tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-77780602625545611782024-02-06T23:25:24.721-06:00Homo Unius LibriJon Segerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01512917268520125840noreply@blogger.comBlogger275125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7778060262554561178.post-17176719300568904292012-02-05T16:13:00.001-06:002012-02-05T16:13:17.763-06:00Three Views of the Christian LifeIn his sermon this morning at my church (Sovereign Grace Church), one of my pastors, Tab, noted that there are three different views of the Christian life that a Christian can take. Only one is helpful. <br />
<br />
1. Legalism: You must obey in order to be loved. <br />
2. License: You are already loved, so there is no need to obey. <br />
3. Gospel: You are loved, so obey. (John 15:9-11)<br />
<br />
You are deeply loved by a God who sent his obedient Son to die in the place of wretchedly disobedient men & women. Therefore, obey. Jon Segerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01512917268520125840noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7778060262554561178.post-11028838003828586972011-12-28T17:06:00.000-06:002011-12-28T17:06:12.305-06:002011 Reading ListAt the end of every year, I always find it interesting to list out all of the books I read in the past 365 days and compare them to what I read in years past.<br />
<br />
Below is my list of the books I read in 2011. Each book is ranked using the highly sophisticated star system (more stars is better). L<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">et me know if you h</span></span>ave any questions about any of the books.<br />
<br />
<br />
<ol style="font-family: inherit;">
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Lit-Christian-Guide-Reading-Books/dp/1433522268/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1325113503&sr=8-2"><i>Lit!</i></a><span> </span>by Tony Reinke (5 stars)</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Mockingjay-Hunger-Games-Book-3/dp/0439023513/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1325113524&sr=1-1"><i>Mockingjay</i></a><span> </span>by Suzanne Collins (4 stars)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Catching Fire</i><span> </span>by Suzanne Collins (4 stars)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Auschwitz</i><span> </span>by Miklos Nyiszli (4 stars)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><i>The Hunger Games</i><span> </span>by Suzanne Collins (5 stars)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Knowing God</i> by JI Packer (5 stars)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Manhunt</i><span> </span>by James Swanson (3 stars; stopped at 25%)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><i>The Roots of Endurance</i><span> </span>by John Piper (4 stars)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><i>What Is the Mission of the Church?</i><span> </span>by Kevin DeYoung & Greg Gilbert (5 stars)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><i>The Hound of the Baskervilles</i><span> </span>by Arthur Conan Doyle (4 stars)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Jim & Casper Go to Church</i><span> </span>by Jim Henderson (2 stars)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><i>In Cold Blood</i><span> </span>by Truman Capote (3 stars)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><i>The Prodigal God</i><span> </span>by Tim Keller (5 stars)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><i>King's Cross</i><span> </span>by Tim Keller (5 stars)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><i>The Holiness of God</i><span> </span>by RC Sproul (5 stars)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Money</i><span> </span>by Jamie Munson (4 stars)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Power Encounters</i><span> </span>by David Powlison (4 stars)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Getting Things Done</i><span> </span>by David Allen (5 stars)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><i>First, Break All the Rules</i><span> </span>by Marcus Buckingham (5 stars)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Brave New World</i><span> </span>by Aldous Huxley (3 stars)</span></li>
</ol>Jon Segerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01512917268520125840noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7778060262554561178.post-76273706568617176142011-02-07T10:00:00.003-06:002011-02-07T10:00:03.396-06:00It Isn't Fair!!"We have come to expect God to merciful. From there the next step is easy: We demand it. When it is not forthcoming, our first response is anger against God, coupled with the protest: "It isn't fair!" We soon forget that with our first sin we have forfeited all rights to the gift of life. That I am drawing breath this morning is an act of divine mercy. God owes me nothing. I owe Him everything. If He allows a tower to fall on my head this afternoon, I cannot claim injustice." - RC Sproul in The Holiness of GodJon Segerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01512917268520125840noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7778060262554561178.post-91945458772841467322010-12-31T13:08:00.004-06:002011-01-01T13:11:39.176-06:002010 Reading ListHere's what Aaron and I read for the year of 2010.<br />
<br />
<b>Jonathan's Reading List</b><span style="font-style: italic;"> </span><br />
<br />
<ol><li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Systematic-Theology-Introduction-Biblical-Doctrine/dp/0310286700?ie=UTF8&tag=jeseger@gmail.com&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Systematic Theology</a><img alt="" border="0" class="
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tsdujvowtramjmyvbkwm tsdujvowtramjmyvbkwm" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=jeseger@gmail.com&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0310286700" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" /> by Wayne Grudem (70% complete) </li>
<li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Christianity-Crisis-Century-Hank-Hanegraaff/dp/B0030EG19M?ie=UTF8&tag=jeseger@gmail.com&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Christianity in Crisis</a><img alt="" border="0" class="
xirivoyptlfsnslauapi xirivoyptlfsnslauapi xirivoyptlfsnslauapi
xirivoyptlfsnslauapi xirivoyptlfsnslauapi xirivoyptlfsnslauapi
tsdujvowtramjmyvbkwm tsdujvowtramjmyvbkwm" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=jeseger@gmail.com&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B0030EG19M" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" /> by Hank Hanegraff (30% complete) </li>
<li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/When-Helping-Hurts-Alleviating-Yourself/dp/0802457053?ie=UTF8&tag=jeseger@gmail.com&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">When Helping Hurts</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=jeseger@gmail.com&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0802457053" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" /> by Brian Fikkert & Steve Corbett (50% complete)</li>
<li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Bonhoeffer-Pastor-Martyr-Prophet-Spy/dp/1595551387?ie=UTF8&tag=jeseger@gmail.com&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Bonhoeffer</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=jeseger@gmail.com&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=1595551387" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" /> by Eric Metaxas (5 stars) <br />
</li>
<li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Mortification-Sin-Puritan-Paperbacks/dp/0851518672?ie=UTF8&tag=jeseger@gmail.com&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">The Mortification of Sin</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=jeseger@gmail.com&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0851518672" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" /> by John Owen (5 stars)</li>
<li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Teach-Them-Diligently-Scriptures-Training/dp/1889032603?ie=UTF8&tag=jeseger@gmail.com&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Teach Them Diligently</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=jeseger@gmail.com&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=1889032603" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" /> by Lou Priolo (5 stars)</li>
<li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Forerunner-Charismatic-Movement-Edward-Irving/dp/0802402860?ie=UTF8&tag=jeseger@gmail.com&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">The Life of Edward Irving</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=jeseger@gmail.com&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0802402860" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" /> by Arnold Dallimore (5 stars) </li>
