So far I have nothing but reasons to like Palin. It really was brilliant for McCain to choose her and actually bolsters my confidence in him. It is just brilliant on so many levels.
She is pro-life. When her and her husband found out their son was going to be born with an extra chromosome and therefore have Down Syndrome they didn't ask the question "why us?" Their question was "why not us?"
She is a mom who has a son serving in the US Army. She is the direct opposite of disgruntled moms who have sons serving. She is proud of her son's sacrifice. And she places all her confidence in McCain who has unflinchingly supported the troops and the war in Iraq. She has a real vested interest in the decisions made regarding the military. She is also the commander of the Alaska National Guard as the Governor of that state.
She is after all a woman. And this will certainly concern the Democrats who are supposedly the party that cares about the advancement of women. I think alot of women will take stock of what happned when Hillary was not chosen in favor of a man with hardly any credentials to speak of.
Lastly, the timing of the announcement was superb. No one was talking about Obama's weak speech on Thursday evening. Many were only talking about how it had virtually been forgotten.
The following are links to get you some info on Palin:
Al Mohler writes on her fifth child.
The Washington Times
National Review
Mark Steyn
Saturday, August 30, 2008
Friday, August 29, 2008
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Engage
This past Sunday Night the Student Ministry of Metro East Baptist Church began something very new and exciting. We started a class we are calling Engage. It is a class for students and parents who are part of the MEBC Student Ministry. This first Fall Semester we are discussing having a Biblical Worldview by asking, "How does the gospel help us think about the World around us?" Last week I did an introduction.
When we starting thinking about doing this class, we thought we were doing something really off the wall. We knew we would be working and planning from a philosophy of ministry idea instead of a demand. And so we assumed that this class would be well attended and we would be encouraged if about 8 families attended the first week (20 -25 people) and then ended up with about 4 or 5 families for the remainder of the class. We thought that would be a success.
Like I said, this past Sunday Night was our introduction...we had 105 people there. Now I know that numbers are not everything and should not be the sole gauge of success. But you gotta understand how unprepared we were for such a response. We are simply overwhelmed by God's power and faithfulness and our familys' interest and encouragement.
I think what we are doing is unique. But the idea of ministering to students in the context of their family and being a resource for parents is not new. If you would like to read more on the subject I suggest reThink, which is absolutely the best book on youth ministry out there.
When we starting thinking about doing this class, we thought we were doing something really off the wall. We knew we would be working and planning from a philosophy of ministry idea instead of a demand. And so we assumed that this class would be well attended and we would be encouraged if about 8 families attended the first week (20 -25 people) and then ended up with about 4 or 5 families for the remainder of the class. We thought that would be a success.
Like I said, this past Sunday Night was our introduction...we had 105 people there. Now I know that numbers are not everything and should not be the sole gauge of success. But you gotta understand how unprepared we were for such a response. We are simply overwhelmed by God's power and faithfulness and our familys' interest and encouragement.
I think what we are doing is unique. But the idea of ministering to students in the context of their family and being a resource for parents is not new. If you would like to read more on the subject I suggest reThink, which is absolutely the best book on youth ministry out there.
Monday, August 25, 2008
What I am Listening To
There are two ways I discover new music. I have a subscription to Paste Magazine and a subscription to emuisc. I got my newest issue of Paste late last week and I get my 30 downloads for the month from emusic on the 25th, which was yesterday. So because of these 2 means I have been listening to...
Greg Laswell's album Three Flights from Alto Nido is really good. I have not listened to it alot yet but his voice and some of the sounds remind me of Chris Martin and Coldplay.
Jars of Clay's new EP Closer is incredible and has made me want to listen closely to all the other albums since their first. The song Closer is absolutley beautiful and I could not help but be reminded of Joy Division.
Adele's 19 is just plain gorgeous.
I think before it is over I will really like Paul McCartney's Memory Almost Full. He is after my favorite Beatle.
The Myriad's With Arrows, With Poise is amazing from beginning to end. It has some great melodies that are oh so modern with all the reasons we loved some of the brit bands in the 80's.
