Manvotional: Faithfulness

I rarely do this, but here is a reblog from artofmanliness.com

From Courage, 1894 
By Charles Wagner

Steadfastness is the indispensable quality of every man who one day does not wish to be obliged to say: “I have wasted my life.”

A man should not incessantly change with every impression of the moment, but should remain steadfast when he has once determined upon what is right. Of what use are the flowers if they do not produce fruits, and of good ideas if they are not transmuted into deeds? We must encourage stability, habituate ourselves to remain constant, and when we are sure that we are right, must fortify ourselves against invasion. Do not let criticisms or attacks disturb you.

Nothing is so difficult as to remain faithful. At each step of the way outside influences are brought to bear upon us to make us deviate or retrograde. And if there were only difficulties from without, it would not matter so much; but there are those from within. Our dispositions vacillate. We promise one thing with the best intentions in the world; but when the time comes to keep it, everything is changed–the circumstances, men, ourselves; and what duty demands of us seems so different from what we had foreseen, that we hesitate. Those who will fulfill on a rainy day a promise which they have made on a sunny one, are few and far between.

And so we go on casting our hearts to the four winds, giving it and taking it back again, breaking with our past, separating ourselves from ourselves, so to speak. And when we look behind, we no longer recognize ourselves. We see ourselves in the days that are past as a stranger, or rather as several strangers.

There is nothing like a steadfast man, one in whom you can have confidence, one who is found at his post, who arrives punctually, and who can be trusted when you rely on him. He is worth his weight in gold. You can take your bearings from him, because he is sure to be where he ought to be, and nowhere else. The majority of individuals, on the contrary, are sure to be anywhere but where they ought to be. You have only to take them into your calculations to be deceived. Some of them are changeable from weakness of character; they cannot resist attacks, insinuations, and, above all, cannot remain faithful to a lost cause. A defeat in their eyes is a demonstration of the fact that their adversary was right and that they were wrong. When they see their side fail, instead of closing up the ranks, they go over to the enemy. These are the men who are always found on the winning side, and not in their hearts would be found the courageous device: Victrix causa diis placuit, sed victa Catoni.

A profound duplicity, a discrepancy between words and deeds, between appearance and reality, a sort of moral dilettantism which makes us according to the hour sincere or hypocritical, brave or cowardly, honest or unscrupulous–this is the disease which consumes us. What moral force can germinate and grow under these conditions? We must again become men who have only one principle, one word, one work, one love; in a word, men with a sense of duty. This is the source of power. And without this there is only the phantom of a man, the unstable sand, and hollow reed which bends beneath every breath. Be faithful; this is the changeless northern star which will guide you through the vicissitudes of life, through doubts and discouragements, and even mistakes.

Random Observations #2.

So I have a bit of variety to bring to you today. Before I go on, I want to let you know up front that this is going to be basically a cry for the reinstatement in culture old-fashioned orders. Two common mistakes among Christians are (one) that because culture is wrong, to do the opposite of culture (we are at war with culture after all, right??) is to do the right thing, and (two) that past is automatically right. We can see the latter attitude in the idolization of past events, certain presidents, and founding fathers, among other things.

With those things said, I believe there has been a great deal of good that has come from living in our modern day, and do not want to discredit these.

First is an anecdote from a favorite book of mine, The Family.

"Of course there is no young man with one spark of the true honor of manliness in his breast who will not instinctively defend his sister, if she is insulted in the street. Neither is there any brother worthy of the name who will not defend the honor of his sister if vile tongues asperse it. But more than this is required of a loyal brother. He should make himself a wall about his sister to shield her from every evil and unholy influence. Every young man knows other young men; he knows their character, their habits, their good and evil qualities. He knows the young men whose lives are impure, who are licentious, who consort with harlots. He knows those who indulge in strong drink, those whose lives are stained with the filth of debauchery. Can he be a true brother and permit such a young man to be the companion of his pure and gentle sister? Can he allow her in the presence of her heart to accept the attentions of such a young man, to lean upon his arm, to look up into his face with trust? Can he allow her to give her soul's confidences to him? Can he see a friendship forming, strengthening, between his sister and such a young man and remain silent, uttering in her ear no voice of warning or protest, and yet be a loyal and faithful brother to her?"

