What's Happening?

For the five or so people that read my blog, I thought I'd give an update on life. I finished the spring semester at SBTS in early May, but I have been really busy with the only summer term I've taken in my 7 years at Southern. I have been working on the Applied Ministry requirement for my degree over the past 7 weeks, and I have been meeting with people, leading a Bible study, teaching Sunday school, visiting with people, discipling people, preaching, and even cutting grass as a part of ministry. It has been a busy summer. I still have quite a bit of paperwork to finish for the class, but I'm nearing the end of the ministry requirements; as an elder, however, ministry is never done!

I have also been practicing my photography skills. Here are a few of my recent shots:

Louisville, KY by Night

Psalm 19, "The heavens declare the glory of God"

Stellar's Sea Eagle at the Louisville Zoo

African Lioness at the Louisville Zoo

Steve Lawrence sharing
Two Ways to Live

You can find more of my photography on flickr.com.

Biblical Theology at BiblicalTraining.org

Biblical Theology may be expressed as seeking to understand a particular portion of the Bible in light of all of biblical history. What role does a particular story, psalm, or prophecy have to do with God's intended purpose in revealing himself and his mission in the whole of Scripture? At biblicaltraining.org, Miles Van Pelt, Craig Blomberg, and Tom Schreiner lecture in a series on biblical theology as it relates to the Old Testament, the Gospels, and Paul's writings, respectively.

I have not formally studied biblical theology, and I have read very little on the subject, but I am strongly convinced that our understanding of the Bible has been severly impacted by scholars who reject the integrity of the Scriptures. Many argue that the first five books of the Bible were written by various persons or groups, and that they were assembled much, much later. Others see more than one author for books like Isaiah. Not only does this undermine the integrity of individual books, but it quickly discounts views of the whole of the Old Testament as a cohesive document. If the foundation will crack, the whole will crumble.

Van Pelt demonstrates well the purpose behind the order of the Hebrew Old Testament, as opposed to the arrangement of the books in English. The order we see in our English Bibles seems to be traced back to Jerome as he sought to reach his Greek, western thinking audience who preferred a chronological, linear, logical arrangement, emphasizing chronology, authorship, and genre. The Hebrew Old Testament order, however, seems to exhibit different priorities.

Van Pelt shows how the original order of the Old Testament books fits nicely with the division of the New Testament books. He aligns Genesis with Revalation as bookends to the whole of Scripture. Next, he sees Exodus-Deuteronomy as the birth, life, teachings, and death of the covenant mediator, Moses. This fits nicely with the Gospels, the books that document the birth, life, teachings, and death of the covenant mediator, Jesus. Clearly, there are differences, but the similarities are striking. Next, Van Pelt sees a relationship between "the Prophets" -- Joshua, Judges, Samuel, Kings, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and the twelve other prophets -- and the book of Acts. Both of these sections describe the history and preaching of the covenants. Last, Van Pelt shows the relationship between "the writings" -- Psalms, Job, Proverbs, Ruth, Song of Songs, Ecclesiastes, Lamentations, Esther, Daniel, Ezra, Nehemiah, and Chronicles -- and the epistles of the New Testament. These writings record how we should live within the covenant.

I find this analysis fascinating. It helps me understand that there are some times that I will never be able to ask, "What would Jesus do?" He was unique, the greater Moses, and he mediated the New Covenant to us. Similarly, we cannot always ask, "What would David do?" He, too, was part of the Covenant history, and life for us will probably be different. God's design for David was to point us to a better King, Jesus. Daniel and Ruth, on the other hand, were good examples for us concerning how we should live as aliens and strangers in this world. This place is not our home, and we should seek to live life in a way that communicates this fact (1 Peter 1:1-2).

I am sure God has more to reveal to us concerning this! I want to know more!

~ Todd

Fools for Christ?

photo by Jo Jakeman

I'm reading the books of Proverbs, 1 & 2 Timothy, and Titus in order to determine some personal development goals for an Applied Ministry course I am taking this summer. Being a seminary student, I am surrounded on a regular basis by people who would regard themselves as fools for Christ. Many have forsaken all to pursue theological training in order to prepare for service to their Lord and Master, Jesus Christ. Proverbs 18:2, however, smacks many seminary students (myself included) square in the mouth:

A fool takes no pleasure in understanding,
but only in expressing his opinion.

