Happy Reformation Day!

"Our Lord and Master Jesus Christ, in saying 'Repent,' intended that the whole life of believers should be repentance." Martin Luther, Thesis 1

Posting

I am not posting anything original. 

I am simply a link peddler. 

I need to generate some original content before my copy and paste buttons wear out. 

Whoa...

Go here to see a counter that updates just how fast social media, and web based communication is happening. Crazy stuff:

http://www.personalizemedia.com/garys-social-media-count/#more-1734

HT: Challies

CONTINUAL REPENTANCE

O God of Grace,

You have imputed my sin to my substitute, and have imputed his righteousness to my soul, clothing me with a bridegroom's robe, decking me with jewels of holiness. But in my Christian walk I am still in rags; my best prayers are stained with sin; my penitential tears are so much impurity; my confessions of wrong are so many aggravations of sin; my receiving the Spirit is tinctured with selfishness.

I need to repent of my repentance; I need my tears to be washed; I have no robe to bring to cover my sins, no loom to weave my own righteousness; I am always standing clothed in filthy garments, and by grace am always receiving change of raiment, for you always justify the ungodly; I am always going into the far country, and always returning home as a prodigal, always saying, "Father, forgive me," and you are always bringing forth the best robe.

Every morning let me wear it, every evening return in it, go out to the day's work in it, be married in it, be wound in death in it, stand before the great white throne in it, enter heaven in it shining as the sun.

Grant me never to lose sight of the exceeding sinfulness of sin, the exceeding righteousness of salvation, the exceeding glory of Christ, the exceeding beauty of holiness, the exceeding wonder of grace.

"Continual Repentance," in The Valley of Vision: A Collection of Puritan Prayers & Devotions, ed. Arthur Bennett (Edinburgh: The Banner of Truth Trust), 136-137.

FRIDAYS ARE FOR FACIAL HAIR

If I grew a beard I would hide out for a few months until it looked as good as this. That is some superb facial hair.

Ray Lamontagne

Yep.

"This is my endlessly recurrent temptation: to go down to that Sea (I think St. John of the Cross called God a sea) and there neither dive nor swim nor float, but only dabble and splash."

C. S. Lewis, "A Slip of the Tongue," in The Weight of Glory, page 187.

INSANE

A friend of mine sent me this today. Anytime it is linked to I have to watch it. 

Sports are unpredictable, but I have to say that it's unlikely you will ever see anything like this again.  I mean, people haven't even thought of stuff that preposterous to put in movies.  It's just insane. Enjoy:

 

Lessons from Chuck Swindoll

Chuck Swindoll is now in his seventies. He has been both President and Chancellor at Dallas Theological Seminary, Pastor at Stonebriar Community Church (where he currently preaches 3 morning services a Sunday), as well as a prolific writer and radio personality. His life and ministry have been rich. We should listen to any wisdom he provides. Here are his 10 lessons from 50 years of ministry:

It’s lonely to lead
It’s dangerous to succeed
It’s hardest at home
It’s essential to be real
It’s painful to obey
Brokenness and failure are necessary
Attitude overshadows actions
Integrity eclipses image
God’s way is always better than my way
Christlikeness begins and ends with humility

Which of these resonates most with you?

A Rare Monday Offering

"You will see a time in which we as a nation finally recognize relationships between two men or two women as just as real and admirable as relationships between a man and a woman."

This quotation is from our President who over the weekend spoke at a Dinner for the Human Right Campaign. Al Mohler offered his commentary below: 

Those words represent a moral revolution that goes far beyond what any other President has ever promised or articulated. In the span of a single sentence, President Obama put his administration publicly on the line to press, not only for the repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act, but for the recognition that same-sex relationships are "just as real and admirable as relationships between a man and a woman."

It is virtually impossible to imagine a promise more breathtaking in its revolutionary character than this -- to normalize same-sex relationships to the extent that they are recognized as being as admirable as heterosexual marriage.

HT: Challies and Mohler

Weekend Update - The Glories of Fall

I don't know about you, but this is MY most wonderful time of the year. Some great pics behind this link:

Autumn scenes - The Big Picture - Boston.com

Posted using ShareThis

FRIDAYS ARE FOR FACIAL HAIR

Ambrose Everett Burnside: Union Army general, inventor of sideburns (seriously).

This Week's Theme

Josh Harris of Covenant Life Church - Gaithersburge, Md

Proverbs 13:4

The soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing, while the soul of the diligent is richly supplied.

UNFRIENDED

I was going to post something else, but I realized Tim Challies beat me to it. So I give you this from Garrison Keillor: