Another Ascending Lark

A Brief Word on Stephen Hawking's Birthday Present

2012-01-22T16:22:00.000-06:00

In the January 11th issue of New Scientist, an article by Lisa Grossman appeared, entitled "Why Scientists Can't Avoid A Creation Event". The article highlighted a recent paper by Alexander Vilenkin that came at a very untimely occurrence for a popular scientist: the celebration of Stephen Hawking's 70th birthday. What made this paper's appearance untimely was Vilenkin claiming, in conclusion, "All the evidence we have says that the universe had a beginning."

Hawking made a pre-recorded phone message which said, quote: "A point of creation would be a place where science broke down. One would have to appeal to religion and the hand of God."

I briefly wish to point out that what Hawking meant by "science" breaking down, he was more or less meaning "naturalism". A point of creation would challenge naturalism (the belief that the natural world is all that existed), but it would not challenge science if such a conclusion (namely, that the universe had a beginning) was made via the scientific method. It's ironic that he claims that a creation event is a "place where science broke down" given that his statement came as a result of Alexander Vilenkin, who is a renowned scientist himself, and his paper. Hawking is making a philosophical conclusion about a scientific observation, not a scientific statement - statements concerning religion and "the hand of God" are not scientific statements.

Science, contrary to populist belief, is not the supreme discipline for knowledge. It is a first order discipline that examines it's various subject matter, but philosophy - the overarching discipline for all knowledge - is a second order discipline that studies science. Hawking, who said in his recent book "philosophy is dead", would do well to recant that statement and supplement his abilities as a scientist with those as a philosopher, as his recent statement shows his confusion between the two.

A Timeline Of Resources That Got Me Started As An Apologist

2012-01-14T17:18:00.002-06:00

Apologetics can be a difficult field to get into. There are so many books, podcasts, and subjects to study that it's hard to know where to start! While this post isn't meant to be a "getting into apologetics" guide (that's a post for another time), I thought I would share the six apologetics resources that helped me get started as an apologist. These resources are listed chronologically, from late 2009 to mid 2010.

1: The Apologetics Study Bible (Late 2009)

My very first exposure to apologetics was this Bible, which I found in stack of other Bibles my dad owned as he was going through seminary. I knew what the word "apologetics" meant, not much in terms of apologetic content. Once I cracked this open, I spent several hours reading and re-reading the articles and other material of this study Bible. Some of it was really enlightening and helpful - some of it was way too confusing and hard to understand. It introduced me to the names of people who were actively defending the faith and it helped clarify questions that I had as a young Christian. While nowadays I would recommend the ESV Study Bible over the Apologetics Study Bible, this is still a good study Bible and I am very thankful to it for exposing me to apologetic materials.

2: The Apologetics.com Radio Show Podcasts (Late 2009)I had heard of this website through an appendix in a book on Islam, so I checked it out one afternoon and found out that they hosted a radio show every week that was made available into a podcast. After going to iTunes and downloading a few podcasts, these guys became regulars on my iPod. Far and away my favorite apologetics podcast, I would listen to these guys during the 5 AM Wednesday shift at my previous grocery store job, sometimes listening to each radio show twice. Deep, thought provoking, and incredibly relevant, the Apologetics.com radio show is still going strong and still provides rich and challenging, yet accessible, material.

3: "The Ten Most Common Objections to Christianity" by Alex McFarland (Early 2010)

One day at Lifeway Christian Bookstores, I found this in the clearance bin and since it was so cheap, I thought I would pick it up and give it a shot. I ended up devouring it pretty quickly. Very straightforward, clear, and well written, Alex covers a wide range of objections in this book that will help a newbie not feel overwhelmed. I left this book with a student of my church's youth ministry before I went off for the summer, and recently he asked me if he could give it to one of his friends to read. Of course I said yes.

4: "On Guard" by William Lane Craig (Early/Mid 2010)

Shortly after I bought "The Ten Most Common Objections to Christianity", my trial by fire as an apologist came about: the Pray for an Atheist event (which you can read about here). Brought to my attention indirectly via an Apologetics.com radio show podcast, this was the one event that tested and tried me as a budding apologist. What a better way to learn apologetics than being thrown into a den of angry and hostile atheists, where the Christians are easily outnumbered 10 to 1? During the midst of this trial, I ordered several books from Amazon, and this was one of them. Aside from being the first book I read by one of my favorite apologists, it opened a new world to me by introducing the various arguments for God's existence and the arguments for the Resurrection. This book came in handy at the start of my first semester of college, when I gave it to a struggling Christian in my World Religions class. While at first he was a borderline atheist, he is now a passionate Christian who has been diligently representing Christ where he goes.

5: "Who Made God?" by Ravi Zacharias and William Lane Craig (Mid 2010)

By the grace of God we were able to take the students to youth camp for the first time in a really long time. While at Panfork Baptist Encampment for one hot week in June, I used my afternoons to read while the students were blobbing and swimming and rock climbing and doing all sorts of crazy stuff. Nicely structured into topics and issues, this was a well written Q&A book handling questions that I was having as I was reading and listening and feeding myself apologetics. While I never finished this book (and I gave it to a different student to read while I was gone), it is definitely a helpful one - in fact, I think I'm going to go buy it again, in Kindle form, once I finish this post....

6: "I Don't Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist" by Norman Geisler and Frank Turek" (Mid 2010)

I brought several books with me on my family vacation to Colorado, but once I started reading this one, I had a hard time stopping! This was a huge turning point in my life as an apologist, because I had a comprehensive case for Christianity in my hands - where "On Guard" was more defending to objections to Christianity and "Who Made God?" was all over the place in terms of content, this was the first book I read that started from a point of complete skepticism and moved forward to conclude, one step at a time, that Jesus Christ is God and the Bible is His word. Other than Greg Koukl's "Tactics", this is the one book I recommend the most to a wide range of people.

If you are an apologist, what resources helped you get started?

Album Review: "Give Us Rest Or (A Requiem Mass in C [the happiest of all keys])" by David Crowder Band

2012-01-11T19:00:00.001-06:00

David Crowder Band

"Give Us Rest Or (A Requiem Mass in C)[the happiest of all keys])"
Rock, Pop, Bluegrass, Various

Buy It: www.amazon.com

See Bottom for Score

Before I begin this review, I must give some explanation behind the name of this blog.

"Another Ascending Lark" is based off the closing track of "A Collision Or (3+4=7)" by a group of guys known as the David Crowder Band. The album is one of my favorite albums from all the albums I own. It is a fantastic work of art that is aimed at the praise of God while rooted in the grief and pain that comes from the loss of loved ones. Why do I mention this? Because the last album from the David Crowder Band just so happens to be a continuation of "A Collision Or (3+4=7)". Therefore, it follows that the following review is related to the album from which spawned the title for this whole blog.

Without getting into the details that make the David Crowder discography remarkable at it's most basic level (seriously, what other band plans their whole career and their albums on the basis of the theology pertaining to the days of creation in Genesis?), "Give Us Rest ..." must be viewed in relation to "A Collision...", or an incredible amount of impact will by lost. By itself, "Give Us Rest ..." is a masterpiece of masterpieces, but when taken together with "A Collision...", the album shines even brighter. The album itself is massive - over 34 tracks long clocking over 100 minutes long. This is no small feat for any band. Adding to these impressive numbers is the fact that the album is structured like a modern day Requiem Mass. I did not do any reading into the structuring of Requiem Masses before I wrote this, so unfortunately I must not comment on that. Irrespective to this oversight, this album is not structured like a standard album - there is a definite structure and theme as the album goes on.

It's so tempting to give a track-by-track analysis of this album - but that would make for a long post. Simply put, "Give Us Rest ... " takes the things that made "A Collision ..." a remarkable album and builds upon them. The amount of genre diversification is extremely broad. Pop, rock, techno, folk, bluegrass, classical, and even - gasp - progressive metal; the genre mashup that was found in "A Collision ..." is taken to new levels. Don't assume that such a wide range of genres means a schizophrenic listening experience, as the boys of the Crowder band know how to make the album flow without making the experience disconnected. In fact, given all the genres this album features, it is a very cohesive sound that flows throughout the whole CD.

The albums features tracks that work very powerfully on their own (Oh Great God, Give Us Rest, Come Find Me, Oh, Great Love of God) but also features a few multi-part songs. The Mumford and Sons inspired Oh My God and I Am A Seed flow into each other, with the latter borrowing a bit of song structure from the former, while the last four tracks flow seamlessly into each other as a live recording. Without a doubt, the highlight of the multi-part songs are the seven Sequences, the instrumental-driven tour de force of progressive metal, classical orchestration, rock, and more. The seven Sequences are amongst the best of the best when it comes to the creativity of the Crowder band - it will leave you speechless at best, impressed at worst.

"A Collision ..." had several tracks that were seemingly random or pointless, and "Give Us Rest ..." follows lockstep with this regard, only they make it a tad more interesting this time around. A bit more polished and refined, the seemingly meaningless non-music tracks give an artistic flair to the album that was somewhat lacking in "A Collision ...". From the opening track Requiem Aeternam Dona Eis, Domine (which perfectly mirrors the opening track of "A Collision ..."), the profound A Burial, the eerie The Great Amen, and both reprises, the non-music tracks are not to be skipped over, as they contribute to the unique feel of the whole album. That being said, it would have been nice to have more music tracks in this album in ratio to the non-musics or instrumental tracks. That is probably the one flaw that I will grant - the non-music tracks and the numerous instrumental tracks can be distracting even while they contribute to the album.

The closing tracks are interesting. If you want to listen to the new bluegrass recordings that the Crowder band is known for, skip straight to the end, where you get three nicely redone hymns with the bluegrass flair behind Crowder's hit "I Saw The Light". It's interesting the band chose Because He Lives as the closing song for their last CD - at first glance, it is nowhere near as powerful as the closing track from "A Collision ...". If you dig into the context, though, this could not have been a better choice. Aside from being a hymn with absolutely fantastic theology, the exhortation that "life is worth the living just because He lives" captures the whole essence of both "A Collision ..." and "Give Us Rest ...", that in the midst of death and grief at the loss of loved ones, we are reminded that for those of us who have trusted in Christ for eternal life, death is not the end and nothing that happens in this life can take away the joy of what comes after death. A life lived without Christ is one not worth living, a principle that is seen in times of loss and death. Musically, it is simple; lyrically, it is deep; symbolically, it is profound.

It's hard not to crown this album the best of the band's canon, even on a single listen. It is clear that they put more effort into this one album than any of their past releases, and the result is something that is hard to find in any music scene. It's also not hard to understate the impact that this band has had on countless numbers of people, whether they are fans, casual listers, worship bands, or people like me who aim to think critically of how we worship in retrospect to the God we praise - Crowder's influence in my life is vast and large on that regard. His work will be studied and used for decades to come, and in the annals of history his role in shaping the Christian market will not go unstated. It goes completely without saying that this is the worship album of the year, and I'm willing to bet that I will end up crowning this the 2012 Album of the Year. With that, I wish to close this review with the lyrics that gave birth to this blog, which poignantly paints a picture of the past career of an remarkable band:

"And I'm trying to make you sing, from inside where you believe, like it's something that you need and it means everything. And I'm trying to make you feel that this is for real, that life is happening and it means everything. I'm just trying to make you sing."

10 out of 10

Passion 2012 and Richard Dawkins: So, you want to destroy Christianity?

2012-01-07T13:51:00.000-06:00

If there is one staple of American Christianity amongst the youth/college aged believers that is worth holding on to, it would be the Passion Worship Conferences. Drawing a great multitude to Atlanta, Georgia and via online web streaming, the Passion Worship Conferences have been a megaforce for leading students to worship and authentic change in both lifestyle and beliefs. With speakers like John Piper, Francis Chan, Louie Giglio, and more, the fluff factor is almost nonexistent as the rally cry of the Gospel is proclaimed.

Then there is Richard Dawkins. If you are even remotely involved with evangelism to atheists today, you most likely know how he is. Author of the runaway bestseller "The God Delusion", he has become the undisputed kingpin of the New Atheist movement. Known for his bombastic and hostile rhetoric to any thing remotely religious (mostly aimed at Christianity), he recently dropped this line in his recent interview with the late Christopher Hitchens:

"Do you ever worry that if we win and, so to speak, destroy Christianity, that vacuum would be filled by Islam?" (1)

Ignore the part about Islam; that's not relevant. It's the "if we win and, so to speak, destroy Christianity" part that is the focus. Most of us in the apologetics community just laughed. This is the same Dawkins who had the opportunity to debate William Lane Craig in his European book tour last year but repeatedly declined. He isn't the first to want to destroy Christianity, and isn't the last.

Now, back to Passion 2012. The weeklong conference just concluded this past Thursday, and here are some staggering numbers and statistics from the faith group that Dawkins wants to destroy. Here is a tweet from Passion's official Twitter account:

"Totals from #passion2012!! $3,066,670 to #endslavery, 36K towels/156K pairs socks for homeless, $148K to Passion WT dates." (2)

From the faith group that this prominent atheist wants to destroy, over 3 million dollars was given to end global slavery and a staggering number of towels and socks were given to the homeless of Atlanta, Georgia. Keep in mind, the majority of participants of the Passion conferences are college students and young adults. No elaboration is really needed on these facts, except for the fact that if anyone claims these numbers are false, the burden of proof is on them to demonstrate that they are wrong.

I don't particularly care if Dawkins knows about this or what his response is. He would still want to destroy Christianity even if these numbers were made aware to him. He will continue to proclaim the moral evils and dangers of belief in God, and he has every right to do so. But, if there is a single reason why he will fail in his quest to destroy Christianity (just as countless others before him), its precisely because of instances like this where beliefs are transformed into powerful actions.

'What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.' (James 2:14-18 ESV)

1:http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-2073985/Professor-Dawkins-makes-festive-vow-destroy-Christianity.html#ixzz1ino733aH

2: https://twitter.com/#!/passion268/status/155716529474912256

The Spirit, Isaiah 6, and God's Timely Calling.

2012-01-03T22:13:00.001-06:00

I write this post just after having my personal devotional time. It is late in the evening, about the time that I need to go to bed. My phone's alarm wasn't turned up loud enough for me to hear it this morning, so I slept through the morning time I normally set aside for my personal devotional time.

All part of God's plan.

At the start of the year I began working through a devotional book that has been a major staple of my spiritual life ever since a late teenager. The book is David Nasser's "A Call to Die", and if you have never heard of it I implore you to buy a copy and go through it. The premise of the book is that you take something you enjoy and fast from it for 40 days while you go through a hard hitting and discipline comprehensive (prayer, Scripture memory, meditation, personal responses) set of daily devotionals. It's intense. The first time I went through this book, midway through I was absolutely shattered in a way that I had never experience and have not experienced since. That's a post for another time.

At the end of this particular devotional, based on Isaiah 6:1-8, the devotional concludes by asking the reader to pray while reading Isaiah 6:1-8, using each verse as a sort of guide for the content of your prayers. As I was praying, an event came to my mind that I had not been thinking about recently. Each year, there is an annual mission trip to South Padre Island that college students can go on, and while I wanted to go, I was unsure of myself as to whether or not I would go.

As I got to Isaiah's famous words, "Here I am; send me!", I can confidently say I heard the Spirit tell me "You are to go on this mission trip." This wasn't on my mind beforehand, and no extenuating circumstances recently have brought it to attention - it truly came out of the blue, in a time God saw fit to reveal his will for me, even in a way I hadn't been seeking for.

God reveals his will to us in his timing, not ours. And tonight, after a delayed time in the Word, I have been reminded that when God calls, who are we to say anything but "yes"?

The 2nd Annual Another Ascending Lark Music Awards!

2011-12-19T20:04:00.000-06:00

Well ladies and gentlemen, we have come to the end of the year. 2011 is nearly over, and 2012 will soon begin. This means that it is time for "best of" awards to be given out. What was the best film of 2011? The best book? The best sports team? The best television show? I will not be answering those - I will be giving my views on what the best albums of 2011 are, from a different perspective than the average critic. Yes, it is time for the second annual Another Ascending Lark Music Awards!

There are two main categorizations to this awards shindig. First, there are the Genre and Category Awards. After the Genre and Category Awards, we have the Top 10 Countdown. This is the list that crowns the 2011 Album of the Year, a highly prestigious award indeed (not really, it just means this album was better than all the other ones I listened to). With that out of the way, let's being to the Genre and Category Awards!

(Note: All of the band/album lines are hyperlinked. If I reviewed the album, the hyperlinks will go to my review of the album. In each review I include a link to buy the album. If I didn't review the album, the link goes straight to Amazon.)

Metal Album of the Year

Theocracy, "As the World Bleeds"

Goodness, this album has caused a lot of trouble. It came into the picture the first week of December and made a mess of everything. When you show some world class talent that makes Stryper look tame, with some theological content that makes Lecrae look elementary, you are bound to get some recognition. In all seriousness, this is amongst the best metal albums I have ever heard. It is furiously intense without a single screamed vocal, it is thought provoking without a slant to preachy-ness, and it reeks of classic metal with modern twists. If you like your metal without the screaming, you owe it to yourself to check this out.

Metalcore Album of the Year

Oh, Sleeper, "Children of Fire"

Runner Up: August Burns Red, "Leveler"

An element that is lacking in most music releases today is the element of a storyline. The overwhelming majority of albums released on the market are collections of songs that may revolve around a theme or a idea, but don't tell any real story. Oh, Sleeper has bucked that trend for the second time now with "Children of Fire", the sequel to their 2009 tour de force "Son of the Morning". Building off the storyline of the previous album, Oh, Sleeper choose to add a moving and provocative aftermath to God and Satan's final battle. With each song functioning as a chapter in the story, you can't pick and choose from this one - it must be evaluated as a whole, from start to finish. The story is engaging, violent, moving, and emotional, etched in some impressively technical metalcore work that rivals any other metalcore group out there.

Progressive Metal Album of the Year

Hope for the Dying, "Dissimulation"

Runner Up: Becoming the Archetype, "Celestial Completion"

An "epic" sound is easy to produce nowadays, but to have a core sound that is driven on movie score level epic is another thing. Hope for the Dying and their quiet sophomore release "Dissimulation" takes the best sounds of good metalcore and fuses it with intricate synth lines and progressive breakdowns and instrumentals to give a sound that cannot be described as anything other than "epic". There is plenty of stuff for the technical minded musicians to munch on, and those who enjoy the fusion of metal with classic rock, classic metal, and synth orchestrations owe it to themselves to check this out.

Death Metal Album of the Year

Becoming the Archetype, "Celestial Completion"

Arguably my most anticipated album at the beginning of the year, my favorite metal band did not disappoint with their fourth studio album. Looking back, it is sad to know that it will be the last album with Jason Wisdom, the fierce lion of the band, screaming into my ears, but it closes a highly influential era with a stellar experimental release. Deliberately more on the experimental side, Becoming the Archetype built upon their death metal roots with trombones, sitars, violins, and this guy named Daniel Gailey and his bone-chilling high end scream. The result is a solid death metal effort with some creative bends that continue to make Becoming the Archetype a phenomenal (and incredibly underrated) band.

Hard Rock Album of the Year

Blindside, "With Shivering Hearts We Wait"

Runner Up: Red, "Until We Have Faces"

Blindside captures a hard rock sound at a very basic level in "With Shivering Hearts We Wait", but adds to it a layer of uniqueness that is not easily found in other hard rock bands. The Swedish rockers waited quite a while to put this release out, but the wait was worth it. Filled with plenty of music goodies that work well with their specialized sound, Blindside came out swinging mid year as a good contender for some awards with "With Shivering Hearts We Wait".

Rock Album of the Year

Switchfoot, "Vice Verses"

Runner Up: John Mark McMillan, "Economy"

I am honest, I wasn't looking forward to Switchfoot's newest release as some other people were. I checked out on Switchfoot after "The Beautiful Letdown" but was interested again after 2009's "Hello Hurricane". Needless to say, when I put "Vice Verses" to a spin for the first time, I was a committed fan again. Often claimed as being overrated and overplayed, Switchfoot gave us an offering that shows that some bands get better with time. Even if you are burned out on Switchfoot, you owe it to yourself to check this one out at least once - you will see that this band has something to say, and they say it with some delicious rock n' roll riffs.

Alternative Rock Album of the Year

John Mark McMillan, "Economy"

Opening for the David Crowder*Band and their final tour, John Mark McMillian is one of those diamonds in the rough - you know who he is, but you will miss him if you don't pay attention. The original author of the now-timeless worship song "How He Loves", McMillian comes out with a 10 track rock album that is mellow, moody, heartfelt, and very much The Arcade Fire-ish. Filled with new worship anthems that actually contain substantive material (in light of his sometimes-shallow contemporaries), McMillian manages to sing about things you have heard before with a twist that makes it seem fresh and new. It may not be the most blood-pumping alt-rock album ever released, but its certainly entertaining and spiritually fulfilling.

Pop/Rock Album of the Year

Coldplay, "Mylo Xyloto"

Runner Up: Eisley, "The Valley"

Coldplay doesn't need any more recognition, but this year they once again deserve it by giving us a spectacular album, "Mylo Xyloto". Full of plenty of smile-inducing pop sensibilities with some praiseworthy guitar licks, Coldplay adds another dimension to their sound with their fifth studio album. Positive, upbeat, encouraging and uplifting, "Mylo Xyloto" is not as much of a downer (musically themed, that is) that the previous album was. Those who have checked out on Coldplay's past sounds need to familiarize themselves with this new era of Coldplay - an era that could prove to be their best.