 This excerpt brings me to my next discovery. I believe I have found the ultimate in blogging experience. It is called the Art of Manliness. It is not an expressly Christian Blog, but with the background he comes from, his Christian roots are anything but undetectable. Anything from how to field dress a squirrel, to how to land a job interview to how to dress like a man, this is the go-to place for all things chivalrous and virile. Basically a call to real, quality manhood: the well-rounded, look, feel, act, and exude manliness in its most gentlemanly of forms. Here is a call for a 'menaissance' that I found to be at least encouraging.

A quick warning, I don't agree with this guy 100%, i.e. his touch on "homophobia," which I intend to speak on a later date. But I agree with his desire to pull out the best of the manliness of yesteryear, and leave the rest in the dust. Learn from the past.



Lastly, a friend of a friend. Great speech. She highlights the effects of abortion on women and the systematic attack on them from the day they are born.

So I hope to have highlighted the old-fashioned ideas of gender-equality, something in which the men and women knew who they were, and felt confident in their responsibilities. Maybe there was never such a perfect age, but we were far closer to it only  one-hundred years ago. Perhaps it will not take more than that for the shift to come back around. We can only pray.

Semper Reformanda,
Josiah M Woltersdorf.

Bringing in Your Sheaves With Joy.

Here is a song our church choir has picked out to sing. It is from Psalm 126:6. I am incredibly proud of it. And I like how they use a tambourine in it ;)

WARNING: Contents may be incredibly epic.

Enjoy.

Download by right clicking here, and select "save as". If you have a one-button mac mouse or trackpad, hold down the control key near your space button while clicking.

 If we go out with weeping,

carrying seeds to sow,

we shall come home with songs of joy,

bountiful harvest to show.

Great is the heart of Jehovah,

who yearns to supply all our needs.

Joy for our sorrow, transforming power,

these are the gifts we receive.

Do not envy the wicked,

who seem to rule the day.

Like the grass that withers,

they shall fade away.

Trust in the Lord and do good,

so you will dwell in the land.

Enjoy the peace and security

offered from God's hand.

Delight yourself in the Lord.

Take joy in all God's ways.

You shall be given the desires of your heart

and blessings all your days.

Commit yourself to the Lord,

trust Him in all that you are.

And He will make your righteousness shine

brighter than all the stars.

~Mark Hayes, Delight Yourself in the Lord (Buy the music by clicking on the Title)

Music from Praisegathering.com

I do not claim any copyright.

Come On, And Kiss Me Kate.

PETRUCHIO

Katharina, I charge thee, tell these headstrong women What duty they do owe their lords and husbands.

Widow

Come, come, you're mocking: we will have no telling.

PETRUCHIO 

Come on, I say; and first begin with her.

Widow

She shall not.

PETRUCHIO

I say she shall: and first begin with her.

KATHARINA

Fie, fie! unknit that threatening unkind brow,
And dart not scornful glances from those eyes,
To wound thy lord, thy king, thy governor:
It blots thy beauty as frosts do bite the meads,
Confounds thy fame as whirlwinds shake fair buds,
And in no sense is meet or amiable.
A woman moved is like a fountain troubled,
Muddy, ill-seeming, thick, bereft of beauty;
And while it is so, none so dry or thirsty
Will deign to sip or touch one drop of it.
Thy husband is thy lord, thy life, thy keeper,
Thy head, thy sovereign; one that cares for thee,
And for thy maintenance commits his body
To painful labour both by sea and land,
To watch the night in storms, the day in cold,
Whilst thou liest warm at home, secure and safe;
And craves no other tribute at thy hands
But love, fair looks and true obedience;
Too little payment for so great a debt.
Such duty as the subject owes the prince
Even such a woman oweth to her husband;
And when she is froward, peevish, sullen, sour,
And not obedient to his honest will,
What is she but a foul contending rebel
And graceless traitor to her loving lord?
I am ashamed that women are so simple
To offer war where they should kneel for peace;
Or seek for rule, supremacy and sway,
When they are bound to serve, love and obey.
Why are our bodies soft and weak and smooth,
Unapt to toil and trouble in the world,
But that our soft conditions and our hearts
Should well agree with our external parts?
Come, come, you froward and unable worms!
My mind hath been as big as one of yours,
My heart as great, my reason haply more,
To bandy word for word and frown for frown;
But now I see our lances are but straws,
Our strength as weak, our weakness past compare,
That seeming to be most which we indeed least are.
Then vail your stomachs, for it is no boot,
And place your hands below your husband's foot:
In token of which duty, if he please,
My hand is ready; may it do him ease.

PETRUCHIO

Why, there's a wench! Come on, and kiss me, Kate.

~From Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew 

Left & Right.

I find both attractive. A clear headed man will always use all of his resources; his powers of creation and creativity in my opinion should always match or excel his powers of organization and logic.

To know who you are, while at the same time, being what you set your mind to, is the highest aim for a man in the use of his brain and all his faculties.

The Manure of Modern Culture.

As I write this, I wonder what you all will think. Most of you are my friends, and I hope I may be heard as I write on a very sensitive subject. This is the subject of pornography, sexuality, and lust.

The old worn-out adage is that "sex sells." That it does, and that very well. It seems that we like living on the edge as people, trying to see what exactly we can get away with, like my cat, who enjoys being a pill while I search for things in the barn, constantly getting just enough in the way to perturb me. The point is that the reason 'sex sells' is that it is on the edge for us. It is risqué, bold, and gives us an adrenaline rush that would put the Great Flood to shame.

An important distinction that confuses many Christians today, is that they think sex is wrong. Under this, it becomes a matter of course that we believe all sorts of dangerous and needless laws. These include things like the prudish separation of men and women in every situation, which I am very familiar with. I personally see no law that disallows such activity, but I do see warnings to men and women. For great sexual insight, read Paul's Epistles to the Corinthians. I find the duty to tell my reader that a healthy sexuality is that which understands it properly in the proper context.

It is the cultural reactionary that we must be wary of. This is yet another lie from the devil that causes the culture to dictate the way we act. I. E. When the world is full of promiscuity and endless counts of fornication and adultery between men and women, the problem is automatically placed on the idea that men and women have too much contact. The easy answer in that case, is to separate said parties. But in the Bible, we see a Jesus that walks among the tax collectors, the beggars, the lepers, and the prostitutes. Is prudery excusable in a Bible where God made the universe? Think of all created order, and just for a second, think and remember how God has made those things which we think are disgusting. Now be a prude, and serve that God.

My point is not to live on the edge, but to remember that the edge is dangerous. God has warned us, that if we live there, it will only be worse for us. Remember Romans 1:24-25

I must write and speak that as I say these things, I am far from innocent. Lust and pornography have sadly been a part of my existence on this earth, in this flesh, and they eat at me. They deteriorate me. I feel more weakened when I write here, only to turn to a sin so repulsive, I should be ashamed to even show my face in public as a Christian. You may keep this in mind when I write of darkness and sadness more than usual, and you may be sure it is a drawback in my spiritual life due to an increased invigoration of my lust.

Therefore, from a few months of study as well as a recent Mars Hill Church online Event, I have decided to add a few links to my blog. I don't know why, but I feel a need to remind my reader that these websites are not me, and so I will not agree with them 100%. That's just the nature of things. Without any further ado, here are some great resources.

Click on the image to go to the free online book. You may also download it as a PDF

I also have just recently learned from Driscoll and his message of another website. If you struggle with lust, read all of these stories. They should break your heart.

Ex-adult model Stories of redemption

A good resource (but spendy: $60 a month subscription) is a program called Candeo Healthy Sexuality. This program takes a brain-science spin on the disease that is porn-addiction, and in my opinion is indispensable alongside John Owen's "Overcoming Sin & Temptation." I highly recommend the three-in-one edition by editors Kapic and Taylor; publisher: Crossway. Download the PDF

Porntopurity.com Very good. Just visit it.

Another good website on the dangers and truths of porn addiction is Fight The New Drug.

Lastly, here is a website that I honestly think likes to live on the edge as far as addressing this stuff goes, but it is good enough that I have derived very much good from it, is XXXChurch. It has resources for Men, Women, Teens, Parents, etc. and is very insightful.

I hope all of these things are important to you, as well as helpful. I want to make a last note that these dangers are not exclusive to men. Women seem to be left in the dust often when the important issues of sexuality come up, and sadly, that unjustly. So I want to make sure to let those of you who are women that read my blog explore these links if you need to. Remember that these are issues of sexuality, and remember that they are still dangerous. Not bad in any way, but dangerous nonetheless, and must be reviewed with caution and wisdom. Lots.

Avoid Makeup Religion.

My Thoughts exactly. Willy Wonka beat me to the punch!

Not exactly a wrong video, but in my opinion, quite a hasty conclusion. The premise is that religion is evil. I will tell you right up front, religion is no evil. The basis of this ideology is that religion is empty and without Jesus, which was the problem with the Pharisee's theology to begin with. They did say DO, and they also said that those who do not DO are therefore condemned.

Jesus said himself that he did not come to dismantle the law, but to fulfill it. (Matthew 5:17) The law remains to every dot on an 'i' and every cross of a 't'. (Matthew 5:18)

Ritual, religion, and works are all very empty when they are pure forms, but you breath into ritual the life of believers, religion the zeal of love, and works the grace of our Saviour, you end up with a beautiful skin on a healthy body.

The love of Jesus, the Grace of Yahweh, and our zeal of love should drive us to obey all the forms and rituals of righteous living and obedience, and if they don't it is like a meth addict. The results aren't immediately visible, but soon enough, after the health of their bones is taken away, the results come out on the outside. Their eyes sink, their skin breaks out, and the religion of cosmetics comes out to hide it up.

So, I have no doubt that this man will grow in grace and the love of Jesus, but the video is misleading. The religion he refers to is that of emptiness and falsity. The fatal error comes from a lack of discerning what Religion is.

If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person's religion is worthless. Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.

James 1:26-27

I would like to see much more of this sort of thing happening. Instead of the people being obsessed in the religion of the government doing religion for them, I for one would like to see the people of God take a bit more initiative in the area of caring for the poor. There is a reason that America is the only country in which poverty creates obesity. It is because our welfare system is messed up.

The Cause was made for people like this. These ones, the weak in faith, and the poor in spirit, the povertous need Jesus, and what better way to feed them and clothe them, whether they realize it is from the church or not? That is one of the best things about helping a person, namely, that they never knew where it came from. It makes me happy.

So do, and do well. Run to receive the prize. Pray continually. (1 Thessalonians 5:17) Keep Jesus the reason. Spread the wealth. You don't need the government to do that for you. Jesus allows and even commands us to do it ourselves. It is not until true religion is practiced that we will see a great sunrise of faith in our nation.

Push my Button.

Hello all. I have made a very cool blog button if you do that sort of thing. It looks like this:

You can get the button and code at the bottom of the page entitled, "The Cause."

Enjoy.

Random Observations.

