Matt W Cook

It looks like my mother has join the blogosphere. If you like books and cooking, maybe you should check her out!

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It was the best of songs. It was the worst of songs.

Have you ever heard a really bad song? Or a really bad ‘Christian’ song? I think I saw one this morning…but I probably shouldn’t diss it. It’s pretty famous. You’re not supposed to diss famous things.
But I guess I will anyway.

Meeting in the Saviour’s Name,
‘Breaking bread’ by His command,
To the world we thus proclaim
on what ground we hope to stand.

It’s a favorite of the Brethren. Maybe because it mentions Breaking Bread. But I don’t like it. I’ll tell you why.

This song implies that the main way in which we proclaim on which ground we hope to stand – the main method we use to show people how much we hope and delight in Jesus, is by meeting on Sunday morning and breading bread, singing songs and doing ‘church.’

I don’t think this is right. Do you think it’s right? I mean, I love the Lord’s Supper. I think it’s a great thing. A necessary thing for Christians. Some of the greatest moments of encouragement, spiritual clarity and devotion have happened to me during the Breaking of Bread. But it’s not the main way in which we proclaim how much we love and hope in Jesus. Because, the way we do things, the Breaking of Bread is little different from any other religious exercise.

Catholics do their mass. Muslims do their namaz. Evangelicals break bread. As far as the world can tell there is no real difference. If we want to show that we are hoping in something radically different from what the rest of the world is hoping in, then we need to do something radically different from what the world does.

And so I’m going to be starting a little blogging series on this. I don’t know how long it’ll go for. We’ll have to wait and see. I just want to answer the question: How can we thus proclaim on what ground we hope to stand?

There’s a bill in the pipes in America right now.  Read it.

There’s a bill in the pipes in America right now.  Read it.

I’m heading off on a canoe trip tomorrow morning. You know, one of those manly, father-son & other men sort of bonding time. Should be good.

I’ve been pretty regular with the blog lately, eh? Not too bad if I do say so myself. But I guess I won’t really be doing much on it for the next few days. Wi-fi isn’t so good up at 6-Mile Lake.

See ya!

Okay, so I did it.  I’m a twit.

I just stumbled across another blog I like. Maybe you’ll like it, too.
The Art of Nonconformity.

In other news, I’ve got a few neat projects just starting up. What are they? I’m not gonna tell you. And it’ll probably be months before they’re ready. By that time you’ll likely have forgotten all about it. So why tell you at all? Because jumping the gun is one of my favorite things to do.

For my thoughts are not your thoughts, / neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD. / For as the heavens are higher than the earth, / so are my ways higher than your ways / and my thoughts than your thoughts.

You remember how in Narnia Aslan seemed to grow with the children? When Lucy got older she commented on how Aslan also seemed bigger. I guess it was suggesting that as we grow in our understanding and perspective, we see Christ as bigger because we are able to see him clearer than before.

Today God and his ways and thoughts seem very high and other to me. I have never really been able to understand skeptics who insist on judgin God by a human standard and putting him into human-made logic puzzles to try to keep him from existing.

A rock so big he couldn’t lift it? The question makes no sense.

I’ve always loved this verse. It reminds me of his transendence. How he is just so friggin’ beyond and above me. It reminds me to never allow myself to think of him after my own image. Comforting.

And today I noticed something else about it. Read it. Check out the context. The verses before it talk about how God will abundantly pardon and forgive the wicked if we come to him. And the declaration that he is not like is is meant as a comfort.

“Don’t worry. I won’t hold a grudge, like you would. I won’t act in spite, like you would. I won’t fall into self-pity when you insult me. I won’t grow self-conscious if you ignore me. I’m not like you. And because I’m not like you I stand at the gate waiting for you to come back to me. And when you do I’ll kill the fattened calf and have a party, nevermind how much youve been screwing up. Don’t worry about it – I’m not like you.”

This.

Michael Savage is a jerk.