Pregnancy and a Consistent Ethic of Life

SEBTS Ph.D. student, Nathan Finn, wrote an interesting article on Christian parents having a consistent ethic of life. He notes that when a Christian couple learns of their pregnancy, they have a decision to make: (a) tell everyone they know about the pregnancy immediately, or (b) wait until the 'risky' first trimester is over so that if the child does die in the first 12 weeks of being in utero, the couple will not have to tell everyone they have previously told about the death of their unborn child.

Finn advocates, "If life begins at conception, then we are parents as soon as a child is present in the womb. Birth obviously changes many things, but it does not increase the “aliveness” of the child. If life begins at conception, then miscarriage is death, and like all other human death, it should be mourned over and recognized as evidence of the fall. Should miscarriage happen, we would want the body of Christ to grieve with us just as if we had lost a toddler or a teenager.

If life begins at conception, then when we pray for our baby, we are not praying for our future child. We may be praying for the future birth of our now-living child, but the baby is just as much alive and a part of our lives as if he or she were currently in Leah’s arms.

If life begins at conception, then the process of raising our child in the nurture and admonition of the Lord has already begun, even if just in the form of praying for the baby and maintaining godly personal and family disciplines that the baby will one day be included in and taught to apply personally.

If we as Christians truly believe that all of human life is sacred, then we need to quit acting like the world when we talk about pregnancy. That fetus is a baby is a child is a person who is created in the image of God. While being sensitive to the innumerable people who have suffered tragedy during pregnancy, we need to encourage each other to publicly rejoice in new life as soon as we are aware of it. We need to jettison all future tense language when referring to our status as parents, because if there is life in the womb, then we are parents in the present."

I think Finn makes a good point when he mentions that it is beneficial to have people praying for the health of the baby. My wife and I found out a month before the Finns of her pregnancy and we told family and close friends because we wanted them praying for us and the baby. Therefore, if something happens to the baby in utero, then our Christian brothers and sisters can be there for us and help us mourn and "weep with those that weep" (Rom. 12)

Graduation Confusion

I'll give a chestbump and a high-five to the person who can give the best caption to this picture of me and my wife from graduation.

Moving!

I'm still here. After a whirlwind of a weekend that saw my wife and I graduate from seminary, we now have 8 days left in Raleigh before our big move. Most of this Memorial Holiday will be spent packing and boxing and sweating. Pray that I don't hurt myself tapeing down boxes.

Is There Sex in Heaven?

Christian philosopher Peter Kreeft answers this question in his book, Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Heaven. Here is an excerpt and his main conclusion:

"Specifically human reasons for intercourse include (1) consummating a monogamous marriage and (2) the desire to express personal love. As to the first, there is no marriage in Heaven. But what of the second?

I think there will probably be millions of more adequate ways to express love than the clumsy ecstasy of fitting two bodies together like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. Even the most satisfying earthly intercourse between spouses cannot perfectly express all their love. If the possibility of intercourse in Heaven is not actualized, it is only for the same reason earthly lovers do not eat candy during intercourse: there is something much better to do. The question of intercourse in Heaven is like the child's question whether you can eat candy during intercourse: a funny question only from the adult's point of view. Candy is one of children's greatest pleasures; how can they conceive a pleasure so intense that it renders candy irrelevant? Only if you know both can you compare two things, and all those who have tasted both the delights of physical intercourse with the earthly beloved and the delights of spiritual intercourse with God testify that there is simply no comparison."

The entire chapter presents a more exhaustive study of the subject. For the entire study, go here.

The Maze

Try this website: The Maze. I got to level 3.

Frank Page Speaks

Dr. Frank Page has issued a press-release as well as a blog interview with some very encouraging comments.

Press-Release at SBCOutpost.

Interview on Tad Thompson's website

SBC Presidential Election

A few days ago, South Carolina pastor Dr. Frank Page of First Baptist Taylors (on the left) confirmed that he is going to run for president of the SBC next month in Greensboro.

His nomination comes on the heels of a relatively large controversy against other presidential nominee Dr. Ronnie Floyd of Springale, Arkansas. I think this is a good move for the convention and I applaud Dr. Page for having the courage to not listen to detractors who have said that a two-man candidacy would bring division. I disagree with these detractors. It is a new day in the SBC. This is not 1979 or 1985. The reformation in the SBC is pretty much complete and solidified. Both Floyd and Page are solid conservatives who would both do a good job. Why not let the messengers have an actual real vote and not just a blind "whatever you say" attitude to whoever the convention powers-that-be advise would do a good job? To echo Dr. Page I think a real election is "healthy" for the convention.

