You Stink.
I had no idea when I wrote last week’s post that Lecrae had a new album coming out.
Today, The Resurgence has released an interview with Lecrae. Check it out by clicking the image below:
I’m off to get a consultation with the surgeon. woo-hoo.
Friday: I get engaged to an amazing woman.
Saturday: Maryland beats Clemson. (I didn’t really watch it, but it adds to the drama)
Sunday Morning: I had the opportunity to preach about the gospel of Christ.
Sunday Afternoon: The Washington Redskins put the Dallas Cowboys in their proper place.
Sunday Evening: I celebrate the Redskins win with boneless honey bbq wings from Buffalo Wild Wings. I am a huge fan of those sauce laden pieces of chicken flesh.
It was an evening drenched with the light of a golden sunset. She was walking along the streets of the Olde Town when I arrived atop a white stallion. I alit from yon stallion and walked up to the fair maiden, and said “wouldst thou make me the happiest in all the land by being my bride?” Her prince had come. She said “I wouldst.”
Then there’s what really happened…….
When it comes to giving gifts, I have zero patience. Seriously. Christmas is a test of the will for me because when I get a gift for someone I can’t wait to give it to them. Now imagine how I felt about waiting to give the woman I love a diamond ring. Exactly. I didn’t want to wait around.
She and I go out every Friday. So it wasn’t out of the ordinary that we would go out to dinner, and because of the proximity to where she lives, it’s not far fetched that we would eat in Old Town Alexandria. This was important because I didn’t want her to get suspicious of what I was up to. She’s smart. Very smart. And if I tried to get too cute I knew she’d figure things out.
So we went to dinner at Il Porto. The dinner was fantastic. I had the veal topped with ham and melted mozzarella. She had manicotti. After dinner, I suggested we get a coffee at Starbucks. This is the same Starbucks that we got coffee at on our first date as well as the date where we declared our mutual “like” for each other.
While we were getting coffee (I had a tall upside down caramel macchiato, she had a tall coffee), it started raining outside. This did not bode well for me because I knew I wanted to take a walk to the waterfront. She thought we were going to see the new Shia Lebuff movie. I suggested we go for a walk anyway (I made sure I brought an umbrella-ella-ella), and she acquiesced even though she thought it strange to go for a walk in the rain. She’s such a trooper.
We walked down to the waterfront, and I stopped at the place where we had “the talk” and decided to start dating. (See Map) Then I handed her a letter. See, we started a thing this summer where we have a notebook that we write letters back and forth in. The purpose is that we’ll have something to look at years from now that will be an account of our dating. So when I handed her the letter, I told her I didn’t want to carry the notebook around with me, but I wanted her to have it. For the second time, she thought something was fishy. Right as I was handing her the letter, the ferry from Washington Harbor was pulling into the dock (this is significant later). The letter was a typical love letter (no you can’t read it). But at the end, I put a “ps”. See, I wrote the letter right after I had gotten off the phone with her and told her that I was about to leave to come see her. This was intentional, because the ‘ps’ was that I had something else to say, but I needed to get on the road, so I told her to remind me when she read it.
As she was reading the letter, I began to fish around in my pocket (for the ring), again she got suspicious. And she read the ‘ps’ and got suspicious. She looked at me and said something like “what’s this?” I played dumb and said “what?” She pointed at the ‘ps’ and said “what am I supposed to remind you of?” And I got on my knee, held her hand and told her that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with her, and asked her to marry me. As this was happening, the people from the ferry boat were walking past. Kirsten said yes. I put the ring on her finger, and the literal boat load of people started clapping. The timing was awesome. We got a lot of congratulations from people we’ll never meet again.
So that’s the story.
First Jim and Pam, now Rob and Kirsten.
One of the staples of this blog used to be talking about music, which I haven’t done in a while. Let’s talk about music.
