Several months ago I was approached by another member of my church to participate in a Christmas program for another local church. This individual had performed there in the past and was asked this year if he knew of any other men that would be willing to sing in a men's ensemble. We would pick whatever music we wanted and would practice on our own until the dress rehearsal before the night of the performance. Well, I agreed and this person originally wanted to just do one song and then we had a suggestion of a medley thrown at us. Not a bad proposition, but this same member who approached me decided that two songs would be enough.
Not on my watch!
I then had a random idea to then write a medley for us by taking about five different songs and smashing them together. Why? No ide! I'd never done anything like that before, but I had already committed to it and so over the course of a few nights I hammered on out in MuseScore and came up with the rough draft of the medley's you have linked above. One is an arrangement for men's trio, while the other is for quartet. Why did I write two arrangements? I dunno. The trio turned out well enough but I wanted to have a four-part harmony version as well.
Anyway, the order of songs is as follows: Hark! The Herald Angels Sing!, Joy to the World!, Silent Night, Mary, Did You Know...?, and Oh, Holy Night!
I hope you enjoy them as much as I enjoyed arranging and recording them.
As you all know, I am incredibly punctual and timely with many of my reviews and not at all a procrastinator. Sea of Stars came out just...okay so it was three months ago and won indie game of the year. I'm not here to say that it doesn't deserve that accolade, but just how good of a game is it?
The combat is pretty solid though I did feel it starting to wear on me by the end of the game, the soundtrack is decent and is better than I remember it being which is mentioned in the video. Veteran video game composer Yasunori Mitsuda helped compose some of the tracks for this game which is appropriate considering how much the game borrows from Chrono Trigger (something that becomes very apparent in late game areas and enemy designs) and Super Mario RPG. The story is generally good but has some questionable decisions that I wasn't a fan of. I'm not saying they don't work as part of the overall narrative, but that doesn't make me not raise an eyebrow. After all, why would you choose to do something that essentially undercuts another goal you're trying to accomplish? Then again, maybe another playthrough will clear this up for me because I may have been misinterpreting some things.
Generally speaking, I was happy with the game despite some of its flaws. Perhaps one of the biggest flaws was that it doesn't quite live up to the standards and reputations of the games that it was inspired by. Then again, perhaps that's my own nostalgia and love for these games that has tainted my perception of Sea of Stars. In all honesty, it's probably better than I'm giving it credit for, and perhaps another playthrough will help me to adjust my perspective. Who know. Is it worth playing? Absolutely.
For my full thoughts on the game, watch the video above.
I have not kept it secret by any stretch of the imagination that I have changed my theological views drastically over the years, particularly over the two decades. One of the areas that was impacted the most in my early twenties was the area of eschatology. Was there such a thing as a Pre-Tribulation rapture? Was Christ's kingdom going to be a literal, physical kingdom that we had to wait for? Was there any point in polishing the brass on the Titanic if it's going to sink anyway?
For clarity, that last sentence is an analogy for whether or not the church should even bother trying to transform the world if it's doomed to failure anyway. A common theme amongst many prominent Dispensationalists.
This time of year, we often sing the hymn "Joy to the World", which has anything but a defeatist attitude towards the Kingdom of Christ and the reign of Christ over the earth. Why? Didn't Isaac Watts understand how hopeless things were until Christ returned? Fortunately, Watts lived at such a time when this view of history and the idea of a secret rapture as an escape hatch to avoid dealing with the world didn't exist. So, what did men like Watts believe? In order to understand why Watts had such an optimistic outlook, there is one place we need to look and one place only: the holy scriptures themselves. What did Christ actually teach about His own kingdom? What prophetic statements are made about Kingdom of God that we can hold to. Is there a reason to be optimistic about any of it?
Today's lesson examines just that. Yet, with as much scripture and as much ground as I tried to cover, there is still much to say about the subject, but I did my best to lay out the fundamental principles for why the beliver should have an optimistic outlook on the Kingdom and why that hope should spur us on in our fulfillment of the great commission.
I've always been a fan of Egar Allen Poe's work and one of my favorite memories growing up was finding an Illustrated Classics edition of several of his works. The illustrations captivated me and I tore through that book several times. "The Cask of Amontillado" being a personal favorite. Speaking of burying things in the walls, "The Black Cat" is another great story of his that I first heard as an edited speech for a fine arts competition. I hadn't thought much about it for years until I read "The Cats of Ulthar" by H.P. Lovecraft. So, with it being spooky season yet again, I decided I would try my hand (or voice) at doing a reading of "The Black Cat".
The story is decent length and certainly captures the spirit of Poe's work. Even more interesting is that the narrator had some of the same issues Poe had, alcohol addiction being the main one. Even more interesting is the way that Poe actually includes some decent theology in his narrative:
I am not more sure that my soul lives, than I am that perverseness is one of the primitive impulses of the human heart -- one of the indivisible primary faculties, or sentiments, which give direction to the character of Man. Who has not, a hundred times, found himself committing a vile or a silly action, for no other reason than because he knows he should not? Have we not a perpetual inclination, in the teeth of our best judgment, to violate that which is Law, merely because we understand it to be such? This spirit of perverseness, I say, came to my final overthrow. It was this unfathomable longing of the soul to vex itself -- to offer violence to its own nature -- to do wrong for the wrong's sake only -- that urged me to continue and finally to consummate the injury I had inflicted upon the unoffending brute.
Later on, the narrator says the following of himself as a person:
And now was I indeed wretched beyond the wretchedness of mere Humanity. And a brute beast -- whose fellow I had contemptuously destroyed -- a brute beast to work out for me -- for me a man, fashioned in the image of the High God -- so much of insufferable woe!
In the former selection, we have a very astute and very accurate depiction of man's inherent nature. We often plunge into sin precisely because we know we aren't supposed to. Not to spoil the story, but the next section in the story has the narrator commit an action which he says would:
...so jeopardize my immortal soul as to place it -- if such a thing were possible -- even beyond the reach of the infinite mercy of the Most Merciful and Most Terrible God.
Even though he realized and admitted that this was something worthy of the damnation of his soul, there would still be no way to place it far enough away from God's mercy. Of course, that mercy is only properly availed of through repentance, but notice the equal description of "Most Terrible God". People frequently talk about the "fear of the Lord" being simply a term for respect and awe, which it certainly does mean. However, simply put "fear means fear". It can certainly include the aspects of respect, awe, and reverence, but it will never not also mean "fear". After all:
And do not be afraid of those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. (Matthew 10:28 NASB2020)
In the second section I copied, the one about being made in the image of God, the point the author makes is that this cat, a mere beast, was being used to torment and punish someone who was made in the image of God. He had fallen so low that a lesser creature was being used to show him the depths of his evil. When you understand the biblical basis behind what Poe was writing, something which was certainly opposed to the views of Transcendentalists like Thoreau, the words take on a great deal of poignance. Even though Poe's life was less than exemplary, especially concerning how he died, even he didn't seek to rationalize and promote his own vices. He very much seemed to recognize the evils of addiction and alcoholism and did not portray it as anything but that.
Anyway, hope you enjoyed this little foray into the text and scriptural basis for what is in the story, and hope you enjoy the reading of the story as well.
It's no shock to anyone who has been following this blog or knows me in person that I am a huge fan of the Final Fantasy series. So, it should be no surprise that as soon as Final Fantasy XVI came out, I bought it day one. I had that thing on pre-order and was excited to dive into another fantasy world, this time produced and directed by none other than Naoki Yoshida, director of Final Fantasy XIV, the critically acclaimed MMORPG with an expanded free trial which you can play through the entirety of A Realm Reborn through the award-winning Stormblood expansion up to level 70 for free with no restrictions on playtime!
