Liberals, Atheists Are More Highly Evolved?

Posted on by metroupe

Liberals, Atheists Are More Highly Evolved?

Here is an interesting article from Nat Geo. It points to some research that is obviously questionable in its approach. But it builds on the idea that our behaviors are all genetically determined. Here is a thought. We have been told that gays are that way because of genetics and that they cannot therefore be wrong or changed. If we grant that line of reason, I wonder which behaviors are really genetically determined? What if being a part of the religious right is also determined. Then of course, we have to conclude that it is neither wrong, and should not be changed. The problem with concluding that behavior is chemically or genetically determined is that it falls into the “Is-Ought” fallacy. We cannot conclude that because something is a certain way (for whatever reasons) that it should be that way. The issue of “oughtness” is a question of ethics, and cannot be determined by science alone. We must bring our philosophical and religious convictions to arrive at the conclusion that anything that “is” shouldn’t be that way.

Prayer: The All Good

Posted on by metroupe

The All-Good

Adapted from Valley of Vision

My God,
You have helped me to see that if there is anything good in honor and rejoicing that I should be amazed at the goodness of the one who gives them, and who can take them away;

That real happiness s not found so much in receiving good from you and in you, but in displaying your glory and virtue;
That it is an amazing thing to see God in a creature, speaking acting, filling, shining through it;
That nothing is truly good but you;
That I am near to good when I am near You;
That to be like you is a glorious thing;
This is my magnet, my attraction.

You are all my good in times of peace, my only support in days of distress, my only sufficiency when life shall end.

Help me to see how good your will is in every situation and circumstance, and even when it cuts across my own will. Teach me to be pleased with it.

Grant me to feel you in the fiery trials, in the rich supply of food, and in every “chance detail” of your plan, and to see that your many gifts and creatures are simply your hands and fingers holding and guiding me.

You are the bottomless fountain of all good, and I give myself to you out of love, for everything I have or own is yours: my possessions, my family, church, self, it all belongs to you to do with as you please.

If it is in line with your eternal plans, the intentions of your grace, and the great goals of you’re your glory, then please grant me the blessings of your comforts; if not then let me willingly give myself to your wiser arrangements.

Prayer: Love to Jesus

Posted on by metroupe

I enjoy the book “Valley of Vision” which is a collection of prayers from Christians several centuries ago. The book is wonderful, but the language can be antiquated and challenging to read. I occasionally use this to stir up my sluggish heart. I have decided to paraphrase some of them into more modern language for our use and thought I would share them with you.

“Love To Jesus”

Adapted from Valley of Vision

Lord Jesus,

If I love you, then my soul will seek you,
But can I seek you unless my love to you is kept alive for this purpose?

Do I really love you because you are good, and because you are the only one who can bring real good to me?

It would be right if you did not love me because I am vile and self centered; yet I do seek you and when I find you there is no wrath to consume me, only your sweet love.

You are like a huge rock that stands between the burning sun and my soul, and I live in the cool shade as your chosen one.

Whenever my mind works apart from you, it yields only deceit and delusions; and when my deep desires work apart from you the only result is lifeless actions.

O how much I need you to live within me, because I don’t naturally have eyes to see you; yet I live by faith in you, the one whose face shines brighter to me than a thousand suns.

Christ, when I see that all my life is full of sin and shame, then show me that you are full of all goodness and glory.

Keep me from believing the error that you only appear in glory to my soul when I experience a heart full of strange feelings, as if that was the activity of your grace and glory.

But let me see that you reveal your self most clearly during the eclipse of my personal pride and conceit, when the good and pleasurable things of this world fade away.

It is then that the Son truly breaks out in glory and shows that he is the one who outshines everything in creation; then he makes men spiritually poor and helps them find true riches in himself. Help me to be suspicious of myself, and to find everything good in you!

Welcome To Heartbreak

Posted on by metroupe

One of the things I have been trying to do lately is to pay closer attention to the culture around me so that I can understand what people actually believe and eventually find the “cracks in the armor” that may present an opportunity to share the truth of Christ. I love it when I can allow other people, especially people who don’t even confess faith in Jesus, to make a point for me. These are the lyrics to the rap song “welcome to heartbreak” by Kanye West. I think this is a candid admission of the emptiness of life apart from the grace of God, and things like this may help to provide an open door with people that would otherwise be closed.

Welcome To Heartbreak lyrics

My friend showed me pictures of his kids
And all I could show him was pictures of my cribs
He said his daughter got a brand new report card
And all I got was a brand new sports car, oh

And my head keeps spinning
Can’t stop having these visions, I gotta get with it
And my head keeps spinning
I can’t stop having these visions, I gotta get with it

Dad cracked a joke, all the kids laughed
But I couldn’t hear him all the way in first class
Chased the good life my whole life long
Look back on my life and my life gone
Where did I go wrong?

