Who Is The Audience?

Here's a quote from the book True Worship: Traditional. Contemporary. Biblical., that our Sunday school class has been studying.

"If our goal is to make worship more appealing and welcoming, then before addressing how it can be accomplished, we must determine to whom worship should appeal. And it is at this point that we can become guilty of what might be called carte ante horsum. For if true worship is based on a right relationship with God, as the Bible illustrates, then those who are not right with God cannot worship Him and should not pretend to. Adapting our worship so that it appeals to the unconverted, threfore, is a case of carte ante horsum, of putting the cart before the horse! As we study the Bible, we find that worship is not meant to be a practice by which a person becomes right with God; rather, worship is the outward expression of a heart that is right with God."

Future President?

Check out this blog at www.defineconservatism.com. The kid also wrote a book called Define Conservatism.

How can a 13 year old boy get it, when it seems that the majority of Americans are cluelessly infatuated with the destructive policies of socialism and Marxism promoted by the left?

Empty Me

Here are the lyrics to one of my favorite songs, Chris Sligh's "Empty Me"

I've had just enough of the spotlight when it burns bright
To know how it gets in the blood.
And I've had just enough of the sweet life and the wild ride
And found a little is not quite enough.
I know how I can stray
And how fast my heart could change.

Empty me of the selfishness inside
Every vain ambition and the poison of my pride
And any foolish thing my heart holds to
Lord empty me of me so I can be filled with you.

I've seen just enough of the quick buys of the best lies
To know how prodigals can be drawn away.
I know how I can stray
And how fast my heart could change.

Empty me of the selfishness inside
Every vain ambition and the poison of my pride
And any foolish thing my heart holds to
Lord empty me of me so I can be filled with you.

Cause everything is a lesser thing
Compared to you, compared to you.
Cause everything is a lesser thing
Compared to you. So, I surrender all!

Empty me of the selfishness inside
Every vain ambition and the poison of my pride
Empty me of the selfishness inside
Every vain ambition and the poison of my pride
And any foolish thing my heart holds to
Lord, empty me of me so I can be
Lord, empty me of me so I can be filled with you.


And here is a video of Chris performing an acoustical version in a wedding.

Inner Zombies

According to an article in Discover Magazine from October 2008 (which can be read here) you just might have an inner zombie. It claims that "our self-aware part is not always in charge" and "that we are deeply influenced by perceptions, thoughts, feelings, and desires about which we have no awareness." After explaining a number of studies which help support the concept and a few that seem to create doubts, the author states, "it may be that our conscious and unconscious minds are parallel systems, each specialized for handling different kinds of tasks." This is the conclusion I came to with the facts presented.

So, what about this "inner zombie"thing? Consider Proverbs 23:7, "For as he thinks within himself, so he is." We are what we think. Christ teaches this principle in His sermon on the mount when He addressed murder and adultery. The thoughts of the heart work to the surface and reveal themselves in our actions. So "watch over your heart with all diligence, for from it flow the springs [or actions] of life" (Prov 4:23). Christ confirms this truth in Luke 6:45 teaching, "A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh."

There is truth to the author's statement "that our self-aware part is not always in charge." We don't always think before we act or speak. Therefore we must be on guard as to what we allow into our hearts, to shape our thinking, and to form our natural responses. We must consistently plan ahead spiritually by training our minds with the Word that completes us and equips us for every good work (2Tim 3:16-17).

Hey! It's Free

I just threw on another link over there on the right. The site is called Hey! It's Free. And as you might have guessed, it's all about free stuff. Most of it useless but some handy, some helpful, and some, you can't live without (not really or it wouldn't be free). Have fun getting free stuff sent to you, but let me throw out a warning. You might consider setting up a junk email account to use to register for this stuff otherwise you might get slammed pretty hard.