BaylyBlog: Out of our minds, too...

Join us tonight as we celebrate Calvin's 500th birthday...

(Tim) Today is John Calvin's 500th birthday. We didn't plan it this way, but I can't think of a better way of celebrating this day than attending the ClearNote Fellowship conference which begins this very evening. So far, we've received registrations for about 125 adults and 60 children for Standing in the Gap. It's not too late for you to come!

Even if you're not registered, you can show up this evening from 6:30-7:00 PM when we'll have open registration. The first session, "Who Will Stand?" begins at 7:00 PM, followed by a concert.

We'll continue tomorrow (Saturday) morning with breakfast at 9:00 AM and our second session, "Fight or Flight," at 9:30.

If you have any questions, please call us at (812) 825-2684. (Download a conference brochure, here.)

Hope to see you here!

Register now for ClearNote Fellowship's conference, Standing in the Gap, July 10-12...

(Tim) Two conferences to call your attention to:

First, online registration is now up and running for the Christ Church conference, Sexual Orthodoxy, to be held October 15-16 in Moscow, Idaho. Doug Wilson, Ben Merkle, and I will be addressing subjects such as: The Politics of Sodomy; Why Women Make Better Women Ministers than Men Do; The Politics of Fruitfulness; Family Government in the Church; Patriarchalism, Good and Bad; Sentimentalism and the Feminine Ethos; and Abortion: The Blood Sacrifice of Egalitarianism. Mary Lee and I hope we'll see you there!

Second, online registration is also available for another conference I'll be speaking at soon--July 10-12--here in Bloomington, Indiana. (Download the brochure.) Please make plans now to join us here in Bloomington for the ClearNote Fellowship conference, Standing in the Gap. Message titles include, Who Will Stand?; Fight or Flight--True or False Contextualization; Cheap Grace; and Worship Wars.

We plan a refreshing time of fellowship, teaching, food, and worship of our Triune God. The whole family is welcome--we'll be child-friendly as well as childcare being provided. I hope you'll register now and plan to be with us.

If you'd like more information, please feel free to e-mail (Mrs.) Ali Trout at churchoffice at shepherdchurch dot com. Or give her a call, Tuesday through Friday, at (812) 825-2684.

A very light, well-priced, hardy laptop with a killer battery...

(Tim) Through the years, I've owned more Apple computers than I can keep track of, and at least fifteen of their laptops. Some months back I traded in a 15" MacBook Pro for the then-new 13" aluminum MacBook. It's been the best laptop I've ever owned, and I say that despite being about to receive a new 13" MacBook Pro from Apple because of the problems I've been having with it. The upgrade is, of course, at no cost and you can all learn the lesson that it's dangerous to buy the first iteration of a new computer body. But fear not, my problems are not documented on the web as being shared with many others.

It scared me to go to a smaller screen but my aged eyes have not experienced any additional challenges with the 13" screen. It was worth it for the smaller footprint and (especially) lighter weight. I take the computer everywhere and my elbow is quite happy having shed the weight of the 15" Macbook Pro. So weight, speed, screen quality, keyboard, great glass trackpad, long battery life, smaller and lighter AC adapter than the MacBook Pro, extreme ease of adding RAM or switching out the hard drive, low price, all topped out with the absolutely bulletproof aluminum unibody casing; all have made me a happy camper.

Still, there are two things I haven't liked...

Woman deacons and Rocky Mountain Presbytery: short and sweet submission...

(Tim, w/thanks to Dominic) Yesterday, Rocky Mountain Presbtyery (PCA) adopted a resolution that makes it clear they will require men serving within their bounds to submit to Scripture and the Book of Church Order in the matter of the diaconate. Unlike the document developed and circulated around the country by those working against the Book of Church Order to seek acceptance for unordained male deacons working alongside female deacons, without sexual distinction, this document is short. It's straighforward. It's simple.

But then, obedience and submission usually are.

For the record, then, here's Rocky Mountain Presbtery's public commitment to faithful doctrine and practice...

Listen to a helpful sermon...

(Tim) This past Lord's Day, I was strengthened to sit under the preaching of God's Word done by Lucas Weeks, one of the middler year men in our ClearNote Pastors College. Lucas' sermon was titled, "We Are a Fragrance to Christ," with the text 2Corinthians 2:12-17. Download the sermon here from the iTunes store (of course, there's no cost). Then listen to it the next time you take a walk.

Read Edwards for yourself...

(Tim, w/thanks to Jake) For a number of years, Yale's been hard at it putting the works of Jonathan Edwards online, freely available for hoi polloi who can no longer afford the critical edition now running around $110 per volume . It's an ill wind that blows nobody some good, though, and I suspect the high price of the hard copies is part of the reason all of us are now able to search the volumes online. So I'm happy.

Don't allow anyone else to give your Edwards to you. When I was at seminary in New England, I took a course in Edwards' works under Richard Lovelace. One night (it was a small evening seminar), I well remember coming to the session with great anticipation, having read a good portion of Edward's harder truths that week. But then, Dr. Lovelace started the class with a statement to the effect that "Here, Edwards goes a little bit off the deep edge, engaging in his well-known penchant for negativity."

Yes, yes; that's the problem with Edwards. He's so negative you get an ulcer reading him. What we need today is something positive that people can relate to; something that will give people hope and not lead them into despair.

Well, if you've read Edwards, you know that there are few men in the history of the Church who are more...

Trust me, bookmark MoralAccountability.com...

(Tim) No links to Rob Bell's schlock, the deep and sensitive thoughts of Brian McLaren, the Christian Medical and Dental Society, Talbot Seminary's groundbreaking ethics and public policy think tank, faculty members at Wheaton College, or CTi journalists on this site. Ron Sider and Jim Wallis haven't made an appearance just yet--nor their "me too" buddy, Al Gore. There's been no sighting of Niel Nielson or Bryan Chapell--nor any of their professors, for that matter. In fact, no sign of anyone in the Presbyterian Church in America...

Among football men, pen and ink are alive and well...

(Tim, w/thanks to Taylor) Pastors and elders, take a lesson from Peyton Manning. Sit down at your desk and write a thank you letter to your most helpful elder. To your pastor. To the wisest "older woman" or the most weary single mother in your flock.

Dad used to say a handwritten letter was...

It's not too late to join us tomorrow night for Ted Tripp seminar, "Instructing a Child's Heart"...

(Tim) Starting tomorrow night, Friday, February 6th, Church of the Good Shepherd is sponsoring the Ted Tripp seminar, Instructing a Child's Heart (those are two of our grandchildren, Josiah and Bayly--aren't they perfect?). The seminar begins with registration Friday night from 6:30 to 7 PM, followed by the first teaching session from 7 to 8 PM and the second from 8:15 to 9:15 PM.

Saturday morning, there's a Continental Breakfast from 8:30 to 9 AM, then three sessions with the first beginning at 9 AM and the last ending at 12:30 PM.

This web site will give you more details.

Here are directions to the church: Church of the Good Shepherd is about three minutes west of Indiana 37, just off Highway 45 (Second Street). Come into Bloomington on Indiana 37, exit 37 at the Indiana 45/Second Street Exit. Go west, past Sam's Club, then the Super WalMart, then the BP Station (all on your left), until you you come to the light at Airport Road. Turn right on Airport Road and go about one hundred yards to Endwright Road. Turn right on Endwright Road and go about a quarter mile to the entrance to CGS on your right.

Walk-ins are welcome, so come join us! Childcare will be provided. You'll be glad you took the time to become a better Dad or Mom.

And if you stay for worship Sunday morning, I'd love to meet you afterwards. Please introduce yourself.

Home from the CREC...

(Tim) A few weeks ago, David and I attended the national assembly of the Confederation of Reformed Evangelical Churches. The CREC meets every three years so this was a special occasion. Among other things, the denomination multiplied from two to seven presbyteries this year. God is blessing the work and David and I both greatly enjoyed our fellowship with the men and women there.

What did we enjoy? Well, any list is somewhat arbitrary, but for starters, the directness of communication. There were no Emergent ear-tickler types, so declarative statements were very much in order and welcomed. When disagreements surfaced, they were dealt with forthrightly. Men spoke their minds without acrimony or petulance. Passive-aggressiveness didn't show its face.

Scripture was honored by being used to support particular positions. Church fathers, catechisms, and confessions were cited regularly, too, but in a way that demonstrated they were subordinate standards--subordinate to the Word of God, that is. The singing was robust--even loud. The "Amens" were almost shouted.

