Cookn' with the Pastor

Had a wonderful time preparing Thanksgiving Dinner for 16 family members up in the Bluegrass.

Welcome - Sparklers (Iced Smirnoff Cranberry and Lime/7 Up/Pineapple sorbet on top)

Hors D'oeuvres - Pate, Cream Cheese with Raspberry Chipotle, Brie en croute (brie topped with crushed walnuts and brown sugar, wrapped in puff pastry, and baked), Goat cheese roll smothered in crushed walnuts and cranberries. Various Crackers and Breads.

Starter - Lobster Bisque with French breads for dipping.

Entres - Turkey Tejas with Kentucky Bourbon Cranberry Sauce, Sausage and Sage stuffing, Mashed Potato en croute*, harvest sprouts (brussel sprouts with bacon, feta, and bleu cheese), maple bacon wrapped green beans, sweet potatoes, glazed ham, scratch chive and brie biscuits.

Dessert - Paducah Pumpkin and Pecan Pies, topped with Spiked Ice Cream and Caramel Sauce (Yes, I made the caramel sauce too).


Assorted wines.

Yep, that was filling!


Next day, I prepared a leftover sandwich special -

Triple Decker Noggers:

Three stacked pieces of sourdough bread (trim off the crust) with ham, turkey, swiss cheese, mayo, and honey dijon mustard liberally placed between the slices.

Dip these in Egg Nog and Nutmeg mixture (plus one further egg), and grill until browned. Serve hot with a sprinkling of powdered sugar and a drizzle of hot maple syrup over the top with some leftover cranberry sauce to the side. Yum. Its my version of a Kentucky Holiday Hot Brown.


A couple days later I wrapped up the festivities with some Steak Fettuccine Alfredo served with some gorgeous Italian bread. That takes a little prep, as the steaks have to be grilled much earlier.

Served a flang for dessert. That's a hand made caramel poured into a pie pan and then covered with a mixture of egg nog, nutmeg, butter, and eggs. Place the pie pan in a roasting pan, with boiling water surrounding the pie pan to the level of the mixture in the pan. Cover it with foil and bake at 375 for an hour. Remove the foil, and cook for another 40 mins. Remove and let it cool for a few hours. Remove from pie dish, flip it so the caramel side is up, and serve chilled. Gorgeous!


Lets just say that no one went away unhappy or running on empty.


Cheers!

- Now on to that Beef Wellington for Christmas! That scares me, but I'm going for the big prize there.


* Mashed Potato en croute - 5 pounds of Yukon Gold spuds, boiled with four cloves of garlic, then chilled overnight. Smash em with a hand masher and then mix em (with a wood spoon!) with 2 sticks of unsalted butter, garlic salt, kosher salt, ground pepper, a mess of cream cheese, and 2 or 3 cups of heavy whipping cream. Place this glorious mixture into a large baking dish and spread a puff pastry over the top, cutting four slits in the top, and decorating with a couple of maple leaf shaped pastry cut outs. Brush on melted butter over the surface of the pastry. Cook at 375 until pastry is gloriously golden.

OK, back to the P90X.

Quotable - The Atheist Insight

Do [atheists] remember when they are writing thus that when they tell us we "ought to make a better world" the words "ought" and "better" must, on their own showing, refer to an irrationally conditioned impulse which cannot be true or false any more than a vomit or a yawn?

My idea is that sometimes they do forget. That is their glory. Holding a philosophy which excludes humanity, they yet remain human. At the sight of injustice they throw away all their Naturalism to the winds and speak like men and like men of genius. They know far better than they think they know.

CS Lewis (former atheist)

Quotable - The One God Chooses

This is from the latest prayer letter from our good friends Kris and Paula Lundgaard, laboring for Christ and his Kingdom in Slovakia. Kris is an excellent writer and gifted scholar. Paula is simply one of the most joyous and faithful Christians I have ever met, and all who know her are better for that acquaintance. Pray for them and let these very rich words of truth encourage your soul -

And remember, not many of you are movers and shakers in the world - but you have been called by the Mover and Shaker of all things. May he work in you to move and shake your city, no matter how small or how mighty it is.

Which is Why on Thursday...

1. I will be cooking from 4 am onwards...

2. I will overeat without working out...

3. The Aggies will crush the Horns...

And -

4. Because five years ago I saw Aggie fans cheer for the Vince Young led Horns because they wanted to see a Texas team win the national championship, I will be cheering for the Aggies in hopes they get a BCS shot.

Bleeding Orange, but looking to next season not this one,


David
Hook 'em (Not! One time only, this Thursday).

Twelfth Man Rising

That was quite win for the Aggies. Hands up everyone who thought when the season began that with a week to go Mike Sherman's job would be secure and Mack Brown's would be in jeopardy, that A&M would be regarded as one of the hottest teams in the nation while the Longhorns would be stuck at the bottom of the Big 12 South. Misery for the Horns and Ecstasy for the Aggies.

Oh sure, UT won yesterday, finally acting like what they're supposed to be. Its too little, too late. With a possible birth in the Big 12 Championship game and BCS Bowl hanging in the balance, don't expect the Aggies to show up short-handed in Austin on Thanksgiving. Could UT win? Sure. Should they? No. More on that later this week. Truth is, I expect OSU to handle OU, but you never know, and the Ags will be playing like they expect to be in the championship.

In the mean time, ponder this: if the conference standings were based in power rankings, Oklahoma State would be tops, and the Aggies would be right on their heels. Texas? Colorado is hotter. The only team keeping UT out of the basement would be Kansas. That's how incredibly pathetic and anemic this edition of the Horns has been. Which is why this Thursday....

Sermon Notes for Sunday of Fulfillment, November 21, 2010

Fortress of Silence
Psalm 46
Fulfillment Sunday
November 21, 2010

Last Sunday we explored the Psalmist’s exhortation to ‘make a joyful noise to the Lord’. Today we are reversing course, listening to the Psalmist say, ‘Silence!’ We need this word, for like Peter on the Mount of Transfiguration, we are inclined to speak up when we should shut up!

However, it isn’t simply the Psalmist who tells us that there is a time to be still, just as there is a time to make a joyful noise. God himself speaks through the Psalmist and says words reminiscent of what he had said so long ago to Israel on the banks of the Red Sea: At that time he had said, “Stand still and see the salvation of God”. Moses stretched out his rod and the Sea parted and Israel was delivered.

Now the Lord speaks once again to his people and encourages them with his promise of help: “Be still and know that I am God”

As if to emphasize the point, this Psalm is written with three pauses – a ‘selah’. The first is after v3, the second after 7, and then in closing, v.11.
• Selah – Change Pitch; Pause to Ponder

This Psalm appears to have been written just after Jerusalem had been delivered from certain destruction at the hands of the Assyrians. Isaiah and Chronicles record how the enemy came and surrounded the city of Jerusalem, sending King Hezekiah a letter telling him to surrender, telling him in fact that God had sent them to take the city. Hezekiah and the leaders of Judah spread the letter our before God and ask what to do. It’s a hopeless situation. There is no escape and there is no defense that can withstand the size and strength of the onslaught. As Hezekiah is praying, Isaiah the prophet sends him a message from the Lord promising deliverance. That night, the Scriptures say, a destroying angel from God killed 185,000 soldiers of the Assyrian army. In the morning, seeing the dead, the Assyrian General decided that going home would be a better course of action.

There’s a theological term for this kind of thing: monergism. It means the working of one. Synergy is a partnership, a ‘working together with’, and there are times when God calls us into his gracious work, working is us and through us in a synergistic way. There are other times when God works on his own, apart from us, but for us and our good, and ultimately for his glory.

This is the case when we are the weakest, the most vulnerable, and helpless, the times when we know we are not in control and can make no contribution; coming to these places is a hard mercy, but essential to knowing and following the Savior.

• The myth of control and contribution

I. Selah – God is With Us in this World – Psalm 46:1-3
A. Stand still and see!
B. Faith as Resting Trust
• My faith for salvation has Christ as its object, and I rest in him.
- Westminster Shorter Catechism Q. 86. What is faith in Jesus Christ?
A. Faith in Jesus Christ is a saving grace, whereby we receive and rest upon him alone for salvation, as he is offered to us in the gospel.
- We are all the crucified thief, and in our shame and on the cusp of death we look to the Crucified One for Life.

II. Selah – God is With Us in the Church – Psalm 46:4-7
A. Luther’s Great Fortress
B. The Spirit’s Streams and the River that Flows from God
• John 7:37-39

III. Selah – God is With Us in Our Trials – Psalm 46:8-11
A. Come and See
B. There are physical, emotional, psychological, political, financial, ecclesiastical disasters that come upon us all. What will we say in the face of such afflictions?
• “And Job bowed low and worshipped.” – Job 1:20

We can be still because we belong, body and soul, to the One who was silent as a lamb before its shearers, the One who did not answer Pilate but kept silent in the face of false accusation. God with us – Immanuel – the Word made flesh was Silent, and his stillness was very Loud and Clear. Out of the stillness of his communion, the silent places of trusting his Father, came the great cry from the cross, “It is finished!”

We clamber about for something to add to this finished work. Be still!

We talk incessantly of the threats the enemies of the Gospel pose. Be still!

We encounter disaster and fear the future. Be still!

Know that He is God – the God who delivered Israel, and raised his Son from the Dead. This God, the Living God, is with us and in you, and greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world. Cease from your labors and rest in the everlasting arms. Realize you are not in control and offer him the course of your life as his own rightful prize for the blood he shed for you.

Toni Times 11-18-10

Unfortunately the treatment center in Dallas could not find a place for Toni this week, so the planned chemo will have to wait until after Thanksgiving. I guess we are both relieved and disappointed - relieved that Toni won't experience some of the difficulties associated with the treatment, but disappointed of course that this delays somewhat the process of her recovery. God has been very kind to us throughout this trial, many of you serving as his hands and eyes and ears to us, and whatever our own sense of the situation, we will count it all joy.

