http://reformandrevive.com Reformed minds. Revived hearts. Wed, 05 Nov 2008 02:00:47 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en  I fight with pride a lot. As I was telling a friend today: if you take a guy that is fairly smart, can put disparate concepts together, can talk well, and you make him a Christian, you get something very dangerous. He starts believing the press others say ... http://reformandrevive.com/2008/11/05/yeah-i-want-to-be-kind-of-a-big-deal/ I was going to write a fourth post discussing the issues and how voting is not as black and white as some on the Religious Right would make it seem. But, I don't think that's necessary. The issue I did not want to dictate my vote this election has been ... http://reformandrevive.com/2008/11/04/who-will-be-your-savior-this-november-4th-conclusion/ By now you must be wondering why I've titled my posts "Who will be your savior this November 4th?"- this is because I am very wary about the nature in which most political jargon has been used in this election. With speeches filled with the word "hope" I am in ... http://reformandrevive.com/2008/11/03/who-will-be-your-savior-this-november-4th-pt-ii/ urban myth of christian politics #1: the Church must vote for a "Christian" president. I have no idea where this came from and to be honest with you I'd like to spend the following post showing how unbiblical this view is. Romans 13:1b clearly states, "For there is NO authority except ... http://reformandrevive.com/2008/11/03/who-will-be-your-savior-this-november-4th-pt-i/ "For in much wisdom is much vexation, and he who increases knowledge increases sorrow." [Ecclesiastes 1:18] In prayerfully considering the election this year my heart is left with feeling nothing more than the above verse.  I know that most people's sentiments regarding this election started just a few months ago when ... http://reformandrevive.com/2008/11/02/who-will-be-your-savior-this-november-4th-introduction/         Recently I was able to listen to an amazing sermon by a pastor named Matt Chandler. The sermon he gave was entitled "What is Missional Living?" Let me start off by saying much thanks to him for inspiring this post. As I listened to his sermon, I thought ... http://reformandrevive.com/2008/10/20/evangelism-is-not-an-event-its-your-life/ O, Wreteched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of Death? Thanks be to Christ Jesus our Lord. --Rom 7.24, 25 But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. We are afflicted in every ... http://reformandrevive.com/2008/10/12/my-eyes-are-small-but-they-have-seen-the-beauty-of-enormous-things/ Entering in a new degree thereof Against one's will I will be enabled To live once more again Ah, to live! And give glory to the One who gives glory To the meek Of which I am Not Yet . . . Being thrust to moment to moment In my life-long "awkward stage" Into lives I don't want to But must, and will, for my will Has ... http://reformandrevive.com/2008/09/18/existential-angst-of-a-life-surpassing-glory/ 10.17.2007; 14th and E. Carson, Pgh, Pa (if i wasn't a calvinist, i'd hate women) even among your heart's great durress, you want to scream, shout and dance (huh?!) in your joy. this all-consuming joy that only shows its face in those dark hours. it's those days when you are ... http://reformandrevive.com/2008/09/05/everything-was-designed-for-my-losing-4-kind-of-a-recycled-post-from-october-2007/ Lord do I praise Thee at all times?  Is that Biblical, even?  What is worship?  That which declares and proclaims the Glory of God, through treasuring it, I suppose.  Could Creation then worship?  Could I, even when eating, drinking, and making merriment with fellow embattled saints come to treasure, declare, ... http://reformandrevive.com/2008/08/25/sunday-morning-thoughts/ Portable Bible-study with Mark Driscoll in the back seat of a VW Jetta: http://reformandrevive.com/2008/07/29/the-best-way-to-spend-time-on-the-paturnpike/ I am often left thinking/wishing that I could go back in time, just a few months, just to December, and make a few little changes. Maybe I'd re-read the email I'd sent out to all of my friends in early November which declared Pittsburgh to be the center of the ... http://reformandrevive.com/2008/07/28/everything-was-designed-for-my-losing-3-on-the-misfortunes-of-life/ Now looking through the glass not dim, Coltrane all around; he sets a tone of dissonance, rightly now it seems. For as the beauty clothes me in, a tragedy is found: woodchips below - a resting place - long for love supreme. For there he lies with outstretched span, stricken by a car; afflicted by ... http://reformandrevive.com/2008/07/11/adam-killed-a-bird-but-jesus-brought-him-back/ For those who might have been wondering: yes, I am still alive.  