Friday, February 27, 2009

Fine Dining


Tonight, our future seminarian treated us to a very fine meal. We began with an excellent salad and bread, followed by homemade clam chowder...delicious! Desert was a very decadent cheesecake. Great food, fellowship, and lots of laughs! Thanks, Griss!

I Know It's Only Spring Training, But Still...

I loved it when I saw this...

Seattle Mariners 18
LA Dodgers 2

9 Books for '09




A couple of years ago, I had this crazy idea to read 100 books in 1 year. Well, I think I fell about 85 books short of that goal. This year, I've targeted 9 books that I want to read at some point during the year. And I hope, as time permits, to review those books here as I'm reading through them.  Now some of them I have read portions of, some of them I have yet to start. But I have read none of them in their entirety. Here they are...they're not necessarily in the order that I plan to read them.


"The Law is Not of Faith" edited by Estelle, Fesko, and Van Drunen

"Christless Christianity" by Michael Horton





"Seeing with New Eyes" by David Powlison


"Follow the Roar" by Bob Smiley

"The Yankee Years" by Joe Torre and Tom Verducci

Advice on Preaching

Scott Clark has a very helpful post here entitled "A Few Words to Student Preachers." Although written with seminarians in mind, I think this is excellent advice to all of us who are called to preach. The points that he lays out are all great things to keep in mind as we stand behind the pulpit and proclaim the Word of God. I won't summarize it all here, I'll let you read it on your own. The only issue I would take with what he writes is in regard to bringing a manuscript into the pulpit. Scott recommends that you not do that, primarily because you lose eye contact with your people. And that is true. Reading your sermon manuscript with the congregation looking at the top of your head is bad. Yeah, they say Edwards did it...but that doesn't make it right, particularly in our day and age. However, I think that a pastor can be familiar with his manuscript enough that he isn't tied to it. For example, I go over my manuscript enough on Saturdays that I don't have to look down much as I'm preaching. Eye contact is very, very important.  Anyways...have a read!

Bowling for Soup

Last night, we took to the bowling lanes with some friends of ours from church. I gotta tell you, a 16-lb. bowling ball feels a lot heavier now (at the age of 42) than it did when I took a bowling class at college (age 21). So on one lane were the parents and on the other lane were the children (ranging in age from 6 to 14). The other family is on vacation this week and they had just watched "Hoosiers" earlier in the day and so the father (aka "Mr. Incredible") insisted that the bumpers not be put up for the children (after all, that's what Norman Dale would do, right?). So the scores weren't particularly high on the children lane. At the same time, they weren't very high on the adult lane, either. But we all had a blast. Here are some pictures...


Thursday, February 26, 2009

Taking a Break from Paul

This morning, I took a short break from the book of Philippians (I'm preaching on Philippians 2 Sunday night) and went outside to watch the girls do a little sledding. I thought the snow was all gone...but alas, I was wrong. Thankfully, it looks like it's melting around here now. Here are a few iPhone shots from the festivities...


"Rabbi" Duncan


Today is the 139th anniversary of the death of John "Rabbi" Duncan. Now Duncan was not a Rabbi. Rather, he was a Scottish minister who did missions work among the Jews in Hungary. But he was so good with the Hebrew language that people started calling him "Rabbi."  Over the years, Duncan has become well-known for his "aphorisms" (a succinct statement that expresses a truth or opinion). Here are some of them...

On Wesley's Hymns: "I have a great liking for many of Wesley's hymns, but when I read some of them, I ask, 'What's become of your free-will now, friend?'"

On Genius: "Genius lies very much in that region where the profound is simple, and the simple profound. The great thoughts of such men as Chalmers are very simple when expressed; but only a man of genius could think them."

On Hyper-Calvinism and Arminianism: "Hyper-Calvinism is all house and no door; Arminianism is all door and no house."

On Aesthetic Religion: "There is no entering into the kingdom of heaven by a mere sense of beauty."

Many, many more of these can be found in the book, "Just a Talker," which can be purchased here.

Wednesday, February 25, 2009

American Idol, Night 2

Tonight, the 2nd group of 12 will be performing for us. And since I'm sure you can't possibly survive without my musical expertise, I will be live-blogging the event just like I did last week. So, armed with some cheese puffs and a diet Coke, let's get right to the action...

Jasmine Murray

She's singing "Love Song."  I'm certainly no musical expert, but she doesn't seem very good to me. This seems like one of those performances that Simon would classify as "utterly forgettable." OK...let's see what the real experts think: Randy thought that it was "pitchy." Kara thought that it was "all over the place" and "too low." Paula says, "Jasmine, Jasmine." She agrees with Randy and Kara. But she does like Jasmine's confidence. Simon is disappointed. Says she has attitude and confidence but "you just don't have a great voice." Good ol' Simon...Mr. Encouragement.

