Every Christmas there seems to be some toy that is a must have but impossible to get. It is a genius marketing plow that drives demand. It creates a joy and rush in the journey or search for the toy. It begins with the quest through the ads or internet, then the franticness of running from store to store with the hopes that the treasure will be found, then, hopefully, it is followed by the adrenaline rush of finding the greatest gift of the year. And next year it will start all over with a different toy. As we look to the Christmas season, this shopping experience reminds me of the true greatness of the gift of Christ. He is the greatest gift, worth giving up all to get, but will not need to be replaced with another quest nor fail to be worth the journey. The joy of the Christian religion is not simply the journey, but what we have in Christ. He is sufficient, our all in all.

Isaiah 9

6 For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given;
and the government shall be upon his shoulder,
and his name shall be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
7Of the increase of his government and of peace
there will be no end.

Paul describes this as being realized in Christ in Ephesians 2

13But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. 14For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility 15by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, 16and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility. 17And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near. 18For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father. 19So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, 20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, 21 in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. 22In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.

The journey or quest pails in comparison to the gift. For those that are truly his, he never fails them, always satisfies them, and never leaves them.

Tim Challies shared a wonderful story on his blog about his son wanting a Playmobil castle for Christmas. This is not just a sappy story from the Hallmark Channel or ABC Family, it is a true story of a father and son and an expensive gift. It will warm your heart on an earthly level, and on an eternal level, leave you with a deeper love for the gift of salvation. I would encourage you to read the whole story on his site, but here is the wonderful conclusion (Spoiler AHEAD! Go to Challies.com right now if you don’t want the ending given away!):

My son’s motives were pure, I’m sure. He felt some measure of guilt in receiving a gift he felt we could not afford. And so he tried to repay me, but in a way that was inadequate, impossible and in denial of the very fact that what I gave him was intended to be a gift. I expected no repayment and took my joy in my son’s delight. His delight was my reward. And there is the lesson for me. God wants me to receive mercy and grace as a gift. Even my best efforts at repaying Him merit me nothing. What God desires is that I receive His gift as a gift and that I return to Him all the praise and the glory through enjoying what He has so graciously given me. He delights in my delight.

This is a sermon illustration waiting to happen:

DETROIT - Words to live by, from a warning label on a small tractor: “Danger: Avoid Death.” That warning was selected Wednesday as the winner of the 11th annual “Wacky Warning Label Contest,” sponsored by Michigan Lawsuit Abuse Watch. The contest is part of an effort to show the effects of lawsuits on warning labels.

In reference to Lydia’s conversion and Acts 16:14,  “Whose heart the Lord opened.”

Love to the saints has ever been a mark of the true convert. Those who do nothing for Christ or his church, give but sorry evidence of an “opened” heart. Lord, evermore give me an opened heart.

I am so thankful for my friends from south of the river (Kentucky). Several of them were a great encouragment to me in my Christian walk during high school. It is also nice that there are several annual rivalries we share, helping us to keep up with one another. There is the annual River Cup golf tournament, in which Edgewood retained the cup again this year. And then there is the IU vs. Kentucky basketball game, in which IU destroyed the Wildcats. Ben and I had a friendly blog wagger on it this year, so I want all the IU fans and Edgewood people to click over and enjoy the spoils. Thanks for being a good sport Ben!

I would encourage any readers to check out his blog on other occassions too.

 This is a shot of an icy window of a hospital room.

The Right Way to Leave a Church

Leaving a church is a serious thing and should be done in great caution. Mark Dever gives several suggestions on how to handle this situation in a biblical manner.

1. Pray
2. Seek your pastor’s counsel
3. Weigh your motives
4. Reconcile
5. Consider the work of God in the church life
6. Be Humble

All of these steps are to make sure you are doing something that will glorify God, but if you still must leave:

1. Don’t divide the body
2. Don’t sow discontent in your close friends and hinder their growth
3. Pray for and bless the congregation and its leadership
4. If there is hurt, then forgive

(HT: Matt Foreman)

I use this blog for multiple purposes, one of which is to put information down that I want record of and can easily find and reference. This post is for that purpose.

Mark Dever’s 5 Points of Criticism

1. Directly, not indirectly: Don’t imply the criticism, be direct.
2. Seriously, not humorously: If something is worth correcting show respect to others by taking it seriously.
3. As if it is important, not casually: Don’t criticize on insignificant things.
4. Privately, not publicly: Honor your friend, and don’t create negative views of them in other’s eyes.
5. Out of love to them, not to express your feelings or frustrations: “honesty” is sometimes simply frustration. Focus on their need and not your frustration.
6. End with Encouragment: This one was added by another after observing how Mark Dever handles situations. Don’t lose the criticism by flattery, slip it in, flattery, but deal directly and then re-enforce your love for the one you are dealing with.

What a great lunch break today!  We love watching Ty hurl himself onto a sled.

For those wondering how to handle the upcoming fantasy triology, The Golden Compass, Dr. Mohler has written a helpful review and commentary on the film and it’s author. His insight is educated (like Dr. Mohler would be anything but), balanced, and applicational. Here a few blips from his review:

First of all, The Golden Compass is an extremely attractive movie. Like the book on which it is based, the movie is a very sophisticated story that is very well told. The casting was excellent. Nicole Kidman and Daniel Craig (the latest James Bond actor) are joined by others including Sam Elliott and newcomer Dakota Blue Richards, who plays the central role of 11-year-old Lyra Belacqua. Kidman is chilling as the beautiful but evil Marisa Coulter and Craig is perfect as Lord Asriel. Actor Ian McKellen (Gandalf in the Lord of the Rings trilogy) is the voice of Iorek Byrnison, the armoured bear.

The movie is very well done and will be very attractive to audiences of all ages. The special effects are superior to any previous movie of the type, including the Lord of the Rings trilogy (also released by New Line Cinema). Everything is in place for this to be a blockbuster at the box office.

If you stop reading right there, then one would run out and watch with no reservation. However, the basis for the movie should make one hesitate:

This is not just any fantasy trilogy or film project. Philip Pullman has an agenda — an agenda about as subtle as an army tank. His agenda is nothing less than to expose what he believes is the tyranny of the Christian faith and the Christian church. His hatred of the biblical storyline is clear. He is an atheist whose most important literary project is intended to offer a moral narrative that will reverse the biblical account of the fall and provide a liberating mythology for a new secular age….

Pullman’s attack on biblical Christianity is direct and undeniable. He once questioned why his books attracted little controversy even as the Harry Potter books attracted so much. He told an Australian newspaper that what he is “saying things that are far more subversive than anything poor old Harry has said. My books are about killing God.”

Mohler goes on to demonstrate that Pullman is not subtle in his views.

In the last volume of the trilogy, a character known as Dr. Mary Malone explains her discovery to Lyra and Will: “I used to be a nun, you see. I thought physics could be done to the glory of God, till I saw there wasn’t any God at all and that physics was more interesting anyway. The Christian religion is a very powerful and convincing mistake, that’s all.”

This is not an isolated incident in Pullman’s books either, the entire intent appears to be a reversing of a Christian worldview. So what is the Christian response?

A good first step would be to take a deep breath. The Christian faith is not about to be toppled by a film, nor by a series of fantasy books. Pullman has an agenda that is clear, and Christians need to inform themselves of what this agenda is and what it means. At the same time, nothing would serve his agenda better than to have Christians speaking recklessly or unintelligently about the film or the books….

I can only wonder how many parents and grandparents will allow children and young people to see the movie and then buy them the books — blissfully unaware of what is coming in books two and three.

The Gospel of Jesus Christ has enemies; this we know. Christian parents must be informed about His Dark Materials and inform others. We must take the responsibility to use interest in this film to teach our own children to think biblically and to be discerning in their engagement with the media in all forms. We should arm our children to be able to talk about this project with their classmates without fear or rancor.

Philip Pullman has an agenda, but so do we. Our agenda is the Gospel of Christ — a message infinitely more powerful than that of The Golden Compass.

Hopefully now you are better informed.