Photo Essay from the Red River

Here are some great photos displaying the resolve and character of some ND and Minn. people battling for their homes.

Murdered Pastor's Wife Speaks Out

Only God could do this.

When was the last time you have forgiven someone who has violated your life?


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The Nation's Murder Capital is...?

This will be a surprise, probably. Worth reading.
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The Purpose of the Church

"The primary task of the Church is not to educate man, is not to heal him physically or psychologically…. I will go further; it is not even to make him good. These are things that accompany salvation; and when the Church performs her true task she does incidentally educate men and give them knowledge and information…she does make them good and better than they were. But my point is that those are not her primary objectives. Her primary purpose is not any of these; it is rather to put man into the right relationship with God, to reconcile man to God."

( Preaching & Preachers , 30)
–Martyn Lloyd-Jones

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Welcome to Authenti-City

I will celebrate before the LORD. – 2 Samuel 6:21b
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" 'These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.’”
– Matthew 15:9 (Isaiah 29:13)

Do you (like me) ever find yourself wanting to be “authentic” in worship? And then you realize you are trying too hard to be worshipful, therefore it is not authentic? Then you realize you are being hypocritical, and just shrink back? Ugh, real worship is not present. I am there but God gets nothing, or very little. Then I hope there is a video or drama or something coming soon…sigh.

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Fear of man will prove to be a snare,
but whoever trusts in the LORD is kept safe. – Proverbs 29:25

One the other hand, many of us actually hold back during corporate worship because we are fearful of being judged by our neighbor. It doesn’t happen all the time, but now and then we have that cocoon around us, and we do not give God what we really feel in praise from our heart. We fail to express physically and emotionally our true worship, perhaps out of some cultural or community-based egg shell sensitivity barrier. Or maybe that friend we invited is present and we know s/he is watching. Hmmm?

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Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. – Mark 12:30 (Deuteronomy 6:5)

May God help us to lose all inhibitions, whether negative or positive. God’s capacity to accept the limits of our worship styles far exceeds our ability to express them. Sing, shout, stand, sit, kneel, clap, dance, or be still, in awe…God loves it all and deserves it all. Free yourself for HIM, because he has freed you.

The next time our worship team breaks out in shouts with songs like “I Am Free”, I pray that the Lord will grant you whatever freedom you need to be free, authentic, and to SHOUT BACK! The Lord loves LOUD!

Sing to him a new song; play skillfully, and shout for joy. – Psalm 33:3

Clap your hands, all you nations; shout to God with cries of joy. – Psalm 47:1

My lips will shout for joy when I sing praise to you— I, whom you have redeemed. – Psalm 71:23

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Why Does God Allow Evil?

Last night in small group we had a brief discussion about why God allows sin/evil. I, for one, was very convinced that I am personally inadequate in knowledge to biblically explain this issue with any degree of authority. Providentially, God had just (within the last week of so) exposed me to biblical teaching on the very subject. Follow this link to download the final session of the 2009 Shepherds' Conference delivered just two weeks ago by John MacArthur who articulates the biblical explanation of the existance of evil in a captivating way. WARNING - this is not a quickie solution, and needs to be thought thoroughly through by all who are in Christ, but it is well worth the theological surgury and recovery pains.

You may need to register here (below) before you go through this process, but believe me it is well worth the effort.

Go to

https://www.shepherdsfellowship.org/MediaVault.aspx

then select "Shepherds' Conference"/"Audio Downloads"/"2009"/"General Sessions" , then pick session 9 and go through the checkout process. It costs nothing except a little bit of your time.

The Cross and Criticism

"Criticism", whether in the context of giving or receiving it, is loaded with land mines that are just waiting to be stepped upon. Here is an excellent article that I pray would help you as it has helped me put a Godly perspective on this necessary element of life on earth.

Never Let the Gospel Get Smaller

If you can handle a heart exam, then read this test from John Piper...

