This is the follow up to the earlier link. If you have not read the first of Kevin's letters, then you need to move down to the second post on this page, click the link, and read. I will interact with these thoughts soon. Talk to you later... CW
A Lost Letter to Wormwood (conclusion)
Friday, August 27, 2010
A Lost Letter to Wormwood
The link I am posting here is to a blog written by one of my favorite "bloggers" Kevin DeYoung. Kevin is a pastor at University Reformed Church in East Lansing, Michigan. He is deeply involved in college life because of his age and location. I will also be posting his second letter. My encouragement to young and old alike is to read these two pieces and contemplate the meaning. When we run to a model of church that serves one age group over all others, we are trading in God's design for worldliness. If you are in college, then you need to remain in a local church! Involvement in college ministry will never be equal to involvement in the local church. If you are leading a church, then you need to focus on God and his Glory not appealing tactics that draw a crowd. We can all benefit from thinking through this issue together! Read and think so we can talk latter... CW
A Lost Letter to Wormwood
A Lost Letter to Wormwood
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
God and Guinness
It has been a couple weeks since I put anything on the blog. We had a great vacation this year at PCB with Aimee's family, and since we have been home the schedule has been hectic to say the least. Grace Fellowship had VBS at Christian Fellowship Bible Church in Anniston last week, and the week can be thought of as nothing but a great success. This week our children have been attending VBS at Parker Memorial Baptist Church each evening. Aimee and I have enjoyed spending the evening together. I think we have had more dates this week than in the past 6 months combined (there is no person I would rather be with than my best friend! Thanks for the time and the conversation. I love you!) So now I need to review the two books that were checked off of the must read list while we sat by the ocean soaking up the sun and salt. Today I will talk about Stephen Mansfield's book The Search for God and Guinness: A Biography of the Beer that Changed the World.
Some of you might not agree with a Christian consuming alcohol on any level. This is a discussion for another post but let me simply say that I believe the Bible teaches a position of moderation and proper boundaries in all things not complete abstinence. If you are in the "dry" camp in regard to alcohol, particularly beer, I would encourage you to read this book. Mansfield does a good job of teaching the history of beer and the church. After reading this book each person will have the opportunity to rethink this issue on historical grounds and this will help to free us from the silly cultural mandates that have no biblical support. With that said let me give a quick review of this book, some great quotes from the book, and a concluding statement concerning the issue of beer and the church.
Mansfield takes the reader back to an age when beer was seen as the healthy drink; an alternative to the hard liquor that was making its presence felt across western Europe. This was an age when pastors and cobblers had home breweries for personal consumption. The culture surrounding consumption of alcohol was not thought of as deviant. One cannot easily right off the use of strong drink as the alternative to a lack of clean water. No. As Mansfield displays with historical accuracy our forefathers viewed beer as a gift from God so that man could enjoy fellowship with friends! It might shock some of my readers to realize that Augustine, Martin Luther, John Calvin, John Wesley, Jonathan Edwards, and George Whitefield all partook regularly. The church always viewed moderation as the biblical mandate. Drunkenness was never allowed.
The bulk of the book is spent detailing the life of one Irish family, the Guinness', and how their commitment to the glory of God revolutionized Ireland, Europe, and the world. Yes. This beer making family has used the wealth of their family to promote the preaching of the gospel from the shores of Ireland to the islands in the Bahamas, to the shores of Africa and Asia. God has used this family to revolutionize the industrial working world, create and sustain the history of Ireland, and promote mission work around the globe.
My thoughts are simple in regard to this book and this issue. We need to step out of our culture, take the time to research the subject biblically and historically, and give one another the opportunity to live within the grace of Jesus Christ. I am not advocating that everyone should drink, but I am asking all of us to take our stance on truth not tradition! Whether you like beer or not, you should read this book because it celebrates the life of a godly family and it challenges us to live our life in a radical way for the cause of Christ! Talk to you soon...CW
(This post was lingering for a while as you can tell. I will be posting a fresh thought later today!)
Some of you might not agree with a Christian consuming alcohol on any level. This is a discussion for another post but let me simply say that I believe the Bible teaches a position of moderation and proper boundaries in all things not complete abstinence. If you are in the "dry" camp in regard to alcohol, particularly beer, I would encourage you to read this book. Mansfield does a good job of teaching the history of beer and the church. After reading this book each person will have the opportunity to rethink this issue on historical grounds and this will help to free us from the silly cultural mandates that have no biblical support. With that said let me give a quick review of this book, some great quotes from the book, and a concluding statement concerning the issue of beer and the church.
