Tuesday in Nashville

Last day in Nashville. We had lunch at Pucketts Grocery, then we went to the Opryland Hotel. Wow, what a place!

GUITAR HERO: METALLICA Coaches

Saw this during yesterday's game. Hilarious.

Sunday Night

We had a great day today. It started with sleeping in a little, then enjoying some coffee and good fellowship (we preachers don't get too many leisurely Sunday mornings). We enjoyed worshipping with the Franklin Christian Church. Afterwards we went to Costco for lunch (they have the best lunch deal in town). It was next door the Dave Ramsey's headquarters (I cruised through the parking lot, wanting to take a picture, but I didn't want to feel like a dork -- eating at Costco was dorky enough).

Then we went to the home of some friends of our friends. Watched some March Madness and chilled out. Later there was an impromptu jam session with Rob Harris, Tonja Rose, and Fletcher. We really enjoyed that.

First Night in Nashville

Last night we went to a Nashville Predators hockey game. Afterwards we went to a post-game pizza party sponsored by Trevecca Nazarene University. Luke got an autograph from one of the Predators. Then we walked around downtown for awhile.
Going to church Sunday at Franklin Christian Church.

Nashville, Here We Come!

Tomorrow we leave for Nashville, TN. A little Spring Break getaway. We're looking forward to spending some time with our old friends Ward & Tonja Rose.

Random Thoughts

Last Sunday at The Creek was awesome. I am so blessed.

The Arby's Roastburger definitely does not live up to the hype.

Duplicity was a really weird movie.

I was enjoying my date with Tracy last night, so much that we completely forgot that it was 24 night. Hulu, here we come.

Four more days until VACATION!

March Madness Begins Today

The NCAA Tournament (also known as "March Madness") begins today. I must confess that I haven't followed college hoops through the regular season as much as I once did. However, I love to watch the tournament games. I'm involved in a couple of friendly "bracket pools" (with my staff, family, and college alumni). My final four picks are not too radical (three #1 seeds, and a #2):
North Carolina
Michigan State
Memphis
Duke
(with MSU & Carolina in the finals, with Carolina winning it all)

Let the games begin!

The Word

And we have the word of the prophets made more certain, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet's own interpretation. For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit. 2 Peter 1:1-21

This passage is a portion of what I taught about tonight. What an awesome Scripture about the awesomeness of Scripture!

A Curious Trend

This upcoming Sunday's Christian Standard is the annual Christian College issue. They’ve added a new stat – percentage of students from Restoration Movement background. I was stunned at how low the figure is for some schools (William Jessup U – 15%; Hope International – 16%; Northwest Christian – 7.5%; Atlanta – 30%); and the low percentage overall (it looks like the average is around 60%).

I am pleased that “our colleges” are broadening the scope of influence and inclusion (and I do have a standard rebuttal to those who complain that “half of the students at _____________ are from denominations” – I tell them, “If you want to increase the percentage of RM students, then send more from your church.”).

I’m confident that some of these students will embrace N.T. Christianity when they learn about the way of God more adequately. However, I can’t help but wonder (and yes, I’ll admit that years of campmeetings and the like have probably contributed to my thinking; but personal observation bears this out as well) how many of these students will earn a degree and then go right back to their churches that are teaching false doctrine. And everybody thinks it’s great, because they are “serving God”. Or, even worse, they will find a ministry in one of our churches and bring their denominational doctrinal baggage with them.

I hope I'm wrong.

I Am a Christian

I've blogged about this before, but it's time to re-visit the topic.

Last Wednesday night I went on a mini-rant (surprising, I know) about people using the term "Christ-follower" rather than "Christian" (we were in 1 Peter, where it says, "If any man suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed but let him glorify God in that name"), including the PC/Mac, Christian/Christ-follower parody videos. I know why they do it. I don't have a problem with "Christ-follower", but the air of superiority over those who are still old-school (and biblical) enough to prefer "Christian" is simply unnecessary and dumb.

Similarly, I have noticed people now referring to Jesus as "forgiver and leader." Nothing wrong with that except when it is an intentional attempt to avoid the terms "Savior and Lord." Really? That's going to make the difference? I don't buy it.

Have a Great Weekend Everybody!

Paul Harvey

I first heard Paul Harvey on the radio when entered college. My roomate was a big fan of "The Rest of the Story."

He passed away yesterday at the age of ninety.

From his web site:

Born and raised in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Mr. Harvey began his radio career in 1933 at KVOO-AM, Tulsa, while he was still in high school. Later, while attending the University of Tulsa, he continued working at KVOO as an announcer, then as a program director.

Paul Harvey reached audiences way beyond the windy city in 1951, when he began his coast-to-coast “News and Comment” on the ABC Radio Networks. On May 10, 1976, Mr. Harvey began another series of programs on the ABC Radio Networks entitled “The Rest of the Story”, which delve into the forgotten or little known facts behind stories of famous people and events.

Today, Paul Harvey “News and Comment” and “The Rest of the Story” can be heard every Monday through Saturday. Paul Harvey News is the largest one-man network in the world, consisting of over 1200 radio stations, 400 Armed Forces Network stations that broadcast around the world, and 300 newspapers.

Rest in peace Paul, we loved you.