The King is alive

Most of you know that I come from an entertainment and music background. Among my musical peers and associates, Michael Jackson was considered an icon; someone who had gone further in the business than anyone had imagined possible. Years ago Elvis Presley was dubbed the King of Rock'n'Roll. So, intent on dubbing himself musical royalty, Michael granted himself the mantle of King of Pop. In fact, in his last press conferences in London, the podium bore that moniker.

This evening, as the news of Michael's death swirled around the news cycles, the most common headline I saw was "The King is Dead."

No He's not.

The real King is alive and reigning at God's right hand.

Paul Simon wrote, "Every generation throws a hero up the pop charts." As I've often said, people want to worship something. And if they cannot worship God, they'll worship other humans -- the creature rather than the Creator. Michael basked in that worship for most of his life.

Like ancient people and long-forgotten empires, earthly kings, icons, and idols come and go. But, when Michael stands before the King of Kings, there will only be one star in the room. And it won't be Michael.

I used to hobnob with wealthy, famous folk. Some were happy, some were miserable, most were obsessed with their fame and wealth. But, they all die. Death is the great equalizer. And, no matter how much stuff you accumulate here and now, only one thing has any eternal value. And it's not fame. In Heaven, only one person is famous.

The news tonight really drove home that point again. I'm 53. Michael was 50. I survive on what would have been his pocket change. But, I have eternal riches in glory.

I wouldn't trade.

Follow Me

Here's another bit of my songwriting past, reaching back to my days in Los Angeles.

Master Plan

People who know me well know better than to encourage me. I received so many uplifting comments and emails on the songs I've previously posted to YouTube that I've decided to continue the process. Here's a song called "Master Plan" that was originally written in Los Angeles in a bit different form. I reworked it once I arrived in Nashville and began recording Christian songs. I hope you enjoy it. It requires volume, so turn it up. :-)

The New Calvinism

I know sometimes we Reformed folk feel very alone. I get email all the time from folk asking "Is there a church like GCA in my area?" We all want to fellowship with like-minded people, just so we don't feel so isolated from the church world at large. Worse, I receive regular correspondence from people -- especially young people -- who are ostracized or rejected by their church leaders and families because they have embraced Calvinism. Words like "cult" get tossed around and the critics insist that Calvinism divides churches and ruins fellowship.

Well, this past March TIME magazine published a series entitled "10 Ideas Changing the World Right Now." Number 3 on the list is: The New Calvinism. And they do a pretty good job of describing it.

So the next time that someone tells you that you're involved in some fringe group or that what you believe as a Calvinist is unbiblical, schismatic, or just plain "made up," point them to the TIME article and help them understand that Calvinism was once the bedrock of early American thought and politics. In fact, the author of this article closes by mentioning the fact that Calvinistic Theology represents the God of this country's infancy.

Here's the link:

The New Calvinism

It's interesting that Calvinistic theology is making such inroads into modern thought and culture that even a secular magazine like TIME has recognized it. And that fact give me hope for the future of Christianity in America.

Megan and horses

You can click on the image above to see a larger version. I've been working with Photoshop on and off for a couple of years, but most of the stuff I've done has been pretty perfunctory. So I've been trying to dig deeper into the software and learn how to make better, more compelling images. This was yesterday's project. I'm pretty happy with it, so I thought I'd share it with you all. It kind of looks like a movie poster. You can make up your own voice-over.

The All and in All

This song was something I wrote back in the very early 90's. Being unable to hire real musicians, I played and sang all the parts myself (while engineering!). The video includes the lyrics.

Enjoy.

Ancient of Days

Back when I was a partner in a 16-track recording studio in Franklin, I used to have the time and gumption to record songs I'd written or songs I loved. This is a great old hymn that I fell in love with when I read the words and heard the melody. I'm singing all 16 parts, which took a bit of time. Looking back (I recorded this around 1992), I don't know if I could do it again.

Anyway, I've been going through old recordings and discovering some that still sound pretty good. Bit by bit, I'll be uploading them to YouTube when I have the time. I hope you enjoy them.

Gayla's blog

I mentioned this morning that I would post Gayla's blog spot on my blog so that the other bloggers could read her blog and then blog about it on their own blog ...

anyway, in keeping my promise, here's the link:

http://www.heart-journey.blogspot.com/

Audio and photos from Homecoming Weekend 2009

Well, our Homecoming Weekend went wonderfully. What a joy it is to be among such fine people. We sang, we worshiped, we studied, we shared communion, we ate meals together, we had wonderful fellowship --- who could ask for more?

