John Piper gives some thoughts about abortion and about being pro-life:
Consider the power of life and death your words have
Mark Driscoll, the preaching pastor at Mars Hill Church in Seattle, will be one of the featured speakers at the Desiring God National Conference on Sept. 26-28 in Minneapolis. This year’s theme is “The Power of Words and the Wonder of God.” The folks at Desiring God have been posting short interviews with the speakers leading up to the conference. In this interview, Driscoll talks about the effect and power our words have:
Allyson Felix runs for the glory of God at the Olympics
One of my favorite all-time movies is Chariots of Fire. I love it when Eric Liddell tells his sister that when he runs he feels God smiling on him. It sounds so self-centered, but the point is that Liddell is running for God’s glory, not his own. And that is a good way to look at sports or any other interest that we may pursue. It is because God has blessed us with a talent we should do it our best for His sake, not ours.
All of that brings me to the recent Olympic games in Beijing, China, where many athletes did many outstanding things. I am sure that there were many who understood that the talents that got them to China were bestowed by a great God on humble human beings. One of those great athletes is Allyson Felix of the United States. Felix, who is a sprinter, won a gold in the 1,600 relay and a silver in the 200. She was disappointed in her performance in the 200, where she was the reigning world champion, but she didn’t let that stop her from giving her all in the relay.
In a feature segment run during the games, she is clear about where her heart is. Clink on the image below for the video:
And, to remember a truly great Olympic athlete and a dedicated servant of God:
What is the difference between being anxious and being careful?
There are times when I wonder what exactly the Bible means when it tells us not to be anxious. I mean, where does being careful or prudent turn into being anxious?
John Piper, after almost being run over while walking across the street one day, wondered about the same thing and wrote a great article on it. Here is his conclusion:
“Do not be anxious for your life” (Luke 12:22) does not mean: Walk on red (at least not always). It means: 1) don’t fantasize nervously about getting pasted in the crosswalk; 2) believe that if you do get pasted, God is still in control and you will be with him and he will take care of your family; 3) if a carton of gold is across the street and the kingdom of God is on this side, don’t cross even on green; 4) if a red light tries to stop you from giving a big missions offering this week, walk on red! (Financial precautions are almost always too conservative.) After blue, God’s favorite color is green. Consider the lilies.
God’s Favorite Color :: Desiring God Christian Resource Library.
Bigfoot is fake. Jesus is real
Not that this is a surprise, but it turns out the recent discovery of Bigfoot in Georgia was a hoax. I read somewhere in the last week someone saying that Bigfoot is like religion in that it is something that exists in legend but is not real. But that’s just not the same. Consider: What would it mean if Bigfoot indeed exists? What exactly does the existence of Bigfoot mean in our lives? Anything?
Now consider Jesus. What does it mean that Jesus exists? Plenty. There aren’t many people who are saying that Jesus didn’t walk in this world around 2,000 years ago. Many argue about what kind of man he is and what impact his life should have in our lives. And, more importantly, what impact does his death and resurrection have?
In the Bible, in Matthew 28, it talks about Easter Sunday when Jesus arose from the tomb after being dead three days after his crucifixion. It says:
When they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some were doubtful. And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
So, there is a lot riding on it. John Piper lays out how important:
If this is true, if this is real – that Jesus Christ has been raised from the dead (verse 6), and that all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to him (verse 18), and that he will be with his disciples to the end of the age (verse 20) – if this is true, then nothing is more important in our lives, nothing is more crucial or more urgent or more needful than believing it and becoming a follower of Jesus. I know it’s a big if – if this is true, if this is real (you may believe it or not) – but if the premise is true, wouldn’t you agree with the conclusion? – nothing is more important for everyone in this room than to believe in him and be his follower.
That’s it. Nothing is as important. Not my family. Not my health. Not my job. Not what’s on TV. Not my retirement. Nothing. I will live on with or without Bigfoot being real. I cannot have life without Jesus because he not only did he die but he also rose and lives now. No one can live without him.
New Twins Ballpark video tour
And, because baseball was meant to be played outdoors so we could see it and appreciate God’s great work in nature at the same time, here is a link to a video tour of the new Minnesota Twins ballpark. The new park will open in 2010. Click on the image below to watch the tour. (Note: Watch you see in the image is just a model of the ballpark so, no, that is not Paul Bunyan standing behind it getting ready to grab some Twins fans. As a bonus, you get to hear a real, live Minnesotan describe the ballpark in his real, live Minnesotan accent. Ah, it brings back memories. 🙂 )
And, to make it unique, get ready for the Stone Zone.
Mark Driscoll: Watch your phraseology
Mark Driscoll will be one of the speakers at the upcoming Desiring God national conference, “The Power of Words and the Wonder of God” to be Sept. 26-28 in Minneapolis. In the preview clip, he talks about the Bible and harsh language:
Go here to register.
Is it revival? Test it with doctrine.
John Piper, on the Desiring God blog, writes about the aftermath of the Lakeland revival and the need for discernment:
Charismatics will not be the only ones who follow the Antichrist when he rises. So will the mass of those who today in thousands of evangelical churches belittle the truth of biblical doctrine as God’s agent to set us free (John 8:32).
Discernment is not created in God’s people by brokenness, humility, reverence, and repentance. It is created by biblical truth and the application of truth by the power of the Holy Spirit to our hearts and minds. When that happens, then the brokenness, humility, reverence, and repentance will have the strong fiber of the full counsel of God in them. They will be profoundly Christian and not merely religious and emotional and psychological.
The common denominator of those who follow the Antichrist will not be “charismatic.” It will be, as Paul says, “they refused to love the truth.”
The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders, and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. Therefore God sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false, in order that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness. (2 Thessalonians 2:9-12)
Our test for every Lakeland that comes along should first be doctrinal and expositional. Is this awakening carried along by a “love for the truth” and a passion to hear the whole counsel of God proclaimed?
The one question you need to ask yourself
I came by this by way of Neatorama. Its creator made it as an anti-adverstising statement, but I think the sticker statement holds for anything. We are a consumer society and, especially in this country, we don’t always consider the question of whether we actually need something before we get it. As a Christian, I think it speaks to me as a question of whether I am relying on myself or God to satisfy my desires. Do I trust what the Bible says in Psalm 37:4?
Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart.
And what are those desires? I think, if we delight ourselves in God, they are things that please God and bring us more satisfaction in him. Delighting ourselves in God brings us more and more pleasure, not in the earthly sense, but in the sense that we are not feeling like there is a lack in our lives. Think about how many times in your life — and I speak to this out of my own experience — you’ve gotten something you really wanted bad and then found yourself feeling like it wasn’t enough not long afterward. I think we can all picture the scene of the child on Christmas Day who opens all the presents and yet by the end of the day is bored or looking for just one more gift. So, ask yourself, do you need it?
What impresses God
While we are soaking in the pageantry of the Olympics this summer in China, let us not forget what life is really like for the Christians there. In a great post at The Blazing Center, Mark Altrogge compares what we see with what God sees:
The Lord who spoke the worlds into existence is not impressed by our pomp and technology and fireworks. But he is impressed by his people glorifying him despite persecution by a wicked government. His eyes are on his precious sheep singing his praises behind closed doors of their homes or praying under their prison covers.
When you watch the Olympics this week, lift up a prayer for the persecuted saints in China. Ask Jesus to have mercy on them, fill them with his joy and give them the grace to persevere. Ask Jesus to bring his kingdom, the most impressive kingdom of all, to earth.
Rockstanding 
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