A peek inside

Multiple blogs

Wed, 22 Feb 2006 19:05:30 GMT

If you followed this thread here from Carrie_Luce, don't stop here! I'm mostly posting over at www.homeschoolblogger.com/Somerschool.

Life in the multiverse

Wed, 26 Oct 2005 12:43:05 GMT

How many futures are there?

Each time I ask this question, I seem to lose respect and/or friends. You'd think I'd have stopped, by now. The problem is that this seems to be the most intriguing question out there--one that pushes the boundaries of today's science and that might unravel the most complicated theological riddles.

Managing multiple blogs

Wed, 26 Oct 2005 12:39:59 GMT

Does anybody have a good way to handle the identity crisis of trying to run more than one blog?

Good News: New Daughter!

Mon, 19 Sep 2005 13:03:07 GMT

Daughter-in-law, technically.

Bad News: No New Blog

Mon, 19 Sep 2005 13:02:16 GMT

Well, that was fun but we're going to terminate the experiment before it goes too far. We're back to here for blogging.

Migrating blog...

Mon, 22 Aug 2005 14:23:49 GMT

I'm trying to move my blogging up a level, and so I've started a page at:

http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/Somerschool

I'm going to let this one join the ranks of fossilized ex-blogs.

Reviving

Fri, 19 Aug 2005 12:47:04 GMT

I've been offline for a LONG time here... but I need to get back into gear.

Astronomy and the Fear of God

Sat, 06 Nov 2004 12:54:56 GMT

"Two things fill me with wonder," wrote Immanuel Kant: "The starry heavens above me and the moral law within me." Kant and I are similar in some ways. Both of us think we are really, really smart. Both of us are amazed by the heavens we can see. Neither one of us seems to fear God.

When I look into the heavens (or, since I live in suburban Maryland, the land of the midnight streetlamp, when I look at "Astronomy Picture of the Day"), I am amazed at God's majesty. Time after time I stare at the pictures and worship. Truly, God is magnificent!

My problem is, I think I'm pretty magnificent, too. I have no problem lifting God up--it's getting an accurate read on my own heart that seems to be so difficult. God is great, God is good, and I thank Him that I am too.

I look at the heavens and delight. Where is the fear of the One who can fling the stars across the skies? Job was overwhelmed when he looked up into the skies, when he stood in the midst of the whirlwind. But Job knew that he had a controversy with God, and was reminded that the One he opposed was unopposable. I am blissfully unaware of God's evaluation of my life. That's why I don't tremble.

Kant was amazed by the moral law within. He was NOT amazed by God's commandments, imposed upon him from without. Kant was completely committed to obey the "Categorical Imperative" which he made up, and was willing to sacrifice anything to live by that moral code--but when all was said and done, Kant was obeying Kant's commandment, not God's. Such a man is truly "self-righteous," in a neutral sense of the term, since his righteousness all comes from within, not without.

And me? I am more and more aware that "self-righteous," in this neutral sense, may be an accurate description of my state. I try hard to live according to my own moral principles. This makes me a "good moral man," but where is my fear of God?

Pride Eruption

Fri, 05 Nov 2004 11:24:42 GMT

Last night, I watched Mount St. Helens blow.

No, it wasn't the volcano in Washington State, which was pretty quiet, I hear. It was an eruption of pride in my own heart that unloaded tons of ash, magma, steam, smoke, and toxic fumes at care group. I sat and watched myself in mild amazement as I babbled on and on. I confessed pride, and the guys noted that I almost seemed to be proud of being proud--or, at least, not humble about it--and I explained that this was the problem I was confessing.

Here's the only good news of the night: I wasn't humble, but I am humiliated.

So let's get out the toolbox and start taking this incident apart. One passage seems to cover most of the bases, here:

Philip. 2:3-11 (ESV)
Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. [4] Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. [5] Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, [6] who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, [7] but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, [8] he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. [9] Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, [10] so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, [11] and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

What happened here? I did not "count others as more significant than myself." I "looked to my own interests." I acted out of "rivalry" and "conceit." I "counted equality with God a thing to be grasped." Instead of "taking the form of a servant," I took the form of a guest lecturer. All these are the bad behaviors that God corrects.

What lie did I believe? In my heart of hearts, I must really believe that I am in "the very form of God." I think, "Someday they will see that I was right, and then every knee shall bow, and every tongue confess, how smart I am!" God reproves such lies.

What is the truth? God will not share His glory with another. The only "someday" that matters is the day they see Jesus, and bow their knee to Him, and confess that He alone is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. I need "the mind of Christ." Paul says, "Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus..." God teaches these things.

