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I have been experimenting with things on the blog here, trying to figure things out, and as part of the experiment I decided to post a video. Trying to think of something to post, this one came to mind. If you have time to watch it (it isn't very long) I hope you find it edifying.
God bless and veritas supra omnis!
I was blessed by these thoughts this morning and hope that you will find them edifying as well. It’s a simple reminder, but we all need to hear it often.
Avoid as far as thou canst the tumult of men; for talk concerning worldly things, though it be innocently undertaken, is a hindrance, so quickly are we led captive and defiled by vanity. Many a time I wish that I had held my peace, and had not gone amongst men. But why do we talk and gossip so continually, seeing that we so rarely resume our silence without some hurt done to our conscience? We like talking so much because we hope by our conversations to gain some mutual comfort, and because we seek to refresh our wearied spirits by variety of thoughts. And we very willingly talk and think of those things which we love or desire, or else of those which we most dislike.
2. But alas! It is so often to no purpose and in vain. For this outward consolation is no small hindrance to the inner comfort which cometh from God. Therefore must we watch and pray that time pass not idly away. If it be right and desirable for thee to speak, speak things which are to edification. Evil custom and neglect of our real profit tend much to make us heedless of watching over our lips. Nevertheless, devout conversation on spiritual things helpeth not a little to spiritual progress, most of all where those of kindred mind and spirit find their ground of fellowship in God.
Taken from "The Imitation of Christ" by Thomas A Kempis Chapter X
The above shouldn’t be interpreted as meaning that we can never talk about anything that isn’t deep and spiritual; only that we should give up talking or communicating (through talking, emailing, text messaging, etc) for the sake of talking and particularly shouldn’t talk about “vain things” just because that’s what everybody else is doing. We should always be looking to avoid vain things and embrace profitable things even - perhaps especially - in our speech and we need to learn to do this at an early age in order that our young years be not wasted on idle vain things.
Some related thoughts from Mr. Kempis, in Chapter XI of "The Imitation of Christ" (chapter XI is titled "Of Seeking Peace of Mind and Spiritual Progress"):
How came it to pass that many of the Saints were so perfect, so contemplative of Divine things? Because they steadfastly sought to mortify themselves from all worldly desires, and so were enabled to cling with their whole heart to God, and be free and at leisure for the thought of Him. We are too much occupied with our own affections, and too anxious about transitory things. Seldom too, do we conquer even a single fault, nor are we zealous for daily growth in grace. And so we remain lukewarm and unspiritual.
If we cannot conquer even the smallest thoughts thoughts we shouldn't be thinking, what hope do we have of conquering the strong temptations? Any who think small hard things are not important set themselves up to fall.
God bless and veritas supra omnis!
Edit: Leonard Ravenhill recommends the following scriptures for our consideration on this subject.
| Psalm 12:3-4 Psalm 34:13 Psalm 37:30 Psalm 39:1,3 Psalm 120:2-3 | Proverbs 20:15 Eccl. 5:6 Romans 3:4,13-14 II Cor. 12:20 James 3:2 |
In the aftermath of Tuesday’s election, American’s wake up to a new day that doesn’t necessarily mean all the same things to everybody; but for all, it definitely is a new day. For all, the historic election of a black candidate proves beyond the shadow of a doubt that racism is where it should be for the overwhelming majority of Americans: in the past. It is indicative of an almost miraculous change in the hearts and minds of millions upon millions of Americans. Obama’s historic victory by no means guarantees that the residual challenges/problems of race will be done away with…time is the most effective remedy for many of those challenges; but, when examined in light of America’s past, I think American’s should see Obama’s victory as proof of a good thing.
I sincerely hope that Republicans and Conservatives will not allow their many and profound differences with Obama to mar this moment. Let us all, for a little while at least, allow this moment to be appreciated, that America is truly beyond the shadow of a doubt, a country where race is less important than the person.
