An Expendable Placeholder

What Goes On???

2009-08-03T09:52:00.003-04:00

Ah the days of summer are slowly winding down and the fall is just around the corner. The past few months have been extremely uneventful but here's a run down of what went on between my last post and now...

April:
5 - WrestleMania 25 showcased what many people consider a contender for the greatest match of all time, Shawn Michaels vs. The Undertaker.

26 - Carl Edwards flipped at Talladega in a horrifying crash that he miraculously walked away from.

April - June:
The Stanley Cup playoffs dominated much of my time and I watched almost every single Red Wings playoff game w/ Joe and Aaron.

June 6: Went to Kentucky. Dropped off my folks and stayed a week w/ my cousin.

June 22: Came home from KY.

June 27: Met the greatest wrestler to ever lace up his boots: "The Nature Boy" Ric Flair

Dad spent some time in the hospital down there and it was to hard on Mom taking care of both Dad and the kids sooo...

July 3: My brother and I drove down to KY to pick up the parents and the kids and bring 'em back home.

July 6: Came home from KY. I drove 8 hrs straight for the first time.

Since then my Dad spent another few day in the hospital but is feeling better now. I have not done much of anything. I did go to the Highland Games this past Sat. but that's pretty much it.

One bright spot for the summer is that I've found a new show to watch: True Blood on HBO. I'll post a blog about it soon. Also I spent time drooling over any new info that come out regarding The Beatles: Rock Band. I'll blog about it soon.

There's the recap. Check ya later.

H

2009-03-21T08:32:00.002-04:00

Since Tuesday this blog has been focusing on the upcoming opening for the NASCAR Hall of Fame and listing the results of a poll regarding who should be the first 5 inductees into the inaugural class. So far we have 7-Time Cup Series Champions Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt, NASCAR, the cofounder of NASCAR Bill France Sr., and NASCAR legend David Pearson.

The fifth and final spot came down to a tie vote between two of NASCAR's early superstars, Lee Petty and Junior Johnson. Both men received 8 votes out of 28. While both men are sure-fire hall-of-famers, my vote for which one should go in first goes to the man who could haul ass on Sunday and haul moonshine on Monday.

Robert Glen Johnson, Jr., nicknamed Junior, grew up on a farm in Wilkes County, North Carolina as the son of a moonshiner. As a young man, Junior aided his father's moonshining business running 'shine through the Carolina hills. He consistently outran and outwitted local police and federal agents in chases, and was never caught while delivering moonshine to customers. After being talked into driving a car in a local dirt track race, Johnson found he enjoyed racing so much that he'd do it all the time. Working his way up through the ranks, he eventually started racing in the Cup Series in 1953. Although he'd officially given up on moonshining, Junior was helping out his sick father in 1956 by tending to his daddy's 'shining still when he was caught by federal tax agents who'd been staking out his father's operation for some time. He was charged with moonshining and sentenced to serve two years at the federal prison in Chillicothe, Ohio. He was released after serving 11 months and went right back to racing. During his career as a driver, Junior won 50 races out of 313 starts. He is credited with discovering "the draft" at Daytona, using the then-mysterious concept to win the 1960 Daytona 500. Junior retired from driving in 1966 but his life in racing was far from over. Johnson began his career as a car owner in 1965 and in 30 years of owning cars he'd amassed 132 wins and 6 NASCAR Cup Series Owners Championships. In that time span he fielded cars for some of the greatest drivers in NASCAR history. In 1986, Johnson, a life long Democrat, was given a Presidential Pardon from Ronald Reagan for his 1956 moonshine conviction. Johnson has seen and done it all in the sport and is deserving, in my opinion, of the final spot in the Inaugural NASCAR Hall of Fame Class.

Most folks that watch NASCAR today have never seen Junior Johnson behind the wheel of a racecar, but tonight on ESPN2 there will be a race featuring some of NASCAR's legendary drivers of the past, including Junior Johnson. I emplore you to check it out tonight at 6PM.

I hope you've enjoyed this series on who might should go into NASCAR's first Hall of Fame class. If you agree or disagree with any of the names listed, leave me a comment and tell me why. Thanks for reading.

The NASCAR Hall of Fame - Who Should Go In? Part 3

2009-03-20T03:50:00.006-04:00

On Tuesday we took a look at the fact that there will be a NASCAR Hall of Fame opening in the spring of next year. We also went over how the induction process will work to select Hall of Famers. Finally we talked about the list compiled on a website made up by taking five votes from 28 folks who know their NASCAR. On Wednesday we took a look at the top two vote getters, Dale Earnhardt and Richard Petty, and why they should be inducted. Yesterday we focused on the third highest vote getter, the co-founder of NASCAR, William Getty France Sr.

Today we'll talk about the man who tied with "Big Bill" in the poll, the driver with second largest number of wins in the NASCAR Cup Series, "The Silver Fox" David Pearson.

Before the "Modern Era", it was not uncommon for many of the sport's top stars to pick and choose which races they would run, as some races were more "valuable" in points and pay than others. David Pearson, who appeared on the scene in 1960 and continued racing until 1986, was one of those kinda drivers. Only three times in that time period did Pearson run the full schedule. All three of those times (1966, 68, and 69) he won the NASCAR Cup Series Championship. Pearson also had a storied rivalry with "The King" Richard Petty. Between 1963-1977, Pearson and Petty finished 1st and 2nd (not respectively) sixty-three times! Also, despite only running 574 races in his career (compared to Petty's 1184), Pearson won 105 races, the second most of any driver and the only other man to have more than 100 wins in the Series. Had Pearson raced the full schedule more often, it's not entirely improbable that he would have won more races and championships than Petty or Earnhardt. With stats like that, you'd be hard pressed to argue against putting David Pearson in the Inaugural NASCAR Hall of Fame Class.

Richard Petty and David Pearson

Tomorrow we'll profile the final top-five vote getter, a man who was hard to beat in an automobile, whether he was haulin' ass on the track or hauling 'shine on dirt roads. We'll also take a look at some other NASCAR legends whose names and credential make it worth considering their induction in the first class of the NASCAR Hall of Fame. See ya tomorrow.

The NASCAR Hall of Fame - Who Should Go In? Part 2

2009-03-19T02:16:00.004-04:00

On Tuesday, we took a look at the fact that there will be a NASCAR Hall of Fame opening in the spring of next year. We also went over how the induction process will work to select Hall of Famers. Finally we talked about the list compiled on a website made up by taking five votes from 28 folks who know their NASCAR. Yesterday we took a look at the top two vote getters, Dale Earnhardt and Richard Petty, and why they should be inducted. Today we'll focus on the individual who tied for the third most votes (22 of 28), but will slide solely into third with my executive vote, William Getty France Sr.

The story of William Getty France Sr. and that of NASCAR are completely inseparable. The tale is really too long to regale in this post, but to keep it short: Prior to World War II, stock car racing was a growing attraction. Despite the sport's rising popularity with fans, drivers were often victimized by shady promoters who would leave events with all the money before drivers were paid. On December 14, 1947, a man named Bill France, who was well known in the racing community as a driver and promoter in his own right, gathered with influential drivers, mechanics, car owners, and promoters at the Ebony Bar inside the Streamline Hotel in Daytona Beach, Florida. In these meetings, they decided that this form of racing would not grow without a formal sanctioning organization, standardized rules, regular schedule, and an organized championship. Through this, the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) was formed. France ran and controlled NASCAR from it's inception until 1972, when he handed the reigns of the business over to his son, Bill Jr.

Although "Big Bill" was no longer in control, he still remained very active and influential behind the scenes. While he certainly didn't create NASCAR single-handedly, it's probably safe to say that without Bill France Sr., we may not have a nationally recognized stock car racing organization like NASCAR today. "Big" Bill France, who passed away in 1992, should certainly be inducted into the Inaugural NASCAR Hall of Fame Class.

Some may argue that because he took all the credit for creating NASCAR and because he ran the company like a dictatorship, he should not be honored so highly. The fact remains, however, that under France's leadership, NASCAR reached the "crest of the hill" before exploding into the massive, money-making machine that it became under his son's reign.

Tomorrow we'll look at the individual who tied with France in the unofficial poll, a man that could have rivaled Petty and Earnhardt in wins and championships if he'd only raced the full Cup Series schedule more often. See ya then.

The NASCAR Hall of Fame - Who Should Go In? Part 1

2009-03-18T02:25:00.002-04:00

Yesterday we took a look at the fact that there will be a NASCAR Hall of Fame opening in the spring of next year. We also went over how the induction process will work to select Hall of Famers. Finally we talked about the list compiled on a website made up by taking five votes from 28 folks who know their NASCAR. Today we will take a look at the top two vote getters and why they should be inducted.

For those of you who are not into NASCAR, there are really only two names that can go at the top of the list when inducting the Inaugural NHOF Class.

Petty and Earnhardt... or Earnhardt and Petty.

The most die-hard fan will tell you that it must go one way or the other.

The panel that was polled voted unanimously on only one name.

The individual who received the most votes (28) was the man with more NASCAR victories than any other driver, "The King" - Richard Petty. In a career that spanned from 1958 until 1992, "King Richard" has certainly earned all of that and I wouldn't be surprised to see him unanimously voted in by the actual voting committee. With 200 NASCAR Cup Series victories and 7 NASCAR Cup Series Championships (tied with only one other driver for most Championships), Richard Petty should undoubtedly be in the inaugural class.

This means that the individual to receive the second most votes (25 of 28) is the man who tied Petty for most NASCAR Cup Series Championships in 1994, the late Dale Earnhardt. Earnhardt won 76 NASCAR Cup Series races between his first start in 1975 until his death in 2001. Earnhardt also won 7 NASCAR Cup Series Championships, tying Richard Petty's record. Many of his peers and fans, including yours truly, consider "The Intimidator" the greatest stock car driver of all time! Whether you put him above, beside, or below Richard Petty, the margin between them is so close that Earnhardt is certainly worthy to be in the Inaugural NASCAR Hall of Fame Class.

Why is there a debate? Because there are too many factors that allowed Petty to accomplish what he did in the era that he did it.

Petty fans will say, "200 wins and 7 Championships vs. only 76 wins and 7 Championships... DUH!", but in the 1950s and 60s, NASCAR sponsored races on small tracks all over the south, mid-west and north-east. A driver could accumulate points by driving around to small tracks 4 and 5 times a week, beating up on the locals. This explains how Petty was able to attain 200 wins. Once a stable points system was established and NASCAR tightened their way of picking the races that are sanctioned as Cup Series events, this was no longer possible. Also during this time period, many drivers did not have much sponsorship or backing from car manufacturers, while Petty was backed by Dodge for a large majority of those years. What he did at the track translated as a testing ground for Dodge on equipment, parts, etc. and translated into money that poured into backing Petty's racing efforts. Such an advantage over the other drivers for so long must be taken into account.

Meanwhile, all of Earnhardt's wins came in NASCAR's "Modern Era" (1971-today), which has been a time when a larger group of the competition had factory money coming in combined with large corperate sponsors funding more race cars/teams, making more drivers capable of winning any given week.

Certainly, the debate will rage regardless of logic and reasoning and there is no doubt that both of these men deserve their place in the Inaugural NASCAR Hall of Fame Class.

Tomorrow we'll look at the individual who got the third most votes. It would be blasphemy not to put him in the first year, since with out him there probably wouldn't be a NASCAR, much less a NASCAR Hall of Fame. See ya tomorrow.

The NASCAR Hall of Fame - Introduction

2009-03-17T03:27:00.004-04:00

The NASCAR Hall of Fame (NHOF) will open in the Spring of next year. It will be located in Charlotte, NC, just a few miles from the sight of the first NASCAR Cup Series Race. It's goal is to "honor NASCAR icons and create an enduring tribute to the drivers, crew members, team owners and others that have impacted the sport in the past, present and future."

Ever since the process of creating the NHOF began, the two big questions in the NASCAR community/fanbase has been who will go in the first NHOF Class and how will potential inductees be selected. Well recently the NHOF announced how their selection process will work.

1. To be eligible for induction, drivers as well as other candidates will be considered eligible after 10 years of competition or work in the industry. Careers of shorter duration can be considered under unusual circumstances. Individuals must be retired from the sport for at least three years.

2. The nomination committee, who will nominate the potential NHOF inductees to be voted on, will consist of (1) seven top-ranking NASCAR officials (chairman of the board, president and five vice presidents); (2) the NASCAR Hall of Fame executive director and its historian; (3) two track owner representatives from International Speedway Corp. tracks, two from Speedway Motorsports tracks, one from Indianapolis, one from Dover and one from Pocono, and one representative from each of four historic short tracks - Bowman-Gray Stadium in Winston-Salem, N.C., Greenville-Pickens Speedway in South Carolina, Riverhead in New York and Irwindale in California. This comes out to 20 members of the nomination committee. These committee members must nominate no more than 25 candidates by June each year.

3. Once the nominees have been selected, a voting committee will vote on which nominees will go into the NHOF. The voting committee consists of (1) members of the nominating committee; (2) 14 media representatives (three each from the National Motorsports Press Association, the Associated Press Sports Editors and the Eastern Motorsports Press Association and one each from Fox, Turner, ESPN, Motor Racing Network and Performance Racing Network); (3) one representative from each manufacturer; (4) three retired drivers; (5) three retired owners; (6) and three retired crew chiefs. (7) Also, a fan vote will take place between June and Sept. 1 and their selections will count as one vote in the process. This comes out to 47 members of the voting committee plus one vote representing the fans. The voting process is to be completed by Sept. 15.

4. Once the votes have been received, the top five vote-getters each will be elected to the Hall of Fame. Ties in voting will be broken by the Hall of Fame nominating committee. The NHOF class is scheduled to be announced in October with induction the following May.

With all of that said, all we know so far is that we will see the list of the first 25 nominees for the Inaugural NASCAR Hall of Fame Class this upcoming June.

Although the opinions of a large majority of the nominating committee are not known, stockcarhistoryonline.com surveyed 28 people, including well-known motorsports competitors, journalists, officials, and one super-fan to see who would go in if they were choosing the first Class of NHOFers. Some of the folks polled are or may be involved in the process, others are not. Those polled includes Jim Hunter - Vice President of NASCAR Corporate Communications; Retired driver - Richard Petty; Current drivers Kyle Petty, Dale Earnhardt Jr., and Tony Stewart; Track presidents Roger Curtis (Michigan) and Eddie Gossage (Texas); and NASCAR media personalities Dr. Jerry Punch, Jay Adamcyk, Steve Waid, Randy Hallman, Monte Dutton, Rick Minter, Godwin Kelly, Marc Fein, Joe Menzer, Mark Aumann, Dick Conway, Duane Cross, Mike Fresina, Bryan Hallman, Mike Hembree, Jeff Owens, Dave Rodman, Jim Utter, David Poole, and Rick Houston; and one "super-fan". Some of these names are known by every fan, some are not, but trust me when I tell you that these folks (except for maybe the "super-fan") KNOW their NASCAR! Each person was allowed to name 5 picks for who should go into the Inaugural NASCAR Hall of Fame Class.

Over the next few days I'll be reviewing their picks for the Hall and commenting on each possible HOFer. Without revealing the list, let me say that these folks put out a very good list of five who should go in during the first year. I agree whole heartedly with the top 4. Tomorrow I'll profile the first two picks. If you follow NASCAR at all, it won't be any surprise who they are. See ya tomorrow.

RIP - The Rev. Hal Marchman... Shalom and Amen

2009-03-16T05:11:00.004-04:00

I just read on several websites that the Reverend, Hal Marchman has passed away.

In 1959, shortly after becoming the Pastor of a Baptist congregation in the Daytona Beach area, Rev. Hal Marchman was asked by his friend to say the invocation (opening prayer) at an upcoming event that the friend was hosting. The friend was Bill France Sr., founding member and President of NASCAR; The event was the 500-mile stock car race at the newly built Daytona International Speedway, an event now known as the innaugural Daytona 500.

Marchman said the prayer that day and continued saying the opening prayer at each year's Daytona 500 for 45 more years. Marchman retired from his role at the track after the 2004 Daytona 500. He had been fighting dementia and memory loss for several years, but a sudden bout of illness ended his life, according to his daughter Anne Marchman-Jones.

On a personal note: when I started watching NASCAR, we began the tradition of standing up for the prayer at the beginning of each race, even though we were watching at home. Over time, there have been many men that have said many prayers before the start of the many races I've seen. The only one who stands out to me is Rev. Hal Marchman. I feel honored to have been in attendance for his final time saying the invocation.

Memorably, he closed every Daytona 500 invocation with a word of peace for those in the Jewish community. Why, I'm not sure. Regardless, I feel that it is only fitting to close the blog the same way...

God, I ask that you would be with the family of Hal Marchman. I ask that you grant them peace and comfort in this time of grief. I thank you for Hal's life and for all the work you did through him. May his life story ever be a testimony to your glory. In Jesus' name I pray...
SHALOM AND AMEN

Rest in Peace
The Reverend - Hal Marchman
1919-2009

A Tiny Tribute to a Great Fictional American (24 Spoilers, CONSIDER YOURSELF WARNED!)

2009-03-10T00:54:00.003-04:00

Out of respect for those of you who may read my blog and happen to be a fan of 24, this post will contain spoilers on last nights episode. If you do not want to know anything about what happened then PLEASE DO NOT CONTINUE....
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At 8:11 PM (24-Time), the clock ran silent for Bill Buchanan.

Since season 4 Bill has been serving his country on screen and his death on the show is a huge loss for Jack, the fictional USA, and the fanbase.

R.I.P. Bill Buchanan.

Season 4, Episode 15 - Season 7, Episode 13

And second place goes to....

2009-03-05T08:26:00.000-05:00

right behind Nannerpus.

I Love Nannerpus!!!!

2009-02-22T23:59:00.000-05:00

...and so should you!

Getting Ready for The Great American Race

2009-02-09T23:35:00.009-05:00

This Sunday is the 51st running of the Daytona 500 and that means that there will be lots of smiling come race time on Sunday. Whatever day the Daytona 500 occurs on every year is like a holiday for me and my brother. I have lots of stuff to get ready and plenty of cleaning here in the basement as I prepare to welcome folks over to watch the race.

As I write this, I understand that not everyone is a NASCAR fan, so let me help you understand why you should watch the 500 on Sunday...

Everyone enjoys a big event. Whether it's a competition, an awards show, a brand new season of your favorite TV show, or even a reality television extravaganza, there's almost always a big television event that someone will enjoy.

Most guys and a lot of girls all across America enjoy watching sports. For many there is nothing bigger than the World Series, the Stanley Cup finals, the Final Four, WrestleMania, the Masters, the BCS Championship game, or the Super Bowl. All of those are examples of the biggest event that their respective sports have to offer.

Every February, there is a 10 day period of time that captivates millions of people known simply as Speedweek at Daytona. The event takes place at a magical place. This place is one where time can stand still, where history lives and breaths all around you. Here you can feel 50+ years of excitement, passion, triumph, and tragedy swirling around you as you bask in the glory of these hallowed grounds. This place is the Daytona International Speedway.

After the preliminary events have taken place over the first nine days, the main event is set. The greatest race in the world. The Daytona 500. Since it's inception in 1959, the Daytona 500 has become an annual tradition of great racing and great racing moments.

In the first Daytona 500, Lee Petty sped toward the finish line in a side-by-side battle with Johnny Beauchamp, a hiccup finish made even more complicated by the fact that Joe Weatherly, two laps down, was wedged in beside the two leaders. The three cars crossed the finish line in a dead-heat blur. Who won? Nobody knew. It was too close to call. It took three days of studying still photos of the finish before NASCAR president Bill France Sr. finally proclaimed Petty the victor. The margin of victory was determined to be 24 inches, give or take.

The 2007 edition of "The Great American Race" was another barn burner that came right down to wire. Kevin Harvick, driving for the same team who's driver died in the race six years prior to the day, edged out Mark Martin for the win in a finish that saw a major crash happen as the top 2 crossed the finish line. The margin or victory? Mere inches. Two or three at the most. NASCAR now measures the margin of victory using how many seconds it takes the second place finisher to cross the finish line after the winner. Using this formula, Kevin Harvick beat Mark Martin by 0.020 seconds. This was the closest finish in the Daytona 500 since Lee Petty won in 1959.

Last year was the 50th Daytona 500. In celebration of this race's history, NASCAR gathered all of the living winners of the 500 on stage to honor their status as Daytona 500 Champions.

Over the past 50 years, there have been many other memorable Daytona 500s. Each running is special in it's own way. As an event, you can't get any bigger. It's a brand new season of your favorite TV show since it's the start of the NASCAR season. It's a competition where drivers, cars, and crews are pitted against each other in an effort to be the best at managing all three well enough to beat the other drivers, cars, and crews. It's a reality television extravaganza where emotion is raw, tempers flare, and at any given moment someone could make a mistake and the consequences could be as little as an inconvenience or as big as the loss of a life. Finally, it's an awards show where the man who can survive and do it faster than anyone else rolls into Victory Lane and gets his name enshrined in immortality as the winner of the Harley J. Earl Trophy, signifying that he will forever be known as a champion of the Daytona 500.

As the days pass coming to the 51st Daytona 500, I will be watching lots of Speed Channel. I'm so ready for this race. It's time to reach up, pull those seatbelts tight, and brace yourselves for what could be another great Daytona 500! Wanna join me?

R.I.P. Billy Powell - Piano Player for Lynyrd Skynyrd

2009-01-29T09:14:00.005-05:00

R.I.P. Billy Powell
Piano/Keyboard
June 3, 1952 - January 28, 2009

Billy Powell passed away yesterday morning. Another Rock & Roll legend has joined those that "belong to the ages."

Billy started taking piano lessons as a young boy. He was such a natural that his instructor stated that she was not needed. He was that good. After starting high school in Jacksonville, FL, Billy was introduced to a young fella by the name of Leon Wilkeson. After he was done with high school, Billy enrolled in a local community college where he majored in music theory. He played music with some local groups and was also did work as a roadie for an up and coming band called Lynyrd Skynyrd for about two years.

One night while with the band members, Billy sat down at a piano and played a piano rendition of a song that Skynyrd had been playing called "Freebird." After hearing Powell do his thing on the keys, lead singer Ronnie Van Zant said, "You mean to tell me, you've been playing the piano like that and you've been workin' for us for (over) a year?" Billy replied, "Well, you know, I've been classically trained most of my life." He was then informed that not only had they been searching for someone to play the keys, but that they felt he was the man for the job. Not long afterward, Lynyrd Skynyrd hit it big and soon became a household name. From 1973 until 1977, Powell and the rest of the Skynyrd boys blazed a musical trail across the world, becoming a planet wide sensation as they brought their brand of southern rock to the masses.

It all came crashing down, literally, as the band was involved in a fatal plane crash that claimed the lives of their newest guitar player, Steve Gaines, and the leader/front man for the group, Ronnie Van Zant. Billy suffered severe facial lacerations, almost completely losing his nose but was otherwise relatively uninjured. He was the first released from the hospital and was the only member of the band able to attend the funerals of the fallen.

In the first decade following the crash, Billy briefly joined a Christian rock band named Vision. Powell often spoke during the concerts about his newly found faith in Jesus Christ. He still claimed Christ as his Lord and Savior at the time of his passing.

In 1987, the surviving members of Lynyrd Skynyrd went on tour with some former members who were not with the band at the time of the crash, and with Ronnie Van Zant's younger brother Johnny on vocals. The tour went fairly well and the group continued to tour up through January 2009.

Since 1987, nearly all of the members of the original group have passed away. The group that has gone on with the name Lynyrd Skynyrd is far from the real thing without Ronnie's direction and guidance, but for whatever reason, Billy and original guitarist Gary Rossington have contributed to the tribute band since 1987.

Billy Powell suffered what is believed to have been a heart attack yesterday morning shortly after 12:00 AM. He was pronounced dead at 1:52 AM. He is survived by his wife, Ellen, and his son, Brandon.

Billy was a legend and had a legendary story to tell. Today, he is hopefully reunited with all those Skynyrd members who have already gone on. In remembering Billy Powell, we also take a moment to reflect on those other friends who have left this world.

Ronnie Van Zant - Lead Vocals
January 15, 1948 - October 20, 1977

Steve Gaines - Guitar
September 14, 1949 - October 20, 1977

Allen Collins - Guitar
July 19, 1952 - January 23, 1990

Allen died from complications of an automobile accident that occured in 1986.

Leon Wilkeson - Bass
April 2, 1952 - July 27, 2001

Leon had apparently been suffering from chronic liver and lung disease; the cause of death was deemed 'from natural causes.'

The surviving members of the original Lynyrd Skynyrd band are: Gary Rossington - guitar, Ed King - guitar, Bob Burns - drums, Artimus Pyle - drums.

Billy Powell in 2003. The last time I saw him perform in person.

A Christmas Prayer...

2008-12-25T05:40:00.004-05:00

Today is Christmas. Most importantly it is the day in which many people celebrate the first advent of Jesus Christ. For most of us it also is a time to celebrate family and be with our loved ones. It is no different for me.

This morning I am watching Fox and Friends on the Fox News Channel. They just showed a video package that really pulled on my heart and caused this bearded boy to cry. It was a video of families greeting their loved ones. Loved ones who have been away from their families in a far away land for a long time. These men and women who were welcomed home for Christmas by their husbands, wives, kids, and other loved ones are members of the United States Armed Forces.

These folks are just like you and I, except they have committed their time and their lives to establishing, protecting, and defending freedom at home and abroad, even on Christmas Day. Some of these are men and women who have not seen those they love for a long time. Instead of gift-wrapped presents, they have and will receive bullets fired at them and mortars raining down around them during this time when we celebrate the birth of the Prince of Peace.

Some have been busy defending freedom and liberty instead of celebrating the birth of a child they have never seen or instead of mourning a family member who has passed on while they are away. Some have been establishing a political culture of democracy in the Middle East while their wive struggle with not having a husband around to fulfill the role of a husband and their kids struggle with remembering what it feels like to have daddy at home, giving them a hug, and tucking them into bed every night.

My prayer for Christmas is this:

Lord God - I thank You for Your love and Your grace. I thank You for the gift of your Son, Who set aside His glorious life in Heaven so that He might come to earth, bring glory to You, and to make permanent atonement for those who You chose before the foundation of the world.

As all good things flow from You, I also thank You for the opportunity to be with my family on this day. However, there are those who are unable to be with their loved ones for various reasons during this Christmas season. I ask that You would be their comfort in this difficult time and that You will allow them to be with their families again. Most of all, I recognize that You are the Sovereign Ruler over all of creation and that nothing happens outside of Your direction and/or permission, and with that recognition I ask that Your will be done and that everything that ever happens will bring glory to You in the end.

Once again, I thank You for everything that is, was, and will be. I love You and I look forward to the day when I can spend Christmas Day with You in Your presence. I say and ask these things in the most beautiful name of Jesus...Amen.

As for those of you who are reading, have Merry Christmas and Soli Deo Gloria!

The Peaceful Transfer of Power - Air Force One. Dallas TX, November 22, 1963

2008-12-08T18:20:00.008-05:00

In our first edition of "The Peaceful Transfer of Power", we will take a look at the first swearing-in of Lyndon Baines Johnson.

On the morning of November 22, 1963 Lyndon Johnson was the Vice President of the United States under President John F. Kennedy. Johnson was chosen by Kennedy to be his V.P. candidate in 1960 to help his campaign win the southern states in the country. As a Catholic from Massachusetts, JFK knew that if he was going to win the Presidency he would need a man with Johnson's southern reputation like Johnson to get the votes he needed. Kennedy and Johnson won the election of 1960 and went on to the White House.

Johnson, a member of the House of Representatives from Texas from 1937 to 1949, and a Senator from Texas from 1949 to 1961, was used to getting alot done in the halls of congress throughout his political career. One he ascended to the Vice-Presidency, however, he was held under with no real power and little to no influence in the JFK administration.

In late November of 1963, Kennedy was already campaigning for reelection in the vote of '64. He chose to go to Texas and capitalize on his association with the "hometown boy." On the afternoon of November 22, Kennedy's Presidential motorcade rolled through the streets of Dallas amid the cheers from a crowd that Kennedy held in the palm of his hand. Riding with President & Mrs. Kennedy was Texas Governor, John Connally and his wife, Nellie. Vice-President Johnson rode in a car behind the President's.

After turning onto Elm St. heading into Dealey Plaza, Nellie Connally remarked to President Kennedy "Mr. President, you can't say Dallas doesn't love you." Right after these words were spoken, shots rang out from crowd noise and blood splattered everywhere in the Presidential limousine. The President had been hit and it was looking gruesome. The motorcade swiftly got out of Dealey Plaza and rushed to Parkland Memorial Hospital. Once inside, the medical staff did all they could to save the young President, but it was too late. At 1:00 PM CST, President John Fitzgerald Kennedy was pronounced dead. Johnson was at the hospital at that moment.

The U.S. Constitution provides that should the president die or become disabled while in office, the "powers and duties" of the office are transferred to the Vice President. Thus, at the moment of President Kennedy's death, Lyndon Baines Johnson became the President of the United States.

After leaving the hospital, President Johnson and a small group of reporters rushed to Love Field in Dallas where Air Force One was parked. Johnson had been on the phone with Attorney General Robert Kennedy (brother of the slain President) moments earlier and was told to take the oath before getting airborn. Once inside the plane, Johnson requested Federal District Judge Sarah Hughes of Dallas to come to the plane to administer the oath. With her husbands body now on the plane, the newly widowed Jacqueline Kennedy sent word that she wished to attend but needed a few minutes to compose herself.

Mrs. Kennedy entered the conference room aboard the plane, still in the two-piece, blood stained, pink wool suit she had worn in the motorcade. Johnson took her gently by the hand, placing her to his left. Mrs. Johnson stood on his right. With the heat inside the plane being unbearable, Johnson asked for a glass of ice water. A Bible could not be found on the plane but President Kennedy's personal catholic missal was found and was prepared for Johnson to place his hand upon. Once the microphone and the cameraman were in place, Johnson placed his left hand on the missal and raised his right and Lyndon Baines Johnson took the Presidential Oath of Office.

The days following this historic moment were filled with sadness, confusion, and questions. It is my personal belief that President Kennedy's assassination was orchestrated by Johnson and a group of conspirators. Regardless, Johnson has been looked on by Democrats with high regard and historians rank him fairly well.

Today at Love Field, there is almost nothing to remind us of the historic events that transpired in it's bounds. The area where Air Force One sat there is now a part of a DHL shipping operation.

The plane, SAM 26000, then known as Air Force One, was retired from serving Presidents in 1998. It is now a part of an exhibit on Presidential aircraft at the National Museum of the United States Air Force where it has been opened up for tours. The interior has been restored to it's appearance during the Johnson Presidency.

The Peaceful Transfer of Power - Introduction

2008-12-08T00:00:00.000-05:00

On January 20, 2009, Barack Hussein Obama II will (weather permitting) stand on the West Front of the United States Capitol and take the Oath of Office to become the 44th President of the United States. Ever since George Washington became our nation's first President, every man to hold the highest elected office in our land has marked his ascension to power by reciting the following 35 words as prescribed by the United States Constitution.