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Granger Entertainment

This entry from A Little Leaven is one reason I started this blog. If watching this doesn't either stir righteous indignation for the Lord in you or make you take one step back in dismay, then I would be surprised.

Complacency and Conscience

In the spring, at the time when kings go off to war, David sent Joab out with the king's men and the whole Israelite army. They destroyed the Ammonites and besieged Rabbah. But David remained in Jerusalem. – 2 Samuel 11:1

Do you keep a wartime mentality? Or do you get lulled to sleep, just like me? Spiritually, I get ritualistic and lose perspective on why I am doing what I am doing. Going to church, reading the Bible, praying…I do it and do it with wrong motivation sometimes. Is that just me? Help me bro.

One evening David got up from his bed and walked around on the roof of the palace. From the roof he saw a woman bathing. The woman was very beautiful, and David sent someone to find out about her. – 2 Samuel 11:2-3

I have become thankful that God gave me a conscience. When I was young, I hated my conscience. But I treasure it now. The spiritual conscience is equivalent to the physical sense of pain. Conscience is a huge warning sign for attention and correction. Hansen’s disease (a.k.a. leprosy) is a disease where people lose the physical sense of pain, and cannot realize the damage done to their physical body, even if it is self inflicted. People hurt themselves without even knowing it. Spiritual leprosy is even more dangerous. Do not let your lack of attention to conscience or your habits let you get complacent.

After Nathan had gone home, the LORD struck the child that Uriah's wife had borne to David, and he became ill. On the seventh day the child died. – 2 Samuel 12:15,18

David was lulled into complacency and suffered the consequences. He did not recognize his spiritual leprosy before deadly sin overcame him. Can we use this scripture to warn us?

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New Calvinism Impacting the World

It is, according to Time Magazine.

Read more about it here.

World Evil Update

Sorry to have to bring this reminder of the reality of Christian suffering in the world.

One man burned alive and his father murdered in Eqypt. By an out of control mob. These crimes are, in reality, against Christ, in addition to the people. Think about it.

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Future of the "Evangelical" Church

This op-ed gets right to the point. Lots of body blows here, probably well deserved.

I agree with most of it.

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Amazing Grace

Here is a classic done in a classical manner.

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"The Shack" Author William P. Young Interviewed

This is a fairly long interview (40 mins or so) of Young by Pastor Kendall Adams from Burlington Baptist Church (Iowa).

Young calls this interviewer one of the most grace-filled and fair interviewers he has had do deal with.

It's a great interview, I think.

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If you want to follow up, here is Pastor Adams' blog entry regarding this issue.

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Wikipedia Scrubs Obama Eligibility

Wikipedia, the online "free encyclopedia" mega-site written and edited entirely by its users, has been deleting within minutes any mention of eligibility issues surrounding Barack Obama's presidency, with administrators kicking off anyone who writes about the subject, WND has learned.

A perusal through Obama's current Wikipedia entry finds a heavily guarded, mostly glowing biography about the U.S. president. Some of Obama's most controversial past affiliations, including with Rev. Jeremiah Wright and former Weathermen terrorist Bill Ayers, are not once mentioned, even though those associations received much news media attention and served as dominant themes during the presidential elections last year.

Read the Whole article from World Net Daily here.

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Bible Marketing Hits a New Low!

So, is that the "Show Horses Bible", the "Wild Horses Bible," The "Clydsdale Horse Bible", or the "My Little Pony" Horses Bible?

It is getting tougher and tougher to parody the silliness of the church culture these days with this going on.

Here is the press release from Zondervan.

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Letter to a Grieving Friend

James MacDonald has been diagnosed with prostate cancer. Until then, he remains a steadfast pastor and inspirer of souls. This is a great contribution from his blog about real life.
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Amish Country Update - Competition for Horses?

Will technology finally catch on and put the horse in the proverbial pasture?

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I doubt it.

