Chamber Singers

Is the Virtual Circle Done?

2008-11-16T09:24:00.004-05:00

Random Pictures of our daughter

Ari is trying to give Curious George a drink.

Arianna in her Halloween Costume. Lady Bug

Ari and Daddy playing in the leaves

Hmmm.

Cute.

Lookin' outside

Some news to report

2008-03-25T10:58:00.003-05:00

Well, it seems like forever since anyone checked or posted on this site, so I'll post a bit of news. Our second daughter was just born on Good Friday. Selah Joy Huff came into the world, finally, and is another great addition to our family. I've posted video and pics of her on my blog (thejewfirst.blogspot.com) , so feel free to take a peek. I hope everyone had a great Easter. Later...

So...is anyone out there?

2008-01-16T22:59:00.000-05:00

Well I noticed that the Chamber Singers Blog has kind of been in a recession. I thought that I would at least write a post to say hi.

2007-10-22T21:21:00.000-05:00

Chamber Singers Support Letters

Signing Party

2007-10-04T20:05:00.000-05:00

Here are some pictures that are long overdue. Laura Ari and I met up with Doc and Connie at Italian Fest in Scranton this past month. here are some pics. Yes the third picture down is not a joke. Laura had no shame in just walking out in front of the lady and snapping a picture. I love my wife. That was a gutsy move.

Freedom from the Law

2007-10-02T11:03:00.000-05:00

Hello virtual chambers friends. I trust that the circle is doing well as it ever expands through the endless bounds of cyber-space. A month has passed since the last post, so I thought I'd share a bit about what God has been teaching me. Hopefully this won't be too controversial. To quote John MacArthur from his message Why Every Self-Respecting Calvinist should be a Pre-Millenialist, "I don't want you to take this personally. It's not an attack on anybody. This is just a concern I've had for a long long time..." Yeah right :-/

Anyhoo, our pastor has been preaching through Galatians, and recently spoke on chapter 3:19-25. I would highly recommend his messages on Galatians if you have extra time (www.fvbc.org under sermons). My mind was awakened to the great truth that we are no longer under any aspects of the OT Law. Its original purpose was to guide God's people until the heir to the Old Testament promises came. If we take the OT by itself, we would think that Israel was the heir to those promises, but Galatians enlightens us to God's greater purpose. Gal. 3:16 says that Christ was the one to whom the promise God told Abraham (Gen. 12, 15) really was meant for. Yes, Israel benefited from this promise, but Christ was the one to whom it was made, and if we are in Christ, then we are also heirs according to promise (3:29). Christ, therefore, marks the end of the time in which the Law was our only source to know God's mind. This law can never bring light to our souls; only Christ can do that. Now that Christ has come, the law isn't partially fulfilled or dimmed; "He has hushed the law's loud thunder. He has quenched Mt. Sinai's flame."

If then the law has completed its work of guiding God's people until Christ came, it is fulfilled and not necessary for salvation. If that is true, why would we try to gain favor or right status with God by trying to live by the law. Those OT rules, while still showing us the moral standards of God, are now greatly surpassed by Christ and the way He tells us to live in the NT. That is such a freeing thought. All we can do is live in and by the new Law of Christ He has written on our hearts by the Holy Spirit. I'm not purporting anti-nomianism (anti-law) or that we can do whatever we want now because the OT law doesn't apply, but saying that the OT law was never intended to save anyone because its purpose was to point us to the heir of God's OT promises, Christ.

You may be saying, so what does this have to do with us. Well, the idea that I was taught once upon a time, was that the law is still in effect today, but they were partially fulfilled in Christ. Things like not eating certain foods or having to sacrifice are specifically addressed in the NT as being done away with, but other commands that weren't addressed are still in effect. I think that is a false assumption. According to Galatians and really the whole NT, ALL the promises of God are "Yes and AMEN" in Christ, not just some of them. What an encouraging challenge. We are all a part of God's people, whether Jew or Gentile, slave or free, man or woman (Gal. 3:28).

On a more personal note, Charis (our little girl) is now walking, I'm working full-time at my church (for now), God is blessing us with another little baby that will be here sometime in March, I started recording a solo music album, and my b-ball team, the Cubs, have made the playoffs. We continually trust in God's sovereign plan to guide our steps each day. You are all in our prayers. Later...

http://www.fvbcresources.org/audio/20070930.mp3

2007-09-01T16:00:00.000-05:00

I can't tell you how great it is and how excited it makes me to be back in circle on a more permanent basis... Being in the Chamber Singers is an influential and unforgettable thing.

AND, since Jill and I were going to the store for some things anyways, we decided to go to JCPenney and start getting ideas for the always-fun-and-never-so-easy job of picking out outfits (I really never thought I'd be doing this again). We found some ideas that might work, and many of these are on sale right now. Please look at the pictures and give feedback on here and in rehearsal!

Blue with charcoal gray pants/skirts

Red, White, and Black with Black pants/skirts

Purple and Gray with black pants/skirts

Teal and off-white with black or tan pants/skirts

Thanks, all, for your input! Oh, and good news for those of us who need passports...I officially sent my application in on Friday (through the post office). I was told that because of the time of year, I should get in back by Thanksgiving. Make sure you're applying NOW, so that you get it without having any danger of delay.

I am engaged :)

2007-08-02T21:10:00.000-05:00

Hello friends! I'm afraid it's been way too long since I've posted on this blog. I wanted to tell all of you my exciting news. This past Monday my Jonathan surprised me with a beautiful ring and asked me to marry him. I said "yes!" and we're planning a wedding for next summer. I plan to return to West Chester, PA for me second (and final) year of grad school in just a few weeks. Hope you're all doing well!

~Emily :)

Idolatry and Harry Potter

2007-07-11T09:52:00.000-05:00

My plans for last night were great. I was going to hang out at the in-laws for a bit before heading off to see the Harry Potter film at the midnight showing. We arrived there 1:30 early and were already way back in the line. However, as God would have it, we were the first ones into our particular theater. After we got in we began the arduous process of waiting that last hour in our seats. It went by reasonably fast, with good conversation and a deck of cards to pass the time. However, when it was after midnight with no movie, we began to get a little antsy.

But, as expected, the movie started... then it stopped. A minute into the second movie trailer, the picture died and the lights came up. We proceeded to sit there, wondering what was going on, for the next 40 minutes. At about 12:45 am, the manager came in and told us that there was a problem (duh), and it should be resolved in the next 15 minutes. By then we were considering leaving, but we figured that 15 minutes wasn't that bad considering we had been there for almost 3 hrs already.

Well, the 15 minutes came and went. At around 1:10am, they said they were going to give it another try. The preview came back on with the picture split neatly in two horizontally. 10 seconds into that, the manager stopped the film and told us that the show would be cancelled. She said that they would sign our stubs so we could come back and see it some other time.

As all of this sunk in, I was amazed at the responses of people around me, even believers. Most of the people in the theater were visibly upset, yelling at the manager, complaining loudly to other movie-goers. I have to admit, I was frustrated, but it was only a movie. Granted, I was anticipating this movie more than others I had wanted to see, but was it worth getting so upset over?

C.J. Mahaney in his message from New Attitude told us that we can tell if something is an idol based on how we react if we don't receive it or if it is taken away. Let me tell you, many idolaters, including myself, were revealed because of our reaction when this movie was taken away from. It is amazing what God chooses to use to reveal areas of sin to us. Harry Potter mania is a great distraction from so many other good things. It has its place and I am still looking forward to seeing the movie (hopefully) tonight and reading book 7 later this month, but I can't place so much emphasis on it that it causes me to worry or get angry.

I hope the rest of you out there who stayed up late enjoyed the show, just remember that an idol can be a great thing God has given us to enjoy, but is wanted too much. Don't be satisfied with movies and books. They only last so long.

The Experimental Knowledge of Christ

2007-06-28T19:15:00.000-05:00

Greetings my dear brothers and sisters in Christ! May mercy and peace and love be multiplied to you (Jude 2).

I recently finished a great work by John Elias (1774-1841) called The Experimental Knowledge of Christ. After picking it up from the Shepherd's Conference in March, it has cheered my heart, humbled my spirit, raised my affections to tearful joy by pointing me to Christ!

It is a collection of 11 sermons by the Welsh Calvinistic Methodist preacher, John Elias.

I think what I love about Elias was that he was unwaveringly gripped by the gladness of the sovereignty of God while simultaneously possessing a gospel love for lost and wretched souls for those in his congregation and for those to whom he preached to in open air. He had a Christ-exalting passion for private prayer and the Spirit's work of prayer seen and known in the Church that God was pleased to bestir spiritual awakenings in his preaching and in his flock to the surrounding regions. I love the joy and sweetness portrayed in his sermons especially when his joy seemed to always revolve around Christ:

"There is joy in a glorious object. Jesus is the object, and He is an infinitely glorious object [...] This is joy with sufficiency behind it, and so it will always be. Furthermore, there is joy in a glorious person. This is joy in the Holy Ghost. The Spirit is its author [...] It is He who plays like a musician on his harp, and sometimes inflames them with joy out of love for the Savior of sinners [...] The joy of the believer in Christ is a great, unspeakable, glorious joy" (163)."--Sermon # 11, The Saints Loving Christ & Delighting in Him

Elias beautifully showed the exquisite intermingling of the peace and joy of Christ:

"The peace of God will keep you under the fiery thunders of Sinai, and in all the afflictions and distresses of the wilderness. It will lift up your head in death, sustain you in the judgment, and will accompany you to the other side. It will remain in the soul when the tabernacle is destroyed. When the pillars of the soul are removed, the beauty will be preserved. When the soul flies to glory, God's peace will be undistured. It produces a sweetness you cannot desribe. It is beyond understanding in the experience of the soul" (66).--Sermon # 5, The Greatness of the Peace of God, which is Above Understanding

I shall not leave any other Elias' lines, for those are sufficient for our glad musings. I commend this work to you all for it was a meat market for my soul.

I have to go now for this is a busy week for me. Long live the Christ! Please pray for me as I prepare to preach this LORD'S Day evening in Jude 10-13 at my church

I love you all in Christ's love,

Gabe--Galatians 6:14

My dear fellow Chamber Singers!

2007-06-24T15:27:00.000-05:00

I thought I'd drop you a line and let you know how the Lord has been working in my life since we parted over a month ago. I am happy to report that I have a ful-time job working for a credit agency called NCI they are currently under a contract with Sprint, so I am using my voice taking calls from people who are having problems with their phones and phone bills. haha! I know that probably sounds boring but I really love it right now.
God has also seen fit to allow two great challenges into my life, which I would greatly appreciate your prayers for. The first being the challenge of finding how to love my family in truth, and honer my parents when we disagree. To give you a broad picture my family is a very typical conservative family has a very twisted view of the Holy Spirit. They believe that when you have a problem- you pray, and the holy spirit will put an answer in your head (if you are right with God). I do not believe God is unable to do this if He pleased- He though His power can make a donkey speak if He decides, but I do not believe that the Holy Spirit was given to us in place of our brains either. I am not an expert on Pneumatology by a long shot, I am most convinced that the power of the Holy Spirit is most clearly seen in His Word. And that is what must be the light to our path. If you know of any recourses that may help me understand this better I would love suggestions.
The second challenge is with my church. My pastor resigned due to difficulties deacons where giving him several months ago. Now another family (the largest and prominent family in the church) is pushing their son-in-law to be our pastor. That's the big picture. My family will be leaving the end of the summer, I don't know if I can wait that long. The more I'm there the more painfully it becomes apparent that the church is more like a high class social club that meets every Sunday and Wednesday. So I would appreciate your prayers for that as well.
Other than that I am doing well. The Lord is continually strengthening me and causing me to rejoice through the richness of His Word! And I look forward to how He will work in the future! I hope you all are doing well. I have been praying for you and the trip. Keep in touch!
Sarah Pond

Heb 1:3 He (Christ) is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,

Reflections on Isaiah 55

2007-06-05T09:23:00.000-05:00

Ha! I'll do what Doc does! Just wanted to share some things I learned!

http://theologicaljourney.blogspot.com/2007/06/reflections-on-isaiah-55.html

I'll also update on what I'm doing. I just graduated from BBC and am living in Dunmore. I'm working in the BBC library for now. I worked 40 hours a week during the first session of May school, and am working 20 hours a week this second session. It's nice to be around here and see people. I also worked in the kitchen during both Ladies LYFE conferences.
I'm enjoying my first summer in this area. After Father's day I'll be the choir director at my church, Berean in Scranton. Any ideas for simple choral arrangements? I'm excited about writing some of my own, but we'll see.
June 23rd is the Lucas/TenHoeve wedding, and I'm looking forward to being part of that. Right after that I'm planning on starting the grad school summer program, Christian School education with an emphasis in music. Abi Calin is also going to be doing that. We want to eventually get certified to teach. I've heard that there are students in that program who are teachers on the mission field, so I look forward to hearing about their experiences.
Four weeks and 6 credits later I will be headed to Arizona for vacation!! Woo hoo! I'll see my parents, my grandma and aunt, my sister and bro-in-law and the adorable nephew.
After that I don't know yet. I'm waiting on a possible job opportunity, and if that doesn't work out I'll be looking, but I'm glad that for the summer I have this job at the library.
It still feels like I'm always doing something, between work and going places with friends. It is a huge blessing to spend the summer with friends and to have that encouragement.

