As the French say, that certain "I don't know what."

Among others, John Calvin would be celebrating his birthday today. Had his life not been prematurely cut off thanks to Adam's fall, he would be 499 today.

Next year, brother, the big 5-0-0!

(Read about upcoming celebrations.)

Perhaps my favorite Calvin quote:

"Man is never sufficiently touched and affected by the awareness of his lowly state until he has compared himself with God's majesty."
- John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, I.1.3

Happy Birthday to Jean Cauvin, my favorite French guy (he just had that je ne sais quoi) and the inspiration for one half of a great cartoon.

Well, I'll tell you something, this is no longer a vacation. It's a quest! It's a quest for fun!

It's Vacation Bible School this week at Providence Church. We're doing the Answers in Genesis' new curriculum and so far it's been pretty good, meaty and yet fun.

In particular, I've liked their 7 Cs of History Bible overview, attached to a memory verse.

Creation - Genesis 1:31
Corruption - Romans 5:12
Catastrophe - Genesis 7:23
Confusion - Genesis 11:9
Christ - John 3:16 (cf. 1 Corinthians 15:45-49)
Cross - Romans 6:23
Consummation - Revelation 21:4

UPDATE: Check out some photos from VBS.

Cf. So, what are the 7 Cs anyway?

All I need are some tasty waves, a cool buzz, and I'm fine.

I ... uh ... have this friend ... who watched this past season of the Bachelorette.

He just has to say that he never saw the past 2 episodes coming.

It was shocking that Graham was cut and didn't make the final 3, but you could see how that was his own fault. The final rose, or at least a trip to the finals, was his to lose.

But Jeremy not making the final 2? Wow, I couldn't believe he was beat out by Jesse. Yeah, Jesse the rad snowboarder. Jeremy was my guy from the beginning, so I ... uh my friend was already getting concerned.

But Jesse beating Jason for the final rose and engagement? Who would have seen that coming? I couldn't believe he made it into the top 12 and figured he was just around for comic relief.

Either it's me ... uh ... either my friend just doesn't understand women or Deana was much less predictable than expected.

Well, congratulations, Jesse & Deana. Knucks ... explode it with a view toward May 9, 2009.

Sounds like somebody's got a case of the Mondays.

View this summary of the results of The Onion's survey of children regarding health care.


Check out this article on the genius of Tony LaRussa leading a spare team with its best talent on the DL to the 2nd best record in the NL. (HT Jade)

Read God Is Not Dead Yet: How Philosophers Argue for His existence, by William Lane Craig of Christianity Today.

Read Brother Hank's account of the SBC church he visited as it celebrated independence on Sunday.

Read 50 Habits of "Naturally Thin" People.

Read about John McCain's meeting with Franklin & Billy Graham.

Browse Police Department auctions online, including seized or unclaimed items from nationwide police departments.

Read about the controversy caused when Rene Marie secretly changed the words of the Star Spangled Banner to the "Black National Anthem" at the mayor's State of the City address & celebration. (HT Chia)

Read about one disgruntled tourist who tore the head off the Hitler wax figure at Berlin's new branch of Madame Tussauds Wax Museum. Included are the stipulations already in place to remember, but not honor the Fascist dictator.

Read 12 ways to become an environmentalist and increase home energy savings without changing your lazy lifestyle.

Read Tim Challies' suggestions for New Testament commentaries.

Check out an online First Aid Guide from the Mayo Clinic.

Read Brent Thomas' thoughts on church discipline: If you don't practice it, you don't believe it.

Read about the students given detention for not participating in class exercises demonstrating Muslim prayers to Allah. (HT Awe)

Read about the man busted by videotaping alternatively his dad and vice versa with a stolen stun gun.

Read the top 10 nutritional facts for coffee, including potential benefits & risks.

Check out Brother Hank's post entitled, Reproductive Self-Determination and the Bondage of the Pill: Preaching like Calvinists and Procreating like Arminians.

Read about the man who fakes heart attacks to avoid paying restaurant bills and cab fares.

Read and/or hear of Stephen Colbert's professed faith.

Browse this collection of 30 articles that will help simplify your life.

View the world's strangest vehicles (Parts 1, 2 and 3).

Read about US supremacy as Joey Chestnut beat Takeru Kobayashi to reclaim the hot dog eating championship, though it took extra innings.

Read about how DJs can increase and encourage consumption of drinks.

Read 9 facts you might not know about the Statue of Liberty.

Read about how to help toddlers take medicine.

Read about the problems inherent in "window shopping" (i.e., ogling) and what to do about it.

Read 16 ways to save $100.

Read Johnny Mac on Christians & Civil Disobedience.

Read about the diminished wages of those who "sound black," whether white or black, from Stephen Levitt.

View the top baby names for every year since 1880.

Read about the miniature dachshund that gnawed off diabetic owner's big toe, while she was sleeping.