Pop Album of the Year

Owl City, "All Things Bright and Beautiful"

As I wrote about after my return to the real world in August, the summer months were arguably the best two months of my life. There were some albums that I either bought or listened to in those two months that will forever be staples of those months. This album is one of them. Don't misunderstand - I may have a sentimental attachment to this album, but that doesn't change the fact that it is amazing. Full of catchy hooks, memorable lines (and equally silly ones as well), and an infectious set of techno tunes, "All Things Bright and Beautiful" stands on the shoulders of "Ocean Eyes" and shows a vast improvement that shows Owl City is a one-man force to be reckoned with.

Indie Album of the Year

Eisley, "The Valley"

Runner up: Gungor, "Ghosts Upon the Earth

If there was one single event that defined the year for me musically, it would be the discovery of Eisley. This band has now become my undisputed number 1 favorite band, far over any other metal band or any other group, and will most likely stay there for a long time to come. Their third full length, "The Valley", is full of creative compositions that are accessible but not mainstream. Guided by the oh so lovely voices of Sherri and Stacy DuPree, the five-piece Texas band paints a memorable picture of the pains of lost romance, heartache, and divorce. It's real, it's heartbreaking, and it's intense. It's also excellent.

Folk Album of the Year

The Civil Wars, "Barton Hollow"

Runner up: The Decemberists, "The King is Dead"

Would you believe me if I said that this was the hardest genre to pick a winner for? I'm not kidding - there was a LOT of good folk released this year. It was hard to pick a winner amongst so much variety and creativity from a good selection of bands. When it came down to it, I believe The Civil Wars deserved the award. John Paul Smith and Joy Williams make an unforgettable duo with their heavenly harmonies and ballads of love. John Paul's guitar work is simple but incredibly catchy and memorable, while Joy's touches of piano accent the duo's romantic vocals nicely. The Civil Wars continue to skyrocket in popularity, and with good reason - they are tapping into something that people want to hear, and they are doing it very well.

Worship Album of the Year

Gungor, "Ghosts Upon the Earth"

Runner up: John Mark McMillan, "Economy"

Now, I should make clear right off the bat that "worship" is not a genre in the sense of all the genres above. Worship albums are just as the name implies - albums for worship. It does not describe the music itself, but the intent of the work as a whole. In this case, Gungor's sophomore album "Ghosts Upon the Earth" redefines worship albums et al by raising the bar in ways no other worship-driven band has done. One of the few bands in the Christian market with a authentically high view of art, Gungor's newest album is a masterpiece musically. It is something I would pay $100 to see performed live by a full band or orchestra. On top of the quality of the music, it is one of the first albums I have ever heard that ties in propositional claims into the music itself - the musical compositions themselves were composed to convey certain meanings relative to the theme of the album. This isn't my idea - this is what the band has said from the start. Lyrically, the band once again provides unorthodox worship songs not necessarily workable for church settings, but rather for intimate, God-and-myself moments. And the result is unquestionably and undoubtedly the worship album of the year. No other album came even remotely close to this one.

Best Album Cover

Becoming the Archetype, "Celestial Completion"

Look at it. LOOK AT IT! IT'S TIGHT!!! Such is all I need to say for this one.

Best Concept Album

Tie: Oh, Sleeper's "Children of Fire" AND Gungor's "Ghosts Upon the Earth

I'm not a fan of ties, but it was not possible to choose between these two. Both featured something that trumped the other in what makes concept albums unique. Briefly outlined, Gungor proposes an absurd notion of propositional music - something that seems reasonably irrational, but interesting - by linking the concept of "Ghosts Upon the Earth" to the very musical compositions themselves. Oh, Sleeper, on the other hand, tells a fantastic lyrical story that flows almost flawlessly from one song to the next. Gungor's lyrical content was not as cohesive as it could have been, and Oh, Sleeper did not tie any meaning into their music. Given both of these strengths and weaknesses, it seems only right that they tie.

Songwriter of the Year

Micah Kinard, Oh Sleeper

(image credit: apartment24b.tumblr.com)

Being a Christian group, it takes guts and imagination to write lines like "I saw God die!" and "I'll marry a blade to his throat!" - but the realness and unchecked imagination of Kinard has resulted in a story with a message worth hearing. Far from being cliche, far from being preachy, and far from being boring, Kinard raises the question as to why more stories aren't told as albums - why do most albums have to be a collection of songs, sometimes centered around a general idea or theme or not?

Male Vocalist of the Year

Matt Smith, Theocracy

(image credit: communities.washingtontimes.com)

Let's just get this out of the way - he might sound like Michael Sweet from Stryper, but Matt Smith from Theocracy rivals even the best of Sweet. One listen to "As the World Bleeds" shows that this dude can sing with an crazy impressive range, with a sound that works well for his style of metal. Go check him out if you are looking for nostalgia combined with originality.

Female Vocalist of the Year

Sherri and Stacy DuPree, Eisley

(image credit: stealherstyle.net)

Yes, I said "vocalist", singular, but you cannot separate Sherri from Stacy nor can you separate Stacy from Sherri. What makes Eisley such a joy to listen to is the contrast of both singer's voices - they are quite different from each other and interact with each other in a noteworthy way. One thing is constant between them both - they are passionate and very professional. No other female(s) this year has brought so much joy to my ears than the sound of these two under appreciated songstresses.

And now, let the Top 10 of 2011 Countdown Begin!

10: "Mylo Xyloto" by Coldplay

Too good not to make the list, Coldplay may not meet my sensibilities for anything higher than rank 10, but they sure did give a good enough album to earn a spot.

9: "Celestial Completion" by Becoming the Archetype

I originally touted this as the Album of the Year, but even then I knew that likely wasn't going to happen. It is still amongst the best releases of the year, and an album any metalhead should own.

8: "Economy" by John Mark McMillan

After a great performance on the 7 Tour with David Crowder and company, John Mark McMillian takes the 8th spot because of his dedication to his sound and his craft, and it shows in "Economy"

7: "Vice Verses" by Switchfoot"

Many are tired of them, some think too highly of them, but Switchfoot put out a fantastic rock album this year, and it deserves praise and recognition. I am now fully paying attention again to this landmark band.

6: "Barton Hollow" by The Civil Wars

Simplicity is sometimes more beautiful than complexity, and The Civil Wars shines in this regard. Simple, elegant, and captivating, "Barton Hollow" gives a different sound for those who enjoy something tasteful and timeless.

5: "Children of Fire" by Oh, Sleeper

With a brutally technical sound and some profound songwriting, "Children of Fire" by the willingly controversial Oh, Sleeper stood out as one of the better releases of the whole year.

4: "Dissimulation" by Hope for the Dying

A definite sleeper hit, "Dissimulation" is not an album to appear on most metal fans radars, but for those who happen to find it, there is much talent to be found with this sophomore masterpiece.

3: "The Valley" by Eisley

Prior to Gungor and Theocracy, this was the Album of the Year. Currently sitting halfway on Amazon's Top 100 Albums of the Year and being hailed by some critics as one of the best albums of the year, this is a true gem that is wholesome and richly rewarding. It may not be number 1, but is sure as heck is one of the best albums to have come out in a long time.

2: "As The World Bleeds" by Theocracy

One listen to this album put it pretty high on the list; it may have been released in late November, but it challenged every other metal release this year. After multiple listens, it is clear that it is the best metal album of the year and a worthy runner up to Album of the Year.

Album of the Year

"Ghosts Upon The Earth" by Gungor

What Gungor has done with "Ghosts Upon the Earth" should not be ignored. It should not be glanced at and then forgotten. It should be studied, documented, and mimicked to no end. The ethical precedent that Gungor has set for crafting a worship album should not only shame other artists who take their craft halfheartedly (read: the majority of the worship bands on the market), it should inspire a new generation of artists and musicians who truly understand the role of art and creativity in worship. It has never been enough to merely fill a song with truth statements about God and call it good worship - the music should move us to worship and the lyrics should be conveyed in such a way that match the deepest yearnings of our hearts. Gungor has accomplished that majestically with "Ghosts Upon the Earth". This is the indisputable 2011 Album of the Year, and arguably the most complete worship album ever crafted.

Thus are my picks of good music for the year. Agree? Disagree? Did I miss someone who might've changed things up?

Sound off below!

Album Review: "Mylo Xyloto" by Coldplay

2011-12-13T19:23:00.000-06:00

Coldplay

"Mylo Xyloto"

Pop/Rock

Buy it: Amazon's MP3 Store

8.75 out of 10

Coldplay is aband that has been a staple in the pop-rock market ever since their debut in2002. Each album has been different than the last, but the same foundation isfound: Chris Martin’s charismatic voice and a piano-rock pop sound that hasspawned plenty of well known ballads and choruses. Each fan has their favoriteand what is considered to be the best Coldplay album of the canon, but now“Mylo Xyloto” enters in and changes up a lot of what Coldplay has come to beknown for. Fans got a taste of the new upbeat sound back in the summer with thesingle Every Teardrop Is a Waterfall and later with Paradise, songs that weretraditionally Coldplay at the core but vastly different on the outside. “MyloXyloto” is extremely positive and upbeat – while there are plenty of slow songsand ballads, the attitude and tone of the album is very uplifting and brings asmile to one’s face. Up In Flames is sure to be a new concert favorite foryears to come, and Rihanna adds a lovely contrast to Chris’s voice on Princessof China. Guitar fans will find plenty of licks and lines to learn from thepreviously mentioned Every Teardrop Is a Waterfall, Hurts Like Heaven, UpAgainst the World, and several other songs. Where the electric guitar ispresent, the influence of U2 and The Edge can be clearly seen, as the electricguitar riffs sounds like The Edge could’ve written the lines himself. Thoughthe guitar work takes a more prominent role this time around, the piano andkeyboards have their own shining moments, notably the title track and thepreviously mentioned Up In Flames. The short instrumental M.M.I.X is too longand uninteresting, while A Hopeful Transmission is unnecessarily separated fromthe song it introduces. Whatever complaints one might have against this album,credit must be given to Coldplay that the passion they have for their music hasnot wavered, and they demonstrate it by giving us a tightly executed gem of apop-rock album.

Album Review: "Dissimulation" by Hope for the Dying

2011-12-11T19:42:00.000-06:00

Hope for the Dying

"Dissimulation"

Progressive Metal/Metalcore

Buy It: Amazon's MP3 Store

9.5 out of 10

Every now and then you have a surprise of an album thatsneaks up behind you and totally blows you away. Albums like this are real joysbecause they are unexpected and throw an interesting wrench in the running foralbum awards at the end of the year. Such is the case with “Dissimulation” byHope for the Dying, a progressive metal album that drives on classical rock,highly technical guitar work, and a synth driven orchestral sound that iscomparable to a movie score. A 55 minute long song on a loop, “Dissimulation”is a roller coaster of furious technical metal interlaced with interludes ofacoustic guitars and pianos, classical rock solos, and impressive clean vocals,with each track leading directly into the next one with no discernable breaksor pauses. Tracks like Vacillation featurehighly precise lead guitar lines, Transcend(one of the best tracks of the album) combines synths with Iron Maideninfluenced guitar solos, and VileReflections starts out with a bang and takes a metalcore-ish slant married witha simply synth line. The three part TheAwakening covers the whole spectrum with moments of fast-paced grinding andslow, melodic bridges, a rousing climax in part 2 completed with a crescendo inpart 3 to bring the trilogy to a close. Lyrically, this album is incrediblybold for a metal album, and the band makes no attempt to hide their faith andpublicizes it with in-your-face lyrics dealing with forgiveness, eternity inhell, and redemption. The only weakness of the album is the screaming, as the leadscreamer is more of a hardcore screamer with a style that doesn’t always meshwell with the music. At times it works, at others it sounds out of place.Thankfully, this is a minor complaint and does not affect the truly outstandingmusical compositions of the band. “Epic” might be an overused word in oursociety today, but if there was a way to describe “Dissimulation” in one word,“epic” would be the only word that does it justice.

Album Review: "Children of Fire" by Oh, Sleeper

2011-12-10T20:48:00.000-06:00

Oh, Sleeper

"Children of Fire"

Metalcore

Buy It: Amazon's MP3 Store

9.25 out of 10

One of my best friends in college, a very talented musiciannamed Nathan, once said a profound statement that I will never forget:“Anything Underoath can do, Oh Sleeper already does ten times better." If thereis anything Oh, Sleeper is good at doing, it is playing very technicalmetalcore while choosing deliberate controversy with each album released.“When I Am God” was deemed as blasphemous, and the broken pentagram on “Son ofthe Morning” took it a step further. Now with their third release, “Children ofFire”, Oh, Sleeper has decided to give the Christian music market something ithas needed for a long time - more controversy, rooted in sheer musical talent. From a musical standpoint, Oh, Sleeper’s “Children of Fire” rivals thebest metalcore bands around; behind every Oh, Sleeper song is a band thatfocuses on making technically praiseworthy music. When the music and the lyricsare taken into consideration together, they areone of the best metalcore bands around. Continuing from the story of “Son ofthe Morning”, “Children of Fire” starts at the instant that Satan’s horns fallto the ground. The world sees this and turns into a society of sin and filth,thinking that God has died along with Satan. The story follows the lives of ashaken religious terrorist and his unbelieving daughter, with each song tellinga chapter in the story. The daughter starts out proclaiming the consequences ofGod’s death (“There is no right or wrong,no king, no throne to defend because we are all that exists! No blessing god,no judge or law, there's no cost or calls from the top because we're all on ourown!”) but then becomes open to his existence after finding a group ofbelievers, all leading to the glorious resolution in which God majesticallyproclaims, “"I see you, tattered and bruised, you're the only ones whoremained true. I hear your call through thick of it all; you've waited so longfor the rescue!" The climax of the story is found in the Thrice-like The Family Ruin, which is arguably themost progressive Oh, Sleeper song to date. Hush,Yael interweaves the story from fiction to reality as the band screams thestory of a terrorist attack on an Israeli family. The acoustic tracks The Conscious Speaks and Means to Believe show the range of thetalent Oh, Sleeper has by taking a break from Micah’s powerful guttural screamsand giving room for some clean vocals that are better than the averagemetalcore band, while Claws of a God andDealers of Fame are driven byunfiltered intensity. There is not much to find fault with this album, unlessyou take issue with the dark and violent storyline and the fact that Oh,Sleeper is one of the most passionate Christian bands in existence today. Forall the good metal albums released this year, there has not been an album ascomplete, lyrically and musically, as “Children of Fire”, and when listened totogether with “Son of the Morning” is creates a story that, at its basic root,is a story that will someday become reality – God will defeat Satan and redeemHis creation from the damaging effects of sin.

Album Review: "Ghosts Upon the Earth" by Gungor

2011-12-09T18:04:00.000-06:00

Gungor

"Ghosts Upon The Earth"

Indie/Folk/Bluegrass/Classical

Buy it: Amazon's MP3 Store

9.5 out of 10

When a group releases a successful album, there is always atemptation to release a clone of that album to capitalize on the success. WithGungor and their Grammy nominated “Beautiful Things”, this was a temptationthat Michael Gungor acknowledged on his blog. Thankfully, Gungor chose to gothe opposite route – create an album vastly different than the one before.Enter “Ghosts Upon The Earth”, an album that defies conventional genrecategorizations and aims to set a new standard for worship albums. This albumnot only succeeds in reaching that goal – it absolutely demolishes it. WhatGungor has created with “Ghosts Upon The Earth” is not just a mere worshipalbum, but an ethereal worship experience. The amount of musicianship that wentinto this album, from the number of instrument tracks in the crescendo of Let There Be and the fierce bluegrassjam session at the end of You Are TheBeauty to a The Civil Wars-like VousEtes Mon Coure (You Are My Heart) and the triumphal anthem of This Is Not The End, is a testimony tothe idea that the songs we use to praise God ought to be songs of musicalexcellence. Bluegrass, folk, indie – the range of the musical styles of thealbum make it hard to give it a specific genre. The band has said that everymusical facet of the album has a purpose or a thought behind it, and the resultof this effort adds another dimension of power to the album. For all the effortthat went into the music side, the lyrics for the whole album receive just asmuch consideration. A concept album based off of C.S. Lewis’s “The GreatDivorce”, the lyrics of the album start at creation and move to topics such asthe fall (The Fall), the promise ofredemption (When Death Dies), arebuke of religious practices of the church (Wake Up Sleeper), and more. The only real weakness of the albumcomes from the execution of the concept itself, as it is hard to tie the songstogether lyrically and thematically apart from the band’s explanation of thealbum. That weakness aside, this is a monumental release for a band thatdeserves more recognition than what it currently receives. This is the newcomprehensive standard for which all worship albums from here on should beevaluated, which goes without saying that “Ghosts Upon The Earth” is theundisputed worship album of the year and a serious contender for album of theyear.

Album Review: "Dead Throne" by The Devil Wears Prada

2011-12-06T18:59:00.000-06:00

The Devil Wears Prada

"Dead Throne"

Metalcore

Buy It: Amazon's MP3 Store

7.75 out of 10

Some bands have incredibly rabid fanbases that quicklyproclaim a new album to be “the band’s best album yet!” with each new release.Often time, these enthusiastic claims are silently retracted and recalled astime sets in and repeated listens take their toll on the hype of the album. Insome instances, however, there are times when such proclamations end up beingtrue – enter “Dead Throne” by The Devil Wears Prada, which is self evident tobe the band’s best work yet. Gone are the random song titles, the weak andcheesy clean vocals, the boring and shallow metalcore riffs. With “Dead Throne”The Devil Wears Prada introduces a new and improved sound faithful to theirroots while showing an upgrade in every aspect. Mike Hrancia’s high and lowscreams have drastically improved in intensity, the clean vocals are no longerwhiny and lame, and the guitar work shows great influence of bands like Slayerand therefore an growth in the headbanging factor. Even the lyrics have beenoverhauled, as the band puts the emphasis on false idols and creating dead thronesin our lives. The first lyrics of the album set the stage for the rest of theremainder of the ride as Mike screams, “Whatyou hold dear is a false account. What you hold dear offers no salvation. . .Dead throne, we’ve put the world up onto a dead throne. She will slip away. Youwill see your downfall.” The album concludes with the band boldlydeclaring, “With bleeding clouds ahead wepray for boldness, we pray for undying grace. . . Bless the Lord, oh my soul,for these words shall never pass. Save me. We will not be forgotten. Holdfast.”The new lyrical direction is refreshing to say the least. The two biggestinstances of the evolution of the band come in the two instrumentals Kansas and Chicago, arguably the best two tracks of the album. Even with thesenew improvements, the album still suffers from a lack of a “wow” factor – it isgood, but it does little to stand out from the crowd. Regardless, this isclearly a right step for the band, and without a doubt the band’s best album todate.

Album Review: "Haste the Day versus Haste the Day" by Haste the Day

2011-12-05T12:02:00.001-06:00

Haste the Day

"Haste the Day versus Haste the Day"

Metalcore

Buy it: Amazon

8.25 out of 10

When a lead singer praises a concert as being “the mostinsane show I’ve ever been too” (or something similar), it is generally astatement made in the moment, without getting much consideration to whether ornot it really is the most insane show they have ever done. On rare occasiondoes the statement carry any weight, and there must be something that reallystands out about a particular show to make it the best show a band has done.Enter the Haste The Day live album, “Haste The Day vs Haste The Day”. Haste theDay pulled out a massively impressive feat by bringing in the previousgeneration of Haste the Day – the Jimmy-era – and featuring both generations ofHaste the Day playing their respected songs live. The full Jimmy era Haste the Dayplays classics like Blue 42, Fallen, andSubstance while the Stephen eraHaste the Day plays 68, The MinorProphets, and Dogs Like Vultures and more. In addition to featuring the entire past-and-present cast of Haste theDay sharing the same stage, the band’s live album also functions as thegreatest hits album from the band with three songs from each of the five studioalbums. The biggest problem with the album is the same problem that plaguedAugust Burns Red’s live album – the sometimes lacking vocals. Where the vocalsare present, they are fantastic. When they are absent, it is definitelynoticeable, and unfortunately they are absent quite a bit in a few songs. The album’s raw sound, complete with sound system problems andvibrant crowd background noise, enhances the ferocious feel that Haste the Dayis known for putting out. The DVD performance is a nice addition but doesnothing to stand out – no special features to speak of, just an intenseperformance from a great metalcore giant. Haste the Day had a fantastic careerand “Haste the Day vs Haste the Day” is the perfect way to signal the end ofthe band’s run. Well done, Haste the Day, well done.

Album Review: "With Shivering Hearts We Wait" by Blindside

2011-12-05T11:03:00.000-06:00

Blindside

"With Shivering Hearts We Wait"

Hard Rock

Buy It: Amazon MP3 Store

8 out of 10

There was a lot of hype surrounding the oft-delayed release of the newest Blindside album, and that hype was justified with this album from the Swedish hard rockers. "With Shivering Hearts We Wait" was finally released earlier this year after spending time in limbo, and the wait was worth it. With a raw hardcore/hard rock sound, Blindside gives us an album full of their trademark roots with some new surprises thrown in. There Must Be Something In The Water opens the album off with a strings driven cinematic rocker that draws comparisons to Red's signature sound. "Monster On The Radio" experiments with a catchy pop-rock vibe. "Bring Out Your Dead" features plenty of screaming and thrash-inducing guitar work and "The Must Be Something In The Wind" closes with a tasty industrial techno-rock jam session. Thankfully, the experimentation is not overpowering to the core hard rock sound, which Blindside nails very well. The lyrics are simple and straightforward, with allusions to God throughout. To this reviewer, the lyrics fail to stick, and there is little cohesion between the flow of the songs. By themselves, the songs are fantastic, with no song being filler and each being well crafted to a unique hard rock sound. It's good to have these guys back, and hopefully a new release will come from them with a much shorter wait time!

