Wednesday, January 30, 2008

Call to Prayer, part 2

Warning: This post contains descriptions of violence. You might want to come back when the kids aren't around. It is posted under the "whatever is true" clause of the Apostle Paul's admonition in Philippians 4, in hopes of being a call to action.

It's not often that we get an e-mail on the church prayer list that is titled "Parental Warning - Disturbing Events Described." In fact, I'm not sure we've ever had one come across quite like that. But we did this week.

John Piper recently preached about abortion, and stated that sometimes we just need the raw facts.
Sometimes you need raw words when that's all you've got, and sometimes you need raw footage if it's available. Because you just can't comprehend it. You just can't believe they're going to do this.
I found that quote applicable in this case as well. This particular update was from some of our missionaries in Kenya. I've slightly edited and reproduced a part of it here to remind all of us that there are larger issues at stake than merely an election - life and death struggles, and ultimately the struggle between the kingdom of darkness and the kingdom of light.
I just come from praying with a friend. I talked to the lady that helps her around her home. She is a single mother of four children. She lives in one of the slums. She went back home of Friday and found a gang of young men of a tribe that she does not belong with. They told her to pick up her children and run, not look back. They would not allow her to go into the house to take at least one item with her. They gave her the option to either leave with her children alive with nothing on her hands or go back into the house and risk sacrificing one or all of her family members. She took off and sort for shelter with her aunt. As she did this, she witnessed others having their hands chopped off – those were the “fortunate” ones. Others were hacked to death. A child, about the age of 6, was picked up by the rival tribe and throne into a pit latrine (sewer) and they covered the hole. The parents could do nothing but wail helplessly as they saw the last of their son and heard his last cries. She is now living with her aunt and her four children. We thank God that she is working and has something to feed her children with. She is shaken and upset. She cannot stay with her aunt for too long because her aunt does not have much room either. It is now taking her not less than 2 hours to get to work.

We are asking you as a church to pray for her. She is a beautiful woman with a heart that is bigger than life! My friend and I are looking to see how we can help her. We have spent quite some time praying for her and also working toward meeting her needs. I know she is just one story out of MANY but she just stands out right now – would you pray with us and also about how we can stand with her. It is tempting to want to be “god” to the needy right now but even us, we have to take the needs before the Lord and have Him show us where we can come alongside them.

Thank you and the Lord of peace continue to keep you in His perfect peace as you continually stay on Him.
No doubt there are many more stories like this that we never hear about.

If you think of it, pray for those who are in foreign missions, and for those they are trying to reach. Even for the perpetrators of the violence. The more man's wickedness is manifest, the greater the hope provided by the message of the cross. The Gospel is the only solution, even to problems of this magnitude. Especially to problems of this magnitude.

Tuesday, January 29, 2008

Call to Prayer

My friend Even So asked who people were voting for yesterday on his blog.

I responded with my feelings about candidate Mike Huckabee, which I'll try to publish in the next day or two.

Meanwhile, I told him that I sincerely appreciate the encouragement he gave to pray, because when it comes to certain things, particularly politics, I have a nasty and persistent habit of leaving God out of them. Stupid, but true.

And so, as many people vote today, and throughout the coming weeks (our primary is next Tuesday), let us be in prayer for our country and its leaders.

More on prayer soon.

Friday, January 25, 2008

Low-flow Toilets

Here's a little something to start your off your weekend.

I wonder if the genius who invented low-flow toilets considered the possibility that there would be extra flushes needed to actually clear the toilet bowl? We use on average probably 1.3 flushes per potty trip (I won't disgust you with the specifics of that math).

Anyone else experience this travesty of modern techology?

Wednesday, January 23, 2008

I can make it on my own

as reported by bugblaster...


His daddy wouldn't let this kid drive his equipment anymore so the young fella reckoned he'd strike out on his own and do some work for the guys in the next county.









Tuesday, January 22, 2008

Cygwin

Can anyone tell me what Cygwin is (beyond what's available on the homepage), along with why and how I might use it?

I've installed the base package, but can't seem to do anything.

Sunday, January 20, 2008

Spurgeon and the Anglican Catechism

During our sermon today, the pastor told us that it was part of the Anglican catechism on baptism that made Charles Spurgeon become a Baptist. So I looked it up.

It says:

Q. What is Holy Baptism?
A. Holy Baptism is the sacrament by which God adopts us as his children and makes us members of Christ's Body, the Church, and inheritors of the kingdom of God.

Q. What is the outward and visible sign in Baptism?
A. The outward and visible sign in Baptism is water, in which the person is baptized in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

Q. What is the inward and spiritual grace in Baptism?
A. The inward and spiritual grace in Baptism is union with Christ in his death and resurrection, birth into God's family the Church, forgiveness of sins, and new life in the Holy Spirit.

Q. What is required of us at Baptism?
A. It is required that we renounce Satan, repent of our sins, and accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior.


Infants, of course, can do none of these things.

To be fair, the Catechism goes on to say this:

Q. Why then are infants baptized?
A. Infants are baptized so that they can share citizenship in the Covenant, membership in Christ, and redemption by God.

Q. How are the promises for infants made and carried out?
A. Promises are made for them by their parents and sponsors, who guarantee that the infants will be brought up within the Church, to know Christ and be able to follow him.


But in what way can parents "make a promise" on behalf of their children, to somehow induct them into the citizenship of the Covenant, membership in Christ, and redemption by God? Scripture teaches that all of this must come by the faith of the individual. The best any parent can do is promise to provide the most nurturing environment possible for faith to take place.

My point in writing this is not to pick a fight with any paedobaptistic brothers and sisters, but merely to seek to affirm that which Scripture says about our faith.

May all of us seek daily to renounce Satan and the world that he controls, to repent of our sins, and to commit to having Jesus as our Lord, since he is our Savior.

Sunday, January 13, 2008

Happy New Year!

I suppose I need to write something for the twenty or so people that Sitemeter tells me read my blog every day.




Of course, if I was a member of the Writer's Guild of America, I could use that as an excuse. But since I'm not, I'll just say that it's been pretty busy the last few weeks. I'll get some pictures up soon, and maybe even a post or two.

Wednesday, January 02, 2008

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