Ow! Man that hurts. Have I been a fool when expressing my opinions? Do my opinions weigh more than those of other students, much less professors? How can we students feel so bold as to argue over minutiae with men who pour out their hours every day on interpretation and research? Especially those students who attend The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary? We hold most, if not all, of the faculty at this school with the utmost respect, yet it seems like every semester professors must deal with at least one disrespectful, foolish, opinion-expressing student.

I don't believe there is anything wrong with pursuing wisdom and understanding, but I believe this proverb helps us see the line that divides the wise from the fools. Let us be seekers after the truth, and let us be ready to abandon any opinion that is not clearly supported by Scripture! Let us be fools for Christ, not foolish "Christians."

~ Todd

Akin Calls SBC to Repent of Selfishness, Reform, Worship Jesus

I just listened to Danny Akin, president of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, issue a call to repentance to the Southern Baptist Convention and the churches that it was designed to serve. He argues that, despite winning the battle for the inerrancy and sufficiency of Scripture, the SBC has begun to splinter instead of unite. He has issued a call to unite around the great body of doctrine that Southern Baptists do agree on, and to graciously honor those who disagree on matters of secondary importance. Listen to his sermon here.

~ Todd

Understanding Singing in Worship

I'm sure Justin Taylor has already pointed 100 million people at Bob Kauflin's message from the Desiring God 2008 National Conference entitled Words of Wonder: What Happens When We Sing? I am sure I missed out on this message for several months, and I wanted to share this with anyone who hasn't listened in. Kauflin gives us three ways that singing serves the Word:

• Singing can help us remember words.
• Singing can help us engage the words emotionally.
• Singing can help us use words to demonstrate and express our unity.

He says so much more and his message is very helpful. You should listen, and tell me what you think!

~Todd

Six Questions to Ask when Studying the Bible

I have been enjoying Mark Driscoll's audio and video resources, and I listened to a very helpful message he gave to a group of church planters at the Dwell conference in New York City in 2008. I decided that the content was so helpful that I wanted to take notes:

Six questions to ask when studying the Bible:

1.What does the Bible say? (The Biblical Question)

• Driscoll and Acts 29 upholds Verbal Plenary Inerrancy - "the very words of Scripture in all of Scripture are without error"
• Become someone who really enjoys your Bible
• Make time to fast from internet, cell phones, meetings, radio, television, technology - seek silence and solitude to spend time with the Holy Spirit and the Scriptures - give yourself permission to be alone with God

2. What does the Bible mean? (The Theological Question)

• Use commentaries, Bible software, books, etc. - check your understanding with reliable sources

3. What is going to make this passage stick? What's the hook? (The Memorable Question)

• a word, i.e., hesed
• an emotion, i.e., bitterness from the book of Ruth
• an image, i.e., the throne from Revelation
• a doctrine, i.e., providence from Joseph
• a life study, i.e., Nehemiah

4. Why, or how, is there resistance to this truth? (The Apologetic Question)

• Start with you, and ask God to convict you of the resistance you have to the truth
• How do we answer the objections that come up so that people are left without an excuse
• People will defend themselves, or find some excuse as to why they are the exception to the rule
• "This was the hallmark of good Puritan preaching"

5. Why does this matter? (The Missional Question)

• It matters for me, my marriage, my church, my city, etc.
  
• The Bible is not just true, it is helpful! It's a better life!

6. How is Jesus the hero? Where's Jesus? (The Jesus Question)

• The whole Bible is about our God, Jesus Christ. John 5 - if you don't love Jesus, you don't understand the Bible. Luke 22, 24, Jesus taught that the Bible was about him.
• Prophecies about Jesus, Christophanies, types (2nd Adam, prophet, king, sacrificial system, priests, temple, tabernacle, shepherds, judges), similar ministries (greater Adam, greater Isaac, greater Able, greater Jacob, greater Joseph, greater Moses, greater Job, greater David, greater Jonah, greater Boaz, greater Nehemiah, greater Hoseah), Jesus is seen in the Old Testament in events (exodus, passover, atonement, propitiation, expiation), titles for God (Son of Man, suffering servant, first and the last, light the rock, shepherd, savior, lord of glory)
• "Don't be excited about church planting or preaching. Be excited about Jesus and then open your mouth!"
• "My goal is to tell you that the Bible is true and Jesus is everything. . . . That fixes so many problems"
• "If Jesus isn't the reason that you go to the Scriptures, he will oppose you in everything you do."