What must I do now? God instructs me in righteousness. I should search my heart and confess my sin. This post is one small step towards that. This particular passaage tells me how to serve others, even if I think I'm pretty special (Jesus was special, and Jesus served, so I guess I can, too), but I need to work through Romans 7 to retrain my heart to see the depth of my sin. When I think of myself (which I always do), I need to see a "wretched man," not "the very form of God."

Satisfied with Sovereignty

Thu, 04 Nov 2004 11:07:16 GMT

I spent a long time praying for this election. Day after day, as I read the Psalms, it seemed like King David was writing them just for President Bush. It was hard not to pray for him, and impossible not to pray that God would bless him with another term.

As Election Day approached, however, I was reminded of the dread sovereignty of God. "Not my will, but Thine be done." There were two reasons I hesitated in my prayers: America does not deserve God's blessing, and God's ways are not my ways. The fact that I think one candidate is better than another is genuinely meaningless, and even if I happened to be right, that does not mean that God should give us what I want.

Thus, no matter how fervent my desire was and how much time I spent before God, I felt handicapped. How does one approach such a holy God with such an urgent plea?

The disciples said, "Lord, teach us how to pray!"

Fasting is a comfort at such a time. I don't know how to pray and I am not humble, but I do know how to stop eating and present myself, mute with need, before God. "Lord, have mercy upon me, a sinner!"

Our goal in prayer is not to change God's mind, but to glorify Him in our express dependency. Many times prayer changes us more than it changes our circumstances. John Howe (a Puritan writer) put it this way:

"Therefore, the business we must design in such prayer, or in prayer about such things, (the issue whereof we do not foreknow,) is not to bring the divine will to ours, but to bring our will to his. As the matter is aptly enough illustrated by some, suppose one comes down a rapid stream in a boat, and hath the opportunity to throw an anchor or hook on the shore, there he pulls, as though he would draw the shore to the boat, and yet, all that he can be rationally supposed to intend, is to draw the boat to the shore. So are we to design in prayer, that plucking ourselves unto God, the drawing of our souls to a compliance with him, that our wills may be brought to unite with his; not that we can imagine to change his will by any thing we can say, more than in the narrative of our prayer we do suppose to ourselves the informing him of any thing whereof we suppose him before ignorant. "He is of one mind, and who can turn him?" Job 23:13."

If God has decreed, from eternity, what He will do, then our prayers are about increasing His glory, not changing the outcome. I don't mean that prayers don't determine what happens: they do! Consider this example:

John 11:41-43 (ESV)
So they took away the stone. And Jesus lifted up his eyes and said, "Father, I thank you that you have heard me. [42] I knew that you always hear me, but I said this on account of the people standing around, that they may believe that you sent me." [43] When he had said these things, he cried out with a loud voice, "Lazarus, come out."

Jesus prayed OUT LOUD so that God would be glorified when His prayer was answered. He prayed for specific and amazing results so that His Father was glorified in specific and amazing ways. If we want to see God glorified as much as possible, then we pray according to God's will as much as possible, pray as specifically as possible, and pray as explicitly as possible.

And we need to pray out loud.

Our silent prayers add nothing to God's public praise. He answers our selfish and silent prayers because He loves us, but we should pray selfless and daring prayers because we love Him!

Prayer is as much a part of God's created world as the sun and stars are, and it glorifies God far more. Our prayers prove His majesty and our dependence; His answers prove His power and His love.

Myths and Speculations

Sat, 16 Oct 2004 11:23:29 GMT

Lord, let this be the year I break through a lifetime of barking up the wrong tree. Help me set my mind on "the things above," instead of things that are "above my head." Show me what this means:

1 Tim. 1:3-7
[3] As I urged you when I was going to Macedonia, remain at Ephesus that you may charge certain persons not to teach any different doctrine, [4] nor to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies, which promote speculations rather than the stewardship from God that is by faith. [5] The aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. [6] Certain persons, by swerving from these, have wandered away into vain discussion, [7] desiring to be teachers of the law, without understanding either what they are saying or the things about which they make confident assertions.

How much time have I spent on "myths" and speculations? How much time have I devoted to vain discussions, desiring to be a teacher of something I don't understand? How many confident assertions have I made that were just plain wrong?

Suppose, for the moment, that we live in a twelve dimensional universe, and I can only see three and a half of those dimensions. Can I really understand how reality works? God's agenda is not that I would understand the mysteries of nature, but the mystery of the Gospel. The goal, here, is love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. How much physics do you need to know for that?

Yes, but...