Thanks for your continued prayers!

Hope to see many of you Sunday as we ponder the very relevant exhortation from Psalm 46 - "Be still and know that I am God."

P90X Start of Week Three

Yesterday was a rest/stretch day, and so today it was on to week three. What I am noticing is greater flexibility together with increased endurance and strength. I haven't noted any significant appearance changes, but typically the bigger fat burns are meant to kick in around the end of week three. We'll see. The ab workout is killer, and, like so many of the routines I try to do a little more than I thought I could and always more than the previous set, even in each workout. Love legs and shoulders, chest and back. Still hating yoga. Ommmmmmmm.

Bring it!

X

THAT is Christian Faith

I simply can't get out of my mind and prayers the horrendous butchery suffered by worshipping Christians in a Baghdad Church two weeks ago. More than fifty died at the hands of Al Quaeda sponsored terrorists. Over at the First Things Blog, I came across this story/quote concerning those who are picking up the pieces in the aftermath of this attack:

One of the [Iraqi] parishioners put it so simply, and so beautifully. He said that he returned because the week before he hadn’t finished his prayers. I need to finish them, he said. A woman with a bandage around her knee told a reporter, “We forgive them. We’re not afraid. They gave us blood and we give them forgiveness.”



Let those last three sentences sink in. Deep.

Toni Times 11-16-10

Love to report that Toni is doing great but sadly the opposite is the case. We are back to Dallas this Friday for more out-patient treatment, and it doesn't look to be an easy day. We appreciate your prayers for greater strength as that appointment approaches and for a positive and lasting response to the meds she will be receiving.

"For from him, and through him, and to him are all things, to him be glory forever."

Reformed Hate Blogging

Some folks wonder why I would be averse to remaining in the blog culture, and what kind of comments I was referring to when I noted the Reformed are especially mean-spirited and ill-mannered. Here's a good example. The author of course doesn't use a name, identifying himself/herself only as 'Anonymous' in the comment thread at another site.

If this represents the Reformed world, can you blame anyone for fleeing in terror to join the Methodists, Baptists, or Catholics? Hey, most of those folks are fairly nice.



DP Cassidy:

I read your blog loud and clear, except for those archives that you nuked, which in all my years in the field I have never seen anyone do under any circumstances (I wonder what compelled you to do such a thing). I am concerned, however, for your reading and comprehension skills, because it appears that while you post data on the web, you don’t read what you write or, in the least, you don’t act in accordance with what you write.

You and I differ on the nature of toxicity, seeing your choice of friends and their rabid contribution to the blogosphere. Do you really need me to quote some of the despicable rants of Jeffery Meyers and James B Jordan, men whom you describe as a “blessing” to you? In fact, now that I think about it, can you please tell us if you are among the select few in the PCA who have not bowed the knee to Baal, and while you’re at it, can you please tell us if Pastor White is among the anti-Christs whom James B. Jordan anathematized a couple years ago. This would be helpful information to know.

And I don’t think you’re “ashamed of affirming the importance of the Westminster Confession and that people criticizing it should not expect a sympathetic hearing in Presbyterian circles.” I think you’re a dissembler, saying one thing confidentially, in private, among your BH buds, and another thing completely opposite in public. That’s just my opinion, and every smarmy syllable of yours in this thread confirms it.

Ecumenically yours,

TLOTB


A couple of things:

1. The author having read the blog post that I wasn't going to blog any further didn't read the follow up post that noted I would blog about Toni's health updates, publish sermon notes, and pass along news.

2. He doesn't like some of my friends. Gosh. Oh no. Start the heresy trial.

3. He's ticked off that I 'nuked' all my old blog posts. In his vast experience (?), he's never seen anyone do that. I love being a pioneer. I have all my sermon notes, which in my opinion was the only thing worth preserving. You really want me to archive my praise of the 08 Cubs?

4. I have no idea who "Pastor White" is, but obviously that's a big deal to him. Why it should be to me escapes me.

5. Despite the fact that I was examined in depth for ordination and transfer by two presbyteries and found blameless, not to mention being examined by Bob Phillips (!), and preaching for several years here without the slightest complaint about some funky doctrine I might be teaching, and teaching the confession to successive Officer Training classes, this dude/dudette sees that in fact I am a total hypocrite when it comes to the Reformed Faith. Wow - who knew? My guess is that my colleague on the SJC - who is also the chairman of the credentials committee for the South Texas Presbytery - would've picked up on my dissembling ways.

In short, it is exactly this kind of stuff that is no longer worth dealing with at any level. I offer it here for information purposes only, to assist readers in understanding the weirdness that is out there and why encouraging and enabling such behavior - and I could cite far worse - is neither profitable nor edifying.

