| This week between Rick camping and me watching over the homefront, we had the opportunity to spend some time with two IMB missionary couples. As we discussed their ministries, families and yes, the new policies, we were overwhelmed with the graciousness they continually displayed. Although the missionaries do not agree with many of the recent IMB decisions, they said at this point they could only submit to their leaders and pray for change. As we shared information with them about the D's (of which they were unaware) they expressed concern due to the fact that many of our IMB missionaries are involved in work similar to that in which the D's are possibly being removed for. So, that leaves us all with the question of "who's next?" |
posted by Christie
Thursday, April 06, 2006
| Thom Rainer has written an insightful article on evangelism published in this weeks edition of the Florida Baptist Witness. He says, "The facts of a 2004 research project I led are sobering. It takes 86 church members in America one year to reach a person for Christ...if the research is even close to accurate, the reality is that the church is not reproducing herself. In just one or two generations, Christianity could be so marginalized that it will be deemed irrelevant by most observers." Rainer says the church has become "evangelistically anemic" due to doctrinal ineffectiveness, less evangelistic church leaders and Christians who are passionate about minor issues instead of the Gospel. You can read the article in its entirety here. |
posted by Christie
Tuesday, April 04, 2006
| In the 19th century the idea of Landmarkism arose within the Southern Baptist Convention and from its inception was met with controversy. Understanding Landmark views on the local church, successionism, baptism and the Lord's Supper, it's no surprise that missions was an area that Landmarkers sought diligently to reform. Several of the fathers of the movement fought against the then, Foreign Mission Board and actually carried out a failed attempt to have it abolished at the Southern Baptist Convention in 1859. This is due in part to the fact that Landmarkism rejected not only alien immersion and communion, but also alien preaching. Since the Baptist church was considered to be the only legitimate local church, then preaching which did not disseminate from that source was not considered valid. That led Landmarkers to reject, not missions itself, but much of the work of the Foreign Mission Board. Although Landmark thought did see decline, it has unfortunately never died. Over 100 years separates us from the original controversies, yet it seems that not much has changed. Today we are faced with the possible removal of missionaries due to their partnership with a non-Baptist, although baptistic group. An almost successful church plant among an unreached people group, which followed all of the guidelines given to the missionaries, has now been put on hold due to a resurgence of Landmark ideology. Taken to its fullest logical conclusion, Landmarksim would eradicate not only the work of these missionaries, but also our entire system of mission work. The dangers of these views are obvious and although it might not have previously seemed like a controlling factor, Landmarkism is profoundly affecting the ecclesiology and polity within our Convention. The recent policy changes of the International Mission Board concerning baptism are a bold statement affirming that fact. With our Convention in such an awkward state, more than ever we need to pray for our leaders, defend our missionaries and get involved ourselves if we are concerned for the future of Southern Baptist life. While Landmarkism may have found a foothold, it doesn't have to gain a stranglehold. (Source used, The Southern Baptist Convention by Jesse C. Fletcher) |
posted by Christie
Monday, April 03, 2006
| After a two week hiatus, it's good - no it's great - to be back. The previous weeks have afforded me the opportunity to attend the IMB trustee meeting with Rick and then spend a week with my family while he lived the life of a lonely bachelor back at home. Several things - including missing my husband and the constant broadcast of Walker Texas Ranger (my parents favorite) beckoned me northward. So now, life as normal, or at least normal for us, will hopefully resume. Now that I'm home, I'm embarking on a new journey. This will be the first time since I turned seventeen that I haven't been employed. From part-time summer positions and work-study in college to being a bank teller and most recently an office manager, it seems I've always had a job. However, I don't miss the work-force at all and have already considered hundreds of ways in which I can enjoy my newfound freedom. I'm going to attempt to catch up with everyone. It may take a while, so be patient. Hopefully, there will be more to come soon. |
posted by Christie
Wednesday, March 15, 2006
