Resurrection Day is Coming . . .

Time to celebrate.

A Great Musician I Just Discovered

I stumbled across Kees Kraayenoord while searching for some music on YouTube. Apparently he's Dutch, and he's produced some spectacular music!

 

MIGHTY IS THE POWER OF THE CROSS - Kees Kraayenoord

 

HOLD ON TO YOU FOREVER - Kees Kraayenoord

 

FOR THE CROSS - Kees Kraayenoord

A Hymn by Calvin

I greet Thee, who my sure Redeemer art,

My only Trust and Saviour of my heart,

Who pain didst undergo for my poor sake;

I pray Thee from our hearts all cares to take.

Thou art the King of mercy and of grace,

Reigning omnipotent in every place:

So come, O King, and our whole being sway;

Shine on us with the light of Thy pure day.

Thou art the life, by which alone we live,

And all our substance and our strength receive;

Sustain us by Thy faith and by Thy power,

And give us strength in every trying hour.

Thou hast the true and perfect gentleness,
No harshness hast Thou and no bitterness:

O grant to us the grace we find in Thee,

That we may dwell in perfect unity.

Our hope is in no other save in Thee;

Our faith is built upon Thy promise free;

Lord, give us peace, and make us calm and sure,

That in Thy strength we evermore endure.

- by John Calvin, 1545; translated by Elizabeth L. Smith, 1868, alt.

This hymn reinforces my suspicion that the mere sovereignty of God may not be the preeminent feature of Calvin's theology. I wonder if his soteriology, at least, was driven more by a firm faith in God's absolute saving strength and goodness?


Here is the original version, nicely sung and played by Zachary Harris.





And a contemporary version by Brian Moss.

"A New Day"

I found this original song by Alex Jordan very meaningful and encouraging. You may want to check out Alex's AMAZING Reformed Theology links and his excellent blog.

... every morning He shows forth His justice;

each dawn He does not fail ...

Zephaniah 3:5

Remember my affliction and my wanderings, 

the wormwood and the gall!

My soul continually remembers it

and is bowed down within me.

But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope:

The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases;

His mercies never come to an end;

They are new every morning;

great is your faithfulness.

"The LORD is my portion,” says my soul,

“therefore I will hope in him.”

Lamentations 3:19-24

New "Arminocalvinist" Music Group Features Roger Olson and John Piper

At the risk of losing any credibility this blog might have gained in the last two and a half years, we now submit what some will certainly consider to be a profane and horrifying display of disrespect and worldliness. To such I would simply urge a loosening of the phylacteries.


Seeing as the rest of you have a sense of humor, you will probably enjoy this video featuring the irenic Arminian, Roger Olson, rocking out with some of our Calvinist friends at a local seeker church. This group calls itself "45:12", which apparently means "four 5-pointers and one 2-pointer." But some have hinted that the name might be a cryptic reference to Isaiah 45:12, sneaked in by Piper in an attempt to subliminally influence Olson toward meticulous sovereignty. Olson mentioned to me in a private conversation that he was aware of this plot, and was planning to write 3 books, published by 5 different publishers, in response. Piper will not be named explicitly in any of the books, but will rather be referred to as "a leading Baptist proponent of the Young, Restless, Reformed movement who has authored many books and pastors a big church in Minneapolis, whose name you would recognize . . ."


Piper says he knows that the group is controversial, but he is committed to reaching out to seekers. "I know some will say this is compromise, but I say, uh, 45:12 is all about sharing great contemporary music with the whole world - even seeker sensitive, um, for lack of a better word - false shepherds - who masquerade as Gospel preaching Evangelicals. But, as Roger would say, we have to keep the doors of the [finger quotes] big tent wide open for whatever heresy wants to call itself Evangelical."


Disclaimer #1: This is only a joke. None of this actually happened.
Disclaimer #2: Don't get too excited, Spurgeon has not been resurrected (yet).
Disclaimer #3: No, John MacArthur has not become charismatic (yet).
Disclaimer #4: No theologians were harmed in the making of this motion picture.

Personalize funny videos and birthday eCards at JibJab!

Other Disclaimers

This is not an endorsement of rock music, "Christian" rock music, Roger Olson's theology, the "arminocalvinist" spectrum, infant baptism, men wearing wigs, contextualized Christianity, secular Christmas music, men's jewelry, bandanas, mega churches, or smoke machines. I do, however, endorse disco balls and sequin covered guitars.

Also, just to reassure his critics, Piper's antics in this video are not taken from actual footage.

Thank You for the Bitter Trials, They Work for My Good

Hezekiah's prayer after his recovery from imminent death is worth reflecting upon this Thanksgiving. Hezekiah thanked God for the bitter trial he suffered, and recognized that God had used it for his good. Sometimes we have plenty of prosperity and enjoyment to thank God for. At other times it seems we have only trouble, sorrow, and affliction. But we can thank God for these, as well, for they are His tools to make us in the image of His dear Son. The Son who suffered with us, and for us. 

I'll never forget the moment I recognized that my most bitter and vexing affliction - one which I had endured for several years in brokenhearted agony - was from God, for my good, and I thanked Him for it from my heart for the very first time. That day I thought the tears would never stop, but they were tears of inexplicable JOY! And I rested, finally, in His grace and sovereignty. At last, some words from Elisabeth Elliot that had previously lodged themselves in my heart became reality, something about acceptance being the way to peace. And I think Hezekiah would know very well what is meant by that.

Here is a portion of Hezekiah's grateful prayer . . .

Hezekiah's Prayer

Isaiah 38:15-20

What shall I say? For he has spoken to me,

and he himself has done it.

I walk slowly all my years

because of the bitterness of my soul.

[affliction comes from God, leading us to hear His voice, pause, and consider]

O Lord, by these things men live,

and in all these is the life of my spirit.

Oh restore me to health and make me live!

[affliction can be life-giving, and God restores His beloved]

Behold, it was for my welfare

that I had great bitterness;

but in love you have delivered my life

from the pit of destruction,

for you have cast all my sins

behind your back.

[affliction works for our good, and God lovingly saves us from destruction and sin]

For Sheol does not thank you;

death does not praise you;

those who go down to the pit do not hope

for your faithfulness.

[gratitude, praise and hope are the good results of persevering under affliction]

The living, the living, he thanks you,

as I do this day;

the father makes known to the children

your faithfulness.

[giving thanks is a sign of life and a cross-generational language of faith]

The LORD will save me,

and we will play my music on stringed instruments

all the days of our lives,

at the house of the LORD.

[thanksgiving unites all gathered believers]

To augment this meditation, here is a great song of praise from Canadian singer/songwriter Steve Bell - stringed instruments and all. Have a wonderful, blessed, and peaceful Thanksgiving holiday!

Hallelujah Revisited

If you appreciate heartfelt music, you will probably like this video. We'll call it a "blog response" to this post from Barry Wallace (warning: if you listen to these songs back to back, have a box of tissues handy). Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah" has needed better words for a long time, and now thanks to one of our Roman Catholic friends we have a "Gospel-centered" version! How's that for irony?

HT: Tony Hayling

Take Time to Laugh (at yourself)

There was a reason I decided to post this video, but I can't remember what it was. Enjoy!

How Deep the Father's Love For Us

While I'm recovering from my recent moving adventure (see below), you may receive edification from this beautiful song and video about the cross. This is one of the many songs inspired by the words of Isaiah 53.