And my head keeps spinning
Can’t stop having these visions, I gotta get with it
And my head keeps spinning
I can’t stop having these visions, I gotta get with it

I’ve seen it, I’ve seen it before
I’ve seen it, I’ve seen it before
I’ve seen it, I’ve seen it before
I’ve seen it, I’ve seen it before

Oh my God, sister getting married by the lake
But I couldn’t figure out who I’d wanna take
Bad enough that I showed up late
I had to leave before they even cut the cake
Welcome to heartbreak

And my head keeps spinning
Can’t stop having these visions, I gotta get with it
And my head keeps spinning
I can’t stop having these visions, I gotta get with it

And I and I can’t stop
No, no, I can’t stop
No, no, no, no, I can’t stop
No, no, no, no, I can’t stop

Can’t stop, I can’t stop, I can’t stop
No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no
No, no, no, no
No, no, I can’t stop

I can’t stop having these visions
I gotta get with it

Church Planting Research Paper

Posted on by metroupe

Below you will find the results of my church planting research project. I have performed this investigation to provide a better picture of what is going on among Reformed Baptists in North America in the area of church planting, and to make several recommendations that will help us to be more faithful to the great commission and its fulfillment here at home. The document can be printed or read online. I am aware that there are limitations to all research, and that ultimately the teaching of scripture is all that matters. Consequently I realize that this paper is just one point of view, and that not everyone will agree with what I have said. I welcome any comments and input on this paper, and hope that this brief treatment of church planting will promote more discussion and continued reformation of our beliefs and practices to the will of Christ.

I discovered several things that are encouraging in this area, but more causes for concern, and perhaps even alarm. This project suggests that RB’s are not excelling in the area of domestic church planting, and that some common approaches to planting churches among RB’s are in need of reformation.

Several comments on the format of the paper are in order. Azusa Pacific University (where I was studying) requires the use of APA style. This format requires citations within the text, and stylistically is very “dry.” It does not allow for very much expressiveness in the way a paper is written. My apologies ahead of time.

Additionally, the format of the paper requires a bit of redundancy throughout the chapters in the form of summaries. For those who are not interested in research theory, you may find that reading chapter 2 (the literature review) is helpful. But most important is chapter 4 (page 40-70). This is the meat of the research where the results are presented and discussed.

The State of RB Church Planting by Matt Troupe http://d.scribd.com/ScribdViewer.swf?document_id=17510588&access_key=key-1xv6e5e6h6m7xozzkprs&page=1&version=1&viewMode=

This is appendix C from the research which shows the list of known RB church plants in the last 10 years.

RB Church Planting Appendix Table http://d.scribd.com/ScribdViewer.swf?document_id=17621973&access_key=key-2ke7r6x4wpn4p26wahgz&page=1&version=1&viewMode=

Lock the Church!

Posted on by metroupe

Get equipped, and then get out of the church and into the world!

“Despite his insistence on the primacy of the church, Calvin knew the church had its limits. John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress illustrates these limits well. In his classic allegory, Bunyan calls the church “the house built by the Lord of the HIll for the safety and rest of pilgrims.” Bunyan has his main character, Christian, enter this house, the church; he has him “fed,” his allegory for the sermon and for the Lord’s Supper; and he has him led into the armory, where he is equipped. Then Bunyan has the keepers of the house send him away, out into the world. Calvin did the same for his parishioners by locking the church doors after the service. Christians, having been fed and equipped, refreshed and nourished, are to be in the world, according to Calvin…Calvin locked the church doors so the church could be in the world…Calvin locked the church doors after the service because he wanted the church to be salt and light in the world that God made and entrusted to us.”

Stephen Nichols, The Reformation, Crossway Books: 2007, pg. 79-82.

God Scatters His People for His Own Purposes

Posted on by metroupe

“In many ways the great Head of the Church scatters His servants abroad; but they ought of themselves to scatter voluntarily. Every Christian should say, “Where can I do the most good?” and if he can do more good anywhere beneath the sun than in the land of his birth, he is bound to go there, if he can. God will have us scattered; and if we will not go afield willingly, He may use providential necessity as the forcible means of our dispersion.”
CH Spurgeon

Garage Sales, Self Image, and Jesus

Posted on by metroupe

What can a garage sale teach us about the gospel? I am not exactly sure, but I thought of something that they illustrate. Over the years I have enjoyed going to garage sales with my wife. There are a couple of different kinds of garage sales. One kind, that is usually more fun for the buyer, happens when someone realizes that they have way too much stuff and they want to get rid of it. They realize that even though they may have paid $100 bucks for that wheel barrel 10 years ago, that it is not worth that much now. And these folks are really trying to get rid of their stuff; they are fun to bargain with. “Will you take $5 for both of these?” These people are often getting ready to sell their house and move. They are motivated movers. And they know that whatever they don’t sell they are going to have to haul in a moving van across the country. Lots of times you get a good deal from these folks because they are selling stuff for less than it is worth.