Thanksgiving and Christ

2011-11-24T17:15:00.001-06:00

Put the fork down. You have eaten too much already. Seriously, have you noticed your pants getting tighter with each spoonful of potatoes you shove in your mouth? If not, wake up. It's happening.

Today is a day where we are supposed to be thankful. But if there were one thing that we could be most thankful for, what would it be? Perhaps you are thankful for your spouse (for some, there is great wisdom in that answer). Maybe you are thankful for your job. Maybe you are thankful for your family or community. Maybe you are like me and are thankful for your new Xbox Live router that allows you to pwn n00bs with raw skill when your stats don't reflect you as 1337 (only nerds will get that last sentence).

All of the things that I just listed, though, have one inherited flaw - those things don't last forever. Eventually your spouse will die. You will lose your job, quit, or retire. Your community will change as time goes on. Someday Xbox Live will become obsolete. While we can certainly be thankful for these things, there is something that we can be thankful for that consistently and faithfully lasts forever.

Simply put, that one thing is salvation through faith in Jesus Christ, which results in eternal life in a state of indescribable goodness. The oft-quoted verse John 3:16, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life", is a verse that contains something to be entirely thankful for. In love, God gave us his son so that we would have eternal life - if you believe in him for forgiveness of sins. Nothing in this world is capable of trumping this gift of salvation, because it is inherently temporarily. The destination of salvation is not - the destination of salvation is inherently superior to every other thing in the world on the basis alone that it is eternal. In this life, there is evil and pain. Such things will not exist in heaven. A promise that we will go to a place to live forever completely free of pain and suffering if we believe Jesus is our Lord and Savior? What could possibly be greater - and should receive more thanks - than this?

I think thanksgiving will be the only holiday celebrated in heaven. After everything has ceased to exist and we find ourselves before the throne of God, I believe it will necessarily require an attitude of thanksgiving incomparable to anything else this world could deserve.

Happy Thanksgiving from Another Ascending Lark, and look forward to the second annual Albums of the Year posts coming in December!

Ponder This: An Unholy Response to a Holy Salvation

2011-11-13T10:52:00.001-06:00

"They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out, that it might become plain that they all are not of us. But you have been anointed by the Holy One, and you all have knowledge. 1 John 2:19-20 (ESV)"

For my daily devotionals, I have been picking apart 1 John verse by verse. Each day I move along, one verse at a time (sometimes two) and dismantle it as much as possible and then study it to apply it to my life. Today, as I was picking apart 1 John 2:20 (as quoted about with 2:19 for context), when I got down to studying it to apply it to my life, the Spirit spoke to me in a powerful way that I felt compared to share.

In my Intro to World Religions class, our teacher (who is one of the smartest Christians I know) started off the semester by defining "holy" and "profane", two words that should have great meanings to us as Christians. Profane, as he defined it, were things that were common, normal, not holy. Holy was defined as sacred, set apart, transcendent to what is profane. Those two words and their definitions came into my mind as I picked apart verse 20, when it says "you have been anointed by the Holy One". Most likely, what John was referring to by this is the inner regeneration of believers by the Holy Spirit, making an analogy to physical anointings in the Old Testament where oil was used to show outwardly an inner transformation by the Spirit.

With this in mind, a simple thought came to my mind: given what God has done in my life, a holy act of regeneration by a holy being, why does my response to that not take into account that it is a holy act? What God has done in my life and the life of every Christian is a holy act, so I am broken as to why my response to it is one that treats it as a common, normal work when it is anything but that. For the most part, my response to what God has done in my life is one that doesn't take into account how holy, sacred, set-apart of an act it was. My response to his holy act is one that is unholy.

Ponder with me: why is this the case? Why is my response, the way I live my life, so lacking? What must change in my life to where I am responding properly to God's holy work? Ask yourself the same thing.

Album Review: "Live At The Masquerade" by Thousand Foot Krutch.

2011-11-01T09:23:00.001-05:00

Thousand Foot Krutch

"Live At The Masquerade"

Hard Rock

But It: www.amazon.com

4 out of 10

Ask any enthusiastic music-loving Christian youth for a good Christian band that plays hard rock and you might hear Thousand Foot Krutch as an answer. A staple in the Christian market, the Canadian hard rock triplet has had a solid career of releasing accessible hard rock tunes and great crowd-pumping rock anthems. With this in mind, a live album with some of the band's best hits and a concert DVD ought to be a surefire success, right? While this album does a lot of things well, it ultimately fails at it's most important task: entertaining the listener. The mixing is excellent, the production quality is acceptable, and the track list (though short) contains some of the band's most well known tunes. Unfortunately, for all of these praiseworthy aspects, this just might be the most boring live album I have ever heard. Listening to tracks Bring Me To Life, Rawkfist, and Puppet live should be an exciting prospect to any hard rock fan, but the only time the album ever gets intense is during Falls Apart; even during the harder songs, they feel dull and lack energy compared to their studio counterparts. The DVD doesn't help the package, as it contains no special features or bonuses of any kind, just a recording of the concert. While the producing of the DVD is decent, the performance itself just might be more boring than the album - the band's performance is stale and completely uninteresting in relation to the songs that they play.

This is a disappointing album; I was excited for this, but after one listen to it I had to force myself to listen to it again a second time. Even my middle brother, who is a much bigger TFK fan than I am, thought "Live at the Masquerade" was a disappointment. However, TFK is still a talented band with a great heart, so I look forward to a longer career with hopefully another live album in the future. Until then, while this might be a misstep for the band, the rest of their canon is still worth a listen.

Album Review: "The Valley" by Eisley

2011-10-30T14:17:00.001-05:00

Eisley

"The Valley"

Indie/Pop/Rock/Pop Rock

Buy It: www.amazon.com

8.75/10 Stars

When 2011 rolled around, my list of "must have albums" for the year was modest. A new Becoming the Archetype, a new Gungor, a new Needtobreathe, a new Red, a new Oh Sleeper and more was on this list; modest, though reasonable.

Then I heard about Eisley, and my world has turned upside down.

At the start of 2011, if you had told me that by the middle of the year my number one favorite band would be a female fronted indie pop rock group from Tyler, Texas, I probably would have laughed. But I am not laughing now - I speak the truth when I say that Eisley has now become my number one favorite band. period. I had never heard of them before, but once I put "The Valley" to a spin, I have since purchased every full length and EP and have listened to each of them more than I can count.

"The Valley" starts out with the self-titled track with Stacy DuPree's elegant vocals leading the way, aided by a new strings-driven sound that is unfamiliar to Eisley's previous albums. The album then moves to the rock-driven Smarter, with Sherri DuPree taking the spotlight this time. Sherri's emotion comes through crystal clear when she opens the song with "If I had one wish, it'd be for you and all your friends that didn't like me, and if I had one wish, it'd be that we had danced more at that apocryphal wedding", referring to her recent and short lived marriage with a member of the band New Found Glory (though now she is remarried, to the disappointment of fanboys everywhere). Watch It Die follows with Stacy taking dominance of the vocals and runs in a sound similar to the title track, but as the chorus rolls around fans are graced with a vocal appearance from the third DuPree sister, Chauntelle, who plays the electric guitar for the band. Sad returns to Sherri DuPree and the rock driven sound, and as a continuation of the Stacy/Sherri tradeoff, Oxygen Mask continues the album with Stacy exhibiting a wide vocal range of highs and lows throughout the entire song with a heavy dose of poppy synths.

Better Love is the first song on the album to feature Sherri and Stacy sharing the vocal spotlight. Musically and lyrically, Better Love is one of the better songs on the album, as Stacy and Sherri sing in a triumphal chorus "I've finally found out you're on my side with a bullet for the bad guys" and Chauntelle follows alongside with an uplifting yet heavy rock riff. I Wish also features a tradeoff of Stacy and Sherri and builds off Better Love with another rock-driven sound, though slightly more mellow, perhaps in anticipation for the emotional closing tracks.

The last four songs deserve their own paragraph. These last four songs are what sold me to this band. Kind is an elegant keyboard and acoustic guitar ballad led by Stacy, who reaches impressive highs with her voice. Mr Moon is exclusively as Sherri DuPree song, and this song demonstrates the incredible talent and voice of Sherri as she sings a rock ballad full of pain and heartbreak. The intensity doesn't slow down, as Please follows shortly after. Another Sherri/Stacy duet, the themes of heartbreak and disappointment only increase as Sherri and Stacy sing "Please, please don't do this to me, baby! Please, oh please, don't get over me!" Chauntelle's guitar work shines with a nicely placed solo and adds to the beautiful chorus with a subtle lead line. In Ambulance, the closing track, the emotional content of the lyrics reaches it's climax, as Stacy sings a song dedicated to Sherri in the aftermath of her failed marriage. When the rest of the band kicks in as Stacy sings, "Cause I was told to get out, told to leave, told to have my things in the parking lot", raw sadness and pain ought to be the listener's response. The song doesn't end on a bad note, but closes with a plea for God to work in the situation: "I need an ambulance! I took the worst of the blow. Send me a Redeemer, let me know if I'm gonna be alright. Am I gonna be alright?".

It's hard for me not to be super-glowy of this album. In a word, I love what Eisley has done with "The Valley". That being said, it's isn't without it's weaknesses. Smarter has a weak and repetitive chorus, and the first five songs are vastly inferior to the rest of the album (though they are not bad songs). The initial tradeoff between pop-Stacy songs and rock-Sherri songs brings a somewhat disconnected feel at the start of the album, whereas the last four tracks flow together very smoothly. Also, the whimsical lyrics found in their roots are pretty much gone, as the lyrics of the album focus exclusively on relationships. While that is not necessarily a bad thing, and it is perfectly acceptable for Eisley to write an album like this, but it would be nice to see some of that imaginative songwriting return at some point.

Eisley is at the top of my list, and I hope they stay there for a long time. "The Valley" is a major step of improvement from the band, offering a much more fuller and satisfying sound then their previous installment. At the moment, there is only one other contender for Album of the Year, and hopefully Eisley will rack up some much-needed rewards for this album from other websites and sources far more credible than this blog.

Overall: 8.75/10

Satire: Dear Sally

2011-10-22T17:57:00.001-05:00

*ahem*

Dear Sally,

I felt it necessary to write to you on behalf of a group of people. It has become apparent that you have become quite a nuisance to said group of people. We simply wish to point out a few things that drive us crazy about you and hope that you will resolve to correct them, as we desire a wonderful relationship with you.

First, we want you to know with absolute certainty that you are a valued worker in the kitchen of Chick Fil A. Indeed, you are one of the hardest workers that there is. You love the place so much, in fact, you never leave the store. Ever. You sit in the same place, 24/7, doing you job when the store is opened and taking a well-deserved rest when the store closes for the night or Sunday. When the morning crew arrives, you are there. When the night crew locks up, you haven't budged an inch. That certainly takes dedication, and we admire you for it.

Yet for all of your hard work, your mannerisms are rather unpleasant and constitutes almost all the complaints we have about you. First of all, you are a loudmouth. Simply put, you just might be the loudest kitchen employee of the store. We have our moments when we can raise our voices, of course, but you feel the need to shout every time you speak. Sally, we are not deaf. We can hear you. Turn it down some.

Second, in addition to being a loudmouth, you are rude. You do not participate in the natural flow of conversation, but rudely interrupt whenever you feel it necessary to do so. Now, we understand that when you speak it is always important, but that doesn't excuse your bad mannerisms. Wait your turn in the conversation. Please stop trying to drown us out (loudmouth) until we pay attention to you (rude).

The employees are at an impasse because we cannot do this job without you. At the same time, the person who manages the fries has been tempted to pull your plug more than once if it will make you shut up. The rest of the kitchen staff is also tired of yelling at you in response to your incessant screaming. We do not wish to insult you (are you even capable of being insulted?) and we sincerely wish to resolve these problems that we might succeed in our jobs.

So take heart to what this letter has said. You are valued, but you have some work to do. Make the requested character improvements on your end, and we can all look forward to a long and productive employment together.

Sincerely,

The Chick Fil A Kitchen Staff

(For those of you who are wondering who Sally is, or if you are concerned that this letter is a real person, Sally is the chicken holding timer. A machine that beeps very loudly and annoyingly every time a batch of chicken reaches it's time limit for quality control. This is merely for laughs and not to be taken seriously. Chick Fil A does not endorse the content of this post.)

Rick Cornish on Free Will

2011-10-19T21:52:00.002-05:00

There is a handy dandy (but excellent) little theology 101 book called "5 Minute Theologian", written by Rick Cornish, which I have been slowly reading since the start of the summer. I have incorporated it into my morning devotionals by reading a chapter a day, which really does take about 5 minutes. I have found the following quote to be very helpful when talking about Calvinism and free will. Enjoy!

"Like a theological chicken and egg question, the central issue concerns what is logically first: God's plan or man's choice. How one approaches the issue defines the difference between two theological systems known as Calvinism and Arminianism. Calvinists begin with God's plan. Man's decisions and actions are the consequence of it. God's plan is therefore not dependent on man. Arminians, on the other hand, place man's freedom at the center. God's decisions are a response to His knowing in advance what man will choose. God's plan is therefore a response to man's initiative. A partial solution to this great paradox may be found in how we understand human freedom. Upon closer examination, we might discover that our will may not be as fully free as we usually think. But because we do make real choices, maybe we should call it "operational will" instead of "free will." Yes, I'm free to choose what I want, but I don't determine what it is that I want. Heredity, environment, and experience form my preferences long before I choose. If those earthly factors affect what I want, surely God can affect me even more. So, without hindering my ability to choose, God can influence my preferences, making it certain that I choose as He wills, while never violating my freedom. Paradoxical as it sounds, it's another part of the great mystery of God."

- Rick Cornish. 5 Minute Theologian: Maximum Truth in Minimum Time (pp. 106-107). Kindle Edition.

To Calvinists and Arminians: Have a Laugh

2011-10-18T20:24:00.002-05:00

(Thanks to Mikel Del Rosario for the picture. Check out Mikel's blog at http://www.apologeticsguy.com/blog/)

In the midst of our intense and serious theological discussions, sometimes it is important to have a laugh at ourselves:

C'mon. You know this is funny. You have to laugh at this. Well, technically speaking, no you don't, because God could have predestined that...oh, nevermind ;)

The Greatest Commandment: What's Love Got To Do With It?

2011-10-16T20:36:00.000-05:00

One time, as Christ was speaking with the Pharisees, he was asked to give the greatest commandment:

"And one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. Matthew 22:35-38 (ESV)

It's interesting to note that Christ told us that the greatest commandment is to love God with all our heart, soul, and mind (the other gospel accounts of this quote sometimes include "strength" as well). In other words, we are to love God with the entirety of our existence.

I think we can make Christianity far more complicated than it really is. Christ gave us clear and simple (though not easy) directives on how to live our lives as followers of him, and he makes clear what the greatest of commands is. Love is the greatest thing we as Christians can do.

Christ was not talking about a love for:

The church
The Bible
The Gospel
Evangelism
Philosophy
Theology
Apologetics
Science
History
Arts
Music
Worship
Marriage
[fill in the blank].

Christ was talking about a love for God himself. Not the things of Christianity, God himself. Not rational argument or critical thinking, but God himself. Not even living a life of righteousness, but God himself.

Why would Jesus make an emphasis on loving God the most important thing we can do? Because when we love God with the entirety of our existence (heart, soul, mind, and strength), everything in that bullet list above will fall perfectly into place. It is only when we are in love with God first and foremost that everything above can belong where it should be in our lives.

In short, what does love for God got to do with it? Absolutely everything.

Harold Camping Revisited: The "Actual" Rapture Date

2011-10-12T21:58:00.000-05:00

[Sarcasm] This feels like deja vu, but it's not. Harold Camping is back, ladies and gentlemen, and according to Mr. Camping, next week is the REAL ending of the world. Yeah, May 21st wasn't quite right - it's really October 21st, and has been all along. Last time, Harold made a simple mathematics error in his computations of the end of the world, and the new answer (the correct one, mind you) is October 21st. [/Sarcasm]

It's hard to write anything new on this. On Rapture Day earlier this year, I wrote a somewhat detailed post and argument against Harold Camping, and most of what I said then stands true now (you can read that post here). There has been no media splash of his exploits this time around, unlike earlier this year when you couldn't even get away from the topic if you tried. I personally haven't checked into his actions or the actions of his followers, but I hope that the followers from the previous time around have learned their lesson and abandoned Mr. Camping to his delusions. If they still follow him...well, more power to them and their beliefs. It is nothing more than a failing faith.

Thankfully guys like Camping can be good teaching tools for showing what is true in comparison to what is blatantly false. I remember around the time of the first Rapture date, a middle school girl of the student ministry at my church was deeply bothered by the idea of the world ending, and resolved to begin praying for her unsaved mother. And while Camping is in extreme error to think in his "wisdom" that he can pinpoint a date for the end of the world, the whole end-of-the-world hullabaloo did produce a positive reminder - Christ can return at any time, and it is best we live in such a way that the world could really end tomorrow. We would want to share Christ with those who are unsaved in our lives, knowing that tomorrow they would be in hell for eternity. And if some crazy old man can produce a reaction of that kind, then perhaps the church could use another event like this - to wake us up of the true reality we face.

Please check out these other essays and posts by my fellow apologists in the Christian Apologetics Blogger Alliance:
http://www.reasonsforgod.org/2011/10/does-harold-camping-discredit-christianity/
http://www.cltruth.com/blog/2011/is-jesus-christ-coming-back-on-october-21-2011/
http://www.hieropraxis.com/2011/10/is-the-end-of-the-world-at-hand-reflecting-on-judgment-day-with-poetry/
http://lukenixblog.blogspot.com/2011/10/rapture-judgment-day-and-christs.html
http://www.thinkingchristian.net/2011/10/harold-camping-a-failure-of-accountability/

David Platt on the Bible and Church Leaders

2011-09-13T06:12:00.000-05:00

"The Bible is not in a church leader's hands so he or she can give people answers to every question they have and guidance for every situation they face. Instead, the Bible is in a church leader's hands to transform people into the image of Christ and to get people in touch with the Holy Spirit of God, who will not only give them counsel for every situation they face but also walk with them through those situations. And when church leaders use God's Word for this purpose, then church members develop a healthy dependance on God's Spirit and a healthy admiration of God's glory."

David Platt, "Radical Together", pg 49

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

9/11 and Religious Pluralism

2011-09-11T12:19:00.003-05:00

"If this place doesn't make you sick, it is because you've suppressed your reflex to tell right from purely evil deeds."- Famine, "To The Teeth"

It's not hard to figure out what the buzz is today. 10 years ago a nation experienced an attack from a group of people who were zealous about the beliefs they held, zealous to the point of justifying violence. Two massive towers fell when two commercial airliners, hijacked by radical Muslims, flew straight into the buildings. The Pentagon was damaged and a fourth attempt to take out the White House was prevented by heroic men and women who - with their lives - prevented said attempt.

Recently I wrote a post on the absurdity of religious pluralism (you can read it here) and I wish to briefly revisit that subject. The motivating factor behind 9/11 was the religious beliefs of those who carried out the attacks. On religious pluralism it is impossible to condemn the attacks made in their belief because on religious pluralism, all religious beliefs are correct, and the men who carried out these attacks were justified because their beliefs would be correct.

Now, I am not suggesting that 9/11 demonstrates a falsification for all of Islam, conservative or radical. That is not at all what I am trying to say. Actually, Islam doesn't really have anything to do with the post. My beef is with religious pluralism. A consistent religious pluralist cannot condemn 9/11. If a religious pluralist does condemn 9/11, he/she is grossly inconsistent with the demands of religious pluralism and should abandon it entirely. Those who carried out the attacks did so in the name and from the worldview of their religious beliefs. If all religious beliefs are true, then the beliefs behind 9/11 are true as well.

Such is the consequence of a dangerous and irrational idea, that somehow all religious beliefs can be true. I think 9/11 and the overwhelming condemnation of the attacks should show us that truth matters, and the truth is that what happened on this day ten years ago is something that should have never taken place, and no belief could justify it. We will never forget.

Here are a few other posts concerning 9/11 that are worth checking out, from my fellow apologists in the Apologetics Blogger Alliance:

Faithful Thinkers: Atheism, Evil and Ultimate Justice
The Point: Christianity and 9/11: Guilt by Association?
The Gospel According to Erik: Did God Allow the Attacks on 9/11 for a “Greater Good”?
J.W. Wartick: On September 11th, 2001, harmless things became fearful
Sarcastic Xtian: Do all roads (and flights) lead to God?
Reasons for God: The Two Ground Zeroes
Hieropraxis: Suffering and the Cross of Christ
Take Two: Remembering 9/11: A Young Californian’s Perspective
Apologetics Guy: America After 9/11: Is Religion Evil?
Apologetics 315: Resources on the Problem of Evil
The Real Issue: The Three Faces of Evil and a Christian Response
Neil Mammen: Where was God on 9-11?
Thinking Christian: 9/11: "Full Cognitive Meltdown" and Its Fallout
Cold and Lonely Truth: 9/11: Where is God during a catastropy?
In Defense of the Christian Faith: If God, Why Evil?
Wintery Knight: Ground Zero: Why truth matters for preventing another 9/11-style attack
Possible Worlds: The Need for Moral Choices and Consequences
Tilled Soil: The Problem of Evil: Who's problem is it? Is it a problem?
Bringing Back the Tao: 9/11 Memorial: Christianity Gives Authentic Hope In The Face Of Suffering
Patheos: Are we all moral monsters?