David and I had several conversations with Federal Vision men...

Carving the turkey, practical jokes, Nathan, and knives...

(Tim) On Thanksgiving, my sorrow over the absence of our brother, Nathan, is most acute. Food and table fellowship were Nathan's specialty.

In his home, I envied his ability to host a meal. Whether lunch or dinner, his enjoyment of his wife, Sandy, their children, the food, the sunshine streaming through their dining room windows, music, and you, his guests, was contagious. He was a gentleman so he told merry jokes. Just before the meal, Nathan clucked over the table, finished off the iced tea, chose the music (usually baroque brass leading up to the meal and something quieter while we sat and talked), took taste tests, spiced up this or that dish, kissed Sandy--oh the Christian joy!

Thanksgivings, too, were the day each year that Nathan pulled out his soapstones and sharpened the knives of whatever home we'd gathered in. He'd work on them in the kitchen. Were they sharp enough, yet? The test was shaving hair off the forearm or a clean vertical cut down through a piece of paper, leaving no ragged edges. (Here's a great account of the growing custom knife business.)

Then it was off to manhandle the turkey. Men do it in our family, but not because we don't cook. Nathan and Dad were both superb cooks, but regardless of the sex of the chefs, carving the turkey was man's work. (Here's a short video on carving the turkey--thanks, Jake.)

Speaking of carving the turkey, back in time to our childhood home for a minute or two. Mud and Dad always had a ton of people for Thanksgiving...

Valerie strikes the right note on democracy...

(Tim) Since the election, I've boycotted the news, and my family will be skipping January's investiture or ordination or coronation or divination--whatever it's called. But what to think and feel? Balking at the idolatry is not faith and prayer.

Then, this morning, I read Kyriosity, the blog of our esteemed sister Valerie, and here's what she had to say...

Early registration about to close...

Register now for the Christ Church Ministerial Conference on Father Hunger October 16 & 17 in Houston, Texas. Registration is about to close, so don't delay.

The conference is aimed at pastors, elders, deacons, and those aspiring to the work of these offices. David and I attended  the conference last year and greatly appreciated it. We hope we'll see you there.

Something helpful...

(Tim) If you're like me, you sit at your desk listening to music from your iTunes queue. And you don't really want to use your computer's pathetic speakers because they have no midrange or bass and their high end sounds like fingernails scratching chalkboard. But you don't really want to use those cheap plastic jobbies you can get for $15, either, because they're only slightly better.

On the other hand, you're not going to reproduce your living room's sound system because that would be extravagant. So most of us settle with really bad sound for most of the hours we listen to music each day, and we been in this rut for years.

Let me make a suggestion...

Hebrews 9 & 10...

(Tim, w/thanks to David) Watch this. Precisely why was it that we all stopped memorizing Scripture?

Hang out your "Please Do Not Disturb" sign...

(Tim) If, like my wife and me, you don't appreciate sales calls at dinner time, here's a government site you can use to register your phones so you never get sales calls again at those numbers. Mary Lee and I registered about two years ago. Since then, dinner time's been blissful.

There came a man sent from God whose name was...

(Tim, w/thanks to David) Well actually, I don't know his name, but he caused Sodomite Gene Robinson's sermon in an Anglican church in England to grind to a halt by calling the bad Bishop to "Repent! Repent! Repent! I stand on the Word of God! Repent!" (See link below.)

Why is this wicked Episcopal bishop over in England preaching just now?

Archbishop Rowan Williams is presiding over the once-a-decade Anglican meeting of bishops known as the Lambeth Conference held in Canterbury. He's invited almost all the 800 Anglican bishops worldwide. Only a few were barred from attending. One of them--the most significant one--is Bishop Gene Robinson who the United States Anglican communion known as the Episcopal Church elevated to the bishopric despite his being an unrepentant sodomite. After his elevation, the first person to greet him in the chancel area as a part of the liturgy was his sodomite lover, followed by his ex-wife and two adult daughters.

