Recap

Articles on the Gosnell trials:

If you haven’t read or heard about the abortionist (obstetrician/murderer) Kermit Gosnell, it’s unfortunate, but not surprising. The mainstream media has been surprisingly silent in their (lack of) coverage of the mass murderer currently on trial in Pennsylvania. Here are some articles I’ve read over the past few weeks that give a brief review of what’s going on.

• 9 Things You Should Know About the Gosnell Infanticide and Murder Trial
• 8 Reasons for the Media Blackout on Kermit Gosnell
• Instapundit (who is pro-“choice”) is horrified
• A round-up of news stories

Quotes from this week’s readings:

• On distracted driving:
  

  A study by the Erie Insurance company of the roughly 6,500 fatal accidents that occurred in 2010 and 2011 which involved distracted driving found that it wasn’t cell phones at texting that were mostly to blame, but simple daydreaming.

  I can definitely identify with this. Cell phones and texting are certainly dangers for me while driving, but simply having my mind wander is just as (if not more) dangerous.

• Charles Darwin on losing attention for art:
  

  “My mind seems to have become a kind of machine for grinding general laws out of large collections of facts, but why this should have caused the atrophy of that part of the brain alone, on which the higher tastes depend, I cannot conceive….if I had to live my life again, I would have made a rule to read some poetry and listen to some music at least once every week; for perhaps the parts of my brain now atrophied would thus have been kept active through use.”

  I believe I may have to do this.

Books added to my TBR list:

• Damascus Countdown by Joel Rosenburg (reviewed by Monica at Lover of Books)
  This book sounds like a Christian version of one of my favorite types of movies–action movies where the protagonist (spy, soldier, or superhero) is on a countdown to save the free world from some clear threat. I don’t read a lot of books like that, but maybe I should start. In fact, I intend to start. With this. Hopefully soon.

• The Duck Commander Family by Willie and Korie Robertson (reviewed by Jennifer at 5M4B)
  I haven’t watched “Duck Dynasty”. I still want to read this book. Just like I haven’t watched 27 Kids and Counting (or whatever the Duggar family show is) but have read the Duggars’ books. Call it morbid curiosity if you will, but I enjoy reading (or at least skimming) books spun off of reality tv shows. Besides, the Wichita Public Library has it–why NOT read it?

• The Longevity Project by Howard S. Friedman and Leslie R. Martin (read about in a US News article)
  Basically, I love reading theories about what makes some people live longer. This book sounds like it might be relatively scientific–and might have some rather surprising results (could outlook have a greater impact on longevity than, say, eating?)

• Nowhere but Home by Liza Palmer (reviewed by Jennifer of 5M4B)
  She’s a chef who cooks last meals for prisoners on death row. I’m sold.

Quotes from this week’s readings:

• From Barry York’s “Two Adams Met in Me”:
  

  “The first Adam brought me sweat and tears;
  The Second sweat blood to take away my fears.
  Yes, two Adams have met in me.
  The first is dead and dying
  Agonizingly;
  The Other is giving me life
  Everlastingly.”

  Barry York’s entire poem is a reflection on a line from John Donne’s “Hymn to God, My God, in My Sickness”, which is also worth reading.

• Tim Challies on Humble Orthodoxy:
  

  “Thus the solution to arrogant orthodoxy is not less orthodoxy, but more. The more we know of God, the more we love and trust him, the more humble we will be before him.”

• Tim Keller on the Wrath of God:
  

  “Because if there is no wrath by God on sin, and there is no such thing as Hell, not only does that actually make what happened to Jesus inexplicable…but…it trivializes what He’s done…. “

  HT: Vitamin Z

Books added to my TBR list:

• All You Could Ask For by Mike Greenberg (reviewed by Michelle at 5 Minutes 4 Books)
  Three strong female protagonists at wildly different places in life. I like this sort of thing–and my new public library has a copy!

• Bananas in my Ears by Michael Rosen (reviewed by Carrie, Reading to Know)
  I enjoy silly children’s poetry, so I figure I might like this!

• The Maid and the Queen by Nancy Goldstone (reviewed by Carrie, Reading to Know):
  

  “Nancy Goldstone is a fantastic story teller. She lays out historical timelines, ancestry of kings, events and places in such a way that paint a landscape for you to place Joan into. Goldstone is not dryly reciting facts but bringing in all manner of interesting side plots and relationships to tell you why it is that Joan was so remarkable and what it is that she managed to accomplish. The Maid and the Queentruly reads like a novel rather than a history book and I eagerly kept turning pages waiting to see what would happen next.”