I hope this is as helpful for you as it has been for me.

~Todd

Recommended Reading from Mark Driscoll

I recently began subscribing to The Resurgence, a blog related to Mars Hill Church, and I found Mark Driscoll's series on Great Books to be helpful. Here are some of the topics:

• Bible Study and Theology
• Marriage and Family
• Apologetics
• The Church
• Biblical Counseling

The last post in this series was just a couple days ago (4/21/2009), so hopefully we will see more from Driscoll.

~ Todd

Choosing a Commentary

Photo by austinevan

Have you ever wondered which commentary would be the best choice for a certain book of the Bible that you are considering teaching or studying? I have been listening to Mark Driscoll's sermon series on 1 & 2 Peter, and he mentioned a helpful resource for doing just that. Bet you can't guess the name. Yep, bestcommentaries.com. That was a tough one! So I decided to drop by and check out the site.

As I was typing in the url, I wondered, will it just be a big spreadsheet? How will they organize their site to manage ranking all the various commentaries. Well, you navigate the site by selecting a book of the Bible. Here's how the list of commentaries is ranked:

This site works toward resolving [the] tension [between busy, poor students and the plethora of expensive books] by enabling Bible students at all levels to make good, informed decisions about which commentaries they should purchase and use by providing a constantly updated biblography of commentaries on each book of the Bible and collecting reviews, ratings, and prices of commentaries from a variety of sources.

The most notable sources are the published books by D. A. Carson, Tremper Longman, III, John Glynn, and Jim Rosscup. In addition to these print publications, the web resources of John Piper's Desiring God Ministries, R. C. Sproul's Ligonier Ministries, and the Denver Seminary Journal are in the site. The data from these books and websites have been used with permission from the respective owners and aggregated to provide an average score representing a wider array of biblical scholarship than would be possible with a single book. These books are still extremely valuable and should be consulted directly along side of this website.

Scores and ratings alone cannot determine the best choices for an individual pastor or student, but we hope the combined resources available through this site points them in the right direction.

If you are looking for a commentary, you should definitely consult this site.

~ Todd

Practical Living for Your iPod

Justin Taylor recently linked to some of Paul Tripp's audio recordings on paultrippministries.org, and I have been listening to a series entitled "Survival Skills for a Fallen World." Seventy mp3 downloads are available on various ways believers can apply God's Word to every day life. Tripp has some excellent insight and these recordings have already been helpful in my own life.

Paul Tripp has written several books, including Instruments in the Redeemer's Hands: People in Need of Change Helping People in Need of Change, Age of Opportunity: A Biblical Guide to Parenting Teens, A Quest for More: Living for Something Bigger than You, Whiter Than Snow: Meditations on Sin and Mercy.

Here's a clip of Tripp talking about his book, Whiter Than Snow:



I highly recommend these mp3s and books.

~ Todd



Update: Here's more from Paul Tripp

Songs of Ordination

At my ordination last Sunday night, we sang two classic hymns, A Mighty Fortress Is Our God and Great Is Thy Faithfulness. These hymns reflected our dependence on God and his faithfulness and grace. I also asked our worship leader, Scott Lee, to sing a song based on Psalm 130, Out of the Depths, written by Bob Kauflin and recorded on the Psalms CD from Sovereign Grace Ministries. Here are the words:

Out of the Depths
Out of the depths, O Lord, I cry to You
When I am tempted to despair
Though I might fail to trust Your promises
You never fail to hear my prayer
And if You judged my sin
I’d never stand again
But I see mercy in Your hands

So more than watchmen for the morning
I will wait for You, my God
When my fears come with no warning
In Your Word I’ll put my trust
When the harvest time is over and I still see no fruit
I will wait, I will wait for You

The secret mysteries belong to You
We only know what You reveal
And all my questions that are unresolved
Don’t change the wisdom of Your will
In every trial and loss
My hope is in the cross
Where Your compassions never fail

The reason I wanted to hear this song at my ordination is because I don't understand why God has called me into his service. I feel much like the prodigal son who returned home as an unworthy servant, yet his father joyfully welcomes him home and restores him to full fellowship. I have many "questions that are unresolved," but this doesn't change the wisdom of God's will.

This song also declares my desire to depend on God and to trust his Word when I doubt and face fears and trials. "When my fears come with no warning, in your Word I'll put my trust." May my ministry be based on the truth of God's Word, and nothing else. By God's grace I will honor him with my life and service. We cannot ever earn his favor, but we can prove our love and gratitude. May God be honored and praised!

~ Todd

Reflections on Ordination

Sunday night was a warm, tearful, encouraging, emotional, spiritual blur. I wanted to reflect on the experience sooner, but hopefully I can get some of my thoughts down before they slip further to the back of my mind. First of all, I want everyone to know that my wife is the best spouse anyone could ever hope to have. She truly honored me, and I am so very thankful that Heather Leigh Brooks said yes so many years ago.

I can think of many people I wish could have participated, but I was so very thankful that so many of my church family, my close friends, my parents, and my parents-in-law could participate in my ordination to the ministry of the gospel of Jesus Christ. The evening began with Pastor Justin Guffey opening the service with one of my very favorite verses of Scripture, Romans 8:28. Then Pastor Justin and Roger Van Fleet, preaching pastor at State Street Baptist Church, delivered the recommendation from the elders that I be ordained to join them as an elder. Roger made clear that our long friendship was not the reason that the church sought to ordain me, but they recognized my desire and evidence of God's calling on my life.

My dad, Chuck Young, delivered the charge to the candidate, and he spoke encouraging words from Jeremiah 1. Pastor Roger then charged the church and administered the vows. I was then asked to kneel with Heather standing behind me, and all the ordained pastors and deacons in the church took turns laying their hands on me and praying for me.









After Pastor Roger introduced me to the church as Reverend Todd Young, he asked me to say a few words. I was not prepared, but I am so thankful that our Heavenly Father made me mindful of the Word to which I have been called, and I took the opportunity to briefly present the gospel and then thank my God, my church, my family, and my wife for their love and support.

From the sanctuary, we moved to Clark Hall to enjoy a time of fellowship. Debbie Bennett made the most awesome cake! It had Joshua 1:8-9 written on pages of a Bible, with "For the glory of God" written above and "Rev. Todd Young" written below. And it was made with butter cream frosting--the very best! We had chicken tenders and finger food, Diet Coke (thanks Roger!), and good conversations.



After a little while, I decided to peruse a scrapbook that my wife had made of encouraging notes and emails that people had written to me and given to her. I was blown away by the way my friends and family honored me. I guess part of that comes from knowing myself as the "chief of sinners." But all glory to God! He must increase, and I must decrease! I am only sinful without the Holy Spirit of God! He produces everything good in me, and for that I praise him!

I could not have asked for a better experience. A church family who loves me and recognizes God's amazing grace in my life. Moms and Dads who travelled hundreds of miles to be with us. A wife who honored her husband in the most godly way. Children who blessed their father with sweet, innocent admiration.

No one can deny, I am blessed beyond measure.

~ Todd


P. S. - God used my 8 year old son, Brandon, to illustrate the attitude we should have in giving. As I was opening a few gifts and cards, he walked up to me, handed me his allowance, and told me that he wanted me to have it because he loved me and wanted to give me a gift. I took it, because I wanted to honor his desire to show me love. I didn't need his money, and God doesn't need ours. You better believe he'll get his allowance back and then some.

Mark Driscoll Sermon Series on 1 & 2 Peter

I am so impressed with Mark Driscoll. I know there have been good reasons why some have reservations about him, but I am listening to his latest sermon series on 1 & 2 Peter entitled "Trial: 8 Witnesses from 1 & 2 Peter," and he is preaching Christ in a very effective way. He's relevant for people who never read the Bible, and he speaks clearly and pointedly. He understands the text, and he communicates the meaning of the text. He tells it like it is, and I like it. You should watch/listen to this series.