I played through the demo a week or so before the main game launched, and after playing through the full-release, most of my thoughts are still the same, with some additions. First, the battle system is still fun and the game definitely leans hard into the Devil May Cry style that, well, the combat director of Devil May Cry designed for this game. It's easily more of an action game than an RPG. It would be more appropriately described as an action game with RPG elements tacked on. Unfortunately, most of the abilities are sort of useless once you get the best skills around the mid to late game. The serve a purpose earlier on and depending on your playstyle you may get some more mileage out of them than I did, but there were a lot I just never bothered with. I'm not sure if that holds true with other games in this genre, but it seemed sort of pointless here and I wish there had been greater variety or utility. This same lack of depth is quite apparent in the "crafting" system, if it can be called that. Most materials you get just from doing the MSQ so you don't really have to go out farming for materials. As long as you do the MSQ, hunts, and side-quests, there isn't anything to worry about. You'll have everything you need.
The main focus, of the game is, of course, the story. This is a very story-heavy game and the dungeons and main quests are where the game shines brilliantly. The characters, overall, are engaging and fun to see on screen. Some are better than others, but most are rounded out enough to feel like real people. One villain in particular was always a pleasure to see on screen, and not just because she was hot and exuded a sort of dominatrix vibe (well, two villains did this in different ways). Honestly, I think a lot of guys find the quasi-domineering but feminine thing very attractive even if the person is on the wrong side of things. There may be red flags, but if you're colorblind or love the color red, it's not a problem! In all seriousness, I hated to see one get killed off so early on, and the other wasn't on screen often enough as far as I was concerned. Neither had enough screen time for me, and I think that's also a testament to how well the characters were portrayed in the short time they were there.
Side-quests were a let down too but they definitely follow the sort of standard MMO style sidequest of kill/gather "x" number of things and return for a reward with very little in the way of story or world-building. It's a shame since there are definitely some quests that are well worth it for those exact reasons, especially in the latter portion of the game. Unfortunately, the game doesn't do a good job of incentivizing sidequests, but there are some gems within the list of them.
Music is as good as to be expected from Masayoshi Soken, meaning it's epic and everything you could want.
There's a lot more I could say but that's what the video is for. One note I forgot to mention in the video is the pacing of the story. There are definitely some pacing issues and I think most of that has to do with the writers trying to drag out the drama and hopefully make they payoff bigger. For example, there is a meeting between to very important characters that is teased frequently during the game around the time there is the second time-jump in the story. This is a huge deal plot-wise. However, they drag it out and tease the player with this reunion for far too long. They even do the trope of both people being in the same building but miss each other by seconds. It is supremely frustrating and the one thing I hated about playing through it the first time. The payoff was great, I just don't know if it was worth giving everyone story-telling blue-balls to get there.
Anyway, I have more to say in the video but over all I'd give the game a B+. There are some great highs and lows in the story that really hit hard, and there is a lot of fun to be had with the game. However, there are some design and pacing issues that hold it back from being best of the best. At best, I'd be willing to give it an A-, but it's not S-tier. We'll see what the DLC adds later on.
So, I've finally gotten around to detailing my thoughts about Diablo IV up through the first season. It's been a rollercoaster to say the least. Started out strong, then after the campaign it sort of fell off. Then there's the tragedy of the 1.0 patch which nerfed everything into the ground. Of course, things have been slowly rebuilding and getting better again since then but it's been a long road (even though it's only been just shy of three months). Season 2 is right around the corner and I wanted to give a breakdown of what has been happening.
To briefly summarize: everything got nerfed including exp. People then started complaining that this was Blizzard's way of making more money by essentially using Stockholm Syndrome against their player base and hoping to extort more money out of them via battlepasses. Of course, battlepasses only give glamors and emotes as well as some premium currency you can use in game for...wait for it...more glamors. So, all of it is totally optional, but that doesn't stop people from venting their spleen about how evil and corrupt Blizzard is. That may be true, but the battleapss system as it stands now doesn't prove that since you don't actually need to buy one to play either the base game or the seasonal content.
Then of course there is the story which is pretty good overall but has some questionable decisions as far as what happens. Some of the characters go full Patrick Star and make some of the most idiotic decisions I've ever seen. Then the story ends on a cliffhanger which, in retrospect, is pretty par for the course for Diablo.
Let's see, what else was there? Well, there's the usual bugfixes and patches that happen with any live-service game, but the biggest complaint has been the lack of endgame content. I agree, I just don't know what else they could do that they haven't added to previous games in the past. By that, I mean that the endgame content is almost identical to a lot of what was in Diablo 3 and that game didn't have any of this stuff at launch. In fact there's more endgame in D4 at launch than any other one, but for some reason it just doesn't feel as fun at times. It could be the itemization but I'm not really sure. The campaign and levelling up until 70 is fine, but after that it's sort of "meh". Still, if you're a fan of the series I'd recommend giving it a shot. Things will be improving more over time I'm sure, and maybe Season 2 will add a lot of stuff that feels like it should have been there in the first place. The devs seem to be listening and want to do better, but time will tell.
Once again, I was given the opportunity to teach my adult Sunday School class at church. It was difficult coming up with a topic on such last minute notice, but fortunately I was able to come up with something. Unfortunately, the impetus for the lesson was the passing of a beloved church member who had been battling cancer for several years. How should a Christian deal with the idea of suffering as a believer? I don't mean suffering due to your beliefs, but as a general rule, how should we view tribulation and hardship in life as a child of God? Is there anything in scripture that gives us hope and guidance for how to look at these things and what encouragement can we take, if anything, when thinking of someone who has passed on after such a difficult battle with cancer? I hope the lesson is beneficial to you all.
It's been a little longer than intended since my last recording but I've had quite a bit going on, not the least of which includes home repairs and, well, being lazy about recording. Being lazy can take a lot of work.
In any case, I've been wanting to do an arrangement of "A Mighty Fortress" for a while now and only recently did I get around to actually transcibing out the music, arranging it, troubleshooting it, listening to it over and over again in my notation software, and then finally recording the vocals. What's fun is that no matter how many times I listened to it, I kept finding one or two notes in the middle of phrases that sort of clashed. I think I have it all worked out now. If not, oh well. I'm not re-doing it again.
Anyway, the lyrics to Martin Luther's classic hymn are a great reminder for Christians about the provision of God for us and the fact that no matter what happens, He will have victory. If you're like me, and like many Christians, I've sung through the song numerous times over the years but never really paid attention to the lyrics. For simplicity, I'm reproducing them here:
A mighty fortress is our God,
a bulwark never failing;
our helper he, amid the flood
of mortal ills prevailing.
For still our ancient foe
does seek to work us woe;
his craft and power are great,
and armed with cruel hate,
on earth is not his equal.
Did we in our own strength confide,
our striving would be losing,
were not the right Man on our side,
the Man of God's own choosing.
You ask who that may be?
Christ Jesus, it is he;
Lord Sabaoth his name,
from age to age the same;
and he must win the battle.
And though this world, with devils filled,
should threaten to undo us,
we will not fear, for God has willed
his truth to triumph through us.
The prince of darkness grim,
we tremble not for him;
his rage we can endure,
for lo! his doom is sure;
one little word shall fell him.
That Word above all earthly powers
no thanks to them abideth;
the Spirit and the gifts are ours
through him who with us sideth.
Let goods and kindred go,
this mortal life also;
the body they may kill:
God's truth abideth still;
his kingdom is forever!
