we dream

We Dream!

So.. what’s so great about people anyway? Well to sum it up in two words... we dream.
I am not talking about dreaming at night as we sleep because I think even dogs do that, though no one can know for sure. I am talking about fantasies, dreams of what your future may hold, hopes and aspirations. As far as I know people are the only creators on earth that do this. And you can tell a lot about someone by what kind of dreams they have. I think we can agree that if you have dreams of riches, you are probably poor and most likely greedy. If your dreams are shallow, you’re shallow. If they are about nothing but sex, you’re a pig. If you dream of power, you are probably weak and a major jerk. But I think most of us have hopes and aspirations for something good. We hope to make a difference in the world, for our lives to make an impact on others in a positive way. These dreams, these fantasies, they are part of what set us apart from the rest of the animal kingdom. Otherwise we would be nothing more then over grown germs living off and at odds with our environment. We would not even be very good ones. Take that dog I was talking about for an example. He can live in harmony with the world he lives in. He can walk around naked in the cold and not die; we would freeze to death the first winter. He can eat just about anything and hunt and kill with his own body. We have nothing in which to hunt with, no teeth to rip and tear an animal as a potential meal. A dog does no damage to the world in which he lives. But he will also never do anything to change that world for good, other then to make a person happy or serve mankind. And so there we see a great conundrum. We are special in that we dream, love, and have the power to think and comprehend. Yet as animals... we suck. Thank God we are more then just animals.

back to it

so, i was away for a bit for the holiday. but i am back and have been working on a few new posts, i will get them up asap. i hope and trust that all who may read this blog had a blessed Christmas and new year!

the shack

well, i am just seeing far to much of this book (in places i care about!) to not comment. i first must say that i have not and will not read it. i do not need to. fiction or not, if it conveys truths about who God is... they had better be biblical truths! and The shack is far from biblical. i am not going to take the time to lay out the story line and pick apart whats wrong with the theology and so on, a great Pastor i know has already done so and I'll link to it. before i do, let me just say that i love to read and i love to study theology and even other non christian views on God. so how can i read about Islam and then say the shack is no good? it's because a book on Islam is not trying to pass it's self off as Christian. the shack does and they are both just about equally heretical.

read the full review here.

video review here

live life and do well...

"all men die, not all men really live" (mel gibson - braveheart)

in my last post i asked the question, "are you ready?". and what i meant by that was are you ready to die. of course no one can even talk about death without thinking about life. they are two sides of the same coin, with life comes death. that which is not alive can not die. one always comes with the other (at least in this life, that is true). i have been asking my self, "self! what does it mean to really live?" as America's pastor would say "do i have a purpose driven life?" well, i know i do not want a purposeless driven life! but i think it's more then just finding your purpose. man kinds purpose is easy, it's to Glorify God and enjoy him forever! or as John Piper would say, Glorify God "by" enjoying him forever. and that kinda of answers the question, how do i glorify God? Dr. Piper would say "God is most Glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him". and that sounds good. but whats hard is putting it to practise. what is the pragmatic outworking of that first lesion in the Westminster catechism - "Q. 1. What is the chief and highest end of man?
A. Man's chief and highest end is to glorify God,and fully to enjoy him forever".

well, i don't know. know the answer should sound something like this, "you pray and read your bible everyday and then serve in your local Church, preach and witness". the problem with this answer is that it is not always that simple. i happen to believe that everyone has different callings, and i think most would agree with that. so the working out of how to best Glorify God is personal(though i do think everyone should be ready to give an answer for the Hope that lyeth in them). this much i know for sure, you have to stay in the fight! if you give up and give in to your flesh, it's over. your finished. stay in the fight and God will work it out through you. it's the hardest life, but for those who know Jesus Christ, it's the only life!!!

quote of the day

"Evidently, you do not realize what a wretched person you truly are, and what an offence your depravity is in the holy sight of God, if you can feel nothing in response to the atoning death of God's son."
without a quickened awareness of our depravity, we are Pharisees at best, though most of us are far worse. the best we can approach is a religious performance that brings glory to us and leaves us looking down on everybody else.

quote from,
whats so great about the doctrines of Grace? (pg 31)
by: Richard D. Phillips

are you ready?

if Jesus Christ where to return in the next 12 hours, and you knew it with out a doubt. what would be the things you would want to set right, what would you stop doing or what would you start to do? if your thinking of something right now then the chance is that there is something you may need to work on(everyone should be thinking of something). now we know that no one gets into heaven by just having a cleaned up life, by no means is that what i am implying here. we are all redeemed one way and one way only, by the grace of God! by Grace through faith, not of works lest any man should boast (eph 3:8-9). so that's not what i mean when i ask "are you ready?" what i mean is, if He came and you stood face to face with the sovereign Lord of all that is, He who knows all your darkest thoughts, could you say i lived as best i knew how? i do not expect to be perfect when i die, Isaiah was a mighty prophet and he cursed himself when he saw God! his sin was manifest before his face instantly and he is totally destroyed by it. Praise God we have the righteousness of Christ to cover our filthy lives. but, if we can glorify God better, or give up a sin, or be more zealous for his Gospel... we ought to! lets not just do what we think is enough to get by and still call ourselves Christian. lets not fall into a cold emotionless orthodoxy where we simply do what we have always done because it's what we have always done. make every moment of your life a striving to be closer to Him, to follow Him, to worship Him, to praise Him, to love Him, and to Glorify Him! for he is worthy to receive honor and Glory and Praise forever and ever! lets not be taken by surprise when our Lord comes. let's be ready and waiting, with the prayer on our lips... even so come Lord JESUS!!!

now what?

Psa 33:8, Let all the earth fear the LORD: let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him. 9,For he spake, and it was [done]; he commanded, and it stood fast. 10,The LORD bringeth the counsel of the heathen to nought: he maketh the devices of the people of none effect. 11,The counsel of the LORD standeth for ever, the thoughts of his heart to all generations. 12,Blessed [is] the nation whose God [is] the LORD; [and] the people [whom] he hath chosen for his own inheritance. 13,The LORD looketh from heaven; he beholdeth all the sons of men. 14,From the place of his habitation he looketh upon all the inhabitants of the earth. 15,He fashioneth their hearts alike; he considereth all their works. 16,There is no king saved by the multitude of an host: a mighty man is not delivered by much strength. 17,An horse [is] a vain thing for safety: neither shall he deliver [any] by his great strength. 18,Behold, the eye of the LORD [is] upon them that fear him, upon them that hope in his mercy; 19,To deliver their soul from death, and to keep them alive in famine. 20,Our soul waiteth for the LORD: he [is] our help and our shield. 21, For our heart shall rejoice in him, because we have trusted in his holy name. 22, Let thy mercy, O LORD, be upon us, according as we hope in thee.

Hope in God, not man. no matter what happens in America in the up and coming term, God is still in Heaven, still in control, still Lord of His creation. he builds up and tears down the rulers of men, and if this is His will (and it must be because it happened) then it's good. we must pray for our leaders, pray for Obama's safety, pray for his wisdom, but most of all pray for his salvation!

Hope in God, and may God get the Glory, great things he hath done!