Among friends, family and perhaps even readers of this site, I have achieved the reputation of being something of an Apple-hater; that is, a hater of all things Mac. MacBooks, iMacs, Mac Pro’s—I have often spoken out against all of them. They are overpriced, underpowered, toys for yuppies or for people with thick-rimmed glasses and soul patches—people who just take themselves far too seriously. They’re computers for followers, not leaders.
And then I bought one...
...All along I’ve allowed the people to influence my perception of the product. Shame on me.
So I offer this brief article as my ipology to all of those humbly orthodox Mac users whom I’ve ever mocked or belittled or persecuted because of their choice in computers (you know who you are!). I admit it now: Apple really does do things well. I guess you were right all along. I was wrong. And I ipologize.
"The late S.M. Lockridge once presented an incredible message, describing our God and who He is. Though God can't be described with just words, this is as close as you can get this side of Heaven."
In my small group Bible Study, we have been going through John Piper's book, Don't Waste Your Life. He does a great job of bringing in scripture, so you feel like you're studying the bible, not his book. Anyway, our last study was basically on risking persecution and suffering as Christians.
Our discussion ranged from feelings of inadequacy at failing to really share Christ at all, feeling like we really don't experience any persecution in America, and in between. My basic feeling was that I don't ever step out and really share the gospel. Sure, people know I'm a Christian, but I leave it at that, hoping my example will have an impact on them. When conversations come up, I'm so worried about being lumped in with "crazy Christians" who's views I don't agree with, I tend to tone down what I'm saying to appear more normal.
By doing this, I'm showing that I value the approval of man more than the approval of God. I'm so worried people will think I'm crazy, I withhold the truth from them, and at the same time fail to be obedient to and honor my Lord.
Already having these feelings, I was very convicted by this post by Randy Alcorn, especially this part:
The danger comes when we live in such fear of being mislabeled that we don’t step forward as unapologetic and unashamed all-out followers of Jesus. They can call us Jesus freaks or ignorant or uncool or intolerant or anything they want, that’s fine. We should do what we believe pleases our Lord, regardless of how it pans out in opinion polls. That includes loving others and giving radically and ministering to the down and out and addressing addictions and saying we think it’s wrong to kill children of all ages and helping people find alternatives. We do such things not seeking the approval of our culture, but of our King.
If we seek our culture’s approval, we’ll either never get it or get it only at the expense of failing to represent Christ. We are promised, that if we “live godly lives in Christ Jesus” we “will suffer persecution.” If we’re not suffering persecution, at some level, then what does that suggest?
We should certainly be nice, and it’s sad when Christians aren’t. But it’s also sad when we imagine “niceness” has greater impact than it really does. Niceness is not the gospel. Some modern concepts of evangelism are little more than being nice to your neighbor and loaning him your hedge clipper and hoping that somehow he will come to Christ without you actually having to say the WORDS of the gospel which would run the risk of him thinking you’re weird. Our good example is important, but it’s not sufficient. There are actual truths that must be grappled with in surrendering to Jesus (1 Cor 15:1-6). And these truths are expressed in words.
I've been so worried about controlling people's opinion of me (Don't say this because they'll think you mean this...don't talk about hell or they'll think you're just like the screaming hypocrite who doesn't really know Christ...etc), I haven't really shared the truth often at all.
This has to change.
Also, a quick note on suffering. During our study, I felt as though we never suffer real persecution (that's left to missionaries doing real gospel work). On that note, I found Mark Driscoll's sermon on 1 Peter very encouraging.
ABC's Nightline did a feature on Mark Driscoll and Mars Hill Church last night. Not an entirely accurate portrayal (they make him look like all he ever preaches on is sex and hell), but not too bad. Lots of truth about Jesus managed to come through in these 7 minutes. I thank God that Driscoll is willing to stand up for Christ and take the inevitable sniper shots that are sure to come when you're in the spotlight at all and talking about Jesus.
A sample:
"I preach for a living," he said. "If you don't have a critic, then you probably aren't saying anything."
And then there are the things he has to say about Jesus -- Jesus according to Pastor Mark.
Driscoll calls the mainstream church's portrayal of Jesus "a hippie-Christ. A neutered and limp-wristed popular sky fairy of popular culture that would never talk about sin or send anyone to hell."
