Victoria's Secret for Church Growth?

From the The Telegraph comes this story about the latest attempt for the Church to become "relevant."

Evangelism and erotic underwear are rarely linked outside the tabloid newspapers. But a new book backed by a Church of England bishop urges Christians to spread the message to their friends and neighbours by hosting lingerie parties.

The book, Open the Door, argues that in an age when more people know their zodiac signs than the Ten Commandments, Christians have to use unconventional methods to reverse the decline in churchgoing.

The rest of the article can be read here.

Want unconventional? How about preaching about Jesus not g-strings.

Happy 3rd Birthday - Buddy!

Today's Public Service Announcement

Coulter for High Court!

Dear President Bush,

Please nominate Ann Coulter to fill the vacancy on the Supreme Court...

Somebody Knows Your Name

In today's mail:

"Dear Rev. Nichols,

The Heritage Registry of Who's Who is recognizing you for possible inclusion in the upcoming 2006-07 edition. Your invitation is a result of the success your organization has attained in the field of Religion..."

My parents spent about $75.00 when I was a high school senior to purchase Who's Who Among American High School Students. And there it was all two lines of text along with a few thousand other students whose gullible parents shelled out their hard-earned cash for fleeting fame or truth be told for petty pride.

While I certainly feel honored that Who's Who wants my money again...I will pass. I am more concerned that my name find inclusion in this book.

"He who overcomes will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out his name from the book of life, but will acknowledge his name before my Father and his angels." (Revelation 3:5)

I'd rather be found in Whose His than Who's Who any day. Here's praying you do too.

A Pastor's Worst Nightmare

As a pastor there will always be those moments when we say what we don't mean to in the pulpit. However none of my slips of the tongue, as yet, have quite reached the level of embarrassment of the pastor in this clip.

WARNING: This may not be appropriate for members of the ladies' circle.

Click the picture to be taken to this edition of America's Funniest Pulpit Videos...



HT to Todd Rhoades over at Monday Morning Insight.

From the "Well, Duh" Department

You are a Social Conservative (25% permissive) and an... Economic Conservative (63% permissive) You are best described as a: Republican Link: The Politics Test on Ok Cupid

For Matt and Laurie On Their Wedding Day

"Marriage was the last relic of paradise left among men,
and Jesus hasted to honour it with his first miracle."
CH Spurgeon

George W. Bush: Theologian-in-Chief?

The New York Sun has an interesting editorial on President Bush and the theological implications of Hurricane Katrina.

Here are some highlights:

While leading the logistical work of disaster preparedness and recovery connected with Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, President Bush has been doing some important yet little-noticed theological work as well, helping a nation of believers in a benevolent God grapple with the age-old "problem of evil."

The president confronted the theological issues most directly in remarks last week at Washington National Cathedral. "Through prayer we look for ways to understand the arbitrary harm left by this storm, and the mystery of undeserved suffering. And in our search we're reminded that God's purposes are sometimes impossible to know here on Earth," he said, resorting to the idea of God's purposes as mysterious and unknowable - a more modest view than that of those who claim to know that the hurricanes were a divine punishment for a specific transgression.

Even then, rather than leaving this perhaps difficult thought as a final note, the president quickly moved to a more reassuring line of explanation. "Yet even as we're humbled by forces we cannot explain, we take comfort in the knowledge that no one is ever stranded beyond God's care," Mr. Bush said. "The Creator of wind and water is also the source of even a greater power - a love that can redeem the worst tragedy, a love that is stronger than death."

You can read the rest of it here.

Whatever you political persuasion, one must admit that Bush is serious about his faith.

A Review: Sex and the Supremacy of Christ

The following is a brief audio review of the book, Sex and the Supremacy of Christ, edited by John Piper and Justin Taylor.




MP3 File

A Public Service Announcement

Dark Providence: An Audio Sermon

A message from Job 36 and other Scriptures that address the lessons we can learn from the S.T.O.R.M.S. of life.

Including:

S- Sovereignty of God
T- Tests of Faith
O-Opportunities
R- Ready to Serve
M- Mystery of God
S- Salvation


MP3 File

Sunday Spurgeon

"There is not a spider hanging on the wall that doesn’t have an errand; there is not a weed growing in the corner of the church lot hat doesn’t have a purpose; there is not a single insect fluttering in the breeze that does not accomplish some divine decree. And I will never believe that God created any man, especially any Christian man, to be a blank, and to be a nothing."

Don't Forget To Pray...

Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast of the United States on August 29, 2005 with a force and fury that was both unexpected and unprecedented. Our nation has reeled in the aftermath of this mighty storm. We have watched extraordinary events unfold, listened to the myriad concerns and seen the magnanimous acts of charity and kindness on the part of untold thousands. The loss and heartbreak of the people of that region cannot be tallied and will continue for years to come.

