on the doorposts

u.s. attorneygate, bad explanations, and the rule of law

2007-03-19T20:17:00.000-07:00

Eight U.S. Attorneys were fired by the Bush Administration -- seven in one day -- in December, 2006.

A few die-hard Republican apologists are defending the President and his Attorney General, Alberto "Fred" Gonzales, by pointing out that U.S. Attorneys serve at the President's pleasure and may be terminated at any time. But something is unusual about this, and the Congress has been rightly provoked.

One may recall that Janet Reno, President Bill Clinton's Attorney General, relieved all 93 sitting U.S. Attorneys, at the beginning of the new administration. This is accepted. Firing 8, 10, 12 or every single U.S. Attorney would have been winked at in 2000 or 2004. But not in 2007.

The explanation? "Performance-related." Friends, that is not good enough. Click here to see the eight U.S. Attorney names, photos, and job performance feedback:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/graphic/2007/03/06/GR2007030600062.html

Granted, there are things none of us know about what happens in the U.S. Attorneys' offices across the country. Please notice, however, that these eight individuals consist of six Republicans and two Independents. Apparently, they weren't "Republican" enough -- and they may have been just a bit too "Independent." As it turns out, all eight U.S. Attorneys in question had investigated (and in some cases, prosecuted) Republican lawmakers involved in some form of public corruption or other. From what we're quickly finding out now, they were also overseeing corruption cases at the time of their firing.

It may have been a timely firing for the President and his party. Sadly, it may have been an untimely firing for American citizens and taxpayers.

We should expect both Democrat and Republican senators to ask tough questions. What does it say about the rule of law when our defenders of the law are dismissed because of their very loyalty to the law?

Americans should follow this developing story closely.

crisis in education

2007-02-25T17:48:00.000-08:00

Time.com has called Dr. R. Albert Mohler, president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, the “reigning intellectual of the evangelical movement in the U.S.” In the current issue of Southern Seminary Magazine (The Tie), Dr. Mohler addressed America's crisis in education. These excerpts represent both his introductory and closing thoughts:

"The American educational system is in an undeclared state of disaster, with competing ideologies and shifting worldviews undermining the very nature of education itself. In the state-controlled school systems, ideologies of naturalism, secularism, materialism and moral relativism shape the prevailing culture and worldview. A pernicious new imposition of “tolerance” as an ideology threatens to silence all voices resistant to absolute relativism."
"Our Christian responsibility is not completed when we have come to terms with the current secular disaster and described its consequences — not by a long shot. Our responsibility is to remind and instruct parents of their urgent responsibility, to motivate churches to action and faithful response, and to reawaken the Christian mind in this generation. If we fail at this task, generations to follow will know darkness rather than light and ignorance rather than wisdom — and it will be our fault."

Click here to read the entire article: http://www.sbts.edu/pdf/tie/2006Winter.pdf

thankfulness

2007-02-21T20:53:00.000-08:00

Nearly a year has passed since I posted remarks here. The lapse saw good changes in our family, seasons of both challenge and joy, and many wonderful opportunities to observe the constant hand of God's provision.

I am thankful to God for His loving care. Paul reminded the believers in Colosse to demonstrate their thankfulness to God through singing!

"Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God." Colossians 3:16

When the song is from my heart -- whether it be a historic hymn of the faith or the simplest chorus of praise and adoration -- my singing will bless those who are worshipping together with me. Listen to the voices around you, and you will be strongly encouraged. I hear the church, and I remember to keep my eyes upon the Lord. ...To rely upon Him who is always faithful.

My singing will also bless the Lord. "Oh come, let us sing to the Lord; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation! Let us come into His presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to Him with songs of praise!" Psalm 95:1-2

let the word of Christ dwell in you... singing

2006-03-07T17:04:00.000-08:00

To the Ephesus church, Paul encouraged believers to "be filled with the Spirit," and then sing. To the Colosse church, Paul's words regarding "psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs" were nearly the same, but were preceded by an exhortation to "let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom..." (Colossians 3:16).