"I (, full name typically inserted here,) do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my Ability preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States."

This ceremony and all of the hype that usually comes along with it is often referred to as The Inauguration. As of 2008, the Presidential Oath of Office has been recited by 42 different men on 69 different occasions. Five of those times, the Oath was taken twice by the same man to initiate the same term for different reasons between the five occurrences. 24 different locations have played host to the event in or around 10 different buildings and 1 aircraft. These locations have been in 6 different cities, in 4 different states and 1 federal district.

With all of this information, you can probably tell that the Inaugural ceremony has not always been as "cut and dried" as it may seem. Certainly the Inaugurations we see on TV today have been well scripted events but it is not always so rehearsed. Death, weather, mystery and other circumstances have made the history of taking "the Oath" an interesting subject for me to study over the past month and now I will begin relaying some of these interesting little facts to anyone who cares to read my blog. Starting with a new blog later today we will take a look at every Presidential Inauguration by location. We will start with the one that took place the furthest away from the West Front of the United States Capitol and work our way around to the place where President-Elect Obama will presumably stand to take the Oath of Office. Stay tuned for later today when we take a look at what may have been the least "peaceful transfer of power" this country has ever seen.

It is Thanksgiving

2008-11-27T00:00:00.000-05:00

Thanksgiving is upon us again. Personally I am celebrating my 24th Thanksgiving and it's been 387 years since the traditional first Thanksgiving at Plymouth Plantation in Massachusetts.

As I reflect on the year and the years gone by I could compile a huge list of the people, places, and things I am thankful for and to. I'll not list everyone/thing, but here is a short list.

I am thankful to our sovereign God, not only for what He does for me, but what he does to me most of all. I am thankful for God's sovereignty over all things.

I am thankful for/to my earthly family.

I am thankful for/to my family that God has so graciously grafted me into.

I am thankful for my job. It's not much, but it's more than some people have.

Now for a short list of specifics...

I'm thankful for...
- my Dad: that he is still with us for another Thanksgiving and has always been a real life super hero to me. Even in all of his weakness, his strength and God's strength in him shine through brighter than ever.

- my Mom: for being strong when no one else can be and for holding everything at the home front together.

- The Young (Ryan, Hillary, Kenzie, Riah, and Truth) and the Edwards (Aaron, Danielle, Natalie, and the to-be-born/unnamed baby) families: for welcoming me into their lives and for being wonderful examples of Christ in this world and in my life.

- Boo: for being the best big brother I could ever have. Even though you prayed for me to be, you are just as much a blessing to me.

- Joe: for being my other "big" brother. It's an honor and a privilege to know you and to be considered your friend. Thanks for letting me share in so many of your life experiences and for having me over to play Rock Band all the time :)

- my nieces (Savannah and Jaclyn) and nephew (Jordan): for keeping things light and just being kids. They force us all to be a bit younger.

- my cousin Starla: for all of her prayers, love, and friendship. She's always been there when I needed her, regardless of the many distances between us.

- Brandon, Josh, Matt, Kat, Mel, and Johnny: you guys help me stay sane and have been the some of the best friends God could have given me. Even if we don't hang out and talk everyday, I know that I can count on you guys to have my back if I needed you to stand beside me in a fight or to catch me if I fall.

...and with slight humor I also add...

Harmonix: for creating such a fun game to play whether it's just me or it's with friends.

I'm thankful for you taking the time to read this, and till next time, be thankful...

What Happened Whensday: September 24, 2008

2008-09-24T20:00:00.002-04:00

This is the 267th day of the year (268th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. There are 98 days remaining until the end of the year.

Events:

622 - Prophet Muhammad completes his hegira from Mecca to Medina.

1180 - Manuel I Komnenos, last Emperor of the Komnenian restoration dies. The Byzantine Empire slips into terminal decline.

1664 - The Netherlands surrenders New Amsterdam to England.

1789 - The office of the Attorney General of the United States of America, and the United States Post Office Department, are established.

1841 - The Sultan of Brunei cedes Sarawak to Britain.

1852 - The first airship powered by (a steam) engine, created by Henri Giffard, travels 17 miles (27 km) from Paris to Trappes.

1869 - "Black Friday": Gold prices plummet after Ulysses S. Grant orders the Treasury to sell large quantities of gold after Jay Gould and James Fisk plot to control the market.

1877 - Battle of Shiroyama, decisive victory of the Imperial Japanese Army over the Satsuma Rebellion

1890 - The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints officially renounces polygamy.

1903 - Edmund Barton steps down as Prime Minister of Australia and is succeeded by Alfred Deakin.

1906 - U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt proclaims Devils Tower the nation's first National Monument.

1935 - Earl Bascom and Weldon Bascom produce the first rodeo ever held outdoors under electric lights at Columbia, Mississippi

1946 - Cathay Pacific Airways is founded in Hong Kong

1947 - Majestic 12 is allegedly established by secret executive order of President Harry Truman

1948 - The Honda Motor Company is founded.

1950 - Forest fires black out the sun over portions of Canada and New England. A Blue moon (in the astronomical sense) is seen as far away as Europe.

1957 - Camp Nou, the largest stadium in Europe, is opened in Barcelona.
1957 - President Dwight D. Eisenhower sends 101st Airborne Division troops to Little Rock, Arkansas, to enforce desegregation.

1962 - United States court of appeals orders the University of Mississippi to admit James Meredith.

1973 - Guinea-Bissau declares its independence from Portugal.

1990 - Periodic Great White Spot observed on Saturn

1994 - National League for Democracy is formed by Aung San Suu Kyi and various others to help fight against dictatorship in Myanmar.

1996 - U.S. President Bill Clinton signs the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty at the United Nations.

2005 - Hurricane Rita makes landfall in the United States, devastating Beaumont, Texas and portions of southwestern Louisiana.

Births

1725 - Sir Arthur Guinness, Irish brewer (d. 1803)
1755 - John Marshall, 4th Chief Justice of the United States (d. 1835)
1921 - Jim McKay, American sportscaster (d. 2008)
1936 - Jim Henson, American puppeteer (d. 1990)
1941 - Linda McCartney, American singer (d. 1998)
1945 - Lou Dobbs, American journalist
1946 - "Mean" Joe Greene, American football player
1961 - Allen Bestwick, Nascar broadcaster
1965 - Sean McNabb, American bassist (Quiet Riot, Great White, Rough Cutt, House of Lords)
1976 - Stephanie McMahon-Levesque, American professional wrestler

[edit] Deaths

366 - Pope Liberius
1143 - Pope Innocent II

What Happened Whensday: September 17, 2008

2008-09-17T02:53:00.001-04:00

This is the 260th day of the year (261st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. There are 105 days remaining until the end of the year.

Events:

1176 - The Battle of Myriokephalon is fought.

1462 - The Battle of Świecino (or Battle of Żarnowiec) is fought during Thirteen Years' War.

1577 - Peace of Bergerac signed between Henry III of France and the Huguenots.

1630 - The city of Boston, Massachusetts, is founded.

1631 - Sweden wins a major victory at the Battle of Breitenfeld against the Holy Roman Empire during the Thirty Years War.

1776 - The Presidio of San Francisco is founded in New Spain.

1778 - Treaty of Fort Pitt signed, the first formal treaty between the United States and a Native American tribe (the Lenape or Delaware).

1787 - The United States Constitution is signed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

1809 - Peace between Sweden and Russia in the Finnish War. The territory to become Finland is ceded to Russia by the Treaty of Fredrikshamn.

1814 - Francis Scott Key finishes his The Star-Spangled Banner poem.

1859 - Joshua A. Norton declares himself Emperor Norton I of the United States.

1862 - American Civil War: George B. McClellan halts the northward drive of Robert E. Lee's Confederate army in the single-day Battle of Antietam, the bloodiest day in American history.
1862 - American Civil War: The Allegheny Arsenal explosion resulted in the single largest civilian disaster during the war

1894 - Battle of Yalu River, the largest naval engagement of the First Sino-Japanese War.

1900 - Philippine-American War: Filipinos under Juan Cailles defeat Americans under Colonel Benjamin F. Cheatham at Mabitac.

1908 - The Wright Flyer flown by Orville Wright, with Lieutenant Thomas Selfridge as passenger, crashes; killing Selfridge. He becomes the first airplane fatality.

1914 - Andrew Fisher becomes Prime Minister of Australia for the third time.

1916 - World War I: Manfred von Richthofen ("The Red Baron"), a flying ace of the German Luftstreitkräfte, won his first aerial combat near Cambrai, France.

1920 - Sports: National Football League is organized in Canton, Ohio, United States.

1924 - The Border Defence Corps was established in the Second Polish Republic for the defence of the eastern border against armed Soviet raids and local bandits.

1928 - The Okeechobee Hurricane strikes southeastern Florida, killing upwards of 2,500 people. It is the third deadliest natural disaster in US history, behind the Galveston Hurricane of 1900 and the 1906 San Francisco earthquake.

1939 - The Soviet Union joined Nazi Germany's invasion of Poland during the Polish Defensive War of 1939.
1939 - World War II: A German U-boat U 29 sinks the British aircraft carrier HMS Courageous.

1941 - A decree of the Soviet State Committee of Defense, restoring Vsevobuch in the face of the Great Patriotic War, was issued

1943 - Russian city of Bryansk liberated from Nazis.

1944 - Allied Airborne troops parachute into the Netherlands as the "Market" half of Operation Market Garden.

1947 - James V. Forrestal was sworn in as the first Secretary of Defense of United States.

1948 - Lehi (also known as the Stern gang) assassinates Count Folke Bernadotte, who was appointed by the UN to mediate between the Arabs and Jews.

1949 - The Canadian steamship SS Noronic burns in Toronto Harbor with the loss of over 118 lives.

1956 - Television was first broadcast in Australia.

1957 - The North East Humanists group was founded in Newcastle upon Tyne.

1970 - Fighting breaks out along the Syria-Jordanian border between Jordanian troops and the fedayeen.

1976 - The first Space Shuttle, Enterprise, was unveiled by NASA.

1978 - The Camp David Accords were signed by Israel and Egypt.

1980 - After weeks of strikes at the Lenin Shipyard in Gdańsk, Poland, the nationwide independent trade union Solidarity is established.
1980 - Former Nicaraguan President Anastasio Somoza Debayle is killed in Asunción, Paraguay.

1981 - ProWrestling: Ric Flair defeated Dusty Rhodes for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship

1983 - Vanessa Williams becomes the first black Miss America.

1991 - North Korea, South Korea, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, the Marshall Islands and Micronesia join the United Nations.
1991 - The first version of the Linux kernel (0.01) is released to the Internet.

1993 - Last Russian troops leave Poland.

2000 - ProWrestling: Booker T defeated Kevin Nash for the WCW World Heaveyweight Championship

2003 - ProWrestling: Brock Lesnar defeated Kurt Angle for the WWE Championship

2004 - Tamil is declared the first classical language in India.

2007 - AOL, once the largest ISP in the U.S., officially announces plans to refocus the company as an advertising business and to relocate its corporate headquarters from Dulles, Virginia to New York, New York.

Births:

1550 - Pope Paul V (d. 1621)
1907 - Warren Burger, 15th Chief Justice of the United States (d. 1995)
1923 - Hank Williams, American musician (d. 1953)
1928 - Roddy McDowall, English actor (d. 1998)
1931 - Anne Bancroft, American actress (d. 2005)
1945 - Phil Jackson, American basketball player and NBA head coach
1948 - John Ritter, American actor (d. 2003)
1963 - Masahiro Chono, Japanese professional wrestler
1965 - Bryan Singer, American director
1969 - Keith Flint, Member of the British band The Prodigy
1974 - Rasheed Wallace, American basketball player
1975 - Jimmie Johnson, American race car driver

Deaths:

1899 - Charles Alfred Pillsbury, American industrialist (b. 1842)
1996 - Spiro Agnew, Vice President of the United States (b. 1918)
1997 - Red Skelton, American actor and comedian (b. 1913)
2006 - Patricia Kennedy Lawford, American socialite (b. 1924)

9/11: Today We Remember and We Shall Never Forget

2008-09-11T00:00:00.003-04:00

Seven years ago today our nation and her citizens were attacked by radical Muslim terrorists in New York City, Washington D.C. and Somerset County, PA.

Nearly 3000 people were killed and over 6200 people were injured. I pray that God will comfort those who still grieve the loss of their loved ones.

Everything happens for a reason, and I know that while we may never see it in this lifetime, God has and will be glorified in light of and through the tragic events of that day.

May God bless the victims who survived, the families of the victims who did not, and may God continue to bless America.

In all things to God be the glory.

**Edit**
My 9/11 Story:

On Tuesday, September 11, 2001, I got up and went to school as I had the day before. It was the early days of my senior year at Word of Life Christian Academy. A little bit after 9:30 AM, as I sat at my desk, I noticed my teacher and several of my classmates acting sorta weird. These classmates were relatives of my teacher. They had looks of worry and fear on their faces. I took it upon myself to ask the teacher what was going on. She told me that everything was fine and to go back to my desk. I knew that she was feeding me a line of shit (no offense Mrs. Cadzow, I still love ya!).

After another 15 minutes passed I got up and told the teacher that I wanted to see my Mom, who was working in the kitchen to prepare lunches. On my way out, a different teacher stopped me crying and asked me if I was coming to the principal's office to pray. I asked her what was going on. She told me that people were ramming jets into buildings and that they had hit the World Trade Center towers. At the time, I wasn't even sure what the WTC towers looked like. She also said that the Pentagon had been hit and the White House could be next. We went to the principal's office where every staff member (all 10 of them) was huddled around the radio waiting for the newest CBS News Alert. After that we all paused and and prayed for God's protection and grace.

My Mom and I left at about 10:30 AM to go home and be with my Dad and Ms. Sandy (a lady who lived with us at the time). The rest of the day was spent in shock, horror, sadness, disbelief, and towards the end, being pissed off as I sat and watched these events unfold.

Last October, I had the pleasure of visiting the Gerald Ford Presidential Museum. While looking at many items of historical significance, I noticed an old-looking, rusty piece of steel on a stand in a corner. I wasn't really interested in it at first, but my brother says "Hey, what is that?" as he points to the object. I walked over and only after reading the tag under it did I realize that I was looking at a piece of I-beam from one of the WTC towers. I was in awe and somewhat reverent of this piece of national history and horror that was my generations "Day of Infamy." I leave you today with a photo of that very piece of American history.

What Happened Whensday: September 10, 2008

2008-09-10T00:08:00.002-04:00

This is the 253rd day of the year (254th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. There are 112 days remaining until the end of the year.

Events:

506 - The bishops of Visigothic Gaul meet in the Council of Agde.

1419 - John the Fearless, Duke of Burgundy is assassinated by adherents of the Dauphin, the future Charles VII of France.

1608 - John Smith is elected council president of Jamestown, Virginia.

1776 - American Revolutionary War: Nathan Hale volunteers to spy.

1798 - At the Battle of St. George's Caye, British Honduras defeats Spain.

1813 - The U.S. defeats the British Fleet at the Battle of Lake Erie during the War of 1812.

1823 - Simón Bolívar is named President of Peru.

1846 - Elias Howe gets a patent for the sewing machine.

1858 - George Mary Searle discovers the asteroid 55 Pandora.

1897 - Lattimer Massacre - a sheriff's posse kills twenty unarmed immigrant miners in Pennsylvania, United States.

1898 - Empress Elizabeth of Austria is assassinated by Luigi Lucheni.

1919 - Austria and the Allies sign the Treaty of Saint-Germain recognizing the independence of Poland, Hungary, Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia.

1927 - Sports: France had its first Davis Cup win, though it had competed since 1905.

1932 - The New York City Subway's third competing subway system, the municipally-owned IND, is opened.

1939 - World War II: The submarine HMAS Oxley is mistakenly sunk by the submarine HMS Triton near Norway and becomes the Royal Navy's first loss.
1939 - Canada declares war on Nazi Germany, joining France, the UK, New Zealand and Australia in the Allies.

1942 - World War II: The British carry out an amphibious landing on Madagascar to re-launch Allied offensive operations in the Madagascar Campaign.

1943 - World War II: German forces begin their occupation of Rome.

1945 - Mike the Headless Chicken is decapitated; he survives for another 18 months before choking to death.

1951 - United Kingdom began an economic boycott of Iran.

1961 - Italian Grand Prix, a crash causes the death of German driver Wolfgang von Trips and 13 spectators hit by his Ferrari.

1963 - 20 African-American students enter public schools in Alabama.

1966 - Music: "The Last Train to Clarksville" was released by the Monkees.

1967 - The people of Gibraltar vote to remain a British dependency rather than becoming part of Spain.

1972 - Sports: The United States loses its first international basketball game in a disputed match against the Soviet Union at Munich, Germany.

1974 - Guinea-Bissau gains independence from Portugal.

1976 - A British Airways Hawker Siddeley Trident and an Inex-Adria DC-9 collide near Zagreb, Yugoslavia, killing 176.

1977 - Last execution by Guillotine in France. Hamida Djandoubi, convicted for torture and murder.

1980 - Pro-Wrestling: Harley Race defeated Shohei Baba for the NWA Heavyweight Wrestling title

1990 - The Basilica of Our Lady of Peace in Yamoussoukro, Côte d'Ivoire – the largest church in Africa is consecrated by Pope John Paul II.
1990 - TV: Will Smith made his debut in "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air."

2000 - Cats closes on Broadway.

2002 - Switzerland, noted as a neutral country, joins the United Nations.

2003 - Anna Lindh, the foreign minister of Sweden, is stabbed fatally while shopping, and dies of her wounds on September 11.

2007 - Former Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif returns to Pakistan after seven years in exile, following a military coup in October 1999.

Births:

1487 - Pope Julius III, Italian Roman Catholic Pope (d. 1555)
1638 - Maria Theresa of Spain, queen of Louis XIV of France (d. 1683)
1914 - Robert Wise, American film director (d. 2005)
1917 - Miguel Serrano, Chilean author and diplomat
1918 - Rin Tin Tin, German shepherd dog (d. 1932)
1929 - Arnold Palmer, American golfer
1934 - Roger Maris, American baseball player (d. 1985)
1948 - Charlie Waters, American football player
1949 - Don Muraco, professional wrestler
1949 - Bill O'Reilly, American journalist and commentator
1950 - Joe Perry, American musician (Aerosmith)
1963 - Randy Johnson, American baseball player
1963 - Bill Stevenson, American music producer and musician
1965 - Robin Goodridge, English rock drummer (Bush)
1968 - Guy Ritchie, British film director
1974 - Ryan Phillippe, American actor
1974 - Ben Wallace, American basketball player
1980 - Mikey Way, American musician (My Chemical Romance)
1984 - Matthew Followill, guitarist of American rock band Kings Of Leon
1989 - Sanjaya Malakar, TV show contestant

Deaths:

210 BC - Qin Shi Huang, first emperor of China.
918 - Count Baldwin II of Flanders (b. 865)
954 - King Louis IV of France (b. 920)
1167 - Empress Matilda, wife of Henry V, Holy Roman Emperor (b. 1102)
1197 - Henry II of Champagne (b. 1166)
1519 - John Colet, English churchman and educator
1997 - Jack Adkisson, professional wrestler, aka 'Fritz Von Erich' (b. 1929)
2006 - Daniel Wayne Smith, son of Playboy model Anna Nicole Smith (b. 1986)
2007 - Jane Wyman, American actress, first wife of Ronald Reagan (b.1917)

Remembering: "Killer" Kowalski

2008-09-04T03:10:00.003-04:00

The Doctrines of Grace - The Perseverance of the Saints

2008-09-04T00:42:00.003-04:00

Definition of Perseverance from the Westminster Confession of Faith

17.1 They, whom God hath accepted in His Beloved, effectually called and sanctified by His Spirit, can neither totally nor finally fall away from the state of grace; but shall certainly persevere therein to the end, and be eternally saved.
17.2 This perseverance of the saints depends not upon their own free will, but upon the immutability of the decree of election, flowing from the free and unchangeable love of God the Father; upon the efficacy of the merit and intercession of Jesus Christ; the abiding of the Spirit, and of the seed of God within them; and the nature of the covenant of grace: from all which ariseth also the certainty and infallibility thereof.
17.3 Nevertheless, they may, through the temptations of Satan and of the world, the prevalence of corruption remaining in them, and the neglect of the means of their preservation, fall into grievous sins; and, for a time, continue therein: whereby they incur God's displeasure, and grieve His Holy Spirit, come to be deprived of some measure of their graces and comforts; have their hearts hardened, and their consciences wounded; hurt and scandalize others, and bring temporal judgments upon themselves.

We Must Persevere in Faith if We Are to Be Finally Saved

1 Corinthians 15:1-2
Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received, in which also you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain.

There is a kind of believing that is in vain.

Colossians 1:21-23
And although you were formerly alienated and hostile in mind, engaged in evil deeds, yet He has now reconciled you in His fleshly body through death, in order to present you before Him holy and blameless and beyond reproach – if indeed you continue in the faith firmly established and steadfast, and not moved away from the hope of the gospel that you have heard, which was proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, was made a minister.

These two verses say that if we will hold fast in faith there is eternal security. Progressive sanctification is evidence of salvation.

2 Timothy 2:11-13 (Endurance in faith is key)
It is a trustworthy statement: For if we died with Him, we will also live with Him; If we endure, we will also reign with Him; If we deny Him, He also will deny us; If we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself.

Mark 13:13 (Jesus points to endurance in faith)
You will be hated by all because of My name, but the one who endures to the end, he will be saved.

The Obedience or Holiness That Comes from Faith Is Necessary for Final Salvation

Hebrews 12:14
Pursue peace with all men, and the sanctification without which no one will see the Lord.

Romans 8:13 (We must fight against the flesh with spirit)
If you are living according to the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live.

Galatians 5:19-21
Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

1 Corinthians 6:9-10
Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God.

Ephesians 5:3-5
But immorality or any impurity or greed must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints; and there must be no filthiness and silly talk, or coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks. For this you know with certainty, that no immoral or impure person or covetous man, who is an idolater, has an inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.

1 John 2:3-6
By this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments. The one who says, “I have come to know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him; but whoever keeps His word, in him the love of God has truly been perfected. By this we know that we are in Him: the one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked.

1 John 3:6-10
No one who abides in Him sins; no one who sins has seen Him or knows Him. Little children, make sure no one deceives you; the one who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous; the one who practices sin is of the devil; for the devil has sinned from the beginning. The Son of God appeared for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil. No one who is born of God practices sin, because His seed abides in him; and he cannot sin, because he is born of God. By this the children of God and the children of the devil are obvious: anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor the one who does not love his brother.

1 John 3:14
We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love abides in death.

1 John 4:20
If someone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen.

John 8:31
So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, “If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine.”

Those Whom God Has Justified Will Be Kept by God for Final Salvation

Romans 8:28-32
And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. For those whom He
foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified. What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?

John 10:26-30
But you do not believe because you are not of My sheep. My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand. I and the Father are one.

Can you jump out of God’s hand? If so then God can’t keep you and the text has no meaning.

1 Peter 1:3-5
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

1 Peter 5:8-10
Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. But resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world. After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you.

Jude 1:24-25
Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy, to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.

1 Thessalonians 5:23-24
Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Faithful is He who calls you, and He also will bring it to pass.

1 Corinthians 1:8-9
[Our Lord Jesus Christ] will also confirm you to the end, blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful, through whom you were called into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

Ephesians 1:13-14
In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation — having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of [God's own] possession, to the praise of His glory.

Jeremiah 32:40
I will make an everlasting covenant with them that I will not turn away from them, to do them good; and I will put the fear of Me in their hearts so that they will not turn away from Me.

Philippians 1:6
For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.

Philippians 2:12-13
So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.

Hebrews 13:20-21
Now the God of peace, who brought up from the dead the great Shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the eternal covenant, even Jesus our Lord, equip you in every good thing to do His will, working in us that which is pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

2 Timothy 4:18
The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed, and will bring me safely to His heavenly kingdom; to Him be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

Falling Away from Faith and Holiness Shows that We Never Belonged to Christ

This is speaking of a decisive or prolonged falling away. Christians will still sin and have huge battles of faith and holiness in the process of sanctification.

1 John 2:19
They went out from us, but they were not really of us; for if they had been of us, they would have remained with us; but they went out, so that it would be shown that they all are not of us.

1 John 3:6
No one who abides in Him sins; no one who sins has seen Him or knows Him.

Hebrews 3:13
But encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still called “Today,” so that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. For we have become partakers of Christ, if we hold fast the beginning of our assurance firm until the end.

Therefore, Let Us Be Earnest to Make Our Calling and Election Sure

2 Peter 1:10
Therefore, brethren, be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling and choosing you; for as long as you practice these things, you will never stumble.

1 Timothy 6:12
Fight the good fight of faith; take hold of the eternal life to which you were called, and you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.

2 Timothy 4:7-8
I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith; in the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing.

What Happened Whensday: September 3, 2008

2008-09-03T15:05:00.002-04:00

Today is the 246th day of the year (247th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. There are 119 days remaining until the end of the year.

Events:

36 BC - In the Battle of Naulochus, Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa, admiral of Octavian, defeats Sextus Pompeius, son of Pompey, thus ending Pompeian resistance to the Second Triumvirate.

301 - San Marino, one of the smallest nations in the world and the world's oldest republic still in existence, is founded by Saint Marinus.

1189 - Richard I of England (a.k.a. Richard "the Lionheart") is crowned at Westminster.

1260 - The Mamluks defeat the Mongols at the Battle of Ain Jalut in Palestine, marking their first decisive defeat and the point of maximum expansion of the Mongol Empire.

1650 - Third English Civil War: Battle of Dunbar (1650)

1651 - Third English Civil War: Battle of Worcester - Charles II of England is defeated in the last main battle of the war.

1666 - The Royal Exchange burnt down in the Great Fire of London

1777 - Cooch's Bridge - Skirmish of American Revolutionary war in New Castle County, Delaware where the Flag of the United States was flown in battle for the first time.

1783 - American Revolutionary War: The war ends with the signing of the Treaty of Paris by the United States and the Kingdom of Great Britain. America is officially free from Britain

1798 - Weeklong battle of St. George's Caye begun between Spanish and British off the coast of Belize.

1803 - English chemist-physicist John Dalton started using symbols to represent the atoms of different elements.

1838 - Dressed in a sailor's uniform and carrying identification papers provided by a Free Black seaman, future abolitionist Frederick Douglass boards a train in Maryland on his way to freedom from slavery.

1855 - Indian Wars: In Nebraska, 700 soldiers under American General William S. Harney avenge the Grattan Massacre by attacking a Sioux village, killing 100 men, women, and children.

1861 - American Civil War: Confederate General Leonidas Polk invades neutral Kentucky, prompting the state legislature to ask for Union assistance.

1870 - Franco-Prussian War: the Siege of Metz begins, which will result in a decisive Prussian victory on October 23.

1874 - The congress of the state of México elevates Naucalpan to the category of Villa, with the title of "Villa de Juárez".

1878 - Over 640 die when the crowded pleasure boat Princess Alice collides with the Bywell Castle in the River Thames.

1914 - William, Prince of Albania leaves the country after just six months due to opposition to his rule.

1929 - Dow Jones Industrial Average reached all time high at the time (381.17), which was shortly followed by the Crash of 1929.

1933 - Yevgeniy Abalakov reaches the highest point of the Soviet Union - Communism Peak (7495 m).

1935 - Sir Malcolm Campbell reaches 304.331 miles per hour on the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah, becoming the first person to drive an automobile over 300 mph

1939 - World War II begins when France, the United Kingdom, New Zealand, and Australia declare war on Germany after the invasion of Poland, starting the Allies.

1942 - World War II: Uprising of the Jewish ghetto in Lakhva occurs.

1943 - World War II: Mainland Italy is invaded by Allied forces for the first time in the war.

1944 - Holocaust: Diarist Anne Frank and her family are placed on the last transport train from Westerbork to Auschwitz, arriving three days later.

1950 - "Nino" Farina becomes the first Formula One Drivers' champion after winning the 1950 Italian Grand Prix.

1951 - The first long-running American television soap opera, Search for Tomorrow, airs its first episode on the CBS network.

1954 - The People's Liberation Army begin shelling the ROC-controlled islands of Quemoy.
1954 - The German U-Boat U-505 began its move from a specially constructed dock to its final site at Chicago's Museum of Science and Industry.

1967 - Dagen H in Sweden: traffic changes from driving on the left to driving on the right overnight

1971 - Qatar becomes an independent state

1976 - Viking program: The Viking 2 spacecraft lands at Utopia Planitia on Mars.

1994 - Sino-Soviet Split: Russia and the People's Republic of China agree to de-target their nuclear weapons against each other.

1995 - eBay founded.

1997 - A Vietnam Airlines Tupolev TU-134 crashes on approach into Phnom Penh airport, killing 64.

2004 - The Beslan school massacre ends in the deaths of approximately 344 people, mostly teachers and children.

Notable Births:

1905 - Carl David Anderson, American physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1991)
1942 - Al Jardine, American musician (the Beach Boys)
1947 - Eric Bell, Irish guitarist (Thin Lizzy)
1955 - Steve Jones, English musician (Sex Pistols)
1965 - Charlie Sheen, American actor
1969 - Marianna Komlos, fitness model, professional wrestler, and valet (d. 2004)
1970 - Jeremy Glick, American United Airlines Flight 93 passenger (d. 2001)
1977 - Nate Robertson, American baseball player

Notable Deaths:

1658 - Oliver Cromwell, Lord Protector of England (b. 1599)
1970 - Vince Lombardi, American football coach (b. 1913)
1991 - Frank Capra, American film director (b. 1897)
2005 - William Rehnquist, Chief Justice of the United States (b. 1924)

I know that I've slacked off for a few days. I had a death in the family (a cousin's husband) so I was a little preoccupied with some stuff. Tomorrow should be the last entry on the Doctrines of Grace. Until then...

The Doctrines of Grace - Unconditional Election

2008-08-28T01:25:00.002-04:00

Definition of Unconditional Election from the Westminster Confession of Faith

3.5 Those of mankind that are predestinated unto life, God, before the foundation of the world was laid, according to His eternal and immutable purpose, and the secret counsel and good pleasure of His will, hath chosen in Christ unto everlasting glory, out of His mere free grace and love, without any foresight of faith or good works, or perseverance in either of them, or any other thing in the creature, as conditions, or causes moving Him thereunto; and all to the praise of His glorious grace.
3.6 As God hath appointed the elect unto glory, so hath He, by the eternal and most free purpose of His will, foreordained all the means thereunto. Wherefore, they who are elected being fallen in Adam, are redeemed by Christ; are effectually called unto faith in Christ by His Spirit working in due season; are justified, adopted, sanctified, and kept by His power, through faith, unto salvation. Neither are any other redeemed by Christ, effectually called, justified, adopted, sanctified, and saved, but the elect only.

The Classic Arminian Position (Election Based on Foreknowledge)

“[God purposes] to save particular persons and to damn others, which decree rests upon the foreknowledge of God, by which he has known from eternity which persons should believe according to such an administration of the means serving to repentance and faith through his preceding grace and which should persevere through subsequent grace, and also who should not believe and persevere.” (Quoted in Carl Bangs, Arminius: A Study in the Dutch Reformation, 1971, p. 352).

The Contemporary Arminian Emphasis (Election Corporate, Not Individual):

“The point is that the election of the church is a corporate rather than an individual thing. It is not that individuals are in the church because they are elect, it is rather that they are elect because they are in the church which is the body of the elect One.” (R. T. Forster and V. P. Marston, God’s Strategy in Human History , 1973, p. 136).

“...election is a corporate category and not oriented to the choice of individuals for salvation. . . . [Election has reference to] a class of people rather than specific individuals.” (Clark Pinnock, The Grace of God and the Will of Man: A Case for Arminianism, 1990, p. 20)

The modern Arminian view on election is that the election of the church is a corporate, rather than an individual, thing. It is not that individuals are in the church because they are elect; it is rather that they are elect because they are in the church, which is the body of the elect one. If you ask an Arminian “how did you get in the church?” the answer is that they got themselves into church. Yes there is an assisting grace, but it can be resisted, and the reason they are ultimately in the church is because by faith, by a self standing, self determining, decisive choice they got themselves into the church. They conquered, in the end, their deadness in sin, with God’s assistance up to a point, but they did the decisive conquering. So then election is not of individuals, election is of the church, and it was unspecified so God did not elect particular individuals, He elected a mass and then He left it to the people to decide who would get into that mass. Election is a corporate category. It is not oriented to the choice of individuals for salvation. Election speaks of a class of people rather than specific individuals.

A Calvinist believes that the Bible teaches that individuals are chosen before the foundation of the world and they are chosen freely apart from any achievement or conditions on their part at all, even foreseen faith.

The Arminian either emphasizes that election is based on foreseen faith, or is corporate rather than individual so neither has to reckon with the fact that it’s unconditional for individuals.

Is Election Not Individual Because It Is “in Him”?

Ephesians 1:3-6
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.

The phrase Arminians land on is “He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world”. Many people think that He chose Christ as the elect One, and He did not choose particular individuals who would be in Christ. So if you are in Christ you are now elect, but He didn’t choose you to be in Christ. He chose Christ and you were the decisive actor in getting into Christ. The Calvinist would say those words could carry that meaning, but they also could not. It may mean that He chose us in the very natural meaning of this word “select”. No doubt God contemplates the Savior when thinking about those He will save. He saves by Jesus, He saves in Jesus, He saves in relation to Jesus. He chose (put the name of one who is born again here) in relation to Jesus. Same thing with predestination. He predestined us to adoption through Jesus. It’s through Jesus that He is bringing me to Himself.

Does “All Things” Include Our Faith?

Ephesians 1:11
In [Christ] also we have been chosen, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will.

Were We Dead and Unable to Believe So That Life and Faith Had to Be Given to Us?

Ephesians 2:4-9
But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.

What kind of election is this? It’s grace God made us alive together with Christ. He did it. If he did it for me but not others, isn’t election individual. His grace brought me from deadness to alive. If grace raised me from the dead and enabled me to believe, God did not wait in His electing decrees to see whether I would believe on my own and thus elect me. He chose those for whom he would do this gracious work, which means He chose before they did it, which means He chose unconditionally. It is a gift. All of that saving work is a gift. If this is true then the Arminian view that election is based on our work of faith being foreknown falls to the ground, because God is providing the faith, not waiting to see if it comes to pass on the basis of which He would elect. If He provides the faith then He is choosing people before they have faith, which means He’s choosing them before they do anything to merit it or show themselves distinctive from any other believer and thus bring them to Himself.

Is Election Individual and Are We in Christ Because of God?

1 Corinthians 1:26-30
For consider your calling, brethren, that there were not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble; but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong, and the base things of the world and the despised God has chosen, the things that are not, so that He may nullify the things that are, so that no man may boast before God. But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption.

Is Election Individual?

James 2:5
Listen, my beloved brethren: did not God choose the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him?

Is Election the Effect or the Cause of Obtaining Salvation, That Is, of Foreknown Faith?

Romans 11:1-8
Do you not know what the Scripture says in the passage about Elijah, how he pleads with God against Israel? “Lord, THEY HAVE KILLED YOUR PROPHETS, THEY HAVE TORN DOWN YOUR ALTARS, AND I ALONE AM LEFT, AND THEY ARE SEEKING MY LIFE.” But what is the divine response to him? “I HAVE KEPT for Myself SEVEN THOUSAND MEN WHO HAVE NOT BOWED THE KNEE TO BAAL.” In the same way then, there has also come to be at the present time a remnant according to God's gracious choice. But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works, otherwise grace is no longer grace. What then? What Israel is seeking, it has not obtained, but those who were chosen obtained it, and the rest were hardened; just as it is written, “GOD GAVE THEM A SPIRIT OF STUPOR, EYES TO SEE NOT AND EARS TO HEAR NOT, DOWN TO THIS VERY DAY.”

Who Obtained What Israel Was Seeking?

Romans 9:30-33
What shall we say then? That Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, attained righteousness, even the righteousness which is by faith; but Israel, pursuing a law of righteousness, did not arrive at that law. Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as though it were by works. They stumbled over the stumbling stone, just as it is written, "BEHOLD, I LAY IN ZION A STONE OF STUMBLING AND A ROCK OF OFFENSE, AND HE WHO BELIEVES IN HIM WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED."

Is Election Based on Foreknown Faith or Does Faith Happen Because of Election?

Acts 13:48
When the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord; and as many as had been appointed to eternal life believed.

Do We Belong to God Because We Come to Jesus, or Do We Come to Jesus Because We Belong to God?

John 17:6-9
I have manifested Your name to the men whom You gave Me out of the world; they were Yours and You gave them to Me, and they have kept Your word. . . . I ask on their behalf; I do not ask on behalf of the world, but of those whom You have given Me; for they are Yours.

John 6:37-39
All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out. This is the will of Him who sent Me, that of all that He has given Me I lose nothing, but raise it up on the last day.

Are We Jesus’ Sheep Because We Believe, or Do We Believe Because We Are His Sheep?

John 10:24-27
The Jews then gathered around Him, and were saying to Him, “How long will You keep us in suspense? If You are the Christ, tell us plainly.” Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe; the works that I do in My Father's name, these testify of Me. But you do not believe because you are not of My sheep. My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.”

Is Evangelism Making Sheep or Gathering Sheep?

John 10:16
I have other sheep, which are not of this fold; I must bring them also, and they will hear My voice; and they will become one flock with one shepherd.

Is World Missions Begetting Children of God or Gathering Children of God?

John 11:50-52
[Caiaphas said,] “it is expedient for you that one man die for the people, and that the whole nation not perish.” Now he did not say this on his own initiative, but being high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus was going to die for the nation, and not for the nation only, but in order that He might also gather together into one the children of God who are scattered abroad.

Acts 18:9-10
And the Lord said to Paul in the night by a vision, “Do not be afraid any longer, but go on speaking and do not be silent; for I am with you, and no man will attack you in order to harm you, for I have many people in this city.”

Did God Choose Us Because He Knows We Will Come, or Do We Come Because He Chose to Give Us the Will to Come?

John 6:44, 65
“No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day. . . .” And He was saying, “For this reason I have said to you, that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted him from the Father.”

Acts 16:14
A woman named Lydia, from the city of Thyatira, a seller of purple fabrics, a worshiper of God, was listening; and the Lord opened her heart to respond to the things spoken by Paul.

Is Election Based on Foreknown Faith or Is Faith the Effect of Election?

Romans 8:28-33
And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified. What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things? Who will bring a charge against God's elect? God is the one who justifies.

Is Election Individual and Unconditional and Dealing with Eternal Destiny?

Romans 9:1-23
I am telling the truth in Christ, I am not lying, my conscience testifies with me in the Holy Spirit, that I have great sorrow and unceasing grief in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were accursed, separated from Christ for the sake of my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh, who are Israelites, to whom belongs the adoption as sons, and the glory and the covenants and the giving of the Law and the temple service and the promises, whose are the fathers, and from whom is the Christ according to the flesh, who is over all, God blessed forever. Amen. But it is not as though the word of God has failed. For they are not all Israel who are descended from Israel; nor are they all children because they are Abraham's descendants, but: “THROUGH ISAAC YOUR DESCENDANTS WILL BE NAMED.” That is, it is not the children of the flesh who are children of God, but the children of the promise are regarded as descendants. For this is the word of promise: “AT THIS TIME I WILL COME, AND SARAH SHALL HAVE A SON.” And not only this, but there was Rebekah also, when she had conceived twins by one man, our father Isaac; for though the twins were not yet born and had not done anything good or bad, so that God's purpose according to His choice would stand, not because of works but because of Him who calls, it was said to her, “THE OLDER WILL SERVE THE YOUNGER.” Just as it is written, “JACOB I LOVED, BUT ESAU I HATED.” What shall we say then? There is no injustice with God, is there? May it never be! For He says to Moses, “I WILL HAVE MERCY ON WHOM I HAVE MERCY, AND I WILL HAVE COMPASSION ON WHOM I HAVE COMPASSION.” So then it does not depend on the man who wills or the man who runs, but on God who has mercy. For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, “FOR THIS VERY PURPOSE I RAISED YOU UP, TO DEMONSTRATE MY POWER IN YOU, AND THAT MY NAME MIGHT BE PROCLAIMED THROUGHOUT THE WHOLE EARTH.” So then He has mercy on whom He desires, and He hardens whom He desires. You will say to me then, “Why does He still find fault? For who resists His will?” On the contrary, who are you, O man, who answers back to God? The thing molded will not say to the molder, “Why did you make me like this,” will it? Or does not the potter have a right over the clay, to make from the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for common use? What if God, although willing to demonstrate His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction? And He did so to make known the riches of His glory upon vessels of mercy, which He prepared beforehand for glory.

Some Texts that May Seem Problematic for Unconditional Election

1 Timothy 2:1-4
First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men, for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.

I. Howard Marshall, who is not a Calvinist and who writes on this text in “Universal Grace and Atonement in the Pastoral Epistles,” The Grace of God, the Will of Man: A Case for Arminianism, (p. 56), concedes that there are two levels of willing implied in this text: To avoid all misconceptions it should be made clear at the outset that the fact that God wishes or wills that all people should be saved does not necessarily imply that all will respond to the gospel and be saved. We must certainly distinguish between what God would like to see happen and what he actually does will to happen, and both of these things can be spoken of as God’s will. The question at issue is not whether all will be saved but whether God has made provision in Christ for the salvation of all, provided that they believe, and without limiting the potential scope of the death of Christ merely to those whom God knows will believe. But nowhere in the entire essay does Marshall mention the one text in the Pastoral Epistles that points most clearly to these two wills and what they are, namely, 2 Timothy 2:24-26 and 2 Peter 3:8-10.

2 Timothy 2:24-26
The Lord's bond-servant must not be quarrelsome, but be kind to all, able to teach, patient when wronged, with gentleness correcting those who are in opposition, if perhaps God may grant them repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, having been held captive by him to do his will.

Marshall poses the question whether any text in the Pastorals would lead us to believe that “faith and repentance are the gifts of God, who gives them only to the previously chosen group of the elect” (p. 66). He concludes that there is not, even though the text that comes closest to saying this very thing is passed over.

2 Peter 3:8-10
But do not let this one fact escape your notice, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day. The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up.

Ezekiel 18:23
“Do I have any pleasure in the death of the wicked,” declares the Lord GOD, “rather than that he should turn from his ways and live?

Lamentations 3:31-33 (An example of God willing in one sense what he does not will in another sense) For the Lord will not reject forever, For if He causes grief, Then He will have compassion, According to His abundant lovingkindness. For He does not afflict willingly, Or grieve the sons of men.

What Happened Whensday: August 27, 2008

2008-08-27T01:53:00.001-04:00

This is the 239th day of the year (240th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. There are 126 days remaining until the end of the year.

Events:

479 BC - Greco-Persian Wars: Persian forces led by Mardonius are routed by Pausanias, the Spartan commander of the Greek army in the Battle of Plataea. Along the with the Greek victory on the same day in the Battle of Mycale, the Persian invasion of Greece ended.

410 - Visigothic sack of Rome ends after three days.

663 - Remnants of the Korean Baekje Kingdom and their Yamato Japanese allies engage the combined naval forces of the Tang Chinese and Silla Koreans on the Geum River in Korea; the outcome is a significant Tang-Silla victory, while the Japanese would not attempt another invasion of Korea until the Japanese invasions of Korea of the late 16th century.

1232 - The Formulary of Adjudications is promulgated by Regent Hōjō Yasutoki. (Traditional Japanese date: August 10, 1232)

1689 - The Treaty of Nerchinsk is signed by Russia and the Qing empire.

1776 - Battle of Long Island, in present day Brooklyn, New York, British forces under General William Howe defeat Americans under General George Washington.

1789 - The French National Assembly adopts the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen, proclaiming that "men are born and remain free and equal in rights."

1793 - French counter-revolution, port of Toulon revolts and admits the British fleet, which lands troops and seizes the port leading to Siege of Toulon.

1798 - United Irishmen and French forces clash with the British army in the Battle of Castlebar, part of the Irish Rebellion of 1798.

1813 - French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte defeats a larger force of Austrians, Russians and Prussians at the Battle of Dresden.

1828 - The Russians defeat the Turks at the Battle of Akhalzic.

1828 - Uruguay is formally proclaimed independent at preliminary peace talks brokered by Britain between Brazil and Argentina during their war.

1859 - Petroleum discovered in Titusville, Pennsylvania. World's first successful oil well.

1861 - Civil War: Union (Northern) forces attack Cape Hatteras, North Carolina.

1896 - Anglo-Zanzibar War: the shortest war in world history (09:00 to 09:45) between the United Kingdom and Zanzibar.

1916 - World War I: Romania declares war against Austria-Hungary, entering World War I as one of the Allied nations. It is soon occupied by German and Bulgarian forces.

1921 - The British install the son of Sharif Hussein bin Ali (leader of the Arab Revolt of 1916 against the Ottoman Empire) as King Faisal I of Iraq.

1927 - American aviators Billy Brock and Ed Schlee fly the Pride of Detroit over London on the way to completing the first-ever flight around the world.

1928 - Kellogg-Briand Pact, outlawing war, signed by sixty nations.

1939 - First flight of the Heinkel He 178, the first modern jet aircraft.

1943 - World War II: Japanese forces evacuate New Georgia Island in the Pacific Theater of Operations during World War II.

1952 - Reparation negotiations between West Germany and Israel end in Luxembourg; West Germany to pay 3 billion Deutschmark.

1957 - The Constitution of Malaysia came into force.

1962 - Mariner 2 unmanned space mission launched to Venus by America's NASA.

1965 - Music: 1965 - Elvis Presley played host to the Beatles at his home in Bel-Air, CA.

1969 - Israeli commando force penetrates deep into Egyptian territory to stage mortar attack on regional Egyptian Army headquarters in the Nile Valley of Upper Egypt.

1971 - A coup attempt fails in the African nation of Chad. The Chadian government accuses Egypt of playing a role in the attempt and breaks off diplomatic relations.

1975 - The Governor of Portuguese Timor abandons its capital, Dili, and flees to Atauro Island, leaving control to a rebel group.

1979 - An IRA bomb kills British World War II admiral Lord Louis Mountbatten and 3 others while boating on holiday in Sligo, Republic of Ireland. Another bomb near Warrenpoint, Northern Ireland kills 18 British soldiers.

1982 Turkish military diplomat Colonel Atilla Altikat is shot and killed in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada's capital. Justice Commandos Against Armenian Genocide claim responsibility, saying they were avenging the massacre of 1.5 million Armenians in the 1915 Armenian Genocide.

1985 - The Nigerian government is peacefully overthrown by Army Chief of Staff Major General Ibrahim Babangida.

1990 - Pro Wrestling: Kerry Von Erich defeated Curt Hennig for the WWE Intercontinental title at WWE Summerslam; At the same event, The Hart Foundation defeated Demolition for the WWE Tag Team title.

1991 - The European Community recognizes the independence of the Baltic states: Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.

1991 - Moldova declares independence from the USSR.

1993 - The Rainbow Bridge, connecting Tokyo's Shibaura and the island of Odaiba, is completed.

1995 - Pro Wrestling: Bertha Faye defeated Alundra Blaze for the WWE Women's title at WWE Summerslam.

2000 - Ostankino Tower in Moscow catches fire, three people are killed.
2000 - Pro Wrestling: Chyna defeated Val Venis by pinning Trish Stratus in a tag match for the WWE Intercontinental title at WWE Summerslam; At the same event, Steve Blackman defeated Shane McMahon for the WWE Hardcore title.

2003 - Mars makes its closest approach to Earth in nearly 60,000 years, passing approximately 34,646,416 miles (55,758,006 kilometers) from Earth.

2006 - Comair Flight 5191 crashed en route from Blue Grass Airport in Lexington, Kentucky, to Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta, Georgia. Forty-nine of the 50 people aboard the flight were confirmed dead in the hours following the crash

Notable Births:

1910 - Mother Teresa, Roman Catholic nun, Nobel laureate (d. 1997)
1947 - Barbara Bach, American actress
1952 - Paul "Pee-Wee Herman" Reubens, American actor
1953 - Alex Lifeson, Canadian guitarist (Rush)
1961 - Yolanda Adams, American gospel singer
1962 - Adam Oates, Canadian ice hockey player
1963 - Downtown Julie Brown, Welsh TV personality and former MTV VJ
1978 - Mase, American rapper

Notable Deaths:

827 - Pope Eugene II
1590 - Pope Sixtus V (b. 1521)
1964 - Gracie Allen, American actress and comedienne (b. 1895)
1967 - Brian Epstein, English manager of The Beatles (b. 1934)
1990 - Stevie Ray Vaughan, American guitarist (b. 1954)
2006 - Maria Capovilla, oldest woman alive from 2004-2006 (b. 1889)

The Doctrines of Grace - Limited/Unlimited Atonement

2008-08-26T01:14:00.004-04:00

Before we discuss the topic, let's remember what we are being atoned from. All sin, in all of it’s dramatic diversity, is, in it’s acted out form, always a drama of an inward horror, namely the exchange of the glory of God for other things. All of the suffering in the world, and all of the futility in the world, and all of the death in the world is also a drama of an inward horror. If you think that there are physical, moral, and spiritual horrors in the world, you are right, and we have not seen the half of it where we live. In some countries babies are hacked with machetes. It would be hard to completely love the doctrine of the atonement unless we begin to see how rotten, ugly, bankrupt, rebellious, and at enmity against God so that there is no hope for us whatsoever, and that we are deserving of the worst possible hackings to death. Until we feel that, the death of Jesus (which was the worst of all tortures) will simply be another thought, another doctrine.

Definition of Atonement
The atonement is the work of God in Christ, by his obedience and death, by which he canceled the debt of our sin, appeased his holy wrath against us, and won for us all the benefits of salvation.

Everything good that comes into the life of a sinner was bought at Calvary, from the rising of the sun, to marriage, to children, to health, to a job, to the forgiveness of sin, and to everlasting life. If we got our due we would die the moment we were conceived, because in Adam all sin/sinned, and we would perish. Even though we are discussing “limited atonement” it’s effects are felt by all.

Why Is an Atonement Needed for God to Save Sinners?

Romans 3:23-26
All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus; whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith. This was to demonstrate His righteousness, because in the forbearance (patience) of God He passed over the sins previously committed; for the demonstration, I say, of His righteousness at the present time, so that He would be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.

2 Corinthians 5:21
He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

1 Peter 3:18
For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God.

Romans 5:9-10
Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.

Romans 8:32
He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?

God had Jesus crucified to make sure justice was carried out on someone because of sin, which had previously gone unpunished. When Jesus was crucified it was as if God considered Christ to be sin made flesh instead of God made flesh.

Who Limits the Atonement?
Both Calvinists and Arminians.

Arminians limit the effectiveness of the atonement by denying that it purchased the promises of the New Covenant for irresistible grace. Calvinists affirm this purchase of the promises of the New Covenant for irresistible grace, and therefore limit the full blessings of the atonement to a certain group of people (those God irresistibly brings to faith).

Salvation and the faith that saves are gifts of God’s grace, promised by the new covenant to God’s people. Repentance is another one of these gifts. Arminians deny that the atonement purchased the promises of the new covenant in that they don’t believe that God purchased the gift of faith or the gift of repentance, but that you must perform the gift of faith in order to get in the benefit of the atonement, because the atonement is for everybody in the same way. Calvinists believe faith and repentance were purchased by the atonement, as well as everything else.

What Are Other Names for “Limited Atonement”?

Definite Atonement
Meaning that it is designed for definite individuals who are effectively saved by it.

Particular Redemption
Meaning that God has particular people in mind, or in view, in the design of the atonement to purchase all the blessings of salvation for his people.

What Is Another Name for “Unlimited Atonement”?

Universal Redemption
Meaning that God’s design in the atonement is the same for all individual humans. It creates opportunity for all humans to receive salvation, and once we believe and repent then it is effective for us.

Do Calvinists Water Down John 3:16?
“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.”

No, because John 3:16 affirms that God loved the world so that anyone who believes will be saved by the death of his Son. Both Calvinists and Arminians affirm this: All who believe will be saved by the atonement of Jesus.

So what’s the Dispute?
Calvinists believe that the death of Christ accomplished or purchased something more than Arminians believe it did, namely, the effectual grace to believe and come to Christ. All the irresistible grace (or effectual calling) that we saw in the last post, Calvinists believe, was purchased by the death of Christ.

For example:
Ephesians 2:8-9
For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.

2 Timothy 2:24-25
The Lord’s bond-servant must not be quarrelsome, but be kind to all, able to teach, patient when wronged, with gentleness correcting those who are in opposition, if perhaps God may grant them repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth.

Acts 16:14
A woman named Lydia, from the city of Thyatira, a seller of purple fabrics, a worshiper of God, was listening; and the Lord opened her heart to respond to the things spoken by Paul.

John 6:65
For this reason I have said to you, that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted him from the Father.

If Calvinists Believe the Atonement Purchased More Than Arminians Believe it Did, Why is it Called Limited Atonement?

It’s not a good label. But the “limitation” is in the conscious design or intention of the atonement by God. Calvinists believe that God really means to accomplish, through the atonement, the conversion of a definite (limited) group of people, not just hold out the opportunity to all people to believe. Whereas the Arminian says the atonement simply holds out the opportunity for all. Calvinists agree that there is opportunity for all, and the atonement was sufficient for all, and that all or any who believe will be forgiven and saved, but also believe that the atonement purchased the faith and repentance of those God chose.

Why Do Calvinists Believe That The Atonement Purchases Irresistible Grace?

Mainly because the New Covenant promises this grace to God’s people and the blood of Jesus purchased this covenant.

Luke 22:20
And in the same way He took the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup which is poured out for you is the new covenant in My blood.”

When Jesus shed His blood He bought and secured the New Covenant for whoever the New Covenant is for.

Matthew 26:28
This is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for forgiveness of sins.

1 Corinthians 11:25
In the same way He took the cup also after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood; do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.”

Jeremiah 31:31-33
“Behold, days are coming,” declares the LORD, “when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah, not like the covenant which I made with their fathers in the day I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, although I was a husband to them,” declares the LORD. “But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days,” declares the LORD, “I will put My law within them and on their heart I will write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.”

Jeremiah 32:38-40
They shall be My people, and I will be their God; and I will give them one heart and one way, that they may fear Me always, for their own good and for the good of their children after them. I will make an everlasting covenant with them that I will not turn away from them, to do them good; and I will put the fear of Me in their hearts so that they will not turn away from Me.

Ezekiel 11:19
And I will give them one heart, and put a new spirit within them. And I will take the heart of stone out of their flesh and give them a heart of flesh.

Ezekiel 36:26-27
Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances.

How Does the Book of Hebrews Develop This?

Hebrews 13:20-21
Now the God of peace, who brought up from the dead the great Shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the eternal covenant, even Jesus our Lord equip you in every good thing to do His will, working in us that which is pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

Hebrews 10:14-18
For by one offering He has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified. And the Holy Spirit also testifies to us; for after saying, “THIS IS THE COVENANT THAT I WILL MAKE WITH THEM AFTER THOSE DAYS, SAYS THE LORD: I WILL PUT MY LAWS UPON THEIR HEART, AND ON THEIR MIND I WILL WRITE THEM,” He then says, “AND THEIR SINS AND THEIR LAWLESS DEEDS I WILL REMEMBER NO MORE.” Now where there is forgiveness of these things, there is no longer any offering for sin.

Hebrews 2:9-18
But we do see [Jesus] who was made for a little while lower than the angels, namely, Jesus, because of the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, so that by the grace of God He might taste death for everyone. For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things, and through whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to perfect the author of their salvation through sufferings. For both He who sanctifies and those who are sanctified are all from one Father; for which reason He is not ashamed to call them brethren, saying, “I WILL PROCLAIM YOUR NAME TO MY BRETHREN, IN THE MIDST OF THE CONGREGATION I WILL SING YOUR PRAISE.” And again, “I WILL PUT MY TRUST IN HIM.” And again, “BEHOLD, I AND THE CHILDREN WHOM GOD HAS GIVEN ME.” Therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and might free those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives. For assuredly He does not give help to angels, but He gives help to the seed of Abraham. Therefore, He had to be made like His brethren in all things, so that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. For since He Himself was tempted in that which He has suffered, He is able to come to the aid of those who are tempted.

Hebrews 9:27-28
And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment, so Christ also, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time for salvation without reference to sin, to those who eagerly await Him.

A Word from John Owen on the New and Old Covenants
[Note: John Owen (1616 - August 24, 1683) was an English church leader and theologian.]

With regard to Jeremiah 31:31-32 and Hebrews 8:9-11, John Owen says, “Wherein, first the condition of the covenant is not said to be required, but it is absolutely promised: ‘I will put my fear in their hearts.’ And this is the main difference between the old covenant of works and the new one of grace, that in that the Lord did only require the fulfilling of the condition prescribed, but in this he promises to effect it in them himself with whom the covenant is made. This then is one main difference of these two covenants – that the Lord did in the old only require the condition; now, in the new, he will also effect it in all the federates, to whom this covenant is extended” (The Death of Death, vol. 10, pp. 236-237).

Texts Often Used to Deny Limited Atonement

1 Timothy 2:6
Christ gave Himself as a ransom for all, the testimony given at the proper time.

1 John 2:1-2
My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; and He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world.

Hebrews 2:9
But we do see Him who was made for a little while lower than the angels, namely, Jesus, because of the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, so that by the grace of God He might taste death for everyone.

2 Corinthians 5:19
God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation.

John 1:29
The next day he saw Jesus coming to him and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!”

2 Peter 2:1
But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will also be false teachers among you, who will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing swift destruction upon themselves (See 1 Corinthians 8:11; Romans 14:14:15).

Texts that Seem to Designate the Atonement for a Limited Group

Romans 5:8
But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

1 Thessalonians 5:10
Christ died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep, we will live together with Him.

John 10:11, 14-15
I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep . . . I am the good shepherd, and I know My own and My own know Me, even as the Father knows Me and I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep.

Ephesians 5:25
Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her.

Acts 20:28
Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood.

John 11:51-52
Being high priest that year, [Caiaphas] prophesied that Jesus was going to die for the nation, and not for the nation only, but in order that He might also gather together into one the children of God who are scattered abroad.

Hebrews 10:14
For by one offering He has perfected for all time those who are sanctified.

Arminians take all the passages which say the death of Christ is “for us” (Romans 5:8; 1 Thessalonians 5:10) or for “his own sheep” (John 10:11, 15) or for “the church” (Ephesians 5:25; Acts 20:28) or for “the children of God” (John 11:52) or for “those who are being sanctified” (Hebrews 10:14) and say that the meaning is that God designs and intends the atonement for all people in the same way, but that God applies it as effective and saving only for those who believe and become part of “us” and “the sheep” and “the church” and “the children of God.” In this view, then, the sentence, “Christ died for you,” means: Christ died for all sinners, so that if you will repent and believe in Christ, then the death of Jesus will become effective in your case and will take away your sins.

Now, as far as it goes, this seems to me to be acceptable teaching. But then Arminians deny something that I think the Bible teaches. They deny that the texts about Christ’s dying for “us” or “his sheep” or his “church” or “the children of God” were intended by God to obtain something more for his people than the benefits they get after they believe. They deny, specifically, that the death of Christ was not only intended by God to obtain benefits for people after they believe (which is true), but even more, Christ’s death was intended by God to obtain the very willingness to believe. In other words, the divine grace that it takes too overcome our hardness of heart and become a believer was also obtained by the blood of Jesus. There is no dispute that Christ died to obtain great saving benefits for all who believe. Moreover, there is no dispute that Christ died so that we might say to all persons everywhere without exception: “God gave his only begotten Son to die for sin so that if you believe on him you may have eternal life.” The dispute is whether God intended for the death of Christ to obtain more than these two things: 1) saving benefits after faith, and 2) a bona fide invitation that can be made to any person to believe on Christ for salvation. Specifically, did God intend for the death of Christ to obtain the free gift of faith (Ephesians 2:8) and repentance (2 Timothy 2:25)? Did the blood of Jesus obtain both the benefits after faith, and the benefit of faith itself? Does the historic Arminian interpretation of any of the “universal” texts on the atonement necessarily contradict this “more” that I am affirming about God’s intention for the death of Christ? (Texts like: 1 Timothy 2:6; 1 John 2:1-2; Hebrews 2:9; 2 Corinthians 5:19; John 1:29; 2 Peter 2:1.) I don’t think so. Arminians historically are just as eager as Calvinists to avoid saying that these texts teach “universal salvation.” So they do not teach that the death of Christ “for all” saves all. Rather, they say, in the words of Millard Erickson, “God intended the atonement to make salvation possible for all persons. Christ died for all persons, but this atoning death becomes effective only when accepted by the individual.” Erickson then says, “This is the view of all Arminians” (Christian Theology, p. 829, emphasis added). Arminians do not say that in the death of Christ God intends to effectively save all for whom Christ died. They only say that God intends to make possible the salvation of all for whom Christ died. But this interpretation of these “universal” texts does not contradict the Calvinist assertion that God does intend to obtain the grace of faith and repentance for a definite group by the death of Christ. Arminians may deny this assertion, but they cannot deny it on the basis of their interpretation of the “universal” texts of the atonement. That interpretation simply affirms that all may have salvation if they believe. Calvinists do not dispute that. They only go beyond it. Here’s the rub: if he did this “more,” he didn’t do it for everyone. So at this level the atonement becomes “limited.” And this is what Arminians stumble over: is there anything that God would do to get some unbelievers saved that he would not do for all? This “limitation” implies a choice on God’s part to save some and not all. This leads to unconditional election, which we will take up in the next post on Thursday.

Texts Supporting the Assertion That the Atonement Obtained the Grace of Faith The Blood of the New Covenant

Luke 22:20
And in the same way He took the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup which is poured out for you is the new covenant in My blood.”

Ezekiel 36:26-27
Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances.