Treasuring the Letters of a Scottish Preacher

2007-05-30T12:00:00.000-05:00

http://awordfromthepastors.blogspot.com/2007/05/treasuring-letters-of-scottish-preacher.html

An Amazing Conference

2007-05-30T11:31:00.001-05:00

I just returned from an amazing conference. It was the ninth annual New Attitude Conference put on by Sovereign Grace. It is geared towards 18 and up singles and young married couples. We decided to try it out as a substitute for a leadership conference for our teens, and I have to say, it did not disappoint. We were priviledged to hear Josh Harris on conformity, Mark Dever on discerning Doctrine, Al Mohler on culture, John Piper on God's pleasure in Himself, and C.J. Mahaney on overcoming idols of the heart among others. This was all surrounded with being led in worship by Bob Kaughlin and his sons, singing classic and modern hymns which exalted God and His justifying work of redemption with 3,000 other like-minded individuals.

I wrote a bunch more on my personal blog, but I just wanted to encourage all of you to think about this conference for yourselves and maybe the older students in your youth groups next year. You won't be disappointed.

Post #200! Summer Plans

2007-05-28T15:52:00.000-05:00

As lethargic as the activity has been on this blog for the past few months, I'm pleased and surprised to be writing the 200th post. I am going to use this opportunity to ask everyone what their summer (and beyond) plans are. Some of you are well out of school, some just graduated, and others are still making their way through BBC, but it would be nice to know what all are up to. Christa and I are, as most of you know, living in the San Diego area and going to Westminster Seminary, enrolled in the Master of Divinity program. This summer will be busy and varied. I will be working basically three part-time jobs: construction with some guys from school, Audio/Visual assistant at Westminster, and my job at our churching leading all the music stuff. I'm also an intern at my church -- I have to log many and varied internship hours for school over the next few years. I have two other large tasks I hope to accomplish this summer. I will hopefully get about 1,000 pages of reading done for school and pleasure. I'm also trying to finish up a record I've been working on for a few months. My hope is to get it done and out before the Fall, but we'll see; there's lots still to do. Christa (Honorary Chamber Singer by matrimony!) will continue working at the seminary as the Admissions Coordinator. She enjoys working there, which is great. It stinks though because summer comes along and everyone (faculty and students) get the summer off, but administration has to keep working. Hard to believe, we are celebrating our 3 year anniversary tomorrow!

So I hope everyone who can will take the time to respond with their plans, either by commenting on this post or by creating your own post.

The end of the story is like its beginning

2007-05-27T15:09:00.000-05:00

http://awordfromthepastors.blogspot.com/2007/05/end-of-story-is-like-its-beginning.html

A Band of Brethren Reading The Freedom of the Will

2007-05-24T23:05:00.000-05:00

There are 8 BBC professors and administrators reading Edwards's The Freedom of the Will this summer.

Check out the site we've created for virtual conversation:

www.thefreedomofthewill.blogspot.com

Based on the first 15 pages of the reading, I wrote a true story [with an original photograph] entitled, To grill or not to grill - that is the choice. I'll be posting a reading list shortly. This is a 2 month project. We'll actually meet 4 times over the next 2 months and discuss the readings. Good times!

What are you guys reading this summer?

Arianna, David, Laura and Connie

2007-05-24T21:06:00.001-05:00

Hey you guys,

I'm blogging live here with Arianna, Laura, David, and Connie. We're having a great night. Pizza [David singlehandedly ate 2 pizzas], Connie's Mexican dip, and sweet fellowship. Wish you were here. How are you all? Laura accidentally just spilled her white cake with chocolate icing on Arianna's head. "Yum, yum says Arianna!"

How is everyone? I'd love to hear from you -- even if only in the virtual circle.

life is good. books are many. read many good books.

2007-05-18T22:04:00.001-05:00

Hey you all,

Given the recent discussion of what books to read and how to read them, I thought I'd recommend The New Lifetime Reading Plan [4th ed., 1997] by Clifton Fadiman and John S. Major. Life is good. Book are many. Read many good books.

The other side of life

2007-05-17T22:59:00.000-05:00

I'm glad to see that Doc has been posting. I haven't had much internet access, I don't have it set up at my apartment yet. Yes, Dunmore is home now. It's weird, but nice. Working at the library 8 hours a day is nice too. I'm actually dorm-sitting in Barndollar right now, though, until Sunday.
It's interesting to be at "life after graduation" now. I'm not sure what I think yet. I've felt lonely and helpless at times, but also loved and cared for. God is showing me that He even cares about things like how I get to and from work without a car. He really has provided so much. I have to remember that none of it is coincidence.

I'm still settling in to this other side of life. I haven't really had a moment that felt normal yet. But I'm trying to read when I can. I'm reading the second part of Pilgrim's Progress, hoping to finish Mortification of Sin, and just picked up Lewis' The Abolition of Man. The goal now is to really think about what I read. I'm used to reading a lot for pleasure. I've read many books simply for their entertainment value, even if they were significant on some other level. I've approached movie viewing in the same way for many years. It is only more recently that the new world of digesting and really learning from good books and good movies has been opened up to me. Any advice for beginners?

Well, I hope we can all benefit from the virtual circle this summer.

The Freedom of the Will and Feeding on Wings

2007-05-16T16:30:00.000-05:00

Hey you all,

Yes, Kramer is now shaved. I'll send you a pic later this evening.

Well, I've decided that my big read for the summer is to be Edwards's The Freedom of the Will. I've invited some of the faculty to read it together. So far the Shumaker brothers are on board as well as David McGrew. Below is the letter I sent along with my take on Edwards's preface.

I've got to go. We're off to prayer meeting and then some church fellowship and wings at Armettas. The wings are up to .30 cents each. I like them a little crispy and all legs if they can manage it. Here's the post I sent to the faculty. If any of you are interesting in reading the text with us, let me know. I'll post a reading schedule to the blog.

Friends,

Are there any of you who would like to join me in reading this summer an important text – namely, Edwards’s The Freedom of the Will? My intention is to read 7-10 pages a day. The book [Soli Edition] is 348 pages so it could be a summer project. I could put together a reading list beginning in a week or two so books could be ordered. It would also be nice to meet and talk about the text.

I do think that Edwards may be our guy for General Studies [perhaps other Divisions] as it relates to his views on beauty.

I his preface to TFOTW, Edwards defends the “natural tendency” to distinguish persons of different opinions by different names [Arians, Arminians, Socinians]. Although he believes that sometimes “uncharitableness” is possible in the process of distinguishing persons by different names, yet he writes:

“There is no necessity to suppose, that the thus distinguishing persons of different opinions by different names, arises mainly from an uncharitable spirit. It may arise from the disposition there is in mankind [whom God has distinguished with an ability and inclination for speech] to improve the benefit of language, in the proper use and design of names . . . without being encumbered with an obscure and difficult circumlocution.”

Edwards goes on to say that we do this all the time when we use distinct names to signify different sorts of people. For instance, we speak of the “ancient inhabitants of France, who were subjects or heads of the government of that land, and spake the language peculiar to it; in distinction from the inhabitants of Spain, who belonged to that community, and spake the language of that country . . . It is always a defect in language, in such cases, to be obliged to make a description instead of a name.”

So ultimately Edwards is making a case for seeing how “Calvinist” [a name] doctrine differs in its view from “Arminian [another name] doctrine” concerning free will or moral agency.

Edwards finishes:

“Of all kinds of knowledge that we can ever obtain, the knowledge of God, and the knowledge of ourselves, are the most important . . . but the knowledge of ourselves consists chiefly in right apprehensions concerning those two faculties of our nature, the understanding and the will . . . Therefore I say, the importance of this subject greatly demands the attention of Christians.”

I’d love to interact. Thanks!

Cranmer's Sweet Sermon

2007-05-15T16:01:00.000-05:00

Hey you all,

Mr. Mom here! School keeps rolling along for the family while I empty the dishwasher, tomorrow take Kramer to the groomer [it appears he's taken a canine Nazarite vow], fold and put away clothes [I'd almost rather do anything else], and keep the house cleaned up.

This morning I read the English Reformer Thomas Cranmer's sweet homily [one of 21 sermons] entitled A Fruitful Exhortation to the Reading and Knowledge of Holy Scripture. In it he writes:

"Let us diligently search for the well of life in the books of the New and Old Testament, and not run to the stinking puddles of men’s traditions, devised by man’s imagination, for our justification and salvation. For in holy Scripture is fully contained what we ought to do and what to eschew, what to believe, what to love, and what to look for at God’s hands at length. In those books we shall find the Father, from whom, the Son, by whom, and the Holy Ghost, in whom, all things have their being and keeping up; and these three Persons to be but one God and one substance."

You may remember that Mary had Cranmer burned at the stake even when at first he sent a letter to Mary submitting himself to the Roman Church. Mary didn't believe Cranmer and ordered him burned. Nichols writes:

"Cranmer's impending death brought a clarity and resolve to his true beliefs. At the very end he affirmed his his Protestant and Reformed understanding of the gospel. When the fire was lit on the stake, he put his hand into the fire first, exclaiming, 'I have sinned, in that I have signed with my hand what I did not believe in my heart.'"

Let me know how you're doing. I'm praying for you -- that you may have the strength to comprehend with all the saints [how about reading dead saints like Paul or umm maybe some noncanonical brothers like Cranmer's 39 articles?] what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

Velvet Elvis and "Heavy Petting" with Heresy

2007-05-14T17:44:00.000-05:00

Wow! It's really crazy that today's evangelical church, instead of lamenting and repenting its abandonment of Scripture, continues to flirt with heresy -- that ancient, painted prostitute who in the shadows looks young and inviting but laughs the morning after at the disease the church has contracted from her.

Notice how Rob Bell in his recent book Velvet Elvis: Repainting the Christian Faith [2005], playfully questions the necessity of the Virgin Birth while personally affirming its validity [Bell compares Biblical doctrines with the metaphor of springs underneath a trampoline]:

"What if tomorrow someone digs up definitive proof that Jesus had a real, earthly, biological father named Larry, and archeologists find Larry's tomb and do DNA samples and prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that the virgin birth was really just a bit of mythologizing the Gospel writers threw in to appeal to the followers of the Mithra and Dionysian religious cults that were hugely popular at the time of Jesus, whose gods had virgin births? But what if as you study the origin of the word virgin, you discover that the word virgin in the gospel of Matthew actually comes from the book of Isaiah, and then you find out that in the Hebrew language at that time, the word virgin could mean several things. And what if you discover that in the first century being 'born of a virgin' also referred to a child whose mother became pregnant the first time she had intercourse? What if that spring was seriously questioned? Could a person keep jumping? Could a person still love God? Could you still be a Christian? Is the way of Jesus still the best way to live? Or does the whole thing fall apart?" [pp. 26-27]

This is really nothing more than "heavy petting" with heresy. Innocently maintaining that you haven't "gone all the way" won't hide the fact that the perfumed bed is only inches away.

Paul, at the end of his grand systematic theology, says it this way to his brothers and sisters in Rome:

"I appeal to you brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught; avoid them. For such persons do not serve our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own appetites, and by smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the naive." Romans 16. 17-18

"Even the dogs are becoming Lutheran"

2007-04-24T16:28:00.000-05:00

Hey you all,

How's everyone? I've just devoured 2 delightfully delicious pieces of Connie's fresh-baked chocolate chip banana bread. How much more delightful the delectably fresh-baked new covenant manna served at the marriage supper of the Lamb. Hmm, when on the eschatological calendar should we expect that meal be served?

Have you checked out Red Mountain Music? http://www.redmountainchurch.org/rmm/ We're singing Friend of Sinners and Depth of Mercy. It's all very theological/folky/earthy/home grown.