Drawing with Sheep?

Check it out...

Luther, Calvin, and Maple Syrup?

Last weekend was a combination of both. I had to prepare for an exam in Church History II on Monday night, but I couldn't pass up an opportunity to go with my family to the Maple Syrup Festival in Salem, IN. I took about 400 pictures with my new camera, and we enjoyed making memories! Here's a few of our photos. Check out flickr for more.

We branded our log slice with a maple leaf!

Steam rises from boiling maple tree sap condensed to make maple syrup.

One of the Duties of a Disciple

Our church has been studying Mark Dever's What is a Healthy Church? (which I highly recommend), and he argues that the church's primary function is to increasingly reflect God's character as it is revealed in God's Word. One of the tasks we disciples must undertake is to make God's thoughts our thoughts. We are commanded in Romans 12:1-2 to be transformed by the renewal of our minds. What brings about this renewal?

Scripture. We must read God's Word in such a way that we understand and affirm what are God's thoughts and opinions, and then we must appropriate those thoughts and opinions. We must increasingly reflect God's character. How can we possibly do this unless we discover what God has revealed to us in his Word!?! We must spend time and effort reading our Bibles. We cannot merely breeze through God's Word and check a task off the list. What does Scripture reveal about me, and how do I need to change?

This is an urgent need in my life, and in yours. These are the words of eternal life (John 6:67-69).

~Todd

Do Members of the Catholic Church Know This?

I recently read in Justo Gonzalez' The Story of Christianity, Vol. 2 about the declaration of the First Vatican Council in 1870 concerning papal infallibility. Here's an excerpt:

"Therefore faithfully adhering to the tradition received from the beginning of the Christian faith, for the glory of God our Saviour, the exaltation of the Christian religion, and the salvation of Christian people, the sacred Council approving, we teach and define that it is a dogma divinely revealed: that the Roman Pontiff, when he speaks ex cathedra, that is, when in discharge of the office of pastor and doctor of all Christians, by virtue of his supreme Apostolic authority, he defines a doctrine regarding faith or morals to be held by the universal Church, by the divine assistance promised to him in blessed Peter, is possessed of that divine infallibility with which the divine Redeemer willed that his Church should be endowed for defining doctrine regarding faith or morals; and that therefore such definitions are irreformable of themselves, and not from the consent of the Church" (p. 298).

Wow. I wonder if most Catholic parishioners know that the church believes this, and what they think about it... I mean, even Peter, from whom they derive their authority, was quite undeniably not infallible; Galatians 2:11-14 tells us that he was in serious error and was corrected by Paul.

Personally, I prefer to be labeled "fallible," because I know me, and I know what the book of Romans teaches about fallen humanity. Infallibility is quite a presumptuous claim.

~Todd

Evidence for God

Romans 1:20 tells us that God's "invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made." Over the past week, God has been making his eternal power and divine nature known. And we stand in awe at his beauty and strength displayed at the same time by winter storms.

Here are some photos that help us see evidence for God's existence:








You can see more of my photos on my flickr page!

John D. Hannah on Theology

As I am reading the preface to the book, Our Legacy: The History of Christian Doctrine by John D. Hannah, this quote sticks out:

For [the English Puritans], theology was neither a mere intellectual discipline nor the attainment of a body of knowledge; it was a means to an end--a godly life. Theology, then, may be defined as the distilled knowledge of God that is the foundation of a walk with God. No one can walk with a person he or she does not know; neither can we say we walk with God if we do not have an accurate knowledge of Him. Theology is not about an admiration of a series of gathered insights, however wonderful these insights may be; it is about responding appropriately and regularly to God.

It is very tempting to simply admire "a series of gathered insights" about God, but theology is much more. It is worship.

~ Todd ~

What's Happening?