Commercial Highlights: The iPhone is way cool.  The "Witch Movie"mountain might be a fun one to see as a family. Food from Wal-Mart doesn't excite me. Why do they advertise cat food on TV, showing us a close-up of cat food, acting as if it's so wonderful?

Matt Giraud

From what I remember from previous shows...and before he sings right now...I would predict that he would be one of the final 3. Of course, this means that he'll throw up all over himself right now. We'll see. Hey, he's from Kalamazoo, CRC country. Maybe he's Reformed. He's singing "Viva La Vida." This doesn't seem like the greatest performance to me. Kara? Why is Kara going first? This is not right. Well, Kara is just not blown away. Paula thought he was one of the best in Hollywood. She says it was a risky song to pick. Blues guy shouldn't be picking a rock song. Simon agrees with Kara and Paula but adds, "It was verging on a horrible performance." Well, so much for my prediction. Randy agrees with Simon.

Commercial Highlights: Coke, some cell phone, Slumdog Millionaire ad (haven't seen it yet), meatball pizza from Round Table. I love Round Table Pizza, but do we really need a meatball pizza?

Janine Valles

She's a bartender for a living. She'll be singing "This Love." I think she needs to go buy some shorts that are a little longer. Irritating hand motions (a la Michael Johns from last season). Paula: "Great legs." That's all she said. Thanks for the penetrating insight. Simon says that he thought it was terrible, that it was the wrong song. Randy says, "OK, yo." Says that it was the wrong song for her and that best part was the end, when it was over. Kara says that it was "so overdone." Janine will be hearing this soon: "I'll take a mojito, please."

Commercial Highlights: Injectable-grade face filler (or something like that). Is that what Nancy Pelosi uses? Jell-O pudding ad. Oh, man, I wish we had some chocolate pudding in the house.

Nick Mitchell

This guy is a tripper. Some times he's Nick...other times he's Norman. Why on earth is this guy in the final 36? Did he deserve to make it over Danny Gokey's good friend? What's he singing? Oh no, what a weirdo! I don't know what to say to this. There must be steam coming out of Simon's ears right about now. Simon is laughing. He then says, "Look, I hope I am speaking on behalf of America and pray that you do not go through to the next round." Says it was arguably one of the most atrocious performance AI has ever had. I'm not even going to waste my energy typing anything else about this guy.

Commercial Highlights: AT&T rollover minutes commercial (funny); a marijuana ad (against, not for, marijuana); Garnier Fructis shampoo ad (isn't it truly amazing how many shampoo options there are?); Lowes ad with Gene Hackman's voice (every commercial would sound better if Gene Hackman were doing the voiceover).

Allison Iraheta

Only 16 years, old, she'll be singing "Alone" by Heart. Good song choice. This girl can flat-out sing. Best of the night so far...BY A MILE. Best female of the entire competition so far. Randy says, "Yo, yo. Alright, so, yo." Says that she just "blew it out the box." I guess that means it was really good. He uses the phrase "blew it out the box" 3 times. Kara says, "You don't even know how good you are." For the 2,500th time in 8 seasons, Paula says, "You could sing the telephone book." Hey, Simon just used my phrase...says, "You were the best tonight BY A MILE."

Kris Allen

Singing "Man in the Mirror" by Michael Jackson. By the way, wonder what Michael Jackson thinks when he looks in the mirror? This guy's not too bad. Not sure why he chose this song, though. Probably the best male performance of the night, although that's not saying much. Kara thought the 2nd half was way better than the 1st half. Wrong song, she says. Paula completely disagrees with Kara and surprise, praises him. Thought that he nailed the song. Simon agrees with Paula. Wow! Randy partially agrees with Simon and thinks that it was quite good.

Commercial Highlights: Dell computers...JC Penney (did you know that JC Penney's fashion is "changing the game"?)...Pizza Hut...Beverly Hills Chihuahua...Cover Girl...Minute Maid...in other words, no highlights. Great Wolf commercial. Any of you out there ever been there? Looks kinda fun.

Megan Joy Corkrey

Singing "Put Your Records On." I like this song. It's on my iPhone. She's pretty good, although a lot of irritating hand and leg motions. They're going to really rip her for these motions. Nice voice, though. 2nd best female performance of the night. Paula says she picked the right song and that she did everything right. Simon thought that it started off well, but then she over sang. Randy agrees. How come no one is talking about the motions???? Is it just me? Kara thinks with the right song, she could be a break-out artist on the radio.

Commercial Highlights: Same boring stuff that makes everyone glaze over.