I'm enjoying Stephen Nichols lively little book, The Reformation: How a Monk and Mallet Changed the World [Crossway, 2007]. Under the section entitled Luther's earthy side, Nichols relates this ribald story:

"He [Luther] liked to recall a story of a burial of a Roman Catholic priest. As the body lay in the grave, those attending the service set down the holy water, which was to be poured into the grave. A dog happened by and did what dogs do into the bowl. Luther than delivered the punch line: 'Even the dogs are becoming Lutheran.'" [p.35]

The circle is sailing in the ocean of Owen's chapter 9 of The Mortification of Sin. Kill sin according to gospel principles. I love how Owen puts it:

"Those who are Christ’s, and are acted in their obedience upon gospel principles, have 1.the death of Christ, 2.the love of God, 3.the detestable nature of sin, 4.the preciousness of communion with God, 5.a deep-grounded abhorrency of sin as sin, to oppose to any seduction of sin, to all the workings, strivings, fightings of lust in their hearts. So did Joseph. “How shall I do this great evil,” saith he, “and sin against the Lord?” my good and gracious God. Gen xxxix. 9 And Paul, “The love of Christ constraineth us;”2 Cor. v. 14. and, “Having received these promises, let us cleanse ourselves from all pollution of the flesh and spirit,” 2 Cor. vii. 1. But now if a man be so under the power of his lust that he hath nothing but law to oppose it withal, if he cannot fight against it with gospel weapons, but deals with it altogether with hell and judgment, which are the proper arms of the law, it is most evident that sin hath possessed itself of his will and affections to a very great prevalency and conquest. Such a person hath cast off, as to the particular spoken of, the conduct of renewing grace, and is kept from ruin only by restraining grace; and so far is he fallen from grace, and returned under the power of the law."

I've got to run. American idol is on the schedule. I'm cheering for Melinda Doolittle.

Doc

Jesus, our Second Adam

2007-04-22T19:19:00.000-05:00

I have been blessed lately in my studies as I have seen Christ clearly and beautifully in the opening chapters of the Bible. Here are the first and last paragraphs from a recent essay I wrote (just for my blog, not a class) on the subject of the Second Adam, particularly as found within the story of the first Adam. I hope it encourages you to love Christ for his covenant-keeping work on your behalf, you covenant breakers! (as we all are!)

(You might want to read the whole thing here.)

The theology of Jesus as the Second Adam, federal head and representative of the elect, is typically expounded from its most clear supporting text, Romans 5. Some would even argue that prior to the New Testament there is no biblical hint of a Second Adam theology. But, as I have been thinking and reading on this topic lately, I wish to propose that in the first proclamation of the Gospel in promise form, found in Genesis 3, there is already a strong Second Adam theology emerging.
...
So we see that just as Adam was given the task of confronting and judging the dragon of old, so the seed of the woman who was to come would have the same task. He was to be like Adam in that he was, as One untainted himself by Adam's sin, to be given a similar probationary period. Upon his faithful obedience to the Father in forsaking and judging the apocryphal words of Satan, he would crush Satan's head and achieve the promised blessing of God's Sabbath rest. In this Seed, we too may enter the most-delightful Sabbath rest of our heavenly Father.

Doc here!

2007-04-07T21:38:00.000-05:00

Hey you all,

It's 10.38 p.m. and I'm nearly ready to:

1. "turn in"
or
2. "retire"
or
3. "engage in death's daily dress rehearsal"
or maybe just plain
4. "go to bed"

Kristin reinvited me to the virtual circle under the new blogger construct. I've missed many of you! I love each of you and I'll be checking in regularly. In other words, It's good to be back!

Our boast is all Christ on this resurrection eve! Vaughan Roberts puts it this way in his book [I've almost finished it - it's a small, simple without being simplistic, Bible-unifying read] God's Big Picture: Tracing the Storyline of the Bible:

"The Bible covers a great deal of ground. But there is one supreme subject that binds it all together: Jesus Christ and the salvation God offers through Him . . . The whole Bible points to Him from beginning to end. In the Old Testament God points forwards to Him and promises His coming in the future. In the New Testament, God proclaims Him to be the one who fulfills all those promises . . . The way you read a book depends on the kind of book you think it is. Many people read the Bible as if it were a collection of independent books that can each be read without reference to the others. That was how I was tauught the Bible at university. We looked for the message of Ezekiel, Jonah or John without considering how those Biblical books contribute to and fit in with the message of the Bible as a whole. And there was a great division between the Old and New Testaments. We were discouraged from reading the Bible as the Bible itself demands to be read: as one book that presents the unfolding story of God's plan to save the world through His Son Jesus . . . Graham Goldsworthy has put it like this: 'For the New Testament the interpretation of the Old Testament is not literal but Christological. That is to say that the coming of Christ transforms all the kingdom [God's people in God's place under God's rule and blessing] terms of the Old Testament into Gospel reality.'"

Praise the Lord! No matter how many promises God has made [Genesis 12.1-3, 2 Samuel 7.11-16, Jeremiah 31.31-34], they are yes and Amen in Christ [2 Cor. 1.20]! "Christ is Risen! He is Risen Indeed!" I'll check back in with you tomorrow. Thank you for all your prayers for Connie. She is a singularly beautiful, sensational, southern treasure!

Doc
Romans 3.21-26

this was amazing.

2007-03-26T23:34:00.000-05:00

if anyone's interested...

2007-03-26T23:11:00.000-05:00

if anyone is interested, my band is playing up at davis college in johnson city, ny on saturday april 21st...the show costs 5 dollars and i believe it starts at like 5ish...please, if you're available that evening, feel free to come and enjoy.

Laura

2007-03-16T18:26:00.000-05:00

Well I just want to let everyone know in the Chamber Singers Blog that Laura and I are at Moses Taylor Hospital. She is going to be induced sometime after midnight. Laura is fine and the baby is fine. The doctor wants to induce because the fluid level is a little low for baby but not harmful. Inducing the labor is so the fluid level does not become dangerous. Who knows we may have the baby on St Patrick's Day (not a big deal to us). The nurses have been nothing but great. Pray the the baby will come quick because as many of you know mommy is not able to eat real food until baby is out. Inducing is not a natural thing (though it is done often) so there is no telling how long it will take. I am excited and think that Laura is the bravest person I know. I can only image what she will be going through and just the thought of it makes me hurt. Well I will keep you posted so keep checking here and on my blog as well. You can bet we will have lots of pictures as well. I can't wait!!!

Praise God for His Goodness

2007-03-15T11:45:00.000-05:00

Hi everyone out in PA land and across the fruited plain. I just wanted to praise God for what He has done in my families life over the past few months. He is so good. Our little girl is growing like a weed and finally eating solid foods and laughing at everything she sees. She is such a joy to have around (thanks for the shirt for her Jordan). God has also sold our house for us in a very tough market and we close next week in that transaction. Things here at church are going great and I want to praise God for a whole year of faithful service from our pastor, Paul Alexander. It has been great getting to know him and to be discipled by him as well.

I was listening through the BBC music CD we recently found in our car from the spring of 2004. There were so many good memories from that year of I'll Live for You, I'll Fly Away and many others. It was such a blessing to be able to sing with you for the short time I had with the group.

I hope you all are finding evidence of God's sovereign faithfulness in each of your lives. Reading through Job recently has taught me to trust in God's wisdom no matter what He brings our way. He is so good and I am so undeserving. Soli Deo Gloria!!

2007-03-13T10:37:00.000-05:00

I just wanted to congratulate Doc and the current Chamber Singers on a very excellent performance at Dave McGrew's recital on Saturday. I thoroughly enjoyed your part in a very inspiring evening.

Well done!

The Christian Ministry

2007-03-02T11:29:00.000-05:00

As many of you are preparing for the ministry, I thought it would be good for us to reflect on some of the words I am reading from Charles Bridges, The Christian Ministry. He writes in his chapter on the qualifications for ministry:

“To fill the Ministerial office with a degree of satisfaction and benefit commensurate with its capabilities, or with the desire of a heart awake to its importance, we must be all that it demands – men of God, perfect, completely furnished to every good work. This an elevated standard. He that aims highest will most approximate to it.”

How many of us actively pursue perfection in ministry? It is so easy to do the minimum. We know what's expected of us, and we accomplish that. However, that is not what the Bible demands. It demands our all, only possible with a realization that God is our all sufficiency. How often do we do what we think is best, trusting that God will accept it because it comes from us, talented gifted workers in His ministry? To often we make the mistake of Uzzah and assume that our hands are cleaner than the mud.

But God is good, and He has promised to complete the work he began in us. He will enable us to handle all He throws our way (1 Cor. 10:13), and will draw us to Christ through His discipline. Thanks be to God.

New Post

2007-03-02T01:19:00.000-05:00

I don't have to say much I am just sick of looking at that guy every time I take a look at the blog. Not much of a reason to post, just thought I would change things up a bit.

Free Will?

2007-01-24T10:59:00.000-05:00

I was sent this link from a friend. I thought it was a joke, but people actually believe this. To take God's ability to save us away from Him and place it on our shoulders not only flies in the face of scripture, but is completely centered on our ability to manipulate God. I don't think so Pensacola. Plus, the singing is atrocious. Enjoy...

January in Indiana

2007-01-12T13:13:00.000-05:00

It has been more than a while since I have commented on the Chamber Singers blog yet alone did a post. Laura and I are out in the good ole' state of Indiana for a well needed vacation. It feels good to be able to see the whole sky again. We have been out here for just a bit over a week and plan on staying two more weeks. Currently we are staying with Joe and Ashley Wittmer (both former Chamber Singers). They are both at work now and Laura and I are here with there two wonderful dogs Benson and Zoe.
Laura is a bit over seven months along now and is feeling as good as can be expected. Yesterday we all took a day trip to Chicago visiting the Shedd Aquarium, some various stores and ate at the Italian Village. Laura after all the walking felt surprisingly good. The little thing is moving more and more every day. I am getting pumped for the big day but am a bit nervous as to how I am going to handle the delivery itself. I admit that I am a bit squeamish when it comes to hospitals in general. I think that the adrenaline with take over and I will be fine though.
Laura and I were talking last night about how we need to be careful about not making the getting ready for the baby the important part (nursery, clothes ect) but about the fact that we are going to be parents and are bringing another life into the world. For those who are married, think back to how much you worried about the wedding ceremony itself. Now to think of how much you worried about it seems so futile, because there are much more important things than the ceremony. Marriage itself is more important. I guess that is kind of like making the number one priority getting the nursery ready and the house "baby proofed". These things are important, but they are temporal in contrast to preparing to being a parent and on top of that not forgetting that you are still married.
Well I hope to hear some comments from you all and shoot we need to get going on some more posting too.

Christ: Living Water for the Thirsty Soul

2006-12-30T22:06:00.000-05:00

What is Living Water? The question proposed is quite broad yet very crucial. Understanding 'Living Water' is most contingent for our life-sustaining and eternal joy in God through Jesus Christ!

Since it is so broad, perhaps we can understand it through the lens of biblical theology.
Probably the most designated place in Scripture that ascribes God to be the all-satisfying source of divine delight in the Old Testament is in Jeremiah 2:13, when God was disgusted with Judah's apostasy in forsaking the all-satisfying God for broken cisterns that can hold no water.

The heart of this verse is when God refers Himself to be "the Fountain of living waters". Their sin was sacrilege and spiritually suicidal (End for which God Created the World) because when live-giving, all-satisfying, all-sustaining Living Water was at their disposal by the Fount, broken cisterns instead were their allurment. It is almost as if God is saying, "Don't you know who I am? I am the all-sustaining, all-surpassing, all-satisfying Fountain--the Living Water of your thristy souls! Drink! Drink from ME!

The fulness and reality of this Fount in Jeremiah 2:13 is realized necessarily and completely in Jesus Christ who is the thirst-quencher for the soul in John 4:9, 10. John (and Jesus) say it better than I do: "Everyone who drinks of this water shall thirst again; but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life." In God alone there is an inexhaustible bounty of rich water for the soul that is fully realized in the Son, the Fount of Living Water.

Not only does John seek to propose Christ to be man's greatest need as water is a necessity for the replenishing and reviving of the body, but I think John adorns Christ to be the all-satisfying and all-sufficient Source of desire and bliss--Living Water for the soul. God doesn't merely give water--He in His Son is Living Water.

Let us ever drink from the Fountain! And now a hymn:

Let him who thirsts for heavenly joys,
Come unto Me, the Savior cries,
And drink at my spring-head;
Leave all your boasting self behind
For from the Saviour you shall find a glorious life indeed.

I come, O Lord, and thirst for thee
Some living water give to me,
Or I shall faint and die;
All other means my heart has tried,
All other streams are vain beside,
What flows from Calvary.

I long to taste the purple flood,
And feel the virtue of thy blood,
And gaze and tarry here;
So shall I sweetly sing and pray,
And serve thee kindly every day,
Without a guilty fear.

John Berridge (1716-1793)

We Are On the New Blogger

2006-12-28T22:33:00.000-05:00

I have switched our blog over to the new blog. Those of you who haven't done so yet may switch your accounts over very quickly following Josh's directions below. You will need to do this in order to post to the blog.

New Blogger

2006-12-24T15:21:00.000-05:00

This post is for everyone, but Haeck in particular. Blogger has gone out of Beta, which was a testing stage, and they are having everyone switch to the upgraded version. Haeck, since you are the creator, you need to switch the whole blog to the new Blogger. Everyone else just needs to switch their account, which you can do by clicking the "New Blogger" link at the sign-in. For those of you who already use Google Mail (Gmail), your Blogger account will now be integrated with your email account, which is nice. Anyway, that's enough closet-nerd-talk.

