Part 1 is up (numbers 1-3).]]> Wed, 17 Dec 2008 04:41:18 -0800 http://virb.com/mattheerema/posts/text/986910 http://virb.com/mattheerema/posts/text/947516 Today
when i open my lips
may i breathe life and healing
may i not get caught up in the singer or the singing
but may the object of the song leave my ears ringing
my heart spinning
my soul winning

In God We Do Not Trust - Mark Driscoll.

...people are longing for a king who will keep them safe from terror in his kingdom. In the Old Testament the concept of a peaceable kingdom is marked by the word shalom. In shalom there is not only the absence of sin, war, strife, and suffering but also the presence of love, peace, harmony, and health. And, this thirst for shalom is so parched that every election people cannot help but naively believe that if their candidate simply wins shalom is sure to come despite sin and the curse. The bottom line is obvious to those with gospel eyes. People are longing for Jesus, and tragically left voting for mere presidential candidates.

All speculation over who Jesus would vote for will be over and we will know what his will for our country is. This gives me great peace in this otherwise very stressful time.

Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. Romans 13:1-2

"Non-Christians aged 16-29 years old were asked, 'What is your current perception of Christianity?'

• 91% said antihomosexual
• 87% said judgmental
• 85% said hypocritical
• 78% said old-fashioned
• 75% said too involved in politics
• 72% said out of touch with reality
• 70% said insensitive to others
• 68% said boring
• 64% said not accepting of other faiths
• 61% said confusing"

Fair or unfair? Are we these things?

We often say in counseling others that when someone is offended, the reality of the situation (in a sense) takes second place to the perceived reality.

That is, if someone is offended, it is unhelpful for the offender to demand clarification of the offense so as to show that offense should not have been taken. Rather, apology (explanation) should be humbly, gently, and sensitively made for having given the grounds for offense. Once the situation is "defused" a bit, then we can start talking reality, admit mutual fault, and ask for apology for overreactions.

We call this "peacemaking."

I wonder what would happen if we applied the same to our apologetics...

(Via ChurchRelevance.)

Born yesterday (October 12) at 3:45pm.

Vital stats:

• 9lbs 13oz
• 22 inches long
• head circumference: 15 inches (I've been told by several women that this is an important stat... ;-) )

They say she's a large baby but she seems perfect to me. Happy and Healthy. Mom is doing well also.

We'll have copious amounts of pics available on flickr for those who are interested.

Katharyn is derived from the greek "katharos" meaning "pure". The "yn" spelling comes from my dramatic flair ;-). We're calling her Kate. I'm pretty sure I will be calling her Katie within days, which Nancy isn't a fan of because that's the name of her parents' cat. I say "bah". Katie is a cute name.

Once again I am proud father. I now have two beautiful daughters. Elena and Kate. They are going to be quite the pair.

Consider the following scene.

John 3:1-10

Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. This man came to Jesus by night and said to him, "Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him."

Jesus answered him, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God."

Nicodemus said to him, "How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?"

Jesus answered, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, 'You must be born again.' The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit."

Nicodemus said to him, "How can these things be?"

Jesus answered him, "Are you the teacher of Israel and yet you do not understand these things?..."

Nicodemus, a member of the Sanhedrin, one of the most religious and studied Jews alive at the time didn't seem to understand what Jesus was talking about.

What does Jesus mean by being "born of water and the Spirit", and why can't you enter the "kingdom of God" until you are?

The fact that he was surprised (that or asking an ironic question to slam Nic, which could be the case) that a teach of Israel didn't catch his meaning, leads me to think he was referring to something... do you know what he was referring to?

When Satan tempts me to despair
And tells me of the guilt within,
Upward I look and see Him there
Who made an end of all my sin.

Because the sinless Savior died
My sinful soul is counted free.
For God the just is satisfied
To look on Him and pardon me.

Before The Throne of God Above - Charitie L. Bancroft, 1863.