Matt Breitzke

I like this guy...family guy, seems laid-back, humble. Not sure what he's singing, but he has a nice voice. Kind of forgettable, though. I'm back from an "I had to send an email" break. Simon hated the song. Randy thought it was boring. Kara and Paula say basically the same things. ZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

Jesse Langseth

Singing "Betty Davis Eyes." I didn't like this song when I was in high school and I don't like it now. This girl has an interesting voice. Maybe this was a good song choice for her. We'll see what the experts think. Randy thought it was OK. Thought that it wasn't that exciting. Kara thought there were some good moments. Simon looks thoroughly disinterested at this point. Paula thinks she was captivating. Of course, Paula may think this is 2002 and that it's Kelly Clarkson up there. Simon thinks she's forgettable.

Kai Kalama

This guy seems cool...seems like the kind of guy who would greet me at the counter at Starbucks. Singing "What Becomes of the Broken-Hearted?" I'm thinking of doing my hair like Kai. Very good singer. At least that's why I think. That means Simon will say, "That was utterly and completely atrocious." I think he's the best male performer of the night. Kara likes him personally, but that he had some pitch issues. Also thought the song was a little old-fashioned for him. Paula says some stuff...who really cares what it was? Simon says that he's heard many performances like that over the years. Thought he was a wedding singer. See, I told you that I know nothing. Randy agrees with Simon. Thought it was too "safe."

Commercial Highlights: A new Julia Roberts movie (YIPEE!)...President Palmer works for Allstate...Enbrel ad (you may get a fungal infection from it)...Domino's "Secretary of Taste" ad...Jack Bauer is going to torture someone.

Mishavonna Henson

Singing "Drops of Jupiter" by Train. I like this song. Kind of bland. Not bad...not great. Paula thinks it was a poor song choice. Simon says that she's too serious and that her performance left him cold. Randy agrees with Simon. Paula starts cackling...her meds must have just kicked in. Kara adds nothing of interest.

Adam Lambert

If I remember correctly, this guy can sing well. Singing "Satisfaction" by the Stones. Cool. I'll go out on a limb and say that the judges will really like him. Of course, the limb may break and I'll come crashing to the ground, but we shall see. Paula's standing up, clapping. Paula says that she doesn't even have words to express this. We know that, Paula. We know that you cannot come up with a complete sentence to describe anything. Simon thought there were parts that were excruciatingly bad and parts that were brilliant. Randy loved it. For the first time tonight, Randy says that it was "the bomb." Kara says his vocal ability is "outrageous."

TOP FEMALE: ALLISON IRAHETA

TOP MALE: ADAM LAMBERT

My Latest Purchase

My church is very kind to give me a generous book allowance each year and here's a book that I just purchased today.
It's called "Concerning the True Care of Souls" by Martin Bucer. Here's a short write-up on the book:

"A Reformation handbook of pastoral theology, it sets out his ideal of a godly Christian society, and was 'written solely for the Lord's glory and the improvement of his church at this time when Christ's sheep are so deplorably scattered.' He commended it 'to the Christian consideration of all God's children, asking only that nothing be judged according to carnal standards, but everything according to the word of the Lord.' Although largely rejected by the government of Strasbourg, Bucer's book met with much more success further afield and was to exercise a vast influence in later history."

It can be ordered here through Monergism.

Pixar


I noticed a poll today at another blog, where readers are asked to answer this question: "What is the best Pixar movie so far?" Out of over 2500 votes, the current leader is "The Incredibles," with 537 votes. Here are the movies, listed in order from the oldest to the most recent...

"Toy Story"
"A Bug's Life"
"Toy Story 2"
"Monsters Inc."
"Finding Nemo"
"The Incredibles"
"Cars"
"Ratatouille"
"Wall-E"

Unashamedly, I've seen them all and here's how I would rank them...

(1) Toy Story

Hard to beat the original.

(2) The Incredibles

(3) Toy Story 2

(4) Monsters Inc.

(5) Finding Nemo

(6) Cars

(7) A Bug's Life

(8) Ratatouille

(9) Wall-E

After "Finding Nemo," the last 4 I could really do without.  I didn't think "Cars" was that great. I remember almost nothing about "A Bug's Life".  "Ratatouille" was disappointing. And we watched "Wall-E" on the plane home from Hawaii, while 2 hellian children kicked the back of our seats for 5 hours. However, even without the pleasant hellian children and their kicking of my seat, I still don't think I would have liked "Wall-E."

Tuesday, February 24, 2009

This Sunday (March 1st)

Morning Service

Songs
#85 (Blue hymnal)
#500 (Red hymnal)
#276 (Blue hymnal)
#389 (Blue hymnal)
#231 (Blue hymnal)

Sermon
Numbers 32:  "The Danger of Affluence"

Evening Service

Songs
#85 (Red hymnal)
#95 (Blue hymnal)
#172 (Red hymnal)
#6 (Red hymnal)

Sermon
Philippians 2:1-11:  "The Song of Christ"

Monday, February 23, 2009

Who Said That?