Comments of the Week:

• "Once again I think you bring up some good points Gunny on doctrinal switches, but even if I believe in Infant Baptism, can't I just get me kid sprinkled somewhere else :o)" (Lionel Woods)
• "Seriously though, leaving a church can be done without burning bridges and scorching the earth, or without sneaking off in the dark. I have been amazed and deeply disappointed in the manner in which I have seen some otherwise respected believers leave my church family, literally without even a good bye after knowing these folks for years." (Oilcan)

Listen to yesterday's sermon at Providence Church on Philippians 3:12-16, "Pressing on to Perfection."

"Programming today is a race between software engineers striving to build bigger and better idiot-proof programs, and the Universe trying to produce bigger and better idiots. So far, the Universe is winning."
- Rick Cook

C'mon! We're all going to die; die standing up!

With the flags waving and fireworks bursting in air, here are my favorite patriotic movies. Some of these really resonated with my growth and development of living overseas during the cold war.

These are movies that make me proud to be an American, where at least I know I'm free, and I won't forget the men who died, who gave that right to me.

1. Red Dawn
2. Rocky IV
3. Patton
4. Sergeant York
5. Rambo: First Blood Part II
6. (Escape to) Victory
7. Platoon
8. The Right Stuff
9. We Were Soldiers
10. Glory
11. Miracle
    
12. Men of Honor
13. Top Gun
14. An Officer and a Gentleman
15. Patriot Games
16. Stripes
17. Firefox
18. Missing in Action
19. Red Heat
20. Spies Like Us

Miss any?

Our choices are what make us who we are. We always have the choice to do what's right.

It's easy to forget that there are still soldiers whose lives are at risk in Iraq. Some good bull to remind us via one man's sacrificial valor. (HT LTC. Michael J. Hartman (ret.))

Petty Officer 2nd Class Michael A. Monsoor was posthumously awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for jumping on a grenade thrown by an insurgent in Ramadi, giving his life to save 2 fellow SEALs in Iraq on St. Michael's day, September 29, 2006.

Per President Bush, he was the "4th Medal of Honor recipient in the 'War on Terror.'" He is the 2nd Navy Seal lost in Iraq and was the son of a Marine and a social worker. In addition to his parents, he is survived by his older brother, a police officer and former Marine; his sister, a nurse; and his younger brother, a college football player.

"Mr. and Mrs. Monsoor: America owes you a debt that can never be repaid. This nation will always cherish the memory of your son. We will not let his life go in vain. And this nation will always honor the sacrifice he made. May God comfort you. May God bless America."
-President Bush, at award ceremony (April 08, 2008)

During Mike Monsoor's funeral in San Diego, as his coffin was being moved from the hearse to the grave site at Ft. Rosecrans National Cemetery, SEALs were lined up on both sides of the pallbearers route forming a column of two's, with the coffin moving up the center. As Mike's coffin passed, each SEAL, having removed his gold Trident from his uniform, slapped it down embedding the Trident in the wooden coffin.

The slaps were audible from across the cemetery; by the time the coffin arrived grave side, it looked as though it had a gold inlay from all the Tridents pinned to it. A fitting send-off for a warrior hero, dead at age 25.

(PO2 Monsoor was also awarded the Silver Star, Bronze Star, Purple Heart, and the CAR.)

there is such a thing as manners, a way of treating people. These fish have manners.

QUICK TIPS: IF YOU'RE THINKING ABOUT LEAVING A CHURCH ...

Before You Decide to Leave

1. Pray.
2. Let your current pastor know about your thinking before you move to another church or make your decision to relocate to another city. Ask for his counsel.
3. Weigh your motives. Is your desire to leave because of sinful, personal conflict or disappointment? If it's because of doctrinal reasons, are these doctrinal issues significant?
4. Do everything within your power to reconcile any broken relationships.
5. Be sure to consider all the "evidences of grace" you've seen in the church's life--places where God's work is evident. If you cannot see any evidences of God's grace, you might want to examine your own heart once more (Matt. 7:3-5).
6. Be humble. Recognize you don't have all the facts and assess people and circumstances charitably (give them the benefit of the doubt).

If You Go

1. Don't divide the body.
2. Take the utmost care not to sow discontent even among your closest friends. Remember, you don't want anything to hinder their growth in grace in this church. Deny any desire to gossip (sometimes referred to as "venting" or "saying how you feel").
3. Pray for and bless the congregation and its leadership. Look for ways of doing this practically.
4. If there has been hurt, then forgive--even as you have been forgiven.

-Mark Dever, What Is a Healthy Church? (p. 57)

I think I might add the necessity of an "exit interview" in the event of departure to share how the church might improve in the areas you found lacking.

Prior to leaving, I think it's helpful for all involved to express concerns along the way, as opposed to sharing a laundry list of things that have been bugging you for months or years. It may be possible the leadership doesn't know and they can't fix it if they don't know it's broken. Also, after sharing those concerns, offer to be of help in fixing them, being part of the solution.

Any other thoughts?