No Moderation

Check out this interview with the director of Black Snake Moan...

"We're bound to each other" | Salon Arts & Entertainment:

I'm exploring something that has nothing to do with race or gender. I'm the crazy girl on the end of that chain. I'm the one who felt I was losing control of my mind and my body because I was not tethered to anyone. And I needed to be snapped back. I needed my father, who died at 49 of a heart attack, to tell me, 'It's gonna be OK, and you're not alone. Everybody goes crazy at certain times in their life. You're entitled to some happiness, you're entitled to some unconditional love. And it will never stop. You will constantly be getting punched in the gut, being exploited, being judged.

Interesting article from today's Boston Globe. I've yet to read that McCullough book on Truman, but it's on my short list.

Ex-presidents' big payday - The Boston Globe:

WHEN HARRY Truman left the White House in 1953, historian David McCullough records, "he had no income or support of any kind from the federal government other than his Army pension of $112.56 a month. He was provided with no government funds for secretarial help or office space, not a penny of expense money." To tide him over for the transition back to private life, Truman had to take out a bank loan. One of the reasons he and his wife moved back into their far-from-elegant old house in Independence, Mo., "was that financially they had little other choice."

Nevertheless, Truman refused to cash in on his celebrity and influence as a former president. He turned down lucrative offers, such as the one from a Florida real estate developer inviting him to become "chairman, officer, or stockholder, at a figure of not less than $100,000." He wouldn't make commercial endorsements, accept "consulting" fees, or engage in lobbying. He wouldn't even take the free car that Toyota offered him as a gesture of improved Japanese-American relations.

"I could never lend myself to any transaction, however respectable," Truman later wrote, "that would commercialize on the prestige and dignity of the office of the presidency." He did sell the rights to his memoirs for a handsome sum to Life magazine. But he turned down every other enticement to trade on his former position for private gain.

Half a century later, Truman's rectitude seems as quaint and obsolete as George Washington's wooden teeth.

I particularly liked Rick's connection between making the law-gospel distinction and the assurance of salvation. I can totally relate. If I look to my own performance (vs looking to the performance of Christ alone - on the cross) than I only become discouraged and doubting b/c I know I'll never pull it off.


Click for Rick Richtie's thoughts on Law - Gospel

"When I discovered Systematic Theology, and especially the distinction between Law and Gospel, I was able to recover the assurance I had lost earlier. I was able to return to my previous conviction that Christ's death could get me into heaven despite my sin, or flabby repentance. Let's be clear about this. There are probably not very many people who imagine that Christ's death didn't pay for all the sins of those he suffered for. What goes into question is whether faith in that is enough to keep the connection despite sins."

Thought I'd post this b/c it is such a good summary of glory theology vs. cross theology - - - Tom

A Theology of Glory and a Theology of the Cross by Don Matzat:

Living in a theology of the Cross never makes you any "better" than anyone else. Every day in every way you are not getting better and better. In fact, the preaching of Law and Gospel will not lead you to an awareness of your holiness, but rather to greater awareness of the depth of your sin. As a result, you will develop an ever-increasing faith in and appreciation for the redeeming work of Jesus Christ.

Your witness will focus upon the work of the Cross, not upon your experience of getting saved, sanctified, or becoming more spiritual. You have taken no step toward God or arrived at any higher level of holiness. You don’t talk about your spirituality. You talk about the grace of God in Christ Jesus.

When dealing with these issues on the radio, I often encounter opposition. People will fight to defend their theology of glory. I often challenge them to share their testimony without ever talking about themselves. I have developed the pet phrase, "This thing called Christianity – it’s not about you!"

Martin Luther accurately defined sin as man turning in on himself. While a theology of glory continues to turn you to yourself as you measure your growth in holiness against a plethora of spiritual experiences, the theology of the Cross turns you away from yourself. As a result of the conviction of the Law, you forsake your own good works and spiritual experiences and cling to the blood and righteousness of Jesus Christ.

Gotta love the Wii. Check this out from endgadet....

Horn Swoggled has some great Lutheran satire - think of it as the Onion for the Wittenberg crowd.

Nondenominational Church: "Did We Say Lutherans?"

A non-denominational church in St. Louis has fired its marketing director after a series of online advertisements featured the headline, "Lutherans welcome." Ever since the ads appeared on relevant blogs and other websites, the church has been beseiged by people who believe things. " We want to reach out to people of all denominations," said Pastor Don Shallows of Big Life Community Church. "We also have ads targeting unhappy Methodists, unhappy Baptists, and even unhappy Muslims.

"But when we say 'Lutherans welcome,' we're not actually referring to people who believe Lutheran teaching. That's going a bit too far."

Since the Google ads began appearing on Lutheran websites, the 1,000-member congregation has been plagued by controversy. It started when a small group of Lutherans grumbled about a 10-week message series on Biblical parenting, because it didn't center on the cross of Christ.

When church leaders ignored their complaints, the Lutherans enlisted several Roman Catholics, and began openly making the sign of the cross at the conclusion of prayers.

What advances the sinner on the way to righteousness? The utter futility of human work in contributing toward this advance has now been exposed....
- Gerhard Forde from On Being a Theologian of the Cross

Please be patient (not like anyone is reading anyway), b/c I'm not done editing this new template.

"The first commandment assumes that before you had God, He had you."
- - Patrick Miller via Pastor Priest.

Check out this amazing thread on one of my favorite sites - adventure rider. This guy is a fantastic storyteller. Short story - guy enters the Paris-Dakar rally, which for all you not in the know is a race across the North African desert and is prob. the most dangerous and thrilling road race on the planet. All types of vehicles race in this thing - motorcycles, rally cars, trucks, huge Unimogs, etc... Think Mad Max across the desert. These guys and girls are straight up Chuck Norris tough.

Anyway, Guy crashes. Guy gets airlifted to the Canary Islands and the medical adventure begins. Good times and a GREAT read.

Dakar crash - ADVrider