In both epistles, Paul seems less concerned about the song list than he is about the spiritual condition of the congregation singing the songs. Being filled with the Spirit and being filled with the Word of God fosters a worship environment that is dynamic and edifying.

Who should be edified through songs, hymns, and spiritual songs? Paul's prayer in Ephesians 3:14-19 concludes with a statement ascribing glory to the Lord: "Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen" (Ephesians 3:20-21).

Giving glory and praise to God should be the pinnacle of our singing in the church! "...With thankfulness in your hearts to God" (Colossians 3:16). "...Making melody to the Lord with all your heart." (Ephesians 5:19). When music is not Christ-centered -- when He is not the consuming reason for our songs -- the "praise" becomes routine, predictable, and not much more than a bland sort of liturgical exercise.

Paul spoke of singing "to God." He would have the church "making melody to the Lord." If believers sing only to themselves, they fail to ascend to the pinnacle of praise. Paul's approach to singing in the church followed a pattern, as evidenced by his writing to two separate church congregations:

Embrace and Demonstrate a Spirit-Filled, Word-of-Christ-Indwelt Reality
Address -- Teach and Admonish -- One Another in Psalms, Hymns, and Spiritual Songs
Sing and Make Melody -- With Thankfulness -- Directly to the Lord

In my next post, I'll discuss the 'horizontal' and 'vertical' aspects of music and praise in the church -- addressing "one another" and addressing "the Lord."

be filled with the Spirit... singing

2006-03-01T21:46:00.000-08:00

When the Apostle Paul exhorted the church in Ephesus to "be filled with the Spirit...," he was constrasting this Spirit-filled potential with drunkenness. "And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit..." (Ephesians 5:18).

The thought here is that one may give himself over to the Spirit of God -- to be wholly influenced and directed. Paul's vision is that the church experience this Spirit-filled blessing together as a congregation of believers, for they are to sing together, "...addressing one another in psalms, and hymns, and spiritual songs" (Eph. 5:19).

I think it is important to note that the singing of psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs flowed out from the congregation's willingness to yield themselves fully to the Holy Spirit. This sense of abandonment to God stands in direct contrast to the losing of oneself in strong drink. Being willing to surrender fully to the rich working of God's Spirit seems to be the precursor to glorious music in the church.

In my next post, I'll touch on Paul's similar message to the Colossian church, "Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly... singing!"

when the church sings

2006-02-28T21:54:00.000-08:00

"...But be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with all your heart." Ephesians 5:18-19

"Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God." Colossians 3:16

Make no mistake about it, the Apostle Paul believed that the churches should be singing. Under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, he instructed at least two of the city churches -- Ephesus and Colosse -- to sing their "psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs."

I would dare say there isn't a Christian church in any part of the world that does not have a musical tradition of one sort or another. We are a singing people. As a musician, worship leader, orchestral & choral arranger, and pastor, I've rolled these two passages from the Pauline epistles around in my heart and mind for years. Lately, events have brought them front and center in my thinking once again. As the Lord allows, I'll collapse around these verses for the next several weeks, posting ideas that have challenged my faith and practice.

Lest the proverbial cart finds its place (wrongly) before the horse, I should say at the outset that Paul's concerns were probably not related to singing, per se, nearly so much as they were driven by God's calling for the local church to experience -- and demonstrate -- a Spirit-filled, Word-of-Christ-indwelt reality, both in the devotional lives of its members and in the worship life of its congregation. I'll begin to comment more on that topic tomorrow, the Lord willing.

united arab emirates & partiality to the wicked

2006-02-23T22:25:00.000-08:00

Do you believe a foreign company should administrate major U.S. ports? President Bush does. Do you think the United Arab Emirates should occupy the role of gatekeeper? President Bush does.

