You got to be Skubalonin' ME!

"A word to those of you out there who have yet to be offended by something I have written or said: Please be patient. I am working as fast as I can." –Ann Coulter, 2006

My goal for this blog is to keep most of the entries relating to Reformation Theology instead of partisan politics but occasionally I can't help myself. I love Ann Coulter! I think it is safe to say that most of us in the Reformed circle don't lean toward the left when it comes to our political views as citizens of the earthly kingdom.

I have no idea of Ann Coulter’s theology other than what is in some of her writings, but I am amazed that the things she says and I wish more of the so-called Christianity in America will have the same firm convictions that she has. She is not trapped like politicians or some in the American religion community that feel that they have to conform to the moral relativesnes of our culture. In other words, she doesn’t have worry about getting elected (or re-elected) to office or worry if the public will consider her religious views as too intolerant. She can say the truth as she sees it about Islam and liberals and she will.

And she is also a babe. And single. Since she is so opinionated I doubt she will ever marry. Most men believe that engaging in an argument with a woman is futile. You can imagine how a man would feel if he ever got into an argument with Ann Coulter as a wife! Never-the-less, when my best friend and I discussing Ann Coulter we just say “The BABE said this on Bill O'Reilly yesterday. . . ”

Her latest book Godless: The Church of Liberalism is hitting a core with religious Americans because it immediately rose to the number one position on bestseller list, and it is driving those on the political left nuts! She lives for this controversy. Not only she tells the truth about the godlessness and looneyness of the left, but being a right-wing babe just adds salt to the wound.

And when I first saw the cover of the book Soulless: Ann Coulter and the Right-Wing Church of Hate by Susan Estrich my reaction was "you got to be skubalonin' ME!" Susan's book cover looks exactly like Ann’s book. It is hilarious! But poor Susan will never sell the numbers that Ann sells because she is right and she a babe.

Timotheus
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When Christianity Doesn't Work!

Too Good To Be True: Finding Hope in a World of Hype by Michael Horton (Zondervan, 2006 - $16.95).

“Christianity is not true because it works. In many cases, it does not work. That is to say, it does not solve all the problems we think it should solve. It isn't a technique for our personal therapy, but the truth that God has overcome sin and death in the cross and resurrection of Christ. Those who became Christians because they were told it would fix their marriages, only to find themselves in divorce court, might well give up on Christianity. Those who expected to be free of all their sinful habits, temptations, and desires after a conversion in which sudden victory was promised may find themselves disillusioned with God altogether, when they realized they are still sinners saved by grace.” (Pages 126 and 127)

I spent many years of my adult life in the Christian retail industry and during those years I have seen my share of aggressive marketing of Jesus’ name being sold as a product. Still till this day I see churches aggressively marketing Jesus’ name with slogans like “just give Jesus a chance,” and sermons that seems to be more of a motivational speech of good advice because is more marketable than the proclamation of good news.

Just check out the books on the Christian bestseller list. You will see books like Your Best Life Now: 7 Steps to Living at Your Full Potential (by Joel Osteen) and Look Great, Feel Great: 12 Keys to Enjoying a Healthy Life Now (by Joyce Meyers). After reading such skubalon theology (which is Christless) one would get the impression if we follow the advices given that God will make us happy, healthy, and wealthy. So who need the church when I can hear the same good advice messages from Ophrah or Doctor Phil?

What happens when we become sick, bankrupt, or depressed? Is it because we didn’t follow the “7 Steps to Living at” our “full potential,” or has God just abandoned us? The answer according to Michael Horton is too good to be true. Mike Horton present the most awesome truth missing from the sermons of likes Joel Osteen and Joyce Meyer and that is the only good news we need in difficult times is the message of the cross!

Through the cross God came down to us. The message we get with so many of the so-called evangelical leaders is that in order to obtain all the blessing of God we must climb up to God. As a child Mike Horton “would run up the down escalator, trying to beat it to the top.” I know many of my dear Christian brothers and sisters who are like a child running up the down escalator believing that they could climb up to God under their own steam. The good news is that it is Jesus descended to us, even in the tough times. This book is a reminder that “all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28 – ESV)

Why these theological issues matters? Well, from the very day we are born we are living in bodies that decaying as a result of Adam’s sin. We all are going to face hard times, sickness, and death. I am reminded of this every time I drive or walk by a cemetery. So I recommend this book to every one who is going to die someday and need to be reminded that through the cross Christ conquered death!

Timotheus
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Ingrown Toenail and Going to Church

This entry on my blog is dedicated to another blogger and friend, Jessica.

Jessica has written on her blog a while back about her struggles in finding a new church home. Believe me I understand. Every since I moved to this rinky-dink little town it has been very difficult for me not only to find a church home but to attend worship service regularly. As many of my online friends know I work swing shifts. It makes it very difficult to attend church services regularly. In fact, 4 days this week I am working 10 pm to 8am in which midnight to 8am I am working at the office alone. My duties on this shift are to man the phones and watch our computer networks. If our networks have any problems I am to report it immediately an engineer, even if I have to wake them up! So, even if I ever get a Sunday off it is still very difficult to get up to attend worship services because I am often so exhausted on Sunday mornings.

Not attending church regularly makes it also very difficult to be motivated to attend. It is like my ingrown toenail (and I will be glad to explain this illustration). Often I would go walking in a local park either before or after work. The exercise is fun, it gives me a chance to get some exercise, and it helps me to control my blood sugar. When I first started walking it was really difficult to get motivated because diabetes makes me sooooo tired all the time.

Slowly I began to motivate myself to start walking. At first I started to walk to one end of the park and back. In a few days I began to walk the entire one and half mile of the course. Before long I am walking the entire course twice (three miles). Now I am on a roll and I am feeling so much better until I started to develop an ingrown toenail. UGH!

The ingrown toenail killed my enthusiasm for walking. Last year I had the same problem. When I was really getting into the walking the ingrown toenail interrupted the momentum of my enthusiasm and when this happened it took months before I was able to build the enthusiasm back to the same level.

It is the same way with church attendants. When I don’t go to church for several weeks it is hard to motivate myself to go to church when I am able. The last three weeks has been good to me because I was able to attend church services three Sundays in a row. I have been attending a good Reformed Presbyterian Church that is about 15 min away from where I live. At first, it was hard to motivate myself to get up, dressed, and to drive myself to the church. After attending three weeks in row I am getting enthusiastic about attending. However, the next work schedule will be posted soon and undoubtedly it will kill the enthusiasm because I will be working some Sundays again. Just like what the ingrown toenail did to my walking.

So Jessica once you find a good Reformed church that you will decide to call your home it will get easier to get into the habit of attending especially when you get to know the people of the new church. I know that attending a new church is hard, and even harder if you are a single Christian attending a new church alone. Let us know how it is going with church search.

Your Brother

Timothy
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PS – After work today I will be going to the doctor to have the ingrown toenail cut out!