| In May, Rick and I plan to compete together in our very first 5K race. I possess no aspirations of winning or placing, only of finishing and most importantly, getting my t-shirt. You know, first things first. The race consists of 3.1 miles of mainly flat terrain with a few rolling hills, so it shouldn't be too difficult. However, I currently do all of my running inside a gym, and that means I'm going to have to get a little practice outdoors before the run takes place. South Georgia in May is usually steamy, so I'll definitely need to get adjusted to the heat. Not to mention the gnats. Thankfully, I've already got the running while pouring small cups of water over my head thing down to a science. |
posted by Christie
Monday, March 13, 2006
| As I said on Heath's site, I love new musical arrangements of old, theologically rich hymns. One of my favorites, for years now, has been "Come Thou Fount" written by Robert Robinson sometime in the mid to late 1700s. However, last night as our congregation sang that tune, as we often do, I noticed an obvious alteration to the original lyrics. Where Robinson wrote about raising "Ebenezer," we instead sang "Here by grace your love has brought me." Although the latter is a great message, I see no need for the revision. Why attempt to improve upon the biblical idea of Ebenezer? I do understand the case for relevance, but what a wonderful opportunity Robinson's hymn affords us to explain the background passage in 1 Samuel 7 and God's redemptive work throughout the history of His people. Although it's just my opinion, I prefer the message contained in the original. |
posted by Christie
| We have been busy the past several days. Last week we realized that a nagging drainage problem in our yard had to be solved quickly. So Rick spent Thursday, Friday and Saturday carefully removing a 12 inch x about 40 foot section of sod, digging a trench, backfilling it with rock and installing a drainage pipe. I assisted through things like moral support, making sweet tea and providing interesting conversation. In the end, it was actually quite sad that we spent several hundred dollars on something that we buried. In other news, this is the last week I will be employed at my current job. Logically, my quitting is not a great move, but we believe it's where God is leading us. Despite all the good reasons telling me I probably should work, we feel that there are better reasons why I shouldn't. I don't know what the future holds, but for now, I'm going to enjoy staying home, ironing Rick's clothes, cooking exquisite dinners, and basically refining my skills as a domestic goddess. It should be fun. |
posted by Christie
Wednesday, March 08, 2006
| Over five thousand missionaries within the Southern Baptist Convention have committed their lives to spreading the Gospel in the United States and Canada. March 5-12 has officially been designated as the Week of Prayer for North American Missions. Each day during the emphasis the North American Mission Board highlights a particular missionary and their work. Today's feature missionaries Randy and Denise Chestnut, use non-traditional methods to reach out to their community in Cleveland, Ohio. With over 177 nations represented in Cleveland, the Chestnut's have the opportunity to spread the Gospel among a culturally diverse people. Through hosting block parties, basketball tournaments and health clinics they are able to share Christ with people who might never walk into the doors of a Cleveland church. The Chestnut's along with the rest of our NAMB missionaries are supported each year by the Annie Armstrong Easter Offering. The national goal for this year's offering is 56 million dollars, of which 100% will go to support mission work in the United States and Canada - an area where statistics tell us that three out of four people do not know Christ. I encourage you to give and pray. Both actions are a necessity for our missionaries, and a great priviledge for us. |
posted by Christie
| After resisting for quite some time, I have finally given into the intense pressure and created a MySpace account. Now, what's next? |
posted by Christie
Friday, March 03, 2006
| For lack of a better word, I think I experienced a full fledged "Charlie Moment" the other day. Here's how it went. Guy next to me on the treadmill: (speaking of his much younger, muscular friend) My buddy decided not to work-out with me today. Me: Oh. Guy: He's being lazy. Me: Oh, really. Guy: Yeah. And I don't look quite as good with my shirt off as he does. So I'm keeping it on. Me: Okay. Guy: He always wore one until he started getting ripped. Then he had to show off. Me: If I had worked that hard I would work-out without a shirt on, too. I turned red, the guy looked away, and I decided to not even try and dig myself out of that one. Hopefully, he understood what I meant, and not what I said. Oh, God, guard my lips. |
posted by Christie
Thursday, March 02, 2006
| Another new link, Veritatis Amatori. This site is written by a friend from college and in his own words includes "blatantly reformed ramblings posted with undetermined frequency." You should definitely check it out, looks like he's gonna have some great stuff. |
posted by Christie
| I've noted before that I don't really like to take medicine. And I especially don't like to take medicine prescribed to other people. That is a major no-no as far as I'm concerned. However, yesterday I ended up breaking the pharmaceutical cardinal rule and received a good reminder of why I won't ever do it again. The story begins with my dentist appointment. Well, actually with my heart murmur. I have one, so I'm required to take antibiotics a few hours before any dental procedure, due to an escalated risk of bacteria from my mouth entering the bloodstream and causing endocarditis and possibly death - a long, violent and painful one I'm told. The problem is that I forgot about getting a prescription filled and ended up taking some antibiotics that Rick had. However, about 15 minutes after ingesting the 2000 milligrams, I was walking into the gym and it hit me that I was allergic to the medicine I just swallowed. I tried not to panic, assumed I would be fine, attempted not to go hypochondriac on everyone, and decided to just monitor myself for any signs of a reaction. And what are the signs you ask? Redness of the skin and difficulty breathing. Well, after running the third mile on the treadmill, there's a high probability that I would suffer from both of those problems. The gym might not have been the greatest place to keep a check on myself. However, despite the enormous odds stacked against me, I burned about 500 calories, got my teeth cleaned, hopefully averted a deadly heart infection and my windpipe has yet to swell shut. Miracles never cease. |
posted by Christie
Tuesday, February 28, 2006
| Ethics Daily has an article covering current SBC issues, and we actually received a link. The piece takes a look at Johnny Hunt, Mark Dever, Tom Ascol, Wade Burleson and of course, Greensboro. |
posted by Christie
| We've added two new links. 12 Witnesses - A great site written by Art Rogers, a minster in Kentucky. He deals candidly with issues concerning Southern Baptist life, and other pertinent topics. Little Sugar Mama - Tori, otherwise known as Charlie's counterpart and Micah's mama, is keeping us up to date on what God is doing in her life, specifially with her son. Now, everyone in their family has their own blog. It's about time. |
posted by Christie
| I've been doing some research this week on lapsarianism, a topic that would convince many of my need to be committed. Here is what I've discovered so far. Lapsarianism (lapse=fall) is a term used to describe the order of God's decrees concerning election. It asks what order God decided to create humanity, allow the Fall, to elect some to salvation, and to provide salvation for humanity. Though it's asserted that the decrees were simultaneously known by the omniscience of God and simultaneously decreed by God, lapsarianism attempts to provide, not the chronological, but the logical order of the elective decrees. Within lapsarian thought, there are three positions which basically seek to answer whether the decree to save some comes before or after the decree to permit the Fall. Infralapsarianism 1. The decree to create human beings. 2. The decree to permit the Fall. 3. The decree to save some and condemn others. 4. The decree to provide salvation only to the elect. Infralapsarianism focuses on God allowing the Fall and providing salvation. Sublapsarianism 1. The decree to create human beings. 2. The decree to permit the Fall. 3. The decree to provide salvation sufficient to all. 4. The decree to choose some to receive this salvation. The only difference between infralapsarianism and sublapsarianism is whether God decreed to provide salvation through Jesus Christ and then decreed to choose some to be saved, or vice-versa. Supralapsarianism 1. The decree to save some and condemn others. 2. The decree to create both the elect and the reprobate. 3. The decree to permit the Fall of both classes. 4. The decree to provide salvation for only the elect. Supralapsarianism focuses on God ordaining the Fall, choosing some to be elected and condemned, and then providing salvation for only those whom He had elected. Although it is kind of interesting to consider, lapsarianism in general is nothing more than speculation. For the most part, an intellectual pursuit such as this is nothing more than finite man attempting to use human reasoning and logic to define for certain what God's decision were, when really, we can never know. Whatever the case, I'm glad that in eternity my understanding of this idea won't be pivotal, because I think I'm more confused now than when I began. |
posted by Christie