Key voices from both the Democrat and Republican Parties are raising loud opposition. The Associated Press released a story an hour ago indicating that the Dubai state-owned company is willing to "delay" its takeover.

WASHINGTON - A United Arab Emirates company offered Thursday to delay part of its $6.8 billion takeover of most operations at six U.S. ports to give the Bush administration more time to convince skeptical lawmakers the deal poses no
security risks.

U.S. lawmakers and the press seem generally concerned about security issues. What I don't see them mentioning is American jobs. Most citizens didn't know that a British company presently operates the ports in question. Why is the Administration unwilling to hire and train American workers to run the ports? Are we simply that inept?

I believe we're still blessed by God with talented, innovative, and resourceful domestic firms that would doubtless appreciate the opportunity to contribute both to American commerce and security. Let's keep American dollars at home and put able executives and managers to work. Presumably, Dubai Ports World would hire domestic labor, but the fact remains this stands to become a major financial windfall for the Arabs.

Perhaps the greatest concern, however, is that President Bush, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, and the Administration are planning to favor an Islamic state with this crucial assignment. The fact that the UAE are perceived as allies in the "war on terror" is not relevant to this point. We're planning to reward a people who deny the Gospel of Jesus Christ with tremendous fiscal gain -- at the expense of Christian families.

"It is not good to be partial to the wicked or to deprive the righteous of justice." Proverbs 18:5.

service by the will of God

2006-02-21T20:38:00.000-08:00

Arthur T. Pierson (1837-1911), an American preacher whose ancestor, Abraham Pierson, landed in Plymouth, Massachusetts in 1639, was known for challenging Christians to shake off their apathy and become fully engaged in serving the Lord, especially the work of missions. Born in New York City as the ninth of ten children, Pierson knew well the necessity of faithfulness to God through hardship and difficulty.

Upon the death of Charles Haddon Spurgeon in 1891, A.T. Pierson was called to fill the pulpit of London's famous Metropolitan Tabernacle. Here, Spurgeon had preached tirelessly for 30 years. Pierson took up this work in London, and continued to inspire the people of God to live their lives in a spirit of service.

Preaching on Sunday, February 14, 1892, A.T. Pierson spoke from Acts 13:36, "David, after he had served his own generation by the will of God, fell on sleep."

"Now let us be as brief and as pointed as possible. Take these three thoughts that are suggested at a moment's glance: service, service to one's own generation, service to one's own generation by the will of God. In other words, the thought of service first; the sphere of service second -- one's own generation; the spirit of service third -- by the will of God."

Pierson further proclaimed,

"Salvation is not simply deliverance from the penalty of sin, which is justification; but from the power of sin which is sanctification, and from the dominion of selfishness: and what is that but service? When you forget yourself and begin to live for others, that is serving God and serving man. Surely no salvation is complete that does not include service as well as sanctification."

We're challenged daily by expectations and demands. It is easy to become discouraged by what remains undone at the end of the day. I frequently wonder if the things I've finished were done well. Could I have done more? Perhaps we all disappoint friends, family, neighbors, or co-workers from time to time. Sometimes, we just can't get it all done, and those nagging thoughts of inadequacy -- or even failure -- persist.

"David served his own generation by the will of God." When thoughts of inadequacy hover like a dark cloud, be reminded that God Himself has ordained our work! "For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them." Ephesians 2:10

Pierson began to close his sermon with these thoughts,

"We need only to see that all is according to the will of God. If it is not in obedience to the voice of your Divine Pilot that you take your place at the oars and do your work, if the plan of your life is not embraced in the plan of God, if your own heart does not by its love and its loyalty take God's pleasure as your pleasure, how can there be any real service unto God or unto humanity?"