• The Victory Club by Robin Lee Hatcher (reviewed by Barbara H, Stray Thoughts)
  If Barbara H’s recommendation isn’t enough, it’s Christian fiction set in World War II that’s NOT A ROMANCE. I definitely need to try it.

Recipes Tried:

• Bourbon Molasses Chicken (from Once a Month Mom)
  Daniel saw this in my feed reader and said it looked good. Since I have both bourbon and molasses, I figured I might as well make it for him. We enjoyed some this last week and I made extra for the freezer. Daniel liked this recipe well enough that he suggested that I try the sauce on meatloaf–which I’ll be making for the Happy Food crowd this next Tuesday. Wish me luck!

• Lemon Daffodil Cake (from Taste of Home)
  Daniel and I threw a Seder (Passover meal) the Saturday before Easter and I needed a dessert to serve. Of course, it being Passover, I couldn’t serve anything leavened–which meant a sponge cake was a perfect option. I leafed through my brand new Taste of Home Baking Book (Thank you HJ and Kris!) and found this yummy looking cake. The end result did not disappoint. Everyone was delighted with this light and lemony cake. And…best part of all? I only had two egg yolks left over, which Daniel and I easily added to our breakfast eggs the next morning. (My least favorite part of angel food cakes is figuring out what to do with all the yolks left over at the end.)

Quotes from this week’s readings:

Tim Challies on Sin and Virtue:

“While it is common for someone to ask how to put off a particular sin, it is rare for someone to ask for guidance in putting on a particular godly trait. We are ashamed of our sin and bothered by it. This is good. But we are less ashamed of our lack of Christian character and less bothered by it. This is not good….

But our ultimate desire is not to be not-sinful but to be truly godly. We are not to aim at being not-sinful but to aim at being marked by Christian character. We experience the greatest success in battling sin when our desire is not only to stop sinning but to have our lives marked by the opposite character trait.“

D.A. Carson on Pluralism and Tolerance:

“Genuine pluralism within the broader culture is facilitated when there is a strong Christian voice loyal to the Scriptures – as well as strong Muslim voices, skeptical voices, Buddhist voices, atheistic voices, and so forth. Genuine pluralism within the broader culture is not fostered when in the name of tolerance none of the voices can say that any of the others is wrong.” (HT: Vitamin Z)

Books added to my TBR list:

Emily of Deep Valley by Maude Hart Lovelace (reviewed by Carrie, Reading to Know):

“I could probably continue on rhapsodizing about Emily. I really, really admired her. It’s an easy story to fall in with and enjoy and I thoroughly enjoyed every single minute of it! I highly recommend this one!”

I’ve wanted to read a Maud Hart Lovelace book for ages, but was too busy getting married to read a title along with this month’s Reading to Know Bookclub. But I will get to her eventually, I will.

Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes (reviewed by Heather, Do Not Let This Universe Forget You):

“Flowers for Algernon is the story of Charlie Gordon, a mentally handicapped young man, selected for his desire to learn, to be a part of a scientific endeavor….As Charlie’s intelligence grows, he begins to struggle with things he never understood until now…. He begins to notice cruelty and deception and posturing and hypocrisy.”

This sounds like a challenging and fascinating read. Heather gave a few “reader bewares” that are worth noting–but all in all this sounds worth a try.

• J.P. Moreland on the detrimental effects of “Scientism”:
  

  “We live in a scientistic culture. When a scientist speaks, he is taken to be an authority irrespective of what the topic is. And that attitude reflects poorly on the educational level of the public….I have long believed that philosophical naturalism, with its unjustified scientism, has helped to create an intellectually unsophisticated culture…”

  HT: Justin Taylor

• Lisa Robinson on Christian education:
  

  “…it is incumbent upon the body of Christ to represent Christ through its inward growth that will result in outward application….Moreover, I don’t think it honors the witness of Christ when education concerning Him is not taken seriously….I don’t believe that Sunday sermons alone are sufficient. Whether it be through lay institutes, weekly bible studies (in the true sense of working through books of the bible), or small group sessions there has to be continued instruction in pertinent points of doctrine within the context of community that engages believers in a continual growth process resulting in faithful representation of who they are as the body of Christ….Otherwise, ‘going’ and ‘doing’ will be undermined by not ‘being’, which is the whole point of serving as a witness to Christ to a fallen world.”

• Matt Perman on why Christian interested in “social justice” ought to learn economics:
  

  “Many attempts to help alleviate poverty (whether in Africa, the US, or elsewhere in the world) have often been based on an inaccurate understanding of economics. As a result, they have often failed to have a last impact, and sometimes have hurt more than they have helped.

  Consequently, I would argue that one of the most important things we can do if we are going to make an effective contribution to the solutions for global poverty is gain a correct understanding of economics.”

