goingwest - david's place

I have a new blog.  After playing with this for a few weeks, I found this other site worked well.  From now on that's where I'll be.

The release of this survey by the Pew Research Center of more than 35,000 Americans has some shocking statistics.  Here is a breakdown of how self-identified evenagelicals answered survey questions.  The last question (My religion is the one, true faith leading to eternal life, OR: many religions can lead to eternal life.)  should give anyone concerned about the state of Christianity in America concern.  Over half of evangelicals think that many religions can lead to eternal llife.  In John 14:6, Jesus told Thomas "I am the way, the truth, and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me."  Many reasons could be cited and discussed explaining the modern breakdown of truth claims and knowledge of foundational, Biblical truths.  At the least, we should consider our own understanding of the Gospel and how we share it with others.

Albert Mohler discusses this survey on his radio program here.  

I just signed up to receive a daily email thougtht from Of First Importance.  Nobody needs more junk in their inbox, but what could be more important than a short, daily reminder of the work of Christ in our salvation?  

I've listened to a lot of messages about Chrisitian parenting, and I've attended a few seminars on the subject.  I would rank these two messages by C.J. Mahaney  among the best I've heard.

"Christian parenting is creatively and passionately seizing every opportunity to communicate the Gospel to our children."

There is something foundational or rock bottom which we as Christian parents need to get correct or else we are building on sand.  C.J. Mahaney gets right to the issue in these messages and I couldn't agree more.  All the rules, discipline, creative correction, and character training, as important as they are, can have no lasting effect without the Gospel.  Mahaney explains this and argues for the priority of the Gospel in our training of children.

In the second message, he gives a lot of practical examples of ways to accomplish the stated goal and recommends some resources.

 

The speaker asked everyone to close their eyes.

"Now, imagine your future.  What do you see?  Is your future a question mark or an exclamation point?"

At this meeting of business associates we were being encouraged to make decisions, set goals, to be persistent and consistent, to build businesses which could provide for a brighter future.

As the speaker painted a picture of a future void of financial difficulties, and filled with purpose and meaningful relationships, my mind focused differently.

Is my future a question mark or an exclamation point?  The answer is clear.  I plan to succeed in business and will work hard, set goals, persist, and pray.  Yet, business success is a small exclamation point.  My capital exclamation point, the hope beyond all earthly hope, is not in business or relationships, but in Christ. 

When I close my eyes and ponder my future, I see the King of Kings, the Lord of Lords, the Prince of Peace, the Living Water.  After all, this life is just a comma, a brief pause in the eternal sentence which actually begins and ends with Christ - my Exclamation Point!

May God bless this family.  How does anyone face such a situation without hope in Christ?

Why do bad things happen if God loves us?  This is the question my nine year old asked me a few weeks ago.  When I have more time I will write about my answer.

Here is an example of Christian hope in the face of earthly death.  At this post are some more details and a picture of the baby.

Because I love poetry, great speeches and the power of words, here is a conference I would love to attend.  These messages should be available for free download from Desiring God Ministries not long after the conference and I will be sure to post the link when it is available.

This is a wonderful post by John Piper regarding President Bush's comments on the recent Supreme Court decision to grant constitutional rights to the detainees at Guantanamo Bay.  Piper reminds us of human depravity and of the kindness of God expressed in the founding ideas of the United States.

HT:Justin Taylor

I cant' wait to read the book Family Driven Faith by Voddie Baucham.  The messages I've heard from him have been inspiring.

There is something about this poem that I really like.  Maybe it is just that I love books and the power of words.

 

I READ A BOOK

I read a book last week.
The author dipped his facile pen in fire,
And seared raw facts of life into my brain.
Up from the mire he dragged dark truth
Abnormal, all love lust, and God a jest.
And as I read, I knew his soul was warped;
His mind must know despair, thinking all truth
Was ugliness laid bare. 

And then I read another book.
The author sat up on the very throne of truth
And used a pen far mightier than a sword.
He wrote of youth triumphant, clean and fine.
He wrote of sin, compassion in each line.
He wrote of love-it blossomed like a rose
Sprung from good soil.  He wrote of One,
Giver of that great trinity of gifts,
Life, love, and beauty; and when he was done,
I somehow knew my stumbling feet had trod
The trail he’d blazed for me to his Friend, God.

                                                -Claire McClure