Dr. Mohler, the SBC, and Calvinism

It is now old news that Dr. Al Mohler, President of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, will be nominated for president of the SBC at the 2008 Southern Baptist Convention in Indianapolis, IN. He is the third announced candidate behind Wiley Drake and Bill Wagner.

I predicted when the news first broke that Dr. Mohler's position on Calvinism will become an important issue leading up to to the Convention. It seems as if my predictions are becoming reality already. The current edition of The Western Recorder, the state baptist paper for Kentucky, discusses Mohler's position on this issue at length in its story announcing his candidacy.

I guess it is no surprise really. The rising controversy within the SBC on this issue makes it an important part of the story, at least among many in the SBC. Unfortunately, I fear that the closer we get to the Convention the more we will see Calvinism misrepresented in an attempt to try and sway the vote away from Mohler; I hope I'm wrong.

I'm not stumping for his presidency necessarily. I am, however, stumping for integrity within the convention when it comes to the facts of this doctrine. Regardless of which theological cloth you are cut from we must resist the temptation to misrepresent each other.

No top ten list for me...just thankful

It seems that the proper thing for bloggers to do during these early days of 2008 is to create a 'top 10' list of some kind. For seminary students or professors it seems to be mostly their favorite books.

I just want to thank God for a wonderful year in 2007. He was there with me and Michelle through some trying times as well as times of great ease & comfort. We praise Him for abundant grace in all of our experiences.

Personally, the most trying experience for me during 2007 was the complications my dad experienced following knee replacement surgery. I don't know if it was the fact that he could have easily died, or if I just can't accept the fact that he is no longer the strong, healthy man I remember from my childhood... probably both.

It forced me face the reality that we are all dying slowly each day and that every breath we take is a gracious gift from God. I am thankful things turned out the way they did, but I know my dad would've been at the feet of his Savior if things would have turned out differently. This has made me more thankful for him in general.

At 75 years of age the prospect of death for him is getting closer than I want to think about. There are more years behind us than there will be to come. But, those years are full of wonderfully happy memories.

He will leave a wonderful spiritual legacy and he taught me more than I could ever list here. In particular, he taught me by word and deed to show respect, work hard, and do the right thing even when it isn't easy or popular. Most importantly, he taught me about Jesus. Thanks dad!

As 2008 picks up steam and we get back into the hustle and bustle of our daily routines I pray that we all will seek to honor Christ in everything. Trust in His grace and don't take anything for granted.

Blessings on you!

Health Update

Thanks to all who prayed for my health situation mentioned in the previous post. My cold/flu is much better now. I still have a little head congestion, raspy voice, and an occasional cough but the chest congestion, body aches, fever, and overall 'blah' feeling are gone for the most part.

My back is also doing much better but it is probably going to take a while to completely heal. I still can't stand or sit for long periods of time but it seems to do fine if I alternate between the two. I was virtually pain free until all the coughing and sneezing (I assume that is what caused it to start hurting again). It doesn't hurt near as bad when actually moving around although bending over is still a little tricky at times.

As mentioned in the previous post, I have the name of a doctor I intend to contact if it doesn't improve dramatically soon. I'm giving it until the first of the year since I won't be in town to go to the doctor anyway.

I had this problem once before and it eventually cleared up with rest, pain medicine, and muscle relaxers (all legally prescribed of course). So, I'm hoping & praying a week of rest when we're home for Christmas will help more than anything. Losing weight wouldn't hurt either.

Until next time... grace & peace!

Prayer Request

It is nearly 2:00am and I am finally able to sit for a few minutes after dealing with nagging back/hip pain most of the day. I have the flu or a bad cold and cannot sleep because it is nearly impossible to breathe when laying down (or sitting up for that matter). So, it is kind of a double whammy going on at the moment.

The pain started over two weeks ago and had me laid up in bed for two whole days. Once I was able to get out of bed I was still unable to sit, stand, or move without much pain until last Friday night and Saturday. It had gotten much better, virtually pain free, until last night when I started coughing and sneezing.

