Pulling Down Idols

An idol is anything in our lives that has more of our ultimate loyalty than God. Idols need to be recognized, repositioned and replaced. 

Pulling Down Idols from First Baptist Middleville

“To whom will you liken me and make me equal,
    and compare me, that we may be alike?
Those who lavish gold from the purse,
    and weigh out silver in the scales,
hire a goldsmith, and he makes it into a god;
    then they fall down and worship!
They lift it to their shoulders, they carry it,
    they set it in its place, and it stands there;
    it cannot move from its place.
If one cries to it, it does not answer
    or save him from his trouble."
-Isaiah 46:5-7

If you would like to see the first of the two messages on idolatry, click here. (I apologize that the video quality is a bit jumpy. We have improved our equipment since this recording.)

If Matt Stafford was a Cartoon Character...

Just something I noticed.

You can't tell me it isn't true.

2014

I haven't blogged much in 2014 but I have an excuse.

2014 was a crazy year. It was a year I could not have predicted. When 2014 started I was between ministries and in the middle of writing my PhD dissertation on the Providence of God. We were living off of savings and I had no idea what to expect except that God had a plan and that it would probably be something I could never have guessed in advance. I was right about that.

In January I stated teaching Christian Belief and History for Cornerstone University as an adjunct. In February, we learned that the church we were attending was suddenly losing their Senior Pastor along with much of their staff due to a conflict that we had no idea about. It was a very difficult time for this church, but the handwriting was on the wall that we were there for a purpose. By April I was teaching as a volunteer for their student ministry while continuing to teach for Cornerstone. In May, the congregation voted to bring me on as the Interim Associate Pastor, starting after I would teach Systematic Theology II for Grand Rapids Theological Seminary in June.

One thing led to another and by fall I was officially installed as the Senior Pastor at First Baptist Church of Middleville--a faithful and loving church that is a better doctrinal match for us, and two and a half miles closer to our home that our previous church. And by "coincidence" before my first regular sermon in November, I also finished and submitted all 301 pages of my doctoral dissertation on the Providence of God. (I will defend it in January.)

That's why I haven't been blogging much this year. I've been busy writing about God's Providence and living it out.

God is faithful.

The Most Beautiful Painting in the World

Imagine that you were the owner of the most beautiful painting in the world. Without a doubt, this is the most beautiful work of art ever to be created. It brings joy and delight to everyone who looks at it. When people behold this magnificent work of art, their lives are forever changed because of the breathtaking beauty of this work.

Now, if you were the owner of this painting, what would be the more loving thing to do? Would it be more loving to take that painting and lock it in a big vault in your attic where it will be kept safe and where no one but you could every look at it? Or, would it be more loving to put the painting on display for everyone who is willing to come and delight in its beauty, and then to go out encouraging others to come and to behold the life-changing beauty of the painting?  

Now consider this: It’s not merely as if God has the most beautiful painting in the world; God is the most beautiful being in the world! Therefore, the most loving thing for God to do would be to put His magnificence on display for everyone to see. The most loving thing for Him to do would be to exalt Himself and insist that people come and find their delight in Him. God is the source of infinite and eternal joy.

God is glorified when people's hearts delight in Him. For God to be glorified is appropriate and God-honoring, because God deserves it. It is also the most loving thing for God to offer people.

"One thing have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord..." 

-Psalm 27:4

Powerman and Mosquitoboy: Robot Invasion - Episode 3

Behold! Here is another video from back in my superhero days. This is part three in Powerman and Mosquitoboy: Robot Invasion. You can watch part one on the blog or on youtube, and you can watch part two on the blog or on youtube. 

In the previous episode, Powerman learned from The Designer that Princess Alethia's fiance, Prince Wimpe, is secretly behind the robot invasion and the robotic duplicates of Powerman and Mosquitoboy. Now, it is up to them to warn the Princess before it is too late!

Once again, we managed to smuggle a lot of theology into a superhero video for kids! This was originally used for a custom written VBS program. The teaching theme for this episode was Reboot: You must be born again. Verse: "In reply Jesus declared, 'I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.'" -John 3:3.

This was fun to write and create. There was great acting from all those involved. I hope you enjoy it!