Addendum To "Dads/Daughters" Post

Having just posted about Voddie Baucham's latest book (see here), I really enjoyed this post from my friend Pastor Scott Lee. He posted a letter, originally written by Charles Spurgeon, then adapted by another guy, and then again by Scott. Did you get all that? Anyway, you can go HERE to read his post in its context, or read the basic content of the letter below. As a father with two daughters, this is very meaningful. (Wish I was smart enough to come up with this stuff on my own!)

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My dear daughter,
May my dear child be preserved from the defilements of a vain, dangerous, and destroying world. You know not, and I wish you never may know--its snares and corruptions!

I send you the following applications of my sermon on Ephesians 5:15-16, "Be very careful, then, how you live--not as unwise but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil."

On circumspection of walk, redemption of time, and general sincerity of character:

1. Adhere most scrupulously to Scriptural truth; and labor to preserve the strictest integrity, simplicity, and sincerity.

2. Engage in no pursuit in which you cannot look up unto God, and say, 'Bless me in this, my Father!'

3. Strive to be as kind, forbearing, and forgiving as you can--both to friends and foes. Never speak evil of anyone.

4. Strive to recommend true religion by the courtesy, civility, and humble character of your conduct.

5. Watch against irritation, pride, unkind speaking, and anger--study and promote love.
6. Mortify (kill) all lusts, sensuality and sloth.

7. Never speak well of yourself. Keep down pride; let it not be indulged for a moment--but watch against it.

8. Shut out evil imaginations and angry thoughts.

9. Let it be your sole business here to prepare for eternity. Consider every moment of time in that view.

10. Remember that you have to contend with . . .
a legion of devils;
a heart full of deceit and iniquity;
and a world at enmity with God.

11. Pray that you may ever rejoice in the advancement of Christ's kingdom, and the salvation of sinners; and labor in every way to promote these objects.

12. Prayer is the only weapon which can subdue your corruptions, and keep you in close fellowship with God. Cultivate prayer.

The love of Christ is the only safe ground of all motives, and of all conduct. Where this is established, all is well. The life-blood of Christianity then circulates through every vein of the soul; and spiritual health, strength, and purity of mind is the happy result. Fall down upon your knees before God, my dear, praying that He would pour that love into your heart, until it becomes a constraining principle for the government of your thoughts and actions. The love of Christ is the only remedy for all the diseases of the soul.

Standing Firm on Abortion: Even a child can do it

On the heels of my last post regarding federal funding for abortion, I found this story especially encouraging. A 12-year-old from Toronto stood up to those who tried to discourage her from entering a speech contest with a speech opposing abortion. In the end, after one judge quit in protest, she won and will have the opportunity to move on to a regional contest.

Read the whole story HERE and/or watch a taping of the speech below.

Folks, why can't the "adults" around here have the same conviction of this 12-year-old. The issue isn't going away. Here's hoping a whole generation of young people will grow up with this kind of conviction and maybe even change the world!

Petition RE: Abortion Funding

From Focus on the Family Action:

In recent years, Congress has attached special annual funding provisions called pro-life “riders” to spending bills, to ensure taxpayers aren’t forced to fund abortions here and overseas. Now, the Democrat-controlled Congress is moving forward to strip those “riders” from the spending bills and thereby require taxpayers to fund abortion and abortion-providing organizations through the federal budget.

We knew this kind of thing would happen. I would encourage you to go HERE and sign the petition asking our legislators to "oppose any and all legislative and executive efforts that require or allow my taxpayer dollars to be used to fund abortions or providers of abortion services."

I know we live in a fallen society. I know we can't "legislate morality." I know we will never fully stop the heinous murder of innocent lives through abortion. But, by all means, we can certainly work to stop paying for it with our tax dollars.

Go now and sign the petition.

A Must Read For Dads of Daughters

All parents want their daughters to marry godly young men. But which qualities, specifically, should they be looking for? What will you say when that certain young man sits down in your living room, sweaty-palmed and tongue-tied, and asks your permission to marry your daughter? What criteria should he meet before the two of them join together for life?

