Live From Michigan

Well, we made it to Michigan in one piece. I got to go pheasant hunting yesterday and it was an absolute blast (so to speak). I shot 2 1/2 birds--all roosters. How is that possible? Well, my friend and I shot one of the birds at the same time. It thoroughly died. I'll post the pictures once we get back to Kentucky.

Please notice the above picture--study it closely. Believe it or not, I actually saw one of these live and in person. Who knew that there were rednecks in Michigan. They used pop cans however--they must have been Baptists.

I am currently at the Great Lakes Chocolate and Coffee Company drinking coffee and putting down some of their famous truffles. Don't be too jealous.

Merry Christmas From The McGraths

Blogging From Indiana

I'm blogging live from the land of grains. Indiana is my native land and I enjoy coming back a few times a year. The day after Christmas my family and I will be heading up to Sturgis, Michigan to visit some friends of ours. We'll be treated to lots of chocolate and coffee (our friends are the owners of the Great Lakes Chocolate and Coffee Company). There's nothing like a big cup of their freshly roasted coffee and a plate of truffles. It's what dreams are made of.

I'm also going to do a little pheasant hunting while I'm up there. I always look forward to this time of the year when we can relax and reflect a bit. Just pray that my belly doesn't enjoy this too much!

Colts Win Big Game

Well the Colts looked like their old selves last night. They dismantled the Bengals 34-16. Dwight Freeney had a huge night with 3 sacks and 3 forced fumbles. Marvin Harrison and Peyton Manning showed why they own so many NFL records and are both future Hall of Famers.

While their victory was impressive--the problems still linger. Of course, the Bengals are no San Diego Chargers and the dreaded playoff questions are still screaming at them. Manning has been able to shed a few monkeys off his back in the last couple of years, but one monkey remains--they haven't made it to a Superbowl yet. This final hurdle has yet to be conquered.

Stupid Gift Ideas

Finally, a place to buy dumb and weird gifts--all from the comfort of your computer. Check out www.stupid.com for some great gift ideas. My favorite stupid item is the soap. I'll let you figure out what I am talking about. Have fun!

Redneck Time out

Excellent MacArthur Teachings

I wanted to highly recommend a couple of teachings from Dr. John MacArthur. He recently preached at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary during their chapel services (download page here). The "Tale of Two Sons" sermon was, by far, the best teaching on the prodigal son that I have ever heard. Also, his teaching entitled, "Christ, the Head of the Church" was also excellent. Check out his daily blog sometime as well. He's got some great articles there.

Why Theology Really Matters

The following article was written by a local "pastor" in Frankfort, Kentucky. He pastors Immanuel Baptist Church:

John 14:6 has Jesus saying, "No one comes to the Father except through me" and Acts 4:12 says "Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved." This has often been interpreted by Christians to deny the validity of the God experience of people of other faiths. These texts can however be read differently. To declare that salvation is found only in Jesus or it is only through Jesus that one can come to the Father is to state what is true for Christians who trust in Jesus; it does not say what is true for people of other faith traditions.

Christians can affirm God's particular revelation to them in the person of Christ, while concurrently acknowledging the authenticity of the God experience of people of other religions. If the language of Christians seems to be exclusionary it is because it is the language of devotion, which is the language of exaggeration and overstatement. When I say that my wife is "the most beautiful woman in the world" I am not denying the beauty of other women; I am not stating something that is factual or verifiable, rather I am speaking subjectively, devotionally, what is true for lovers. Lovers of Jesus can utilize such language.

When this kind of language is crystallized into doctrine then it spawns elitist, exclusionary version of Christianity that denies the experience of other people; it says we are right and you must conform to our beliefs. There is a particularism to Christian faith, but a healthy particularism is not exclusivist, it recognizes that people of other faith traditions can know God and experience God's healing, transforming love.

This article was published locally in a Frankfort paper. He is also, currently, a link on the Kentucky Baptist Coventions website. What do you all think about it?

Vision of Heaven?

At this time, I'm having a different kind of vision. I hope and pray that this is not a true vision of what heaven will be like. I hope to see the Gill family there--but hopefully, they'll leave those outfits behind.

Mars Hill's New Website

Mar's Hill Church, in Seattle, has recently launched their new website. It really is a first-rate site with lots to look at and great downloads.

Mark Driscoll is currently teaching a series called, "Vintage Jesus". I've listened to a few teachings and have been very impressed.

By the way, the protest never happened. I guess that the protesters had better things to do. Actually, Mark met with some of them and assured them that he would "chill out" on some of his language (read here). I'll personally miss some of his common phrases like "chickified" but that's just my warped sense of humor (read his reflections here). So much for a sense of humor on the part of the feminists. We'll have to pray for that one.