  HT: Justin Taylor

Laugh out loud funnies:

• The Bakers Dozen kids ask a police officer some questions:
  

  “If you kidnap someone just one time, does that mean you can’t be a police officer?”
  ~Kalina, age 9

News to take note of:

• Large breast cancer trial proves current mammography guidelines insufficient:
  

  “The landmark breast cancer screening study of women 40-49, published online in Cancer, has proven that annual mammography screening of women in their 40s reduces the breast cancer death rate in these women by nearly 30 percent. The results of this largest study ever conducted on women in this age group confirm that the use of the age of 50 as a threshold for breast cancer screening is scientifically unfounded. Women should begin getting annual mammograms at age 40.”

  Go get those mammograms, ladies–they might just save your life.

• More Americans are drinking alcohol now than 20 years ago.
  What this study (or perhaps just this summary) fails to mention in its clearly teetotalling bias, is that consumption per person is also decreasing. Despite the increase in total people consuming alcohol, fewer people are consuming it in high-risk ways. Which is actually good news, people!

Videos worth seeing:

• Tripp and Tyler–and Chris Tomlin rock it with their bowl cuts.
  
  HT: Stuff Christians Like

Recipes to try:

• Jolanthe’s butterscotch apple crisp:
  

From Together for Adoption:

• Adoption IS the gospel
  

  “Many people are afraid of emphasizing [adoption] because we might forget evangelism and the Cross. They speak of a slippery slope.

  We can’t do that, and we won’t do that if we understand the grand storyline of the Bible.

  All through the Old Testament it is God making a B-line to the cross. “This is what my love for you looks like.”

  Christians who are afraid that talking about adoption misses the gospel have missed the gospel already. For this is essential to the gospel: that God in His mercy took His enemies and made them sons, adopting them into His family.

• A loving father or a deadbeat dad?
  

  “What do we mean when we say ‘I can’t afford to adopt?’ What we are saying is that God is a deadbeat Dad. We can trust that God will take care of his children. He is a really good Daddy.”

About What’s Wrong with the Church:

• Covetousness
  It’s a sin we’ve come to see as acceptable–but that doesn’t make it any less of a sin in God’s eyes. I became convicted of this a couple of years back and began my “Thankful Thursday” series to combat my tendency towards covetousness. Nevertheless, it’s a difficult sin to overcome in this culture that pretty much runs on covetousness.
• Not being cranky and judgmental…towards statistics
  When was the last time you heard the statistics about how awful the church is, how stupid we are, how ineffective we are, etc. etc.? The author of Christians are Hate-Filled Hypocrites encourages Christians to view statistics a bit more skeptically.

  “Christians are called to accept and love people unconditionally. That doesn’t apply to statistics. We should be cranky and judgmental.”

• Bad Preaching
  

  “Contrary to popular opinion, bad preaching isn’t when the preacher reads his sermon, mumbles or bores his audience. That is merely bad delivery. No, bad preaching is preaching that does not rightly proclaim God’s Word of Law and God’s Word of Gospel to sinners.”

  Unfortunately, way too many of today’s sermons fall into these categories–and way too many Christians think in these categories. It’s time we all started preaching the GOSPEL to ourselves (and those around us) regularly.

News to take note of:

• Primary Care Saves Lives
  

  “Primary care increases life span and decreases disease burden in part because it helps to prevent small problems, such as strep throat, from becoming big ones, such as a life-threatening infection of the heart. Having a regular clinician of that kind makes you a better patient because you trust the advice you receive and so are more likely to follow it; it also gives you access to someone who attends to the whole person, not just one body part. In addition, having someone to coordinate your care can be critical if you have multiple providers—as, for example, when you leave the hospital. “

  The problem? We don’t have enough health care providers in family medicine. So, please, please, please–when choosing your “specialty” as a doctor, a physician assistant, or a nurse practitioner, think seriously about choosing family medicine.

• Home birth=Dangerous, Right?
  Not necessarily. A critical analysis of the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology’s position statement on home births reveals much that they aren’t telling.

Laugh out loud funnies:

• John Piper, off the cuff
  Quotes pulled (out of context) from John Piper’s sermons. Most never find there way into the edited sermon manuscripts–but all are hilarious (and I remember thinking they were hilarious when I listened to the on my MP3 player.) A quick sample:

  “One of the reasons that God made bread – really good bread, not bread that’s ninety percent air – German bread – is to give you a faint taste of heaven.”

  “If you’re listening to ideas that aren’t this book you’re hearing the wrong stuff. Sects happen that way . . . That’s S. E. C. T. S.”