Maybe nobody ELSE needs to know physics for that, but I get hung up on metaphysical questions that appear to have physical answers. "How does prayer and prophecy work? How can human freedom coexist with God's sovereignty? What kind of TRUTH do we find in Scripture? Will humanity become a single global consciousness?" My physical answers to these metaphysical questions (by command, through multiple futures, forward directed, and YES) make it easier for me to love from a pure heart, live with a good conscience, and walk in sincere faith. So... are my speculations wrong?

They don't seem to help anybody else. Maybe my problem has been that I have engaged in "vain discussion" because I "desire to be a teacher." When I have kept these ideas to myself (as I do the gift of speaking in tongues), they seem to edify me without causing distress to my friends.

Time to Wonder

Sat, 25 Sep 2004 09:57:27 GMT

What is time?

God knows--and, at this stage of human history, God alone knows.

Is time what we learned in high school science: a linear progression of events, each one of which is completely determined by physical laws? If it is, how can a just God punish the wicked or reward the righteous? If our actions are determined by the molecules in our minds, how can God punish us for what our molecules do?

Does the future exist? If it does, what is the difference between the Arminian who says God "foreknows" the future and the Calvinist who says He "predestines" it? The Open Theologians say the future does not exist--God discovers what happens next right along with the rest of us.

How does prophecy work? Does God take a peek into the future and report back what He sees, or does His word today define what happens tomorrow? Does He command or predict? A command can be fulfilled in more than one way, but a prediction cannot.

Isaiah tells me that God's relationship with time matters. Listen to Isaiah 48:3-7, just one passage of many in the second half of this book:

3"The former things I declared of old;
they went out from my mouth and I announced them;
then suddenly I did them and they came to pass.
4Because I know that you are obstinate,
and your neck is an iron sinew
and your forehead brass,
5I declared them to you from of old,
before they came to pass I announced them to you,
lest you should say, 'My idol did them,
my carved image and my metal image commanded them.'
6"You have heard; now see all this;
and will you not declare it?
From this time forth I announce to you new things,
hidden things that you have not known.
7They are created now, not long ago;
before today you have never heard of them,
lest you should say, 'Behold, I knew them.'

God reveals His existence and power through fulfilled, specific prophecy.

Does this PROVE that He exists? No: the infidel can always choose to put his faith in coincidence instead of his Creator. I've just seen how rabidly partisan Bush-haters chose to believe that a Microsoft Word document was immaculately conceived by a 1970's IBM Selectric Composer and a mystery typist. The human mind is capable of denying the most obvious truth and can believe the most palpable lies.

What do I KNOW about time? Very little: but I do know one thing. The God who made me and called me, the LORD, is Lord of time. Hallowed be His name!

What Does It Matter?

Fri, 24 Sep 2004 10:11:38 GMT

My smallest decisions get tangled up in metaphysics. I suspect that this is true for everyone, but that I am one of the rare people who notices. Or, I could just be making excuses for myself...

Here's one of my small decisions: should I crack down and start a serious diet?

Here's the metaphysics: how many futures are there?

Here's the connection: what real difference does it make in eternity whether I die fat or die skinny? Does God care whether I shed a few pounds? Don't I have the same destiny, whether I make this effort or not?

This kind of thinking leads me to do what I enjoy, because I enjoy it, instead of doing the things that are painful and difficult for me. Deep down, I guess I'm a fatalist: whatever will be, will be, so why do stuff I don't enjoy?

The metaphysics question comes in because I so easily see an alternative way of thinking. There is a way to look at things that makes every effort count. I COULD be motivated to live a very different kind of life, but everyone around me tells me it's crazy and/or wrong.

How many futures are there?

If there is only one, why sweat it? The future will come soon enough, and I can't control it. But what if there is more than one way this life plays out? What if every choice I make has an eternal impact?

My Arminian friends believe there is only one future, and it is (partly) under my control. My Calvinist friends believe there is only one future, and it is solely under God's control. Given that choice, I must give God the glory, not myself. But what if that isn't the only choice?

God is big enough to create this universe; is He big enough to create a multiverse? Of course!

God is glorified in one Heaven full of grace for the redeemed and one Hell full of righteous wrath. I have accepted the sacrifice of Jesus for my sake, and am amazed at His promise that I will live with Him forever in Heaven. But why me? Am I not wicked enough for a thousand Hells? I have made so many choices, each one so fraught with moral peril--why shouldn't every different self-centered timeline end with its own eternal torment?

In a multiverse, my future perfectly combines what God creates and what I choose. He is just and glorious in everything He does, and I am solely responsible for my choices.

