andrew dodson

I was sitting here reading the blog of a pastor from a local church.  I started thinking about how I agree with this pastor’s beliefs on the Bible and his theological leanings.  I then started wondering if his congregation agreed with him.  This led me to a question.

I wonder if they know if they agree with him or not?

Sadly, my best guess is the majority of his congregation doesn’t know if they agree with him or not.  Not because he’s a good or bad preacher.  It’s because they haven’t searched the Scriptures themselves to know what they believe.  I feel like this is the biggest problem with emergent churches and churches where false gospels are taught.  The members of the churches aren’t discerning enough to line up the pastor’s teaching with Scripture.

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again.  Being a Christian is like being a politician.  We have to know what we believe on EVERY issue and be able to contend for our faith.  Would you vote for a Presidential candidate without first knowing their stance on certain issues?  Would you walk into the ballot booth with a blindfold on and start pushing buttons?  I would hope not!

Why then, are churches alright with sitting under a pastor’s preaching and not knowing if they agree with him or not?  I truly feel that if members of Joel Osteen’s church cracked the Bible open for themselves and started seeing its truths, they’d begin to see the problems with his message.  Too many Christians are alright with accepting what the pastor says as truth, without searching it out for themselves.

My advice?  First, read your Bible - more than on Sunday morning or Wednesday night.  Second, start asking yourself questions and searching for the answers in Scripture (What do I think about homosexuality?  Is drinking a sin?  What does the Bible say about tithing?).  Third, ask your pastor what he (emphasis on “he” - if it’s a “she,” you might want to look into what Scripture says about that!) thinks about these issues.  Do you agree with him?  Does he back his answers up with specific references to Scripture?  If you disagree, talk about your differences.  Are they Biblically based, or based on opinion or feelings?  It should be pointed out that you don’t have to have 100% agreement on every issue.  But, there are certain truths that must be agreed upon for unity in the church.

The answers to some of these questions might determine if you stay at that church or start looking for a new church.  Or, maybe the pastor is in the wrong and it’s time to round up enough church support to send him packing (based on Biblical principles, of course).  This is a very important issue to me.  I’m thankful that I’m part of a church that I know my pastor well and know he preaches Biblical truth.

I’ve posted about Andy McKee previously, but lately, I’ve been listening to him a bunch. It’s caused me to also check out Antoine Dufour, as well. Both are on the Candy Rat Records label. It’s just really good music to listen to while working, driving, relaxing, or reading. Here’s a complimentary video:

Antoine Dufour - Glimmer of Hope - Guitar - www.candyrat.com

This post comes from the April 24th entry of Faith Alone: A Daily Devotional by Martin Luther (James C. Galvin, General Editor).

Genesis 25:20

20 and Isaac was forty years old when he took Rebekah, the daughter of Bethuel the Aramean of Paddan-aram, the sister of Laban the Aramean, to be his wife.

Isaac was forty years old before he got married.  In those forty years, he undoubtedly experienced periods of frustration and fiery passion because of his physical desires.  A person’s physical desires are at war with the spiritual nature.  Yet Isaac was obedient to his father, Abraham, who taught him how to meditate on God’s commands and promises in the battle against his sinful nature.  Later on, God gave Rebekah to Isaac as his wife, and they lived together in harmony.

There is a lesson buried in this passage:  Isaac is a great example to young people of a person who abstains from sex before marriage.  This is an important subject, because all young people have to face this battle.  Isaac’s purity and moral integrity are clear indications of the way he was raised.  His father taught him to avoid bad friends.  Isaac meditated on God’s promises, prayed, and did useful work.  Though not specifically state in the text, it’s safe to assume that he diligently dedicated himself to mediation and prayer during the first forty years of his life when he wasn’t yet married.

But some might say, “Waiting for marriage is unbearable and aggravating!”  They’re right.  it’s very similar to other difficulties requiring patience that believers must face, such as fasting, imprisonment, cold, sickness, and persecution.  Lust is a serious burden.  You must resist it and fight against it.  But after you have overcome it through prayer, lust will have caused you to pray more and grow in faith.

Tomorrow night should be a pretty cool night.  The Georgetown College symphonic band is performing their annual spring concert.  A couple of things will make the night unique.

The band will premier a piece written specifically for them.  David Holsinger has composed “Legacy Music” for the band, which will feature parts of the Georgetown College Alma Mater.  I’ve never had the opportunity to hear a premier, let alone record it.  It’ll be a special experience.

As part of the concert, Dr. LaRue has invited all of the “gem alumni” back to campus - nineteen in all.  The gem alumni are former members of the band that played significant enough roles to be designated a “gem” by Dr. Pete.  I’m fortunate to be a part of this group, one way or another.  It’s exciting that all nineteen - literally coming from all over the globe - will be in attendance.  I’m looking forward to seeing some old friends.

If you want to hear some good music tomorrow evening, drop by the John L. Hill Chapel on the campus of Georgetown College at 8 p.m. for a special evening.

More and more, we’re being bombarded with the idea of “going green.”  Eco-friendly products are becoming more and more available.  The process of making products is becoming more and more eco-friendly, as well.  With all of the fuss about going green, I wonder where God comes into play?

First, I must admit, I’m not an environmentalist.  But, I’m also not an anti-environmentalist.  I sit on the fence.  I don’t litter, and to my knowledge, my vehicle is the only not-so-environmentally-friendly product I use.  I don’t recycle, personally, but we do recycle cans at CLS (for a person we know - not an employee - that uses them to help pay her bills).  I’m supportive of our city’s recycling program (which I don’t participate in, only because I don’t own a home).  My guess is, if I researched my lifestyle in relation to environmentalism, I’m not doing all that I could to help the environment.

