The Cutest Kids Ever!

Ok, people, here are some more adorable shots of the adorable kids that I nanny for. I took them today and some of them turned out really well! Awww...
IMPORTANT NOTE: I've added a "comment approval" thing to my blog so I don't get random jerks saying dumb stuff like some of my friends have had, so please don't worry that your comment didn't show up right away. It goes to my email first and then I approve or reject it -- and I won't reject it unless you curse or slander or something like that!

Recent Pictures -- Something Else To Keep You Occupied

This post serves 3 purposes, which I will outline as follows:

1. To placate Lindsay, who thinks my challenge has been forgotten, and that the kids she nannies are cuter than the kids I nanny (in your face, Lindsay)!
2. To gripe about the general suckiness of the pictures I took at the Nickel Creek concert. Stupid long exposure required to take pictures in the dark but with bright lights on stage grr grr grr... Not even one decent shot all night.
3. To have something to post since I may finally have real time to sit down and write something meaningful sometime around mid-December.

So here. First a couple of shots of Will playing air hockey, and then some fuzzy blobs on a stage that bear some resemblance to Nickel Creek.






Now, who can tell that those people are really Nickel Creek? I mean, if you didn't already know, would you say, "Oh sure, that's Sara Watkins on the left fiddling her little heart out, and the band's Incredible Virtuoso Amazing Clogging Bassist, and Chris Thile in the middle wailin' on the mandolin, and Sean Watkins on the right, virtually obscured by that guy's huge head but still recognizable"? Would this count in a court of law as an alibi?

A Little Something to Keep You Folks Occupied

This may be the least-prayer-related blog post I've ever done, but with the end of classes still two weeks away, I'm struggling to keep my head above water... so a random post seemed like a good idea. Here goes:


Today I was sitting in New Testament waiting for class to start, when I see that Dr. Plummer has brought a CD player to class. He sits it on the podium and explains that today, we will be doing some activities to help keep us awake since it's so close to the end of classes. He hands out a photocopy of a lyric booklet from a cd. He tells us the story behind what we're about to do. An acquaintance of his was making a Christmas CD and asked Dr. Plummer to do a paraphrase of the first part of John 1 from the Greek, something compelling and free-form. Then they recorded the translation over Alex O'Nan's cool, spacey electronic music, resulting in a pretty awesome little Bible experience, if I do say so myself.

Well, the interesting thing is, before we start listening, Dr. Plummer confesses that he has no idea what kind of music it is. "I don't know. Emo? I've heard of that before. It might be emo..." So that got me going on Emo. Then I looked down at our notes for that day's lecture and my eyes came to rest on the phrase "Universal Redemptive Concepts" (a prominent theme in John's Gospel, for those of you who are interested). What a great name for an Emo band! I thought.

And then I was done. With apologies to Dr. Plummer, I don't know if I heard half of what he said for the rest of the class, because I was too busy looking around the room searching for "found" emo band names.

So here is a challenge: look around you right now and "find" emo band names. You can't just make them up, they have to be inspired by actual objects or words that you see.

My list:

1. Universal Redemptive Concepts
2. Five Shelves
3. Space Heater
4. Commemorative Edition
5. Foil
6. Blue Ink
7. Maybe Mountain

... get the idea? Any actual Emo bands can feel free to use any of these names. I call "Foil" for my new Emo band. Kidding.

What Makes A Christian? Part 2

Finally, part two is here! Get out your Bibles and follow along, kids. Let's ask some questions and get some answers about what's true of Christians on an eternal level:

1. If I'm a Christian, what has God accomplished for me?
He has loved me with an everlasting love. Jeremiah 31:3
He has given me the privilege of being born again. 1 Peter 1:3
He gave me life when I was dead. Ephesians 2:5
He has given me every spiritual blessing. Ephesians 1:3

2. What did (does) Jesus do for me?
He died for me while I was still a sinner. Romans 5:8
He opened the true way for me to come to God the Father. John 14:6
He came back from the dead to break the power of death. Acts 2:24, Hebrews 2:14
He intercedes for me with God the Father. Romans 8:34

3. What is the Holy Spirit's role in my life?
He completely transforms me into a person with Real Life. Romans 8:11
He lives in me as a witness of my salvation. Romans 8:16, 1 Corinthians 1:22
He grows the fruit He has planted in my life. Galatians 5:22-23
He enables me to do what God wants me do do. Acts 1:8, Romans 8:26

Now, ask yourself some follow-up questions.

