Quote - Christ is the Only Reason

“This is why much of the seeker friendly stuff is an abomination. Christianity has One drawing card: It is Christ. Social events or promising some sort of fellowship or friendship or this or that or any other thing is not Christianity. The fellowship and the friendliness and everything else must come forth out of Christ. It is Christ that brings you into that fellowship, not the fellowship that brings you into Christ so much. When you start your churches, when you plant your churches, when you preach your Gospel, put Christ before men and let them deal with Him. If they reject Christ, allow them to reject your fellowship. Don’t bring them in gradually. Put Christ before them completely, and at first, and along with the demands. Do it lovingly, do it patiently, do it thoroughly.

When I was a young Christian, I heard that many cults practice what’s called the ‘divine lie’, that they will tell you certain lies if necessary in order to gradually bring you in, so that you will accept the greater [teachings], so the end justifies the means. In many ways, that is what church-growth does, the end justifies the means-’Well we finally got them there to Christ’. No! Remember this, if you use carnal means to bring carnal men into your church, you’ll have a carnal church and you’ll have to constantly use carnal means to keep them. Start off with Christ from the very beginning. The radical claims of Christ and the radical demands of Christ.”

Paul Washer

HT: Slice of Laodicea

Quote - A Christian Finds Contentment From the Holy Spirit That Lives Within

"As it is with a vessel that is full of liquor, if you strike it, it will make no great noise, but if it is empty then it makes a great noise; so it is with the heart, a heart that is full of grace and goodness within will bear a great many strokes, and never make any noise, but if an empty heart is struck it will make a noise. When some men and women are complaining so much, and always whining, it is a sign that there is an emptiness in their hearts. If their hearts were filled with grace they would not make such a noise. A man whose bones are filled with marrow, and his veins with good blood does not complain of the cold as others do. So a gracious heart, having the Spirit of God within him, and his heart filled with grace has that within him that makes him find contentment."

Jeremiah Burroughs, The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment

Book Brief - The Compound

The Compound

S. A. Bodeen

Feiwel & Friends (April 29, 2008)

2009 Texas Lone Star Award book

The world changed dramatically for Eli when he was nine. He went from living among millions of others above ground to living with four others below ground. Eli’s dad led them into a huge, nuclear war bunker for the remainder of their lives at that time. Eli had a lot of time to think.

“Was I vain? I didn’t think so. I worked hard at getting my physique to that level. The outside was a lot easier to perfect than the inside.”

After six isolated years underground Eli has grown distant and surly to his family. Things at the compound aren’t going as well as his father had planned either.

“I had never made a point of seeking out right and wrong. The right answer depended entirely on whether the outcome benefited me….This time, however, I felt it. I felt it in my head. I felt it in my heart. Dad’s solutions were wrong….We had not become godless.”

As the book cover says, “…this debut thriller is perfect for teens who like their movies scary and their books suspenseful.” True enough, but the line between suspense and creepy is very thin here. Using the Donner party as an example to emulate, Eli’s dad makes suggestions about food and “relations” that are a little bit too close to the line for me. Along with the profanities and blasphemies almost typical of teen fiction nowadays I can’t recommend this to anyone but the tough-skinned wanting a feel for the grim side of teen fiction.

Rating: Avoid

An Amazing Performance of our National Anthem

I can't help it. One more bonus on this Independence Day 2009.

This is now one of my favorite renditions of "The Star Spangled Banner". It is certainly one of the cutest!

(Please click the "Bring the Books" link if you are unable to see the below video via e-mail or reader.)

Independence Day

A bonus post to celebrate our freedom. First, a great reflection from Desiring God on where our true freedom lies.

Real Freedom in Jesus

Then, a nostalgic look at how this great country gained its freedom as told by Schoolhouse Rock.

From the serious to the sublime!

(Please click the "Bring the Books" link if you are unable to see the below video via e-mail or reader.)

Something Light - Hammertime Flashmob

Book Brief - Far North

Far North

Will Hobbs

HarperTeen (April 13, 2004)

Fifteen year old Gabe, a Texan, enrolls in a boarding school in the Northwest Territories of Canada to be closer to his father, an oil field worker. Gabe soon finds the “wilderness” of Texas is nothing compared to the wilderness, and weather, of the far north. Gabe, his peer Raymond, who is a Dene Indian of the Northwest, and a Dene elder are soon fighting the bitter cold, starvation, and various animals, including bear, to survive.

“Now I could see the bear, huge and silver, soundlessly crossing the river ice, more like a ghost bear than a flesh-and-blood creature. I recognized the big hump over the shoulders, yet this apparition looked nothing like my conception of a grizzly. This bear looked as if it had been carved from crystal. Then I realized that its fur was entirely armored in ice, giving it this ghostlike appearance. The bear had gotten into open water and now its fur was draped with hundreds of daggers of ice. My heart was in my throat as it paused, lifting its nose, taking the scent of the frozen moose meat and maybe of me.”

Laced with Indian mysticism, this tale of survival is nevertheless, a well paced and exciting adventure story that will grab you from beginning to end.

Rating: Borrow