Take Advantage of Your Calvinism

Good wisdom from my friend Josh Nelson - we were talking the other day about worrying. Josh made the point that if we believe in the absolute, unflinching sovereignty of God (which we do), then worry and anxiety become absolutely ridiculous. Yet, we so often fall into those traps. So, if you're going to be a Calvinist, you might as well take advantage of the solace that those truths bring. To ruminate on theological theory without it ever affecting our daily lives is an exercise in foolishness and futility. This has all hit close to home for me today as Heather and I enter the second day after our daughter's due date. I'm constantly fretting over when she's going to be born. I've made the comment several times that "she's late." However, the more I reflect on God today, the more I realize that whenever my baby girl shows up, she'll be right on time. Everything always is.

The Anti-T.O., Part 2

Last month, I posted about a great story of sportsmanship from an obscure Pacific Northwest division II college softball game. Here's an ESPN segment on the event...



HT: Justin Taylor

The Real Original Office

Many of you probably know that the hit TV show The Office is based on the British version of the show. What you probably didn't know is that the British version is actually based on the real original version of The Office - the Japanese version.

The Waiting Game

Well, my wife's due date has finally arrived - which basically means I'm spending every waking moment wondering when our daughter is finally going to decide to show up. A strange cocktail of excitement and nervousness is the order of the day. Pray for my sanity.

Friday's Featured Film - 6/13/08

New movies are usually released to theaters every Friday, but who’s got 10 bucks these days to drop on a movie that may well be a load of crap? Given those odds, each Friday I offer an alternative on DVD that you can rent at your local video store (or in some cases, avoid at all costs). Some will be new releases, others you may have to hunt for, but all of them are available to light up your small screen should it be a lazy Friday night.

Signs

Today, director M. Night Shyamalan (The Sixth Sense) releases his latest thriller, The Happening. Shyamalan has been called by many the heir to Hitchcock’s throne, and he is one of my favorite directors around today. While the horror genre is being swallowed up by movies that trade characters and suspense for mindless gore, Shyamalan is making movies that are truly terrifying and yet tinged with hope. His movies are quiet, introspective, deliberately paced, and renowned for their twist endings – and along the way the audience is seldom bored and never cheated. His masterpiece, in my opinion, is 2002’s Signs, an alien-invasion movie unlike any you’ve ever seen that paints a beautiful picture of the providence of God. If I were to compile a list of my 10 favorite films of all time (a near impossible task), Signs would certainly be on it.

The movie focuses on Graham Hess (Mel Gibson), a former minister who has abandoned his faith after a horrible tragedy. He now lives a quiet life on a Pennsylvania farm with his children, Morgan (Rory Culkin) and Bo (the adorable Abigail Breslin in her debut performance), and his brother Merrill (Joaquin Phoenix). The Hesses’ quiet life is interrupted, however, when a mysterious crop circle appears in their cornfield. As Graham and his family seek answers about their mysterious sign, a series of strange events begins to unfold, plunging this family into a struggle for their very survival but also into a discovery of long-lost hope.

Shyamalan delivers a film that is terrifying in its subtlety. We see no hulking monsters, just shadows in the dark. We hear no pounding music, just James Newton Howard’s simple, haunting, and yet beautiful theme. We see no blockbuster shots of buildings exploding or spaceships streaking across the sky, just a focus on one family’s plight amidst a world in turmoil. The acting is likewise moving in its understatement. Gibson delivers one of the best performances of his career. In a scene in which he is forced to confront long-repressed memories of his past, he communicates immeasurable grief with but a few seconds of facial expression. Shyamalan repeats his uncanny ability to get child actors to make you forget that they’re child actors and finds another breakout talent in Breslin. In his trademark nod to Hitchcock, he even shows up onscreen himself in a key role. This film will leave you physically shaken, but it is also moving on a deep and unexpected level. I can’t go into detail without ruining the film, but let me simply say that those of you with a deep trust in a sovereign and loving God will find much to celebrate in this movie. Signs is a cinematic suspense masterpiece, but what truly sticks with me is its simple spiritual truth that can sadly be so easy to forget. If it’s as dreary and rainy where you are as it is here in Louisville tonight, go give this one a spin through your DVD player and savor a film that will stay with you for quite a while. - **** (out of 4)

Signs is rated PG-13 for some frightening moments.

So THAT'S Where Those Mismatched Socks Keep Going...

Ever wonder how stuff seems to just disappear from your house? Maybe you should check your closet.

HT: Joshua Harris

Unpimp Ze Auto

One of the best series of commmercials of the decade - for your Friday viewing pleasure.

A Step in the Right Direction

Encouraging news out of this week's annual meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention - a resolution has passed on the importance of regenerate church membership in SBC churches. Dr. Tom Ascol over at the Founders' Blog has been submitting resolutions on this topic for several years, but each one has been voted down in committee and prevented from even coming to the floor of the convention for a vote. The resolution calls for our churches to give new focus to many areas where we have betrayed our Baptist convictions as well as the teaching of Scripture including the process of membership, the maintaining of rolls, and church discipline. I celebrate this resolution and pray that it is a sign of changing attitudes within our convention. I would encourage you to read Dr. Ascol's thoughts on the resolution.

Sola5 Wednesday Recap - 6/11/08

This weekly topic is an effort to recap the Wednesday night Bible study I teach at Sola5, my youth group. I hope it serves to help us all in contemplating the ceaseless riches of God’s grace as revealed through the Scriptures.