How Many Gospels Were There? Not 80...

Mike Licona continues his series in demthyologizing the claims of The Da Vinci Code. One of the claims' Dan Brown's book makes is:

"Were there more than 80 gospels as Brown claims? Bart Ehrman is an atheist New Testament critic who specializes in the Gnostic writings. In his book "Lost Scriptures," Ehrman lists 17 gospels not included in the New Testament. When we add the recently revealed gospel of Judas and the four New Testament Gospels, we come to a total of twenty-two, rather than the “more than eighty” stated in The Da Vinci Code. We know of a few others, such as the gospel of Barnabas. But these are much later than even the Gnostic gospels. For example, a gospel of Barnabas may have circulated in the latter part of the fifth-century. But we know nothing of it, except that it was rejected by the church. A gospel of Barnabas appealed to by some Muslims appears to be a different text altogether and written around the 15th century."

Click the link for the entire article.

Da Vinci Code Video Response at TrueLife.org

Southeastern Seminary student Jesse Connors is the founder of TrueLife.org. His website has recently released an outstanding video on the claims of the Da Vinci Code, the reliability of the Gnostic Gospels, and the belief of Jesus' divnity and humanity.

Click here for an excellent presentation.

How Reliable is the Bible? Very.

A good article on the reliability of Scripture by Mike Licona.

Preview:

"Historians feel fairly secure with the writings of Herodotus and Thucydides, both of whom wrote in the fifth-century B.C. and are regarded as two of our most prized ancient sources. This security is based on eight manuscripts for each of these authors. In either case, the earliest manuscript is dated at least 1,300 years after the original was written. In contrast, the New Testament has 5,745 Greek manuscripts (as of September 2005), more than 10,000 Latin manuscripts, thousands of manuscripts of early translations of the New Testament writings, and more than a million citations of the New Testament found in the writings of the church fathers. Moreover, the earliest manuscript is dated within only a few decades after the original was written. Indeed, we have no less than nine manuscripts of New Testament writings within 150 years of the originals. The writings of the New Testament, by far, enjoy the best manuscript evidence of any ancient writings."

Great is thy...Workmanship?!

One of the great attributes that theological education presents is one of challenge. During this, my last semester, I've had the pleasure of taking a class called the Ministry of Worship. One of our assignments was to write a hymn. Being that I have very little musical scoring ability, one of the options was that we were allowed to take a current hymn tune and just change the words. So what happens when I write a hymn? Not the best of hymns. Behold! Great is thy... workmanship?!

(To the tune of Great is thy Faithfulness and based on Psalm 19)


Great is thy workmanship, Lord of Creation
The world testifies to all that you do
The Heavens declare, they proclaim all of your works
There is nothing that exists without You

Great is thy workmanship
Great is thy workmanship
Day after day they pour forth all their speech
You have created all things that exist
Great is thy workmanship, every good thing

O Lord, your law, it is so perfect
It revives the soul and makes wise common man
Your statutes are true, they are very trustworthy
They are more precious then gold in one’s hand

Great is thy workmanship
Great is thy workmanship
Day after day they pour forth all their speech
You have created all things that exist
Great is thy workmanship, every good thing

Lord, keep your servant, from his mistakes
May they not hold much power over me
Then I’ll be blameless, and free of transgression
The words of my mouth be pleasing and sweet

Great is thy workmanship
Great is thy workmanship
Day after day they pour forth all their speech
You have created all things that exist
Great is thy workmanship, every good thing

The Power of the Word of God (pt.2)

2. The Word of God is powerful because it penetrates our souls (v.12b)

Not only is the Word of God real, but is penetrating. The NKJV translates this word as “piercing.” It has the ability to cut into our core and expose us for who we really are. This is kind of a scary thought, isn’t it? Look at the next part of the verse: “Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow.” At first glance, this seems like a complex and confusing piece of Scripture but let’s break it down. Notice it says that the Word of God is a double-edged sword. What does this mean? It means that the Word of God penetrates our souls. This hurts but it is necessary. The language that is used here about soul and spirit and joints and marrow just mean that the Word cuts us to our core. Have you ever had that happen? Have you ever had the Bible cut you to your core? Have you ever read Scripture and thought, “oh...I’m not doing that right,” or “uh oh…Jesus is talking about me. Maybe I should change.” That is what we call conviction. It hurts to be pierced but sometimes that is the only way we can change what we need to change about our lives.

