World’s First Church?

Updates from Todd Bolen:
    ● Earliest Church in Jordan
    ● Just Another Byzantine Church
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From the Christian Post:

Archaeologists unearthed in Jordan what they believe to be the world’s first church, according to a report Monday.

“We have uncovered what we believe to be the first church in the world, dating from 33 AD to 70 AD,” said Abdul Qader al-Hussan, the head of Jordan’s Rihab Center for Archaeological Studies, to The Jordan Times …

Hussan said his team has evidence to believe “this church sheltered the early Christians – the 70 disciples of Jesus Christ.” These 70 early Christians are said to have fled persecution in Jerusalem, particularly to Rihab, and founded churches in northern Jordan …

The underground church has been described as a cave with several stone seats believed to have been for the clergy and a circular shaped area, thought to be the apse – an area which usually contains the altar.

Baseball and Building Godly Character

As a father of three boys, I really enjoyed Randy Stinson’s recent series of posts on Baseball, Biblical Masculinity and Godly Character. Here are eleven ways Randy uses the game of baseball in the lives of his two sons to build Christian character and cultivate biblical masculinity.

      1. Play Ball:  Umpires and Understanding Authority
      2. Take One for the Team:  Self-Sacrifice and Toughness
      3. Slide!  Obedience to Authority Baseball and baseball bat
      4. You’re Out!  Unfairness
      5. Strike 3!  Failure
      6. When You Can’t Find the Plate:  Humility
      7. Keep a Short Memory:  Resilience
      8. Winners and Losers:  Grace, Mercy and Honor
      9. Thanks Coach: Gratitude
    10. Shake it Off! Leadership and Encouragement
    11. Father, Where Art Thou? The Decline of Baseball

Those are just the bullet points. You will want to read the whole series to get the explanations for each. Here are the links:  Part 1Part 2Part 3Part 4

Sunday Morning SoundBytes – 6/8/2008

Yesterday’s message in the Life of Samuel series was called Can You Hear Me Now?, taken from 1 Samuel 3:1-21. The main idea of the message was that God wants to communicate with us, and we can hear him through his Word. Here are some of the applications we looked at from this passage.

1) God desires to speak to us. God did not just create the world and walk away. God desires to speak to man and to have a relationship with us. God has always taken the initiative in speaking to man. We just need to learn to listen.

2) We don’t always hear very well. Sometimes we don’t hear very well because we need instruction. For example, Samuel did not recognize God’s voice until Eli explained it to him. Sometimes we do not hear from God because we are spiritually sluggish. It took Eli three times to figure out what was going on. But other times we do not hear God’s word because we have closed our ears to God’s word and are disobedient. Eli’s sons were like that. God wants to speak to us, but sometimes we don’t hear very well.

3) God speaks to us primarily through his Word. God rarely speaks directly to people. Even in the Bible God rarely spoke directly to an individual. Samuel was the exception, not the rule. Most people received God’s word through a prophet attested by God. So we are more like Eli than Samuel. Eli received God’s word through Samuel the prophet. We primarily receive God’s word through the Bible, which is God’s written word given through men. We need to come to God’s word with reverence and expectation, saying like Samuel, “Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening,” and then let God apply his word to our hearts and minds.

4) God is patient with us. I love the way God keeps coming back to Samuel in this passage. Four times God came and called Samuel’s name before Samuel finally got it. God is remarkably loving and patient. If you approach the Bible with a sincere and listening heart, God will speak to you through his word. You may not get it all the first time, but keep coming back.

5) God has spoken to us through Jesus. The book of Hebrews says, “In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son.” (Hebrews 1:1-2) Do you want to know who God is? Look at Jesus. All the Old Testament prophets looked forward to Christ, and all of the Scriptures are fulfilled in him. When God sent Jesus, it was as if he said, “Can you hear me now? Good!”

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

Quick Takes – 6/7/2008

LibriVox provides free audio books from the public domain. “LibriVox volunteers record chapters of books in the public domain and release the audio files back onto the net. Our goal is to make all public domain books available as free audio books.” They have a pretty impressive catalogue so far with over 1,500 books.