<li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Glory-God-Theology-Community/dp/1581349785?ie=UTF8&tag=jeseger@gmail.com&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">The Glory of God</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=jeseger@gmail.com&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=1581349785" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" /> edited by Christopher Morgan (4.5 stars) <br />
</li>
<li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Cross-He-Bore-Frederick-Leahy/dp/0851516939?ie=UTF8&tag=jeseger@gmail.com&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">The Cross He Bore</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=jeseger@gmail.com&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0851516939" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" /> by Frederick Leahy (5 stars) </li>
<li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&tag=jeseger@gmail.com&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&search-alias=aps&field-keywords=Evangelicalism%20Divided" target="_blank">Evangelicalism Divided</a><img alt="" border="0" class="
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tsdujvowtramjmyvbkwm tsdujvowtramjmyvbkwm" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=jeseger@gmail.com&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" /> by Iain Murray (5 stars) </li>
<li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Masculine-Mandate-Gods-Calling-Men/dp/156769120X?ie=UTF8&tag=jeseger@gmail.com&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">The Masculine Mandate</a><img alt="" border="0" class="
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tsdujvowtramjmyvbkwm tsdujvowtramjmyvbkwm" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=jeseger@gmail.com&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=156769120X" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" /> by Richard Phillips (5 stars) </li>
<li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Rescuing-Ambition-Dave-Harvey/dp/1433514915?ie=UTF8&tag=jeseger@gmail.com&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Rescuing Ambition</a><img alt="" border="0" class="
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tsdujvowtramjmyvbkwm tsdujvowtramjmyvbkwm" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=jeseger@gmail.com&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=1433514915" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" /> by Dave Harvey (4.5 stars) </li>
<li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/God-Really-Control-Trusting-World/dp/1576839311?ie=UTF8&tag=jeseger@gmail.com&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Is God Really in Control?</a><img alt="" border="0" class="
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tsdujvowtramjmyvbkwm tsdujvowtramjmyvbkwm" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=jeseger@gmail.com&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=1576839311" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" /> by Jerry Bridges (4.5 stars) </li>
<li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&tag=jeseger@gmail.com&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&search-alias=aps&field-keywords=A%20Short%20Life%20of%20Jonathan%20Edwards" target="_blank">A Short Life of Jonathan Edwards</a><img alt="" border="0" class=" xirivoyptlfsnslauapi xirivoyptlfsnslauapi xirivoyptlfsnslauapi
xirivoyptlfsnslauapi xirivoyptlfsnslauapi xirivoyptlfsnslauapi
tsdujvowtramjmyvbkwm tsdujvowtramjmyvbkwm" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=jeseger@gmail.com&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" /> by George Marsden (5 stars) </li>
<li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Disease-Health-Wealth-Gospels/dp/1573830666?ie=UTF8&tag=jeseger@gmail.com&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">The Disease of the Health and Wealth Gospels</a><img alt="" border="0" class=" xirivoyptlfsnslauapi xirivoyptlfsnslauapi
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xirivoyptlfsnslauapi tsdujvowtramjmyvbkwm tsdujvowtramjmyvbkwm" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=jeseger@gmail.com&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=1573830666" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" /> by Gordon Fee (4 stars) </li>
<li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Radical-Taking-Faith-American-Dream/dp/1601422210?ie=UTF8&tag=jeseger@gmail.com&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Radical</a><img alt="" border="0" class=" xirivoyptlfsnslauapi
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<li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Stuff-Christians-Like-Jonathan-Acuff/dp/0310319943?ie=UTF8&tag=jeseger@gmail.com&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Stuff Christians Like</a><img alt="" border="0" class="
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tsdujvowtramjmyvbkwm tsdujvowtramjmyvbkwm" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=jeseger@gmail.com&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0310319943" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" /> by Jonathan Acuff (4 stars) </li>
<li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Family-Worship-Bible-History-Your/dp/0978523806?ie=UTF8&tag=jeseger@gmail.com&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Family Worship</a><img alt="" border="0" class="
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tsdujvowtramjmyvbkwm tsdujvowtramjmyvbkwm" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=jeseger@gmail.com&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0978523806" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" /> by Don Whitney (5 stars) </li>
<li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/What-Gospel-9marks-Greg-Gilbert/dp/1433515008?ie=UTF8&tag=jeseger@gmail.com&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">What Is the Gospel?</a><img alt="" border="0" class="
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tsdujvowtramjmyvbkwm tsdujvowtramjmyvbkwm" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=jeseger@gmail.com&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=1433515008" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" /> by Greg Gilbert (5 stars) </li>
<li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Still-Soul-Embracing-Provision-Suffering/dp/1433511851?ie=UTF8&tag=jeseger@gmail.com&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Be Still, My Soul</a><img alt="" border="0" class="
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tsdujvowtramjmyvbkwm tsdujvowtramjmyvbkwm" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=jeseger@gmail.com&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=1433511851" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" /> by Nancy Guthrie (5 stars) </li>
<li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Land-Believers-Outsiders-Extraordinary-Evangelical/dp/0805083375?ie=UTF8&tag=jeseger@gmail.com&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">In the Land of Believers</a><img alt="" border="0" class="
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tsdujvowtramjmyvbkwm tsdujvowtramjmyvbkwm" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=jeseger@gmail.com&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0805083375" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" /> by Gina Welch (3.5 stars for interesting read, not content) </li>
<li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Holy-Subversion-Allegiance-Christ-Rivals/dp/1433507021?ie=UTF8&tag=jeseger@gmail.com&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Holy Subversion</a><img alt="" border="0" class="
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tsdujvowtramjmyvbkwm tsdujvowtramjmyvbkwm" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=jeseger@gmail.com&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=1433507021" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" /> by Trevin Wax (4 stars) </li>
<li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Counterfeit-Gods-Empty-Promises-Matters/dp/0525951369?ie=UTF8&tag=jeseger@gmail.com&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Counterfeit Gods</a><img alt="" border="0" class="
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<li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Family-Driven-Faith-Doing-Daughters/dp/1581349297?ie=UTF8&tag=jeseger@gmail.com&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Family-Driven Faith</a><img alt="" border="0" class="
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tsdujvowtramjmyvbkwm tsdujvowtramjmyvbkwm" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=jeseger@gmail.com&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=1581349297" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" /> by Voddie Baucham (5 stars) </li>