On Thursday, September 8, President George W. Bush called for a National Day of Prayer and Remembrance for the victims of Hurricane Katrina to be held on Friday, September 16, 2005. He is asking Americans to gather in support of those who continue to struggle. Calling for prayers of gratitude and thanksgiving to God for the generosity shown by our nation, he said, "We will strive together in this effort, and we will prevail through perseverance and prayer."

Resources for your prayers can be found here.

Death By Diet Dew

Energy Fiend has a great little test to determine how much of your favorite caffeine "fix" it will take to bring about your demise...

Here is my result:

After 322.64 cans of Diet Mountain Dew, you'd be pushing up daisies

Your find out how many of your liquids vices will do you in here.

Pledge Unconstitutional?

A federal judge declared the reciting of the Pledge of Allegiance in public schools unconstitutional Wednesday in a case brought by the same atheist whose previous battle against the words "under God" was rejected by the U.S. Supreme Court on procedural grounds.

U.S. District Judge Lawrence Karlton ruled that the pledge's reference to one nation "under God" violates school children's right to be "free from a coercive requirement to affirm God."

Preaching Hell and Other Uncomfortable Doctrines

Tim Keller, pastor at Redeemer Presbyterian Church in NYC offers some important words on the necessity of preaching the tough doctrines of the Christian faith, notably the doctrine of judgment and Hell. Here is a sample:

“Thus, it's tempting to avoid such topics in our preaching. But neglecting the unpleasant doctrines of the historic faith will bring about counter-intuitive consequences. There is an ecological balance to scriptural truth that must not be disturbed.

If an area is rid of its predatory or undesirable animals, the balance of that environment may be so upset that the desirable plants and animals are lost—through over breeding with a limited food supply. The nasty predator that was eliminated actually kept in balance the number of other animals and plants necessary to that particular ecosystem. In the same way, if we play down "bad" or harsh doctrines within the historic Christian faith, we will find, to our shock, that we have gutted all our pleasant and comfortable beliefs, too.

The loss of the doctrine of hell and judgment and the holiness of God does irreparable damage to our deepest comforts—our understanding of God's grace and love and of our human dignity and value to him. To preach the good news, we must preach the bad.”

You can read the rest of his article here.

Transformation: An Inside Job

This message looks at Paul's call in Romans 12:1-2 to be transformed by the renewal of our minds and considers what it means to work with the Holy Spirit in effecting that change.


MP3 File

Quiz: What Kind of Cross Are You?

You are the Celtic Cross: This cross was first made
out of stone and is often found atop hills, in
front of castles and in graveyards throughout
Ireland and Scotland. The stone was carved with
various symbols including a circle or halo
(representing eternal life) and variations of
the celtic knot.



What Kind of Cross are You?
brought to you by Quizilla

Lest We Forget...

Psalm 46

¹ God is our refuge and strength,
an ever-present help in trouble.

² Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way
and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,

³ though its waters roar and foam
and the mountains quake with their surging.
Selah

⁴ There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
the holy place where the Most High dwells.

⁵ God is within her, she will not fall;
God will help her at break of day.

⁶ Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall;
he lifts his voice, the earth melts.

⁷ The LORD Almighty is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.
Selah

⁸ Come and see the works of the LORD,
the desolations he has brought on the earth.

⁹ He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth;
he breaks the bow and shatters the spear,
he burns the shields ^[b] with fire.

¹⁰ "Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth."

¹¹ The LORD Almighty is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.
Selah

Music Memories -1982

Its been a rough week, so here is something on the lighter side.

Scott McClare over at The Crusty Curmudgeon has the latest music meme.

1. Go to musicoutfitters.com.


2. Enter the year you graduated from high school in the search function and get the list of 100 most popular songs of that year.


3. Bold the songs you like, strike through the ones you hate and underline your favorite. Do nothing to the ones you don't remember (or don't care about).
   