A Ode to the Old, A Hymn to the New

2011-08-28T11:51:00.000-05:00

In honor of surviving my first week of my new job, Chick Fil A, and surviving the first week of my sophomore year of college, I figured I would express the end of the summer (admittedly, it is quite painful to realize that) and the start of a new era with some poetry. I am sure these might be the first poems I have ever written voluntarily, i.e not for homework, so I also imagine that they are terrible. Oh well.

"For a time none so fair as this,

There was paradise and bliss.

With unforgettable friends and God,

We all got along like peas in a pod.

And even in the midst of 108 degree heat,

This life at paradise, only Heaven could beat.

But now that time has gone away,

Leaving us to face the new day

Not quite the same, a place not sought,

Paradise removed beyond being bought.

Treasured beyond diamonds and rings,

We savored our brief time as kings,

Thankful for all that paradise brings,

Cursing the dreaded song it sings:

'Time is not friend but foe,

The end is close, as you surely know,

What comes after this little show?

Only God can tell you so!'"

"So here at last the new has appeared,

Leaving in it's wake a glorious change,

'What is life with out a beard?

Only a new trend that's quite strange!'

Chicken to be eaten,

Chicken to be breaded,

Tests to be beaten,

Dragons to be beheaded!

New plans to be proposed,

New goals to be set,

New trials to be presupposed,

New victories won without fret!

Souls to be saved,

Music to be heard,

Lives to be reclaimed,

Another Ascending Lark will fly like a bird!"

Oh, as of this morning, I found out some exciting news that will impact this blog. Needless to say, keep an eye out for more music reviews, but also for more apologetics/theology/philosophy posts as well.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Pluralism + Mathematics = Plurathematics!

2011-08-11T10:34:00.000-05:00

Imagine with me a new trend in pop philosophy called "Plurathematics". Combining the idea of religious pluralism and mathematics, the resulting philosophy would teach that all answers are the correct ones regarding any math problem. For example,

2+2=0
2+2=1,000,000
2+2=4
2+2=3.14

According to Plurathematics, all of the above answers would be correct. Never mind the fact that rationality and critical thinking is thrown out the window (or experience, for that matter: $2 plus another $2 sure hasn't gotten me $1,000,000), this new pop philosophical trend is sweeping the nation.

Now, the above was mere sarcasm to convey the absurdity of the idea of all mathematical answers being correct. Any sane person would know that is silly and irrational (although the struggling math student would be attracted to the idea, no doubt). Yet why is it that such an equally crazy idea concerning religious truth claims is so prevalent in today's society? No school system would teach Plurathematics, yet society as a whole seems to have no problem with religious pluralism.

Without going back to my sarcasm, let's consider a new set of examples, involving religious truth claims. As I was typing this part out, I remembered that Greg Koukl in his book, "Tactics", said what I was going to say, and he did a much better job at it. I will just shamelessly (and with a dose of laziness) cut and paste the passage I am referring to:

"The notion of religious pluralism, that all religions are equally true or valid, is also self-refuting. There are two different ways to demonstrate this. First, if all religions are true, then Christianity is true. Yet a central claim of classical Christianity is that other religions are false when taken as a whole. Clearly, Jesus was not a pluralist. Either Christianity is correct that Jesus is God’s Messiah for the world and other religions are deceptions, as Scripture teaches, or Christianity is false and some other view is true. In no case, though, can all religions be true and valid. Second, when you think about it, religions have very diverse pictures of what the spiritual realm is like. Most forms of Hinduism teach that God is an impersonal force. Islam, Judaism, and Christianity teach that God is a personal being. In Buddhism, the question of God is irrelevant. In classical theism, death is final, followed by either eternal reward or eternal punishment. In Eastern religions, death is a door the soul passes through many times as it works out its karma in reincarnation. Some religions teach that reprobates are destroyed while the righteous live on. Can you see the problem? When someone dies, they might go to Heaven or Hell, or they might be reincarnated, or they might simply turn to dust, but they can’t do them all at the same time."

Koukl, Gregory (2009). Tactics: A Game Plan for Discussing Your Christian Convictions (pp. 118-119). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.

I'll expound a bit on Greg's first example. If all religions are true, than Christianity is true along with Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, and more. If Christianity is true, then Jesus' claim in John 14:6, "“I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.", is also true. Yet notice, the contents of the truth claim entails that Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, and other religions are false. If Christianity is true, then these other religions cannot be true. However, according to religious pluralism, Christianity is true alongside Islam and other religions in spite of this crucial contradiction of one of Christianity's truth claims; there are no wrong answers, and every answer is right. It is just as irrational as saying that 2+2= can have a variety of answers and none of them being false.

I don't expect Plurathematics to become a pop philosophy trend. There is no denying, however, that religious pluralism is relevant to today's society and it's results are a destructive. It is illogical, it is irrational, and it just makes no sense.

Album Review: "Celestial Completion" by Becoming the Archetype

2011-08-05T13:16:00.000-05:00

Becoming the Archetype

Celestial Completion

Progressive Death Metal

Buy It: www.amazon.com

4 Stars of 5

March 29th, 2011. The day I gave a speech to my classmates on the historical references to Jesus Christ outside the Bible. Almost instantly after that class was over, I high-tailed it to my car, sped to the local Christian bookstore and with great anticipation headed over to the music section to see if the newest installment from my favorite metal band had arrived. Sure enough, it was there. I grabbed it, bought it, and went to my car, and almost ceremoniously unwrapped the package to open the case. Since then, I have put many numbers of spins on this album.

Ever since Becoming the Archetype, who is unquestionably my favorite metal band, started promoting this album, they spoke constantly of all the creative changes they were introducing to their progressive death metal sound. From trombones to vocoders to operatic singers, a whole slew of experimentation was trumpeted in the months prior to the album's release.If you like progressive metal, "Celestial Completion" will be right up your alley.

The opening track is by far the most unique opening track to any of BtA's albums. The Resonant Frequency of Flesh starts out quite contrary to previous BtA albums, with a simple verse sung by all four members of the band. The result sets the tone for the album: an epic guitar line kicks in while the haunting woodwinds continue to do their work. The Magnetic Sky, the album's first single, then rolls around with the finest clean vocal chorus since Alex Kenis and BtA's sophomore album "The Physics of Fire". New guitarist/vocalist Daniel Gailey adds an whole new dimension to BtA with his chilling high pitched scream and his contribution to Count Seth's vocals, making him the most valuable addition since the previously mentioned Alex Kenis. Internal Illumination kicks in as one of the hardest songs on the record, a straight up metal song with a delicious tribute to metal pioneer Zao towards the end.

Path of the Beam is both hit and miss on the same time. BtA returns to a more tame version of their legendary "Terminate Damnation" roots in BtA's first real metalcore song in a long time. Plenty of time signature changes, two unique clean choruses, and the first solo of the album. However, while it is not a bad song, it definitely suffers from "I have heard this riff before", and the solo, while technically impressive, sounds like a few solos from War of Ages' most recent album combined. It is enjoyable, but at the end of the day not among the standouts of the album.

Starting with Music of the Spheres do we get to the meat of the album. The three part Requiem Aeternam trilogy is among the best music BtA has ever made. In keeping with past albums, track 5 is dedicated to an instrumental, and in this case a lovely piano introduces the second part of the trilogy. Elemental Wrath is, in my opinion, among the top 3 songs BtA has ever made. Structured as an updated version to "Terminate Damnation"'s song Elegy, Elemental Wrath kicks off with a slow yet powerful guitar intro, then builds up more to a blistering and fantastic solo and climbing even more in intensity until a slow groove-like bridge gives way to a beautiful-turned-haunting piano solo, which builds back up to a headbanging-inducing climax. And that is just the beginning. Xenosythesis, the final part of the trilogy, starts up in pure black metal fashion. Combined with some mesmerizing operatic vocals and a series of exchanges between lead vocalist Jason Wisdom and Daniel Gailey, the last of the trilogy showcases the darkest BtA material since "The Physics of Fire". Lyrically, the Requiem Aeternam trilogy tells the tale of God's redemptive plan of salvation leading up to the Great Commission, as Jason and Daniel scream in part 3, "Lifted up from the ocean's tomb/His body modified, surgically improved/Given a heart that never stops beating/Given lungs for underwater breathing/To return to the ocean floor/To walk among the dead below/Despite the flesh, light will outpour/And in darkness hope will grow." Lyrically the entire trilogy stands as some of BtA's finest songwriting to date, and stands as a much fitting sequel to the 4 part Physics of Fire suite from the album of the same name. The trilogy alone more than justifies the purchase of this album, as it is without a doubt the best material on the album.

Unfortunantly, the two songs that follow after the trilogy, Invisible Creature (a very brief and almost unnecessary instrumental track) and Cardiac Rebellion are the weakest of the album. Invisible Creature is so short that it should have been tacked on to Cardiac Rebellion as a single track, since the end of Invisible Creature leads directly into Cardiac Rebellion. Here is where BtA takes a risk in being creative, and while it works in some ways, it fails in others. By itself, Cardiac Rebellion is a great and fun song. Featuring Daniel Culp of Five Iron Frenzy and his mad trombone skills, BtA takes a risk of infusing their trademark metal with ska, and the result is certainly fun and enjoyable. However, the song fits doesn't fit anywhere on the album. It sticks out like a sore thumb and feels wholly out of place on the entire CD. As a single this would have been great - on the album, it simply does not work.

Reflect/Refract is another standout song on the track, being another harder song on the album with another fantastic clean chorus and a simple yet beautiful solo. Lyrically, the song stands as a worship song that I would readily sing in church, with Seth singing and Jason later screaming, "Father of lights/Shine upon us here/Take the darkness from our hearts/Make it disappear. . . Break me/Remake me/A mirror that reflects your glory/Break me/Remake me/A mirror that reflects you perfectly". The song gives way to the closing track, Breathing Light. It took a long time for me to like this song, and it is nowhere near as good as the ending track of "Dichotomy", but this is a wonderful song. Opening with a light guitar riff and giving way to a stellar clean chorus, the whole song oozes with the idea that BtA had a lot of fun with this song. When the salsa bridge, violin solo, and the last guitar solo on the album come and go, you can tell that BtA is having a blast here, and in one of the most lyrically encouraging and uplifting songs BtA has ever put out, the band closes out the album in a remarkable fashion.

Asides from Cardiac Rebellion/Invisible Creature, there are some other faults with this album which hold it back from being a even greater album than it already it. For one, with the exception of the Requiem Aeternam trilogy, there is almost no coherent flow between the songs - they all feel as standalone singles put together on a CD. Second, while Daniel Gailey is a very talented musician, his solos aren't up to the caliber of Jon Smith or Alex Kenis from previous albums. In addition, there is a surprisingly few amount of solos compared to previous BtA albums, which I found to be somewhat disappointing. Those are the only two real complaints I have with the album - everything else is well executed, sounds great, and provides an ample supply of enjoyable listening.

BtA's fourth studio album was well worth the wait. They have proven themselves again to be some of metal's most underrated and under-appreciated musicians, and have cemented themselves as being a power player in the Solid State label. Hopefully "Celestial Completion" will get them the attention they deserve, because this band has been overlooked for far too long. You can certainly expect "Celestial Completion" to by in my top 10 at the end of the year.

4 out of 5

Album Review: "Leveler [Deluxe Edition]" by August Burns Red

2011-08-04T12:44:00.002-05:00

August Burns Red

"Leveler"

Metalcore

Buy It: www.amazon.com

4.5 Stars of 5.

It's no secret that August Burns Red is one of today's most well recognized metal bands. Among the secular market and the Christian market, August Burns Red is a common name. With 3 full lengths and a recent live album under their belts, ABR gives us their fourth full length studio album, "Leveler".

It should be said right off the bat that ABR has outdone themselves with this one. This is arguably one of their best album to date, with "Messengers" being the only worthy competitor. This incarnation of ABR is just as chaotic and wild as you have come to love with improvements and new experiments in almost every regard. The foundation was laid in "Messengers", you could see hints of a creative breakout emerge in "Constellations", and both the intensity and creativity exploded in full force with "Leveler", and the result is what makes this album my favorite of ABR's albums.

One of the things that delighted me in my first listen is that, with this album, the classic ABR complaint that "All of their songs sound the same" is completely invalid. When I first heard "Messengers", that was one of my criticisms as well: all of the songs seemed to sound the same. The more I listened to "Messengers", the more that straw man fell away, but with "Leveler", that criticism is almost an impossible one to make (unless you really aren't paying attention). Another major delight for me was that ABR has finally started doing songs in different keys: the album highlight Salt and Light is in a completely different key than the usual ABR, and the complex Cutting the Ties has an entire key change towards near the end of the song, and the same thing with the many transitions in Internal Cannon. This is only the beginning of the new goodies to be found on this new album.

Guitar solos were introduced in their last album, and while they were technically substantial solos, they were unimpressive and forgetful (save for the solo of the song Meddler) at best. Not so with the guitar solos in Leveler - from the solo on the powerful opening track Empire to the closing title track, the solos on "Leveler" are a vast improvement from "Constellations". Not only are there several solos throughout the album, they are far more impressive from a technical standpoint and sound fantastic. These solos weren't inserted just for the sake of putting in a solo. Also, the song Internal Cannon, which is hands down the most creative song of ABR's career (think Ocean of Apathy from "Constellations" on steroids), features quite a few solos from clean electric guitar to a mosh-pit inducing solo near the end. The conversation-driven Carpe Diem has an bluesy solo in the middle of the song that slows things down for a time. Just from one listen through, you can tell that ABR wanted to do more with guitar solos this time around, and they accomplished that with an A+.

Speaking of Carpe Diem, the songwriting for this album also experienced a burst of creativity as well. The aforementioned song is driven by a screamed conversation between vocalists Jacob Luhrs and Dustin Davidson. Salt and Light features a very bold stance for their faith in Christ when Jacob sings "I am the harbinger, not the author, of these timeless words. Let by the Comforter, I sing to you." and again in the closing title track when he sings "My heart thirsts for vengeance but my father has taught me forgiveness. If I had not decided to follow Him, I'd devour you like a lion, leaving your bones out to dry....So even though you call me self-righteous and call my beloved treacherous, there is one thing to take away. Leveler, make level the road for the righteous. I forgive you, queen of hearts, for through me, He will show you true love." Another bold lyrical moment comes in Boys of Fall, when Jacob screams, "He is God. We are just man. Who are we to question Him?"The lyrical content as well as the delivery is more passionate this time around, and the Christian faith of the members of ABR is more clear and bold in this album. Themes of forgiveness, endurance, dealing with broken friendships, and more fill this album, making it a relevant listen for anyone who enjoys practical lyrics.

As far as the bonus tracks go, only one of them is a miss: the cover version of Pangaea as performed by Bells. While is it certainly pretty, it drags on for quite a while, and is 2 minutes longer than the original song. The other bonus tracks are great and justify the purchase of the deluxe edition. The acoustic version of Internal Cannon is very well done, with a little handclapping and mariachi thrown in the mix. The piano version of Boys of Fall is hands down the best of the bonus tracks, as Zachary Veilleux is an incredibly talented classical pianist. The MIDI version of Empire doesn't really get interesting until the more melodic portions of the song, but is otherwise a fun addition to the extras.

Aside from the one bonus track, the only track that is lackluster would be the short and uninteresting 1/16/2011. My only other real issue with the album, and this is really a smaller issue, is that the intensity of previous ABR albums, while definitely present, seems to feel turned down a bit. It's not a big deal, but it could be a turn off to some. If you checked out on ABR long ago, you owe it to yourself to go check them out again with this album. The effort put into this album shows, and the result is one fantastic metal album that is sure to win some awards.

4.5 out of 5

There Is A Season For Everything (Including Goodbyes)

2011-08-03T20:46:00.001-05:00

"For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven" - Ecc. 3:1

Ladies and Gentlemen, I am home.

Today I left Panfork for good. After several prolonged (and quite painful) days of saying goodbye to people, some who live in the area and others who I may not see again, I arrived at home. My time at Panfork, at least for this summer, is now over. It a surreal experience.

Starting in February, when I was first contacted by the now ex-boss of Panfork about working out there, for months every major choice I made revolved around the summer. Now the summer altogether is completely over. It has come and gone. I am now jobless (anyone in the area hiring full time?) and waiting for the next semester to start.

I want something elegant to say about the past few months. However, those words will not come. For now, I don't expect them to materialize. I admit, I am in a spiritual valley, and that is to be expected - when you leave a group of people that you have spent almost every waking moment with for the past two months and leave the trademark fortress of Christianity - a Christian camp - one could reasonably expect to be somewhat down in the dumps. I don't expect to stay there forever though.

It goes without saying that you can start to see regular posts from me again. I imagine there will be posts about various aspects of the last summer popping up at various places in the next few days, as well as some music reviews and brief blurbs on theology and apologetics. My blogging hiatus is over, as the reason for the said hiatus is over.

With great effort do I try to wrap my mind around the second half of the previous sentence. With each second, I make progress in that regard. As I make this journey back to what Duran and Duran once dubbed "the ordinary world", I have my Lord with me, who is more real to me now than He was two months ago.

The Summer Thus Far

2011-07-08T18:16:00.000-05:00

If I were to write all of the things that have taken place in the mere month since I have started working at Panfork, it would be equal to the amount of writing I done on this blog for the past…year? Gasp! I just realized this as I was typing it! My blog is almost a year old! Yay! Happiness! Joyfulness! Randomness! Epicness!

Anyway, this summer has been unquestionably the best summer of my life. This summer has been exciting, enlightening, relaxing (and equally exhausting in the same breath), motivating, inspiring, and more. No, I am not going to explain the ‘why’ behind each of those adjectives, but here is a simple summary of why you have not been getting any blog posts from me for the past few weeks.

The first few camps we hosted were not Panfork camps, so my life looked very different. Though I knew that I would eventually be a lone wolf staffer with a camera in my hand, for the first few camps I shared in the duties of the regular staffers, and what a wonderful time that was. The staff of this camp, people ranging from retired age to college kids to kids just starting highschool, is a collection of some of the funniest, smartest, craziest, and just flat out legit souls I have known. Already I dread the end of the summer when I must part from them. Most live in the area, some go to college in other states, but every one of them is a hard worker that loves God and loves to serve - and when it comes time to laughing and having fun, they are specialists in that regard as well. Indeed, if there were no pay for this gig, the fellowship that comes from the staff would be a more than worthy payment in of itself.

But fellowship with the staff just comes through the day. During the day of a non-Panfork camp (basically a church group that rents out Panfork for a camp), the days are pretty easy: the day starts by serving breakfast, the day ends when the kitchen is cleaned up from dinner (or, if you have to work the concession stand later in the evening, your day ends once that is over). During the day of an actual Panfork camp my days start at 7:10 and end at 1 AM at the earliest, sometimes even to 3 AM. With the assistance of my fellow staffer JD, we go out and film all the action when it is going on, and when there is no action going on, we file away the action until we can put together something really action-packed when the day is done. JD is the sound man for the camp, so I help him when he needs it, and he helps me when I need it. We have an informal “I’ll scratch your back if you scratch mine” agreement that results in quite a bit of production amongst both of us. While I am in charge of the videos, he has contributed greatly to the task for which has occupied my time, supplying music, ideas, filling in when I have to work paintball, and the like. I am required to have a small video, 5 minutes max, produced each day during the week to show in the morning, simply highlighting the events of the previous day. The last night of the week I am tasked with “the big one”, or a 4 or 5 song-long video of things that happen all week long. As I type this, some of those videos are being uploaded to Panfork YouTube’s page; some are already up there.

The work is long and very exhausting, but the fellowship of the staff more than makes up for it. While there are times I wish I could join them on certain activities (usually I am filming something at the time), it is being with them that keeps everything going and keeps the day chugging along. Of course, the staff isn’t remotely as helpful as the God that saved us all; never have I been so close to the Lord as when I have worked out at Panfork. My faith has been strengthened through the many conversations that I have had with various staffers about theology, philosophy, and the like (there are a few guy staffers that, like me, gravitate naturally to such conversations) that keep my mind sharpened and alert. In fact, apologetics has taken a back seat this summer in favor of something that needs to be addressed in my life – theology. I have had more theological conversations this summer than I have ever had in probably the last three years of my life, and God has clearly been showing to me that while I can defend the faith or dismantle someone else’s argument, I must learn what it is I believe in addition to how to defend it. While there have been some great conversations about theology, there also have been some conversations that have only reinforced my notion that apologetics must become a primary focus of today’s youth groups. That view has now evolved though – I now realize that if you want to integrate apologetics into youth ministry, you must integrate theological training as well. The Christian youth of today must know what they believe if there is going to be an emphasis on defending it. And even more so, this is all wrapped up under the call of making disciples; teaching them what they should believe and then how to defend that. A solidifying of my worldview has taken place, a new view and approach to youth ministry has been inspired, but those things aren’t as valuable as the overall transformation that has brought be closer to the Lord while being more burdened for the current generation.

I return to Panfork tomorrow, and on Monday we start a 4 week batch of Panfork camps. In all honestly, I do not want this summer to end, but I know it will at some point in time. I strive to make each day count out there – while I have already decided that, if possible, I will work there again next year, I know that a good population of the staff will not be returning – if I come back next year, it will be under a new leader with a new group of people. Yet that time hasn’t come yet – for now I focus on what is in front of me, and that would be that I still have quite a bit to upload to YouTube here in the next 48 hours…

The First Prayer of Congress

2011-07-04T11:36:00.000-05:00

In case you have been living under a rock with no contact to the outside world...

