Safe Eyes Internet Filtering
Posted on Sep 14, 2009
Recently I have been hearing Rick Burgess from the Rick and Bubba show advertising an internet filter called “Safe Eyes”. Personally, I use Covenant Eyes, which is basic internet accountability software. However, Safe Eyes seems to be a much more involved software (including monitoring social networking sites, instant messaging as well as other relevant elements). Additionally, Safe Eyes is a cheaper alternative than Covenant Eyes at $4.16/month (you pay yearly at $49.99 with Safe Eyes) vs. Covenant Eyes ($7.99/month paying monthly). Both are good options, but the point is that you need some kind of filter on your computer, regardless of how old you are or whether you have or don’t have kids.
For more information on Safe Eyes, click here.
For more information on Covenant Eyes, click here.
Be a Blessing
Posted on May 11, 2009
I have been thinking recently about attitudes that should guide my life because of various issues I have been facing and struggles that I have had relationally. I am more and more persuaded that a pastor who is seeking to plant his life in a single place for a long period of time in order to do ministry should be continually concerned with the attitudes he is clothed with; because his attitude not only shapes his reputation, but also shapes how the people receive the Gospel.
Therefore, as a fleshing out of my understanding of my life verse (1 Corinthians 10:31), here are the attitudes our principles that I have come up with so far. This may seem overly simplistic, but simple is good sometimes, right?
- The first attitude or principle is: I will be a blessing to God.
- The second attitude or principle is: I will be a blessing to others.
Like I said, this may seem simplistic, but I honestly believe that the secret to life in Jesus is not complex. If I understand that my daily existence boils down to being a blessing to my Father, and I am seeking to be a blessing in everything that I do and say then my life will be wonderful and satisfying. And if, after that, I seek to be a blessing to every person that I meet in a day, whether in word or in deed, then not only will I be a blessing to them, but that will also be a blessing to my Father.
Consider, however, the strategies of our enemy. Our natural desire is to seek our own will, comfort, and interests above all others. This motivation may be explicit (in that it is blatant in all our actions) or it may be implicit (in that our actions have a mask of goodness over them, but are really selfishly motivated). I think Paul felt this in Romans 7:23-25 when he wrote, “I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
Who will deliver us from our selfishness? Only Jesus. Who will deliver us from a ministry-ending outburst of anger? Only Jesus. Who will deliver us from our internal and external rebellion against God’s designs and purposes? Only Jesus.
My friends, let us dwell in Jesus today. He is our only hope.
“Love in a Time of Swine Flu” by Al Mohler
Posted on Apr 29, 2009
Over the past few days I have been contemplating what it would look like for us to do ministry in the midst of a pandemic. If the swine flu (or whatever the current name is) became a pandemic, would churches shut down services, stop visiting people in need, and forsake an opportunity? Or would we stand up in the midst of a culture that cowers at disease and go forth knowing that the Gospel has secured our future? Here is a helpful article Al Mohler posted to his website recently that helps us consider how Christians throughout history have responded to such cultural crises.
The history of humanity is the history of sickness, disease, and death. When sin came, death came, and sickness remains the leading agent of death. The horseman of pestilence has visited plagues and pandemics upon humanity throughout the centuries. Even in the age of modern medicine and the conquest of so many diseases, the very real risk of pandemic remains — and we feel it in our souls.
The outbreak of swine flu now dominates the headlines and news programs, with at least 150 deaths in Mexico already recorded even as the disease is now confirmed around the world. For many years medical authorities have warned of a coming influenza pandemic — a modern plague — that could kill on a magnitude similar to the 1918 outbreak that killed over 100 million persons worldwide.
Writing in The Atlantic in 2005, Michael Specter called influenza “Nature’s Bioterrorist.” As Specter explains, “A pandemic is the viral equivalent of a perfect storm. There are three essential conditions, which rarely converge, and they are impossible to predict. But the requirements are clear. A new flu virus must emerge from the animal reservoirs that have always produced and harbored such viruses–one that has never infected human beings and therefore one to which no person would have antibodies. Second, the virus has to actually make humans sick (most don’t). Finally, it must be able to spread efficiently–through coughing, sneezing, or a handshake.”
Is this outbreak of swine flu the harbinger of a hellish pandemic? It is far too early to say, and there is no justification for jumping to that conclusion. Nevertheless, it is a clear warning. Even in a normal year 36,000 Americans die of the flu. We are made of fragile stuff.
Experts on pandemics suggest that the question is “when” and not “if” this threatened pandemic will come. Michael Specter offers a sober warning: “Infectious-disease experts talk about pandemics the way geologists talk about earthquakes; the discussion is never about whether ‘the big one’ will hit.”
The public discussion about swine flu and the threat of a breakout pandemic should prompt Christians to think seriously and soberly about what all this means. Biblical Christianity has much to say about disease and sickness, and the Christian tradition is rich with thought about how Christians, churches, and pastors should think of sickness, disease, and death.
At the onset, we must remember that sickness and death are part of the curse. Every single disease and malady can be traced back to Genesis 3 and humanity’s fall into sin. Adam and Eve were the first humans to taste life and, after their sin, they were also the first to taste sickness and death. While only a few sicknesses can be traced to specific sins (such as sexually transmitted diseases), in reality the whole enterprise of sickness and death is rightly traced to sin, both individual and corporate.
The New Creation that is coming will know no sickness and death, for the curse is reversed in Christ. Yet, even as we await the coming of the Day of the Lord, in this life will all know the pangs, pains, perplexities, and perniciousness of disease. We are headed for death.