Tim Challies shares 9 things he learned about God from Planet Earth. “While the films were not meant to draw attention to God, as I watched them I was continually drawn to marvel in the greatness of the Lord. As the films provided a tour of so many beautiful locations and as they gave close-up shots of such incredible creatures, I saw the hand of a Creator. I saw it everywhere.”

Seth Godin compiles a helpful list of 36 things to check before sending an email. Here are a couple of items from the list. “Am I forwarding someone else’s mail? (If so, will they be happy when they find out?) … Am I forwarding something about a virus or worldwide charity effort or other potential hoax? (If so, visit snopes and check to see if it’s actually true). Did I hit ‘reply all’? If so, am I glad I did? Does every person on the list need to see it?”

La Shawn Barber writes about a fascinating condition called “synesthesia.” Synesthesia is “a neurological and involuntary phenomenon in which people ‘see’ musical notes, numbers, letters, words, or other concepts in color. For some, these things have sounds, smells, or tastes associated with them … [There are also] other forms of synesthesia like spatial and conceptual. People with spatial synesthesia see numbers, days of the weeks, or months of the year in precise locations in space.”

Narnia scholar Devin Brown reviews the Prince Caspian movie. “Some critics have noted that Prince Caspian is a darker film than the first. It is. But since it is about a later time in the children’s lives, it is also more gray than the first and less black and white. And this is another way it is more like our world. Like us, the four Pevensies must spend much of their time and energy on this second adventure simply figuring out what they are supposed to do in a world that has grown more complicated.”

Craig Blomberg presents an underused argument for Jesus’ resurrection. “When a Jewish rebel leader was killed, one of only two things ever happened. Either the movement died out, or the movement’s adherents turned to a new leader, often a family member of the first one … What never happened … is that the rebel leaders’ followers continued to accept his claim about his identity, or the claims they had made for him … Suddenly, the first generation of Jesus’ followers stands out in dramatic, unprecedented contrast.”

Paul Krugman reflects on the new economics for creative works in the digital age. “If e-books become the norm, the publishing industry as we know it may wither away. Books may end up serving mainly as promotional material for authors’ other activities, such as live readings with paid admission … Bit by bit, everything that can be digitized will be digitized, making intellectual property ever easier to copy and ever harder to sell for more than a nominal price. And we’ll have to find business and economic models that take this reality into account.”

John MacArthur explains how the average person perceives post-modern culture. “When you talk about a postmodern culture, that’s an academic assessment of the culture. The average Joe doesn’t have any idea what that means. All he knows is he’s pretty much free to think and do whatever he wants. That’s how postmodernism filters down to the guy in the pew. It’s not a philosophy—it’s a lifestyle. The average guy just knows that the culture doesn’t care what he does. The movies he sees don’t make a moral judgment on anything except racism or somebody’s intolerance. So he’s free to do whatever he wants in the society, and nobody can tell him what to be or what to do, and the bottom line is that he should feel good about himself.”

Free Audio Book Download: Pilgrim’s Progress

If you enjoy listening to audiobooks, you might want to check out this deal. Each month, ChristianAudio.com offers a free audiobook download. This month’s free selection is The Pilgrim’s Progress, by John Bunyan (run time 10 hours, 30 minutes; normally $25.98). Use the coupon code JUN2008 to download the book for free this month only.

Here is a description from the site:

John Bunyan was a simple maker and mender of pots and kettles who received very little education. In spite of that, he penned the most successful allegory ever written. He lost his first wife and was imprisoned for twelve years for his compelling—but unlicensed—preaching. Nevertheless, his preaching about the gravity of sin, salvation by grace, the cost of discipleship, perseverance, and the glory of eternal life lives on in the signs and symbols of The Pilgrim’s Progress. Embark on a perilous journey with Christian, the lead character, from the City of Destruction to the luminous safe haven of the Celestial City. The journey will encourage you to “set your hope fully on the grace to be given you” amidst the obstacles of life.

