Rather than just read what others have said about Rob Bell’s new book “Love Wins”, I wanted to read it for myself so I would know exactly what he wrote. As I read, I was amazed at the amount of false teaching in it. His conclusions are wrong. His uses of biblical texts are incorrect; they are usually taken out of context and he fails to understand the passages. In many cases, he simply makes stuff up so that he can support his conclusion. It would take a great deal of time to review everything that is wrong with the book. Since I do not have that much time, I will provide some thoughts.
First, he is very critical of traditional biblical doctrine, which teaches a person, in order to spend eternity in heaven rather than a literal hell, must believe in Jesus Christ as the Son of God who died on the cross in order to take the punishment for that person’s sin and rose from the dead. In the introduction, Bell writes, “a staggering number of people have been taught that a select few Christians will spend forever in a peaceful, joyous place called heaven, while the rest of humanity spends forever in torment and punishment in hell with no chance for anything better. It’s been clearly communicated to many that this belief is a central truth of the Christian faith and to reject it is, in essence, to reject Jesus. This is misguided and toxic and ultimately subverts the contagious spread of Jesus’s message of love, peace, forgiveness, and joy that our world desperately needs to hear.” page vii. Not only is he critical, but he calls such a belief “toxic”. Personally, I find such language offensive. Bell’s proponents often complain that his critics are mean spirited, but his own words are very offensive to someone who truly believes the Bible.
Second, he criticizes many traditional churches for their unwillingness to discuss a person’s questions and doubts. He states, “Some communities don’t permit open, honest inquiry about the things that matter most. Lots of people have voiced a concern, expressed a doubt, or raised a question, only to be told by their family, church, friends, or tribe: ‘We don’t discuss those things here.” page ix. While this may be true of some churches, I believe that most churches with traditional, evangelical beliefs are willing to discuss legitimate questions, even if they are tough questions. Even if there is an unwillingness to discuss questions and doubts exists, the way to correct such unwillingness is not to create a new, false doctrine, like Bell does in “Love Wins”.
Third, while Bell is critical of those who will not discuss issues, he discourages anyone from disagreeing with him. At one point, he says that the story of “everybody enjoying God’s good world together with no disgrace or shame, justice being served and all the wrongs being made right is a better story. It is bigger, more loving, more expansive, more extraordinary, beautiful, and inspiring than any other story about the ultimate course history makes.” Pages 110-111. By saying this, he claims his views are superior to all other views. So, any disagreement is wrong – end of discussion; there is no room for disagreement.
He continues, “To shun, censor, or ostracize someone for holding [his belief] is to fail to extend grace to each other in a discussion that has had plenty of room for varied perspectives for hundreds of years now.” Page 111. Now, if you are critical and call him a false teacher, then you are wrong for not showing grace. He is unwilling to allow room for disagreement or criticism even though he criticizes tradition churches for not allowing disagreement or criticism. Regarding grace, it does not mean that we fail to confront false teaching. In fact, allowing false teaching shows a lack of grace and a lack of love because false teaching leads people away from God.
Fourth, Bell’s teaching is wrong. Most of the time, it is difficult to know exactly what Bell believes or what he is teaching. On page 107, he gives a summary of his teaching, “At the heart of this perspective is the belief that, given enough time, everybody will turn to God and find themselves in the joy and peace of God’s presence. The love of God will melt every hard heart, and even the most ‘depraved sinners’ will eventually give up their resistance and turn to God.” Bell’s teaching is contrary to the Bible. John 3:18 says, “Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.” Some people will not believe in God and will be condemned. If everyone were going to eventually “turn to God”, then no one would be condemned. Matthew 7:13-14 makes it clear that many people will end in destruction, “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.” This is different from Bell’s way to God, which is so wide that no one can miss it.
Fifth, Bell seems to be encouraging God and Christians to be deceitful. Even though he does not believe a literal hell exists, he thinks that we should continue to use the word “hell” because it is such a terrible word conjuring up such horrible consequences, so that people will turn to God. He writes, “To summarize, then, we need a loaded, volatile, adequately violent, dramatic, serious word to describe the very real consequences we experience when we reject the good and true and beautiful life that God has for us. We need a word that refers to the big, wide, terrible evil that comes from the secrets hidden deep within our hearts all the way to the massive, society-wide collapse and chaos that comes when we fail to live in God’s world god’s way. And for that, the word ‘hell’ works quite well. Let’s keep it.” Page 93. I find it interesting that he believes we should continue to use the word “hell” when he does not believe a literal hell exists. This sounds very pragmatic and deceitful to me.
Sixth, while Bell emphasizes God’s love, he ignores other attributes of God, such as His justice and role as judge. Part of Bell’s argument is that the Bible says God is love; it does not just say that God is loving, but says that God is love. Therefore, love is an essential element of God’s character, so love must “win” over his other attributes. While making this argument, Bell ignores passages stating that God has other attributes, even passages that say “God is . . . “. For example, Nahum 1:2 says, “The Lord is a jealous and avenging God; the Lord is avenging and wrathful.” Here, God is avenging and wrathful, just as he is love in 1 John. Deuteronomy 32:4 says, “A God of faithfulness and without iniquity, just and upright is he.” Accordingly, God is just and upright. Psalm 7:11 says, “God is a righteous judge.” Most interestingly, only one attribute is used three times in a row. In Isaiah 6:3 God is described as “holy, holy, holy”. This attribute is mentioned three times in a row. Again, in Revelation 4:8, God is described as “holy, holy, holy”. While God is love, the Bible never says God is love, love, love. Since God is holy, just, and judge, he will condemn unbelieving sinners to an eternal punishment in hell. We cannot pick and choose which attributes of God that we like and dismiss those that we do not like.
Finally (while I could go on, I do not have time to write all of my thoughts), I think Bell created his own theology because he does not like the theology taught in the Bible. As stated earlier, he simply does not like traditional, orthodox faith. He even calls such belief “toxic”. He does not like the fact that sinners who do not place their faith in Jesus Christ will spend eternity in a literal hell, so he dismisses it. He replaces such teaching with a story that he likes better, which he calls “Love Wins”. He did not discover that the Bible teaches everyone will eventually end up in heaven and that a literal hell does not exist. Instead, he simply created this theology because he does not like biblical theology. He decided to create a “politically correct” theology. In reality, biblical truth is truth regardless of whether it is “politically correct”, whether it is a “better story”, or whether we like it. Bell’s “better”, “politically correct” story is false teaching.
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
The Smile
When I come home from work, a little two year old boy runs to the door and with a huge smile yells, "Daddy!!!" when I walk through the door. He has a square face and his smile stretches across it. I love seeing the smile and hearing him yell, "Daddy!!!"
His smile and yell of "Daddy!!!" mean a lot to me because I am not his natural father. His natural father wants nothing to do with him. He is my foster child. Before living with me, he lived with his single mother. His father is not involved with him in any way. I don't even think he knows who is father is. While not having a father is bad enough, his mother didn't take care of him either. So, the state removed him, his older brother and younger sister, from her. He and his sister now live with me. The little boy needs a Dad and I am glad that I can be his Dad. It is great when he yells "Daddy!!!" and gives me a big smile.
I hope I will continue to see the smile and hear the "Daddy!!!" Naturally, his mother wants her children back. At this point, a judge will decide whether the children will ever return to their mother. If they don't return to their mother, then they will probably stay with me and, perhaps, even be adopted by us. If he returns to his mother, I fear for him. While I fear that she will not take care of him, I am certain that she will not be able to provide the role of a father that he needs. The future of a boy who grows up without a father and with a single mother who does not know how to care for her children is not bright. Beyond his future on earth, I don't know if he will ever know and accept the love of Jesus as his Savior. If he stays with me, I know he will be exposed to the love of God and he will know of his need for a Savior. But, these things are out of my control. Tomorrow, I look forward to seeing his smile again.
His smile and yell of "Daddy!!!" mean a lot to me because I am not his natural father. His natural father wants nothing to do with him. He is my foster child. Before living with me, he lived with his single mother. His father is not involved with him in any way. I don't even think he knows who is father is. While not having a father is bad enough, his mother didn't take care of him either. So, the state removed him, his older brother and younger sister, from her. He and his sister now live with me. The little boy needs a Dad and I am glad that I can be his Dad. It is great when he yells "Daddy!!!" and gives me a big smile.
I hope I will continue to see the smile and hear the "Daddy!!!" Naturally, his mother wants her children back. At this point, a judge will decide whether the children will ever return to their mother. If they don't return to their mother, then they will probably stay with me and, perhaps, even be adopted by us. If he returns to his mother, I fear for him. While I fear that she will not take care of him, I am certain that she will not be able to provide the role of a father that he needs. The future of a boy who grows up without a father and with a single mother who does not know how to care for her children is not bright. Beyond his future on earth, I don't know if he will ever know and accept the love of Jesus as his Savior. If he stays with me, I know he will be exposed to the love of God and he will know of his need for a Savior. But, these things are out of my control. Tomorrow, I look forward to seeing his smile again.
Monday, March 21, 2011
Thoughts on Rob Bell's book Love Wins
Rob Bell has ignited controversy among Christians with his new book, Love Wins. Bell has been very influential in the spiritual lives of many people, especially twentysomethings. He is the pastor of a church with an attendance of over 10,000 and is considered one of the most influential pastors in America. While popular and influential, he is controversial and many are leery of his teachings. I believe he has been difficult to criticize because he asks a lot of questions, does not typically give a lot of answers, and has not clearly set forth his beliefs. His newest book, Love Wins, clearly defines enough of his beliefs that many conservative evangelicals determined that his beliefs are wrong, are a re-formulated version of liberal theology, and are heterodox (go ahead a look it up, I had to).
I quickly read through the first half of his book and read a few reviews (I was going to read the second half tonight, but the book is so popular that my local bookstore is sold out). For those unfamiliar with the controversy, Bell claims that God’s love will win everyone over to Him. Even if a person fails to accept Christ during his life on earth, the person will accept Christ in another life. He believes no one will spend eternity in a literal hell.
While many have reviewed the book and given their opinions, I will share a few of my thoughts, which will probably be spread over a few blogs.
First, Bell, in his book and some television interviews, explains that his views are not new but have been taught for over 2,000 years. By making this claim, he tries to give credibility and authority to his beliefs. While I not an expert on church history, I believe that others have taught these same views for 2,000 years. However, that does not mean his beliefs are true. Rather, it simply means that these false teachings have been in existence for 2,000 years. The fact that others have taught the same thing does not mean that it is true. In fact, we know that false teaching existed 2,000 years ago. Paul, in his epistles, was constantly attacking false teaching and encouraging people to guard the truth. In my view, Bell has just joined a 2,000 year line of false teachers.
Second, I think Bell refuses to believe that a loving God could send people to a place of eternal fire and pain. So, he has re-imagined God, the Bible and the gospel. Since hell is too cruel of a fate for anyone, Bell created his own doctrine in which no one suffers eternally and God accepts everyone into heaven. His doctrine certainly does not come from the Bible, but is his own creation.
Third, I am amazed at the relevancy of 1 Timothy 1:3-7. Independent of the Bell controversy, my Bible study led me to these verses. In these verses, Paul tells Timothy to charge people not to teach a “different doctrine”. In explaining the different doctrine, he refers to “myths and endless genealogies”. One commentator says false teachers were using the Old Testament Law and genealogies to make up all kinds of new doctrines that lead people astray. Bell is doing the same; he is making up his own doctrine, which leads people astray.
While I have not read everything that Bell has written, I have always been frustrated with him because he asks a lot of questions but rarely, if ever, gives definitive answers. I think his questions, without answers, lead people astray. Interestingly, Paul, in verse 4 says that the “different doctrine” leads to speculations. The false teachers raised questions, but provided no answers. These questions had no spiritual value, but led people into arguments. Rather than provide clarity, false teaching leads to confusion and obscures God’s truth. The Bible Knowledge Commentary points out that God’s plan is not implemented by human imaginations, but by faith. Wow, what an accurate depiction of Rob Bell – speculations, questions but no answers, confusion, and replacing faith with human imagination.
Bell’s supporters denounce his critics by claiming the critics hate him. In reality, love should motivate people to criticize Bell’s teaching. In verse 5, Paul explains that love motivates him. Rather than hate Bell, love causes people to signal warnings against Bell’s errant teaching. How can it be loving to support Bell’s teaching when it is wrong and leads people to hell? Instead, love demands a warning against his false teaching and challenges people to read and study the Bible so they can discover the truth. No one gets a second chance, for “it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment” (Hebrews 9:27).
I quickly read through the first half of his book and read a few reviews (I was going to read the second half tonight, but the book is so popular that my local bookstore is sold out). For those unfamiliar with the controversy, Bell claims that God’s love will win everyone over to Him. Even if a person fails to accept Christ during his life on earth, the person will accept Christ in another life. He believes no one will spend eternity in a literal hell.
While many have reviewed the book and given their opinions, I will share a few of my thoughts, which will probably be spread over a few blogs.
First, Bell, in his book and some television interviews, explains that his views are not new but have been taught for over 2,000 years. By making this claim, he tries to give credibility and authority to his beliefs. While I not an expert on church history, I believe that others have taught these same views for 2,000 years. However, that does not mean his beliefs are true. Rather, it simply means that these false teachings have been in existence for 2,000 years. The fact that others have taught the same thing does not mean that it is true. In fact, we know that false teaching existed 2,000 years ago. Paul, in his epistles, was constantly attacking false teaching and encouraging people to guard the truth. In my view, Bell has just joined a 2,000 year line of false teachers.
Second, I think Bell refuses to believe that a loving God could send people to a place of eternal fire and pain. So, he has re-imagined God, the Bible and the gospel. Since hell is too cruel of a fate for anyone, Bell created his own doctrine in which no one suffers eternally and God accepts everyone into heaven. His doctrine certainly does not come from the Bible, but is his own creation.
Third, I am amazed at the relevancy of 1 Timothy 1:3-7. Independent of the Bell controversy, my Bible study led me to these verses. In these verses, Paul tells Timothy to charge people not to teach a “different doctrine”. In explaining the different doctrine, he refers to “myths and endless genealogies”. One commentator says false teachers were using the Old Testament Law and genealogies to make up all kinds of new doctrines that lead people astray. Bell is doing the same; he is making up his own doctrine, which leads people astray.
While I have not read everything that Bell has written, I have always been frustrated with him because he asks a lot of questions but rarely, if ever, gives definitive answers. I think his questions, without answers, lead people astray. Interestingly, Paul, in verse 4 says that the “different doctrine” leads to speculations. The false teachers raised questions, but provided no answers. These questions had no spiritual value, but led people into arguments. Rather than provide clarity, false teaching leads to confusion and obscures God’s truth. The Bible Knowledge Commentary points out that God’s plan is not implemented by human imaginations, but by faith. Wow, what an accurate depiction of Rob Bell – speculations, questions but no answers, confusion, and replacing faith with human imagination.
Bell’s supporters denounce his critics by claiming the critics hate him. In reality, love should motivate people to criticize Bell’s teaching. In verse 5, Paul explains that love motivates him. Rather than hate Bell, love causes people to signal warnings against Bell’s errant teaching. How can it be loving to support Bell’s teaching when it is wrong and leads people to hell? Instead, love demands a warning against his false teaching and challenges people to read and study the Bible so they can discover the truth. No one gets a second chance, for “it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment” (Hebrews 9:27).
Monday, March 14, 2011
A Day With My Wife's Schedule
I believe that men are fairly simple creatures and women are very complex. This belief was very evident today as I tried to keep part of my wife's schedule. On a normal day, I leave the house as the children are getting up. I get to the office early while it is quiet and I get some work done. I have to make sure that projects are done on time, that I remember appointments with clients, I attend business development meetings, and I appear in court when necessary. At times, my schedule may seem complex, but, in reality, I just have to take care of myself. Occasionally, I will help Sandy with the kids, but, generally, I only have to care for myself.
Today, I had to take care of my wife's schedule. She had to take our foster baby for surgery. I had to leave the house at 8:00 a.m. We left on time and things were going well. I got Laura to school on time for her class. We then arrived at my in-laws house where we were to spend about an hour. During that hour, my 2 year old foster son needed a diaper change. My mother-in-law changed him so that I could get some work done. After she took off his stinky diaper, we discovered that we left the diaper bag at home. So, I had to make a quick trip to CVS to get diapers. Shortly after finishing the longest diaper change ever, I had to leave the house to pick up Laura at school and drop Aly off at school. Then, we returned to my in-laws for about an hour and a half. At 10:45, I had to pack the kids back up and pick up Aly at school. Then, we had to go to the orthodontist for 11:15 appointments. Because the appointments were supposed to be short and my foster son can be difficult, I kept him, my 6 year old daughter, and 10 year old son in the van. Unfortunately, these short appointments ended up being an hour long. This was a long hour. Eventually, we returned home where I left the kids with my wife and I went to the office for sane schedule.
This is a fairly typical day for my wife. In comparison to her schedule, my schedule is fairly simple. I really do not know how she is able to care for 6 kids, with 2 in diapers. She is an extraordinary woman. She is capable of handling a complex schedule; whereas, I am too simple to successful handle such a schedule. I am truly blessed to have her as my wife. After living one morning in her shoes, I know that I am not capable of keeping her schedule.
Today, I had to take care of my wife's schedule. She had to take our foster baby for surgery. I had to leave the house at 8:00 a.m. We left on time and things were going well. I got Laura to school on time for her class. We then arrived at my in-laws house where we were to spend about an hour. During that hour, my 2 year old foster son needed a diaper change. My mother-in-law changed him so that I could get some work done. After she took off his stinky diaper, we discovered that we left the diaper bag at home. So, I had to make a quick trip to CVS to get diapers. Shortly after finishing the longest diaper change ever, I had to leave the house to pick up Laura at school and drop Aly off at school. Then, we returned to my in-laws for about an hour and a half. At 10:45, I had to pack the kids back up and pick up Aly at school. Then, we had to go to the orthodontist for 11:15 appointments. Because the appointments were supposed to be short and my foster son can be difficult, I kept him, my 6 year old daughter, and 10 year old son in the van. Unfortunately, these short appointments ended up being an hour long. This was a long hour. Eventually, we returned home where I left the kids with my wife and I went to the office for sane schedule.
This is a fairly typical day for my wife. In comparison to her schedule, my schedule is fairly simple. I really do not know how she is able to care for 6 kids, with 2 in diapers. She is an extraordinary woman. She is capable of handling a complex schedule; whereas, I am too simple to successful handle such a schedule. I am truly blessed to have her as my wife. After living one morning in her shoes, I know that I am not capable of keeping her schedule.
Lasting Marriage
Having been married for over 20 years, I am more convinced than ever that commitment, no matter the circumstances, is the key to a lasting marriage. Prior to, and after, the marriage, the couple are madly in love with each other. The man knows all about his wife, likes most everything about her, cannot imagine living without her, and loves her. Likewise, the woman knows all about her husband, likes everything about him, cannot imagine living without him and loves him. They are in love, happily married, and expect (or at least hope) to stay married to each other forever.
But, something unexpected happens over the years – changes. Over the years, the man changes. The woman also changes. It is impossible for the two people to remain the same as the years pass. In my case, I completed law school, got a job, changed jobs, started my own law office working out of my house, and started a partnership with new offices out of the house. As a family, we have given birth to 4 children and have seen them grow to the point where they are 17, 13, 10, and 6. We have gone through the tragedy of losing children before they were born. We have rented apartments, lived with parents, and bought two houses. We have changed churches once. My wife went from being a school teacher, to being a stay-at-home-mom to a home school-mom who still takes her kids for some classes at a Christian school. We have become foster parents to 2 young children. After 20 years of marriage, we are not the same people. We have changed.
If I was only in love with the person that I married 20 years ago, I would have a problem – that person does not exist. Likewise, if my wife was only in love with the person that she married 20 years ago, she would have a problem – I am not that same person. What keeps us together? Simply, it is commitment and a decision to keep loving the other person. It does not matter how either of us has changed, we choose to love each other. Our circumstances do not matter, we choose to love each other. We are committed to each other.
As I said, people change. Our circumstances also change. Through all the changes, a married couple should choose to stay committed, stay in love, and stay married. I found an interesting study conducted by the University of Chicago. The study examined married couples who described themselves as “very unhappy”. After five years of remaining married, 77% of those “very unhappy” couples described themselves as “very happy” or “quite happy.” On the other hand, those “unhappy couples” that chose divorce remained unhappy even 5 years after the divorce.