Josh

Bunyan's Christian Pilgrimage vs. Postmodernity's Spiritual Journey

2006-12-21T16:52:00.000-05:00

Hey you all,

I hope you're traveling safely and enjoying the Advent season. God has revealed Himself to us in Christ! Thanks for your continued prayers for Connie. She braved the 2nd of 4 chemotherapy treatments this morning. After the treatment, we shopped a bit and ate chicken fingers at Charlie Brown’s in Dickson City.

Pray ultimately that Connie might know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, surpassing even the good medical knowledge of cancer-curing physicians. I desire to pray for spiritual needs ultimately. I know that God desires for Connie the knowledge of His love for her during this illness. I desire to pray for physical needs consequently. So pray that God would be pleased to give her rest and strength and healing on this Thursday before Christmas.

This morning I enjoyed reading how well David Wells carefully differentiates between the spiritual experience of the postmodern and Bunyan's Christian Pilgrimage:

“If Bunyan had presented his Christian pilgrim as wandering through life with his burden of sin still on his back all the way to the end, and if Bunyan had seen the river of death as the means of cleansing Christian’s soul, he would, indeed, have been thinking in postmodern terms. In fact, however, the journey does not even begin – and it does not begin for anyone – until the burden of sin has been deposited at the Cross. This happens at the beginning of the journey. The story is not only about the struggle to get to the Gate of the Celestial city; it is, most fundamentally, about who has a right to enter that Gate, and that is settled, not at the end, but when the journey first begins at the foot of the Cross. And the purpose of the river of death is not to cleanse but to sweep some into unfathomable depths and others into the presence of God. For Christian, the pilgrimage through life is all about its destination, not about the experience of wandering or, in contemporary parlance, of being a spiritual seeker. Christian always knew where he was headed; postmoderns on the spiritual journey do not and their modus vivendi [manner of living] is to experiment rather than to imagine the destination to which they are headed.” Above All Earthly Pow’rs: Christ in a Postmodern World [2005] pp. 121-122

Lovingkindness through the deep waters of cancer and chemotherapy

2006-12-20T16:15:00.000-05:00

Hey you all,

We’re back in the virtual circle. I love you and miss you already. I rejoice that salvation is of the LORD [Jonah 2:9], that the fullness of the Gentiles in union with our greater than Jonah is foreshadowed in Nineveh’s repentance, and that our God [in the face of Jesus Christ] is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness, One who relents from doing harm [Jonah 4:2]. Would you pray for our family? Would you pray that God would give us grace to trust Him more? Would you pray that through the deep waters of Connie’s cancer and chemotherapy, we would be awakened to the truth that our God in Christ is full of covenant-keeping lovingkindness? Remember the hymn stanza we sing in chapel:

“When through the deep waters I call you to go,
The rivers of sorrow shall not overflow;
For I will be with you, your troubles to bless,
And sanctify to you your deepest distress.”
Rippon’s Selection of Hymns, 1787

Now on to John 4. Yes, let’s meditate on this all-important chapter as it relates to the subject of new-covenant worship.

In Piper's demand #12 [Worship God in Spirit and Truth], he defines the phrase in John 4:24 as "[bringing] your experience of worship into conformity with what is true about God, and [letting] your spirit be authentically awakened and moved by that truth [p. 100]."

“The hour is now coming and is now here” means that the “kingdom of the Messiah has dawned and there was going to be a radical break in the way people worship.” In other words, the places [Jerusalem or Mount Gerazim] would be replaced by a person, Jesus Himself. In John 2:19 Christ makes reference to Himself as the new Temple when He says, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” He was speaking of the temple of his body. Jesus is then our “new meeting place with God.”

In Matthew 12:6, Christ says that “something greater than the Temple is here.” So when the woman says on the heels of Christ's statement about worshipping in Spirit and in truth that she knows the Messiah is coming and will tell us all things, Christ says, “I who speak to you am He.” In other words, the time is now here that worshipping in Spirit and truth means not merely worshipping at a location but rather ultimately worshipping a Person who is, by his own admission, the Messiah.

By the way, I’m not sure that it’s really life-shattering if Spirit is our spirit informed by the Holy Spirit or the Holy Spirit Himself. Our spirit, informed by the Holy Spirit, is still after all the work of the Spirit. The NKJV renders it [S]pirit. I love you guys.

Doc
Romans 3:21-26

Young Reformers Conference 2008

2006-12-20T16:02:00.000-05:00

Now, I know what your thinking, there is no such thing as a young reformers conference. That's why I am writing this little note. As I searched for a conference to send some of the leadership in our youth to, I found the well pretty dry. There wasn't anything out there with the depth of teaching that I desired or the passion for the classic, Christocentric, reformed view of the Scripture. So the idea hit me, why not do one yourself. I am throwing the idea out there and looking for feedback from my respected network of Chambers friends. Would any of you be interested in taking the leaders in your youth and college ministries to a young reformers conference?

Here's what I have so far:
Location- Wheaton College, Wheaton, IL
Speakers- Paul Alexander, Mark Dever, Josh Harris, C.J. Mahaney, etc (I'll see if my pastor can pull a few strings)

This would be a week long conference that would focus on equipping students in High School and College for ministry. Biblical interpretation, classic reformed theology, and a high view of the solas would be the pillars of the teaching and workshops. Wheaton would provide housing.

That's the idea so far. Of course, I have to confirm a lot of things, but the first step is to see if you agree with me that there is a need for this kind of a conference and then if you would be interested in participating. Let me know what you think and have a Merry Christmas (and a Happy Hanukkah).

-Josh Huff

One Semester Down. . .

2006-12-19T21:33:00.000-05:00

Hey! This is a quick note to wish everyone a wonderful Christmastime. I haven't even left BBC yet and I miss you already!!! I know, it's pathetic.

Also, thank you Michael for the previous posts, and I will hopefully post some comments when I get home and get a chance to settle down. In case anyone is wondering, some of us are studying John 4 in preparation for the missions conference and planning the music for it. I know I've been really curious about this chapter recently, so I'm excited to look into it some more.

What is Living Water?

2006-12-18T21:23:00.000-05:00

Is it salvation?
does it connect with the metaphor Christ gives in saying, ".. my food is to do the will of Him who sent me..."
You will never be thirsty.
Does it connect to David's use of panting after God.
Does it connect to Christ saying,"Blessed are they who hunger and thirst after righteousness..."

John 4 Questions

2006-12-17T11:42:00.000-05:00

What is the difference between the John's baptism, Christ's baptism, Jewish baptism, and those who get baptized into the body of Christ, and those who are baptized or emersed in water?

Is there signifcance in Christ leaving Judea to go to Galilee but stopping in Samaria, does this connect with Matt 28:16-20?

Why are we told about Jacob's field given to Joseph?

Is Christ the Greater Jacob?

What is living water?

Why did Christ discuss her hubsands and how is that related to his previous dialogue with the woman?

What is "in spirit and in truth"?

Is there a connection between the metaphors of living water and food from God the Father?

Why does this dialogue culminate where Christ is talking about reaping the harvest?

Long time no blog

2006-12-16T22:44:00.000-05:00

if you write a hymn don't forget there's a hymnology blog, or if you want to know about hymnology in many ways you can spend plenty of time reading.
Here's a funny pic during a chambers pic

2006-12-11T11:26:00.000-05:00

So, it's been a long time since the last time someone had posted, and I feel like i need to tell you all of the awesome experience i had to share the gospel.

Well, it all started at a karaoke bar. Yes, that's what I said. I don't usually go to those.... in fact, this was the first time I have ever been to one. But yeah, I was there with my roomate and a couple of her friends from work, and her friend, Dwayne, came over and started asking all of these interesting questions about our college, our belief, and all of that. He and I got into very good conversation, and I think I had a chance to show him love and i was also able to explain the Gospel and who Christ is more than once, and very clearly. I take no credit for this at all, it was all the Holy Spirit working through me. If I were left to just me, I probably would have started this heated debate, and the conversation would have died real fast. But thanks be to God, for His working through us and in us to make His Glory known! it was one of the best witnessing opportunities that I have had in a very long time, and I hope that Dwayne seriously thinks about some of the things I said. He didn't always listen to what I had to share, but all I can do is hope that somehting inside of him heard truth, and he will come back and think about it later.
Pray for him. And pray that he keeps asking questions, and that God will bring people into his life to help him.

well, that's it for now. bye!!

Oh. And Merry Christmas everyone!!

The Mortification of Sin

2006-11-18T13:16:00.000-05:00

Hey you all! I am encouraged that you all are reading and musing over John Owen's The Mortification of Sin. When I was in the circle (as opposed to just the virtual circle), one of the dominant notes in the vision of chambers singers that Doc had set in place was an emphasis on holiness and a living to God in sanctificaiton. I love that vision! I don't know what your set vision is for this year and knowing Doc, he's proly introduced a newly modified vision for you all.

I just wanted to devote this particular post to being open to sharing what you're personally learning from the circle on Owen's book that some of us who are just in the virtual circle don't get to experience with you.

I don't know about you, but I wish I was there in the circle with you to listen to you take turns read and discuss and share and pray.

For me, when I read The Mortification of Sin, there has not been one moment when I walked away from it feeling like such a worm yet on the edges of dancing waters of God's free grace to me in Christ. There is really a sweet reciprocity that I experience in connection to the dreadfulness of my sin and infinite worth of God's grace that Owen communicates so well. To be honest, there have been moments when I couldn't read or finish reading a certain paragraph that just nailed my heart so deeply in conviction. Yet I find myself reading it again and again.

To find a book like The Mortification of Sin is rare in our age. The very fact that it is accessible and that it is being cherished by a new and fresh generation--our time--is exciting. It is an old shiny jewel of the Church that has been lost under layers and layers of our culture's self-help resources, therapy, entertainment--and, in most recent days, our culture's socio-political facades, self-autonomy, relativism, and stoical complacency.

It has taught me how dreadful legalism is and how disgusting antinomianism is in connection to mortificaiton. It has taught me how precious Christ must be to me in my need of Him. By the far, the chapter on Universal Holiness has its resonance throughout the bowels of my being everytime I think of it or read it.

What has Owen been teaching you all in the circle that you would like to post here?

Cherishing Christ,

Gabe--Romans 8:13

2006-11-16T11:11:00.000-05:00

Hello friends! I was able to go with Jill and Josh Huizing to a free Derek Webb concert in Camp Hill, PA this past Sunday. At the concert, he told us about a website (http://www.freederekwebb.com) from which people can download his latest album for free. The album is called Mockingbird, and is based on his thoughts/studies on ethics. The site is only going to be open until December 1st. Check it out! Download it!

The Informed Principle of Worship?

2006-11-16T10:49:00.000-05:00

As God has given me the opportunity to lead worship in my Church these past months and into the coming year, I have been working through a philosophy of worship.

Aside from working through Edwards' and Pipers' input on the emphasis on the glory of God and the creature's joy in God, I've also been working through the Normative and Regulative principles of worship.

As I was working through it, I came across a principle I had never heard before: "The Informed Principle." Have any of you ever heard of it? Though I am familiar with both the Normative and Regulative principles and desire to embody the Regulative principle practically at my Church as a worship leader, what do you make of the Informed Principle?

The following has been taken from
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regulative_Principle_of_worship
briefly describing what it is:

"A new principle has been recently introduced into this discussion that seeks to strike a balance between the regulative and normative principles. Sometimes referred to as the "informed principle of worship", it teaches that:
What is commanded in Scripture regarding worship, it is required. What is prohibited in Scripture regarding worship, it is forbidden. What is not prohibited in Scripture regarding worship, it is permissible in worship only if properly deduced from proper application of Scripture using good and necessary consequence."

At first glance, this 'balance' appears to make sense. However, whether this principle should be embraced in our approach to corporate worship or not, what would be a tangible example of an 'exception' to such 'deductions' and also of 'necessary consequence'?

I am eager to read your thoughts and comments. Thanks.

Gabe--Philippians 3:7-11

Don't Be a Bump on a Blog!

2006-11-14T02:52:00.000-05:00

So the Chambers blog has been very silent lately compared to last summer. I know how busy everyone is, but I've got a wacky idea: Those of you who haven't yet should set up your own blogs (on blogger) over Christmas break! Maybe one of the current Chambers members who actually reads this could just pass the idea along in the circle one of these days. It would be a way of getting to know some of the new members and keeping up with others (Hey, it's better than nothing!). Not to mention, it's just a good learning opportunity--trust me, when you really start getting in to blogging, it's amazing how much you learn about what's going on and the discussions you are able to be involved in are often quite profitable. So, if anyone is interested in becoming a blogger--a real blogger (don't let that intimidate you; it's easy)--I am officially offering my services to personally "tutor" you through the process. This would really have to take place mostly over Christmas break, though, I am willing to get started right away if anyone is really interested.