Books for the TBR list:

• Look Me in the Eye by John Elder Robison
  What looks to be a fascinating memoir of growing up with undiagnosed Asperger’s syndrome.
• Redeeming Singleness by Barry Danylak
  Touted as a Biblical theology of singleness, this book addresses a critical issue in today’s world and church–and an issue I am quite interested in.
• Sin: A History by Gary A. Anderson
  I almost always find the (non-fiction) books Seth reviews intriguing. Sin: A History is no exception.

• Is it unbiblical for a husband and wife to have separate beds?
  Mark Driscoll answered a question from a man whose wife hadn’t slept with him (literally or figuratively) for over a year–and part of his answer included this comment in reference to a husband and wife not sharing a bed:

  “Leave it to Beaver was unbiblical and godless.”

  I’m not sure I agree. I mean, I certainly agree that sharing a bed with a spouse can be an important part of marital oneness–but is it necessary for marital oneness, such that those who do not share a bed are acting in a godless manner? (Please recognize that I am not talking about a husband and wife not having sex. It is clearly unbiblical for a husband and wife to not have sex for any extended length of time–see I Cor 7:4-5.) I am thinking particularly of certain sleep quality issues that may adversely impact health as being reasons for a couple not sleeping in the same bed–snoring, use of a CPAP or other medical devices overnight, severe back problems, etc. Anyway…just musing here.

• Michael W. Smith deserves the hype
  Shaun Groves rightfully praises Smith’s music-writing talent–and gets excited over a new release that promises a return to the musical and lyrical innovation of my youth. My only complaint with Smith? His over-zealous middle-aged admirers. I went to one of his concerts–and yuck! Like, seriously, women. He’s married. And you probably are too. Go crazy over your OWN husband.
• On Cycling and Life
  A fantastic bit of encouragement for the taker-uppers of new pursuits. Favorite parts:

  “… not every pursuit must be professionalized.”

  She’s absolutely right. You don’t need padded bicycle shorts, a jersey, or a cyclocomputer to take up cycling. As for myself, I proudly cycle in my skirts with leggings undeneath, or my slacks pegged to keep them from getting caught in the chain.

  “… others will look better doing this….We need to remember that, even on the trail. Swank bikes, swanker outfits, and some hopelessly tight asses fly past me on the bike path, but I can’t — I won’t! — let the achievements and hard work of other cyclists dictate how I feel about my achievements and my hard work.”

  A little note to my friend Joanna–it’s okay that we’re not flying down the road like that guy in his racing gear. The point is not what everyone else is doing on their bikes, but what we are doing on ours–particularly enjoying ourselves, getting good exercise, and glorifying God in conversation.

Perhaps you’ve noticed that I’m now posting book reviews as part of my regular blog schedule. What with living and working in two towns, I simply do not have the time to sustain a two post a day schedule and write reviews on the side. What’s more, since I do my manual html coding and ftp uploading and the like on a desktop computer located in only one of those cities, it’s just not convenient to do manual coding for things that I want to do on a regular basis (like book reviews!) So expect to see book reviews cropping up more regularly in my daily posts–and disappearing from my “New on bekahcubed” recap posts.

Laugh out loud funnies:

• Have you seen the Pope-mobile?
  You really should take a look.

News to take note of:

• AHA releases a position paper on smokeless tobacco
  Here we go again: “Smokeless tobacco products not a safe alternative to smoking”. Absolutely right. But they ARE a safER alternative to smoking. And they don’t have the same second-hand effects–you’re not poisoning someone else while you’re at it! Grrr!
• Gas Mask Bra now available to public
  Inventor says “Isn’t that wonderful that women have two breasts, not just one? We can save not only our own life, but also the life of a man of our choice next to us.” Unfortunately, these are only currently available in firecracker red–and in a limited selection of sizes. (HT: Instapundit)
• Speaking English Makes You Fat!
  Okay, that’s not quite what this article says–but I don’t doubt many an unscientifically minded journalist might report it as such. Let this be a lesson to you about trusting causational conclusions drawn from correlational studies!

On Christianity and Politics:

• Justin Taylor talks up a new book, City of Man: Religion and Politics in a New Era, due for release by Moody Publishers
• Tim Keller’s foreword
• Five guiding principles for thinking about religion and politics
• A recent Mark Dever sermon on Mark 12:13-17 has Gospel Coalition bloggers talking
• Collin Hansen writes up some of his notes
  The main points seem to be:
  1. Christians are good citizens
  2. No earthly kingdom can be identified with God’s people
  3. Christians are finally accountable to God.
• Check out the sermon for yourself.
  I downloaded it to my MP3 player to listen to this week :-)

On Idolatry:
These posts have challenged me to consider whether I am living an idolatrous life. I think I may be spending the next week of quiet times praying over the questions posed by the first couple of posts in greater depth.