According to Driscoll, Jesus was an outcast who didn't play by the rules.
"Jesus is typically portrayed as very effeminate guy, kind of long, flowing hair wearing a dress, always smiling, [making] pithy Zen statements that read like fortune cookies at a Chinese restaurant," he said. "And the truth is that he was a construction worker. He was very controversial and got murdered."
The image of Jesus as a rebel seems to strike a chord because the Mars Hill Church isn't just growing by leaps and bounds -- which it is -- but it's drawing in people who otherwise didn't have much interest in organized religion...
...The facilities may be cutting edge and the topics might appear liberal but Driscoll points out that his beliefs are strict. He is a Calvinist, and believes that people's fates are predetermined.
"I believe that Jesus is God, I believe the Bible is true, I believe people are really going to hell," he said. "Those things in our culture are seen as crazy.
"If you are not a Christian then you do not have eternal life," he implored in a sermon, although it's not all fire and brimstone.
I wanted to personally thank the crew at Nightline for the recent feature on Mars Hill, myself, and my family. This interview was one of the first where I felt that the reporter did not write the story and simply show up to get a few photos and quotes to finish it. The crew spent an entire Sunday with me and was very respectful and observant. My wife Grace and I were concerned about giving them access to our home and allowing them to film our children, but things went well and we are thankful. I also want to thank the people of Mars Hill who they noted gave some great interviews and were very thoughtful and focused on Jesus Christ.
This is my 300th post since I started this blog last April. Never thought I would make it to a 300th post back then. But here we are.
Anyway, found this video from John Piper's sermon last Sunday responding to Obama's statement on Roe v. Wade. Very powerful. I pray that Obama would see this and stop to let any of it sink it.
"22 Weeks" has the images and sound effects of a horror flick, but it isn't one. Instead, it's based on a true account of a woman who sought a late-term abortion but found herself living a nightmare.
In the 25-minute featurette, Angela, played by Natalie Wenninger, wakes up in her motel room covered in blood. She rushes to the clinic where she had been injected with a needle the day before to abort her baby 22 weeks into her pregnancy. She’s bleeding profusely and is having contractions but is left alone in a dirty room at the clinic. Something is wrong...
...While there a several uncomfortable moments when Angela experiences some complications, the shocking scene near the end comes as she has given birth to her baby on a toilet.
"He's alive!" Angela screams, shocked that the baby was not dead like the employees had assured he would be when born.
But the mother is even more horrified when the employees, who respond slowly to her cries, deny the baby is living, do not help her and lock her in the bathroom.
"He's alive and they won't help me!" Angela tells her friend on the phone. "I don't want this anymore ... I made a mistake! Call 911!"
As Angela waits for help, she holds the baby close to her, telling her son, "I'm so sorry" and "I love you so much," and wishing she had another chance.
When the ambulance arrives at the clinic, the employees try to turn them away, insisting that no one placed a 911 call.
"22 Weeks" is based on an article by World Net Daily, which published the true testimonies of the real mother, Angele, in 2005. And while what was depicted in the film was horrifying enough, Angele said what actually happened was even worse.
I'm sure some people have already seen this, but I never had until today. Norma McCorvey, a.k.a. "Jane Roe" of Roe v. Wade, has a sworn affidavit about her actual involvement in the case. Essentially, she was used by 2 lawyers who were eager to legalize abortion. The case was decided without Norma ever testifying, without her real knowledge of the issues at stake, and she never even read the sworn affidavit used in court. In fact, she only met with the 2 lawyers twice. They even claimed she was raped (which she wasn't).
Here's a sample from the later affidavit explaining her experiences.
As the class action plaintiff in the most controversial U.S. Supreme Court case of the twentieth century, I only met with the attorneys twice. Once over pizza and beer, when I was told that my baby was only "tissue". The other time at Coffee's office to sign the affidavit. No other personal contacts. I was never invited into court. I never testified. I was never present before any court on any level, and I was never at any hearing on my case.
The entire case was an abstraction. The facts about abortion were never heard. Totally excluded from every aspect and every issue of the case, I found out about the decision from the newspaper just like the rest of the country. In a way my exclusion, and the exclusion of real meaningful findings of fact in Roe v. Wade, is symbolic of the way the women of the nation and their experiences with abortion have been ignored in a national debate by the abortion industry. It is what the abortion industry thinks is good for women which is presented. Not the reality of their experiences.
