Apathetic Truth

Well, Summer is officially over….

I have to say that I have grown way more than I would have ever thought possible this Summer. God has taught me a lot while taking classes at UGA, reading books, and spending time with family and friends. I have to say that I am a little bit excited for school…..

To end, a song by The Roots and Monsters of Folk that I have been loving this summer…

A Nerdstrong music video performed entirely by iPad’s. Awesome!

Michael Cera and Jason Schwartzman promote their upcoming movie Scott Pilgrim vs. the World by doing the weather report on Atlanta’s Fox 5 News. Part of me wishes I was awake when this was going on.

The much-anticipated twelve-minute Lost epilogue, “The New Man In Charge,” has arrived online.

Some questions answered, others remain, new ones are formed, just like we love it…

Also: Spoiler alert!!

John 6:37

There is no expiration date on this promise. It does not merely say, “I will not cast out a sinner at his first coming,” but “I will never cast him out.” The original reads, “I will not, not cast out,” or “I will never, never cast out.” The text means that Christ will not at first reject a believer, and that as He will not do it at first, so He will not to the last.

But suppose the believer sins after coming? “If anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.” 1 John 2:1. But suppose that believers backslide? “I will heal their apostasy; I will love them freely, for my anger has turned from them.” Hosea 14:4. But believers may fall under temptation! “God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.” 1 Corinthians 10:13. But the believer may fall into sin as David did! Yes, but He will “Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.” Psalm 51:7.

Once in Christ, in Christ forever,
Nothing from His love can sever.

Jesus said, “I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.” John 10:28. What do you say to this, O trembling, feeble mind? This is a precious mercy. Coming to Christ, you do not come to One who will treat you well for a little while and then send you about your business, but He will receive you and make you His bride, and you shall be His forever! Live no longer in the spirit of bondage to fear, but in the spirit of adoption, which cries, “Abba, Father!” Oh, the grace of these words: “I will never cast out.”

Darryl Dash nails it with these thoughts on the Gospel:

The Gospel is about what God has accomplished through the person and work of Jesus Christ. This is big news. It involves rescue from judgment for sin and a restored relationship with God, and his restoration of creation.

The Gospel is good news about what God has done, never about what we must do or have done. It’s good news, not good advice.

The Gospel is:

1. Good news for the poor and victims of injustice because God (not us) has acted
2. About individual salvation and the restoration of the cosmos
3. About individual salvation and the kingdom (reign) of God

The Gospel is not:

1. What we do to promote justice
2. About loving God or loving our neighbors, because this is both Law and a right response to the Gospel (what we do), but it is not the Gospel (what God has done)

Our efforts to promote justice, obey God, and love others are necessary implications of the Gospel, but they are not the Gospel itself. It is wrong to ignore the implications; it is also wrong to confuse our efforts with the Gospel.

God is uniting all that’s been torn apart in Christ (Ephesians 1:10). That is Gospel. We work to unite what’s broken around us. That’s not Gospel; that is our response to the Gospel.

The Gospel is all about what God has done, not what we are doing.

(via Tullian Tchividjian)

I just recently finished Desiring God by John Piper. In the book, Piper reveals scripture that shows the great business of life is to glorify God by enjoying Him forever–By being a Christian Hedonist. Christian Hedonism went from an unfamiliar term to the very lifestyle I pray to live.

What is Christian Hedonism?

The chief end of man is to glorify God by enjoying Him forever. Because God’s mercy to His people is the apex of His glory, enjoying the benefits of that mercy in faith honors and glorifies God. The faith that glorifies God is a happy, hearty trust. Therefore, joy in God is essential to honoring God (as C.S. Lewis states, “Joy in God is a Christian duty”). If faith earnestly believes that “God rewards those who seek Him” (Hebrews 11:6) and if obedience flows from faith, then all obedience must be a pursuit of God’s reward and of joy in God. This follows the example of Jesus “who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame” (Hebrews 12:2;cf. the example of Moses in Hebrews 11:25-26). All people instinctively long to be happy and filled with joy. The Christian is the one who by the grace of God has discovered that God is the only source of satisfying and enduring joy. Thus God is honored as the only one who can fully meet our needs. In the wisdom of God, the glory of God and the eternal joy and well-being of His people always coincide. Therefore, to pursue one is to pursue the other. This is what I have come to discover is Christian Hedonism.

Tempus II from Philip Heron on Vimeo.

I just love these commercials…

Everyone should have one of these!

This little song by a one-man band known as flakjakt may not be the catchiest tune, but it does hold the unique distinction of being the first music video shot with the iPhone 4’s rockin’ 720p camera.