But, despite the positives of Obama’s victory, for Republicans and (more importantly) Conservatives, the negatives will in the long run far out way the positives. The plight of the unborn stands to greatly worsen due to the election of Obama, the economy stands to gain nothing and lose more under Obama, the war in Iraq will end prematurely, in all likelihood negatively impacting the War on Terror (not something all conservatives agree on but something I believe to be true), socialist welfare and fascist government control will be further entrenched as the norm in our country (the words fascist and socialist are not used in the negative sense, merely the factual)…and the list goes on. But I don’t need to exhaustively list the negatives of Obama’s pending presidency; you know all or at least some of which I speak (in the not unlikely event that some reading this post are Obama supporters). The crucial question of the day for Republicans and especially Conservatives is…what now? This is the question that should be foremost on all our minds.
I will not get into my personal take on how Conservatives need to change their strategy to regain power and (more importantly) influence-we have months and years to do that-but I would like to issue this challenge because it is of critical and immediate importance.
First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.
I Timothy 2:1-4 (ESV)
The Bible explicitly states that we are to pray for our leaders and to give them respect. Therefore, if Christians truly wish to honor God then they will pray daily for Barak Obama and Joe Biden…and they shouldn’t pray that for their hurt or their failure…they should pray that God will touch them mightily, opening their eyes to His Truth and lead them in on a path that will honor God and benefit the American people, not the Republican Party or any other specific agenda driven group. I firmly believe one of the greatest shortcomings of Christians in the last decade is their willingness to ignore their responsibility as Christians to intercede before the Throne of Grace for ALL their leaders. They have interceded on behalf of their nation, but not ALL their leaders as specifically commanded. Many, for instance, skewered George Bush but failed to humbly and unselfishly intercede on his behalf before the Throne of Grace. The same is true of many individuals treatment of Bill Clinton, an object of particularly strong scorn.
I remember on numerous occasions my parents, my Mother in particular, lamenting the lack of respect Christians show for the leaders they disagreed with on many issues. Instead, they allowed their personal differences to mar their application of biblical spiritual responsibilities, sacrificing true Godliness to petty, selfish partisanship. May that not be the case this time! I sincerely pray that all Christians will pray daily for our leaders, particularly President elect Obama and I rejoice to see so many already committing to do just that. Let us never cease to remind ourselves of this, even when locked in great cultural and political battles.
If we are to right what needs to be righted we cannot rely on the halls of Washington or the various state capitals; we cannot rely on the courts; we cannot rely on the media or even community town halls or minority outreaches. We must rely on God, His providence, and our faithfulness. The conservative comeback, which I think can undoubtedly take place, will ride on the strength of the prayers and humble petitions of Christians like you and I. Let us never for a moment lose our focus on that point. May we never fail to honor our responsibility to honor and pray for those God has placed in authority over us.
Our current President has a quite extensive “Presidential Prayer Team” that has many members and I believe it is largely motivated by George Bush’s strong faith. I was initially fearful that they would not continue to their efforts on behalf of President Obama, but I am happy to see that they will continue to lift up our President in prayer beyond George Bush’s tenure in office. Here are some quotes from people you will recognize taken from the prayer team’s website (presidentialprayerteam.org).
I wish and pray the best for President elect Obama and Vice President elect Biden. I didn’t vote for them because of deep and irreconcilable differences (as things stand) and I have no reason to believe that those differences will magically disappear now that they have won their campaign. So, I am quite prepared to disagree with them on any number of issues. But I am open to giving them a chance to prove me wrong and never will I oppose Obama (or anybody for that matter) just for the sake of opposing them. I will daily lift them up in prayer, specifically requesting that God would touch them tangibly and that they would heed His leading (I pray the same for myself) and that He would grant them an extra measure of wisdom and discernment as they lead our nation. Please join me in doing so.
Remember, though both have a past that rightfully should cause grave doubts, one thing we cannot doubt is that God is sovereign, and He can do what He will’s when He will’s it.
God bless and veritas supra omnis!
Edit: Duncan Ligon has some good thoughts on specific ways Christians should lift President Obama up.
http://www.reformation21.org/blog/2008/11/some-initial-thoughts-on-prayi.php
Read more...Hello all!