Of course, Calvinists say exactly the same about a universe: God is just and glorious in everything He does (in this single timeline), and I am solely responsible for my choices (in this single timeline). I can embrace this statement AFTER I envision a true multiverse and then take away all the other timelines, if I really try--but every time I do, I lose the motivation a multiverse gives me.

So: here I am, meditiating on metaphysics and still trying to make up my mind whether to crack down and start dieting! Silly and self-centered, I know.

If I look at the same question from the perspective of the Holy One, there is only one right answer: live for His glory in EVERY detail of this life. The question, "Why does this matter to me?" is the wrong question. The right question to ask is, "Why does this matter to Him?"

Pondering the Future

Thu, 23 Sep 2004 10:31:50 GMT

Isaiah 41:23-24
[23] Tell us what is to come hereafter,
that we may know that you are gods;
do good, or do harm,
that we may be dismayed and terrified.
[24] Behold, you are nothing,
and your work is less than nothing;
an abomination is he who chooses you.

Last night Marcia and I went out to dinner and talked about our future. We discussed sales figures and profits, land values, commuting routes. We have decisions to make today that depend on the years to come. How weak we are!

Isaiah 42:8-9
[8] I am the Lord; that is my name;
my glory I give to no other,
nor my praise to carved idols.
[9] Behold, the former things have come to pass,
and new things I now declare;
before they spring forth
I tell you of them."

Only God knows the future. He has declared the things that came to pass; He still declares the things to come. He commands the future, and He will not share that glory with another.

Isaiah 42:16
[16] And I will lead the blind
in a way that they do not know,
in paths that they have not known
I will guide them.
I will turn the darkness before them into light,
the rough places into level ground.
These are the things I do,
and I do not forsake them.

He will not share His glory--but He pours out His mercy day after day! I may be blind and deaf, a helpless chip in time's torrent, but He makes the rough places level for me, and the dark places light.

Isaiah 43:1-3a
[1] But now thus says the Lord,he who created you, O Jacob,
he who formed you, O Israel:
"Fear not, for I have redeemed you;
I have called you by name, you are mine.
[2] When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you;
when you walk through fire you shall not be burned,
and the flame shall not consume you.
[3] For I am the Lord your God,
the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.

I don't know what is coming, and I fear. I want to control the future, so I read papers, surf websites, listen to the radio. I crave information, thinking it will help me. There is no amount of information that will enable me to control what happens, though. I need the security that He alone can give.

Tue, 21 Sep 2004 10:21:05 GMT

I taught Kant's "Critique of Practical Reason" last night. Thirteen children and four grown-ups learned the meaning of "deontology" and "teleology." It was dry material, but that didn't keep me from marveling at God's rich promises and dire threats.

Kant argues that we should do what is right because it is right, not because we expect any reward or fear any punishment. He says, in effect, that the person who wants to go to Heaven is selfish, not virtuous. John Piper argues against this, insisting that we should crave the "pleasures of God" more than anything else. He sees Kant's deontology (duty-driven behavior) as man-centered, while teleology (pursuit of the reward) is centered upon God.

Scripture is full of God's promises and threats. Today's psalm is no exception:

Psalm 65

[4] Blessed is the one you choose and bring near,
to dwell in your courts!
We shall be satisfied with the goodness of your house,
the holiness of your temple!
[5] By awesome deeds you answer us with righteousness,
O God of our salvation,
the hope of all the ends of the earth
and of the farthest seas...

Father, let my students see Your promises in a whole new light. Deliver them from duty-driven deontology: let them crave Your blessings and dread Your displeasure.

Saved from Slander

Mon, 20 Sep 2004 09:23:33 GMT

I put God ahead of politics today, and got up early to read my Bible instead of the news. Yet the news keeps injecting itself into my time with God. How can I not pray for my President when this is what I read in Psalm 64?

[1] Hear my voice, O God, in my complaint;
preserve my life from dread of the enemy.

That's pretty generic, you say. You must be obsessing about politics to see any reference to President Bush. Well, read on:

[2] Hide me from the secret plots of the wicked,
from the throng of evildoers,
[3] who whet their tongues like swords,
who aim bitter words like arrows,
[4] shooting from ambush at the blameless,
shooting at him suddenly and without fear.

Yes, but lots of people are the victim of slander, you say. True, but how many are victims of the "manic obsession" of people who will not admit they were wrong to rely on forged memos?

[5] They hold fast to their evil purpose;
they talk of laying snares secretly,
thinking, who can see them?

And what is Dan Rather's defense? He says, "Our process is sound. We checked on our sources. We have done due diligence. Isn't that exactly what the psalm says?

[6] They search out injustice,
saying, "We have accomplished a diligent search."
For the inward mind and heart of a man are deep!