As a father with two teen daughters, this promo for Voddie Baucham’s latest book hits close to home. Actually, I’ve been looking forward to this book for almost a year. Dr. Baucham mentioned it during the Answer’s In Genesis family conference we attended in Branson. I’ve been anxiously awaiting the release ever since.

Here’s the deal. Even though I haven’t even read it yet, I can guarantee this is a book that I’ll be recommending for years to come. I’ve heard enough of Voddie’s teaching to have a general idea of what’s in here, plus the promo tells us what to expect:

"What He Must Be... If He Wants to Marry My Daughter" outlines ten qualities parents should look for in a son-in-law, including trustworthiness, a willingness to lead his family, an understanding of his wife's role, and various spiritual leadership qualities.

Dads, let’s resolve now that we will take the admonition’s we’ll read here to heart. I don’t know about you, but I have pretty high standards for the young man who will eventually marry my daughter, and I’ve been praying for him for years.

Folks, I’m telling you now, this is a must read. Without having cracked the cover, I know this to be true. In fact, you can click on the picture here or on the book title above and order it right now from Monergism books. Or wait a couple weeks and it will be in most stores. But get this book.

Mohler On Darwin (and other brief thoughts on evolution)

"Today marks the 200th anniversary of the birth of both Charles Darwin and Abraham Lincoln. Both men shaped history, but it is Charles Darwin who presents us with the most significant intellectual challenge."

This is how Al Mohler introduces today's blog entry. He then goes on to provide links to well over a dozen past articles in which Darwin is discussed. If you are really looking for something to do today, this would be a good use of your time.

It's true, Darwin's legacy is one we must deal with on a daily basis. Sadly, most folks are either unaware of the problem (that being the overwhelming dominance of an evolutionary worldview in everything from education to economics to history, etc), or they are simply unwilling/unprepared to deal with it.

I would encourage you to read up a little on things. Try these two recent posts from the Answer's In Genesis blog (here and here). Pick up a copy of Nancy Pearcy's Total Truth. Or invest in some of AiG's resources.

Like it or not, this is an issue we will continue to face, and we need to face it.

Happy Groundhog Day!

I almost let this slip by. I had to spend the day having "further tests" on the kidney stone front, but all is well.

Since I'm a bit late, and since Phil's prediction is the same as last year, I'll just link you here to see why this is a special holiday for me.

Happy Groundhog Day, Everyone!

Call to Dunkirk: Rescuing Children from Government Schools

For several years, some of us within the Southern Baptist Convention, as well as state conventions like our Missouri Baptist Convention have attempted to introduced resolutions to encourage our families to rescue their children from government schools. While I know that will sound completely radical to some, I would encourage you to view this "Call to Dunkirk" video from folks like Voddie Baucham, Bruce Short, Ray Moore and others. Then visit the folks at www.exodusmandate.org

Book Review: The Gift Of Psalms (Word of Promise)

In his classic Treasury of David, Charles Spurgeon writes: “The delightful study of the Psalms has yielded me boundless profit and ever-growing pleasure.” In Answering God, Eugene Peterson writes that “what is essential in prayer is not that we learn to express ourselves, but that we learn to answer God. The Psalms show us how to answer.” And in his book Praying the Scriptures, Evan Howard reminds us that “The Psalms have been at the heart of Christian prayer throughout the church’s history… The earliest leaders of the church quote from the Psalms more frequently than from any other Old Testament book.”

All that is to say this: any sound devotional based on the Psalms is probably a worthwhile investment. The Gift of Psalms, a combination devotional book and accompanying audio CDs, certainly fits into that category. Produced by the folks who put together The Word of Promise audio Bible projects, this shares the quality production work of their other efforts.

Subtitled “Devotional Wisdom from 50 of the Best Loved Psalms”, the book portion is just that (gotta love it when the title actually and accurately summarizes the content). Fifty Psalms, or portions of Psalms, are reprinted, followed by some pretty good devotional writings by Lori Jones.

