i’m still thinkin

So, I have let blogging sit on the back burner for the past few months.   I, however, am determined to change this.  I’ve been thinking of a lot of things to blog about here recently, so I’m planning to update at least three times a week, if not more, starting this week.  This week is a good week to start, because my wife done up and left me to go to North Carolina for a couple of weeks.

So needless to say, I’m planning to do a little bit of fishing, camping and canoeing… because there is nothing else to do in Northern Manitoba.

Anway, check back in the next day or two for more updates.

This is the text of the article I linked to in the previous post.  If you don’t want to read it in the context of the rest of the Nickel Belt News, then here you go:

In case you were unaware, we live in one of the most beautiful places in the world–the wildlife, the countless rivers and lakes, the beautiful sunsets that pour out every colour imaginable across the sky and seem to go on for hours, and, especially, the vastness of it all.  I grew up in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains in South Carolina until I went to live in my wife’s hometown in the heart of the mountains in North Carolina.  Not much can beat the bright greens that overwhelm the springtime and the deep orange, yellow, and red that fill the autumn with colour down there.  I always thought that there was no place nearly as beautiful as home.  Then I moved here.

Last week my wife and I went to Banff, Alberta.  We had never seen the Rocky Mountains before.  The majesty and sheer size of the mountains is quite a sight to behold.  When I came back home and saw the sunset over Thompson, I was reminded that God’s creation here is just as majestic and beautiful.  This is truly a beautiful place we live in.  But I’m sure many of you are thinking of places that you’ve been that are just as beautiful as here.  This is truly a beautiful world we live in.

When we look at this world and the complexity and beauty therein, from the smallest single-cell organism to the tallest mountain, how can we not understand that this world was created by a force vastly more powerful than anything we can see?  And if that force were able to create intelligent, emotional, creative beings, then wouldn’t he be intelligent, emotional and creative himself?  More than that, why would this creator leave his creatures alone in the dark, simply guessing why we are here?  Maybe this creator has revealed himself to us.

The Apostle Paul pointed out that he has, “For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.”  So when we look at the world, we are to see God’s power.  But is that all we are to know about God, that he is powerful?  The author of Hebrews thinks not, “Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son.”  God has revealed his power and might through his creation, but he has revealed his love and mercy and grace by his Son, Jesus Christ.

Jesus was more than simply a good teacher, he was the incarnation of the living God. In simpler terms, Jesus was God with skin on.  In Jesus we see the eternal, all-powerful God.  In Jesus we know God’s love for us.  In Jesus we have access to God’s grace.  Do you want to be spiritual?  Do you want to know God?  Know Jesus.

Brandon Milan is the Associate Pastor of Youth at Thompson First Baptist Church.

I wrote this for a “Spiritual Thoughts” column in the Northern Manitoba newspaper… you should follow the link and click on the picture to get to the PDF file of the paper… its on page 6…

So, when I grow up, I want to be this guy, Jim Thompson.   But even more than that, (no offense, Jim), I want to be this guy, Andrew Lewis.  And they both have one of these Jewish Study Bibles.  It is the Jewish Bible with commentary from a Jewish perspective…

It is interesting to see the difference in understanding of various passages… thus far, if the commentator is to be believed, the jewish persepective on genesis 1 is based around a literary framework view and not a chronological framework.  In other words, the seven days are a literary device to describe the majesty and awesomeness of creation, not a historical device to describe a chronological sequence of events.  I am excited about this thing…

So life has been really busy lately… so blogging and writing funny songs has been put on the back burner for a little while…

But all of you need to go to my wife’s blog and read her latest post… its really great.

So a few weeks ago Leah and I were excited over the fact that more than 500 people had viewed our video on Youtube… now more than 13 thousand people have viewed it.  I’m pretty sure that I could show up to nearly any seminary and be immediately recognized as the guy with the Calvinist wife.  Maybe I’m a bit overconfident, but it seems to be getting that way.

So my wife and I definitely lean towards reformed theology in our limited understanding thereof.  However, when writing the song, we meant it completely lightheartedly.  It wasn’t meant to be taken seriously… I’ve been to many of the blogs and read many of the commenters who seem to understand this:

“TOTALLY” awesome! Obviously your wife is “UNCONDITIONAL” in her love! Though “LIMITED” in its audience appeal, the video is “IRRESISTIBLE” to those for whom it is intended. Keep on “PERSEVERING” in your song writing!

HA – that’s wet your pants funny! …could add a line “I Think My Wifes a Reformed Baptist, about to get Booted from the SBC”

thanks for posting this
This is priceless! I almost spewed a full mouthful of coffee onto my comp at the line “she likes Spurgeon more than me”! LOL
Well done!

i love it.
can you really get a John Piper tattoo??? please? mostly just for my entertainment, of course

A Methodist youth group came in my store as soon as this video was over. I spoke in tongues to them, and they all got saved.

The previous commenters seem to understand.  Some of them are Calvinists.  Some of them are not.  But they all thought it was funny.  But, there are always those who think they need to point out everything that was wrong with the song:

Hahaha… that’s SOoooo funny. I laughed and laughed and laughed. The only Greek to that sentence though would be “ego” and it’s redundant

Ok, I prefer the ESV but I also like NLT. Found that in Beth Moore Bible Studies it just isn’t deep enough theologically while others talk about how deep it is. I prefer Erickson’s systematic theology not Grudems. That doesn’t make me a Calvinist.

I’m actually a Calvinist and I cringed at the John Piper reference. He’s great but he’s becoming nearly a pope for 5-pointers so its sad but true.

so funny because its so true!!!! well, except for the tattoo, maybe a fake one??

In Islam, we take predestination to the next logical step: strict fatalism. Perhaps good Calvinists can learn from The Prophet Mohammed, PBUH (peace be upon him).

Its a joke, peeps… accept that and laugh at it or leave it alone… I do appreciate the internet fame that I have gained because of this song…

But, I have a few thoughts about our next hit single… I’m heading back to northern Manitoba at the end of this week and then I have a pastor’s conference at the beginning of next week, so at the end of next week, start looking for our next hit single, “The Best Life… NOW.”

So its my birthday.  And my wife bought me some sleep pants that feature the various DC comics superheroes in various superheroish poses.  They are probably the best thing since sliced bread.  And I think I may have a gravy biscuit with a candle on top.

I got “The Blue Parakeet” by Scot McKnight for Christmas.  So far its a great book.  I don’t really have anything else to say.  I’m sure I’ll think of something…