Family Viewing this Thanksgiving

I have always loved the Peanuts comic strip by Charles Shultz, and the television specials they inspired were part of our holiday traditions when I was a child. They remain as big a fixture now as then, perhaps more so since they are available on DVD and I can keep hitting replay.

Sadly the Charlie Brown Thanksgiving is not all that great. Even so, the DVD has a wonderful, historically informative, and very overtly religious 'Peanuts as Pilgrims' additional feature that follows right after the title presentation. Frankly, I'd skip ahead to it, press play and get ready to give thanks. We had a great time watching it tonight, and at evening prayers Anna said, "I thank you Lord for all the Pilgrims, for those who survived, for their faith, and for Squanto and Massasoit." Good stuff.

Anyway, if you have little ones - or big ones who are little ones still in their hearts - this is a Peanuts adventure to be savored and played again and again.

Winston Churchill Call Your Office

The head of the British military says that radical Islam and Al Quaeda cannot be defeated. When did the French start leading the British Army? Go back and read Churchill's speeches about defeating Nazism - he wasn't interested in 'containing' Hitler. Churchill was not ashamed to speak of Christendom either.

www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/afghanistan/8131651/Britains-top-soldier-says-al-Qaeda-cannot-be-beaten.html

Quotable - On Joy

I can say that I never knew what joy was like until I gave up pursuing happiness, or cared to live until I chose to die. For these two discoveries, I am beholden to Jesus. - Malcolm Muggeridge


No one can live without delight. That is why a man deprived of spiritual joy will go over to carnal pleasure." - Thomas Aquinas


Jesus wept for with us so that someday we can laugh with him. - Jurgen Moltman

Sermon Notes for November 14, 2010

The Joy of our Salvation
Psalm 98
Twenty-Fifth Sunday after Pentecost
November 14, 2010

Isaac Watts thought the Psalm singing of his church was a bit dreary. Challenged by his father to stop complaining and make it more glorious if he was so convinced, Watts sat down and started writing paraphrased versions of many Psalms – like 90, “Our God, Our Help in Ages Past”, and the passage we just read, Psalm 98, which Watts re-wrote with the memorable words, “Joy to the Word! The Lord has come. Let earth receive her King…”

Nietzsche was never more damning of the Church than when he condemned us as a ‘joyless spectacle’. If that really were our testimony, the Psalmist might not condemn us as did the philosopher, but he would exhort us to reflect more deeply on the Gospel, knowing that when that glory penetrates our hearts, an eruption of joy cannot help but be our experience.

• Luther on the joy of conversion

The plaintive music of our singing Psalm 51 – perfectly appropriate to the confession of sin – should be followed by perhaps the loudest ‘Amen’ of our morning, or our week. The Psalm not only pleads for mercy, but for salvation’s joy to be restored. It is this overflowing mercy and rich grace that is summed up in the further words of Psalm 51 – Our help is in the Name of the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth. We shout ‘Amen’ at the declaration of sins forgiven and rise to sing the Gloria, echoing angels over Bethlehem long ago. Joyless? Never! And it should be LOUD too! Let me say it again – LOUD. REALLY, REALLY LOUD! The Psalms are filled with “joyful noise before the King” (Psalm 98:6).

Psalm 98 beckons us into the recovery of Salvation’s Joy. This song resounds with a celebration of God’s Salvation graciously given to us, spread through the world, and embracing the whole creation at the end, when he comes again as Victorious Judge.

I. The Joy of Salvation Bestowed – Psalm 98:1-3
A. Salvation and Victory (Note AV in v.1)
• Egypt, Passover, Deliverance, and the Red Sea
B. Salvation and History
• Mary of Nazareth
• The Covenant Remembered (Luke 1:54)
- Righteousness Revealed
- Joy to the world, the Savior reigns; let men their songs employ!


II. The Joy of Salvation Proclaimed – Psalm 98:4-6
A. Joy is made full only when, like love, it can be given to another. The Gospel kept from others can’t possibly be the true Gospel at all, shut up in hearts dead to the plague of misery and eternal judgment which is the world’s contemporary story.
B. “All the earth” and not just Israel is the horizon of the Salvation God achieves through the gift and victory of his Son, our Lord.
- He rules the world with truth and grace, and makes the nations prove, the glories of his righteousness and wonders of his love!


III. The Joy of Salvation Realized – Psalm 98:7-9
A. The Three-fold Stage of Salvation
B. The Redemption of Creation
• Buying back the works of his hands to employ in Gospel work: art gives voice to the temporarily mute stones.
• Stewarding well – not worshipping! – creation as Defending the Choir.
- Romans 8:18-24
- We are saved in hope for a salvation yet to be revealed. Groaning is real, yes; but so is joy in the midst of suffering, because the sufferings of the present are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to come.

The Savior-Judge will come again. He who remembered his promise to Abraham to save the world and sent the Savior will not forget his promise to send him to us again and reclaim for himself his elect and the all he has made for his glory. The righteousness he has given as gracious gift will overflow in righteous judgment on that day. Where will you stand then? God has promised mercy to your repentance but he has not guaranteed grace to your procrastination. Today is the day of salvation, so do not hesitate to turn from sin to the Savior with faith and repentance. Salvation has come because the Savior has come. Joy to the World! Let his joy be restored to you now and forever.

Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth!

P90X Midway Second Week

Love Shoulders and arms. Hate Yoga. Would do Kenpo every day. That 'hate yoga' comment just means I'm a fatty. Watching You Tube testimonials to stay inspired. Pain every day, but as the old saying goes, "It hurts good."

I think its time to download the Rocky theme music from Itunes to play for warmups.

Or maybe the Aggie band.

Or maybe replays of Vince scoring the winner over USC.

Bring it!

Toni Times 11-11-10

We are back from Toni's follow-up appointments in Dallas. Not an easy day, especially in regard to handing over more blood for further tests. I don't know how my wife keeps going, but she's a tough one!

The MRI showed that the remaining lesion in her neck while still present and causing disruptions had decreased in intensity. This is an indication of the success of the plasma exchange treatment from a few weeks back. That said, Toni's symptoms indicate that she has plateaued in her recovery; however, this is not an altogether bad thing as it reveals more clearly the nature of what is keeping that lesion from disappearing altogether. Given the symptoms, the presence of Sjogrens is virtually certain, though this is highly treatable. With a positive response to future treatment of the Sjogrens affliction, the docs expect Toni's recovery to accelerate.

We will return to Dallas next week for an infusion of a mild form of chemo (The full strength version is used to treat cancers, and this 10% strength version is used to attack Sjogrens). While the treatment will take the full extent of the day, none of the unpleasant side effects normally associated with chemo are expected to arise. We anticipate Toni being pretty tired for a couple of days, with no immediate indications of accelerated recovery showing up for two weeks afterwards. Typically, it is at that point that the body begins a more rapid response to the treatment. This is a slow working drug which should produce excellent long-term results.

We're not sure as yet which day we will make our way to Dallas. We are grateful for your prayers and hope to pass along even better news soon.

Islamo-Fascism's Dumb Defenders

This is a helpful article on the wretched level of ignorance which exists among many of the talking heads who continue to insult the intelligence of the public and defame history and reason with their pathetic assertions that jihadists are no real threat to the West and Islam is no different than the Christian Faith.

www.patheos.com/Resources/Additional-Resources/Islams-Ignorant-Defenders.html

Thank You Veterans

November 11 is Veteras Day, and I cannot let that day pass without pausing to offer my own thanks for those men and women who have served us so courageously and honorably through the years. Dad, Big, Steve - hats off to you especially. In saluting them, I remember especially tonight Redeemer members Ladd Speers, Harry Jones, and Neil Craig serving currently, the latter two in very dangerous situations.

To all of our members who have served, your Pastor salutes you. To all everywhere who have served, I thank God for you, and pray with you that the day when wars shall cease will shortly be our inheritance.

Toni Times 11-10-10: Back to Dallas

We have returned to Dallas for more tests and follow up with Dr. Greenberg at Southwestern. Everything kicks off bright and early tomorrow with a fresh round of MRIs. I have no doubt there will be more blood work, and what would a trip to Dallas be with an IV? I think Toni is most unsettled by the lip biopsy. None of us would like someone taking out a chunk of our lip! That just has to hurt. We hope to have good news to report tomorrow, but whatever we do learn we will report to you, thanking you in advance for your prayers as we prepare for all that is ahead tomorrow.

Singapore Math

Hey friends and acquaintances, anyone have experience with using Singapore Math as part of their home education curriculum? I'd appreciate knowing your thoughts on strengths, weaknesses, and suitability of the approach. Thanks. I'm looking specifically at second grade level.

Life as a Protestant Catholic: No More Amnesia

Carl Trueman offers a thoughtful reflection on his oft-cited and repeated dictum that the default setting of Western Christianity is Roman Catholic, and that one needs good reasons NOT to be in full communion with Rome if one is indeed not a Roman Catholic. Now Trueman does not outline the reasons he is not a Roman Catholic, and the gentleman he notes, Bryan Cross, has lots of reasons that he IS a Roman Catholic. It wasn't Trueman's intent in this brief article to list his reasons, and he does have them, so that's fine. Noting that, I am complete agreement with the spirit of his remarks when he says -


Second, those familiar with recent scholarship on the development of Protestant thinking, Lutheran or Reformed, in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, know that Protestant theologians were careful readers and appropriators of Catholic theology, exegesis, philosophy, and casuistry. For some years now, I have considered that it would be not only academically nonsensical but also an act of a curmudgeonly ingrate to refuse to acknowledge such debts. This is not to say that there were not -- and are not -- fundamental differences in key areas, not least those of authority, justification, and sacraments; but it is to point to a heritage which both orthodox Catholicism and orthodox Protestantism holds in common. I would not go so far as to say that the Catholic Church is my church, as Bryan argues, but I would say that the true catholic tradition is my tradition -- essentially Calvin's point in his reply to Cardinal Sadoleto. Yes, yes, I know that that raises a whole set of Newman-style questions about how one recognises the true tradition, but that is a discussion for another time. My point here is simply that I repudiate the kind of Protestantism that claims it has no connection to past tradition. Pace such claims, only heretics reinvent the faith every Sunday.