One thing I learned in high-school was that when it comes to poetry, it helps to never read it like a poem. A lot of times we get caught up in the rhyme scheme and when we read it out loud we're more focused on the cadence and flow of the words rather than the words themselves. This is especially unfortunate when dealing with hymns like this. So, I've decided to paraphrase the verses and write them as if they were a written devotional:
"Our God is like a mighty impregnable stronghold that will never be overthrown. Here, despite the overwhelming adversities of life on this mortal coil, He continues to prevail no matter what the enemy brings against it. Be certain, our adversary continues to seek to destroy us. Even though we have God as our fortress, Satan is not to be taken lightly. He is incredibly resilient, crafty, and commands great power among his cadre of fellow fallen angels. His is possessed of a malice and hatred for mankind that no mere mortal on earth could ever rival. If we were to rely on our own strength and seek to withstand him on our own, we would surely fail miserably. Fortunately for us, we have God's chosen Man who stands at our side and so long as we rely on Him, our striving against sin will never be in vain. Just who might this Man be you ask? None other than Jesus Christ, the Lord of the Sabbath Himself! From age to age, from the time He defeated Satan at the cross until now, He remains the same and he will win the battle!
This world is filled with evil and devils and it may at times feel as though we are going to be undone. However, we have no reason to fear because God has purposed in His children that His truth will triumph over evil. While we do not take that grim and terrible Prince of Darkness lightly, we also do not tremble because of him. Why should we? His doom is an absolute certainty! All it takes is one simple word from God to lay him low and defeat him for all time!
That in mind, never forget that the living Word, Christ, which rules above all earthly kings and authorities (no thanks to them for surely they continue to resist His kingship) continues to abide. Just as He promised the disciples in the upper room, through Him we have the Holy Spirit and the gifts of the Spirit as well. So, with all that God has done for us through Christ and the surety of victory that there will be against Satan, let all of our wealth and family leave us if they may. In fact, let us be willing to lose our lives for God's sake if necessary. Even if they kill us because of the gospel, God's truth will remain regardless because His kingdom is a glorious kingdom without end!"
Now, I could break this apart and cite numerous biblical passages which the lyrics to the song are based on and which would really fill out the ideas of the song even more. Suffice it to say, just as my paraphrase and expanded explanation of the lyrics shows, Christ's kingdom is current and active. There is no reason to look forward to some earthly kingdom at His return because He is ruling over the earth right now and bringing all things into subjection to Himself. It may not be fast enough for our tastes, but He will have the victory and no matter what happens, we can rest secure in God our fortress knowing that He has won the battle for us. We need but trust in Him.
God is our refuge and strength, A very ready help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth shakes And the mountains slip into the heart of the sea; Though its waters roar and foam, Though the mountains quake at its swelling pride. Selah. (Psalms 46:1-3 NASB2020)
As promised, part two is finally here and this time I finished getting through the rest of the original post on Reddit that inspired this series. Last time, we dealt with the setting of the story and the father dying "as a Christian". If you listened to the previous installment, you'll know that description is utterly meaningless without further qualification and then we dealt with the issue of whether or not it would be just for the father to be in Heaven under any circumstances. The answer was, of course, maybe. It depends on what you're defining as Christian. If it's by biblical standards, the only circumstance would be that of true repentance and faith resulting in works which serve as proof of genuine conversion and regeneration.
In this video, we deal with the issue of whether or not it would be fair for the daughter to be in Hell if she lost her faith because of something that happened to her. Well, if unbelief is a sin and if apostasy is evidence that true faith never existed in the individual in the first place, then yes. It would be fair and just. Does it mean she was suddenly innocent of every other sin she ever committed before then?
What about the mother? Is the mother unfairly brainwashed by God to not suddenly think His judgement of sin and actions concerning the father and daughter were unjust? It's heavily implied that God is essentially a capricious and unfair monster in this area. However, what does scripture say about this sort of thing let alone how we will see things when Christ returns in judgement?
All of this is covered more in depth in the video but suffice it to say, no, it is not unjust or unfair for the daughter to be condemned, and the mother, if my understanding of scripture is correct, would not see God as being a callous monster unjustly condemning innocent people to torment.
I've finally quit being lazy and decided to start my response to the two-sentence horror story on Reddit that began my series on basic Christian doctrines a couple of months ago. Though I had intended to get through all of the initial post in this video, I made it through roughly two-thirds of the first sentence. So, really about par for the course for me.
As for what I was able to get through in this installment, I briefly covered the setting of the story (standing at the pearly gates and talking to a scribe) and then getting into the application of the doctrine of salvation and what it actually means to be a Christian. I don't think the author had any understanding of what Christianity actually is and sees it as nothing more than the equivalent of party affiliation. If you claim to be a Christian, that's all that matters apparently. Well, not so much according to the Bible.
That said, there is another angle that I decided to tackle and that is the idea that if anyone is ever evil in life, they are permanently excluded from salvation and Heaven no matter what. Again, this isn't really accurate biblically either. The criminal on the cross and the testimony of the apostle Paul stand in stark contrast to such a claim. So I took some time to examine that as well.
There's a lot of scripture to cover in this video and I've put all the text on the screen as usual. I hope it's encouraging to you, especially if you're new to the faith and don't know how to start responding to these sorts of things. If you're not and you somehow come across this, I hope it gives you a better understanding of the gospel and I pray that God uses it to reveal the truth to you.
Thanks for coming, enjoy the video, and God bless.
The FFXVI Demo slaps hard, as the kiddies say...I think.
Everything from the graphics to voice over, combat, etc., have really gotten me hyped for something I was only mildly enthusistic about a couple months ago. While I could just write out the review here in more depth, it's not the same as seeing the actual gameplay so give it a watch. I demand it!
Though it took me a little longer than originally desired due to life getting in the way of gaming (the nerve of it), I have finally finished the Final Fantasy IV Pixel Remaster. It would have been done sooner had I not screwed up at the end and had to replay the last third of the game at least three times due to messing up completion criteria. That's more of a me problem though than anything else.
There really isn't much that was changed in this version though I'm not sure which difficulty this follows whether it was the original Super Famicom release, the difficulty of the 3DS version, or some mixture of the various ports, and there have been a lot of ports over the years.
The game still retains its charm after all these years and it's been making me want to finally get caught up on the FFXIV main scenario since I don't think I've really played since patch 6.1. I've got time though.
Anyway, FFIV is what introduced us to the Active Time Battle (ATB) system which was the first in many alterations to the battle system that would lead to things like the battle systems of FFXIII, FFXV, and now the upcoming FFXVI with its emphasis on straight-up action.
This game also solidified the trope of "killing" characters only for it to be revealed that they weren't really killed off as we suspected. While I understand it can be frustrating to newcomers to the series and especially those who aren't familiar with the anime-esque tropes the series has been indulging in quite some time, the fact remains that Final Fantasy IV has been going down this road for decades.
Getting overpowered in this game doesn't take that much effort compared to previous entries and there have been some patches to up the drop rates for things like secret summons and pink tails, making farming these much easier.
Overall, it's a good opportunity to see Cecil and the gang again, or for some of you, the very first time.
Today was a bit of a rough day for the family. Today we said goodbye to a beloved pet that had been with us for just barely shy of fourteen years. That's one year less than my wife and I have been together. It's also the second pet that our son has had to say goodbye too, though I'm certain this is the one that hits him the hardest. My wife informed me that he had gone, sat where Duke's kennel used to be, and just sort of cried.