You can listen to a free audio sample from Pilgrim’s Progress here.

Celtics-Lakers: Let the Finals Begin!

    Boston Celtics Logo     Los Angeles Lakers Logo

Update: Click here for the Celtics-Lakers 2010 Finals.

The Celtics-Lakers 2008 Finals begin tonight. The Celtics and the Lakers are the two most successful basketball teams in NBA history. There have been a total of 61 NBA Finals. The Celtics and Lakers have won nearly half of them with the Celtics winning 16 and the Lakers 14. (The Chicago Bulls are the next closest team with “only” 6 championships.)

The Celtics and Lakers have met each other 10 times in the finals, the last time in 1987. The Celtics won the first 8 contests, and the Lakers won the last 2. The Lakers are looking to edge closer to Boston’s 16 championships, and the Celtics are looking to win their first championship since 1986 (over the Houston Rockets). As a long-time Boston Celtics fan, I am really looking forward to this one. This should be a great series.

UPDATE: The Celtics have now won their 17th NBA Championship. They are now 9-2 against the Lakers in Championship series. Here is a table showing all the Celtics-Lakers finals match-ups:

        Year             Champion         Opponent             Result        
2008 Celtics Lakers 4-2
1987 Lakers Celtics 4-2
1985 Lakers Celtics 4-2
1984 Celtics Lakers 4-3
1969 Celtics Lakers 4-3
1968 Celtics Lakers 4-2
1966 Celtics Lakers 4-3
1965 Celtics Lakers 4-1
1963 Celtics Lakers 4-2
1962 Celtics Lakers 4-3
1959 Celtics Lakers 4-0

Related links:

Click here for more Sports related posts.

C. S. Lewis on YouTube

Here are a couple C. S. Lewis clips I found on YouTube. The first clip is from Lewis’ March 21, 1944 radio address on BBC. This is the only surviving footage from Lewis’ 1941-1942 broadcast talks (which later appeared in book form as Mere Christianity). In this clip Lewis talks about prayer.

Lewis on BBC (Video length: 9:16)

This is just a portion of the surviving footage. You can listen to the
full audio clip at the BBC website.

The second clip is an excerpt from a lecture where Lewis talks about the novels of his friend and fellow member of The Inklings — Charles Williams.

Lewis talks about Charles Williams (Video length: 1:56)

HT: A Place for the God Hungry
Click here for Narnia related posts.

Provoking Hannah

We are studying the book of 1 Samuel in church, and I found the following dialogue helpful in bringing Hannah’s situation to life. Hannah was barren and could not have any children. Her husband had a second wife named Peninnah who did have children. The Bible tells us that Peninnah kept provoking Hannah until she wept and would not eat. Dale Davis in his commentary on 1 Samuel imagines the following conversation where Peninnah flaunts her children in front of Hannah. The dialogue begins with Peninnah speaking.

– Now do all you children have your food? Dear me, there are so many of you, it’s hard to keep track.

– Mommy, Miss Hannah doesn’t have any children.

– What did you say, dear?

– I said, Miss Hannah doesn’t have any children.

– Miss Hannah? Oh yes, that’s right – she doesn’t have any children.

– Doesn’t she want children?

– Oh yes, she wants children very, very much! Wouldn’t you say so, Hannah? [In a low aside] Don’t you wish you had children, too?

– Doesn’t Daddy want Miss Hannah to have kids?

– Oh, certainly he does – but Miss Hannah keeps disappointing him; she just can’t have kids.

– Why not?

– Why, because God won’t let her.

– Does God not like Miss Hannah?

– Well, I don’t know – what do you think? Oh, by the way, Hannah, did I tell you that I’m pregnant again?! You think you’ll ever be pregnant, Hannah?

You can just imagine how deeply a conversation like that would have hurt Hannah. And we’re told that this went on year after year. You can read the whole message on this section of Scripture here:  God’s Purpose in Prayer

Intelligent Design 3-DVD Set

Interested in learning more about intelligent design? Campus Crusade is offering the following three DVDs exploring intelligent design as a set for $29.95 (sale ends June 30th). I ordered these last week and received them in the mail yesterday. I was going to wait to post until I had viewed them, but the sale ends this month and I don’t know when I will get to them. Here are video clip previews for each of the DVDs.

Unlocking the Mystery of Life

Unlocking the Mystery of Life transports you into the interior of the living cell to explore systems and machines that bear the unmistakable hallmarks of design. Discover the intricacy of a microscopic bacterial rotary motor, which spins at 100,000 rpm. Within the nucleus explore the wonder of DNA, a thread-like molecule that stores instructions to build the essential components of every living organism. It is part of a biological information processing system more complex and more powerful than any computer network.

The Privileged Planet

We now know that a rare and finely tuned array of factors makes Earth suitable for complex life. We depend on our planet’s oxygen-rich atmosphere, its large moon, its planetary neighbors, and its precise location within the solar system and Milky Way galaxy. But the story does not end here. For the same factors that make a planet like Earth hospitable to life also provide the best conditions for scientific discovery.

The Case for a Creator by Lee Strobel

In The Case for a Creator DVD, Strobel re-examines the theories that once led him away from God. Highlighted by spectacular computer animation, The Case for a Creator DVD is a remarkable film in which you’ll encounter the mind-stretching discoveries from cosmology, cellular biology, DNA research, astronomy, physics, and human consciousness.

HT: Between Two Worlds

Another Garfield Monday – June

You know it’s Monday when …

Another Garfield Monday - June

you find more of you on your hairbrush than on you.

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Click on a month for more Garfield Mondays:  January, February, March,
    April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December

Click here for Real Life Garfield.
Click here for Garfield Monday Extra.

Check back the first Monday of each month for more Garfield Mondays.

Sunday Morning SoundBytes – 6/1/2008

Yesterday’s message in the Life of Samuel series was called Truth and Consequences, taken from 1 Samuel 2:27-36. The main idea of the message was that there are consequences for sin in our life. Here is a brief outline of the message:

I. We are accountable for God’s gifts (27-29)

    A. Eli’s privileges (27-28)
      He was chosen:
        1) to serve as priest
        2) to go up to God’s altar
        3) to burn incense
        4) to wear an ephod in God’s presence
        5) to share in the offerings made by fire

    B. Eli’s sin (29)
        1) He scorned God’s sacrifice and offering
        2) He honored his sons above God

II. We reap what we sow (30-34)

    A. Your attitude towards God matters (30)
        1) God honors those who honor him
        2) Those who despise him will be disdained

    B. God’s judgment can be severe. (31-34)
        1) Eli’s descendants would die young
        2) Eli’s two sons would die together as a sign

III. We can miss out on God’s blessing (35-36)

    A. God can fulfill his plans without you (35)

    B. God can give your blessing to someone else (36)
        1) God would raise up a faithful priest
        2) Eli’s family would be replaced

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

Ten Steven Wright Jokes (5)

  1. I xeroxed a mirror. Now I have an extra xerox machine.
  2. I put instant coffee in a microwave oven and almost went back in time.
  3. Sponges grow in the ocean. I wonder how much deeper the ocean would be if that didn’t happen.
  4. I hooked up my accelerator pedal in my car to my brake lights. I hit the gas, people behind me stop, and I’m gone.
  5. I was trying to daydream, but my mind kept wandering.
  6. For my birthday I got a humidifier and a de-humidifier … I put them in the same room and let them fight it out.
  7. I didn’t get a toy train like the other kids. I got a toy subway instead. You couldn’t see anything, but every now and then you’d hear this rumbling noise go by.
  8. When I was little, my grandfather used to make me stand in a closet for five minutes without moving. He said it was elevator practice.
  9. They say we’re 98% water. We’re that close to drowning. (Takes a drink from a glass of water.) I like to live on the edge.
  10. I bought some powdered water, but I don’t know what to add to it.

Other Posts in the Series: