It Is Almost As If God Loves Us More Than His Son

Here is a quote from Sinclair Ferguson on God's love for us in Christ:

"When we think of Christ dying on the cross we are shown the lengths to which God’s love goes in order to win us back to himself. We would almost think that God loved us more than he loves his Son! We cannot measure such love by any other standard. He is saying to us: I love you this much. The cross is the heart of the gospel. It makes the gospel good news: Christ died for us. He has stood in our place before God’s judgment seat. He has borne our sins. God has done something on the cross we could never do for ourselves. But God does something to us as well as for us through the cross. He persuades us that he loves us."

God's love for us is measured by no lesser standard than the immeasurable worth of His all-glorious, wholly-perfect, eternally-beloved Son given up to unspeakable judgment for sinners - like me! It is almost as if God loved us more than he loves his Son! That is unimaginable love - for such as me!

God richly, richly bless you in the knowledge of His great love for you!


HT: CJ

John Updike (1932-2009)

Justin Taylor had a great post on John Updike yesterday:


Acclaimed American writer John Updike died this morning at the age of 76.

I do not know his spiritual state (he was born Lutheran and later became Episcopalian), but I rejoice in the truth that he saw. For example, here is his “Seven Stanzas at Easter”:

Make no mistake: if He rose at all
it was as His body;
if the cells’ dissolution did not reverse, the molecules
reknit, the amino acids rekindle,
the Church will fall.

It was not as the flowers,
each soft Spring recurrent;
it was not as His Spirit in the mouths and fuddled
eyes of the eleven apostles;
it was as His Flesh: ours.

The same hinged thumbs and toes,
the same valved heart
that—pierced—died, withered, paused, and then
regathered out of enduring Might
new strength to enclose.

Let us not mock God with metaphor,
analogy, sidestepping transcendence;
making of the event a parable, a sign painted in the
faded credulity of earlier ages:
let us walk through the door.

The stone is rolled back, not papier-mache,
not a stone in a story,
but the vast rock of materiality that in the slow
grinding of time will eclipse for each of us
the wide light of day.

And if we will have an angel at the tomb,
make it a real angel,
weighty with Max Planck’s quanta, vivid with hair,
opaque in the dawn light, robed in real linen
spun on a definite loom.

Let us not seek to make it less monstrous,
for our own convenience, our own sense of beauty,
lest, awakened in one unthinkable hour, we are
embarrassed by the miracle,
and crushed by remonstrance.

Crazy Sovereign Grace Music and Book Sale

Bob Kauflin posted about a great book and music sale at the Sovereign Grace Resoure Site - these are amazing deals!

From February 1–28, at the Sovereign Grace store, you’ll find these prices:

• Sovereign Grace books (23 of them, including Worship Matters, Worldliness, and Living the Cross Centered Life): $7 each

• all CDs produced by Sovereign Grace Music (including Together for the Gospel Live, Psalms, Come Weary Saints, and Valley of Vision): $6 each

• all books in our Pursuit of Godliness series (Why Small Groups, This Great Salvation, and others): $4 each

But wait…there’s more!

During February, we’re offering our normal free shipping in the continental US (library rate). But on all international orders we’re offering a discount of 50% on USPS First Class International shipping.

Why do we do this? Because we want to do whatever we can to make it easier for people to benefit from what we produce. We want to serve churches and individuals by providing biblically informed, gospel-centered resources at a low cost. We’d like to give it all away, but for now, that’s not financially feasible…

So we offer the February sale. Enjoy.

And tell your friends.

Mather on Reason & Inner Light vs. Revelation

"There are mysteries in religion which we know not now, but we may know hereafter. Those men are strangers to Christianity who as so vain as to write, Christianity not Mysterious...Tis true, there is nothing in the Christian religion that is against reason... God who makes all truths will make no rules of reason that shall give any contradiction to them. Nevertheless, there are truths that go beyond reason; truths that soar above reason; truths which the faculties of our feeble reason cannot see into, especially as our fall form God has enfeebled and impaired our faculties." ¹

"Reason is idolized, when men will set reason above revelation..when the light within becomes unto us a Christ and a God; when the natural conscience is advanced unto all the offices of our only Savior. A creature and one too that is darkened and wounded by sin, must not be deified." ²

1. Cotton Mather, Utilia (Boston, 1716), 260-261 from Richard Lovelace, The American Pietism of Cotton Mather: Origins of American Evangelicalism, Eerdmans, 1979, 52-53.

2. Cotton Mather, Iconoclastes, (Boston, 1717), 18-19 from Richard Lovelace, The American Pietism of Cotton Mather: Origins of American Evangelicalism, Eerdmans, 1979, 53.

Cotton Mather on Faith and Holiness

"The faith which does receive the righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ, will purify the heart." - Cotton Mather

Cotton Mather, The Everlasting Gospel, (Boston, 1700), 22-23 from Richard Lovelace, The American Pietism of Cotton Mather: Origins of American Evangelicalism, Eerdmans, 1979, 50

Human Rights Issue

Please consider signing the petition against the Freedom of Choice Act - a step in the wrong direction when it comes to human rights. See the previous post for more info.

HT: S&DC

Cotton Mather

I have been reading Richard Lovelace's book on Cotton Mather. It has been fantastic. For all of Cotton Mather's failings, frailties and folly he is still a great man of biblical truth, piety, wisdom and compassion. I would be glad to have such a man as my pastor! I'll be weaving in some quotes in the blog. One for now...

"Among all the subjects, with which you feed the people of God, I beseech you, let not the true Bread of Life be forgotten; but exhibit as much as you can of a Glorious Christ unto them: Yea; let the motto upon your whole ministry be, CHRIST IS ALL. ... I make no doubt of it, that the almost epidemical extinction of true Christianity, or what is little short of it, in the nations that profess it, is very much owing to the inexcusable impiety of overlooking a glorious Christ, so much in the empty harangues, which often pass for sermons." - Cotton Mather

Cotton Mather, Manaductio, 93-94 from Richard Lovelace, The American Pietism of Cotton Mather: Origins of American Evangelicalism, Eerdmans, 1979, 46-47

More Puritan Quotes

Some more great quotes from Joel Beeke's chapters in "Dear Timothy: Letters on Pastoral Ministry".

"Evangelism must rather be conceived as a long-term enterprise of patient teaching and instruction, in which God's servants seek simply to be faithful in delivering the gospel message and applying it to human lives, and leave it to God's Spirit to draw men to faith through this message in his own way and at his own speed." - JI Packer

"Like the Puritans, live in terms of the settled judgement that the joy of heaven will make amends of any losses and crosses, strains and pains that we must endure on earth if we are going to follow Christ faithfully. Regard preparedness to die as the first step in learning to live. " - Joel Beeke

"Puritan preaching revolved around 'Christ, and him crucified' - for this is the hub of the Bible. The preachers' commission is to declare the whole counsel of God; but the cross is the center of that counsel, and the Puritans knew that the traveler through the Bible landscape misses the way as soon as he loses sight of the hill called Calvary." - JI Packer

"Heaven would be hell to me without Christ." - Thomas Goodwin

Praying for Your Pastor

I am so grateful for the prayers of my precious church family - I could not and would not successfully pastor without your faithful heartfelt prayers!

Here is some guidance from Ligon Duncan on ways to pray for your pastor[s]. Thank you so much for the undeserved privilege of being prayed for by you!
_____________________________________

Praying for Your Pastor

by lduncan

Because I have a congregation that loves me more than I deserve, I am often asked by them: "how can I pray for you?" I've tried to put some thought into how I answer that question. So, maybe these ideas will help you pray for your pastor, or tell others how they can pray for you.

Pray -

1. That [your pastor] would know and love the living God, would have a saving interest in Christ, being purchased by His blood, and thus would be bound to the Lord by the indissoluble bond of the Holy Spirit.

2. That [your pastor] would know, embrace and ever more deeply understand the Gospel and be shaped by it in life and ministry.

3. That [your pastor] would be useful servant of the Lord, that he would know and love God's word, God's people, and God's kingdom; that he would be used to build it up and so that it prevails even against Hell's gates.

4. That [your pastor] would study, practice and teach the Word of the Lord, by the grace of the Holy Spirit.

5. That [your pastor] would love to pray, because he loves to commune with his God, and that he would be a man of prayer, characteristically.

6. That [your pastor] would be ever dependent upon and filled with the Spirit; and that he would possess true Spiritual wisdom.

7. That [your pastor] would be holy unto the Lord. That his tongue and heart would be wholly God's.

8. That [your pastor] would be kept from pride, and especially spiritual pride. That the Lord himself would be gracious to slay pride in him, and that your pastor would endeavor to always be putting pride to death, by the grace of the Holy Spirit.

9. That God would give [your pastor] guidance as to where to focus his efforts in ministry.

10. That He would protect [your pastor] from himself, from the enemy of his soul, and from all earthly enemies.

11. That no decision which [your pastor] ever makes or desire that [your pastor] ever pursues would restrict his ability to pour his whole soul into the Gospel ministry.

12.That many would be converted and many built up under [your pastor]'s ministry, to God's glory alone.

13. That the Lord would bless [your pastor]'s wife, [. . . ], with holiness and happiness, Gospel assurance and Gospel rest.

14. That God would make [your pastor] a decent husband and father.

15. That [your pastor] would be a good friend to his wife, and love her self-sacrificially,

16. That [your pastor] would be a good daddy to his children. That they would love God, their parents and the church.

17. That [your pastor] would be a testimony in the home so that his wife might be able to respect him when he is in the pulpit, and so that [your pastor] will be able to feed her soul, along with the rest of the congregation.

________________

HT: Justin Taylor

One Year in 40 Seconds

A cool way to capture a year!

One year in 40 seconds from Eirik Solheim on Vimeo.