1. Physical, Olivia Newton-John
2. Eye Of The Tiger, Survivor
3. I Love Rock N' Roll, Joan Jett and The Blackhearts
4. Ebony And Ivory, Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder
5. Centerfold, J. Geils Band
6. Don't You Want Me, Human League
7. Jack And Diane, John Cougar
8. Hurts So Good, John Cougar
9. Abracadabra, Steve Miller Band
10. Hard To Say I'm Sorry, Chicago
11. Tainted Love, Soft Cell
12. Chariots Of Fire, Vangelis
13. Harden My Heart, Quarterflash
14. Rosanna, Toto
15. I Can't Go For That, Daryl Hall and John Oates
16. 867-5309 (Jenny), Tommy Tutone
17. Key Largo, Bertie Higgins
18. You Should Hear How She Talks About You, Melissa Manchester
19. Waiting For A Girl Like You, Foreigner
20. Don't Talk To Strangers, Rick Springfield
21. The Sweetest Thing, Juice Newton
22. Always On My Mind, Willie Nelson
23. Shake It Up, Cars
24. Let It Whip, Dazz Band
25. We Got The Beat, Go-Go's
26. The Other Woman, Ray Parker Jr.
27. Turn Your Love Around, George Benson
28. Sweet Dreams, Air Supply
29. Only The Lonely, Motels
30. Who Can It Be Now?, Men At Work
31. Hold Me, Fleetwood Mac
32. Eye In The Sky, Alan Parsons Project
33. Let's Groove, Earth, Wind and Fire
34. Open Arms, Journey
35. Leader Of The Band, Dan Fogelberg
36. Leather And Lace, Stevie Nicks and Don Henley
37. Even The Nights Are Better, Air Supply
38. I've Never Been To Me, Charlene
39. '65 Love Affair, Paul Davis
40. Heat Of The Moment, Asia
41. Take It Easy On Me, Little River Band
42. Pac-man Fever, Buckner and Garcia
43. That Girl, Stevie Wonder
44. Private Eyes, Daryl Hall and John Oates
45. Trouble, Lindsey Buckingham
46. Making Love, Roberta Flack
47. Love's Been A Little Bit Hard On Me, Juice Newton
48. Young Turks, Rod Stewart
49. Freeze-frame, J. Geils Band
50. Keep The Fire Burnin', REO Speedwagon
51. Do You Believe In Love, Huey Lewis and The News
52. Cool Night, Paul Davis
53. Caught Up In You, 38 Special
54. Why Do Fools Fall In Love?, Diana Ross
55. Love In The First Degree, Alabama
56. Hooked On Classics, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
57. Wasted On The Way, Crosby, Stills and Nash
58. Think I'm In Love, Eddie Money
59. Love Is In Control, Donna Summer
60. Personally, Karla Bonoff
61. One Hundred Ways, Quincy Jones
62. Blue Eyes, Elton John
63. Our Lips Are Sealed, Go-Go's
64. You Could Have Been With Me, Sheena Easton
65. You Can Do Magic, America
66. Did It In A Minute, Daryl Hall and John Oates
67. I Ran, A Flock Of Seagulls
68. Somebody's Baby, Jackson Browne
69. Oh No, Commodores
70. Take It Away, Paul McCartney
71. It's Gonna Take A Miracle, Deneice Williams
72. Love Will Turn You Around, Kenny Rogers
73. Don't Stop Believing, Journey
74. Comin' In And Out Of Your Life, Barbra Streisand
75. Gloria, Laura Branigan
76. Empty Garden, Elton John
77. Yesterday's Songs, Neil Diamond
78. Crimson And Clover, Joan Jett and The Blackhearts
79. Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic, Police
80. Here I Am, Air Supply
81. I Keep Forgettin', Michael Mcdonald
82. Get Down On It, Kool and The Gang
83. Any Day Now, Ronnie Milsap
84. Make A Move On Me, Olivia Newton-John
85. Take My Heart, Kool and The Gang
86. Mirror Mirror, Diana Ross
87. Vacation, Go-Go's 88. (Oh) Pretty Woman, Van Halen
89. Should I Do It, Pointer Sisters
90. Hot In The City, Billy Idol
91. Kids In America, Kim Wilde
92. Man On Your Mind, Little River Band
93. What's Forever For, Michael Murphy
94. Waiting On A Friend, Rolling Stones
95. Do I Do, Stevie Wonder
96. Working For The Weekend, Loverboy
97. Goin' Down, Greg Guidry
98. Arthur's Theme, Christopher Cross
99. Through The Years, Kenny Rogers
100. Edge Of Seventeen, Stevie Nicks

Man, was there some great tunes during my senior year in high school…

President Bush Calls For National Day of Prayer and Remembrance

"I've declared Friday, Sept. 16, a national day of prayer and remembrance," Bush said in a televised afternoon address. "I ask that we pray as Americans have always prayed in times of trial, with hope for a better future and with the humility to ask God to keep us strong so we can better serve our brothers and sisters in need."

Let us join with our brothers and sisters in bringing our sins, our needs and our fellow citizens before the throne of grace.

For God promises: "If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land." (2 Chronicles 7:14)

The New Christian Carnival Is Up

Technogypsy is hosting an iconic collection of some of the best writings from Christian bloggers this week. Check out what others are thinking about the events of the day and eternity.

Katrina: Who's To Blame?

The Blame Game is in full spin mode in the aftermath of hurricane Katrina with everyone blaming someone else. The locals blame the Feds, the Feds fault the locals, the governor blames the mayor, the mayor blames the governor, Bush gets blamed by everyone. Is it racism? Classism? Rich versus poor? Republican versus Democrat? North versus South? Who is to blame?