The Ingathering of the Children of God

1 John 2:2
He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world.

John 11:50-52
“It is expedient for you that one man die for the people, and that the whole nation not perish." Now [Caiaphas] did not say this on his own initiative, but being high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus was going to die for the nation, and not for the nation only, but in order that He might also gather together into one the children of God who are scattered abroad.

John 10:11
I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep . . . I am the good shepherd, and I know My own and My own know Me, even as the Father knows Me and I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep.

Revelation 5:9
And they sang a new song, saying, “Worthy are You to take the book and to break its seals; for You were slain, and purchased for God with Your blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation.”

By His Wounds You Were Returned to Your Shepherd

1 Peter 2:24-25
He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed. For you were continually straying like sheep, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Guardian of your souls.

Texts Showing the Design of the Atonement for God’s Chosen Ones:

The Death of Christ for the Elect Is the Ground of Their Assurance

Romans 8:29-33
For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified. What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things? Who will bring a charge against God's elect?

He Tasted Death for All the Children God Gave to Him

Hebrews 2:9-18
But we do see [Jesus] who was made for a little while lower than the angels, namely, Jesus, because of the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, so that by the grace of God He might taste death for everyone. For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things, and through whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to perfect the author of their salvation through sufferings. For both He who sanctifies and those who are sanctified are all from one Father; for which reason He is not ashamed to call them brethren, saying, “I WILL PROCLAIM YOUR NAME TO MY BRETHREN, IN THE MIDST OF THE CONGREGATION I WILL SING YOUR PRAISE.” And again, “I WILL PUT MY TRUST IN HIM.” And again, “BEHOLD, I AND THE CHILDREN WHOM GOD HAS GIVEN ME.” Therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and might free those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives. For assuredly He does not give help to angels, but He gives help to the seed of Abraham. Therefore, He had to be made like His brethren in all things, so that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.

Back Home

2008-08-24T22:22:00.004-04:00

It's good to be back home after spending a week in the great state of Kentucky. Most of my time was spent reading. I finished Peter Kreeft's "The Three Philosophies of Life" and got started on "Pagan Christianity" by Frank Viola and George Barna. I also spent some time in Stanley Grenz' "Theology for the Community of God."

Two Saturdays ago, after traveling 286 miles to my Aunt and Uncle's place in Firebrick, KY, I watched Michael Phelps' win his 8th gold medal in the 29th Olympiad, thus surpassing Mark Spitz' record for most gold medals won by a single competitor in one Olympics.

Last Monday, my brother, my cousin and I went to North Bend, OH to visit the tomb of William Henry Harrison. It was an awesome and worth while trip as we paid our respects to the 9th President of the United States.

Tuesday we traveled 159 miles from Firebrick to Dorton, KY where my Mom and Dad spent the summer. Most of my time there was spent reading and watching the first 9 editions of WWE's Summerslam.

Thursday my brother and I traveled to Greenville, TN to go to the Andrew Johnson National Historic Site. Comprised of a visitor's center, two of Andrew Johnson's homes, and his final resting place. A wonderful experience and an amazing trip though 19th century American history. I was honored to pay my respects to the 17th President of the United States. He seemed like a decent and honorable man.

After spending Friday resting, we traveled back to our home here in Michigan yesterday. All in all, a good trip and one of my favorite end of summer trips to KY that I can recall.

That's all for today, tomorrow I may post something but Tuesday we'll certainly continue the journey through the Doctrines of Grace with a look at Limited/Unlimited Atonement. Till then...

The Go-Gos Said It Best When...

2008-08-15T21:35:00.002-04:00

...they wrote the lyrics "Vacation, all I ever wanted; Vacation, had to get away."

Next week there will be little blogging going on here as I will be in the hills of the Bluegrass State. The only blog that I can guarantee will be up next week is What Happened Wednesday. More than likely there will be no Tuesday or Thursday posts regarding the doctrines of grace.

While I'm away I will be chillin', reading, and listening to music. I also will get to engage in continuing one of my life goals, which is to visit the grave sites of every U.S. President.

So far I only have 1 of 42 down, that being the grave of our 38th President, Gerald R. Ford. On my Myspace blog I posted a slideshow of pictures from when I visited the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum. For anyone who is interested, here is that slideshow...

There will certainly be a couple of slideshows coming up to document my visits with our 9th President - William Henry Harrison and our 17th President - Andrew Johnson.

Till Monday, August 25, so long...

The Doctrines of Grace - Irresistible Grace

2008-08-14T01:45:00.002-04:00

Grace Can Be Resisted Until God Wills to Overcome Resistance

Irresistible grace is written off by a misunderstanding, and by pointing to texts that say you can resist God.

Acts 7:51
You men who are stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears are always resisting the Holy Spirit; you are doing just as your fathers did.

Ephesians 4:30
Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.

1 Thessalonians 5:19
Do not quench the Spirit.

Romans 10:21
But as for Israel He says, “All the day long I have stretched out my hands to a disobedient and obstinate people.”

However, these texts do not ever say that God does not, will not, or cannot triumph over people’s resistance. There is no denying that God will sometimes allow us to resist for a season, but the question is does there come a point in time when God says “I’m done suffering this resistance, now I will triumph over this resistance. I’m through being grieved by this saint's recurring backsliding, I will now pour my spirit upon him afresh and lift him to a new level of sanctification and cause him to walk in my statutes.”? Is there a time after He holds out His hands to a person, He then reaches into their hearts to do more? There is nothing in these texts that contradict these possibilities. The question is does He? Look at the conversion of Lydia.

Acts 16:14
A woman named Lydia, from the city of Thyatira, a seller of purple fabrics, a worshiper of God, was listening; and the Lord opened her heart to respond to the things spoken by Paul.

God overcame her resistance. He defeated it. He went under it and exploded it. He transformed it.

The doctrine of irresistible grace means that God is sovereign and can overcome all resistance when he wills. "He does according to his will in the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth; and none can stay his hand!" (Daniel 4:35). "Our God is in the heavens; he does whatever he pleases" (Psalm 115:3). When God undertakes to fulfill his sovereign purpose, no one can successfully resist him.

Six Arguments for Irresistible Grace

Argument #1: Faith and repentance are a gift of God.

Ephesians 2:8-9
For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.

What does this “that” refer to? In the Greek the word “that” is neuter, the words “salvation (saved)” “grace” and “faith”, as nouns, are feminine. The gift is either one of these or all of these. Since we know that grace and salvation are gifts, then we must realize that “that” is referring to all three.

Romans 12:3
For through the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith.

2 Timothy 2:24-26
The Lord’s bond-servant must not be quarrelsome, but be kind to all, able to teach, patient when wronged, with gentleness correcting those who are in opposition, if perhaps God may grant them repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, having been held captive by him to do his will.

Acts 11:18
When they heard this, they quieted down and glorified God, saying, “Well then, God has granted to the Gentiles also the repentance that leads to life."

Acts 16:14
A woman named Lydia, from the city of Thyatira, a seller of purple fabrics, a worshiper of God, was listening; and the Lord opened her heart to respond to the things spoken by Paul.

2 Chronicles 30:6-12 (Hezekiah’s call for repentance)
O sons of Israel, return to the LORD God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, that He may return to those of you who escaped and are left from the hand of the kings of Assyria. Now do not stiffen your neck like your fathers, but yield to the LORD and enter His sanctuary which He has consecrated forever, and serve the LORD your God, that His burning anger may turn away from you. For if you return to the LORD, your brothers and your sons will find compassion before those who led them captive and will return to this land. For the LORD your God is gracious and compassionate, and will not turn His face away from you if you return to Him.” So the couriers passed from city to city through the country of Ephraim and Manasseh, and as far as Zebulun, but they laughed them to scorn and mocked them. Nevertheless some men of Asher, Manasseh and Zebulun humbled themselves and came to Jerusalem. The hand of God was also on Judah to give them one heart to do what the king and the princes commanded by the word of the LORD.

Argument #2: We cannot come to Christ unless God draws us.

John 6:44
No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day.

John 6:63-65
“It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing; the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life. But there are some of you who do not believe.” For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were who did not believe, and who it was that would betray Him. And He was saying, “For this reason I have said to you, that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted him from the Father.”

An Arminian says a person who hears the Word is drawn by the Holy Spirit to begin to feel convicted of his/her sins and begin to feel like it’s simple, it would be a great thing to do, and then the Holy Spirit draws a line, because He doesn’t want to infringe upon self determination and free will, and backs off. At that point you, sovereign, self determining, and wooed, must finish it. The Calvinist does not stop there, but believes that the Holy Spirit does not back off, instead He convicts of sin, He opens the eyes of the blind, He opens the ears of the deaf, he awakens the dead, and He fills the person God draws with such enthusiasm that they push the door of their heart open. They must push it open…

Revelation 3:20
“Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me.”

…but behind the act of opening the door was a God who mercifully enabled it to happen.

John 12:32
"And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to Myself."

The term “all men” refers to the sheep or those who God has chosen.

John 8:47
"He who is of God hears the words of God; for this reason you do not hear them, because you are not of God."

John 10:26
"But you do not believe because you are not of My sheep.”

John 11:51-52
(Caiaphas) prophesied that Jesus was going to die for the nation, and not for the nation only, but in order that He might also gather together into one the children of God who are scattered abroad.

Argument #3: God’s effectual calling overcomes resistance to the gospel.

1 Corinthians 1:22-24
Indeed, Jews ask for signs and Greeks search for wisdom; but we preach Christ crucified, to Jews a stumbling block and to Gentiles foolishness, but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.

The effectual call and the general call are different. The general call such as the message of the gospel heard by those not drawn is what goes out to everyone, it reveals to the unbeliever the true blameworthiness of the heart, increasing accountability. Only those chosen receive the effectual call.

Argument #4: The new birth enables us to receive Christ.

1 John 5:1
Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born [literally: perfect tense, “has been born”] of God, and whoever loves the Father loves the child born of Him.

John 1:11-13
He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe [= are believing] in His name, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

John 3:3
Jesus answered and said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Nicodemus said to Him, “How can a man be born when he is old? He cannot enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born, can he?” Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not be amazed that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going; so is everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

Argument #5: The New Covenant promises a grace that will triumph over resistance.

Deuteronomy 29:2-4 (The problem with the Old Covenant)
And Moses summoned all Israel and said to them, “You have seen all that the LORD did before your eyes in the land of Egypt to Pharaoh and all his servants and all his land; the great trials which your eyes have seen, those great signs and wonders. Yet to this day the LORD has not given you a heart to know, nor eyes to see, nor ears to hear.”

Deuteronomy 30:6
Moreover the LORD your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your descendants, to love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, so that you may live.

Jeremiah 31:31-33
“Behold, days are coming,” declares the LORD, “when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah, not like the covenant which I made with their fathers in the day I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, although I was a husband to them,” declares the LORD. “But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days,” declares the LORD, “I will put My law within them and on their heart I will write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.”

Jeremiah 32:40
I will make an everlasting covenant with them that I will not turn away from them, to do them good; and I will put the fear of Me in their hearts so that they will not turn away from Me.

Ezekiel 11:19-20
And I will give them one heart, and put a new spirit within them. And I will take the heart of stone out of their flesh and give them a heart of flesh, that they may walk in My statutes and keep My ordinances and do them. Then they will be My people, and I shall be their God.

Ezekiel 36:26-27
Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances.

Argument # 6: Who then can resist his will?

Romans 9:14-23
What shall we say then? There is no injustice with God, is there? May it never be! For He says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” So then it does not depend on the man who wills or the man who runs, but on God who has mercy. For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, “For this very purpose I raised you up, to demonstrate my power in you, and that my name might be proclaimed throughout the whole earth.” So then He has mercy on whom He desires, and He hardens whom He desires. You will say to me then, “Why does He still find fault? For who resists His will?” On the contrary, who are you, O man, who answers back to God? The thing molded will not say to the molder, “Why did you make me like this,” will it? Or does not the potter have a right over the clay, to make from the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for common use? What if God, though willing to demonstrate His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction? And He did so to make known the riches of His glory upon vessels of mercy, which He prepared beforehand for glory.

(References: John Piper and Desiring God)

We'll continue next Tuesday with what may be the most controversial section, Limited/Unlimited Atonement.

What Happened Whensday: August 13, 2008

2008-08-13T00:25:00.001-04:00

This is the 225th day of the year (226th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. There are 140 days remaining until the end of the year.

Events:

3114 BC - According to the Lounsbury correlation, the Maya calendar starts.

1315 - Louis X of France marries Clemence d'Anjou.

1326 - Aradia de Toscano, according to legend/folklore, is initiated into a Dianic witchcraft cult, subsequently founds the tradition of Stregheria later known as the Malandanti.

1415 - Hundred Years' War: Henry V of England lands at Chef-en-Caux, France with 8000 men.

1516 - Treaty of Noyon between France and Spain signed. In it, Francis recognises Charles's claim to Naples, and Charles recognises Francis's claim to Milan.

1521 - Tenochtitlán (present day Mexico City) falls to conquistador Hernán Cortés.

1536 - Buddhist monks from Kyoto's Enryaku Temple set fire to 21 Nichiren temples throughout Kyoto in the Tenbun Hokke Disturbance. (Traditional Japanese date: July 27, 1536).

1553 - Michael Servetus arrested by John Calvin in Geneva as a heretic.

1704 - War of the Spanish Succession: Battle of Blenheim - English and Austrians victorious over French and Bavarians.

1814 - The Convention of London, a treaty between the United Kingdom and the United Provinces, is signed in London.

1913 - Otto Witte, an acrobat, is crowned King of Albania.

1913 - Invention of stainless steel by Harry Brearley.

1918 - Women enlist in the United States Marine Corps for the first time. Opha Mae Johnson is the first woman to enlist.
1918 - Bayerische Motoren Werke AG (BMW) established as a public company in Germany.

1920 - Polish-Soviet War: Battle of Warsaw begins, lasts till August 25. The Red Army is defeated.

1937 - Battle of Shanghai begins.

1938 - Music: Robert Johnson played a show at a roadhouse outside Greenwood, MS. It speculated that Johnson was poisoned by the bar owner. Johnson died several days later.

1940 - World War II: Battle of Britain begins - The Luftwaffe launches a series of attacks on British fighter bases and radar installations.

1954 - Radio Pakistan broadcasts National Anthem of Pakistan for the first time.

1960 - The Central African Republic declares independence from France.

1961 - The German Democratic Republic closes the border between the eastern and western sectors of Berlin, to thwart its inhabitants' attempts to escape to the West.

1965 - Music: The Jefferson Airplane made its stage debut at the Matrix Club in San Francisco, CA.

1967 - The Daughters of the American Revolution refused to allow Joan Baez to perform at Constitution Hall in Washington, DC. because of her opposition to the Vietnam War.

1968 - Alexandros Panagoulis attempts to assassinate the Greek dictator Colonel G. Papadopoulos in Varkiza, Athens.

1979 - The roof of the uncompleted Rosemont Horizon near Chicago, Illinois collapses, killing 5 workers and injuring 16.

1996 - Marc Dutroux, his wife Michelle Martin, and Michel Lelièvre are arrested on suspicion of kidnapping. All are found guilty on June 22, 2004, with sentences of life, 30, and 25 years, respectively.

2004 - Hurricane Charley, a Category 4 storm, strikes Punta Gorda, Florida and devastates the surrounding area.
2004 - Black Friday crackdown by NSS on a peaceful protest in the capital city of Maldives, Malé.
2004 - 156 Congolese Tutsi refugees massacred at the Gatumba refugee camp in Burundi.

Notable Births

1860 - Annie Oakley, American sharpshooter (d. 1926)
1899 - Alfred Hitchcock, English film director (d. 1980)
1912 - Ben Hogan, American golfer (d. 1997)
1926 - Fidel Castro, Cuban revolutionary and politician
1959 - Danny Bonaduce, American actor
1970 - Elvis Grbac, American football player
1970 - Matt Hyson, American professional wrestler
1970 - Alan Shearer, English footballer
1971 - Moritz Bleibtreu, German actor
1971 - Patrick Carpentier, Quebec race car driver
1975 - Marty Turco, Canadian ice hockey player

Notable Deaths

1910 - Florence Nightingale, English nurse (b. 1820)
1946 - H. G. Wells, English writer (b. 1866)
1989 - Tim Richmond, American race car driver (b. 1955)
1995 - Mickey Mantle, American baseball player (b. 1931)
2004 - Julia Child, American chef and television personality (b. 1912)
2007 - Brian Adams, aka Demolition Crush, American professional wrestler (b. 1964)
2007 - Yone Minagawa, Japanese woman, oldest person (b. 1893)
2007 - Phil Rizzuto, American baseball player and sportscaster (b. 1917)

The Doctrines of Grace - Total Depravity

2008-08-12T02:11:00.004-04:00

The very first thing I would like to point out as we take a look at the doctrine of total depravity is that no sinner is too sinful for God to save.

1 Timothy 1:15-17
It is a trustworthy statement, deserving full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, among whom I am foremost of all. Yet for this reason I found mercy, so that in me as the foremost, Jesus Christ might demonstrate His perfect patience as an example for those who would believe in Him for eternal life. Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.

The importance of learning this doctrine is simply that it shows us how deeply rooted in sin humanity is and how far down God has to reach to bring us out from that deadly path. As a sin-filled species we can do nothing, unless we do it in Christ, to please the Father. All “good deeds” are sin to God unless Christ is in it. Even though throughout the day we don’t do all of the bad things that we could do, our depravity and sin state is not seen in relation to men, rather it is seen in relation to God.

It is crucial to see our depravity in relation to God.

1 Corinthians 10:31
Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

If we are to do everything to the glory of God then it’s not only when we do “bad” things that we fail but also when we do “good” things not to the glory of God. This also means that everyone that is not leaning on God does them (“good” and “bad” things) not for the glory of God, therefore everything they do is sin.

Romans 14:23
But he who doubts is condemned if he eats, because his eating is not from faith; and whatever is not from faith is sin.

If whatever is not from faith is sin, then that means that unbelievers only sin. As John Piper puts it, if a pagan philanthropist builds a hospital in a third world country, we may say that it
is good, but God still says that it’s sin because it did not proceed from faith. People who ignore God in their good deeds offend God.

James 2:10-11
For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all. For He who said, “DO NOT COMMIT ADULTERY,” also said, “DO NOT COMMIT MURDER.” Now if you do not commit adultery, but do commit murder, you have become a transgressor of the law.

Even if you keep 99.9% of God’s law and you missed it by .1% you are still a lawbreaker. If you keep 9 out of 10 commandments but your one law that you broke was that you were covetous over your neighbor’s car, then you looked into the face of the God who said “Do not covet”, you pondered His heart and His will and you said to that God “NO!”, and that same God you told “NO!” said all of the other commandments. The unity of the commandments is the unity of the person of God. Obedience is not a response to pieces of commandments, obedience is a response to a person, and if you look a person who has the authority of God in the face and He says “Here is the place where the battle is being fought, right here, covetousness, my will is for you to resist that, trust me, I will provide your needs, don’t yield to that,” and you say “I’m going to yield to this!” you have broken God, you have cut yourself off from God. If you try to justify yourself by saying “but I got 9 of 10 right!,” your really saying “I can pick and choose from God and His grocery list of commandments. The ones I want to do, I’ll do, and the ones I don’t want to do, I won’t do,” and that makes you a lawbreaker.

Human Depravity Is Total in at Least Five Senses

1. Depravity affects every human.
Romans 3:23
All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.

1 Kings 8:46
There is no man who does not sin.

Psalm 143:2
And do not enter into judgment with Your servant, for in Your sight no man living is righteous.

1 John 1:8
If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us.

The totality of this depravity embraces the entire human race.

2. Our rebellion or hardness against God is total, that is, apart from the grace of God there is no delight in the holiness of God, and there is no glad submission to the sovereign authority of God.

Romans 3:9-11, 18
What then? Are we (Jews) better than they (Gentiles)? Not at all; for we have already charged that both Jews and Greeks are all under sin; as it is written, “THERE IS NONE RIGHTEOUS, NOT EVEN ONE; THERE IS NONE WHO UNDERSTANDS, THERE IS NONE WHO SEEKS FOR GOD . . . THERE IS NO FEAR OF GOD BEFORE THEIR EYES.”

Paul is not saying “sins” as in “here’s one, there’s one,” because we all will continue to commit “sins”, but sin here means this powerful force like a disease that plagues humanity. This is also not saying no one literally seeks God (Acts 17:27). It’s more like saying that nobody seeks Him out of true, heartfelt repentance. It could also mean that no one seeks God successfully. The fact that religion or spirituality is so prevalent in America is a mark of human depravity. It is a myth that man in his natural state is genuinely seeking God. Men do seek God. But they do not seek him for who he is. They seek him in a pinch as one who might preserve them from death or enhance their worldly enjoyments. Apart from conversion, no one comes to the light of God.

John 3:19-21
This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil. For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. But he who practices the truth comes to the Light, so that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God.

Yes there are those who come to the light—namely those whose deeds are the work of God. "Wrought in God" means worked by God. Apart from this gracious work of God all men hate the light of God and will not come to him lest their evil be exposed—this is total rebellion.

If we find someone in this world like Cornelius (from Acts 10), who is praying and seeking, we have found someone in whom God’s grace is already at work, drawing and wooing.

Romans 1:18
For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness.

3. In his total rebellion everything man does is sin.

Romans 14:23
Whatever is not from faith is sin.

Hebrews 11:6
And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.

Romans 7:18
For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh; for the willing is present in me, but the doing of the good is not.

So what Paul is saying is that apart from the work of God's Spirit all we think and feel and do is not good.

4. Man’s inability to submit to God and do good is total.

Romans 8:5-9
For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For the mind set on the flesh [literally: “the mind of the flesh”] is death, but the mind set on the Spirit [literally: “the mind of the Spirit”] is life and peace, because the mind set on the flesh [literally: “the mind of the flesh”] is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so, and those who are in the flesh cannot please God. The "mind of the flesh" is the mind of man apart from the indwelling Spirit of God. So we see that natural man has a mindset that does not and cannot submit to God. Man cannot reform himself.
However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him.

John 3:5-7
Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not be amazed that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’”

Until someone is born again, they are only flesh and only have the mind of the flesh.

Romans 6:17-18
But thanks be to God that though you were slaves of sin, you became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching to which you were committed, and having been freed from sin, you became slaves of righteousness.

Ephesians 2:1-5
And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest. But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved).

The point of deadness is that we are incapable of any life with God.

Ephesians 4:17-18
So this I say, and affirm together with the Lord, that you walk no longer just as the Gentiles also walk, in the futility of their mind, being darkened in their understanding, excluded from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardness of their heart.

Our hearts are like a stone toward God.

John 6:44
No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day.

1 Corinthians 2:14
But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised.

Jeremiah 17:9
The heart is more deceitful than all else and is desperately [incurably] sick; who can understand it?

Our hearts are blind and incapable of seeing the glory of God in Christ. It’s not like we can choose to do good and choose God, because we were born into sin and only God could pull us out. We were dead in sin, i.e. we were dead and could not do anything to do anything God-ward on our own. Natural man does not accept the things of God because they are foolish to him. He cannot understand them because they are spiritually appraised. The natural man is someone who is born of the flesh and does not walk in the spirit.

5. Our rebellion is totally deserving of eternal punishment.

Ephesians 2:3
Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest.

We are under God's wrath because of the corruption of our hearts that make us as good as dead before God.

2 Thessalonians 1:8-9
[God will] deal out retribution to those who do not know God and to those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. These will pay the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power.

Matthew 25:46
These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.

If these texts are true, then there must be something about us that’s pretty bad (totally depraved). The reality of hell is God's clear indictment of the infiniteness of our guilt. If our corruption were not deserving of an eternal punishment, God would be unjust to threaten us with a punishment so severe as eternal torment. But the Scriptures teach that God is just in condemning unbelievers to eternal hell. Therefore, to the extent that hell is a total sentence of condemnation, to that extent must we think of ourselves as totally blameworthy apart from the saving grace of God.

Summary and Conclusion
In summary, total depravity means that apart from any enabling grace from God, our hardness and rebellion against God is total, everything we do in this rebellion is sin, our inability to submit to God or reform ourselves is total, and we are therefore totally deserving of eternal punishment. It is hard to exaggerate the importance of admitting our condition to be this bad. If we think of ourselves as basically good or even less than totally at odds with God, our grasp of the work of God in redemption will be defective. But if we humble ourselves under this terrible truth of our total depravity, we will be in a position to see and appreciate the glory and wonder of the work of God discussed in the next four points.

Barring a barrage of questions or comments (lol), Thursday we will be taking a look at the grace of God.

(Sources include John Piper, Desiring God, and Travis Carden)

Monday: On The Radar

2008-08-11T12:22:00.003-04:00

After not posting last Monday for Music Monday I have thought about recalibrating my Monday blogs. I think that from now on Mondays will be for what I'm calling "On The Radar." This will not only be for posting music I have been listening to but also blogs I am finding interesting, sites I'm really digging, books I'm reading, and in general, what's on the horizon for the week. With that being said, here is what's currently on the radar...

Music:
Third Day - Show Me Your Glory

I've not been listening to much music this past week because I've been busy listening to my first audio book. Christianaudio.com has a free download each month and this month it is Confessions by Augustine of Hippo. Go to the site and click on "Free Downloads" and follow directions from there.

Blogs:
Fundamentally Reformed
The past few posts on this blog have been dealing with the alcohol debate and they have an interview with Kenneth Gentry, author of the book "God Gave Wine."

On The Horizon:

Tonight is going to be another great get together at the Young home. Last week we started this deal where anyone who wants to come by and hang out at the Young's is welcome to do so. When I get home, me and my boy Justin will watch WWE Raw on the DVR.

Tuesday will a fairly free day but I will be taking some time to prepare for Wed. night. What am I preparing for???

Wednesday night is "Theology Night w/ Ryan." We are going through Stanley Grenz's book "Theology for the Community of God." Should be a good start this Wed.

Thursday is fairly free right now.

Friday I am going to a wedding and getting things cleaned up around the crib before my folks get home from vacation.

Saturday I am heading down to the hills of Kentucky for a week to spend some more time w/ the fam there and to help my folks pack up and return home.

That's it for today. Check back tomorrow as we will dive deeper into the doctrines of God's sovereign grace by looking at why we need his grace, our totally depraved sinful nature. Until then...

The Doctrines of Grace - Prologue Part 2

2008-08-07T02:56:00.002-04:00

(Click here to read Part 1)

In this post I would like to take some time and review the history and main points of what has come to be known as Calvinsm.

Calvinism (sometimes called the Reformed tradition, the Reformed faith, or Reformed theology) is a theological system and an approach to the Christian life that emphasizes the rule of God over all things. While the reformed doctrines are completely Scriptural (as you will see in the coming weeks), the systematics of it were developed by theologians such as Martin Bucer, Heinrich Bullinger, Peter Martyr Vermigli, and Huldrych Zwingli and influenced English reformers such as Thomas Cranmer and John Jewel. It bears the name of the French reformer John Calvin because of his preeminent influence on it and because of his role in the confessional and ecclesiastical debates throughout the 16th century. Today, this term also refers to the doctrines and practices of the Reformed churches of which Calvin was an early leader.

The founder of the Arminian party was Jacob Arminius (1560-1609). Arminius came to reject certain reformed teachings. The controversy spread all over Holland, where the Reformed Church was the overwhelming majority. The Arminians drew up their creed in Five Articles, and laid them before the state authorities of Holland in 1610 under the name Remonstrance, signed by forty-six ministers.

The official reformed response came from the Synod of Dort, which was held to consider the Five Articles from November 13, 1618 to May 9, 1619. There were eighty-four members and eighteen secular commissioners. The Synod wrote what has come to be known as the Canons of Dort. These are still part of the church confession of the Reformed Church in America and the Christian Reformed Church. They state the Five Points of Calvinism in response to the Five Articles of the Arminian Remonstrants.

So the so-called Five Points were not chosen by the Calvinists as a summary of their teaching. They emerged as a response to the Arminians who chose these five points to oppose.

It is more important to give a positive Biblical position on the five points than to know the exact form of the original controversy. These five points are still at the heart of Biblical theology. They are not unimportant. Where we stand on these things deeply affects our view of God, man, salvation, the atonement, regeneration, assurance, worship, and missions.

Somewhere along the way the five points came to be summarized under the acronym TULIP.

T - Total Depravity
U - Unconditional Election
L - Limited Atonement (Definite Atonement)
I - Irresistible Grace
P - Perseverance of the Saints

The differences between the Calvinist and the Arminian on these five points are as follows...

Depravity: The Calvinist believes that people are so depraved and rebellious that they are unable to trust God without His special work of grace to change their hearts so that they necessarily and willingly believe; The Arminian believes that people are depraved and corrupt but are able to trust God with the general divine assistance that He gives to all people. God’s help is not decisive.

Election: The Calvinist believes that God has chosen unconditionally whom he will bring to faith and salvation out of their sin and depravity; The Arminian believes that God has chosen to bring to salvation all of those whose faith He foresaw.

Atonement: The Calvinist believes that in the death of Christ God provided a sufficient atonement for all but designed that it be efficient for the elect (meaning that it purchased for them the new covenant promise that God would work in His people the grace of faith and perseverance); The Arminian believes that in the death of Christ God provided a sufficient atonement for all and designed that it become efficient by virtue of faith (meaning that the faith itself is not a purchased gift, but that it is the human means of obtaining the gift of God’s forgiveness).

Grace (New Birth): The Calvinist believes that new birth is God’s work of renewal in our hearts which necessarily brings about the act of saving faith. Irresistible grace does not mean that God cannot be resisted, but it means that if God chooses He can in any given person overcome the resistance. You can resist God, and if He wills, He can let you resist Him right into hell, but He can also overcome the resistance; The Arminian believes that new birth is God’s work of renewal in our hearts in response to our act of saving faith.

Perseverance: The Calvinist believes that God works infallibly to preserve in faith all who are truly born again so that no one is ever lost; The Arminian believes that God works to preserve His people but does not always prevent some who were born again from falling away to destruction. There is no eternal security.

I will not follow this order in this presentation. There is a good rationale for this traditional order: it starts with man in need of salvation and then gives, in the order of their occurrence, the steps God takes to save his people. He elects, then he sends Christ to atone for the sins of the elect, then he irresistibly draws his people to faith, and finally works to cause them to persevere to the end.

It seems, however, that people grasp these points more easily if we follow a presentation based on the order in which we experience them.

1. We experience first our depravity and need of salvation.
2. Then we experience the irresistible grace of God leading us toward faith.
3. Then we trust the sufficiency of the atoning death of Christ for our sins.
4. Then we discover that behind the work of God to atone for our sins and bring us to faith was the unconditional election of God.
5. And finally we rest in his electing grace to give us the strength and will to persevere to the end in faith.

This is the order I will follow in this presentation.

I would like to spell out what I believe the Scripture teaches on these five points. My great desire is to honor God by understanding and believing his truth revealed in Scripture. I am open to changing any of these ideas which can be shown to contradict the truth of Scripture. I do not have any vested interest in John Calvin himself, and I find some of what he taught to be wrong. But in general I am willing to let myself be called a Calvinist on the five points, because I find the Calvinist position to be Biblical.