"Summer and winter and springtime and harvest
Sun, moon, and stars in their courses above
Join with all nature in manifold witness
To thy great faithfulness, mercy and love

Great is thy faithfulness, great is thy faithfulness
Morning by morning new mercies I see
All I have needed thy hand hath provided
Great is thy faithfulness, Lord unto me"

HT: Josh Harris

A New Church Home!?

King of Grace Church - An Opportunity for a New Church Home

We have an exciting, unique and somewhat unexpected opportunity to advance the mission of our church through the purchase of a church home at 24 Chadwick St., Bradford, MA. This building is a beautiful traditional church building right off S. Main St. with easy access to the highway and all of Haverhill.

It is well taken care of and ready for occupancy with a large sanctuary for worship and church events, muliple class rooms and offices and a large kitchen area.

Here are some of the ways we believe God would use this building for his work in and through King of Grace Church:

In terms of our Walk with Christ:
• A good-to-go environment conducive to worship.
• An excellent Sunday school facility.
• A place for prayer.
• A place for growth groups & training seminars.
• A place for Side-by-Side youth fellowship.
• A place for men's and women's fellowship.
• A library/coffee house for fellowship, training and outreach.
• An office for pastoral counseling and discipleship.

In terms of our Witness of Christ's Love & Truth:
• Presence in the community.
• An inviting location for new-comers.
• A hospitable worship environment.
• Freedom from setup/teardown to interact and minister.
• A place for Alpha.
• A place for VBS.
• A place for mercy ministries.
• A place for community service/outreach events.

This facility will mean an additional travel time for our New Hampshire members of 7 miles. It will be 13 miles closer for our Gordon-Conwell Seminarians and 15 miles closer for Haverhill residents!

We are trusting God to raise $500,000 dollars for the purchase of this facility. We will need $25,000 down to begin using the building and then will lease for $2500 a month over the next two years while we raise the money to purchase the building.

Check out our web page for more info!

Puritan Quotes

Was December that busy that I didn't blog??

I am reading, Dear Timothy, Letters on Pastoral Ministry a great book for pastors young and old.

Here are some quotes I highlighted from Joel Beeke's chapter on the Puritans:

"Affliction is the diamond dust that heaven polishes jewels with." - Robert Leighton

"He that rides to be crowned need not think much of a rainy day." - John Trapp

"God's people are like bells, the harder they are hit, the better they sound" - John Bunyan

"Forget not, that the whole of your work is ministerial; not legislative - that you are not a lord in the church but a servant." - Abraham Booth

The Spirit of Christmas Present?

Some Christmas and money facts to consider....

• Eighty-four percent of Americans would prefer a less materialistic holiday..
• The average American plans to spend $832 on Christmas gifts in 2008, almost three times what the average Burundi citizen earns in a year.
• Christmas retail sales have increased an average of about 5% per year over the last decade.
• It takes an average of six months for a credit-card user to pay off holiday bills.
• The total U.S. consumer debt is more than $2.55 trillion and is growing at a rate twice that of wage increases. The number of personal bankruptcies has quadrupled in the last 15 years.
• The average credit card debt per household was $9,840 of in 2007.
• The average American with a credit file is responsible for $16,635 in debt, excluding mortages, according to Experian. (Source: U.S. News and World Report, "The End of Credit Card Consumerism," August 2008)
• Compared to the 1950's, Americans are twice as rich, but less happy. The average American's buying power has doubled since the 1950s but in national surveys the number saying they were "very happy" declined from 35 to 30 percent.
• Teenagers see 360,000 advertisements by the time they graduate from high school. There are more shopping centers in the U.S. than high schools.
• Two-thirds of Americans say they would be happier if they had more time to spend with family and friends. Only 15 percent say they'd be happier if they had nicer possessions.
• Half of Americans would rather have more free time, even if it means less money.
• Americans now work about one month longer a year on average than they did two decades ago.
• 93 percent of American teenage girls say shopping is their favorite pastime.

Sources(via the web): Chicago Tribune, The Economist, E Magazine, Adbusters, Center for a New American Dream, New Roadmap, Merck Family Fund, U.S. News and World Report, Zero Population Growth, The Overworked American, National Retail Federation.

Christmas Factoids

Some enjoyable Christmas items adapted from "Christmas Statistics" by Sabina Nore

"White Christmas" (1954), starring Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye, was the first movie to be made in Vista Vision, a deep-focus process.

"Wassail" comes from the Old Norse "ves heill"--to be of good health. This evolved into the tradition of visiting neighbors on Christmas Eve and drinking to their health.

According to a 1995 survey, 7 out of 10 British dogs get Christmas gifts from their doting owners.

After "A Christmas Carol," Charles Dickens wrote several other Christmas stories, one each year, but none was as successful as the original.

Although many believe the Friday after Thanksgiving is the busiest shopping day of the year, it is not. It is the fifth to tenth busiest day. The Friday and Saturday before Christmas are the two busiest shopping days of the year.

An artificial spider and web are often included in the decorations on Ukrainian Christmas trees. A spider web found on Christmas morning is believed to bring good luck.

An average household in America will mail out 28 Christmas cards each year and see 28 eight cards return in their place.