• Identifying your “functional saviors”
  Questions from Jerry Bridge’s book The Bookends of the Christian Life–which my sister’s Bible study (now mine) just finished going through together.
• Identifying idols in your life
  Questions adapted from a Puritan sermon, delivered by Kenny Stokes in a sermon at Bethlehem Baptist Church
• Are we guilty of “Americolatry”?
  Paul Ireland leaves an insightful comment on Justin Taylor’s blog “Between Two Worlds”

Miscellaneous items:
Because I don’t always have time to categorize everything I read.

• Should Evangelicals “Celebrate” Halloween?
  A surprising response from Dan Wallace
• Is there a such thing as “Christian Piracy”?
  Challies takes on the idea that pirating music is ethically okay. It’s not.
• Lisa Robinson reminds us that God never promised us a mate
  This is one of my biggest frustrations with well-meaning Christian women. Don’t promise me what God hasn’t promised me–and like it or not, He hasn’t promised me a husband!
• C. Michael Patton says to give Rick Warren a break
  He’s got a point. So do those who criticize Warren’s less-than-stellar use of Scripture. Speaking the truth in love (Eph 4:15) is difficult, as is keeping the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace (Eph 4:3).
• What would you say if a sex offender started attending your church?
  How one church is ministering to the societally “unforgiveable”.
• Ken Samples talks about Christianity’s “Dangerous Ideas”
  

  “In stark contrast to the naturalistic worldview’s melancholy and hopeless dilemma, historic Christianity’s most dangerous idea is that one man—Jesus Christ—died but didn’t remain dead. Following his public crucifixion, he rose from the dead on the first Easter morning. Therefore at the center of Christianity’s earliest preaching and teaching (kerygma) is the solemn proclamation that Jesus Christ lived on Earth, conquered death, and thus remains the living Savior and Lord.”

• J.I. Packer on the Holy Spirit’s Ministry:
  

  “He is, so to speak, the hidden floodlight shining on the Savior.”

To Read, to See, to Do

Books for the TBR list:

• I’m Still Here: A New Philosophy of Alzheimer’s Care by John Zeisel
  I cared for my grandmother when she had Alzheimer’s, before she went into the nursing home. Now I am the dietitian for dozens of Alzheimer’s patients in a long term care facility. I fully expect that at least one of my parents will succumb to this disease and, as the Scripture enjoins children to care for their parents, I fully expect to be active in their care if or when they do. This book sounds like a great resource for caring for folks with Alzheimer’s.
• Interpreting the New Testament Text: Introduction to the Art and Science of Exegesis
  Recommended by C. Michael Patton, I think this may be the next step in my informal “theological training” (Maybe?)
• Same Kind of Different as Me
  I think I may have already had this title on my TBR list–but Lisa’s view makes it official. I have GOT to read this book. It’s about the unlikely meeting and friendship of a relatively rich man and homeless man–and what they learned about each other and themselves along the way.

Projects to try:

• A nuts-and-bolts chessboard
• Maple Leaf Coasters
• A Tabletop Timeline



Places to Waste Time:

• Find your antipodal location
  Having circumnavigated the globe on an antipodal fact-finding tour, I have officially decided that if you’re going to dig through the earth, your best bet is to dig from somewhere in Southeast Asia–that way you’ll end up in South America. Otherwise, you’re probably gonna end up in water. Turns out the earth is covered with a lot of water.

Nothing’s new on bekahcubed. I had no time to write reviews, create photo albums, or post recipes. Maybe next week…

However, I have had a chance to do some ’round the web surfing.

• A Primer on American Civil Religion
  

  “One of the most significant and notable aspects of early Christianity within the diverse Roman context was the transnational nature of this new faith. Christianity wasn’t the religion of any particular ethnic group but gathered for itself peoples from every tribe, language and nation. American civil religion attempts to appropriate even this aspect of Christianity by pointing to America’s immigrant heritage yet it does so by substituting American citizenship for citizenship within the body of Christ.

  It is appropriate for Christians to love their nation, to serve their country, and to seek the shalom of their city. It is not appropriate for us to confuse our national citizenship with our citizenship in the kingdom of God nor to attempt to confuse these two things by appropriating Christian terminology in the service of political zealotry.”

  Related to my thoughts on American Gospel by Jon Meacham, as well as The Myth of a Christian Nation)

• “Just Me and My Bible” is Unbiblical
  A collection of quotes on why Biblical interpretation shouldn’t be done alone

  “It seems odd, that certain men who talk so much of what the Holy Spirit reveals to themselves, should think so little of what he has revealed to others.”