Can you guess who said the following?

"Sometimes I think the environment in which we operate is entirely too secular.  The fact that we have freedom of religion does not mean we need to try to have freedom from religion, doesn't mean that those of us who have faith shouldn't frankly admit that we are animated by faith, that we try to live by it, and that it does affect what we feel, what we think, and what we do."

"Googling" is not allowed.

Knowing God's Will

Part 7

Sunday, February 22, 2009

Saturday, February 21, 2009

Top 25 "Conservative" Movies


I'm not really sure what a "conservative" movie is, but some group just came out with their list of the top 25 conservative movies of the last 25 years. You can see that list here. But here's a quick rundown:




1. The Lives of Others
2. The Incredibles
3. Metropolitan
4. Forest Gump
5. 300
6. Groundhog Day
7. The Pursuit of Happyness
8. Juno
9. Blast from the Past
10. Ghostbusters
11. The Lord of the Rings Trilogy
12. The Dark Night
13. Braveheart
14. A Simple Plan
15. Red Dawn
16. Master and Commander
17. The Chronicles of Narnia
18. The Edge
19. We Were Soldiers
20. Gattaca
21. Heartbreak Ridge
22. Brazil
23. United 93
24. Team America: World Police
25. Gran Torino

Of the 25, I've seen 9 in their entirety (2, 4, 6, 9, 10, 11, 13, 17, 21).  I've seen parts of "Master and Commander" (sorry, M & C fans, I just couldn't get into it).  And I watched part of "We Were Soldiers" before deciding I wasn't that interested.  I'm somewhat surprised that "Saving Private Ryan" didn't make it.  But here's my question:  If you've seen any of these movies that I haven't seen, which ones would you recommend that I watch?

Friday, February 20, 2009

Recent Church Plants


There are currently a number of church plants in our federation of churches. Below are the links to those with websites. Keep in mind that this is not an exhaustive list of all URC's that have started up in the last couple of years. These are churches that are being established where there is no other real Reformed witness to speak of.

Kauai Reformation Church (Lihue, Hawaii)

Grace Church (West Linn, Portland)

Springfield Reformed Church (Springfield, Missouri)


Christ Reformed Church (Washington, D.C.)


The picture is the Reformation Day celebration at the Kauai Reformation Church, which we were privileged to be at.  Cool way to spend Reformation Day, huh?

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Whoa, What Happened?

Joaquin Phoenix is tremendous actor.  I thought he was wonderful as Johnny Cash in "Walk the Line."  But what's up with his performance on Letterman?  Is it an act or has he really gone off the deep end?


The Big Snooze


On Saturday night, after returning home from dinner, my wife and I sat down to watch a movie, "Big Night," that we had heard a number of people raving about.  Even though it's been around since 1996, I had never even heard of the movie until about 3 months ago, but we decided to give it a shot since one of our favorite actors, Tony Shalhoub (TV's Monk), is in it.  In addition, a number of other fairly well-known actors are in the movie:  Stanley Tucci, Isabella Rossellini, and the guy who played Bilbo Baggins in the Lord of the Rings.

The movie is about 2 brothers (Shalhoub and Tucci) who have come to this country from Italy and opened an Italian restaurant.  However, because their great attention to detail in food preparation and the quality of ingredients that they use, they are forced to charge higher prices than the restaurant across the street.  As the movie opens, we discover that their little restaurant is in financially dire straits.  And the temptation becomes, for Tucci's character, to cut corners here and there and to become more like the restaurant across the street, catering to the desires of the public.

If you are a big fan of this movie, I'm sorry but I just wasn't that impressed.  Maybe it was the slow pace or the sudden ending.  I'm not sure.  However, I did think that the movie was a good picture of what we face in Reformed churches today.  The fact of the matter is that the faithful, confessionally Reformed church is a lot like that little Italian restaurant.  We're not big, but we do focus on the quality of our product:  Sermons that reflect Scripture and point to Christ, worship that is centered on God, members who are growing spiritually, etc.  And the temptation becomes:  Should we try to cater to more people?  Should we try to get more people in the door by giving them what they want?  Or should we focus on what we do best:  Word and Sacrament ministry without all the frills and programs?

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

American Idol, Night 1


In keeping with tradition around here (at least I've done it once, I think), I'll be live blogging the first night of American Idol tonight.  Twelve of the thirty-six finalists will be singing tonight.  So, without any further adieu...

Jackie Tohn

She sings "A Little Less Conversation."  Not bad vocals, but irritating dance moves and an even more irritating outfit (an extreme lack of modesty).  Randy, Kara, and Paula all seem to like it.  Simon, agreeing with me, is not impressed.