I humbly request your prayers that I can get some relief so that I will be able to meet my responsibilities at work and with church duties. I have missed three days of work so far because of it, and possibly more depending on what the morning brings, and I hate that tremendously. Everyone is understanding and I'm pretty sure they know I wouldn't miss unless I really needed to, but I desire to be a responsible employee and not leave the company or my coworkers short handed.

I have gotten the name of a doctor I plan to contact if this situation doesn't clear up considerably in the very near future. I'm a little stubborn when it comes to going to the doctor but I know it may be for my own good. So, please pray that I can drop the prideful tough guy act.

I've rambled enough and have been sitting long enough as well. So, I'm going to go try and get some sleep. Thank you to all who will say a short prayer for me.

Who to vote for?

If you were to ask 100 Christians what criteria should be used in casting your ballot in the 2008 presidential elections you would probably get 100 different replies. Most would agree on the need to support the sanctity of human life, but it becomes less clear after that... at least from what I've been reading in the world of Christian blogs.

What do you think? is it wrong to vote for someone who basically holds the same moral values as the typical Christian although they are Mormon (Romney)? or, should we support a Baptist preacher just because he is 'one of us' (Huckabee)? Are key issues like abortion and homosexual marriage the primary litmus test for voting as a responsible Christian citizen (with other issues weighed accordingly of course)?

I'm asking a lot of questions without giving much in return. So, let me say that I'm leaning toward Huckabee as I write this. Remember, he is Chuck Approved and we share the same first names... what other reasons do I need?!

However, someone did mention Huckabee's relationship to Kenneth Copeland on a blog I read. Drats!!! I thought I found an acceptable candidate and now I learn that he should be anathematized too (Mike says with tongue firmly planted in cheek).

I'm hoping to get some helpful and godly guidance so that I will be better prepared to vote. I also want to prompt readers to carefully consider the motives behind their choice for President. I'm not so naive as to think someone is going to meet every little standard I set, unless I run personally, but I think that we need to be careful about deciding on what constitutes a deal breaker.

Let me make clear that there are many candidates on both sides that I am not considering because of their position on issues such as abortion and family issues (i.e. homosexual rights, etc.).

Your thoughts?

Association & Church Update

I posted recently about a Kentucky Baptist Convention association that removed a church for calling a pastor who came from an independent Baptist background. In an effort to get full and accurate information, I contacted the Director of Missions (DoM) directly and learned that was in fact the sole reason for their removal. Please pray for this association, its leadership, and this church.

Despised and Rejected by Men...

Many in the Sudan are calling for the execution of teacher Gillian Gibbons. Her crime? allowing her students to name a teddy bear Muhammad.

When I read this I was reminded of a past article by John Piper entitled Being Mocked: The Essence of Christ's Work, Not Muhammad's. Following is an excerpt that speaks volumes of the difference between Christ and Muhammad:

"When Muhammad was portrayed in twelve cartoons in the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten, the uproar across the Muslim world was intense and sometimes violent. Flags were burned, embassies were torched, and at least one Christian church was stoned. The cartoonists went into hiding in fear for their lives, like Salman Rushdie before them. What does this mean?

It means that a religion with no insulted Savior will not endure insults to win the scoffers. It means that this religion is destined to bear the impossible load of upholding the honor of one who did not die and rise again to make that possible. It means that Jesus Christ is still the only hope of peace with God and peace with man. And it means that his followers must be willing to “share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death” (Philippians 3:10)."

We are constantly being bombarded with images and sounds of Christ being mocked, and many of us are even ridiculed openly for our faith. May we be comforted in the face of ridicule by the words of Jesus, “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account” (Matthew 5:11).

It is Merry Christmas!

This speaks my language!

Save the Environment... have an abortion

"Having children is selfish. It's all about maintaining your genetic line at the expense of the planet," 35 year old Toni Vernelli said about the abortion she had ten years ago.

Vernelli's action was to ensure that her carbon footprint would be kept to a minimum. Vernelli, an environmental activist, was later sterilized to protect the planet.

I suppose it was just her little way of saying she cares.... I'm feeling all warm and fuzzy inside, aren't you?

Read the FOX News story HERE or the original Daily Mail story HERE.

Looking Ahead...