...which, I guess that would apply to me just as much as anyone else....

... today happens to be the 4th of July, the birth of America. It only seemed appropriate that I write something about this grand holiday, in which we celebrate with pool parties and BBQs and fireworks ... at least, in the parts of the country not experiencing it's worst drought in 60 years. Fireworks are outlawed where I am at since it is so freaking dry.

Rather than write something profound or insightful, I will simply post the first prayer of Congress for you all to read. I hope that as you read it you will have be reminded of the freedom we have in America to worship the Lord and serve Him with all of our beings.

"O Lord our Heavenly Father, high and mighty King of kings, and Lord of lords, who dost from Thy throne behold all the dwellers on earth and reignest with power supreme and uncontrolled over all the kingdoms, empires and governments; look down in mercy, we beseech Thee, on these our American States, who have fled to Thee from the rod of the oppressor and thrown themselves on Thy gracious protection, desiring to be henceforth dependent only on Thee. To Thee have they appealed for the righteousness of their cause; to Thee do they now look up for that countenance and support, which Thou alone canst give. Take them, therefore, Heavenly Father, under Thy nurturing care; give them wisdom in council and valor in the field; defeat the malicious designs of our cruel adversaries'; convince them of the unrighteousness of their cause and if they persist in their sanguinary purposes, of own unerring justice, sounding in their hearts, constrain them to drop the weapons of war from their unnerved bands in the day of battle! Be thou present, O God of wisdom, and direct the councils of this honorable assembly; enable them to settle things on the best and surest foundation. That the scene of blood may be speedily closed; that order, harmony, and peace may be effectually restored, and truth and justice, religion and piety, prevail and flourish amongst the people. Preserve the health of their bodies and vigor of their minds; shower down on them and the millions they here represent, such temporal blessings as Thou seest expedient for them in this world and crown them with everlasting glory in the world to come. All this we ask in the name and through the merits of Jesus Christ, Thy Son and our Savior. Amen.

- The First Prayer offered in Congress,

September 7, 1774, by Jacob Duche

Happy 4th of July to all my fellow Americans, and may the Lord bless you today!

(I'll write about what has been going on at Panfork here sometime this week!)

Possible Blogging Hiatus?

2011-05-27T10:56:00.001-05:00

So today I leave Claude for the summer to start my job at Panfork Baptist Encampment.

I am not sure how much blogging I will be able to do this summer, so don't be surprised if posts are few and far in between. However, when this summer job ends, I will resume blogging, so don't give up on me yet!

I look forward to talking to you again soon!

Austin

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

The Camping Rapture Fail

2011-05-21T14:17:00.001-05:00

Harold Camping before an interview

Hey, boys and girls! Guess what? It's May 21st! That means, according to this guy on the left, that the end of the world is nigh! The rapture is taking place at 6 PM tonight! Everything that Tim LaHaye wrote about in the Left Behind series is coming to pass! (Okay, so not really on that last sentence.)

It would kill me if I didn't write something about the Harold Camping hullabaloo, because not everyone realizes the kind of fallout that will come from this. We can point our fingers and laugh, but come Monday, Christianity as a whole will be held up and mocked again thanks to the exploits of this extremely misguided man who thinks he has found the secret formula identifying the day of Christ's return. I, for one, find this to be a serious issue, but I also think there are several valid lessons to learn from this. But first, let's take it one point at a time...

Let's compare statements concerning the coming of Christ...
Now, Harold Camping claims to be a Christian. If he is a Christian, then he recognizes Jesus Christ as the Lord of his life, and has put his faith in Christ alone for salvation. So let us start with what Jesus has said on His return. All of these verses are the spoken words of Christ in the Gospels.

“If anyone tells you then, ‘Look, here is the Messiah!’ or, ‘Over here!’ do not believe it! False messiahs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders to lead astray, if possible, even the elect. Take note: I have told you in advance. So if they tell you, ‘Look, He’s in the wilderness!’ don’t go out; ‘Look, He’s in the inner rooms!’ do not believe it. For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. Wherever the carcass is, there the vultures will gather. Matthew 24:23-28 (HCSB) "

“Now concerning that day and hour no one knows—neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son—except the Father only. As the days of Noah were, so the coming of the Son of Man will be. For in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day Noah boarded the ark. They didn’t know until the flood came and swept them all away. So this is the way the coming of the Son of Man will be: Then two men will be in the field: one will be taken and one left. Two women will be grinding at the mill: one will be taken and one left. Therefore be alert, since you don’t know what day your Lord is coming. But know this: If the homeowner had known what time the thief was coming, he would have stayed alert and not let his house be broken into. This is why you also must be ready, because the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect. Matthew 24:36-44 (HCSB)

“Now concerning that day or hour no one knows—neither the angels in heaven nor the Son—except the Father. Watch! Be alert! For you don’t know when the time is ⌊coming⌋. It is like a man on a journey, who left his house, gave authority to his slaves, gave each one his work, and commanded the doorkeeper to be alert. Therefore be alert, since you don’t know when the master of the house is coming—whether in the evening or at midnight or at the crowing of the rooster or early in the morning. Otherwise, he might come suddenly and find you sleeping.
And what I say to you, I say to everyone: Be alert!” Mark 13:32-37 (HCSB)

“Be on your guard, so that your minds are not dulled from carousing, drunkenness, and worries of life, or that day will come on you unexpectedly like a trap. For it will come on all who live on the face of the whole earth. But be alert at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are going to take place and to stand before the Son of Man.” Luke 21:34-36 (HCSB)

There are several things worth emphasizing in these passages. Of course, these are just snippets of a much larger picture. I am not trying to provide a crash course on eschatology and it's various views, but given these passages above, let us establish a few facts:

The coming of Christ will be instantaneous.
The coming of Christ will be unpredictable and unexpected.
The Body of Christ is to stay constantly alert for His coming.

There is a very important point that arises from these facts, but we will get to that in a second. Here is what Harold Camping has said about the return of Christ. This is his formula from which he was able to pin the date down for May 21st.

The number five equals "atonement", the number ten equals "completeness", and the number seventeen equals "heaven".
Christ is said to have hung on the cross on April 1, 33 AD. The time between April 1, 33 AD and April 1, 2011 is 1,978 years.
If 1,978 is multiplied by 365.2422 days (the number of days in a solar year, not to be confused with the lunar year), the result is 722,449.
The time between April 1 and May 21 is 51 days.
51 added to 722,449 is 722,500.
(5 × 10 × 17)² or (atonement × completeness × heaven)² also equals 722,500. (retrieved here)

The Bible guarantees that you are just plain wrong.

Now, it is so very tempting to go through this argument and highlight the unproven premises, mainly in the first two premises. That, however, would simply be a waste of time, in light of what Christ Himself said on the subject of His return. For Harold Camping to think that somehow this argument can overshadow and supersede the words of His Lord Christ is nothing but the height of arrogance. He has elevated this calculation over the words of Christ, and this is nothing short of pure, raw arrogance. Unfortunately, he fits the description of the false prophet as Christ mentioned in Matthew 24:23-28 above, as his nationwide campaign for awareness of May 21st has been basically claiming "Look, here is the Messiah" (see picture above). In order for Harold's claims to even get off the ground, he must create a convincing and plausible case that Christ did not say those things - if he can't do that, his prophecy arrives dead on arrival, condemned at the very conception of the idea. As long as Christ's claims are true, Camping's are necessarily false.

Now, this is more than enough to convince the reasonable mind that Harold Camping's "prophecy" should be dismissed. However, before I move on to the damage that this campaign has caused, allow me to point out that, technically, May 21st could be the day when Christ returns. James R White wrote an excellent piece on this point in a blog post last week about how it is entirely possible that Christ returns today. If He does, however, it would not be because Harold Camping predicted it would be - it would be on God's timetable. Just because an extremely misguided false prophet claims a date for Christ's return doesn't mean that God cannot return on that date - like the verses said, "now concerning that day and hour no one knows". It is up for Christians to not say that Christ's return will not be today. We are to stay on alert and make the most of each day, knowing that Christ's return is guaranteed, just not when we expect it. Who knows? Christ could return on June 1st. He could return 10 years from today. He could return on August 7th 1000 years from now. It is not up for us to pin dates on the wall for His return - as I will explain later, it is up for us to live like His return is soon.

The fallout of this whole debacle

Allow me to copy/paste a segment from James R White's blog post concerning some of the actions Harold Camping's followers have take.

I listened to two NPR reports on Camping's prophecy today, and it was truly disheartening to listen to these folks. One lady had been about to enroll in medical college, but did not, so that she could warn people about "Judgment Day." Another man had left wife and children behind, as they did not "believe." A couple, the woman expecting their second child in June, were interviewed. They had given up everything, and had just enough money to make it till May 21. After that…well, they will be destitute. The New York Post just reported on a man who squandered his $140,000 life's savings to buy advertisements in the New York area promoting the May 21 prophecy. (James R White, retrieved from here)

This is what separates Harold Camping from just the average doomsday guy - this guy will ruin the lives of many people who have followed him. To be sure, those who follow him are doing so out of their own free will - regardless, if there is no message, then there is nothing to follow. This guy will give Christianity a very bad taste in those who have abandoned everything for this false prophecy. This is simply inexcusable for any Christian. Camping owns an entire radio station chain called Family Radio (which has been his chief propaganda arm for decades) to which he will still have even when some of his followers have given everything to follow Him. I will pity his followers - I have little pity for Camping.

Of course, the atheist camps will take great advantage of this opportunity. I imagine the atheist organizations will have some new members in their ranks come next week, and that there will be a circus parade in the media (although it appears that the media is already calling this a failed prediction - and good for them). As my apologist friend Lauren Kimball pointed out, it is funny that a clearly misguided Christian gets a large amount of screen time, yet when it comes to Christian charities or other good things that Christians are doing (or worse, the persecution against Christians that is already well documented in other countries) gets relegated to Christian publications and news sources. Bias, much?

Of course, there is a lesson to be learned from this as well - as my apologist friend Steve Bedard, the editor of the apologetics journal Hope's Reason, wrote on his blog,if people are willing to give everything they have for a cause they believe in, even when it is a false cause, what does it say about the majority of American Christianity? Are we willing to give up our stuff and sell it for a cause which does matter? I can testify that I am not. Though charitable giving is a major part of my life, there is always more I can be doing besides giving. The American Church would do well to not write off the followers of Camping when it comes to what they have done for their belief - indeed, the American church should learn a lesson from them. I would do well to learn a lesson from them. This ultimately leads to my last point.

Christian don't get to choose how they want to live

There are valuable lessons to learn from all of this. Christians should not waste the time that they are given here on Earth. We are not guaranteed tomorrow, so how we live out lives is not a matter of personal preference, but of unquestionable importance:

"Besides this, knowing the time, it is already the hour for you to wake up from sleep, for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed. The night is nearly over, and the daylight is near, so let us discard the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us walk with decency, as in the daylight: not in carousing and drunkenness; not in sexual impurity and promiscuity; not in quarreling and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no plans to satisfy the fleshly desires." Romans 13:11-14 (HCSB)

"Therefore, I say this and testify in the Lord: You should no longer walk as the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their thoughts.They are darkened in their understanding, excluded from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them and because of the hardness of their hearts.They became callous and gave themselves over to promiscuity for the practice of every kind of impurity with a desire for more and more.But that is not how you learned about the Messiah, assuming you heard about Him and were taught by Him, because the truth is in Jesus.You took off your former way of life, the old self that is corrupted by deceitful desires;you are being renewed in the spirit of your minds;you put on the new self, the one created according to God’s ⌊likeness⌋ in righteousness and purity of the truth.Since you put away lying, Speak the truth, each one to his neighbor, because we are members of one another.Be angry and do not sin. Don’t let the sun go down on your anger,and don’t give the Devil an opportunity.The thief must no longer steal. Instead, he must do honest work with his own hands, so that he has something to share with anyone in need.No foul language is to come from your mouth, but only what is good for building up someone in need, so that it gives grace to those who hear.And don’t grieve God’s Holy Spirit. You were sealed by Him for the day of redemption.All bitterness, anger and wrath, shouting and slander must be removed from you, along with all malice.And be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving one another, just as God also forgave you in Christ". Ephesians 4:17-32 (HCSB)

"Therefore, with your minds ready for action, be serious and set your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. As obedient children, do not be conformed to the desires of your former ignorance. But as the One who called you is holy, you also are to be holy in all your conduct; for it is written, Be holy, because I am holy." 1 Peter 1:13-16 (HCSB)

This whole event can serve as warning for Christians that we don't get the luxury of living life for our own benefits, and that we are called to live differently from the ways of this world. Christ has given us the directive of the Great Commission, to make disciples of all nations and baptize them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19-20). That is not an optional call for Christians to take up when they feel like doing so - for those who call themselves Christians, they are acknowledging Christ as the Lord of their lives (or as my former youth minister Ryan told his daughters, "Jesus is Boss"), and that Lord has commanded that disciples be made over the world. The focus of my life is to make disciples - Christ has commanded me to do so, and as someone who has surrendered my life to Him acknowledging that without him I am an object of God's wrath that is due my sin, I am to obey in that calling wherever I am located (and guess what? If you are a Christian, that last sentence applies to you as well).American Christianity is great at communicating a lukewarm commitment to Christ, and while I am certainly guilty of being a lukewarm Christian at times, it is not acceptable for any of us. And at the end of today, if Christ has not returned today (again, if He does return today, it is not because Camping called it), it does not diminish our call to "be holy in all your conduct, for it is written, Be holy, because I am holy". His coming is certain, so let us be faithful servants until that time.

The Dual Nature of Apologetics [pt 2]

2011-05-20T14:20:00.000-05:00

The other day I wrote on apologetics as a discipline and apologetics as a form of evangelism. If you didn't read that post, you can read it here. Today, I want to expound upon apologetics as a form of evangelism. Since I used the football analogy last time, I will use it here again.

If you watch football (and shame on you if you don't), you know that there are two parties involved in the game - the teams. At any given time, one team is on offense, and the other is on defense. Both teams cannot be on offense at the same time or defense at the same time. When it comes to apologetics in evangelism, there is usually two parties involved: yourself and the person/group of people you are talking to. If you are talking to a person, hopefully you are being gracious and having a conversation about God and salvation through Jesus Christ and not preaching in a monologue to them. If you are speaking to a group of people (i.e. giving a Gospel presentation at an event or something), then you have greater control whether you play offense or defense when it comes to apologetics. But what exactly do I mean when I say "offensive" or "defensive" apologetics? Let's look at defensive apologetics first.

Defensive Apologetics

In football, the defense prevents the other team from advancing the football to the endzone (or close enough for a field goal) to earn points and win the game. When it comes to defensive apologetics, sometimes someone will raise an objection to Christianity to which, depending on the objection, can call Christianity on the carpet as whether or not it is true or not. Defensive apologetics invalidates those potential defeaters, or to put it another way, defensive apologetics shuts down objections to Christianity being false. The goal of defensive apologetics is to make sure that Christianity cannot be rightly condemned as being untrue - it isn't to explain why Christianity is true (per se - I will explain that in a bit), but rather explain why Christianity cannot be claimed as false on the basis of the objections given.

Offensive Apologetics

It would be important for me to point out that when I use the words "offensive" and "defensive", I am not referring to your attitude. 1 Peter 3:16 gives the ethic for how we are to conduct our apologetic efforts: "However, do this with gentleness and respect, keeping your conscious clear, so that when you are accused, those who denounce your Christian life will be put to shame". It is guaranteed that people will reject Christianity. However, if the person you are conversing with rejects Christianity, it had better be because of the beliefs of Christianity and not because you presented those beliefs with an unchristian attitude.

Offensive apologetics, contrary to defensive apologetics, are given to establish Christianity is true. I can think of at least 5 such offensive arguments for the existence of God (not necessarily Christianity): the Cosmological argument family, the Teleological argument family, the Moral argument, the Ontological argument, and the Argument from Reason, which is quickly becoming one of my favorite arguments against naturalism and materialism. Those arguments are positive arguments that establish the existence of a theistic God - however, they do not necessarily prove that Christianity is true. When it comes to establishing Christianity is true, like I wrote in a post on Easter Sunday, giving evidences establishing the historicity of the Resurrection, along with the reliability of the Gospels, help establish Christianity specifically as being true. Of course, for the Christian, the icing on all this cake is talking of the transformation of his/her life as a result of putting their faith in Jesus Christ for salvation. Your personal testimony is equally powerful as any argument - yet if your personal testimony is marred by your conduct, you are crippling your efforts. Your life, in it's entirety, should reflect the work Christ has done in your life, and if it doesn't, congratulations on shooting yourself in the foot.

Fumbles and Interceptions

Fumbles and interceptions, in football games, are always a highlight. They are unexpected, they are the last thing the offense wants, and in a single instant the roles of the two teams switch - the defense becomes the offense, and the offense goes on the defense. The losing team could have just turned the game around to possible win or solidify their loss. A good apologist will create as many fumbles as interceptions as possible - taking an objection to Christianity (defense) and turning it around into a positive case for Christianity (offense). Skilled apologists will look for these opportunities, and just like I talked about in the first post of this series, it required a lot of training and practice with apologetics as a discipline. If you do not train and practice for interceptions, it will hardly happen.

I taught my last lesson for First Baptist Youth this past Wednesday, and I couldn't have asked for a better last lesson - it was on apologetics and learning more about your faith. I left my students with a small list of "getting started" resources so that they can begin learning more about their faith (apologetics as a discipline) so that they can use it when sharing their faith and dealing with doubt (offensive and defensive apologetics as a form of evangelism). Underlying this whole thing, however, is a desire to fulfill what Jesus listed as the greatest commandment of the Law: to "love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength" (Mark 12:30). If you do not have a desire to love the Lord your God, then you should not consider any of what I have said until you have that desire to love God - your relationship with God is the most foundational piece of information that is assumed in this entire discussion. If you lack this, then everything I've talked about becomes secondary - learn to love God first.

Since tomorrow is the end of the world (according to Harold Camping), I figured I would write a post on all this May 21st hullabaloo. Don't worry - if the world doesn't end tomorrow, it isn't because this guy predicted it would be. Trust me on that one.

The Dual Nature of Apologetics [pt 1]

2011-05-15T15:22:00.001-05:00

The field of apologetics is a very misunderstood field. It is a pity, I think, that Christians have no real idea of what apologetics is. Allow an analogy to help.

If I were to ask the question, "Is football an exercise or a game", the answer one would expect would be "both". It is an exercise that takes place as a game, and the game provides a form of exercise. If you are practicing for the game, you are working out for the game. While you play the game, you get a workout. Yet if you do not practice, you will absolutely fail at football. I could insert a really bad joke about the Dallas Cowboys, but I will refrain from doing so.

In the same way, apologetics is a discipline (exercise) and a form of evangelism (a game). Let's look at each:

Apologetics as a discipline

1 Peter 3:15, easily the bedrock verse for the practice of apologetics, gives a twofold directive for apologetics. The verse reads,

"But honor the Messiah as Lord in your hearts. Always be ready to give a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you." - 1 Peter 3:15

The basis for apologetics being a discipline is derived from "But honor the Messiah as Lord in your hearts" and "Always be ready to give a defense". Notice, the first basis of the first is putting God in His proper place. The only way to practice Christian apologetics is when the Messiah is honored as Lord of your life. If Christ is not the Lord of the Christian's heart, then his/her apologetic efforts will be greatly lacking. They will be going out to play a game of football without even doing warm ups. That is the first step of apologetics being a discipline. The second step of apologetics being a discipline is taken from "Always be ready to give a defense". To be ready to give a defense, one must know what defense he/she will give. Here, apologetics shines as a study of knowledge. If you are going to give a defense of your faith (which is the subject of the verse), you have to be familiar with what you believe and why you believe it. Can your beliefs hold under to scrutiny? Is there evidence that undermines your beliefs? Are the objections against your beliefs powerful? For the Christian, I can confidently say that the Christian belief can withstand scrutiny and that the objections against it, though convincing to some, are not powerful enough to discredit it. That being said, the Christian must learn more about what he/she believes, and this comes through the training of the mind in the disciplines of philosophy, science, history, theology, ect. For the discipline aspect, the mind is getting the workout - studying apologetics is like learning the plays and techniques necessary for playing football. Few things are more satisfying than the deep study of one's faith - whenever I am increasing my apologetic knowledge, my confidence in God increases, and my desire to be more connected with Him goes up as well. Sometimes, the things I learn in the study of my faith carry over into my worship. Though it can seem daunting at first, practicing apologetics as a discipline is vital for the sake of one's intellect.

Apologetics as a form of evangelism.

Apologetics, though it is a robust and fulfilling mental workout regime, is also a form of evangelism. Evangelism is the practice of telling others about the Gospel of Jesus Christ. On my left arm I have a series of bandanas wrapped around my wrist in 5 colors: black, red, white, green, and gold (in that order). These bandanas I have tend to strike up conversation with people, and when that happens, it allows me to give into a presentation of the Gospel. When conversing with people about Christianity (which is something that should be done according to 1 Peter 3:16, with gentleness and respect), there will be those who bring up objections to Christianity. If these objections are not answered, then it will hinder that person's desire to become a Christian. It is up to us to be well-equipped to remove these objections that hinder people from putting their faith in Christ. Yet, we must know the answers to objections (or know what to do/where to go when objections come up) beforehand - if we don't, we will not be successful in our evangelism. This is why the discipline portion of apologetics is crucial to the evangelism portion - the discipline portion is the exercise that prepares you for the game. Football players who practice hard are the ones who win. In the same way, Christians who practice apologetics as a discipline will have much better success in evangelism.

