This has been a really good day. (Thanksgiving Day, 2008) I started it off by sleeping in. Continue reading
Author Archives: Clark Bunch
Happy Thanksgiving
“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights…” -James 1:17
I want to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving. We may not have every single thing we might wish for, be we have been richly, richly blessed. The unemployment rate is up to 6%, but in some nations the unemployment rate is typically 96% or so. Over half of the world’s population lives on less than the equivalent of $2 per day. We’re doing pretty well. Let’s remember where blesings come from.
You can read my Thanksgiving sermon from Sunday. I’ve also started blogging Christmas.
Santa Claus Has Not Sold Out
One of my favorite quotes might need some explaining. “The Fourth of July is not now, nor has it ever been, what it used to be.” If you get it, move on to the next paragraph. If not, it’s another way of saying that memory is generative. Imagine being 9 years old. 4th of July is a magical time of hotdogs, baseball, fireworks, camping, cookouts, and it seems like nothing could make that holiday better. The truth is, there were also social evils in the world, unemployment, crime; you just did not know about it. Some people hated Independence Day with an undying passion, perhaps hated America. But over the years, you remember how great it was, and any problems you were aware of at the time have vanished from your memories. When you hear someone say “The 4th of July is not what it used to be,” they’re right. It’s not. And it never was what they remember. Continue reading
A Thanksgiving Sermon
Tomorrow is Sunday, November 23, and Thanksgiving Day is the following Thursday. I will be preaching this sermon in the morning, perhaps it will be a blessing to someone here as well. Anyone may feel free to use this material in a way that brings glory and honor to God.
We are going to begin with 4 scripture readings, used at different times during the service. You will note that there is one reading each from the Old Testament, New Testament, Psalms and a Gospel. The final reading is the text of the sermon. Continue reading
The Abbreviated Jesus
When I started this blog, one of the secret little promises I made myself was that it wouldn’t be an Internet Monk fan site. Listening to his podcast is one of the reasons I started blogging myself. If you read this blog, you know that from time to time I link other blogs with posts of interest. Michael Spencer wrote a piece on the “abbreviated Jesus” this week, here’s a snippet that made me laugh out loud:
“The abbreviated Jesus can convincingly seem like the real Jesus, until you look and listen closely. Then it appears that he’s lost his laptop, his luggage and his cell phone. So for right now, he’s reading it all off the teleprompter.”
Read Do You Trust the Abbreviated Jesus? at internetmonk for the full story.
PBS Documentary on Martin Luther
Over the years, PBS has produced a series of programs on the history of empires. In 2003, they made 2 special episodes on Martin Luther. (Liam Neeson provides the narration.) Thanks to Hulu, these are available for your viewing pleasure at any time.
UPDATE: These were available for a very long time but have finally been removed from Hulu’s library. 3/31/14
The PBS website for the the films is still up at this address for the time being. I don’t know about getting the video but there is plenty to read.
The Invisible Sky Bully
The invisible sky bully; have you ever heard God referred to that way? Even worse than calling him the “invisible man in the sky” is the notion that God pushes people around because he is bigger than them. A real bully is often a coward, and throws his weight around or intimidates those smaller than himself with words. Those promoting the sky bully myth would have you to believe that God orders people to worship him, and sends to hell anyone that doesn’t. It makes it easier to not believe in a God that could be like that, or helps people to doubt there is such a God. In a way that’s good, because there isn’t a god like that. Continue reading
Total Depravity/Gospel Sermon
This video well illustrates the point that it is our very nature to be evil. He offers loads of scripture to back his claims. Don’t give up on it too early; hang in there, it ends with a presentation of the Gospel. They give you all of the bad news first, but the good news is in there.
Vodpod videos no longer available.
more about “Paul Washer – Total Depravity/Gospel …“, posted with vodpod
The Godless Revolution That Never Happened
I want to link to this article on atheism, but I’m afraid to at the same time. I’m going to wind up getting into an argument that I wish I hadn’t started. The name of the blog is Heritage and Destiny, and while the title of the post is Culture Wars, it is really about the false claims of atheism. Here it is, please click the link and read it. I believe atheism is a growing trend, but this article sites Gallup Poll information that shows the numbers have been pretty consistent over the years, and atheists are still quite a minority. The new atheists may be louder, but according to the data are not growing in numbers any faster than the old passive atheists did.
Old Testament God is the God of the New Testament
In a lot of people’s minds, God is this angry, loud, vengeful monster in the Old Testament of the Bible. Some non-Christians tell us we have two gods, the Old Testament one with the commandments and judgements, and the New Testament one offering grace and mercy. The God of the Bible is one; he gives commandments, he judges, but also offers to extend grace and mercy instead. The dichotomy may be apparent, but isn’t a matter of fact. Continue reading
The Master's Table 