There are 4 new mp3's from the weekend, including a very enjoyable message from Elder (and friend) Barney Johnson. You can find them all here:

Homecoming Audio

Scroll down to number 29-31.

Plus, I've uploaded Megan's photos from the weekend so you can put faces with the voices. I haven't had time to caption everything quite yet, but I'll do that soon. You can see the photos here:

Homecoming Photos

I want to make sure and thank all the hard-working folk at GCA who invested time and planning into making it such a successful weekend. And for all you people who listen on the Internet, start making your plans for 2010 now!

Next year in Smyrna!

Heading for Chattanooga

This week is the annual Sovereign Grace men's conference in Chattanooga. My plans were to leave this afternoon, but I spent three hours in the doctor's office instead. I'm fine, but I'm trying to get over this frustratingly persistent virus that has invaded my head. Because I'm deathly allergic to aspirin, I received a steroid shot to bring down the inflammation. Hopefully, that will do the trick. I'm still planning to head south tomorrow and return Saturday.

That being the case, if you're waiting for me to return your email, you'll have to wait a couple more days.

I enjoy these breaks and I love seeing my preaching brethren. I'm looking forward to a blessed couple of days, with plenty of preaching, teaching, and good fellowship.

New Article in the Smyrna A.M. newspaper

Sunday morning I mentioned that the local newspaper was about to publish another article I'd written. Local papers often accept submissions from local writers, but the Smyrna AM paper is unique in that they actively solicited faith-based articles from local pastors and church leaders. They've published three previous pieces I wrote and yesterday this article was included.

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Who Is Jesus?
Jim McClarty

Jesus is not your homeboy. He’s not your co-pilot. And He’s not your boyfriend. Despite the marketing techniques that are in vogue today, which attempt to make Jesus more approachable by making Him more “cool,” the trend toward redefining our Savior may soon make Him indistinguishable from any other pop star or celebrity. And sadly, like most celebrities, He is too often viewed as an optional accessory to be used or ignored according to the whim of the consumer. And, as we all know, audiences are fickle.

What’s worse, notions of Jesus as God – one to be worshiped and obeyed – are markedly absent from most modern sermons and the “dumbing down” of Christ is reaching a sort of critical mass in the contemporary church. Soon, the Jesus of the Bible will disappear altogether.

Here’s a fact: You are not like God and God is not like you. He is different. He is “completely other.” As the prophet Isaiah records, “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways, declares the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways And My thoughts than your thoughts. (Isa. 55:8-9)

In the attempt to fill pews and keep their coffers fat, the modern church has attempted to humanize Jesus in sub-biblical ways. They assume that His love is tantamount to human love, or that His jealousy and zeal are the same as ours. As a result, we have a generation of Christians who define their Christianity by their own feelings and thoughts, rather than by aligning their thinking with the dictates of Scripture. And that’s not just theologically clumsy. It’s lethal.

Jesus once asked His apostles, “Whom do men say that I, the son of man, am?” When they responded that some thought He was John the Baptist, Elijah, Jeremiah, or some other prophet, Jesus asked them pointedly, “But who do you say that I am?” (Mat. 16:13-15)

That’s an excellent question – one that we all have to come to grips with at some point in life. Who do we say that Jesus is? Is He merely a man with some good social ideas? Is He another in a succession of Hebrew prophets? Or, is He the figment of someone’s fertile imagination foisted on all humankind as some sort of grand, cosmic joke?

Biblically, there’s only one right answer. Faced with that penetrating question, Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the son of the living God.” In response, Jesus made sure that only God received the credit for that realization, saying, “Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in Heaven.” (Mat. 16:16-17)

That means that the only correct answer to the question, “Who is Jesus?” is the answer God reveals – “He is my Son. He is Christ. He is Lord.”

Of course, all of that begs the question, “Who do YOU say He is?”

Be careful. Your answer matters.

Replying to YouTube users

One of the downsides of the Internet -- and to YouTube in particular -- is that it offers a public forum to everyone with an opinion ... even if they have no real knowledge of the subject on which they are opinionating. And Christianity is one of those areas that really inspires ignorant opinions and rants.

