Time Wounds All Heels!

Time marches on. Mortals cannot escape the relentless sequence of moments that make up our pilgrimage. The journey of life is 3 score and 10 and if by chance we are granted a little extra, that is pure grace.

I am now on that bonus portion. Today I used one of the first books I purchased for OT Survey at Cedarville - - an ASV 1901 Bible. The spine is beginning to crumble. I got out a role of Library Tape and 'patched' it back to wholeness (sorta). Just like my body (Cancer, Vitamin D, chrondroiton for the creaky joints, etc.) age is showing.

I am very thankful for what is in those years. Painful, sometimes very very long and spiritually dry, but always packed with Wisdom if you are listening and ready to learn and grow in grace. And, when the springs of God's freshness immerse you in His goodness all the sadness and arid dry times are gone!

My heirs will inherit the library (some 4,000 volumes). As my friend Kevin DeYoung says of them, old books are like old friends. I have a navy buddy, he lives in Tampa FL and we talk every day via cell phone. We have been friends for 53 years. What a cherished and valuable person. I was in his wedding. Our children swam in his pool with his. He and his wife visit Peggy & I when they travel.

So cherish those old friends and the old books as well. The binding wears out just like ours but the TRUTH they provide is timeless. God likes old - cf. Lev. 19:32. If He is OK with the wrinkles I surely am!

Dilly Dally and Changing Your Name

Today, February 20, 2012, the Southern Baptist Convention will announce at a meeting in Nashville the proposed 'new name' for the SBC. In light of the global execution of ministry that the SBC enjoys I believe this is a prudent and appropriate action. I affirm this initiative.

Having said that, I agonize over the issues of greater significance that the SBC REFUSES to address. Some of these are:

#1 - Truth telling about the true number of members (16.3 million claimed - - but on the best Sunday of the year there are not 7 million people gathered to worship).

#2 - The causal issues behind that attendance gap. This is driven by a seriously flawed doctrine of Soteriology. People are swept into membership that are simply not redeemed as evidenced by the total absence of progressive sanctification.

#3 - An almost paranoid focus on giving to the Cooperative Program. Failure to give is another indicator of people who are not submitted to the Lordship of Christ. Change the hearts and the contributions will rise dramatically.

#4 - An unrelenting refusal to embrace a Metric for effective ministry that measures transformation rather than mere activity.

So, we can "Dilly Dally" and change the name, % given to this program or that but until the Sovereign of the Ages brings us face to face with our sin, we repent and humble ourselves - - the name change will be just more "Dilly Dally". I welcome your responses to these thoughts.

Pastoral Integrity & Plagurism

Solomon told us there is nothing new under the sun. Using material created by someone else is a legitimate resource for writing articles or preparing sermons. When doing so it is only proper and ethical to display appropriate credit to the author/source. Failure to do so is both a moral and ethical breech.

With the availability of material on the internet the incidence of 'pirated' material has occurred with alarming frequency. The injunction "Thous shall not steal" is alive and well in God's universe. He is dishonored when people who claim to be Christian engage is this thievery with impunity.

Publications of such notoriety as the NY Times and the Boston Globe were wracked by this dubious practice in recent past. Not surprising. To see this same reprehensible evil manifest among Pastors is another matter.

Better to include copious footnotes and citations than to give the impression that you are the author when in fact you are not. Adopt the practice of including proper citations and links for all material not original copy from your hand. DO IT!