When I was a young boy, around 8 years old, I was on my way to one of my little league football games. We were a little bit late for the game so my dad dropped me off at the front gate of the park. Instead of walking around this chain-link fence and going into the entryway, I decided I’d cut the time in half, and be cool, and climb the fence and run to where my team was. Well, I was already dressed in full pads with my helmet in my hand. I threw my helmet over the fence, and climbed it as when I got to the top, I slipped (I was wearing cleats, too) and on my way down to the other side of the fence, one of the links tore my football pants and another one went right straight into my hand. It pierced my hand. It bled a good bit and I had to get it patched up and play the game with a bloody hand. To this day, I still have this scare on the palm of my hand where the fence pierced me. And that scar is a reminder of a stupid decision that I made. After that whenever I thought about climbing a fence, I would check to see what the links looked like to see if it was safe.

Likewise, when we go through tough times or suffering we can go to God’s Word. And sometimes we have to allow the Word of God to pierce us and show us how we can conform to Christ and glorify God. After we’ve gotten through whatever tough situation there is, we may be left with a scar. But when we look back at that scar, we see how God used that suffering to bring us closer to him, to conform us to his son’s image, and to ultimately glorify Him.
Jeremiah 23:29 says that God’s word is like fire. Indeed the Bible can penetrate our souls and melt the coldest heart. It can cut the toughest person to the core. Maybe you know someone whose heart is tough or is as cold as the North Pole. You’ve prayed and prayed for this person to come to Christ and it just seems like they never will. Know that it is not impossible. Pray for the Spirit to direct this person to the word of God. The next time you are around them, speak Scripture to him, fill his or her mind will the Word of God by filling your speech with the Word of God and watch it go to work. The Word of God is real because it is living and active and it penetrates our souls.

3. The Word of God is powerful because it judges our hearts (v.12c)

Look at the last part of the verse. The Word of God judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. At first glance, you may think that thoughts and attitudes are the same thing, but I’d like to submit to you that they are not. The Word of God judges our hearts by judging two things: our thoughts and attitudes.

a. It judges our thoughts

When we read the Word of God it pierces our soul and judges our thoughts. What kind of thoughts do you think? This is another scary part of the verse. If all of my thoughts were somehow recorded and broadcast in public I would be not only humiliated, I would be ashamed. However, God knows our thoughts. God uses the Bible to show us our sin and the unbelief in our hearts. Did you know that our unbelief starts with our thoughts? The Word exposes our hearts and our thoughts to ourselves. Without the Word of God to show us our sin, our sin is not as evident.
I’ve been recently reading a book on anger. I had to read it for a counseling class and I thought to myself, “This will be great because I know so many people who struggle with anger. Good thing I don’t. I’ll enjoy reading this so that I can help these people with their anger.” As the author of the book took me through Scripture upon Scripture explaining to me how anger was a sin, I realized that I had an anger problem and a sin problem and a thought problem. After all, in Matthew 5:21-22, Jesus says, "You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, 'Do not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.' But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to his brother, 'Raca, is answerable to the Sanhedrin. But anyone who says, 'You fool!' will be in danger of the fire of hell.”
Where does anger start? It starts in the heart and with our thought life. Jesus is making anger synonymous with murder. (The following story is based on a story in the book) When Matthew comes home from work at night, he's hungry. His desire is for food, which after thinking about how good it would taste, becomes a demand by the time he gets home. If his wife for some reason does not have food ready for me, he gets angry. He judges her for not doing what he deemed necessary. Then he punishes her by taking his anger out at her. He could get angry at her by yelling at her or he can show his anger by simmering and ignoring her the rest of the night. Both of these instances are sin and both are dealt with in Scripture. He realized that to change anger in my heart, he must recognize his sinful beliefs and uproot them from his heart and replace them with thoughts of God. The reason he lashes out at his wife is because of the anger that was brewing down inside my heart. However, he can free himself from this by reading the Bible. The Bible judges and discerns our thoughts.