(Sources include Desiring God Ministries and Wikipedia)

On Tuesday I will move forward with this series by taking a look at the total depravity of man. The following questions will be looked at: Is man basically good or basically evil? Are people good deep down? Are men totally depraved? Is every faculty of the person corrupted? Can men do good when they want to? Are men at least born pure? What is the natural disposition of man toward God? Can man do anything to please God? Can the natural man comprehend the gospel or come to saving knowledge of God on his own? Can men of themselves accept God's gift of salvation? Do men choose God on their own? Can men do anything to help themselves?

Until then, Soli Deo gloria!!!

What Happened Whensday: August 6, 2008

2008-08-06T01:44:00.001-04:00

This is the 218th day of the year (219th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. There are 147 days remaining until the end of the year.

1538 - Bogotá, Colombia, is founded by Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada.

1787 - Sixty proof sheets of the Constitution of the United States are delivered to the Constitutional Convention.

1806 - Francis II, the last Holy Roman Emperor, abdicates, thus ending the Holy Roman Empire.

1819 - Norwich University founded in Vermont as the first private military school in the United States.

1825 - Bolivia gains independence from Spain.

1845 - Russian Geographical Society is founded in Saint Petersburg.

1861 - British annexation of Lagos, Nigeria.

1862 - American Civil War: The Confederate ironclad CSS Arkansas is scuttled on the Mississippi River after suffering damage in a battle with USS Essex near Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

1870 - Franco-Prussian War: Battle of Wœrth is fought, resulting in a decisive Prussian victory.

1890 - At Auburn Prison in New York, murderer William Kemmler becomes the first person to be executed by electric chair.

1901 - Kiowa land in Oklahoma is opened for white settlement, effectively dissolving the contiguous reservation.

1909 - Alice Ramsey and three friends become the first women to complete a transcontinental auto trip.

1912 - The Bull Moose Party meets at the Chicago Coliseum.

1914 - World War I: First Battle of the Atlantic - Two days after the United Kingdom declared war on Germany over the German invasion of Belgium, ten German U-boats leave their base in Heligoland to attack Royal Navy warships in the North Sea.
1914 - World War I: Serbia declares war on Germany; Austria declares war on Russia.
1914 - Denis Patrick Dowd Jr. enlists in the French Foreign Legion, becoming the first American to fight in World War I.

1915 - World War I: Battle of Sari Bair - The Allies mount a diversionary attack timed to coincide with a major Allied landing of reinforcements at Suvla Bay.

1917 - World War I: The Battle of Marasesti between the Romanian and German armies begins.

1923 - Henry Sullivan swims the English Channel.

1926 - Gertrude Ederle becomes first woman to swim across the English Channel.

1942 - Queen Wilhelmina is the first reigning queen to address a joint session of the United States Congress.

1945 - World War II: Hiroshima is devastated when an atomic bomb, "Little Boy", is dropped by the United States B-29 Enola Gay. Around 70,000 people were killed instantly, and some tens of thousands died in subsequent years due to burns and radiation poisoning.

1956 - After going bankrupt in 1955, the American broadcaster DuMont Television Network has its final broadcast, a boxing match from St. Nicholas Arena.

1960 - Cuban Revolution: In response to a United States embargo, Cuba nationalizes American and foreign-owned property in the nation.

1961 - Cosmonaut Gherman Titov makes the second successful manned orbital flight for the USSR.

1962 - Jamaica becomes independent.

1964 - Prometheus, the world's oldest tree, is cut down.

1965 - US President Lyndon B. Johnson signs the Voting Rights Act of 1965 into United States law.

1966 - Braniff Airlines Flight 250 crashes in Falls City, NE killing all 42 on board.

1976 - Zulfikar Ali Bhutto lays foundation-stone of Port Qasim, Karachi.

1986 - A low-pressure system that redeveloped off the New South Wales coast dumps a record 328 millimeters (13 inches) of rain in a day on Sydney.

1990 - Gulf War: The United Nations Security Council orders a global trade embargo against Iraq in response to Iraq's invasion of Kuwait.

1991 - Tim Berners-Lee releases files describing his idea for the World Wide Web. WWW debuts as a publicly available service on the Internet.
1991 - Doi Takako, chair of the Social Democratic Party (Japan), becomes Japan's first female speaker of the House of Representatives.

1993 - According to Japanese government and Tokyo Broadcasting System networks report, heavy massive rain and debris blow occurred at widely Kagoshima and Aira area, Kyushu, Japan, killing 72.

1996 - NASA announces that the ALH 84001 meteorite, thought to originate from Mars, contains evidence of primitive life-forms.

1997 - Korean Air Flight 801, a Boeing 747-300, crashes into the jungle on Guam on approach to airport, killing 228.

2000 - The Roman Catholic Church's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, under Prefect Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, publishes Dominus Iesus, notable for its lack of the filioque clause in the Latin text of the Nicene Creed.

2001 - White House briefing entitled Bin Laden Determined to Strike in U.S. delivered to George W. Bush. This document foreshadowed the September 11, 2001 attacks.

Sports:

1958 - Sports: Australian runner Herb Elliot broke the world record for the mile at the Morton Stadium in Dublin, in a time of 3:54.5.

1983 - Football: Minnesota Vikings beat the St. Louis Cardinals 28-10 in London, England (Exhibition)

2001 - ProWrestling: Tajiri defeated X-Pac for the WWE Light Heavyweight Champioship in Anaheim, CA on Raw is War.

Other Entertainment:

1926 - In New York, the Warner Brothers' Vitaphone system premieres with the movie Don Juan starring John Barrymore.
1926 - Harry Houdini performs his greatest feat, spending 91 minutes underwater in a sealed tank before escaping.

1973 - Stevie Wonder was in a serious automobile accident while on tour, when a log from a truck went through a passenger window and struck him in the head. This left him in a coma for four days and resulted in a permanent loss of his sense of smell.

1982 - Sting releases 'Spread a Little Happiness', his first solo single (it peaks at No. 16)

Notable Births:

1697 - Charles VII, Holy Roman Emperor (d. 1745)
1861 - Edith Roosevelt, American First Lady of the United States (d. 1948)
1911 - Lucille Ball, American actress (d. 1989)
1928 - Andy Warhol, American artist (d. 1987)
1941 - Ray Culp, American baseball player
1949 - Dino Bravo, Canadian professional wrestler (d. 1993)
1950 - Dorian Harewood, American actor
1952 - Vinnie Vincent, American musician (ex-Kiss)
1957 - Jim McGreevey, American politician
1962 - Michelle Yeoh, Chinese-Malaysian actress
1965 - David Robinson, American basketball player
1970 - M. Night Shyamalan, Indian-born American film director
1972 - Geri Halliwell, British singer (Spice Girls)
1975 - Victor Zambrano, Venezuelan baseball player
1977 - Jennifer Lyons, American actress
1982 - Justin Germano, American Major League Baseball Player
1990 - Jon Benet Ramsey, Murdered child model (d. 1996)

Notable Deaths

258 - Saint Pope Sixtus II
523 - Saint Pope Hormisdas
1458 - Pope Callixtus III (b. 1378)
1623 - Anne Hathaway (Shakespeare's wife) (b. 1556)
1866 - John Mason Neale, English divine, scholar and hymnwriter (b. 1818)
1881 - James White, co-founder of the Seventh-day Adventist Church (b. 1821)
1914 - Ellen Louise Wilson, first wife of President Woodrow Wilson (b. 1860)
1973 - Memphis Minnie, American blues singer (b. 1897)
1978 - Pope Paul VI (b. 1897)
2001 - Wilhelm Mohnke, one of the original 120 members of the Nazi SS-Staff Guard (b. 1911)
2002 - Edsger Dijkstra, Dutch computer scientist (b. 1930)
2004 - Rick James, American musician (b. 1948)
2007 - Heinz Barth, German convicted war criminal (SS) (b. 1920)

The Doctrines of Grace - Prologue Part 1

2008-08-04T14:23:00.005-04:00

In this series of upcoming posts I plan to explain what are known as the "doctrines of grace," "the five points of Calvinism," or "Reformed Theology." I will be relying heavily on a lecture series by Pastor John Piper for how this series will be laid out.

These posts are designed to communicate the essence of the reformed view of the doctrine of salvation and to show how this particular understanding of this precious doctrine is rooted in the careful study of Scripture. My interest is not so much about what John Calvin or the other reformers thought about predestination, but first and foremost what Jesus, Paul, Moses, Peter, Abraham, Luke, and the rest of the Biblical writers taught in Scripture.

Before we go any further let me explain that there is a framework that all of what follows should be placed in. It goes as such...

(1.) The Bible is the Word of God, fully inspired and without error in the original manuscripts, written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, and that it has supreme authority in all matters of faith and conduct.

(2.) Right thinking (getting your doctrine right) about what the Bible teaches about God and man and salvation really matters. Bad theology dishonors God and hurts people.

(3.) The work of the Holy Spirit, and the pursuit of his work (or His help) in prayer, is essential for grasping the truth of Scripture. This is to help balance #2. It is not mere thinking that enables us to grasp the Bible, but it is the work of the Spirit.

1 Corinthians 2:13-16
"We impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who possess the Spirit. The unspiritual man does not receive the gifts of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. The spiritual man judges all things, but is himself to be judged by no one. “FOR WHO HAS KNOWN THE MIND OF THE LORD SO AS TO INSTRUCT HIM?” But we have the mind of Christ."

(4.) Thinking is essential for grasping Biblical truth. The exercise of the hard work of reflecting on the meaning of words and sentences is important.

1 Corinthians 14:20
"Brethren, do not be children in your thinking; yet in evil be infants, but in your thinking be mature."

2 Timothy 2:7
"Think over what I say, for the Lord will grant you understanding in everything."

Reformed theology is a way of thinking that sees God behind everything. Gods is sovereign over everything. From Him, through Him, and to Him is everything. Those who are willing to think Biblically make these kinds of connections: God is over everything, God is in everything, God is doing everything, God enables everything, God is sovereign over everything, and God is governing everything. This is called means of grace. The Lord will give it and there is no amount of thinking in the world that will get you what you need and no grace that will give it to you if you’re not doing the means, and the means themselves are gifts of grace.

(5.) God ordains that there be teachers in the church to help the body grasp and apply the truth of Scripture.

Ephesians 4:11-12
"And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ."

Some people may think that #4 says that I and the Bible can get it right without the aid of teachers, but that would not be Biblical.

Hebrews 13:7
"Remember those who led you, who spoke the word of God to you; and considering the result of their conduct, imitate their faith."

Hear is an example of what this study is about…

2 Chronicles 30:7-9
“Do not be like your fathers and your brothers, who were unfaithful to the LORD God of their fathers, so that He made them a horror, as you see. Now do not stiffen your neck like your fathers, but yield to the LORD and enter His sanctuary which He has consecrated forever, and serve the LORD your God, that His burning anger may turn away from you. For if you return to the LORD, your brothers and your sons will find compassion before those who led them captive and will return to this land (K)For the LORD your God is gracious and compassionate, and will not turn His face away from you if you return to Him."

The conditions laid down in this Scripture say that if you want God’s anger turned away from you, you had better serve the Lord, and if you return to God, your brethren and children will find compassion. So compassion is contingent on the means of returning to the Lord. You do this and God will do that. This is how most humans understand God to work – God gives humans conditions, He tells them what they have to do, and if humans do what they’re supposed to do, God does what He does in response. That is human religion. You don’t need the Holy Spirit to make sense of that.

2 Chronicles 30:10-12
"So the couriers passed from city to city through the country of Ephraim and Manasseh, and as far as Zebulun, but they laughed them to scorn and mocked them. Nevertheless some men of Asher, Manasseh and Zebulun humbled themselves and came to Jerusalem. The hand of God was also on Judah to give them one heart to do what the king and the princes commanded by the word of the LORD."

The means were given. God told them what they had to do: repent, humble themselves, yield to the Lord, and God would be compassionate to them. Then God gave them the heart to do these things.

This is the end of part 1 of this prologue. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, feel free to leave me a comment. Thursday we will conclude this prologue by looking at a little bit of history and we will review the five points of contention between the Arminian way of thinking and the Reformed way of thinking.

"Salvation" and the Doctrines of Grace

2008-08-02T21:00:00.000-04:00

As I've stated before, I was raised in "church" my whole life. From the time I was born till the past few years I "went to church" every Sunday. It was the same every week. Some guy would stand up for about 15-45 minutes going on and on about some patch of Scripture. At the end he would call for anyone who "wants" to come up to the front and pray and ask Jesus to come into your heart to do so. He always told us it was our free choice and that we had to make a decision for Christ before we could be born again.

For years I accepted this "formula" as fact. It was totally up to us whether or not we would let Jesus come into our hearts, be our Lord, and save us from our sins and hell.

As I got older and would read the Scriptures I began to read things that just didn't make sense with what I'd been taught my whole life. Words like election and predestination muddied up this way of thinking. I wasn't sure how salvation could be totally God's doing if I was the one who had to choose to accept it. I also didn't understand how someone could be spiritually dead and yet have enough spiritual oomph to reach up and get to Jesus. It seemed to me like there was a puzzle piece missing but I was sure that it was probably just a word game and that this was just Satan's way of trying to confuse me.

After intense study and a couple of years to chew on what Scripture says about man, God, and how God and man relate to each other in the actual salvation process, I'll be reviewing what the Scripture teaches on this. It will be broken down into several parts.

1. The total depravity of man.
2. The irresistible grace of God.
3. The atoning death of Christ.
4. The unconditional election of God.
5. The inevitable perseverance of the saints.

Check back on Tuesdays and Thursdays starting this upcoming week to read more about this subject.

One Year Ago Today

2008-08-01T13:59:00.004-04:00

...I NEARLY BROKE MY FACE OFF!!

Most of you who know me remember that I tried to do the two-step across the rollers and I fell and busted my face.

Here is what my face looked like after they stitched me up.

I would like to take this time to thank everyone who was so kind to me during this time of facial trauma. I would like to thank my safety supervisor at work - Vivian Corbeil for all that she did (as far as taking me to the clinic and what-not). I also would like to thank Dr. Rampersuad for doing such a good job stitching me up and my dentist for fixing my two teeth that got knocked out of place. Most of all I'd like to thank Jesus for letting me heal up as well as I did and for not letting the accident be worse than what it was. I was truly blessed by God and others through this incident and looking back I can truly say that it wasn't as bad as it could have been.

I would also like to say a big hearty F U to the guy who wanted me to clean up my own blood immediately after the incident took place. I like you you and we're boys and all, but that was a shitty thing to do.

Also thanks to UPS and Liberty Mutual for paying all my medical bills that came with this incident and thanks to Mike and Joe for helping me find the humor in this situation at a time when it seriously hurt to laugh :)

What Happened Whensday: July 30, 2008

2008-07-30T07:43:00.001-04:00

This is the 211th day of the year (212th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. There are 154 days remaining until the end of the year.

1502 - Christopher Columbus lands at Guanaja in the Bay Islands off the coast of Honduras during his fourth voyage.

1608 - At Ticonderoga (now Crown Point, New York), Samuel de Champlain shoots and kills two Iroquois chiefs. This was to set the tone for French-Iroquois relations for the next one hundred years.

1619 - In Jamestown, Virginia, the first representative assembly in the Americas, the House of Burgesses, convenes for the first time.

1629 - An earthquake in Naples, Italy kills 10,000 people.

1729 - Baltimore, Maryland is founded.

1733 - First Freemasons lodge opened in what will become the United States.

1811 - Father Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla, leader of the Mexican insurgency, executed by the Spanish in Chihuahua, Mexico.

1825 - Malden Island discovered.

1863 - Indian Wars: Chief Pocatello of the Shoshone tribe signs the Treaty of Box Elder, promising to stop harassing the emigrant trails in southern Idaho and northern Utah.

1864 - American Civil War: Battle of the Crater - Union forces attempt to break Confederate lines by exploding a large bomb under their trenches.

1866 - New Orleans's Democratic government ordered police to raid an integrated Republican Party meeting, killing 40 people and injuring 150.

1871 - The Staten Island Ferry Westfield's boiler explodes, killing over 85 people.

1945 - World War II: Japanese submarine I-58 sinks the USS Indianapolis (CA-35), killing 883 seamen.

1956 - A Joint resolution of the U.S. Congress is signed by President Dwight D. Eisenhower, authorizing "In God We Trust" as the U.S. national motto.

1965 - US President Lyndon B. Johnson signs the Social Security Act of 1965 into law, establishing Medicare and Medicaid.

1969 - Vietnam War: US President Richard M. Nixon makes an unscheduled visit to South Vietnam and meets with President Nguyen Van Thieu and with U.S. military commanders.

1971 - Apollo program: Apollo 15 Mission - David Scott and James Irwin on Apollo Lunar Module module, Falcon, land with first Lunar Rover on the moon.
1971 - An All Nippon Airways Boeing 727 and a Japanese Air Force F-86 collide over Morioka, Japan killing 162.

1974 - Watergate Scandal: US President Richard M. Nixon releases subpoenaed White House recordings after being ordered to do so by the United States Supreme Court.

1975 - Jimmy Hoffa disappears from the parking lot of the Machus Red Fox restaurant in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit, at about 2:30 p.m. He is never seen or heard from again.

1980 - Vanuatu gains independence.

1990 - The first Saturn automobile rolls off the assembly line.

1997 - Eighteen lives are lost in the Thredbo Landslide in New South Wales, Australia.

2002 - The accounting law referred to as "The Sarbanes Oxley Act" was signed into law by United States President George W. Bush.

2003 - In Mexico, the last 'old style' Volkswagen Beetle rolls off the assembly line.

2006 - World's longest running music show Top of the Pops broadcast for the last time on BBC Two. The show had aired for 42 years.
2006 - At least 28 Lebanese civilians, including 16 children, were killed when Israel Air Force attacked a building in Qana in what is called the Second Qana massacre.

Sports:

1930 - Soccer: In Montevideo, Uruguay win the first Football World Cup.

1933 - Baseball: Cardinal pitcher Dizzy Dean sets a modern major league record striking out 17 Cubs. Teammate catcher Jimmie Wilson also sets a new mark recording 18 put outs.

1935 - Danno O'Mahony defeated Ed "Strangler" Lewis for the NWA Heavyweight Wrestling Championship.

1953 - ProWrestling: Rikidozan holds a ceremony announcing the establishment of the Japan Pro Wrestling Alliance.

1966 - Soccer: England national football team win 1966 FIFA World Cup beating West Germany 4-2 in the Final.

1982 - Baseball: The moving of Chief Noc-A-Homa’s and his teepee from left field to make room for more seats coincides with the Braves dropping 19 0f 21 contests and blowing a 10.5 game lead. After the teepee is brought back, the team regains first place and will go on to capture the NL West title.

2001 - ProWrestling: Booker T defeated Kurt Angle for the WCW Heavyweight Championship in Philadelphia, PA on Raw Is War. Also at the the event, X-Pac defeated Billy Kidman for the WCW Cruiserweight Championship.

2001 - Cycling: Lance Armstrong became the first American to win three consecutive Tours de France.

2006 - Baseball: Eighteen individuals, the largest number ever selected, are inducted into the Hall of Fame. The group consist of 17 persons, including the first woman to enter the Hall, who had participated in the pre-Negro Leagues or Negro Leagues and Bruce Sutter, the fourth reliever to be enshrined in Cooperstown.

2007 - Baseball: In front of a record crowd of a estimated 75,000 fans and unprecedented number of 53 members of the Hall of Famers, Cal Ripken and Tony Gwynn are inducted into the shrine at Cooperstown.

Other Entertainment:

1932 - Walt Disney's Flowers and Trees, the first Academy Award winning cartoon and first cartoon short to use Technicolor, premieres.

1942 - Frank Sinatra recorded the last of 90 recordings with the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra.

1954 - Elvis Presley makes his debut as a public performer.

1956 - Brenda Lee recorded her first hit, "Jambalaya" and "Bigelow 6-500."

1968 - The Beatles' Apple Boutique in London closed after heavy losses.

1970 - The Rolling Stones fired Allen Klein as their manager.

1987 - David Bowie played the first show of his "Glass Spider" tour in Philadelphia, PA.

Notable Births:

1863 - Henry Ford, American industrialist (d. 1947)
1922 - Henry W. Bloch, American co-founder of H&R Block
1933 - "Captain" Lou Albano, professional wrestler and manager
1934 - Bud Selig, American Commissioner of Baseball
1936 - Buddy Guy, Legendary American blues guitarist and singer
1941 - Paul Anka, Canadian singer and composer
1946 - Neil Bonnett, American race car driver (d. 1994)
1947 - Arnold Schwarzenegger, Austrian-born American actor, 38th Governor of California
1949 - Duck Baker, American guitarist
1950 - Frank Stallone, American singer and actor, brother of Sylvester Stallone
1956 - Delta Burke, American actress
1957 - Rat Scabies, English drummer (The Damned)
1958 - Kate Bush, English singer/songwriter
1958 - Neal McCoy, American country singer/songwriter and humanitarian
1961 - Laurence Fishburne, American actor
1963 - Lisa Kudrow, American actress
1963 - Chris Mullin, American basketball player
1964 - Vivica A. Fox, American actress
1968 - Sean Moore, Welsh drummer (Manic Street Preachers)
1970 - Christopher Nolan, English film director
1971 - Tom Green, Canadian comedian and actor
1971 - Christine Taylor, American actress
1973 - Markus Naslund, Swedish ice hockey player
1974 - Hilary Swank, American actress
1977 - Jaime Pressly, American actress

Notable Deaths:

579 - Pope Benedict I
1540 - Thomas Abel, English priest (martyred)
1540 - Robert Barnes, English churchman (martyred) (b. 1495)
1718 - William Penn, English founder of the Province of Pennsylvania (b. 1644)
1771 - Thomas Gray, English poet and letter-writer (b. 1716)
1875 - George Pickett, American Confederate general (b. 1825)
1992 - Joe Shuster, Canadian comic book artist (b. 1914)
1998 - Buffalo Bob Smith, American television host (Howdy Doody) (b. 1917)
2003 - Sam Phillips, American record producer (b. 1923)
2005 - Ray Cunningham, American baseball player (b. 1905)
2007 - Ingmar Bergman, Swedish stage and film director (b. 1918)
2007 - Bill Walsh, American football coach (b. 1931)

Music Monday - July 28, 2008

2008-07-28T17:58:00.004-04:00

It's been quite a weekend. I have had some great times spent with my faith family and I have had some rough times with my longest known and best friend. Regardless, one thing I can take comfort in is the blood of Christ. It's has purchased my salvation from sin (Glory be to God!), it has cleansed my soul, it has given me right standing before God, and it has sealed me in Christ forever.

Here is a little Matt Redman to express what I'm thinking.

"Your Blood"

"You Never Let Go"

What Happened Whensday: July 23, 2008

2008-07-23T00:57:00.002-04:00

July 23:

1632 - 300 colonists bound for New France depart Dieppe, France. The New France Territory included Canada, parts of New England, Hudson Bay, Newfoundland and Louisiana.

1793 - The Prussians conquer Mayence in present day Germany.

1829 - In the United States, William Austin Burt patents the Typographer, a precursor to the typewriter.

1833 - Cornerstones laid for construction of the Kirtland Temple in Ohio. This house of worship was the first temple to be built by the Latter Day Saint movement under the orders of Joseph Smith, Jr., the founder of the Mormon faith.

1840 - The Province of Canada is created by the Act of Union. The Province of Canada is now modern day Ontario and Quebec.

1862 - American Civil War: Henry W. Halleck takes command of the Union Army.

1903 - Ford Motor Company sells its first car.

1914 - Austria-Hungary issues an ultimatum to Serbia allowing the Austrians to find out who killed Archduke Franz Ferdinand. When Serbia denies Austria-Hungary their demands, World War I is sparked on July 28, 1914.

1926 - Fox Film buys the patents of the Movietone sound system for recording sound onto film.

1929 - Fascist government in Italy bans the use of foreign words.

1940 - US Under Secretary of State Sumner Welles`s declaration on the US non-recognition policy of the Soviet annexation and incorporation of three Baltic States - Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.

1942 - The Holocaust: The Treblinka extermination camp is opened
1942 - World War II: Hitler signs the Operation Edelweiss, a German plan to gain control over the mountain-barrier region located between the two continents of Europe and Asia, and capture the oil fields of Baku during the Soviet-German War.

1952 - Establishment of the European Coal and Steel community.
1952 - General Muhammad Naguib leads the Free Officers Movement (formed by Gamal Abdel Nasser - the real power behind the coup) in the overthrow of King Farouk of Egypt.

1962 - Telstar relays the first live trans-Atlantic television signal.

1967 - 12th Street Riot: In Detroit, Michigan, one of the worst riots in United States history begins on 12th Street in the predominantly African American inner city (43 killed, 342 injured and ~1,400 buildings burned).

1968 - Glenville Shootout: In Cleveland, Ohio, a violent shootout between a Black Militant organization led by Ahmed Evans and the Cleveland Police Department occurred. During the shootout, a riot began that lasted for five days.
1968 - The first and only successful hijacking of an El Al aircraft took place when a 707 carrying 10 crew and 38 passengers was taken over by three members of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP). The aircraft was en route from Rome, Italy, to Lod, Israel.

1972 - The United States launches Landsat 1, first Earth-resources satellite.

1982 - The International Whaling Commission decides to end commercial whaling by 1985-86.

1983 - Around 3,000 Tamils were slaughtered by Shinhalese Buddhist majority in Sri Lanka and some 400,000 Tamils fled to neighboring Tamil Nadu, India and a lot found refuge in Europe and Canada. This incident, known as Black July led directly to beginning of civil war in Sri Lanka.

1984 - Vanessa Williams becomes the first Miss America to resign when she surrenders her crown after nude photos of her appeared in Penthouse magazine.

1986 - In London, Prince Andrew, Duke of York marries Sarah Ferguson at Westminster Abbey.

1992 - A Vatican commission, led by Joseph Ratzinger (who became Pope Benedict XVI in 2005), establishes it is necessary to limit rights of homosexual people and non-married couples.

1995 - Comet Hale-Bopp is discovered and is visibly seen with a naked eye nearly a year later.

1997 - Digital Equipment Company files antitrust charges against chipmaker Intel.
1997 - Spree killer Andrew Cunanan commits suicide in the upstairs bedroom aboard a Miami houseboat to avoid capture by the police.

1999 - Crown Prince Mohammed Ben Al-Hassan, is crowned King Mohammed VI of Morroco at the death of his father.
1999 - ANA Flight 61 is hijacked in Tokyo.

2005 - Three bombs hit the Naama Bay area of Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, killing 88 people.

Event's in Sports:

1881 - The Federation Internationale de Gymnastique, the world's oldest international sport federation, is founded.

1925 - Baseball: Lou Gehrig hits the first of his record 23 career grand slams as Yankees beat the Senators, 11-7.

1950 - NASCAR: Curtis Turner got his 5th career NASCAR Cup Series victory at Charlotte Speedway in Charlotte, NC driving a 1950 Oldsmobile.

1960 - NASCAR: Buck Baker got his 41st career NASCAR Cup Series victory at Rambi Raceway in Myrtle Beach, SC driving a 1960 Chevrolet.

1962 - Baseball: Pitcher Bob Feller, manager Bill McKechnie, infielder Jackie Robinson and outfielder Ed Roush are inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.

1967 - NASCAR: Richard Petty got his 64th career NASCAR Cup Series victory at Bristol International Speedway in Bristol, TN driving a 1967 Plymouth. Petty had already won 15 races earlier in the season and would go on to win 11 more to establish a record holding 27 race wins in one season and win the NASCAR Cup.

1972: NASCAR: Bobby Allison got his 36th career NASCAR Cup Series victory at Atlanta International Raceway in Hampton, GA driving a 1972 Chevrolet.

1984 - ProWrestling: Wendi Richter defeated Fabulous Moolah for the WWE Women's Championship.

1989 - Bill Elliot got his 31st NASCAR Cup Series victory at Pocono International Raceway in Long Pond, PA driving a Ford Thunderbird.

1995 - ProWrestling: Shawn Michaels defeated Jeff Jarrett for the WWE Intercontinental Championship on "In Your House II" from the Municipal Auditorium in Nashville, TN.

2000 - Baseball: Cincinatti greats like first baseman Tony Perez, manager Sparky Anderson, and Reds announcer Marty Brennaman into the Baseball Hall of Fame along with 1975 Red Sox World Series rival Carlton Fisk. Also enshrined are 19th century Cincinnati second baseman Bid McPhee and Negro League star 'Turkey' Stearnes.

2000 - ProWrestling: Perry Saturn defeated Eddie Guerrero for the WWE European Heavyweight Championship on "Fully Loaded" from Reunion Arena in Dallas, TX.

2001 - ProWrestling: Lance Storm defeated Albert for the WWE Intercontinental Championship on "RAW is WAR" in Buffalo, NY.

2005 - Baseball: 2005 At SBC Park, uniform number 36 is added to the second deck of the left field bleachers joining nine others as the Giants honor Gaylord Perry.

Notable Births
1649 - Pope Clement XI (d. 1721)
1936 - Don Drysdale, American baseball player (d. 1993)
1938 - Charles Harrelson, American convicted murderer; father of Woody Harrelson (d. 2007)
1940 - Don Imus, American talk radio host
1941 - Richie Evans, 9 time NASCAR Modified Champion (died at Martinsville in 1985)
1948 - John Hall, American politician and former rock musician
1952 - Bill Nyrop, American ice hockey player (d. 1995)
1961 - Martin Gore, English musician and songwriter (Depeche Mode)
1961 - Woody Harrelson, American actor
1962 - Eriq La Salle, American actor
1965 - Rob Dickinson, English musician
1965 - Slash, English guitarist (ex-Guns N' Roses)
1967 - Philip Seymour Hoffman, American actor
1968 - Nick Menza, American musician, drummer for Megadeth
1968 - Gary Payton, American basketball player
1971 - Alison Krauss, American singer and fiddler
1972 - Marlon Wayans, American actor
1973 - Nomar Garciaparra, American baseball player
1973 - Monica Lewinsky, American White House intern
1977 - Scott Clemmensen, American ice hockey player
1980 - Michelle Williams, American singer (Destiny's Child)
1981 - Steve Jocz, Canadian drummer (Sum 41)
1982 - Gerald Wallace, American basketball player
1984 - Brandon Roy, American professional basketball player
1989 - Daniel Radcliffe, English actor famous for portraying fictional character Harry Potter

Notable Deaths
1764 - Gilbert Tennent, Irish-born religious leader (b. 1703)
1793 - Roger Sherman, American signer of the Declaration of Independence (b. 1721)
1885 - Ulysses S. Grant, 18th President of the United States (b. 1822)
1923 - Pancho Villa, Mexican revolutionary (b. 1878)
2007 - Ron Miller, American songwriter and record producer (b. 1933)

Tunesday

2008-07-22T10:44:00.003-04:00

In lieu of Music Monday this week I'm going to post my musical recommendations today.

