Then while they're playing Game 1 of the Finals, this guy deals the 2nd perfect game in Phillies history:
Then I realized that in twelve hours I get to preach on this:
That's infinitely more exciting than both the guys on the ice and on the diamond, isn't it?
Tim Keller:
One of the better books on marriage that I've read is Love that Lasts, by Gary and Betsy Ricucci. In the chapter on the man's role, the Ricucci's pose five questions to determine whether a husband is loving his wife redemptively:
I've had this same thought before regarding sirens, and was grateful for the reminder from Jonathan Parnell at the Desiring God blog:We have become so accustomed to the sound that we typically ignore it. We go about our activities uninterrupted. But wait, that sound means something! It means that there is an emergency. Someone is in need, and that’s not something to ignore.
Sirens come into our day loaded with significance. Whether they are heard faintly in the distance or close enough to disturb our ears, they come into our day as an invitation to get out of our bubble of self and remember that there are 6.8 billion people in the world. They invite us to remember that the world is in need and that opportunities are emerging everywhere for God to glorify his name and make his goodness known.
Next time there is the sound of a siren, we don’t want to waste it. Would you consider a simple prayer for the person in need? Would you pray for the driver and team who are rushing to help? Would you pray that Jesus be embraced and that God be glorified, somehow at some point? And would you pray that the day be hastened when the sound of sirens will be no more?
As I wrote last week, blogging was light because of my preparation for a wedding this past weekend. I hope to be a little more regular with the blog this week.
Kim Yoo-chul, 41, and his partner Choi Mi-sun, 25, fed their three-month-old baby only on visits home between 12-hour sessions at a neighbourhood internet cafe, where they were raising an avatar daughter in a Second-Life-style game called Prius online, police said.
Leaving their real daughter at their home in a suburb of Seoul to fend for herself, the pair, who were unemployed, spent hours role-playing in the virtual reality game, which allows users to choose a career and friends, granting them offspring as a reward for passing a certain level.
The pair became obsessed with nurturing their virtual daughter, called Anima, but neglected their real daughter, who was not named.T4G2010 - O Great God from Together for the Gospel (T4G) on Vimeo.
Yesterday I was in the kitchen with my daughters. Felicity was being a bit cranky, so Halle played the part of concerned mom and said, "Aw Lissy, it's ok...I'm here!"
Though the Flyers are playing great, I'm still not that excited (though I probably would force myself to watch a little if they make the Finals!). Nevertheless, I have great respect for hockey players. I think it requires more skill (have you ever tried to ice skate?) and more toughness than the other three major sports, and they typically get paid a lot less than the other major sports.
Rescuers search for survivors at the site of a Libyan Afriqiyah Airways plane crash in Tripoli, Libya, on May 12. A 9-year-old Dutch boy was the sole survivor of the crash, which killed 103 people.
Basically, I think Rob's question could be stated another way: does Scripture teach that God can take pleasure in a "product" that is the result of human sin? I think the answer is yes, and the most vivid demonstration of this is the cross.
Perhaps not all will agree with me on that, and that is fine. But still, every Christian ought to reckon with how/why they enjoy works of culture produced by non-Christians. Whether it's music, a movie, a home run, an exotic dish, or an iPod, it is a nearly universal experience for Christians to use and enjoy products created by people who hate Jesus. Is this a deep flaw in us that needs to be repented of, or is our delight a reflection of God's image that is stamped on our hearts? Or is there another way to explain it?
Thanks for stimulating my thought on these matters, Rob. This is obviously a matter way outside the innermost circle of core Christian beliefs, so it's an area where I think Christians can have differing views. I only posted Reinke's article and my own reflections because I desire that all of us who love Jesus work hard to think in a God-centered way about all of life. And that includes our love of art.
I have written before of my thoughts on basketball superstar LeBron James. Last night, in his team's biggest game of the year, James played a dud of a game. Here's a snippet from his post-game remarks:
The above picture is the tracing of a second-century Roman graffito depicting the head of a jackass on Jesus' body being crucified. A man stands next to the cross with this arms raised. The caption reads:
I've only had two cups of coffee in my lifetime (both while in was college), and have no plans of drinking any more. But Acts 29 coffee gives a compelling reason for coffee lovers to buy up the java in large quantities: every purchase from them goes directly to church planting in the region where you are located. From their website:
Over and over I've seen one simple question open people's hearts to hear the gospel. Until I asked this question, they showed no interest in spiritual matters. But then after six words—only seventeen letters in English—I've seen people suddenly begin to weep and their resistance fall. The question is, "How can I pray for you?"
Most people in the world never hear such a question. And while many churchgoers know that a minister is willing to pray for them, in some traditions they're expected to make a special donation to the church for such services. So when you ask, "How can I pray for you?" and it's obvious that you're asking out of love alone, it can touch a person more deeply than you imagine.
Whitney closes by encouraging readers that if you simply and sincerely ask people this question, you will be surprised at the results. So on the day I read this article last week, I took up Whitney on his challenge. I was having breakfast with a friend, and when the waitress brought our food I said, "My friend and I are about to give thanks to God for our meal; is there anything we can pray for you?"
Without hesitation, the lady said she needed help. When I asked her what she meant, she said "Mental help. My son died seven years ago and I've been in therapy since then and I need help."
As my friend and I prayed, I was reminded that God Himself knows what it's like to a lose a Son, as He gave His beloved Son to be slaughtered for the sins of the world. When the waitress came to check on us, I told her about what God had reminded me of when we were praying, and encouraged her that God could be a strength to her because He can empathize with her pain.
I told her I was a pastor in the area, gave her my card and told her where the church was. Who knows what will come of that, but I was encouraged by the opportunity.
So give it a try this week: ask a stranger how you can pray for them, and leave a comment to tell us what happened.
I posted these three years ago on the Seeking Him blog, but since that is deceased now I thought I'd re-post it here (thanks to my friend Erin for giving these requests to me):
Can someone think of a caption?
Four points of intersection
Everyone has their own version of the ‘gospel’ story:creation – who I am or who I should be
fall – what’s wrong with me and the world
redemption – what’s the solution
consummation – what I hope forWhen we hear people expressing their version of creation, fall, redemption or consummation, we can talk about the gospel story. Talking about Jesus begins with listening to other people’s stories and sharing our own story of Jesus.
Earlier in the week I mentioned being in Philly for the Acts 29 regional conference. The theme was building and multiplying missional communities.
I just learned today that Phillies' pitcher Ryan Madson, who went on the disabled list last week with a broken toe, suffered that injury when he kicked a chair in the Phillies' clubhouse after blowing a save last week. He probably will not pitch for at least a month.
A landslide destroyed portions of a major highway outside the port city of Keelung, northern Taiwan, as seen in this April 25 aerial image. Four people were killed.