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Yesterday’s message in The Ten Commandments for Today series was on the second commandment. The message was called No Idols, taken from Exodus 20:4-6.

Exodus 20:4-6 – 4 “You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. 5 You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, 6 but showing love to a thousand [generations] of those who love me and keep my commandments.” (NIV)

The main idea of the message was that we should make sure that we are worshiping the true and living God and not merely an image of God. Here is the outline of the message:

1) What does the second commandment prohibit?

    – You shall not make idols (verse 4)

    – You shall not worship idols (verse 5)

2) Why should I obey the second commandment?

    – God is a jealous God (verse 5)

    – God punishes the children for the sin of the fathers (verse 5)

    – God shows love to a thousand generations (verse 6)

3) What are some modern examples of idolatry today?

    – False images of God (1 Kings 8:27)

    – Greed and covetousness (Colossians 3:5; Luke 12:15)

    – Sexual impurity (Romans 1:21-32)

    – Superstition (Isaiah 2:6-9)

Positive corollary: God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth.” (John 4:24)

    – We must worship God for who he is

    – We must worship God according to his commands

    – We must worship God through Jesus (Colossians 1:15)

Note: To read the complete message, go to the Sermons tab at the top of the blog.

Consumer Reports lets you crash test your vehicle online at this site.

Colin Adams emphasizes that children’s sermons (or children’s talks) should be: 1) scriptural, 2) stimulating, 3) short, and 4) simple.

Alan R. Bevere offers some reticent thoughts on global warming. “I am not a scientist, nor do I play one on TV . . . but I have read a fair amount on the matter from scientists on both sides of the issue.”

Meanwhile, Pete Dupont discusses Danish scholar Bjorn Lomborg’s new book “Cool It: The Skeptical Environmentalist’s Guide To Global Warming.” “There is both global warming and global cooling on the planet Earth. There always has been and there always will be, because temperature change is cyclical: The Earth’s temperature oscillates up and down, ebbs and flows, over decades and centuries.”

Justin Taylor shares F. G. Hibbard’s response to his ten-year old son on whether it was right for the psalmist to pray for the destruction of his enemies. “My son, if an assassin should enter the house by night, and murder your mother, and then escape, and the sheriff and citizens were all out in pursuit, trying to catch him, would you not pray to God that they might succeed and arrest him, and that he might be brought to justice?”

Timmy Brister takes a look at the sad state of church membership in North America. “A prominent pastor from the United States … was introduced to the Kenyan church leadership as ‘pastor of one of the largest churches in America, with more than 20,000 members. Each week more than 8,000 attend his preaching.’ Visibly moved, the Kenyan leader led his brothers to pray for the American pastor who could not find more than half of his church members on Sunday morning!” (from “Church Planting Movements,” by David Garrison)

Joe Carter questions the conservatism of Fred Thompson’s federalism. “After surveying the entire field of Presidential candidates, I made the decision several months ago to give my tentative support to the campaign of Fred Thompson. I believed Thompson to be the most electable candidate whose views aligned most closely with my own. Now I’m not so certain. His views of the federal marriage amendment, the Schiavo case, and his general position on federalism are troubling. For me, conservatism trumps federalism, while the position Thompson endorses seem to reverse that order.” (This is interesting to me, because so far I really like Fred Thompson as a candidate.)

The women of Girl Talk just completed a series of interviews with Mary Mohler. Mary is the wife of Albert Mohler, President of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, and the mother of their two children. She also serves as the Director of Seminary Wives Institute at Southern Seminary. Here are the links to the interviews. I think you will enjoy them!

• Girl-to-Girl Talk: Mary Mohler
• Mary Mohler, The Interview Part 1
• Mary Mohler, The Interview Part 2
• Mary Mohler, The Interview Part 3
• Mary Mohler, The Interview Part 4

Media Access for the Next Generation:
    1. Introduction
    2. Immediate Access
    3. Localized Storage
    4. Subscription Services

Immediate access to the internet will lead to localized storage of media. The next logical step is a shift away from ownership of media to subscription services.