Ricky Braddy

I have no idea what this guy is singing.  I think he said it was something by Leon Russell.  Oh, now I recognize it.  I think it's called "My Song."  I've heard...what's his name sing it before.  Man, what is his name?  Michael Buble, that's it.  This guy isn't bad.  He's not Buble, but he's not bad.  Randy says it was "unbelievable."  Kara says that he "killed it" and that it was "amazing."  Paula wakes up long enough to say that he is very talented and deserves to go very far.  Simon thought it was very, very good, but also says that Ricky doesn't have any star quality or charisma (unlike all the British, who are full of charisma).

Alexis Grace

She's going to sing "Never Loved a Man" by Aretha Franklin.  Nice voice, but kind of a nondescript performance.  Maybe she should have borrowed Aretha's huge bow from the inauguration.  Paula is yelping like a seal.  Randy says that she "worked it out."  Kara loved it.  Paula uses a lot of cliches, no one really knows what she means, but seems to like it.  Simon says that she is the best contestant so far "by a mile" and ends with telling her that she may be a dark horse in this competition (comparing her to Kelly Clarkson).  I didn't think it was that great, but this just goes to show that I know very little about what to look for.  However, I can pick a mean song out of the blue and red hymnals.

Brent Keith

He's going to sing "Hick Town," a country song.  Not a bad voice, but doesn't seem to have much star quality to him.  I think he might be going back to the home improvement store soon.  Randy says, "Yo, yeah.  Yo..."  He likes Brent as a country guy.  Kara likes him, too, although she thinks that he was too "safe."  Thinks he could have showed more soul.  Paula definitely can see him as a country artist.  Simon says that he was "forgettable" and may have just blown his opportunity.

Stevie Wright

She's singing "You Belong With Me" by Taylor Swift.  Oh my...this is not starting well.  Well, at least she won't be missing much more school.  By the way, will anyone in 50 years remember one Taylor Swift song?  They all sound the same...and they're just not that good.  Uh oh...here come the comments.  Randy uses "yo" about 4 times in the first 10 seconds.  He didn't like it.  Kara agrees and says that Stevie has an "identity crisis."  Paula thought that it was the wrong song for her.  Simon says that it was "terrible" (everyone boos) and that she was "out of tune."  He says that there is "zero chance" of her getting through to the next round.

Anoop Desai

From everything I've seen of this guy so far, he's very, very good...perhaps a dark horse to win it all.  We'll have to see how he does now.  He's going to sing "Angel of Mine" by Monica.  Monica who?  Monica Seles?  I've heard this song somewhere before.  Well, I think I take back my "dark horse to win it all" comment.  See, this is why I'm not a judge on this show.  Well, that and a hundred other reasons.  Although I could certainly pitch Coca-Cola products while sitting at the judges table.  Paula puts the pill bottle down and stands up.  Randy says that it was an "interesting song choice" and that it was a little "sharp."  Kara agrees with Randy (what does she add to this show, by the way).  Paula says that the great thing with him is that America has already "connected" with him.  Simon asks him why he chose this song.  He thinks the song was too "grown up" for Anoop and that it was too serious.  Simon says he has massive "likeability."

Casey Carlson

She works at a bubble tea shop (for those of you interested).  She's going to sing "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic" (changing all the "she's" to "he's").  Oh, please stop.  Hope she didn't quit her bubble tea job.  Randy says, "Wow...yo ho ho."  Says that it was not good for him and "weirdly karaoke".  Kara says that nobody should go near Police songs and that her dancing was not good.  Paula praises her for her looks, but then adds that her phrasing was weird.  Simon asks Casey how she thinks it went.  She says she had fun.  Simon says that the singing was "atrocious" and that she couldn't have chosen a worse song.

Michael Sarver

I like this guy...seems like a genuinely good fella.  I tend to root for married men with families.  He's going to sing "I Don't Want to Be" by Gavin McGraw (wasn't he in the Love Boat?).  Oh yeah, I like this song.  Bo Bice sang this song in season 4.  I have this song on my iPhone.  He's not bad, but Bo was way, way, way better.  I would say it was the 3rd best performance of the night so far.  Randy says that he can definitely sing, but that it started out a little rough.  Randy likes him better as a "soul" guy (I do, too).  Kara agrees with Randy for the 75th time tonight, once again proving that she has absolutely nothing to add to this.  Paula thought he did a real good job (everyone applauds her great insight).  Didn't like him switching hands so often.  Simon says that he's a good, honest guy.  Hopes that America gives him another shot.

Ann Marie Boskovich

I think if she wins, she's going to have to change her name.  Boskovich just won't cut it.  She's going to be singing "Natural Woman" by Boy George.  Probably not as good as Alexis Grace, but still pretty good.  Something tells me that she'll be getting a good percentage of the teenage boy vote.  Oh, there's Ted Danson, propped up in the audience.  Randy says that it was just not the right song.  Shockingly, amazingly, stunningly, Kara agrees with Randy.  Says that the song is too old-fashioned for her.  Paula thinks she's improved.  Simon says that she would be good if they were looking for "the best hotel singer in California."