I started the below article back in April, maybe even March… and then life happened. =)  But here I am. I love that the necessity of humility was brought forth so early here at Reform and Revive.  If the ... http://reformandrevive.com/2008/07/06/one-thing-is-needed/ The Nature of God is the defining Nature against which all things are measured.  Let me unpack that a bit.  What God loves above all things is Himself.  His Glory, His Presence, His Work, and His Son are the things which bring Him the most delight, hence why those who ... http://reformandrevive.com/2008/07/03/the-natural-ness-of-god/ I haven't written for various reasons, but I am compelled to post a paper I wrote for my Psychology and the Religious Experience class I finish tomorrow. I was asked to take a psychologist in history and juxtapose that to a "spiritual practice." Viktor Frankl is the psychologist whose work ... http://reformandrevive.com/2008/06/19/when-given-the-opportunity-preach-christ-crucified/ I am currently working on a longer post to contribute here but I wanted to make one last shorter post in the meantime. As I was reading J.I. Packer's Knowing God (do yourself a favor and go buy this book), I read this exhortation regarding ... http://reformandrevive.com/2008/06/17/get-yourself-some-packer/      I don't want to get into the habit of short posts like this one, but I simply couldn't resist posting a quote from Charles Spurgeon that C.J. Mahaney used this past weekend at the New Attitude conference: “I once knew a good woman who was the subject of many doubts, ... http://reformandrevive.com/2008/05/30/get-yourself-some-spurgeon/      With school done, I had some free time today to read a bit of John Piper’s book The Future of Justification. In this work, Piper responds to the views of theologian N.T. Wright on the doctrine of justification by faith in Christ. What was stunning to me (and prompted this post) was ... http://reformandrevive.com/2008/05/15/what-is-gods-righteousness-and-other-thoughts/ (disclaimer: Whit and Paul are much more qualified to write a post about sanctification after John Owen’s book. The following is only a tiny way that God made this topic real to me, again.) I park under the trees. Not a fun place to park this time of year. A ... http://reformandrevive.com/2008/05/08/what-pollen-taught-me-about-sanctification/ Last night I picked up a new Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream called "Imagine Whirled Peace." It's this amazing Caramel and Sweet Cream-swirled Ice Cream with chocolate peace signs and toffee pieces throughout. It was amazing. This morning I saw the top in the trash and it ... http://reformandrevive.com/2008/05/01/what-ben-jerry-told-me-about-jesus/ For my term paper in RELG 362: Religion and Its Critics, I (as mentioned in an earlier post) am writing about the controversy over Iowa State University’s decision to deny tenure to Assistant Professor of Astronomy, Dr. Guillermo Gonzalez, who supports Intelligent Design. The paper will not (at least at ... http://reformandrevive.com/2008/04/18/intelligent-design-the-new-intellectual-mccarthyism-intro/ Am I seriously charging this topic like some stupid ram who must slam its head into another? Apparently, yes. And this, obviously, is going to take to life probably several posts over the next few weeks (probably months). I am just about to finish up the third and final book ... http://reformandrevive.com/2008/04/17/what-the-hell-is-hell/ It's funny, not ha-ha funny, but ironic funny that the very thing I'd meant to address last night was not really the thing that I ended up addressing. Somehow, I ended up walking down that "god-shaped-hole" argument (which I won't deny as valid, but that most certainly was not the ... http://reformandrevive.com/2008/04/16/everything-was-designed-for-my-losing-2/ Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. - Matthew 10.39, ESV Just under a month ago I was driving to a photoshoot in Pittsburgh; near where the Blue and Green Belts meet just north of the Allegheny River and just west ... http://reformandrevive.com/2008/04/15/everything-was-designed-for-my-losing/