Do I believe these things -- and not just with my head, but with my heart and my life? Do I behave as though these things are true? Or do I deny them with the way that I live? Do I have so much confidence in what God has accomplished, what Jesus has done, and who the Holy Spirit is, that I have a constant desire to know God more, to trust Jesus more, to submit to the Spirit more?

To Be Continued...

What Makes A Christian? Part 1

Once upon a time, I was a kid in junior high and high school, praying to survive from one day to the next without making a total fool of myself. But God, being gracious, provided me with some opportunities toward the end of junior high and into high school to defend my faith to a friend who was on a bold spiritual quest. Seemed like every day she had another question or challenge. So I went out and bought a book for teens on Christian apologetics (defending Christian beliefs) and read up. Praise God for this resource! It really helped me to feel prepared as I grappled with my friend’s questions. Praise the Lord that we remained friends throughout that time, and praise Him in a big way that she’s a believer, and active in ministry. Her life is a huge source of encouragement for me.

Now, at the same time that God was dealing with my fear of confrontation in the area of sharing the Gospel, a series of revivals took place in my hometown. Teenagers flocked to hear one particular speaker, and they would flood the altar at the end of the evening sermon, crying as they nailed slips of paper with their sins written on them to a cross at the front of the church. I remember sitting by one girl who wept loudly the whole time, and professed that she had “rededicated” her life to Christ. The next Monday at school, she was cursing as usual, planning for her next big party, and treating the “un-cool” kids like me just like she always had. As far as I know, she is still living for herself instead of God.

So what gives? The first girl claimed she wasn’t a Christian, yet God was clearly working in her life. The second girl claimed she was a Christian, but certainly didn’t act like one! So how can you tell which of your friends are Christians and which ones are not?

First, I want you all to do something. Look at your arm. Do you have skin? Bones? Muscle? Are you visible? If you answered yes to any or all of these questions, hold on, because this may come as a shock: you are not the Holy Spirit!! You can’t see into anyone’s heart or tell what God is doing in their lives unseen. Therefore, it’s not your job to cast judgment on someone. But with that caution in mind, you all probably know the saying, “If it walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, it’s a duck.” Jesus told His disciples that we’d know a tree by its fruit (Matthew 12:33). Makes sense, right? If it bears apples, it’s an apple tree. Similarly, when people claim to be Christians, we should see “fruit,” or evidence, of it in their lives. Pop quiz: what are these “fruits”? We could undoubtedly list dozens, but let’s start with the most obvious: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control. Sound familiar? They’re the Fruit of the Holy Spirit, and the Bible tells us that anyone who is a Christian has the Holy Spirit (see Acts 2:38 and Romans 5:5, for instance).

To Be Continued...

The Founders and God, in Virginia

I recently got back from a nerdy U.S. History trip to Virginia; three friends and I visited Monticello, the home of Thomas Jefferson, Colonial Williamsburg, an important location in the events leading up to the American Revolution, and Jamestown, the first permanent English settlement in America. It was fantastic. I learned a lot about Thomas Jefferson's fascination with agriculture and just how brilliant he really was. I also sat in Patrick Henry's pew in the Episcopal church in Williamsburg -- I get goosebumps thinking about that! Anyway, it was amazing, and I have a deeper respect and admiration for the courage of the Founders. Check out this link for the text of Patrick Henry's famous and chillingly powerful "Give me liberty or give me death" speech!

It's been a long time since I believed that the Founding Fathers were a bunch of devout Christians who wanted to build the USA on the foundation of Evangelicalism. That's baloney, though we hear it preached just about every Independence Day. There were undoubtedly a few serious Christians in the group, but most of the Founders took as much (if not more) from the Enlightenment as they did from the Bible, and a great many, including Jefferson and Franklin, were Deists. But let me be clear: we can praise God that He created Jefferson and Franklin and all the others with the courage, intelligence, and desire to found a nation where we can pray for our lunch in public, read our Bibles on a park bench, and go to church in full view of policemen, without fear of persecution.

