Destinations

One of the more difficult things believers have to unpack is the sovereignty of God. I get questions about it all the time. How should we understand the interface between God’s sovereignty and human responsibility? Often people emphasize one or the other. They say that ultimately everything depends on the free will of man. Others stress God’s sovereignty. Both are true. (Actually, I mean that fallen men act freely, not that they have free will; fallen man is still spiritually dead and a slave to sin.) Here are three resources that help believers think about these truths. First, Justin Taylor, leaning on Don Carson, discusses compatibilism. His point is that as believers look at the cross, all believers in some sense become compatibilists. Second, this article addresses three mistakes people make when talking about the sovereignty of God. The discussion that follows the article is also insightful. Finally, John Piper’s book “Spectacular Sins and Their Global Purpose in the Glory of Christ” is available for free in PDF format. It is a very helpful treatment of this whole issue.

Indelible Grace’s album, “The Hymn sing: Live In Nashville” is a free download right now. I paid good money for this album a year or so ago. If you like hymns done in a more folk style, you’ll probably like album. Here is a video about the album:

Page CXVI’s Music Is Free

Page CXVI hymns are free for the month of March. 74 great songs at an unbeatable price.

Free Christmas Music

 

Here is some fun, free Christmas music from Mockingbird:

Download: 01-The-Dumbells-aka-Roxy-Music.mp3
Download: 02-Three-Ships.mp3
Download: 03-Please-Come-Home-For-Christmas.mp3
Download: 04-Christmas-Time-In-Motor-City.mp3
Download: 05-Let_s-Get-It-Together-This-Christ.mp3
Download: 06-Winter-Wonderland.mp3
Download: 07-Mele-Kalikimaka.mp3
Download: 08-Merry-Christmas-Baby.mp3
Download: 09-Hey-Santa-Claus.mp3
Download: 10-The-Wildest-Christmas.mp3
Download: 11-Metal-Mike-Alison-Julia.mp3
Download: 12-Merry-Christmas-Will-Do.mp3
Download: 13-Please-Leave-Me-Home-For-Christma.mp3
Download: 14-Ghost-of-Christmas.mp3
Download: 15-Christmas-Bring-Us.mp3
Download: 16-Christmas-Was-Better-In-The-80s.mp3
Download: 17-White-Christmas.mp3
Download: 18-Christmas-Spirit.mp3
Download: 19-Christmas-in-Prison-Live.mp3
Download: 20-Christmas-83.mp3
Download: 21-Silver-Bells.mp3
Download: 22-God-Rest-Ye-Merry-Gentleman.mp3
Download: 23-Christmas-Must-Be-Tonight.mp3
Download: 24-Children-Go-Where-I-Send-Thee.mp3
Download: 25-River.mp3
Download: 26-Thank-You-for-Christmas.mp3

1. Giddie Up - The Dumbells (aka Roxy Music)

2. Three Ships - Jon Anderson

3. Please Come Home For Christmas - The Insight (featuring Johnny & Edgar Winter)

4. Christmas Time In Motor City - Was (Not Was)

5. Let’s Get It Together This Christmas - Harvey Averne Band

6. Winter Wonderland - Byron Lee & The Dragonaires

7. Mele Kalikimaka - Arthur Lyman

8. Merry Christmas Baby - Dr. John

9. Hey Santa Claus - The Moonglows

10. The Wildest Christmas - The Boys Next Door

11. Deck The Halls - Metal Mike, Alison & Julia

12. Merry Christmas Will Do - Material Issue

13. Please Leave Me Home For Christmas - Imperial Drag

14. Ghost of Christmas - Manic Street Preachers

15. Christmas, Bring Us - The Grip Weeds

16. Christmas Was Better In The 80s - The Futureheads

17. White Christmas - The Wedding Present

18. Christmas Spirit - The Wailers

19. Christmas in Prison (Live) - John Prine

20. Christmas '83 - Centro-matic

21. Silver Bells - Arlo Guthrie & Ed Gerhard

22. God Rest Ye Merry Gentleman - Jethro Tull

23. Christmas Must Be Tonight - The Band

24. Children Go Where I Send Thee - Odetta

25. River - Cee Lo Green

26. Thank You for Christmas - Bee Gees

All I Have Is Christ

Together for the Gospel Live II was released today. The MP3 All I Have Is Christ from this new album (not from the video above) can be downloaded for free here.

Destinations

The issue of tattoos is interesting. In my view, there are no clear Biblical reasons for not getting a tattoo. Put positively, I don’t think the Bible prohibits the practice. But that doesn’t mean that the Bible commends the practice. Here is a piece that helps one think about other factors that might, or might not, lead one to get a tattoo.

Wayfarer has a free album. If you like hymn-type music, you might like this.