Not to be a downer, but it brings up the idea of eternity and whether or not we will see our pets on the other side of the veil. As much as I wish I had a clear answer, the Bible tells us precious little about what eternity and heaven will be like. Even when people cite the "pearly gates" and "street of gold" they are actually citing a description of the New Jerusalem. This is particularly a problem since the book of Revelation is so heavily filled with symbolism and the description of this city is that of a bride adorned for her husband which is a direct reference to the church which is called the Bride of Christ. So it is very likely that the New Jerusalem is meant as a symbol for the idealized church, free from all corruption and sin upon Christ's return. In other words, the very things people cite probably aren't literal. So where does that leave us? Well, as far as people's descriptions of Heaven are concerned, not much at all.
We do know that we will be freed at last from the power and presence of sin and that we will be finally holy as God is holy. We know we will have perfect fellowship with God and the rest of the body of Christ, but beyond that, there is very little said. We have far more said about Hell than Heaven. Then of course there is the New Heavens and the New Earth. We have zero description of what that will be like though I would guess it means that Earth will be created again to be like what it was intended to be all along before the fall and entrance of sin into creation. I would also have to assume God will have animals again there as well. Whether or not He recreates our beloved pets for us at all or not is total speculation, though when the time comes, I doubt we'll be all that concerned with it. Who knows?
Perhaps we aren't told because our focus is to be primarily on how we advance the Kingdom of God here on Earth, not simply hoping Christ eventually brings it to us when He returns. It is our job to carry out His will here while He reigns from Heaven at this present moment.
Though there isn't any concrete evidence, so far as I can find, that proves the quote came from Martin Luther, there is a statement that comes to mind that is attributed to him. Allegedly speaking to his dog at some point, Luther told his furry companion, “Be thou comforted,little dog;thou too in Resurrection shall have a little golden tail.” There's nothing scriptural to back that up, but I'd like to think that it's true in spirit. However, let's not be dogmatic about it. After all, not all dogs go to Heaven, isn't that right Cujo?
Father's Day is upon us and I am once again reminded of the burden a Father has to lead and set an example for His family. This is no simple task, nor is it one to be taken lightly. Yet, there are numerous families that have no Father figure to lead by example or play a significant role in the lives of their children. Those of us who have been fortunate enough to have our Father's present may or may not have always had the best relationship with them, but we definitely learned from them one way or the other even if that lesson was simply how not to be a good father.
Fortunately, in me and my brother's case, our Father was definitely present, active, and did his best to guide and direct us in life even if we didn't always agree with his opinion or how he handled it. Incidentally, even he doesn't agree with how he handled certain things so I'm glad we're all on the same page on that one, finally. However, even with the disagreements and butting of heads, neither one of us ever doubted his sincerity to do what he believed was the right thing to do. As a father myself, I have a much better understanding of what this is like, and I also fully realize that about 99% you second-guess yourself after doing just about anything when it comes to discipline. Was I too rash? Did I go overboard with the punishment? Did I really listen to my kid and did I have all the facts? Did my child really understand what he did wrong? Are my expectations too high for the ages of my kids? Am I expecting a level of understanding the kids just don't have at that age? On and on the list of questions goes. Yet, no matter how many times we may question ourselves, we should always examine ourselves to make sure it was done for the right reasons based on what we knew at the time. For a Christian father, the burden becomes even greater because we have to constantly assess whether or not what we have done has properly emulated the example of Christ. Even if we did everything right, if we didn't do it with a demonstration of the love of Christ, then it was meaningless. As Paul wrote to Corinth:
If I speak with the tongues of mankind and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and know all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. And if I give away all my possessions to charity, and if I surrender my body so that I may glory, but do not have love, it does me no good. (1 Corinthians 13:1-3 NASB2020)
This passage is certainly true for all believers, but as a father, I feel this hit a bit more close to home since it has a direct impact on how my kids learn to behave. Have I been setting a good example for my own son? Does my son understand what it means to model Godly behavior as a man. Now, to be frank, I'm not convinced my son is even a Christian yet. Sure, he's been raised in a Christian milieu, but that's not the same thing as having embraced it on your own and having your own personal relationship with Christ. As someone once said, "a cat can give birth to kittens in an oven, that don't make 'em biscuits." So really, the question I have to ask myself is, is my behavior demonstrating anything to my son that would make him ever want to be saved?
Did I mention there is a lot of pressure on fathers? Huh. I probably should have mentioned it at some point. I'm sure if it becomes necessary I'll bring it up.
Now, the good thing is that, as Christians, we don't have to wonder what a proper relationship looks like. The life of Christ is a perfect example of reliance and dependence and obedience to the Father. If we wish to know how to set the example for our children, the objective is pretty clear:
Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children; and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma. (Ephesians 5:1-2 NASB2020)
This is obviously much more difficult in practice than on paper. I constantly fail in this area and am well aware of the numerous shortcomings I have. Yet, the goal should always be to fulfill this command. We see the same thing again in Hebrews 12:
Therefore, since we also have such a great cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let’s rid ourselves of every obstacle and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let’s run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking only at Jesus, the originator and perfecter of the faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. (Hebrews 12:1-3 NASB2020)
What was the consequence of Christ living such a perfect life in obedience to the Father? Well, Philippians 2 tells us very clearly:
For this reason also God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2:9-11 NASB2020)
This sort of glory is unique to Christ as a member of the Trinity. Even if we live the rest of our lives in perfect obedience, we will never be exalted in this way. What then do we have to look forward to if we submit ourselves to Christ and His Lordship? Matthew 25:14-29 provides the parable of the talents (a weight of currency equivalent to roughly 6000 days or almost 16.5 years worth of wages). A master had three slaves that he entrusted with a vast amount of wealth. When he returned, only two of the slaves had done something with the money and given their master a return on his investment. The other did not. I'll let you read the passage for yourself, but it doesn't end well for the third slave. However, the other two are told the same thing because of their faithfulness.
His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter the joy of your master.’ (Matthew 25:21 & 23 NASB2020)
Their obedience resulted in joy and blessings. As Christians, we understand this to be a reference to entering into eternity and experiencing the joy and blessings of not only being in the presence of God for eternity but the unbroken and perfect fellowship we will have with all believers throughout history. As daunting as living the Christian life can be, and as almost overwhelming as it may feel to have to model that to children as a Father, we know that if we are faithful, we will be rewarded by our Father in Heaven when the time comes.
As much as we long for the time when someone, especially our children, come to us and tell us that they saw Christ in us and that was what led them to faith, how much more should we long to have our Heavenly Father tell us that not only were we good and faithful, but that the evidence of that faithfulness was because even He saw Christ evident in our lives?
Anyway, happy Father's day to all of you who are, you know, fathers, and especially to my own father who I know always did his best for me and my brother to see Christ in him just as my grandfather did before. You have carried on a great legacy within our family, and I can only hope that I set the same sort of example for my kids as well. Happy Father's Day dad and thank you for doing your best for us to see Jesus in you.
I had the privilege to teach this morning at church using 2 Peter 1:12-15 as the foundation for the lesson. Following his introduction and opening remarks, Peter expresses his desire for his audience to be well versed in what he has just said so that even after he dies they will remember what has been said. He even states that he knows his audience already knows these things and is established in the faith, yet he persists in repeating these things. It is necessary for their training and discipleship.