  Related to my recent post: Who Can You Trust?

Books for the TBR list:

• Life Work by Darrow L. Miller
  Subtitled “A Biblical Theology for What You Do Every Day”, I can’t imagine not being interested in what this book has to say.
• Politics According to the Bible by Wayne Grudem
  I’ve been wanting to read this ever since I first heard that Grudem was working on a book about theology and politics (thank you, Boomer in the Pew, for tipping me off!) Now since I just finished reading The Myth of a Christian Nation, I’m even more curious to hear what Grudem has to say–which I’m guessing is a bit different than what Boyd had to say.
• Room: A Novel by Emma Donoghue
  This novel narrated by a five year old boy who has never known life outside one room sounds absolutely fascinating.

Thought-provoking posts:

• Why should we read fiction?
  

  “Fictional characters and fictional events have the same sort of objective reality as Mickey Mouse, and they can have substantial effects on what we mistakenly think of as the ‘real world.'”

  “Fictional characters, fictional events, fictional places implant pictures in our heads, or present pictures to our eyes and ears. Fictions can paint pictures of worlds that attract us, and if the attraction is strong enough those pictures evoke a desire to realize that world. They might also plant pictures of worlds that repel us, and evoke a response of ‘Never.'”

• Why Read, Part 2
  

  “None of us escapes the influence of fictional pictures or fictional friends. Imagination is not something we can take or leave. Our thoughts and actions, and our character, are always guided and shaped by some form of imagination. The issue is always whether our imagination is richly or poorly stocked, whether it is shaped by nightmares or molded by dreams.”

  HT: Justin Taylor

• On the Vanity of Obsessions
  

  “There is only one obsession that never disappoints: the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. All that we long for, all that we require, all that we seek, we’ll find it in Him. He alone satisfies, He alone fills to overflowing, He alone is worthy of our passion. He is to be our one magnificent obsession. Anything else we seek apart from Him will not only disappoint, it will become an idol, an empty and powerless false god.”

Videos worth seeing:

Important discussions before bath-time.

This cracked me up hard-core!
HT: 22 Words

Photo Albums:

• Candlemaking, a party in two parts (May/June)
  

Laugh out loud funnies:

• Nudist spotting by the Meanest Mom’s children
  

  “On our way to soccer practice on Saturday morning, my daughter leaned forward in her seat and tapped me on the shoulder.

  ‘The people in the car next to us don’t have any clothes on,’ she whispered.”

  This woman is HIL-ar-ious!

Projects to try:

• Lazy Daisy Pillowcases
  
  Photo from The Long Thread

Thought-provoking posts:

• On “Friending” old flames on Facebook:
  

  “My love for my husband may be bright and burning like the sun, but having dated means that other small stars are visible in my sky, perhaps especially when the sun’s light occasionally wanes. Before the Internet, these stars were far away — I had no idea where these men lived, or how to find them if I wanted to. Now, they are as close as the glow-in-the-dark stars on the ceiling above my sons’ beds. “

  I’ve heard the statistics about divorce suits that name Facebook as a marriage-ending factor, I’ve seen people fall into inappropriate relationships via Facebook. This is a good article reflecting on that issue. Now I just wish someone could answer the dilemma of the single woman on Facebook. How can single women make sure that they are being wise, both with their own hearts, and with those of their friends and acquaintances on Facebook?

• On the Professional Weaker Brethren:
  

  “I remember Chuck Swindoll talking about this saying: ‘Be careful, there are some people out there who are ‘professional weaker brethren.’

  ‘Kristie, I have scruples with this make-up thing. Maybe I cannot find a verse or a solid principle upon which to rest my theological head, but you need to be sensitive and understanding to my hang-ups for the sake of my spirituality. One more year and my scruples will be gone.'”

  I’ve known a lot of these. Of course, there is a corollary, the believer who has been a believer for a long time but who uses the “weaker brethren” passage as an excuse for imposing his personal legalism (that by now he knows is actually unscriptural) upon others. “Yes, I know the Scripture doesn’t forbid drinking alcohol, but some weaker brothers have a problem with it, so you should never drink.”

  Someone expressed concern that my brother and sister-in-law had secular music (gasp!) at their wedding reception for us to dance to. I remember my mom taking the concern into account, considering the person who had expressed that concern, and concluding: “That person should have known better.” This person’s faith was not being harmed by the inclusion of secular music in the wedding dance. This was not a case of a new believer who has not yet discovered the freedom that is in Christ Jesus–this was an old believer (that is, one who has been a Christian for a while) who was using the “weaker brethren” passage as an excuse to remain sinfully legalistic.

