Read the Bible This Year!

Want to read the whole Bible in 2011? Why not? It only takes about 10-15 minutes a day (yes, really!). One way is to start in Genesis and go all the way through, reading 3-4 chapters per day. Another way is with one of several reading schedules that are chronological. Send me an email, and I can send you one. I have one that puts all the Psalms on Sundays, another that puts the Psalms, as much as possible, into their historical context (the latter is the one I've used for about a decade).

The ESV web site also has several reading plans that you can do online--you can find out about that by clicking here.

Why not do it this year?

Silent Night/7 O'clock News by the Beatles

Here is a video that captures the contrast of Christmas with Matthew 2:13-23 (the aftermath of the wise men's visit and Herod's fear/anger). It was done by Simon and Garfunkel during the Vietnam war:

What Is the Family's Purpose?

Countless people--not only Christians, but especially Christians--have decried the downfall of the family. Recent surveys show that the percentage of adults in a marriage is steadily declining, and the percentage of children born out of wedlock is steadily rising. It doesn't take a degree in psychology or theology to recognize that this is not good (in fact, those with degrees in psychology are the ones insisting that this does not matter--shame on them! But that is another matter....)
In Christian circles (and especially in Reformed circles) some have sought to fight this by insisting that, in fact, the family is a small church, and the church exists primarily to strengthen the family. Does the Bible truly teach this?
It may be that you have never asked that question--and you might say, Wendell, where on earth are you getting this? That's OK. But if you have asked yourself what the relationship is between church and family, here is an article you may find helpful--at least to understand how family relates to church in a theological way.

Church + Friends = Happiness

At least so says the research in this article. Is anyone surprised? What do you think?

Unlocking the Mysteries of Life

Here is a video by that title that I watched this morning. Beware--it is over an hour long.



It is excellent. Primarily because it does not try to do too much. What I mean by that is this: you can't get from science to Christian faith--that is the work of the Spirit through the preaching of the gospel. But scientific discovery does undermine the false assumptions behind naturalistic evolution--as it must, because this is God's world.

You can also watch it here on google video.

Failed Human Predictions

Click this link for a most interesting observation about the reliability of biblical prophecy--and the failure of human predictions! The blog operator does not allow me to copy and paste--otherwise I would paste it in here. But just click on the link.

Here's another video--this one puts me at risk of violating the 10th commandment. I wish I could have been there:



By the way, this one was "sponsored" by a small business in Canada that, I take it, wants to make itself known. Not a bad way to do so!

Here is something that I have heard a lot about, and have seen in person. How do we handle this for ourselves, our children, and our church? I welcome your thoughts. This, by the way, is why I still only have a pay-as-you-go cell phone, and it will take a miracle for me to permit my kids to have a cell phone (let alone an I-phone) anytime before their, say, 30th birthday :). Is that the answer? I'm not sure, honestly.