put it another way: can an atheist create a list like this (with, of course, the exception of the final point)? Can the final point be made by a Jewish person just as easily as a Christian person? I still maintain that if the sermon’s punchline is not repentance and the forgiveness of sins in Christ, it is not a distinctly Christian sermon.
24 Friday Dec 2010
I’m a bit of a grinch when it comes to Christmas. The big holiday in my family has always been Thanksgiving. We go and visit extended family, see people we don’t really know that well and eat until we almost go into a coma. It’s everything anyone could want, from pies to turkey to arguments over breakfast.
26 Friday Nov 2010
Posted in Personal
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One of my favorite hymns of all time has part of its root in Psalm 71:17-18:
17O God, from my youth you have taught me,
and I still proclaim your wondrous deeds.
18So even to old age and gray hairs,
O God, do not forsake me,
until I proclaim your might to another generation,
your power to all those to come.
19Your righteousness, O God,
reaches the high heavens.
You who have done great things,
O God, who is like you?
The hymn is “How Firm a Foundation.” The sixth verse reads:
Even down to old age all my people shall prove
My sovereign, eternal, unchangeable love
And when hoary hairs shall their temples adorn
Like lambs they shall still to my bosom be borne.
Thanksgiving is always an interesting holiday for me. This year, I graduated to “adult” status at the dinner in Elwood, IN, because the coordinator asked me to pray before the meal started.
25 Thursday Nov 2010
Posted in Personal
I’m very appreciative of my brothers with whom I’m in seminary. They have really rallied around me, encouraging me. I don’t have anyone’s permission to use their names, so I’ll just rattle off some scenarios and they’ll know who they are.
19 Friday Nov 2010
Posted in Personal
I had two tests today. I don’t know how I did…but at least they’re over.
I gave my first devotional in my sermon preparation and delivery class. I got a lot of really good feedback…some things I can improve upon and some things I’m already doing fairly well. I’m really looking forward to coming semesters of preaching.
The plan is to get some things done for my covenant theology class paper on Numbers 21 (“Snake on a Stick”) tonight and be done by Sunday evening so that I can get other things done. If I can get my CovTheo paper cranking…and my Greek homework done…it will be a good weekend.
I had some really great conversations this week, both in person and via email. And I have been fighting temptation a lot this week, but am seeing a lot of encouraging things in my own life and hearing really encouraging things from others. I love this group of guys God has surrounded me with here.
There is a lot to be thankful for right now in my life.
13 Saturday Nov 2010
Posted in Personal, Uncategorized
Last night, a friend of mine invited me to his house for soup. I wasn’t anticipating an invite, but I was like “awesome,” especially since I’m a sucker for chili.
There was such great conversation…even a recap of the musical Les Mis, that, by the way, I did not initiate…but since it was known that I knew many of the lyrics, I was enlisted to sing parts of the songs while another friend talked about the storyline.
I’m really looking forward to getting to know the friend who hosted the shindig. We’re having lunch next week and I think he’s gonna be a great encouragement.
I also got to talk to another friend of mine and get to know him better just before the party while we were studying for our covenant theology paper. It was wonderful to talk to him and to even get to meet his wife, who came to the party.
19 Tuesday Oct 2010
Tags
insecurity, loneliness, prayer, preaching, psalms, relationships, Scripture, sexual sin, worship
Psalm 88
I Cry Out Day and Night Before You
A Song. A Psalm of the Sons of Korah. To the choirmaster: according to Mahalath Leannoth. A Maskil of Heman the Ezrahite.
1O LORD, God of my salvation;
I cry out day and night before you.
2Let my prayer come before you;
incline your ear to my cry!
3For my soul is full of troubles,
and my life draws near to Sheol.
4I am counted among those who go down to the pit;
I am a man who has no strength,
5like one set loose among the dead,
like the slain that lie in the grave,
like those whom you remember no more,
for they are cut off from your hand.
Psalm 88 has long been one of my two favorite psalms of lament. The other, a close second, is Psalm 13.
Today’s lament really started in earnest yesterday afternoon. I was driving away from school and there was a runner with an amazing body standing at the intersection that I didn’t just lust over…I was full-on envious.
Then this morning, I saw two or three guys who I find myself being very intimidated by at chapel. They seem very articulate and talented and like they’ll be good pastors. And they’re all really attractive on top of all of that. And they wear that attractiveness like it doesn’t really matter to them…they could take or leave it.
Oh, to be that bold. To have the security to hold one’s looks loosely in one’s hand like they seem to…it’s a pretty impossible task. How many idols have I just rattled off? Probably five or six.
I just feel very alone; I couldn’t really concentrate in Sermon Preparation & Delivery today…I sort of phased in and out on what the sub would say (though he had excellent things to say, and the stuff I did hear seemed very insightful). If there’s one class I never check out of, it’s Prep and Del. But I just couldn’t focus.
I unfriended someone on Facebook this morning. The past few times I’ve gone to his page to see what he’s up to, he and his cute boyfriend are all over the place. The guy himself looks like a model. I get that life isn’t fair…but like Calvin (of Calvin and Hobbes fame), I ask, “but why can’t it ever be unfair in my favor?”
Gay and Evangelical 
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