Reminder - Don't Waste Your Life

Awesome video here...hope you've got fast ears b/c the artist raps fairly fast. Enjoy!!!

I'm Holding a Miracle

Hey Everybody...I just found this video. I preached on abortion this past Sunday. Tough sermon. You can listen here. Click on the sermon "Speaking Up for the Unborn."

This is a fantastic video called "I'm Holding a Miracle." Human life truly is a miracle. We carry the image of God and we are created for God's glory. Abortion is an all-out assault against the person-forming work of God.

The video is a little long (~8 min) but it's worth it.

Merry Christmas Everybody

Preachin' on Politics

For any who might be interested...I preached on politics this past Sunday morning (11/9). If you'd be interested in listening to or downloading the sermon, you can click here to go to our church's sermon audio page.

Look for the sermon "Politics and the Kingdom of God"

Happy listening...

Mark

Think About It...

I found this video that Keith posted on Facebook and thought it was worth posting here for all of the millions of our readers at Bloggin' Bass. Enjoy...

Fantastic Video

You've got to take 5 minutes and watch this video. It's worth your time. I'd love for us to do this at FBC, but we can't control our lights b/c we have stained glass windows.

Enjoy...

Sidebar Update

I've added a new app on the sidebar. It profiles a people group that is vastly unreached with the gospel of Jesus Christ. It updates everyday with a different unreached people group that you can pray for. Scroll down to it.

Merry Christmas Everybody

It's been a month since I posted anything. Wow. December has been insanely busy as expected. If there's actually anybody who still reads the blog...we wish you a merry Christmas.

I'll be handing the blog off to Emily after the New Year and she will hopefully do a much better job keeping you posted on our family than I have done. I've got other things coming down the pipe that are requiring my time which are more important than blogging.

Merry Christmas world...May you find the reality of the incarnation of Jesus to be your hope and confidence this Christmas.

John 1:14, "And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth."

The Gospel According to "America's Preacher"

In celebration of last night's 60 Minutes interview with Joel Osteen, I thought I'd post a couple of videos where Joel tells us exactly what he thinks about the gospel.





One of Joel's fan actually calls him on the show and asks him why he won't take a stand where the Scripture takes a stand...




Joel, despite his hold your Bible in the air thingy, has a low view of Scripture. He is unwilling to take his stand on the Word of God. When preachers are unwilling to speak on the authority of God's Word (and say things contrary to it) then guess who's authority they are speaking on??? Their own. As a pastor, that is somewhere that I never want to be. If I can't speak on the authority of God's Word then I have nothing to say.

Here's the big problem. In America WE ARE LOSING THE GOSPEL. When the gospel is gone from our churches, God is gone from our churches. In Isaiah 48:11 God says, "My glory I will not give to another."

Try these on for size...

Acts 4:12, "And these is salvation in no one else, for these is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved."

John 14:6, "Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."

God is glorified through the death of his Son Jesus Christ as the payment for sin. Do not deny God his glory by denying the work of Christ on the cross as the only way God has given for salvation from sin.

Help Daddy

This morning as Luke and I were going down our steps in the house, he stopped about 3 steps down and said "Help, Daddy" as he reached his hand up towards me. I took his little hand and we walked down the steps together. That was one of the best moments for me. I looked back at Emily and we just smiled.

Something happened inside of me when my son called out to me for help. I had a longing to answer his cry for help. I wanted to help him as he was calling out to me.

You know the Bible tells us to have faith like a child. As I now have children, that description of about how our faith should be has really come to life in a way I didn't understand before.

We need to cry out to our Heavenly Father, "Help Daddy." Dependence on God is a critical aspect of living the Christian life. Here's a few verses about crying out to God, "Help, Daddy."

Hebrews 4:16, "Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need."

Romans 8:15, "For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, "Abba! Father!"

Psalm 46:1, "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble."

Psalm 79:9, "Help us, O God of our salvation, for the glory of your name; deliver us, and atone for our sins, for your name's sake!"

Have you called out to God for help today???

Stand: A Call for the Endurance of the Saints

That's the theme of the Desiring God 2007 National Conference. I really want to go to this conference. It's going to be incredible. But considering that I'll have a 2 week old baby at the time, I feel that the best choice is definitely to stay home and listen to the podcasts as they come out. :)

The theme, as you can tell by the post title, is endurance in the Christian life. The goal is a life devoted to testifying to the greatness of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and the reward is Christ himself as he says to the faithful, "Well done good and faithful servant. Enter into the joy of your master."

The speaker lineup includes:

• Randy Alcorn of Eternal Perspectives Ministries
• John McArthur of Grace to You. He's also the pastor of Grace Community Church and president of Master's College and Seminary. He also squeaked in a little time to write over 100 books.
• Jerry Bridges
• Helen Roseveare
• and of course...John Piper

Here's a video about the need for endurance in the Christian life...





Here's a video of John Piper answering the question, "Why did you choose these speakers for the conference on endurance?".

Dove Awards

Chris Tomlin won 6 Dove Awards this week. Here's a quote (from Baptist Press) by Tomlin about all his awards.

"I am overwhelmed by the whole thing," said Tomlin, who deflected the praise. "I am grateful for the honors, but at the end of the day that's not what impresses God.... He must increase and I must decrease. I know this is nothing that I do; I just know that the presence and favor of God is with me."

Let me stir the pot a little bit.

I'm really glad for Tomlin's remarks, but still, I've never really been a fan of the Dove Awards b/c there's nothing like a bunch of Christians getting together on national TV and awarding and honoring themselves.

Let's just try one passage on for size, Luke 17:7-10 (ESV)...

“Will any one of you who has a servant plowing or keeping sheep say to him when he has come in from the field, ‘Come at once and recline at table’? 8 Will he not rather say to him, ‘Prepare supper for me, and dress properly, and serve me while I eat and drink, and afterward you will eat and drink’? 9 Does he thank the servant because he did what was commanded? 10 So you also, when you have done all that you were commanded, say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done what was our duty.’”

Any thoughts??? Don't be too hard on me.