JOHN PIPER-DOING AND ENDORSING EVIL

In theory, it's very good to point to Romans 1 32 and tell people to use it as an evangelistic tool-and, granted, the subconscious knowledge of God by every person on earth may be a way of witnessing to certain people. However, the flaw in using Romans 1 32 for broad evangelism is most people aren't aware of their subconscious. Additionally, everyone else's subconscious reasons for sins are quite apparent to the person committing the same sin, but they never commit said sin for the same reason as everybody else. "I realize most people who drink all the time do it to avoid their problems, but I just like having a good time." "I know other people who burn the midnight oil at the office are doing it to get away from family problems or whatever, but I'm just really committed to this company and to getting ahead in life."

Rather, the key to witnessing to the unbelievers (and believers) around us is, in most cases, to get to know them, as Matthew 10 says. It seems in Western culture today the main point we as Christians need to get across is "True Christianity is not what you think it is."

Many today grew up being dragged to a church by their parents that was more often than not made up of hypocrites. In addition, they were told of a Father God who is distant and who can only be approached through ritual and liturgy. Or perhaps they were told God The Father is a tyrant who delights to judge and damn everybody.

Often, Jesus The Son was made to appear as a big wuss who volunteered to have God The Father beat up on Him so that the Father's rages might be satisfied.

The above paratgraphs are to say nothing of the fact that the Holy Spirit was likely deemphasized.

Of course, if the above were not enough to turn most people away from having a true relationship with the Lord, many times in these churches basic questions were never answered. Either children were told directly, "Good children don't ask questions", or the atmosphere was such that children dared not venture any queries about God.

If answers were given to anything, they were most likely unsatisfactory. Creationism, prophecy, history, and the more thorough study of human nature were likely rarely, if ever touched on.

Thus, we Christians must make it clear to people, and I myself say it now, the true nature of many of these things.

God the Father is gracious, merciful, patient, kind, and loving. These are usually traits associated with Jesus only, but God The Father is this way as well. In fact, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are all one. (John 17 11) Thus, Father God sent part of Himself to die for our sins.

While wrath and judgment are part of the nature of God, these traits operate in the context of God's perfect love. Our whole concept of love has been so distorted in modern society that we equate love today with letting someone do whatever they want and embracing every single thing they do. God has a reason for all the laws He has given mankind and just penalties for those who disobey.

To help us in our obedience, God sent His spirit to live inside His followers. The Holy Spirit enables us to grow in God's grace, knowledge and obedience.

Not only the above is true of the Holy Spirit, but He also guides the child of God into all truth. Proverbs 25 says, "It is the glory of God to conceal a thing but the glory of kings to search out a matter." God calls His people to be a thinking people, a people who love to learn and search for the knowledge He will have revealed to them. There are answers to the big questions many theologians and preachers say have no clear answers. Prophecy can be illuminated to God's people. Knowledge of all other aspects of human existence can be revealed and shown to us by the Holy Spirit and the leading of God as well. (Acts 2 36-38)

Unbelievers need to have it clearly shown and told to them that true Christianity is not the guy with the I LOVE JESUS bumper sticker who cut them off the other day. It isn't the hypocrites who say they love Jesus in church then go out and break His law. True Christians can be hard to find, but they can be found if fellowship is desired. (Although, of course, unbelievers also need to be told that God doesn't make someone perfect the moment they get saved and that the Christian life is a growth process throughout the rest of one's earthly life.)

RADIO-RELATED STUFF

Started listening to Calvary Radio ostensibly from the UK yesterday via Christian Tuner. Don't agree with everything they say on there but there is a lot of good stuff. I also really like the fact it's expositional preaching.

Glad Sue Scambhadi works for CBC now.

Tonight's episode of "As It Happens" sure contained lots of stupid stuff.

On Wednesday my main shortwave radio died. I think the power supply conked out and there's no point in getting those 50 dollar crank radios repaired.