<li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Gods-Big-Picture-Tracing-Story-Line/dp/0830853642?ie=UTF8&tag=jeseger@gmail.com&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">God's Big Picture</a><img alt="" border="0" class="
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xirivoyptlfsnslauapi xirivoyptlfsnslauapi xirivoyptlfsnslauapi
tsdujvowtramjmyvbkwm tsdujvowtramjmyvbkwm" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=jeseger@gmail.com&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0830853642" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" /> by Vaughn Roberts (5 stars)</li>
</ol><b>Aaron's Reading List</b> <br />
<ol><li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Finally-Alive-John-Piper/dp/1845504216?ie=UTF8&tag=jeseger@gmail.com&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Finally Alive</a><img alt="" border="0" class="
xirivoyptlfsnslauapi xirivoyptlfsnslauapi xirivoyptlfsnslauapi
xirivoyptlfsnslauapi xirivoyptlfsnslauapi xirivoyptlfsnslauapi
tsdujvowtramjmyvbkwm tsdujvowtramjmyvbkwm" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=jeseger@gmail.com&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=1845504216" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" /> by John Piper (75%)</li>
<li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Future-Justification-Response-N-Wright/dp/1581349645?ie=UTF8&tag=jeseger@gmail.com&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">The Future of Justification</a><img alt="" border="0" class="
xirivoyptlfsnslauapi xirivoyptlfsnslauapi xirivoyptlfsnslauapi
xirivoyptlfsnslauapi xirivoyptlfsnslauapi xirivoyptlfsnslauapi
tsdujvowtramjmyvbkwm tsdujvowtramjmyvbkwm" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=jeseger@gmail.com&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=1581349645" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" /> by John Piper (75%) </li>
<li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Justification-Gods-Plan-Pauls-Vision/dp/0830838635?ie=UTF8&tag=jeseger@gmail.com&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Justification</a><img alt="" border="0" class="
xirivoyptlfsnslauapi xirivoyptlfsnslauapi xirivoyptlfsnslauapi
xirivoyptlfsnslauapi xirivoyptlfsnslauapi xirivoyptlfsnslauapi
tsdujvowtramjmyvbkwm tsdujvowtramjmyvbkwm" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=jeseger@gmail.com&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0830838635" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" /> by N. T. Wright (45%)</li>
<li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/What-Gospel-9marks-Greg-Gilbert/dp/1433515008?ie=UTF8&tag=jeseger@gmail.com&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">What Is The Gospel?</a><img alt="" border="0" class="
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xirivoyptlfsnslauapi xirivoyptlfsnslauapi xirivoyptlfsnslauapi
tsdujvowtramjmyvbkwm tsdujvowtramjmyvbkwm" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=jeseger@gmail.com&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=1433515008" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" /> by Greg Gilbert (4 stars)</li>
<li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Case-Classical-Christian-Education/dp/1581343841?ie=UTF8&tag=jeseger@gmail.com&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">The Case for Classical Christian Education</a><img alt="" border="0" class=" xirivoyptlfsnslauapi xirivoyptlfsnslauapi
xirivoyptlfsnslauapi xirivoyptlfsnslauapi xirivoyptlfsnslauapi
xirivoyptlfsnslauapi tsdujvowtramjmyvbkwm tsdujvowtramjmyvbkwm" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=jeseger@gmail.com&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=1581343841" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" /> by Doug Wilson (15%) </li>
<li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Kingdom-God-Martyn-Lloyd-Jones/dp/1433513404?ie=UTF8&tag=jeseger@gmail.com&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">The Kingdom of God</a><img alt="" border="0" class="
xirivoyptlfsnslauapi xirivoyptlfsnslauapi xirivoyptlfsnslauapi
xirivoyptlfsnslauapi xirivoyptlfsnslauapi xirivoyptlfsnslauapi
tsdujvowtramjmyvbkwm tsdujvowtramjmyvbkwm" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=jeseger@gmail.com&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=1433513404" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" /> by Martin Lloyd-Jones (25%)</li>
<li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Prodigal-God-Recovering-Heart-Christian/dp/0525950796?ie=UTF8&tag=jeseger@gmail.com&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">The Prodigal God</a><img alt="" border="0" class="
xirivoyptlfsnslauapi xirivoyptlfsnslauapi xirivoyptlfsnslauapi
xirivoyptlfsnslauapi xirivoyptlfsnslauapi xirivoyptlfsnslauapi
tsdujvowtramjmyvbkwm tsdujvowtramjmyvbkwm" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=jeseger@gmail.com&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0525950796" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" /> by Tim Keller (80%)</li>
<li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Reason-God-Belief-Age-Skepticism/dp/1594483493?ie=UTF8&tag=jeseger@gmail.com&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">The Reason for God</a><img alt="" border="0" class="
xirivoyptlfsnslauapi xirivoyptlfsnslauapi xirivoyptlfsnslauapi
xirivoyptlfsnslauapi xirivoyptlfsnslauapi xirivoyptlfsnslauapi
tsdujvowtramjmyvbkwm tsdujvowtramjmyvbkwm" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=jeseger@gmail.com&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=1594483493" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" /> by Tim Keller (5 stars)</li>
<li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Young-Restless-Reformed-Journalists-Calvinists/dp/1581349408?ie=UTF8&tag=jeseger@gmail.com&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Young, Restless and Reformed</a><img alt="" border="0" class="
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xirivoyptlfsnslauapi xirivoyptlfsnslauapi xirivoyptlfsnslauapi
tsdujvowtramjmyvbkwm tsdujvowtramjmyvbkwm" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=jeseger@gmail.com&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=1581349408" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" /> by Collin Hansen (4 stars)</li>
<li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Gospel-Kingdom-Biblical-Classics-Library/dp/0853646082?ie=UTF8&tag=jeseger@gmail.com&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Gospel and Kingdom</a><img alt="" border="0" class="
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xirivoyptlfsnslauapi xirivoyptlfsnslauapi xirivoyptlfsnslauapi
tsdujvowtramjmyvbkwm tsdujvowtramjmyvbkwm" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=jeseger@gmail.com&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0853646082" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" /> by Graeme Goldsworthy (4.5 stars)</li>
<li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Church-Planting-Wimps-Messed-up-Extraordinary/dp/1433514974?ie=UTF8&tag=jeseger@gmail.com&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Church Planting Is For Wimps</a><img alt="" border="0" class="
xirivoyptlfsnslauapi xirivoyptlfsnslauapi xirivoyptlfsnslauapi
xirivoyptlfsnslauapi xirivoyptlfsnslauapi xirivoyptlfsnslauapi
tsdujvowtramjmyvbkwm tsdujvowtramjmyvbkwm" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=jeseger@gmail.com&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=1433514974" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" /> by Mike McKinley (4 stars)</li>
</ol>Jon Segerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01512917268520125840noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7778060262554561178.post-10973833221503193122010-12-25T22:49:00.000-06:002010-12-25T22:49:50.625-06:00Christmas Is the End of Redemptive HistoryMerry Christmas everyone! Here's an appropriate quote from John Piper (1981) to as Christmas comes to an close:<br />
<blockquote>"Creation out of nothing was an awesome event. Imagine what the angelic spirits must have felt when the universe, material reality of which they had never imagined, was brought forth out of nothing by the command of God. <br />
</blockquote><blockquote>The fall was an awful event, shaking the entire creation. <br />
</blockquote><blockquote>The exodus was an amazing display of God’s power and love. <br />
</blockquote><blockquote>The giving of the law, the wilderness provisions, the conquering of Canaan, the prosperity of the monarchy—all these acts of God in redemptive history were very great and wonderful. Each one was a very significant bend in the river of redemptive history, bringing it ever and ever closer to the ocean of God’s final kingdom. <br />
</blockquote><blockquote>But we trivialize Christmas, the incarnation, if we treat it as just another bend on the way to the end. It is the end of redemptive history. <br />
</blockquote><blockquote>And I think the analogy of the river helps us see how. <br />
</blockquote><blockquote>Picture the river as redemptive history flowing toward the ocean which is the final kingdom of God, full of glory and righteousness and peace. At the end of the river the ocean presses up into the river with its salt water. Therefore, at the mouth of the river there is a mingling of fresh water and salt water. One might say that the kingdom of God has pressed its way back up into the river of time a short way. It has surprised the travelers and taken them off guard. They can smell the salt water. They can taste the salt water. The sea gulls circle the deck. The end has come upon them. <br />
</blockquote><blockquote>Christmas is not another bend in the river. It is the arrival of the salt water of the kingdom of God which has backed up into the river of history. With the coming of Christmas, the ocean of the age to come has reached backward up the stream of history to welcome us, to wake us up to what is coming, to lure us on into the deep. <br />
</blockquote><blockquote>Christmas is not another bend in the river of history. It is the end of the river. Let down your dipper and taste of Jesus Christ, his birth and life and death and resurrection. Taste and see if the age to come has not arrived, if the kingdom has not come upon us. Does it not make your eyes sparkle?"</blockquote> Thanks to: <a href="http://draft.blogger.com/">Justin Taylor</a>Jon Segerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01512917268520125840noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7778060262554561178.post-87672592951858298272010-11-12T16:29:00.001-06:002010-11-12T16:29:01.188-06:00Just Plain Awesome!<object width="500" height="300"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Vo0Cazxj_yc&rel=0&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&version=3"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Vo0Cazxj_yc&rel=0&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&version=3" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always" width="500" height="300"></embed></object>Jon Segerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01512917268520125840noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7778060262554561178.post-35093569585758912742010-10-24T18:42:00.000-05:002010-10-24T18:42:01.356-05:00Articles on Idolatry & Free Will Here are a two more articles that I added to the Articles page of this blog today. "Soul Idolatry" by David Clarkson is a tough one and will take a while to trudge through, but it is definitely a must-read!<br />
<ul><li><a href="http://www.gracegems.org/SERMONS/Clarkson_soul_idolatry.htm">Soul Idolatry Excludes Men Out of Heaven</a> by David Clarkson (<a href="http://richardsibbes.com/Clarkson-Idolatry.pdf">PDF</a> also available)</li>
<li><a href="http://stephenwillcox.wordpress.com/2009/04/30/compatibilist-middle-knowledge-ds-smith/">Compatibilist Middle Knowledge</a> by DS Smith</li>
</ul>Jon Segerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01512917268520125840noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7778060262554561178.post-74375527698537638262010-10-23T10:50:00.000-05:002010-10-23T10:50:33.706-05:00New ArticlesI'm finally going to start updating the <a href="http://ponderingthecross.blogspot.com/p/articles.html">Articles page</a> on this blog. As I read a good article, I'll put it on the page and let you know that I've added a new one. Here's the first one that was added.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.9marks.org/ejournal/multi-site-churches">9Marks eJournal on Multi-site Churches</a> (<a href="http://www.9marks.org/files/ejournal200963mayjun.pdf">PDF</a> also available)Jon Segerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01512917268520125840noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7778060262554561178.post-13950306561085739472010-10-19T11:28:00.000-05:002010-10-19T11:28:56.575-05:00Quote from the Author of "Amazing Grace, How Sweet the Sound""I am not what I ought to be. I am not what I want to be. I am not what I hope to be. But still, I am not what I used to be. And by the grace of God, I am what I am." - John NewtonJon Segerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01512917268520125840noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7778060262554561178.post-82198930841789819312010-09-27T08:00:00.000-05:002010-09-27T08:00:13.639-05:00What Is Sustaining Grace?Last Sunday, one of my pastor's preached an excellent sermon on the grace bestowed on us by Jesus, namely, His saving grace and His sustaining grace. You can listen to it or download it <a href="http://sgclife.org/resources/sermon.aspx?id=215">here</a>. As I was listening to him describe Christ's sustaining grace, I was reminded of a poem of John Piper's that he expounds upon and explains during a <a href="http://www.desiringgod.org/resource-library/sermons/sustained-by-sovereign-graceforever">sermon</a> he gave on the same topic. I think it's a succinct & helpful reminder of what God's sustaining grace is. <br />
<blockquote>"Not grace to bar what is not bliss,<br />
Nor flight from all distress, but this:<br />
The grace that orders our trouble & pain,<br />
And then, in the darkness, is there to sustain."</blockquote>Jon Segerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01512917268520125840noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7778060262554561178.post-83222020490473650972010-09-09T13:19:00.005-05:002010-09-10T09:45:27.072-05:00The Apostle of the Golden Age--Interview ResponseWhile reading the September 2010 issue of<span style="font-style: italic;"> Christianity Today</span>, I stumbled upon an interview with Classics Scholar Sarah Ruden. Earlier in the year, Pantheon Books published Ruden's <span style="font-style: italic;">Paul Among The People: The Apostle Reinterpreted and Reimagined in His Own Time</span>. I'm not particularly concerned with the content of that particular book, but I thought it might serve some of our readers to see one of the responses she gave to John Wilson's interview question/suggestion.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">John Wilson: Quoting freely from many classical authors, you show how a kind of casual brutality was taken for granted in the ancient world, and how Paul's attitudes, by contrast, actually have much more in common with the norms of the 21st century.</span><br /><br />Ruden:<br /><br />"What characterizes our society at its best is the habit of looking at ourselves with a critical attitude. I think this really started for Western civilization on the road to Damascus. Paul is doing what he's expected to do in his environment. He's involved in persecution.This is all sanctioned by authority, and it's going to get him ahead in his career. He has this revelation, and he is forced to answer the questions, <span style="font-style: italic;">What are you doing?</span> <span style="font-style: italic;">What are you actually doing? Why are you persecuting me? </span>That is, what you do to the the world, what you do to other people, is what you do to God. So there's a galvanizing, horrifying, but enlightening realization that what you do every moment you do in the sight of an infinitely loving God. Paul's entire ministry was about that idea. He made a lot of mistakes. He certainly had changes of mind. He had regrets. As he repeatedly said about himself, he was really painfully human in pursuing this idea. He took no personal credit for what he accomplished - the credit belonged to God. But he pursued this great truth relentlessly. And I think that has made us who we are religiously and ethically. That is what brought the ministry of Jesus into our lives in very practical ways."<br /><br />A few noteworthy thoughts:<br /><br />1. Ruden's response isn't meant to be read as a heavy treatment of Paul's theology (and it seems obvious that she's more comfortable speaking about his views in very general terms), but I find it remarkable, that the Paul she describes is pretty consistent with the impression you get of his personal characteristics when reading his work.<br /><br />A few examples:<br /><br />Paul's Humility -- not taking credit, giving God the glory<br />Paul's Zeal -- his relentless pursuit of the truth he believes<br />Paul's Focus -- his entire ministry focused on a single truth<br /><br />2.Her suggestion that Paul's experience on the road toward Damascus is foundational to an understanding of Western Society's self criticism as a whole is fascinating. I don't care to get into all of the implications underlying this assumption, but I believe it is a worthy suggestion. As a classical scholar, she's not really interested in the mission of Paul (or even his success or lack there-of) as much as she is interested in the message of Paul. The amazing thing about her discovery, is that the text itself seems to exemplify the changes from authoritarian brutality to humble leadership we observe more commonly in Western society. Paul asserts authority in a different way. Paul makes bold claims and answers ethical dilemmas with words meant to enlighten, warn and inform, rather than beat the reader into subjection.