The message is simple, couples should choose to remain in love and be committed to each other no matter what. We all change, but that is no reason for a divorce. Even bad circumstances are usually temporary and change. Stay committed during the hard times, things will probably change for the better; you just need to outlast the bad circumstances.
NOTE – Do not think that this writing means that I am not happy and am merely staying married because I am committed. I am madly in love with my wife. She is the most wonderful person in the world. While this is true, she is not the same person that I married. I love her anyway. In fact, I love her more today than ever before. Twenty years of marriage has taught me how to love. While I am much better at loving my wife today than I was 20 years ago, I expect to continue to grow and love her more, and better, as the years pass.
FINAL NOTE – I did not write the Note because my wife would read the blog. I wrote it because it is true and because my wife will read the blog.
But, something unexpected happens over the years – changes. Over the years, the man changes. The woman also changes. It is impossible for the two people to remain the same as the years pass. In my case, I completed law school, got a job, changed jobs, started my own law office working out of my house, and started a partnership with new offices out of the house. As a family, we have given birth to 4 children and have seen them grow to the point where they are 17, 13, 10, and 6. We have gone through the tragedy of losing children before they were born. We have rented apartments, lived with parents, and bought two houses. We have changed churches once. My wife went from being a school teacher, to being a stay-at-home-mom to a home school-mom who still takes her kids for some classes at a Christian school. We have become foster parents to 2 young children. After 20 years of marriage, we are not the same people. We have changed.
If I was only in love with the person that I married 20 years ago, I would have a problem – that person does not exist. Likewise, if my wife was only in love with the person that she married 20 years ago, she would have a problem – I am not that same person. What keeps us together? Simply, it is commitment and a decision to keep loving the other person. It does not matter how either of us has changed, we choose to love each other. Our circumstances do not matter, we choose to love each other. We are committed to each other.
As I said, people change. Our circumstances also change. Through all the changes, a married couple should choose to stay committed, stay in love, and stay married. I found an interesting study conducted by the University of Chicago. The study examined married couples who described themselves as “very unhappy”. After five years of remaining married, 77% of those “very unhappy” couples described themselves as “very happy” or “quite happy.” On the other hand, those “unhappy couples” that chose divorce remained unhappy even 5 years after the divorce.
The message is simple, couples should choose to remain in love and be committed to each other no matter what. We all change, but that is no reason for a divorce. Even bad circumstances are usually temporary and change. Stay committed during the hard times, things will probably change for the better; you just need to outlast the bad circumstances.
NOTE – Do not think that this writing means that I am not happy and am merely staying married because I am committed. I am madly in love with my wife. She is the most wonderful person in the world. While this is true, she is not the same person that I married. I love her anyway. In fact, I love her more today than ever before. Twenty years of marriage has taught me how to love. While I am much better at loving my wife today than I was 20 years ago, I expect to continue to grow and love her more, and better, as the years pass.
FINAL NOTE – I did not write the Note because my wife would read the blog. I wrote it because it is true and because my wife will read the blog.
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Cutting the Cable Update
Readers of my blog know that I recently decided to save money by no longer subscribing to cable tv. I cut the cable about 3 weeks ago, so I thought I would share my experience.
I really have not missed cable tv. If I had cut the cable years ago, I probably would have missed it, but with so many shows on the internet, I have not missed a single show that I wanted to watch. Every show that my wife and I watch is on cbs.com or hulu.com. When we had cable, we usually recorded shows on the DVR and watched them later, after the kids were in bed. Now, we basically do the same thing. The only difference is that, instead of using the remote control for the DVR, I have to plug my laptop into the tv/monitor, find the show on the internet, and click play. If I needed to control something, I initially missed the remote. After a few days, I discovered that my USB wireless mouse will actually work from the couch while the laptop is on the table by the tv. The wireless mouse makes a great remote. The bottom line, I have not missed any shows that I like to watch and the inconvenience is minimal. To me, cable is not worth the money.