I recently received an email from a friend asking for my take on John McCain, and I replied in some length. Most of the email was of relatively little importance as we (I) mostly dialogued about things not necessarily related to core moral values…but I did want to pull the part of the email (modified and lengthened) in which I explain the most important reason I am supporting McCain. I have posted it below and hope that agree or disagree, you find it edifying in some way.
In Christ,
Mark
P.S. I would welcome any comments, but would especially welcome disagreeing comments. I didn’t touch on everything and didn’t explain everything I did touch on in full, so disagreeing comments might touch on something that would call for addition elaboration. You can judge for yourself if that is a good thing. ;-)
Why I believe those supporting the pro-life agenda should vote for John McCain
Over the past four years the American people have been so pre-occupied with things like the war in Iraq and the economy that we (as a group) have tended to overlook one thing of vital importance; the advancement of the pro-life agenda. Love George Bush or hate him, it seems hard to deny that he, when all is said and done, has been true to his pro-life position. Not only has his appointment of Justices Roberts and Alito to the Supreme Court (both strongly pro-life) opened up the opportunity to challenge the validity of Roe v. Wade at the Supreme Court level, but his many appointments to the lower judiciaries have made it possible to keep lower courts from legislating pro-choice laws on the people and likewise made it possible for conservative pro-lifers to defeat organizations like Planned Parenthood. In short, the grass roots pro-life movement has not faced anywhere near the government sponsored impediments under George W. Bush they have faced for years. As a result, the pro-life movement has been advanced and thousands upon thousands of babies have been saved from grizzly deaths (don’t forget the partial birth abortion issue). 10 years ago it would have been almost unthinkable to think that we would have such pro-life legislation on the ballot as Amendment 48 in Colorado. Today it is not unthinkable. Even the Republican Party platform has become more conservative on the abortion issue thanks to grass roots activists.
All these advancements, though significant, are precarious at best and small at worst. If a liberal government and court system imposed their pro-choice agenda once they can and will do it again.
In Barak Obama we have the most radically pro-choice Presidential Candidate ever. If elected to office he will undo all the progress made by the pro-life movement in short order and will further cement the security of the pro-choice agenda. In short, if the pro-life movement doesn’t want to see all they have accomplished go by the way-side...they must defeat Barak Obama. Enter John McCain. John McCain is not 100% pro-life. His support for abortions in the case of rape and incest is troubling in light of the fact that those babies deserve to live just as much as others, and his support of embryonic stem cell research has rightfully raised red flags for many (I don’t happen to have as much of what I call a working concern with his support of embryonic stem cell research as some, but in the interest of time I’ll leave that issue untouched for now).
McCain is not the candidate the vast majority of the pro-life movement supported in the primaries, but unfortunately, he won anyway. Now, pro-life advocates are faced with two sets of consequences if they vote for either Obama or McCain, assuming they will hold true to their word.
If they vote for Obama the consequences will be:
-the legalization (again) of partial birth abortion
-continued tax payer subsidies for Planned Parenthood and their sister organizations
-the continuation of Roe v. Wade
-the appointment of young, pro-choice, liberal judges to the US Supreme Court and the various lower courts
-increased government support for sex education in public schools
-government intervention in the adoption field, including the disallowance of discrimination on religious lines for adoption agencies
-no requirements for parental notification and/or consent for minors in obtaining an abortion
-the death of hundreds of thousands (if not millions) more babies
That isn’t even an exhaustive list of the consequences of an Obama presidency. The consequences of a McCain presidency (also not exhaustive) are:
-the overturn of Roe v. Wade
-the freedom of the states to pass such legislation in regards to abortion as they choose
-no more tax payer support for Planned Parenthood and their sister organizations
-possible government support for embryonic stem cell research (I say possible because I don’t think it will happen if it hasn't already)
-exception clauses in anti-abortion laws providing for abortion in the case of incest and rape
A McCain presidency would not allow for the total advancement of the pro-life movement, but it would A) fight for the overturn of Roe v. Wade, the first all important step in allowing straight up pro-life legislation, B) allow the opportunity for states to pass outright bans on abortion (it is not clear if states would be forced to include McCain’s exception clause), C) cut the funds abortion clinics use to prey on young girls.
