Superbowl Sunday

I'm rooting for the Cardinals. I decided to go with them early this year because the Rams stank and I like Kurt Warner.

Here is a nice article from Jason Whitlock arguing that Kurt belongs in the Hall of Fame, whether or not his team wins this Sunday.

Warner is a winner because he has the intangible that matters the most when it comes to quarterback play. He's fearless in the pocket. He'll take a hit to deliver the football. He'll hold the ball and give his receivers time to get open. He's accurate under duress.

I've made this point before but it's worth repeating. A quarterback's toughness permeates the entire football team. When the 200-pound, pretty-boy QB is willing to approach the game with a linebacker's toughness, it puts pressure on the rest of the roster. Guys don't mistake aches and pains for injuries.

Through the Bible with Chuck Smith

I started listening to Chuck Smith's through-the-Bible series about a year ago. It's been rich. I went through the New Testament up to 2 Thessalonians. Recently I've been going through the Old Testament. I just listened to the Ruth sermon yesterday.

Chuck has a nice way of not getting in front of the text. He is covering large chunks of Scripture in each message, typically 5 to 10 chapters, so sometimes a big portion of a message is him just reading through a large passage. He also sprinkles each message with charming illustrations.

The biggest complaint I here about Chuck is that his sermons are slow and boring. But I think that once you get the idea that he wants to take you through the whole Bible, his teaching makes more sense. Not every portion of the Bible is going to hold you in rapt attention. However, once you begin to grasp big sections of Scripture and simple orthodox doctrines, it is sure to affect you in a positive way.

I think that these evening Bible studies, going through the entire Bible, are the lifeblood of his ministry at Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa.

Tebow

Yes, I'm on the Tim Tebow bandwagon. Too bad it's slowed down since the college football season ended. I came across a few links concerning him that I liked:

Here is the website for his family's missions organization.

Here is a video of him on a missions trip.

Another video with his family before he won the Heisman.

Britt Merrick's Recommended Reading List

I've been listening to some messages recently by Britt Merrick of Reality Carpinteria (a Calvary Chapel affiliate). I've really enjoyed them. He recently posted a list of recommended books.

I find it notable that he lists a lot of Reformed writers, including Spurgeon, Lloyd Jones, Piper, and Grudem, although from listening to Britt, his take on Calvinism is close to the traditional Calvary Chapel line of thinking (as is mine). You can read a little about that here. I see this as a positive more than anything, since I have a lot of affinity with the Calvinist teachers that I've listened to. As long as a guy is plain spoken and has a cross-centered ministry, I don't have any problem supporting him.

Another thing to note is that it doesn't look like Britt is keen on many new books. Most of the books in the list are by dead guys.

Carl Trueman

This article by Carl Trueman is really good. It cracked me up.

First, I am struck, by and large, with the coincidence of the concerns of the cultural Christian types and those of the middle class chatterati. Plenty of talk about Christian approaches to art, music, literature, sex, even international politics. All very interesting subjects, I'm sure, and the topics of many a chardonnay-fuelled discussion after a hearty dinner party. But what about subjects that aren't quite so interesting? Take street sweepers, for example; or hotel lavatory attendants; or workers on an umbrella manufacturing line. Why no conference on the Christian philosophy underlying these vital callings and trades? After all, imagine how gruesome a Christian conference on international poverty would be if it was held in the pouring rain in the Ritz Carlton hotel in some big city, but there were no road sweepers, lavatory attendants, and umbrella makers. Wet, dirty and unhygienic, I would guess.