Spurgeon Speaks

I was reading a devotion from Spurgeon this morning and came across a quote that I thought puts everything into perspective, not just about what is to come, but about what is already happening, mainly sin.

"The Lord would have His chosen display discrimination so that they may see that the desolation of the wicked is not a real calamity to the universe. Sin alone is evil; the punishment which follows thereupon is as a preserving salt to keep society from putrefying. We should be far more shocked at the sin which deserves hell than at the hell which comes out of sin."

Goodbye VW

I remember the first time I saw it. We were at a car show in Ft. Myers Florida, it was the end of my senior year of high school and I was about to graduate. My parents wanted to get me a new car to take to college and there was this new style on the VW Passat that I fell in love with. In a week we bought it. It was the coolest car at the time for me. I had a lot of great times in it. Roadtrips all over the Southeast. It was the car Shareen and I drove away in at our wedding. A lot of good memories.

That was until last year. The timing belt breaks. Windows fall in the doors. Oil cooler spills all oil into streets of Ft. Worth. Then this last weekend Shareen calls to say she is ont eh side of the road for what we now know was a catalytic converter problem. It was past time to get a new vehicle. Today we left VW land for good.

Good bye memories. Good riddance problems.

New Computer

Well I bit the bullet and it is here. As you are reading this I am typing on my new Black Macbook. This was not an easy choice to make, but I believe I have chosen wisely amongst the plethora of laptop choices on the market today. It is my first Mac and I do not think I shall join the cult as of yet, but it is tempting. This machine is amazing.

The Black Donellys

Typically I try to stay away from the TV. As of late I am not doing too well, but we have our moments. Shareen and I spent at least an hour reading together last night. It is a start to trying to move towards TV free hours in our house. In fact I had planned out a schedule that called for only one show to be watched: LOST. For those who know the show you understand why.

However, there is a genre of film that has always intrigued me: mob movies. I remember the first time I saw The Godfather. The story line was amazing, few movies have topped it. Since then I have like to catch a showing of other mob movies, which are best on TV where they edit out the bad stuff.

And it is to TV that I now turn to find a new mob story that thus far has been great: The Black Donelley’s. This is a show about four Irish brothers who have to deal with neighborhood mobs. The storyline’s are wonderful and well written. The actors are not anyone you would recognize (save one or two), yet they are fantastic. This is not a show for the faint hearted, but it could be one that will be marked as great one day. As of now it has my vote.

If you do not have the time to watch it NBC has now started offering their shows for free on the web. Check it out at www.NBC.com

Open Office

I am on winding down my wait before I make the switch to a Mac. There are a few concerns that I have, the most being waiting for Leopard to be released. As soon as it is released (which I am hoping will happen this month) I will purchase the new machine. However, there is another consideration: Office for Mac. I can buy it $149 since I am a student, but is this the right option?

I have been watching two of my co-workers work with their new Macs (a Mini and a Macbook). They included in their bundle the Adobe Creative Suite 2, which needs a lot of ram to run, yet it is not the software that slows it down, Office is.

Office is still having to be translated since it is not completely on the Mac platform. The 2008 version is suppose to place it on this platform, but that is not due for months. So what do I do? Do I buy the program and watch it run slowly and wait? Is there another option? Well thanks to Phil Eubanks, another co-worker, I have found an answer and it is called Open Office.

Open Office, http://www.openoffice.org/ is a free source program that will do everything that Microsoft Office can do. In fact I am writing this blog on its program “Writer.” It is very similar to Office, but not exactly the same. However remember that it is free. In fact its creators want to keep it that way.

If you are strapped for cash, are not satisfied with Office, or are looking for new ways to stick it to Microsoft. Then I suggest this program. I know I will use it and it can save in all the formats you would need.

Biblical Authority

Less than a week ago I was called to speak to a twentysomething’s gathering in Grandbury, TX. This is a group made up of a few different churches who gather together monthly to worship. The guy who normally speaks had surgery and could not drive so at the last minute I was called to speak. Since I have resolved to only on a rare occasion turn down an opportunity to preach, I accepted.

The next question I asked was, “What is the topic?” the response was usual, “Whatever you want.” Upon some thought and a few discussion and prayer I decided that I would speak on Scripture. This topic is more important today than it was during the whole conservative resurgence in the SBC. (A topic for another day). As I was preparing for this sermon I stopped by LifeWay to see if they had anything that would be helpful. What I came across was the latest edition of Biblical Authority by Jimmy Draper and Kenneth Keathley.

What is great about this book is that in a few short pages (147) you can concisely cover the main issues regarding Biblical Authority. The authors walk you through the major developments in philosophy and religious thought as they affected the Bible. They then define and slightly develop the different criticisms that are used in scholarship today pointing out all the negative uses. Next a walk through Church History’s view of the Bible helps you see that those who find authority in the Bible are not alone in Christianity. Then the rest of the book is specifically concerned with the topic of Authority, especially as it pertains to Southern Baptists.

This is a short book and can be read in a few hours. For those who do not have much time it is a great resource to use in pondering Biblical Authority and teaching on Scripture in general.