The Word of God convicts us of sin and penetrates our souls so that we may change. Why should we change? We change because we realize our anger, or any sin for that matter, hurts God, who has died for us. I can choose not be angry. I can choose not to sin and I can choose to let God be angry for me. He is the judge and he is the punisher. His Word tells us these things.

b. It judges our attitudes

The word of attitude can also be translated, “intention.” An intention is not just a feeling or an emotion that we have about something. I like to call our intentions or our attitudes our affections. The word “affection” is not something that we use much. Our language has developed so that the words emotions and feelings are used more often. I was just talking about how the Word of God judges our thoughts. Sometimes thoughts that we have just kind of pop up. But these thoughts are part of something far deeper: our affections. Emotions and feelings can change like the wind. Affections, however, are a little more permanent. Our affections are the rudders that propel our boat. They are our steering wheel that directs us where to go. Our affections come from deep down in our heart. The Word of God judges this as well. Affections are emotions that are fortified like castles in our hearts.
1 Thes. 2:13 says, “And we also thank God continually because, when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but as it actually is, the word of God, which is at work in you who believe.” Paul was writing the church in Thessalonica and he was thanking them that they accepted the Word of God for what it was: the word of God. And by doing this, it was at work in their lives. Yes, the Word of God will show us our sins but by doing so it cleanses us from these so that we may live our lives in peace.

Conclusion

Psalm 31 says,

“In you, O LORD, I have taken refuge; let me never be put to shame; deliver me in your righteousness.
2 Turn your ear to me, come quickly to my rescue; be my rock of refuge, a strong fortress to save me.
5 Into your hands I commit my spirit; redeem me, O LORD, the God of truth”

God knows our thoughts and our intentions and He also knows our worries. Phil. 4:6-7 says, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” When we allow the Word of God to pierce us like a sword, and penetrate our hearts and souls we will be filled with a peace that surpasses all understanding. Isn’t that what we all want? Peace? Contentment? Maybe you are worried today about a family member who is not living the way they should. Maybe your anxious about the future and sometimes can’t find God when you need him. Maybe you are depressed and God seems so far away. Feed on the milk of the Word. Fill your mind and meditate on Scripture and the peace that you are looking for will feel your heart.

Our Lord is the God of truth. This Bible is the Word of truth. We can trust that it will be sufficient for our lives because of its power.

“The Word of God is like a swordThat pierces hearts, thus saith the Lord;And like a hammer, weighty, strong,That can break up the rocks of sin and wrong.
The Word of God is like the breadOn which the hosts of old were fed;From Heav’n it came to fill our need,Hungry hearts it will satisfy indeed.” Let's pray.

Invitation

Dear Heavenly Father,

You are the one who indeed created the Heavens and the Earth. You are all powerful and all knowing. You even know the number of hairs on our heads. Thank you for being who you are. Thank you for seeing our sinful state. Thank you for sending your Son Jesus to die upon that cross so that by placing our faith in Him, we may have eternal life with You. Indeed, your grace is amazing. Thank you also for your Word. Thank you for giving us all that we need to live our lives in this book.

With every head bowed and eyes closed, there may be some people out there who are struggling. Maybe you hare going through some difficult life changes. Maybe your anxiety level has risen and you feel like the world is closing in around you. Maybe you are struggling with some sort of depression. Maybe you struggle to get up in the morning. Maybe you can’t stop worrying and it is running your life. Whatever it is, know that God is there for you. Ask him to show you His word and the powerful instrument that it is. Trust him. Fear Him and not fear itself. Cry out to Him and repent of your unbelief and watch how His word pierces your soul and renews your mind.

Maybe there is someone out there who is searching for Truth on their spiritual journey though life. Maybe you’ve decided that Jesus Christ is the way the truth and the life. Right now, ask Jesus to forgive you for your unbelief and your sin. Ask Him to be Lord and Savior of your life and give everything up to Him. He is standing there at the door of your heart, knocking and waiting. Trust Him, for He is your eternal creator, God, friend and Father.

Lord Jesus, thank you again for who you are and thank you for the power of your Word. In your most precious heavenly name we pray, Amen.

The Power of the Word of God (pt.1)

The following is an adaptation of the sermon I preached last week.

"For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart." Hebrews 4:12

Introduction

If you have a faith in God, I suspect that the reason your faith in God has been known is because you are a people of the book. What book is that? This book in my hand: the Bible. And this book is also known as the Word of God. This book is how God has chosen to reveal Himself to us. The book is also how God has chosen to reveal His redemptive plan for us, which is how He sent His own Son to the earth, to live as one of us, to experience life as we do, and to be killed on a cross, dying a sinner’s death, only to rise again so that we may have eternal life with God. But did you know that there are a lot of people who hate this book? There are many scholars and nay-sayers and just people in general that have spent their life trying to prove that the Bible is filled with mistakes and inaccuracies. They dedicate their life and their time trying to pick apart God’s Word so that they may justify their lifestyles.