Together with the pastor, and before the Lord our God, may we confess,

"Henceforth Thy will shall be the guiding star of my whole existence; I will undertake to serve God with holy living , to serve God with holy giving, to serve God by instant and constant obedience, to serve God by taking my place wherever God puts me, doing whatever work he gives me to do, and with all my heart seeking to glorify my Master."

rejoicing before our King

2006-02-14T20:59:00.000-08:00

Upon the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem, crowds shouted “Hosanna” and recognized Him as the King of Israel (John 12:13). Their rejoicing was exuberant and without fear or embarrassment. Doubtless, many Jews did not line the pathway into Jerusalem that day, but those who anticipated Jesus’ arrival were prepared to wave their branches and lift their voices to Him.

Psalm 47 includes proclamations of God’s kingship. Further, His majesty justifies and, perhaps, requires extraordinary acclaim by His people. The psalmist shapes his call to worship as an invitation to clamorous praise: “Clap your hands, all peoples! Shout to God with loud songs of joy!” Why? “For the Lord, the Most High, is to be feared, a great king over all the earth” (Psalm 47:1-2).

“Sing praises to God, sing praises! Sing praises to our King, sing praises! For God is the King of all the earth; sing praises with a psalm" (Psalm 47:6-7).

Clap your hands. Shout to God. Sing praises to our King. Of the many reasons we may rejoice so freely before our King, none is loftier than that we acknowledge our Sovereign. We humbly embrace His dominion, rest in His perfection, and find in these truths our reason for overwhelmingly joyful praise unto Him.

“God reigns over the nations; God sits on his holy throne” (Psalm 47:8). Knowing that Jesus Christ provides glorious triumph for His people should inspire us to lift heartfelt – and hearty – praises unto Him.

"Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of His glory with great joy, to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen" (Jude 24-25).

created to declare and proclaim the praise of God

2006-02-11T19:33:00.000-08:00

"...It is perfectly clear that neither words nor singing (if used in prayer) are of the least consequence, or avail one iota with God, unless they proceed from deep feeling in the heart.

"...We do not condemn words of singing, but rather greatly commend them, provided the feeling of the mind goes along with them. For in this way the thought of God is kept alive on our minds, which, from their fickle and versatile nature, soon relax, and are distracted by various objects, unless various means are used to support them. Besides, since the glory of God ought in a manner to be displayed in each part of our body, the special service to which the tongue should be devoted is that of singing and speaking, inasmuch as it has been expressly created to declare and proclaim the praise of God."

-- JOHN CALVIN, Institutes of the Christian Religion

esv introductory video

2006-02-08T20:31:00.000-08:00

Modern Bible translations abound. Several years ago the KJV was surpassed by the New International Version (NIV) in Bible sales. During the mid-1990s I read the NIV for a short period of time, and it was a disappointment. Without detailing the linguistic processes supporting this version, it will suffice to say that the NIV is not a translation. It more closely resembles a paraphrase; the 'translators' relied upon a method called dynamic equivalence when producing this version. In other words, they attempted to communicate the intentions of the biblical authors rather than faithfully translate each word.

We are convinced that each and every word of Scripture is inerrant and must be translated as such with integrity. The English Standard Version translation team relied upon an essentially literal approach because of the conviction that every word is inspired by God. More than sixty leading scholars pored over every word and phrase to achieve the unique accuracy, excellence, and beauty of the ESV Bible.

To view an ESV Introductory Video, click here!

english standard version

2006-02-07T23:31:00.000-08:00

As a child growing up in a Christian denomination that was generally resistant to the liberalism of the 1960s and 70s, I read the King James Version of the Holy Bible. Someone once provided a "Living Bible," which is not a Bible. Without discerning the issues that were at stake, I still managed to set it aside in favor of my faithful Authorized Version.

My grandmother had promised a tatted cross as a bookmark for any one of her several dozen grandchildren who could memorize Psalm 23. From the King James Version.

We read from it, memorized from it, heard sermons preached from it, sang worship choruses from it, purchased study Bibles based upon it, and typically examined our greeting cards to ensure that the scripture quotations were accurately quoted from it.

