Arrogance is Deadly

So the Oil spill is still ongoing in the gulf of Mexico and they still haven't been able to stop the flow devastating the waters and coastline. If God has placed us in charge of the planet without being a enviro fanatic , I would say  we have done a very poor job. Man is so sure science and technology has all the answers that we tend to be over confident to drill perhaps where we should not .                                                                            Proverbs 16:18 
Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.   Maybe they should have read this verse before they drilled in 5000 feet of water. 

Friday Nights Was Alright .....

When I was growing up I would look forward to going to town with my Nan on Fridays . It was always the same day to get groceries at the store on the corner of Webster street in Kentville,NS. I think it went with the name Dominion at the time , then switched over to IGA a little later . 

The main reason I was so excited to go, it was allowance day . I would usually get a couple of dollars from my Mom and Dad for doing a few chores . Plus my Nan ( OK I was spoiled) would give me a 1 or 2 dollar bill to go with it. So with my pocket full of cash , off I would go just down the street to Chisholms . It was a local book,magazine and hobby store. It is still open , which is nice to see in this age of corporate and online madness. 

My heart would race as I entered the store , quickly heading to the racks with magazines and the spin rack full of comic books. Then I would spend at least 30 minutes deciding what adventures I would walk out with. You have to realize that having anywhere between 2 or 3 dollars with comics being around 10 cents or so when I started buying them when I was 5 or 6 (this was 1969) , I was a rich man in comic heaven . 

Standing there I would pull each title that caught my eye. From Spider-Man ,The Fantastic Four,The Avengers,Batman,Superman . I would walk out with at least 2 or more , get to the grocery store get a Pepsi or Coke , a bag of chips and then couldn't wait to get home and enter the world of the superhero.

It was exciting and full of adventure . I mean who didn't want to be Spider-Man or Superman. I still recall the towel around my neck , held there with a Cloths pin, flying around the house . They were our entertainment . Who needed cable or the internet or video games . I was transported to  worlds of wonder ,with each comic panel full of great art and cool dialog. Much cooler then the stupid books of my primary and grade 1 readers. See spot run! Yeah right ,whatever. I still recall getting into trouble for sneaking in my Comics to read during reading time . Another friend of mine did so as well . It was worth the standing in the corner. 

I kept reading comics and buying them till about the mid 80's . Then I grew up (highly overrated) and made a huge mistake of selling them or giving them away . Dumb idea. I miss them at times and sometimes I search out some of the titles I had  collected on E-Bay just for fun. They played an important part of my childhood. They helped me escape to a world were good guys won and bad guys paid the price. Not such a bad thing . 

So I have great memories of Friday nights , clutching my money and heading off to find that adventure with one of my many favorite heroes.Good times . Simpler  and more innocent times . 

And Now For Something Completely Different

OK , I either really don't like blogging everyday , don't have anything to say(yeah right) or I just lack the discipline to do so .Maybe I just need the threat of a huge giant foot randomly smashing me if I don't write.

Anyway June is soon here and I will blog each day . I have started a mental list of things to write about , review and say.

Just before I leave , to answer the question posted in my last entry , everyone! Read Romans , nuff said.

Just A Thought .....

Just thinking , do you notice that nobody ever says anyone is going to hell unless they have commented one of the extreme sins like murder,rape, molestation,mass genocide etc..  Nobody goes there unless they are really , really bad .
But who is really bad ?

Give Me That Old Time Hymn Book......

Modern Worship music is a very mixed bag . Many songs are so shallow and lack any depth theologically and in general ,when I sing them in Church it feels like I should be in a Sunday school for children. The use of guitars,drums and a more rock  style is not the issue at all. It is the content of the lyrics more than the style.

Often times you have very little in the way of the gospel , the cross, the atonement , the holiness of God , the grand themes of the scripture. Often the songs have a repetitive chorus of very simple phrases that are sung over and over . Plus if you replace Jesus with your love ie wife  in some songs, you would not know the difference.

Not all old hymns are gems either but a large group have survived the test of time . The writers tried to convey the deep truths of scripture , challenging their listeners to learn and at the same time glorify God. They were God centered and you would hear of your need of Christ . But we are dealing with a generation that think reading readers digest is actually reading. They have the attention span of a tv dinner. Plus it has to fast , uptempo with a lot of sound.

Now there are many solid and great contemporary hymn writers trying to instill content and at the same time make them very singable, made for corporate worship , with God's glory in mind. They can be done and new song like In Christ Alone ,is a prime example. Also the Sovereign Grace Music group is producing worship songs that are catchy , with both rocking numbers and more laid back styles but have solid content.

So what is needed is a grounded biblical and theologically grounded worship leader who has the mind to first say is this song worth singing based first on content.Is it Christ centered and God glorifying . Second will it edify the body and can it be sung corporately. It can be done by mixing the best of the new with the tried and true of the past. It would  be nice to not feel I'm in a Barney episode singing a sung that a 4 year old would enjoy.

So Brave , So fearless.....Not!

Black Metal , just the name makes it clear , its nasty. It is a loud aggressive , dark music filled with anti-christian messages , satanic references , indulging in paganism and over the top mixture of sex and violence . Although they often say all religions are evil , you cannot read the lyrics or interviews with these bands without coming to the conclusion what they really mean is classic orthodox Christianity.

Many are not Satanist in a classic sense , worshiping the devil but often what they mean by satanism is the worship of man . That man is all there is and they will not follow the "god" of mans invention. So the mantra is do what thou wilt . You are your own master. That religion is weak and lies.

Two years ago a group called  Behemoth in a concert in Poland while performing , ripped a Bible up.Basically telling the audience it is lie and that it is worthless. Under Polish law apparently  they have been charged with blasphemy . Now I do not want to get into the whole matter of charging them for this act but would rather point out for all their fierceness and hatred directed towards a God they don't think exist ( get the irony of that) , how come its usually Jesus and  Christianity the over the top displays are reserved for.

Let me tell you why . They know that in general Christians may get upset and even angry at the blasphemy against our Lord and His word ,but what will be our response? We will write in protest , we will engage their arguments and will pray for their souls for salvation. Even if they say in general how they hate all religion , its Christians who get the most hatred and abuse.

Now change the book to a Koran and instead of always featuring a mocking image of Jesus , portrayed sometimes on a upside down cross , or worse ( I have researched images that are not fit to mention) to Mohammad. Now let me say this , as a Christian I do not believe Islam is true but I respect the dignity of their beliefs and  do not think the Koran nor Mohammad should be portrayed in this light either. But what would the reaction be in general . Cartoons started a firestorm of violent protest in Denmark , when Mohammad was shown in a bad light. Salman Rushdie still has body guards after writing the Satanic Verses , a book that blasphemed Islam. The list could go on.

The point , if these guys are so "black" mean and hate all religions , then step up to the plate and blaspheme them all . Oh wait , no takers , thought so.

Last thought , when Behemoth is long forgotten in 100 years or so , the word of God will still being preached,the gospel of Jesus Christ will be saving people from sin and hell . God will be praised till Jesus returns to judge the living and the dead .

Just a Thought

Sometimes life gets busy and blogging just isn't a priority . But this one will be short and sweet ,for I plan on writing about this tomorrow.

Black Metal is a nasty form of music . If it is so brave in its hatred against God , then why do they deface the Bible and blaspheme Jesus only? Answers coming......stay tuned.