Last night, we continued our summer Q&A series by answering the question, “What does it mean to fear God?” We began by looking at two extreme views that we’re often tempted to take of the fear of God. The first is what we called “Angry Grandpa God.” This is the view that often tends to caricature God as an angry old man who is out to get sinners. As one of our students pointed out, this is the picture of God as a kid sitting on an anthill with a magnifying glass glibly roasting the creatures below. People with this view love to talk about the fear of God as it relates to his anger over sin. The prime extreme example of this view in today’s society is “Pastor” Fred Phelps’ “church” in Kansas that pickets the funerals of homosexuals with signs declaring “God hates fags.” This view is an affront and an insult to the gospel of Christ. All in all, the “Angry Grandpa God” is the result of seeing God’s holiness but not his love. On the other extreme is the view we called “Buddy Christ.” This is the view that is summed up by the “Jesus is My Homeboy” t-shirts. This view sees God as a kind and loving friend but not as one who should be approached with reverence and awe. By focusing too much on God’s love at the expense of his holiness, the “Buddy Christ” view results in a small God who often receives admiration but not respect. Both of these extremes can be easy to slip into (especially the “Buddy Christ” extreme in the relaxed culture of generation Y) and both are destructive to our spiritual life, since they neuter one attribute of God in an attempt to emphasize another. The better picture that brings us a more balanced view is C.S. Lewis’ depiction of Aslan the Lion in The Chronicles of Narnia. The following interchange, between Lucy and Mr. and Mrs. Beaver, highlights Lewis’ depiction of Aslan as a loving friend, but also a great and mighty king whom it was appropriate to fear…

"Is Aslan quite safe? I shall feel rather nervous about meeting a lion."
"That you will dearie, and no mistake," said Mrs. Beaver. "If there's anyone who can appear before Aslan without their knees knocking, they're either braver than most or just plain silly."
"Then he isn't safe?" said Lucy.
"Safe?" said Mr. Beaver; "don't you hear what Mrs. Beaver tells you? Who said anything about safe? Of course he isn't safe. But he's good. He's the King, I tell you."

To understand this nuanced view of the fear of God, we turned to Exodus 20:18-21. The Israelites have just received the Ten Commandments. They’ve seen God’s presence descend on Mt. Sinai as a cloud, with streaking lightning and a roaring voice. They are terrified, and they plead with Moses to act as a go-between for them and God so that they will not have to be in his presence again. Moses responds with these curious words, “Do not fear, for God has come to test you, that the fear of him may be before you, that you may not sin.” He tells the people not to be afraid, but that these things have happened so that they would fear God. At first, it seems Moses is contradicting himself – should they fear God or not? However, this points to the reality – illustrated elsewhere in Scripture – that there are two types of “fear of God.” One is appropriate for Christians, the other is not.

The type of fear that we don’t need is characterized by terror and despair. These were the feelings expressed by the Israelites that prompted Moses to respond, “Do not be afraid.” Realizing their sinfulness in the presence of God’s holiness, the Israelites feared for their lives. Moses said that this wasn’t necessary, since God by his mercy had received them as his covenant people. This kind of fear certainly is appropriate because of our sin, but because of the forgiveness we have received in Christ, we need fear God in this way no longer. As Romans 8:1 says, “There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” Thus, we can see that the terror and despair of judgment (also seen expressed in James 2:19, Revelation 6:12-17, and Hebrews 10:26-27) is the kind of fear that Moses is telling God’s people not to have.

So, what is the fear of him that Moses says should be before us? This is a fear marked by reverence and trust. This is the amazing realization that though we should rightly be terrified under God’s judgment, he has instead accepted and loved us as his own for no good reason to be found in us. This should cause us to be amazed at our God’s love. His love is not the casual admiration of a buddy, but the deep and abiding love that is fixed on us in spite of ourselves. We need to recapture this wonder at our salvation. We need to allow our jaws to hit the floor as we contemplate our God. This fear, this reverence that forgiveness brings is mentioned in Psalm 130:1-4. We need that wonder in our Christian lives. Yet this reverence also must be joined with trust. Look at God’s admonition to Isaiah in Isaiah 8:11-15. He tells the prophet that when we quit worrying about what the world worries about and put our focus on our amazing God, we find that the fear and reverence that this provokes is a sanctuary for us. The very stone that many will be broken upon as they fight against it is the stone of refuge for us. An appropriate fear of God must be coupled with trust for a Christian, as we look at his greatness, our sinfulness, and realize with joy, “I’m glad he’s on our side.”

Which caricature of God are you more prone to worship? Do you lose his love in the midst of his holy and righteous judgment, or do you see him as simply “the man upstairs” – a neutered, friendly deity who you approach in the same fashion as your next-door neighbor? I’ll admit the latter is usually my temptation. Yet, whichever side you struggle with, I pray that you will see a view of God’s holiness and his love that is balanced, and that causes you to fall into the awesome embrace of the one who is never safe, but always good.

Be Afraid...Be Very Afraid

Tonight, I'll continue "You Asked For It," my summer series with my students tackling their submitted questions about Christianity. Tonight's question is, "What does it mean to fear God?" I'll post my reflections tomorrow as usual, but since this seems a strange concept to many, I'd be curious to hear your thoughts. How has 'the fear of God' been a part of your Christian faith? Would you be comfortable with the label "God-fearing person?"