I have been really bad about updating lately. I finished with school for the semester about three weeks ago, and I have really been enjoying the break. I have now completed 84 of the required 94 hours (88 hours + Elementary Greek and Elementary Hebrew) towards my Master of Divinity degree from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. Yes, "The" is part of the school's name. When I checked online today, my grades were finally posted: Bible Teaching, A; Petrine Epistles, A-; Beginning Guitar, A. Woohoo! 10 hours to go! I'm hoping to finish with school in December of 2009!

Despite being out of school for the winter break, it has been extremely busy and sometimes I wonder if I was more busy during school or during the weeks before Christmas. It seems like we had something going on every night. Shopping, cleaning, cooking (that would be Heather), and hosting guests for a meal. We love having people over to the house for dinner, but it seems like we try to cram so much into the short break from school! I'm not complaining, because I love to hang out with friends and church family.

Speaking of family, we took a whirlwind trip down to Maryville, TN, last weekend to celebrate Christmas with my family, and we got home late on Saturday night. The drive home was terrible because I have been having some problems with one of my eyes. I decided to go to the doctor yesterday after work, and apparently I have a chalazion. It's very small, but it has been interfering with my vision. I'm supposed to have an appointment with an opthomologist today.

At church, we've been studying the book of Galatians for the past several months, and we finished just in time to study Mary's, Zechariah's, and Simeon's responses to the revelation of the Messiah (Luke 1-2). In January and February, we are planning to have a combined adult Sunday school class in order to study Mark Dever's What is a Healthy Church as we continue to revise our church government. I'm looking forward to discussing this topic with our members! I'm also interested in reading Thabiti Anyabwile's What is a Healthy Church Member to see how it relates to Dever's book.

Personally, I'm trying to get organized to prepare for next semester. I am going to try to include in my schedule a 30-minute daily Bible study time each morning, as well as a time for guitar practice each night. I have to make time for lots of reading for Church History II, and I am trying to dedicate more time for my family. It seems like quite a challenge to fit everything in! If you are interested, here are the required books for Shawn Wright's Church History II class:

• Justo Gonzalez, The Story of Christianity, Volume 2
• John Hannah, Our Legacy: The History of Christian Doctrine
• Mark Noll, The Old Religion in a New World: The History of North American Christianity (also at WTS Books)
  
• George Marsden, A Short Life of Jonathan Edwards (also at WTS Books)

A while back, I started reading in the gospel of John, and I'm going to try to get back into that book during my study time. I hope to post some thoughts as I work through the book.

Well, I guess that's plenty for now. Hopefully I will be more diligent in posting as we begin 2009! May God's blessings be upon you as we anticipate the coming celebration of a new year!

~ Todd

FLAME: Carrying the Gospel to the Hip Hop Culture

I have been totally impressed by Marcus Gray, the young man known as FLAME. He grew up in the inner city of St. Louis, and was heavily influenced by hip hop culture. After an auto accident and the death of his grandmother, he gave his life to Christ and began using his musical talents to share the gospel.

FLAME has been attending Boyce College, the undergraduate school associated with Southern Seminary. The book list on his web site contains classics from John Owen to John Piper, and he points his guests to ministries like founders.org and desiringgod.org. His last two albums include one entitled "Our World: Fallen," which shares the story of Adam and Eve and humanity's plunge into sin. His latest release, "Our World: Redeemed," focuses on Christ's work on the cross and the deliverance Christ purchased for his people.

I purchased "Our World: Fallen" last week, and FLAME really does an amazing job of incorporating deep doctrine and cultural application. He exposes the downward spiral of sin that is pervasive in hip hop culture, and he tells his audience the truth about sin and that our only hope is Christ.

Listen to the song, "Joyful Noise," from his "Our World: Redeemed" album:



Here are the lyrics:

You know what it is
I love it
Let's talk about it

VERSE
Your boy's been a Christian, quite a few years
Victory and faith, but I failed in my fears
I heard a lot of words that have tickled many ears
That's why I praise God for the Word that we adhere
The Word became flesh, lived for thirty years
Died at 33, but after days reappeared
Jesus Christ anointed one ascended in the air
Or you can say the air where the Father made Him heir
Of all things the throne know it's more than a chair
But after our redemption yes He did take a chair
Greater than the angels name superior to theirs
This is Hebrews Chapter 1 if you cared
I'm leaning to the right
the light is where I'm running
I thought I wanted life, drunk, sexed out and blunted
But all I really wanted was the One who really won it
Fought death, beat it gave His life to the public
I love it!