Third, and deriving from this latter point, as a churchman in the contemporary context, I am aware, often embarrassingly aware, of how much of my theology is closer to that of orthodox Catholic friends, particularly in the area of the doctrine of God, than to many of those with whom I am supposed to have an affinity -- open theists, emergents, radical anabaptists, to name but three -- because somebody, somewhere has decided that there is such a thing as `evangelicalism' in the abstract -- a point which I dispute, at least from the perspective of doctrine, regarding it now rather as a merely institutional phenomenon.

Read the entire post at ref 21: www.reformation21.org/blog/2010/11/protestant-amnesia.php

Role Reversal

Way to Go Texas A&M. The Aggies put a big hurt on OU tonight. I was there the last time OU played at A&M, and the Sooners scored while the crowd was still singing the National Anthem on the way to hanging 60+ points on the Aggies. Tonight the Aggies stepped up in a way a lot of people at the beginning of the season thought they would. 'Bout time. Nice win for the Maroon.

Now the question is simply by how many points A&M will pulverize Texas.

That debacle in Manhattan was just ridiculous. Its one thing to have a bad season, but embarrassing and pathetic is just unacceptable. No pride, no offense, no defense and no way they beat OK State or A&M. Know what that means? That means a losing season and forget about going to a bad Bowl - the Horns won't go to ANY Bowl at all. Nor do they deserve to do so. This is a season of shame.

Mike Sherman secured his job and while Mack Brown can't be fired, he may be forced to fire some assistants. I use the word 'forced' advisedly. Mack won't allow himself to be forced into anything. He may walk away after this season. Maybe he should. Clearly he has no answers, and there are no excuses when Texas has the kind of athletes on the team that they do.

If anyone thinks a great program can't go from penthouse to outhouse in a hurry, check out the disaster that is Tennessee. Phil Fulmer had a national title as well, but they are as irrelevant as can be in the SEC. Texas fans have a LOT to worry about. Gilbert is the answer? Seriously? This offense is the answer? Have you seen Boise or TCU? Oregon would score 60 points on Texas - in one half! Hey, remember when Mack said before the season that this team might have the greatest defense in Texas history. Care to revise that estimate?

Oh well, maybe we can start thinking about Lacrosse.

Here's what will be fun - trying to figure out who gets to play in the National Title game. If they go unbeaten and defeat LSU in the SEC championship, then Auburn should play Oregon for the big prize. If they stumble against Alabama and win the SEC with one loss, or lose the SEC and finish with one loss, then TCU is going to play for the title. That win over Utah was IIIIImpressive. I'd love to see TCU vs Oregon or Oregon vs. Boise.

What a wacky year.

UPDATE: That is your Texas A&M Aggies at number 25 in today's USA Today poll, just released.

Rubens' Abraham and Melchizedek

As they say, worth a thousand words.

The Forbes 68

Forbes has published its list of the 68 most influential/powerful people on the planet (the number is arrived at as a percentage of the 6.8 bn population of the world).

www.forbes.com/wealth/powerful-people#p_1_s_arank

There is exactly one person listed who leads a Christian institution: Benedict XVI. Its no surprise that B16 makes the list - he's number 5 - but for a poor night's sleep read through the list and count the number of leaders from China. Then think about China's record on human rights abuses and its hatred for the Gospel and the Church.

Now I wonder who is on God's list of the top 68 most influential people on the planet?

My guess is that his list is very different than the one Forbes produced.

Ah, now I can sleep better.

Sermon Notes for Sunday, November 7th: Stewards of the Vision.

Stewards of the Vision
Genesis 14:13- 15:1
Twenty Fourth Sunday after Pentecost
November 7, 2010

The lovely Rubens painting adorning the worship folder this morning is the artist’s interpretation of Abraham bringing his tithe to Melchizedek. This isn’t the finished work in fact, but what is called a ‘cartoon’. Now when I think ‘cartoon’ I think Pink Panther, Bugs Bunny, and Road Runner, not Sponge Bob, and certainly not Renaissance era masterpieces. What Rubens meant by a 'cartoon' was a preliminary painting, preparation for the grand final production of which this was but a small portion. However the subject of tithing – of financing the progress of the Kingdom – can be cartoonishly laughable. My dad the Church Treasurer loved to tell the story of the man who asked him whether he should tithe gross or net. “Tithe on the gross”, my dad told him, “no matter how gross it is.”

