Odious Putt Putt

Please notice:

1. The muddle of clubs at the edge of the green - how many strokes did it take to get on?!

2. The shocking shirt.

3. The cramped stance.

4. Those revolting legs.

5. And the PINK ball...


[UPDATE: Compare the excellent form... (and ball colour!)]

J.C. Ryle on Fighting Christians

Thanks to Johnny Farese for this J.C. Ryle quote. The last paragraph is very powerful!

The true Christian is called to be a soldier and must behave as such from the day of his conversion to the day of his death. He is not meant to live a life of religious ease, indolence and security. He must never imagine for a moment that he can sleep and doze along the way to heaven, like one traveling in an easy carriage. If he takes his standard of Christianity from the children of this world, he may be content with such notions, but he will find no countenance for them in the Word of God. If the Bible is the rule of his faith and practice, he will find his course laid down very plainly in this matter. He must "fight."

With whom is the Christian soldier meant to fight? Not with other Christians. Wretched indeed is that man’s idea of religion who fancies that it consists in perpetual controversy! He who is never satisfied unless he is engaged in some strife between church and church, chapel and chapel, sect and sect, faction and faction, party and party, knows nothing yet as he ought to know. No doubt it may be absolutely needful sometimes to appeal to law courts in order to ascertain the right interpretation of a church’s articles and rubrics and formularies. But, as a general rule, the cause of sin is never so much helped as when Christians waste their strength in quarreling with one another and spend their time in petty squabbles.

No, indeed! The principal fight of the Christian is with the world, the flesh and the devil. These are his never–dying foes. These are the three chief enemies against whom he must wage war. Unless he gets the victory over these three, all other victories are useless and vain. If he had a nature like an angel, and were not a fallen creature, the warfare would not be so essential. But with a corrupt heart, a busy devil and an ensnaring world, he must either "fight" or be lost.

Andrew Coyne on Why hockey rules

Recent columns: Why hockey rules...

I don't like the subtitle, but this post is perfect other than that!

"The championship. There is no greater test of endurance in sports than the Stanley Cup playoffs -- four consecutive best-of-seven series, as many as 28 games, each one an all-out war. To be crowned NFL champion, you have to win at most four games, total: about 20 minutes work for the average team member, offensive or defensive, less for those assigned to the risible “specialty teams.”

Baseball players go through a similar process to reach the top, but, well, it’s baseball -- how hard can it be? Basketball? I don’t see any playoff beards on those pampered egomaniacs. The only thing I can think of that comes close is the Tour de France -- if there were hip checks."

Dad - Do You Love Your Kids?

Here is John Paton’s account of the day he left home to begin missionary training. Paton wrote this 40 years after the event...

"My dear father walked with me the first six miles of the way. His counsels and tears and heavenly conversation on that parting journey are fresh in my heart as if it had been but yesterday; and tears are on my cheeks as freely now as then, whenever memory steals me away to the scene. For the last half mile or so we walked on together in almost unbroken silence — my father, as was often his custom, carrying hat in hand, while his long flowing yellow hair (then yellow, but in later years white as snow) streamed like a girl's down his shoulders. His lips kept moving in silent prayers for me; and his tears fell fast when our eyes met each other in looks for which all speech was vain! We halted on reaching the appointed parting place; he grasped my hand firmly for a minute in silence, and then solemnly and affectionately said: 'God bless you, my son! Your father's God prosper you, and keep you from all evil!'"

"Unable to say more, his lips kept moving in silent prayer; in tears we embraced, and parted. I ran off as fast as I could; and, when about to turn a corner in the road where he would lose sight of me, I looked back and saw him still standing with head uncovered where I had left him — gazing after me. Waving my hat in adieu, I rounded the corner and out of sight in an instant. But my heart was too full and sore to carry me further, so I darted into the side of the road and wept for a time. Then, rising up cautiously, I climbed the dike to see if he yet stood where I had left him; and just at that moment I caught a glimpse of him climbing the dike and looking out for me! He did not see me, and after he gazed eagerly in my direction for a while he got down, set his face toward home, and began to return — his head still uncovered, and his heart, I felt sure, still rising in prayers for me. I watched through blinding tears, till his form faded from my gaze; and then, hastening on my way, vowed deeply and oft, by the help of God, to live and act so as never to grieve or dishonor such a father and mother as he had given me." (Autobiography, pp. 25-26)

Here is a son who loves his father. But what is even more striking to me, is the description of this father and his love for his son. Fathers, do you love your children? Do they know it? Do they feel it?

Kwellum Komments on the Margaret Somervillle Silliness

Redeeming The Time: Somerville Controversy

"They were not protesting because Somerville is anti-gay (by her own admission she is not), but because she dares to thinks for herself and refuses to be pushed around by the politically-correct bullies of our day when she takes a position they do not agree with."

Be sure to read his whole post. Great stuff.

Thoughts for Graduates...

I was humbled to be asked to preach at my daughter's Grade 8 graduation tonight. Here is the text from which I preached.

----------------------------------------

Faculty, Staff, Students, Parents, Grandparents, Graduates...

Thank you for the honour of opening the Word of God for you tonight!