Stephen Fowler

He'll be singing "Rock With You" by Michael Jackson.  I don't care for this kind of stuff.  Doesn't mean he's a bad singer, it's just not my cup of tea...or should I say, my cup of bubble tea.  This guy seems like a cool guy, a fun guy to hang out with (0r have a glass of bubble tea with)...but his singing doesn't do much for me.  I would think that it's hard to sing Michael Jackson stuff.  Randy says, "Alright, so, uh, yo, man..."  Bad song choice according to Randy.  Guess what?  Kara agrees with Randy.  Paula says that it would have been better if...  Oh, forget it, I have no idea what Paula is trying to get at.  Simon says that it was a pointless performance and that the whole thing was "atrocious," "a huge mistake," and "corny."

Tatiana Del Toro

Oh no...not her!!!!  As we watched the last couple of weeks, my one great wish is that she wouldn't make the final 36.  Well, she made it.  I honestly don't know how much longer I can watch her.  I really can't describe it, but if you've seen her at all, you know what I'm talking about.  Oh no, she's crying.  She's singing "I'm Saving All of My Love for You" by Mrs. Bobby Brown.  Here we go...  For all of her histrionics, she does have a pretty good voice.  To show how much I love Mexican food, just looking at her last name is making me crave Del Taco.  Randy says that she had some moments where it was quite good, although she didn't pull it all together.  Kara says it's like a roller coaster ride with Tatiana (you mean the part where your stomach churns and you want to vomit?).  Paula says that she's probably the most talked-about contestant on the show so far.  Paula says that she had some beautiful moments as well as some pitchy moments.  Simon says that she's a "complete and utter drama queen."  Amen, brother.  Simon says that the singing wasn't bad at all and better than he expected.

Danny Gokey

This is the guy I'm rooting for.  He probably won't win, but I'm rooting for him.  His wife passed away recently and he seems like a genuinely good guy.  He's going to sing "Hero" by Mariah Carey.  Isn't Mariah Carey hard to sing?  Oh, he's a church music director.  Hmmm...I like him as a blues kind of guy, but I don't know about this.  I really like this guy's voice (which probably means  he'll be voted off soon).  Mem and I agree that he sounds like Bob Carlisle.  Hopefully, he never breaks out "Butterfly Kisses."  Paula's yelping hysterically.  Kara's shouting "Yes, yes, yes."  Randy says that it was "blazing hot."  Kara says that he was the "hero" tonight.  Paula tries to put a complete sentence together.  Simon says "back to the real world."  He likes it, but doesn't think it was fantastic.  Says that Danny's a very, very good singer.

That's it for tonight.  The results show will be tomorrow night.

TOP FEMALE TONIGHT:  Alexis Grace

TOP MALE TONIGHT:  Danny Gokey

More "How Can I Know God's Will?"

Last week, I posted a couple of things by Dr. Scott Clark on knowing God's will.  Here are a couple of follow-up posts...


This Sunday (February 22nd)

Morning Service

Songs
#125 (Red hymnal)
#81 (Blue hymnal)
#642 (Red hymnal)
#92 (Blue hymnal)
#299 (Blue hymnal)

Sermon
Numbers 31:  "Holy War"

Evening Service

Songs
#48 (Blue hymnal)
#240 (Blue hymnal)
#242 (Red hymnal)
#30 (Red hymnal)

Sermon
2 Samuel 6:1-15:  "The Justice of God"

Monday, February 16, 2009

Dump Day 2009

Our annual Dump Day celebration began at 10:00 am this morning. We cleaned out the garage and various items of junk throughout the house and then loaded them all into the back of a U-Haul.  Here's a picture...

You might be able to make out the following items:  A large, inflatable pool (in my view, this is a disposable item; very few things are a bigger pain to take down and store every year than an inflatable pool), some old wooden lap trays, and various items of clothing. Also, you can probably see the book "The Coming Evangelical Crisis," originally released in 1997.  Well, I think the Evangelical crisis has already come, so I decided not to keep the book around.

After lunch, one of my daughters and I headed off to the dump in Ferndale.  It took us about 20 minutes to unload it all.  And then we went to pay and discovered we had unloaded 860 POUNDS of junk! Now the garage is nice again and we can begin preparing for Dump Day 2010.  We're going to end the day by going out for pizza with a family in our church.

A Must Read

Dr. Cornel Venema, President of Mid-America Reformed Seminary in Dyer, Indiana, is coming out with a new book on the subject of paedocommunion.  One of the growing trend in Reformed churches today is the practice of admitting small children to the Lord's Supper.  Venema examines whether that is a biblical, confessional, and historical practice of the Reformed churches.  It is due out in April.  You can pre-order your copy here.

