Offering Strange Kindle Fire

What if they made this announcement at the start of every church service?

“Please silence your pagers and cell phones as we prepare to worship the living God. We welcome you to use your phones, readers, or other digital devices to follow along in God’s Word, but we warn you that this is the worst possible time to send texts, check email, or bomb angry birds. God demands and deserves our full attention, and he destroyed Nadab and Abihu for offering “strange fire” during worship. So use your kindle fire at your own risk.”

Somehow I don't think that would go over very well!
BTW, the Nadab and Abihu reference is from Leviticus 9 & 10.

From Mike Wittmer

The Future of Libraries

I love my Kindle, but also love physical books and hope they never go away!

Hat Tip: Near Emmaus

100 Years of Schaeffer

Today would have been the 100th birthday of one of my Christian heroes - the late Dr. Francis Schaeffer.Comments below are from The Chief End of Man.

Francis Schaeffer—100?  Who can believe it?!  Schaeffer (1912-1984) was born 100 years ago on January 30^th.   On this special occasion, it’s worth taking a few minutes to remember his important legacy.  Many of us were greatly blessed by his life.

Schaeffer was a Presbyterian pastor, then missionary, then apologist, prolific author, evangelist, film maker and activist .  He was one of six evangelical leaders  (along with Billy Graham, John Stott, J.I. Packer, Carl F. H. Henry, and Martyn Lloyd-Jones) who profoundly shaped the evangelical movement in the second half of the  20^th  century....

And I liked this.

 ..Schaeffer also knew the power of truth.  He understood that a new subjective view of truth was emerging.   He insisted that God created us in his image and has spoken to us—hence we have a groundwork for knowing truth.  As the idea of truth was being relativized, Schaeffer talked about “true truth” and truth spelled with a capital “T.”   Yet Schaeffer wasn’t content to simply argue for truth, he went further saying that Biblical Christianity provides a unified answer for the whole of life.  And that truth is ultimately found in Jesus Christ. Discovering Christ and his truth leads us back to freedom and dignity.

Much more at the link.  Also, Trevin Wax has some great Schaeffer links.

Biographical
Know Your Evangelicals: Francis Schaeffer
Remembering Francis Schaeffer: On the Occasion of His 100th Birthday
Impact
Francis Schaeffer Cried for the Culture 
The Dissatisfaction of Francis Schaeffer
Schaeffer in His Own Words
What Would Francis Schaeffer Say to the Gospel-Centered Movement?
A Christian Can Defeat Himself in Two Ways
On the Need for Divine Power
On the Early Christians’ Exclusive Claims

Growth Seed

"Christian growth isn't found outside the gospel, and it is foolish to pursue any other method with such a goal. Christian growth is gospel growth. There's no other kind, and there's no other way."

      - Michael Chase, The Gospel is for Christians, page 115

The Reminder That Grows Gratitude

"The key to becoming more grateful people, then, is knowing more of the gospel that saves us. The gospel has the power to free us from entitlement.  The gospel humbles us before our mighty yet merciful God. The gospel reminds us of the judgement that we deserved, the condemnation which God saved us from - and our response should be gratitude for undeserved grace. God's will is that Christians give thanks in all circumstances (1 Thess. 5:18). If Christians are to grow in gratitude, they must grow in the gospel."

         -Michael Chase, The Gospel is for Christians, page 114

A Personal Note

I haven't been on the web as much as usual for the past few days due to a family medical crises.  Yesterday, my 83 year old mother had cancer surgery.  I am overjoyed to report that her prognosis looks good, the surgeon thinks that they got it all, and does not think that she will need chemotherapy. She was discharged from the hospital today and went home to recover in peace.

Thank you Lord Jesus, for all the grace and mercy we have received this week, for the prayer support of our family and friends, for the wisdom and skill given to a great doctor, and for your healing power at work in Mom's body. And thanks for the Christian testimony of my Mom and Dad and their example of a strong marriage.

To God be the glory!

Perseverence Pays Off

From:  22 Words

Value Lies in the Object

"To say ‘justification by faith’ is merely another way of saying ‘justification by Christ’. Faith has absolutely no value in itself; its value lies solely in its object. Faith is the eye that looks to Christ, the hand that lays hold of him, the mouth that drinks the water of life."

            — John Stott, The Cross of Christ (Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity Press, 1986), page 187

Hat Tip: Of First Importance

A Small Crowd Came to DC Yesterday

Yesterday a "small crowd" gathered in Washington DC to proclaim the sanctity of life and pray for an end to legalized abortion. The "mainstream" press never thinks this annual event is important enough to cover.  I thought you might like to see pictures of the "few thousand" who came. 

Wisdom on Unequal Yokes

I would like to call the attention of all my single readers to an excellent article entitled Don’t Take It from Me: Reasons You Should Not Marry an Unbeliever by Kathy Keller, wife of Pastor Tim Keller and co-author of The Meaning of Marriage.

Over the course of our ministry, the most common pastoral issue that Tim and I have confronted is probably marriages---either actual or proposed---between Christians and non-Christians. I have often thought how much simpler it would be if I could remove myself from the conversation and invite those already married to unbelievers do the talking to singles who are desperately trying to find a loophole that would allow them to marry someone who does not share their faith.

That way, I could skip all the Bible passages that urge singles only to "marry in the Lord" (1 Corinthians 7:39) and not "be unequally yoked" (2 Corinthians 6:14) and the Old Testament proscriptions against marrying the foreigner, a worshiper of a god other than the God of Israel (see Numbers 12 where Moses marries a woman of another race but the same faith). You can find those passages in abundance, but when someone has already allowed his or her heart to become engaged with a person outside the faith, I find that the Bible has already been devalued as the non-negotiable rule of faith and practice...

She says it better than I could, and perhaps better than any man could. Read it at the link.