Yes, that is what the psalm says. But now listen to this!

[7] But God shoots his arrow at them;
they are wounded suddenly.
[8] They are brought to ruin, with their own tongues turned against them;
all who see them will wag their heads.

Is it right, for me, a Christian, to point the finger of blame at those who lie about my President? I honestly don't know. But I do know that God is lifted up when the wicked are brought down:

[9] Then all mankind fears;
they tell what God has brought about
and ponder what he has done.

So I will glory in the One who is almighty, who has the power to bring down the powerful and to raise up the meek. I will exult in the Lord!

[10] Let the righteous one rejoice in the Lord
and take refuge in him!
Let all the upright in heart exult!

The Potter and the Clay

Sat, 18 Sep 2004 11:16:55 GMT

The “docu-drama” that is in the news is part of a “morality play” that has been going on for ages. Men keep trying to lie their way to success; God always looks down from Heaven and laughs. Here is what the people of Jerusalem were like in Isaiah’s day:

Isaiah 28:14-15
[14] Therefore hear the word of the Lord, you scoffers,
who rule this people in Jerusalem!
[15] Because you have said, "We have made a covenant with death,
and with Sheol we have an agreement…
for we have made lies our refuge,
and in falsehood we have taken shelter"…

God had a different shelter for His own people, however. He laid a cornerstone, a sure foundation, for those who trusted and obeyed Him:

[16] therefore thus says the Lord God,
"Behold, I am the one who has laid as a foundation in Zion,
a stone, a tested stone,
a precious cornerstone, of a sure foundation:
'Whoever believes will not be in haste.'

God had a plan for the crooked ones who sheltered under falsehood:

[17] And I will make justice the line,
and righteousness the plumb line;
and hail will sweep away the refuge of lies,
and waters will overwhelm the shelter."

What is it like, when God intervenes in history? It’s just like what is happening now, with CBS:

Isaiah 29:9-10
[9] Astonish yourselves and be astonished;
blind yourselves and be blind!
Be drunk, but not with wine;
stagger, but not with strong drink!
[10] For the Lord has poured out upon you
a spirit of deep sleep,
and has closed your eyes (the prophets),
and covered your heads (the seers).

Those who live by lies cannot make sense of truth. I have been reading some of the liberal blogs as they try to understand this RaTHergate story. Most of them just don’t want to talk about it. The ones that do are in abject denial—genuinely pitiable.

[11] And the vision of all this has become to you like the words of a book that is sealed. When men give it to one who can read, saying, "Read this," he says, "I cannot, for it is sealed." [12] And when they give the book to one who cannot read, saying, "Read this," he says, "I cannot read."

Those who want to lie their way to success forget the One who governs the world by truth. Every twist and turn of their rebellion accomplishes His perfect purposes. He is the potter, and they are the clay!

[15] Ah, you who hide deep from the Lord your counsel,
whose deeds are in the dark,
and who say, "Who sees us? Who knows us?"
[16] You turn things upside down!
Shall the potter be regarded as the clay,
that the thing made should say of its maker,
"He did not make me";
or the thing formed say of him who formed it,
"He has no understanding"?

And why does God do these astonishing, terrifying things? Why does He topple empires? It is to reveal His glory—and to bless His faithful ones!

[18] In that day the deaf shall hear
the words of a book,
and out of their gloom and darkness
the eyes of the blind shall see.
[19] The meek shall obtain fresh joy in the Lord,
and the poor among mankind shall exult in the Holy One of Israel.
[20] For the ruthless shall come to nothing
and the scoffer cease,
and all who watch to do evil shall be cut off,
[21] who by a word make a man out to be an offender,
and lay a snare for him who reproves in the gate,
and with an empty plea turn aside him who is in the right.

Dan Rather has “by a word” made a “man out to be an offender.” Isaiah tells us that the ruthless shall come to nothing, and the scoffer cease, and all who watch to do evil shall be cut off.

May each of these words be fulfilled in this generation, Lord! Amen.

The Curse Continues

Wed, 15 Sep 2004 09:26:52 GMT

Okay, we're getting better about putting the Bible FIRST. But that doesn't keep this RaTHergate story off my mind. The Psalm that President Bush and I both read this morning has this in it:

Psalm 59

1 Deliver me from my enemies, O God;
protect me from those who rise up against me.
2 Deliver me from evildoers
and save me from bloodthirsty men.

That's pretty generic, you say. That's no reason to think about Dan Rather and the attack dogs of the partisan press, right? But read on:

3 See how they lie in wait for me!
Fierce men conspire against me
for no offense or sin of mine, O LORD .

Why do the Democrats have what Zell Miller calls a "manic obsession" to bring the President? Is it because of anything wicked he has done? Or are they just insane with rage because he is sitting in the Oval Office?