“Letters From a Martyred Christian” is free for Kindle. The reviews are very positive. For you theological nerds (like me), “Theology Drives Methodology: Conversion in the Theology of Charles Finney and John Nevin” is also free.

What is union with Christ all about? Here J. I. Packer in eight minutes gives us a bird’s eye view of this vital truth:

Finally, this is for all the frustrated deer hunters that I run into from time to time. Maybe it’s time for a new quarry?

Destinations

I always appreciate hearing about how other people do things simply because I know that there are always things that I might do better. Here Randy Alcorn gives a glimpse into his life. The most interesting tidbit: his wive goes to bed at 9 while he keeps perking until 2 0r 3 a.m. Sounds like Debbie and me only reversed.

Husbands, spend time with your wives. This is a great reminder for just about every husband.

Religious Retention Rates: turns out that Hindus do the best job while atheists do the worst. Who knew? Atheism offers so much hope for life and eternity.

Here is a site that offers some good free music. At least try Ascend The Hill’s “Hymns” album. Right now I’m giving Civil Parish a test drive. Pretty good.

Free Music

I think I paid $8 or $9 for Indelible Grace’s The Hymn Sing several months ago. Chloe alerted me to the fact that it can be had here for free.

Free Stuff

My Scottish heritage is once again displaying itself:

Chloe alerted me to the fact that Josh Garrels’ album Love & War & The Sea In Between is free.

Also, Kristen Gilles’ album The Whole Big Story is free. It is a new album with only four songs, however, they are very good songs.

Finally, I was alerted the other day of a very good audio rendition of C. S. Lewis’ book The Screwtape Letters on Youtube. The book is read by John Cleese. Actually, there about five chapters missing but these missing chapters don’t keep one from understanding the flow of the book. Being a fan of audio books, I converted the Youtube videos to MP3s. They can be found here. If it has been awhile since you’ve read the book or if you’ve never read it, I encourage you to listen to it. I think you will find it thought-provoking.

Destinations

Here is some great advice from Luther about prayer. Don’t build prayer into your life; build your life around prayer.

R. C. Sproul Jr. lost his wife late last year. In this piece he discusses the process of dealing with her death.

She doesn’t sit beside me when I’m alone in the car anymore. She doesn’t look over my shoulder when I am typing and crying alone anymore. Somehow the more time passes, the farther she is gone, not because I am forgetting her, but because I am remembering her. The great heartbreak is that she is now becoming my past, rather than my ever present.

I’m not a fan of rap music. In fact, I’m not even sure what rap music is. What I like about rap music is that I can hear the words, something that isn’t always possible with other genres. That said, if you like rap music, here is a free album by Odd Thomas. I believe it is fairly compelling … if you like rap.

Destinations

This morning in my annual trek through the Bible, I read about David’s mighty men. My mind went back to a sermon I once heard where the preacher read through the names of the passage in an impeccable manner. It is a somewhat interesting patch of divine revelation but application can be challenging. Here, in the providence of God, Ray Ortlund helps us mine application from this otherwise obscure passage. Good stuff.

What is true spirituality? Here’s Richard Lovelace’s gospel-centered answer:

True spirituality is not a superhuman religiosity; it is simply true humanity released from bondage to sin and renewed by the Holy Spirit. This is given to us as we grasp by faith the full content of Christ’s redemptive work: freedom from the guilt and power of sin, and newness of life through the indwelling and outpouring of hisSpirit.

(HT: Of First Importance)

Page CXVI is offering their new album for free. I suspect you will either love or hate what they do. It is different. Here is one of their songs that I’ve very much appreciated the past several years. I’ve got the joy but I’m also sad. Be sure to read the artist’s story detailing how this rendition of the song came about below the video.

The first time I played Joy was the night my father passed away. He had a short and painful battle with cancer. My dad was not perfect but he did the best he could with what he had. A year before he died he was diagnosed with dementia. The day he told me he had cancer he said it was a blessing. To him, cancer was a better way to end his story than a mind with no memory of his family or his life. So as I sat at the piano, the only place that felt safe that night to me, the weight of loss hit my chest. I remembered my eyes were blurred with tears and I literally began to play the now familiar progression of Joy. I kept cycling through the progression and then, as if it had already been written, I began to sing a different melody to a song I sang in VBS as a child, “I’ve got the joy, joy, joy, joy down in my heart…”

The truth is that I was terribly and profoundly sad. The reality of grief had not even entirely hit me yet. But at the same moment I had a deep sense of peace. He was no longer in pain. He was no longer sick. He was free from all his ailments and restored. Although I still miss him, I know that God has weaved redemption through death into my father’s story. That brings me great joy. It was not until grief became a part of my story that I realized that joy is not simply an expression, but an attitude and acknowledgment of the deep peace of knowing a Savior.