The other kind of garage sale isn’t quite so pleasant. The people who have these kinds of garage sales are often sentimental pack rats (I speak from experience!). I will call them sentimental sellers. They value their stuff so much that they never get rid of anything. They don’t understand that a piece of junk is only worth $15 if someone is willing to pay that much for it. These people take personal offense when you offer them $3 dollars for that unopened white elephant Christmas gift that they have had in a box since Y2K. And at the end of the day they have almost as much stuff as they started off with. Then they have to pack it all back up, or spend the rest of the day, and the few dollars they earned at the sale to haul it to the dump. The problem with these folks is that they think their stuff is worth a lot more than it really is.

Well what does this have to do with anything? I was thinking recently about the kind of Christian message that is designed exclusively to boost your self-esteem. It seems to me a lot like going to a garage sale. The thrust of the message seems to be to try to convince us that our biggest problem is that our stuff is worth a lot more than we (or anyone else) recognize. We are motivated movers and don’t realize it. Our big problem is that we have under-valued ourselves, and Jesus can come along like an appraiser to help us see our real worth. If we could just see how wonderful we really were, and get other people to see it too, then life would be much better. Jesus is really useful in this arrangement because he helps us to fall in deeper love with ourselves.

The sad truth of the matter is otherwise. All of us are really like sentimental sellers. We all have an over-inflated view of ourselves, our accomplishments, our perspectives, our virtues, etc. We are upset with other people because they can’t manage to see our grandeur. This is not to say that we are junk. No, we are not garbage, we are the special creation of God, made to reflect his wonder. We are mirrors, meant to reflect the image of something greater. But we are broken mirrors, and the image we depict looks more like the distortion of a carnival fun house than reality.

As I understand the gospel, the message of Jesus is not so much meant to help us prop up our self-image with so much religious silicone, as it is to show us how things really are. Our problem is not that we think too little of ourselves, but too much. And Christ helps us to see the truth, and that often hurts. When he arrives we get our self-image in line with reality. He helps us to see that we are vandals. Then through his love we come to see that our greatest value comes not from ourselves but from our relationship to Him. You should think about this next time you pass a garage sale.

10 (or more) Reasons I love My Mom

Posted on by metroupe

I decided to sit down and come up with at least 10 things I could say to honor my mom and show her how much I love her. This is a great exercise to show our cranky hearts how thankful we should be, and a wonderful way to honor the one who brought you into the world.

10 (or more) Reasons I love my Mom

1. Mom thanks for coming to all my games when I was a kid. I was constantly playing football, baseball, and basketball and you were always there to support me, and even embarrass me with your Kazoo. Thanks for driving me back and forth to so many activities while I was growing up.
2. Mom I love you because you taught me how to iron my own clothes when I was little. This is a small thing, but I think altogether you showed me how to care about my appearance.
3. Mom, I love you because I have a memory of being very small and you holding me close. I can remember having my head up against your chest and remembering how comforting your voice sounded to me. Thanks for being such a tender mom. I was born in 1973, the year that Roe V. Wade was passed. I know I came along “unexpected.” Thanks for keeping me.
4. Mom, thank you for always making a big deal out of the little successes in my life. You always encouraged me when I got good grades or had some kind of achievement, big or little. That has helped me to learn how to be a better dad. Thanks, also for continuing to be proud of me as an adult when I succeed and do well. I love you for that!
5. Mom, I love you because you always let us have dogs when we were growing up. Thanks for letting me have the dog in the house, and even letting her sleep on my bed when I was younger.
6. Mom, I love you because you are a generous person. I can always remember you giving things to people out of kindness. Sometimes you gave gifts, sometimes you gave extra things to customers at our family restaurant. When I was growing up you always showered me with kindness and good presents. Thanks for teaching me to be generous.
7. Mom, thank you for disciplining me when I was a child, and never abusing me. I am sure I deserved much more than I got. You were always patient with me. Thanks!
8. Mom, I Iove you because you have stayed with Dad your whole life. I am thankful that even though you disagreed sometimes, I don’t ever remember a real “fight” while I was growing up. Your commitment to one another is a blessing that I am sure I still do not fully appreciate.
9. Mom, thanks for loving my wife. I think that you were supportive and kind to her from the time we first met. She has been a wonderful wife, and you have always showed your acceptance and approval of her. You have always made her feel welcome in our family. I love you for that!
10. Mom, thanks for taking me camping so often when we were kids. Thanks for letting me be in the boy scouts and do dangerous things without freaking out all the time. Thanks for not freaking out when I crashed the car, 2 times in high school.
11. Mom, I love you for teaching me not to use drugs, and giving me so many positive memories and blessing so that I never really felt pressured to go down that path.