Often, we think of discipleship as being individualistic. Is it though? The church is responsible for training and discipling its members, but aren't all Christians members of the universal church, the Bride of Christ? Also, the great commission wasn't only for the apostles? We must not only be concerned with our own spiritual development, but this also means we need to develop to the point where we can teach others and train them to be as independent in the faith as possible. This means that the Christian should not need to be dependent on others to tell them what scripture means. This isn't to say that gaining wisdom and insight from those wiser than us is unnecessary. It absolutely is. Christianity isn't to operate in a vacuum. However, we should not feel woefully inept when reading and understanding scripture on our own.
So, if we are not at a point where we can reliably understand scripture on our own, there is no way we could ever hope to teach someone else and help to disciple them. The faith is not inherited through blood. It must be taught. Discipleship includes concern for the spiritual growth of others, not just ourselves.
It's interesting to experience the evolution and development of a game series from the beginning all over again. It's been a good number of years since I've played through the original Final Fantasy games on NES, though to be fair only the first one ever came out state-side. The others were played via...other means that will not be mentioned here. However, since then, there have been several ports of the original Famicom titles and I've finally gotten through Final Fantasy III (the real one, not the mislabeled one in the USA that was actually FFVI).
Final Fantasy III introduced us to the beloved job system which has been present in quite a number of titles since then in some way or another. Of course, this iteration of it is really the job system in its infancy but it opened up a great deal of customization for players who wanted variety to what their characters were capable of.
Well, variety to a degree. Not every job is equal to one another. In fact, some jobs are more equal than others. Some jobs are really only good for one or two fights and then they get thrown back into the list of jobs to never use again.
If you're like me, that ends up being most of them because Monk/Master is still super overpowered, outclassed only (in my opinion) by a maxed out, fully equipped Onion Knight. I do think ninja can outdo it with the throw command and the use of shurikens (and its ability to equip anything and everything). But still, it's not a bad job and will carry you through most of the game bar a few gimmick dungeons and bosses. Even then the bosses can still be wiped out without much trouble.
Now, it took a bit longer than usual to complete this one because I went overboard into the game, maxing out character levels and job levels.
Please do not ever do this and learn from my mistake.
Anyway, the game is decent but still leaves something to be desired, but it's still a good showcase for some early concepts that would be used to greater success in later games.
After much procrastination, I've finally gotten around to recording part three of our Christian doctrines series. Up until now we've had a brief overview of theology (the study of God), anthropology (the study of man), hamartiology (the study of sin), and now we get into the study of Christ (Christology) and the study of salvation (soteriology). That's a lot of big words you should know by now, but if not that's alright. Unlike when I was a teacher in school, I can't deduct points from you or fail you not memorizing key terms and definitions.
But shame on you anyway. Slacker.
Anyway, we began with theology proper because in order to have a proper understanding of other biblical doctrines, we have to begin with proper understanding of who God is. We begin with God and work down toward man, not the other way around. If we begin with man and try to come up with who or what we think God is, we often end up with a very distorted view of God because we want to mold Him to our standards and not ourselves to His. His standards define what sin is and it is He that created us to live a certain way. When we fail to live up to that standard, we sin. At first, mankind sinned in ignorance, but when the Law was revealed in it's entirety, sin became even more abundant because man's knowledge of what he was doing increased exponentially (Romans 7:7-13). As long as a person remains reprobate, their sin is ever-present before God. This is one of the reasons that sin is punished eternally. Not only that, but even in Hell, it's not like man is going to stop sinning. If God restrains man's evil in the world now and man continues to rebel, how much worse will it be when that restraint is fully removed? Even in Hell mankind will continue to sin, incurring even further judgement.
So, given the bleak outlook for humanity, what hope is there of avoiding eternal damnation and judgement from God? If, as I've explained in the previous videos, that God's standard is perfect obedience but sin prevents us from doing that in any way shape or form, what possible remedy could there be? This of course is where the doctrines of Christology and soteriology come into play. Christ, as the second person of the Trinity (something explained in more detail in the video) took on human form, submitted Himself to death, and lived a sinless life in total dependence on the Father for all that He needed. Though I cite it in the video, allow me to cite it here as well:
Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, as He already existed in the form of God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but emptied Himself by taking the form of a bond-servant and being born in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death: death on a cross. For this reason also God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow , of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2:5-11 NASB2020)
Christ did not become human at the loss of His divine nature. He added a human nature onto His own and became the God-man for us. Furthermore, He did not lose any of His divine attributes or abilities. However, He did lay aside the voluntary use of them so that He could experience life as a man and live in complete submission to the Father as a way to demonstrate to us what that looks like. Even with His example we fail all the time. Fortunately, His righteousness is credited to us (Romans 4:5-8). Instead of having an infinite debt of sin, Christ's atonement not only forgives the debt we had incurred, but it also provides an infinite credit on our account that can never be wiped away. This isn't just a statement that we can do nothing to erase that credit, but it even goes further than that. It cannot be wiped away because God will not wipe it off of our account. There is a perfect union between all three members of the Trinity to save God's elect and that none will ever be lost (John 6:36-40, 44). It is impossible for us to be separated from the righteousness and love of Christ (Romans 8:38-39) because it would be a violation of God's will and character to do so. Now, this doesn't mean we are instantly perfect. Far from it. We simply have Christ's righteousness covering us so that we can be pleasing to God. Martin Luther provides the analogy of a snow-covered dunghill. Think of a stretch of farmland where animals have been pooping all season and the farmer collects the dung into a pile to use for fertilizer. Not quite the rosiest thing to come across. However, when the first heavy snowfall hits (for those like me who live in the South, this is one of those phenomena you may have to do a google search on or watch on YouTube...but not before you watch my video, of course) it covers everything in a perfect blanket of white, hiding all that is unpleasant. This is precisely what Christ's righteousness does. It covers our sin. We're still a giant pile of crap underneath all of that, but at least God doesn't look at that any more. Now, throughout our lives God works to change us from a steaming turd into gold, but that's a process that takes a long time and will never fully be completed in this life. Only when we die and are raised to eternal life are we glorified and fully freed from the power and presence of sin (2 Corinthians 5:1-5). Until then, we will continue to struggle with sin just as Paul describes in the latter half of Romans 7, but we are still God's adopted children and heirs to eternity with Christ.
Now, even with that we have to be careful. We must always be willing to examine ourselves to make sure that we truly are in the faith (2 Corinthians 13:5). Perhaps one of the best ways to do this is by examining the end of Galatians 5 which outlines the deeds of the flesh (Galatians 5:19-21) and the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23). If however we discover that there is no fruit, then that is a major red flag that we do not abide in Christ and are not truly joined to Him (John 15:1-6). There should always be evidence of salvation. If there is none, then our faith is dead (James 2:14-26). While it is true that we are saved through faith alone (Sola Fide) by grace alone (Sola Gratia), that does not mean that we can live however we wish without consequence. If there is no fruit, there is no life.
If I hadn't made it clear by now, I've been heavily influenced by Ron Hamilton over the years as far as musical tastes are concerned. I've been slowly introducing his music to my church over the years and it's time for me to do so yet again. Well, not really "again" in this case since I've performed the song once before. If my records are correct, I purchased the backing tracks for this particular album back in March of 2021, so it's been close to two years since I first started. I've only been able to do a few of them given the special music rotation and I haven't done that many specials since purchasing this selection of tracks as well as another album. Anyway, I digress. This is probably another of the most famous of Ron's works among those who are familiar with his ministry. This and "Rejoice in the Lord" also feature in the same audio drama, "The Misterslippi River Race".