In short, John McCain has an imperfect pro-life stance, but the pro-life movement would still have tremendous opportunity to advance their cause under a McCain presidency, and most importantly, they would not lose the ground they have already gained and their opposition would not be strengthened.
Many people would call support for McCain a compromise on the life issue because he isn’t as solid as others. There is some amount of truth to that position, but I would remind all who believe such that this is not about us the living; this is about the unborn. This (abortion) shouldn’t be considered the same way as taxes…I would be happy to pay more taxes if I was confident that it would somehow result in the betterment of unborn babies…if I need to compromise on things like taxes, immigration, etc. in the interest of preserving the gains of the pro-life movement then I would be more than happy to, and (at the risk of being repetitious) I believe John McCain represents the best chance we have on the ballot for preserving the gains of the pro-life movement. As John Piper has said, the issue of life is always the foremost issue for our consideration. Everything else is secondary. If you would like to throw your vote to a perhaps more solidly pro-life candidate like Chuck Baldwin at the risk of Obama winning the presidency (or being emboldened by a significant popular vote victory) then I would encourage you to think of how you would explain to an aborted baby that the reason you didn’t support their best chance was that the chance was imperfect. I am sure the millions of babies that will lose their lives by way of abortion under an Obama presidency and the subsequent battles to undo the damage will understand. I am much more willing to pin my chances of lower taxes or immigration reform (to name a couple for instances) to a lost cause (the Baldwin presidential campaign) then I am the chances of unborn babies.
The pro-life movement must support John McCain. If they don’t, I believe they will be indirectly responsible for the deaths of hundreds of thousands of additional babies under Obama’s radical agenda and for not saving the millions of babies that would be saved by McCain’s policies.
Is that too extreme a statement? Perhaps…I certainly don’t want to appear judgmental towards those who don’t support McCain as I recognize that different people of equal sincerity will often arrive at different conclusions…but I do feel that the burden of responsibility is heavy and in the case of abortion we must be as clear as possible in articulating our views. So, I have.
This is the reality of where this election stands. The only person on the ballot with a more conservative stated position on abortion is Chuck Baldwin. Baldwin is polling what? .5%? 1%? 2%? You can decry all you want that Baldwin is not polling better then he is…the fact of the matter is that he isn’t and we owe it too the unborn to do the best we can to protect them, and "the best" in this case isn't voting for Chuck Baldwin. I don’t personally feel comfortable playing political chicken with baby’s lives. It's good to hold to principle; but when innocent lives are lost because of it by way of abortion then I would suggest the principle should be seriously re-examined.
Until recently I was seriously contemplating withholding my vote on the grounds that there was no candidate I would feel good supporting. I didn’t like the thought of walking away from the voter’s booth feeling anything less than glad support for whoever had received my vote. Frankly, I just differ too much with McCain on things like McCain-Feingold, immigration, the environment (and the political ramifications), and other important issues to “feel good” about voting for him. But this last Sunday, I shared my thoughts and feelings with one of my church elders, Mr. Hale. This is the essence of the council he shared (I will try not to put words in his mouth).To conclude: I don’t think I need to say anything else. But again, please don’t take this post as a harsh condemnation of everybody who doesn’t agree with me. I don’t expect everyone to disagree with me…but I believe the things I believe for reasons, and if those reasons aren’t worth putting forward in no uncertain terms then they aren’t worth believing.
We all want to feel good about who we vote for. This is not a wrong desire, especially if feeling good is determined by how closely we agree with the person in question. But, if we operate on a feel good basis we operate on selfishness and naivety. Neither of us wanted McCain to be our nominee and neither of us will "feel good" if we vote for him. Due to our disagreements with him on policy issues, it would probably feel better if we voted third party (then we wouldn’t be responsible in any way for what happened under a McCain presidency if he won) or didn’t vote at all (for the same reasons). But our decisions should not be based on what feels good…they should be based upon what is best for others…not our feelings. The ability to separate our feelings from our decisions when they threaten to mar our decision making process is the mark of a good leader and a wise person.