Why do we buy MP3s and CDs instead of waiting for the song to play on the radio, or DVDs instead of waiting for the movie to play on TV? Because we want to be able to play the song or movie whenever we want. Purchasing the media means we can access the media at any time.

But once you have immediate access to the internet, subscription services will also allow you to access various media whenever you want. Cable On-Demand is an example of a subscription service with a limited number of movie options. What if you could subscribe to a media service that allowed you an unlimited number of media options with immediate access wherever you went? Pick any movie or song and play it wherever and whenever you want.

Immediate access to a variety of media will take away much of the mystique of personal ownership. Why invest hundreds (or thousands) of dollars on DVDs that you may only watch once or twice, when you can watch them anytime you want for a regular subscription fee? The same applies for music and books. Some people have already chosen this option through mail-order subscription services like Netflix, but once you have the option of immediate access, more and more people will move to subscription-based services rather than direct ownership of media.

So, those are some of the ways that I think media access will be different for the next generation. Many of these changes are already taking place, and I expect they will be fully implemented by the time the next generation starts accessing media. Anybody want to make some guesses as to what changes will take place for two generations down the road?

Action points:

• Do you have an idea on this topic? Share it in the comments!
• Did you enjoy this post? Subscribe to this blog by email or feed reader.

Links to other posts in the series:   Part 1,   Part 2,   Part 3,   Part 4

Politics got you down? Enjoy the lighter side of our President as he tries his hand at some stand up comedy at the Annual Radio & Television Correspondents Association Dinner.

(Video length: 7:16)

President George W. Bush at the Annual Radio & Television Correspondents Association Dinner;
March 28, 2007

HT: Evangelical Outpost

Media Access for the Next Generation:
    1. Introduction
    2. Immediate Access
    3. Localized Storage
    4. Subscription Services

Immediate access to the internet at all times and in all places will change the way we store and access information. Right now we store our files, music and movies in various places and on various media. We have files at work and files at home, as well as files on a handheld or laptop, all of which constantly need synchronizing. We have MP3s on our computers and iPods, as well as CDs and DVDs on the shelf.

Think of how all this will change when you have immediate access to the internet. You will no longer need to store your files in separate locations. Whether you store them at home or some place online, you will be able to access them wherever you go.

What if your iPod was no longer a storage device, but merely an access device? What if all your files, programs, music, movies and even books were stored digitally in one place, and you merely used your handheld or laptop to access them whenever you wanted? What if you could access your media from any television, computer or handheld device in the world?

You would no longer have to worry about the storage capacity of your portable device. You would no longer need shelf space for CDs and DVDs. You would no longer have to synchronize different sets of files, because you would only be working with one set of files from a single location. (Of course, regular back-ups would still be essential.)

For me the ideal, portable access device would be about the size of a small book, maybe 6 x 9 inches, small enough to carry around, yet with a large enough screen for reading books, browsing information, or working with files.

So, immediate access to the internet will lead to localized storage – which will lead to devices that focus on access rather than storage. This will lead to yet another big change: the shift away from ownership of media to subscription services. (continued tomorrow)

Action points:

• Do you have an idea on this topic? Share it in the comments!
• Did you enjoy this post? Subscribe to this blog by email or feed reader.

Links to other posts in the series:   Part 1,   Part 2,   Part 3,   Part 4

Updated 9/1/2009: Michelle and Jim Bob Duggar announced they are expecting their 19th child in March. 42-year-old Michelle Dugger was surprised to find she is pregnant only eight months after the birth of her 18th child. The Duggars have a show on The Learning Channel (TLC) called “18 Kids and Counting”. Their first grandchild is due in October.

Updated 12/18/2008: Jordyn-Grace Makiya Duggar was born today weighing 7 pounds, 3 ounces and was 20 inches long. Click here for a picture of the whole family.

