I am an iPhone4 snob now!

 Well, I finally broke down and bought the iPhone4. So far, after about two weeks, I am a very happy man. The iPhone4 is the best smart phone I have ever owned. For the last three years, I have been a Blackberry man. My Blackberry Curve was a very good phone, and for the most part I was happy with it. However, it was an older model, and it did not have many of the functions of the newer smart phones.

The iPhone4 is an amazing piece of hardware. The software and hardware flow together effortlessly, and I find myself really enjoying spending time with my phone. However, I also see the temptation to become an iPhone junkie! I have already downloaded and installed more than 50 different apps! I find myself looking for apps almost continuously at the AppStore. Am I becoming an addict?

Even now, as I do this blog post, I am doing it on an app on my iPhone4. I am using the Dragon Dictation app to draft this post. Pretty cool stuff! After I'm done dictating it, I will simply copy and paste it into my blog. How good is that?

The combination of interface, hardware, apps, and many other intangibles truly make this the best smartphone on the market as far as I'm concerned. If you've been holding out on getting an iPhone4, quit listening to the negative press and take the plunge. You will not be sorry that you joined that elite fraternity known as the iPhone snobs.

Genesis 1 - ESV Online

1 In the abeginning, God created the heavens and the earth. 2 The earth was bwithout form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.

via www.esvonline.org

Here is a link to another great Bible Study resource. ESV online has some great tools, and a very nice interface and page layout. Enjoy!

Immigration Position from the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF EVANGELICALS

As many are aware at this time, Immigration is a polarizing subject, and can make friends into enemies in a manner of seconds!  On Mothers Day, my son, Stephen and I  had a spirited debate at the dinner table as I played Devil's advocate, and bounced around on both sides of the debate. Actually, to say there are two sides to this debate is a huge misnomer.  

Immigration, and specifically illegal immigration, is a very complex and nuanced subject.  The reason I am even taking this on, (though I recognize that some will misunderstand me, and make judgements about my position), is because I see Christians reacting in ways that I believe to be un-Christlike.  This document by the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF EVANGELICALS provides what seems to be a very balanced and Biblical perspective to this extremely tense debate.  Please take the time to read it and comment.  However, keep your comments gracious and factual please.

Immigration 2009 NAE POSITION.

Here is a quote from Timothy Keller where he deals with the hard subject of Polygamy and Primogeniture (the oldest son got everything) in the book of Genesis. Over the years, many women in particular have asked me why God would allow polygamy, and seemingly bless it. Keller makes it so clear that the Lord was actually working against it throughout his redemptive history with mankind. Here is the quote below.

Many years ago, when I first started reading the Book of Genesis, it was very upsetting to me. Here are all these spiritual heroes—Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph—and look at how they treat women. They engage in polygamy, and they buy and sell their wives. It was awful to read their stories at times. But then I read Robert Alter's The Art of Biblical Narrative. Alter is a Jewish scholar at Berkeley whose expertise is ancient Jewish literature. In his book he says there are two institutions present in the Book of Genesis that were universal in ancient cultures: polygamy and primogeniture. Polygamy said a husband could have multiple wives, and primogeniture said the oldest son got everything—all the power, all the money. In other words, the oldest son basically ruled over everyone else in the family. Alter points out that when you read the Book of Genesis, you'll see two things. First of all, in every generation polygamy wreaks havoc. Having multiple wives is an absolute disaster—socially, culturally, spiritually, emotionally, psychologically, and relationally. Second, when it comes to primogeniture, in every generation God favors the younger son over the older. He favors Abel, not Cain; Isaac, not Ishmael; Jacob, not Esau. Alter says that you begin to realize what the Book of Genesis is doing—it is subverting, not supporting, those ancient institutions at every turn.

When I read Alter's book, I then reread the Book of Genesis and loved it. And then it hit me: What if when I was younger, I had abandoned my trust in the Bible because of these accounts in Genesis? What if I had drop-kicked the Bible and the Christian faith, missing out on a personal relationship with Christ—all because I couldn't understand the behavior of the patriarchs? The lesson is simple: Be patient with the text. Consider the possibility that it might not be teaching what you think it's teaching.

Tim Keller, in the sermon "Literalism" (available on PreachingToday.com on 5-17-10)

WORLDmag.com | Community | Blog Archive | Convert: Obama should speak up for oppressed Christians

James is currently living under police protection in an undisclosed location in Europe due to death threats she received after converting to Christianity.  The granddaughter of a mullah in Islamic Pakistan, James has become an outspoken voice for oppressed Christians after her book,  My Fight for Faith and Freedom, became a bestseller in Germany.

via online.worldmag.com

I thought this article was insightful and illuminating. I am not a person who believes that every Muslim is a terrorist, and that Muslim's are all bad and praying for the downfall of America the Great Satan. However, I do think there are a number of inconsistencies that exist when it comes to the West's approach to Islam. This article does a good job of pointing some of them out.

Have not blogged in a long time, but just wanted to say how blessed I am to be a son of the Most High God and His family! Everyday it seems my appreciation for the Church of Jesus Christ grows as I see people through His redemptive eyes.

People are amazing, unique, wonder-filled expressions of the Imago Dei. When Christ is actively at work in a human heart, and is transforming a man or woman's character into His own image, it is truly breath-taking to watch! THANK YOU FATHER FOR YOUR PEOPLE!