• Marilyn Monroe: “Hollywood is a place where they will give you $50,000 for a kiss and 50 cents for your soul.”
• God doesn’t want your money, he wants your heart. The heart always testifies to our true treasure.
• Wealth well spent is a vision producer.
- a new home
- a new company
- college tuition
- the kingdom extended

Let’s recall for a moment the great lessons we learned from Luke’s account of Jesus’ approach to his mission of the Kingdom. Jesus was devoted to communion with the Father, to a shared life with his elect apostles, and to bringing healing to the brokenness of the people who came to him. His was a life of liturgy, community, and ministry. Each of these three activities form the core of our Kingdom vision. What is our vision? It is not ours, but his. It is summed up in the words of the Lord’s Prayer – “Thy Kingdom Come”. Being Kingdom people means we are committed to liturgy, community, and ministry.

In Liturgy we open our hands to God in worship, offering to him the sacrifice he commands from the heart he commends and receiving his incomparable blessings.

In Community we open our hands to one another in selfless service that bears witness to the love of Jesus in the life of his people.

In Ministry, we open our hands to a world not yet met by the saving message of the Kingdom, by word and deed bearing witness so that in the words of Isaiah, 'those who have had no news of him may see and those who have not heard will understand.

As we saw last Sunday, each of these three are visible in Abraham’s life. Abraham was an altar builder, the man whose entire existence and mission begins in worship. Abraham was also the father of a great family, a great united community of people, undivided and multiplied across the world, and this in order to bring blessing to the whole world.

If we dig a little deeper we can see behind the scenes to the hidden practice that made this vision more than a pipe dream. We can learn how we become good stewards of the vision of the Kingdom.

At the most challenging early moment in the unfolding of the vision God had entrusted to him, when his relatives had been captured by marauding forces, Abraham’s devotion to liturgy, community, and ministry came forward in his encounter with one of the most mysterious figures in the Scriptures – Melchizedek, King of Righteousness and King of Peace.


I. Giving and Receiving with the King of Salem – Genesis 14:18-20
A. Abraham received the Blessing – Bread, Wine, and Word
• Abraham the lesser is blessed by the King who is the greater – Hebrews 7:7
B. Abraham ‘pays’ Melchizedek ‘one tenth’ of ‘the choicest spoils’ – Genesis 14:20; Hebrews 7:4
• Every descendent of Abraham, even those who receive tithes, pay tithes: Hebrews 7:8-10
• Continuity and Discontinuity in the Covenant
- We remain the children of Abraham and do his deeds
- We are the followers of Jesus and know all we have is from God and have already forsaken all to follow him. Jesus doesn’t require 10% of your goods, but rather requires 100% of your goods; the 10% is simply our acknowledgment of the fact that it is all his anyway,



II. Giving and Receiving with the King of Sodom – Genesis 14:21-23
A. Abraham rejected the Blessing of Sodom
• This was a premeditated statement rooted in a religious conviction about creation and Lordship.
B. Abraham would not allow the King of Sodom an illegitimate testimony.
• “You would have no power over Me unless…” – Jesus to Pilate


The final verse in this lesson shows us God’s response to this devotion. Abraham might have feared reprisal at the hands of the King of Sodom – a kingdom for which Abraham will later intercede in hopes that its impending doom might be averted; after all he had publicly insulted this very powerful king-warlord of a violent and wicked people.

To this God answers, “I am your reward” and “I am your shield” – Genesis 15:1.

When we begin to join in the matter of giving and receiving, we can be tempted by fear as well. Faith in God’s promise overcomes that temptation and teaches us that God’s blessing will rest upon all those who serve him and not mammon, who like our father Abraham know that giving and receiving are inseparable.

This is supremely seen as we come now to our Great High Priest, One who is also in the order of Melchizedek, the King of Righteousness and King of Peace. He brings out to us his bread and wine and stands over us to pronounce upon our lives his blessing. With Abraham we bring to this greater Priest yet more choice spoils, the fruit of our lips giving thanks, the sacrifice of our bodies in worship, and the tithe of our increase that his Kingdom may be proclaimed and fill the earth.

Should I tithe? The answer to that question is the same response to the question, “Should I come to the Table and receive the blessing of Christ?” Of course, and rejoice in doing so, for in your giving there is receiving, in your choice spoils is the witness that God not Sodom has been your supply, and in your offering is the seed that God will take and spread across the world to extend the borders of his Kingdom.

Toni Times 11-3-10

Toni has had a pretty tough morning, feeling lower intensity versions of most symptoms. She made it out to vote yesterday - she would've made me take her on a stretcher if necessary - and rested well last night. Nevertheless this morning was clearly filled with the signs that it was going to be one of those tough days. Her speech is clear, but the energy levels are very low. That said, she has a follow up appointment today with her Austin based neurologist. I don't know that we're expecting any further tests today, but I will let you know if anything comes up.

I appreciate your continued prayers. While we hope the worst has passed, the extent of the needed recovery remains great and will require a lot of patience. You're still carrying us to Jesus and we are grateful for your strength in our weakness - especially when we have these unpleasant reminders of how weak we really are just now.