The song itself is based off of two key passages. The name of the song comes directly from Isaiah 40:
Though youths grow weary and tired, and vigorous young men stumble badly, yet those who wait for the Lord will gain new strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles, they will run and not get tired, they will walk and not become weary. (Isaiah 40:30-31 NASB2020)
Those who are true followers of God, those in whom He has placed His spirit, are frequently subjected to numerous trials in life, many times at our own doing. Often we bring trouble on ourselves because of our propensity to sin and do the opposite of what God directs us to do through His word (James 1:13-15). However, there are those times when God puts us through trials and testing, not to punish us but to purify us and to strengthen our faith by forcing us to realize that there is a reason we need to rely on Him in the first place. Again, this is something James writes about in his epistle, directly before the above referenced passage:
Consider it all joy, my brothers and sisters, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. (James 1:2-4 NASB2020)
Incidentally, Paul says something very similar in his letter to Rome:
And not only this, but we also celebrate in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us. (Romans 5:3-5 NASB2020)
So, the idea is that there are things that we go through in life that cause us to become worn out. We want to throw in the towel and give up. However, it is when we throw ourselves onto the goodness of God and rely on Him, that He enables us to persevere with a strength that does not come from ourselves. Not by coincidence does this perfectly dovetail into the second passage upon which this song is based:
Therefore, since we also have such a great cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let’s rid ourselves of every obstacle and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let’s run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking only at Jesus, the originator and perfecter of the faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. (Hebrews 12:1-2 NASB2020)
What else did Christ do but live the human life for us by relying solely on the Father? Christ said as much in the book of John:
I can do nothing on My own. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is righteous, because I do not seek My own will but the will of Him who sent Me. (John 5:30 NASB2020)
So Jesus said, “When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am, and I do nothing on My own, but I say these things as the Father instructed Me. And He who sent Me is with Me; He has not left Me alone, for I always do the things that are pleasing to Him. (John 8:28-29 NASB2020)
Christ's doing nothing on His own was not because He lacked the ability to do anything in and of Himself. He was, in fact, the God-man, God incarnate. Christ lost none of His divinity when He inhabited human flesh. Instead, He laid aside the voluntary use of His divine attributes, submitting Himself entirely to the will of the Father. This is what Paul spoke of in Philippians 2 when he wrote to Philippi and discussed Christ's voluntary humiliation (Philippians 2:5-11). So, if we ever feel run down or burnt out when it comes to following in obedience or that the costs aren't worth the rewards, we mustn't forget the words of Isaiah or the apostles, and certainly not the example of Christ our Lord. He modeled the behavior for us so if we ever need to know how to handle a situation, we need look nowhere else but to His perfect example for us. In doing so, we find that the only option is to rely on God who will give us the strength to persevere, lifting us up on wings as eagles.
As promised I finished playing through the Final Fantasy II Pixel Remaster on PS5 and it was everything I forgot it was!
Don't think too hard about that one.
Anyway, there was a lot that changed between the first and second game, the battle system being the most obvious. A lot of people didn't care for it and the series never used it again except in the Final Fantasy Legend series on gameboy which was really the first entries in the SaGa series. Still, it's even more easy to abuse this time around especially with boosts. The encounter rate is still horrid and the dungeon design is mostly trash what with all the pointless empty rooms, but Jareth the Goblin King the Emperor makes for a decent enough villain and the soundtrack has some bangers. A lot of what is in this game can easily be seen to be reused in Final Fantasy IV to some extent, but that's really what the first three games did, they set the stage for the greatness of the next three.
About two weeks ago I posted a video discussion regarding a Reddit post that was all sorts of garbage and was a deliberate attack on the Christian faith. I began the discussion by not only reading from the thread but also by beginning a discussion of several key Christian doctrines starting with the nature of God. There, we got into a brief overview of who God is and some of His attributes, including His righteousness and justice against sin.
This week, we're covering the doctrines of sin (harmartiology) and man (anthropology). These two doctrines flow nicely from the biblical view of God since it helps us to understand what sin is and then the consequences sin has had on humanity. How does it affect us? Exactly how extensive is the problem? Is there anything we can do? As before, this is not an exhaustive study, but serves to introduce or remediate on core aspects of the Christian faith, all with the ultimate purpose of providing a thorough and meaningful response to the post on Reddit that will address the underlying presuppositions and show how it does not even begin to address a biblical view of sin, salvation, and even eternity.
As many of you may have figured out, I'm a bit of a nerd. Well, it just so happens that the remastered editions of some of my favorite RPGs of yesteryear have just been released on console. I of course mean nothing other than the Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster series which covers the original six games on Nintendo (NES) and Super Nintendo (SNES). These came out on PC back in February of 2022, but just launched on console in April of this year (2023). Not wasting any time, I went ahead and purchased the bundle of all six and tore through the original game over a couple of days and watned to present my review here.
As expected, there have been numerous quality-of-life changes, including the ability to adjust up or down the exp and gil gained from enemies, as well as the ability to straight up turn off random encounters. Pixel art looks great on 4k and the remastered soundtrack is phenomenal, though one can always turn it back to the old chiptune music if desired.
If you haven't ever played them and always wanted to, this is the bundle for you. I don't think there are any physical copies available anywhere anymore unless you don't mind getting gouged on E-Bay.
Browsing Reddit is a good way to come up with channel content for just about anything. No matter what subreddit you go into, somebody is bound to say something inflammatory or ridiculous that can be used for show-prep. In this case, it's the r/twosentencehorror subreddit. There was a show made about "Two Sentence Horror Stories", but I never have watched it.
The impetus for what is going to be a series of videos on a theme, was one particular short story, namely this one:
Upon my request the heavenly scribe told me: "Your husband is here because he died as a Christian, your daughter is not for she lost her faith because of what your husband did to her." I wanted to protest, but then the eternal bliss of being in God's presence washed over me and nothing else mattered anymore.
The story alone is ripe with misunderstandings of eternity and the nature of heaven, but on a deeper level there is a misunderstanding of salvation, who God is, who man is, and what sin is. All of these things come into play when learning how to deal with these sorts of emotional attacks against the faith. That doesn't mean they're impossible to deal with. Far from it. However, if you don't know what you believe or what the Bible says about these issues, you'll be hard pressed to come up with a valid response to any of it.
So, for my Christian followers, I hope the coming series will be of benefit to you. If you're not, hopefully you'll learn something too, if nothing else than how to accurately represent the other side.
Perhaps one of my favorite poems of all time, other than "Goldie Pinklesweet", is Robert Browning's famous "My Last Duchess". I remember doing a research paper in college about it and how it served as one of the best examples in poetry of a dramatic monologue. The poem itself is simple: a wealthy aristocratic man is meeting with a business partner (for lack of a better term) with whom he hopes will help negotiate a dowry for a young woman he seeks as a bride. Before negotiations take place, he decides to show the man a painting of the former duchess. In the process, it becomes very apparent that this is more than just a friendly chat. The narrator reveals through the course of the conversation just what sort of man he is and what happened to his ex-wife, now alive only through the medium of a painting, and no, it's not the fancy living paintings of Harry Potter either.
Browning expertly weaves in subtle details into the monologue giving us an insight into the narrator's psyche without the narrator specifically saying what happened, though the details are heavily implied.
Anyway, if you're not familiar with the poem, I hope this serves as a suitable introduction.
Ron Hamilton (a.k.a. Patch the Pirate) probably did more to shape my musical tastes than any musician I've ever listened to. As much as I love the works of Nobuo Uematsu, Yasunori Mitsuda, Masayoshi Soken, numerous other Japanese composers for video games, and even bands like Metallica, Pink Floyd, and Foreigner, none of them hold anywhere near as special place in my heart as this one individual. I remember when I was still a little kid sitting in the dining room in front of our record player next to my brother and listening to Patch the Pirate records over and over again. For you Gen Z people, a record is like a giant oversized cd...then again, I may need to explain what a cd is...uh...it was a metal round thing that had music recorded on it and, before the days of mp3's, you had to figure out some way of hooking a cd player up to a cassette player to record your favorite songs onto a separate piece of hardware called a cassette tape, which was like a small VHS tape...ugh. Nevermind. It was the dark ages of having music recordings and it was awesome! We liked it! We liked it just fine! We didn't have this "technology" stuff.
Anyway, grumpy old man ramblings aside, Ron Hamilton produced numerous audio dramas for kids, beginning as something he was doing for his home church shortly after losing his left eye to cancer. Over time, it became more and more popular and he and his family (the main cast) as well as other voice actors got together to produce new family friendly stories complete with sound effects and musical numbers that ranged from teaching kids about the importance of manners to deeper songs dealing with theology and even the realities of life, such as encouraging parents to treasure the times they have with their children before they grow up. Each adventure had its own moral lesson it was trying to teach and it was always done in a fun and entertaining way for kids. Nowadays it may not have quite the same appeal since you have to use your imagination to picture the characters and settings, but for those of us who grew up on it and have imaginations, it's very well done.
Incidentally, this is what got me into my love of audio drama and audio production. If you listened to the first two Lovecraft stories I recorded, especially the first, you'll notice how I tried to incorporate sound effects and background music into them. That all stems from my exposure to that sort of thing because of Mr. Hamilton.
Ron's testimony about the song which serves as the namesake for this article and the embedded video is one of taking Paul's words to the Philippians seriously:
Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice! (Philippians 4:4 NASB2020)
Paul's words weren't a recommendation as an apostle, but a command that we should always rejoice in God's provision and kindness to His children, even when circumstances would seem to dictate otherwise.
Unfortunately, Ron has been hit with early onset dementia and no longer writes music or records as far as I can tell. Fortunately, his legacy will long outlast him and live on through the countless children who grew up listening to the adventures of Patch the Pirate and his crew on the Jolly Roger and try to teach their own children the same values. I wanted to do my own recording of one of his most well known songs which also is probably the earliest one I remember hearing that blew me away as a kid.
Thanks for everything Patch.
Ron's Testimony: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mnq096XedJsBacking track purchased from Majesty Music: https://www.majestymusic.com/wings-as-eagles-pa-digital-download.htmlSong featured as part of the Misterslippi River Race story: https://www.majestymusic.com/misterslippi-river-race-digital-download.html
I mentioned a while back in my video on the authority of scripture that I would be recording a video letting you all know where I had been and where I had disappeared to over the last few years. I know that there are also those who have come to this blog and my attached YouTube channel who have never met me personally so there's probably fewer questions you have about that since you probably didn't know I had dropped off of social media in the first place.
Without taking too much away from the video itself, I have struggled with porn addiction for most of my life. I realize that sounds horrifying but when you consider the fact that I'll be 38 this year (as of the time of this writing it is 2023), even if the problem didn't begin until I was eighteen, that would be twenty years which is mathematically more than half my life (not by much but you get the point). I'm not saying I got hooked on it when I was a little kid. Nothing quite that extreme. It's a problem for a lot of men and it's getting harder and harder to avoid which is why my wife and I do our best to shelter the kids from a lot of things out in the world.
Suffice it to say, my problems had gotten out of control and it threatened to destroy my marriage, my relationship with my kids, those in my church, and every other aspect of my life. Ultimately, I got involved with a recovery program and came at last to the realization that drastic steps had to be taken to correct my behavior. It also involved a lot of soul-searching and finding out what exactly it was that had brought me to this point. Only by the grace of God was I brought back from the brink and my relationship with my family and God restored.
I hope my story can be an encouragement to you all. If you're a man who also struggles with this sort of thing, I hope it's an encouragement to you to get help. Celebrate Recovery is a decent program (though I'm no fan of Saddleback Church or Rick Warren), and Battle Plan Ministries is a good resource as well. Anyway, thank you for taking the time to come listen.
In the Vault by H.P. Lovecraft is a fun little short story involving a mishap in a tomb with a bumbling drunk undertaker. Of course, this undertaker also happens to be a bit of a dirt-bag who was a little less than concerned with how he treated the bodies of those he had to prepare for burial. The ending is a little predictable, but still enjoyable nonetheless. Not much to say about this one since it's pretty straightforward. No lore or anything to dig into. Just a straightforward story. Enjoy!
For the past couple of months, I've been wanting to share a conversation I had on the YouTubes with an individual on a Babylon Bee video. It sounds riveting, I know. However, the discussion itself shifted from defending the Doctrines of Grace from spurious attacks from your standard internet denizen suffering from ACDS (Anti-Calvinist Derangement Syndrome) to the topic of the authority of scripture. Now, the conversation regarding Calvinism was threaded throughout, but the main issue I want to focus on here is how we as Christians view the Bible and how we are to treat it as authoritative. Suffice it to say, if I had to choose a title card to summarize the conversation, it would be from an old Windows first-person shooter called:
Did you know it was allegedly possible to complete disregard scripture as authoritative and yet still try to quote it as authoritative when it suits your agenda? Did you also know it makes no sense to do that and it's a complete waste of time? I don't go around trying to model my life after Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, or Goosebumps. If scripture is on par with that level of fiction, then what difference does it make what it says? Might as well ignore it and do whatever you want because it's not worth your time to live by. It's no more binding and authoritative than the works of Jordan Peterson. Sure, there may be some good advice, but if you reject it, so what? Why bother trying to get anyone to live by it either? Let people do whatever they want.
Of course, most people who are Christians don't actually want to take that position. It's a ridiculous position to hold to. It's just as ridiculous as someone who doesn't believe anything the Bible says wanting to a pastor. Why waste your time? Unfortunately, this subpar view of scripture has become prevalent in the west via liberal Christianity (which isn't actually Christianity at all). Sadly, many gullible Christians fall into the same trap, or they simply don't recognize it for being as intellectually bankrupt as it is. Most are willing to go along to get along without calling their liberal "Christian" friends out on such a vital issue. If we are to be disciples of Christ, we have to hold to the same view of scripture as our Lord did, and he certainly didn't take a piecemeal approach to it or see it as the mere writings of ignorant men. So, when we come across those who would seek to denigrate and undermine the authority of scripture, or even supplant it by an appeal to a particular "Church" as their final authority, we must stand firm and hold to the position of the apostles and the Reformers that not only are the scriptures the inspired word of God, but they are the only ultimate authority by which we are to be governed.
Back in sixth grade, my teacher, Mrs. Hamilton (if you'rereading this, hi!), took time just about every day to read stories to us. Partially this was to get us exposed to different famous children's books, but also to give us time to relax and maybe even take a quick nap. Either way, I recall at one point her reading to us the sequel to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, which was none other than Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator. I don't recall too much about the story other than the Vermicious Knids (which were also little enemies that you had to fight in some of the online Willie Wonka flash games on their website at the time) and the poem here, "Goldie Pinklesweet". If I remember correctly, the grandparents had all taken a bunch of pills that made them younger and to the point that they were all newborns again. One blipped out of existence because while all the rest were 80 years old, she was only 79 and thus took one too many. Thus was the stage for the Oompa Loompas to come give a brief talk about drug abuse.
Of course, nowadays Dahl's works among others are getting revised for a "modern audience" (one of the worst things to ever hear about an adaptation). Numerous changes were made and words were censored in favor of slightly less "offensive" terms. When one asks "who are these words offensive to," the answer is the people on the editorial board. Just who was on the board?