Greg Laswell's album Three Flights from Alto Nido is really good. I have not listened to it alot yet but his voice and some of the sounds remind me of Chris Martin and Coldplay.
Jars of Clay's new EP Closer is incredible and has made me want to listen closely to all the other albums since their first. The song Closer is absolutley beautiful and I could not help but be reminded of Joy Division.
Adele's 19 is just plain gorgeous.
I think before it is over I will really like Paul McCartney's Memory Almost Full. He is after my favorite Beatle.
The Myriad's With Arrows, With Poise is amazing from beginning to end. It has some great melodies that are oh so modern with all the reasons we loved some of the brit bands in the 80's.
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Music I am Listening To
I am still listening to Coldplay's Viva La Vida almost everyday. It has been the soundtrack of my summer. I really cannot think of another album that has aressted me like this one has. And I really only enjoy the music on this album if I listen to it straight through. If I just listen to one song, I feel like I am trying to look at only a piece of the puzzle. The question I keep asking myself is "why?" Why do I love this album so much? I was never a Coldplay fan before. I never owned any music of theirs. So why? First, I think I can safely say this album more than most is an artistic piece. It is not merely entertainment. As a matter of fact, while it may be entertaining, to call it entertainment in the sense that most pop music is entertainment misses the mark. It is art. Second, is music is really sparse. There is not a lot of noise. Almost every note played is apparent. It draws you in because every note has the potential to become a memory. Third, the lyrics are full of images begging you to wrap your mind around them. Chris Martin is not a believer but this album is full of religious and biblical imagery. Therefore, it is very interesting to listen to his take on the world around him. Fourth, musically, I do not have another album like it. Some of the music is beautiful and arresting, violent and forbodding. Am I off the mark to suggest there are alot of borrowed sounds and rhythms from World Music? Lastly, one of the things I love about Jazz is how the voice becomes an instrument and not just a way to say something. Martin's voice does that on this album.
Viva La Vida is not the only new thing I am listening to...I am also listening to The Myriad. Indie Music made by believers. Weird video below but great song.
Saturday, August 16, 2008
From PCA to SBC: Part 3
I apologize that is has been so long between posts (part 1, part 2) on this subject but I have never been so busy in my life and the blog has taken a backseat.
Someone may ask, "what does the Sabbath question have to do with Baptism"? Well, for me a lot! About a year after I got conviction and clarity on the Sabbath I started thinking about Baptism. I had grown up in the SBC but after college left the SBC and joined a PCA church. Although, I never was able to buy the arguments for infant baptism, I loved the PCA as a denomination enough and felt comfortable enough among them to actually go to their Seminary. While I was there, my love for the PCA increased. And into my second year, I bought into the argument for infant baptism. I say "bought into" not as a pejorative about the belief that we should baptize our children as infants. Actually any pejorative implication should be directed at me. To be completely honest, I began to love the PCA so much that I wanted to believe in paedobaptism. So, I looked for reasons to believe...and I found them.
What were thsoe reasons?
1. There really is a beautiful logic to the theology behind paedobaptism. I love theology and doctrine and the deeper I go, the more I happy I can be. Paedobaptism goes very deep and so I enjoyed the depth of the arguments.
2. I liked the storyline behind paedobaptism. The argument of "one covenant" with two administrations and the picture of baptism being for the new administration what circumcision was for the old was attractive to a guy who longed to have children and have them enjoy all that comes with being part of the "covenant community."
3. There was just enough ambiguity in Scripture to help me along.
4. The patience of those professors and friends who discussed these matters with me were a huge apologetic to me. they admitted there was a lot of ambiguity and good arguments for both sides.
I am not proud of my attitude at that time. But it sure made my life easier to simply stay in the PCA and enjoy the "home" we loved.
So back to a little over a year ago...I had to reckon with my own lack of conviction just as I had with the Sabbath issue. So I decided I must study the issue further and that was when I set out on a 6 month adventure of reading and discussing baptism.