At Christmas, Ukrainians prepare a traditional twelve-course meal. A family's youngest child watches through the window for the evening star to appear, a signal that the feast can begin.

At lavish Christmas feasts in the Middle Ages, swans and peacocks were sometimes served "endored." This meant the flesh was painted with saffron dissolved in melted butter. In addition to their painted flesh, endored birds were served wrapped in their own skin and feathers, which had been removed and set aside prior to roasting.

Before settling on the name of Tiny Tim for his character in "A Christmas Carol," three other alliterative names were considered by Charles Dickens. They were Little Larry, Puny Pete, and Small Sam.

Christmas is a summer holiday in South Africa. Children are fond of the age-old custom of producing pantomimes - for instance, "Babes in the Wood," founded on one of the oldest ballads in the English language. Boxing Day on December 26th, when boxes of food and clothing are given to the poor, is observed as a holiday.

Christmas trees are known to have been popular in Germany as far back as the sixteenth century. In England, they became popular after Queen Victoria's husband Albert, who came from Germany, made a tree part of the celebrations at Windsor Castle. In the United States, the earliest known mention of a Christmas tree is in the diary of a German who settled in Pennsylvania.

Cultured Christmas trees must be shaped as they grow to produce fuller foliage. To slow the upward growth and to encourage branching, they are hand-clipped in each spring. Trees grown in the wild have sparser branches, and are known in the industry as "Charlie Brown" trees.

During the ancient 12-day Christmas celebration, the log burned was called the "Yule log." Sometimes a piece of the Yule log would be kept to kindle the fire the following winter, to ensure that the good luck carried on from year to year. The Yule log custom was handed down from the Druids.

For every real Christmas tree harvested, 2 to 3 seedlings are planted in its place.

Frankincense is a sweet smelling gum resin derived from certain Boswellia trees which, at the time of Christ, grew in Arabia, India, and Ethiopia. Tradition says that it was presented to the Christ Child by Balthasar, the black king from Ethiopia or Saba. The frankincense trade was at its height during the days of the Roman Empire. At that time this resin was considered as valuable as gems or precious metals. The Romans burned frankincense on their altars and at cremations.

Greeks do not use Christmas trees or give presents at Christmas. A priest may throw a little cross into the village water to drive the kallikantzari (gremlin-like spirits) away. To keep them from hiding in dark, dusty corners, he goes from house to house sprinkling holy water.

Historians have traced some of the current traditions surrounding Father Christmas, or Santa Claus, back to ancient Celtic roots. Father Christmas's elves are the modernization of the "Nature folk" of the Pagan religions; his reindeer are associated with the "Horned God," which was one of the Pagan deities.

If traveling in France during the Christmas season, it is interesting to note that different dishes and dining traditions reign in popularity in different parts of the country. In south France, for instance, a Christmas loaf (pain calendeau) is cut crosswise and is eaten only after the first part has been given to a poor person. In Brittany, buckwheat cakes and sour cream is the most popular main dish. In Alsace, a roasted goose is the preferred entrée. In Burgundy, turkey and chestnuts are favored. In the Paris region, oysters are the favorite holiday dish, followed by a cake shaped like a Yule log.

In Armenia, the traditional Christmas Eve meal consists of fried fish, lettuce, and spinach. The meal is traditionally eaten after the Christmas Eve service, in commemoration of the supper eaten by Mary on the evening before Christ's birth.

In Britain, eating mince pies at Christmas dates back to the 16th century. It is still believed that to eat a mince pie on each of the Twelve Days of Christmas will bring 12 happy months in the year to follow.

In Finland and Sweden an old tradition prevails, where the twelve days of Christmas are declared to be time of civil peace by law. It used to be that a person committing crimes during this time would be liable to a stiffer sentence than normal.

In France, Christmas is called Noel. This is derived from the French phrase "les bonnes nouvelles," which means literally "the good news" and refers to the gospel.

In Guatemala, Christmas Day is celebrated on December 25; however, Guatemalan adults do not exchange gifts until New Year's Day. Children get theirs (from the Christ Child) on Christmas morning.

In Medieval England, Nicholas was just another saint - he had not yet been referred to as Santa Claus and he had nothing to do with Christmas.

In North America, children put stockings out at Christmas time. Their Dutch counterparts, however, use shoes. Dutch children set out shoes to receive gifts any time between mid-November and December 5, St. Nicholas' birthday.

In Norway on Christmas Eve, visitors should know that after the family's big dinner and the opening of presents, all the brooms in the house are hidden. The Norwegians long ago believed that witches and mischievous spirits came out on Christmas Eve and would steal their brooms for riding.

In Portugal, the traditional Christmas meal (consoada) is eaten in the early hours of Christmas Day. Burning in the hearth is the Yule log (fogueira da consoada). The ashes and charred remains of the Yule log are saved; later in the year, they are burned with pine cones during Portugal's thunderstorm season. It is believed that no thunderbolt will strike where the Yule log smoke has traveled.

In southern France, some people burn a log in their homes from Christmas Eve until New Year's Day. This stems from an ancient tradition in which farmers would use part of the log to ensure a plentiful harvest the following year.