I know it can be sacrelige to some to say this, but a lot of “christian music” is terrible and I don’t much enjoy listening to it. As some have said before, much of what passes as “christian music” today are poorly written love songs where they say “Jesus” instead of “baby”. Avalon’s “Can’t live a day without you” is one of those songs. I remember in college that song was released to general market radio. The difference? On the bridge they removed the “whoa-oah Jesus”. Presto! Love Song to a dude!
So I get excited when there’s a song with lyrics that are Biblical and God-centric and the music itself doesn’t “hoover.” Here are two albums I’ve been listening to, that I really like. On both of them the music itself (aka the chords and notes) aren’t quite good enough to make it in the general market, but the lyrics more than fill the gap for me. And the two albums couldn’t be more different:
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Come Weary Saints by Sovereign Grace Music
This album is really, really good. Not as much because of the music, but because of the lyric. The whole idea of this album is that life is hard, but God is good. And it is an album of encouragement for those that are experiencing spiritual difficulties. How many times have you heard a lyric like this?: “Thank you for the trials, for the fire, for the pain. Thank you for the strength, knowing you have ordained everyday.” Here’s what I like so much about this album: It makes God very big and in control, and it makes us very small and in His control. It is certainly a comforting thought in the middle of a hard time. Standout songs for me on this album are “Oh the deep, deep love” and “Through the precious blood.” The girl singing these songs has an absolutely amazing voice.
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After the Music Stops by LeCrae
I like rap. I don’t like all rap, but I do enjoy the genre. Most of time rap is very boastful, and it’s a complete turnoff to me. It baffles me that no one likes to be around someone that is always bragging about how great they are, but there’s a whole genre of music that thrives on doing just that. I like LA Symphony(who actually has a song talking about how financially broke they are…ha!), and while watching a pastor’s conference on the internet, I was exposed to LeCrae.
Check out These Lyrics. Theology, and hip-hop. You gotta love it!
This book looks amazing:
Spectacular Sins and Their Global Purpose in the Glory of Chirst by John Piper
Publisher’s Description: John Piper delivers powerful biblical reassurances to bolster readers’ trust in the sovereignty of God and the supremacy of Christ when evil and tragedy come.
If God governs the sinful acts of men, then does the devastation caused by those terrorists, dictators, murderers, cheats, and abusers discredit Jesus’ words: “All authority in heaven and earth belongs to me”? When heart-rending news comes of the latest accident, illness, or natural disaster, can we really believe that in Jesus, “all things hold together”?
Though God has not answered all of our questions about sin and suffering, there are things he wants us to know, things he declares in his Word—such as what’s at stake in the “spectacular” sins of others and the horrible tragedies of this life; their global purpose, both historically and today; and what these events say to us personally.
As John Piper works through these biblical truths, this book will bolster readers’ trust in the utter sovereignty of God such that they’ll be less timid in their witness and less afraid of whatever may come. It is also a joy-infused declaration that because everything occurs through Christ and for Christ and his glory, they are forever secure in him.
Author Information: ECPA Gold Medallion winner John Piper is senior pastor of Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis and the head of Desiring God. He has written numerous books on topics that include personal holiness, missions and historical figures.
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This book also looks great:
Death by Love by Mark Driscoll
Publisher’s Description: Real people. Real sin. Transformed lives. A compilation of heartfelt letters written from a pastor to his people that explains Jesus’ work on the cross.
Death by Love is a unique book on the cross of Jesus Christ. While many books debate the finer points of the doctrine of the atonement, what is often lost are the real-life implications of Jesus’ death on the cross for those who have sinned and have been sinned against. Written in the form of pastoral letters, Death by Love outlines the twelve primary effects of Jesus’ death on the cross and connects each to the life of a different individual.
Driscoll, one of America’s most influential pastors, and Breshears, a respected theologian, help readers understand, appreciate, and trust in Jesus’ work on the cross in a way that will transform their lives. Both deeply theological and intensely practical, this book shows how everyone can find hope through the death of Jesus Christ.
WARNING: This video contains frank discussions of human depravity in order to illustrate the power of Christ’s atonement to cleanse from any sin or calamity. Viewer disgression is advised.