I know I'm not often random on the internet, but here goes. I, my sis, and a friend by the name of Ethan started a project. It is called the #hashtagbibleblog, and basically pioneered on a joke. What if we hash tagged the Bible? Well, we are messing around with it and experimenting, so keep that in mind. It is meant to be a fun new way to read scripture, and if you ask me, hashtags may help with scripture memory. I think this is the greatest advantage. You remember the most important words, and then BAM! the rest comes naturally.

Next, I am very excited to tell you all about the new commenting feature in Blogger. Threaded comments have now been made possible by the geeks in the 'Blogger' office. To you, my friends, I offer my sincerest thanks.

Basically how this works, is you comment, then another person can clearly respond to your comment by hitting the reply button under the comment. It is great!

Lastly, I picked up another book, which will definitely spark some thoughts here. After reading the prefaces and introduction, the topic makes me nervous though, itdefinitely dangerous. The book is The Federal Vision and Covenant Theology: A Comparative Analysis, by Guy Prentiss Waters.

I also wanted to share some thoughts on a pretty touchy topic. I was listening to Lars Larson (a local radio talk show host) and he said something that struck me. The essence of it was that to discriminate a presidential candidate based on their religion was both unconstitutional and un-American. My answer: maybe, but since when are Christians concerned primarily with being Christian?

To have a Muslim radical in the White House would definitely be grounds for many many people, and not just Christians, to dismiss his eligibility as president. The reason being, the motivation behind the man's actions would assuredly reflect his theology. Everyone has a theology at the basis of his worldview, and his opinions on this topic will influence his actions in everything he does.

For Larson to call Christians bigots on the idea that they would reject a Mormon president in my opinion is very un-Christian of him, and that is far more important than being American. since when were we first and foremost Americans? Since when was America greater than God?

I like Larson, but every once in a while, he says some things that get my goat. This is one of them. It is fully proper and fitting that we as Christians seek to be led by a first and foremost Christian man. Not a perfect man, but a man like David. A man after God's own heart. Can a man who worships a false god be after His own heart?

Dry Thoughts From a Tired Mind.

Since we began Hebrews in family worship time yesterday, I wanted to give you a few thoughts on my interpretation of Hebrews 2, which we will be reading tomorrow morning.

Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it. For since the message declared by angels proved to be reliable, and every transgression or disobedience received a just retribution, how shall we neglect such a great salvation? It was declared at first by the Lord, and it was attested to us by those who heard, while God also bore witness by signs and wonders and various miracles andd by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will.

Now it was not to angels that God subjected the world to come, of which we are speaking. It has been testified somewhere,

'What is man, that you are mindful of him,
     or the son of man, that you care for him?
You made him for a little while lower than the angels;
     you have crowned him with glory and honor
     putting everything in subjection under his feet.'


Now in putting everything in subjection to him, he left nothing outside his control. At present, we do not yet see everything in subjection to him. But we see him who for a little while was made lower than the angels, namely Jesus, crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.

Hebrews 2:1-9

The great beauty of this passage is the great structure of it. We are called first of all to "pay attention" to what we have heard, and not without reason. He continues in order to tell us of the reason of our awareness. We have been blasted in the face by the truth! It is as if God smacks His people in the face, and says to us, "Now you have no reason to not believe in me! I have given you signs, and wonders, and angels and everything! Pay attention, wouldja?"

Now that He has our attention, the writer of Hebrews finds it useful to tell us our hope in Christ, and our duty within that reality. God has raised us up, to be even higher than the angels, which seems to have been higher than man for a little while, as ministers to men, which you may see in the relatively often occurrence of their presence in the Old days, before the Light came.  But now we have gifts directly from the Holy Spirit, among those being glory and honor and subjection of the earth.