The company hired to revise Roald Dahl’s books only uses “woke” consultants under the age of 30 and once employed a project manager who describes themselves as a “non-binary, asexual, polyamorous relationship anarchist.”
What!? You mean to tell me that the people who were doing this were a bunch of activists whose descriptions read like something an edgy teenager was putting in their bio on Tumblr almost a decade ago? You mean they read like the description of someone who is "chronically online" and doesn't have a firm grasp of objective reality!? Who would have ever guessed!?
Among the progressive editors tasked with revisiting classics such as “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” “Matilda” and “The Witches” was a staffer who described themselves as a “non-binary, asexual, polyamorous relationship anarchist who is on the autism spectrum,” according to National Review.
Further down, we have this statement as well:
A spokesperson for Inclusive Minds told National Review its ambassadors don’t make direct edits, but that young people with “lived experience” have valuable inputs to make when it comes to “reviewing language that can be damaging and perpetuate harmful stereotypes”. They also noted publishers have the final say at to what changes they want to make.
Having a bunch of out-of-touch, progressive, chronically online autists determining what's offensive based on their "lived experience" is a surefire way to turn a book into a steaming turd. To be quite honest, someone's "lived experience" should also be the experience of getting over words that they deem offensive. Part of that "lived experience" needs to be understanding that just because they're offended by a word doesn't mean the word is actually offensive to the vast majority of people. Of course, the reverse is also true and there needs to be empathy. However, examples of words being changed are words like "fat" and "ugly". Those are now deemed too offensive for kids to read. What words would they rather use? "Brave and courageous at every size" and "non-conforming to oppressive white cis-hetero patriarchal beauty standards"? An edit in Witches includes a caveat about the witches being bald. From another article (https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/news/roald-dahl-edits-books-censored-witches-b2288252.html).
In The Witches (where witches wear wigs) Dahl had written: “You can’t go round pulling the hair of every lady you meet, even if she is wearing gloves. Just you try it and see what happens.” Puffin’s new version reads: “Besides, there are plenty of other reasons why women might wear wigs and there is certainly nothing wrong with that.”
There is no reason to include that disclaimer in the first place. As though a child was going to read the description and thing that all women who wear wigs are either witches or have something wrong with them. Never once when reading any of Dahl's works did any such thing pop into my head and I can almost assure you with 99.9% certainty nobody else has either. These are activists looking for a reason to be offended and justify their perceived victim status. They then use that status as a reason to force changes on everybody else. The stories are fine as they are and aside from maybe updating older language that never gets used anymore. In "Goldie Pinklesweet", the term "w.c". meaning "water closet" is used. In American editions part of the poem is changed to "and so she sits and dreams of glory alone inside the lavatory", because most Americans used that term instead of "w.c.". So I can understand updating certain things like that. But beyond that, no. If someone is described as fat and ugly, then that's the term they should use. Words have meaning and just because people have become too thin-skinned these days doesn't mean that those words are offensive in themselves. If you want to be offended by them, that's a you problem.
To their credit (what little they deserve) the publisher says that they'll keep releasing the original versions under the Penguin label, but the Puffin label will have the edited ones. Cool. At least I know which version not to buy for the kids.
So, to the activists: get offline, get some therapy, kick rocks, pound sand, and touch some grass.
About two weeks ago I woke up from a bizarre dream (the best kind to have) wherein at one point I was standing on a deck with a bunch of older British people. Hogwarts legacy had been in the news and perhaps that's where my brain went. Pretty sure Queen Elizabeth was there too, but no, I don't know what house she was sorted in. Anyway, for some reason everyone started singing "Be Still My Soul". The song was, as a result, stuck in my head all day, at least the tune that is. I never had all the lyrics memorized, though Lord knows I do now. I decided that this hymn would be my next project and that it would be an acapella arrangement. I've never done anything like this before since if I'm doing a cover or a song, it's usually based on an existing work that someone has already recorded or provided sheet music for. In this case, I decided to do everything from scratch, intentionally not listening to anyone else's rendition for the sake of not accidentally plagiarizing their work. Of course, I realize that there's always the possibility that I've unintentionally imitated someone else's recording without intending to. There's only so many ways you can write chord structures for pre-existing songs, and I'm no composer. There's also the probability that my exposure to the song years ago and my tendency to remember tenor parts probably shaped part of how I arranged this, but if so, it was all subconscious. I'll probably upload a video breaking down exactly what I did because it was certainly an ordeal, but definitely a learning experience.
The song itself started showing up around 1752, translated into English in 1855, and the music is composed by Jean Sibelius (the tune also being known as Finlandia). There is quite a bit of scriptural truth to the song, the most important message being that regardless of the circumstances we find ourselves in, they do not undermine the fact that God is on His throne and is in control of all that occurs. We trust God "to order and provide" and that "through thorny ways" He will lead us to a goal that is joyful and beneficial to us. We trust that He will "guide the future as He has the past" which, as someone who identifies as Reformed (usually referred to as a Calvinist), this takes on particular importance as someone who affirms the Reformed doctrine of Predestination and election. As for the lyrics "all now mysterious shall be bright at last", I don't think this just means that we are eventually told why certain things happen to us. Rather, I am reminded of Paul's words concerning the full revelation of Christ, the gospel, and the bringing in of the Gentiles to the New Covenant along with believing Jews:
For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles— if indeed you have heard of the administration of God’s grace which was given to me for you; that by revelation there was made known to me the mystery, as I wrote before briefly. By referring to this, when you read you can understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, which in other generations was not made known to mankind, as it has now been revealed to His holy apostles and prophets in the Spirit; to be specific, that the Gentiles are fellow heirs and fellow members of the body, and fellow partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel, of which I was made a minister, according to the gift of God’s grace which was given to me according to the working of His power. To me, the very least of all saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unfathomable riches of Christ, and to enlighten all people as to what the plan of the mystery is which for ages has been hidden in God, who created all things; so that the multifaceted wisdom of God might now be made known through the church to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly places. (Ephesians 3:1-10 NASB2020)
The same idea is repeated over in Colossians (sort of a parallel epistle to Ephesians):
Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am supplementing what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions in behalf of His body, which is the church. I was made a minister of this church according to the commission from God granted to me for your benefit, so that I might fully carry out the preaching of the word of God, that is, the mystery which had been hidden from the past ages and generations, but now has been revealed to His saints, to whom God willed to make known what the wealth of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles is, the mystery that is Christ in you, the hope of glory. (Colossians 1:24-27 NASB2020)
It would take quite some time to go through all of the lyrics and demonstrate the Biblical concepts underlying not only each verse but almost every line of the song is steeped in Biblical principles. The song concludes with the hope of the resurrection and being reunited not only with our Lord but with those departed saints who have gone on before. There is a tendency when singing songs or even reading lyrics to almost itemize them line by line and miss the point of what the song is saying because we don't think through the words. So, in conclusion, let me transcribe the lyrics of the last verse and with it remind you, as does the songwriter, to "be still" (or cease striving in modern translations) and let God be God because in Him is our hope for salvation and eternity. In the end, when we are reunited, there will be no more need for suffering or hardship. All of the changes in life will be done with, and we will rest in the glory of our God and enjoy perfect fellowship not only with each other, but most importantly with Him in whom only true peace can be found:
"Be still, my soul, the hour is hast'ning on when we shall be forever with the Lord, when disappointment, grief, and fear are gone, sorrow forgot, loves purest joys restored! Be still my soul! When change and tears are past, all safe and blessed, we shall meet at last."