Updated 5/10/2008: Happy Mother’s Day: Woman pregnant with 18th child: “Michelle Duggar, 41, is due on New Year’s Day, and the latest addition will join seven sisters and 10 brothers. There are two sets of twins.”
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I recently came across the Duggar Family website. Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar have seventeen children, all of whose first names begin with the letter J. They are a Christian family who homeschool their children with additional emphases on Christian character formation and music. Michelle describes a typical day in their home. Here are some excerpts:

Our #1 goal is to lead our children to seek a close relationship with God & give Him every area of their lives. We purpose to start each day with a family Bible study, reading a chapter of Proverbs that corresponds with the day of the month … We desire for each child to develop a learning spirit & a servant’s heart that looks for opportunities to serve others …

We eat breakfast & read Proverbs at 8:00a.m., then we “quick clean” the house … At 9:00a.m., the older children help their buddies with their studies in phonics, math, violin & piano (J-O-Y- Jesus first, Others second, & Yourself last!). Then the older children start their music & individual studies … We also review & memorize scripture, hymns & operational definitions of character qualities …

We have dinner at 5:00 p.m. … We do another “quick clean” of the house after dinner & then have free time … 9:00 p.m. is Bible time with Daddy. This is probably our favorite time of day. Daddy reads the Bible & we discuss the passage together. We talk about the day & bring out points of how to apply what we have learned … Bedtime is 10:00 p.m.

We have a master schedule of each family member’s responsibilities displayed on our dining room wall … For each month, we also have individual daily checklists which cover schoolwork, chores, music lessons, & personal hygiene. These were designed by Daddy so we could see at a glance how each child is doing. These checklists enable us to keep our children accountable & also reward them accordingly.

And finally, here are some amazing pictures of the family and their home. (The site says “18 people living in one house,” but I think they missed baby Jennifer who was born on August 2, 2007.) I especially like the walk-in closet, the climbing-wall on the side of the bunk bed, and the whole family holding hands for prayer around the (very long) dining room table.

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Media Access for the Next Generation:
    1. Introduction
    2. Immediate Access
    3. Localized Storage
    4. Subscription Services

The major difference in media consumption for the next generation will be immediate access to the internet at all times and in all places. This will transform the way we use the internet just as cell phones have changed the way we use the telephone.

Thus far, the internet has largely been a “fixed” experience. Yes, you can access almost anything in the world, but only from specific locations. Most of us still access the internet from two primary locations: the home computer and the office computer. But with the advent of wireless, hot spots, Blackberries and iPhones, that is all beginning to change.

Just as this generation cannot fathom life without the internet, the next generation will strain at the thought of having to go to specific locations to access the internet. “You mean, you had to go home or to the office to check the weather, the movie reviews, Google maps, etc.? That doesn’t make any sense! The whole point of the internet is that you can access information anywhere at any time.” Or, at least, that’s the way the new generation will see it.

So, my generation grew up with no internet access at all. The present generation grew up with internet access from specific locations. The next generation will grow up with immediate access to the internet wherever they go. And that will effect startling changes in the way the next generation will access their media, such as music, movies and books.

Tomorrow we will look at one of those changes – the shift from storing media in multiple locations to localized storage.

Action points:

• Do you have an idea on this topic? Share it in the comments!
• Did you enjoy this post? Subscribe to this blog by email or feed reader.

Links to other posts in the series:   Part 1,   Part 2,   Part 3,   Part 4

Holy batwing! “German researchers this week showed off their Gryphon personal strap-on jet wing that lets the pilot scream through the air at about 135 mph. The Gryphon features a six-foot wing and hand-held rotary controls for the rudder. The system includes onboard oxygen and a helmet that features a heads-up display.”

Identity crisis. A man in Florida who falsely claimed to be a Red Sox pitcher died August 27. For decades Bill Henry of Florida claimed to be former Red Sox pitcher, Bill Henry. Even his wife believed him. The truth did not come out until the paper ran his obituary and someone contacted the real Bill Henry, who was very much alive.