So praise God that we have freedom to learn, and then learn about America's awesome history -- it really is amazing to realize that these men were willing to give up their lives for the nation they loved. And also praise God that we have freedom to share the Truth about Christ with those around us. Then go do it! Take advantage of the freedom you have, and tell your friends how they can have a relationship with the True God who reveals Himself in history and saves everyone who turns to Him in faith through Jesus Christ!

California Prayin'

Hey, all, get ready to pray! I got a phone call last night from a dear friend in California asking for prayer. As you may know, there is a wicked wildfire blazing near Los Angeles that covers almost 24,000 acres! As of today, the fire is about 40% contained, but still threatens many homes. Thousands were forced to evacuate, including the staff of the camp where my friend works. She was already safely at the camp's other location on Catalina Island, but all of her possessions are still back at the primary site. Please pray for God's protection of the camp and the staffers, and pray for strength and wisdom for the thousands of firefighters working to get the blaze under control. Also, pray that God would reveal Himself to people through this disaster, and that He would be praised for His provision and protection.

Questions that deserve an answer

Dear "Little Timmy,"

You left the following comment on the previous post, and I think your questions are important; so important, in fact, that I would like to dedicate this entire post to addressing your questions. Thanks so much for your willingness to put yourself out here. This is what you wrote:


Greetings:

I don't know you, but I was surfing the web and came across your blog - you certainly have an interesting way of looking at the world. I am not a 'Christian' - so I was wondering if you would enlighten me.

Laura wrote:
"In the ten minutes or so it took you to read through this short article, 817 people died. 725 of them died and went to Hell. What are YOU going to do about that? Will you let God put a fire in your heart to tell others about Him? Pray that He will."

Where are you getting these statistics from? How accurate are they? On what basis does God send someone to hell? Do you believe that you are going to heaven or hell? If you believe that you are going to heaven, then why do you deserve to go to heaven? Finally, what is the nature of hell?

Peace,
Little Timmy


Well, "Little Timmy," let me first say thanks. I'm sure that the worldview I hold looks pretty weird from the outside! I'll start, if I may, with your two more straightforward questions first. These numbers are based on the statistic, mentioned early in my previous post, that 11% of folks on Earth are Christians -- see the U.S. Census information or a World Almanac to confirm -- and also on global birth/death rates. I believe, based on those two things, that this statistic is accurate. All of the statistics I posted were taken from a sermon preached last week at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary by Dr. William Henard. I posted a link to an audio version of the message in an earlier comment, if you'd like to listen to it.

And then you've asked a few more questions that require more thought and care to answer. Please forgive my clumsiness in responding; I can only write what my limited brain power allows, and what God has shown me in His word, the Bible. In order to give appropriate weight to your questions, I'll address them one at a time. If you like, you can have a Bible at the ready, or open a Bible website like www.crosswalk.com in another window, so you can check to make sure I am quoting Scripture accurately, and so you can read the context of each passage.

I have a few presuppositions that the answers below assume. First is that God exists and both CAN be known and MAKES Himself known. Second is that Jesus Christ is the divine man in Whom God chose to make Himself known. Third is that the Bible is God's message to humanity about Himself, and contains only truth. Even if you don't believe those things (and I don't expect you to, since you said you're not a "Christian"), please play along just for the next few minutes as though you did believe them -- it makes things so much more fun! And it will, I hope, help you understand why I answer the way I do. So, here goes...

1. "On what basis does God send someone to hell?" According to the Bible, God is perfect, and created people to be perfect as well, and to represent Him on Earth (see Genesis 1-3). But evil entered the world, and it corrupted everything about us, leaving us with no possibility of living up to God's standards (see Romans 5:12 and 7:14-25). Joshua 24:19 says that God is holy, and that He has a Holy jealousy that will not allow Him to have a relationship with those who turn away from Him. Everyone who rejects Him, He will also reject (see Leviticus 26). God has a perfect standard that we, in our own human ability, can never live up to. I'm sure that you can see in humans a tendency to rebel, to try to do things our own way -- anyone who has spent time with a "terrible" two-year-old can certainly attest to that! And when we rebel against God, turn away from Him and reject him with our lives and our attitudes, we get what we deserve: death (see Romans 6:23), completely separated from God. When we insult a perfect God and trade his amazing offer of life for our own selfishness and sin, we deserve perfect justice (see Romans 1 and Jeremiah 2:11-13).