The Psalm selections and the devotional writings focused on magnifying God for His faithfulness, holiness, great works and salvation. What could have been mere fluff seemed to me to be a truly Christ exalting collection. Each devotional reading is concluded with a written prayer which is actually quite helpful. I know we Baptists have an aversion to that sort of thing, but try it once in awhile. In fact, The Valley of Vision, a collection of Puritan prayers may be one of the best additions you’ll ever make to your devotional library (sorry for plugging another book here).

My favorite part, though, had to be the audio disks. While not including all 50 of the devotional readings, this collection of dramatic recordings of the Psalms followed by a reading of the devotional and prayer make an excellent addition to this project. I was able to average two Psalms/devotionals on my short drive to the church each morning, and I really enjoyed them. While we certainly never want to over-simplify our Scripture intake by replacing reading and meditation with this sort of thing, it does make a nice addition to one’s overall daily dose of the Word.

Wrap it all up in the fine, gift-quality package here, and I would certainly recommend this as a nice offering for a friend or family member. For that matter, you would probably enjoy giving this to yourself. A daily dose of Psalm reading is truly a “boundless profit and ever-growing pleasure,” and The Gift of Psalms is surely a pleasant addition to that practice.

Preach The Word

Monday mornings are usually rough for me. Sundays are the highlight of my week, but I'm usually pretty wiped out. Preaching may not seem like hard work to many, but for those who take it seriously, it is both exhausting and exhilarating.

Dan Phillips of the Pyromaniacs has a wonderful post that explains much of what I’m talking about. This post was very challenging for me, as it reminded me of the gravity of this thing called preaching. But it was also very encouraging, as it reminded me that I’m not alone in my quest to be faithful in preaching the Word. Not that I’m perfect, or that I always get it right, but this post is a wonderful summary of my goals.

For any pastors reading this, I encourage you to read this as a challenge and encouragement. For non-pastors, I encourage you to read this as an insight into a pastor’s heart so that you may pray more effectively for your pastor. Regardless of your service in the church, you will be blessed by this post. (Click on link below)

Carpe diem, preacherdude

On Kurt and the Cardinals

Well I’ve been sticking my foot in it with politics and religion and even book reviews, so I thought I’d try something a bit more benign: Football! More specifically, the upcoming Super Bowl.

I have to admit that I’m extremely biased on this issue. Having grown up in the St. Louis area, I sort of have a soft spot in my heart for the Cardinals. Even though I became an ardent Rams supporter when they came to town, I’ve always tried to keep half an eye on our old Redbirds. Part of that has to do with my penchant for cheering for underdogs (which is why I still root for the Rams!), but anyway.

I’m also partial to the Cardinals because of their quarterback. Most people are aware of Kurt Warner’s Christian testimony and his extensive off-the-field ministry endeavors (see here). I remember back when he was taking our Rams to the Super Bowl, it happened around the same time that Billy Graham came to St. Louis. He was invited to share his testimony, and we went that evening and enjoyed hearing from him.

I know that many are skeptical and even put off by the pro-athlete praising God for every victory thing. And we all know that claiming to be Christian doesn’t mean the guy is perfect. But in a day and age where most ball players are being arrested for assault, drug possession, shooting themselves in the leg and so on, it’s nice to have some guys out there that I feel safe having my boys look up to a bit. Of course, I admit that I might push it a little too much. Ask my four-year-old who his favorite quarterback is and he’ll immediately say: Kurt Warner! (actually, it sounds more like “Kort Worner” but we all know what he means).

Anyway, all this rambling is simply to say that I’m really pulling for the underdog again. Not because I think God’s on the Cardinals’ side or anything. There are some outstanding Christian men on the Steelers sideline as well. It’s just that soft spot thing. Our old team. Our old quarterback. And the chance to cement his Hall of Fame chances. Plus I’d just love to hear Warner shout over the loud speakers again at the end of the game: Thank You, Jesus! Corny as it may be, I just love it!

Go Cardinals!

Now, I just hope I don’t get a lot of hate mail from the Steeler fans out there!