  HT: Vitamin Z

Videos worth seeing:

• Preaching the gospel every week
  

  What can a pastor do to begin to preach the gospel? from Journey-Creative on Vimeo.

  This video is framed as advice to young pastors, but I think the basic principle for Biblical understanding is useful for “lay people” too. Bryan Chapell suggests that readers of Scripture ask of a passage “What’s the problem? And how is God showing us that He fixes the problem?” This emphasizes the gospel in Scripture and avoids the trap of “duties and doctrines” that we often fall into in Scriptural interpretation.

  HT: Vitamin Z

Related to previous posts:

• How should a Christian respond to Glenn Beck?
  Russell Moore offers a well needed rebuke to the church for embracing moralism as gospel and thereby denying the true gospel for the sake of our political interests.

  “It’s taken us a long time to get here, in this plummet from Francis Schaeffer to Glenn Beck. In order to be this gullible, American Christians have had to endure years of vacuous talk about undefined ‘revival’ and ‘turning America back to God’ that was less about anything uniquely Christian than about, at best, a generically theistic civil religion and, at worst, some partisan political movement.

  Rather than cultivating a Christian vision of justice and the common good (which would have, by necessity, been nuanced enough to put us sometimes at odds with our political allies), we’ve relied on populist God-and-country sloganeering and outrage-generating talking heads. We’ve tolerated heresy and buffoonery in our leadership as long as with it there is sufficient political ‘conservatism’ and a sufficient commercial venue to sell our books and products.”

  This subject has been increasingly interesting to me after reading Greg Boyd’s The Myth of a Christian Nation. See my review and my reflections on the book for more thoughts on the subject.

  HT: Tim Challies

Book Reviews:

• American Gospel by Jon Meacham
  

  Rating: ****
  Category:History of America’s Civil Religion
  Synopsis: Meacham explores America’s civil religion through the words and writings of the Founding Fathers and other American leaders
  Recommendation: If you like history or political topics, you’ll like this title. It’s quite well written.

  Read the rest of my review.

• The Myth of a Christian Nation by Greg Boyd
  

  Rating: **** stars
  Category: Religion and Politics
  Synopsis: Boyd argues that “the quest for political power is destroying the church.”
  Recommendation: Many may find this book offensive (I know I was definitely tempted to take offense)–but I think Boyd’s thesis is certainly worth grappling with. Christians (particularly those who are interested in politics) would do well to read this book and wrestle through the ideas found within.

  Read the rest of my review.

• To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
  

  Rating: 5 stars
  Category: Juvenile Fiction
  Synopsis: Scout and Finch learn about life, justice, mercy, and racism when their father is appointed to defend an unjustly accused black man.
  Recommendation: An absolutely amazing treatment of the topics of human dignity, justice, and mercy–without ever being pedantic. This is a must read.

  Read the rest of my review.

Photo Albums:

• Baptisms (Kayla, Caleb, Gabrielle, Ben, Brandon, August 15)
  My photos were of pretty poor quality, but I figure something is better than nothing, right?
• Swim Party (Family and Friends, July)
  

Books for the TBR list:

• The Baseball Codes by Jason Turbow
  A history of baseball and the written and unwritten codes that govern it. Baseball is my favorite sport (although I’m still not a hard-core fan) and this book looks like an interesting intro to the stories behind baseball. (Recommended by Seth Heasley)

• Escape by Carolyn Jessop
  A memoir from a woman who escaped from the polygamous Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ for Latter Day Saints, a Mormon sect. This sounds like a hard read, but one that might be good. (Recommended by S. Krishna)

News to take note of:

• Cleveland goes fascist with “smart” trash cans (HT: Instapundit)
• Catholic Dinesh D’Souza appointed president of King’s College, New York
  Carl Trueman has some interesting reflections on what this says about King’s College’s real priorities. Ostensibly, this Protestant/evangelical school seeks to “[train] young people in terms of a Christian worldview and then [send] them out to be cultural leaders.” But D’Souza, as a Catholic, does not hold to many of the central doctrinal tenets of the Protestant/evangelical worldview. This suggests that the school’s true priorities have more to do with conservative politics than with Biblical worldview.
  HT: Tim Challies

Videos worth seeing:

• “Everything in the Bible is basically about Me.” (No, not me. Him!)
  
