Tullian Tchividjian posted a blog that I'd thought I'd try out: Check it out here.
The best preachers (that are living) I've heard are:
1. John Piper
2. D.A. Carson (He preaches sometimes)
3. Timothy Keller
4. Chris Lee (Pastor from Montreal)
5. Mark Driscoll
Outside of this list, I also highly regard these preachers: Pastor Sean Huh, Pastor Barry Duguid, C.J. Mahaney, R.C. Sproul, John MacArthur and Joshua Harris.
Friday, February 27, 2009
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Movie Review: Battle Royal
I just watched Battle Royal.
It's a Japanese movie that takes place in an alternate reality where youths have gone out of control and adults are "forced" to institute a barbaric law. I'm confused as to the law and how it works, but it seems like a class of 9th graders are chosen randomly to fight in a battle. All the kids are given various weapons and have to fight each other. The last one standing gets to live.
I'm assuming that this battle is set as an example to other kids. The message seems to be: if you are bad, bad things happen to you. But good kids get caught in the mix, so I'm confused as to the purity of the message. Given the brutality of the movie, I think the flawed storyline was just an excuse for mayhem and murder.
Would I recommend this movie? Not unless you have some sort of sick sadistic tendencies; or you hate kids; or you are some strange Japanese movie loving nut.
I, personally, was reminded of the depravity of man (and woman). In this way, it was somewhat (barely) beneficial to watch. I was, however, not entertained. And it definitely is not a good movie to watch while you work out! It just does not pump you up! And to the unguarded heart, the violence is too much...
It's a Japanese movie that takes place in an alternate reality where youths have gone out of control and adults are "forced" to institute a barbaric law. I'm confused as to the law and how it works, but it seems like a class of 9th graders are chosen randomly to fight in a battle. All the kids are given various weapons and have to fight each other. The last one standing gets to live.
I'm assuming that this battle is set as an example to other kids. The message seems to be: if you are bad, bad things happen to you. But good kids get caught in the mix, so I'm confused as to the purity of the message. Given the brutality of the movie, I think the flawed storyline was just an excuse for mayhem and murder.
Would I recommend this movie? Not unless you have some sort of sick sadistic tendencies; or you hate kids; or you are some strange Japanese movie loving nut.
I, personally, was reminded of the depravity of man (and woman). In this way, it was somewhat (barely) beneficial to watch. I was, however, not entertained. And it definitely is not a good movie to watch while you work out! It just does not pump you up! And to the unguarded heart, the violence is too much...
Thursday, February 12, 2009
I'm Back!
I recently went on a mobilization trip to Western Canada to inform Christians about the Great Commission (Matthew 28:28-20) and East Asia's need for the gospel. This is my account of the experiences I had:
The first destination was to Trinity Western University. This was my second time visiting this Christian school. I have to admit, I was not particularly hopeful about the number of students I would talk too. Last year, not many students were available to talk, nor did it seem like they were interested. Understandably, they were concerned with their studies and perhaps overwhelmed by the sheer number of mission reps attending their mission week. This year, it was pretty much the same. I gave a seminar on "When Mom and Dad Say No!" and two people showed up. One thing was certain, not that many people there wanted to get involved.
I also had the honour of helping my co-worker train some Serve Asia workers (short term workers) in Comox. Comox is a beautiful place with fantastic weather! But even more awesome were the people that were planning to go to Thailand to serve Third Culture Kids. The pastor, Bob Verret, and his team were truly edifying. Though they are of a different tradition from what I am used to, I enjoyed my time with them. It was encouraging to see such a God centered group so involved.
The next event was Missionfest Vancouver. I have to admit, I really like going to this particular conference because it seems like there are so many solid Christians there. However, my mood was a bit dampened by the fact that Tony Campolo was the plenary speaker. Dr. Campolo is a great advocate of social justice issues, don't get me wrong. But a priority for me is the gospel. I've read some of his books and I have been saddened by his lack of focus on the gospel. I would advocate for social justice for the goal of spreading a passion for Jesus. Nevertheless, I will cease my rant and say that I had a chance to challenge people to get involved in my seminars and conversations with people.