In Sweden, a common Christmas decoration is the Julbock. Made from straw, it is a small figurine of a goat. A variety of straw decorations are a usual feature of Scandinavian Christmas festivities.

In Syria, Christmas gifts are distributed by one of the Wise Men's camels. The gift-giving camel is said to have been the smallest one in the Wise Men's caravan.

In the British armed forces it is traditional that officers wait on the men and serve them their Christmas dinner. This dates back to a custom from the Middle Ages.

In the Netherlands, Christmas centers on the arrival of Saint Nicholas, who is believed to come on horseback bearing gifts. Before going to bed, children leave out their shoes, hoping to find them filled with sweets when they awaken.

In the Thomas Nast cartoon that first depicted Santa Claus with a sleigh and reindeer, he was delivering Christmas gifts to soldiers fighting in the U.S. Civil War. The cartoon, entitled "Santa Claus in Camp," appeared in Harper's Weekly on January 3, 1863.

In the Ukraine, a traditional Christmas bread called "kolach" is placed in the center of the dining table. This bread is braided into a ring, and three such rings are placed one on top of the other, with a candle in the center of the top one. The three rings symbolize the Trinity.

Jesus Christ, son of Mary, was born in a cave, not in a wooden stable. Caves were used to keep animals in because of the intense heat. A large church is now built over the cave, and people can go down inside the cave. The carpenters of Jesus' day were really stone cutters. Wood was not used as widely as it is today. So whenever you see a Christmas nativity scene with a wooden stable -- that's the "American" version, not the Biblical one.

Long before it was used as a "kiss encourager" during the Christmas season, mistletoe had long been considered to have magic powers by Celtic and Teutonic peoples. It was said to have the ability to heal wounds and increase fertility. Celts hung mistletoe in their homes in order to bring themselves good luck and ward off evil spirits.

Myrrh is an aromatic gum resin which oozes from gashes cut in the bark of a small desert tree known as Commifera Myrrha or the dindin tree. The myrrh hardens into tear-dropped shaped chunks and is then powdered or made into ointments or perfumes. This tree is about 5-15 feet tall and 1 foot in diameter. Legend says Caspar brought the gift of myrrh from Europe or Tarsus and placed it before the Christ Child. Myrrh was an extremely valuable commodity during biblical times and was imported from India and Arabia.

One Norwegian Christmas custom begins in late autumn at harvest time. The finest wheat is gathered and saved until Christmas. This wheat is then attached to poles made from tree branches, making perches for the birds. A large circle of snow is cleared away beneath each perch. According to the Norwegians, this provides a place for the birds to dance, which allows them to work up their appetites between meals. Just before sunset on Christmas Eve, the head of the household checks on the wheat in the yard. If a lot of sparrows are seen dining, it is suppose to indicate a good year for growing crops.

Originally, Christmas decorations were home-made paper flowers, or apples, biscuits, and sweets. The earliest decorations to be bought came from Nuremburg in Germany, a city famous for the manufacture of toys. Lauscha in Germany is famous for its glass ornaments. In 1880, America discovered Lauscha and F.W. Woolworth went there and bought a few glass Christmas tree ornaments. Within a day he had sold out so next year he bought more and within a week they, too, had sold. The year after that be bought 200,000 Lauscha ornaments. During the First World War supplies of ornaments from Lauscha ceased, so American manufacturers began to make their own ornaments, developing new techniques that allowed them to turn out as many ornaments in a minute as could be made in a whole day at Lauscha.

Right behind Christmas and Thanksgiving, Super Bowl Sunday ranks as the third-largest occasion for Americans to consume food, according to the National Football League.

Santa's Reindeers are Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner and Blitzen.

Silent Night was written in 1818, by an Austrian priest Joseph Mohr. He was told the day before Christmas that the church organ was broken and would not be prepared in time for Christmas Eve. He was saddened by this and could not think of Christmas without music, so he wanted to write a carol that could be sung by choir to guitar music. He sat down and wrote three stanzas. Later that night the people in the little Austrian Church sang "Stille Nacht" for the first time.

St. Nicholas was bishop of the Turkish town of Myra in the early fourth century. It was the Dutch who first made him into a Christmas gift-giver, and Dutch settlers brought him to America where his name eventually became the familiar Santa Claus.

Telesphorus, the second Bishop of Rome (125-136 AD) declared that public Church services should be held to celebrate "The Nativity of our Lord and Saviour." In 320 AD, Pope Julius I and other religious leaders specified 25 December as the official date of the birth of Jesus Christ.

The abbreviation of Xmas for Christmas is not irreligious. The first letter of the word Christ in Greek is chi, which is identical to our X. Xmas was originally an ecclesiastical abbreviation that was used in tables and charts.

The actual gift givers are different in various countries:
England: Father Christmas
France: Pere Noel (Father Christmas)
Germany: Christkind (angelic messenger from Jesus) She is a beautiful fair haired girl with a shining crown of candles.
Holland: St Nicholas.
Italy: La Befana (a kindly old witch)
Spain and South America: The Three Kings
Russia: In some parts - Babouschka (a grandmotherly figure) in other parts it is Grandfather Frost.
Scandinavia: a variety of Christmas gnomes. One is called Julenisse.