This past week I have been listening to alot of The Who. The Who are an English rock band formed in 1964. The primary lineup consisted of guitarist Pete Townshend, vocalist Roger Daltrey, bassist John Entwistle and drummer Keith Moon. The band reached international success, became known for their energetic live performances, are regarded as one of the most influential rock bands of the 1960s and '70s, and recognized as one of the greatest rock and roll bands of all time. They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990, their first year of eligibility. (Source: Wikipedia)

Last week, Rock Band added 12 of The Who's songs ("Amazing Journey", "Baba O'Riley", "Behind Blue Eyes", "Eminence Front", "Going Mobile", "Leaving Here", "My Generation" from Live at Leeds, "Real Good Looking Boy", "Sea and Sand", "Summertime Blues" from Live at Leeds, "Who Are You", and "Young Man Blues" from Live at Leeds). Pete Townshend and Roger Daltry, the bands' only surviving members, helped pick the setlist for this track pack. Now that I've rambled on, watch, listen, and enjoy...

"Behind Blue Eyes"

"Pinball Wizard"

"Won't Get Fooled Again"

The Dark Knight: Review and Commentary

2008-07-19T00:47:00.002-04:00

I just returned from seeing the newest installment of the current Batman film franchise, The Dark Knight. Let me just start off by saying that I absolutely loved this film and will see it again while it's at the theater. It is action packed and there is plenty of interesting plot activity to keep you interested from beginning to end. At 2 1/2 hours long, it is a long movie, but rarely seems to drag.

The movie is heavily focused on the Joker, as portrayed by the late Heath Ledger. I remember when I first heard that they were not bringing Jack Nicholson back to play the part I was very displeased and had no intention of going to see the movie. When I heard that Ledger was going to play the Joker I was even more against the film. Jack had done such a great job in his portrayal of the Joker back in 1989 that I could not envision anyone else doing the character justice. I vehemently despised Ledger being cast and was fairly vocal about it. After I saw some of the previews I came to appreciate what they were trying to do in reinventing the character for the darker tone of Christopher Nolan's Batman series. Now having seen the movie I can say that Heath Ledger's performance in the film is nothing short of brilliant and I retract everything negative I said about his being cast for the role.

The only thing about the film I did not like was the recasting of Rachel Dawes and Maggie Gyllenhaal's performance of the character. She does not do as well as Katie Holmes in the role from the previous film and it is unfortunate that she declined to reprise the role, although the fact that she made the decision because she did not want to spend too much time away from her new family is respectable.

Overall, I give the film an A+, 2 thumbs up, and I recommend that you all go and check this movie out. It is the best movie of summer by far, so far. For the sake of those that have not seen the film yet, I will not post any spoilers and I request that if anyone comments on this post that they do the same. Thanks for reading and feel free to leave any questions, comments, and/or concerns after the beep.

(BEEP)

What Happened Whensday: July 16, 2008

2008-07-16T01:31:00.000-04:00

Here is the first of what I hope to be an ongoing feature of this blog for years to come. When I first decided to do this, I had thought about giving a history of what happened on each date for the coming week. After looking at just a couple of the next few dates, I realized that there would be just too much information for each dates' events. Instead I've decided to just focus on the date at hand. If I do this for a few years, eventually we will have looked at each date on the calender. With that being said, here is a look back at the major events that have happened on this date in history.

July 16:

622 - The beginning of the Islamic calendar.

1769 - Father Junipero Serra founds Mission San Diego de Alcalá, the first mission in California. The mission later evolves into the city of San Diego.

1790 - U.S. President George Washington signs the Residence Bill, establishing a site along the Potomac River as the District of Columbia to be the permanent seat of United States government.

1808 - Meriwether Lewis and William Clark, two of the few white men who had actually seen the mysterious territory of the Far West, help form the Missouri Fur Company to exploit the region's abundant fur-bearing animals.

1862 - American Civil War: David G. Farragut becomes the first United States Navy rear admiral.

1935 - The first parking meters were installed in Oklahoma City.

1941 - Sports: New York Yankees' Joe DiMaggio gets a hit in his 56th consecutive game.

1942 - Holocaust: Rafle du Vel'd'Hiv: The Vichy France government orders French police officers to round up 13,000-20,000 Jews and imprison them in the Winter Velodrome. In 1995, president Jacques Chirac officially recognizes the French police's responsibility.

1945 - Manhattan Project: The Atomic Age begins when the United States successfully detonates a plutonium-based test nuclear weapon at the Trinity site near Alamogordo, New Mexico.

1950 - Sports: Uruguay win the 1950 FIFA World Cup, beating hosts Brazil 2-1 in what is regarded as one of the biggest upsets in sporting history.

1951 - J. D. Salinger's novel Catcher in the Rye was published.

1955 - Original Disneyland park opens in Anaheim, California
1955 - Sports: Stirling Moss won his first Grand Prix race, the British Grand Prix in Aintree, driving a Mercedes Benz W196.

1957 - United States Marine Major John Glenn flies a F8U Crusader supersonic jet from California to New York in 3 hours, 23 minutes and 8 seconds setting a new transcontinental speed record.

1958 - Sports: Shorty Rollins got his only NASCAR Cup Series victory at State Line Speedway in Busti, NY.

1966 - The song "Hanky Panky" by Tommy James & the Shondells topped the charts and stayed there for 2 weeks.
1966 - Sports: Bobby Allison got his 2nd career NASCAR Cup Series victory at Islip Speedway in Islip, NY.

1969 - Apollo program: Apollo 11 is launched from Cape Kennedy, Florida and will become the first manned space mission to land on the moon.

1972 - Sports: Bobby Allison got his 35th career NASCAR Cup Series victory at Trenton Speedway in Trenton, NJ.

1973 - Watergate Scandal: Former White House aide Alexander P. Butterfield informs the United States Senate that President Richard Nixon had secretly recorded potentially-incriminating conversations.

1977 - Teenage singer Shaun Cassidy's recording of "Da Do Ron Ron" hits No. 1 and stayed there for one week.
1977 - Sports: Darrell Waltrip got his 6th career NASCAR Cup Series victory at Nashville Speedway in Nashville, TN.

1979 - Iraqi President Hasan al-Bakr resigns and is replaced by Saddam Hussein.

1983 - Sports: Dale Earnhardt got his 8th career Nascar Cup Series victory at Nashville Speedway in Nashville, TN.

1995 - Sports: Dale Jarrett got his 4th career NASCAR Cup Series victory at Pocono International Raceway in Long Pond, PA.

2005 - Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince by J.K.Rowling released, selling over 9 million copies in the 24 hours after release.

2006 - Sports: Kyle Busch got his 3rd career NASCAR Cup Series victory at New Hampshire International Speedway in Loudon, NH.

2007 - An earthquake of magnitude 6.8 and aftershock of 6.6 occur off the Niigata coast, Japan, killing 8 people with at least 800 injured and damaging a nuclear power plant. See 2007 Chuetsu offshore earthquake.

Notable Birthdays:
1821 - Mary Baker Eddy, American religious leader (d. 1910)
1888 - "Shoeless" Joe Jackson, American baseball player (d. 1951)
1958 - Michael Flatley, Irish-born American dancer
1963 - Phoebe Cates, American actress
1964 - Phil Hellmuth, American poker player
1965 - Claude Lemieux, aka Satan to Detroiters, former NHL star
1967 - Will Ferrell, American comedian
1968 - Barry Sanders, Hall of Fame and Heisman Trophy winning American football running back who spent all of his professional career with the Detroit Lions

Notable Deaths
1882 - Mary Todd Lincoln, former First Lady of the United States, died (b. 1818)
1999 - John F. Kennedy Jr. (son of John F. Kennedy, 35th President of the United States), his wife Carolyn Bessette Kennedy, and sister-in-law Lauren Bessette are killed in a plane crash off the coast of Martha's Vineyard. The Piper Saratoga aircraft was piloted by Kennedy.
2001 - Terry Gordy, one of pro-wrestling's Fabulous Freebirds, died (b. 1961)
2006 - Bob Orton, Sr., American professional wrestler; father of wrestling legend, Bob Orton, Jr.; grandfather of 2x World Champion wrestler, Randy Orton (b. 1929)

Well, that's it for this date in history. As the weeks role on and I find more reference sources I hope to add more events in sport, music, and film/television. I hope you enjoyed this look back and if you have any thoughts on any of the events remembered above, let me know in the comments section. Thanks.

licentious

2008-07-15T00:56:00.000-04:00

Romans 1:28 - And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done.

I was reading Romans 1 in my Reformation Study Bible. In the study notes for Romans 1:28 it says: "did not see fit...God gave them up. Sin brings a disdain for true values, and risks abandonment by God to a spirit of licentiousness."

I wondered what that last word meant so I found the definition of it at Merriam-Webster as follows...

Main Entry: li·cen·tious
Pronunciation: \lī-ˈsen(t)-shəs\
Function: adjective
Etymology: Latin licentiosus, from licentia
Date: 1535

1: lacking legal or moral restraints; especially : disregarding sexual restraints
2: marked by disregard for strict rules of correctness

— li·cen·tious·ly adverb

— li·cen·tious·ness noun

That would be a scary thing...

Parodeities

2008-07-13T21:30:00.000-04:00

What?! Yes, I know that's barely a word but it is a subject that I must discuss. A parodeity is a secular piece of music retrofitted with Christian lyrics. There are websites devoted to providing "Jesus lyrics" to "secular" music and there are bands that go around touring using the tunes to classic songs by Elvis, Led Zeppelin, Lynyrd Skynyrd, and almost any other band you can think of. You should know where I'm going with this...

The Beatles, the greatest musical group of all time, wrote a little piece of music called "Yesterday." It's lyrics go as follows:

"Yesterday,
All my troubles seemed so far away,
Now it looks as though they're here to stay,
Oh, I believe in yesterday.

Suddenly,
I'm not half the man I used to be,
There's a shadow hanging over me,
Oh, yesterday came suddenly.

Why she
Had to go I don't know, she wouldn't say.
I said,
Something wrong, now I long for yesterday."

There is a parodeity of this most famous tune called "Christmas Day". It's lyrics are as follows...

"Christmas day, all the angels came to Earth to say,
Glory to God, peace on Earth today,
It was a sight, on Christmas day

Suddenly, shepherds told by angels had to see
Joseph and Mary's little baby
This Christmas Day, a jubilee

Chorus:
God and man on Earth, by His birth
the Angels say
Sang it really strong, Angel's song,
On Christmas Day"

...

I'm slightly at a loss of something nice to say...

All I can say is that this is not good in any way, shape, or form. The song already brings glory to God in it's original form. God made us with the ability to express ourselves creatively. When someone creates music, it is a reflection (albeit imperfect) of the Creator who gave us the ability to do so. This song does NOT "need Jesus in it"; God is already partially reflected in the beauty of this song.

People, human beings need Jesus. Music, movies, and other THINGS cannot be Christian. People can be Christians. Period.

Some of the same things my boy Mike said about "Christian" T-Shirts, could be applied here. Check out his blog about said shirts.

Anyway, that is my rant for this Whatever Weekend.

A Quick Update...

2008-07-11T09:01:00.000-04:00

First of all, it's good to be home in Michigan again after 18 days in the great state of Kentucky. I enjoyed much of my time there and can't wait to go back in August. In the days ahead I will blog about some of my experiences while in hanging in the Bluegrass State and visiting the state between Detroit and Kentucky (hint it starts with an O).

The past few days have gone by very quickly since I got back home on Wednesday. Mom and Dad have the grandkids at the trailer for a month and a half, leaving my brother and I to take care of the house here in Michigan.

Last night/this morning I spent some time hangin' with my boys at the AT&T store waiting for the new iPhone. I stayed with them from 9:00 last night until 3:00 this morning just shooting the shiz. Then I left to go to work and rejoined them at 7:15ish this morning to watch them complete their odyssey. We just chilled in lawn chairs and chatted it up. It was a great time. I really enjoy spending time with those guys.

As for future blogging I will not commit to a daily update but I do have some ideas to keep it fresh around here. Some of those ideas include:

Music Mondays - Just a look at some of the music I have been listening to over the week and a chance for you to check it out.

"What Happened When?" Wednesdays - I received quite a bit of positive feedback on my series looking at the real history that took place during the life and times of the fictional Indiana Jones. Since several folks seemed to like it, I was thinking of doing a blog every Wednesday profiling some of the historical events that happened on dates in the week ahead. This one is almost a sure thing and will begin this upcoming week.

Thursday Thoughts - Just a look at what's been rattling around in my head for the past week. Probably not weekly, but often.

Whatever Weekends - Taking a look at what's been going on in my realms of interest (ie: wrestling, NASCAR, television, world events, politics, ect.)

Future topics include:

Salvation
Christianity and Patriotism
Bad Words and Sinful Speach: What is it, Does it exist, What does the Scripture say?
Alcoholic Beverages: Use and Abuse, Is There A Difference?
More thoughts about the church
The Book of Romans

One other thing is a request. If you read this blog and see something that you like or don't, agree with or don't, or just something that you have any thoughts about whatsoever, comment on it. I would like to see this place as being somewhere that I can engage others and they can do the same with me. If we disagree or you think I'm wrong, let's talk about it on this blog. No matter if I know you or I don't, if we're close or not, I will treat you with respect as long as you do the same with me. Is there anything that you would like to discuss with me? If so, this is great place to do it. Is there something you'd be interested in knowing my thoughts on? Let me know, and if I have thoughts on it, I may dedicate a post to it. Point being, I'd like to generate some dialog and discussion but I would look insane doing it by myself. I want your help.

With that being said, I'm heading for bed. Let me know what you think of my ideas and if anyone likes them we'll see what we can do. Good night.

Church: What It IS!

2008-06-17T03:38:00.000-04:00

A man of God who I respect and trust has posted this in the comment section of another blog asking some of the same questions.

Here is some of what Ryan Young has to say on the issue...

"1. It is intentional... So you and your buddy are not the church unless you have come together with the intent of exemplifying the kingdom in a unique and powerful way.

2. It is not a building. I know we have heard this before but I wonder how you answer the question “what are you doing thing sunday?” I would bet cash money that in general we would answer “I am going to church.” Now someone might accuse me of playing word games here but the way the body acts today suggests that our poor use of language accurately describes our belief about where it is that we perform the functions of the church.

3. It is a community. This is a literal statement. Unfortunately we have bought into the American/Suburban gospel which has taught us that getting together twice a week was the spiritual equivalent of literal community. The scripture teaches that we (plural) are a city on a hill or the salt of the earth or the light of the world (these are all presented in the singular) meaning that we are not any of these things alone.

4. The church gathers regularly.

5. At these meetings everyone brings something (teaching, gifts, prophecy… “…When you assemble each one has a psalm, has a teaching, has a revelation, has a tongue, has an interpretation.” Additionally if revelation comes to someone other than the guy who is speaking he is supposed to sit down and give way. Hmm…

6. It is powerfully gifted. It is supposed to be the group to whom people come to be healed through prayer (not just a house of prayer) It is a group which exhibits supernatural love, hope, peace and so on.

7. It disciplines its own and does not judge those outside.

8. It meets the needs of 1. the brethren and 2. its local community.

9. It prays

10. It testifies of Christ.

11. It is governed by elders.

12. It is the body of Christ, meaning that it represents [re-presents] Christ in the world.

13. It is a body that worships"

I encourage you to check out Jesse Phillips' blog,where a similar discussion is being held.

A Music Monday

2008-06-08T23:35:00.000-04:00

I have something to tell you. It's something wonderful.

I am in the middle.

"Of what?", you may ask.

The answer is "a musical enlightenment."

I was born in 1983 and was raised by very southern, Christian parents. Growing up, I never was exposed to much music except country music while riding in the car and hymns & southern-gospel music at the church I was raised in. My parents never tried to convince me that rock music was the devil, but I wasn't really allowed to watch MTV or VH1 either.

I left public school after 6th grade and went to a small, pentecostal church-school from 7th - 12th grades. During this time I entered into a new musical phase of my life. A friend I went to elementary school with introduced me to "Christian" rock music in 1996/7. For the next 4 or 5 years, the only music that I would really listen to was dc Talk, the Newsboys, and other such religious rock acts. Looking back on that period, it's easy to see that most of that music was very bad. Most of it is not fit for anything other than a laugh. There were gems to found in that music for sure (Third Day, Bleach, Plankeye, and various songs here and there), but mostly it was just not that good musically.

In the year 2000, I happened to stumble upon VH1 Behind The Music profiling Lynyrd Skynyrd. I liked the rock sound of the band and loved the southern attitude that drove it. I had heard "Sweet Home Alabama" and "Free Bird", but until I watched this I hadn't heard much else. This planted the earliest seeds of my current enlightenment. Skynyrd was, for quite a long time, the only group I listened to as I pulled myself away from the religious rock scene. I also checked out emo (Taking Back Sunday, Saves The Day, The Get Up Kids), but I decided I'd like to not be so depressed all of the time and that the music was not all that good.

After a long period of time where I just listened to whatever was popular at the time, I met a new friend who is into a lot of music. He collects a lot of vinyl and also listens to some modern rock. After he learned that I like Skynyrd, he introduced me to the Allman Brothers Band and Eric Clapton. From there he brought me to modern times with the Killers and the Foo Fighters. On my own, I seriously discovered Elvis for the first time. Although I had heard his most popular stuff on the radio, I got to know alot of his more obscure material through Elvis Radio on Sirius Satellite Radio.

Between this friend and games like Guitar Hero and Rock Band I am getting taken on quite a journey through the history of Rock n' Roll.

Back in March, I had epiphany as I sat here on my couch. I need to know the Beatles, and after I get those guys down I need to know Led Zeppelin. So I went out that night and bought the album "The Beatles" (better known as "The White Album"). Since then I have bought and soaked in 9 of their 13 studio albums and their Anthology discs. I also bought the Led Zeppelin Boxed Set but have yet to really sit down and let them saturate my ears. Before I go on vacation in a couple of weeks I plan on grabbing the rest of the Beatles' studio stuff and maybe a couple of other discs to listen to while I'm away.

Just thought I'd share my journey with you all as I get ready to sit back and listen to "The Beatles" some more.

Feel free to throw out some suggestions on music for me to check out. Not sure when or if I'll get around to it but if I do check it out I'll let you know.

Church: What Is It? ...Continued

2008-05-30T10:52:00.000-04:00

In my last post "Church: What Is It?" I focused on on three thoughts...

1. In the Scriptural sense, "the Church" is not a building.

2. "The Church" is the body of Christ (the group of people who have been called out by Christ for service in His Kingdom).

3. The body of Christ gathers in many places and these gatherings can look different from gathering to gathering. These gatherings should not necessarily be constrained to any one particular place and time, but should happen regularly and must be real and fluid.

While all of this is true let me add some more to these thoughts.

There are many times throughout the week when I gather with members of the body of Christ. Sometimes I gather with them over something to eat/drink at a restaurant, coffee shop, pub, home, park, ect. When we gather, we hang out and talk and discuss life and often discuss what Jesus is doing in our lives. These are great times and this type of gathering allows my siblings (brothers and sisters in Christ) and I to engage in each others lives in meaningful ways and to uplift, encourage, and challenge each other along with holding one another accountable. While this type of gathering is good and necessary, is this a what a gathering of the church looks like?

In other words, while we know that the Church is the body of Christ, is every type of gathering (of the body of Christ) a Church gathering or are Church gatherings something totally different?

Church: What is it?

2008-05-25T22:07:00.000-04:00

If you were to walk up to most anybody and ask them what image comes to mind when you say the word "church" which of the following images do you think would come to their mind...

Example 1

Example 2

Example 3

Example 4

If you chose "Example 1", you have chosen wisely. Now I'll ask you another question. Which of these is a church? Anybody? Anybody? Bueller?? If you chose "Example 1", you have chosen poorly. Don't feel bad though, cause if you had chosen any of the other three you would have been incorrect as well. How could you have been wrong if you chose "Example 1"? The simple answer is that "a church" is not a building.

In the Scriptures, the Greek word ekklesia (or ecclesia) has been translated as the the English word "church". This word literally means a "gathering" of citizens, in an ancient Greek city-state, or a "called-out assembly"; usually defined as "gathering of the called-out ones" or “gathering of those summoned”.

When we read this word in the Scripture, it never refers to a place. It always refers to the body of Christ. If we, being those of us who are called out to serve Christ, are the body of Christ, then that means that "the church" is never a place. That means I am a part of the church.

If we look at the word "church" in this context, does it ever make sense to say any of the following:

- I'm going to church.
- What time does church start?
- I don't want to miss church.
- (Insert sentence using the word "church" to refer to a place <--- here)

Of course not! How do you go to church if you are already in the church? When does "church" stop??? How do you miss "church" if you are always in it?

The fact is that none of this "church = time and place" stuff would make sense to Jesus or the disciples. A wiser man once said to me that church is not about time and place, but church is about times and places.

One more question for you. Out of the pictures above, which of them shows a place where the church (the body of Christ) gathers? The correct answer is all of them. Whether it be at a building designated specifically for the gathering of believers in Wyandotte, a Starbucks in Dearborn, a Barnes & Noble bookstore in Royal Oak, or a pub in Taylor, the body of Christ gathers frequently at all of these places. These are all places where I have gone and had deep, meaningful experiences with Jesus and my fellow believers.

So the next time you sleep in on a Sunday morning there is no reason think that you have failed to meet regularly with your Christian brothers and sister, especially if you had coffee with a few of them on Tuesday, went to watch one of them play in a band at the pub on Thurday, and watched the hockey game with them on Saturday. If you're all fully devoted to Jesus, then it's highly likely that he was glorified during your times together.

On that note, I'm going to bed so I can meet with Aaron at Starbucks "Church" before I go meet up with Ryan at his house "Church". (<---sarcasm filled sentence went here)

Good day all.

A Short Review: Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

2008-05-23T01:55:00.000-04:00

The wait is over and the process of review begins. I have many thoughts on what I watched last night but I won't share them all right now as that would mean spoiling it for a few others.

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is a good movie and more importantly a good Indy movie. It is not like any of the previous three films, although it's tone is very similar to the Last Crusade and it's believability and pace are closer to Temple of Doom. Other than that is an all new, action packed adventure film featuring our favorite archaeologist.

In this film, everything happens in 1957 rather than the 1930's. The way in which this aspect is handled is perfect, complete with music, cars, dialog, costumes, and situations that fit the era.

There are subtle references to other Indy films and the TV show, along with a few nods to some other movies Spielberg and Lucas have worked on which I thought was a nice touch.

The entire first half of the film is pure Indy gold and I have nothing bad to say about it. After that there are a few issues I had concerning the story and the inclusion of a certain "character" at the end, but for the most part I believe it was handled right.

I think one of the problems of the film was it's overly fast pace. This led to a lack of time for character development, thus not giving the fans much of a chance to fall in love with the characters they are supposed to love and hate those they are supposed to hate.

Another problem was the over use of computer generated imagery. All of that CGI comes as a "film culture shock" after watching the older Indy films with nearly 0% CGI.

I would like to go on but if I do I run the risk of spoiling the film for anyone stumbling onto this site who hasn't seen it.

My official ranking of the entire Indiana Jones series is as follows

1st place: Raiders of the Lost Ark AND The Last Crusade (Tied)
2nd place: The Temple of Doom AND The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (Tied)

Raiders and Last Crusade have always been tied in heart.

As far as KotCS and Temple of Doom go, I think KotCS is at least as good as Temple of Doom was and will probably be moved up after a few more viewings. It's hard to beat an old favorite like Temple of Doom :)

Thanks for reading my brief but hopefully helpful review. If you have seen the movie and would like to comment, then feel free. BUT WAIT! PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE...NO SPOILERS! I would like to keep this blog spoiler free concerning the new film until everyone has had a couple of months to go and see this film. Thanks.

Until next time...

The Artifacts of Indiana Jones

2008-05-21T08:58:00.000-04:00

Henry Jones, Jr. is a professor of Archeology at Marshall College in Connecticut. As an archaeologist himself, Henry, who goes by the name "Indiana Jones", has gone on many adventures through exotic lands in attempts to recover ancient artifacts of historical significance. In this blog post, we will take a look at a few of the more well known artifacts Indy has chased after, along with a few that are not so well known. We will start with two of the pieces he chases in the film Indiana Jones and The Temple of Doom.

The Peacocks Eye

In Indy lore, the Peacock's Eye was a diamond once supposedly owned by Alexander the Great. He had it mounted, along with another large diamond, as the two eyes to a large golden peacock statue. After Alexander's death, one diamond was taken by Indian princes who cut it apart, while the other diamond was lost to history, though it had been rediscovered and clues were left to its whereabouts.

The real Peacock's Eye is also known as "The Koh-i-Noor Diamond." In 1600, this diamond belonged to the Mughal Dynasty. It was believed that whomever owned this gem would rule the world. It was set into the Peacock Throne at the Palace of Delhi (in India), as the peacock's eye.

When Persia's Nadir Shah invaded India, in 1739, he tried to find the prized diamond, but it was no longer in the eye of the peacock. It seems that Mohammed Shah, the defeated Mongol ruler, had removed it and hidden it in his turban. At a dinner, as was an ancient Asian custom, the Shah asked Mohammed to trade turbans. Of course, Mohammed Shah was destined to honor this request as per custom. When Nadir Shah removed the turban, before retiring to bed, the Koh-i-Noor (meaning "Mountain of Light") tumbled to the floor. It was thus named because of the large, fiery stars it made in the candlelight.

This stone then made its way to England in 1850. It was presented to Queen Victoria. However, by this time, the gem had a reputation of bringing misfortune to all its male owners. Queen Victoria knew of the diamond's history and made a strong request in her will warning that the crown should only be worn by the male ruler's queens. The Koh-i-Noor was set only in the crowns of the Queen Alexandria, Queen Mary and finally in the crown of Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother in 1936.

The Sankara Stones

In Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, the Sankara Stones were five stones given to Sankara by the Hindu god Shiva, along with the message that he should go forth and battle evil with them. One of these stones ended up in a small village called Mayapore located on the outskirts of India. This particular stone, Shiva Linga, was eventually stolen by the evil Thuggee cult.

In reality, the Sankara Stones are a type of Lingam (also, Linga, Shiva linga Sanskrit लिङ्गं liṅgaṃ, meaning "mark," or "sign,"), and are a symbol for the worship of the Hindu god Shiva. While its origins are debated, the use of this symbol for worship is an ancient tradition in India extending back at least to the early Indus Valley civilization.

The Chachapoyan Fertility Idol

The Chachapoyan Fertility Idol was a solid gold statue, six inches tall, representing the Chachapoyan goddess of fertility. The idol was hidden by the tribe's priests in a temple deep within the jungles of Peru. Braving the temple's deadly traps to stare into the idol's eyes became a rite of passage for young Chachapoyan warriors.

The fictional idol is steeped in reality as many groups and tribes worship inanimate objects in the hopes that the deity these objects represent will grant blessings to those who will worship it.

The Ark of the Covenant

The Ark of the Covenant is described in the Bible as a sacred container, wherein rested the Tablets of stone containing the Ten Commandments as well as other sacred Israelite pieces. According to the Biblical account, the Ark was built at the command of God, in accord with Moses' prophetic vision on Mount Sinai (Exodus 25:9-10). God communicated with Moses "from between the two cherubim" on the Ark's cover (Exodus 25:22). The Ark and its sanctuary were "the beauty of Israel" (Lamentations 2:1). Rashi and some Midrashim suggest that there were two arks - a temporary one made by Moses, and a later one made by Bezalel.

The Biblical account relates that during the trip of the Israelites, the Ark was carried by the priests ~2,000 cubits (Numbers 35:5; Joshua 4:5) in advance of the people and their army or host (Num. 4:5-6; 10:33-36; Psalms 68:1; 132:8). When the Ark was borne by priests into the bed of the Jordan, the river was separated, opening a pathway for the whole of the host to pass over (Josh. 3:15-16; 4:7-18). The Ark was borne in a seven-day procession around the wall of Jericho by seven priests sounding seven trumpets of rams' horns, the city taken with a shout (Josh. 6:4-20). When carried, the Ark was always wrapped in a veil, in tachash skins (the identity of this animal is uncertain), and a blue cloth, and was carefully concealed, even from the eyes of the Levites who carried it.

When Israel's King Solomon married Pharaoh's daughter, he caused her to dwell in a house outside Zion, as Zion was consecrated because of its containing the Ark (2 Chron. 8:11). King Josiah had the Ark put into the Temple (2 Chron. 35:3), whence it appears to have again been removed by one of his successors.

When the Babylonians destroyed Jerusalem and plundered the temple, the Ark entered the domain of legend. Many historians suppose that the ark was probably taken away by Nebuchadnezzar and destroyed. The absence of the ark from the Second Temple was acknowledged. The Ark is finally re-established to the Temple in vision: "Then God's temple in heaven was opened, and within his temple was seen the Ark of his Covenant" (Rev. 11:19 NIV).

The Cross of Coranado

The Cross of Coronado was a jewel-encrusted golden crucifix with a chain; named for Spanish explorer Francisco Vasquez de Coronado. It is believed to contain a piece of the cross Jesus was crucified on.

It was given to Coronado in 1520 by the Spanish conquistador, Hernando Cortez. At some point it was buried alongside other artifacts in a cave in what would later become Utah.

The Holy Grail

According to Christian mythology, the Holy Grail was the dish, plate, or cup used by Jesus at the Last Supper, said to possess miraculous powers. The connection of Joseph of Arimathea with the Grail legend dates from Robert de Boron's Joseph d'Arimathie (late 12th century) in which Joseph receives the Grail from an apparition of Jesus and sends it with his followers to Great Britain; building upon this theme, later writers recounted how Joseph used the Grail to catch Christ's blood while interring him and that in Britain he founded a line of guardians to keep it safe. The quest for the Holy Grail makes up an important segment of the Arthurian cycle, appearing first in works by Chrétien de Troyes. The legend may combine Christian lore with a Celtic myth of a cauldron endowed with special powers.

Belief in the Grail and interest in its potential whereabouts has never ceased. Ownership has been attributed to various groups (including the Knights Templar, probably because they were at the peak of their influence around the time that Grail stories started circulating in the 12th and 13th centuries).

There are cups claimed to be the Grail in several churches, for instance the Saint Mary of Valencia Cathedral, which contains an artifact, the Holy Chalice, supposedly taken by Saint Peter to Rome in the first century, and then to Huesca in Spain by Saint Lawrence in the 3rd century.

As we close this out let me thank Wikipedia, theraider.net, and The Indiana Jones Wiki for help in my research. I leave you now preparing to see the next adventure of Henry Walton Jones, Jr. in about 7 hours. The gaps will be filled in later. Until then, follow me, I know the way...HeYah!

The World of Indiana Jones: 1938

2008-05-21T01:10:00.000-04:00

In just 22 hours and 50 minutes (it's 1:10 AM now) I will be sitting in a theater, getting ready to enjoy the newest Indiana Jones film. The last Indy film to hit the big screen was Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade in 1989. The film took place in 1938 and was set primarily in Italy, Austria, Germany, and the Middle East. Let's take a look at the major world events from 1938, when FDR still was still President, stamps were still $0.03, the world was introduced to ball point pens, Superman, and Buggs Bunny, and Adolf Hitler was TIME's Man of the Year.