Oh, and let me just say for the record, blogger gives you all the opportunity to have a REAL blog, not one of these cheap, egocentric, "pop-culture" versions you get with xanga or myspace. Just had to throw that out there! =)

The Outfits are under way!

2006-11-09T18:21:00.000-05:00

So, we bought stuff for the guys on Saturday.

Special Thanks to Macy's for their time and patience.

And HUGE thanks to Jill for going online to find the missing items! She is also ordering the skirts for the girls!

It's coming together, a little later than usual, but I'm thankful for all the teamwork.

It's been a while!

2006-11-08T16:50:00.000-05:00

So, a lot of people have been saying how no one ever posts on this. It's true! Over the summer, it would be like, 10 every day! And now, we're lucky if we get one a week!

It's been crazy! Believe me, I know ALL about the business of a schedule.

But God is good!!

He has been stretching me in such amazing ways, and in such unexpected ways, it's taken me a long time to just sit and look back on what has been going on in the last couple of months, and to see God working through others and through situations to make me see so much of myself that is not conforming and being surrendered to Him. Yet that is not all He has been showing and teaching me. He has been showing me areas in my life that have come SO FAR through His Grace! I see situations now with eyes that are not only mine. More and more, I am beginning to see people and things through the light of eternity. That light is still dim in my eyes, mainly because of the sin I allow to live and cloud my view, but it is a light that would never be there were it not for Christ and His constant working in my life.

That all sounds so ambiguous, but, sorry, if I were to go into detail, it would take way too long and you would all get so bored!
So yeah.

That's it!!

I miss everyone from last year! I love you!!

And everyone from this year: I had a wonderful time out last weekend!! We have a great group, and we all get along (for now = ), and I am looking foward to all year long!! I love you all too!!

Ok

bye!

Praise God from whom all blessings flow!

2006-11-06T23:33:00.000-05:00

Well, I am officially the new Pastoral Assistant for the associate pastor of children, youth, and adults. The vote to establish the position was on Sunday and it passed, praise God. Today was my first official day and I am very much looking forward to working for at least the next two years at Fox Valley Bible Church. God has been so good above and beyond all we could ask or imagine. My responsibilities are largely similar to what I was doing before, but with more of an emphasis on discipleship and more full-time.

We are also moving. The church was gracious enough to offer us the large apartment in the Mission's House (a great house for missionaries on furlough on the church property). We were blown away when we first heard the offer, but it meets our needs perfectly and we are so thankful God provided it. Now we just wait and see when God sells our house. Even in this terrible houseing market we have 3 very possible prospects for buyers for our home. We are praying that one of them works out in the near future. Whatever God decides, that's the best move for us. So the next two weeks are full of packing and moving and youth events for us. We are loving life right now and so pleased to be moving on to this next chapter of our lives.

Thanks for all of your prayers and encouragement. Keep the faith, fight the good fight, remember that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.

-Josh Huff

Chamber Singers Shopping Extravaganza

2006-11-04T23:52:00.000-05:00

Happy 489th Anniversary

2006-10-30T11:32:00.000-05:00

In just one day the anniversary of the Reformation will be upon us. For those of you unfamiliar with this time in history, here's a brief lesson.

Martin Luther, a teacher within the Roman Catholic church, wanted to reform many of the major teachings of his religion, focusing mainly on indulgences. During the evening of October 31st (All Hallow's Eve), he posted 95 calls to reform or 95 theses on the door of the local church in Wittenburg. When the patron's came to church on the most sacred of days (Nov. 1st- All Saint's Day), they saw his calls for reformation posted on the door. These were later deemed heretical by the pope, but were published in mass quantities in the common language of the people. In the years to come men like those pictured above would spread the doctrines of grace, teachings of justification through faith alone, being able to come to God without the aid of an earthly priest, and a high view of the sovereignty of God throughout all of Europe. These doctrines have radically changed the way we do church and led to the formation of Protestantism.

Anyway, many times we focus so much on Halloween that we miss one of the great days in our own church history. So dress up like a reformer, enjoy a read from Calvin's Institutes or Bondage of the Will, and remember the lives of the men who gave everything to bring us a Christianity as God intended, focused on Christ, exalting God, and based on scripture.

P.S. The photo is of the Wall of Reformers in Geneva, Switzerland (quite a sight if you've ever been there). The men carved into the stone are Guillaume Farel, Jean Calvin, Theodore Beza, and John Knox, some of the the fathers of the Protestant Reformation.

Weekend Schedule

2006-10-17T17:14:00.000-05:00

Here is a reposting of our weekend schedule with more details. you can access this yourself at http://academics.bbc.edu/music/Default.aspx?tabid=98, but why would you since I'm posting it here? :)

Notice that our first one is coming up the first weekend in November!

November 5, 2006
10:45 AM - Hackettstown Baptist Church, 916 Rt. 517, Hackettstown, NJ 07840, (908) 852-6577 Pastor Alan Parker
6:00 PM - Park Bible Baptist Church, 95 Sparks Ave., Pennsville, NJ 08070, (856) 678-2528 Pastor Taylor Jackson

November 19, 2006
AM Service - Henrietta Regular Baptist Church, 1125 Calkins Rd., Rochester, NY 14623, (585) 359-1230 Pastor Jim Saunders
PM Service - Auburn Prison in Rochester, NY Chaplain Allen Ferry

December 3, 2006
AM Service - Fellowship Baptist Church, RR2 Box 122A, Troy, PA 16947, (570) 297-4818 Pastor Shay

Jesus Camp?

2006-10-15T09:03:00.000-05:00

For those of you who don't know me, my husband joe and i work at Calvary Church in Valparaiso, IN. He's the Pastor of Youth and Worship and we both love to see movies and keep up on what's hot in teen culture. naturally we go to a lot of movies, especially those that have been recommended to us by parents. What we saw last weekend was a real shocker...

When someone at church gave us free tickets, we called up some friends last weekend to go see Facing the Giants. Anyone seen it yet? Personally I thought the movie was extremely lame, but what got me more than the terrible recording, horrible actors, predictable plot, lame storyline, and "health-and-wealth" message was one of the previews before the film: Jesus Camp. Has anyone heard about this movie?? (not sure what the restriction are on campus, but as soon as you can get onto YouTube.com you have to see the preview). Talk about a disgrace to the name of Christ...not to mention one of the mainstream "Christian" movies coming out. I found myself slumping down in my seat...hoping that only Christians were in the theater watching this terrible preview. The trailer consists of an annoyingly pushy older woman talking about how Jesus Camp has changed the lives of all these children, who are THEN seen rolling in the aisles being slain in the Spirit and preaching into a cordless mic to hundreds of hysterical, young worshippers.

all that to say that it's going to be OUR generation that changes the face of Christian media. it's no longer about bashing people with the Bible, calling out "Ye must be born again" from the street corners--it's about the example we see from Christ: being relevant to those we're witnessing to. I can't imagine a single unsaved person seeing that film and being swayed toward Christ.

I'd love to hear what everyone else has to say...

ashley wittmer

New! Prayer Requests

2006-10-13T12:51:00.000-05:00

Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need. Heb 4:16

-Jill- needs wisdom to confront a friend in love
-Melody- pray for time to talk with the family she is babysitting for and continued excitement for the job
-Rachel- pray for her sister Jenny as she is wrestling with God's will, pray she will make the right decisions.
-Nathan Pyne- Pray for his church back home as they still need a pastor. Especially pray for his dad who is having to take on a lot of the pastoral responsibilities.
-Pray for the unsaved: Doc's son, Dilan; the Mohler family who are going to Doc's church, other unsaved and adults and children in our churches, and our many unsaved friends and family of those in our group.
-Pray for us all that we will be wise in using the time God gives us and that we will struggle well to understand what we are being taught and that we will be able to discern the what is wise and true.
-Pray for God's direction and wisdom in the missions trip to Ireland. (thanks to all those who are taking charge in helping to organize the trip!)

Take care of yourselves everyone- get good sleep, drink lots of water, eat all your meals, and take your vitamins! Have a great weekend!

Gabriella

2006-10-09T21:45:00.000-05:00

Here are some pictures I took this past Saturday of Gabriella Noel Zepeda. Gabe asked me to post them since they don't have a digital camera. So, here they are . . .
It was great to see many of you this past weekend during Bible Conference/Homecoming!
~Emily :)

I'm Coming :)

2006-10-04T21:47:00.000-05:00

Hello, everyone!
I am coming to visit BBC :) . . . I'll be around Friday morning-Sunday for Bible Conference, Homecoming, etc. Hope to see and catch up with a lot of you . . . . Can't wait to get there! (I wish I could be there tomorrow night to hear you sing, but sadly I'll have to miss it. I'll be praying for you as I drive.)
~Emily :)

Bible Conference

2006-10-03T15:54:00.000-05:00

Here's a summary and reminder of the things we talked about for Bible Conference:

Thursday's rehearsal at 2:30 will be in the gym.

We are singing "All Creatures" and "O Clap Your Hands" for the Thursday evening session. We didn't talk about clothing today, so here's the info: Guys wear nice slacks and a collared shirt. Girls wear a nice skirt and top. We won't match, but the idea is to look nice and well put-together.

I enjoyed practice today! I hope you are all surviving white glove and can enjoy the conference this week.

I was encouraged today when we talked about the need to appropriate grace, and to preach the gospel to ourselves. Doc, we need to sing that song in Chapel that goes, "We've been justified, we're being sanctified, we'll be glorified someday. . ."

Prayer Requests From Thursday

2006-10-03T10:36:00.000-05:00

Sorry this is a few days late.. but here are the prayer requests from Thursday

Abi - Friend Moreen who is a Christian but not living right , she is dating an unsaved guy, pray for conviction and repentance in her life.
- Pray for Abi's Dad and sister's salvation
- Pray for her friend Barbara who is unsaved and has cancer

Doc - Pray for Josh. who is a young boy athiest, but is curious about Christianity
- Also pray for the salvation of Eric and his wife who janitors at the recreation center
- Continue to pray for Connie who is still recovering, and for Doc who has to take over in some of the house work.

Melody - Praise for the wonderful roommate that God has given her.

Kristin - Needs prayer for the youth group at Berean Church in Scranton, need wisdom as there seems to be no growth.

"You are never sinning alone; you are never grieving alone; you are never alone, for the Spirit of the Lord is here. He is nearer to us than our bodies and breath-and He is God." (A. W. Tozer) And through His power let us keep on killing sin in our lives and praying to that end for eachother!

God bless!

Rated "R" for Reformed Theology

2006-10-02T14:39:00.000-05:00

This is the coolest T-Shirt I've seen in a while. I definetely want to be in on the next order, along with about 20 people at my church. Jake, I'll let you know what the final tally is by next week. Keep spreading the message of Christ centeredness, God's sovereignty, and overpowering Grace.

(I hope the pic doesn't get you guys in trouble ;-)

Anyway, thanks for the great visit everyone. It was great to see a few of you and get updated on your lives. Keep the faith brothers and sisters.

Dave's Humor

2006-09-29T14:00:00.000-05:00

Here's a link to the other stupid videos in the series.

Vintage21 Jesus Video #2

2006-09-28T16:26:00.000-05:00


Funny.

Weekend Visit

2006-09-25T21:57:00.000-05:00

Well, I'm finally coming back to my college. That's right, this weekend I will be in town for just one day. The evening is reserved for Mr. Josh Buisch and Madam Janelle Brasch's wedding, but I would love to see as many of you as possible on Friday morning and early afternoon. Sadly, I will miss the circle, but I think I get to sit in with my brother in Schloegel's Theo II class. I'll be arriving late Thurs. with my roomate, Dan Francis, and leaving Friday night after the wedding. Let me know what we can do (Dave, I wouldn't mind busting out the BBC glasses... you know what I mean). Anyhoo, I look forward to seeing you all in a few days.

Keep the faith... la chaim,
Josh Huff

HI!!

2006-09-23T12:24:00.000-05:00

Hello everyone!!

I haven't written in a while, and I just figured I would come on and let everyone know I am alive, still kickin', and enjoying the business of the semester. It has indeed been quite busy...but God is Good, and He gives Grace and Strength to get through even the toughest days! My brother, Josh, is student teaching, and as far as I know, he is having a lot of fun with it! So that makes me happy! My classes are a bit challenging, but good overall. I hope every one is doign well! I love you all! Old or New, Chambers is a unique group, and I am blessed every time I am with them, or even thinking about the group!