Desperate measures. A Denver man jumped out of a moving car in order to get out of an argument with his wife. Sounds like an updated version of Proverbs 21:9.

Media Access for the Next Generation:
    1. Introduction
    2. Immediate Access
    3. Localized Storage
    4. Subscription Services

This series is in response to a comment made by Kathryn on the 5/31 post Buying Music the Old Way. In that post I shared about rummaging through old record stores and even traveling into Canada to track down certain music when I was in college. Kathryn commented:

What does the next generation have that can compare to that? The only thing I really have to look for are sales. I do most of my shopping online now because it’s so much easier. I’ve never had that quest for music experience. This posting makes me question: What will my kids take for granted that takes me time now?

I have some thoughts on how things will be different for the next generation as far as media access, and I would like to spend some time this week reflecting on that. Tomorrow’s post will pick up on the one major difference that will drive the rest – immediate access to the internet at all times and in all places.

Action points:

• Do you have an idea on this topic? Share it in the comments!
• Did you enjoy this post? Subscribe to this blog by email or feed reader.

Links to other posts in the series:   Part 1,   Part 2,   Part 3,   Part 4

Former White House press secretary Tony Snow wrote about Cancer’s Unexpected Blessings in an article for Christianity Today back in July. Here are some key sections:

The moment you enter the Valley of the Shadow of Death, things change. You discover that Christianity is not something doughy, passive, pious, and soft. Faith may be the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. But it also draws you into a world shorn of fearful caution. The life of belief teems with thrills, boldness, danger, shocks, reversals, triumphs, and epiphanies …

We get repeated chances to learn that life is not about us—that we acquire purpose and satisfaction by sharing in God’s love for others. Sickness gets us partway there. It reminds us of our limitations and dependence. But it also gives us a chance to serve the healthy …

I sat by my best friend’s bedside a few years ago as a wasting cancer took him away … His gift was to remind everyone around him that even though God doesn’t promise us tomorrow, he does promise us eternity …

What is man that Thou art mindful of him? We don’t know much, but we know this: No matter where we are, no matter what we do, no matter how bleak or frightening our prospects, each and every one of us, each and every day, lies in the same safe and impregnable place—in the hollow of God’s hand.

Related post:  Tony Snow Passes Away (1955-2008)

Yesterday’s message in The Ten Commandments for Today series was on the first commandment. The message was called No Other Gods, taken from Exodus 20:1-3.

Exodus 20:1-3 – 1 And God spoke all these words: 2 “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. 3 “You shall have no other gods before me. (NIV)

The main idea of the message was that we should put God first before all things. Here is the outline of the message:

I. God’s double claim (verses 1-2)

    A. God’s claim by creation: “I am the Lord your God . . .”

    B. God’s claim by salvation: “. . .who brought you out of Egypt.”

II. “You shall have no other gods.”

    A. Commands belief in God
        1) Rejects atheism (Psalm 14:1; Psalm 53:1)
        2) Rejects agnosticism (Psalm 19:1-4; Romans 1:18-20)

    B. Commands belief in one God
        1) Rejects polytheism (Deuteronomy 6:4)
        2) Rejects pantheism/new age thinking (Genesis 1:1)

    C. Commands belief in the one true God
        1) Belief in the God who revealed himself to Israel (Isaiah 45:18-22)
        2) Belief in the Father, Son and Holy Spirit as revealed in the New
            Testament (John 10:30; Ephesians 4:4-6)

    D. Forbids the worship of false gods (Jeremiah 2:11; 1 Corinthians 8:5-6;
        Galatians 4:8-9)

III. “You shall have no other gods before me.”

    A. No other gods in priority

    B. No other gods in his presence

Bottom line: You shall choose, worship and serve the Lord your God, and Him only. (Mk 12:30; Deut 6:4-5)

    1) Put God first in your life.
    2) Order all your earthly affections under your love for God.
    3) Do not try to serve two masters.
    4) Make the choice every day

Note: To read the complete message, go to the Sermons tab at the top of the blog.