LISTEN TO "DRUNKEN MONKEY" FROM THE DREAM LOGIC'S SOPHOMORE ALBUM MY BLACK ARTS AVAIABLE JULY 22ND, 2014 VIA CHAOS MUSIC COMPANY

Utilizing the spirit of music's past as a guiding force, My Black Arts draws inspiration from deep inside The Cutting Room's legendary New York walls. For this eclectic fourteen track LP, Charles Compo and his longtime collaborators, Jerry Brooks (bass), and Camille Gainer (drums), were once again able to conjure up the raw chemistry found on last year's self-titled debut effort. Blasting through fifty minutes of captivating music, the trio are joined by various friends including notable guitarists Eric Krasno (Soulive, Lettuce) and Vernon Reid (Living Color).

This is a great song for listening to this summer while you're on your dock, in your backyard or up at the campground.

RADIO-RELATED STUFF

The noise floor on my shortwave this morning was just astounding.

"Classic Redneck Radio" seems like an interesting, thought-provoking and challenging show. That shortwave listening extender seems like a neat idea as well.

Cool to hear one of Tim Tron's old shows from WTOS tonight.

Heard a couple hams this morning talking about their equipment.

JOHN PIPER-THE PERILS OF DISAPPROVING GOD

Piper is right that breathing is God's grace. The kind of grace usually spoken of in Christian circles can be defined as the ability-given by God-to humble oneself, turn from one's sins and come under the blood of Christ. (Acts 2 38)

John Piper uses dishonesty on a tax form as an example of the fruit of a depraved mind resulting from turning our hearts away from God. If the government is rotten, then couldn't it be argued that paying taxes to such an authority would be the type of thing Romans 1 32 is talking about, namely, giving hearty approval to a group of people who commit the sins listed in the previous verses.

Incidentally, I counted 24 sins in that list in the King James version, not 21, the number Piper has in the NIV or whatever version he was using when he preached that sermon.

RADIO-RELATED STUFF

The Freddy Vette show is the best. He plays a deep cut from "Abbey Road" and then has an hour of rarities.

Congratulations on your 25th anniversary at CJBQ, Matt Mitchell.

Also congratulations to Ted Bradford for working in Florida now, you lucky son of a gun.

Don Campbell has replaced Ben Swann on RBN. From what I've heard so far, I like Campbell better.

RADIO-RELATED STUFF

Finally got to hear The Mighty KBC last Saturday night with "The Giant Jukebox." A really good mix of music.

Been listening to "The Signal" on CBC Radio Two the past couple nights. Definitely some interesting stuff on there as well.

Also think I could get to like "Ray on the Radio" on CKOL.

Casey Kasem has died. He pioneered the modern syndicated radio program, the same show on dozens, hundreds or even a thousand stations across the United States and around the world. He was a good announcer back in the seventies when his groundbreaking (at the time) show started. However, by the nineties and "Casey's Hot 20", I feel he became wooden and boring.

TRUTH TRIUMPHANT

By Benjamin George Wilkinson, PH.D. Brushton, NY: Teach Services, Inc., 1994.

If you are a Christian reading this, get this book!

"Truth Triumphant" details the almost unknown history of what Wilkinson calls "the church in the wilderness": that is, the Christians throughout the Dark Ages who did not bow their knee to the Pope. The author takes us from Ireland, England and Wales to China and Japan and everywhere in between.

This book contains so much about little-known church history, well-known church history, secular history, and the sometimes hidden history of other religions that it is a book I would strongly recommend to every follower of Jesus Christ.

"Truth Triumphant" is available from Adventist Booksellers.

GENTLE HANDS

By M. E. Kerr. New York: Harper, 1990.

Buddy Boyle is from a working class family in Seaville, New York but is dating Sky Pennington, a summer resident of the Oceanside community. To impress her, he takes her to meet his aristocratic German grandfather and defaults to doing this quite often so as to avoid Sky having to meet his blue collar family. Then, Buddy discovers his grandfather is the cruel Nazi death camp guard known as Gentle Hands.