New insights of Christocentricity

2006-09-23T08:55:00.000-05:00

Last night I had the priviledge to attend our church's teacher training seminar, let by our new pastor/teacher, Paul Alexander. While a lot of the content was review (though still refreshing and encouraging to hear), some materiel hit me in a new way and I wanted to share some of that with you and read your thoughts on it. Here we go:

The Reversal of Babel: In Genesis 11, we read about the tower of Babel. At this time man was supposed to be spreading God's rule and blessing throughout the world by multiplying and filling the earth, but instead he had gathered together to promote his own name and his own rule, defying God. God's solution was to confuse their speech, stopping them from spreading their own rule. Fast forward to Acts 2. Man is again gathered together, but this time, God is ready again for them to spread the message of God's rule through the gospel and God's blessing through Christ. However, the boundary of speech is still with them. God's solution is to reverse the effects of Babel and allow men to speak in language understood by all. Now His blessing can again be spread and his rule can grow, filling the earth through the power of the Holy Spirit and the gospel.

The Partial Kingdom: The Kingdom of God is defined by Graeme Goldsworthy as: God's people in God's place under God's rule and blessing. In Genesis 12, a kindgom promise is given to Abram that he would have a land, descendants, and blessing. This is promise that would be partially fulfilled in several ways, but never totally fulfilled until the events of Revelation 22 take place. We see Israel as a partial fulfillment of this promise. They have a physical land in Palestine; they are a physical people group; they are under God's rule; they spread God's blessing to the nations around them (specifically under Solomon's rule). However, they are not the total fulfillment of all that the promise intended. They do not spread God's blessing to all nations, they do not contain all of God's promised people, etc. Rather, Israel is a model for the kingdom still yet to come. The aspects of their kingdom point to the fulfillment, which is ultimately Christ. Even the church doesn't fulfill the ultimate expression of the Kingdom, although it serves as an even better model than Israel. Christ is the only one who fulfills God's people in God's place under God's rule and blessing. Christ is the ultimate place: the tabernacle (Jn. 1:14), the ultimate temple (Jn. 2:18-21; Rev. 21:22), and the ultimate Lamb (Heb. 10:10). Christ is God's people (Mt. 1:1- the Son of David, the Son of Abraham; Gal. 3). Christ is the arm of God's rule and blessing (Mt. 12:28, 28:18; Luke 22:20; 2 Cor. 1:20). God's Kingdom is now here in part through Christ and the people of God who are the children of Christ, the true seed of Abraham. This Kingdom will continue to grow and spread until God makes all things new through His established King, Christ. There is no need for a reversion back to previous models, like Israel, or even the church. There is no need to revert back to old sacrifical systems or temples. Christ fulfills all.

The Wilderness Wanderings: As Israel was being prepared for her entry into the promised land and the beginning of her ministry to spread God's message to the nations, she was tested in the wilderness. She failed the test and was judged with 40 years of wandering and ultimately with exhile and rejection. Christ underwent this same test. As he prepared for his ministry, he was also tested in the wilderness, yet was successful. He use the same text from Israel's wanderings and defeated Satan's temptations. After that he gathered to himself 12 men, also an allusion to Israel's 12 tribes. Even in this small example, Christ is seen as fulfillment.

Sorry for the length, but I was excited about what I learned. Keep on studying and unfolding the many layers of our precious scriptures.

-Sola scriptura, sola gratia, sola fide, solus Christus, soli deo Gloria-

-Josh Huff

CT article online

2006-09-22T18:39:00.000-05:00

I know some of you have been wanting to read the "Young, Restless, and Reformed" article in Christianity Today but have had a hard time tracking it down. CT apparantly just put it in their website archives, so here is the link.

Chambers Prayer Requests

2006-09-20T12:03:00.000-05:00

Hey ya'll!
Here are some of the requests that were given this past Tuesday. This is one of the best ways we can show our love for one another! So let us be encouraged to pray faithfully and specifically for each other!

Leah- sister (Sarah) has a baby that could come anytime, pray that it will come soon, and that Sarah will have patience through it.

Abi- Motivation and focus in school, and that she would be in the Word.

Dave- Friend (Ben) needs prayer as his wife is unfaithful to him.

Nate- His home church (Evangel Ba. Ch.) is looking for Sr. Pastor

Kristin- Overwhelmed with responsibilities, needs wisdom in deciding what ones she should and shouldn't keep.

- John Amos' family had a cousin die. Pray for the family and spouse of the cousin.

Doc- Connie has surgery this Friday, pray that the peace of God will control their hearts and minds.

Okay that's it for now :) Have a loverly day!

Ps. 46:10-11
Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth. The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah.

Moleskin ESV

2006-09-19T21:25:00.000-05:00

Hey Crossway came out with a Moleskin-like Journaling Bible. My wife got me one for my birthday. Check out the website to learn more. It is $20 at Amazon.com

http://www.jmarkbertrand.com/bibles/journaling

Radio Dial

2006-09-18T12:02:00.000-05:00

I heard this quote on the radio the other day.

"You love God only as much as the person you love the least."

What do you think?

The Public Reading of the Scripture

2006-09-15T19:21:00.000-05:00

"Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation, to teaching."--1 Timothy 4:13

The last few months within the year of the public reading of the Scripture have been a feast of exceeding tasteful bliss at my church. After starting the New Testament reading in the morning services, last Sunday we finished the New Testament in Revelation 22! This Sunday morning we'll start again in Matthew 1. In the evenings, we're in the book of Judges. It's exciting to read the Bible publically in and with the Church.

Just like Colin Smith says, "The Bible is meant to be read aloud." In Thomas Watson's A Body of Divinity, he says great things pertaining to the nature and study and doctrine of the Scriptures. In particular he says that the Scripture ought to be read aloud in private and aloud corporately, whether it be with the family or in the Church--but especially in the Church. Furthermore, he says that the Scripture demands special attention to reading it with calm emphasis when the Scripture is sweet and peaceful and heavenly. When the Scripture is serious and austere, it demands to be read with fear and with blushing of the cheeks. When we read the Psalms, they demand us to read it with joy and shouts of praise; with hope and tears.

We can glorify God using all our five senses in the reading of the Word! Emphasize certain words, certain sentences, certain phrases that you normally wouldn't emphasize. There are inexhaustible jewels in the Sacred Writings.

Raise your voice and may your affections be raised especially when you see Christ in the reading of the Scripture! He is the Great Prophet of our God whose word encapsulates all the words of the prophets from of old (Luke 24). All the promises of God find their 'Yes' and 'Amen' in Jesus.

I love you all! Loving the Scripture from Genesis to Revelation,

Gabe--Romans 10:4

Worms shall glory in the Holy One of Israel!

2006-09-15T07:50:00.000-05:00

14Fear not, you worm [Job 25:6, Psalm 22:6] Jacob, you men of Israel! Iam the one who helps you, declares the LORD; your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel. 17When the poor and needy seek water, and there is none, and their tongue is parched with thirst, I the LORD will answer them; I the God of Israel will not forsake them. 20that they may see and know, may consider and understand together, that the hand of the LORD has done this, the Holy One of Israel has created it. Isaiah 41:14, 17, 20

"Would He devote that Sacred Head for such a worm as I / At the cross"

I love you guys! Great time in the circle yesterday! I wish all those in the virtual circle could be with us.

Schedules, schmedules

2006-09-14T17:43:00.000-05:00

Doc asked me to post a schedule of what's coming up for Chambers, so here it is! You can also see this information on the music department website. Here is a link for the calendar.

Pictures!! Tuesday, September 26th. Regina thinks we will be taking ours at 2:00, but that's not for sure yet. We will let you know soon what to wear and stuff. That's only in 2 and a half weeks.

Bible Conference October 4-6. We will sing for one of the sessions. More info later.

Grandparents Day, Friday October 27th. Sometime in the afternoon, More info later.

Winter Concert Schedule
We will start Winter Concert Rehearsals on Tues. October 24th. Here is a list of all the rehearsals. Please make sure your schedule is free on those nights.
Tues. Oct. 24th 7-9pm
Tues. Oct. 31st 7-9pm
Tues. Nov 14th 7-9pm
Tues. Nov 28th 7-9pm
Tues. Dec 5th 7-9pm

Winter Concert Dress Rehearsal: Friday, December 8th, 7-10pm at Mellow Theater
Winter Concert: Saturday, December 9th, 8pm at Mellow Theater

Weekend Church Dates
Also, we get to go out to some churches this semester! These are the weekends that we are scheduled:
November 5th
November 19th
December 3rd

Owning Owen

2006-09-14T13:16:00.000-05:00

1. "God hath appointed this means [mortify the deeds of the body], for attaining the end [ye shall live] which he has freely promised." p. 21

"Killing sin, for the Christian, is like taking medicine. We don’t glory ultimately in the medicine. Rather the glory of the medicine is in the life it gives. In killing sin, we see more of the life of Christ formed in us." Rom 8:13 [doc's rewrite]

2. "The choicest believers, who are assuredly freed from the condemning power of sin, ought yet to make it their business, all their days, to mortify the indwelling power of sin." p. 22

3. Mortification from a self-strength, carried on by ways of self-invention, unto the end of a self-righteousness, is the soul and substance of all false religion in the world." p. 23

The sixth sense to rule them all

2006-09-08T14:20:00.000-05:00

Hey Gabe,
1. Should the ministry of music flow out of the ministry of the Pastor to shepard the flock to the pastures of the Word to his local church body?

2. p. 79 of Give Praise to God
Clearest expression of the [regulative] principle is to be found in the opening section of the Westminster Confession of Faith 21:1:
The light of nature shows that there is a God, who has lordship and soverignty over all; is good, and does unto all, and is therefore to be feared, loved, praised, called upon, trusted in, and served with all the heart, and with all the soul, and with all the might. But the acceptable way of worshipping the true God is instituted by himself, and so limited by his own revealed will, that he may not be worshipped according to the imaginations and devices of men, or the suggestions of Satan, under any visible representations or any other way not prescribed in the holy Scripture.

3. Does the regulative principle regard interaction within the local church gathering or all music in the world?

4. If we truly have the "real participation of the Divine nature"-the sixth sense-does not this sense govern our other five senses?

5. Does common grace extend to the believer's enjoyment of all arts or is there a different responsibility to God that the believer must have?

Love your Brother mike

2006-09-07T22:43:00.000-05:00

My brothers and sisters
when you do stray
cling to the Truth
and from scripture pray
grasp the Rock of refuge
with all your soul and might
Christ has climbed the mountain
to springs of pure delight

Some Announcements and Prayer Requests

2006-09-06T08:28:00.000-05:00

Here are some announcements for current members, as well as the prayer requests mentioned in rehearsal yesterday.

Please give Kristin your money for Mortification of Sin. The photocopied ones are $2 and the bound books are $6.50.

Also, Kristin needs to collect a $10 deposit for your music. This will be returned to you at the end of the year.

Kristin also needs some laundry money, accepting donations. . . j/k :)

Prayer Requests:
Nate Klier's friend Carrie (sp?) with leukemia. She was hopefully getting a bone marrow transplant. (Feel free to leave a comment with an update, Nate.)

Continue praying for Doc and Connie.

General Comment: if any new users on campus are having difficulty getting started on the blog, please let me know and I'll try to help, it can be a little confusing at first. One helpful thing to mention, if you can view the blog, but can't figure out how to log in with your name and post something, click on the "blogger" logo on the top left corner. Then you will be able to sign in on the top right corner. That will take you to the "dashboard" that shows a list of blogs you are a member of. Click on Chamber Singers, which will show a list of posts. Then if you want to make a new post, you can click on the box on the left that says something like "create new post". If this is elementary to you, bear with me, but I know I had difficulty with this at first. :)

Blog-O-Rama

2006-09-05T18:15:00.000-05:00

I just thought I'd put in a quick post about blogging, especially for those of you who are new or have not been actively doing it. Of course, it's not for everyone, but I just thought I'd share with you three aspects of blogging and reading blogs that I've noticed personally.

First, it can be extremely enjoyable. I have benefited much intellectually and spiritually from the insights of a diverse group of friends and others through blogs.

Second, it will keep you well informed about people, current events, ideas, etc. One of the best ways to stay up-to-date, while avoiding the "spin" of the secular media, is to read a diverse selection of good blogs.

Third, I personally think it is a valuable form of communication. Now, don't get me wrong. I understand that, given the oft impersonal nature of "talking" on the internet, masks and fabrications for the purpose of impressing others or whatever are everywhere. However, because of the immediate accountability afforded by worldwide publication and availability and the ability to comment and discuss publically, blogging tends to keep people somewhat honest (to a degree), or at least, you tend to come away with some nice syntheses after a string of public discussion and, yes, sometimes argument.

With that, I would encourage all of you to read and participate in the Chambers blog but not to limit yourselves to just this blog. Read the blogs of those on this site, and use them as resources to connect you to other important blogs. Three such important blogs, which you might enjoy, are:

1) Justin Taylor's blog (www.theologica.blogspot.com -- will keep you very informed about what is going on around the American Christian world)

2) Tim Challies' blog (www.challies.com -- will not only keep you current, but will analyze and facilitate good discussion about practical, theological, and problem topics)

3) Adrian Warnock's blog (www.adrian.warnock.info -- Adrian W. does essential interviews with many of the most important voices in Christianity today and provides some great devotional resources)

Happy Blogging!