Nevertheless, as should be thankful for modern medicine, and the invention of both antibiotics and antiseptics. The germ theory of disease is a relatively recent human achievement, and the widespread use of effective antibiotics dates back only to the midpoint of the last century. While thankful for these medical advances, we are reminded that humanity will never finally triumph over disease and death. The curse is beyond our power to reverse.
At the same time, Christians have honored Christ by ministering to the sick. As Thomas C. Oden reminds us, “Christian ministry prays in good conscience for healing, although it does not tempt God by making faith contingent upon a particular healing. Ministry never prays that sickness or pain be increased. Ministry consistently is on the side of fighting affliction, not increasing it. Meanwhile, it does not view pain as an absolute evil out of which no good could ever come.”
Martin Luther, no stranger to sickness, taught his congregation to use medical means, but to place trust in God alone. “Rather you should go on in simple faith, and when you are in danger and trouble, you should use whatever means you can, lest you tempt God. But if you find that these means, which God has created to dispel danger or sickness, supply neither the desired help or the remedy, then cast your care and your life on God and commit yourself to the direction of His wisdom and goodness.”
Sickness should prompt the Christian to yearn for eternity. As the Apostle Paul explains, “For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality.” [1 Cor. 15:53] Until then, Christians will suffer all manner of maladies ranging from the mild to the deadly. Our bodies cry out for the glory that is promised to believers in Christ. Until then, we cough, sniffle, choke, collapse, suffer, and die.
The Christian’s confidence is in Christ alone. We trust that God has a purpose in our suffering, and that this purpose is perfect, even if yet undiscerned. As Luther assured his flock, “If God wants to have you sick like this, what He wants will certainly be better than what we want.”
Luther ministered in a time of plague and epidemic. He provided a model of the pastor who never leaves his people. He also urged his people never to leave the sick. In 1527 the Bubonic Plague came to Wittenberg. Luther sent his students home, but he stayed to minister to his congregation and the city. He called for others with responsibility, especially pastors, to do the same. Cowardice in ministry is a denial of Christ, Luther warned, for “whoever wants to serve Christ in person would surely serve his neighbor as well.”
In Geneva, John Calvin taught his pastors to visit the sick as a primary duty of “a true and faithful minister.” As Calvin explained, “the greatest need which a man ever has of the spiritual doctrine of our Lord is when His hand visits him with afflictions, whether of disease or other evils, and specially at the hour of death.”
Calvin taught the faithful minister to offer suffering Christians the consolation of Christ, lest they be overwhelmed by the fear of death and judgment. On the other hand, if the sick person is not “sufficiently oppressed and agonized by a conviction of their sins,” the pastor should speak to them of the justice of God, “before which they cannot stand, save through the mercy embracing Jesus Christ for their salvation.”
In the end, sickness points to sin and sin points to our need for Christ. Luther, Calvin, and all true ministers of Christ know that sickness and death point to our need for a Savior. Even as Christians seek to minister to the physical needs of the sick, the spiritual need is even more urgent. Each tiny germ shows us our need for the Gospel. Every cough is a reminder of coming judgment. Our confidence is placed only in the ministry of the Christ our Physician, “who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases.” [Psalm 103:3]
Christians will, sooner or later, be called upon to show the love of Christ in the midst of sickness. Perhaps we will minister out of Christ’s love in a time of swine flu. If so, we do well to remember Luther’s summary of the best prescription in the face of disease: “My best prescription is written John 3:16. ‘God so loved the world.’ This is the best I have.”
this is your life::sin & holiness
Posted on Apr 30, 2008
For the past five weeks now I have been preaching a series called “This is Your Life”. We have been focusing on areas of our lives that God has a specific plan and purpose for, but those that so often we miss the mark on. I will be uploading the previous messages soon, but here is the most recent one about “Sin & Holiness” that addresses the reality of a Christ-follower’s struggle with sin and the way we kill sin in our lives.
[this is your life::sin and holiness]
To download, right-click on file and select “Save Target As…”
ten ways parents contribute to the corruption of their children
Posted on Apr 28, 2008
Throughout youth ministry, I have talked to many, many students who seem to have a rough relationship with their parents. For anyone with teenagers, they would probably say that it is one of the roughest times in that child’s growth and development. Many of the issues can be prevented if parents begin early addressing issues by dealing not simply with actions, but addressing the problems of the heart.My wife and I have received a great deal of instruction and encouragement in this area through books by Ginger Plowman, founder of Preparing the Way Ministries, who has written such books as Heaven at Home and Don’t Make Me Count to Three: A Mom’s Look at Heart-Oriented Discipline.
However, there are certain things that parents need to be disciplined in as well. Moms and dads need to hold each other accountable in order to avoid contributing to their child’s own inherent sinfulness. Therefore, I have compiled a list of things entitled “Ten Ways Parents Contribute to the Corruption of the Children”. Parents are always the greatest influence on the life of their child, whether for the good or for the bad. So, we need to avoid these things and take the positive side as exhortation to the good we should be doing with our kids. Additionally, they are all equally important, so they are in no particular order.
[ten ways parents contribute to the corruption of their children]
- Don’t have fun with them
- Don’t pray for them everyday
- Be their biggest critic without being their biggest fan
- Don’t be honest about your weaknesses and try to hide your sin
- Talk negatively about the church in front of them
- Allow them unlimited and unfiltered access to media (TV, internet, movies, music)
- Don’t be their spiritual leader
- Be inconsistent in discipline
- Major on the minors and minor on the majors
- Compartmentalize your Christianity
If you want your children to grow up without a concern for their own sin and immerse themselves in all kinds of pain and depravity then do these things. However, if you want your kids to have an accurate picture of God because of your example and leadership, guard your life against these snares.