Tag Archives: internet monk

The Read and Share File

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The Six Commandments?  A federal judge suggests that public displays of the 10 commandments can be made constitutional by removing the four that directly mention God or the Sabbath.  More here.

Tim Challies comments on The State of Preaching. Notice what he says about the Gospel.

Ridley Scott (director of Alien and it’s prequel Prometheus) says he plans to direct a Moses film. Scott is skeptical of all religion, calling it “the source of all evil.”

Chaplain Mike, of Internet Monk, takes a break from reformed theology and reminds us he has a sense of humor in Signs You May Have Hit the Wall.

I enjoy celebrating a good *blogiversary, and  Tall Skinny Kiwi just turned nine. 

It’s apparently been around for a while, but I just saw the Blue Like Jazz trailer this weekend (before watching MIB3).

…

*There is some disagreement on spelling.  I prefer blogoversary, the same way we spell blogosphere.  Blogiversary uses the letter i presumably to look more like anniversary; I used the same spelling in this post that Andrew used.  I’m probably overthinking it, one of the marks of a good blogger.

The Read and Share File

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April 5th marks the second anniversary of the passing of Michael Spencer.  The house that Michael built, Internet Monk, paid homage to his legacy.  My tribute to Michael is here; I was privileged to know him in real life before ever learning about Internet Monk.  I didn’t even know what blogging was. 

I received an email about Christian Youth Initiative Worldwide.  I’m still in the process of finding out more myself, but they seem to be on the up and up.  There is a blog, but also Grok Radio – whatever that is.  It’s worth a look.

Remember What Would Jesus Do?  Michael Kelly asks the question “What would you do it you knew you were going to die on Friday?”  Then he lists several things Jesus did.  Interesting thought.

I may not have linked him before, but Mike Ratliff writes some good stuff at Possessing the Treasure.  The Son of Man is the Good Shepherd is a great example.  Go back and read all of Mike’s posts for this week.

Remember Ed Young, of Sexperiment fame?  Out of Ur shares with us his latest stunt: baptizing with sharks.

From Desiring God Ministries, Race and the Christian is available for download.  Originally live-streamed, you can watched John Piper, Tim Keller and Anthony Bradley or download the video.  There is also a Q&A session at the same link.

Aida Spencer (Christian Post blogs) shares a personal story of discovery in What Does Easter Mean?    *please note: Aida and William Spencer are both ordained Presbyterian ministers.  I’m not asking you to join her church, just read the blog post.

Finally tonight, please pray for Chuck Colson. He is recovering from brain surgery but still in critical condition.  Known for founding Prison Fellowship (and for his role in Watergate) the 80-year-old Colson was speaking last Friday when he fell ill, and had surgery on Saturday morning.

The Answer is Jesus

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“If God is the question, Jesus is the answer.”

That’s why I love Michael Spencer.  I still read Christian blogs, including Internet Monk.  I author a Christian blog, but haven’t found anything that gets my gears turning the way Spencer did.  Read this classic iMonk post to see what I’m talking about.

Michael Spencer was blogging before I knew what a blog was. He started internetmonk.com 12 years ago, really getting in on the ground floor of the Christian blogosphere. Chaplain Mike and others keep the dream alive at iMonk after Michael passed away in April of 2010.  I was a disciple of  Michael in real life for seven years, and he had a profound impact on the way I think about ministry.  The post linked above cuts right to the heart Christianity.

Memorial Service for Michael Spencer

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UPDATE:  Check out internetmonk.com for transcript/ audio of the memorial service.