6 They return at evening,
snarling like dogs,
and prowl about the city.
7 See what they spew from their mouths-
they spew out swords from their lips,
and they say, "Who can hear us?"

These are harsh words. Every middle Eastern city had its pack of dogs, unwashed, unloved, untamed, that circled round the city looking for something to devour. They got Jezebel, when she fell out the window. They'll get anything they can. But isn't this an accurate picture of those who swarm around looking for a way to destroy a godly leader?

8 But you, O LORD , laugh at them;
you scoff at all those nations.
9 O my Strength, I watch for you;
you, O God, are my fortress, 10 my loving God.
God will go before me
and will let me gloat over those who slander me.

"Gloat" and "slander" are both strong words. To "slander" means to say something that is not true in an effort to damage another person. Under modern American law, there is virtually no protection for a "public figure" from slander or libel. That is why people like Kitty Kelley can publish the most astonishing lies and get away with it--in fact, can become rich by doing so.

So is it right to "gloat"? The word of God says "God will ... let me gloat." I'd have to check the precise meaning of this Hebrew word before I'd recommend doing it in public, but who hasn't felt the sweet rush of joy that comes when your enemy is destroyed? But "destroyed" may be too good for them:

11 But do not kill them, O Lord our shield,
or my people will forget.
In your might make them wander about,
and bring them down.
12 For the sins of their mouths,
for the words of their lips,
let them be caught in their pride.
For the curses and lies they utter,
13 consume them in wrath,
consume them till they are no more.
Then it will be known to the ends of the earth
that God rules over Jacob.

With these words before our President this morning, do you think Dan Rather will keep his job? When David the King puts these words in the mouth of George the President, do you think God is caught by surprise?

To a Calvinist like me, even the formatting of the One Year Bible is an act of God's sovereign power. I may be the only person on the planet who is watching this script unfold in all its awesome precision, but I am watching, and I am applauding the work of the Master!

Let's finish the Psalm:

14 They return at evening,
snarling like dogs,
and prowl about the city.
15 They wander about for food
and howl if not satisfied.
16 But I will sing of your strength,
in the morning I will sing of your love;
for you are my fortress,
my refuge in times of trouble.
17 O my Strength, I sing praise to you;
you, O God, are my fortress, my loving God.

It's 5:25 am, O Lord, and I sing of your love. My Strength, my Fortress, my Loving God. Thank You that I can watch this Greek tragedy from afar, and be moved by pity and terror. Thank you that this Scripture is fulfilled this day in my sight!

Greek Tragedy or Hebrew Curse?

Tue, 14 Sep 2004 09:24:11 GMT

I read my Bible first, today. Well, mostly. I mean, I scanned news.google.com while I was making the coffee, and both the Washington Post and the New York Times had come out with SERIOUS reporting on Dan Rather's last stand.

Then I read my Bible, and here's what the One Year Bible has for today's Psalm:

Psalm 58

1 Do you indeed decree what is right, you gods?
Do you judge the children of man uprightly?
2 No, in your hearts you devise wrongs;
your hands deal out violence on earth.

When David uses the word "gods," here, he isn't talking about angelic beings. He is speaking of people on earth who have become so powerful that they think they are invincible. As I follow this amazing, unfolding saga of RaTHergate, these words are being fulfilled in my very eyes.

Here is more from Psalm 58:

3 The wicked are estranged from the womb;
they go astray from birth, speaking lies.
4 They have venom like the venom of a serpent,
like the deaf adder that stops its ear,
5 so that it does not hear the voice of charmers
or of the cunning enchanter.

More and more people are insisting that the memos that Dan Rather keeps defending are forged. He isn't listening to them. He may have the venom of a serpent, but he has the ears of an adder. His hubris (Greek tragedy) hurtles him towards his destiny. What is there to save him from this Hebrew curse:

6 O God, break the teeth in their mouths;
tear out the fangs of the young lions, O LORD!
7 Let them vanish like water that runs away;
when he aims his arrows, let them be blunted.
8 Let them be like the snail that dissolves into slime,
like the stillborn child who never sees the sun.
9 Sooner than your pots can feel the heat of thorns,
whether green or ablaze, may he sweep them away![3]

When all this has played out, what will be the result? I pray that it will be the glory of God alone:

10 The righteous will rejoice when he sees the vengeance;
he will bathe his feet in the blood of the wicked.
11 Mankind will say, "Surely there is a reward for the righteous;
surely there is a God who judges on earth."

