It’s why we at Breathe made this little video. Why not watch it, or better yet watch it with some friends and think through your response. For more resources on the video check out Conspiracy of Freedom.
Have a good weekend.
Interview with Mark Driscoll: Spirit filled leading from Terry Virgo on Vimeo.
I’ll go along with that! HT: Steven Holmes
Some observations from Piper and Keller. Firstly what I think is a very astute observation from Piper.
“What sinners want is not hell but sin. That hell is the inevitable consequence of unforgiven sin does not make the consequence desirable. It is not what people want—certainly not what they “most want.” Wanting sin is no more equal to wanting hell than wanting chocolate is equal to wanting obesity. Or wanting cigarettes is equal to wanting cancer.”
I think that’s right.
Some interesting affirmations and conclusions from Keller.
“We run from the presence of God and therefore God actively gives us up to our desire (Romans 1:24, 26.) Hell is therefore a prison in which the doors are first locked from the inside by us and therefore are locked from the outside by God (Luke 16:26.) Every indication is that those doors continue to stay forever barred from the inside. Though every knee and tongue in hell knows that Jesus is Lord (Philippians 2:10-11,) no one can seek or want that Lordship without the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:3.This is why we can say that no one goes to hell who does not choose both to go and to stay there. What could be more fair than that?”
And from Out of Ur here’s an interesting reaction to John 14:6
“Microsoft is acknowledging in their advertising that we depend upon our phones and that these phones call us to depend upon them. The slave has become the master; we’ve become tools of our tools.”
and
“On the one hand we have become dependent upon our mobile phones. After all, they bring us great benefits. We are not ready to give them up. But on the other hand, we must honestly face the truth that these devices are prone to draw us away from the important things in life…including the people who are closest to us.”
Finally,
“The only solution I know of is to be very disciplined in our use of such technology, to be willing to carve times in which the phone is set aside so we can focus on what truly matters most.”
Read the whole thing
Who says Swedes don’t have a sense of humour?
Bang For Your Buck from ShootingPoverty on Vimeo.
What do you think?
HT: Tim Challies
Terry Virgo: Being Reformed and Charismatic from Jubilee Church on Vimeo.
In 2004 I became one of the owners of a Christian bookshop. I believed that there was a place for a business that made Christian books, resources, music and most importantly the Bible readily available on the High Street. The selection of Bibles in your average Waterstones or WH Smith is, after all, not too great.
I believed that this shop could have a different ‘spirit’ to it, run (as best we could) with Christian values, that could offer employment and most importantly be a place that was a witness to non-believers and an encouragement to the family of God.
In this I think we have in some measure succeeded. Recently a woman gave her life to Christ right there in the shop, others have been prayed for, found encouragement and a listening ear. The coffee shop is beginning to provide a venue for fellowship and friendship. Not to mention those who have found the Word of God, resources to build faith, strengthen marriages, give generously, be creative, and live wholeheartedly for God. The stories continue to grow.
I hoped it would succeed and provide me with the opportunity to be generous with the proceeds and on this front we have failed. It’s a tough word failed, but when it comes to making money this bookshop has done the opposite. It’s been frustrating, confusing and painful. I was sure, I am sure that it was the Lord who led me to take on this old business and give it new life. In my head I know the life of even one soul who has found Christ is worth more than tens of thousands, my heart and bank balance struggle to agree.
There are a number of frustrations. I get cross with Christians who tick us off for selling say a Joyce Meyer book or The Shack because they think its theology is dodgy and then go and buy stuff from Amazon which sells any old godless crap. I get frustrated by the lack of reading and hunger to learn about our faith (it’s just such a wasted opportunity). I’m bothered by a belief that penny pinching somehow equals good stewardship, and upset that some churches think they have a divine right to a discount.
Anyway my time as the owner of a Christian bookshop is soon to come to an end but not I hope for the bookshop. I’m hoping that the Christians of Shrewsbury (and further afield) will see the vision I have, see the reasons why there should be illumination, light on the high street, why it’s important to help someone in person find a copy of the Bible they can read or give and will buy shares in a new charitable trust in order that not just the bookshop but the mission of the business can carry on. This video explains the campaign more
Help keep the light shining from Illuminate Trust on Vimeo.
If you want more information you can find out more by emailing trust@illuminatebooks.co.uk.
HT: To Andy & Gareth for plugs on their blogs
HT: Dave Bish
You can watch more of these videos here
HT: Peter Ould
(HT: Jared Wilson)
This short video (4 minutes) gives you an insight into the amount of work that goes into the IPCC. You might still think their findings are politically biased or scientifically in error. Even so the work done is quite remarkable.
OK, where do we start? The premise of the advert is that modern life constrains us, forces and squeezes us into a generic bland consumer one-size-fits-all mould. It shows us all facing the dull hindrances of life, with dull jobs just like everyone else. Just like everyone else.
So far it’s compelling, it’s a line we’ll buy because it has the grain of truth to it. Much of life does exactly that, or at least that’s the way we let it unfold. Of course God is in the ordinary as well as the extraordinary, the rainy day as much as the glorious sun rise and set. God is with the street cleaner, office temp and call-centre operator as much as the fire woman, paramedic, celebrity adventurer or whatever other glamour job we imagine. But there’s something that usually encourages us to miss that point.
And there’s an irony. TV reminds us on a daily basis that our lives are dull but what we see through the screen is interesting, fascinating and worthy of comment. Most of it quite blatantly is none of the above. LG on the other hand are convinced that a life of unrestricted possibilities (cue muscled man jumping into the ocean in his trousers), a life where we achieve our full potential, the life we’ve always dreamed of can be achieved if we bought one of their new TV’s with bluetooth technology. Now you know.
If these had been around at the time of Queen Elisabeth there would be no Shakespeare. I mean come on, do we really think in a 100 years time we’re going to look back on today and say, ‘the golden age of culture was when they made X-factor’? TV doesn’t open up possibilities for us to live, it narrows them down – but it cons us that it’s the other way around. It’s an illusion.
LG (life’s good) isn’t simply selling TV’s but the promise of freedom, the promise of real life, the promise of individuality (to the millions that buy LG), it’s offering salvation from dreariness and drabness. You can see where this is going?
It’s counterfeit, it’s fake but our culture must produce these promises because despite our rejection of the old sources of such hopes (such as Christianity) we still need to believe that there is more to life than this. There is. Switch off the TV and find out.
HT: Peter Ould
The Prosperity Gospel from The Global Conversation on Vimeo.
HT: Out of Ur
I believe Jesus when he said 'life does not consist in the abundance of our possessions'. I believe he offers something better. This blog is mostly about that search.
I'm also a husband, a father, church planter, keen runner, reader, and motorcyclist. These and a few other things make guest appearances from time to time.
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