Sunday, February 15, 2009

Our Annual Family Holiday

Tomorrow is a special day at our house...a day that comes only once a year.  The whole family looks forward with eager anticipation to this day, excited about the fun that it brings.  What is this special day, you ask?  It's our annual cleaning of the garage.  Every year (and it always seems to be about this time of the year) we haul a bunch of junk/trash/stuff we don't want to the dump in Ferndale.  I don't know where all this stuff comes from and I have no idea how we manage to accumulate all these things in the course of a year, but somehow, someway, after a 12-month period, our garage is filled with this stuff.  So tomorrow we will gather all of these unwanted items together, haul it to the dump, pay $25, and then wait eagerly until we can do it again next year.

Saturday, February 14, 2009

Valentine's Day 2009

This is the 5th year in a row that we have enjoyed Valentine's Day dinner with some friends in our church.  Here's where we've eaten the past 4 years...
2005:  Bob's Burger
2006:  El Gitano (Mexican food)
2007:  Our friends' house
2008:  Osaka (Japanese food)

This year we decided to try House of Orient, a Thai/Vietnamese restaurant here in Bellingham.  I'm not a big fan of Vietnamese food, but I LOVE Thai food.  Peter was the one who thought we should give House of Orient a try, and Peter hit a home run with his recommendation.  I had the Phud Khi Mao with prawns.  The food was great, the portions were good-sized, the service was excellent, and the atmosphere was very nice.  We normally eat at another Thai restaurant here in town, but this is our new favorite.  You can find out more about House of Orient here if you'd like.

In honor of Peter and his great choice for dinner tonight, here's a picture of him, as well as a picture of our daughters...


My Latest Read

After talking to a friend at the square dance last night and hearing him rave about this book, I went out today and bought "The Definitive Book of Body Language."  I haven't read any of it yet, but it looks like an interesting read.  Plus, now I'll be able to read and interpret your body language when I'm talking to you.

Friday, February 13, 2009

Square Dancing 101

The last time I square danced was 30 years ago (man, that makes me sound old), at a 6th grade retreat.  Well, tonight, a number of us gathered for a fundraising event for our church's youth group.  We were privileged to have a professional square dance teacher/caller instruct us in the basic steps of square dancing.  It was a very enjoyable evening, filled with a lot of going in the wrong direction, getting turned around, and laughing.  Special thanks to Grace and Martha (and I guess Al) for organizing this, as well as Orin, the square dance guru.  Here are a few pictures from the festivities...

One of our nattily-dressed participants...

Various square-dancing action photos...





The End is in Sight

I have really enjoyed preaching through the book of Numbers over the last 10 months, but after this Sunday, I will only have 5 or 6 sermons left in the book.  So now I'm thinking, "What book should I preach through next?"  I'm planning to return to a New Testament book (I just finished Romans in the evenings a few weeks ago) and have a few ideas, but I'd welcome any thoughts that you have.

Do See Do


Tonight, our church is hosting a youth group fundraiser...a square dance.  I've been told that I WILL participate, but I will try to break away from the festivities at some point to take some pictures to share with you all.

Mariners New DH?


From the looks of it here, it appears as if the Mariners are going to be picking up a new designated hitter.  Who knows how much Griffey has left in the tank, but he will probably put a few more fans in the seats.  This got me to thinking about the all-time home run list.  Here's how it presently stands...

Barry Bonds:  762
Hank Aaron:  755
Babe Ruth:  714
Willie Mays:  660
Ken Griffey Jr.:  611
Sammy Sosa:  609
Frank Robinson:  586
Mark McGwire:  583
Harmon Killebrew:  573
Rafael Palmeiro:  569
Reggie Jackson:  563
Alex Rodriguez:  553

Out of these 12 men, 5 of them (Bonds, Sosa, McGwire, Palmeiro, and now Rodriguez) have the cloud of steroid use hanging over them.  In fact, most baseball insiders doubt whether any of these 5 men will ever make it into the Hall of Fame.  Griffey has never been accused of being a steroid user.   So...subtract the steroid users, and the top 5 list looks like this:

Hank Aaron:  755
Babe Ruth:  714
Willie Mays:  660
Ken Griffey Jr.:  611
Frank Robinson:  586

I'm sure he'll never catch Ruth, but with a couple of decent years, Griffey could surpass Mays.  With all of the injuries he's had, that would still be quite the career.

How Can I Know God's Will?


Thursday, February 12, 2009

Not a Good Idea

Just a reminder, men, that Valentine's Day is this Saturday.  If you are trying to figure out where to go for dinner, be thankful that there's not a Waffle House in the area.  You don't have to worry about this idea.  If this is your idea of a nice place to take your wife for Valentine's Day dinner, trust me, she will quickly change your mind.