Lastly, I went to Briercrest in Saskatchewan. There, I was incredibly blessed by the worship that was held. Eight hours of worship is glimpse into what it would be like in heaven. But being on earth and in the flesh, I was exhausted by the end of it! After that first day, it was great to talk to a number of students and share the needs of East Asia. If anything, this experience was entirely different from TWU. Students openly shared their desire to be involved in missions.
This whole experience got me wondering. How many of my friends and family are involved? I'm not just talking about missions, but I'm talking about actively being involved in their life of faith.
I came home and one of the first things I did, apart from giving my wife my love, was work out. The discipline of exercise requires active involvement. And you can't force yourself to do it without a motivating desire. You need to cultivate that desire in order to be motivated to force yourself to do it!
Sometimes our spiritual lives are like that. We need to pray and seek and hope for God to cultivate that desire in us, so that we can be involved and actively live lives of faith. No guilt trip here. Just a call to faith.
The first destination was to Trinity Western University. This was my second time visiting this Christian school. I have to admit, I was not particularly hopeful about the number of students I would talk too. Last year, not many students were available to talk, nor did it seem like they were interested. Understandably, they were concerned with their studies and perhaps overwhelmed by the sheer number of mission reps attending their mission week. This year, it was pretty much the same. I gave a seminar on "When Mom and Dad Say No!" and two people showed up. One thing was certain, not that many people there wanted to get involved.
I also had the honour of helping my co-worker train some Serve Asia workers (short term workers) in Comox. Comox is a beautiful place with fantastic weather! But even more awesome were the people that were planning to go to Thailand to serve Third Culture Kids. The pastor, Bob Verret, and his team were truly edifying. Though they are of a different tradition from what I am used to, I enjoyed my time with them. It was encouraging to see such a God centered group so involved.
The next event was Missionfest Vancouver. I have to admit, I really like going to this particular conference because it seems like there are so many solid Christians there. However, my mood was a bit dampened by the fact that Tony Campolo was the plenary speaker. Dr. Campolo is a great advocate of social justice issues, don't get me wrong. But a priority for me is the gospel. I've read some of his books and I have been saddened by his lack of focus on the gospel. I would advocate for social justice for the goal of spreading a passion for Jesus. Nevertheless, I will cease my rant and say that I had a chance to challenge people to get involved in my seminars and conversations with people.
Lastly, I went to Briercrest in Saskatchewan. There, I was incredibly blessed by the worship that was held. Eight hours of worship is glimpse into what it would be like in heaven. But being on earth and in the flesh, I was exhausted by the end of it! After that first day, it was great to talk to a number of students and share the needs of East Asia. If anything, this experience was entirely different from TWU. Students openly shared their desire to be involved in missions.
This whole experience got me wondering. How many of my friends and family are involved? I'm not just talking about missions, but I'm talking about actively being involved in their life of faith.
I came home and one of the first things I did, apart from giving my wife my love, was work out. The discipline of exercise requires active involvement. And you can't force yourself to do it without a motivating desire. You need to cultivate that desire in order to be motivated to force yourself to do it!
Sometimes our spiritual lives are like that. We need to pray and seek and hope for God to cultivate that desire in us, so that we can be involved and actively live lives of faith. No guilt trip here. Just a call to faith.
Monday, February 09, 2009
Insomnia
I've never experienced insomnia like this before. No matter what I tried I can't seem to induce any state of REM (rapid eye movement) sleep. So I've been up for more than 20 hours and I'm super tired!
As a Calvinist, I have to wonder what God's purposes are in light of this experience. Am I being punished? Does he want me to do something, or teach me something? Is this some sort of divine practical joke?
With the exception of the last question, which was me being facetious, I am left with no answers. Except for the fact that his purposes are way beyond me.
"How unsearchable are his judgements and how inscrutable his ways" (Romans 11:33)
So what am I left with in light of my 6 O'clock sleeplessness? The very nature of God as sovereign and fully trustworthy. Even in the midst of this minor suffering.