I graduated from Grade 8 some 27 years ago. That about made my heart stop when I thought about it! It seems in many ways like just a few months ago...

I don’t remember everything of that day, but one thing in particular sticks out. A girl that I will call Stella.

I had known Stella for many years and Stella was... ugly.

Bad ugly. Make her mother weep ugly.

A repulsive personality and an unattractive appearance – Stella was ugly.

But that night of graduation – a transformation of epic proportions occurred! It what can only be described as a miracle, she showed up to our celebration as Stella the Beautiful!

I spent the whole night staring – not because I was attracted to her! Because I was absolutely stunned! How could this be? How could she have been so beautiful and hid it so well!?

It was as if she had been ashamed of her beauty.

Graduates – thankfully, none of you are ugly. But I want to speak to you tonight. In particular, I want to address those of you who are Christians. Those who have repented of their sin, put their faith in Christ alone and been born again.... saved! Those who give evidence of this relationship with God through Jesus Christ by a love for God and His Word, and his people.

You are about to make the transition to High School – Christian, public, private... and you will be faced with this question: Will I pull a Stella?

What do you mean? I mean too many teens that are Christians do all they can to hide it – just like Stella hid her beauty.

They put on the ugliness of sin because they are ashamed of the Gospel.

Here is what the great man of God Paul wrote about the Gospel:

Romans 1:16-17

For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.

For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.”

The Devil has many tricks. One of them is to whisper in the ears of teenagers thoughts like this:

“First make some friends, then you can slip in the part about Jesus”

“You need to build relationships first. Stay quiet about your love for Christ until you earn respect.”

“Work on fitting in with everyone, don’t make any waves!”

I would suggest to you this is the exact opposite of how you ought to approach your High School days!

Jim Elliot, the missionary speared to death by Auca Indians in 1956 wrote a letter to his sister as she prepared to start High School. In that letter he urged her to boldly name Christ, to pray openly in front of others and to evangelize right from the start! Why? His reasoning went like this: Whatever standard you set at the start, is the standard you will keep to the end. Start low and it will be an uphill battle to live for Christ from then on. Start bold, and even your unbelieving friends will keep you to that standard!

Christian Graduates – Be Bold for Christ! Purpose in your heart tonight, to live this summer and all your days in High School and all the rest of your life for Jesus Christ!

Decide from the start to be resolute, determined – regardless of the kind of school the Lord takes you to.

You can be sure of this – our enemy will not be happy with you. The more you desire to live godly in Christ Jesus the more you will be persecuted. But if you love Jesus Christ, even though this sounds quite scary, the fact is, in your heart, you know you are willing to suffer for His Name. Even though we are terrified of failing – there is a spark there that says, “I want to follow Christ, even to the death!”

Jim Elliot was described by one of his friends as a man with his face to the wind! He looked for the opposition and took it face first! Stared trouble in the face! Will and I do that on windy days – face to the wind – because I want him to grow up to be a Christian man who doesn’t back down in opposition.

Let’s be frank – “being cool” is most often a code for “caving in to sinful desires.”

And “going with the flow” when deciphered means “being swept along by every wind and doctrine.”

How then are you going to leave this school and venture forth in faith and boldness?

Let me suggest two things:

1. Acknowledge your embarrassment. I don’t know if Stella had emotional problems or what? But apparently she never faced the fact that she was ashamed of her beauty.

There will be times you are ashamed of Christ (imagine!). Own it. Confess it! Repent of it! But take courage – even the great Timothy needed support:

“I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you as well. For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands, for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.

Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God, who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began...” (2 Timothy)

2. Keep studying and thinking on and glorying in what Christ has done for you! Your boldness in the Gospel will be fed by your knowledge of the Gospel. That is why Paul says this:

For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.

For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.”

- the power of God

- for salvation

- to everyone

- the righteousness of God revealed

This man had no shame of Christ since he knew so well what Christ had done for him!

So study the Gospel. Ask the hard questions! Read your Bible! Listen to preaching! Stake your ground early for Christ at school, in clubs, choirs and congregations!

Ugly Stella? She wasn’t so ugly after all. She just took too long to let her beauty be seen.

You graduates. Set your heart on the Lord Jesus now and the attractiveness of His presence in your life will be evident to all.

But only if you belong to Him. You cannot fake the Christian faith – you can try. But if Jesus is not yours, then do what teenagers like you have been doing for 2000 years. Repent from your sinful ways and Rely on Jesus Christ alone to be your Saviour forever. You will be transformed like Stella – only into a new person on the inside, not the outside. A young man or woman set apart by God to love Him with all your heart all of your days. May He make it so!

To Him alone be the glory. Amen.

Get It Done! (Men Need to Learn to Finish)

I am of the opinion that most young men do not know how to finish – how to take a task all the way to completion.

These young men grow up to be adult men that get 90% of their taxes done but don’t “sign and mail” or have 11 half-finished projects littering their front lawn.

“Finishing” is hard, especially when there is a lot to do, but men need to learn to finish. I cannot think of a single Bible verse that commands this, but there is much by way of example to teach it is the case. Think of Paul in Acts 20 or his words to slaves in Colossians 3:22-25 or a whack of Proverbs that speak to diligence and hard work. Then there is that very wise little grade school poem:

Work while you work,

Play while you play,

One thing each time that is the way!

