Tuesday, May 28, 2013

"Weakness is the Way"

A great quote from J.I. Packer's new book:
For all Christians, the likelihood is... that as our discipleship continues, God will make us increasingly weakness-conscious and pain-aware, so that we may learn...  that when we are conscious of being weak, then--and only then--may we become truly strong in the Lord.  And should we want it any other way?  What do you think?

Thursday, May 23, 2013

Moore Prayers - White Horse Inn Blog

Moore Prayers - White Horse Inn Blog

Vampire Weekend takes on God: Part III

Part I & Part II

Everlasting Arms, track number seven on "Modern Vampires of the City," is a lyrically convoluted song with a plethora of mixed references.  Under most circumstances this would be frustrating, but in this song's case it perfectly fits the message that it's trying to convey.

Tuesday, May 21, 2013

Vampire Weekend Takes on God: Part II

Vampire Weekend begins their faith pondering with an infectious groove entitled "Unbelievers."  In this song Ezra Koenig seems to be wrestling with the message of condemnation he hears from Christianity (and maybe religion in general).  He writes:

"We know the fire awaits unbelieversAll of the sinners the sameGirl you and I will die unbelievers bound to the tracks of the train
I’m not excitedBut should I beIs this the fate that half of the world has planned for me?"
The last line is quite the punch in the gut.  Koenig perceives that the world of Christianity is actively planning his condemnation.

Now, a brief listen to this song could lead us to write it off as a simplistic rant against the nature, reality, and/or message of hell in the Bible; but if we dig a little deeper a different theme emerges.  This song is rather a poignant lament of the weight of the law and a yearning for a message of grace from the church and God.

Monday, May 20, 2013

Vampire Weekend Takes on God: Part I

When I read Rolling Stone's review of Vampire Weekend's new album "Modern Vampires of the City" prior to its release I couldn't wait to get may hands on it.  About the album Nathan Brackett writes:
"God, of all people, looms large: He is a foil on "Unbelievers," where Koenig sings about the fundamentalist half of the world wanting to throw him and his lady under the tracks of the train. The sweet "Everlasting Arms" is partly inspired by a 19th-century church song; "Worship You" references Paradise Lost (and Nick Cave). "Ya Hey" (rhymes with "Yahweh" – get it?) retells the Old Testament story of the burning bush, over a dubby groove." 

Monday, May 13, 2013

"Blogger" stats are killing my will to blog

The other day I was listening to Tullian Tchividjian give a talk called "One Way Love: Inexhaustible Grace for an Exhausted World" at the Mockingbird Conference.  During this talk he gave a piercing personal illustration.  He confessed that after publishing his first book, he became obsessed with his Amazon Rating to such an extent that on days his ratings were high he'd be happy and on days they were low he'd be depressed.  Through this Tullain discovered that he was trying to find his identity and worth in things other than Jesus' finished work on his behalf.

I watched this talk after checking my "Blogger" stats for the twelfth time that day and it got me thinking.

Tuesday, May 7, 2013

Karl Holl on the Newness of Jesus

"The God who rigorously insists on the highest does not will that any man should come within range of His judgement...  Therefore He seeks them out.  And the means by which He lays hold on them is His pardoning grace.
In all other doctrines of salvation the belief in liberation is founded on the conviction of the ineradicable nobility of mankind...  The god-like in man must come into its own.  Jesus, however, instead of this, sees a deep gulf between God and man...  Jesus stress is laid... on the fact that man has forfeited his worth but that nevertheless God accepts him.
Jesus' conception of God was new...