But if we are too hasty, we may find ourselves in that disgusting trap that says that Christianity offers full wallets and nice cars, and that we will be above reproach, wise, 'holy,' and invincible to sin. Christianity offers no such thing. It offers only a life of servitude. A hard life, a suppressed life, and a dangerous life. Christianity isn't for sissies. It is not all rainbows (though useful) and butterflies (though perfectly designed by Yahweh), and its end is pure bliss with our maker. Instantly, our glory and honor is that we carry the name of Jesus Christ, and our later glory and honor flows through this, and realizes it in ourselves, as we are made fully sanctified. Praise be to God.

Last, we see that nothing is left outside of God's control, and yet, there is a tension in the world which he allows, one that gives us some work to do. Calvin writes:

It is again asked, "Why does he say that we see not all things made subject to Christ?" The solution of this question you will find in that passage already quoted from Paul; in the first chapter of this Epistle we said a few things on the subject. As Christ carries on war continually with various enemies, it is doubtless evident that he has no quiet possession of his kingdom. He is not, however, under the necessity of waging war; but it happens through his will that his enemies are not to be subdued till the last day, in order that we may be tried and proved by fresh exercises.

I apologize for the dryness of this. Suggestions are welcome for spicing it up!

There's a Change in the Wind, Says I.

I changed a few things on my blog. Please tell me if you like them, if you notice them, dislike them or otherwise. It included widening the post section.  If it is too wide, please tell me. If I get enough complaints, I'll shrink it back down a bit.

And now for today's topic: Trinitarianism.

I have spent a few months now, focused on the reality of grief before joy, sorrow before happiness, and destruction before construction. We are made low, so that we may see Jesus be raised high, and, being in Him, therefore, be raised with Him. Now I wish to dwell on the subject of the Trinity. I do not wish to defend the topic, but I have written a pamphlet in defense of the doctrine, and will post it after some revision.

This doctrine is of supreme importance and relevance. The beauty of the Trinity is the idea of the one and the many. If you look for it, you can see how this is woven into all of created order. This is why anarchy is just as evil as tyranny; it is why biblical freedom is also a form of slavery*. This is why justice, mercy and humility (Micah 6:8) are all needed in the singular pursuit of holiness.  This is why holiness is not of ourselves, nor is it of our will that we are saved by faith and that not of ourselves (Ephesians 2:8-9), yet "whosoever believes...will be saved." (John 3:16, of course)

*I wish to be clear, and I know that the word slavery has with it the worst connotations possible, due to the War between the States. I contend there is a biblical slavery, and it is only a matter of time before I delve into the subject. For now I will leave you with Titus 1:1: "Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, for the sake of the faith of God's elect and their knowledge of the truth, which accords with godliness"

I hope this post wasn't too boring, but I felt the need to post a little more something than just, "I changed my blog hope you liked it! Bye now!" If you didn't care, fine. It made me feel better! But, really, I hope you do like it. Tell me if you don't.

A parting gift, from J.C.Ryle's Holiness:

How should you know who are true Christians, if following Christ was the way to be free from trouble? How should we discern the wheat from the chaff, if it were not for the winnowing of trial? How should we know whether men served Christ for His own sake or from selfish motives, if His service brought health and wealth with it as a matter of course? The winds of winter soon show us which of the trees are evergreen and which are not. The storms of affliction and care are useful in the same way. They discover whose faith is real, and whose is nothing but profession and form.

How would the great work of sanctification go on in a man if he had no trial? Trouble is often the only fire which will burn away the dross that clings to our hearts. Trouble is the pruning-knife which the great Husbandman employs in order to make us fruitful in good works. The harvest of the Lord's field is seldom ripened by sunshine only. It must go through its days of wind, and rain, and storm.

If you desire to serve Christ and be saved, I intreat you to take the share of crosses and sorrows, and then you will not be surprised. For want of understanding this,many seem to run well for a season, and then turn back in disgust, and are cast away.

If you profess to be a child of God, leave to the Lord Jesus to sanctify you in His own way. Rest satisfied that He never makes any mistakes. Be sure that He does all things well. But fear not, "He is leading you by the right way, that He may bring you to a city of habitation" (Ps. 107:7).