Read the entire affidavit. It's very interesting and worth it. Go figure, the entire case is based on lies and deception.
- Finally, having just experienced the birth of my first child a little over 6 weeks ago, this video really got to me. Children truly are a gift from the Lord and this makes me treasure Seth even more.
I thought Rick Warren did an outstanding job during his prayer at the inauguration. He didn't shy away from actually praying to God (as opposed to a generic prayer aimed at gods - See Bishop Robinson). It was also decidedly Christian. Head to Justin Taylor's blog for a full transcript.
Our Father, Lord of all creation, Father of our Lord Jesus Christ: We pray today with a sense of special urgency and responsibility. We come before you to pray for our new President, Barack Obama, and for all those in this new administration who now assume roles of such high responsibility.
We know that you and you alone are sovereign; that you rule over all, and that you alone are able to keep and defend us. We know that our times are in your hands, and that "the king's heart is like channels of water in the hand of the Lord" [Proverbs 21:1]. Our confidence is in you and in you alone. We come before you as a people who acknowledge our constant need for your provision, wisdom, and protection.
Father, we pray today for Barack Obama as he takes office as President of the United States. We pray that you will show the glory of your name in our times and in these days, confounding the wisdom of the wise, thwarting the plans of the arrogant, and vindicating those who do justice and practice righteousness.
Father, we pray with thanksgiving for the gift of government and the grace of civic order. Thank you for giving us rulers and for knowing our need for laws and ordered life together. Thank you for this nation and the blessings we know as its citizens. Thank you for freedoms unprecedented in human history. We understand that these freedoms come with unprecedented opportunities.
Lord, we pray with thanksgiving for the joy and celebration reflected on millions of faces who never expected to look to the President of the United States and see a person who looks like themselves. Father, thank you for preserving this nation to the moment when an African-American citizen will take the oath of office and become our President. Thank you for the hope this has given to so many, the pride emerging in hearts that had known no such hope, and the pride that comes to a people who have experienced such pain at the hands of fellow citizens, simply because of the color of their skin. Father, we rejoice in every elderly face that reflects such long-sought satisfaction and in every young face that expresses such unrestrained joy. May this become an open door for a vision of race and human dignity that reflects your glory in our differences, and not our corruption of your gift.
Father, protect this president, we pray. We pray that you will surround this president and his family, along with all our leaders, with your protection and sustenance. May he be protected from evil acts and evil intentions, and may his family be protected from all evil and harm.
We pray that the Obama family will be drawn together as they move into the White House, and that they will know great joy in their family life. We are thankful for the example Barack and Michelle Obama have set as parents. Father, protect those precious girls in every way -- including the protection of their hearts as they see their father often criticized and as he is away from them on business of state. May their years in the White House bring them all even closer together.
Father, we pray for the safety and security of this nation, even as our new president settles into his role as Commander in Chief. We know that you and you alone can be our defense. We do not place our trust in horses or chariots, and we pray that you will give this president wisdom as he fulfills this vital responsibility.
Father, grant him wisdom in every dimension of his vast responsibility. Grant him wisdom to deal with a global financial crisis and with the swirling complex of vexing problems and challenges at home and abroad. May he inspire this nation to a higher vision for our common life together, to a higher standard of justice, righteousness, unity, and the tasks of citizenship.
Father, we pray that you will change this president's heart and mind on issues of urgent concern. We are so thankful for his gifts and talents, for his intellect and power of influence. Father, bend his heart to see the dignity and sanctity of every single human life, from the moment of conception until natural death. Father, lead him to see abortion, not as a matter of misconstrued rights, but as a murderous violation of the right to life. May he come to see every aborted life as a violation of human dignity and every abortion as an abhorrent blight upon this nation's moral witness. May he pledge himself to protect every human life at every stage of development. He has declared himself as an energetic defender of abortion rights, and we fear that his election will lead directly to the deaths of countless unborn human beings. Protect us from this unspeakable evil, we pray. Most urgently, we pray that you will bring the reign of abortion to an end, even as you are the defender of the defenseless.