Mansfield takes the reader back to an age when beer was seen as the healthy drink; an alternative to the hard liquor that was making its presence felt across western Europe. This was an age when pastors and cobblers had home breweries for personal consumption. The culture surrounding consumption of alcohol was not thought of as deviant. One cannot easily right off the use of strong drink as the alternative to a lack of clean water. No. As Mansfield displays with historical accuracy our forefathers viewed beer as a gift from God so that man could enjoy fellowship with friends! It might shock some of my readers to realize that Augustine, Martin Luther, John Calvin, John Wesley, Jonathan Edwards, and George Whitefield all partook regularly. The church always viewed moderation as the biblical mandate. Drunkenness was never allowed.
The bulk of the book is spent detailing the life of one Irish family, the Guinness', and how their commitment to the glory of God revolutionized Ireland, Europe, and the world. Yes. This beer making family has used the wealth of their family to promote the preaching of the gospel from the shores of Ireland to the islands in the Bahamas, to the shores of Africa and Asia. God has used this family to revolutionize the industrial working world, create and sustain the history of Ireland, and promote mission work around the globe.
My thoughts are simple in regard to this book and this issue. We need to step out of our culture, take the time to research the subject biblically and historically, and give one another the opportunity to live within the grace of Jesus Christ. I am not advocating that everyone should drink, but I am asking all of us to take our stance on truth not tradition! Whether you like beer or not, you should read this book because it celebrates the life of a godly family and it challenges us to live our life in a radical way for the cause of Christ! Talk to you soon...CW
(This post was lingering for a while as you can tell. I will be posting a fresh thought later today!)
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Eden Hope Weathers
Words cannot express how thankful I am for the Lord's mercy and goodness to our family! Yesterday Eden Hope Weathers was born at 1:24 in the afternoon. She came into this world very healthy, ready to eat, and sporting a head full of dark hair. Hope, that is what we will call her, is 7.15 lbs and 20 inches long! Thank you for praying for us and we love you all!!!!!
A Daddy does not always know what his baby will look like when they are born. Aimee has always had the best guess on the look and attitude of our babies, but this time was different. She was convinced that this little girl would look like Hannah Grace and Noah. I was certain that she would look like our Sophie Ann. It was just a hunch, but the feeling got stronger as the day grew closer. Yesterday God confirmed this "hunch" when our little gift arrived. Eden Hope is nothing like the other children living in our home, she looks just like her sister who is living with Christ! This does not have any mysterious meaning. Hope looks like her Mom. Sophie looks like her Mom. Hannah Grace and Noah favor me. That is why I say it is not a mystery, but it is kind Providence! Sophie Ann and Eden Hope are two totally different people, made by God in a unique and special way for his purposes. Hope will never replace or have to live up to her sister. As a matter of fact, Aimee and I will not spend the rest of our life telling Hope she reminds us of Sophie. We want her to be her own lady. We want her to live for the glory of the Lord! But just for these couple of days I cannot help but think about the similarities and bask in the joy of holding, looking, touching, kissing, smelling, listening, and singing to my precious Hope, who looks a lot like my sweet Sophie! God is so kind and good. Oh! How He loves us!!!!!! Talk to you soon...CW
Friday, July 23, 2010
Making A Come Back
Well it has been along time since I posted on the blog. There really is no excuse. It seems like every time the post began, something interrupted the flow. Now it is time to get back on track. Some of you have commented about the lack of post, which means there are people out there reading. This is just a short post to say, "I am back." The next post will probably be when our fifth child is born! July 27, 2010 seems like a perfect day to have a baby! After the birth, I will post my reflections on the day, and after that initial post you can expect a new post every Monday morning. Oh, I almost forgot, my post are going to be more conversational and less technical. Sorry if you have been trying to follow and needed a theological dictionary. My goal will be to be consistent and relevant and as always God glorifying. Talk to you soon...CW.
Thursday, June 17, 2010
God and Guinness
It has been a couple weeks since I put anything on the blog. We had a great vacation this year at PCB with Aimee's family, and since we have been home the schedule has been hectic to say the least. Grace Fellowship had VBS at Christian Fellowship Bible Church in Anniston last week, and the week can be thought of as nothing but a great success. This week our children have been attending VBS at Parker Memorial Baptist Church each evening. Aimee and I have enjoyed spending the evening together. I think we have had more dates this week than in the past 6 months combined (there is no person I would rather be with than my best friend! Thanks for the time and the conversation. I love you!) So now I need to review the two books that were checked off of the must read list while we sat by the ocean soaking up the sun and salt. Today I will talk about Stephen Mansfield's book The Search for God and Guinness: A Biography of the Beer that Changed the World.
Some of you might not agree with a Christian consuming alcohol on any level. This is a discussion for another post but let me simply say that I believe the Bible teaches a position of moderation and proper boundaries in all things not complete abstinence. If you are in the "dry" camp in regard to alcohol, particularly beer, I would encourage you to read this book. Mansfield does a good job of teaching the history of beer and the church. After reading this book each person will have the opportunity to rethink this issue on historical grounds and this will help to free us from the silly cultural mandates that have no biblical support. With that said let me give a quick review of this book, some great quotes from the book, and a concluding statement concerning the issue of beer and the church.
