Gospel Living

For your Sunday reflection: How Could God Ask This? Bible: Genesis 22 In Genesis 22, God knew ahead of time what would happen; Abraham did not. Here is the preliminary display of not only God stopping Him with none other than the Angel of the Lord that we saw a few weeks ago in Genesis 16. It is one thing to stop the slaying of Isaac, but there is more. Jesus took Isaac's place eventually, in the fulness of times, to be the perfect Lamb of God.

An interesting history of the holiday over at Internet Monk, check it out .

No, not really.   Kevin DeYoung evaluates an example of misleading headlines . (Of course, this is not to say that our Christian counselors should not be ready to help these students as they struggle with their sins.  Please, no angry letters.)

(EDIT: This FF got lost in the shuffle.  Sorry! Come to think of it, I did hear typing on my keyboard long after I went to bed.  Maybe... nah.) This is for all of you pagans who like things that go bump in the night.  Of course, don't worry: this is a Funny Friday post and I wouldn't put anything tooooo bad on this blog. First , best video I've seen to date that appears to capture a ghost.  You decide: Our second contender is a bit more clever. From the clever maker: The film tells the story of Scarlett O' Hara, one of the last surviving human beings, who is caught in the midst of a great vampire civil war. Marvel as she outwits the forces of the undead, while she flirts with her true bloo... er... love. Complete with heartaches and staked hearts, "Gone with the Wind with Vampires" will 'blow' you away. Third is a mash-up of the two scariest classic films known to Hollywood (click to animate): Let me know which one you like and I wi...

(This is the final post on the election before the big day, a follow-up to the one on the props  and  black genocide .) Despite the American opposition to Obamacare, it passed.  Despite the massive outcry in this state against taxes and insane environmental policies, California seems committed to drive all of business away from the state. Despite a lot of things, a certain few are committed to the idea that they know better.  Perhaps they do, but this is still a country where voting and representing a constituency is supposed to mean something. I know a great many of you are also tired of political rhetoric, so here are the nuts and bolts for constructing your decision for next Tuesday.  The AFA has prepared a scorecard based on the following "pro-family" issue (among others): Taxpayer funding of abortion Protecting free exercise of religion at publicly supported colleges Passage of national health care reform (ObamaCare) Restricting free sp...

Lest we forget why Margret Sanger started it all, here is someone to remind the world that abortion "killed more blacks than the Ku Klux Klan ever lynched." Just something to ponder at the polling booth this Tuesday. Maybe even beforehand, if you get a moment. Check out the DVD " MAAFA 21: Black Genocide in the 21st Centur y" at www.maafa21.com . (HT: Iron Sharpens Iron )

Facing down a Catholic priest, William Tyndale vowed, "If God spare my life, ere many years, I will cause a boy that driveth the plough to know more of the Scriptures than thou doest!" Tyndale, facing the threat of death, published his popular pocket New Testament , the first translation of the original languages into modern English. The heroes of our faith have shed their blood to ensure that we common folk could have God's Word open to us. They did this because they understood that the Bible, not fallible human beings, is the rule of our faith. We should take the opportunity this lesser-known holiday allows and ponder if we indeed approach life's questions from a biblical foundation. John MacArthur gives us a glimpse of this kind of approach in his consistent answers to questions asked him on Larry King's program: (HT: Apprising Ministries )

Great to ponder, especially with Reformation Day around the corner: (HT: DefCon )

From ChristianAudio.com mailer: Martin Luther: In His Own Words is FREE! Martin Luther: In His Own Words by Martin Luther and read by David Cochran Heath This compilation of many of Luther's most important writings serves as an excellent introduction to those new to Luther. It also provides a fresh medium for people familiar with his writing. Included in this volume is: The Small Catechism, 95 Theses, On Faith and Coming to Christ, On Confession and the Lord's Supper, Of the Office of Preaching, Excerpt from Luther's Tower Experience, The Last Written Words of Luther, and more! No coupon code necessary! Discount Price: FREE Normal Price: $9.98 Instructions: Order the entire audiobook for free until October 31st, no coupon code required. This free download is available in MP3, M4B, and One-Click Zip! Don't forget to leave a starred review with your thoughts, after listening!  

