Kris Lungaard has written the helpful book The Enemy Within. It is really a modernization of John Owen’s Sin and Temptation. I wanted to post the links to several lectures or sermons he gave on the book. As our church has been going through Jerry Bridges Pursuit of Holiness, I thought these sermons would be a great accompanying source. Click on the picture to go to the audio sermons.

(HT: Justin Taylor)

Here are two helpful on the subject which are well thought out  and may be helpful in making a good decision.

• Give Me Some Sugar Baby: The holy, hellish, hodgepodge history of Halloween at VOX POP from Mars Hill Church

• Halloween Fast Approaches at Challies Dot Com

This is from the Barna Research Group:

More than four out of five Americans claim to be Christian and half as many can be classified as born again Christians. Nine out of ten adults own a Bible. Most adults read the Bible during the year and a huge majority claime they know all the basic teachings of the Bible. How, then, can most people say Satan does not exist, that the Holy Spirit is merely as symbol, that eternal peace with God can be earned through good works, and that truth can only be understood through the lens of reason and experience? How can a plurality of our citizens contend that Jesus committed sins and that the Bible, Koran, and Book of Mormon all teach the same truth?

In a sound bit society you get sound bite theology. Americans are more likely to buy simple sayings than a system of truth that takes time and concentration to grasp. People are more prone to embrace diversity, tolerance and feeling good than judgment, discernment, righteousness and limitations. People are more focused on temporal security than eternal security and its temporal implications…We are only fooling ourselves; God will not be mocked.

Dr. Mohler recently discussed a study done at Cornell University on the relationship between Autism and Television.

The researchers studied autism incidence in California, Oregon, Pennsylvania, and Washington state. They found that as cable television became common in California and Pennsylvania beginning around 1980, childhood autism rose more in the counties that had cable than in the counties that did not. They further found that in all the Western states, the more time toddlers spent in front of the television, the more likely they were to exhibit symptoms of autism disorders.

The Cornell study represents a potential bombshell in the autism debate. “We are not saying we have found the cause of autism, we’re saying we have found a critical piece of evidence,” Cornell researcher Michael Waldman told me.

The advice of the researchers is that children under two should watch no television.  It is an interesting article.  I am not fully convinced, but it may be opening a door for new findings.  Now admittedly I am am one that enjoys watching TV, but it made me think could it be that some of the disorders, ADD etc.,  that are now popping up at a fast growing rate in Elementary Schools across our country may have some ties to this as well?  Maybe we are finding out that TV and Movies do have more of an impact on us that we think.  For a young child it may stiffle his imagination, form an unreal sense of reality, ignite passions that should be left alone, establish a very faulty worldview and moral system, etc..

I am going to let you all guess what this word is that Kara spelled all by herself:

btadoy

First one to guess it right gets a free ESV NT.

9Marks ministries regularly has interviews with great pastors or theologians. This month there is an great interview with the eldest daughter of Lloyd-Jones.  So get out your MP-3 Players or WMP and listen away.  There are many great stories and a wonderful perspective on the lost being able to comprehend theology and the gospel through the Holy Spirits work in the preaching of the gospel.
Here is the summary:

How often do you get to hear the children of great ministers reminisce about their father’s ministry? Listen in as Lady Elizabeth Catherwood, daughter of Martyn Lloyd-Jones, and her husband Sir Fred recount stories of the famed British preacher.

Listen Here

(HT: Justin Taylor)

My mind has been working fuzzy under some pain medication this week, but some of the thoughts have been fun.

1. Why do emergent people who are all about being relevant use words like Missional? They are often on others for using words and language that the lost cannot comprehend. However, when they use words like this don’t they become unrelevant to the lost and the church? How about language like, Love your neighbor as yourself? That just isn’t as clever.
2. What does the phrase ‘run like the wind’ mean? Is that an encouragment to run fast or in circles like a tornado? Are you to gust or to be a gentle breeze? Anyone know where this phrase came from?

I am so excited about our new phone, VOIP from SunRocket. Check out all the features:

Some of my favorite things about SunRocket:  Unlimited calls for 1/3 of what my basic phone service cost was, Free voicemail that you can check from anywhere you have internet access, plus you can have your voicemail e-mailed to you, free caller ID, and $3 of free international calls a month (at .03 cents a minute to the UK that is 100 minutes).  So far I cannot find any hidden cost or catches.
If you live in an area where it works and have broadband or DSL, I can send you a code that will give you two years for the price of one. Unlimited calls for 9.95 a month! Technology is great.

No really, this is not a joke!  This reminds me that I need to write that article on Christianity becoming a brand.  Is this the first time in church history that a pastor has gotten his own board game?  I guess if you don’t want to read the book, don’t want to listen to it on CD, don’t want to watch the DVD, don’t have time to read the devotional form, you can always play the game, that is if you are 16 or older?  Thanks to Dr. Moore for the link.  Please read Dr. Moore’s commentary for in-depth insight.