Leaderboard

One of my favorites is C.S. Lewis, from Mere Christianity. "Imagine yourself as a living house. God comes in to rebuild that house. At first, perhaps, you can understand what He is doing. He is getting the drains right and stopping the leaks in the roof and so on; you knew that those jobs needed doing and so you are not surprised. But presently He starts knocking the house about in a way that hurts abominably and does not seem to make any sense. What on earth is He up to? The explanation is that He is building quite a different house from the one you thought of - throwing out a new wing here, putting on an extra floor there, running up towers, making courtyards. You thought you were being made into a decent little cottage: but He is building a palace. He intends to come and live in it Himself." --------------------------- Christianity, if false, is of no importance, and if true, of infinite importance. The only thing it cannot be is moderately important. John Piper "The wisdom of God devised a way for the love of God to deliver sinners from the wrath of God while not compromising the righteousness of God." ------------------------ "Christ did not die to forgive sinners who go on treasuring anything above seeing and savoring God. And people who would be happy in heaven if Christ were not there, will not be there. The gospel is not a way to get people to heaven; it is a way to get people to God. It's a way of overcoming every obstacle to everlasting joy in God. If we don't want God above all things, we have not been converted by the gospel." ---------------------- "Do you feel loved by God because you believe he makes much of you, or because you believe he frees you and empowers you to enjoy making much of him?" A.W. Tozer "It is doubtful whether God can bless a man greatly until He has hurt him deeply." ------------------------------------ "The yearning to know what cannot be known, to comprehend the incomprehensible, to touch and taste the unapproachable, arises from the image of God in the nature of man. Deep calleth unto deep, and though polluted and landlocked by the mighty disaster theologians call the Fall, the soul senses its origin and longs to return to its source." Ravi Zacharias "Yes, if truth is not under girded by love, it makes the possessor of that truth obnoxious and the truth repulsive." ------------------------ "Unless I understand the Cross, I cannot understand why my commitment to what is right must be precedence over what I prefer." R.C. Sproul For the soul of a person to be inflamed with passion for the living God, that person's mind must first be informed about the character and will of God. There can be nothing in the heart that is not first in the mind. Though it is possible to have theology on the head without its piercing the soul, it cannot pierce the soul without first being grasped by the mind. DL Moody God doesn't seek for golden vessels, and does not ask for silver ones, but He must have clean ones. ------------------------- Some day you will read in the papers that D.L. Moody of East Northfield, is dead. Don't you believe a word of it! At that moment I shall be more alive than I am now; I shall have gone up higher, that is all, out of this old clay tenement into a house that is immortal- a body that death cannot touch, that sin cannot taint; a body fashioned like unto His glorious body. I was born of the flesh in 1837. I was born of the Spirit in 1856. That which is born of the flesh may die. That which is born of the Spirit will live forever.(Especially poignant as we once had the honor of tending his grave)

When my son went to Wasilla High, in Wasilla, Alaska, his band teacher who was also the overall music director, told the class that when a person sings the National Anthem, they are allowed only two "embellishments" which is when a vocalist puts in a "warble" here and a "warble" there. "But only two if you are going to sing it for a Wasilla High game! "And", he would go on, "If you actually have the privilege to sing our National Anthem, it is not "about you" when you do it! It's about respect for your country. It's about those people in the stands, and the Freedoms that we enjoy! So keep it respectful!" Yeah, that was Mr. Pennington of Wasilla High, and I personally thanked him for telling that to his class which, of course, included my son. I was delighted that he took the time to tell them that... Well, I think that Christina Aguilera's blowing it with the singing of The Star Spangled Banner was disgraceful. Not only did she add about 300 embellishments, making it not even sound like the original, she blew it on the lyrics too. Oh, she is a hot looking woman, and she has the "pipes" (great voice), but, it was all about HER, man, and not about our Country, in my not so humble opinion. I mean, the chick is already a superstar, she's already made her millions and has hundreds of thousands of adoring fans, and that is just fine with me. More power to her on that count fore shore! But when it comes to having that privilege, I think far more respect is warranted, and that she should have focused on being honored to do it and not try to display her "greatness". Shoot, her vocal abilities and good looks are already duly noted. That's why she's famous! I remember that Jewel once sang the Anthem at a Super Bowl, and it was clear and clean and beautiful. I think she did her country proud. And once, at a little old swim meet in Haines, Alaska, my wife, son, and I sang the Anthem in three part harmony and we sang it straight and true, and man, it gave me goose bumps as we heard our voices echo off the walls in that indoor swimming pool complex. We felt honored to do it even if for so small a crowd. Also at that swim meet, since a Canadian team came down from the Yukon Territory, a young Canadian gal sang "Oh Canada" (their anthem) in honor of her country, and it was clear, sweet and beautiful. We were all very moved out of honor and respect for Canada. Made us all very proud. So, there it is. I just felt like spouting off on that one. A "rant" maybe. Hopefully next year, whoever runs that damned Game will try to get someone who will simply be thankful to do it, and will do it nicely. And not Roseanne Barr! Next time, how about a straight rendition of it by some high school kid who happens to have a very nice voice? Or, how about the "Cactus Cuties"? Here, check out the Cactus Cuties: