Category: Uncategorized

I am currently preparing my schedule for next semester. I need one elective worth one credit and Professor John Frame has agreed to work with me through a study of Abraham Kuyper. This is certainly something to look forward to in my last semester at RTS.

My speaking engagement in Tallahassee has been canceled due to some health issues in my wife’s family. Nevertheless, my speaking engagement on the 12th of August in Palm Harbor has been confirmed. I will be ministering to a small PCA church. More details to come in the days ahead.

I have sold many books on Half.com in the last 5 years. Here are the listing and prices of all the books currently listed. Prices range from $0.75-$10.00. Books range from theological to popular novels.

Also see the fantastic deals at Brightlight Books, specializing in buying and selling used and new books.

See their new blog. 

This occurred right before I closed the store where I work. An elderly woman (maybe in her 60’s) was checking out.  As she approached the counter to pay for her book she noticed that there are two books on display. One by Barack Obama and the other by Hillary Clinton; so the brief conversation unveils.

Customer: I hear rumors that these two will join forces.

Me: What do you mean?

Customer: Well, Barack will run for Vice-President and Clinton for president.

Me: But… (interrupted)

Customer: That should be an interesting match.

Me: (At this point I am hesitant to say anything…you know, you don’t want to scare customers away… but I couldn’t resist)

Customer: What do you think?

Me: ( Thank God she asked) Well, I pray they not be elected.

Customer: I feel the same way. Do you have a candidate?

At this point I am thinking: She’s just testing me. 

Me: Yes. I am voting for Congressman Ron Paul for president.

Customer: Ron Paul? (She seems confused)

Me: He’s the only one that embodies Constitutional principles.

Customer: I see. I thought about that Romney guy, but…(she seems hesitant) that faith thing.

Me: You mean the Mormon issue?

Customer: Yes, I didn’t want to say it. I just don’t think I can vote for him.

Me: Well, I certainly agree. You see, I enjoy sleeping well at night. That means that I must vote my conscience and my conscience is a Christian conscience. So, I will only vote for a Christian candidate.

Transaction unfolding. 

Customer: I respect you for that.  Have a good night.

Me: Good night and come back again.

Note: Nothing too profound of an exchange, but a simple opportunity to tie in politics and faith. They do overlap…you do know that, don’t you? 

Thanks Barb for sending me this link. This will save you a lot of time and rid you of unnecessary guilt. Listen and watch carefully.

Meyers’ second article on why Presbyterians don’t like liturgy is worth 3 minutes of your time.  Here is his first article in case you missed it.

Looking through some of my notes on a Sunday School class entitled: The Immutability of God, I came across this paragraph. This is the first of the three perspectives I list on how Christians approach the attributes of God. ^a

The first obvious perspective is the philosophical one. William Lane Craig (who is a philosopher and natural theologian) says that: …”Someone desiring to learn more about God’s attributes of omniscience would be better advised to read the works of Christian philosophers than of Christian theologians.” ^b What is he saying with this quote? Bill Craig argues that natural theology, that is, philosophy ^c explains God’s attributes better than theology or Biblical revelation. In fact, some theologians today are coming out with books defending natural theology. ^d They are saying that God’s general revelation gives us a better way to understand God’s world, God’s ethics, and God Himself.

It is a stunning reality that the church has substituted the unchangeable character of the ever-living Word, for the likes of unbiblical philosophies. Natural law never leads to Biblical civilizations, but again, these same men who hold to such views, can never fathom a Christian society abiding by the principles of God’s unchanging word. They have succumbed to the other-worldly philosophy, whereby, this present age has nothing to offer the manifestation and sovereignty of God over the nations, except spiritual realities. ^e This, of course, is not always the case, however,  an increasing number of scholars  have abandoned the exhaustive application of the whole Word to the whole world.  What I propose is that natural theology has little to offer in terms of ethics and, furthermore, it offers minimal and insufficient data to understand the nature of God and His salvific work among the nations.

1. I shall return to this topic at another time  (back)
2. Craig, L. William, Time and Eternity, pg. 11.  (back)
3. Philosophy is not used here as negative, rather it is used by Craig as the self-explanatory method of understanding the nature of God. This, I argue, is dangerous  (back)
4. See VanDrunen from Westminster, California who defends natural law from a Reformed perspective  (back)
5. This is a crucial point since Christ transforms time and space in history. We already know of His conquering power in the New Heavens, but history itself is shaped by the same promise that Christ will be all in all  (back)

As of now, I am planning to start Judges to Poets with Professor Currid from RTS/Charlotte. Since I finished Hebrew II, there has been much going on, which has prevented me from being more aggressive in my studies.

The next few weeks I have much to prepare. I will be teaching two-weeks of Sunday School classes on the love and wrath of God respectively. On the first Sunday of August I may be speaking in Tallahassee at the church pastored by my father-in-law and the following week may be headed to Palm Harbor, Florida to speak at a PCA church in my presbytery.

Another update regards the different features on the sidebar of my blog page. You may notice that I have added a new feature entitled: Books I am Reading. Further, you may also see: Shared Items. Those are links to all the articles I read on a regular basis.

The category section has been updated though I am still trying to categorize properly the “uncategorized” posts from three years ago. All for now.

• Psalter.org
  I have been looking for a site like this one for a long time.
  (tags: Psalter)
• Billy Graham & Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God
  What would Edwards say?
  (tags: Preaching Billy Graham Jonathan Edwards)

10 hours of Ron Paul in one day? [kml_flashembed movie="http://www.youtube.com/v/_mK4ChoBSNk?rel=0" width="425" height="350" wmode="transparent" /]

Hurrah![kml_flashembed movie="http://www.youtube.com/v/sh2baZgf_Cc?rel=0" width="425" height="350" wmode="transparent" /]

I may do this more often in the future. I absolutely enjoy starting conversation with strangers. It is just part of my nature, but this 30-second conversation I didn’t start.

Stranger: So, what’s wrong with your truck.

Me:  Well, it appears that the alternator drained the battery. ( By the way, that’s what someone told me. I couldn’t tell you what an alternator was if my life depended on it) Last night, as I was leaving work, the truck wouldn’t turn on.

At this point, the TV on the background is relating some details of last night’s Democratic debate. The debate commentator says that Obama did better than the other candidates. 

Stranger: I just think that Hillary is going to get the nomination. So, are ya’ll Republicans or Democrats?

Oh, by the way, there is also a quite man in the room. He seems satisfied in not making eye contact with the woman.

Me: I am a libertarian.

Stranger: What does that mean? Never heard of that! Does that mean you don’t care about politics?

Me: No, not at all. It is a third party. ^a

Stranger: Well, I am Republican.

On her chair lies a copy of Desecration: Antichrist Takes the Throne; the ninth book on the Left Behind Series. 

1. I am a member of the Constitution Party, though when a strong libertarian candidate with Christian principles is on the Republican ticket, I will vote for him; have I mentioned Ron Paul’s name yet?  (back)