At the end of the day, when all is said and done, McCain represents the best hope for the unborn, and that is the overriding issue of importance. If we seek to protect those who can’t protect themselves then we should vote for their best hope.
I agree with Mr. Hale 100%. I am not making a negative judgment on people for supporting Baldwin; but understand that the reason I support McCain is not because I agree with him as much as I would like or that I will skip out of the voting booth whistling and with the best of feelings. I support him because I believe he is the best hope for the unborn in seeing that their immediate needs and threats are dealt with. The life issue is far too important to take out grudges on the GOP for not being the party you want them to be or that they claimed to be...and unfortunately I believe many people are.
Again, I won’t “feel good” voting for McCain, but I will vote for him nonetheless with the conviction that it is the right thing to do for the sake of others who need protection more than I and the preservation and furtherance of the gains made by the pro-life movement is of monumentally greater importance than taxes, immigration, etc.
God bless!
Mark
Read more...Hello y'all!
I just wanted to pop in and let you know why my silence has been so deafening. The computer I normally work on is down and has been down for awhile, so I haven't been able to spend much time on blog things. I am sure that this is anything but crushing to you, but now you know anyway. :-)
I have been tempted to blog on political matters since they don't take as much time but I know I am on overload with politics and I am guessing most of you are too. So, I have stayed away from politics. Now that you know what's up with my silence, I do have something to share that I found extremely interesting (and important) and thought you might as well.
While reading my email this morning, the headline of an email from AiG Answers in Genesis) caught my eye. I opened it and followed the link, leading to the video on "Cloning, Stem Cells, and the Value of Life." I have pasted the link below. Please watch it if you can. It contains vital information!
http://www.answersingenesis.org/media/video/ondemand/cloning-stem-cells/cloning-stem-cells-value-of-life
Veritas Supra Omnis!
I have been doing a lot of reading about Russia lately courtesy of Paul Johnson's "Modern Times" but so far the bulk of my study has been limited to the early days of Soviet Russia. In an effort to know a little about an appropriate policy to pursue in regards to Russia, I have been doing some study on the internet. Most of the stuff I have found isn't worth relaying, but I found this particular article to be very insightful. It confirmed some things I have already been thinking about and offered an opinion not very commonly propagated.
Basically, when evaluating a true communist or socialist country you have to keep in mind that both communism and socialism are self-destructive. Eventually they will eat themselves from the inside out, but before they come to that point they are usually an extremely formidable opponent because all their efforts are very focused and nationalized. When the Soviet Union collapsed, America didn't have as much to do with it as we like to think. Mostly our policies helped to hasten their demise, it didn't bring it about.
Today, Russia is somewhat rejuvenated but still a far cry from what they used to be. When formulating Russian policy we can't underestimate their strength or course, but nor can we over-estimate it and that seems to be what we are doing. Russia may still be a bear, but it is a very old bear and its strength is greatly diminished. Unless they make some serious changes that I highly doubt they will make, Russia will continue to fade. The article in question lays out reasons for why Russia isn't the bear we are used to thinking of it as.
Enjoy and Veritas Supra Omnis!
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/10/03/AR2008100301976.html
Hello all!
Well, I wanted my first post to be an article that I have been working on about the acceptability of women serving in the civil sphere (I would prefer to open with a less controversial subject but that just happens to be what I have been working on) but the "editing process" is taking longer than I would prefer, unfortunately. But, the good news is, once the process is completed it will no doubt be better reading. ;-) For the time being I have a couple of questions I would like to ask along with a few scattered thoughts to throw out. I don't necessarily expect answers since I know all of you are busy, so few or no responses won't bother me, but there's no harm in asking them so why not?
Anyway, here are the questions.
First: Do you believe that parental ever ceases to exist? Or, rephrasing the question, does there come a time in a parent/child relationship when there is a total break in the authority structure?
If you have time to answer the question, what I am looking for as a response is mostly just yes or no, a few verses to consider and maybe an article you have read that provides insight.
Second: Do you believe we as a culture fundamentally misunderstand the biblical concept of earthly spiritual authority?