All that you do

Do with your might

Things done by halves are not done right!

If we are going to cease being half-doers, then we need instruction on how to finish. Here are some ideas I have had over the years... not a single one is original!

1. “Touch it once.” Whenever possible, touch each piece of paper or mail or email or [insert object of your work here] only once. Open the letter, respond to it, put the response in an envelope, mail it. It may seem to take up a lot of time, but you will avoid getting stacks of paper and such all around you then “getting overwhelmed” one day!

2. “Do the next thing.” Elizabeth Elliot gave this advice to young mothers. It is quite simple. Don’t panic and do 10% of this and 12% of that! Just keep at the one thing then move on to the next thing. Each day has enough things of its own.

3. “Cultivate dependency.” Learn to walk with God through the mundane and momentous episodes of your day. Praying is a good way to start!

4. “Make a list and check it twice.” Some people hate lists. Sorry. Unless you are a super-brain you probably need to write down what it is you need to do. And then you need to discipline your mind to read the list! You can even learn that happy feeling of striking something off of your list. Be a big black marker and have fun!

5. “Humble yourself.” Admit your failures, don’t cover them up. And don’t be shy to ask for help.

6. “Stay at one project before you begin another.” It only took me 38 years to learn this. The idea is, finish the bathroom renovations before you start tearing out the front windows.

7. “Do the worst first.” Check your list for what ignites dread in your soul... and you just found your priority task!

8. “Be watching for Divine interruptions.” I am not suggesting we become so focused on our tasks that we remove God’s right to sovereignty. Wait on the Lord to re-direct you. (Think Acts 16:6-10 “And they went through the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia. And when they had come up to Mysia, they attempted to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them. So, passing by Mysia, they went down to Troas. And a vision appeared to Paul in the night: a man of Macedonia was standing there, urging him and saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” And when Paul had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go on into Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.”)

9. “Ask your authority if you are done.” Any 9 year old is sure they have finished cleaning their room when the covers are half-pulled and the mess on the floor nicely moved to one side. But they ain’t done until mommy says, “Done.” And you ain’t done until your boss, or parent, or Lord says, “Finished.”

P.S. I was going to post this in sections... but I was afraid I would pull a Challeez and never get it finished. Nothing worse than those unfinished blog series! [insert smily face here]

Injury Wars (Continued...)

The Fighter Jet showed up at church yesterday whining about his poison ivy rash spreading to between his toes. As if anyone cared! There he was before evening worship rubbing some foreign ointment on his limbs... in front of all of us. Quite revolting.

And in no way to be compared with my bravely soldiering on to preach and lead with my severely wounded ankle. I know guys like "the Odious" have been dying for an update, so in deference to them I have posted an updated picture below. You will notice the extreme coloration due to the severity of the injury. It is a wonder I can walk at all, really. A lesser man would still be hobbling about with crutches.



Speaking of crutches, I did have to use them for two days and was pleasantly surprised they do make them long enough for guys my height. I knew you would ask so I answered.

I should be back to normal in one week - that is when I return from a class trip with my 8th grade daughter on some ridiculous ropes course thingy. I believe this horrendous ankle injury is a kind providence to spare me from massively embarrassing myself in front of a bunch of 13 year olds... So I will be milking it until that trip is over!

The LORD Will Provide!

The LORD Will Provide.
Though troubles assail And dangers affright,
Though friends should all fail And foes all unite;
Yet one thing secures us, Whatever betide,
The scripture assures us... The Lord will provide.

The birds without barn Or storehouse are fed,
From them let us learn To trust for our bread:
His saints, what is fitting, Shall ne'er he denied,
So long as 'tis written... The Lord will provide.

We may, like the ships, By tempest be tossed
On perilous deeps, But cannot be lost.
Though Satan enrages The wind and the tide,
The promise engages... The Lord will provide.

His call we obey Like Abram of old,
Not knowing our way, But faith makes us bold;
For though we are strangers We have a good Guide,
And trust in all dangers... The Lord will provide.

When Satan appears To stop up our path,
And fill us with fears, We triumph by faith;
He cannot take from us, Though oft he has tried,
This heart-cheering promise... The Lord will provide.

He tells us we're weak, Our hope is in vain,
The good that we seek We ne'er shall obtain,
But when such suggestions Our spirits have plied,
This answers all questions... The Lord will provide.

No strength of our own, Or goodness we claim,
Yet since we have known The Savior's great name;
In this our strong tower For safety we hide,
The Lord is our power... The Lord will provide.

When life sinks apace And death is in view,
This word of his grace Shall comfort us through:
No fearing or doubting With Christ on our side,
We hope to die shouting... The Lord will provide!

John Newton, Hymn #7, Olney Hymns (London: W. Oliver, 1779). Music by Paul W. Martin, © 2005. 10,10,11,11

Comparing Ankles

Christian Thought: Comparing Ankles

The Fighter Jet mocks my pain...

(As if a rampant skin infection is any worse than damaged internal thingys in my ankle!)