2. "Do you believe that you are going to heaven or hell?" I believe that when I die, by God's gracious gift, I will be with Him forever in Heaven.

3. "If you believe that you are going to heaven, then why do you deserve to go to heaven?" Well, this is the big question, and here is where there's some big confusion about Christianity. The reality is, I don't deserve to go to Heaven. I deserve to go to Hell, because I sin. I screw up. I fall far short of God's perfection (see Romans 3:23). But, here is the part that gets me every time I think about it: God chose to save me from the death and Hell that I deserve. That's called mercy -- NOT getting what I deserve (see Romans 8:1). Then He chose to give me eternal life through His Son Jesus. That's called grace -- getting what I DON'T deserve (see Ephesians 2:8). I could never pay for my sin, could never be good enough to earn the mercy and grace of God, so Jesus, God's perfect, sinless Son, paid instead. I belonged to Hell, and I deserved death, but Jesus died a shameful death on a cross, to keep that punishment from falling on me (see Romans 3:24).

I put my hope and trust in Jesus, that His death was enough to change the way I relate to God. I am now a "Christian" because I trust Christ, and know that through Him God, out of love, chose to save me from Hell and give me new life. He loves me, and has had a plan for my life, even since before time (see Ephesians 1:4), not because of anything good in me, or because of any good thing I've done, but so that He could use me to give Him glory (see Ephesians 2:8-9). For this purpose He sent His representative, the Holy Spirit, to shape me and make me more like Jesus -- not just to make me a nicer person or help me do good things, but to point people to God, and to show that all the credit for every positive result of my life goes directly back to God (see Romans 8:29 and 11:36).

4. "Finally, what is the nature of hell?" Well, two of the Gospel writers quote Jesus as calling it "an unquenchable fire" (see Matthew 9:43 and Mark 9:45). Folks in Jerusalem at the time of Jesus called Hell "Gehenna," a word that referred to the nearby Hinnom Valley, where infant sacrifices had once been offered; where, in the first century, all of Jerusalem's ritually unclean garbage was burned, twenty-four hours a day; and where the bodies of criminals or those denied proper burial were dumped (see Wikipedia's article about it). It's a pretty powerful image, don't you think? Other Biblical images of Hell also involve decay, darkness, fire and sulfur -- and most of all, misery and torment. Heaven, on the other hand, is described in grand superlatives: great joy, peace, delight, pleasure, and every good thing are to be found there in the direct presence of God! In other words, Hell, according to the Bible (which is the only way we can know what it will be like), is not some eternal party with an impish Devil presiding over the festivities; neither is heaven some dull convention of harp-playing angels. Hell is utter torment and eternal separation from God and His love and holiness; Heaven is total delight and eternal worship in the presence of God and His love and holiness.

The good news is, because of God's gift of mercy and grace through Jesus' death on the cross, I never have to experience the agonies of Hell, nor the misery of a meaningless life. I can look forward to heaven, and work to fulfill the purposes of God while I am alive. This amazing gift is available to anyone who trusts that Jesus' death is enough for them (see John 1:12).

"Little Timmy," I don't know how much of this has sunk in, or if I have answered your questions sufficiently. But I'd like to encourage you to do one thing: think about your life. What would happen if you saw yourself as hopelessly flawed and destined for death? Would you continue to go down that road, struggling through life empty and purposeless? Or would you reach out for Jesus and ask Him to change your heart and give you a whole new life, with all its meaning and purpose? What would happen if you did that? My encouragement is for you to try it on for size. Walk around in those shoes for a week or so. Ask God if He's really there. Ask Him if He'll show you that He loves you and wants you to know Him. Take a look at some of the Bible passages I've referred to. Look for God. The Bible says that you'll find God when you seek Him with all your heart (see Deuteronomy 4:29).

You were made with a sense of right and wrong, a desire for justice, a need to relate to things and people outside yourself. Something in your heart, maybe long ago, has cried out for some sense of meaning -- maybe you don't even feel it anymore. We're restless, we humans, always searching for something more. I hope that what I've written tonight has pointed you toward that Something. All those characteristics and desires -- God put them in you to show you that you need Him.