Indeed, many people have spent their lifetime hammering on the Word of God. However, the Word of God is an anvil that has worn out many hammers. The Word of God still stands because God has ordained it so. The Word of God will not go away because God desires every tribe, tongue, and nation to know Him.

Not only is the Bible indeed God’s inerrant and infallible Holy Word, it also is His completely sufficient Holy World. When we have problems arise in our life, where do we turn? But I’m hear today to tell you that God desires us to turn to Him and we can find out about Him through reading the Holy Scriptures. God’s Word is completely sufficient to meet our needs because it is filled with power. In this passage of Scripture, the author of Hebrews describes the power of the Word of God. In what ways is the Word of God powerful? The Word of God is powerful in three different ways. It is powerful because it is real, because it penetrates our souls and because it judges our hearts.

The Word of God is powerful because it is real (v.12a)

Look at the beginning of verse 12. The author says, “For the Word of God is living and active.” The Bible is not dead. The Bible is not just a book. The Bible, what we call God’s Word, is alive and it is also active, despite people who try to claim that it just a book. This book is real in at least two ways.

a. It is really living

The Bible is really living. What does this mean? This means that when we read the Bible, we are reading the divinely-inspired words that God has given different men to write. And although different men wrote it, the Holy Spirit guided them to write it and they said exactly what the Spirit had in mind. The Bible was written in several genres partly because God knows that different people prefer different literary styles. Included in the Bible are works of history, prophecy, law, narrative, and even poetry. God has chosen to relate to us in a very broad spectrum so that we may marvel at his gloriousness.

Even though God chose to reveal Himself to us through a book that took that long to come into being, the Bible is seamless and timeless and fits together like a perfect puzzle. We believe that God’s Word is inerrant, meaning it is without error, which means that the intended meaning of what was written in the Bile is true and not false. Because the Bible is without error, it is sufficient to meet our every need. Every passage of Scripture is able to affect your life if you let it. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 states, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” The Word of God is suitable to meet our every need. The Word of God is real and it is living.

There is an animal out there in the wild world of animals called the opossum. They are very prevalent in this part of the country and you have probably seen one before. Most people also have heard of the expression, “playing possum.” Well this animal is where that expression comes from. When the animal smells fear it sinks to the ground while its eyes glaze over, bares its teeth, and lolls its tongue to the side, successfully simulating death. No amount of prodding, poking, or shaking will revive the animal from its catatonic state. Apparently the animal is incapable of any feeling, and does not flinch. Opossums create such a convincing portrayal of death, including a putrid odor, that dogs and other predators will abandon them for livelier prey, as most predators will not eat carrion. Some time later, the survivor regains consciousness and continues slowly on its way. Like the opossum, some people approach the Bible and see a dead old book.

However, also like the opossum, the Bible is not dead. It is really living. And unlike the opossum, the Bible is not playing dead. If you were to approach the Bible and prod it and pick it up and turn its pages you will see that it is more the alive. It has the power to change your life. The Bible can change our lives. There is power in this Bible because it is living. The words that are in this book are living and can help us if we apply them to our lives.

b. It is really active

Not only is the Word of God really living it is really active. Instead of using the word, “active”, another translation uses “powerful.” The Word of God is powerful. When we fill our mind with the Word of God we are coming into touch with God Himself. When we read Scripture, it has the power to convict us. This word used for active or powerful literally means “to work.” The Word of God is active and will work in your life if you let it do so.

I’ve spent the last three years of my life working with children at the YMCA. I liked working with children so much my wife and I decided to have one. Children are wonderful because they have attributes that a lot of grown-ups do not have. They are filled with youthful exuberance that is refreshing to be around. They also think that you are a pretty cool person because you are older then they are. I do realize that as they grow older that idea my fade. And they also are almost always laughing. However, one of the most interesting things about children is that they are very, very active. God has given them an incredible energy level. Oftentimes after I’ve spent a few hours playing with them, I come home and my legs ache, my back is sore, and I just have to rest for about an hour. Children are extremely active. Likewise, the Word of God is active. If we allow it to become a part of our lives, it will work in our lives. It will become active. In fact, the Bible is so active it can flat wear us out. Some people don’t believe in preaching through the Bible. I say to them, “why not?” In my lifetime I doubt I’ll ever preach through the entire Bible. We cannot exhaust the Bible. It is filled with gems to help us meet our needs but we have to mining for those gems. The Bible is powerful because it is active.

