Calvin, Here We Come!

This Wednesday my worship team and I will be leaving for the Calvin Worship Symposium in Grand Rapids, MI. We’ve been waiting all year with much anticipation! It’s our 7th year and each year it’s still refreshing, still stimulating.

It’s the 25th year of the Symposium, and they’re expecting a record-setting 1800 attendees from all over the world – from over 30 countries and 40 denominations, 300 high school, college and seminary students. I’m sure N.T. Wright and Walter Brueggemann (the headliners) were one reason for the high attendance this year. All of the worship services and the N.T. Wright plenary address will be live video-streamed from our website (worship.calvin.edu) so you can join us from home!

We’ll be back in the wee early hours of Sunday morning, and yes I’m preaching – so keep us all in your prayers.

Top Christian Stories of 2011 – Heard Of ‘Em?

Christianity Today publishes it’s “Top Ten News Stories of 2011 – the events, people and debates of the past year that have shaped, or will significantly shape, evangelical life, thought or mission.” Now I know this is somewhat subjective, but I’d be curious to know what would be on your “top ten” list of the most important things that happened last year regarding the Christian faith. I wonder if we could come up with ten things? Perhaps the internet has made us aware of so many more things – but not for very long.

The reason I’m thinking about that is that when I read CT’s list, I realized not many of the ten items were familiar to me. Is it possible that I missed 60% of the most important things that happened last year while I was blogging?

Go ahead – make your top ten list (if you can come up with ten), and compare it to CT’s. You’ll find it here.

The Three Most Deadly Words In The World

I haven’t fact-checked this film or organization, but I’m sure this goes on every day that I sit in my comfortable study and blog. I note the faith/religion of these countries, and wonder if there’s any connection between a nation’s faith and it’s treatment/attitude toward women….not that that’s any big kudos for Christians – when was the last time we prayed in worship for these girls?

I Have No Reason To Put This Here

Other than I like the pic. Our custodian, Mary W., is also a school bus driver. Occasionally she’ll drive her new, monster, 80-passenger bus to staff meetings. That happened last week, so I thought I’d introduce ol’ #43 to Red, my not so new, 2-passenger ubercar. Funny the comments I’ve been getting when I’ve shown this to people – “haha, it would fit in the storage compartment”. Well, yes I suppose it would. I’d love to see this bus get thru Deals’ Gap, too! Besides, does anyone REALLY wanna be closed in with 80 elementary school kids??

 

Choosing Your Religion

I have a colleague in ministry (name withheld to protect the not-so-innocent) who sent me this chart. I thought it very handy, what with all the confusing array of religions out there. How is one to make an educated choice? Hmmmm..

My Better Half

R.C. Sproul Jr is someone I’ve heard speak a few times, and only read occasionally. Like his famous dad, he’s thoroughly Reformed and articulate. Now I get to see the personal side of RC Jr. the hard way. And I’m even more impressed as he relates his spiritual journey leading up to, through, and after the recent death of his wife Denise.

I’ve often thought, and said, that when someone you love dies, a part of you dies with them. The “grieving process” then can be seen as Jesus’ way of bringing you back to life. But RC Jr has a different, and fuller, take on that. In his blog article “My Better Half” on the Ligonier Ministries website (click here) he says this:

We are not commanded to live as if we were one flesh. Instead we are told that such is the actual truth. The one-flesh reality means that I haven’t just lost the love of my life, but half of me. How could I recognize me, when I am now only half the man I once was? It isn’t quite accurate to say that when she drew her last breath a part of me died. Instead, half of me died.

The good news, however, is the same. Half of me has died, and is with Jesus. Half of me has no melancholy, but only joy. Half of me cries no more. Half of me sins no more. Half of me loves me, and the children, with a perfect love. Mourning, over the coming weeks and months, will move to dancing, as this half of me begins to more deeply believe the blessings I have in my better half.

I love Denise all the way to heaven and back. She in turn loves me all the way from heaven and back. And Jesus loves us both as the great bridge that not only brought us together, but keeps us together. May these gospel truths give me gentle sleep tonight.