HOOK
Angels surrounding His throne and
Worthy is the Lamb who was slain
The whole earth is full of His glory
All nations bow to His name
His majesty fills the Heavens
Our hearts give thunderous praise
Declare the Lord is forever
Make a joyful noise in this place

VERSE
Man I'm trying to lift Him high
Higher than the stars
I am not of this world like I'm from the planet mars
I love to preach Jesus you can read it in my bars
I'm pretty straight forward when I'm speaking bout my Lord
He paid the sin price being beat by Roman guards
But when He resurrected gave us life free of charge
Now me and my boys need to be in a psych ward
Cause we went crazy for God our lives was scared
Now in the Book of Life, our names have been written down
We're casting our crowns before His feet on the ground
It's such a holy melody and a heavenly sound
Hearing holy holy holy coming out of the mouth
Of the four living creatures by His throne all around
Can you picture the scene this this is how it's going down
You just need a little faith and a new set of eyes
And a telescopic lens to look in and see God
I love it!

HOOK
Angels surrounding His throne and
Worthy is the Lamb who was slain
The whole earth is full of His glory
All nations bow to His name
His majesty fills the Heavens
Our hearts give thunderous praise
Declare the Lord is forever
Make a joyful noise in this place

VERSE
One day we gon' be out man, like three strikes
And home son like a homerun CHRIST
IS -- KING -- LION -- LAMB -- GOD -- MAN
SIN CONQUEROR -- GRAVE CONQUEROR -- SATAN CONQURER
Can take a sinner, atheist sinner to God conscience
Can take nothing
make creation and lives honor
The same God that came through a fetus as Jesus
Limited to breathing
Got believers singing

HOOK
Angels surrounding His throne and
Worthy is the Lamb who was slain
The whole earth is full of His glory
All nations bow to His name
His majesty fills the Heavens
Our hearts give thunderous praise
Declare the Lord is forever
Make a joyful noise in this place

Indelible Grace: Your King Has Come

If you like Indelible Grace and haven't heard their Christmas album, you can listen to 5 of the 10 songs here. It's worth clicking just to listen to free, God-honoring music!

If you like this music, you can purchase it here or here.

Meditating on Autumn

As I have been driving to and from work lately, I have been worshiping God for the glorious beauty he designed trees to display when cold weather comes. This morning, I thought about the trees as an illustration of the end of a believer's life. Just like the way trees display the true color of their leaves during autumn, so should believers show their true colors when life begins to wane. When we face cancer or congestive heart failure, what will others see? Will they see a glorious display of God's mercy and grace in our lives? Will they see an attitude that points others to the source of our hope? This extends even to persecutions and sufferings that Paul calls "light momentary afflictions" (2 Corinthians 4:17).

So, will you be an autumn tree, bringing glory to God when facing the wintry chill?

~ Todd

Reformation Study Bible - Special Offer!

According to this special offer from Renewing Your Mind, the broadcast ministry of Ligonier Ministries and R. C. Sproul, if you give a gift of any amount, you will receive a genuine leather Reformation Study Bible. You can find out more about the Reformation Study Bible here.

Happy Reformation Day!

~ Todd

ESV Study Bible

WTS Books has just put up links to several different editions of the new ESV Study Bible. Check them out:

• Hardcover
• TruTone Natural Brown
• TruTone Classic Black
• Black Bonded Leather
• Burgundy Bonded Leather
• Black Genuine Leather
• Burgundy Genuine Leather
• Premium Calfskin Leather

Be sure to click these to help me get free books!

~ Todd

UPDATE: Of course, Challies and Justin Taylor both published this same list and clogged up the site with all their traffic. Just be patient. :-)

More on the Alcohol Discussion

I just found a good discussion (from this page) between Dr. Albert Mohler and Dr. Russell Moore on the subject of beverage alcohol. This discussion presents some of the underlying reasons behind the policy of abstinence from beverage alcohol required for all students and faculty of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.

I'm interested in your opinion, so listen in and please comment!

~ Todd