Father, may this new president see that human dignity is undermined when human embryos are destroyed in the name of medical progress, and may he see marriage as an institution that is vital to the very survival of civilization. May he protect all that is right and good. Father, change his heart where it must be changed, and give him resolve where his heart is right before you.
Father, when we face hard days ahead -- when we find ourselves required by conscience to oppose this president within the bounds of our roles as citizens -- may we be granted your guidance to do so with a proper spirit, with a proper demeanor, and with persuasive arguments. May we learn anew how to confront without demonizing, and to oppose without abandoning hope.
Father, we are aware that our future is in your hands, and we are fully aware that you and you alone will judge the nations. Much responsibility is now invested in President Barack Obama, and much will be required. May we, as Christian citizens, also fulfill what you would require of us. Even as we pray for you to protect this president and change his heart, we also pray that your church will be protected and that you will conform our hearts to your perfect will.
Father, we pray these things in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, the ever-reigning once and future King, the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. He and he alone can save, and his kingdom is forever. Above all, may your great name be praised. Amen.
Obama's choice of Rick Warren to deliver the invocation at his inaugural ceremony offended many who claimed that Warren's stance on homosexuality made his unfit for this.
Now, Obama has offended a large part of the other side of the issue by choosing Bishop Gene Robinson to pray before the mass event at the Lincoln Memorial. For those who don't know, the openly-gay Robinson's election as Episcopal Bishop of New Hampshire has led to a full-scale schism within that denomination.
One interesting facet of the controversies over Warren and Robinson is the fact that the inclusion of the one does not placate the critics of the other. Homosexual activists are still angry over the choice of Warren to deliver the invocation on January 20. A host of others will be offended by the choice of Bishop Robinson. These two responses illustrate the depth of the divide over the issue of homosexuality. The question cuts to the heart of issues including biblical authority and the very nature of humanity. Representation is undoubtedly symbolic, but Rick Warren and Gene Robinson represent radically divergent worldviews and incommensurate goals. They are not two very different representatives of one religion. They are instead two very symbolic representatives of two very different religions.
That point is made clear courtesy of Bishop Robinson. Consider this section of the report in The New York Times:
Bishop Robinson said he had been reading inaugural prayers through history and was “horrified” at how “specifically and aggressively Christian they were.”
“I am very clear,” he said, “that this will not be a Christian prayer, and I won’t be quoting Scripture or anything like that. The texts that I hold as sacred are not sacred texts for all Americans, and I want all people to feel that this is their prayer.”
Bishop Robinson said he might address the prayer to “the God of our many understandings,” language that he said he learned from the 12-step program he attended for his alcohol addiction.
Well, at least Obama's making sure everyone is offended by at least one prayer that day.
The NY Times had an interesting article profiling Mark Driscoll over the weekend. While it paints a slightly slanted picture of him as always cussing and always controversial (if you watch a decent sampling of his sermons, you'll find this is not the case), it was still a fascinating read. The author connects the profile of Driscoll to the resurgence of Calvinism and Reformed Theology among younger people influenced by Driscoll. A decently balanced view of these ideas. She also focuses on his ideas on gender a lot.
I found it an interesting, albeit slightly caricaturized view of a man who's influenced my own views quite a bit.
A sample of the article's conclusion:
Mars Hill — with its conservative social teachings embedded in guitar solos and drum riffs, its megachurch presence in the heart of bohemian skepticism — thrives on paradox. Critics on the left and right alike predict that this delicate balance of opposites cannot last. Some are skeptical of a church so bent on staying perpetually “hip”: members have only recently begun to marry and have children, but surely those children will grow up, grow too cool for their cool church and rebel. Others say that Driscoll’s ego and taste for controversy will be Mars Hill’s Achilles’ heel.
Lately he has made a concerted effort to tone down his language, and he insists that he has delegated much authority, but the heart of his message has not changed. Driscoll is still the one who gazes down upon Mars Hill’s seven congregations most Sundays, his sermons broadcast from the main campus to jumbo-size projection screens around the city. At one suburban campus that I visited, a huge yellow cross dominated center stage — until the projection screen unfurled and Driscoll’s face blocked the cross from view. Driscoll’s New Calvinism underscores a curious fact: the doctrine of total human depravity has always had a funny way of emboldening, rather than humbling, its adherents.