For more from RC Sproul Jr’s blog, go here. And may it bless you.

One Way To Fly

Not sure how you, or I, would feel if a flight full of passengers suddenly broke into prayer… but it sure sounds good!

January 15, 2012 – Romans 8:18-30

We got back into Romans last week with the first 17 verses of Romans 8. I noted that, the previous Sunday when I announced the resumption of the Romans series, there was actual GROANING! It was lighthearted and we laughed, but this last Sunday I wanted to comment on it (it got more chuckles). So last Sunday I commented that the groaning was a good thing. Because I understand that Romans is thick and heavy, especially if one is used “faith-lite”. It’s heavy lifting. And when you lift heavy weights, you groan. Nobody groans picking up cotton balls (unless your body is creaky like mine and you have to bend over to pick them up)! The groaning (in fun) was a recognition that hearing, really hearing, the Word of God is not entertainment, not background music. It’s work. So contra our culture, when folks come to hear my preaching I don’t want them to “sit back and relax”. I want them to roll up their mental sleeves and do some heavy lifting with me. We can relax when we’re watching some “unreality” show…

So, this coming week, Romans 8:18-30. Verse 17 ends with the idea that, if we are Christ’s, we share his sufferings. So now Paul turns to put those sufferings into a larger perspective, and to provide some assurance for fellow Christian sufferers. I see 3 (of course!) points:

• Verses 18-22 our suffering is just a part of the suffering of all creation; we’re not alone in this – we’re part of the creation that has been subjected to futility and knows it isn’t meant for futility
• Verses 23-27 the groaning of our suffering is itself a sign that the Holy Spirit is with us – folks who are walking in the flesh don’t have these desires and groanings. In fact, the Spirit helps us not by removing our groanings but by groaning Himself on our behalf (verse 26)
• Verses 28-30 it all works for good (eventually) because God has predestined it all; and that predestining leads to glorification.

This is kind of a first blush take on the passage – if you have comments pro or con, I’d like to hear them!

Market Driven Church

David Murray has a nice article about questions unbelievers are (and aren’t) asking. He then goes on to ask whether the church really needs to be answering questions that unbelievers ask. Interesting thought. In a way, we assume that the church/believers should be ready to respond to whatever the desires or questions that unbelievers have. We assume we’re here to meet their needs. They set the agenda. But I wonder. What if unbelievers don’t know what they need? What if they think they need the most recent product of rabid commercialization?

I’ve noticed many folks, including myself, feel like their main problem is that they’re too busy busy busy. I look at my own life and think “yep, you’re too busy…worshiping your idols.” The problem is not the amount of energy being expended. The problem is what it’s being expended on. The busyness and frazzledness and fragmentation we feel are NOT the problem – they’re the symptoms. If we keep “fixing” the symptom, we’ll never get to the real problem that’s causing the symptoms.

Point being that we often don’t realize what we really need. Especially if the light of the gospel has not shined on us.

Here’s Murray’s conclusion:

When the rich young ruler came with questions about the lack in his life and about how to gain eternal life, Jesus did not answer him directly. Instead, He started asking him about the commandments. It’s almost as if he was saying, “Wrong questions! Here, let me supply the ones you should be concerned about.”

Again with Nicodemus, Jesus interrupted Nicodemus’s introduction with a question that Nicodemus had clearly never even thought of before.

Sometimes we have to destroy the unbelievers’ bridges to nowhere, and start boring tunnels into their deepest problems.

Money Money Money

I just looked at the Missouri Gaming Commission’s website to see how the St. Louis area casinos have been doing the last few months, what with the “worst recession since 1929″ going on and all. Yep, the money’s still flowing in to the casinos. In fact, the report for the month of November shows that the Adjusted Gross Receipts for the St. Louis casinos are UP 4.1% over November of last year – in large part due to the new River City casino in Lemay, which wasn’t there this time last year.