This book would have been good enough without bringing up the holocaust. There was plenty here with Buddy feeling conflicted between his roots and Sky's world without Kerr having to throw that in. The absence of the Nazi element would have given Kerr a chance to explore an underlying theme that should have been developed more: namely, that a man can better himself.

AFTER THE LOCUSTS

By Meg Guillebaud. Monarch Publications LTD, 2005

 

This was a very interesting and informative book. Nevertheless, there are a few points I would like to address.

 

The Roots of Prejudice: The event that took place at the Tower of Babel had to be more than God simply confusing the spoken languages of the people. We’ve all seen ethnically diverse construction crews working together quite well. Thus, it had to involve more than just the creation of languages, namely, I think, the creation of different ideas. These ideas formed the different cultures and inward traits of different generations, which would literally be passed down in the blood, the DNA, of said people groups.

 

Guillebaud twists the topic of prejudice, or the prejudging of someone, to condemn judging altogether. Yet the Bible tells us numerous times that we are to judge righteously. If we judge with a righteous judgment with the Bible and God’s principles as our guide, we will be making the right decisions about people and not judging with prejudice, that is, judging someone or something without adequate knowledge.

 

Guillebaud’s comment about ethnic jokes is off. There are a lot bigger reasons why instances such as the Rwandan genocide occur than the telling of jokes.

 

Standing In The Gap: I can understand apologizing on behalf of an individual, group of friends or one’s families for something that was done. I can understand a white missionary apologizing to the people of an African nation for the sake of being able to move along the work of evangelism. However, this chapter strays a little into the territory of the politically correct madness that “we’re all guilty” (read white people are always guilty) of everything bad that has ever happened to a perceived minority group. That sentence about the guy who cries to rape victims on behalf of all men was just too much.

 

I am against governments and organizations apologizing for things that happened so long ago all or most of the generation involved is dead. Below is the truth about some of the things that have been apologized for by various governments, church bodies, etc. over the past few decades.

 

Slavery: The importation of English people who could be employed as servants was banned. Thus, white people were forced to buy slaves from the Jewish slave traders plying this business in Africa. In addition, blacks owned other blacks, Indians had slaves and there were even white people who had slaves.

 

The Treatment of Natives: Though whites did wrong things to the Native Canadians and Americans, in many cases, the Indians attacked the white people first. Incidentally, the Indians were far from the peaceful nature lovers they are portrayed as today.

 

The Holocaust: I have written about the holocaust elsewhere on this blog. All I will say here is that the entire nation of Germany was not, in fact, guilty. There were good Germans fighting the Nazis, the same as there were Canadians, Americans and Britishers fighting them..

 

Segregation: Though some of the Jim Crow laws were definitely wrongheaded, from what I have been able to gather many of them were put in place to help black people. Thanks to the Civil Rights movement, black business owners lost their livelihoods, black schoolchildren were forced to unsuccessfully try to meet white educational standards and welfare laws insured a 90 percent out of wedlock birth rate.

 

For more information on what went on in Rwanda click here.http://www.frontline.org.za

VIRE'S "HUMAN CONTACT" VIDEO PREMIERED ON EARBUDDY !!!!

EARBUDDY PREMIERES VIRE'S LATEST VIDEO "HUMAN CONTACT" "Human Contact" ::  

 

 “His latest single, “Human Contact”, has an old-school ’90s electronic feel to it, but it’s the video where you see Wilson drumming like a madman that’s most impressive.” - Earbuddy

 

 Dystopian dance music on the verge of eroding into digital noise, also known as VIRE. Now imagine this chaos coming from a single musician, a live drummer playing all the beats and triggering all the samples in real time, surrounded by sweaty moving bodies.

 

 VIRE began with a single idea, to create a live solo electronic drumming performance act. Phil Wilson, who after years of playing in indie rock bands, custom built drums to accommodate the idea, and incorporated a drum-triggering machine that pieces of the songs could be loaded into. Wilson then cues parts and sections live during performances.

 

 His latest video takes you through what appears to be a psychology experiment where two people are in the same room taking a video game test in which they have to meet in the game. It's a pretty cool concept.