Mansfield takes the reader back to an age when beer was seen as the healthy drink; an alternative to the hard liquor that was making its presence felt across western Europe. This was an age when pastors and cobblers had home breweries for personal consumption. The culture surrounding consumption of alcohol was not thought of as deviant. One cannot easily right off the use of strong drink as the alternative to a lack of clean water. No. As Mansfield displays with historical accuracy our forefathers viewed beer as a gift from God so that man could enjoy fellowship with friends! It might shock some of my readers to realize that Augustine, Martin Luther, John Calvin, John Wesley, Jonathan Edwards, and George Whitefield all partook regularly. The church always viewed moderation as the biblical mandate. Drunkenness was never allowed.
The bulk of the book is spent detailing the life of one Irish family, the Guinness', and how their commitment to the glory of God revolutionized Ireland, Europe, and the world. Yes. This beer making family has used the wealth of their family to promote the preaching of the gospel from the shores of Ireland to the islands in the Bahamas, to the shores of Africa and Asia. God has used this family to revolutionize the industrial working world, create and sustain the history of Ireland, and promote mission work around the globe.
My thoughts are simple in regard to this book and this issue. We need to step out of our culture, take the time to research the subject biblically and historically, and give one another the opportunity to live within the grace of Jesus Christ. I am not advocating that everyone should drink, but I am asking all of us to take our stance on truth not tradition! Whether you like beer or not, you should read this book because it celebrates the life of a godly family and it challenges us to live our life in a radical way for the cause of Christ! Talk to you soon...CW
(This post was lingering for a while as you can tell. I will be posting a fresh thought later today!)
Some of you might not agree with a Christian consuming alcohol on any level. This is a discussion for another post but let me simply say that I believe the Bible teaches a position of moderation and proper boundaries in all things not complete abstinence. If you are in the "dry" camp in regard to alcohol, particularly beer, I would encourage you to read this book. Mansfield does a good job of teaching the history of beer and the church. After reading this book each person will have the opportunity to rethink this issue on historical grounds and this will help to free us from the silly cultural mandates that have no biblical support. With that said let me give a quick review of this book, some great quotes from the book, and a concluding statement concerning the issue of beer and the church.
Mansfield takes the reader back to an age when beer was seen as the healthy drink; an alternative to the hard liquor that was making its presence felt across western Europe. This was an age when pastors and cobblers had home breweries for personal consumption. The culture surrounding consumption of alcohol was not thought of as deviant. One cannot easily right off the use of strong drink as the alternative to a lack of clean water. No. As Mansfield displays with historical accuracy our forefathers viewed beer as a gift from God so that man could enjoy fellowship with friends! It might shock some of my readers to realize that Augustine, Martin Luther, John Calvin, John Wesley, Jonathan Edwards, and George Whitefield all partook regularly. The church always viewed moderation as the biblical mandate. Drunkenness was never allowed.
The bulk of the book is spent detailing the life of one Irish family, the Guinness', and how their commitment to the glory of God revolutionized Ireland, Europe, and the world. Yes. This beer making family has used the wealth of their family to promote the preaching of the gospel from the shores of Ireland to the islands in the Bahamas, to the shores of Africa and Asia. God has used this family to revolutionize the industrial working world, create and sustain the history of Ireland, and promote mission work around the globe.
My thoughts are simple in regard to this book and this issue. We need to step out of our culture, take the time to research the subject biblically and historically, and give one another the opportunity to live within the grace of Jesus Christ. I am not advocating that everyone should drink, but I am asking all of us to take our stance on truth not tradition! Whether you like beer or not, you should read this book because it celebrates the life of a godly family and it challenges us to live our life in a radical way for the cause of Christ! Talk to you soon...CW
(This post was lingering for a while as you can tell. I will be posting a fresh thought later today!)
Friday, May 28, 2010
Family Vacation
Just wanted to say that I will be on family vacation for the next week. We leave in the morning for Panama City Beach. Vacation is a fun week for our family. We usually spend the week bumming around the water, laying on the sand, eating good food, and I try to read a couple of good books. This year I will be tackling a couple of good reads. Thought I would leave the list and maybe a review for each when I get back. You all have a blessed week, and I will soak up a little of God's beautiful creation for you all!!! Talk to you Soon...CW!
Radical: Taking Your Faith Back From the American Dream by David Platt
The Search for God and Guinness: A Biography of the Bear that Changed the World by Stephen Mansfield
Him We Proclaim: Preaching Christ from All the Scriptures by Dennis E. Johnson
Radical: Taking Your Faith Back From the American Dream by David Platt
The Search for God and Guinness: A Biography of the Bear that Changed the World by Stephen Mansfield
Him We Proclaim: Preaching Christ from All the Scriptures by Dennis E. Johnson
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