I have said many times that Wayne Grudem is like an adjunct prof at Sojourn Church. His book, Systematic Theology, is a must for those who want to learn more about theology. If you want a smaller version you can try his book, Bible Doctrine. If you want an introduction to theology then purchase “Christian Beliefs: Twenty Basics Every Christian Should Know.” The last book was co-written by his son, Elliott Grudem, who is an Acts 29 pastor in Raleigh, NC.

So here is the scoop. I received an email from Michael Patton at Reclaiming the Mind about free online theology instruction from Wayne Grudem. You can download the mp3’s and listen at your convenience.

This article was in The Telegraph on 24Aug08. Printed in its entirety in case the link goes down.

Mosab Hassan Yousef, 30, said that his decision to abandon his Muslim faith and denounce his father’s organisation had exposed his family to persecution in his home town of Ramallah and endangered his own life.

But despite the cost, Mr Yousef told The Daily Telegraph that he is convinced that speaking out about the problems of Islam and the “evil” he witnessed back home would help to address the “messed-up situation” in the Middle East and one day bring about peace and enable him to return.

“I’m not afraid of them, especially as I know that I’m doing the right thing, and I don’t see them as my enemies,” he said. “I do think about this a lot. But what are they going to do? Are they going to kill me?

Olde Towne is back and running. Their reopening party is coming soon.

From their website:

Saturday, August 23, 2008, 5-11 pm
DON’T FORGET CHAIRS!
Lowe Mill, corner of Seminole & 9th Avenue, Huntsville, AL
Join us as we celebrate being back in business. Live music includes Walker Street Opry, Microwave Dave and the Turner Family Band. Admission is free and donations are greatly appreciated, with all proceeds being split between the Lowe Mill’s Art Endeavors and Free the Hops. Bring your lawn chairs and have a great time under the stars at historic Lowe Mill. We’ll have food, soft drinks and, of course, Olde Towne beer. Please join us for a great evening.

Here is a great prayer I read from one of my devotional books, “The Valley of Vision.” Deepstuf. Buy it! I will transliterate from old English:

THE NAME OF JESUS

“All-searching God,

You read the heart,
view principles and motives of actions,
see more defilement in my duties
than I ever saw in any of my sins.

The heavens are not clean in your sight,
and You charge the angels with folly;
I am ready to flee from myself because of
my abominations;
yet You do not abhor me
but have devised means for my return to You,
and that, by your Son who died to give me life

Your honor is secured and displayed even in
my escape from Your threats,
and that, by means of Jesus
in whom mercy and truth meet together,
and righteousness and peace kiss each other.

In Him the enslaved find redemption,
the guilty pardon,
the unholy renovation;
In Him are everlasting strength for the weak,
unsearchable riches for the needy,
treasures of wisdom and knowledge for

Ephesians 6:4 Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger by the way you treat them. Rather, bring them up with the discipline and instruction that comes from the Lord. - NLT

Proverbs 14:26 Those who fear the Lord are secure; he will be a refuge for their children. - NLT

Psalm 115:14 May the LORD give you increase, you and your children!
15May you be blessed by the LORD, who made heaven and earth! - ESV

This blog will be most helpful for current parents. However, I believe in a, “dig your well before your thirsty” philosophy. If you are not a parent, begin to think through the discipleship your future children.

The primary disciplers for children should be their parents. Some of you are new parents. Others have been at it for awhile. If you have not laid a foundation for family worship, now is the time. So, what do you do next?

I have become in a show called ”30 Days.” It is a TV show done by Morgan Spurlock from ”Supersize Me” (you should watch it too). I watched 30 Days online at hulu.com. Here is the premise. A person lives 30 days in the shoes of someone else. To date I have seen the episodes on binge drinking, anti-aging and minimum wage. I recommend them only for mature audiences. Definitely a good opportunity for Christ and Culture.

Followers of Christ have a clear mandate to take the gospel to their cities and the world. I have a certain affinity toward sub-Saharan Africa. To love another people group or country you need to know it. Therefore, good demographic studies are a must. Here is an interesting talk from Hans Rosling at TED. He talks about the changes in the third world over the last few decades in education, child mortality, economy and life expectancy.

I want to note that one of the greatest global needs continues to be clean water. One of the best ways for Christians to love the world and the global church is to assist with clean water and sanitation.

It is worth you while to check out the TED talks.

You can also download the video for your iPod/iPhone.

Tell the gospel.
Live the gospel.

For years I have challenged others to use the following method for their devotional life:

1) read the chapter of Proverbs that corresponds to the date (there are 31 chapters in Proverbs)
2) read the chapter of the book of James that corresponds to the work week (5 chapters in James)

This is like a daily infusion of wisdom for your daily walk. Try it for three months and see how applicable those scriptures are to your current situations. Something will leap off the page every day. Today is the 30th and a Monday. Check out the following from Proverbs 30:

1The words of Agur son of Jakeh. The oracle.

The man declares, I am weary, O God;
I am weary, O God, and worn out.
2Surely I am too stupid to be a man.
I have not the understanding of a man.
3I have not learned wisdom,
nor have I knowledge of the Holy One.
4Who has ascended to heaven and come down?
Who has gathered the wind in his fists?
Who has wrapped up the waters in a garment?

Check out the following video. Salt is poured on a vibrating table. At certain frequencies the salt gathers into interesting patterns. Someone should take some of the shots and Photoshop them. Would make some good art.

God is the author of math, physics, art, and beauty. It should not surprise us to see the beauty within each of these disciplines. Further, it is amazing when those fields overlap.

If you search Youtube for cymatics you come up with some other interesting films. Cornstarch and water is another good medium.

“God, you amaze me.”

“Make sure you bring Jesus & justice to the city.” - Ed Stetzer

If you have been around me for awhile you have probably heard me contextualize the Christ-follower’s life as INTIMACY and INCARNATION. John 5 has one of my favorite stories that models this. “19Jesus gave them this answer: “I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does.” Jesus was one with the heart/will of His Father. Therefore, He DID whatever was on the heart of the Father. He became the hands and feet of His Father. Jesus has shared this privilege with us. We too can draw near to the heart of God. He reveals His heart. Then we become His hands and feet. He fills us with Himself - we overflow in the lives of others.

There are two incarnational areas we want to press into: evangelism and justice.