After cutting the cable, the next step was getting and installing an antenna. This was a bit more difficult. I found a reasonably priced antenna at "channelmaster.com" While I wanted to install t in my attic rather than the roof, my initial attempt was a failure. The pictures kept stopping; it was not acceptable. Having no time to fix it, I left it for later. I wanted to watch the Daytona 500. So, I worked on it before the race started (not really a good time when the race about to start). I moved the antenna around in the attic, but nothing worked. The race is now starting and I still cannot watch it; I am in a panic. I may have to mount he antenna on the roof, but I want to make sure it works before I go to the effort. So, I get the antenna outside and lay it on the roof. Still bad reception. As I am checking the antenna, the race appears to be more of a slide show (a series of still pictures) rather than a video, and I think a see a still picture of Jeff Gordon sitting in the grass in a wrecked car. Well, it looks like I can't watch the race and it does not really matter because Gordon is already out. I return to the roof to retrieve the antenna and take it back to the attic. Discouraged, I do not even try to get it to work, but just lay it upside down on some boxes of Christmas decorations. When I return to the family room, the reception is great. All of the channels are working just fine. I guess we cannot use those Christmas decorations any more because I cannot move that box with the antenna on it.
Sports will be the major thing that I will miss. I did see the Flyers play the Rangers on NBC. I watched a Temple basketball game on ESPN3, that I get through the internet. So, I will make due.
We are using our free month of Netflix. I do not know if we will keep it, but it appears to be a good substitute for On Demand. At $10 a month, it is not cost prohibitive. I like the fact that it operates through the Wii, so I do not have to use a computer. It has more Bob the Builder episodes than Verizon's On Demand. We found several episodes of Veggie Tales and other kid shows that we like. Past episodes of other shows we like, such as Monk and Psych, are available. The movie selections are better than On Demand. I do not think that I would want to pay for cable and Netflix, but Netflix instead of cable is a possibility.
So far, the experiment of cutting the cable is a success.
I really have not missed cable tv. If I had cut the cable years ago, I probably would have missed it, but with so many shows on the internet, I have not missed a single show that I wanted to watch. Every show that my wife and I watch is on cbs.com or hulu.com. When we had cable, we usually recorded shows on the DVR and watched them later, after the kids were in bed. Now, we basically do the same thing. The only difference is that, instead of using the remote control for the DVR, I have to plug my laptop into the tv/monitor, find the show on the internet, and click play. If I needed to control something, I initially missed the remote. After a few days, I discovered that my USB wireless mouse will actually work from the couch while the laptop is on the table by the tv. The wireless mouse makes a great remote. The bottom line, I have not missed any shows that I like to watch and the inconvenience is minimal. To me, cable is not worth the money.
After cutting the cable, the next step was getting and installing an antenna. This was a bit more difficult. I found a reasonably priced antenna at "channelmaster.com" While I wanted to install t in my attic rather than the roof, my initial attempt was a failure. The pictures kept stopping; it was not acceptable. Having no time to fix it, I left it for later. I wanted to watch the Daytona 500. So, I worked on it before the race started (not really a good time when the race about to start). I moved the antenna around in the attic, but nothing worked. The race is now starting and I still cannot watch it; I am in a panic. I may have to mount he antenna on the roof, but I want to make sure it works before I go to the effort. So, I get the antenna outside and lay it on the roof. Still bad reception. As I am checking the antenna, the race appears to be more of a slide show (a series of still pictures) rather than a video, and I think a see a still picture of Jeff Gordon sitting in the grass in a wrecked car. Well, it looks like I can't watch the race and it does not really matter because Gordon is already out. I return to the roof to retrieve the antenna and take it back to the attic. Discouraged, I do not even try to get it to work, but just lay it upside down on some boxes of Christmas decorations. When I return to the family room, the reception is great. All of the channels are working just fine. I guess we cannot use those Christmas decorations any more because I cannot move that box with the antenna on it.
Sports will be the major thing that I will miss. I did see the Flyers play the Rangers on NBC. I watched a Temple basketball game on ESPN3, that I get through the internet. So, I will make due.
We are using our free month of Netflix. I do not know if we will keep it, but it appears to be a good substitute for On Demand. At $10 a month, it is not cost prohibitive. I like the fact that it operates through the Wii, so I do not have to use a computer. It has more Bob the Builder episodes than Verizon's On Demand. We found several episodes of Veggie Tales and other kid shows that we like. Past episodes of other shows we like, such as Monk and Psych, are available. The movie selections are better than On Demand. I do not think that I would want to pay for cable and Netflix, but Netflix instead of cable is a possibility.