For your Sunday reflection: Meet the Angel of the Lord Bible: Genesis 16-17; Exodus 3:1-5 The Angel of the Lord appears somewhat unexpectedly in Scripture and says and does things that only God can do. God brings about both the Arabic people in Genesis 16 and the Jewish people in Genesis 17. The sign of the Abrahmic Covenant was for the Jewish people as God showed His covenant-keeping faithfulness, all with a greater view of the Messiah who would eventually be born into this lineage.

You just know what Waldo  is yelling  once discovered.  There's no need to shout it in here.  You'll wake the baby, and I just got her to sleep.

Remember, government won't save you .  That said, we all have opinions on how to do things well today and for our kids tomorrow, so here is a quick rundown of the California Props with some loose change added: Proposition 19 Legalizes Marijuana Under California but Not Federal Law. Permits Local Governments to Regulate and Tax Commercial Production, Distribution, and Sale of Marijuana. Initiative Statute. It's enough to get me into trouble, but I say vote your conscience when it comes to legalizing marijuana as an general idea .   However , remain cautious on this Prop.  MADD opposes it because there is no guarantees regarding DUI enforcement, and this places workplaces in a tight spot concerning drug-free regulations.  Vote yes if you think that the benefits outweigh the risks, but for now I'm thinking you should probably should vote no on this one. Proposition 20 Redistricting of Congressional Districts. Initiative Constitutional Amendment. T...

For your Sunday reflection: The Abrahamic Covenant - Part 3 Bible: Genesis 15; Luke 1 The Additional Subtitle to this continued series in "We've Been Expecting You" (Part 1) as we walk through OT passages on our way to Christmas, is "Covenants Never Just Happen--They Are Always Made." And this is extremely important. Every covenant that God ever enters into with anyone always has a specific beginning point to it, namely its ratification. Luke 1 connects Jesus with the Abrahamic Covenant. There is no Christmas story (Luke 2) without God being faithful throughout, as seen in Luke 1.

I sure hope the police catch up...

If you were in Michigan this past Sunday, perhaps you visited this, um, church service: See A Little Leaven for the story.

For your Sunday reflection: The Abrahamic Covenant - Part 2 Bible: Genesis 13-15 As hard as it is to believe for some people, Abram (whom God later named Abraham in Genesis 17 and became the father of the Jewish people), was not saved until Genesis 15. This is good to use with people who want to do "good things" or "religious things" such as Abraham did. But clearly plainly shows exactly when Abraham was saved and on what basis.

The vitriol from the global warming,  er,  climate change , umm, global climate disruption evangelists continues to explode, as it were. (HT: Dan Phillips ) This just goes to show that those not worshiping God end up worshiping something else.  And just as with the Muslims, it seems that a zeal for God the environment that is not according to knowledge sometimes leads to rather brutal consequences... depicted or otherwise.

Yikes!!! (HT: Atheist Central )

(HT: Christian Research Net ) The lyrics, "If You Could Hie to Kolob," 284 – William W. Phelps: 1. If you could hie to Kolob In the twinkling of an eye, And then continue onward With that same speed to fly, Do you think that you could ever, Through all eternity, Find out the generation Where Gods began to be? 2. Or see the grand beginning, Where space did not extend? Or view the last creation, Where Gods and matter end? Me thinks the Spirit whispers, “No man has found ‘pure space,’ Nor seen the outside curtains, Where nothing has a place.” 3. The works of God continue, And worlds and lives abound; Improvement and progression Have one eternal round. There is no end to matter; There is no end to space; There is no end to spirit; There is no end to race. 4. There is no end to virtue; There is no end to might; There is no end to wisdom; There is no end to light. There is no end to union; There is no end to youth; There is no end to priesthood; There ...

I now have my notes posted from the series I taught in Sunday School over the past couple of weeks through a bit of a strained voice. I was surprised to learn that I was recorded during the second session, so I am linking to it here. Part 1 notes (no audio). Covers inspiration and preservation. Part 2 notes , audio download , and the audio stream . A "brief" (hour-long!) historical overview of the transmission of Scripture from the first century unto today.

For your Sunday reflection: The Abrahamic Covenant - Part 1 Bible: Genesis 11:27-12:3 This second covenant of God that He enters into more and more directs us to the first Christmas, although Abram did not know that yet. God promised Abram and his descendants a specific land, a seed [lineage], and in you all the nations of the earth will be blessed.

Witnesses Unto Me unveils the stats on just who is catching the attention of the Homeland Security in Dearborn.  Care to guess?  Latinos?  Nope.  60% of deports from Dearborn are Lebanese. Just saying it's interesting, is all.