Trouble is, by far the largest part of the Anglican communion today is in the Southern Hemisphere and, being somewhat backward, African and Central and South American, and even Australian, bishops and archbishops are scandalized by this heresy and threatening or carrying out schism. (Well, actually, not schism; it's impossible to be guilty of schism when you're separating from those who bless sodomy and elevate sodomites into the bishopric. Really, it's church discipline, but from the bottom up which is not the way things ordinarily are supposed to go.)

But back to the Archbishop of Canterbury His Grace Dr. Rowan Williams. He's in an awkward position...

Woman deacons: two articles from Aquilla Report worth reading...

(Tim) One news source worth checking out because it isn't dependent on denominational money and the approval of denominational leaders for its existence is Dominic Aquila's eponymous Aquila Report. And concerning the PCA and woman deacons, here's a good article from Aquila Report summarizing this past assembly's actions on the matter.

Also from Aquila Report, here's an article reporting on the actions taken by my own Ohio Valley Presbytery concerning Redeemer Presbyterian Church in Indianapolis in the matter of their practice of woman deacons. Here is most of the text of the recommendations made by a committee that had been appointed by presbytery to deal with this matter. These recommendations were adopted by Ohio Valley Presbytery...

Christ Church Ministerial Conference: Father Hunger...

Register now for the Christ Church Ministerial Conference on Father Hunger October 16 & 17 in Houston, Texas. The conference is aimed at pastors, elders, deacons, and those aspiring to the work of these offices. David and I attended  the conference last year and greatly appreciated it. We hope we'll see you there. (From time to time, I'll put this ad back up on the top of the page, so please look below to see if there are other more recent posts. Thanks.)

Men's hats: to doff or don...

(Tim) Teach the men and boys of your church how to wear a hat, but also how and when not to. And despite the howlers buried in this guide to hat etiquette, it's a good place to start. But I'm sure Mike McMillan will pick it up from here...

On commentaries...

(Tim, w/thanks to Jeff) Have I ever said anything about commentaries? Sure, but I'll have another hack at it.

When I left seminary, we had no money, so book purchases were mostly from used bookstores and resale shops. But I felt the need to have something "substantial" on at least one of the Gospels, so I took everyone's advice and spent about 40 of our limited dollars on I. Howard Marshall's commentary on Luke. "Stupendous example of evangelical scholarship at its very best" they all said, and I took the bait.

We moved to Pardeeville and I began preaching. Immediately, I looked for an occasion to use my most-excellent new tool and it wasn't long in coming. Choosing a text in Luke, I opened Marshall and...

A most helpful read...

Again, let me commend the work and publications of the Howard Center for Family, Religion, and Society. Can't recommend them highly enough for pastors, Titus 2 women, deacons, and elders--not to mention thoughtful believers who are committed to reading the signs of the times at least as well as they read the clouds. As I said earlier, two of their publications I've read for years are Family in America and New Research. In the earlier post I didn't explain the process of subscribing well enough so here's a better explanation...

Helpful things: shoelaces...

(Tim) Shoelaces, anyone?

Jim Dobson and Bruce Wilkinson on family devotions...

(by Tim) Caught some of today's Focus on the Family broadcast in which Jim Dobson interviewed Bruce Wilkinson--he of Prayer of Jabez fame--on family devotions. It was the first of a two-part series and well worth every father and mother catching tomorrow, and ordering the MP3 of today's program if they missed today's segment.

Interestingly, Jim Dobson asked Bruce Wilkinson if he thought it was a "sin" to neglect family devotions and Wilkinson said "Yes." I was amazed and pleased. (And yes, I find it hard to do this with conisistency, myself.)

Dobson's sidekick told listeners that this two-part series is one of the most frequently requested programs Focus on the Family has ever done. Then he said it was originally recorded and broadcast in the mid eighties. Makes sense, doesn't it?

It's hard to express the deep appreciation I've had for Jim Dobson through the years, and now I have another reason. Yes, he's wrong on some important things, but he's right on so many, many other things. Plus, he's had a backbone of steel in standing for God's truth in an evil day. Thank God for Jim Dobson!

A jingle for the spelling-impaired...

(by Tim) From the ListServe of the American Dialect Society, a page of Hoosierisms that, in passing, provide a little help for those of us who wish a certain city would follow Indy's lead and change their name to Cincy:

Cin, Cinn,
A needle and a pin,
A skinny and a fatty;
And that's the way to spell Cincinnati.