The Fear of God

Sat, 11 Sep 2004 11:24:49 GMT

It's 9/11, there's another hurricane heading for Florida, and I just read THIS in my One Year Bible:

Isaiah 9:10 "The bricks have fallen down,
but we will rebuild with dressed stone;
the fig trees have been felled,
but we will replace them with cedars."

The first time I ever really paid attention to this passage was on Feb. 25, 1998, when President Clinton toured tornado-damaged Florida. He told the people of Kissimmee:

"Again, let me say that the thoughts and prayers of the American people are with you. In the Book of Isaiah in the Bible there is this chapter -- I'd like to read it to you: 'The bricks are fallen down, but we will build with you in stones. The sycamores are cut down, but we will change them into cedars.'
http://www.clintonpresidentialcenter.org/legacy/022598-speech-by-president-in-kissimee-fl.htm

"We want to see you do that -- brick by brick, home by home, street by street. You can do it and we want to be there to help. God bless you. Thank you."

I remember being glad that a President would quote the Bible (even though I'm not Bill Clinton's biggest fan), and I found it refreshing that the mainstream media would pick that phrase out for a soundbite. I decided to look it up. Here's what I found, in context:

8 The Lord has sent a message against Jacob;
it will fall on Israel.
9 All the people will know it-
Ephraim and the inhabitants of Samaria-
who say with pride
and arrogance of heart,
10 "The bricks have fallen down,
but we will rebuild with dressed stone;
the fig trees have been felled,
but we will replace them with cedars."

That was sobering. It got worse. Read on:

13 But the people have not returned to him who struck them,
nor have they sought the LORD Almighty.
14 So the LORD will cut off from Israel both head and tail,
both palm branch and reed in a single day;
15 the elders and prominent men are the head,
the prophets who teach lies are the tail.
16 Those who guide this people mislead them,
and those who are guided are led astray.
17 Therefore the Lord will take no pleasure in the young men,
nor will he pity the fatherless and widows,
for everyone is ungodly and wicked,
every mouth speaks vileness.

Yet for all this, his anger is not turned away,
his hand is still upraised.

Now, when I read this back in 1998, I thought of Bill Clinton and his administration as "the elders and prominent men," and I thought of the mainstream media as "the prophets who teach lies." When I read the Bible that said, "But the people have not returned to him who struck them," I was genuinely frightened.

It got worse.

About two weeks later, more tornados struck somewhere else. I think it was Tennessee, but I can't find anything on the Internet about it. Clinton delivered essentially the same speech, which I heard on C-SPAN. By this time, I knew what he was quoting, and I was appalled that nobody in the media was biblically literate enough to see that there might be a problem here. Here's more of the context:

19 By the wrath of the LORD Almighty
the land will be scorched
and the people will be fuel for the fire;
no one will spare his brother.
20 On the right they will devour,
but still be hungry;
on the left they will eat,
but not be satisfied.
Each will feed on the flesh of his own offspring [3] :
21 Manasseh will feed on Ephraim, and Ephraim on Manasseh;
together they will turn against Judah.

Yet for all this, his anger is not turned away,
his hand is still upraised.

All that was in 1998, a long, long time ago. Three years later -- and three years ago today -- airplanes hit the World Trade Center and Pentagon. The land was scorched, and people were fuel for its fire.

The question for America today is this: for all this, is the Lord's anger turned away? Is His hand still upraised?

President Bush has been down to hurricane-ravaged Florida this week, and it looks like he'll be going back again. Will he promise to rebuild with cedars? Or does the Bible he reads everyday teach him to FEAR the One who governs hurricans and tornados?

That Bible commands us to pray for our leaders. I prayed for President Clinton. I pray for President Bush. I pray for America.

Vengeance is mine, saith the LORD

Fri, 10 Sep 2004 10:06:07 GMT

OK, so I have trouble reading my Bible before I read the newspaper during the election season.

Consider today's news and today's Psalm, however, and ask yourself, "What's the difference?"

Today's Washington Post says CBS may have relied on forged documents to accuse President Bush of essentially deserting his post years ago, when he was in the Texas Air National Guard. Other stories tell how Democratic leaders fanned out across the country yesterday to attack Bush on this issue, claiming his "lies" were "unravelling." A new organization called "Texans for Truth" was running ads accusing Bush of cheating on his military obligations. Etc., etc.

Here's today's Psalm, from the One Year Bible. (This is what President Bush was reading this morning.)