  HT: Justin Taylor

Related to previous posts:

On similar lines with my “Heresy Hunter” case study (Part 1 and Part 2)

• Kevin DeYoung continues talking about the “Ministry of Rebuke”
  • When to Rebuke
  • How to Rebuke
• Sandra Peoples talks about What “Judge Not” really means

Book Reviews:

• The Cross of Christ by John Stott
  

  Rating: *****
  Category:Theology of the Cross
  Synopsis: John Stott gives a comprehensive, readable theology of the cross.
  Recommendation: This is life-transforming information Stott unpacks. Read it.

  Read the rest of my review.

• Marry Him: The Case for Settling for Mr. Good Enough by Lori Gottlieb
  

  Rating: ****
  Category: Relationships/Memoir/Sociology
  Synopsis: Gottlieb explains how being a picky dater can lead women to lonely lives.
  Recommendation: This book has a lot of merit. Single women should consider its thesis carefully.

  Read the rest of my review.

• The Quest by Nancy Moser
  

  Rating: 0 stars
  Category: Christian Fiction
  Synopsis: A group of people representing the pieces of the armor of God must join together to battle a demon who wants to destroy them.
  Recommendation: The theological premises of this book are awful–and since the whole story seems designed to push this faulty theology, I see little redeeming value. Don’t read this book.

  Read the rest of my review.

Recipes:

• Jamaican Chicken Tropicale
  

Laugh out loud funnies:

• Some TERRIFIC money saving tips
  

  “Stop paying income taxes. Although it seems counterintuitive, if you stop paying federal income taxes, the federal government will actually step in and pay for your room and board!”

  HT: Evangelical Outpost

Books for the TBR list:

• Suite Scarlett by Maureen Johnson
  Confession: I enjoy YA girls fiction of the frothy sort. Think Princess Diaries (although I did eventually get fed up with that series and quit on it.) Suite Scarlett sounds like a perfect match for someone who likes YA girls froth but would prefer to have a bit of substance to go along with it (Or maybe substance isn’t the word. Jennifer’s review described it as “Scarlett isn’t one of those YA heroines who spends time hanging out with friends, ditching school and going to parties.”) I think I might enjoy this series.

News to take note of:

• A German millionaire on giving to private charities:
  

  “The donors are taking the place of the state. That’s unacceptable.”

  “It is all just a bad transfer of power from the state to billionaires. So it’s not the state that determines what is good for the people, but rather the rich want to decide. That’s a development that I find really bad. What legitimacy do these people have to decide where massive sums of money will flow?”

  Maybe that it’s THEIR money? Ever thought of that? This absolutely blows me away. Heaven forbid that individuals take the place of the state (although, strangely enough, I don’t ever recall the place of the state as being to “determine what is good for the people.” Maybe “act in a way that is good for the people”, but never “determine what is good for the people”).
  HT: Instapundit

Thought-provoking posts:

• Vitamin Z wonders why so few churches have communion every week:
  

  “The only reason I have heard for not doing it every week is that ‘we want to keep it special’. But why don’t we say that about singing or preaching? Shouldn’t we also want to keep those things special as well? Can you think of any other reasons for why we shouldn’t participate in the Lord’s Supper every week? Fearful of solidarity with Catholics? Is this just a traditional routine that most churches don’t mess with? What do you think? “

  My church has no set schedule for celebrating the Lord’s Supper–and definitely celebrates less rather than more. But whenever we do have communion, someone soberly reminds us that we are not to take communion as a “routine”. I generally cringe at that point and then have to get my heart right again before I actually take communion–I’m not too fond of my church’s attitude towards this sacrament.

• Tim Challies explains why books are better than e-books:
  

  “Some time ago I was at a library where I saw a book written by an old, old author. That book had been owned by two great theologians, first by one and then by another (who had purchased much of that first man’s library). Contained in the book were notes and remarks by those theologians, one remarking on the work itself and the other reflecting both on the work and on the other theologian’s notations. It was fascinating to see how different people had experienced that book, how it had become interactive in its own way. That is not easily reproduced in an e-book format.”

  This happens to be one of my favorite way to read books–with a pen in hand and someone else’s notes already in the margin. It brings a whole new dimension to “doing theology in community.” I’ve learned to enjoy it so much that I practically beg people to borrow my books and write notes in them–Thanks, Gracebug, for scribbling up Desiring God! (See my review of The Lord’s Supper: 5 Views for more thoughts on the topic.)

Videos worth seeing:

• John Piper on the movie-watching habits of Christians:
  

Related to previous posts:

• Kevin DeYoung on the ministry of rebuke:
  

  “The goal of a rebuke, like any kind of discipline, is always restoration. It’s not punitive, but palliative. A loving rebuke is not supposed to be like a gunshot, but like a flu shot. It may hurt, but the goal is to help you get healthy.”

  This one seemed to relate well with my “Heresy Hunter” case study (Part 1 and Part 2)