Ray Fowler .org

78-year-old Alec Garrard has spent more than 30 years constructing a 1:100 scale model of Herod’s Temple in his back yard. The original temple was built by King Herod the Great between 19 B.C. and A.D. 4 and was destroyed by the Romans in A.D. 70. Garrard’s model measures 20ft by 12 ft and is considered one of the best representations of the historical temple in the world.

“I’ve always loved making models and as I was getting older I started to think about making one big project which would see me through to the end of my life,” Garrard said. “I have an interest in buildings and religion so I thought maybe I could combine the two and I came up with the idea of doing the Temple. I’d seen one or two examples of it in Biblical exhibitions, but I thought they were rubbish and I knew I could do better. I have been working on it for decades but it will never be finished as I’m always finding something new to add.”

Thousands of visitors from all over the world have come to see the model, and Garrard provides them with binoculars so they can see all the details.

Garrard has written a book with information about the temple and detailed photographs of his model: The Splendor Of The Temple: A Pictorial Guide to Herod’s Temple and Its Ceremonies. You can also view a picture gallery of the temple model here.

Related post: Behold the Temple!

STUPID CRIME EDITION.

Forgot something. Go figure. A Florida man ran out of gas after robbing a gas station. The police picked him up down the road from the station.

Facebook addict. A 19-year-old man snatched a Starbucks customer’s laptop after being told he could not use it to check his Facebook account. He was caught in the parking lot and charged with felony robbery by sudden snatching.

Burgling the burglars. Patrick Rosario was in his basement when he heard a pair of burglars upstairs. He snuck outside where he found the burglars’ van with the motor running and the keys in the ignition, so he got in and drove away. When the burglars came out and found their van gone, they left Rosario’s belongings at the door and escaped on foot.

Each month ChristianAudio.com offers a free audiobook download. This month’s free selection is Donald Whitney’s Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life (run time 9 hours; normally $14.98). I have read a number of Whitney’s materials and found them helpful and clear. Use the coupon code MAR2009 to download the book for free this month only.

Here is a description from the site:

It’s not uncommon for an accomplished musician to be able to sit down in front of a new piece of music and play it through without a hitch. To make it seem easy, as if it required no effort. Yet the “freedom” to play with such skill comes only after years of disciplined practice.

In the same way, the freedom to grow in godliness—to naturally express Christ’s character through your own personality—is in large part dependent on a deliberate cultivation of the spiritual disciplines.

Far from being legalistic, restrictive, or binding, as they are often perceived, the spiritual disciplines are actually the means to unparalleled spiritual liberty … Whitney takes you through a carefully selected array of disciplines that includes Scripture reading, prayer, worship, Scripture meditation, evangelism, serving, stewardship, Scripture application, fasting, silence and solitude, journaling, and learning.

You can listen to a free audio sample from Spiritual Disciplines here.

Lenten Series:
    1. What is Lent?
    2. Should Christians Celebrate Lent?
    3. Should I Give Something Up for Lent?
    4. What is Ash Wednesday?
    5. What is Maundy Thursday?
    6. What is Good Friday?
    7. What is Easter?

Many people observe the tradition of “giving up something” for Lent. Is this something that we should practice as Christians, and if so how should we go about it? I must confess that this is not something that we practice in our own home. However, I believe it can be a good thing when done with the proper attitude and a right understanding of the Scriptures.

What is the right attitude in giving up something for Lent? First of all, we should do so in a spirit of love and humility before Christ. It is not a religious requirement, but rather, like fasting, it is something that we do voluntarily in response to God. Also, we should not think that this is a way to gain acceptance before God. Scripture is clear that we are accepted before God by faith in Jesus Christ alone, without any added works of our own. (Romans 4:5)

So what should you give up for Lent? It has been said that the only thing some people give up for Lent are their New Year’s resolutions! If you do decide to give something up for Lent, here are a few guidelines.

1. Don’t make it something light or frivolous, something you would never miss anyway. It is an offering to the Lord, and you should consider it sacred. It is a recognition of the price Jesus paid for you. Don’t make a mockery of it. On the other hand:
2. Don’t make it something so heavy or burdensome that you cannot follow through on it (food, water, air, etc.). The Bible encourages us to consider our vows carefully before making them. It is better not to vow at all than to make a vow and break it. (Ecclesiastes 5:4-5) Some of us would do better to apportion our sacrifice throughout the Lenten period rather than try to make it through the whole season. You might find some personal fast days between you and the Lord scattered throughout the Lenten season to be very meaningful in your spiritual life.
3. Don’t give up something sinful for Lent. It’s not that you shouldn’t give up sin, but repentance is not seasonal. Sin must be rejected daily, all the time, not just given up for a season. Lenten offerings, like fasting, should be the temporary yielding of something good out of love for God.
4. Don’t give up something thinking that somehow God will view you as more righteous or acceptable in his sight because of your sacrifice. If you are a believer, you can never be more accepted by God than you already are in Jesus Christ. Always remember, it is Christ’s sacrifice that makes you righteous in God’s eyes, not yours. “To obey is better than sacrifice.” (1 Samuel 15:22) God wants your heartfelt obedience far more than any sacrifice you may make for him. (Mark 12:32-33)

 
In the long run, perhaps we should think more along the lines of giving things up for the Lord rather than for Lent. What do you think?

Related post: Giving Up Church for Lent

Yesterday’s message in the Gospel of Mark series was called Ministry Life, taken from Mark 1:29-39. The message looked at what we can learn about ministry from a day in the life of Jesus. Here is a brief outline:

I. Ministry with individuals (verses 29-31)
    A. Jesus cares for individual people.
    B. Nothing is too big or small for God.

II. Ministry with groups (verses 32-34)
    A. Jesus can meet all types of need.
    B. Jesus demonstrated his power over sickness and Satan.

III. Time alone with God (verses 35-39)
    A. Jesus made time alone with God a priority.
    B. Jesus put God before people.

Note: Click on the Sermons tab at the top of the blog for this and other messages.

I’m not into exercising. Yesterday my wife said, “Let’s walk around the block.” I said, “Why? We’re already here.”
  – Comedian Wendell Potter

According to U.S News and World Report, the Obama administration is vetting the prayers offered by various religious leaders before President Obama’s appearances. White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki says that this has “been standard since the campaign.”

In a departure from previous presidents, [Obama’s] public rallies are opening with invocations that have been commissioned and vetted by the White House … Though invocations have long been commonplace at presidential inaugurations and certain events like graduations or religious services at which presidents are guests, the practice of commissioning and vetting prayers for presidential rallies is unprecedented in modern history.

Barry W. Lynn, executive director of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, (who is against prayers being offered in State settings) said, “The only thing worse than having these prayers in the first place is to have them vetted, because it entangles the White House in core theological matters.” Dr. Albert Mohler, president of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, comments:

I rarely find myself in agreement with Barry Lynn, but I am with him on this issue — at least with respect to his argument that this practice “entangles the White House in core theological matters.” Of course it does. When a White House approves or edits prayers, it has entered theological territory and takes on a theological function … The government has no authority and no proper role in the vetting of prayer. No Christian should allow any prayer to bear the label, “This prayer approved by the White House.”

What do you think about the practice of vetting prayers for government occasions?

Related posts:

• Rick Warren’s Inaugural Prayer
• Palin, Prayer and Precedent
• Palin, Prayer and Pipelines

Lenten Series:
    1. What is Lent?
    2. Should Christians Celebrate Lent?
    3. Should I Give Something Up for Lent?
    4. What is Ash Wednesday?
    5. What is Maundy Thursday?
    6. What is Good Friday?
    7. What is Easter?

Ash Wednesday is the first day of Lent. It is a day to focus on the holiness of God and our need for repentance from sin. In Biblical times it was common for the sinner to repent in sackcloth and ashes. Sackcloth was a symbol of humility before the Lord. The ashes are a reminder of man’s mortality. God pronounced his judgment upon man in the garden after he sinned — “You shall return to the ground from which you were taken, for dust you are, and to dust you will return.” (Genesis 3:19) Thus dust and ashes became a common element in public repentance. As Job said, “My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you. Therefore I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes.” (Job 42:5-6)

The ashes on the forehead in the sign of the cross are a double reminder. The ashes remind us of our mortality due to sin. The sign of the cross is a reminder that forgiveness comes only through Jesus Christ and his death for us. It is important to remember that the ashes are only a symbol. They are meaningless apart from a genuinely repentant faith in Jesus Christ. “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 6:23).

Lenten Series:
    1. What is Lent?
    2. Should Christians Celebrate Lent?
    3. Should I Give Something Up for Lent?
    4. What is Ash Wednesday?
    5. What is Maundy Thursday?
    6. What is Good Friday?
    7. What is Easter?

Should Christians celebrate Lent? Some people think of Lent as a Catholic observance, but it is neither Catholic nor Protestant. Many non-Catholic churches celebrate Lent as well.

There is no specific command in the Bible to celebrate Lent or Ash Wednesday, but then there are no commands to celebrate Christmas, Good Friday or Easter either. These are simply special days which the church has set apart to remember certain aspects of our Lord’s life and to reflect on our proper response to him.

Although it is not necessary to observe Lent, there is no reason why Christians should not celebrate Lent if they so choose. It is just another way to remember our Lord Jesus and what he has done for us.

“One man considers one day more sacred than another; another man considers every day alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind.” (Romans 14:5)

Lenten Series:
    1. What is Lent?
    2. Should Christians Celebrate Lent?
    3. Should I Give Something Up for Lent?
    4. What is Ash Wednesday?
    5. What is Maundy Thursday?
    6. What is Good Friday?
    7. What is Easter?

The Lenten Season comprises forty days before Easter during which participating Christians prepare to celebrate the death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. The forty days are symbolic of Christ’s forty days in the wilderness in preparation for ministry. This is traditionally a time of repentance, thoughtful reflection, and often fasting. Lent begins with Ash Wednesday.

If you look at the calendar, you will notice that there are actually forty-six days between Ash Wednesday and Easter. The six Sundays between Ash Wednesday and Easter are not included as Lenten days. This is because Sunday is the Lord’s Day, the day on which Christ rose from the dead. All Sundays are meant to be a celebration of the resurrection of Christ. By excluding the Sundays from Lent, Christians emphasize this often forgotten reason why we actually worship on Sundays. Every week we celebrate our Lord’s resurrection.

Someone recently asked me about Ash Wednesday and Lent at our church, so I thought it would be good to write up a brief series on the topic. Here are the proposed links to the series. I may add more as I go along. The links will become active as each article is published.

Lenten Series:
    1. What is Lent?
    2. Should Christians Celebrate Lent?
    3. Should I Give Something Up for Lent?
    4. What is Ash Wednesday?
    5. What is Maundy Thursday?
    6. What is Good Friday?
    7. What is Easter?

Trackback: Fort Lauderdale Examiner: How can Protestant grandparents help grandchildren understand the Lenten season?

Don Carson is conducting a two-weekend seminar aimed at providing an overview of the Bible and the gospel message, especially for those not familiar with the Bible.

Learning to evangelize men and women who know nothing about the Bible and who are bringing their own “baggage” or “context” with them does not require a super intellect or a Ph.D. in biblical theology. What it requires is learning to get across a lot of things that we Christians simply presuppose.

There are quite a lot of ways of doing this. One of them is to focus on a variety of biblical texts drawn from across the entire Bible and work through them with people. One might begin with Genesis 1-2: “The God who makes everything.” Genesis 3 becomes “The God who does not wipe out rebels.” We keep working through the Old Testament and eventually arrive at the New, coming to topics like “The God who becomes a human being” (John 1:1-18). The wonderful atonement passage in Romans 3 covers “The God who declares the guilty just.” Gradually the Bible becomes a coherent book. It establishes its own framework; it is the context in which alone Jesus, the real Jesus, makes sense.

This is similar to the method that New Tribes Mission uses with unreached tribes that have no Biblical framework to understand Christ, sort of a Biblical-theological approach to missions. (See post here on The Taliabo Story.) Here is Carson’s complete 16-point overview tracing the storyline of Scripture:

      1. The God who made everything
      2. The God who does not wipe out rebels
      3. The God who writes his own agreements
      4. The God who legislates
      5. The God who reigns
      6. The God who makes his people sing
      7. The God who is unfathomably wise
      8. The God who is coming
      9. The God who becomes a human being
    10. The God who grants new birth
    11. The God who loves
    12. The God who dies–and lives
    13. The God who declares the guilty just
    14. The God who gathers and transforms his people
    15. The God who is very angry
    16. The God who triumphs

Update: The lectures from the seminar have now been released in book form: The God Who Is There: Finding Your Place in God’s Story