Toodles & the Tribulation

Are you a dog-loving dispensationalist? Do you enjoy cuddling with your kitten while watching Kirk Cameron? Have you ever wondered if you could grab Toodles the poodle as you are being raptured so you can bring him with you? If so, "Eternal Earth-Bound Pets" is for you. From their site:

"You've committed your life to Jesus. You know you're saved. But when the Rapture comes what's to become of your loving pets who are left behind? Eternal Earth-Bound Pets takes that burden off your mind. We are a group of dedicated animal lovers, and atheists. Each Eternal Earth-Bound Pet representative is a confirmed atheist, and as such will still be here on Earth after you've received your reward. Our network of animal activists are committed to step in when you step up to Jesus.We are currently active in 22 states. Our representatives have been screened to ensure that they are atheists, animal lovers, are moral / ethical with no criminal background, have the ability and desire to rescue your pet and the means to retrieve them and ensure their care for your pet's natural life.

Our service is plain and simple; our fee structure is reasonable. For $110.00 we will guarantee that should the Rapture occur within ten (10) years of receipt of payment, one pet per residence will be saved. Each additional pet at your residence will be saved for an additional $15.00 fee. A small price to pay for your peace of mind and the health and safety of your four legged and feathered friends."

Now, I must admit I am jealous I didn't think of this idea first. If I had, my seminary tuition would have been easily covered, sadly. Wow.

(Props: Beebz)

Contentment

"Yet true godliness with contentment is itself great wealth. After all, we brought nothing with us when we came into the world, and we can't take anything with us when we leave it. So if we have enough food and clothing, let us be content. But people who long to be rich fall into temptation and are trapped by many foolish and harmful desires that plunge them into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. And some people, craving money, have wandered from the true faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows." (1 Tim 6.6-10)

"Your conduct must be free from the love of money and you must be content with what you have, for he has said, 'I will never leave you and I will never abandon you'." (Heb 13.5)

D-Rob Hall of Fame Speech

Related to the last post, Voddie Baucham points out how much different David Robinson's hall of fame induction speech was compared to MJ's. He notes that:

David Elevated Others... Mike Elevated Mike
David Honored His Family... Mike Honored Himself
David Was Brief... Mike Was Indulgent
David Honored God... Mike Honored Basketball
David sees His Legacy in His Family... Mike sees His Legacy in His Highlights

The two speeches are strikingly different. Watch D-Rob's speech here.

(Props: JT)

MJ Hall of Fame

I was a big fan of Michael Jordan. Real big. But I really wish he would have never tried to play baseball, and never came back with the Wizards. It would have been nice if the last thing we heard or saw from Jordan was the famous push-off, jumper, hand hanging in the air after the j. But it didn't and if that didn't leave a bad enough taste in your mouth, now this.

Michael Jordan was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame this year. You can watch the speech here: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3. It was quite sad. Everyone was there to celebrate him as the best, and he still had to remind everyone that he is the best. Dominating the game was not enough for him. The speech revealed a deep insecurity. It was more of a childish rant than a speech. What a way to end a career. He called out everyone from his high school coach (he even flew up the cat who beat him for the spot), to Dean Smith (for not letting him in on an SI cover), to Buzz Peterson (NC player of the year when MJ thought it should have been him), to Pat Riley, and more. He pretty much told his kids, "Sucks to be you and have to live in my shadow" He even knocked the NBA for charging to much to attend the event. He mentioned a comeback at age 50 and almost seemed offended when the crowd laughed.

MJ wasn't happy about being inducted because it shows that his career is definitively over. He doesn't want to "graze," because he thinks he can still "run with the young horses" (see this interview) I have watched several interviews and it seems that he actually thinks he can still dominate. Doubtful. You can just see him graping for glory. Basketball was his life, his refuge, his place to go to seek peace. He was used to lots of glory, but it's only looking back from here though. All is vanity for MJ. How sad.

As sad as all this was, you still have to admit, the dude could put on a show. Here are his 23 top memorable moments. My favs are 1, 2, 4, 8, 9, & 15. God bless Craig Ehlo. I wonder what Craig is doing now. My guess is he is happier than Michael Jordan.

Today in chapel, pastor Al Jackson said that the SBC took in around 12 billion total from all offerings and gifts and only gave 2.5 cents on the dollar of that to missions. Where on earth does all that cash flow go? That's disheartening.

NIV 2011

For those interested, you can now watch the press release concerning the 2011 NIV update here.

End of the Law Interview

Justin Taylor asks Jason Meyer, author of "The End of the Law," three questions about the law here.

Christ is the One We Need

"I can't argue with the bits of science cited, but here's what history reminds us. When the gene mapping is complete, when the folks on Prozac still can't get along with their spouses, when the fountain of youth still does not arrive in a bottle, when money and achievement fail to satisfy, and when your clone grows up to hate you. . . sinners will yet find Christ to be the one we need."

-Powlison in Seeing With New Eyes, 247-48

A New Way

A while back, I posted the following quote from Herman Ridderbos: "[The Gospel] teaches man to understand himself in a new way, with respect to God as well as to the world and history surrounding him." I was recently reflecting on how true it is. Repentance is a change of mind, first about your evaluation of self. You drop your agenda and follow Christ's. You turn from sin to the Father through Christ by the enabling of the Spirit. Repentance doesn't stop there though. We change our view of everything and let the Story of Scripture frame our thoughts and inform our minds. Faith and repentance in the gospel brings a new view of God, a new view of self, a new view of others, a new view of community, a new view of the beginning, a new view of the end, and a new view of purpose. And praise be to Christ that this view, in the words of Justin, is "sure and fulfilling."

Attn: Seminarians

If you are in seminary, or live near a theological library, I want to point you to a chapter in a book that is must-reading for ministers (I use that term carefully and rarely). It is a chapter called "The Eschatological Conception of New Testament Theology," in a book called Eschatology in Bible and Theology: Evangelical Essays at the Dawn of a New Millennium edited by Kent E. Brower and Mark W. Elliot. It is 40 pages of goodness. Eschatology begins in the first verse of the Bible. Beale is currently working on a New Testament theology which will have "new creation" as its center that should be coming out in the next couple of years. If the 40 page essay is too much, there is an abridged version called "The New Testament and New Creation" in Scott Hafemann's Biblical Theology: Retrospect and Prospect, 159-172. So hit the copy machine and be enriched.

NIV Update

Biblica (formerly the International Bible Society) has announced that they will revise the NIV, and when it is out (2011), the TNIV and the 84' NIV will no longer be published. Although the hundreds of English Bible translations annoys me, I am actually glad about this. I was never fond of the NIV for various reasons and found the TNIV to be a tremendous improvement on it. However, instead of looking at each gender-related verse on a case by case basis, the TNIV seemed more like a systematic agenda to make all that they could gender-inclusive. I am curious to see if they will retain the TNIV's translation of singular's to plural's to avoid "he." For example, "Blessed are they that...." rather than "Blessed is he who." I am looking forward to reading through this new translation.
Read about it here or here.
(Props: JT)