The story of Genesis tells of how God created the earth.  We also see in Scripture that God reveals himself through creation.  Scripture also tells of God’s sovereignty over the earth.

Part of me hears all of this fuss over going green and thinks it’s a futile human attempt to prolong the life of the earth.  Since God is sovereign, it’s up to Him, not us.  Another part of me thinks that since God did create the earth, we need to be good stewards of it, just like we are to be good stewards of our money.  All good things come from Him.  Another part of me is excited about the growing use of organic products to create things we use every day.  It’s like we’ve finally realized that what God created is sufficient for our every day needs.

Where do you sit?  Is Earth Day like Christmas for you?  Or, do you not care?

I’m happy to recommend a new blog by a somewhat new friend - John Martin (not to be confused with Josh, and no relation).  John and I go back to February of 2006 when I was considering buying an electronic drum set.  My boss recommended I speak with a guy who used to rent a house from him.  So, I called and met up with John at Memorial Baptist Church and he sold me on the Yamaha DTXpress III Special.  Since then, I’ve had occasional contact with him through CLS and church activities.  Recently, he joined us (some guys from The Point and me) on a trip to Seattle, so I’ve gotten to know him better in the last few months.  I learned about his blog earlier this week, but I’m just getting around to linking to it.

John is a great guy in this order - He loves the Lord, he loves his family, is a great husband and father, he faithfully serves his church as a pastor, and he is a great drummer & musician.  Go read his blog.

I normally like to get the bad news first, but in this case, I’ll give you the good news.  Here’s a wrap up of the latest from the Josh Martin Band.

Good News

Josh and Christy Martin are going to have a baby!  Josh had told me a few months ago that they were trying, and it has finally happened.  So, congrats to them.  Keep them in your prayers that Christy’s pregnancy will go well, and that they’ll be blessed with a healthy, happy baby.  She is due in December, which is also the month of Josh’s birthday.  And my mom.  And Jesus.  So, some pretty cool people were born in December.

The JMB is also working on new material.  Still no plans to record anytime soon, as we’re still working on making the songs sound like songs.  So far, we’ve just sort of hammered through chord progressions on a few new songs.  The next step is coming up with interesting parts to make them sound unique.  It’s a cool process, because it’s the first time we’ve actually written the music to the songs as a band.  They definitely have a different feel than our previous songs.

Bad News

We have, like, zero gigs lined up for this year.  If anyone out there would like us to come and play, let us know!

The really bad news is that we’re losing a member.  Bert Lace has decided to leave the band.  We’re going to miss him!  His family has decided to adopt from a foreign country, and that is one of the reasons for him leaving the band.  He also stays very busy with Cedarmore and Crossings.  Considering his reasons for leaving the band are to glorify God through his family and occupation, I can only be happy for him and wish him the best

Rick has preached on the importance of the Lord’s Supper and a little bit on baptism the past couple of weeks.  The Point has decided to start doing the Lord’s Supper more often - almost on a weekly basis.  Although Scripture isn’t specific on the frequency of the Lord’s Supper, it does say the disciples broke bread and drank wine whenever they gathered.  Some believe, based on Acts 2 that it could have been on a daily basis.  If you have ever wondered about this, and have some extra time, I would encourage you to listen to the sermons from the past two weeks.

[WARNING: Last week's sermon was the longest sermon Rick has preached at TPCC.  It was an hour and fifteen minutes long!  To me, it's fine, but I'm sure some people think that's too long.  These people couldn't handle sitting through Driscoll or Piper sermons each week!  They're regularly that length.  Anyhow, there is a lot of good information in the sermon, so it's worth the extra time]

The Lord’s Supper

Ordinances of the Church

Yes, it has been a while. For the past couple of weeks, I’ve slacked pretty hard on my blog schedule. I have plans to do better this week! But, I wanted to get some input. What’s everyone think? Do you like the new blog schedule? It really does help me blog on a near daily basis, but there were some days that I struggled to come up with something. So, I was thinking of tossing the schedule, and just trying to make an effort to blog each day. I struggled with, for example, not having anything music related to post on some Tuesdays, or not really having much “random blogging” on my mind for Wednesdays. So, we’ll see what happens.

What have I been up to? Well, as mentioned previously, CLS has hit our busy time of the year. We’ll pretty much stay this way until sometime in June. It usually slows down over the summer.

My buddy Jeremy and I have been jogging around downtown a few times this past week. I’ve been wanting to get back into a regular exercise schedule, and so has he. In fact, he’s on a pretty big health kick right now. Seriously, congrats to him. Sounds like he’s making good progress in keeping a good diet, sleep schedule and some exercise. We’re actually pleased with our jogging progress after only a few runs. I’m looking forward to keeping it up. Also, my gym has gone to being open for 24 hours. I picked up my security card this past week (to let me in “after hours”), and I plan on using it. I don’t mind working out late, before bed, so it’s good for me that I can go work out later in the evening now, or in the evening on weekends

Outside of a busy CLS work schedule, I actually have a week of “freedom” this week. That means, I don’t have any projects to work on. I’ve done my taxes, I don’t have any recording projects on my plate, and just a few minor website issues - updates and such. It will all change next weekend, when I have a recording project lined up, with another concert to record the following week.

I’ve joined the Guitar Hero revolution. I caved. After playing it at a friend’s a few times, and finding out it was available for PS2 (I’m a little behind the times), I picked up a wireless controller and a used copy of the game. I’ve beaten the “easy” level, so now I’m on to “medium.” It really is a fun game.

There you have it.  I think we’re caught up now.  Now, back to our regularly scheduled blogging.