I usually don't reply to comments on YouTube, but once in a while it's just worth it. After finally getting the video "Faith Is Gift" posted, the first comments were positive and encouraging. That's to be expected, since the first people who would be aware of the video would be friends and GCA supporters. But a fellow named ClumseyRoot apparently stumbled on the video and just couldn't pass up the opportunity to throw a little bitterness at the Christians. What he didn't expect, apparently, was a Christian who would hold his feet to the proverbial fire. Here's the exchange -- (by the way, I'm SBGGCA, which stands for Salvation By Grace / Grace Christian Assembly)

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ClumsyRoot (3 hours ago)

Faith is egotism. Believing in something because you want it to be true is nothing more than a manifestation of self-centeredness and self-interest.

SBGGCA (1 hour ago)

ClumsyRoot, my first instinct was just to delete your comment. But, I'm going to let it stand because it makes the very point this video is advancing. Faith is not something humans can exercise at will. I looked at your homepage. It's filled with Darwinism and anti-Creation propaganda. Fair enough. But, had you understood this video you would know that I am not contending for "believing in something because you want it to be true." I'm saying quite the opposite.

I'm arguing that the language of the Bible precludes the ability to believe in Christ unless that faith is given to you. That's what the Bible quite literally says. You don't believe because you cannot believe. And that's the state of every natural human. I am not surprised that a Darwinist does not believe and would deride those who do. The Bible says you would. Thank you for confirming my argument.

ClumsyRoot

Please go with your first instinct and delete my comment. Are you familiar with a logical fallacy known as "begging the question"?

SBGGCA (32 minutes ago)

Sure I'm familiar with it. But, if you're implying that my argument is circular, I wonder if you're familiar with it. What I presented was simple exegesis of a Bible passage. I'm arguing for perspicuity. So I'm stating facts based on what it says. I did not start with a premise and force it into my conclusion. I let the words on the page speak. By the way, if you want your comment deleted, that's fine. But, asking follow up questions is not the way to get it done.

ClumsyRoot

Fine. Delete it and let's be done with this.

==================================

I honored his request and deleted his comment. It's funny how his first comment was so confident in its assertions and he later wanted it removed. I guess it didn't hold up under scrutiny and he didn't like being challenged. So, it's gone now. But, I wanted to share it here on the blog because it's indicative of the sort of posturing and empty rhetoric that is typical of most anti-Christian folk. And they need to be held accountable for what they say. But when you do challenge them, they usually fold under the pressure.

Oh well. Another ill-formed opinion the world will have to live without.

Faith Is A Gift - Pastor Jim McClarty

Okay, let's try this again. Here is the video that I posted yesterday. But, I had to make a couple minor changes to it, so I took down and posted it again this morning.

Closing Romans (!!!)

Well, I've done it. I've finally finished transferring all of the cassettes and closed the book of Romans. The last five mp3's are now posted on the archive site, under the Romans heading.

You'll find it here

Oddly, as I listened through the closing weeks, I had the haunting feeling that it was ending too soon. Sure enough, the last cassette I had in the box (they were numbered and dated) wasn't the actual last message on the book. So, the series ends rather abruptly without addressing the very last verses of the book. I poured back over the pile of cassettes and searched the boxes where they'd been stored, but to no avail. So, you'll just have to read Paul's closing remarks yourself.

Anyway, I'm happy to have completed that project. Now I can move on to the other writing projects I've been hoping to get to. And there's a chance that I'll start recording some of my commentaries. There's always plenty to do.

Also, I know that I haven't been particularly timely in posting on this blog. But, between preaching twice a week, answering email, and even visiting Facebook occasionally, it's not like I haven't been communicating. This blog is just one of the many outlets I use.

Now go listen while I think of other stuff to bury myself with.

Defining Worship - Jim McClarty of GCA

This video was created by Phil at Reformed Voices and it has quickly become one of our most-watched YouTube vids. I never cease to be amazed at how far GCA reaches every time we clip on the microphone and hit "record." And I'm ever-so-grateful to Phil for his continued support and participation in the advancement of the gospel of God's free and sovereign grace.

Unitarianism Vs. Calvinism

Yesterday morning I made a passing comment concerning a college friend of mine's involvement in the Unitarian Church. I also pointed out that the leading historic opponents to the tenets of Unitarian doctrine were Calvinists -- you know, those people who emphasize things like sound doctrine and Biblical principles. I didn't want to leave those comments dangling, so here's the info for those who want to pursue it.