1 Save me, O God, by your name;
vindicate me by your might.
2 Hear my prayer, O God;
listen to the words of my mouth.

3 Strangers are attacking me;
ruthless men seek my life-
men without regard for God.

(Given the extraordinarily secular bias of many of the President's critics, this is a very straightforward statement of fact.)

4 Surely God is my help;
the Lord is the one who sustains me.

5 Let evil recoil on those who slander me;
in your faithfulness destroy them.

(Libel is the legal term for published lies, but slander is close enough. And what has happened to CBS over the last 24 hours is the best example I have ever seen of "evil recoiling" on those who slander!)

6 I will sacrifice a freewill offering to you;
I will praise your name, O LORD ,
for it is good.
7 For he has delivered me from all my troubles,
and my eyes have looked in triumph on my foes.

I get so caught up in the struggle of politics. It isn't just a spectator sport for me: I feel like I, personally, am caught up in a struggle for justice, a contest between good and evil. My constant temptation is to act as if the outcome depended on me. These forged memos remind me that God is bigger than I am.

The Bible and the Newspaper

Wed, 08 Sep 2004 10:19:34 GMT

I'm always tempted to read the news before I read the Good News. Sometimes I fall, and it usually affects the time I spend with God. I read Isaiah and II Corinthians before I got the Washington Times, but I hadn't gotten to the Psalms yet. Here's today's headline (from ABC News):

"CINCINNATI, Ohio Sept. 8, 2004 — John Kerry, at the site where President Bush described Iraq as a threat to the United States, was arguing the president left a trail of broken promises on the path to war and squandered money that could be put to better use at home."

Here, by contrast, is Psalm 52:1-4, which I read just a few minutes later:

52:1 Why do you boast of evil, you mighty man?
Why do you boast all day long,
you who are a disgrace in the eyes of God?
2 Your tongue plots destruction;
it is like a sharpened razor,
you who practice deceit.
3 You love evil rather than good,
falsehood rather than speaking the truth.
Selah
4 You love every harmful word,
O you deceitful tongue!

Now, I'm not trying to say that John Kerry "boasts of evil." But it must feel that way to George Bush, who reads the exact same "One Year Bible" that I do. I hope and pray that President Bush is more disciplined than I am, and that he reads his Bible FIRST and looks at the newspaper later.

Actually, I kind of hope he just ignores the newspaper.

Here's more of Psalm 52:

52:5 Surely God will bring you down to everlasting ruin:
He will snatch you up and tear you from your tent;
he will uproot you from the land of the living.

That's more encouraging than the latest poll numbers!

And here's WHY God would choose to do this:

52:6 The righteous will see and fear;
they will laugh at him, saying,
7 "Here now is the man
who did not make God his stronghold
but trusted in his great wealth
and grew strong by destroying others!"

So what is the alternative? Instead of looking to the news of the day, I ought to be looking at the news that never changes; the Good News of God's kindness towards me. Here's what I can expect if I will put down my newspaper and pick up His word:

52:8 But I am like an olive tree
flourishing in the house of God;
I trust in God's unfailing love
for ever and ever.
9 I will praise you forever for what you have done;
in your name I will hope, for your name is good.
I will praise you in the presence of your saints.

Rivers of living water

Tue, 07 Sep 2004 18:12:05 GMT

I've spent a lot of time wondering what to do with what God has given me. I feel like I should be more effective, but just don't know how to go about it. I go back and forth -- sometimes I try to be faithful in little things, sometimes I daydream about doing big things.

I had a long conversation with a friend on Labor Day, and have a new way of thinking about all this. If God is causing "rivers of living water" to spring up out of my innermost being, maybe it isn't my job to try to steer where that water flows. I feel like I've been running around with a shovel trying to dig canals or build dams instead of just letting the water run downhill. My job may be a lot simpler than that: just follow the flow and see where it goes.

A shake-up in the Kerry camp

Wed, 01 Sep 2004 20:59:08 GMT

John Kerry has brought a couple of new advisors on board. I'm afraid they aren't going to be enough to get the job done.

What he needs is Baghdad Bob. There's a man who knows how to beat George W. Bush. If you combine the Iraqi Information Minister, the elite media, and a couple of thousand Democratic lawyers, you can guarantee the defeat of George W Bush two months from now.

Fortunately for Bush, only the elite media and thousands of Democratic lawyers are available at the moment.

A Political Animal

Tue, 31 Aug 2004 19:33:07 GMT

I lost a lot of sleep last night. Stayed up to watch the Republican Convention with my mother-in-law. It was a bonding experience. After nearly 25 years of marriage, I had hoped to be more in love with my wife than ever, but I never thought I would be enjoying my in-laws more and more each day. And I NEVER thought we would be bonding over politics. But there you have it...