World Vision and Mozilla

There was an interesting combination of things that happened around the same time related to gay marriage; one at Mozilla, and one at World Vision.  Click this link for a good observation on it by Carl Trueman.

Truth That Hits Home

This morning I read Psalm 130 (an excellent psalm--it's short, you have time to read it now), followed by this prayer from Valley of Vision (a collection of prayers from Puritan writers):

O Changeless God,

Under the conviction of thy Spirit I learn that

            the more I do, the worse I am,

            the more I know, the less I know,

            the more holiness I have, the more sinful I am,

            the more I love, the more there is to love.

                        O wretched man that I am!

O Lord,

            I have a wild heart,

                        and cannot stand before thee;

I am like a bird before a man.

How little I love thy truth and ways!

I neglect prayer,

            by thinking I have prayed enough and earnestly,

            by knowing thou hast saved my soul.

Of all hypocrites, grant that I may not be an evangelical hypocrite,

            who sins more safely because grace abounds,

            who tells his lusts that Christ’s blood cleanseth them,

            who reasons that God cannot cast him into hell, for he is saved,

            who loves evangelical preaching, churches, Christians, but lives

                        unholily.

My mind is a bucket without a bottom,

            with no spiritual understanding,

            no desire for the Lord’s Day,

            ever learning by never reaching the truth,

            always at the gospel-well but never holding water.

My conscience is without conviction or contrition,

            with nothing to repent of.

My will is without power of decision or resolution.

            My heart is without affection, and full of leaks.

My memory has no retention,

            so I forget easily the lessons learned,

            and thy truth seep away.

Give me a broken heart that yet carries home the water of grace.

Want to Go See "Noah?" Read This First

Whenever Hollywood makes a movie that has anything to do with the Bible, many Christians go bananas for joy.  The movie "Noah" is no exception.  But let's face it: Hollywood doesn't do the Bible well; it always serves an agenda other than the Bible--and the Bible's God.
"Noah" is no exception.  Here is an interesting evaluation of the movie that is worth reading.
Does that mean Christians shouldn't go see it?  No.  It may be good entertainment, and all that.  Or maybe you want to see it because it is good art, good cinematography, or because it is a good story (even if it is not the Bible's story).  That's fine. Just don't be confused.  If you want to know the story of Noah, stick to the text of the Bible.  If you want to see a good story that has a character named Noah, and even an ark, go ahead--just don't think you are seeing the Bible's story.