Stumbled across this website the other day and just had to share. NoiseTrade was started by former Caedmon's Call member and now great solo artist Derek Webb. Here's the back story from NoiseTrade's "About Us" section:
Artists want to know, connect with, and be supported by music fans. Music fans want high-quality, free (or variably priced) music and to be rewarded, not punished, for sharing the music they love with their friends. We believe that if artists and fans work together, everyone can get what they want.
"A great record is its own best marketing tool," says Derek Webb, singer/songwriter and Co-Founder of NoiseTrade. "All the marketing dollars in the world can't accomplish what one great record can, especially if it's set free to roam around and connect with the right people." In 2006 Webb gave away his ‘Mockingbird' record for free online, asking in return for a little information (name, email address, and postal code), and as part of the process, for fans to invite their friends to download as well.
In three month's time Webb gave away over 80,000 full downloads of his record and collected valuable information for as many new fans. In addition, Derek has since seen many sold out shows and increased merchandise and record sales, including a curious spike in sales of the very record that was given for free.
It was the massive success of this experiment that inspired Webb, with the help of a few trusted friends, to start NoiseTrade. Now any artist can freely distribute their music online, via NoiseTrade's remarkable and embeddable widget, offering fans the choice to tell 5 friends or to pay any amount in exchange for an immediate download.
Here's an example of the widget and my favorite album I've downloaded so far, Rick Hopkins' "Where We Are and Where We Long to Be." Check out the samples and then you can either tell 5 people and get the album for free, or you can pay what you want (between $1 and $25) to support Rick. Amazing deal. Check it out.
There was a great article on ESPN.com yesterday by Pat Forde profiling Florida quarterback Tim Tebow. Now I am a Kentucky fan and my wife's a Tennessee grad, but it's hard not to like this guy. My wife even gets mad at him because he's "making her like Florida" and she doesn't want to...
Sporting America has become too jaded to appreciate Tim Tebow. We've been Marion Jonesed and Mark McGwired and Barry Bondsed into suspecting there must be a dark side to the Florida quarterback, who does so many things right on and off the football field. We roll our eyes at his "saving the world in the Philippines," when how many among us have bothered to go across town to help the poor, much less across the globe the way Tebow has? We've been conditioned not to trust a virtuous athlete when he's right in front of us...
...It truly would be a shame to submit to cynicism and not fully appreciate the gift of Tebow -- the way he plays football with an unquenchable passion, and the way he approaches life with even greater ardor. If you think he hits linebackers hard on fourth-and-1, that's nothing compared to the way he tackles his higher calling to spread the word. In this one instance, what looks too good to be true really is true.
There are plenty of athletes who talk the pious talk. Plenty of athletes who write scripture on their eye black the way Tebow does or thank God after victories. But how many have walked the walk like Tebow -- walked it into the prisons, into the slums of the Philippines, into the hearts of people in need of a role model? How many, at age 21, have done as much work on behalf of those less fortunate?
During Seth's birth, Laura Leppert Knabe of Leppert Photography was there to document the event. I used a few of these pictures in the video I made right after he was born. Laura was gracious enough to provide all of those pictures to us, and Leah decided to create a quick slideshow from them. I really enjoyed experiencing that morning again, and thought I would share.
I love Apple products, I really do. My wife and I have iPhones, a MacBook, and an iMac at home. They are great, but some do take their obsession with Apple a little far. For those people, I give you the MacBook Wheel...
My friend, Joe Herbert, was a finalist in a Doritos commercial competition a couple years ago, and his commercial is a finalist again this year. Check out the commercial below (which was filmed in good old Batesville, Indiana and going up against LA and NY entries) and then go to doritosvote.com and help them take the title this year and have their commercial aired during the Super Bowl.
Leah updated her blog with some more pictures of Seth from Christmas and a couple photo shoots she and her sister-in-law have done. Here's a few examples. Head over to her blog to see more.
This has been out for a while, but I didn't get around to posting it until today. Brandon Milan (and his wife) made up this little ditty about Calvinists. As a self-professing Calvinist, I can still say I thoroughly enjoyed the reminder to follow those doctrines as far as the bible takes them and no further. This is funny, I don't care who you are.
Apple-Hater Tim Challies has repented of his old ways and has seen the light:
