We began a new teaching series on 11Jan09 called Doubting Your Doubts. Some folks have asked for some of the quotes from C.S. Lewis and Tim Keller.

Lewis quotes will be from different resources. Keller quotes will be from The Reason for God unless otherwise noted.

C.S. Lewis:
C.S. Lewis - in The Letters of C.S. Lewis to Arthur Greeves - “I think the trouble with me is lack of faith. I have no rational ground for going back on the arguments that convinced me of God’s existence, but the irrational deadweight of my old sceptical habits… and the cares of the day, steal away all my lively feeling of the truth, and often when I pray I wonder if am not posting letters to a non-existent address. Mind you I don’t think so - the whole of my reasonable mind is convinced: but I often feel so.”

Tomorrow I will attend a lunch and talk with Huntsville’s Rocket Science Ministries. The lunch is on the first Thursdays from 11:30am-12:30pm at Shoneys at University/231. This is a group of men and women who are committed to both the bible and science. Here is what they say about the lunch: “This is an
opportunity to invite your friends and colleagues to a casual lunch and a brief (15 minutes) presentation on topics related to science and the Christian faith. We offer these lunches to provide a venue for believers and seekers to learn how Christian faith can be consistent with and even strengthened by modern science. Please invite your believing and seeking friends.”

New Year, 2009. Many folks are making resolutions for their hearts, minds, bodies, relationships, and careers. Let’s go ancient-future for a few moments. Below are the resolutions made by Jonathan Edwards for 1723. Look through them. Which ones challenge you?

THE RESOLUTIONS of Jonathan Edwards

BEING SENSIBLE THAT I AM UNABLE TO DO ANYTHING WITHOUT GOD’ S HELP, I DO HUMBLY ENTREAT HIM BY HIS GRACE TO ENABLE ME TO KEEP THESE RESOLUTIONS, SO FAR AS THEY ARE AGREEABLE TO HIS WILL, FOR CHRIST’ S SAKE.

Remember to read over these Resolutions once a week.

2009 has come. So here is the challenge. Take 90 days to immerse yourself in the New Testament. There are 260 chapters in the NT. That is roughly three chapters per day.

There is wisdom in carving out a specific time and place to do this. It may vary between the work week and the weekend, but be strategic. Do not do this for data input only. Take the time to pray before and after you read. Ask God to:
- reveal Himself and His glory to you
- reveal His big story to you
- reveal where you are rebellious and working against Him and His ways
- reveal where you are submitted to His authority
- reveal practical knowledge and wisdom that will help you today
- give you wisdom to make long term decisions

Christmas Eve service will be from 5-5:45pm at the Village Church location. Come and join us as we celebrate the greatness of Jesus Christ, the Savior who came to rescue us.

NOTE: we will take up a collection to be given to a few external organizations. Primarily, we desire to raise money to dig wells in third world countries through Living Water International. If enough funds are given, some will go to other church plants.

2103 Virginia Blvd,
Huntsville, AL, 35810

Directions:
* From downtown go north on Meridian. Turn LEFT/west on Oakwood. Turn RIGHT/north on the 3rd street: Virginia. The church building is on your LEFT about .1 miles.
* From the Parkway turn East on Oakwood. Go .7 miles. Turn LEFT/north on Virginia. The church building is on your LEFT about .1 miles.

Below is the Advent Conspiracy video we played in our gathering on Sunday. Sojourn partnered in this movement last year and raised funds to dig wells through Living Water International. We will be doing the same this year with a Christmas Eve collection.

Here is my question. What things have you done in the past or do you plan on doing this Christmas to REthink Christmas and join the (Advent) conspiracy? What are some ideas you can share with readers to reflect the true meaning of Christmas?

It is Thanksgiving Day, 2008. Here are 44 verses from the Psalms that speak of giving thanks. I bolded a few that really spoke to me. I am so thankful for a God who would rather die than to live without me/us.

Ps 7:17 I will thank the Lord because he is just; I will sing praise to the name of the Lord Most High.
Ps 30:12 that I might sing praises to you and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give you thanks forever!
Ps 35:18 Then I will thank you in front of the great assembly. I will praise you before all the people.
Ps 42:4 My heart is breaking as I remember how it used to be: I walked among the crowds of worshipers, leading a great procession to the house of God, singing for joy and giving thanks amid the sound of a great celebration!
Ps 50:14 Make thankfulness your sacrifice to God, and keep the vows you made to the Most High.

It is messy. Processing the way a person gets saved provides challenges no matter which way you slice. Who is really in charge? Are we just robots? Does God really love us? Is God fair? Do we assume too much about ourselves?

I was not raised under reformed teaching. I do not even call myself a calvinist, though I do subscribe to the Doctrines of Grace that reformed pastors have taught for centuries. I have several friends, some in Sojourn, that are processing reformed theology. I encourage them to take their time and not feel pressured. Study scripture. Clarify the difference between their personal theology and reason. Do not be afraid of the tension. Embrace it. Shoot for a high view of God’s sovereignty and a proper vantage point of the human condition.

“Rashin Soodmand is a 29-year-old Iranian Christian. Her father, Hossein Soodmand, was the last man to be executed in Iran for apostasy, the “crime” of abandoning one’s religion. He had converted from Islam to Christianity in 1960, when he was 13 years old. Thirty years later, he was hanged by the Iranian authorities for that decision. Today, Rashin’s brother, Ramtin, is also held in a prison cell in Mashad, Iran’s holiest city. He was arrested on August 21. He has not been charged but he is a Christian. And Rashin fears that, just as her father was the last man to be executed for apostasy in Iran, her brother may become one of the first to be killed under Iran’s new law.”

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.