This introductory quote is from the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Grand Traverse, Traverse City, Michigan:

William Ellery Channing (1780-1842) studied theology at Harvard. First, as minister in a Boston
Congregational Church, he came to be known as "the apostle of Unitarianism." He preferred to avoid abstruse points of doctrine, concentrating instead on morality, charity and Christian responsibilities. Denounced by the orthodox Calvinist periodical, "The Panoplist," Channing issued several defenses of his position, the best-known being "Unitarian Christianity," delivered at an ordination in Baltimore in 1819. In this famous speech he emphasized the unimportance of "the Trinity."

You can see why a conflict would erupt between those who hold to the historic Christian doctrine of the Trinity and those who felt it was "unimportant." And while "morality, charity and Christian responsibilities" are all fine and good, they should not be emphasized to the exclusion or subversion of salvation by grace through faith.

So, here's my point: Today Calvinism is often marginalized or represented as a recent novelty. Those opponents who admit to its historicity often treat Calvinism like Christianity's ugly step-child. But, the more you know about church history, the more you recognize the indelible stamp of the Reformers on all Protestant and Evangelical churches, contending for truth and standing against the errors and contortions of fringe theologies and heretical groups. Whatever else you may say about Calvinism, its history is rich with education, thoughtfulness, and devotion to the sacred value of God-breathed Scripture.

If you'd like to read the entire text of Channing's "famous speech," you can read it here:

Channing Speech

What Makes the Holidays Worth It ...

This year my four siblings and I gathered our kids, dogs, spouses and suitcases as we headed for Tuscaloosa, AL. to spend time with my mom. What a blessing it is to have my brother, sisters, and mom in my life. So, here's the clan ...

That's me in the upper left, my sister Diane from the Bay Area of California, and my brother Ed, who resides here in Nashville. I think he's standing on a box. I don't remember being that much shorter than him.

Anyway, the bottom row includes my sister Carol, from Cincinnati, on the left; my mom seated in the chair; and my sister Kathy, also from Tuscaloosa, on the right.

And I love the picture of my mom and me. I think it captures a bit of the essence of what makes her so special.

Many of you have heard the hair-raising tale of her tumble down the stairs in the dark, hitting the concrete below and breaking her arm in multiple places. But, to look at her now you'd never know. She cooked, she cleaned, she played, she laughed, and she was happy the whole time.

Even though I've never lived in that house or taken up residence in Alabama, it was good to be home.

New Romans Messages

Well, we've finally posted two more messages in the Romans series and today I got a message from one of our regular listeners that read --

Hey there,

Did we by any chance skip a Romans Message?

In #55 you cover Rmn 14.1-10,
In #56 you don't get to Romans at all,
In #57 you cover Rmn 15.1-6,

Thus skipping Rmn 14.11-23. Of course, you read through 1Cr 18.1-13 in #55, which is more-or-less parallel to the skipped bit of Romans; it just seemed odd is all - as you are usually more prone to read through a section several times rather than have them read it on their own and assume they 'got' it.

As I've repeatedly observed, I cannot get away with anything. :-)

Actually, he's right. The reason these messages have been slow to appear is that they were originally recorded on cassette back in the year 2000 [in fact, the last message I posted was dated April 20, 2000]. Back then the recordings were almost a secondary thought. We only began recording because someone in our group thought it might be a good idea, primarily for those folk who missed a week. We never gave any thought to someday posting them on the Internet for people around the globe to hear.

Sadly, some of the recordings weren't salvageable. And some were full of conversations and discussions about current events or personal situations among those then-present. So, I've had to upload each cassette to my hard drive, apply noise suppression and signal compression to the audio files, then listen through each message, cut out what is no longer relevant, and keep the teaching. And, as you know, cassettes have to flip sides. So, there's always a missing couple of minutes in each message where the person manning the recorder flipped the cassette. I've tried to cut around those dead spots in such a way as to create a seemless message (sometimes more successfully than others).

I love digital editing, but it's a slow, painstaking process.

The "R##" tags serve to keep the current series of mp3's in order, but a few weeks from the original series were missing, garbled, or broken. If (and when) you notice any section of the book of Romans I didnt' cover, that's the reason.

By the way, there's light at the end of the tunnel. There are only 7 more cassettes to transfer and post to close the book of Romans. This has been a labor of love, but I admit that I'm looking forward to reaching the end. The next lesson continues into chapter 15 and we'll delve into a bit of the history behind the various names listed at the end of Paul's epistle. It's interesting stuff.

Anyway, thanks to all of you who are keeping up with the series and keeping me honest. You make the effort worthwhile!