Living and Dying to Show the Preciousness of Christ
Here a short visual update on my recording week out in Franklin! Enjoying the experience of making a full length record, fellowshipping with some new friends, and the Tennessee hills…quite lovely I must admit! Enjoy!
We recently read through the first half of Bunyan’s classic “The Pilgrim’s Progress” as an activity with all the Ellerslie students. There was a section in particular that I thought worth sharing here. “Christian” is explaining to his companion “Hopeful” why some people who begin and seem to walk for a while in faith, then turn aside and grow more and more sinful and hateful towards the faith they once professed! He outlines nine “steps” that progressively lead someone from living a life of seeming godliness and faith, to life of animosity towards the truth they once claimed to believe! May these be a helpful warning to your soul.
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1. They draw off their thoughts, all that they may, from the remembrance of God, death, and judgment to 
come.
2. Then they cast off by degrees private duties, as closet prayer, curbing their lusts, watching, sorrow for sin, and the like.
3. Then they shun the company of lively and warm Christians.
4. After that, they grow cold to public duty, as hearing, reading, godly conference, and the like.
5. They then begin to pick holes, as we say, in the coats of some of the godly, and that devilishly, that they may have a seeming color to throw religion (for the sake of some infirmities they have espied in them) behind their backs.
6. Then they begin to adhere to, and associate themselves with, carnal, loose, and wanton men.
7. Then they give way to carnal and wanton discourses in secret; and glad are they if they can see such things in any that are counted honest, that they may the more boldly do it through their example.
8. After this they begin to play with little sins openly.
9. And then, being hardened, they show themselves as they are. Thus, being launched again into the gulf of misery, unless a miracle of grace prevent it, they everlastingly perish in their own deceivings.
There was recently a soft-porn movie that got way too much hype and publicity both from the giddy, fan-girlish pop culture and from the scolding, furrowed brow evangelical world. I refrained from commenting, or blogging about it, because it seemed that the internet was already too congested with content about this movie; and I, personally, was tired of seeing the pictures and silly spin-off titles for articles. If you’re wondering which movie it is, it has something to do with the number 50 and the gradients between white and black.
The one comment I made on Facebook was this: I’ve resisted commenting until now: #50shades is a symptom, sin is the disease. Let’s start talking about the disease, not just the symptom. [Read more…] about The Symptoms and the Disease
Since Colorado legalized Marijuana, I have had the question raised a number of times, how we as Christians ought to think about using or abstaining from it. As with most things we need to be wary of the dangers on each side of the argument. All too often Christians want to easily categorize something of this nature as intrinsically bad and then proceed to catalog it in the book of bad things we never think about. On the other hand, many people argue that since God made pot He intends for us to, like, use it, right man?!
We must think biblically when faced with a substance like this that is only growing in its popularity. I think it is erroneous to categorize the plant itself as icky, bad, wrong. On the other hand, the argument that God made it is true enough; however, we also need to recognize that God made a lot of things and we are responsible to use them wisely, for His glory and our good. Just because God made rocks doesn’t mean he intends us to chew and swallow them. Just because there is a plant, doesn’t mean we’re supposed to get a high from it. Just because we have sexual organs, doesn’t mean that we are to use them indiscriminately. [Read more…] about Didn’t God Make Marijuana?
My first book, “The Fruitful Christian Life” is now available on Kindle! I would be much obliged if you’d consider picking up a copy through either my online store or if you’re into “Kindle-ing” you can download it here. Also, if you have already read it, or once you read it, if you’d kindly leave an honest review on Amazon, that would be lovely!
An often unforeseen result of preaching a Gospel which demands repentance is that it is certain to cause discomfort to our current way of living. We need to understand that repentance is the first domino to fall, but it isn’t the last. When either an individual or a society repent, we need to understand that repentance is only the first tremors of the earthquake and that there is more shaking to be done down the line! Simply put, when a man repents of his sinful and idolatrous ways and confesses his faith in the One True God, and in Jesus Christ His only begotten Son, he is turning his back on one way of living, and embracing an entirely new way of living. This is as much as saying repentance has consequences.
One biblical example of what I’m referring to is the fellow named Demetrius, an Ephesian, that we are told about in Acts 19. Demetrius was a silversmith (Acts 19:24) and by all accounts a pretty good one; and also, it would seem, rather a mover and shaker in the whole silversmithing business. His specialty was making silver shrines of the goddess Diana. As Paul was lingering in Ephesus (preparing for his return to Jerusalem), and as a result of other preachers who had come through that city, a vibrant church was beginning. These believers, as a result of their repentance, were forsaking the worship of the false goddess Diana. [Read more…] about The Consequences of Repentance
I know it has been a while since I updated you all! I am still in a bit of a state of disbelief 
that this dream is actually happening! Thank you so much!
I’m officially on my way to Nashville next month (March 15-21)! I’ll be recording all week long. However, currently all the studio musicians are already working hard on their parts. So, please be joining us as we pray for God’s blessing on this project!
The songs are all selected, the arrangements are finalized, the tickets are booked, and we are excited to finally be able to get this project into your hands! I deeply desire that these little tunes of mine would be a great blessing in your pursuit of living a life that declares that Christ is “all things to me!”
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