January

* January 1 - The Merrie Melodies cartoon short Daffy Duck and Egghead is released.
* January 3 - The March of Dimes is established by Franklin Delano Roosevelt.
* January 27 - The Niagara Bridge at Niagara Falls, New York collapses due to an ice jam.

February

* February 4 - Adolf Hitler creates the Oberkommando der Wehrmacht (High Command of the Armed Forces), giving him direct control of the German military, and sacks political and military leaders considered unsympathetic to his philosophy or policies.
* February 12 - Chancellor Kurt von Schuschnigg of Austria meets Adolf Hitler at Berchtesgaden and, under threat of invasion, is forced to yield to German demands for greater Nazi participation in the Austrian government.
* February 24 - A nylon bristle toothbrush becomes the first commercial product to be made with nylon yarn.

March

* March 3 - Oil is discovered in Saudi Arabia.
* March 12 - Anschluss: German troops occupy Austria; annexation declared the following day.

April

* April 28 - The towns of Dana, Enfield, Greenwich, and Prescott in Massachusetts are disincorporated to make way for the Quabbin Reservoir.

May

* May 14 - Chile withdraws from the League of Nations
* May 17 - Information Please debuts on NBC Radio.
* May 20 - Czechoslovakia orders a partial mobilization of its armed forces along the German border.

June

* June - Action Comics issue #1 is published, presenting the first appearance of Superman, considered the first superhero.
* June 19 - Italy beat Hungary 4-2 to win the 1938 World Cup (Soccer)
* June 22 - Heavyweight boxing champion Joe Louis knocks out Max Schmeling in the first round of their rematch (from 1936) at Yankee Stadium in New York City.
* June 24 - A 450 metric ton meteorite strikes the earth in an empty field near Chicora, Pennsylvania.
* June 25 - Dr. Douglas Hyde is elected the first President of Ireland.

July

* July 3 - The last reunion of the Blue and Gray commemorates the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.
* July 14 - Howard Hughes sets a new record by completing a 91 hour airplane flight around the world.
* July 18 - Wrong Way Corrigan takes off from New York, ostensibly heading for California. He lands in Ireland instead.

August

* August 6 - The Looney Tunes animated short Porky & Daffy is released.
* August 16 - Robert Johnson, father of Blues music (b. 1911)
* August 18 - The Thousand Islands Bridge, connecting the United States with Canada, is dedicated by US President Franklin D. Roosevelt.

September

* September 21 - A large hurricane (the New England Hurricane of 1938) strikes Long Island and southern New England, killing over 300 along the Rhode Island shoreline and 600 altogether.
* September 30 - Neville Chamberlain returns to Britain from meeting with Adolf Hitler and declares "Peace In Our Time"

October

* October 2 - Tiberias massacre: Arabs murder 20 Jews.
* October 10 - The Blue Water Bridge opens, connecting Port Huron, Michigan and Sarnia, Ontario
* October 16 - Winston Churchill, in a broadcast address to the United States, condemns the Munich Agreement as a defeat and calls upon America and western Europe to prepare for armed resistance against Hitler.
* October 24 - Minimum wage established by law in the United States
* October 27 - Du Pont announced a name for its new synthetic yarn: "nylon".
* October 30 - Orson Welles's radio adaptation of The War of the Worlds is broadcast, causing panic in various parts of the United States.
* October 31 - Great Depression: In an effort to try restore investor confidence, the New York Stock Exchange unveils a fifteen-point program aimed to upgrade protection for the investing public.

November

* November 9 - Holocaust: Kristallnacht begins - In Germany, the "night of broken glass" begins as Nazi troops and sympathizers loot and burn Jewish businesses (the all night affair saw 7,500 Jewish businesses destroyed, 267 synagogues burned, 91 Jews killed, and at least 25,000 Jewish men arrested).
* November 10 - The founder of Turkey, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, dies.
* November 13- The people of New York City held a fruit tasting contest held by managers.

December

* December 16 - MGM releases its successful film version of Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol. The film was originally intended to star Lionel Barrymore as Ebenezer Scrooge, but Barrymore, ill with arthritis, is replaced by Reginald Owen.
* December 23 - A Coelacanth, a fish thought to have been extinct, is caught off the coast of South Africa near Chalumna River.
* December 27 - 87 killed, a construction worker of domitory site hit avalanche by heavy massivie snow at Kurobe, Japan.

Undated
* The first cartoon to feature a prototypical Bugs Bunny, Porky's Hare Hunt, is released.
* The Schomburgk's Deer becames extinct by this date.
* Siam is renamed Thailand.

Notable Births

* January 8 - Bob Eubanks, American game show host
* January 21 - Wolfman Jack, American disc-jockey and actor (d. 1995)
* March 7 - Janet Guthrie, American race car driver
* March 18 - Charley Pride, American baseball player and musician
* April 8 - Kofi Annan, Ghanaian Secretary General of the United Nations
* April 11 - Michael Deaver, Reagan's Deputy White House Chief of Staff (d. 2007)
* April 29 - Larry Niven, American author
* May 31 - Johnny PayCheck, American singer (d. 2003)
* June 19 - Wahoo McDaniel, American football player and professional wrestler (d. 2002)
* July 20 - Diana Rigg, English actress, Bond girl
* July 29 - Peter Jennings, Canadian-born television news reporter (d. 2005)
* October 17 - Evel Knievel, American motorcycle daredevil (d. 2007)
* October 20 - Iain Macmillan, Abbey Road photographer (d. 2006)
* October 22 - Christopher Lloyd, American actor
* November 17 - Gordon Lightfoot, Canadian folk singer
* November 19 - Ted Turner, modern entrepreneur
* November 26 - Porter J. Goss, American politician and Central Intelligence Agency director
* December 5 - J. J. Cale, American singer
* December 29 - Jon Voight, American actor

Sports in 1938

World Series: New York Yankees defeat the Chicago Cubs, 4-0.
NFL: New York Giants 23-17 Green Bay Packers for the NFL title.

Now we come to a slight pause. I will not be looking at anything involving the new Indiana Jones film until after I have seen the movie. Tonight, before I go to the theater, I will be posting a look back at some of the major artifacts that Indy has gone after. This will include the Ark of the Covenant, the Shankara Stones, and the Holy Grail. After I have seen the film, I will be posting a look back at the year 1957 and a look at the legend surrounding the Crystal Skulls. Until then...

The World of Indiana Jones: 1936

2008-05-20T00:18:00.000-04:00

Raiders of the Lost Ark was the first film released in the Indy movie series and takes place during 1936. The largest majority of the film takes place in Egypt.

The World of Indiana Jones did not change much from 1935 to 1936 as much of the political unrest that would lead into the start of World War II was continuing to build. Let's have a look at the major historical events that Indy would have read about in the Papers in 1936, the year when Roosevelt was elected to his second term, a first class stamp still cost $0.03, and the world was introduced to electric guitars, helicopters, and the artificial heart.

January

* January 4 - England's first ever win over the All Blacks in Rugby Union, in particular the 2 famous tries by "The Prince" HH Alexander Obolensky.
* January 15 - The first building to be completely covered in glass is completed in Toledo, Ohio, for the Owens-Illinois Glass Company.
* January 20 - King George V of the United Kingdom dies. His eldest son succeeds the throne becoming Edward VIII.
* January 31 - The Green Hornet radio show debuts on WXYZ Radio in Detroit, MI

February

* February 4 - Radium E. becomes the first radioactive element to be made synthetically.
* February 6 - The IV Olympic Winter Games opens in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany.
* February 17 The first superhero to wear a skin-tight costume and mask, The Phantom, makes his first appearance in US newspapers
* February 29 - Emperor Hirohito orders the Japanese army to arrest 123 conspirators in Tokyo government offices - 19 of them are executed in July.

March

* March 1 - Construction of Hoover Dam is completed.
* March 7 - In violation of the Treaty of Versailles, Nazi Germany reoccupies the Rhineland.
* March 9 - Pro-democratic militarist Keisuke Okada stepped down as Prime Minister of Japan and was replaced by radical militarist Koki Hirota.
* March 17-18, "St. Patrick's Day Flood" - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, suffered the worst flooding in its history.

April

* April 3 - Bruno Richard Hauptmann, convicted of kidnapping and killing Charles Lindbergh III, is executed in New Jersey.
* April 5 - A tornado hits Tupelo, Mississippi killing 216 and injuring over 700. It is the 4th deadliest tornado in U.S. history.
* April 6 - Two tornadoes strike Gainesville, Georgia. The smaller tornado hit north Gainsville and the stronger tornado hit west side of town. The two paths eventually met but not the tornadoes. 203 die and 1600 are injured in the 5th deadliest tornado in U.S. history.

May

* May 5 - The Italian forces finally occupied Addis Ababa.
* May 7 - Italy annexes Ethiopia.
* May 9 - Italian East Africa is formed from the Italian territories of Eritrea, Ethiopia, and Italian Somaliland.
* May 12 - The Santa Fe railroad in the United States inaugurates the all-Pullman Super Chief passenger train between Chicago, Illinois and Los Angeles, California.
* May 25 - The Remington Rand strike of 1936–1937 begins, spawning the notorious "Mohawk Valley formula," a corporate plan for strikebreaking.
* May 27 - British luxury liner RMS Queen Mary leaves Southampton on her maiden voyage across the Atlantic

June

* June - A major heat wave strikes North America; high temperature records are set and thousands die.
* June 19 - Max Schmeling knocks out Joe Louis in the twelfth round of their heavyweight boxing match at Yankee Stadium in New York City.
* June 30 - Margaret Mitchell's novel Gone with the Wind is first published.

July

* July 13 to 14 - Peak of July 1936 heat wave. The states of Wisconsin, Michigan, and Indiana all set new state records for high temperature. At Mio, in northern Michigan it soars to 113°F (45°C)
* July 18 - Spain's civil war begins when nationalist troops under the command of General Francisco Franco rise against the legal republic.

August

* August 1 - 1936 Summer Olympics open in Berlin, Germany, and mark the first live television coverage of a sports event in world history.
* August 3 - African-American athlete Jesse Owens wins the 100-meter dash at the Berlin Olympics.
* August 14 - Rainey Bethea is hanged in Owensboro, Kentucky, in the last public execution in the United States

September

* September 6 - The last surviving Tasmanian Tiger dies in Hobart Zoo in Tasmania.

October

* October 11 - Earl Bascom, rodeo cowboy and artist, designs and builds Mississippi's first permanent rodeo arena at Columbia, Marion County, Mississippi.

November

* November 3 - U.S. presidential election: Franklin D. Roosevelt is reelected to a second term in a landslide victory over Alf Landon.
* November 23 - The first edition of Life is published.
* November 25 - Abraham Lincoln Brigade sails from New York City on its way to Spanish Civil War
* November 26 - The Anti-Comintern Pact is signed by Germany and Japan.

December

* December 10-11 - King Edward VIII signs an instrument of abdication at Fort Belvedere in the presence of his three brothers, The Duke of York, The Duke of Gloucester and The Duke of Kent.
* December 11
o The British Parliament passes His Majesty's Declaration of Abdication Act 1936 on behalf of the UK, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.
o The King performs his last act as sovereign by giving royal assent to the Act.
o Prince Albert, Duke of York, becomes King, ruling as King George VI
o The abdicated King Edward VIII, now HRH The Prince Edward, makes a broadcast to the nation explaining his decision to abdicate. He leaves the country for Austria
* December 12 - Irish Free State passes the External Relations Act to legislate for Edward VIII's abdication in that realm.
* December 12 - Xi'an Incident: The Generalissimo of the Republic of China, Chiang Kai-shek was kidnapped by Zhang Xueliang.
* December 29 - The United Auto Workers begins the Flint Sit-Down Strike in Flint, Michigan.

Notable Births:

* January 2 - Roger Miller, American singer (d. 1992)
* January 28 - Alan Alda, American actor
* February 11 - Burt Reynolds, American actor
* February 17 - Jim Brown, American football player
* March 11 - Antonin Scalia, U.S. Supreme Court Justice
* March 19 - Ursula Andress, Swiss actress, the first Bond girl
* April 10 - John Madden, American football coach and sportscaster
* April 21 - James Dobson, PH.D, Founder of Focus On The Family, child psychologist
* April 22 - Glen Campbell, American musician
* April 23 - Roy Orbison, American singer (d. 1988)
* May 2 - Engelbert Humperdinck, British/American singer
* May 17 - Dennis Hopper, American actor and director
* June 22 - Kris Kristofferson, American singer, songwriter, and actor
* August 18 - Robert Redford, American actor
* August 21 - Wilt Chamberlain, American basketball player (d. 1999)
* August 29 - John McCain, American politician
* September 7 - Buddy Holly, American singer (d. 1959)
* September 14 - Walter Koenig, American actor (Chekhov on Star Trek).
* September 24 - Jim Henson, American puppeteer, filmmaker (d. 1990)
* October 31 - Michael Landon, American actor (d. 1991)
* December 29 - Mary Tyler Moore, American actress

Sports in 1936
* Plans are announced for a Baseball Hall of Fame to be established in 1939, the game's supposed centennial, in Cooperstown, New York. In the first elections to select 15 initial inductees (5 from the 19th century and 10 from the 20th), Ty Cobb, Babe Ruth, Honus Wagner, Christy Mathewson and Walter Johnson are selected from the 20th century; the election for 19th century players is plagued by problems and results in no selections.
* World Series: New York Yankees defeat the New York Giants, 4-2.
* Green Bay Packers defeated Boston Redskins 21-6 for the NFL championship. The game was moved from Boston to New York's Polo Grounds.
* The Detroit Red Wings won the championship in the National Hockey League. Combine this with the Detroit Tigers World Series win and the Detroit Lions NFL Championship in 1934 and in one 12 month period Detroit played home to the Championship teams in the MLB, NFL, and NHL. This feat has yet to be duplicated by any other city.

The World of Indiana Jones: 1935

2008-05-19T00:37:00.001-04:00

Indiana Jones and The Temple of Doom is a prequel to the 1981 hit film Raiders of the Lost Ark. The film takes place in 1935 and is set mainly in two locations, China and India.

To understand the world in which Indiana Jones lived, let's take a look at the year 1935, when Franklin Roosevelt was U.S. President and a stamp only cost $0.03

January

* January 2 - The trial of Bruno Richard Hauptmann, accused of the kidnapping and murder of Charles Lindbergh, Jr., begins in Flemington, New Jersey. On February 13, Hauptmann is convicted and sentenced to death.

* January 8 - Elvis Presley is born in Tupelo, Mississippi.

* January 11 - Amelia Earhart becomes the first person to fly solo from Hawaii to California.

* January 13 - A plebiscite in Saarland shows that 90.3% of those voting wish to join Nazi Germany.

* January 16 - FBI kills Barker gang, including Ma Barker, in a shootout.

* January 19 - Coopers Inc. sells the world's first briefs.

* January 28 - Iceland becomes the first country to legalize abortion on medical grounds.

February

* February 15 - The discovery and clinical development of Prontosil, the first broadly effective antibacterial drug, is published in a series of articles in Germany's pre-eminent medical journal, Deutsche Medizinische Wochenschrift, by Gerhard Domagk.

* February 22 - Airplanes are banned from flying over the White House.

March

* March 2 - Porky Pig makes his debut in Looney Tunes's I Haven't Got a Hat.

* March 16 - Adolf Hitler announces German rearmament in violation of the Versailles Treaty.

* March 19 - Riot breaks out in Harlem, NYC after a rumor which claims that police killed a shoplifter in the S. H. Kress & Co. department store circulates.

* March 21 - Persia is renamed Iran.

April

* April 17 - Sun Myung Moon claims to have a revelation from Jesus telling him to complete his mission from almost 2000 years ago.

May

* May 6 - New Deal: Executive Order 7034 creates the Works Progress Administration (WPA).

* May 18 - T. E. Lawrence, English soldier (Lawrence of Arabia) dies

* May 24 - The first nighttime Major League Baseball game is played between the Cincinnati Reds and Philadelphia Phillies at Crosley Field in Cincinnati, Ohio.

* May 25 - Babe Ruth hits his 714th home run.

* May 31 - 7.1 magnitude Earthquake destroys Quetta in modern-day Pakistan: 40,000 dead.

June

* June 2 - Babe Ruth announces he is going to retire from baseball.

* June 9 - Ho-Umezu Agreement: China's Kuomintang government concedes Japanese military control of north-eastern China.

* June 10 - Alcoholics Anonymous is founded in Akron, OH by William G. Wilson and Dr. Robert Smith.

* June 12 - Senator Huey Long of Louisiana makes the longest speech on Senate record. The speech took 15½ hours and contained 150,000 words. [1]

* June 13 - James J. Braddock defeats Max Baer at Madison Square Garden Bowl to win boxing heavyweight championship of the world.

* June 18 - Anglo-German Naval Agreement: Britain agrees to a German navy equal to 35% of her own naval tonnage.
July

* July 6 - Tenzin Gyatso the 14th Dali Lama is born.

* July 16 - The world's first parking meters are installed in Oklahoma City.

* July 24 - The dust bowl heat wave reaches its peak, sending temperatures in Chicago, Illinois to a record-high 109°F (44°C).

August

* August 14 - United States President Franklin Roosevelt signs Social Security Act into law.

September

* September 2 - Labor Day Hurricane of 1935: The strongest hurricane ever to strike the United States landfalls in the Upper Florida Keys as a Category 5 storm with 185 mph winds, killing 423.

* September 13 - Howard Hughes, flying the Hughes H-1 Racer, set the airspeed record of 352 mph (566 km/h).

* September 15 - Nuremberg Laws go into effect in Germany.

* September 30 - U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt dedicates Hoover Dam

October

* October 2-3 - Italian army invades Ethiopia under General de Bono (replaced November 11 by Pietro Badoglio)

* October 10 - A tornado destroyed the 160 metre tall wooden radio tower in Langenberg, Germany. As a result of this catastrophe wooden radio towers are phased out.

* October 12 - Luciano Pavarotti is born in Modena, Italy. He goes on to become the greatest tenor in history.

November

* November 5 - Parker Brothers releases the board game Monopoly.

* November 22 - The China Clipper takes off from Alameda, California in an attempt to deliver the first airmail cargo across the Pacific Ocean (the aircraft later reached its destination, Manila, and delivered over 110,000 pieces of mail).

December

* December 9 - American newspaper editor Walter Liggett is killed in a gangland murder plot.

* December 27 - Mao Zedong issues the Wayaopao Manifesto: On Tactics Against Japanese Imperialism, calling for a National United Front against Japanese Invasion.

* December 28 - Pravda publishes a letter from Pavel Postyshev, who revives New Year tree tradition in the Soviet Union.

Notable Births

* January 4 - Floyd Patterson, American boxer (d. 2006)
* January 8 - Elvis Presley, American singer and guitarist (d. 1977)
* January 12 - Kreskin, mentalist
* January 16 - A.J. Foyt, American race car driver
* February 16 - Sonny Bono, American singer, actor, and politician (d. 1998)
* February 25 - Sally Jessy Raphaël, American talk show host
* March 1 - Robert Conrad, American actor
* March 15 - Jimmy Swaggart, American televangelist; Judd Hirsch, American actor
* March 27 - Julian Glover, English actor (Played Walter Donovan in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade)
* April 21 - Charles Grodin, American actor and journalist
* May 27 - Lee Meriwether, actress
* July 13 - Jack Kemp, American football player and U.S. Vice Presidential candidate
* July 15 - Ken Kercheval, actor
* July 17 - Donald Sutherland, Canadian actor
* August 20 - Ron Paul, Influential American, two-time Presidential candidate
* September 29 - Jerry Lee Lewis, American musician
* October 6 - Bruno Sammartino, Italian professional wrestler, former WWE Champion
* October 12 - Luciano Pavarotti, Italian tenor (d. 2007)
* October 20 - Jerry Orbach, American actor - Law & Order (d. 2004)
* November 9 - Bob Gibson, baseball player
* December 1 - Woody Allen, American film director
* December 17 - Cal Ripken, Sr., baseball player and manager (d. 1999)
* December 21 - Phil Donahue, talk show host
* December 30 - Sandy Koufax, baseball player

Sports in 1935
-Detroit Tigers defeat Chicago Cubs in the World Series, 4-2
-Detroit Lions 26-7 New York Giants for the NFL championship
-Montreal Maroons defeat Toronto Maple Leafs 3-0 to win the Stanley Cup

Come back tomorrow for 1936. Also, if you've been reading these Indiana Jones articles, let me know about it and what you think in the comments.

The Life of Indiana Jones (1921-1935)

2008-05-16T18:04:00.000-04:00

Today is Sunday, May 18, 2008. Before today, 18 years, 11 months, and 24 days will have passed since the last time fans went into a theater to see a premier for a new Indiana Jones film. Today that clock rolls back to 1 day, as a lucky crowd at the The Cannes Film Festival will be the first to view Indiana Jones and The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. After that, the rest of us will wait until the upcoming Thursday to experience the adventure.

With that being said, a few days ago I figured that I would post a couple of blogs looking back at the fictional life of Henry Walton Jones, Jr. and the very real word in which his character lives. As you read through this you will see the names of many historical figures. Next to these names is a bracket with a bit of info. I encourage you to look these names up and learn more about the interesting people that Indy ran into during his many adventures.

I started this look back on Thursday by profiling Indy's life from his birth in 1899 to his young teenage years in 1914. Friday I recalled Indy's incredible journeys as a soldier in WWI and how he became a student of archeology at The University of Chicago in 1920 after the end of the war. Today we will look at Jones' life from 1921 until the Summer of 1935.

From 1921 until sometime in 1922, Indy remained faithful to his study of archeology and graduated from the University of Chicago to complete his undergraduate degree. From here he moved on to a graduate program in linguistics at the Sorbonne in Paris.

In Greece, on his first properly qualified archaeological dig with his professor Dorian Belecamus (pictured left) in October 1922, Indy became embroiled in a plot to kill King Constantine (1868-1923: ruled Greece from 1913 to 1917 and from 1920 to 1922). Indy saves the king but loses Dorian when she is killed by a bullet meant for him. This experience refocused Indy's archaeological aims, which had been flagging somewhat after the routines of college, where only the lecturer Abner Ravenwood managed to make the subject exciting.

In 1925, Indy completed his graduate studies at the Sorbonne and took his first teaching job as a doctor of archeology at London University for the summer program. Here he romanced one of his students, Deirdre Campbell (pictured left), as over the following two years, they were swept up in various mysteries involving Stonehenge and the Mask of Comototz in Guatemala. Their turbulent relationship culminated in marriage aboard a boat off New Orleans. Sadly, in April 1926 during a search for the hidden city of the Ceiba, and the long lost explorer Percy Walcott, Deirdre Jones was killed in a plane crash that Indy only survived due to the grace of forces unknown.

Later that year, in 1926, while still in a bad emotional state, Indy joined his old archeology professor, Abner Ravenwood (pictured left), on a dig in Jerusalem. The pair found an artifact known as "the headpiece to the staff of Ra." Still reeling from the death of his wife, Indy romanced Abner's daughter Marion (pictured right). This led to a falling out with Dr. Ravenwood. The intense courtship was cut short as Dr. Jones abruptly left the Ravenwoods; he would not see Marion again for ten years.

The next ten years (1926-1935) in Indiana Jones' life were spent scouring the globe, getting involved in many different adventures: the quest for Noah's Ark on Mount Ararat, the search for the last unicorn's horn, the Philosopher's Stone, and the interior world of Easter Island; stories include cavorting with the likes of the giants, dinosaurs, sea devils, and vampires. All the while, Indy worked as a lecturer in various colleges around America and Europe, eventually settling in Marshall College in order to fund his expeditions into the world of archeology.

One of his later adventures in 1935 was the search for the Heart of the Dragon. While on this journey, Indy encountered Wu Han, who became a close friend, and also found, attempting to pick his pocket, the homeless orphan Short Round, a young boy who Indy would take under his wing and be friends with for years to come. While in China in 1935, Indiana Jones was hired to recover the remains of Nurhachi (the first Emperor of the Manchu Dynasty in China) by Lao Che, a Chinese crime lord. Indy agreed to do this job in exchange for a treasure that he learned was in Lao Che's possession - The Peacock's Eye, the treasure that had eluded him since 1919.

The end to this story is one best left told in visuals, as this is where the film Indiana Jones and The Temple of Doom begins. If you've seen the movie then you know how it unfolds and if you haven't then you should.

This concludes my telling of the early life of Indiana Jones. In the next few days I will be taking a look at the time periods in which the first three Indiana Jones films take place. Tomorrow we will look at 1935. Until then, I'm making this up as I go...

The Early Life of Indiana Jones (1915-1920)

2008-05-16T01:19:00.000-04:00

In just 5 days and 20 some hours, theaters everywhere will be crowded with people to see Indiana Jones and The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. With the release only a few days away, I figured that I would post a couple of blogs looking back at the fictional life of Henry Walton Jones, Jr. and the very real word in which his character lives. As you read through this you will see the names of many historical figures. Next to these names is a bracket with a bit of info. I encourage you to look these names up and learn more about the interesting people that Indy ran into during his many adventures.

I started this look back yesterday by profiling Indy's life from his birth in 1899 to his young teenage years in 1914. Today we pick back up in 1915.

Sometime in 1915 or early 1916, Indy and his father have left Utah and moved back to Princeton. By February 1916, Jones was working as a soda jerk and going to the local high school. The prom was approaching, and he hoped to get a nice car to drive his prom date in. The engine was broke on the car he borrowed, so he took it to Thomas Edison (1847-1941: an American inventor who developed the phonograph and the long lasting light bulb), who offered to fix it for free. However, Indy soon uncovered a plot by the Germans to steal some secret plans Edison had been working on for a new motor. Indy and girlfriend Nancy Stratemeyer were eventually able to locate the plans and trace them to Edison's assistant, who was then taken to jail. In an expression of his gratitude, Edison loaned Indy a Bugati, which Indy then took Nancy to the prom in.

In March, school was let out for spring break, so Indy and his father took a train to New Mexico to visit family members. Once at their destination, Indy and his cousin Frank secretly hitched a ride south across the border to "see the senoritas". Caught in a border clash with Mexican revolutionaries, and impulsively trying to get back a screaming woman's stolen dresses, Indy took off on horse back after the receding marauders. Hopelessly outnumbered and outmatched, Indy was captured and almost shot; however, at the last moment he was released by Pancho Villa (1878-1923: a Mexican Revolutionary general).

He joined this army of revolutionaries, playing a part in the Mexican Revolution of 1916. It is during this time that he met a Belgian man named Remy Baudouin, and the two quickly became friends. After learning the truths about revolution and warfare, and becoming disillusioned, Indy decided to join Remy in heading for the Great War (World War I) in Europe, a war he felt had to be fought. After settling a score with an old enemy, Demetrios, and recovering an Egyptian artifact that had been lost to Howard Carter and Indy during his first archaeological adventure in 1908 (see yesterdays post), Indy and Remy left Mexico in April, departing from Veracruz for Europe and war. (While Indy heads to Europe, Indiana-the family dog-dies.)

After a brief stopover in Ireland in time to witness 1916's Easter Rising (a rebellion staged in Ireland in Easter Week), and engage in fisticuffs with future Irish Prime Minister Sean Lemass (1899-1971), Indy and Remy reached London, England and the recruiting office of the Belgian Army (as this was not only Remy's country of birth, but the only army that wouldn't ask awkward questions about age) in May. Enlisting under the pseudonym Henri Defense, Indy, along with Remy, settled in to wait for their call-up papers. Indy spent this time falling in love with the young suffragette Vicky Prentiss, but his proposal was rebuffed and, heartbroken, Indy joined a newly-married Remy at the train station to head for Le Havre, France and basic training.

After seeing action first at Flanders, France, where all their superior officers were wiped out, Indy and Remy were sent to join with French troops at the Somme (France) in August. Here, Indy and Remy were subjected fully to the horrors and pressures of trench warfare, and were engaged in several pushes, a gas attack and the terror of German flamethrowers. Mistrust was rife in Indy's unit, but after some initial difficulties the unit pulled together enough to take their target. Victory did not last long as German reinforcements were quick to swamp the combined French/Belgian defense and Indy was swiftly captured while most of his unit was killed. Remy vanished in the confusion, apparently hit.

Indy was sent to a prison camp, where he joined an escape attempt already in progress. However, he was quickly recaptured and moved to a maximum security prison at Dusterstadt. After many escape attempts Indy, with the help of Charles De Gaulle (1890-1970: 18th President of the French Republic), broke free and, after a brief flirtation with the idea of heading home to America and continuing high school, rejoined what was left of his unit, including a recovering Remy, who Indy was happy to see still alive.

In an effort to get out of the trenches, Indy joined a courier unit attached to French High Command in September. When forced to deliver orders that would result in the pointless death of thousands of his fellow soldiers at Verdun (France), Indy sabotaged his own bike, thereby postponing the massacre, at least for a week or so. This action got Indy fired from courier duty and thrown back to the trenches, rejoining Remy.

While on leave in Paris in October, Indy engaged in a tumultuous sexual affair with Mata Hari (1876-1917: a Dutch exotic dancer and courtesan who was executed by firing squad for espionage during World War I), a first for young Indy. While it ended badly, Mata advised Indy to request a transfer to the somewhat tamer fight in East Africa. Indy followed her advice and, with Remy in tow, arrived on the African continent in November 1916.

Indy was promoted to lieutenant, and assigned to a unit near Lake Victoria (Africa). Indy's ego and haste, however, led to the two getting lost in transit, and while trying to get back to their unit and avoiding a court martial, Indy managed to get caught up with a team of old men under British Command, the 25th Royal Fusiliers. Here Indy was tricked into helping destroy a giant cannon mounted on a train and also fooled into kidnapping the German military genius Paul Emil von Lettow-Vorbeck (1870-1964), whom they were eventually compelled to release.

Jones and Remy finally managed to make it to Lake Victoria and join their new unit. During October, Indy and Remy join what Indy believed to be a fight for the indigenous population against the German aggressors. Indy quickly became a skilled, talented and rather vicious officer. During one charge, he disobeyed direct orders, continuing the charge despite an order to retreat. Because of Indy's quick thinking, however, the battle was won and he was subsequently promoted to captain, much to the chagrin of Major Boucher, his direct superior. His unit's next mission was to march across the Congo to retrieve a weapons shipment that ran aground in West Africa. The unit set off, and traveled through Christmas 1916 and into the first weeks of 1917. Unfortunately, the entire unit became seriously ill, and only a fraction of the unit survived. With the death of Major Boucher, Indy assumed command. However Indy had come to realize that this fight in Africa was between White men, fighting for African land, and began to wonder what he was doing there. Devastatingly at the units destination they were denied extra troops for the journey back and, still feverish and exhausted, Indy and a dozen men headed back onto the river.

Indy and his men promptly fell to the fever, but luckily were rescued by the doctor and humanitarian Albert Schweitzer (1875-1965), a German who ran a hospital in the jungle. Indy initially distrusted Schweitzer due to his nationality, but soon saw reason. From Schweitzer Indy learned lessons that would turn his life around: up until meeting Schweitzer, Indy thought he was becoming a man that would demand respect, a military man whose life revolved around orders and discipline. Schweitzer taught Indy a reverence for life and he and Remy pledged themselves to ending the war and the bloodshed.