Technology Sabbath

Sometimes I think I need a fast, not just a Sabbath. Consider this, if you can manage to turn everything off before you're too distracted to think through this real issue.
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Church Safety Questions to Ask

Depending on the size of your church, you may want to ask some or all of these questions.

Pray for First Baptist Church of Maryville, Ill

Please pray for this church and the family of slain Pastory Dr. Fred Winters, who was gunned down today in the pulpit

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Interview with Ted Kluck

I like Ted. He wins. Here is an interesting interview.

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I like Kevin too.

Sin and Worship

When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, "Son, your sins are forgiven." – Mark 2:5

I have to believe that the walking paralytic carried on a robust worship life after Jesus not only healed him physically, but told him that his sins are forgiven. He was given everything he needed for life now and forever.

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37When a woman who had lived a sinful life in that town learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee's house, she brought an alabaster jar of perfume, 38and as she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them.

47Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—for she loved much. But he who has been forgiven little loves little." – Luke7:37-38, 47

This woman’s level of worship was incredible; it was emotional, public, and vastly personal, and a phenomenal example of giving as worship. This short recollection gives compelling example that it’s not the relative level of a person’s sinfulness that measures ones desire to worship God, but the level of recognition of ones own sinfulness and the truth of the recognition of sins as utterly repulsive to a Holy God that will launch a believer’s worship. When someone more fully realizes his own sinfulness in God’s sight and learns how totally pure God is; when that someone increasingly refers to himself as the chief of sinners, then that worshiper will more fully appreciate God’s phenomenal sacrificial act of mercy and love for forgiveness, and climb to new levels of intimate worship of the Savior.

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Do you contemplate through prayer and meditation your own sinfulness, and ask God to reveal the ways which you displease Him that may not be evident to you? Do you study God’s true attitude toward sin and His utterly Holy nature in the word? If you do both consistently, you may find yourself worshiping God more fervently.

Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst. But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on him and receive eternal life. Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen. – 1 Timothy 1:15-17 (emphasis mine)

Does Your Youth Pastor Have Self Defense on His Resume?

Do you have a Dark Knight for a youth pastor? Is this the next thing in youth ministry?

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Sheep Discernment

Again from the Sacred Sandwich...

If Galatians was Published in Christianity Today

The Sacred Sandwich imagines what would happen if Paul’s letter was to be written and published today.

If you don't like, or are offended by satire, don't click here.

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What $1 Trillion Looks Like

Sometimes my kids ask me what I do at work. If I am just not talkative, I say that I make graphs and charts all day.

So I wish I would have thought to make this amazing graphic.

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Get Ready for Gdrive

Google Drive, or Gdrive as it is better known, has to be the most anticipated Google product so far. When it arrives, Gdrive will likely cause a major paradigm shift in how we use computers and bring Google one step closer to dethroning Windows on your desktop.

The service has the potential to eclipse even Gmail, Google's second best-known product after their google.com search engine. That said, it's no wonder users have been ripe with anticipation for years - yes, that's how long the rumors have persisted. Gdrive is basically online storage where Google servers have enough capacity to hold the entire contents of your hard drive. It will likely also come with enough brains to do cool tricks now with bigger things down the road - like booting your computer from online drive to load the Google operating system.

Read the whole article here.

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The Rebel's Guide to Joy - The Life of Horatio Spafford

I thought I knew the whole Horatio Spafford story, until I saw this

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Don't Waste Your Life Update

First EmCee battle of 2009

Update from the cutting edge


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5 Reasons Why Theology Is Important to Study

I thought of a couple of these, but not all of them. What do you think?

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Free Audio Book

"Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life" by Donald S. Whitley

This is what I am "reading" this month. Put it on your Ipod and be blessed.

ESV Study Bible Online Free for March

The ESV is arguably the most "accurate" translation of the the New Testament. This is a great opportunity for those of you looking for in depth study.

Go for it

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Flight 1549 Animation / Audio

This is amazing

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