Services were held this afternoon for the Internet Monk Michael Spencer.  The Internet has abounded this week with articles of tribute and expressions of sympathy for the family.  David Head and Bill Haynes both did excellent jobs.  David has a remarkable understanding of how Spencer’s ministry reaches a worldwide audience through his blog, and Bill did exactly what Michael asked him to; he preached the Gospel. Continue reading →

Bittersweet

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My dad often says that his crayon box has only 8 colors.  He was once told the color sample he was holding was pumpkin, not orange.  (He came home from work and asked me what color pumpkins were, just to make his point.)  Children do flavors one at a time.  It starts with baby food – peas, carrots, apple sauce – then extends into not letting their foods touch each other on the plate.  Children also have simple emotions; they like to feel one thing at a time and be able to identify it.  At some point during adolescence, we become aware of mixed emotions.  Sometimes things to be celebrated also make us sad.  We cry at weddings, the birth of a child, and graduation.  We also grieve after the death of a loved one, yet rejoice at the same time during the passing of a Christian. Continue reading →

There is Much to Pray For

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I noted at church this morning there seems to be more things to pray about than usual.  We’re in one of those seasons that “casting our cares upon him” takes a little more time and effort, but seasons change and this too shall pass.

Pray for the people of Hatti, as well as those who will go there bringing relief and doing what they can to help.  I know a group of church pastors personally who make regular trips to Hatti, and even now are gathering donations and preparing to go.  Let’s ignore the Pat Robertsons of the world who claim this is God’s judgment, and mobilize to give aid and live out the Gospel.  I don’t think Jesus would sit around saying “I told you so.”  He touched the sick, ate with sinners, washed the disciples feet, and told us to do the same.  We have blessed with much so that we can bless others. Continue reading →

Pray for InternetMonk

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Please continue to pray for Michael Spencer.

To be honest, I don’t know who I’m writing this to.  IMonk has a much larger audience than my own, and anyone reading my blog probably already reads him.  Nevertheless, he really is sick and asking others to pray makes me feel better and hopefully he appreciates it as well.

In his latest podcast, he says that during times of illness, he tends to be more humble.  Those of us that work with him in ministry got a Facebook update to the effect of “you guys carry on.”  This is the least “control freak” I’ve ever seen him.  If you listen to the podcast, he sounds a little off, and doesn’t know when he will broadcast another one.  He has not been preaching or teaching for the past week, and will not be for a while.

Remember him in prayer, that’s all I’m saying.  And maybe send a Joel Osteen e-greeting reminding him to keep thinking positive thoughts – that ought’a do the trick.

The Jesus Disconnect

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jesusThis blog has two stated purposes, clearly displayed in the headline banner: to be God honoring and Christ centered.  Those words are written there to both advertise what this blog is about, but also to remind the author what this blog is supposed to be about.  We must keep our eyes on the prize; so said the Apostle Paul, in a manner of speaking.  For the Christian – take note of the first five letters of that word – Christ must be the central theme running through everything we do, from studying the Bible to blogging on the internet. 

I’ve written on this several times before (read the About page) and have to fight the temptation to repeat everything.  InternetMonk has posted on nothing but the Jesus Disconnect  for the past couple of days.  He notes that many professing Christians show interest in the death and resurrection of Jesus, but are less focused on his actual ministry.  Some do not see his ministry as having any relevance to “our ministry” at all.  Continue reading →

Jesus Shaped Spirituality

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jesus-shapedWhat is Jesus Shaped Spirituality?  That is precisely the question that the InternetMonk tried to answer earlier this week.  In short, it is about making sure that our Christianity is modeled after the teachings and examples given to us by the Jesus of the Bible. 

If you’re a regular at this site, you know that I have written several posts on the examples given by Jesus.  Click “Jesus’ Examples” in the Categories list at right for a complete listing.  Each post is a specific lesson (or lessons) that we are to learn from something Jesus did himself, and in many cases encouraged his followers to go on doing.  Jesus didn’t lecture on how to be a Christian; he went around ministering to people’s needs and told his followers to keep doing the same things they had witnessed him doing. 

iMonk explains what a Jesus Shaped Spirituality looks like when we read the Scriptures and are challenged to conform to the image of Christ.  It’s not about denomination, emerging or church tradition.  It’s about each of us taking up our cross and following Jesus Christ.  Check it out. 

The Abbreviated Jesus

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bargainjesusWhen 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.