If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities,
O Lord, who could stand?
But with you there is forgiveness,
that you may be feared.
Psalm 130:3-4

Horrible plastic smiles

Hohner headless guitar

Fake drum track

What's not to love?

True evidence of God's sovereignty in salvation: that anyone was saved in the 80s...

I wholeheartedly agree with the statement "Vote your conscience."]]> Thu, 28 Aug 2008 00:11:21 -0700 http://virb.com/mattheerema/posts/text/794391 http://virb.com/mattheerema/posts/text/772973 I was pretty much shocked to read this article from the Sovereign Grace blog about how Joshua Harris' "I Kissed Dating Goodbye" has been used in classwork at a liberal school like Boston University to discuss modesty as a virtue. Then again, I have to think that there is a chance that a least a few are starting to notice the devastating results of the "hook-up" culture that seems to be prevalent today. In her article in the Wall Street Journal, Donna Freitas says of her students after reading Harris' book,

"They seemed shocked that somewhere in America there are entire communities of people their age who really do "save themselves" until marriage, who engage in old-fashioned dating with flowers and dinner and maybe a kiss goodnight."

I could probably just rehash everything that CJ Mahaney wrote in the article, but he probably says it better himself :)

I have roughly 30GB of music. My iPhone contains 8GB of data. How to choose, how to choose...

Step 1: Create a folder in iTunes called "top ten best songs"

Step 2: Go through your playlist and add songs to that folder.

Step 3: Roughly 5GB of music later, you should have about enough.

Step 4: Sync.

The correct answer, of course is "biblical." If you are a Christian, hopefully you would say that your theology is "biblical." You'd say to me: "Come on, Matt, we don't need labels, we simply need to figure out what the Bible says and do it." (At least that's what you SHOULD say...) However, have you ever stopped to think about what that means? How do you KNOW that your theology is biblical?

Christian Theology comes in many different flavors it seems. Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Reformed, Armenian, Open, Liberal, Emergent, Charismatic, Anabaptist, Adventist, Congregational, Pietist, Puritan, this list could take up several pages. Where do you fit? Have you given it any thought? All of the above (and all the rest, many of which are utterly contradictory) consider themselves to be "biblical." At least biblical in the sense that we all mean it when we say it: most true to what the bible would teach us to be.

How do you know that your theology is biblical? Which school of theology would you say you ascribe to? Why? By the way, you probably do fit into one. There's very little escaping it. I submit that in order to correctly understand scripture, you NEED to go with one (or several, rather.) Understanding scripture is such a HUGE and COMPLEX pursuit that we need guidance.

Guidance from The Holy Spirit (first and foremost), guidance from each other (a close second), and guidance from field experts (in theology, the original languages, linguistics, hermeneutics, exegetics, literature, history, archaeology, paleontology, philosophy, and others) in order to get at exactly WHAT the Bible says. We would do well to stand on the shoulders of people who have gone before and done hard work for us.

Whose shoulders do you stand on? Why?

I wrote an excited review of Batman Begins. When I heard they were making another movie in this series, I knew I had to see it. All the hype surrounding Heath Ledger made it all more interesting. The Joker was brilliant, as good as Nicholsen's. Seriously, who among you did not raise at least one eyebrow upon hearing that he was cast in the role? I was skeptical. His performance, however, was award winning. As good as it was, the further development of the Batman character was what won me over on this movie.

The cinematography was wonderful. The plot was well conceived (if a bit long). The movie benefited from great casting and a good story line. The themes of the movie are very timely. However, it's success is owed in large part to the brilliance of The Batman character. Christian Bale is the best Batman yet.

Uncompromising, relentless, unafraid, single-minded. Everything I wish I was. His pursuit of justice and a peaceful Gotham City crossed every boundary. Not blurring the line of right and wrong, but definitely showing the absurdity and flaws of "the system". Ironically, this is what The Joker character is driven by as well, though he fails because he is, well, evil.

spoiler alert

The clincher for me, however, was the ending. As a follower of Jesus, it made my heart sing, point and say "there! there it is!" In a small way, however unintentionally, The Dark Knight illustrates what it takes to be a savior of men. The analogy is flawed in many ways, of course, what analogy isn't!? But it still holds.

Gotham City had finally found hope in the midst of complete chaos. The City is a cesspool of criminal activity. Utterly corrupt. The mob runs the show. The police and government are either sold out to the criminals or afraid to do anything about it (much like our human predicament...), however finally a ray of light: The Batman willing to fight back and a knew "Knight in Shining Armor": Harvey Dent, a DA who is finally willing to prosecute, unafraid of the death threats and retaliations, not despairing of a system that cannot "process" criminals (appellate court mucking up the process, etc...), Dent fights to finally, FINALLY clean up the streets.

However, after a series of events (known to the comic book readers, but not named here) Dent snaps and becomes the criminal "Two-Face Dent" and kills several police officers and several innocent citizens. These crimes are known only to The Batman, Commissioner Gordon, and The Joker. If word of these crimes get out, Harvey Dent will be discredited, the criminals he prosecuted will be set free, and all of the work will be undone.

Unless someone intervenes.

In a moving moment: Batman tells Commissioner Gordon to blame all of Dent's crimes on Batman, completely destroying The Dark Knight's already checkered reputation. Officially making him an outlaw, no longer just for vigilante justice, but now for murder and kidnapping (which he did not commit). Taking this crime on himself: he preserves (the now dead) Dent's reputation, and thus legacy, and thus the hope of Gotham City. His prosecution stands, Gotham can have a shot at peace, though it means Batman having to run and hide.

This hints at a deep truth that saved my life about nine years ago:

The prophet Isaiah, foretelling the life and work of Jesus of Nazareth, God born as a man, who lived a life to pay the price we all deserve for our sin against God:

He was despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned--every one--to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

(Isaiah 53:3-6)

This small, flawed example in a great movie reminded me of the most important thing one could ever understand: our system of justice, fairness, right and wrong, is screwed up to the point of being useless. All of us have done wrong. All of our attempts to right those wrongs, all our belief systems to try and clean ourselves of our guilt, are helpless in the face of the weight of our crimes. Only by someone coming in with a new system of justice, sacrificing themselves and fixing the wrongs we've done for us, can give us any hope.

(And yes, I realize that it's a bit lame to break a long blogging silence with a post about a movie, but I promise, some new content is coming. I have a few posts brewing about Perspicuity and Distanciation, Monergism vs. Synergism, my journey towards Reformed Theology, and what God is showing me in scripture recently.)

I see my role as teammate, #1 cheerleader, a support, and helper to Matt as the most important part in my life. I know that to a lot of people this idea just sounds plain crazy, but because I believe what the Bible says about my life this is the first priority in my life, second only to my relationship with God. I think I could probably write for about a decade about all of my thoughts on this because I'd really like to thoroughly explain them, but I guess I'll just have to do that in little chunks :)

Because this is such a large part of my life, I've grown to deeply appreciate articles and books on the topic. I've posted links to other ReFem articles before, but I think this is the first one I've posted on marriage. The author of this particular article has been through some major difficulties in life, and I know that I respect her thoughts even more so because of that.

In church/Christian circles, it seems that women (me included) to whom God has given a husband can often get super-involved in book studies, relationships with other women, helping to meet various needs in the church (which are all excellent things to be involved in), but this articles reminds us that our primary God-given ministry is to our husbands. This plays out in many different ways in different women's lives, but it's something that I believe we need to carefully consider.

Oh, dear...I think I could just rehash the whole article, but I'll just let you go ahead and read it :)

I know that I have definitely fallen into some of the traps of "me-focused" time...forgetting to be grateful to God and picking up an "it's all about me" attitude. I really appreciate how Mahaney brings a Christ-centered focus into something that we can tend to separate from our spiritual lives.

(Note: The link above is to the post with a complete .pdf of the article. If you prefer to not read it as a .pdf, part 1, part 2, and part 3 can be read separately.)

Meditate on this.