Colin here.

Apologies for the long absence. Much has transpired and blogging has been on the far distant burner.

1. Currently at coolbeans musing on James 2. What a shocking and provocative passage for protestants of all shades! Every once in a while I'll read scripture and come out of the experience winded. Pneumatic workout.

If you got that last one, you're a geek like me.

2. Radiohead: yes. If you haven't ever listened to "optimistic" or "in limbo" together, you lackin'!
I do think they almost pulled off a masterpiece in these two songs. It's rock with a pillow under your tush. I jet off into a far galaxy when I listen to the whole album (Kid A).

3. Watch this and then let's talk about it.



Call social services. Other than the irony of these "ladies'" extreme singleness, there's not much to grin at in this one, folks. Rachel brought a great point over dinner about this video and in light of the "Whip my hair" song by Willow Smith, who is 10 years old. The issue is that our media-centric culture is luring children into social, emotional and physical development faster than ever. In short, we're growing our kids up too fast. In reference to the "single ladies" we just viewed, they are seven years old. that's right. siete anos. When I was seven years old I was playing street hockey everyday after school. These girls are playing with barbies in the afternoon, then going to striptease-esque dance lessons after dinner. hhmmm. What's worse is that any person who speaks out against this video on youtube (like one guy we saw, with a vlog) is consistently called a "pedo" or "pervert" for saying the video is sexually charged and inappropriate. REALLY?

not trying to be uber critical, just...GOMMORAH, people!

4. I love my job. Frenzy Screen Printers! I've posted about it before and told of God's providential grace in giving it to me after months of prayer asking for a job just like it. I enjoy going to work everyday knowing that, to a large extent, the fate of the business rests on my (and Savannah's, my co-worker) shoulders. It is a grand responsibility, but infinitely better than being a cog in the wheel at a factory. I'm in a new store on Harbison Blvd, right next to Chili's and Barnes and Noble. If you need anything printed on t-shirts, hoodies, sweat pants, etc., give us a call (781.3755).

5. God is so abundantly worthy. He is deserving of our devotion and obedience/trust/praise at all times. When we don't have intense religious affections for Him, I firmly believe in THAT time we can honor Him in a very special way, even if just by being with Him intentionally. May we never shrink away from Him because of self-inflicted shame.

Be with God this week. I'll be seeking to do the same.

Grace and Peace to you from the only glorious God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Gnosticism and Dishes

Colin here.
I knew that title would draw you in. As my lovely wife does, I'm just going to put down some numbered thoughts in no particular order. Some serious, some even more serious!

1. Rachel and I had quite a busy few days last week, and as they love to do, the dishes piled high. I'm bragging on her because in one fell swoop, she beasted those stone, glass, and plastic adversaries! Go Rachel


2. Gnosticism was the Church's first large scale heresy, and was a problem for the first two centuries of the Church's life. In short, the rub with Gnosticism is their emphasis on secret cultish knowledge as the key to salvation, their unbiblical dualism between matter and spirit (the former being inherently evil and the latter good), and the subsequent sexual immorality that ensued when you see your physical body as a dirty prison that doesn't affect your inner "divine spark."

I bring this up because I have the privilege of leading a small bible study on Wednesdays with some great guys. We're studying 1 John. John is obviously combatting Gnostic doctrines in his letter. Right off the bat in chapter 1 he lays the sensory verbs on thick: heard, seen, looked upon, touched, seen, heard. This isn't rote rhetoric, he is saying one thing, the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus was in space, time, and flesh. The Gnostics held that since flesh was evil, the Son of God could not have obviously been physical, and was therefore an apparition in the form of a man. John says, NO!

This meets you and I today in that our faith is not built on fables and wishful thinking by some followers of a dead Jewish mystic who had a spiritual experience of their teacher post-mortem. Rather, Jesus "became incarnate...and was made man...and was raised from the dead." One day we will look upon Him as He is. Amen

3. Two strange events happened today. First, while listening to a "classic rock" radio station at work, a musical tragedy soared through the airwaves. Sandwiched in between Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd was "Maragritaville" by Jimmy Buffet. ?

Secondly, and even more strangely, I listened to a co-worker explain how he had weird dreams last night because he had eaten ribs for dinner. no lie. When I countered with a comment about my having dreamt weirdly the night before without consumption of ribs, he plainly asked if I had eaten any type of pork for dinner. ?

the end is near.

4. This still elevates my heart rate...



Til next time, grace and peace