It's time someone stepped up and admitted their culpability. So let me be the first to say: "I'm to blame. I'm guilty...and so are each of you." Now hear me out - this is not spin but unvarnished truth.

What lies at the root of this disaster is SIN. Not just sins (the racism, the classism, the politicism or a whole range of other vices), but SIN, in big bold letters. SIN as in the disposition of the human heart, SIN as the ultimate source of what is wrong with me, with you and with our world. SIN which is responsible for all the things we do to each other and to God's creation.

In the beginning God created and it was all good. But then man took it upon himself to step outside the bounds of God's gracious law and plunged us into the nightmare we now see played out on our TV screens. Because of SIN, "Cursed is the creation..." (Genesis 3:17)

Because of our continued flagrant violation of God's grace, Romans says: "We know the whole creation has been groaning... right up to the present age." (Romans 8:22) Because of SIN, the natural order has been frustrated and held in bondage to decay. (Romans 8:20-21)

Hurricanes swirl, tornados twist, earthquakes shake, tsunami's surge and a host of other disasters befall us because we are sinners and live in a world of SIN and sins.

So who ultimately is to blame for the suffering in the Gulf Coast - I am, you are, we all are.

The Good News in all of this is that God is making a way for us to be free from the burden of SIN. Indeed through the suffering and death of His Son "Creation waits with eager anticipation for the revelation of God's children...in hope that [it] will be liberated from its bondage to decay and be brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God." (Romans 8:19,21)

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away." He who was seated on the throne said, "I am making everything new!" Then he said, "Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true."

(Revelation 21:1-5)

A Sermon for Labor Day

This message entitled "A New Approach To Work," examines how we can find satisfaction in our daily work.


MP3 File

Sunday Spurgeon

"The truest lengthening of life is to live while we live, wasting no time but using every hour for the highest ends. So be it this day."

Sign the Petition: Rudy Giuliani for Hurricane Relief Coordinator!

I want to add my voice to a growing chorus of Republicans and others urging President Bush to appoint Rudy Giuliani to lead the recovery efforts in the gulf region devastated by Hurricane Katrina.

As "America's Mayor" in the dark days following 9/11, Giuliani demostrated his ability to bring people together and lift the spirits not only of NYC, but of the whole nation.

His knowledge, strength of charater and heart are vitally needed in the rebuilding of not only New Orleans and the communities hit by this storm, but also America's faith in itself and its people.

Join me in asking President Bush to appoint Rudy Giuliani to this crucial role by signing the petition found here.

Come on Rudy - We need you again!

Gas Price Finder

MSN Autos has a nifty little site that lets you find the lowest gas prices in your area.

Another resource can be found here at GasBuddy.

We found the cheapest gas in our area at 2.99/gallon and the lines were only about 10 minutes.

As Christians we should be demonstrating our good stewardship at this time and only drive where and when necessary.

A Hurricane Prayer

Gracious and loving God, we come to you today filled
with sorrow and dismay at the destruction we have
witnessed in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

Help us remember, God, that you are our refuge and
strength, a very present help in times of trouble.

We are anxious because life seems so tenuous and so
fragile. The situation in the gulf region is so grim.

We will not fear though the earth should change,
though the mountains shake in the heart of the sea,
though its waters roar and foam.

We seek answers to our questions about why the
suffering is so great and the devastation is so widespread,
and why help seems to be so slow to arrive.

We claim the promise that the Lord of hosts is with us;
the God of Jacob is our refuge.

Be with all of the people who have lost family members,
friends, livelihoods, and homes. Help us to be the hands
and feet of Christ in our response to them.

Give strength and safety to all of the relief and recovery
workers who are delivering supplies and comfort.

Give us wisdom, courage, and direction as we continue
to discern how we might bring comfort and hope during
these days of tragedy. Help us to remember…

…the Lord of hosts is with us;
the God of Jacob is our refuge.

Amen.

A prayer based on Psalm 46;
adapted from a litany written by
Reformed Church World
Service coordinator Betty Voskuil.

Helping Our Brothers and Sisters

One of the things I love most about this country is our willingness to step up when people are in need. We did it on 9/11, we reached out to the victims of the tsunami and we are doing it now for our brothers and sisters who have been traumatized by Katrina.

Michelle Malkin has provided helpful links to show how we are helping each other in the aftermath of Katrina's fury.

Of particular note is the work being done by Chuck Simmins over at Americans Aiding Americans to keep track of what private individuals, corporations and other entities are doing to help in real dollars. His last update is at $45,306,000 donated. Lets all do our part to help that number grow!

Instapundit is gathering links to various aid organizations on his site. Check it out and find one or two that you can get involved with.

Members of my denomination the Reformed Church in America can donate through Reformed Church World Service.

Here is a button to donate there.