Charis is finally here!!!

2006-09-02T21:57:00.000-05:00

Well, Charis (pronounced Karis (Greek for Grace)) Moriah Huff is finally here, in person, and I must say she is the cutest little girl I've ever held. She was born yesterday, September 1st, at 3:30 pm after 15 hours of labor by my beautiful and courageous wife, Moriah. She weighs in at 7 lbs. 6oz. and is 20 inches long, so far...

As she came into this world I can only describe the feeling as total awe and wonder that our precious child was here. Granted, it was pretty gross, but also amazing to see a baby born, and then to get to care for her and love her and take her home... I must say it was a little overwhelming, but definetely a good overwhelming. I'll say much more in the future, but I must go spend some time with her. If you would like to see pictures of her, go to my blog for the complete posting (thejewfirst.blogspot.com) I'm sure I'll have much more to share later on. God is an awesome God.

Later....

Yo Matt

2006-09-01T22:03:00.000-05:00

Hey I don't know if this is the case for any of you other non blog savy chamber singers. When I was signing up for the whole chamber singers blog deal I set it up under a certain name (dasiegrist) and gave it a password (*************). The problem is, that I set up another account for myself under a different username and I want to be able to change it so my personal blog and my chamber singers blog comes up when I sign in. Plus my personal blog will be made available for any chamber singers when they click on my name. I think that Matt has to delete my name from this chamber singer blog and accept me back in as my other name, but I don't know if it is that easy.

Thoughts on the New Perspective

2006-08-31T10:04:00.000-05:00

First of all, at the behest of Mr. Haeck, I will introduce myself to those of you who don't know me. My name is Josh Huff. I am one of the few, one of the proud, reformed graduates from BBC. I am also Jewish which makes me doubly blessed by those of you espousing dispensational ideals of Israel still being the "apple of God's eye" rather than those who are adopted sons of Abraham through Christ (Galatians 3:7-9, 26; 6:16). I also love music, as you would notice if you saw my office at church, and I love God's word. I have a lovely wife of over two years now, and little girl named Charis who will arrive any day (I am so excited). Currently, I am working with the youth ministry at Fox Valley Bible Church and waitering at a little Irish Pub named Bennigan's. Now that the appetizer is over, onto the main course.

I have heard a lot of buzz about this New Perspective on Paul in the last several months and I thought it was about time that I read up on the subject. Many hateful things have been spoken about theologians I greatly respect, Scott Hafemann and John Armstrong to name a few, who agree with some of the theology contained in the New Perspective. I recently came upon an article written by another great mind on Paul (N.T. Wright) that clarified things a great deal for me. N.T. Wright is one of the original thinkers and architects of the New Perspective, and it might do some of us good to see what those who agree with it are actually saying, rather than reading only those who disagree. (I learned this lesson well going to a school where I, being a reformed calvinistic amillenialist, disagreed with a few things my teachers were saying).

We need to be careful who we call heretics in this day and age, especially when those we are accusing are much more learned than us. I think we fall into the trap of saying, "I agree with Piper or D.A. Carson on most things, therefore they must be completely right on this subject as well." We must not fall into the trap of the Corinthian believers who said, "I am of Paul, I am of Apollos, I am of Peter..." We need to all be students of the word and fully espouse sola scriptura in how we approach these new ideas. With that said, here is the link to the article. I hope those of you wrestling with the New Perspective will find it helpful.

http://www.ntwrightpage.com/Wright_New_Perspectives.htm

P.S. I will let you all know as soon as Charis is born. Keep the faith brothers and sister. I love you all.

Welcome

2006-08-31T01:04:00.000-05:00

I just want to give an official welcome to all the new members to have joined recently and those who will join (?). It would be great if each person could just write a short post (at least) to introduce themselves to those here from the past who might not know you.

BBC Center Stage in the "Young, Restless, and Reformed" Movement

2006-08-30T19:39:00.000-05:00

Did anyone else notice Rich Lucas, Nate McCann, and Doc, a.k.a. Young, Restless, and Reformed, standing next to Piper smack-dab in the middle of a two-page spread for the article entitled "Young, Restless and Reformed" in the current issue of Christianity Today?

By the way...Great article! Thanks, Ash for telling us about it!

'Let go and let God?"

2006-08-30T07:52:00.000-05:00

Hey you all,

It's sweet to be back in the circle again! A circle, like the Triquetra, expresses eternity in its continuous form. A couple questions from yesterday's reading.

1. Do you identify with Packer's delimma as a young Christian of trying to get into the higher life [of becoming a first class Christian] by:

a. Scraping the inside [figuratively] to ensure that consecration is complete.
b. Laboring to let go and let God.
c. Total consecration, if not attained in the quest to become a first class Chritian, leading to personal fault finding, frustration, and scraping the inside again to find whatever maggots of unconsecrated selfhood still lurked there.

2. What is the problem with this well-intentioned approach? [Bryce, you had some excellent observations after class]

3. Where is the difference of emphasis between:

a. Laboring to let go and let God

b. "Set faith at work on Christ for the killing of thy sin. His blood is the great sovereign remedy for sin-sick souls. Live in this, and thou wilt die a conqueror; yea, thou wilt, through the good providence of God, live to see thy lust dead at thy feet." JO [see Romans 8:13]

A New Child is Born!

2006-08-29T19:20:00.000-05:00

Rejoice with us! Our new daughter, Gabriella Noel Zepeda was born on August 25, 2006 at 6:27pm in Wayne Memorial Hospital in Honesdale, PA. She is beautiful! She was born weighing 7 pounds, 8 ounces and 19 and a half inches long! She has my wife's beauty and long legs and big feet like me. She has a ton of straight black hair (most likely will be curly soon).

We didn't get to the hospital until around 6:00am. Rebekah's water broke around 8:00am. From 6:00am to 6:27pm, the implications of the sin of Adam to the righteousness of the new Adam gripped my heart to have gospel fear and gospel joy.

"Nevertheless death reigned from Adam until Moses, even over those who had not sinned in the likness of the offense of Adam, who is a type of Him who was to come [...] For as through the one man's disobedience (Adam) the many were made sinners, even so through the obedience of the One (Christ our Federal Head) the many will be made righteous [...] For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us [...] For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now. And not only this, but also we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body [...] For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."--Romans 5:14, 19; 8:18, 22-23, 38, 39

There was nothing like the labor process (which Rebekah knows all about) that I have ever seen or experienced. The cool breezes of heaven (the relief of labor pains and the moment Gabriella was born) and the gnashing teeth of hell (contraction after contraction) never seemed so real and so bold upon my soul and upon my mind. On the way to the hospital Romans 8 was imprinted upon our minds and in our prayers.

Rebekah is a tough woman! My respect for her has risen a great height for her after this sweet experience. There was nothing like holding Gabriella in my arms for the first time. While I held her in my arms, in the stillness and silence of the hospital room, I sang to her my favorite hymn: O Sacred Head, Now Wounded. The moment she heard the tune, she became calm and listened intently in babish awe.

We're praying that one day God would be pleased to dress her with the dazzling righteousness of His Son for God's glory and her joy (our joy too). Pray for us now as we strive to point her to Christ and be Christ-saturated in the way we love her and raise her in the way of the LORD in the days to come. Pray that God would continue to flourish our marriage with beautiful garden beds of sanctification and love in Jesus Christ.

Rejoice with us! Thank you for your prayers! I hope to post a pic of Gabriella Noel soon.

Gabe, Rebekah, & Gabriella--Psalm 16:11

P.S.--Pray for Rebekah as she is recooperating from everything.

2006-08-25T14:03:00.000-05:00

I am not sure if people are enjoying reading (and remembering) our trip to Jamaica, but I have loved revisiting the trip...SO, as I'm sitting here on a break, I think I'll introduce the next day of the BBC Chamber Singers trip to Jamaica!SUNDAY, MARCH 16, 2003:

"Well, we got up this morning and went down to the beach at 6 a.m. for the sunrise. Josh Huff, Matt Haeck, D. Scott Conner, Alicia Horkey (DeWever), Abby Reimer, Doc, & I represented the group on our early morning outing. Unfortunately, we didn't really see the sunrise because the beach was facing the wrong way and the Sandals hotel was blocking it. Even so, we had a good time swimming, doing David Hasslehoff impressions, and using Matt's video camera.

Afterwards, we went back to our guest houses, got ready, ate breakfast at the Big House, & then went on to Macfield Baptist Church. It was Dave Fulkner's (sp.?) home church. I went with Jenni Nelson, Abby Reimer, & Mike Catania to teach the 3-5 yr. old Sunday School class. Jenni taught the story of Joshua and Jericho while we acted out the story with the kids (marching around Jericho, blowing the trumpets, etc.). I don't really think the kids knew what was going on, though. I think they were too young & just plain mesmerized by the 'white people' in their Sunday School.

We sang in the service, but there was only a little keyboard for Chuck. Something was weird with the setup, & it took us about three attempts to start up our first song. It's a cappella, but we kept messing up because the keys of the keyboard were messed. Even when we look foolish, God can use us. The church didn't seem too responsive, but David Smith said that was just their personality. We had lunch at Fairview Baptist Bible College before heading to Black River.

We had some free time once we got to the Waterloo guest houses where we were staying, so we spent some time at the pool.We went to church & had an outdoor concert at Black River Baptist Church. It was weird to sing while bats were swooping around us. I had to laugh every time a bat swooped near us because of Gary's faces. I think he was expecting an attack of the killer bats at any second. =)

After the service, we came back to the hotel, ate supper, & had devotions by the pool before heading off to bed. Chuck's not feeling well, so we're praying for him as well as for Dave & Jess to get here safely & soon. I'm going to go wrtie a thank you/encouragment note before going to bed--the notes were Abby's idea, and it's a great one. I think that I'm more encouraged by giving the notes than getting them..."

Aesthetic Beauty: A Conundrum for the Church

2006-08-24T20:29:00.000-05:00

I'm not convinced that the Protestant Church in general has shyed away from aesthetic beauty merely out of reaction to Roman Catholicism [let's keep Roman in front of Catholic because I consider myself catholic in the truest sense of the word's meaning]. Let me throw out two Biblical reasons why aesthetic beauty has historically been a conundrum [a difficult problem] for the Church:

1. Worshipping the true God falsely

The great danger for the nation of Israel wasn’t that they would not worship the true God. Rather, it was that they would worship the true God falsely [namely with images]. As Ligon Duncan reminds us:

“How we worship determines whom we worship. That is why both the medium and the message, both the means and the object must be attended to in true worship. So, the Bible [God’s own revelation regarding himself and his worship] and not our own innovations, imaginations, experiences, opinions, and representations – is to determine how we worship God.”

This would bear on all of our artistic life, even apart from the corporate worship service. It’s quite possible for us to worship the true god falsely [aesthetically] apart from the gathered Church. Many of my music professors at a Christian university seemed to assign greater importance to aesthetics than to axiology. It’s very easy to do for artists. And the end of such a process can lead to idolatry. Notice how Paul puts it in Romans 1:23, 25:

23and exchanged the glory of the immortal God [the God they could not see] for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles. 25because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshipped and served the creature rather than the Creator [the God they could not see], who is blessed forever! Amen

And it’s not enough to say I’ll bring whatever I wish to God [even aesthetically] because my heart is devoted to Him. I’m sure Uzzah was very sincere in attempting to stabilize the ark; however God had prescribed how the ark was to be carried and Uzzah was carrying the ark on a new cart [II Samuel 6:3]. Notice that they did get it right by bearing the ark correctly in v. 13.

2. Worshipping the true God by hearing the Word of Christ

In a visually saturated society, we are often seduced into thinking that the visual [appropriated by man’s inventions] will be the winning weapon for the Church. I might not say it aloud; however I’ve done enough PowerPoint presentations to question my motives at many points. Faith [faith is being fully convinced that God is able to do what He promises Rom. 4:21] comes from hearing. God gives us faith so that we might discover the ultimate beauty of that which cannot be seen. The Psalmist asks that he might gaze upon the beauty of the LORD. How can he do that and live? By hearing and meditating and reading and perceiving that which he cannot see – namely the beauty of the LORD through the law. You remember the beautiful scene of Ezra reading the law and the priests giving its sense to the people in Nehemiah 8. And of course this law is fulfilled by our perfect law-keeper Jesus Christ Himself. So faith comes from hearing of the word of Jesus our law-fulfiller. Hearing is the great sense of the Christian. The unregenerate Jews were desirous to see signs. They saw them and still did not believe.