The Christmas season begins at sundown on 24th December and lasts through sundown on 5th January. For that reason, this season is also known as the Twelve Days of Christmas.

The first Christmas card was created in England on December 9, 1842.

The first commercial Christmas card sold was designed by London artist John Calcott Horsley. He was hired by a wealthy British man to design a card that showed people feeding and clothing the poor with another picture of a Christmas party. The first Christmas card said, "Merry Christmas and a happy New Year to you." Of the original one thousand cards he printed for Henry Cole, only twelve exist today.

The first printed reference to Christmas trees appeared in Germany in 1531.

The modern Christmas custom of displaying a wreath on the front door of one's house, is borrowed from ancient Rome's New Year's celebrations. Romans wished each other "good health" by exchanging branches of evergreens. They called these gifts strenae after Strenia, the goddess of health. It became the custom to bend these branches into a ring and display them on doorways.

The northern European custom of the candlelit Christmas tree is derived from the belief that it sheltered woodland spirits when other trees lost their leaves during winter.

The popular Christmas song "Jingle Bells" was composed in 1857 by James Pierpont, and was originally called "One-Horse Open Sleigh."

adapted from "Christmas Statistics" by Sabina Nore

Old Christians

Another great quote from my buddy Jeff...

“The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree" Psalms 92:12

The palm brings forth its best fruit in old age. The best dates are said to be gathered when it has reached a hundred years. So it is with eminent Christians: the older the better; the older the more beautiful; nay, the older the more useful; and, different from the worldlings, the older the happier. The best Christians are those who improve to the end, who grow in grace and in the knowledge of Jesus Christ to the very close of life.

Taken from The Palm by James Hamilton 1814-1867
from the book Nearing Home - Comforts and Counsels for the Aged

Worldliness

Here is a great book to help us navigate engaging the culture - being in the world with and for Jesus but not part of the world. Thanks to CJ and the guys and thanks to Justin Taylor for his review.

(Taken directly from Justin Taylor's blog.)

"Worldliness," Edited by C. J. Mahaney

A couple weeks ago I read and reviewed a pre-pub copy of this book (coming Sept. 30, 2008):

C. J. Mahaney, ed. Worldliness: Resisting the Seduction of a Fallen World. With a foreword by John Piper. Wheaton: Crossway, 2008. 191 pp.

The book has six chapters:

1. C. J. Mahaney, "Is This Verse in Your Bible?" [1 John 2:15]
   
2. Craig Cabaniss, "God, My Heart, and Media"
3. Bob Kauflin, "God, My Heart, and Music"
4. Dave Harvey, "God, My Heart, and Stuff"
5. C. J. Mahaney, "God, My Heart, and Clothes"
6. Jeff Purswell, "How to Love the World"

Each chapter climaxes by showing how the glorious gospel is central and essential to "resisting the seduction of a fallen world."

Here are the endorsements from the book's front matter:

1. “This book is biblically grounded and Christ-centered, full of grace and truth. Every chapter raises the bar of Christian living without falling into legalism. One of the most timely and much-needed books I’ve read in years. I highly recommend it.”
   -Randy Alcorn, author, Heaven and The Grace and Truth Paradox
   
   
2. “Expertly addresses the issues that prompt that subtle, insidious, silent slide away from God that each of us is prone to take. Pay attention to this thought-provoking work and protect your heart for God.”
   -James MacDonald, Pastor, Harvest Bible Chapel; teacher, Walk in the Word
   
   
3. “This book is biblical, practical, pastoral, and wise. It is honest about the authors’ own temptations, and it is so specific it will be controversial! But such a book is greatly needed as a challenge today—for all of us.”
   -Wayne Grudem, Research Professor of Bible and Theology, Phoenix Seminary
   
   
4. “The strength of the work is that the authors try very hard not to let you forget the sheer God-centeredness of the gospel.”
   -D. A. Carson, Research Professor of New Testament, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School
   
   
5. “These skillful soul surgeons are brilliant at diagnosis and treatment, and they will help you see yourself, your sin, and your Savior. I now know the first book I am going to reach for when a Christian is wrestling with worldliness—or isn’t but should be! This is a book I will make use of, by God’s grace, again and again.”
   -Ligon Duncan, Senior Minister, First Presbyterian Church, Jackson, Mississippi; President, Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals
   
   
6. “Praise God for this little tool—specific enough to be helpful, grace-filled enough to be really helpful!”
   -Mark Dever, Senior Pastor, Capitol Hill Baptist Church; Executive Director, 9Marks Ministries
   

My review's introduction:

C. J. Mahaney observes, "Some people try to define worldliness as living outside a specific set of rules or conservative standards. If you listen to music with a certain beat, dress in fashionable clothes, watch movies with a certain rating, or indulge in certain luxuries of modern society, surely you must be worldly. Others, irritated and repulsed by rules that seem arbitrary, react to definitions of worldliness, assuming it’s impossible to define. Or they think legalism will inevitably be the result, so we shouldn’t even try" (p. 29).

These two groups will react negatively to this book for different reasons. The former group will think that it is not strict enough (perhaps accusing it of libertinism), and the latter group will disparage it for so specifically “resisting” seductive “worldliness” (perhaps accusing it of legalism). The authors of this book wisely avoid and gently rebuke both of these extremes because they wrongly focus on externals. Its primary target audience is the latter group.

My review's conclusion:
Worldliness is a sensitive, practical, specific, relevant, pastoral, accessible, engaging, humorous, concise, clear, refreshing, wise, grace-motivated, biblical book—ideal for pastors to recommend to their flocks and for small groups to study. It skillfully addresses controversial external issues by focusing on their root heart issues and then showing how the gospel is functionally central to every square inch of the Christian life.

Engaging Culture

Jonathan Dodson (a Gordon-Conwell grad and a visitor to King of Grace.) has some helpful thoughts on engaging culture.

Six Ways to Engage Culture

In a recent interview, singer/songwriter Rufus Wainwright surprisingly remarked: "We're so obsessed about debunking Bush in this country that we don't spend time on any other subjects. That's a little depressing." Wainwright's point is that many Americans neglect a whole range of cultural issues, often neglecting political engagement for finger-pointing.

What's more depressing is that many Christians are just as guilty of this charge as non-Christians. As a result, there are few citizens who think through cultural issues critically, and even fewer who think them through redemptively. Here are six ways to promote critical and redemptive engagement with culture.

1. Engage culture prayerfully. I'm not suggesting that we should actually bow our heads and recite a prayer before reading a newspaper or book, watching TV or a movie, or going shopping, though that certainly wouldn't hurt. Instead, we are to live life and engage culture in a spirit of dependence upon God; we are to pray without ceasing (1 Thess. 5:17). We should approach culture just as we should approach all things: prayerfully.
   
   
   What should we pray? We should thank God for the gift of culture, confessing that all cultures contain truth, beauty, and virtue, asking Him to help us recognize and rejoice in these good gifts, which come down from the Father of lights (James 1:17). Alternatively, all cultures also disdain truth, beauty, and virtue. Thus, we are dependent upon God to enable us to recognize and reject those things that are harmfully false, ugly, and immoral. By asking God to give us the perspective of His Spirit, "the Spirit who searches out all things, even the depths of God" (1 Cor. 2:10), we can begin to discern between the things which are true, beautiful, and good and the things that are false, ugly, and evil.




2. Engage culture carefully. When approaching any given issue, from parenting to politics, we all have our biases. In order to engage culture well, we must strive to avoid the paths of both the sectarian and the secularist, of both blind rejection and uncritical acceptance. This will require careful investigation into the issues we face, taking the opposing view seriously and weighing its merits. Make a habit of hearing both sides of an issue before you baptize your opinions. Be slow to speak and quick to listen (James 1:19).




3. Engage culture biblically-theologically. Why hyphenate biblical and theological? Why not just say "think biblically"? Well, the plain fact is that the Bible does not explicitly address most cultural issues. It does not tell you who to vote for, which school to go to, what movies to watch, whether or not you should date, whether or not to abort your baby, or how to respond to cloning. Instead, the Bible offers theological principles which we can appropriate in order to form opinions and convictions about cultural issues. For instance, there is no verse in the Bible that reads: "Thou shalt not have an abortion." However, the Bible does inform us that God is the author of life and that to take human life is murder, which is prohibited by God. The circumstances surrounding abortion can be complex. A mother's life may be threatened if the life of the baby is not taken. The Bible does not say, "Preserve the mother's life." However, there are principles and practices in Scripture that can help us make wise decisions about cultural and ethical dilemmas.
   
   

   The problem, however, is that we often start with cultural assumptions about what is right, beautiful, and good and go to the Bible to prove them. Instead, we need to bring cultural questions about what is true, good, and beautiful to the Bible, reflect on them theologically and then prayerfully, and carefully form our opinions. Don't begin with cultural convictions and end with biblical proof-texts; end with cultural wisdom by beginning with biblical-theological reflection. Start with the biblical text and reflect theologically on cultural issues. Move from Text to Theology to Culture, not the other way around.




4. Engage culture redemptively. Strive to connect your theological reflections regarding culture to redemption. We can redemptively engage culture in two ways: practically and positionally. To practically redeem, identify what is broken, what is in need of redemption, and take restorative action. Ask yourself questions like "How can I bring the gospel to bear on this issue?" or "How can I restore, forgive, or reconcile in this situation?" For example, if you come to the conviction that abortion is ugly and immoral, think about how you can help those who are suffering from the devastating affects of abortion. Don't just debate others. Volunteer at a crisis pregnancy center. Learn how to counsel mothers. Don't become self-righteous and inactive; practice your cultural convictions. Live them out redemptively.
   
   

   Our practice should flow from our position in Christ. Our actions ought to reveal our redeemed identity, not form our identity. Consider the danger of mistaking your newly-formed habits for who you are. For instance, do you think of yourself now as an environmentalist or as a citizen of Zion with an environmental conscience? Do you draw significance from being a "pro-lifer" or from being new creation in Christ Jesus? Ask yourself, "Am I confusing my practice with my position?" or "Am I finding my significance in what I do instead of who I am in Christ?" Guard yourself from subtly allowing cultural convictions to take the place of your identity in Christ. Ground your identity in the gospel and your practice will be more redemptive and more honoring to the Lord.




5. Engage culture humbly. Recognize that you have much to learn from a given culture. Read, converse, and reflect on cultural issues with a teachable heart. Ask God to shape your convictions through whomever or whatever He wills. Avoid proud dogmatism and cultivate humble conviction. Don't put others down who believe differently from you. Consider others more important than yourself without surrendering your convictions. Yet, be willing to revise your opinions through a process of Text-Theology-Culture.




6. Engage culture selectively. Realize and embrace the limitations of your own time, experience, and interests. Spend your time wisely. Don't sacrifice time with God, church, or family in order to become more culturally savvy. Everyone has been created differently, to live a unique life. Make the most of your experience by redemptively engaging culture, but try to avoid making the experience of others your own. There are too many issues in the world for you to become an overnight expert on Christ and culture. Be selective about what you engage.

Summarizing the Six Ways

When engaging culture prayerfully, we depend on the wisdom that comes from the Spirit who searches out all cultures, who can enable us to recognize and rejoice in what is true, beautiful, and good, and reject or redeem what is false, ugly, and immoral. As a result, engaging culture can become an act of communion with God. Relying on the wisdom of the Spirit will also mean careful investigation of cultural issues, being critical of our own biases while maintaining an open ear to the arguments of others. However, we're not left to navigate the turbulent waters of our culture with only prayer and reason. God has given us his Word, a divine and authoritative Text from which we can glean wisdom and theological principles to engage culture.

When wrestling with issues, we must be careful to bring questions, not assumptions, from our culture to the Word, following a pattern of Text-Theology-Culture. This biblical-theological engagement with culture should always lead to redemptive action, restoring what is ugly and immoral from our position as accepted children of God, citizens of Zion. In turn, we can engage culture humbly and selectively, recognizing our limitations and rejoicing in our unique opportunities to engage the world around us.

Finally, try to practice these six ways of engaging culture not just as an individual but in community. To put a spin on Rufus Wainwright's words: Only when the Church in this country becomes obsessed with glorifying God in all things will we critically and redemptively engage our culture on all kinds of subjects.

(thanks to Justin Taylor!)

Thinking Biblically About Facebook

Some excellent thoughts on Facebook from Pastor Justin Buzzard. (adapted from his notes.)

Thinking Biblically About Facebook

9 Potentially Negative Uses/Dangers of Facebook

1. The trend of using status updates to complain
2. Measuring your worth/identity by number of Facebook friends/Facebook interactions. - Facebook measurements are opposite of gospel measurements
3. Greater concern over forming Facebook (virtual) friends rather than real friends
4. Diminishment of face-to-face time with people/enjoying and working on real relationships. - Disengaging from face-to-face time with people to check what's going on in your Facebook world
5. Dual identities - Being someone online who you’d never be in person
6. Hurting and excluding others (intentionally or unintentionally) - "Favorite friends" application. - Not being invited somewhere. - Without this technology you wouldn’t have known, or at least wouldn’t have known in the same way. - “Is he talking about me?. - “She wrote on her wall, but never writes on mine…"
7. Facebook and online life can make you more distracted, changes how you think/attention span
8. Can tempt you away from your calling/work- Your heart isn’t engaged in something great and big, but constantly distracted by silly little status updates ("I'm chewing gum") and Wall writings…
9. Thinking about yourself more than you already do. - You weren't created to think about and focus on yourself. Facebook can tempt you to become a more self-focused person than you already are.

6 Ways to Love God and Love Others Through Facebook

1. Can get back in touch with old, far-away friends in an easy way, showing them how you’ve been changed by Jesus.
2. Can use Facebook as an extension of face-to-face relationships/can be used to enhance time with people. - Get to know people better/better love and care for people when you're with them because through Facebook you know more about who they are and what’s going on in their life
3. Can use Facebook to think about yourself less and others more. - Facebook can be a tool for getting outside of yourself/your problems
4. Can use Facebook to sharpen/discipline what you do with your time. Status updates and built in accountability
5. Can use Facebook to quickly announce/make great things happen: events, face-to-face time. - Instead of taking 45 min. to call 10 people to come over for a spontaneous evening of fun and fellowship, use Facebook
6. Can use Facebook to influence other people for Jesus. Create a new culture with your status updates: use to influence, love, encourage, teach, and challenge people towards greater love for God and other people.

(thanks to Justin Taylor.)

Meaningful Marriage Advice

Another brilliant video from Get In Here Ministries.

Get In Here Ministries

Here is a ministry with a unique approach.

Enjoy!