Confusion of Terms

From www.inheritthemirth.com

Links Worth a Look

Some links worth a look:

Our Unhealthy Obsessions With Pastors

John Chrysostom &  Justification by Faith

What Did Jesus Mean When He Said "Judge Not"

Weakness is an Advantage

Confession of Sin aa Idle, Lustful Babbling

A Primer on the Southern Baptist Convention, Part 1 and Part 2

The Process of Recovery

“For just as sin, addiction, and misery typically go together, so do confession, healing, and the long process of redemption. We need redemption not just from our sins and addictions but also from their miseries — particularly those miseries that occasion more sin and deeper addiction. As all recovering sinners know, this process of healing and liberation, this ‘conversion unto life,’ this set of lessons to teach us how to dance again will prove to be as cunning, baffling, powerful, and patient as addiction itself.”

— Cornelius Plantinga  Not the Way It's Supposed to Be
(Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans Publishing, 1995), 149.

Hat Tip: Of First Importance

Learning from Lance Armstrong

Definitely worth a look - Four Things Christians Can Learn From the Lance Armstrong Debacle  by Ed Stetzer. His list includes:

1. Internal desires are the root of our external sins
2. To fulfill our selfish desires, we often look for shortcuts.
3. The threat of being uncovered often cause us to dig a deeper hole.
4. Exposure is inevitable - now or in eternity.

I want to be careful to not judge Armstrong, or anybody else for that matter, without applying the same standards to myself. The roots of what he did are in me, and in you too. This incident is a reminder of the need for humility and self testing and criticism for all of us.

Please read it all at the link.

Are You A Sinner? There’s An App For That!

This sounds like a spoof or hoax. Maybe it is. But according to the BBC:

The Catholic Church has approved an iPhone app that helps guide worshippers through confession.

The Confession program has gone on sale through iTunes for £1.19 ($1.99).

Described as "the perfect aid for every penitent", it offers users tips and guidelines to help them with the sacrament.

I thnik that for the time being I'll just stick to telling Him in person!

Hat Tip: 22 Words:

Forget The Duck

A story about grace and acceptance:

"Do you remember the story about the little boy who killed his grandmother’s pet duck? He accidentally hit the duck with a rock from his slingshot. The boy didn’t think anybody saw the foul deed, so he buried the duck in the backyard and didn’t tell a soul.

Later, the boy found out that his sister had seen it all. Not only that, she now had the leverage of his secret and used it. Whenever it was the sister’s turn to wash the dishes, take out the garbage or wash the car, she would whisper in his ear, “Remember the duck.” And then the little boy would do what his sister should have done.

There is always a limit to that sort of thing. Finally, he couldn’t take it anymore–he’d had it! The boy went to his grandmother and, with great fear, confessed what he had done. To his surprise, she hugged him and thanked him. She said, “I was standing at the kitchen sink and saw the whole thing. I forgave you then. I was just wondering when you were going to get tired of your sister’s blackmail and come to me.”

If he already saw and forgave you, don’t let anybody say to you, “Remember the duck.”"

Hat Tip: Remember The Duck – Blog of Tullian Tchividjian:

Prayer of Confession

"Prayer of Confession

Hear our prayer of confession, Oh God.
For there are a million ways in which we are unfaithful to you.
We set before our eyes the longings of our hearts,
While your word gathers dust.
We are weak and frail and powerless against sin,
Because we regard the grasping of your precepts as burdensome.
Our lips say one thing, and our lives say another,
As we worship what we have acquired and what we long to acquire.
We are your bride and yet practice harlotry.
Hear our prayer of confession, Oh God.
For there are more than a million ways in which you show yourself faithful.
You retrieve your bride from the street corner,
And establish her in your home.
With grateful hearts we beg you to correct our longings,
And make your word alive in our beings.
Amen."

Quoted from Prayer of Confession « joethorn.net

(I can pray this one - Amen!)

Guide for Confession in Lent

Worth meditation and regular usage (whether you observe Lent or not): The Litany of Penitence from the Book of Common Prayer.

"Litany of Penitence

Most holy and merciful Father:
We confess to you and to one another,
and to the whole communion of saints 
in heaven and on earth,
that we have sinned by our own fault 
in thought, word, and deed;
by what we have done, and by what we have left undone.

We have not loved you with our whole heart, and mind, and
 strength.
We have not loved our neighbors as ourselves.
We 
have not forgiven others, as we have been forgiven.
Have mercy on us, Lord.

We have been deaf to your call to serve, as Christ served us.
We have not been true to the mind of Christ.
We have grieved
 your Holy Spirit.
Have mercy on us, Lord.

We confess to you, Lord, all our past unfaithfulness:
the 
pride, hypocrisy, and impatience of our lives,
We confess to you, Lord.

Our self-indulgent appetites and ways,
and our exploitation 
of other people,
We confess to you, Lord.

Our anger at our own frustration,
and our envy of those
 more fortunate than ourselves,
We confess to you, Lord.

Our intemperate love of worldly goods and comforts,
and 
our dishonesty in daily life and work,
We confess to you, Lord.

Our negligence in prayer and worship,
and our failure to
 commend the faith that is in us,
We confess to you, Lord.

Accept our repentance, Lord, for the wrongs we have done:
for our blindness to human need and suffering,
and our 
indifference to injustice and cruelty,
Accept our repentance, Lord.

For all false judgments,
for uncharitable thoughts toward our neighbors,
and for our prejudice and contempt toward those 
who differ from us,
Accept our repentance, Lord.

For our waste and pollution of your creation,
and our lack of
 concern for those who come after us,
Accept our repentance, Lord.

Restore us, good Lord, and let your anger depart from us;
Favorably hear us, for your mercy is great.

Accomplish in us the work of your salvation,
That we may show forth your glory in the world.

By the cross and passion of your Son our Lord,
Bring us with all your saints to the joy of his resurrection."

Hat tip: Guide for Confession in Lent | internetmonk.com

Discerning the Voices in My Head

"I’ve learned by experience that many Christians cannot distinguish the promptings of the Holy Spirit from the accusations of Satan. The difference is this: The Holy Spirit convicts us for sins that we have been unwilling to face in God’s presence; Satan makes us feel guilty for sins that are already under the blood of Christ — that is, for sins that we have already confessed. The Holy Spirit reminds us of our sins before we are cleansed; Satan continues to remind us of them after we are cleansed."

~Erwin Lutzer in the December 5, 2009 devotional reading from Our Journey

Quoted at: Voices in My Head: Discernment « Thinking Out Loud

Confess Your Righteousness

“Before you can ever make a clean and unamended confession of your sin, you have to first begin by confessing your righteousness. It’s not just your sin that separates you from God, your righteousness does as well. Because, when you are convinced you are righteous, you don’t seek the forgiving, rescuing, and restoring mercy that can only be found in Jesus Christ.”

- John Tripp

Hat Tip: Gospel Reminders