Another memory from my grandmother -- she kept a small promise box on her dining room table. This was a molded plastic box in the shape of a loaf of bread. It held small cards, each containing a promise from God's Word, the bread of life. When visiting Grandma, she nearly always invited one of us to draw a card from the promise box and read the Bible verse before enjoying a sweet roll or a slice of freshly baked bread. Her promises were, of course, from the King James Version.

After research and prayerful consideration of key issues (which I will mention in future posts), I am reading and studying from the English Standard Version, a new translation project that began in the year 2000. This has been an amazing blessing to our family, and I'll make brief comments occasionally in the blog.

From the ESV website:

"The ESV is an “essentially literal” translation that seeks as far as possible to capture the precise wording of the original text and the personal style of each Bible writer. As such, its emphasis is on “word-for-word” correspondence, at the same time taking into account differences of grammar, syntax, and idiom between current literary English and the original languages. Thus it seeks to be transparent to the original text, letting the reader see as directly as possible the structure and meaning of the original.

In contrast to the ESV, some Bible versions have followed a “thought-for-thought” rather than “word-for-word” translation philosophy, emphasizing “dynamic equivalence” rather than the “essentially literal” meaning of the original. A
“thought-for-thought” translation is of necessity more inclined to reflect the interpretive opinions of the translator and the influences of contemporary culture."

a new justice confirmed -- and has anything changed?

2006-02-01T11:15:00.000-08:00

The Senate confirmed Samuel Alito to his seat on the U.S. Supreme Court by a 58-42 vote. ...And has anything really changed? Chief Justice John Roberts may be considerably less favorable to overturning Roe v. Wade than his predecessor, the indefatigable William Rehnquist. Justice Alito may be considerably more willing to overturn the landmark abortion ruling than his predecessor, Sandra Day O'Connor. In case you're not keeping track, that means that there may have been little, if any, philosophical change on the court as of yesterday evening.

One thing is certain -- there has been no cataclysmic legal sea change on the high court. Senators Kennedy and Kerry of Massachusetts, whose gallant attempt to lead the Democrats into a filibuster was considered ridiculous even by their own party leaders, tried to convince Americans that civil rights as we know them will vanish with Alito on the Supreme Court.

Rights are endangered -- but not by Sam Alito.

Justice Alito will now have the opportunity of sitting beside Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the high court's most extreme left-wing judicial activist. One can only imagine the conversations they will have. On a positive note, Justice Antonin Scalia will have the honor of a seat next to Chief Justice Roberts.

Has anything really changed?

"O LORD, God of our fathers, are you not God in heaven? You rule over all the kingdoms of the nations. In your hand are power and might, so that none is able to withstand you." II Chronicles 20:6

treasure in jars of clay

2006-01-31T09:58:00.000-08:00

Several evenings ago I began reading John MacArthur's book Hard to Believe -- The High Cost and Infinite Value of Following Jesus. The Gospel message has too often been diluted and compromised to become more culturally appealing. Yet Scripture is clear that when God calls an individual to Himself it is on His terms alone. Once when a large crowd was following Jesus, he made discipleship requirements startlingly clear: you must give up your life, bear your own cross and follow Him, and renounce all you have. Jesus' message should have given every person in that crowd pause. His words were not chosen so as to draw a larger crowd. Arguably, He intended to send the casual and curious followers home. Sacrifice, by definition, is never convenient.

MacArthur develops the theme of ordinary people, chosen by God Himself, who will become passionate disciples of Christ. The world's "nobodies" are called to a great work -- a great commission! "For God, who said "Let light shine out of darkness," has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us." II Corinthians 4:6-7. MacArthur writes:

Paul was picking up all the brilliance, all the glory of the true revelation of God's nature manifest in Christ. He was trying to describe what is most indescribably and inexplicably beautiful in saying this treasure -- the treasure of the divine reality of the gospel -- resided in clay pots! We're baked dirt, that's what we are, carrying around the message of God's eternal kingdom of light and life.

So we follow on His terms and not ours. The cost may be high, but the value is infinite.