"sex is not the problem....

(lust is)." This is a new book from Josh Harris. Actually, it's an old book (not even a hint) with a new title and a new cover. I want to highly recommend you get this resource, both men and women.

His sub-title for the book is "sexual purity in a lust-saturated world". I think even this title is very helpful. We live in a world that is consumed with lust. Al Mohler recently blogged about this. He was commenting on a Los Angeles Times article that said there were 200 new pornography sites on the internet everyday.

Josh defines lust as "to want what you don't have and weren't meant to have." The great thing about sex is that it was designed by God and it is good, when we use it the way God designed -- within the context of marriage. Lust is an attempt to thwart God's authority and His Word, and to do things our way. It robs God of glory and us of the pleasure that God intended for us.

If you struggle with lust, as most people do, please get this resource.

Here are a few other good resources:

John Piper -- Strategies for fighting lust. A short article he did to fight lust daily.
Randy Alcorn -- "The Purity Principle". This is a great book to walk thru.

what have you built?

I don't know if any of you have seen the show "Extreme Engineering". I think it's one of the best shows on TV. I don't have cable, so I don't get to watch it much, but I did catch one episode while visiting family over Christmas.

Anyway, I came upon this wikipedia entry that is cool. It's the world's tallest structures.

It's amazing to me what man can build these days....actually I'm amazed what man has been able to build for thousands of years. It shows that we are made in the image of our God. That we have creativity, imagination, a desire to subdue the earth.


Actually, it's probably just a bunch of men wanting to create some massive cool structure to look at, but anyhow, I like it. It makes me think that if men can build these structures, I can't even fathom what kind of place God is building and preparing for us in heaven, the centerpiece being God himself and his presence.

Revelation 21:2-3: "And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, 'Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God."

Later in this chapter it says the city is made of pure gold, it's clear as glass, it's walls are made of jasper, and it doesn't need any sun or moon to light it because "the glory of God gives it light." That's what I'm talking about! Extreme engineer that.

hell?

I did a recent post on the existence and reality of hell. It is a doctrine that is quickly being erased from many churches.

John Samson did an article on this same topic called "Hell Yes" on the Reformation Theology blog. Here is a link to that article.

He says, "Hell is under attack! Well perhaps not hell itself, but the doctrine of hell as a place of eternal punishment for the wicked is certainly under full frontal attack in our day. As Christians we should not be surprised that hell is not a particularly popular concept in the minds of the general public. But what should concern us greatly is that a great many professing Christians are increasingly hostile towards the idea.

Some preachers are launching their attacks against the concept of hell openly from the pulpit; yet others are just as zealous in the fight, but wage their war through the act of silence, as they pride themselves on never mentioning the word "hell" at all in their sermons."

I think this article has got some great info. and takes a brief but clear look on what the bible says about hell and the reality of it. Most people who don't believe in hell debate from a philosophical point of view, not a biblical one.

May this doctrine spur our evangelism, our love to proclaim the gospel, and our compassion on the lost!

I prefer "hillbilly".

Well, here are some more great redneck pictures. They never stop, do they?

Total Truth

cvbbs.com has a sale on the book "Total Truth" by Nancy Pearcey. The subtitle is "Liberating Christianity from its Cultural Captivity." They are selling it for $7.

This book has received great reviews by Al Mohler, J.I. Packer, and others. I have purchased it and plan to read it this spring.

Here is a short description of the book: "In today's cultural etiquette, it is not considered polite to mix public and private, or sacred and secular. This division is the single most potent force keeping Christianity contained in the private sphere -- stripping it of its power to challenge and redeem the whole culture...(Nancy Pearcey) makes a passionate case that Christianity is not just religious truth but truth about total reality. It is total truth."

This would be a great addition to your ever-increasing library.

the innkeeper

Merry Christmas everyone! Last year, around this time, I ran across this poem by John Piper that had an impact on me. It's called "The Innkeeper". I'd like to start a tradition of reading it to my family each Christmas Eve, or listening to Dr. Piper read it himself.

So, here is a link to the poem.

And here is a link to Dr. Piper reading it.

Enjoy!

o.k....so i own an Apple.

And I thought this was pretty funny.

Here's a picture of the new microsoft keyboard:



And the settings for the new word:

:plewbloggin: guide to the net.

For all the students, I wanted to put together a guide of good websites with plenty of resources and articles for you to consume over the Christmas break. During our 'down-upside' series, I spoke about the dangers of the internet and one of my encouragements was to always have a plan when you get online. Don't just wander around the world wide web w/o knowing exactly where you are going, because 9 out of 10 times it will end up bad.

So, here are some recommended websites:

Fire and Ice-- Puritan sermons, bios, and articles. Great place to find free puritan writings.
Nine Marks -- audio interviews (I highly recommend), articles, and resources about the local church.
Jonathan Edwards -- welcome to the world of Edwards.
Way of the Master -- watch a free program of this great show. Good free resources on evangelism.
Biblical Training -- free seminary classes online. Listen to the messages, get the outlines, all free! Why not take another class over the break?
Contemporary Reformers -- this site has tons of free articles and writings from modern day reformers. You could spend hours here reading good stuff.
John Piper -- messages, writings, and more!
Charles Spurgeon -- one of my favorite websites. Free Spurgeon sermons, Spurgeon books for free, you can even pick-up a collectible Spurgeon mug! Sweet!
The Puritans -- this link is a portal into the mind of the puritans. It goes to many great websites with puritan writings.

Some of these links are permanently linked to the right.

My prayer for you is that you would return from the Christmas break refreshed, encouraged, and thankful that you used this time wisely for God's glory!

hell?

Al Mohler recently did a blog titled "The Disappearing Doctrine of Hell". I recommend it for you to read and think about.

Hell is rarely talked about or taught from many churches. The idea is that we don't want to offend anyone by telling them that "there is a possibility, um..maybe...if you don't believe in Christ... I mean to say...you might not be going to heaven...which would mean....excuse my pardon...that you might be in...um..." Spit it out. Hell is real and many people who we live with, joke with, work with, and love will be going there apart from God's saving grace and their repentance and faith in Jesus Christ alone.

Hell stirs my love for my neighbor, pushes me to evangelize to them, and sobers me at the thought of their eternal separation. It also reminds me of what I deserve and how beautiful God's grace is that He would save a hell-deserving sinner like myself.

Here is a quote from the article: "The knowledge of what hell really represents is a humbling consciousness that leads to heartbreak and serves as an impetus to evangelism. Those who deny the reality of hell will bear some real responsibility for the fact that so many will be found there."

I would also encourage examining how many times Jesus speaks about hell.

Happy Holidays!

Entering Narnia

The new movie, "The Lion, th witch, and the wardrobe" is coming out this week. I know a lot of you are going to see it, so I thought I would link you to this review.

Actually, I would highly recommend reading the book. For all college students, this would be a great book to read over the Christmas break. I hope to give you guys a suggested reading list so you can get some books before you go home.

AMAZED!

Sorry about the delay in my posts. This weekend is CCK's Grand Opening. And, to put it simply, we are simply amazed! Amazed at God's grace on this church and on our lives. Amazed at his provision. Amazed at his work and activity. Amazed at who He is! We stand amazed.

Here is our theme verse for the weekend:

Ephesians 3:20-21: "Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen."

What was your favorite part of the weekend? How do you stand amazed?