When talking about apologetics as a form of evangelism, this can be broken down into two more ideas: offense and defense. Just like football, you must have an offense and a defense in order to win. Implied in 1 Peter 3:15 is that once you have given a defense, you make an offense (without being offensive in attitude, mind you) for giving reasons why Christianity is true. Next post, I will explain the offensive and defensive portion of apologetics as a form of evangelism.

As a shameless plug, the one book I can think of that prepares you for both natures of apologetics is a book I reviewed earlier in the year by Greg Koukl called "Tactics". If you are looking for a place to start, I would start there.

Parties, Goodbyes, and Good Times

2011-05-13T14:01:00.001-05:00

Yesterday I took my last final for my first year of college. It is hard to believe that I have made it though my first year of college already! It has been a fantastic year, and I am more than glad I chose to go to AC this year instead of taking a year off like I originally planned.

Last night the Amarillo College BSM had it's End-of-the-Year party, which was easily the best party I have ever been to in my entire life. It was great seeing the majority of my BSM friends, knowing that I leave for my summer job 2 weeks from today. It was a time of saying goodbye to those who were moving on from AC, and a time to dream ahead about the fall semester. I got to give a goodbye blurb to one of my best friends Nathan as he and his family move to Houston in a few weeks. We then got to see a video put together by Ashley, another outgoing student that had us rolling with laughter one moment and on the verge of tears in the next. The video itself was excellent, a fine product of some serious editing talent. The content of the video was priceless memories that will stay will us for quite a freaking long time.

Then came the dance par- er, "foot function", as my friend Robert invented. If you are in the dark, "BSM" stands for "Baptist Student Ministries"...if you fail to see why this is hilarious, leave a comment and I will explain. The only real organized dance would be the Cupid Shuffle, and then it was more random depending on the song. But, then came the live air band featuring yours truly on air guitar and vocals. Playing our imaginary instruments to songs like "Since You've Been Gone", "Any Way You Want It", "Bohemian Rhapsody", and more, we hosted the kind of party that only good friends and the unity that comes from the Body of Christ could produce.

Eventually, our fearless leader (Jenny Cummings, the BSM director) had to kick us out...and then came Denny's! Those of us who still wanted to hang out went to Denny's to chill. Eventually my good friend Stetson joined us, and together with Nathan the three of us spent the rest of the evening talking music, politics, religion, ect, just like we like to do. Finally, at about 1 in the morning, we decide to head home.

I have never had such incredible friends in my entire life, and I am truly thankful for every single one of them. Congrats on everyone for making it through the year! Hope you all have a great summer!

Book Review: Reasonable Faith - Christian Truth and Apologetics

2011-05-09T10:24:00.001-05:00

Reasonable Faith: Christian Truth and Apologetics by William Lane Craig

4 out of 5 Stars

Buy it: www.amazon.com

It's no secret that I am a fan of William Lane Craig. He is one of my heroes as an apologist, and one of the main apologists that inspired me to take up the field. While I don't see eye to eye with him on everything, it is his dedication to the subject of defending the faith in a Christlike manner that has inspired me to study philosophy, theology, science and history.

Yesterday, I finished reading his signature work, "Reasonable Faith: Christian Truth and Apologetics". It took me about 6 months to read this work, and while there were some parts that were over my head, the things that I learned from it made this book a very worthy read

First and foremost, this is not a suitable book to read for an apologetic newbie. To read this book, you will need to be at least casually acquainted with the fields of philosophy, science, and history. I consider myself to be a more-than-novice-yet-not-quite-intermediate apologist, and there were are few times when the subject material went right by over my head without a care in the world. This book, while it claims to be usable amongst laymen, is more for someone who is already involved in these fields. In other words, I would not give this book to someone who was just now getting their feet wet; I would give them something easier to digest. This is a pretty technical book, and it can be pretty difficult to read at times.

Reasonable Faith covers a wide range of issues. While notable absences include any discussion on the problem of evil and the creation/I.D./evolution debate, what it includes justifies the purchase of this book. Topics include how we can know Christianity is true, the absurdity of life without God (probably my favorite chapter in the book), the 4 classical theistic arguments and their objections, the resurrection of Christ, miracles, and more. It is all laid out in a systematic fashion that starts with basic theistic arguments (the various Cosmological arguments, the Teleological argument, the Moral argument, and the Ontological argument) and then moves to demonstrate Christian theism by focusing on miracles and then the radical self-understanding of Christ and the evidence for His resurrection. Each chapter opens up with a historical examination of past thinkers on this subject, which I personally found to be very enjoyable. He then moves on to discuss the subject and it's objections, and then ends each chapter with a practical application of how to put into practice what you just read.

I've already mentioned that the material in this book, while certainly worth reading, can be technical and difficult at times. This isn't a bad thing, but when it is tacked on to what I believe is the biggest problem with the book, it makes the book a more difficult read. The biggest flaw that I find with Reasonable Faith is the length of the chapters. These are easily some of the longest chapters that I have ever read from any book- especially the first chapter on the existence of God. You should expect that it will take you a few sittings to get through a single chapter. While I can understand wanting to keep all the information under one heading, I wish he had broken down the chapters into various sections or something, because these chapters are so big that it is not feasible to read them in one sitting. That being said, that is really the only flaw that I can find with the book. Everything else about the book is presented in an excellent manner, and the material contained in each of these massive chapters is enlightening, stimulating, thought-provoking, and high-quality food for you intellect.

Craig's book is definitely a testimony to his passion for the Christian intellect, and his desire to equip the church in apologetics is certainly contagious - just look at me. Still, if you are looking for a easy introduction into apologetics, this is not the place to start looking. That being said, if you are an apologist and you haven't read this book, you will definitely want to add this to your reading list. This is a great work written by a great Christian thinker, and the impact that this book has had on the Church has been nothing short of incredible.

4 out of 5 Stars

19 days of blogging left....

2011-05-08T11:18:00.001-05:00

Ah, the end is near. The end of my time in Claude, at least for the summer.

On May 27th I move to Wellington, Texas, to the campgrounds of Panfork Baptist Encampment, where I will be working as the video producer for the summer. And man, what a busy summer that will be!

I had to stay at home from church today due to being somewhat under the weather. I figured that today was a good day to begin signaling the beginning of the end of my role as youth leader of First Baptist Claude - since I was not there to run the worship portion of Sunday school, I had my middle brother do so. I think that from now on I will begin slowly relegating those responsibilities to those students whom I trust can take over.

Ah, the end! How it cometh quick! 19 days left!

May Update for New Year's Resolutions

2011-05-03T21:06:00.000-05:00

Here is the normal routine. It is May, and yes, I am still talking about my New Year's Resolutions.

This update contains a pretty significant change, however. In less than a month I begin my job at Panfork Baptist Encampment in Wellington, where I will be shooting/editing/producing video for the camps that will be there. This is an every single day deal. Also, there is a possibility I will be taking 15 hours next semester - I will know for certain on Thursday. The closer I get to the start of this new job, the more I realize that I cannot keep my 1,000,000 Freerice Challenge goal. It will just not be possible to do that this summer - and 3 months behind will be unrecoverable, especially if I take 15 hours of school. It is regretful, but I am having to put an end to that part of my New Year's Resolution. Believe me, I don't want to - but practically, it won't happen. I will not have the time.

As for the Radical Experiment, I have moved my Bible reading back to my physical Bible. I have found it far more enjoyable to read through the Word in my actual Bible than on my Kindle. I am about to read about Tola and Jair, two of the judges that get hardly no mention. Now, for those of you who can do the math, you can probably understand I am extremely far behind in my Bible reading. Ending the Freerice goal - which was not a part of the Radical Experiment - will hopefully free up more time to where I can focus more energy toward that goal.

I have continued praying for the world via Operation World, and man it is awesome. I love praying for the nations as a part of my daily Quiet Time. Whether I pray from the information in the emails or if I grab the book, pick a random nation, and pray for it, it is amazing to know that my prayers are being heard by the Almighty Lord and that those prayers, directed to the entirety of a nation, are not to big for God to handle.

As for my giving, that has been tough. With rising gas prices and a few unexpected Amarillo trips (it takes about $15 for a trip to and back from Amarillo with current gas prices), my giving money has shrunk. Once school is done, and I am not having to bundle as much money, I hope to be able to set my Compassion kids for the summer. I look forward to that.

Serving at Panfork for the summer doesn't really count, in a sense, for fulfilling the clause of the Experiment that involves spending time in a different context. I mean, it is ultimately a job that pays, and it is only an hour and a half from home. I wanted to go to El Paso with my BSM for a medical mission trip in a few weeks, but per the request of my parents I will not be going. Hopefully I will be able to go somewhere during the end of the year.

Of course, I have committed myself to my church and to my youth group. Although I am fixing to step down from my position at church, I have not ceased to pour as much of myself into this church, and I am blessed to be a part of this church. I honestly would not rather be anywhere else right now. The students are awesome (even though there are times they drive me insane) and the people are great.

So yes, all of my future updates will focus squarely on the Radical Experiment, as the FreeRice challenge was not part of the Experiment. For now, keep the faith, my peeps!

Greg Koukl on 21st Century Ambassadors for Christ

2011-05-01T21:34:00.001-05:00

Greg Koukl is an incredible guy. One of his teachings that has stuck with me is the concept of the 21st century ambassador for the Christian faith. In January I wrote a review for his book "Tactics", which is a book I wish every Christian would read, especially those who are mission/evangelism minded. I think Greg hits it perfectly when he describes three basic skills for being a modern-day ambassador: knowledge, wisdom, and character.

"Representing Christ in the new millennium requires three basic skills. First, Christ's ambassadors need the basic knowledge necessary for the task. They must know the central message of God's kingdom and something about how to respond to the obstacles they'll encounter on their diplomatic mission.

However, it is not enough for followers of Jesus to have an accurately informed mind. Our knowledge must be tempered with the kind of wisdom that makes our message clear and persuasive. This requires the tools of a diplomat, not the weapons of a warrior, tactical skill rather than brute force.

Finally, our character can make or break our mission. Knowledge and wisdom are packaged in a person, so to speak. If that person does not embody the virtues of the kingdom he serves, he will undermine his message and handicap his efforts.

These three skills - knowledge, an accurately informed mind; wisdom, an artful method; and character, an attractive manner - play a part in every effective involvement with a nonbeliever." - Greg Koukl, Tactics: A Game Plan for Discussing Your Christian Convictions, pg.24-25 (underlines mine)

Apologetics in Youth Groups

2011-04-30T16:07:00.002-05:00

As I write this from the youth ministry's media computer, I sit in (what I would somewhat arrogantly label as) my youth group's main youth room. Two lamps and a projector give a striking atmosphere of elegance. A table complete with mommy's homemade cookies, a 2lb bag of Sour Patch Kids, Skittles, chips, crackers and room for sodas sit by the entryway. A small table opposite the snack table contains approximately 20 folded over pieces of paper with pens attached, for those interested in taking notes. Demon Hunter's newest album is blasting over the awesome speakers, and both parts of William Lane Craig's recent debate with Richard Carrier are being downloaded on the slower-than-average Internet connection.

Before I stepped down from the volunteer position that I hold, I was going to make a push for apologetics in the youth group. It needs to be done. We are losing students at unreasonable rates (some surveys show that upwards to 70%) when they arrive at college, precisely because we do challenge them intellectually. We expect them to succeed and do well in college and in high school, but when it comes to learning about the faith they hold, we balk. And it is precisely the reason why most Christians have a hard time in secular universities; they are never intellectually challenged or educated in church, and as a result, the best that they can offer in response to detailed critiques of their faith is a Bible verse or, worse, religious pluralism.

I am an exception to that rule, because I consider myself to be intellectually-driven as a Christian. I go to a secular university, and yet whenever someone (be it a teacher or a student) challenges my faith, it does not threaten me. I know how to assess and respond to challenges to my faith, and it was the most invaluable lesson that I learned in my senior year of high school, when I supplemented my other classes with self-training in basic apologetics. And it has paid off - I am thriving at school because I know that I can confidently answer objections brought against my faith.

Church, we must start including apologetic training in the part of youth group functions. They need to know things like:

The Christian worldivew.
How to address the problem of evil.
The various natural theology arguments for God's existence (the Cosmological argument family, the Teleological argument family, the Axiological argument, and the Ontological argument)
The accurate historicity of the Bible.
The historicity of the New Testament
Dealing with popular objections to God.
An education into other worldviews.
Conversational tactics for effectively and compassionately presenting the truth for Christianity.
Logic and basic philosophy.
The fundamentals of Christian theology.

It is time to start moving beyond emotion driven worship services, 5 minute devotionals, and celebrity-studded events, and start equipping our kids for war. We must stop sending them out with VBS-level educations in Christianity and begin showing them, in the safety and security of the church, how to handle doubts, address challenges, and think and reason with logic, and the things mentioned above. These kids are smart. They can handle it. And even if they don't use it right away, they will be challenged someday. And it is up to us to prepare them for that. If we don't, those of opposing worldviews will gladly continue to do so for us - and the results are always unfortunate.

This debate that I am showcasing is a push for apologetics in youth groups. It is a test to fine-tune my personal approach of integrating apologetics into youth groups. While I am stepping down for the summer, it is possible that I will return afterwards and resume a role of authority. If this happens, my focus will be nearly exclusively apologetics driven. I will push for it with all my might. The benefits are well worth the price of refusing to equip our kids intellectually for the intellectual war that is already going on.

Celebrating a Record Number of Blog Posts!

2011-04-28T14:47:00.001-05:00

I have some wonderful news!

In this month, I have succeed in setting a record for the most number of blog posts in one month. And it is still going strong!

This month, I have also written several extensive apologetic related posts, more than I have written prior. It is very refreshing!

Thanks to references and shares from some of my apologist friends, I have also received more hits in this month than all of last year. To all who have been sharing my posts on Facebook or linking them to your own blog, I greatly thank you!

William Lane Craig on the Urgent Need for Apologetics

2011-04-27T14:16:00.002-05:00

If I can credit any one person to inspiring me to take up apologetics, it would be William Lane Craig. This guy has inspired me and motivated me to study apologetics and to share what I learn with others. While I have learned from several apologists, I have learned considerably from Craig. I am showcasing his recent debate with atheist historian Richard Carrier on "Did Jesus Rise From The Dead?" to my students and college friends this Saturday. In anticipation of this, I post this quote today (I wish I could post the whole introduction - every pastor, youth minister, and church leader needs to read the intro of Craig's book "Hard Questions, Real Answers) to show that it is incredible vital and urgent that churches embrace apologetics across all spectrum (especially youth ministry and college ministry) as soon as possible - i.e. today!

"Indeed, the single most important institution shaping Western society is the university. It is at the university that our future political leaders, our journalists, our lawyers, our teachers, our scientists, our business executives, our artists, will be trained. It is at the university that they will formulate or, more likely, simply absorb the worldview that will shape their lives. And since these are the opinion-makers and leaders who shape our culture, the worldview that they imbibe at the university will be the one that shapes our culture.

Why is this important? Simply because the gospel is never heard in isolation. It is always heard against the background of the cultural milieu in which one lives. A person raised in a cultural milieu in which Christianity is still seen as an intellectually viable option will display an openness to the gospel which a person who is secularized will not display. For the secular person you may as well tell him to believe in fairies or leprechauns as in Jesus Christ! . . . .

It is part of the broader task of Christian scholarship to help create and sustain a cultural milieu in which the gospel can be heard as an intellectually viable option for thinking men and women. Therefore, the Church has a vital stake in raising up Christian scholars who will help us to create a place at the university for Christian ideas. The average Christian does not realize that there is an intellectual war going on in the universities and in professional journals and societies. Christianity is being attacked as irrational or obsolete, and millions of students, our future generation of leaders, have absorbed this viewpoint. This is a war we cannot afford to lose."

William Lane Craig, "Hard Questions, Real Answers", pg 14-15

Constitutional Clauses and the Persecuted Church

2011-04-26T20:51:00.003-05:00

Last night, another good atheist friend of mine named Stetson (not the same atheist that I spoke of a few days ago) asked about the Bible's stance on the Establishment Clause and the Free Exercise Clause. Since it was such a long reply, with his permission, I copied/pasted it below (with a few edits). I have slightly deviated the focus in this blog post to what I was originally replying to - in particular, I want to note the relation of the two clauses to the current situation of the Persecuted Church in other countries.

Alright, about the Bible's take on the Establishment Clause and Free Exercise Clause. First I will give a few Scriptures that would apply to this, and then I will give my thoughts on it.

First, one of the most important texts for dealing with the government comes from Romans 13:1-8. It is a very important passage for dealing with how Christianity should relate to the government:

Everyone must submit to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except from God, and those that exist are instituted by God. So then, the one who resists the authority is opposing God’s command, and those who oppose it will bring judgment on themselves. For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Do you want to be unafraid of the authority? Do what is good, and you will have its approval. For government is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, because it does not carry the sword for no reason. For government is God’s servant, an avenger that brings wrath on the one who does wrong. Therefore, you must submit, not only because of wrath, but also because of your conscience. And for this reason you pay taxes, since the ⌊authorities⌋ are God’s public servants, continually attending to these tasks. Pay your obligations to everyone: taxes to those you owe taxes, tolls to those you owe tolls, respect to those you owe respect, and honor to those you owe honor. Romans 13:1-7 (HCSB)

This passage, while it commands Christians to submit to the authority of the government, when taken in together with what Jesus said about the government, it establishes a very important directive that we should follow.

Tell us, therefore, what You think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar or not?” But perceiving their malice, Jesus said, “Why are you testing Me, hypocrites? Show Me the coin used for the tax.” So they brought Him a denarius. “Whose image and inscription is this?” He asked them. “Caesar’s,” they said to Him. Then He said to them, “Therefore give back to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” When they heard this, they were amazed. So they left Him and went away. Matthew 22:17-22 (HCSB)

Christ is saying here that when it comes to matters of the government, then we are to obey the government. However, if the government is seeking to do something that is to be done against God or if the government is asking for it's citizens to do something immoral or something wrong, then it is the duty of Christians to stand against the government. Taking a stance against the government is not the default stance. That is a much larger subject to dive into, however.

Now, to the Establishment Clause and the Free Exercise Clause. Time for a little church history. Prior to the founding of America, we have the Protestant Revolution, beginning when Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses to the door of the church in Wittenburg. At the time, the Catholic Church was the religion of the state - and because it was the religion of the state (for the majority of the European nations at the time) it was able to use the power of the state - it's resources, governing bodies, enforcement forces, ect - to suppress what it openly deemed to be a heretical movement within the church at the time, and it openly persecuted, sometimes through violent means, to try and silence the Reformation. This was only possible because the Catholic Church was established as the official religion of the government, and therefore was able to use the government's powers to accomplish it's will. Had the Catholic Church not been established as the official religion, they would not have been able to do anything.

America was colonized for several reasons, but one of the most important one was for those that were seeking religious freedom - the pilgrims. Among other things, they were seeking to escape the religious persecution that was taking place through the government. The founders knew what they were doing when they included the Establishment Clause and the Free Exercise Clause - it was to prevent history from repeating itself and from Religion A from being able to beat up Religion B because Religion A was the official religion.

I believe those two clauses are what makes this country incredible - I believe that no religion, even Christianity, should be adopted to be a government established religion, and here is why: I am very involved with watchdog groups that inform about the persecuted church in other countries, and the persecution I speak of it only possible because of a lack of (either in the countries' constitution, or in enforcement) of these two Clauses. If there is one fact that the media continually wishes to suppress, it is the well document, very frequent, very common, (sometimes) very violent and very disturbing amount of persecution that takes place against Christians in the Middle East, China, N. Korea, and elsewhere. This is only possible because in those places, things like the Establishment Clause and the Free Exercise Clause do _not_ exist - in fact, in these countries where persecution of Christians take place, it is precisely because a specific religion is established (most of which is Islam) and because you are not free to practice anything else! America is a great nation because of those two clauses, because it allows people to believe whatever they want knowing that they will not face persecution from the government.

Questions? Comments? Leave your thoughts below!

C.S. Lewis on Ultimate Satisfaction

2011-04-25T10:55:00.001-05:00

If there is any current trend in my life that I would be so eager to share, it would be that recently, I am starting to discover ultimate satisfaction in God, and that He fulfills my desires in ways that nothing else can. Events like Secret Church have only revealed this further and accelerated this change. And here is something C.S. Lewis wrote a long time ago that I can't help but think God showed to me when He did (during the Secret Church event) to further hit the hammer home. Reflect on what Lewis says and how it applies to your own life:

"If there lurks in most modern minds the notion that to desire our own good and earnestly to hope for the enjoyment of it is a bad thing, I submit that this notion has crept in from Kant and the Stoics and is no part of the Christian faith. Indeed, if we consider the unblushing promises of reward and the staggering nature of the rewards promised in the Gospels, it would seem that out Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far to easily pleased.

- C.S. Lewis, "The Weight of Glory "

The Importance of the Resurrection for Apologetics

2011-04-24T14:10:00.001-05:00

I remember a few months ago, a good Facebook friend of mine, who is an atheist that I greatly respect, asked me: "What would it take to falsify your belief in Christianity"?

Another Christian, one who had been locked in passionate (but respectful) debate with said atheist friend listed, amongst other things, that if it could be shown that Jesus Christ did not rise from the dead, then that would convince him that Christianity was false.

I posted another comment in agreement.