November AGR’s

• St. Louis market (4 casinos) – $71,912,000 (up 4.1%)
• Kansas City market (4 casinos) – $56,549,000 (up 1.0%)
• Out State market (4 casinos) – $15,262,000
• Statewide total – $143,724.000 (up 2.4%)

Ah, but doesn’t all that money we pour into casinos help our schools and government? Yes it does. The November report shows that of the $143 million noted above, $27 million went to education, $3 million went to local government (remember that this is statewide Missouri). Together that’s about 21%.

In my opinion it’s not that we love education, it’s that we love entertainment. It’s not that we love our kids, it’s that we love ourselves. I don’t think money=success in schools, but wouldn’t it be interesting to see what would happen to our schools if we poured $71,000,000 a MONTH into them?

Christmas Visit

Our daughter Melinda was here with us over Christmas; while she was here, she flew down to Dallas to see her brother Sam and his family – Jen and Drew. Here are some pix she took, which I share with you sheerly out of grandparental pride. Now that we’re grandparents, and our grandkid is so far away, holiday times are especially poignant – remembering times long ago, seeing kiddies’ faces light up….if you have grandkids, you know the drill.

Funny how family becomes more important during holidays, and as one grows older. While Melinda visited we didn’t do anything exciting, go on any trips. We basically hung out, played some Wii (thanks to Melinda!), read, ate….enjoyed life together. I am so thankful…

So here’s some of my joy this Christmas:

A true Crecelius

Drew and dad (hey that used to be my name!) hanging out.

The two most important and wonderful women in my life.

The Difference Between Santa and Christ

OK, the Christmas blast is over, the gifts opened, a lot of us are going back to work this week, but others like myself are taking some time between the holidays to reflect and relax. In the post-Christmas eve glow I’ll often wonder “what was that that just happened?” How holy were those holidays? Along those lines, here’s an interesting look by The King’s English comparing, in verse no less, how our views of God and Santa coincide…or not.

Merry Christmas!

a-christmas-video-for-you

I’m A (Tablet) Nookie Now

About a year ago I received for Christmas a Nook reader from Barnes and Noble, and to tell the truth I use it far more than I thought I would. I especially like that I can download books from my local library any time of day or night, and I don’t have to remember to return them. When the lending period is up, the books just disappear from my reader. Plus, there are tons of free downloads (mostly of classics in the public domain) I can put on the Nook. So I can literally carry hundreds of books with me on vacation, to Calvin, or wherever.

Recently, however, there’s been quite a bit of competition for tablet sized computers, and both Barnes & Noble as well as Amazon have entered the fray with their newest offerings: Amazon’s Kindle Fire, and B&N’s Nook Tablet. After reading several reviews online comparing the two, I decided on the Nook Tablet, for several reasons:

• you get live, real person tech support wherever there’s a B&N to walk into
• while you’re at B&N, you can read ANY book they have, for free, for one hour – I can read a lot in an hour!
• the reviewers I read said that the Nook had an edge for those interested primarily in reading, while the Fire held the edge for those who are more interested in streaming movies
• the cost was the same, at least for me as a previous Nook owner – B&N will take my old Nook in trade for a $50 book credit, so for me both the machines are in the $200 price range.

What I’m finding, after owning the Tablet for less than 12 hours, is that it operates more like my cell phone than my former Nook. I surfed to St. Paul’s website, downloaded one of my own sermons, viewed a video of R.C. Sproul at the Ligonier website, checked out what the sportwriters at the Post thought of the Beltran signing. I find it actually easier to use for reading than my old Nook – size, brightness, ability to highlight and make notes are all very simple operations. So far, I’d say I definitely recommend it for those who like to read a lot of different books at one time, and like to surf occasionally for even more stuff to read.

While I have a Bible reading program on my phone, I’m looking forward to downloading a program on the Nook Tablet as that will be MUCH easier to read!

For a review and comparison between the Nook and the Fire, go here.

B&N’s info on the Tablet is here.