As we look ahead to the upcoming new year, Lord willing, I thought it would be helpful to offer some ideas that could help us grow in our faith. Below are a few things that come to mind:

1. Read the Bible Through - Choose a Bible reading plan to help guide you through a thoughtful & careful reading of Scripture. A good resource is the ESV website which offers several good plans & devotional resources that you can read on the website or receive as a RSS feed. You are also given the option of listening to a recording of the text of the day being read by Max McLean.
2. Take Inventory of Your Life - Don Whitney provides a helpful list of questions to ask ourselves at the beginning of the year. Prayerfully consider them and seek God’s guidance in making any necessary adjustments or in beginning something new.
3. Read Books - Here are a few links to help in creating a reading list:

   20 Books to Read on Christianity and Culture by Tullian Tchividjian

   A Small List of Good Books also by Tullian Tchividjian

   Book Buyers Guide by Tim Challies

   Discerning Reader website

This list is by no means exhaustive but I pray it provides a helpful starting point. Please feel free to share any thoughts or ideas that have helped you in the past.

Random Recommendation

I just wanted to take a moment to recommend Google Calendar for those of you who are like me and need help remembering things easily. I suggest you do yourself a favor and utilize this wonderfully useful and user-friendly application.

You can create multiple calendar categories (i.e. Personal, Church, School, Bills, Birthdays & Anniversaries, etc.). Then, the event for that category is displayed as a color-coded entry in the actual calendar. (FYI: your categories are called "Calendars" by Google)

Using a menu on your sidebar you can check mark the custom categories you've created so that only the ones you need/want appear on your calendar. You can also choose different views of your events by clicking an appropriate tab. For instance, you can choose to display this information by Day, Week, Month, Next 4 Days, and as an Agenda (list) view.

By the way, you can add a Bible reading plan from the ESV site that gives you what to read each day. You can find the appropriate information by visiting the ESV Bible iCal Subscription Site.

The navigation is VERY easy, and adding events is easier still. Google Calendar is much easier to use than Outlook and much more practical for everyday use. Of course you can also access it from any computer instead of lugging one around.

I use Gmail as my primary email so it makes it easy to click the "Calendar" link and just keep it open in its own tab in Firefox. I do that for both email and my calendar so they are just a click away!

There you have it! There are other features I did not mention so go check it out. I pray you will be able to use it, as I have, to help you be more productive and responsible.

Classic R.C. Sproul - Imputation

Kentucky Baptist Association Boots Church

According to their recent newsletter, the Upper Cumberland Association of Harlan, KY expelled Sunshine Baptist Church during the the 2007 annual meeting in September. The online newsletter states that they took this action because the church called a pastor with an Independent Baptist Church background.

In similar business, they recommended that all member churches cease fellowship with this church and also not to accept members from it or provide membership letters for those in your congregation moving to this church.

Surprisingly, there was no indication the new pastor was going to lead the church away from being a cooperating Southern Baptist congregation. Also, to my knowledge, associational leaders did not discuss this matter with the church prior to removal.

Therefore, I am absolutely dumbfounded why such a severe action was taken. I am especially troubled that the association did not share its concerns with the church prior to removal. For all intents and purposes they decide to treat this congregation as a group of unbelievers, but why?

I have heard rumors that it was actually because the new pastor's wife was married once before. If that is the case, why hasn't it been mentioned officially? I have been aggressively beating the bushes trying to get some answers, but to no avail. I want only the best for all parties involved, but based on the facts presented I cannot help but believe their actions are inappropriate.

I really want to be wrong in this situation. It is my home association involving people I’ve known for a long time and respect very much. So, I will be glad to change my opinion and publicly recant my comments if I determine there is more to it than they published.

I am proud to be a Southern Baptist and to serve as a North American Mission Board missionary, but I am truly saddened by such improper action by my home association. May God grant everyone involved humility and a heart willing to seek reconciliation.

Spurgeon Quote

"Someone asked Will the heathen who have never heard the Gospel be saved? It is more a question with me whether we who have the Gospel and fail to give it to those who have not can be saved." - Charles Spurgeon

Where is My Award for Humility?

Steadfast & Immovable Mike

I'm sure this isn't very scientific but it's pretty cool! I even scored at a higher level than Dr. Mohler.

(I hope I don't have to explain the humor behind the title of this post)