Something I read today- John Piper

Evangelicalism was birthed as a response to liberalism.

The validity of Scripture began to be questioned. Evangelicalism offered a renewed passion for the Bible. But an unfortunate tendency arose to remove texts from the larger context, even as pastors tried hard to remain faithful to the Bible.

This led to an imbalance between the how and the why of our lives as Christians. We have gotten very good at teaching the how, but we struggle with the why.

Unfortunately, even if we are spot-on with the how but we ignore the why, it won't work. Because even if we stress the literalness or inerrancy of an individual text, it's still possible to ignore the larger setting, that it's all about Jesus.

There is a thriving evangelical head, but a shriveling heart.

Liberalism often paints evangelicalism as morons. In response, evangelicalism seems to have over-emphasized the head at the expense of the heart. There are too many smart believers without the grace to try to overcome the baggage that comes with evangelicalism.

Evangelicalism has withdrawn where liberalism took over, and has its own institutions. Now we're trying to re-engage. But the disengagement we want to come back from has created a lot of baggage. We who want to be missional try to engage, but when we interact with unbelievers we have to overcome that we're from the church that has hurt people.

But even if this difficulty arises from the way the church acted over the last decades, we must still diligently love fundamentalists. Without them we wouldn't be here. If they hadn't stood up to liberalism like they did, we would be Europe.

Instead, when we encounter fundamentalists who seem hard toward the work of Christ nowadays, we should be like the father who goes out and entreats the older brother. He doesn't stay in at the Prodigal's party and ignore him.

On the flipside of being a stubborn fundamentalist, you don't have to be the guy who drinks beer and cusses to engage culture.

Evangelicalism has been shaped by pop culture.

Religion entered the free market when the US said no to having a state religion. So now popular culture votes on what religion will be. It went the way of entrepreneurialism. This is why evangelicalism nowadays is democratic, moralistic, and individualistic. That's the way popular culture has shaped it.

Snow Camp (UPDATED)

So snow camp is this weekend. And I am stoked. Not just for the adventures of the ride down there, the snake and sledding..but the amazing times of worshiping and fellowshiping together.
But later Ill edit this post and Brit and I will put all the great quotes and adventures on here. =]
God Bless.

******UPDATE******
Well snow camp was amazing like always. God had truley blessed us with good weather and with Tim who shared a great message about the importance of grace and how we are saved by grace, trained by grace, service by grace and grace is with us (grace be with us)
I don't have many quotes or any great stories to tell because this retreat felt like God made it to be more memories than stories...if that made sense.

I took that picture of just the path as I walked up it. I dunno why I did but it made me think of how amazing God is for creating such a beautiful place like Camp Bethany. He is awesome.

It's all about Jesus.

I dunno how many of you reading this have heard the Casting Crowns song 'What This World Needs' It's bascially talking about that the world needs a Savior. But there's one part of the song that really hits me hard personally. It's the spoken part of the song. After listening to it a few times I realized, that it's not about what I think. It's all about Jesus. It's not about what friends I ride with to snow camp or whom I am in a room with. It's not about what people think about me or what I think about them. Its all about Jesus.
Nothing else, nothing more.
And I am not saying that I am like that. Because I am not. Yesterday I wore my new pair of jeans. And I went around talking about how comfortable they were and how I got them on sale for $11.
Now how can I write something like this being like that? I can't. And it's not me eaither. It's God...showing me that I need to turn my focus to Him.

John 14:6 Jesus answered, "I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."
The Life. I pray that I make my life..all about Jesus.

What am I living for?

I know I have been posting a lot about living. But isn't that what were doing...well for a short amount of time really..life is a vapor. But living that vapor is a struggle for me and as I assume everyone.
I am a wicked disaster mess. I don't know what I want with life, my heart is gross and I am a sinner. And this brought me upon the question: What am I living for?
When you would go out in society and ask that question I think they would assume you belong in a mental institute. But in reality, what are we living for?
I wish I could say the same answer every single time I am asked that. But I can't. (I would be lying if I did) But I am living for Jesus, to glorify God and to spread the Good News all over the world before I die.

Mark 16:15 And he said to them, "Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation."

A song that has described me lately.

Two months is too little.
They let him go.
They had no sudden healing.
To think that providence would
Take a child from his mother while she prays
Is appalling.

Who told us we'd be rescued?
What has changed and why should we be saved from nightmares?
We're asking why this happens
To us who have died to live?
It's unfair.

This is what it means to be held.
How it feels when the sacred is torn from your life
And you survive.
This is what it is to be loved.
And to know that the promise was
When everything fell we'd be held.

This hand is bitterness.
We want to taste it, let the hatred numb our sorrow.
The wise hand opens slowly to lilies of the valley and tomorrow.

This is what it means to be held.
How it feels when the sacred is torn from your life
And you survive.
This is what it is to be loved.
And to know that the promise was
When everything fell we'd be held.

If hope is born of suffering.
If this is only the beginning.
Can we not wait for one hour watching for our Savior?

This is what it means to be held.
How it feels when the sacred is torn from your life
And you survive.
This is what it is to be loved.
And to know that the promise was
When everything fell we'd be held.

Just to let you all know

The Patriots are going to win the superbowl.
That is all.