(The rest of the sermon will be posted tomorrow)

Ministerial Jealousy? An Admission by Clement of Rome

As the blogosphere grows, included in it are countless Christian blogs sprouting up. I fear that this may be a double-edge sword. What an opportunity to spread the good news, but also what an opportunity to lose one's witness by "vain and fruitless cares." There are several widely-read blogs that seem to excel in this area. I suspect that a certain type of ministerial jealousy undergirds this practice.

Clement of Rome, writing 1900 years ago, in his letter to the Corinthian church spends several chapters discussing the topic of jealousy:

"These things, beloved, we write to you, not merely to admonish you of your duty, but also to remind ourselves. For we are struggling in the same arena, and the same conflict is assigned to both of us. So let us give up vain and fruitless cares, and approach to the glorious and venerable rule of our holy calling. Let us attend to what is good, pleasing, and acceptable in the sight of Him who formed us. Let us look steadfastly to the blood of Christ, and see how precious that blood is to God, which, having been shed for our salvation, has set the grace of repentance before the whole world. Let us turn to every age that has passed, and learn that, from generation to generation, the Lord has granted a place of repentance to all who would be converted to Him. Noah preached repentance, and as many as listened to him were saved. Jonah proclaimed destruction to the Ninevites; but they, repenting of their sins, propitiated God by prayer, and obtained salvation, although they were aliens [to the covenant] of God."

It is interesting to note that not only is Clement admonishing the church to maintain unity so that the bond of peace may not be broken, he rightly acknowledges that he is writing to "remind ourselves" to give up "vain and fruitless cares."

As Christian bloggers, let us heed the advice of this apostolic-era church father. Let us ask ourselves what our purpose in blogging is. And if need be, let us repent of our actions. I know that I need to do concerning certain occasions of how I have handled issues. Likewise, as imperfect sinners saved by the grace of God, let's keep in mind the goal of blogging: to glorify God, and distance ourselves from strife and disunity over hills which are not meant to die on.

Advanced Modernity?

My blogosphere friend Matthew from England has written a very short, yet concise piece on modernity and postmodernity. A recent survey shows that young people are not as postmodern as once thought. I've been thinking about this issue for sometime and almost posted about it. Read his reasoning at about what he calls, Advanced Modernity.

J. Frank Norris: God's Rascal

For a rundown of this maverick preacher's life, check out my group blog.

This Past Weekend

To answer Drew's question on the previous post, this weekend went great! For those of you who do not know, I preached in view of a call at a church in South Carolina this weekend for the position of Associate Pastor of Leadership Development and Children's Ministry. I'll disclose the name of the church next week if I am voted in by the congregation. I preached on Hebrews 4:12 - The Power of the Word of God. I'll post my sermon manuscript a little bit later.

The weekend itself couldn't have been any better. The service was a packed house and there was a lot of 'amen'ing going on, which any preacher will tell you is great because you know that the congregation is at least somewhat engaged. The most important part of it all, though, was that I felt so comfortable while I was preaching and while I was interacting with the church members. If God allows us to serve at this church, I really cannot think of a better situation or place to be right out of seminary. I'll keep you posted.

More Americans Reading the Bible

I'm still in my knee-deep-in-work period, but here's something to chew on. The entire article may be found here. Scroll down to the middle of it to find this information.

"Forty-seven percent of American adults read the Bible during a typical week other than when they are at church, according to a study by The Barna Group released in April.

Researchers found a significant increase in religious activity related to five of seven core religious behaviors, and Bible reading led the pack. Barna said only 31 percent of Americans were reading the Bible in 1995, but numbers started increasing in 2004.

Church attendance increased from 37 percent in 1996 to 47 percent in 2006, Barna said, and involvement in small, church-related groups has reached a new high of 23 percent this year. A decade ago only 17 percent of adults participated in small groups.

Church volunteerism increased to 27 percent while adult Sunday School attendance has risen to 24 percent from the 17 percent recorded in 1995, barn said.

Prayer and evangelism were the two categories that did not show a change over recent years. Eighty-four percent of Americans said they had prayed in the past week, and six out of 10 Christians claimed to have shared their faith during a given time span.

The study was based on random telephone interviews with 1,003 adults across the nation in January."

All of these statistics are surprising and worth acknowledging.