 

 Watch VIRE's latest video for "Human Contact" now.

AMAZING JAM ON-THE-ROAD @ FRANKFORD BLUES FESTIVAL

You’re a special  guest of ‘B.B. Clinton’!
Ah yes, that’s right....
I have been co-opted by the Frankford Island Blues  Festival to host
“Amazing Jam on-the-road”
Saturday morning (June 7th) at the Frankford Island  Blues Festival.
Guess folks have noticed that our little gig has a lot going for it. So,  they came asking and heck, what could I say....?
The time is 10 am. The place is Frankford Island Blues Festival on (you  guessed it) Frankford Island, that little chunk of something or other stuck in  the middle between the Canal and the Trent River right there at Frankford.  Entrance to the festival is down the road between the 2 bridges.
You’ll find lots more info about the Frankford Island Blues Festival on  their website: www.loyalblues.ca/festival.htm
In keeping with the Blues theme, I intend to play at least one blues number  (or maybe more....) but all kinds of acoustic music will be welcome at our jam. 
I’m also working on a ‘blues name’ to perform under. Traditional advice on  this is to combine the name of a physical challenge with the name of a fruit  plus the name of an American president. ‘Bent Banana Clinton’ comes to mind.  Or.... maybe I should be thinking on it some more.
And (don’t forget).... 
Our regular Amazing Jam at The Black Dog in Stirling will be happening  the very next day: Sunday, June 8th, starting at 2  pm.
Looking forward to see you all on Sunday afternoon in Stirling and, if  you’re up for something extra, come on out to Frankford Island on Saturday  morning and help us rock the place (acoustically). Tell ‘em at the gate you’re a  special guest of ‘B.B. Clinton’. Won’t do anything for getting you in free, but  it might just make someone smile!
James

THIS SUNDAY JUNE 8TH @ THE BLACK DOG --- EVEN MORE AMAZING MUSIC

This Sunday, June  8th from 2 pm until 5....
At  The  Black Dog, 227 West Front St. in  Stirling.
The ‘Amazing Jam’! Even more amazing music... 
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This will be the Amazing Jam’s fifth Sunday  afternoon at The Black Dog in Stirling. The space works: drinks and food are good and  prices seem reasonable. We play there for about 3 hours. We are welcomed by both  staff and the patrons in the lounge and restaurant. Our music is greatly  appreciated; people always ask to know when we will return!
Once a month on Sunday afternoons. This Sunday afternoon’s  jam (June 8th) will probably be our last until September. Time is  from 2 pm until 5.
The ‘Amazing Jam’ format is a ‘song circle’ with the lead changing from  person to person among the group. When their turn comes around, everyone has the  option to offer a DSCF1663tune or pass the privilege to their neighbour.  Depending on the music, the mood, choice of instruments, etc. some will choose  to support whoever is leading a song, others may prefer to sit out and  listen. 
DSCF1676smIn all its incarnations (Madoc, Marmora, and now  in Stirling) the Amazing Jam has had a thoroughly amazing character. A very  large part of this is due to the fabulous core group of musicians (amazing  characters, all of us....) who turn out time and again to bring it all together.  We invite you to come out and join us, making music with old friends; for sure,  there’ll be some new faces too.
Remember....
“Bring your instruments, your voices and your music. It’s  all unplugged  and it’s all good! Guitar, bass,  harmonica, banjo,  mandolin, ukulele,  fiddle, accordion,  flute, celtic harp – the list goes  on.
“There may be only 4 or 5 of us or maybe a whole room full of  musicians. A place for ‘first-timers’ and experienced  players alike. A  good bunch of people playing all kinds of music together.  People in their teens all the way through  proto-geezers. Maybe even an DSCF1647sincipient-geriat or two....
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“The  blues does not rule. Any  acoustic music from punk to polka!”
(Baritone sax and tuba set up in the parking  lot....)
Hope to  see you Sunday afternoon in Stirling.
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James