Friday, November 28, 2008

Thanksgiving vs Black Friday

I am struck by the great irony when you compare Thanksgiving and Black Friday. Thanksgiving is rooted in thanks to God for his providential care and keeping. Black Friday is rooted in unbridled consumerism. This past Lord's Day I preached from Psalm 107, called by the late James Montgomery Boice "The Pilgrims Psalm." Boice and others surmise that Psalm 107. was the text for worship the Sabbath before the Pilgrim's debarked form the Mayflower, given William Bradford's use of it in his history of Plymouth Plantation. Dear reader, as we leave Thanksgiving and approach Advent I ask you to consider the last verse of the Psalm, "Whoever is wise, let him attend to these things; let them consider the steadfast love of the Lord." God, in his great mercy, sent Christ as the savior of sinners, the real reason for thanksgiving and the real reason for hope and change.

Friday, November 21, 2008

The Wave of the Future?

Michelle Malkin has been chronicling what some are calling "homo-fascism" in light of Prop. 8 in California and Prop. 102 here in Arizona. Here is her take on the shakedown (extortion) at eHarmony. She has also chronicled physical attacks on Christians and the interruption of worship services by militant sodomites. Given that the president-elect and members of his party are committed to the sodomite agenda, is this the wave of the future?

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Thanksgiving - The Story of Squanto

If you are as old as I, you probably learned about Squanto in elementary school. The link here takes you to a Break Point commentary by Chuck Colson about the story of Squanto as God's instrument. I've use the story often to remind folks of God's providential care. My friend Vince Wood describes such things as L*U*C*K* (The Lord's Unconditional Care and Kindness). So, what is your experience with L*U*C*K*?

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

Happy Veterans Day!

To all those who have served, to those standing tall today, and for those who have given "the last full measure of devotion," thanks for your service. Regards, Chaplain (COL, ret.) Tom Troxell Arizona Army National Guard

Monday, November 10, 2008

Borrowed Thoughts

I came across the Thirsty Theologian website through Tim Challies site. Thirsty makes the following comments: "The fact that vast numbers of people, by their own admission, voted for Obama because of his color, and that others who could not vote for him wish that they could have because of his color tells me that color holds a place of significance that it should not. When the day comes when people no longer speak of “race” at all, especially as a factor in making choices between individuals, then I will recognize that something important has happened. I do not think of Obama as a black man. I think of him as an extraordinarily evil man. There’s nothing exciting about that. [snip] I will be praying for this new President, and I hope you will, too; but I will not simply be praying some vague prayer that God will bless him. I will be praying ... for his salvation. I will be praying that God will remove his heart of stone and give him a heart of flesh and grant him repentance. Until that happens, I will be praying for his failure. I will be praying that God will restrain him and prevent him from accomplishing any part of his evil agenda." Something to consider.

Thursday, November 6, 2008

Post Election Comments, part 2

Dr. Ligon Duncan, President of the Association of Confessing Evangelicals, has a great piece over at the Reformation 21 blog.You will find some good reading on the blog.

Wednesday, November 5, 2008

Comments on the Election

I, like many, was sincerely disappointed by the outcome of the election. I continue to believe the substantive issues escaped many voters and we have created an underclass of entitlement people who vote with their feelings and not with good sense. That being said, we have a President-elect and we need to heed to words of Dr. Albert Mohler:

"Evangelical Christians face another challenge with the election of Sen. Obama, and a failure to rise to this challenge will bring disrepute upon the Gospel, as well as upon ourselves. There must be absolutely no denial of the legitimacy of President-Elect Obama's election and no failure to accord this new President the respect and honor due to anyone elected to that high office. Failure in this responsibility is disobedience to a clear biblical command.

Beyond this, we must commit ourselves to pray for this new President, for his wife and family, for his administration, and for the nation. We are commanded to pray for rulers, and this new President faces challenges that are not only daunting but potentially disastrous. May God grant him wisdom. He and his family will face new challenges and the pressures of this office. May God protect them, give them joy in their family life, and hold them close together.

We must pray that God will protect this nation even as the new President settles into his role as Commander in Chief, and that God will grant peace as he leads the nation through times of trial and international conflict and tension.

We must pray that God would change President-Elect Obama's mind and heart on issues of our crucial concern. May God change his heart and open his eyes to see abortion as the murder of the innocent unborn, to see marriage as an institution to be defended, and to see a host of issues in a new light. We must pray this from this day until the day he leaves office. God is sovereign, after all.

Without doubt, we face hard days ahead. Realistically, we must expect to be frustrated and disappointed. We may find ourselves to be defeated and discouraged. We must keep ever in mind that it is God who raises up nations and pulls them down, and who judges both nations and rulers. We must not act or think as unbelievers, or as those who do not trust God.

America has chosen a President. President-Elect Barack Obama is that choice, and he faces a breathtaking array of challenges and choices in days ahead. This is the time for Christians to begin praying in earnest for our new President. There is no time to lose."

I've copied the salient points from today's blog post.

Monday, November 3, 2008

How Would Jesus Vote? - part 2

My fellow blogger Tim over at Gairney Bridge alerted me to this YouTube video of John Piper discussing tomorrow's election. It is a good follow on to much of what I said in yesterday's sermon at Covenant PCA. Thanks, Tim.

How Would Jesus Vote?

That was my title for yesterday's sermon. The texts were Romans 13:1-7, Matthew 17:24-27; 22:15-22. I addressed the confusion within churches left and right and reminded the congregation that while we are PCA (Presbyterian Church in America) we are not a PAC (Political Action Committee). I reminded them the task of the church is to preach, baptize, and catechise; but not to politicize. We looked at the Doctrine of the Two Kingdoms; how God rules over both but in different ways. He rules the kingdom of man as creator and sustainer, bestowing rain on the just and the unjust. His rule over the spiritual kingdom is as Redeemer and King, bestowing the spiritual blessings of salvation and eternal life. The church equips believers to bring their faith and practice into the civil sphere as citizens, neighbors and even as community activists. Christians need to influence the culture by working in the culture - as journalists, plumbers, and even as heads of corporations and agencies like CNN. I do not yet have the audios of sermons online.