So far, the experiment of cutting the cable is a success.
Monday, February 21, 2011
God's Word
As a child, I remember memorizing a lot of Bible verses. One of the first verses I remember is Psalm 119:105, "Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path." I memorized verses for Sunday School, for AWANA, and for school. Adults were making me, and other children, learn verses because God's Word is important. As an adult, I have encouraged kids to memorize scripture because it is good for them to know God's Word.
Somewhere along the way, I stopped memorizing scripture, and I suspect that most adults do not memorize scripture either. What a shame! If I needed to memorize scripture as a child, why not memorize now? If I thought, as an adult, that children should memorize scripture, then why not me? Psalm 119, which is neglected by most people because it is so long, emphasizes the importance of God's law. Verse 97 says, "Oh how I love your law! It is my meditation all the day." This is very convicting. Do I really love God's law? If so, wouldn't I spend more time with it and memorize it? Do I really meditate on God's law? Generally, no. But, when I am memorizing scripture, I end up meditating on it. I am constantly reviewing the verses and this causes me to meditate on His law.
Because of the importance of God's Word, I have committed myself to memorizing scripture. For this year, my goal is to learn 2 verses per week. Two verses a week does not feel like very much. It seems to be a very reasonable goal. If I accomplish this goal, then I will learn over 100 verses this year. Two verses does not seem like much of an accomplishment, but 100 verses will be.
As the husband of my wife and father of my children, God has called me to be a spiritual leader in my family. As the spiritual leader, I need to memorize scripture. I cannot expect my children to memorize scripture if I am not setting an example. In addition, I should lead my family in memorizing scripture. So, on a weekly basis, I am giving my children 3x5 cards with verses to memorize for this week. It will be a great opportunity for me to lead my children and for us to memorize verses as a family.
So, where do I start. I decided to begin by building a strong foundation. Navigators has a Topical Memory System with some basic verses that every Christian should know. They have 30 subjects with two selections for each subject. Each week, I will have my family learn both selections for one subject. The first subject is "Christ is the Center" and the selections are 2 Cor. 5:17 and Gal. 2:20. While we may already have some of these verses memorized, there will be some new ones and it will be good to memorize the familiar ones. It is amazing how easy it is to forget even the familiar verses.
While I am looking forward to memorizing scripture, my children are very excited about it. This is going to be a great year.
Somewhere along the way, I stopped memorizing scripture, and I suspect that most adults do not memorize scripture either. What a shame! If I needed to memorize scripture as a child, why not memorize now? If I thought, as an adult, that children should memorize scripture, then why not me? Psalm 119, which is neglected by most people because it is so long, emphasizes the importance of God's law. Verse 97 says, "Oh how I love your law! It is my meditation all the day." This is very convicting. Do I really love God's law? If so, wouldn't I spend more time with it and memorize it? Do I really meditate on God's law? Generally, no. But, when I am memorizing scripture, I end up meditating on it. I am constantly reviewing the verses and this causes me to meditate on His law.
Because of the importance of God's Word, I have committed myself to memorizing scripture. For this year, my goal is to learn 2 verses per week. Two verses a week does not feel like very much. It seems to be a very reasonable goal. If I accomplish this goal, then I will learn over 100 verses this year. Two verses does not seem like much of an accomplishment, but 100 verses will be.
As the husband of my wife and father of my children, God has called me to be a spiritual leader in my family. As the spiritual leader, I need to memorize scripture. I cannot expect my children to memorize scripture if I am not setting an example. In addition, I should lead my family in memorizing scripture. So, on a weekly basis, I am giving my children 3x5 cards with verses to memorize for this week. It will be a great opportunity for me to lead my children and for us to memorize verses as a family.
So, where do I start. I decided to begin by building a strong foundation. Navigators has a Topical Memory System with some basic verses that every Christian should know. They have 30 subjects with two selections for each subject. Each week, I will have my family learn both selections for one subject. The first subject is "Christ is the Center" and the selections are 2 Cor. 5:17 and Gal. 2:20. While we may already have some of these verses memorized, there will be some new ones and it will be good to memorize the familiar ones. It is amazing how easy it is to forget even the familiar verses.
While I am looking forward to memorizing scripture, my children are very excited about it. This is going to be a great year.
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