<br /><br />Ultimately, I don't think this post is a fair representation of everything Ruden is trying to say in her book or even in this interview, but it's always encouraging to see scholarship that throws the usual (or rather "en vogue") presuppositions out the window to try to get a clear view of what the author is saying rather than serve an agenda. Ruden's views may be generic and docile enough to suit a variety of opinions, but we may say that her discoveries of Paul's inner-thoughts and context seem to match the Paul we've come to know and respect.<br /><br />Is it not true that we've been blessed by this servant of Christ? I cannot speak for Ruden regarding her findings, but I'm encouraged to read some of the fruits of her labor that lead me to think on a faithful servant of an even more faithful God! Christ has blessed his bride with a body that works. A body that has big parts and little parts. Some parts have written the very Word of God, have appointed leaders and cast out demons. Some parts read the Word of God, serve quietly and suffer with confident assurance in their Savior. I believe all have something to learn of Paul's humility, zeal and focus. I believe all have something to learn of Paul's "things of first importance", and most of all his Lord, Jesus the Messiah.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7778060262554561178.post-67235107415081976812010-08-30T08:00:00.004-05:002010-08-30T08:00:11.034-05:00What Is the Bible Basically About?<object height="330" width="550"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/LkNa6tLWrqk&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xd0d0d0&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/LkNa6tLWrqk&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xd0d0d0&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always" width="550" height="330"></embed></object><br />
<br />
Thanks to: <a href="http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/tgc/2010/08/23/what-is-the-bible-basically-about/">Colin Hansen</a>Jon Segerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01512917268520125840noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7778060262554561178.post-24342928359910277762010-08-27T08:00:00.000-05:002010-08-27T08:00:05.670-05:00You Must Suffer"For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake." - Philippians 1:29 ESV<br />
<br />
<object height="330" width="550"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/GvVXF1kmc2Q?fs=1&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/GvVXF1kmc2Q?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="550" height="330"></embed></object>Jon Segerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01512917268520125840noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7778060262554561178.post-80257906184591210342010-08-25T09:30:00.001-05:002010-08-25T09:30:00.186-05:00Thou Poor, Afflicted, Tempted SoulToday, I downloaded Red Mountain Music's rendition of the old hymn, "Thou Poor, Afflicted, Tempted Soul," by John Berridge. I'd never heard it before today, but it really ministered to my weary soul. So go <a href="https://www.noisetrade.com/redmountainmusic">download the song</a> for free from <a href="http://noisetrade.com/">NoiseTrade.com</a> (actually, you can download the whole album!) and meditate on these words.<br />
<blockquote>Thou poor, afflicted, tempted soul,<br />
With fears, and doubts, and tempests tossed.<br />
What if the billows rise and roll,<br />
And dash thy ship, it is not lost;<br />
The winds and waves and fiends may roar,<br />
But Christ will bring thee safe on shore.<br />
The winds and waves and fiends may roar,<br />
But Christ will bring thee safe on shore.<br />
<br />
What ails those eyes bedewed with tears?<br />
Those laboring sighs that heave thy breast?<br />
Those oft repeated, broken prayers?<br />
Dost thou not long for Jesus' rest?<br />
And can the Lord pass heedless by,<br />
And see a mourning sinner die?<br />
And can the Lord pass heedless by,<br />
And see a sad and mourning sinner die?</blockquote>Jon Segerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01512917268520125840noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7778060262554561178.post-68444249455771001732010-08-23T08:30:00.001-05:002010-08-23T08:30:00.240-05:00Matt Chandler Sermon JamBoom goes the dynamite!!<br />
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Thanks to: <a href="http://takeyourvitaminz.blogspot.com/2010/08/chandler-sermon-jam.html">Zach Nielsen</a>Jon Segerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01512917268520125840noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7778060262554561178.post-83140379608894758812010-08-20T09:00:00.001-05:002010-08-20T09:00:05.830-05:00O Love That Will Not Let Me GoDane Ortlund recently wrote a <a href="http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/justintaylor/2010/08/04/o-love-that-will-not-let-me-go/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+between2worlds+%28Between+Two+Worlds%29%20">short post</a> on the story behind George Matheson's hymn, "O Love That Will Not Let Me Go." What a moving and truth-filled testimony!<br />
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<blockquote>O Love that will not let me go<br />
I rest my weary soul in thee<br />
I give thee back the life I owe<br />
That in thine ocean depths its flow<br />
May richer, fuller be <br />
</blockquote><blockquote>O Light that foll’west all my way<br />
I yield my flick’ring torch to thee<br />
My heart restores its borrowed ray<br />
That in thy sunshine’s blaze its day<br />
May brighter, fairer be</blockquote>Stabilizing lines, especially for those in darkness.<br />
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Do you know the story behind it?<br />
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At age 20 George Matheson (1842-1906) was engaged to be married but began going blind. When he broke the news to his fiancee, she decided she could not go through life with a blind husband. She left him. Before losing his sight he had written two books of theology and some feel that if he had retained his sight he could have been the greatest leader of the church of Scotland in his day.<br />
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A special providence was that George’s sister offered to care for him. With her help, George left the world of academia for pastoral ministry and wound up preaching to 1500 each week–blind.<br />
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The day came, however, in 1882, when his sister fell in love and prepared for marriage herself. The evening before the wedding, George’s whole family had left to get ready for the next day’s celebration. He was alone and facing the prospect of living the rest of his life without the one person who had come through for him. On top of this, he was doubtless reflecting on his own aborted wedding day twenty years earlier. It is not hard to imagine the fresh waves of grief washing over him that night.<br />
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In the darkness of that moment George Matheson wrote this hymn. He remarked afterward that it took him five minutes and that it was the only hymn he ever wrote that required no editing.<br />
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O love that <em>will not let me go</em>. Heartening hope for you and me.<br />
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Here’s the last stanza.<br />
<blockquote>O Cross that liftest up my head<br />
I dare not ask to fly from thee<br />
I lay in dust life’s glory dead<br />
And from the ground there blossoms red<br />
Life that shall endless be</blockquote> Thanks to: <a href="http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/justintaylor/2010/08/04/o-love-that-will-not-let-me-go/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+between2worlds+%28Between+Two+Worlds%29%20">Dane Ortlund via Justin Taylor's blog </a>Jon Segerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01512917268520125840noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7778060262554561178.post-55169398265829922622010-08-19T17:03:00.000-05:002010-08-19T17:03:19.092-05:00The Difference Between Election & PredestinationKevin DeYoung has a helpful <a href="http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/kevindeyoung/2010/08/13/what-is-the-difference-between-election-and-predestination/">post</a> on the difference between the doctrines of election and predestination. Here's an excerpt.<br />
<blockquote>I had someone ask me this question recently. My short answer is: in popular usage, not a lot.<br />
The terms election and predestination are often used interchangeably, both referring to God’s gracious decree whereby he chooses some for eternal life. In Romans 8:30 Paul speaks of those whom God has predestined, called, justified, and (in the end) glorified. In 8:33 Paul references “the elect,” apparently a synonym for the predestined ones described a few verses earlier.<br />
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A sharp distinction between the two words is not warranted from Scripture, but if there is a distinction to be made, predestination is the general term for God’s sovereign ordaining, while election is the specific term for God choosing us in Christ before the foundation of the world. That is, predestination is the broader category of which election is the smaller subset. Calvin defined predestination as “God’s eternal decree, by which he compacted with himself what he willed to become of each man…Therefore, as any man has been created to one or the other of these ends, we speak of him as predestined to life or to death” (Inst. III.xxi.5). For Calvin, predestination encompasses the entire eternal decree. Election and reprobation, then, represent two different aspects of the decree. The Canons of Dort Article 1 makes the same distinctions.</blockquote><a href="http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/kevindeyoung/2010/08/13/what-is-the-difference-between-election-and-predestination/">Read the rest.</a>Jon Segerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01512917268520125840noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7778060262554561178.post-44115902587303859642010-08-17T08:00:00.003-05:002010-08-17T08:00:06.253-05:00Greatest Baseball Catch I've Ever SeenI had a dream last night. In it, I did this...<br />
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Thanks to: <a href="http://networkedblogs.com/6AgOM">Jared Moore</a>Jon Segerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01512917268520125840noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7778060262554561178.post-11035060493130828802010-08-13T14:38:00.000-05:002010-08-13T14:38:34.420-05:00Affected by the GospelToday, as I was designing at work while listening to some music on my ipod, God made me freshly aware of the weight of my own sin, but even more so, of the overwhelming glory of my Savior who took my sin and made it his own so that now God can pronounce me forgiven. And this time, God did it through a son.<br />
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"My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought! <br />
My sin, not in part but the whole, <br />
is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more, <br />
praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!"<br />
- <i>It Is Well</i> by Horatio Spafford <br />
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Thank you, Jesus, for going to the cross on my behalf. That should have been me.Jon Segerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01512917268520125840noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7778060262554561178.post-25017976321781315552010-08-09T11:00:00.001-05:002010-08-09T11:00:00.921-05:00Christians and Karma<span id="hotword"><span id="hotword" name="hotword" onclick="this.style.backgroundColor='#b5d5ff';return hotWord(this);" onmouseout="this.style.backgroundColor='transparent'" onmouseover="this.style.cursor='default'" style="background-color: transparent; cursor: default;">Throughout the history of the church, one common temptation has been to import pagan concepts & practices into the church and intertwine them with Christianity itself. This can be done intentionally. Case in point would be the Old Testament Jews as their sons married Gentile daughters, thus adopting some Gentile religious practices into their daily lives. However, my guess is the majority of these cases are unintentional. Overexposure to any worldly concept can lead to a general acceptance of the idea, thus propping the door open for incorporation into everyday practice. I believe this has happened today in the Christian church with the Hindu concept of karma.<br />
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If you're not immediately familiar with karma, I'm sure you will be after you hear the definition.<span id="hotword"><span id="hotword" name="hotword" onclick="this.style.backgroundColor='#b5d5ff';return hotWord(this);" onmouseout="this.style.backgroundColor='transparent'" onmouseover="this.style.cursor='default'" style="background-color: transparent; cursor: default;"> Dictionary.com <a href="http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/karma">defines</a> karma as "action,</span> <span id="hotword" name="hotword" onclick="this.style.backgroundColor='#b5d5ff';return hotWord(this);" onmouseout="this.style.backgroundColor='transparent'" onmouseover="this.style.cursor='default'" style="background-color: transparent; cursor: default;">seen</span> <span id="hotword" name="hotword" onclick="this.style.backgroundColor='#b5d5ff';return hotWord(this);" onmouseout="this.style.backgroundColor='transparent'" onmouseover="this.style.cursor='default'">as</span> <span id="hotword" name="hotword" onclick="this.style.backgroundColor='#b5d5ff';return hotWord(this);" onmouseout="this.style.backgroundColor='transparent'" onmouseover="this.style.cursor='default'">bringing</span> <span id="hotword" name="hotword" onclick="this.style.backgroundColor='#b5d5ff';return hotWord(this);" onmouseout="this.style.backgroundColor='transparent'" onmouseover="this.style.cursor='default'">upon</span> <span id="hotword" name="hotword" onclick="this.style.backgroundColor='#b5d5ff';return hotWord(this);" onmouseout="this.style.backgroundColor='transparent'" onmouseover="this.style.cursor='default'" style="background-color: transparent; cursor: default;">oneself</span> <span id="hotword" name="hotword" onclick="this.style.backgroundColor='#b5d5ff';return hotWord(this);" onmouseout="this.style.backgroundColor='transparent'" onmouseover="this.style.cursor='default'">inevitable</span> <span id="hotword" name="hotword" onclick="this.style.backgroundColor='#b5d5ff';return hotWord(this);" onmouseout="this.style.backgroundColor='transparent'" onmouseover="this.style.cursor='default'" style="background-color: transparent; cursor: default;">results,</span> <span id="hotword" name="hotword" onclick="this.style.backgroundColor='#b5d5ff';return hotWord(this);" onmouseout="this.style.backgroundColor='transparent'" onmouseover="this.style.cursor='default'" style="background-color: transparent; cursor: default;">good</span> <span id="hotword" name="hotword" onclick="this.style.backgroundColor='#b5d5ff';return hotWord(this);" onmouseout="this.style.backgroundColor='transparent'" onmouseover="this.style.cursor='default'" style="background-color: transparent; cursor: default;">or</span> <span id="hotword" name="hotword" onclick="this.style.backgroundColor='#b5d5ff';return hotWord(this);" onmouseout="this.style.backgroundColor='transparent'" onmouseover="this.style.cursor='default'" style="background-color: transparent; cursor: default;">bad,</span> <span id="hotword" name="hotword" onclick="this.style.backgroundColor='#b5d5ff';return hotWord(this);" onmouseout="this.style.backgroundColor='transparent'" onmouseover="this.style.cursor='default'" style="background-color: transparent; cursor: default;">either</span> <span id="hotword" name="hotword" onclick="this.style.backgroundColor='#b5d5ff';return hotWord(this);" onmouseout="this.style.backgroundColor='transparent'" onmouseover="this.style.cursor='default'" style="background-color: transparent; cursor: default;">in</span> <span id="hotword" name="hotword" onclick="this.style.backgroundColor='#b5d5ff';return hotWord(this);" onmouseout="this.style.backgroundColor='transparent'" onmouseover="this.style.cursor='default'">this</span> <span id="hotword" name="hotword" onclick="this.style.backgroundColor='#b5d5ff';return hotWord(this);" onmouseout="this.style.backgroundColor='transparent'" onmouseover="this.style.cursor='default'">life</span> <span id="hotword" name="hotword" onclick="this.style.backgroundColor='#b5d5ff';return hotWord(this);" onmouseout="this.style.backgroundColor='transparent'" onmouseover="this.style.cursor='default'" style="background-color: white;">or</span> <span id="hotword" name="hotword" onclick="this.style.backgroundColor='#b5d5ff';return hotWord(this);" onmouseout="this.style.backgroundColor='transparent'" onmouseover="this.style.cursor='default'">in</span> <span id="hotword" name="hotword" onclick="this.style.backgroundColor='#b5d5ff';return hotWord(this);" onmouseout="this.style.backgroundColor='transparent'" onmouseover="this.style.cursor='default'">a</span> <span id="hotword" name="hotword" onclick="this.style.backgroundColor='#b5d5ff';return hotWord(this);" onmouseout="this.style.backgroundColor='transparent'" onmouseover="this.style.cursor='default'" style="background-color: transparent; cursor: default;">reincarnation."</span></span> Hindu philosophy holds that if the karma of an individual is good enough, the next life will be rewarding, and if not, the person may actually devolve and degenerate into a lower life form. In order to achieve good karma it is important to live life according to what is right (<a href="http://hinduism.about.com/od/basics/a/karma.htm">About.com</a>). Basically, karma means this: Do something good and something good will happen to you in return. The opposite is also true. Do something bad and something bad will happen to you in return.<br />
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Karma has recently been popularized by the TV show <i>My Name Is Earl</i>. In the sitcom, Earl Hickey is a petty criminal whose winning $100,000 lottery ticket is lost when he is hit by a car. Lying in a hospital bed he develops a belief in karma during an episode of <i>Last Call with Carson Daly</i>. To turn his life around, he makes a list of every bad thing he's ever done in an attempt to correct them, as he believes that this is the only way he can gain positive karma. After doing his first good deed, he finds the lottery ticket he had previously lost. He sees this as a sign of karma rewarding him and, with his newfound wealth, he begins doing good deeds according to his list (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/My_name_is_earl">Wikipedia</a>).<br />
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It is this same concept of karma that many Christians have incorporated into their daily lives, many times unknowingly. And I am not immune. It was one of my most common prayers growing up. After I had sinned in some way, I was convinced that God was going to punish me by making me play horribly in my upcoming baseball game. So I would ask God to forgive me for my sins and to please punish me in any other way besides that.<br />
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Do you see what my belief was in that moment? I believed that because I had sinned, God was going to punish me in some tangible way. Likewise, the opposite was true as well. I believed that if I did something good, God was going to reward me.<br />
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This is not the only way karma has infiltrated our Christian beliefs. How do you view your relationship with God after you have completed a good quiet time? Do you think that God is pleased with your efforts and predisposed to bless you throughout your day because of your great quiet time? Or what about on the days that you've neglected your quiet time with Him? Do you feel that God is now disappointed with your efforts and will not allow you into his presence as a punishment?<br />
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Or what about the common answer to the question, "How to you get to heaven?" Sadly, many Christians answer this question the same other nonreligious folk. If we do enough good things in this life such that the sum of them outweigh the bad that we have done, then God will grant us eternal life in heaven.<br />
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Friends, all of these examples embody the Hindu concept of karma. We have borrowed karma and molded it into our everyday Christian practice. In its basest form, karma is legalism and anti-Christian.<br />
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In fact, God shatters the concept of karma. Despite all of the bad we do in our lives, God is patient with us in our sin. Sin against a holy, just, & eternal God requires immediate & eternal death. Yet we are still alive, eating God's food, living in shelters He has provided for us, hanging out with friends & family that He ultimately has created. And not only that, but God even goes so far as to offer us redemption & salvation from this impending death. If karma were true, the moment we first sinned, we should have been struck down by God himself. End of story. <br />
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But for the Christian, God has flipped karma on its head. For those who love God, everything that happens to us is for our good. "And we know that for those who love God, all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose" (<a href="http://www.esvonline.org/search/romans+8%3A28/">Romans 8:28</a>). Therefore, if you do good or bad, only good will come to you. God's blessing & discipline alike are meant for your good.<br />
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I believe what is needed to counteract this disease of karma within the Christian church is a healthy dose of two doctrines: our adoption as sons & daughters into God's family and Christ's imputation. <br />
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When you became a Christian, you were indwelt with the Holy Spirit and adopted into God's family. You became a son of the Most High. God now regards you as son! A member of my church put it well in the sermon that he preached today. "If my children disobey me, I love my children. If my children continually disobey me, I love my children. And if my children run to me and beg for forgiveness for their disobedience, I love my children." As a Christian, God's disposition towards you does not change, sin or no sin. He is your Father, and he is totally for you.<br />
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And secondly, when you became a Christian, something miraculous happened. Christ took all your sin - past, present, & future - upon Himself as He hung on that bloody cross and, in return, He gave you all of His righteousness, so that now, anytime God looks at you, he does not see damned sinner. No. He sees the righteousness of Christ himself.<br />
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So for the Christian who struggles with doing his quiet times, God does not distance himself from you. No, God gets down on one knee and opens wide His arms to comfort His son. <br />
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For the Christian who struggles with continual sin, God does not see you as filthy sinner who has punishment coming. No, He looks at you, counts you righteous because of the sacrifice of Jesus on your behalf, and picks you up to carry you through your struggles.<br />
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And for the Christian who has done all he can to please the Lord in all he does, God treats him no differently than he does the previous two above. He is His son, and good is coming to him.<br />
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If karma were true, we would all get what we truly deserve... immediate, eternal damnation in a place of isolation & torment. Praise God that we live by the law of Christ and not the law of karma.<br />
<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-wsj_0-0"></sup><br />
<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-wsj_0-0"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/My_Name_Is_Earl#cite_note-wsj-0"></a></sup>Jon Segerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01512917268520125840noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7778060262554561178.post-14121200404816918762010-08-06T08:00:00.001-05:002010-08-06T08:00:02.421-05:00New Seinfeld Movie: Serenity Now!This is a gift to all of you Seinfeld fans out there. If this were real, I would be there opening night. So funny!<br />
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<object height="385" width="480"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/AKI_q6MsTxM&hl=en_US&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/AKI_q6MsTxM&hl=en_US&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object>Jon Segerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01512917268520125840noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7778060262554561178.post-60901903323985860412010-08-04T11:00:00.001-05:002010-08-06T19:32:39.812-05:00A Shout Out to Moms EverywhereAny time someone asks me where my wife works or what she does, I usually preface my response with, "My wife's got a much more difficult job than me. She stays at home to raise & care for our son." Here's why.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaxX6r4n48CXYtYE_jynNcNgfKJOjWrhDFFgqA2Rzqs44111_Nxh9I5682-R54RW1qtaJ3y3Rp4el9EDtPi2ar2MTxCPQEkSIVCViW985V3iZfTjLU_4-ww8XqFfnWXQhY7w6gp7NU_qo/s1600/Mom+Response.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaxX6r4n48CXYtYE_jynNcNgfKJOjWrhDFFgqA2Rzqs44111_Nxh9I5682-R54RW1qtaJ3y3Rp4el9EDtPi2ar2MTxCPQEkSIVCViW985V3iZfTjLU_4-ww8XqFfnWXQhY7w6gp7NU_qo/s640/Mom+Response.jpg" width="555" /></a></div>Jon Segerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01512917268520125840noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7778060262554561178.post-8444041474162437922010-08-03T13:46:00.005-05:002010-08-03T14:58:58.421-05:00Anyone Else Excited!?<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_0ztpkEAHNhY/TFhlD9BrMlI/AAAAAAAAADY/NkIe4RPo2Yg/s1600/generous.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5501258063428661842" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_0ztpkEAHNhY/TFhlD9BrMlI/AAAAAAAAADY/NkIe4RPo2Yg/s200/generous.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 200px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 200px;" /></a>Coming November 2010.<br />