Tuesday, February 10, 2009

This Sunday (February 15th)

Morning Service

Songs
#327 (Blue hymnal)
#105 (Blue hymnal)
#89 (Blue hymnal)
#94 (Red hymnal)
#18 (Red hymnal)

Sermon
Numbers 30:  "Vows"

Evening Service

Songs
#38 (Red hymnal)
#44 (Blue hymnal)
#303 (Blue hymnal)
#280 (Blue hymnal)

Sermon
Genesis 2:4-25:  "Reality Check"

New Sermon Illustration

Wonder how I can work this into my sermon this Sunday?

Monday, February 9, 2009

Facebook: RIP

About 2 months ago, one of the members of my congregation and I were talking about Facebook.  And he said to me, "I don't have any interest in having a Facebook account because it's just one more thing that I would have to check on and pay attention to."  I kind of agreed with him at the time, but about 10 days ago, I received an email from someone who invited me to join Facebook and view their page.  Well, I typed in my email address...came up with a password...and voila, I was the proud owner of a Facebook page.  Shortly thereafter, here came the "friend requests."  And the next thing you know, I was getting updates that "so-and-so had updated their status" and "so-and-so had commented on your wall" (or whatever it's called).  I finally realized that my friend was right:  Do I really need one other thing in my life taking up my time?  No, I don't.  It already takes enough time and energy to try to keep this blog current.  Then, there's the massive number of emails that I get every day.  So, as soon as I publish this post, I'm headed over to Facebook to deactivate my account.  Rest in Peace, Facebook.

Saturday, February 7, 2009

Seeker-Sensitive

Here's a great article entitled, "It's Hard to be Seeker-Sensitive When You Work for Jesus."  Funny when a pastor from a mainline liberal denomination "gets it" when the evangelicals don't.

Friday, February 6, 2009

MLB '09


If you are not a baseball fan, you can skip this post...

In less than a week, major league baseball players will begin reporting to spring training.  Here are a couple of blogs that I read regularly that you might enjoy...


Geoff Baker (Seattle Times)

Peter Abraham (It's a Yankees blog, but it's the best one I've seen)

The Mariners have overhauled their front office and coaching staff and have added a number of new players.  It will be interesting to see how this year plays out.  They can't really go anywhere but up, though.

Thursday, February 5, 2009

Persecuted Nations

We have a number of freedoms in this country, which we should be very thankful for.  Certainly, there is the danger of apathy creeping in due to our affluence.  But we do not face the same threat of physical persecution that our brothers and sisters in Christ throughout the world face.  Here is a list of the 10 nations where Christians face the most severe persecution.


Tuesday, February 3, 2009

This Sunday (February 8th)

Morning Service

Songs
#37 (Blue hymnal)
#291 (Blue hymnal)
#75 (Blue hymnal)
#508 (Red hymnal)
#733 (Red hymnal)

Sermon
Numbers 28:  "Communion with God"

Evening Service

Songs
#156 (Red hymnal)
#110 (Blue hymnal)
#301 (Blue hymnal)
#488 (Blue hymnal)

Sermon
Matthew 19:16-26:  "Mission Impossible"

Quote of the Day

"It's not our job to be popular.  We are not contestants on American Idol.  And we are not Christ's speechwriters or PR team, airbrushing Jesus so He has greater appeal to people who don't want to hear what He said about sin and hell.  He's the King, He calls the shots, we're just His ambassadors.  So let's represent the real Jesus, the whole Jesus, not just the culturally acceptable one."


Recent Gallup Poll

Gallup just released a poll where over 350,000 people were asked, "Is religion an important part of your daily life?"  The data showed a wide disparity among the states.  In Mississippi, 85% answered "yes," while in Vermont, only 42% answered "yes."  Needless to say, that's an incredible margin of difference.

Here are some of the findings:

Most religious states:  Mississippi (85%), Alabama (82%), South Carolina (80%), Tennessee (79%), and Louisiana (78%).

Besides Vermont, among the least religious states:  Oregon (53%) and Washington (52%).

So apparently, the south really is the "Bible belt" while the Pacific Northwest is far more secular than most other regions of the country.

Of course, when you look at the Gallup poll, you realize that there are limitations.  When people were asked, "Is religion an important part of your daily life?" there was definition of "religion" offered.  Surely, many of those people answered in the affirmative from the perspective of some kind of cultural Christianity.  As one man said, "In the South, being raised right includes knowing how you are supposed to respond to a question like that posed by Gallup."

And yet, at the same time, it is a stark reminder to us, particularly those of us in the Pacific Northwest, that the task of the church is to proclaim the gospel to those who are lost in darkness.

Monday, February 2, 2009

Just Think Positive, Robert



Looks like there's trouble in paradise.  Click here to read more.