To that end Indy and Remy joined the Belgian secret service before forging their own transfer to the far more efficient French secret service. The two were split up, Remy being sent to Brussels to become the French contact with the Belgian resistance, known as the White Lady. Indy was shuffled around to various fronts and missions, as French intelligence initially knew not what to do with him. After a brief sojourn as a reconnaissance photographer with the American volunteers of the Lafayette Escadrille, Indy was assigned a series of courier missions, such as a defection plea letter for the aircraft designer Anthony Fokker (1890-1939), and a desperate attempt for a separate peace with Austria. Indy then spent a few months in St. Petersburg, Russia in the Analyst Department, and he and his friends there become caught up in the Bolshevik revolution.

A promotion to military intelligence saw Indy back in Western Europe, and then as the main French agent in Cairo (Egypt), where his skills were brought to bear by his old friend T.E. 'Ned' Lawrence in the liberation of Beersheba in Palestine. Later, while in Italy, Indy struck up a rivalry with Ernest Hemingway (1899-1961: an American novelist, short-story writer, and journalist) for the affections of a beautiful Italian girl, who eventually married someone else, leaving Indy and Ernie with a lasting friendship.

As the war drew to a close, Indy saw missions in Eastern Europe. At one point, he was engaged to Molly, an American school teacher in Istanbul. Tragically, however, she was killed by a bullet meant for Jones. Indy's depression was somewhat lifted by his reunion with Remy; and the war's end found the two on assignment in the trenches to arrest an Indian officer. This snowballed into a post-war quest for Alexander the Great's lost diamond, the "Treasure of the Peacock's Eye" (a quest that would continue for over 15 years). The adventure took them from Alexandria to India and on to the South China Seas. However, after an illuminating run in with the Polish anthropologist Bronisław Malinowski (1884-1942), Indy realized that finding the diamond would have very little impact on his future plans, which was to finally start studying as an archaeologist. In fact, by continuing this wild search, he was only delaying what he had wanted since the age of nine. So he and Remy parted ways, with Remy's obsession with the Peacock's Eye leading him to unknown ends.

Indy headed home, but before he reached Le Harve for the homeward voyage he was brought on to work as a translator at the Paris Peace Conference, where his disillusionment with the war and politics became complete. He saw not only the seeds of a second world war, but also a war in Vietnam and every conflict in the Middle East for years to come. Indy was finally ready, after four years, to head home.

Indy's homecoming found his father emotionally unmoved. Henry Sr. acted as though nothing had transpired. This seeming lack of emotionality did not, however, outlast Indy's declaration that he would not be studying in Princeton, as his father had wished, but rather in Chicago. Indy left his father cold, and would not speak to him again for years.

At the University of Chicago and under the tutelage of Professor Abner Ravenwood, Jones studied archeology alongside Harold Oxley. During his off-campus hours, Indy waited tables at Colosimo's Restaurant, and frequented jazz bars with his reluctant roommate Eliot Ness (1903-1957) and jazz clarinetist Sidney Bechet (1897-1959). With Ness and Ernest Hemingway, Indy investigated the murder of his boss, nearly ending up a victim of Chicago's nascent mob families.

During the summer of 1920, Indy earned money for his tuition in New York theaters and back west in Hollywood where Indy took a job working for Carl Laemmle (1867-1939), head of Universal pictures. There while trying to get Erich Von Stronhiem to finish his film he encountered Irving Thalberg (1899-1936: an American film producer during the early years of motion pictures), Jack Warner (1892-1978: the President of Warner Brothers), and John Ford (1894-1973: an American film director famous for both his westerns such as Stagecoach and The Searchers and adaptations of such classic 20th-century American novels as The Grapes of Wrath).

As the 1920s come around, we find Indiana Jones much different than when we left him yesterday. While traveling around in the midst of World War I, Indy has experienced alot. Now we leave him as a student of archeology at the University of Chicago under the tutelage of Professor Abner Ravenwood.

Tomorrow we will take a look at Indy's life from the years of 1921 until around the summer of 1935.

The Early Life of Indiana Jones (1899 - 1914)

2008-05-15T08:36:00.000-04:00

With the new Indiana Jones movie coming up in just a few short days, I figured that I would post a couple of blogs looking back at the fictional life of Henry Walton Jones, Jr. and the very real word in which his character lives.

For those who are not very familiar with the Indiana Jones films or the hit TV show The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles the next three posts are a look at Indy's life from it's start until 1935.

On July 1, 1899, Henry Walton Jones 'Junior' (aka Indiana Jones) was born in Princeton, New Jersey to Henry Jones, Sr., a professor at Princeton University, (born in Scotland, in 1872) and Anna Jones (born in Virginia, in 1878).

Nothing is really known of young Indy's life between his birth and May 1908. One must assume that his childhood up to this point was fairly typical of a young boy at the time. In 1908, Henry Jones, Sr. embarks on a two-year lecture tour around the world together with Anna and Indy. From here onward, young Indy will encounter plenty of life experiences that will shape his life and mold him into the man we come to know and love when we see him in the movies.

In May of 1908, while traveling with his family, Indy meets his tutor, Helen Seymour, in England and travels to Cairo, Egypt, where he meets T.E. Lawrence (1888-1935: a British soldier renowned especially for his liaison role during the Arab Revolt of 1916-18) aka: Lawrence of Arabia. Once there, Indy becomes involved in discussions about archeology, mummies, and the afterlife. He also travels to the Valley of Kings where he meets Howard Carter (1874-1939: the archaeologist who would eventually open the tomb of King Tutankhamon). Later, young Indy explores a tomb from which a fire-eyed Jackal is stolen. Later that month, Indy and his family travel to Florence, Italy where he and his mother meet Puccini (1858-1924: an Italian composer). Indy is tutored in basic physics (the laws of attraction) as his mother and Puccini deal with their own awkward romantic attraction.

In September of 1908, Indy visits Paris, France and meets Norman Rockwell (1894-1978: a 20th century American painter and illustrator) in the Louvre. They sneak out to streetside cafes where they meet several other artists. In November, Indy meets Princess Sophie (1901-1990), the daughter of Archduke Franz Ferdinand (1863-1914: an Archduke of Austria-Este whose whose assassination precipitated World War I), at a riding school in Vienna, Austria. Sophie becomes Indy's first love but he is forbidden from seeing her again. Despite this, Indy sneaks into Belvedere Castle to see Sophie and exchanges gifts with her.

In September, 1909, Indy returns to Africa with his father to visit a plantation near Nairobi. While there, Indy meets Teddy Roosevelt (1858-1919: the 26th President of the United States), who is on an expedition to collect specimens for the Smithsonian. Indy helps Roosevelt out when he and a local boy go looking for a rare gazelle, Burton's fringe-eared onyx. The safari teaches Indy a great deal about the relation between man and nature, and Indy actually discourages Roosevelt from shooting too many of the endangered gazelle.

The start of 1910 finds Indy in Benares, India where he learns a great deal about the various religions of the world. He has a discussion with Krishnamurti (1895-1986: a popular writer and speaker on philosophical and spiritual subjects) and Annie Besant (1847-1933), the leader of the Theosophist movement, about the Buddhist, Christian, Hindy and Moslem faiths.

Continuing his travels eastward in March, 1910, Indy next finds himself in Peking, China. Unfortunately, he becomes very sick just after visiting the Great Wall of China. A cold rainstorm and a carriage accident only worsen his condition. After much debate about the merits of Western medicine versus Eastern medicine, Indy is treated by a Chinese doctor. Somewhere around the same time, the family journeys through the countryside of Russia where Indy runs away from his father and meets an 80+ year old runaway, fabled Russian novelist and troglodyte Leo Tolstoy (1828-1910).

A few years later in April of 1912, Indy visits England and is invited to high tea with Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (1859-1930: a Scottish author most noted for his stories about the detective Sherlock Holmes). Soon after, Indy travels on the ill-fated ocean liner, the Titanic. He and his tutor, Helen, narrowly escape the fate that claimed more than 1,517 lives.

Shortly after this, tragedy strikes the Jones family when Anna Jones contracts scarlet fever and dies.

Indy returns to the United States in June, 1912 while his father lectures in Boston. He travels a bit with Helen (it is her first time in America) along the New England coast and engages in a treasure hunt after hearing tales of Captain Kidd's exploits. Later that summer, in Utah, Indy acquires his famous fedora, some initial experience with a bullwhip and a lifelong horror of snakes. Indy also discovers that many treasures do not end up in museums, but rather in the hands of private treasure hunters when the Cross of Coronado is taken from some Indian ruins.

For the next two years Indy goes on many more adventures with his father, as his father has taken up quite an obsession: a quest to find the cup that Christ drank from at the Last Supper.

We end this blog in 1914, a year which saw the First World War escalate, the invention of the first true television, and Babe Ruth playing his first year of professional baseball. While the character Indiana Jones is the creation of someones imagination, the times and places in which his life is set were as real as the history books.

Tomorrow we'll see about Indy's life from 1915-1920.

Why I Hate Church Denominations

2008-05-06T08:39:00.000-04:00

I have been involved in the "church world" for all of my 24 years of existence. For the first 20 or so years of my life I was involved in the Free Will Baptist (FWB) "Church" that my parents raised me in. When you are raised as strictly in the church as I was, you are kind of brainwashed into believing whatever you are taught. This is not necessarily a bad thing. Much of what I was taught throughout my early and teen years was true. However, there were certain things that were taught and believed that were not in line with the Scripture. These things were taught because it was what the National Association of Free Will Baptists (NAFWB) dictated to be true. All of these things were based on Scripture in some form, but only in the sense that it was how the powers that be in the NAFWB saw fit to interpret the Scripture.

When I got to a certain point in life I began to read the Scripture for myself, not in the light of FWB interpretation, but in the light of Scripture for Scripture. When I did this, God revealed to me in his own words what He thought about many topics that the FWB teaching did not agree with what the Scripture teaches.

Unfortunately, many people are still in this realm of believing what is dictated to them instead of reading the Scripture and actually taking God at His Word. Have you ever wondered why Scripture would say something that seemed contradictory to what your denomination teaches? I sure did. From some simple do's and don'ts to important theological truths, the FWB had brainwashed me into believing what they said about any particular topic.

In the end, I am not saying that denominations are bad or that you should not be a part of a denominational body of believers. I am simply encouraging anyone who happens to read this to challenge what you're taught in the light of the Scripture. Does it line up with the whole of Scripture. Sure, a verse or two on any given subject could be used to make a doctrinal position but when you put 20 or 30 verses together does the doctrine still hold up? Seek out God in His word for yourself and do not be deceived my man's interpretation. If you do this God will show up and likely rock your world by breaking down the walls of wrong teaching and doctrine and He will probably change the way you think on many teachings you now hold dear.

I think that my next post will be about how it is not even Biblical to "go to church". Think on that for a couple of days. Leave any questions and/or comments after the tone...

(The Tone)

Wednesday is the Slowest Day of the Week

2008-04-30T08:41:00.000-04:00

Today is April 30, 2008. It's another Wednesday.

This day that is so inconveniently positioned in the middle of the week always seems to pass by as quickly as a snail crossing the road. Nothing usually happens on Wednesday. Every other day usually has SOMETHING going on.

Sunday - Body Gatherings (aka going to church); NASCAR races; occasionally wrestling PPVs; Mom's biscuits and gravy

Monday - No work; friends coming over to watch WWE Raw

Tuesday - New DLC for Rock Band; usually meet w/ friends at Starbucks;

Thursday - watch my friend's band play

Friday - Get paid; buy CDs; find out what next Tuesday's Rock Band DLC will be

Saturday - Weekend fun, Nationwide Series race

What day didn't I mention? Oh yeah...the one that has nothing happening to remember it by. Oh Wednesday, how I hope you go by quickly. Come Thursday, come.

HillRod, BaRock, and McCain-amania

2008-04-22T03:15:00.000-04:00

Last night on WWE Raw, all three of the mainstream Presidential candidates made pre-taped statements to pander to the wrestling fanbase for votes. Hillary, who called herself HillRod (like "HotRod" Roddy Piper) and Barack, who asked the question "Can you smell what BaRock is cookin'?", both look totally out of place speaking to a such an audience. We already know that Barack doesn't like a lot of wrestling fans since a lot of us are "bitter" people who "cling to guns and religion." Hillary is too high class (in her own mind) to be able to relate to a wrestling crowd. Meanwhile, John McCain, who spoke to all of the McCain-amaniacs, let us know that he was ready to "lay the smack down" in the "cage match in November." He also said he hopes to hunt down Osama bin-Laden and introduce him to the Undertaker! When I step back and take a look, John McCain is the only choice for wrestling fans (not to mentions those who love babies and enjoy not having to defend their homes against insurgents everyday).

"The Vicar of Christ" is in America and the red carpet is out.

2008-04-18T07:57:00.000-04:00

It has been roughly 215 days since I last posted a blog on here and I figured it's about time to get this going again. To any one who has ever read my blog here I thank you and encourage you to check back a little more often as I plan to be posting here on a regular basis again.

This entry will not be long but I've been thinking about this for a few days.

On April 15th, Pope Benedict XVI arrived in America to begin his six day visit to the States. This is his first visit to the U.S. since becoming Pope on April 19, 2005. Since coming here he has been formally received at the White House, met privately with U.S. President George W. Bush, celebrated Mass at the Washington Nationals baseball stadium, and addressed representatives of US Catholic Universities in a speech at The Catholic University of America. Before he goes back to the Vatican, he will travel to New York City, where he plans to address the United Nations, visit the World Trade Center site, and celebrate Mass at Yankee Stadium.

Since his arrival, the Pope has been covered almost non stop on our nation news networks. Entire Masses and prayer services have been shown as the news recognizes the seeming importance of this visit.

While watching some of this coverage, I was kinda awe struck by all of the hoopla being given to such a massive figure in the religious world. Throughout this I began to think about the return of Jesus Christ to earth. If you think they are covering the Pope up one side of his butt and down the other, just wait until the King of Kings and Lord of Lords shows up on the scene. Imagine his visit to America for the first time after his return. What will Lou Dobbs and Anderson Cooper say? Think about the Saviors first interview on Larry King Live! I wonder what Hillary and Barrack would do to try and get the spotlight back!? The coverage will be massive no doubt, and while I'm slightly interested in the Pope coming to America in the light of the historical significance, I most certainly will be on hand to greet Christ in the sky when he calls his people up to welcome him. All I can do is hope that someone sets my DVR to record the bodies bursting from the graves and all of us flying upward to be transformed into our new glorified bodies!

Well, that is all for this post but more are sure to come in the days ahead. Until then, keep that finger on the record button, cause my next post could be about my trip to meet with the King face to face.

Sitting in Christ

2007-09-16T01:48:00.000-04:00

The God of our Lord Jesus Christ,...raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come.
(Ephesians 1:17-21)

and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.
(Ephesians 2:6-9)

I am reading a book called "Sit, Walk, Stand" by Watchman Nee. The book is a study of Ephesians, which breaks the book down like this...

I. Ephesians
A. Doctrinal (Chapters 1 - 3)
1. Our Position in Christ (1:1 - 3:21)

B. Practical (Chapters 4 - 6)
1. Our Life in the World (4:1 - 6:9)
2. Our Attitude to the Enemy (6:10 - 6:24)

In the chapter titled "Sit", Nee talks about our position in Christ (1:1 - 3:21). Nee says

"Most Christians make the mistake of trying to walk in order to be able to sit, but that is a reversal of the true order. Our natural reason says, If we do not walk, how can we ever reach the goal? What can we attain without effort? How can we ever get anywhere if we do not move? But Christianity is a queer business! If at the outset we try to do anything, we get nothing; if we seek to attain something, we miss everything. For Christianity begins not with a big DO but a big DONE. Thus Ephesians opens with the statement that God has 'blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ' (1:3) and we are invited at the very onset to sit down and enjoy what God has done for us; not to set out to try and attain it for ourselves."

Later on, Nee says

"no Christian experience begins with walking, but always with a definite sitting down. The secret of deliverance from sin is not to do something but to rest on what God has done...when you cease doing, then God will begin."

With this revelation God has shown me some vital concepts. In discussing a particular struggle I was going through, my pastor explained that I had three options...

"Irreligiously--you can justify continuing in this struggle: (There are a) host of excuses that justify our sinful thoughts and ways. This, obviously misses the mark on reflecting God's glory."

This is the philosophy that so many who struggle with sin choose. Ultimately they are choosing to not deal with the issue at all. As fallen, sinful humans we would rather go on sinning than change. Change means that we will have to hand over a part of our lives to Christ where we have previously relied on something else (a functional savior) to provide a quick fix in that area. Trying to justify a sin shows that we don't want to place our faith in Jesus in this area of our lives.

"Religiously--you can just try harder. But this leaves you to do so only in your own power that leaves you with a cycle of disappointment or pride, both of which will not please the heart of God."

This is the state I was previously in. I hated my sin and I agonized over it constantly. I fought, and wrestled, yet I never gave it to Christ. I tried to overcome with my own power. Each time I fought, I lost sooner or later. Never once when asking Christ to take it did I actually let Him have it.

Finally,

"Repentance--this is the only way to live in line with the truth revealed in the gospel. To confess where we do not live in line with the truth and to understand that if we walk after the Spirit we WILL NOT fulfill the lust of the flesh (Paul to the Romans). Seek strength and change from God alone because with him, all things are possible and you CAN DO all things through Christ that strengthens you. Simply confess and reckon your life in light of the truth. In true repentance you will grow to reflect the Savior."

I had already heard this alot in my life but I never got what it meant to stop trying and just walk in the Spirit. The part I was missing was SIT and REST!

Nee goes on later in Chapter 2 to explain

"The Christian's secret is his rest in Christ. His power derives from his God given position. All who sit in Christ can walk, for in the thought of God the one follows the other spontaneously. We sit forever with Christ that we may walk continuously before men. Forsake for a moment our place of rest in Him, and immediately we are tripped and our testimony in the world is marred. But abide in Christ, and our position there ensures the power to walk worthy of Him here. If you desire an illustration of this kind of progress, think, first of all, not of a runner in a race but of a man in a car, or better still, of a cripple in a power-driven invalid carriage. What does he do? He goes--but he also sits. And he keeps going because he remains sitting. His progress follows from the position in which he has been placed. This, of course, is a far-from-perfect picture of the Christian life, but it may serve to remind us that our conduct and behaviour depend fundamentally upon our inward rest in Christ."

This has helped me to just chill out in Jesus. As He moves, I move in Him.

To a people with a very "religious" way of life, commanded by very "religious" teachers, Jesus made them an offer. He said

"Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls."
(Matthew 11:28-29)

Jesus, I appreciate Your offer and I accept. Thank You. I Love You

Who is The King of Rock?

2007-08-17T02:47:00.000-04:00

Yesterday was the 30th anniversary of Elvis Presley's death. Fan's worldwide took time to remember the man who many called the "King". After thinking about this term "King", I started thinking about the various "kings" of our culture. Anybody who has set themself apart in their particular field is eligible for "king" status. Elvis - The King of Rock 'n' Roll, Michael Jackson - The King of Pop, Arnold Palmer - The King of Golf, and Richard Petty - The King of Stock Car Racing come to mind. Not to mention the many professional wrestlers who have laid claim to being "lords" over the squared-circle.

All of these have their followers and I realize that I too get caught up from time to time in honoring some of these men for their accomplishments. However, none of these men would be able to excel to the levels that they have in their respective professions if the One Who is King over them all didn't allow it.

No matter what we do or what we may accomplish, Jesus is King and Lord over every facet of life. Some of these men who have had this title bestowed upon them acknowledged Christ at times in their life. Elvis was noted for not wanting the title of "The King" unless it was specified that it was Rock 'n' Roll that he was the king of. I wonder if Elvis ever took the time to stop and think that Jesus was the TRUE King of Rock. Many people who considered themselves Christ followers at the time of Elvis' heyday thought that Rock 'n' Roll was Satan's music, wrongly placing the crown on the devil's head.

Whether it be music (of any genre), sports, or hand-basket weaving, Jesus Christ is Lord and King over it, and we would be terribly remiss to not acknowledge this very fact.

Abraham Kuyper said it well when he said “In the total expanse of human life there is not a single square inch of which the Christ, who alone is sovereign,does not declare,'That is mine!'”

When Jesus returns to this earth, his tattoo will say it best...
"On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords." Revelation 19:16

Message In A Blog...

2007-07-10T22:24:00.000-04:00

I've not really been good at updating the blog as I might should be. My last two posts were kinda draining and with no feedback to respond to I just decided to let those stand for a while as a marking of how I felt. No need to go down that path here on this post though. There will be one final post on that topic but I am waiting for the officials to say "case closed" before I really am ready to discuss that again.

I watched Live Earth on Saturday and watched quite a bit of the stuff I cared to see on YouTube. I was particularly interested in seeing what The Police, Genesis, The Smashing Pumpkins, and the Foo Fighters would bring to the table and I was pleased with all of the above, except for the Police allowing Kanye West butcher Message in a Bottle. Other than that it was good to see the old guys like Phil Collins and Sting getting the job done like it was 1980, lol!

Yesterday and today I was granted opportunities to express my commitment to following Jesus and spreading redemption wherever I go. One person really was interesting to talk to. I was told that I was denying the power of God after I quoted Scripture to prove his legalism wrong. Another couple I spoke with really uplifted and encouraged me and really made me smile because it showed that the changes God is making in me are outwardly visible and I am happy that I am changing before people's very eyes. Sometimes you and the ones you're around all of the time don't notice when change is taking place in your life and it helps to get an outsiders perspective on what the situation looks like.

Well, let me leave you with something I was reading over the past few days from the book of Joel...

Joel 2:12-13 "Yet even now," declares the LORD, "return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning; and rend your hearts and not your garments." Return to the LORD, your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love; and he relents over disaster.

Remembering "The Crippler" Chris Benoit

2007-06-27T02:01:00.000-04:00

"The Canadian Crippler"
Chris Benoit

May 21, 1967 - June 24, 2007

Major Career Accomplishments:
WCW World Television Champion (3 times)
WCW/ECW/WWE Tag Team Champion (7 times)
WCW/WWE United States Champion (5 times)
WWE Intercontinental Champion (4 times)
WCW/WWE World Heavyweight Champion (2 times)

2004 Royal Rumble Winner
2004 Wrestler of the Year
2004 Feud of the Year (w/ Triple H)
2004 Match of the Year (WrestleMania 20)
Many more accomplishments in Japan, Canada, and Mexico

Became a Member of the Four Horsemen in 1996

As a wrestling fan for many years I have seen a lot of talent come and go, but none more intense or hard working than Chris Benoit.

Chris Benoit idolized the Dynamite Kid growing up, and because of him decided to get into professional wrestling. After training with the legendary Hart family and wrestling in promotions in Canada, Mexico, and Japan, Chris brought his talent to the United States at WCW.

According to Wikipedia, Chris Benoit first came to WCW in June 1992, teaming up with fellow Canadian wrestler Beef Wellington for the NWA World Tag Team title tournament; they were defeated by Brian Pillman and Jushin Liger in the first round. He wouldn't return to WCW, until January 1993 at the Clash of the Champions, defeating Brad Armstrong. A month later at SuperBrawl III, he took 2 Cold Scorpio to the limit, but got pinned with only 3 seconds left in the 20-minute time limit. At the same time, he formed a tag team with Bobby Eaton . After he and Eaton lost to Scorpio and Marcus Bagwell at Slamboree, Benoit headed back to Japan. During this first run I was not a WCW fan and only briefly remember him from this time period.

After spending some time back in the orient, Benoit came back to the states in 1994 and wrestled for about a year in ECW before returning to WCW. During this run Benoit rose to national prominence and stayed with the company as a rising, and later, main event star until around Jan. 2000.

After winning the WCW World Heavyweight Championship in January of 2000, Chris Benoit forfeited the belt and left WCW to go wrestle for the WWE. When Chris got to WCW it was as if he had to start all over and he had to work his way back up the ladder. From the time he came to the WWE until 2004, Chris won multiple title belts and accomplished alot. He broke his neck in 2001 and continued to wrestle for a period of time before undergoing surgery to correct the problem.

In 2004, "The Crippler" had his best year in the business. He won the Royale Rumble in January, beat Shawn Michaels and, incumbent champion, Triple H to win the World Heavyweight Title at WrestleMania 20, and at years end declared Wrestler of the Year by Pro Wrestling Illustrated.

Since losing the World Heavyweight Title in August later that year he won more titles and was the number one contender for the ECW Heavyweight Championship, now under the WWE umbrella, as of last week.

As a fan it is my privilege to say that I got to see one of the very best ring technicians work his magic in person at WrestleMania 23 this past April. Chris Benoit was one of the best in ring performers I ever saw and nothing can take that away.

Benoit, his wife Nancy, and their 7-year old son Daniel were found dead in their home this past Monday, June 25, 2007. Chris Benoit was 40.

The Benoit Family Tragedy (UPDATED 6/27)

2007-06-26T12:38:00.000-04:00

Yesterday afternoon, Chris Benoit, his wife Nancy, and their only child together Daniel were found dead in their Georgia home. Cause of death has yet to be determined although their is no one outside of the home being suspected.

Before the grizzly details of this tragic tale come out later today and in the coming weeks, I want to make it known that I love and cherish the memory of Chris Benoit. What happened at the horrid end could put Chris in a bad light, and there is nothing right about murder under any circumstances, but I will remember the Chris Benoit who entertained me for ten plus years and the person who showed more intensity in the ring and respect for the "sport" outside the ring more than almost anyone else ever. He was a true champion in the wrestling business. He earned everything he ever got.

I have been up for over twenty four hours and have been very upset about this whole story, but I will update this blog entry later with some memories of the Chris Benoit his fans loved and cheered for along with some of the hard theological truths God is teaching me throughout this most saddening event.

Till then, pray for Chris Benoit's family, including his two children from a previous marriage and also pray for any family Nancy had. God Bless The Benoit Family...

Pray for the best,
H (9:37 AM, 6/26/07)

It is now about 1:30 AM (6/27) and the details I am reading of the Benoit family deaths are even more sick and twisted than I could have imagined. Until another day or two has passed I am holding off on blogging about the tragic side of this story. I am changing the title of this blog and making a new post to celebrate the career of Chris Benoit. Once I am ready to discuss my feelings on the real life tragedy I will delete this post and replace it with a new one.

Continue to pray for Chris and Nancy's respective families as they grieve the loss of their loved ones.

(1:54, 6/27/07)

Totally Different

2007-06-11T20:30:00.000-04:00

As I sit here in my cousin's room at my Aunt and Uncle's home in Firebrick, Ky I reflect on the changes that have taken place in my life over the past year. Although I am still a bum living at home with my parents, and although I am still only employed at UPS working less than part time, I have changed alot over the last year.

Some of the changes are as trivial as the fact that my favorite show on Monday nights is not WWE Raw anymore, but has been replaced by '24'.

Other changes are more politically minded seeing as I no longer will base my votes as much on who is anti-gay but more so on who is serious about immigration reform.

My concern no longer is as much with people who say four letter words like hell, damn, shit, and fu...well you get my drift...but is more so with people who say four letter words like love and care yet show none to anyone who doesn't eventually benefit themselves.

I am still bothered by abortion and evolution but now more equally bothered by people who blow up abortion clinics in the name of Christ and those who defend the literal six day Creation story by obnoxiously shouting Bible verses in judgement and screaming that the evolutionists are going straight to hell.

I am also more bothered by me. I am the worst offender at times and I fail God on a daily basis, but instead of begging and pleading for God to rapture me out of this old world or let me die, I am asking God to change me daily to make me more of who He wants me to be and thanking Him for the oportunity to serve in His kingdom and live life in faith that no matter how bad it seemingly gets I am in my Father's hand and He will work everything out to where He gets the glory regardless of how bad my circumstances may seem.

Thank you Jesus for your continuous work in the redemption of my outlook on life. Let me always be Gospel minded, spreading redemption, and busy representing your kingdom, rule, and reign.

CHLOE! STOP DOWNLOADING THOSE SCHEMATICS FOR JACK AND GIVE ME A FREAKIN' HUG!

2007-06-05T12:30:00.000-04:00

Yesterday was a big day for the city of Trenton, MI. Arguably it's biggest native star came back for a very special homecoming. Last night the mayor of Trenton proclaimed June 4, 2007 as Mary Lynn Rajskub Day to honor the actress who plays Chloe O'Brien on the Emmy Award winning TV series '24'!

Since I love 24 so much I went and was the first person there (along with my two friends Spears and Decker). Because we arrived earlier than anyone else we were interviewed by our local Fox affiliate and were rushed to the front of the line to meet the hometown star. All in all it was a fun day. Thanks to the Mayor and City Council people of Trenton for treating "the five o'clockers" like stars and thanks to Mary Lynn for being so down to earth and a genuinely nice person.

Click here to see me on the news...

Confederate Memorial Day

2007-06-03T04:20:00.000-04:00

In Loving Memory of
John Bumgardner II
February 2, 1838 - October 9, 1891

A Distinguished Service Member of the 6th North Carolina Cavalry
in the
Confederate States of America

... and my Great, Great, Great Grandfather

Confederate Memorial Day

Author Unknown

The marching armies of the past

Along our Southern plains,

Are sleeping now in quiet rest

Beneath the Southern rains.

The bugle call is now in vain

To rouse them from their bed;

To arms they’ll never march again—

They are sleeping with the dead.

No more will Shiloh’s plains be stained

With blood our heroes shed,

Nor Chancellorsville resound again

To our noble warriors’ tread.

For them no more shall reveille

Sound at the break of dawn,

But may their sleep peaceful be

Till God’s great judgment morn.

We bow our heads in solemn prayer

For those who wore the gray,

And clasp again their unseen hands

On our Memorial Day.

Pentecost

2007-05-27T11:35:00.000-04:00

Today, many groups of congregating Christians will talk about Memorial Day, maybe about honoring the troops that have died to keep our country free, or possibly even the "soldiers" in "God's Army" that have laid down their lives to ensure that the Gospel message is spread.

I have no idea what the group I meet with will focus on but I wouldn't be shocked if it were Acts 2 and 4. While our group has been parked here in these two chapters for over a month, today Acts 2 has a special hallmark meaning. Today is Pentecost. In some sense it is the birthday of the church.

I don't have a lot of my own personal thoughts to give you on this topic except I encourage you to ponder on this a bit today and re-read Acts 1-2. Look at the events that lead up to this amazing experience. Think about what the Spirit did that day and how it affects us. Go ahead and read chapters 3-8 and see how what the spirit did at Pentecost affected the lives of the believers for the next three to five years. I would encourage you to read through the whole book of Acts and just bathe in the history of the church and the history of the spreading of the Gospel. As you read, pray that God would pour His spirit on you so, that with boldness and passion like never before, you will have a desire to glorify God, spread the Gospel, and live Jesus in every area and aspect of your life.

While your at it check out "The Internet Monk" and read his blog on this subject.