Pure Church

I don't know who first penned this, but a brother at church shared it with me in something he has written. Thought it might be helpful and challenging for some in this over-connected, over-imaged world we live in:



The TV is my shepherd,
I shall want more.
It makes me lie down on the sofa.
It leads me away from the faith;
It destroys my soul.
It leads me in the path of sex and violence
for the sponsor's sake.
Yeah, though I walk in the shadow of Christian responsibility,
there will be no interruption, for the TV is with me.
It's cables and remote control, they comfort me.
It prepares a commercial for me in the presence of my worldliness;
It anoints my head with humanism and consumerism;
My coveting runneth over.
Surely, laziness and ignorance shall follow me all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house watching TV for ever.

A good brief plea for heart and head in the Christian life.

Spurgeon: "We need pardon for doubting as much as for blasphemy." See here.

Read how Hee Haw, The Andy Griffith Show, and The Dukes of Hazzard helped one man embrace racial reconciliation. I grew up on these shows, too. And we're collecting The Andy Griffith Show on DVD along with The Jeffersons, The Cosby Show, Good Times and Stargate Atlantis.

The best statement on the blog I've read so far this week:

If I am committed to my sin above a humble, self-revealing honesty, then I can't rely on any accountability structure or loving friendships to expose my sin and protect my soul. I must remember that if I am to war against sin, I must labor to be embarassingly transparent.

(Read the whole thing: Two Painfully Learned and Immensely Important Lessons. HT: Justin)

I'd hate to be this guy: Oops! Techie wipes out $38 billion fund.

Humble Orthodoxy offers a helpful look at how to evaluate books before recommending them to others and ruining their souls. See here.

DG reprints an earlier article from Piper called "Being Loved and Being Hated." A brief excerpt: "Would you pray with me that hundreds among us would embrace being hated for the sake of love? If your driving motive in life is to be liked and loved, you will find it almost impossible to be a Christian. "

And from the DG blog, a listing of provoking and helpful quotes regarding television and our spiritual lives.

And Dan Edelen at Cerulean Sanctum wants to know what ever happened to the Holy Spirit in the church.