Today is Easter Sunday. The rest of the house is asleep while I am headbanging and playing air guitar to metal legends Living Sacrifice. Such is the typical Sunday afternoon at my house. Yet for all it is worth, today is no ordinary day. Today is the day we celebrate the one event that, if true, is the single most monumental event that will ever take place in the entire history of existence: the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.

Paul writes in 1 Corinthians chapter 15 that the resurrection is what will make or break Christianity:

Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say, “There is no resurrection of the dead”? But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised; and if Christ has not been raised, then our proclamation is without foundation, and so is your faith. In addition, we are found to be false witnesses about God, because we have testified about God that He raised up Christ—whom He did not raise up if in fact the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, Christ has not been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins. Therefore, those who have fallen asleep in Christ have also perished. If we have put our hope in Christ for this life only, we should be pitied more than anyone. 1 Corinthians 15:12-19 (HCSB)

As an apologist, if there is one area I believe that every Christian should be an expert in, it would be the resurrection. I would argue that all other areas of apologetics (philosophical, scientific, historical, ect) are useless endeavors apart from the resurrection of Christ. If it did not happen, then apologetics would be the most delusional waste of time, as time and effort would be trying to spent justifying something that is not possible because the main ingredient - the resurrection - never happened. While the question of God's existence would still be open even if it could be shown that Jesus did not rise from the dead, it would demonstrate one thing: Jesus Christ is not God, and Christianity is a joke.

Am I suggesting that apologists all become specialists in defending the resurrection? Absolutely not. I am saying that every apologist (and for that matter, every Christian) should be well learned in the following:

The failed attempts to try and disprove the resurrection: the swoon theory, the hallucination theory, ect.
The Christian scholars who have written on the resurrection - and their atheist/unbelieving counterparts.
An accurate understanding of the crucifixion timeline (and how to reconcile the divergent accounts into one seamless narrative)

As a novice apologist, I am learning more all the time. While my preferred specialty is philosophical apologetics, I am constantly learning and willing to learn. If anything, apologetics is a process - nobody turns into an expert into anything overnight. I think it would be well summed up to say that the more knowledgeable we are about the resurrection, the better.

This Saturday, I am showcasing the recent William Lane Craig/Richard Carrier debate "Did Jesus Rise From The Dead?" to my students. I am stepping down in about a month, and it would pain me if I did not do something apologetic related in my time here (if, after the summer, God's will is that I continue to work with the youth, then that will be a far more dominating focus), and given that it is Easter season, showcasing a recent debate on the resurrection seems like a pretty good idea. [rant] I think the church is shooting itself in the foot for not making apologetic training a priority - no, a requirement - for youth ministers to teach. The church wonders why so many Christians abandon their faith when they arrive to college, and I would openly (and fiercely!) contend that it is because we do not focus on things like apologetics! [/rant] I have even received permission from my BSM leader to promote the event amongst our BSM college group, so my college friends can benefit from this as well. Needless to say, I greatly desire that apologetics become an active focus amongst the church today, and it has to start somewhere - why not during Easter, during the time which we celebrate that which is the most essential foundation to our faith?

As I type this post, I have been listening to Living Sacrifice's masterpiece-of-a-comeback album "The Infinite Order". It is now the closing track, and as the beautiful acoustic guitar intro fades into an epic and emotion lead riff, I close this post with the following lyrics. If Christians can understand and comprehend the importance of the resurrection and defend it, then there will be no need for lines like this:

You have a new way
Is it a better way?
Once I saw you proclaim
Now there's slight disdain
Why keep that title, what has changed? Is God so different?
Why keep that title, what has changed? Is He not the same?

Love is present, grace abounds
What happened here? Was the world so enticing?
Denial is treachery hard to reconcile
Call it for what it really is
Don't make excuses
Call it for what it really is
Go ahead apostasy

The Not-So-Secret Secret Church

2011-04-23T16:00:00.002-05:00

*Ahem*....I apologize that it has taken me almost 2 WEEKS (!!) to write something. But I figure now is as good of a time as ever to get back into the swing of things.

Last night I was able to participate in one of the coolest experiences of my life. If you follow my blog, you know that I am a huge fan of David Platt and his book "Radical". In his book, he talks about an event known as Secret Church, an event he hosts at his church where for 6 straight hours into the night (ending at midnight) he leads his congregation in raw, hardcore Bible study. Last night, for Good Friday, he decided to simulcast it via the web so that churches all over the country could join. Needless to say, I was pumped. But I had no idea how amazing it would be until I had actually gotten there.

I had to work, so I got there somewhat late. When I arrived, they were just about to dive into the second teaching segment. What joy overcame me when I got my study guide at the entrance desk and realized that tonight we are going through systematic theology for the whole entire thing! If that wasn't enough to excite me before, I was extremely pumped now. As the night went on, he went through in logical order the doctrines of human depravity, regeneration, conversion, justification, (he touched on the Catholic/Protestant debate of the justification of faith alone) adoption, union with Christ, sanctification, perseverance and preservation (including a lengthy period on the doctrine of election), and glorification. For guys like me, there was nothing not to like from what David spoke through last night.

I had never heard David speak before, but man he talks fast. He is easily the fastest speaker that I have ever listened to. I am good at listening to fast speakers, but he was too fast for me. To his credit, he had a lot to go through, so it was understandable that he was talking at, oh, 5000 MPH. If there is something else that could describe Platt's speaking, it would be passion. I have never heard anyone speak so fast, and I have never heard anyone speak with such authentic passion. The emotion in his voice was not just speaking tactics; if you watched him, you could clearly see the passion he has for God as it poured out in passion and conviction.

God spoke to me in several ways that night. For one, He revealed to me that I had been putting too much faith in apologetics to save someone - that apologetics would be the thing that would lead someone to Christ. Very violently was that idea shattered. Another idea of mine that god corrected during the course of this time was this notion where I felt as if I was unrighteous before God if I did not do my established Bible study/prayer routines (e.g. quite times). After spending 20 minutes going through the doctrine of justification, He reminded me that my justification before Him is not based on whatever I do or do not do, but that if I have faith in Christ, then I am completely and entirely justified.

Another thing that was extremely encouraging was the time that was spent focusing on the persecuted church. Missions is a passion of mine, and something that I take incredibly serious. Tonight we focused on the persecuted church in India, spending time in prayer for the persecuted and persecutor alike. A recorded Skype conversation of a pastor who has been in the midst of some terrible persecution was shown over the web feed, and once again I am reminded that my petty trials that I sometimes blow out of proportion are nothing compared to the genuine persecution that is taking place in other countries. My so-called "challenges" are nothing in comparison to the violence, attacks, and other persecutions that my brothers and sisters live with daily. I am often quite the sissy.

I got home at 1:30 last night, totally blown away by the whole experience. "Radical" is one of the few books that has shaped my thinking, and David Platt is one of the few authors today that I can confidently cite as an inspiration in my life. There are many other things to write about last night, but to do so would make a long blog post. If you have not read "Radical", do so. If you have read "Radical", know that the sequel to the book, "Radical Together", came out this Tuesday. I bought it last night and can't wait to dive into it. And in place of something snarky/memorable/sarcastic/ect to close this post out, I will simply say "Glory to God alone".

To kill, or to murder...that is the question

2011-04-10T15:30:00.000-05:00

I remember from the Pray for an Atheist event and various other encounters a very specific charge against God. Specifically, the charge was that "God said 'Thou shalt not kill' and yet he order the slaughter of the Canaanites and other people. The Bible contradicts itself and God is a moral monster!"[1] I heard that several times throughout the event. Even recently, I found another example of the usage of "Thou Shall Not Kill", only this was in my speech book. It was used in an example persuasive speech outline arguing that the death penalty be abolished. One of the main points of the hypothetical speech was that the death penalty violated the Biblical commandment of "Thou shall not kill".

Below is a list of most English translations of the Bible. The ones that use "kill" are italicized. Notice how few in number that they are, and notice that they come from Old English translations of the Bible.

2011 NIV: "“You shall not murder." (Exodus 20:13)

NASB: "You shall not murder" (Exodus 20:13)

The Message: "No murder" (Exodus 20:13)

Amplified Bible: "You shall not commit murder: (Exodus 20:13)

NLT: "You must not murder" (Exodus 20:13)

KJV: "Thou shalt not kill" (Exodus 20:13)

ESV: "You shall not murder" (Exodus 20:13)

CEV: "Do not murder" (Exodus 20:13)

NKJV: "You shall not murder" (Exodus 20:13)

NCV: "You must not murder anyone" (Exodus 20:13)

GNT: "Do not commit murder" (Exodus 20:13)

21stKJV: "Thou shall not kill" (Exodus 20:13)

ASV: "Thou shall not kill" (Exodus 20:13)

Young's Literal Translation: "Thou dost not murder" (Exodus 20:13)

Darby: "Thou shall not kill" (Exodus 20:13)

HCSB: "Do not murder" (Exodus 20:13)

NIRV: "Do not commit murder" (Exodus 20:13)

Douay Rheims 1899: "Thou shall not kill" (Exodus 20:13)

NIVUK: "You shall not murder: (Exodus 20:13)

TNIV: "You shall not murder" (Exodus 20:13)

Notice the majority of the translations use the word murder. That is a far different meaning than kill, as we will look at below.

Why is this important? For one thing, there is a huge difference between a command not to kill and a command not to murder. For one thing, "Thou Shall Not Kill [what]?" If you are going to kill something, you have to have the thing you a going to kill. But that is not immediately specified in "Thou Shall Not Kill". Kill what? Humans? Trees? Animals? Insects? Germs? Going back to the speech example, the only way the speaker could have used "Thou Shall Not Kill" as evidence in his/her speech would have been to use the command's lack of a directly identified recipient and plug in "People" into the equation "Thou Shall Not Kill [what]". However, to do so is to make an argument from ambiguity, not to mention the fact that as the English language evolves, words change meaning over time (which is one of the reasons why I am not a fan of the KJV being used today.) "Kill" could have very well meant "murder" in the time when the KJV was used. [2] And given the overwhelming ratio above, it is clear that "kill" is synonymous with "murder" in this case. Let's define murder:

"Murder: The crime of unlawfully killing a person especially with malice aforethough" (Merriam-Webster's 11th Collegiate Dictionary)

When someone brings the charge that God violated His own command of "Thou Shall Not Kill", and then cites a specific instance (e.g. the flood, the judgment of the Canaanites, ect), I would point out that the passage means to not murder (from the majority comparison above) and that to murder someone and to kill someone are two totally different things. It invalidates the argument on the basis of the definitions being used.

For internet apologists, this also highlights another point. Since we are at a computer, most of our conversations are not in real-time. Even if we are in real time conversations (i.e. Facebook chat), we have access to a whole slew of information that would otherwise be unreachable if this discussion were taking place, say, on a high school campus. Whenever someone quotes a passage, you have the luxury of making sure it is correctly quoted. If it is a paraphrase, you have the luxury of checking the validity of the paraphrase. This allows the security of making sure the passage(s) being discussed are done so without misquote, a bonus feature not always available in real time conversations. In short, use that to your advantage.

1: For those who hold this view, I recommend reading Paul Copan's "Is God A Moral Monster?", which is an excellent primer to OT Ethics.
2: I have no evidence to back this particular claim up. This conclusion is inferred based on the fact that some English words have changed meaning over time or carried different meanings long ago, but otherwise it is speculation.

Public Service Announcement: Donating Food

2011-04-07T08:53:00.001-05:00

Dear peoples,

When donating food to food banks or charities, always make sure the food is still IN DATE before doing so! Failure to provide food that is IN DATE can produce sicknesses in your neighbors. Now, that's not nice, is it? Remember the golden rule: Don't do to other people what you wouldn't want done to yourself. If you wouldn't eat OUTDATED food, make sure the food you donate is not OUTDATED.

That is all. Continue onward with your day.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

This time last year...

2011-04-05T12:06:00.002-05:00

This time, last year:

A war was raging. One side overwhelmingly outnumbered the other. Each and every day the members on the smaller (and constantly shrinking) side would dive into the battlefield to try and dissolve the conflict and establish cease fires, but to no avail. The majority rule, a majority alien to the location, would have none of it. The came, they saw, and they conquered...hard.

This war I speak of?

The "Pray for an Atheist" campaign.

A misnomer to say the least. The goal of the Facebook page was to pray for an unbelieving friend or family member during April, or the Month of Atheism. It was not meant to be an assault against institutionalized atheism, but a supportive prayer group. However, when certain atheist organizations caught word of the group, they decided to order their follows to conduct a spamming jihad (for a lack of better description) in order to silence the group and their members. Unprovoked, the Facebook page soon became a nesting place for one of the most difficult experiences of my life.

An extremely novice apologist, I went in, along with a handful of much more experienced apologists, to try and talk. We were glad that there were atheists on our page: we were looking forward to interacting with them - at first. We soon realized that, for the most part, they wanted to interact with us, only not on peaceful and respectful terms. The overwhelming majority of our guests felt it morally acceptable to say whatever they wanted and showed no regret to the amount of degrading and slamming that could be accomplished. It wasn't that they didn't believe in God - they had a very real, tangible, and intense hatred to God, and an even stronger hatred to Christians. It was a sad time where intolerance and bullying (from the guest-majority) to viewpoints they disagreed with was acceptable and therefore a good thing to burn as many people as possible. To be sure, there were a few atheists who were wanting peaceful and respectful discussion, but they were even more in a minority than the Christians were! I'll never forget an atheist who made a wall post calling out and condemning the hate-filled, mean-spirited rhetoric of his fellow atheists. Needless to say, the majority turned on him as well, unleashing the same amount of distasteful language on him as they were using on the Christians.

Every day it was the same. Get up, get on Facebook, and see how many people had responded to a discussion board to which you were following on. For every discussion board post you made, you were guaranteed 5 responses to it. Thankfully, those who were on the discussion board segment of the Facebook page, while still irritable and hostile, were at least engaging. If you wanted the really nasty stuff, you went to the Facebook wall, where there was no limit to how much hate could be proclaimed against any one Christian (or against the entire group, for that matter). I would by lying if I said that Christians were the exception from this practice, but sadly, there were "Christians" who engaged in the same behavior as their atheist neighbors.

Disheartening, discouraging, and seemingly hopeless this campaign was. Eventually, it was shut down, because it was just out of control. The atheist camp got what they wanted.

But out of the ashes of this experience comes hope...

[To be continued....]

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Youth Ministry and the Kalam Cosmological Argument

2011-04-04T13:42:00.001-05:00

This past Thursday, during our discipleship program for our youth, I was presented with a golden opportunity to take a survey on how well the guys of the group (the girls were separate) could handle some apologetic discussion.

The focus on the discipleship groups (dubbed Revolutionary Guys/Revolutionary Girls) has been on basic Christian practice: Bible study, prayer, worship, ect. Right now we are really focusing in on Bible study, and how to read it and make sense of what it says. Each week, we give them a packet that contains 3 sets of verses, and each verse has three questions to it: "What is the passage saying", "Why is this important", and "How do I apply the meaning of this passage to my life"? This particular packet had an oddball in it: Genesis 1:1. How does one apply Genesis 1:1 to his or her life in a relevant way?

Enter the Kalam Cosmological Argument.

You might be thinking, "How in the world is the Kalam Argument a working answer to applying a passage to your life"? Genesis 1:1 is a very important verse within Christan theology. It is the verse that describes the beginning of the universe, and the beginning of all life, which is an important function of the Christian worldview: how did we get here? Aside from the fact it answers the very foundational philosophical question "Why is there something rather than nothing* at all?", Genesis 1:1 provides very key information for any Christian; therefore, to apply it to one's life, take the time to understand why it is so important**! The pursuit of knowledge and higher education, if you will.

As I expected, the majority of the guys could not figure out a way to apply the passage and make it relevant to their lives. I then grabbed a whiteboard and an easel, set it up in front of them, and wrote out the Kalam argument. The particular form that I wrote out goes like this:

Whatever begins to exist has a cause.
The universe began to exist [Genesis 1:1]
Therefore, the universe has a cause.

Then, I launched into a very broad explanation of the argument, from the relation of cause/effect, the Big Bang, and a few other areas. And this is the part that shocked me: they actually understood it! In fact, one of my guys asked the very typical question in response to it: "If everything needs a cause, then who made God?" Underlining the words "begins to exist", we then moved into a discussion about God's transcendent nature. Of course, these are high school and junior high school kids, so I had to make sure I wasn't burying them in the specifics of the argument. But at the very least, an encouraging sign came: they were interested in it. For an apologist and a youth minister, it was a wonderful moment.

If there is one area that I greatly desire reform in, it would easily be the emphasis of apologetics amongst youth groups. Granted, my time with this youth group is almost done, but if I ever do become the youth minister of another church, apologetics will be a primary pillar. Not just apologetics in the sense of "If someone says X, you say Y", but critical thinking, logic, and fostering a healthy understanding of philosophy and science. While this particular event was hardly anything progressive in terms of making apologetics a foundation of this current group (I confess, it is not as much of a focus as I would like), it was an encouraging sign to say the least. Kids these days are pretty smart. Now, I wonder what other apologetic angles I can sneak in before my time here is done....

*Nothing: Non-existance. Not a vacuum, but literal non-existance of anything at all.

**: I am not saying that this is the only way to apply Genesis 1:1 to one's life. I mainly saw an open door to discuss the origin of the universe and took advantage of it. In fact, my youngest brother gave a very good answer to the question when he said "Because God created us, we can be confident that He will take care of us". I could have run with that, but I decided not to because of the fact that we discuss that statement pretty regularly anyway, and I was looking for a way to be creative.

New Year's Resolutions Update

2011-04-03T16:52:00.002-05:00

Its April. It's that time of the month again! New Years Resolution's!

(Don't know what I am talking about. Here ya go.)

Think about it....how many of you know anyone that is still talking about New Year Resolutions in April? Hey, someone has to buck the trend!

The Radical Experiment continues to go very well. I have continued praying with Operation World, only I have moved away from the email system to just out the book. I have no real patten: I just pick a spot and pray for whatever nation I land on. As for reading the Bible in a year, that one has been a bit of a challenge. Right now I am somewhere in Deuteronomy, which is waaay too far behind. I definitely need to pick up the pace there.

I am happy to report that I was able to give some of my money away this month, and it's amazing how I want to give more away once I actually did it. While it wasn't much, hopefully it will start into a pattern of more sacrificial giving. However, I need to make sure my Compassion children are funded first: hopefully my paycheck will accomplish that.

Parts 4 and 5 have continued steadily, without anything really important worth reporting. Yet, as a mysterious caveat, Part 5 could take a very interesting twist here soon....heavy emphasis on "could". Believe me, you will know what I mean if this happens.

The 1,000,000 grains of FreeRice was a huge highlight of the month. About halfway through March, I started getting very behind (because I am a very lazy person), to the point where I had accumulated 30,000 grains left for completing March. However, on Wednesday, I busted it out for several hours and caught all back up! This portion of my resolutions will be very had to fulfill when I am gone for the summer, but who knows? It might be an easy task.

Tomorrow is a day of firsts for me. In the morning, I have jury duty. Correction: Tomorrow I go for jury duty and subsequently get dismissed under the clause "you are enrolled and in actual attendance at an institution of higher education". And in the evening....uh, I will keep my mouth shut on that one. Rest assured, you will know about it if something serious develops from it :)

Hello, April.

2011-04-02T10:54:00.002-05:00

My goodness, it has been waaay too long since I have updated this thing.

Up until Tuesday, I had been deeply engrossed in my homework, mainly my speech. Now that the speech is done, I am able to participate in this wonderful concept called "free time". I know, it is amazing right?

I have several new albums to review. A review I should be publishing in a few days is the brand new Becoming the Archetype album, which I have not stopped listening to since I got it on Tuesday. BtA is easily one of my top bands; few bands write music with the kind of excellence that BtA does. Another band that has quickly climbed the list of my favorite bands is an indie group known as Eisley. Their newest album, titled "The Valley", has also been on many rotations on my iPhone, computer, and school commutes. I will have a review of that album as well.

School has been going quite well. As previously mentioned, I gave my speech on Tuesday, and to my satisfaction received at 90. My subject was controversial, yet I did my best to present it in a way where it was not a persuasion speech but an informative one. The subject, which was over the various 1st century extrabiblical historical references to Jesus as a real person (I got very tired of having to repeat that phrase to my friends), was undoubtedly controversial, but I made sure that I didn't turn this speech into a sermon by writing a charitable statement into my thesis: "Although we can disagree as to whether or not Jesus was anything beyond a popular man, there does exist a variety of extrabiblical sources that claim that, at the very least, he was a real person". I wasn't trying to convert anyone; granted, if a classmate decided to investigate more into Christianity, that would be a wonderful thing indeed, but that was not my goal. This speech was my very first time to speak in the vein of apologetics, albeit a lesser intensity of apologetics.

Speaking of apologetics, March was a fabulous time for me as an apologist. For a period of several weeks, two friends of mine, a Christian and an atheist (both incredibly smart people) had a massive discussion on a status update of mine concerning things like the existence of absolute truth and naturalism as a worldview. It was a rare moment in apologetics, because both sides had this massive discussion in a way that emphasized goodwill and charity toward the opposing side. Such discussions are hard to come by these days. I myself have also participated in a few discussions with a few of my atheist friends from school, sometimes writing the equivalent of a two/three page response as a Facebook comment. It has been refreshing to see opportunities appear for me to put what I am learning into practice.