I'll be praying for you, brother, as you continue to ask questions and seek answers. God is real. He has promised that He rewards everyone who seeks Him earnestly. Test that promise, and see if it holds true. It has held true for me. Peace to you, as well, from the Author of true and never-ending peace.

In My Lifetime

My dear brothers and sisters, I want to share something with you that so touched my heart that it has actually changed the way I feel about sharing the Gospel. Last Thursday, a speaker came to Southern Seminary's chapel service and preached about sharing the Gospel in a way I had never heard before. Russ and Jenna, y'all can vouch for this -- I sat and choked back tears (ineffectively) as I heard what he said about the impact that we could have for Christ if we would only be obedient!

We have two of the letters that Paul wrote to Timothy, preserved by the Holy Spirit in God's Word. Paul encouraged Timothy, and God encourages us today by saying:

"Before God and Christ Jesus, who is going to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom, I solemnly charge you: proclaim the message; persist in it whether convenient or not; rebuke, correct, and encourage with great patience and teaching. For the time will come when they will not tolerate sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, will accumulate teachers for themselves because they have an itch to hear something new. They will turn away from hearing the truth and will turn aside to myths. But as for you, keep a clear head about everything, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry."

Here are some really surprising statistics I learned:
According to recent polls 11% of the people in the world are Christians. This means there are 5.4 billion people on Earth who don't know Christ.
2 billion people on Earth have little or no access to the Gospel.
138, 000 more lost people are alive today than yesterday.
196, 000 people will die today. 174, 000 of them will die and go to Hell.
345, 000 babies will be born today. 307, 000 of those babies will grow up, and live, and die without Christ.

But what about Churches? Don't they make an impact? Sure:
Let's say that your denomination baptizes 400, 000 new believers a year. Sounds pretty good, doesn't it? But at that rate, it would take 650 years to win America, and an incredible 10,000 years to reach the entire world for Christ.

That sounds pretty depressing. Ten thousand years? It sounds like an unreachable goal, doesn't it?

But what if you were to say to God, "Father, use me to win just ONE person to Christ this year." Then, when you lead that one person to Christ, you disciple him and teach him how to share the Gospel. Then the next year, the two of you go out and each win someone to Christ, disciple them and teach them how to share the Gospel, and continue to do that at the rate of just ONE person per year, here is what would happen. Brace yourself, because this is huge.

All of America would know Christ in just 28 years.

The entire world would know Christ in just 33 years.

In my lifetime! The whole world -- every man, woman, boy, and girl of every tribe, language, and nation -- would know Christ... IN MY LIFETIME!

So, the question now stands, are you going to be that person? Are you going to realize that it's not an unreachable goal, and that you don't have to lead thousands to Christ to have an impact? Will you let God put a fire in your heart to reach your friends? How do you develop that passion?

Passion for sharing your faith is lit up through personal commitment. It's not just something you like or are good at, it's something you choose to do. It is intentional. Paul tells Timothy to keep a clear head, to endure hardship, and to do the WORK, to accomplish the task, of an evangelist. He doesn't say "be an evangelist," and he's not telling you to be Billy Graham! He is telling you to do the WORK of an evangelist, to actually share the Gospel!

Passion for sharing your faith is intensified through personal conviction. This demands a right understanding of the Bible. Look at what Paul says! Jesus is coming to weed out those who don't confess Him as their Savior from those who do! Don't be fooled -- Hell is a real place of evil and torment and total separation from God. This personal conviction also demands accountability. I'm not going to pull punches here, guys. YOU will one day stand before God and explain to Him everything you ever did. One day, you'll have to explain why you decided not to tell your dying friends and neighbors that God made a way for them to live with Him forever!

Passion for evangelism is set afire through personal concern. Paul says to be patient as we share the Gospel with the lost folks that we love. And you do love them, right? You love them enough to tell them how to be saved, right? You love them enough to do whatever you can to keep them from Hell, right? Even when you don't love what they do, you love them, right?

In the ten minutes or so it took you to read through this short article, 817 people died. 725 of them died and went to Hell. What are YOU going to do about that? Will you let God put a fire in your heart to tell others about Him? Pray that He will.