Pro-Life Victory in Austin

A woman cannot be forced to have an abortion against her will. That's the summary of the legal outcome yesterday arising as a result of actions filed by pro-life advocates and prayer partners.

Read all about it here: www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/pro-life-advocates-help-prevent-forced-abortion-in-austin/

The Old Switcheroo

With the Democrats holding California and Nevada, they are certain to retain the majority position in the Senate. They may add to that if Patty Murray can hang on in Washington, though she was trailing the challenger at last count.

That doesn't mean that the Senate will necessarily remain in Democratic hands for much longer.

If the Dems have a bare majority with VP Biden spending a lot of time in the Senate to break ties, I have to wonder if some Democrat Senators might not switch parties. Why? 2012. There are several Democrat Senators from heartland and mountain states who will be up for re-election in 2012. It may be that a couple of them will not want to run with the President and may not be able to run from him. They may be looking at the results tonight and thinking that their political survival may require a change in approach and label. They may switch parties. No, that isn't a scenario we should expect in California or New York. But places like Montana, Nebraska, and New Mexico may see that kind of thing happen. And does anyone remember Joe Lieberman? I don't think he'll switch parties, but there are others who might, others far more electorally vulnerable. This has happened before - Shelby and Night Horse Campbell moving from the Dems to the GOP and Specter moving from the GOP to the Dems.

The count in some of these elections may go on for awhile - and so might the drama. Colorado, Alaska, and Washington are too close to call, though the Alaska outcome is a choice between two GOP candidates. If current form holds the Dems will have 51 seats, with the new West Virginia Senator voting with the Republicans on economic issues and the independent wild card Lieberman ready to unsettle things even further.

My guess is that the GOP would like to see the Senate stay Democrat for two more years so they have two 'targets' for their campaign in 2012. They may not have that luxury.

The Son of Exiles and Political Reflections

In case you missed it, by his remarkable campaign and acceptance speech Florida Senator-elect Marco Rubio made himself an immediate front-runner for the Presidential nomination of the GOP. That was a good speech and may well set the tone for the conversation for quite a while.

OK, so the GOP now runs the House. Why and what difference will that make?

Do I think the US is more conservative tonight than it was two years ago? No. I think conservatives are a lot more energized, largely because they have candidates they find more credible. Responsibility, not party, is what people are looking for.

Those candidates so elected need to be mindful of that energized electorate or they will be rejected in the next election cycle. The Tea Party folks aren't going away and neither will they look kindly on officials they work to elect if they in turn compromise on the principles to which their supporters hold.

That leads to a final observation.

This does not appear to be a pro GOP vote as much as it is pro-anger vote. Is the anger legitimate? One could say so, depending on one's political principles. However, it looks to me that in some circles the expectation that the Federal and State governments can 'fix' things and do so quickly - and the subsequent inevitable disappointment such misplaced hope engenders - is more at the root of the outcome than a positive embrace of a new set of principles. This goes back to the last election. Voters were angry with president Bush and the Republicans for many reasons. That anger hasn't disappeared, even if it is redirected. The Tea Party's rise is proof that voters aren't going to go after Republicans as the only conservatives that are viable. Republican gains tonight will be lost in the next cycle if they don't prove that they can take effective action. Americans have grown impatient, an impulse that for three straight election cycles has produced a so-called 'historic' election wave. These waves washed back out to sea and tonight's results could be as quickly dispersed as have the 2008 election outcomes.

We shall see.

Let us remember that politics and the state cannot save the soul, and economics alone cannot define a person - that's just Marxism. We are more than well organized molecules and more than 401K numbers. We are immortals and such creatures see well beyond the false promises of salvation offered by the State.

P90X Day 4

It was Yoga day on P90X yesterday. Um, what, I'm a chinese acrobat? Are you kidding me? I was tempted to weep in pain but then started laughing at the silliness of my futile attempts to do most of these moves. This is a very tough workout lasting an hour and a half. I was able to do about two thirds of the workout, and am now very familiar with up dog and down dog and warrior poses and a host of other positions that would pass for torture in most Inquisitions. I've never sweat like that while attempting to be perfectly still. Back to legs tonight with a somewhat more traditional workout involving weights. I can hardly wait. On to Day Five - Bring It!

The Terror Attack in the Syrian-Catholic Baghdad Church

From the LA Times, here is an incredibly terrifying recollection of the horror inflicted on Christian worshippers during services in Baghdad. Fifty-eight died in the attack.

Remember O Lord, these your servants, and comfort those who mourn. Bring peace where there has been war; convert those embraced by the way of death to faith in the Author of Life who gave himself to save sinners.

www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-iraq-church-20101102,0,3631092,full.story

Religion of Peace Strikes Again

Was this story headlined anywhere?

Yesterday Islamic terrorists invaded a Catholic Church during Mass, took many worshipers hostage and then killed them when forces attempted to rescue them.

www.catholicculture.org/news/headlines/index.cfm?storyid=8115