Someone may ask, "what does the Sabbath question have to do with Baptism"? Well, for me a lot! About a year after I got conviction and clarity on the Sabbath I started thinking about Baptism. I had grown up in the SBC but after college left the SBC and joined a PCA church. Although, I never was able to buy the arguments for infant baptism, I loved the PCA as a denomination enough and felt comfortable enough among them to actually go to their Seminary. While I was there, my love for the PCA increased. And into my second year, I bought into the argument for infant baptism. I say "bought into" not as a pejorative about the belief that we should baptize our children as infants. Actually any pejorative implication should be directed at me. To be completely honest, I began to love the PCA so much that I wanted to believe in paedobaptism. So, I looked for reasons to believe...and I found them.
What were thsoe reasons?
1. There really is a beautiful logic to the theology behind paedobaptism. I love theology and doctrine and the deeper I go, the more I happy I can be. Paedobaptism goes very deep and so I enjoyed the depth of the arguments.
2. I liked the storyline behind paedobaptism. The argument of "one covenant" with two administrations and the picture of baptism being for the new administration what circumcision was for the old was attractive to a guy who longed to have children and have them enjoy all that comes with being part of the "covenant community."
3. There was just enough ambiguity in Scripture to help me along.
4. The patience of those professors and friends who discussed these matters with me were a huge apologetic to me. they admitted there was a lot of ambiguity and good arguments for both sides.
I am not proud of my attitude at that time. But it sure made my life easier to simply stay in the PCA and enjoy the "home" we loved.
So back to a little over a year ago...I had to reckon with my own lack of conviction just as I had with the Sabbath issue. So I decided I must study the issue further and that was when I set out on a 6 month adventure of reading and discussing baptism.
Thursday, August 07, 2008
Monday, August 04, 2008
Music on Monday
A few months ago I ran across a band I had never heard of. I was pretty impressed after downloading some free tracks and then kinda forgot about them. But then I heard them on Pandora and decided I needed to hear some more.
Robbie Seay Band is one of the best bands I have heard in a long time. Thanks to iTunes and EMusic I believe I have all of their albums. To get a listen I would reccomend their MySpace page and their website. My favorite album of theirs so far is Better Days...although their new one is really, really good. They are a great mix of acoustic rock with lots of songs that go full-boar on you. None of it is lazy and all of it is thoughtful. They do a number of Hymns that are very moving and some original "worship" tunes.
Also they are excellent live...on the way back from Chicago, the group I was with stopped in Decatur, Illinois to see a free concert of theirs. It was only an hour long but it was unreal good. The sound was huge and great. They have a very good live EP for those interested.
To tell you how much I like this band, only one album has really been competing for my attention in the last couple of weeks. And that album is Viva la Vida by Coldplay which may be a musical masterpiece.
Below are a few videos of Robbie Seay Band for your listening and viewing pleasure...
Robbie Seay Band is one of the best bands I have heard in a long time. Thanks to iTunes and EMusic I believe I have all of their albums. To get a listen I would reccomend their MySpace page and their website. My favorite album of theirs so far is Better Days...although their new one is really, really good. They are a great mix of acoustic rock with lots of songs that go full-boar on you. None of it is lazy and all of it is thoughtful. They do a number of Hymns that are very moving and some original "worship" tunes.
Also they are excellent live...on the way back from Chicago, the group I was with stopped in Decatur, Illinois to see a free concert of theirs. It was only an hour long but it was unreal good. The sound was huge and great. They have a very good live EP for those interested.
To tell you how much I like this band, only one album has really been competing for my attention in the last couple of weeks. And that album is Viva la Vida by Coldplay which may be a musical masterpiece.
Below are a few videos of Robbie Seay Band for your listening and viewing pleasure...
I Am Back
I apologize for being gone but I have been out of town for over a week on a missions trip to Chicago with some college students. And befpre that I was just so inordinately busy I had no time to sit down in front of my computer. I will be trying to post at least once a day for the next week or so as to catch up.
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