Another Great Quote

Here is another great quote to add to our collection. Enjoy!



Education is not filling a pail but the lighting of a fire.

William Butler Yeats

What is...

One rainy afternoon, many years ago, before children, I discovered the brilliant mind of Dr. Gordon Clark. It was the cover that caught my eye - a painting from the past. As I picked up the book, I discovered it was entitled, Essays of Politics and Ethics by Dr. Gordon H. Clark. I opened the cover and have been a fan ever since.


Dr. Clark still has some profound things to say to us today about proper behavior. I believe, currently taking place, is a population being slowly convinced that "what is" can lead to "what ought to be"... I will let Dr. Clark explain.

"Empirical premises contain nothing but statements of empirical facts. They give observational data - they state what is. Hence, nothing but observational data can be put into the conclusion. If the premises state only what is, the conclusion can not state what ought to be; there is no way of deriving a normative principle from an empirical observation."


A normative principle is a theory that establishes a single principle against which all other actions are judged. The key assumption in normative ethics is not complex: there is only one ultimate criterion of moral conduct, whether it is a single rule or a set of principles. Using Dr. Clark's point, we can not use empirical date - data that states what is - to declare what ought to be. His point is that the premise can not support the conclusion.


For example, if you wake up and find a cloudy day and no sun, you would be illogical to surmise from this observation that the sun no longer exists. You are just as illogical to deduce that God does not exist because you can not see Him. If you do not see the sun because of cloud cover in your part of the world it does not mean that there is no sun. Announce that to some of your friends and observe their reaction. Yet, we allow so many to use the same fallacious argument for the existence of God... I do not see Him, therefore, He must not exist. I am confident in my assertion that God's existence is not dependent upon whether you or anyone else see Him.

Normative ethics involve arriving at high moral standards that regulate right and wrong conduct. As Christians are there any higher standards than those of our Lord? Do we allow those standards to govern all that we do? Do we understand that every time we declare "what is" as "what ought to be" we are committing a fallacy and playing God? What are your answers? Blessings!

Humility

Where are the humble servants? The trait of humility has vanished from our leaders today. It used to be that most of our leaders were marked by humility, and that was not that long ago. Now, it is hard to find this trait in any leader.

Not too long ago I did a word study on humility and found some very interesting things.

First, I believe it is God's mark on His people. In Psalm 9:12 it states,

"He does not forget the cry of the humble."

In Psalm 10:12, again,

"Arise, O' Lord! O God, lift up Your hand! Do not forget the humble."

And, it is clear in Psalm 25:9,

"The humble He guides in justice, and the humble He teaches His way."

And again in Psalm 34:1-2,

"I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul shall make it boast in the Lord; the humble shall hear of it and be glad."

And more in Psalm 147:6,

"The Lord lifts up the humble; He casts the wicked down to the ground."

It seems to me that this trait, humility, is the response of the human heart to a Holy God who now dwells in that heart.

Isaiah 57:15 states,

"For thus says the High and Lofty One who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: I dwell in the high and holy place, with him who has a contrite heart and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones."

The second point I stumbled upon is this: humility seems to be something that we can seek as Christians. I am not saying that God is not sovereign because this point has nothing to do with that part of who He is. What I am saying is that man, as a being, is not a robot and thus he is responsible for actions which still fall under the sovereignty of God, but humility seems to be the action that God is first looking for in man. I see this is Zephaniah,

Zephaniah 2:3

"Seek the Lord all you meek of the earth, who have upheld His justice. Seek righteousness, seek humility. It may be that you are hidden in the day of the Lord's anger."

Zephaniah 3:12

"I will leave in your midst a meek and humble people, and they shall trust in the name of the Lord."

The third and final point I will make is this: we often find humility stated in an imperative manner with an implied nominative pronoun, "you" to begin. To me this impresses upon me that humility is something I am commanded to do, but there is more. The command is often stated in a verb tense format that suggests that it is an action that should have begun in the past and should continue into the present in a continuous way. For example,

James 4:10

"Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up."

I Peter 5:6

"Therefore, humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you."

Humility, where has it gone? I sense that in the Christian culture it is slipping away a bit as well, and I put myself in that category. I am no theologian, and I am sure I have some flawed theological thoughts that will cause someone somewhere to have heartburn, but God was moving in my heart tonight. As I read His words, I was reminded of these thoughts from many years ago. Tonight, I am again reminded that humility is my calling as a follower of Jesus Christ after all did not my Savior humble Himself for me??

Philippians 2:8

"After being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross."

Our dominant inability to believe...

Here is a picture of the beautiful church we attend when we visit my wife's parents on Lookout Mountain. They are members of Lookout Mountain Presbyterian Church where Pastor Joe Novenson serves as the Head Pastor. If you have never heard him preach, please make a point to take a trip to this church at least once to hear him preach... it will change your life.


On Easter Sunday, I was in attendance for his Sunday sermon, and it changed my life. Click HERE to go the website and listen to the Easter sermon... it will change you.


This past Sunday he spoke on the risen Lord, and he convicted me and will convict you, if you listen honestly, to the very real fact that we are all dominated by our inability to believe in our Lord. He referenced the passage in John 20:1-23 and Mary's three opportunities to believe that Jesus rose from the dead, but instead, she assumed his body was stolen. He referenced the disciples who lived, ate and witnessed many miracles of Jesus; they knew well of what Jesus spoke of regarding His own resurrection, and still... they did not believe He had risen.

And, then Pastor Novenson spoke about something that shook me to my soul... the apostles are together... locked in a room relating stories and memories, and they are the typical American church. This is not Christianity he said. Christianity is the personal relationship when the resurrected Lord comes into your life and addresses you personally... when he connects with you and you connect with Him. Yet, how many of us have been in churches, schools and ministries were it ends up being about the entity and the promotion of it and not the living Lord.


I recognized, in my own heart, this dominance of disbelief and this pushing away of the personal and the intimate. Pushing away the personal and the intimate manifests itself in many different ways... in your marriage, in your friendships, in your vocational relationships, in your leadership and in your relationship with the Lord Jesus. He becomes secondary to the stories, memories, missions and visions of our desires. We then work extremely hard in making whatever is our passion into an idol that we promote over our Lord. And, do not be fooled, that idol can be a church, a school or a ministry.


This points to the very real truth that our desires can still be dominated by disbelief even in the midst of ministry. Many reading this still will not believe that they could be dominated by disbelief yet how many of us have betrayed friends and colleagues over ideas, mission or disagreements? How many have been in a church, a school or a ministry where relationships have ended in order to be right, in control or comfortable? What entity ended slavery across the British empire? It was not an entity but a person... William Wilberforce. Do not get me wrong... Christian entities are extremely important, but should never be our faith. Instead, they should be the ways we work out our faith with fear and trembling.


How does this apply to Christian education and the Christian school? Well, it means that we must have relationships with our churches, our parents, our faculty and especially our students. And, these relationships must be personal and intimate... and of the utmost importance to us because that is how we were claimed by our Savior, and that is what He still desires from us. Why are we not changing the world, or changing where we work and live? To quote Pastor Novenson, because we do not believe yet that "everything about us is a miracle." Only when we believe this will we be humble enough, relational enough, loving enough and Christ-centered enough to make a difference in our community, and then... we will change the world. Blessings!

Another Great Quote...

Here is another great quote; this one is supplied to us by our new Head Football Coach, Stephen Hooks. This is one of his favorite quotes. You might need to read it twice to appreciate the truth contained in it. Thanks Coach Hooks!

C.S. Lewis:

"Love anything and your heart will be wrung and possibly broken. If you want
to make sure of keeping it intact you must give it to no one, not even an
animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all
entanglements. Lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness.
But in that casket, safe, dark, motionless, airless, it will change. It will
not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable. To
love is to be vulnerable."

Good Friday

Today is Good Friday, the day our Lord willingly gave up His life as a ransom for many. There are many who think nothing of this day. They go through the day as if it is any other day, but if they only knew...

Knew that there was documented a man called Jesus who lived and died in the far away Roman province of Palestine.

Knew that this man, Jesus, was God in the flesh sent to save man from himself.

Knew that this man, Jesus, was the perfect sacrifice for the sins of man.

Knew that this man, Jesus, was nailed to a cross.

Knew that Jesus died on that cross, and three days later rose from the dead just as He said.

Knew that after being seen by many, Jesus ascended to heaven and promised to come again at a time of His choosing to claim those who believe in Him and give each eternal life.

If only they knew that the truth of this message is lived out every day by Believers and non-believers alike in examples like...

The attempts to save the planet and go green; all are rooted in the internal desire to have dominion over creation, and this desire... it was given to man back in Genesis by a Holy God.

The desire to be in control over things springs from that same desire Adam and Eve had when confronted by the snake in the garden. They wanted to be like God.

As Good Friday comes to a close and Easter weekend begins, please ask yourself this question: what would you do if you knew, I mean really knew that Jesus rose from the dead, ascended to heaven and promised to come again?

Would death scare you anymore? Would your life be spent spreading this wonderful proven truth? Would you worry about retirement or financial security? Compare your answers with the actions of the disciples after Jesus left them and... believe! The tomb is empty... rejoice for He is alive and coming again! Have a wonderful Easter!

Where are the studies...

Oakland, Pittsburgh, North Carolina, Alabama and the list goes on and on. Senseless heinous crimes committed for no reason and with increasingly frequency. What is the answer? Why are there no large prestigious universities committing millions of dollars to the study of sudden increasing frequency of these crimes? And, why are there no studies to determine if there is a correlation between the removal of God and morality from our schools, courts and social sectors with the increase in frequency and severity of crime?

We see money spent on all kinds of studies these days. Here are just a few example that are, sadly, true:

1. Talking on your cell phone after you go to bed makes you tired the next day.
2. Night shift nurses have poor sleep habits.
3. Playing with puppies makes you feel good.
4. Athletes perform better after a good night's sleep.

Yet, I can find no study currently in process linking the increase of violent senseless crime with the absence of God and morality in the culture. Why? Maybe, just maybe, they already know what they will find?

The Decreasing Christian Influence...

I have been doing some thinking about the current Christian influence in culture. Many have been writing about the decreasing Christian influence in the west for many years.


Back in 1948, T.S. Eliot published an essay, Notes toward the Definition of Culture. Eliot was concerned about the loss of Christian influence in the culture of the West. Eliot was concerned that Christianity should be a culturally influential force, and not just as an individual belief system. Eliot's fear was that Christians could be in a society in which Christianity has, for all practical purpose died and be quite comfortable. Is Eliot's fear in 1948 a reality in 2009?


Ken Meyers, in his article, Discerning the Barbarians, references Eliot's essay and adds to this idea of Christianity in society,


"My hunch is that few Christians think of the larger concentric circles of time when evaluation the context of their obedience. What is the age or stage of our civilization? What difference does the state of our culture at large make to our loving God and neighbor?"

Pragmatism is alive and well, even in those of us in Christ. We must fight this temptation to live pragmatically as the rest of the world does because when we do live as pragmatic Christians we will easily live while there is no longer a Christian influence in the general culture. Eliot and Myers both reference the difference between the individual faith and the cultural influence, but should there be a difference? Jesus and a handful of faithful, although sinful, followers radically changed culture and the world from the smallest, most insignificant, part of the large Roman world. They went to the centers of society in Palestine and engaged; and most times, it cost them their lives.


How do we stop the decreasing Christian influence? I believe we engage culture through relationships, conversation and belief, and the perfect venue is Christian education. Is Jesus real? Did He die on a cross and rise again three days later and ascend to heaven? Is there such a thing as eternal life? These are questions that can be only answered through a relationship, a conversation and a belief brought by the Holy Spirit. They are questions meant to foster relationships, conversations and beliefs, and they are questions impossible to answer in one setting.

Is there a decreasing Christian influence in our culture? Will a yes answer change us? Blessings!

The Numbers...

Dr. George Grant posted the following chart on his blog. This chart is built with the actual numbers and estimates from the White House and the CBO.



Interesting...