Month: September 2008

What Matters? How we Work or What we Do?

What matters to God is the way we work, not what we do for work. This is a common perception of work; assuming, of course, that your work is ethical. But apart from this assumption, does God really care what we do for a living? Does God really care whether we install urinals or pacemakers? Or is God primarily concerned with how we do our work?

Read the rest here.

New Ike Opportunity

(Posted Sept 19)  TRIP #3 TO HOUSTON planned for Monday:
We will be taking another two trailers filled with Water, Ice, and Food… we will also be focusing on recovery and cleanup of some of the poorer neighborhoods in Pasadena (East Houston) assisting with the local efforts of Mision Baupista Adonai and surrounding areas.
HOW CAN YOU HELP?
One of two ways…
1) VOLUNTEER:  We need Trucks, possibly trailers, and people… Let us know if you want to be involved by emailing us at volunteer@southaustincares.org
2) GIVE:  We’ve received emails from other states asking how they can help from a distance.  The best way is to donate financially.

You can DONATE directly through www.PayPal.com by “sending” funds to donate@southaustincares.org

Blue Dahlia Bistro

Robie and I got a breakfast to ourselves this morning at the Blue Dahlia Bistro off 11th street in Austin. This is one of the best cafe’s I’ve found in the city, quaint, quiet, tasty. What a joy to have Robie to share it with!

Worldliness

I typically stay away from these kinds of titles—Worldliness—judging the book by its title. However, knowing a bit about the author I decided to crack the cover. C. J. Mahaney did not disappoint; in fact, he stirred me to love Christ not “the world.” This book is sure to ruffle some feathers, and you won’t agree with everything in it, but why just read books that reinforce your opinions and worldview? Consider this excerpt from C.J.’s heart-centered view of worldliness:

David Powlison, paraphrasing John Calvin, wrote, “The evil in our desires often lies not in what we want, but in the fact that we want it too much.”10 It’s difficult to improve upon this insight. The “cravings of sinful man” are legitimate desires that have become false gods we worship. It’s wanting too much the things of this fallen world. A sinful craving is when a legitimate desire for financial success becomes a silent demand for financial success; an interest in clothes and fashion becomes a preoccupation; love of music morphs into an obsession with the hottest band; or the desire to enjoy a good movie becomes a need to see the latest blockbuster.

There may be nothing wrong with these desires in and of themselves; but when they dominate the landscape of our lives, when we must have them or else!-we’ve succumbed to idolatry and worldliness. And as Calvin says, our hearts are a perpetual factory of idols. We’re pumping out these thingson a regular basis.

Preface (by John Piper) and first chapter here.