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Have theologically conservative evangelicals over-reacted to the "social gospel only" views of many mainline denominations? Tim Keller seems to think we have. The argument that a "purely social gospel is no gospel at all" has never necessitated a view that strips us from responsibilities Jesus laid on his people to serve those in need. I'm excited to announce that Tim Keller addresses this issue head on in his upcoming book <span style="font-style: italic;">Generous Justice</span>. He also seeks to establish the link between modern understandings of general welfare and the Bible as their foundation.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7778060262554561178.post-17731635825170757832010-08-02T08:00:00.033-05:002010-08-02T08:00:04.606-05:00Three Book RecommendationsI was recently looking thru my old posts and noticed there were a few that were still in draft form that I never posted. This is one of them. These are three books that I finished a short while ago, and I want to recommend them to you. They are all outstanding.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIVH7VZng555CQJspvMq0_bZTW9sg5vKdytuGLzgHCNECFuih18m1Yh32vsY7OR3v1puzQnGrgG8id0NBPjr7DHKVEN9oo_RAy8Erj7XQcscyXhkk8h1LxzUYtR15s7LI74L_bXvo-084/s1600/Shepherding+a+Child%27s+Heart.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIVH7VZng555CQJspvMq0_bZTW9sg5vKdytuGLzgHCNECFuih18m1Yh32vsY7OR3v1puzQnGrgG8id0NBPjr7DHKVEN9oo_RAy8Erj7XQcscyXhkk8h1LxzUYtR15s7LI74L_bXvo-084/s200/Shepherding+a+Child%27s+Heart.jpg" width="128" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtb3KsBKisl64lrJT4JdvwmQpjVHiOCb7_F9m1hA3gktHMK77qw2t5HfYc4SMsILFNaK4P8pwr1LwZWCWYfvx_vLcWp62GvzEz7SkyCJYm7UZe2juHIkvoyOfbvrodiVsTzTHQqSGQLJs/s1600/God's+Big+Picture.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtb3KsBKisl64lrJT4JdvwmQpjVHiOCb7_F9m1hA3gktHMK77qw2t5HfYc4SMsILFNaK4P8pwr1LwZWCWYfvx_vLcWp62GvzEz7SkyCJYm7UZe2juHIkvoyOfbvrodiVsTzTHQqSGQLJs/s200/God's+Big+Picture.jpg" width="126" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7HBgv8bV7Xj17jy1k-NvbfXOwA7YUlZTbPxUbxITd8TwHTfEB8mTWgRMDFxT1_oWX5xAxCdnw8Vj7I2aHXC6NacD6-WDxPcEI8SJ6vD70F0u_hiSfLPUfVDkqerpkf4h_5xHXglTdIx8/s1600/Family+Driven+Faith.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7HBgv8bV7Xj17jy1k-NvbfXOwA7YUlZTbPxUbxITd8TwHTfEB8mTWgRMDFxT1_oWX5xAxCdnw8Vj7I2aHXC6NacD6-WDxPcEI8SJ6vD70F0u_hiSfLPUfVDkqerpkf4h_5xHXglTdIx8/s200/Family+Driven+Faith.jpeg" width="132" /></a></div><br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0966378601?ie=UTF8&tag=ponchrhiscro-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0966378601">Shepherding a Child's Heart</a><img alt="" border="0" class=" tsdujvowtramjmyvbkwm tsdujvowtramjmyvbkwm tsdujvowtramjmyvbkwm tsdujvowtramjmyvbkwm tsdujvowtramjmyvbkwm tsdujvowtramjmyvbkwm tsdujvowtramjmyvbkwm tsdujvowtramjmyvbkwm tsdujvowtramjmyvbkwm tsdujvowtramjmyvbkwm tsdujvowtramjmyvbkwm tsdujvowtramjmyvbkwm" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=ponchrhiscro-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0966378601" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important;" width="1" /> by Tedd Tripp is hands down the best book on parenting I have read yet. The one thing I won't forget from it is Tripp's emphasis on going after the child's heart rather than the child's behavior. If you go after their heart, the behavior will inevitably follow.<br />
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In <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0830853642?ie=UTF8&tag=ponchrhiscro-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0830853642">God's Big Picture</a><img alt="" border="0" class=" tsdujvowtramjmyvbkwm tsdujvowtramjmyvbkwm tsdujvowtramjmyvbkwm tsdujvowtramjmyvbkwm tsdujvowtramjmyvbkwm tsdujvowtramjmyvbkwm tsdujvowtramjmyvbkwm tsdujvowtramjmyvbkwm tsdujvowtramjmyvbkwm tsdujvowtramjmyvbkwm tsdujvowtramjmyvbkwm tsdujvowtramjmyvbkwm tsdujvowtramjmyvbkwm tsdujvowtramjmyvbkwm" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=ponchrhiscro-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0830853642" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important;" width="1" />, Vaughan Roberts seeks the big picture of the entire bible. His conviction is that the whole bible is telling one story, not lots of little stories all disconnected and such. This book will help you when you are reading through books of the Bible like Leviticus and cannot fathom how in the world this relates to Jesus Christ.<br />
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And last but not least, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1581349297?ie=UTF8&tag=ponchrhiscro-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1581349297">Family Driven Faith</a><img alt="" border="0" class=" tsdujvowtramjmyvbkwm tsdujvowtramjmyvbkwm tsdujvowtramjmyvbkwm tsdujvowtramjmyvbkwm tsdujvowtramjmyvbkwm tsdujvowtramjmyvbkwm tsdujvowtramjmyvbkwm tsdujvowtramjmyvbkwm tsdujvowtramjmyvbkwm tsdujvowtramjmyvbkwm tsdujvowtramjmyvbkwm tsdujvowtramjmyvbkwm tsdujvowtramjmyvbkwm tsdujvowtramjmyvbkwm tsdujvowtramjmyvbkwm tsdujvowtramjmyvbkwm tsdujvowtramjmyvbkwm" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=ponchrhiscro-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1581349297" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important;" width="1" /> by Voddie Baucham Jr. This is not lay-down-on-the-couch-and-relax book. Make no mistake about it, Voddie brings it hard. He hits parents right between the eyes with conviction after conviction on their responsibility to "raise their kids in the way they should go." It's not the job of a youth pastor, and it's not the job of a Christian school teacher. It's the parent's job. So do it. That's the constant message of Mr. Baucham, and I commend it to you.Jon Segerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01512917268520125840noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7778060262554561178.post-43711444080914721522010-07-26T16:17:00.000-05:002010-07-26T16:17:33.749-05:00Persecution Could Bless the Church in AmericaSorry for the lapse in blog posts this last week. My wife and I have spent the last week moving from our old apartment to a townhome. We really like the new place. It gives us much more room and is pretty freakin' cool! All that said, here's a short blurb from <a href="http://gospeldrivenchurch.blogspot.com/">Jared Wilson</a> about the possibility of <a href="http://gospeldrivenchurch.blogspot.com/2010/07/blessing-of-persecution.html">persecution blessing the church in America</a>. Hope it makes you think. I'm in total agreement. What about you?<br />
<blockquote><i>"Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. -- Matthew 5:10</i></blockquote><blockquote>At the time of the Boxer Rebellion, 230 Christian missionaries and 23,000 Chinese Christians were killed in China. In the years following, the number of Christians in China grew to 70,000. Then communist China really cracked down, outlawing Christianity and expelling all Christian missionaries. The number of Christians in China grew 100 fold to 70 million.</blockquote><blockquote>In our nation there is some concern among Christians about religious freedoms and the state recognition of Christian expression. These concerns are, for the most part, justified. Arguably. But there are many overreactions, many voicing of concerns that belie the reality of the God who is sovereign over everything, including nations, kings, and laws.</blockquote><blockquote>But let's not presume to think we are presently persecuted. In Matthew 5:11, Jesus says, 'Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.' Persecution is a blessing. Either he meant that or he didn't. The Beatitudes are proclamations, not commands, so we don't need to seek persecution. It's not the blood of the one with a martyr complex that is the seed of the church. Perhaps socialism is creeping into America. We should be concerned about this and talk about it, against it even.</blockquote><blockquote>But let's also not assume that persecution would be the worst thing to befall us. It could be, actually, that persecution, should it come, is the best thing to happen to the American church."</blockquote>Jon Segerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01512917268520125840noreply@blogger.com1