Tomorrow I will probably write the April update to my New Years Resolution. Until then, "I want [Christian's] hearts to be encouraged and joined together in love, so that [the Church] may have all the riches of assured understanding and have the knowledge of God’s mystery—Christ. All the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hidden in Him. Colossians 2:2-3 (HCSB)

The Ides of March Madness

2011-03-15T20:31:00.001-05:00

Happy Anniversary to Julius Caesar, who was assassinated 2055 years ago. You were one of (many) fascinating people of that time.

Alright, tribute paid. Now to the real deal.

About 15 minutes ago, I completed something that I have never done before. Admittedly, it was all done without a shred of education into the subjects being discussed.

Below would be my very first NCAA Bracket. I feel so proud of my self.

This was all done, of course, in the name of philosophical inquiry and scientific....oh, who am I kidding. I just guessed. Wait, isn't that the point of these in the first place....?

Thoughts and comments are more than welcome! If you think I am insane for my picks, please let me know! If you think my picks are genius and I should make a career out of this, please say something!

Without the pain, there ain't no gain.

2011-03-06T21:37:00.002-06:00

I write this post in my bed. From my phone. Pretty cool right? There is an app for that.

I keep thinking about the fact that my stomach is full for the first time today. After having a massive dinner I concluded my fast today. For those who don't know what fasting it, it is self-denial from something (often food, but it can be something else) to deepen one's relationship with God.

Fasting is a discipline that is quite difficult. The art of saying no to food is hard when your stomach is constantly reminding you of how empty it is. And yet it is often very rewarding - if done right. Much has been said and discussed on how to fast, when to do it, and the like. It is a subject that can very quickly (and often does) slip into a form of legalistic religion. Fasting, by itself, is pointless. If you are just blindly practicing self denial, then it is pretty worthless. However, if you are fasting for a purpose, or fasting from something and replacing it with something better, the rewards are well worth it.

I admit, I am usually a wuss when it comes to saying no to things that I want. And if you know me, you know that mealtimes are highlights in my day. But, without the pain there is no gain, and fasting, when done to food, is a very painful practice. It is even worse if your attitude is misplaced, and it is a waste if you are fasting just for the sake of it, without a higher purpose in mind. For Christians, fasting is a great opportunity to draw closer to Christ - when saying no to yourself and choosing to say yes to Him, the outcome is often wonderful.

Fasting isn't stressed as much as it should, in my opinion, but I personally see it as an essential practice for all Christians. It is one way of tangibly living Jesus' call to deny yourself, pick up your cross, and follow Him. If you have never considered fasting, I encourage you to try it. Don't necessarily worry about how long or when and the like; that is really irrelevant in light of the greater point, which is making sure that your focus is on God.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

New Year's Resolutions Update

2011-03-04T14:29:00.003-06:00

My goodness, it is so hard to believe that it is already March. This year has been going by so fast, and February was no exception. As promised, here is a status update on my New Year's Resolutions. If you aren't familiar with the resolutions I made, you can read the post here.

Concerning the Radical Experiment, it continues to go very well, and I am definitely seeing my life change. I have steadily continued my commitment to Operation World. I purchased the book, which is absolutely massive, and it is such an incredible resource. If you don't have a copy of Operation World (7th Edition), I highly encourage you to order one. You can buy it through Amazon on a Christian bookstore near you. I have also been moving along just fine in my Bible reading, although there was a period of time in the middle of the month where I had to put it on hold just because I was so dang busy. Right now I am about halfway through Numbers, so hopefully, by the time March is over, I will have completed the Pentateuch.

Giving has been the one area where I have not been doing as well as I like. Due to the rising cost of gas and the uncertainty of my hours at my job, this is the one where, I confess, I have been neglecting and putting off. At the moment, I will be doing good to make sure I can make my Compassion International payments each month.

The spending time in another context portion of the Experiment has taken another interesting twist. I hinted in my last update about a potential opportunity to fulfill this portion of the Experiment, and it looks like it will be happening. This summer, I will be working at Panfork Baptist Encampment in Wellington, Texas. I will be taking a leave of absence from leading the youth group to fulfill this job. In addition to other tasks, I will be shooting/editing/producing videos each week for the campers. I will also be doing some minor graphic design work and other computer related tasks. The current stipulation of the job is that I work Monday-Friday, living on the campgrounds. However, given the rising cost of gas (it rose 20 cents this week - unreasonable!), that could change.

The last portion of the Experiment, my commitment to a multiplying community, was severely tested at the beginning of the month. I am not going to elaborate on any details, but February was without question THE hardest month for me as a youth leader. If anything, I have learned (though an event my previous youth ministers and other mentors have never experienced) how teaching on Spiritual Warfare is a dangerous subject to teach on. In this regard, in light of the last paragraph, my students know about my leave of absence, and they also know that there is no guarantee of my returning as well. In all honesty, I have no clue what my life looks like post-July. I have not the most faint, slightest clue. So until I start this job, I will continue on with this segment with full strength, and then after that, who knows.

Separate of the entire experiment, I have committed to giving 1,000,000 grains of rice to 3rd world countries via FreeRice. I am proud to say I went well beyond my February requirement. At the moment, I am on course to make 1,000,000 grains this year.

So where do you stand with any promises you made? Nothing is more detrimental to one's character than breaking a promise out of laziness or lack of action. 2011 is still young, so get started!

I've got too many books....

2011-02-28T14:10:00.003-06:00

I have a confession: I have a habit of buying books and then never reading them.

This past weekend, I spent a good amount of time reading books. Specifically, the book (singular) would be William Lane Craig's "Reasonable Faith: Christian Truth and Apologetics". It has been something that I've been slowly working on for some time, and I am just now about halfway through it. It is a sizable book, and it is not entry-level apologetics by any means. I remember this past January, after I got my Kindle, I was reading the segment where he deals with objections to the Cosmological Argument. Looking back, I am sure that I have forgotten most of it, as it was quite technical, probably too much so than I can deal with.

I have always had a problem with compulsive spending, and this problem is no more apparent than my bookshelf and Kindle library. It's a problem because I have bought books dating almost a year ago that I haven't even started yet, and despite this glaring fault, I continue to buy new books on a regular basis. I thought about wowing you by listing all of the books I have bought yet have failed to read, but I decided against it. Doing so would make this post quite massive.

I guess, somewhere in the course of this time, I thought that the more books I own the smarter I get. After having been in school for sometime, I have seen that books are useless unless you actually pick the darned thing up and read it. That may sound like "duh" knowledge to you, but this has been only a recent discovery for me: I have way too many books, and right now I don't need to buy any more until I read the ones I already have.

Please don't misunderstand me. I am not saying that it is wrong to have a large library; far from it, libraries are wonderful! But, having a collection of books is useless if one does not read them. And in my case, I need to appreciate what I already have, instead of looking to make my book stash larger. This stems from the fact that I can be very ungrateful at times, and I can take too many things for granted. As God continues to work in my life, I am seeking help to end this problem of ungratefulness, and learn to appreciate what God has blessed me with.

Twitter + Apologetics = Twittegetics

2011-02-23T20:32:00.002-06:00

Whenever I think of Twitter, I think of David Crowder and a video he made. He makes a very convincing case (through the emotional manipulation of comedy) that Twitter is quite dangerous. Watch it here.

I disagree with his conclusion that Twitter will kill you. I've been using it for some time, and I am quite healthy and fine ;)

If you aren't familiar with what Twitter is, it is a social media site (social media: think Facebook and Myspace) where the form of communication are very short status updates. Unlike Facebook, where you can have long statuses and type an entire book in the comment box, Twitter limits you to only 140 characters per post. Unlike Facebook, where you have to send a friend request and they have to approve it in order to interact with someone, Twitter is an open community. You can "follow" someone (the Twitterlingo for becoming a "Friend" of that person") and see the updates they post. You can send links, tag people by using @, you can use # to start a trend or a conversation, and you can freely interact with anyone in Twitter without having to follow them. It is a very fun and wonderful service. Musicians, companies, news organizations, authors, actors, and more use Twitter to converse with subscribers, customers and fans. If you look in the right column on this blog, you will see my personal Twitter posts. Honestly, I enjoy Twitter just as much if not more than Facebook. It is very simple, very streamlined (unlike Facebook), and just a lot of fun. If you use Twitter, follow me at @EvangelancerAuz

With this kind of viral and open Twitter community comes the question of the role of apologetics. How does one use Twitter for apologetic conversations or in-depth dialogue when you are limited to 140 characters per post?

I ask this question because I had the opportunity to start a good dialogue with one of my Twitter followers about a post he made. In paraphrase, this follower said "Christianity, Islam, and Judaism are all the same: hate, war, and slaughter them all". Aside the fact that this is a blatant ad-hominem against many religions, this would have been a great chance to start a conversation about the validity of this claim. Using the skills from Tactics, I imagine this conversation to be a fruitful one where it could have been easy to demonstrate the incredibly absurdity of the claim. And yet I chose to chicken out and ignore it. Why? I didn't know how I could do this conversation with only 140 characters. If you use Twitter, you know how hard it can be to use less than 140 characters!

Apologetics and Facebook were just made for each other. I have regular conversations with a few of my atheist friends about religion and the like, and I can always say what I want/need to say knowing that I will have plenty of room. Indeed, apologetic conversations on Facebook are usually very productive because the fear of face-to-face conversation is diminished, and this applies to Twitter as well, but unlike Facebook, you have a limit on what you can say in Twitter.

A few months ago a Twitter user re-tweeted a post I made, and almost overnight I had a slew of critics slamming me for what I had said. It wasn't a controversial post, yet many choose to twist my words out of context. Knowing this was a good opportunity to plant seeds, I made an effort to reply to each and every one of them, usually extending a hand of friendship and compassion in spite of the comments they had made against me. A couple of users want to have a debate with me, which I gladly accepted, and I found myself juggling several conversations ranging from the historical existence of Jesus Christ to the nature of faith. It was impossible, until I discovered Twitlonger, a service that allows you to write massive Twitter posts. Twitlonger (and the new Tweetdeck feature called deck.ly) allows for long Twitter post, yet I don't like using it because it betrays the spirit of Twitter. Shortly enough, these conversations died down (several of them never replied to my rebuttals), and Twitter returned to "normal".

I am not sure if using Twitlonger is how apologetics will have to be spoken of in Twitter, or if there is a unique, Twitter-specific way to do it. Yet I know that at some point, the "how" must be overshadowed by the "do". Yes, I am a coward and shy by nature, but salvation is at stake. To the glory of God may little Twitter account point others to Christ.

Album Review: "Until We Have Faces" by RED

2011-02-10T13:40:00.003-06:00

RED
Until We Have Faces
Rock/Hard Rock/Alternative
Buy It: www.amazon.com
3.5 Stars out of 5 Stars

Mention "Hard Rock", and I usually think of either two groups, Disciple or RED (or Red). RED is relatively new to the scene, having only been around since 2006. However, in the 5 short years since the release of their first album, RED has become an incredibly successful and well-known group in both the mainstream and the Christian markets. I absolutely love RED. They do things differently from everyone else, which is always something to check out. Lacking the typical guitar solos or breakdowns of hard rock bands, RED utilizes full-blown string recordings in their albums. And by "string recordings", I don't mean a keyboard. A real orchestra has contributed to every RED album, and it is what makes RED such a unique band. From the first time I put their debut, End of Silence, to a spin, I have been a devoted fan, and after the remarkable sophomore album Innocence and Instinct, RED returns for a third time with Until We Have Faces.

The album opens with Feed the Machine, a tour de force of technicality that RED hasn't done before. Channeling their hard rock roots, the opening track makes sure you know that hard sounds are their forte. Following that song, we get Faceless. This song will be the song that makes RED famous. Arguably one of the best songs they have ever done, Faceless gives the theme of the album, which is about our deprivation of identity apart from Christ, as lead singer Michael Barnes sings in the chorus, "I'm not, I'm not myself/Feel like I'm someone else/Fallen and faceless/So hollow, hollow inside./A part of me is dead/[I] need You to live again./Can You replace this?/I'm hollow, hollow and faceless." While not a concept album in a strict sense, most of the songs on Until We Have Faces deal with the Image of Christ and our identity in Him in some way or another. Another good reason to like RED is the fact that they do not water down anything but are willing to write about subjects that are very deep when compared to the majority of other hard rock groups.

Until We Have Faces has three strong songs to open the album with, and the next one is no exception. Lie to Me (Denial) showcases yet another technical song, complete with a powerful and catchy chorus. I enjoy Lie to Me (Denial) because the string presence is there yet it is subtle enough to enrich the whole song. By the time the second chorus of the song rolls around, the string composition just adds a huge amount of power and epicness (for a lack of a better term) to the song. Not Alone, the next big highlight, is destined for airplay on Christian radio stations. By this point in time, it is clear just how much Michael Barnes has evolved as a lead singer. While he can scream and put out some powerful vocals, he also knows when to slow it down. Who We Are sounds like a good closing track, but rest assured this chant-filled crowd pumper will be featured in RED's shows. After this one, the album slows down as it closes with Best Is Yet To Come and Hymn For The Missing. The former is encouraging that better things are still coming, whereas the latter closes the album on a somewhat depressing note. Hymn For The Missing, however, is absolutely gorgeous. It is easily the best closing to any of RED's albums. With an incredible array of piano and strings, Michael Barnes turns the emotional factor up to 11 as he closes the album with the only real slow song on the album. If you were combine "Pieces" from End of Silence and "Nothing and Everything" from Innocence and Instinct, you have a good idea of what Hymn for the Missing is like.

While this is a good album overall, it does have several flaws. The very first thing that I noticed was the very disappointing album artwork. In fact, the whole entire CD artwork gets an F because it could not possibly be any more boring and bland. Compared to the album artwork of Innocence and Instinct, it is almost shocking how bad the artwork is for Until We Have Faces is. The next big issue with the album is that most of the songs are very safe. Musically, this album breaks little new ground. Anything this album does well, Innocence and Instinct did better. The majority of these songs also have "radio success" written all over them. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but it also isn't a good thing either. Lastly, the overall sound is lacking from Innocence and Instinct, especially in the string department. While there is still solid string compositions on Until We Have Faces, they aren't as powerful as anything before this album. They are there, but because of the mixing, they are often hard to hear or easy to forget about. Honestly, the lack of detail to the strings is what drags this album down. Another area where the sound lacks is the fact that this is more of a rock album with a few hard-rock elements thrown in. While RED is a hard rock band, I have a hard time seeing Until We Have Faces as a hard rock album. The first three songs are the only real hard rock songs on the album; everything after that can easily be passed as just plain rock.

Despite it's flaws, Until We Have Faces is a worthy installment in the RED dynasty. It is powerful, thought provoking, and epic, even if it suffers from some weaknesses in the overall sound. Strong spiritual themes abound, and while God or Jesus isn't used by name, it is obvious that certain pronouns refer to God. If anything, at this point in their career, RED must be given honor for the fact that they refuse to compromise the blatant spiritual message of their music while trying to reach as many people as possible. While Innocence and Instinct remains the best RED album to date, Until We Have Faces cements RED as a new power player in the music industry. Mostly good, in some parts great, in some parts weak, but overall solid.

3.5 Stars out of 5 Stars

How are the New Year's Resolutions Going?

2011-02-04T19:27:00.001-06:00

Guess what? It's February. What was the month we just came from? January.

What is the national trend that takes place in January that is often forgotten by February? It would be New Years Resolutions!!!

Every month I will give you an update on how my resolutions are going. To save space, I will not list each of my resolution all over again. This is the post where I made my New Year's Resolutions.

The main bulk of my resolution was the Radical Experiment from David Platt's book "Radical". So far I would say that it is going very well. I signed up for Operation World's daily prayer emails and I receive an email every day for a specific nation. The emails themselves link to a page for a nation within the Operation World website, and the amount of information they give you is just sobering. Praying for the nations has really opened my eyes to the massiveness of God. Every time I pray for one of these nations, my understanding of the size and power of God just skyrockets. When it comes to reading the Bible in a year, right now I am on Leviticus 16. Reading through Exodus was just incredible. The book is just stuffed with massive displays of the majesty and power of God. I quickly realized, however, that this was a discipline that I needed some boundaries on. To make sure that I read my Bible, I have made a rule for myself that I will not read any other book (school books being the obvious exception) until I have read some of my Bible. It has actually worked very well for me.

One area of the Radical that I have not been able to practice - yet - is sacrificial giving. I say "yet" up until this past week I've not been working as much as I have been wanting. That changed this past pay period - in ways that only God could know. I look forward to being able to give this next payday. Also, today solidified a very big opportunity in my life. I will not give specifics right away, but needless to say that God's plan for my life continues to unfold as He opens doors at the right time. I imagine that, in a unique way, this will fulfill the part of the Experiment that requires spending time in another context. And as for committing my life to a multiplying community, that is going beyond well. I honestly cannot recall the last time period where I enjoyed spending time in the Scripture this much.

Separate from the Radical Experiment, I am also working to donate 1,000,000 grains of rice through the charity FreeRice. To meet this it takes a little less than 3000 grains a day. I am proud to say that I hit my check point for January and even went a little beyond it. As great of a victory it is, there are still 11 months to go. Still, at this rate, I am beyond certain I will finish this challenge.

How are you doing on your resolutions? Have you been sticking to them? Or have you given up already? It only the second month of the year. To those who are still going strong on your resolutions, great job! To those who are discouraged and have already given up, don't quit already! The year is still young. It is not to late to get started on your resolutions.

Hello, Snow. It's been a while.

2011-02-01T10:00:00.001-06:00

Every now and then, you meet a friend whom you've not met in a while. You are excited to see this friend, recalling the amount of time that has transpired since your last visit. However, some people you meet where you wish the time between encounters was longer.

Today, I want to tell you about my friend Snow.

Snow hasn't been around in a while, and I'd hope that it would stay that way. You see, the last time Snow came around, it was during a time when we were helping some friends move. Snow was really determined to make himself known that we could hardly see outside.

Snow is back, but we saw him coming. He sent a procession party last night complete with friends Wind, Sleet, and Cold, but he didn't show up until tonight. Wind and Cold are still here, but Sleet has left. Snow doesn't care where he stays, as long as he is on the ground. This time Snow has covered such a large area that he made schools shut down. When he shows up, he expects all life to stop to acknowledge his presence.

Snow told me to stay at home today instead of making the trek to school. He did everything in his power to make sure I stayed at home, including making some slick roads. Even more, Snow wants me to stay inside. When I try to step outside, Cold and Wind come to bully me back indoors. Cold and Wind are so mean that they even kept Abby indoors. Seriously, how heartless is that? Snow will let us play with him every now and then, but this time it is clear he doesn't want to have fun with us.

It is rumored that Snow will be expanding his reign of influence tomorrow. We cannot get rid of him: doing so would take too much time. We will let him have his way: after all, he doesn't come around but for a few times. And we will celebrate when he is gone. For now, sitting beside the window that is covered with ice, I say, "Hello, Snow. I don't miss you."

"Ye shall have the attitude of a puppy dog"

2011-01-26T13:38:00.000-06:00

When out in public, if people ask me if I have any siblings, I tell them I have two younger brothers. I know that I am lying. Indeed, I do have two younger brothers, but I also have a younger sister as well. You see, in my house, the puppy is a child.Yes, somehow we arrived at the notion that Abby = child.

Abby is the kind of animal that models a life that Christians could learn from. I know that the previous statement sounded crazy or insane, but just hear me out. She is a dog that models a series of behaviors that, once you simply transpose them to ways humans can understand them (as great as science is, it still hasn't produced the Universal Bark Translator), a Christian should also model. Allow me to present some examples.

"Go" is the word that she absolutely loves. If you tell her "Abby, let's go!", she will bolt to the back door making sure she can make it to the car. It's gotten to the point that all I have to do is look at her with the keys in my hand, and she knows to go. She doesn't know where she is going, but because Austin-dog (she becomes a child, and the people get demoted to dogs. Awesome, right?) tells her that we are going somewhere, that is a good enough of a reason to become a super happy butt-shaking dog. I wonder what would happen if I started living my faith like that. God tells me to "go" and instead of whining or putting up a fight, I would instantly and gladly go wherever God is taking me. I don't know where I am going, but because God tells me that we are going somewhere, that is all I need to know.
Abby has a foe that occasionally walks by the house. We call her Nemesis-dog. When said dog walks by, Abby instantly becomes a siren, and getting her to shut up is hopeless. Yet when the front door is open, she just sits by the screen door and waits. Waits for what, I dunno, but the front door is one of her favorite spots. When she sees someone coming to the door, she runs to grab a bone (we haven't figured that one out yet), then starts shaking her butt in anticipation of this person who is coming over. It doesn't matter who the heck it is; if it's Daddy-dog, Mommy-dog, Travis-dog, Parker-dog, or a total stranger, she is always ready to greet people. I wonder what would happen if I treated the other people in my life the same way. What if I treated strangers the same way I try to treat all of the people I know in my life? What if I greeted visitors of my church or youth group with this kind of enthusiasm?
While Abby has a playful side, she is known to be a protector. If Travis-dog starts yelling at Parker-dog or Parker-dog starts fighting with Travis-dog, Abby will usually step in and try to break up the conflict. Granted, often times she causes more problems than she fixes (she is a dog, after all), but she is at least trying to make sure nobody hurts each other. She will stand and face the aggressor and bark in her commanding voice, and we often imagine her saying something like "You! Stop! It! Now! I'm! Warning! You!" I wonder what would happen if I make an effort to be a peacekeeper like Jesus described in Matthew 5:9. What if I was willing to get in the face of my friends or my students when they start doing things they shouldn't do?

Abby is just awesome. But the God who created dogs is just even more awesome. He uses the simple things to teach important lessons.