If you have time to answer this I am looking for basically the same things as I am for the first question. Nothing complicated or time consuming, just some ideas and leads.
Why am I asking these questions? Because, as I speak to more young people about matters having to do with authority it seems to be pretty evident that even within the conservative church there is something about our understanding of authority that doesn't rectify complete authority, practically speaking (as in a parent's authority over a five year old) and shepherding (as in a parent discipling and shepherding an older teenage child who is of the age that it needs to be taking more direct responsibility for the specific direction of their lives). For some reason, we seem to only think of authority in terms of "ruling" and even oppression. That causes tremendous tension between parents, who are afraid of losing their mode of influence in their childs life (their authoritative rule, if you will) and the child who doesn't want to be "ruled," who instead desires some amount of freedom.
When I look at biblical earthly authority, more than "ruling" (ultimate authority) I see nurturing and discipleship that is relative to the needs of those being discipled. Ultimately the the aim of non secular God ordained authority is to lead in obedience and teach. For parents they are to raise their children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord, and for church leaders to see to the more specific needs of their flock. Because of all our thoughts of authority meaning to rule we lose the focus on relaying and teaching. But, I am now rambling.
Anyway, if you would like to tune in with some thoughts and some answers to the above questions I would be most appreciative. I think this is an incredibly important issue that is not always dealt with to the extent that it bears dealing with. Headship (authority) is meant to be a beautiful thing and effective in it's task (surprise!), but if our understanding is faulty it loses it's beauty and effectiveness. So, I have been studying the issue. Hopefully when I am done I will have all the answers I need to have. It's a more difficult study then I was anticipating though, and I am having to process and organize a lot of new information. :-)
Btw, if you do have some thoughts you would like to share then it would be great for you to post them here as a comment (they will of course have to be approved, not that I don't trust you of course) but email is also great so choose your method. My email for those who don't know is texancellist@hotmail.com.
Veritas Supra Omnis!
-Mark
P.S. Sorry for getting off on a less than stellar foot here on the blog. Some things just don't start the way you wish they would. :-)
Hello! My name is Mark Hutchins and I wanted to take a moment to tell you a few things about me and my intentions for this blog.
First: I am a young evangelical home-schooled guy who has many opinions, loves to debate and discuss a wide range of issues (politics, culture, economics, practical theology, organics, coffee, you name it). But I am acutely aware of my shortcomings in knowledge, wisdom, and understanding. Part of the reasoning for starting this blog is to get my thoughts out and hopefully receive feedback that will help me to grow both in knowledge, understanding, and presentation.
Second: pursuant to my personal desire to grow in wisdom and understanding, I would like to do what I can to spread truth as I know it. I won't always be right on everything, but that doesn't and shouldn't keep me or anybody else from proclaiming truth as we know it. I believe our culture is not one that values truth in any sphere of life, preferring moral relativism. Moral relativism is a disease, directly contrary to God's word and deadly.
My motto is "Veritas Supra Omnis" which in essence means "above all truth," or "truth above all." My desire for my my life and my blog is above all to live and proclaim the truth of God's word, esteeming above all else that which I know to be truly honoring and obedient to God and His revealed Word.
This blog will not be confined to lofty spiritual matters. I love the nitty-gritty of politics and am just as likely to post about the state of the presidential and congressional races from a purely editorial perspective as I am to post on a theological matter, perhaps more so. Sometimes I might post about something that has happened in my life. We’ll just have to see, but for now I hope you understand where I am coming from and what my ultimate aim is.
I pray that I will be faithful in holding to these principles and that through my faithfulness God will be glorified. Comments, whether they be assenting or dissenting, are welcome.
God bless and veritas supra omnis!
Mark
Hello all!
This is a test post so that I can see how it looks. At this point I am not officially launching this blog as I am not certain what level of activicty (if any) will be possible. Mostly I just wanted to grab "veritassupraomnis" before someone else did. I'm not certain that the liklihood of someone grabbing it is or was high, but at anyrate it's now reserved for me. ;-)
God Bless!
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