Cantata Pix

Just a couple of pix from our choral cantata last Sunday. As you can see the place was about packed out. I’m so grateful for the choir’s hard work and willingness to put in extra time. They certainly looked like they enjoyed themselves!

You know you’ve been around a long time when you start recognizing people from the back of their heads….thanks to Julie K for taking these pix!

St. Paul’s Website New Look

St. Paul’s website has undergone a face lift – it’s now simpler, cleaner, and should be easier to navigate. Take a look for yourself – www.stpaulsfreeburg.org

After Death Experiences

Several people have mentioned new “after death experience” books to me in the past few months. I have to say I don’t get very excited about them. I’ve read a few, but I’m just cynical enough to usually come away thinking “ok, you’ve had this experience, so….?” Especially in our current political environment, I just don’t give a lot of credibility to something simply because someone else says it’s so.

Greg Koukl talks about it in this 2.30 minute video. In his typically tactful,rational way he expresses his thoughts about authority – which is a key issue these days. Lots of people say things that are later revealed to be lies. They protest their own innocence only to be sentenced later while confessing their guilt. The media provides tons of half-truths which later, in a wider context, turn out to be untruths. We raise issues of “credibility”. What about issues of authority?

Sunday December 18 – Choral Cantata: Majesty of Heaven

This coming Sunday features our choir’s choral cantata, Majesty of Heaven. The choir has really gone the extra mile (in terms of extra people, extra time spent in rehearsals, etc.) to bring us this piece.

This is not simply a performance piece for people to come ooh and aah at. Andy has been careful to choose choral music with solid theological content. While the style of this cantata could be called contemporary (rhythm and beat) it still brings a gospel message – in a sung rather than spoken word. Here’s the blurb from the choral book:

The MAJESTY OF HEAVEN is a beautifully crafted retelling of the miraculous events of that first Christmas. Our Father in Heaven bridged the chasm between His Majesty and our humanity when He sent His only Son, the MAJESTY OF HEAVEN.

For a listing of the sections of the cantata, and a musician’s review, see this. To hear some samples from the cantata, check this (scroll down to samples on right). Seems to me like every sample I’ve heard of church choral music sounds like it’s sung by the same choir. Ours is much better!

See you Sunday…

Jesus Never Rode A Bike

Jesus never rode a bike

          When he was a little boy.

He had fun in other ways,

          And wants you to know his joy.

So ride this bike, enjoy it,

          Have fun, and maybe you’ll race!

Jesus made it just for you;

          It’s all because of His grace.

It’s Christmas, Jesus’ birthday.

          So have fun, and shout “Yahoo!”

Don’t forget the biggest gift:

          That Jesus sure does love you.

I penned this piece of doggerel for a friend and church member who collects, fixes up, and gives away bicycles to kids who come to our December Food & Clothing Bank. His generosity and love of the gospel are far more impressive than my poetry! But when that kid gets his/her bike, he’ll also get a Christmas card with this verse on it. Feel free to use it yourself.

Perspective

What a week it’s been. 70th anniversary of Pearl Harbor last Wednesday; the realization that many of my contemporaries don’t remember the year it happened; Albert signing with the Angels. And one more funeral (Gloria Jarrett, may she rest in joyful peace).

And here I was getting torqued about money and Albert. Perspective, Earl, perspective. 70 years from now hardly anyone will even remember our names. But they may, depending on what we do, remember what we do.

Pearl Harbor survivor Edward Borucki participates in the "Walk of Honor" during the 70th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor at the World War II Valor in the Pacific National Monument in Honolulu Dec. 7.

For more pix, go here.

Casino Income Slowing Down

The Missouri Gaming Commission report for October, 2011 shows that Adjusted Gross Receipts of the four St. Louis area casinos are down 3.6% from October of 2010. A mere $72 million went into the four casinos in the month of October alone.

Three months of that would pay for Albert to stay in St. Louis for ten years (maybe).

It would also pay for years of St. Louis health & human services. But that wouldn’t be fun. And that’s what’s most important for our society right now.