2006-08-24T11:21:00.000-05:00

Jamaica 2003, day two--Saturday, March 15:

"Well, the whole early beach thing didn't happen. Having not gone to bed at all Thursday night, we were all pretty worn out. Getting up was a little harsh. We had breakfast at the Big House and then went on to Hillview Baptist Church for a time of choral singing with the people. We worked on two pieces of music for about two hours before having a 'down home' Jamaican lunch of KFC & Pizza Hut! =) It wasn't exactly the Jamaica experience! After lunch, we spent a few hours at the Blossom Gardens Children's home. Romaine was my little buddy and spent most of the time contentedly sitting on my lap. The kids were again precious, yet their situation was SO sad. Romain kept grapping for me and sobbing as I left the home. Aaugh!!! Poor kid. I wish I could do something more for him...

[Doc, Ash, and I with the kids]

We had an incredible dinner tonight at the Big House of fish & Chicken (made by Gloria). Then, we had a concert at Hillview. It was such a great time of fellowship with believers of another background.

[Singing with the choir of Hillview Baptist Church]

Oh! Gaven flew in this afternoon right before we went to the children's home. It is so good to have him here. We're one step closer to being complete as a group again! We're still really missing Jess & Dave, though.

I am reading on in Job. He showed his angst and dismay at what he was going through, but he came to the conclusion that God can deal with him as He may. He is totally at God's mercy, so he is submitting willingly to Him. I need to spend time processing this concept. I'm not sure that I am at that point...It is such a profound and godly place to be. God, give me the strength to rely on your sovereignty in the same way."

[Looking out over Montego Bay after a lunch of patties and coco bread]

The Arts & The Regulative Principle

2006-08-23T01:37:00.000-05:00

Hey everyone! It has been a joy to read and survey all your posts in the virtual circle! May Christ ever be precious to us and may we use all our five senses to gaze upon all that God promises to be for us in the face of Christ.

I have been pondering the fulness of the means of grace that God in Christ Jesus has procured for us in the gospel--particularly in relation to worship. Specifically, Reformers like Calvin and Zwingli had their limitations and strict convictions in the nature and expression of worship. Though Zwingli was a musician himself, he saw only silence and meditation on the Scriptures as the means to worship God. Calvin, on the other hand, encouraged singing--Psalm singing only without any instruments in corporate gatherings. In family gatherings, he encouraged the use of instruments. As some of you are aware, Luther thought quite differently than these two. For he has been called the 'Father of congregational singing'. More than that, Luther had quite an openness to the nature and expression of corporate worship: "Next the Word of God, music deserves the highest praise. She is a mistress and governess of those human emotions which control men or more often overwhelm them." Furthermore, this next statement struck my mind with magnanimity and struck my heart with warm profundity: "Nor am I of the opinion that through the Gospel all arts should be cast to the ground and should perish, as some misled religious people claim. But I want to see all the arts, especially music, used in the service of Him who has given and created them."

Reading this at first put gladness in my heart because, as you can see, Luther is winsome and apprehensive as to the means of grace Christ has purchased for us in the gospel in this area. However, reading these thoughts of a Reformer--seeing music as penultimate to the Word of God in worship also made me wonder about a few things. Especially because we live in an age where the preaching of the Word of God is depreciated and where the gospel is scorned by the culture, post-modern fancies, and the spirit of self-autonomy. In other words, what did Luther mean when he said he "want[ed] to see all the arts, used in the service of Him who has given and created them." The Great Conversation (Emergent Church) that has risen over the culture today wants to see all the arts in worship services. And I'm sure you are familiar with the arts from a post-modern perspective. Don't get me wrong, I believe that the art of music, poetry and so forth have great redemptive value in our worship services when they adorn the gospel, magnify God, and cause the Church to exult in edification! But coming again from Luther's perspective, the Reformation, and Scripture, how do we also grapple with the Regulative Principle on this issue? Most of what I say and quote from in this comes from reading Paul Jones' chapter entitled Hymnody in a Post-Hymnody World, in Give Praise To God.

I love you all! Fill me in--Am I totally off? Bear with my roughly-thought-out ideas.

Peace to you,

Gabe--Psalm 149:1

2006-08-22T14:24:00.000-05:00

Has anyone else read the cover story from September's Christianity Today? It's called "Young, Restless, Reformed." I thought some of you might be extremely interested in hearing an outsider's perspective on Reformed Theology. i found in quite interesting that we're just NOW hearing about this "resurgence of Reformed theology amoung young people."

(unfortunatly I haven't been able to find the article online, but i'd be glad to fax it, if any of you can't get ahold of it.)

www.christianitytoday.com

2006-08-22T09:16:00.000-05:00

Hello Chambers friends! I have been reading and enjoying your posts for about a month now, but have yet to post. I am ready to start my second year of teaching freshmen English here at BBC, and must say that I LOVE hearing you sing in the hall on Tuesdays and Thursdays. My heart desires to be back in the circle (thank you for the numerous invitations to join, Doc), but alas, it is not possible with my schedule.

I went home to West Seneca, NY (suburb of Buffalo) earlier this summer to help my parents pack for their move to Maryland (right outside of D.C.). As I was packing away everything that I didn't want in a rented storage space somewhere in the middle of Maryland, I came across an old journal. I have never been a big keeper of journals, but my last year in college, I went to Jamaica for the 2nd time with the BBC Chamber Singers. I determined to keep a record of what went on during the trip. I have journal entries from the first six of eleven days...I have no idea why I stopped half way through! =) I have posted all of these entries on my personal blog, but a few people have asked me to post them on the Chambers website as well. Some of you may not have known about them, so would you like to reminisce with me? Here's my journal entry for our first day in Jamaica (I may edit out a few things...) on Friday March 14, 2003:

[On the plane to Jamaica!]

"This has been a very long, strange day. It actually started yesterday because I didn't actually go to bed last night. I got back to my room about 10:30 pm. and started packing. Gaven and D. Scott came over to Loescher dorm from Shaffer dorm, so they, Matt, Gary, and I stayed up talking and getting ready. By about 2:30 a.m., all I wanted was to go to bed or die. We kept each other awake because it didn't make sense to really go to bed at that point anyways. We met at Buckingham at 4 a.m. and then drove to the airport.First issue of the day! Dave didn't have his birth certificate! After all the explaining, he didn't realize that he needed to actually have it with him. =) We thought they'd let him go with just his license and Social Security card, but they wouldn't. SO, the next affordable flight that he found was for Tuesday. He called his parents to overnight his birth certificate, but had to wait to get to Jamaica.Everything else went smoothly until we got ready to board the plane in Atlanta for Montego Bay. They wouldn't let Jess on the plane because her birth certificate wasn't government issued...it was a hospital card or something and not official. Gaven stayed in Atlanta with her while the rest of us went on with the hopes of him coming in on a later flight that night and Jess as soon as her paperwork came in.

[A Jamaican welcome at the Montego Bay airport]

We got to Jamaica about forty minutes behind schedule and got settled into our cottages. David Smith wasn't there yet, so we went on down to the little public beach down the road. We then ate supper at the big house after meeting up with David Smith and went to do a service at Faith Baptist Church. We had no sound, but made do. Abby sang, and Jenni played the flute. Each section was only about three strong with Dave Siegrist, Jess Pouliout, and Gaven Watkins all missing (and Jenni lip synching since she lost her voice). 'Thank you Lord for using us even when we were at a low point!'

[The 'kids' of Faith Baptist Church]

After the service, we got changed and went to Tonys, a great Italian/Jamaican (how is that possible?) restaurant for jerk chicken pizza and Ting. We then went on to bed with hopes of an early morning of devotions and swimming at the beach."

[The purpose of these pictures is to shock you with the pure whiteness of BBC-ers in March on their first day in the Caribbean!]

[This is D. Scott and I snorkeling in the bay; I believe that's Abby Reimer and Alicia (Horkey) DeWever on the pier]

I found journal entries for the first six days of our trip...should I post the rest? I don't want to take up too much space on the blog unless I get comments from people wanting me to keep posting them here... Let me know!

Trinitarian Feet

2006-08-21T12:59:00.000-05:00

Hey you all.

Recently while reading Graeme Goldsworthy's According to Plan: the unfolding revelation of God in the Bible, I snapped a pic. of my feet [I hope not odorous] with three candles on our living room coffee table. I did this because it seems to me that feet heralding the news that "our God reigns" [Isaiah 52:7] will be "beautiful" only as they "are going" in the "name [singular] of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age" [Matthew28:19-20].

So you see that when we do a little bit of Biblical Theology [the study of the unity of the message of the Bible], the gospels [Matthew 28:19-20] provide us with a hermeneutical manual on how we are ultimately to read the Old Testament. I love you guys with the love of Christ in whom "we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins."

We're here!

2006-08-21T12:03:00.000-05:00

Well, we have arrived safely in so. cal. We got here late last thursday night, and since then, we've been running errands, learning our way around, and sunbathing, swimming and bodyboarding at the beach! Our stuff (all packed in a 6x7x8 metal crate) is supposed to be arriving this afternoon, so we'll be busy the next few days actually moving in to our new apartment. Classes don't start for another week and a half.

We saw some BEAUTIFUL country on the way out! Hopefully I can post some of our pictures from our trip soon.

Sunny Escondido, CA!

Technicalities...

2006-08-18T21:51:00.000-05:00

Does anyone have a specific definition of what a Hymn is? And also, what is the definition of a "praise song"?
And so then, what is the difference? I am trying to get some more input on definitions, because of a recent discussion, and people not agreeing. Thanks.

Road Trip

2006-08-16T08:14:00.000-05:00

We saw a lot of this yesterday--and more today!

Well, I had written a nice, lengthy post but I lost it, so here's the abbreviated version...
Spent time with family in Michigan this past weekend...stayed with the famous Huffs of Chicago Monday night...crossed Iowa yesterday--ate lunch with Bryce in Iowa City...stayedwith Christa's cousin Jami and her husband Jonathan in Lincoln, NE last night...and right now sitting in a coffee shop in Lincoln waiting as our car gets an alignment. We are going to try to get through Nebraska and Colorado into Utah today, though Jami and Jonathon thought that was a bit of wishful thinking on our part.

Then we hope to get to Escondido, CA, our new home, by Thursday night. That plan might not work quite as well as we are thinking now, but we do have time. All for now.

-matt

Jordan and Doc Pic TLC 2006

2006-08-13T07:53:00.000-05:00

i missed you all! i'm glad to be back in the virtual circle!

2006-08-12T12:21:00.000-05:00

Hey you all,

It's been some time since I've communed [hung out maybe] with you. I'm glad to be back! Playing in the TLC band was a cross-centered joy! Many youth pastors and younger brothers and sisters are beginning to see through new lenses the incomparable beauty of God-centered, Christ-exalting, Spirit-enabled singing.

One pastor commented to me that their youth group had not sung doctrine for ten years. He described our song texts as "powerful" and was returning home desiring that the youth group might sing songs with greater doctrinal content. I like how Philip Graham Ryken puts it in his book City on a Hill: Reclaiming the Biblical Pattern for the Church in the 21st Century:

"The singing of the congregation is a Word-communicating activity. This has profound implications for the way church musicians should prepare and present their music. The best psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs--whether ancient our modern--enable God's Word to dwell in us richly [lavishly]. Whenever we worship in the biblical way we are communicating God's Word, because every element of our worship is both prescribed and permeated by Scripture."

We just got back from 4 days on the beach in Ocean Grove, NJ. What a cool place! One mile owned by the Methodist Camp Meeting Association. “Established in 1869 by Methodist ministers, Ocean Grove was originally a tent community known for renewal, religion and recreation. Although most of the tents were gradually replaced by houses, 114 remain and are still used during the summer season. Leases are handed down through families.”

I finished Owen's The Mortification of Sin, and C.S. Lewis' The Last Battle. Quite a theologically disturbing ending. You remember that Emeth has worshipped the god Tash: "Since I was a boy I have served Tash, and my great desire was to know more of him . . . But the name of Aslan was hateful to me." Somehow Emeth ends up in Aslan's heaven. Frightened, Emeth says to Aslan, "I am no son of thine but the servant of Tash." Lewis continues: "But the Glorious One bent down his golden head and touched my forehead with his tongue and said, Son, thou art welcome . . . He answered, all the service thou hast done to Tash, I account as service done to me . . . Therefore if any man swear by Tash and keep his oath for the oath's sake, it is by me that he has truly sworn, though he know it not, and it is I who reward him."

So I suppose that in Lewis' new world there will be many formerly-confused, well-intentioned idol worshippers who were unknowingly worshipping Christ. Paul confesses otherwise:

"But how are they to call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? [answer: they will not call, they will not believe] because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved." [Romans 10:14, 9]

I'll check your recent posts this weekend. I love you guys!

Doc

word verification

2006-08-10T23:45:00.000-05:00

just to let you all know...i turned on word verification for comments...we got spammed!