Michael's WellSprings

The Strawman!

2009-05-24T23:25:00.007-04:00

I saw this image on Hot Air's blog. I thought it appropriate for my previous post.....

The caption reads: "Your argument did not address my own, but nice try."

Simply stunned....

2009-05-23T23:18:00.007-04:00

I am amazed at what passes for debate in the media these days. Instead of listening and dealing with the arguments raised, people simply attack the person speaking (at least the person who would be speaking if the host/moderator gave them a moment to get in a word).

It seems popular culture thinks the loudest voice wins. It doesn't. It seems society thinks that all that is needed to win a debate is to insult your opponent. It's like saying, "My opponent is an idiot. Therefore, he's wrong. He's ugly, too. Fight's over - I win."

I want to point out that even idiots and ugly people are right at least some of the time.

As Helene Cooper (quoting William Safire - a former presedential speechwriter who writes the 'On Language' column for The New York Times Magazine) wrote in the New York Times today: “Here’s the trick: Take your opponent’s argument to a ridiculous extreme, and then attack the extremists. That leaves the opponent to sputter defensively, ‘But I never said that.’

"The telltale indicators that a straw man trick is on the way are the introductory words “there are those who say” or “some say".

“In strawmanese, you never specify who ‘those who’ are,” Mr. Safire said. “They are the hollow scarecrows you set up to knock down.”

If I hear someone else set up a straw man and kick him over and claim the debate is won, I will scream. Or at least turn off the TV......

Back to the Blogosphere

2008-08-23T19:39:00.003-04:00

I have taken a big break from blogging, obviously, but I am now back. I do not know how many readers I have....I am not certain that matters. I look forward to sharing more thoughts and insights in the days ahead.

Our Headmaster - Dr. Kirk Walker - said at our convocation this year, "Attempting nothing ensures failure." I have been thinking a great deal about how that truth applies to my life this week. How might it apply to yours?

Please pray for John Chapin. He is a friend recently diagnosed with terminal cancer. He is not a Christian.

More to come later....I need to get some more rest. God bless you all.

An Excellent Post from Dan Phillips of Pyromaniacs

2008-02-07T18:20:00.000-05:00

I came upon this post by Dan Phillips at the Pyromaniacs blog today. I thought it was excellent and I wanted to share it with you. It is his thoughts on a scene described in Mark 5. This is the way it ends:

"That's their priorities. A man saved — but that herd of pigs, all gone. All that profit, gone. You did this? Go.

"So I wonder: was that just a really great place to be a demon? These people, all obsessed with order and propriety, and profit; not so concerned about this wasted wretch of a man... "Mmm-mm, smells like Hell to me!" Was that it?

"But I haven't even gotten to the scariest part of this little horror yarn yet.The scariest part isn't the storm, or the imagery of graves at night, or the raging, raving demoniac. The scariest part isn't the image of thousands of demons, holding the soul of a helpless man captive.

"No, this is the scariest part. They ask Jesus to leave —And He does."

I encourage you to visit http://teampyro.blogspot.com and read the rest.

A Bible Reading Challenge - Completed

2008-01-30T21:52:00.000-05:00

Last night, I completed my reading of the entire Bible. What an experience it has been! I look forward to blogging a little more now since I will have a little more time to do so. I will elaborate on this more later, but I wanted to share that it is done - and that it was INCREDIBLE!

Thanks to everyone who encouraged me and prayed for me during this journey. Thanks to God for His faithfulness at all times and for revealing Himself in His Word.

A Prayer Request

2008-01-16T23:06:00.000-05:00

Please be in prayer for Pat and Kim Weindrop. They are members of our church. After services last Sunday, they found their son, Christopher Michael Weindrop, dead at home. He was a victim of a heart attack. He was only 23 years old.

He will be missed by all. The funeral services will be held tomorrow afternoon. Thanks for your prayers during this time of grief.

A Bible Reading Challenge - update

2008-01-16T23:00:00.000-05:00

Thanks again to all who have stopped by and read my entries here at Wellsprings. I appreciate your encouragement.

I am still on track to finish reading the entire Bible by January 31, 2008. I have finished the New Testament and the Law, History and Wisdom sections of the Old Testament. I still marvel at how themes for prayer and study jump out at me as I read in large sections. This experience has been a blessing so far.

Pray that I will continue to study prayerfully and not simply read to get things read.

Some thoughts for the New Year

2008-01-02T13:14:00.000-05:00

I heard a sermon on the radio yesterday from "Leading the Way". I thought the text a great one for us at the beginning of 2008.

"Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus." (Phi 3:13-14 NASB)

Many of us will walk through the new year with our past clinging to us - whether painful or victorious. We need to forget what lies behind. We must set those things aside (because they take our focus off of Jesus and place it on ourselves) and press on toward the prize. We must keep our eyes on Jesus Christ because the prize is found in Him alone!

Thoughts from Charles Spurgeon

2008-01-02T12:50:00.000-05:00

"I suppose you are all aware that among the old systems of astronomy was one which placed the earth in the centre, and made the sun, and the moon, and the stars revolve around it.

"Now, in a similar fashion, there is a way of making a system of theology of which man is the centre, by which it is implied that Christ and His atoning sacrifice are only made for man's sake, and that the Holy Spirit is merely a great Worker on man's behalf, and that even the great and glorious Father is to be viewed as simply existing for the sake of making man happy. Well, that may be the system of theology adopted by some; but, brethren, we must not fall into that error, for, just as the earth is not the centre of the universe, so man is not the grandest of all beings.

"The salvation of man must surely be first of all for the glory of God; and you have discovered the right form of Christian doctrine when you have found the system that has God in the centre, ruling and controlling according to the good pleasure of His will. Do not dwarf man so as to make it appear God has no care for him; for if you do that, you slander God. Give to man the position that God has assigned to him; by doing so, you will have a system of theology in which the truths of revelation and experience will move in glorious order and harmony around the great central orb, the Divine Sovereign Ruler of the universe, God over all, blessed for ever." - Charles Spurgeon, Lectures to my Students

In light of the huge amount of man centered preaching and teaching going on in the church today, I thought this message from Spurgeon particularly appropriate. May all God's people declare God's word for God's glory alone.

The 'Dark Side' of the Moon

2007-12-24T20:34:00.000-05:00

Last night, my wife and I got out warm coats and our telescope to have a look at Mt. Clementine (a 3 mile high mountain just past the moon's south pole). Due to the position of the full moon, the summit of the mountain can be seen for 4 days this month.

I was awestruck by the beauty of God's creation. I was looking at a mountain that is usually hidden from the view of everyone of planet Earth. It was exciting.

It is amazing what you see when you take the time to look.....

Merry Christmas to All!

2007-12-24T20:33:00.000-05:00

I just wanted to wish all my family and friends a blessed Christmas! Thanks again for stopping by!

A Bible Reading Challenge - update

2007-12-24T20:27:00.000-05:00

I have really enjoyed the Bible reading challenge so far. It has not been easy to find time each day to keep up my reading schedule, but making the Word a priority each day is paying off in unexpected ways.

Though I was afraid I wouldn't be getting much out of my reading, I find instead that I have many things to pray about, meditate on, and apply each day. It has been incredible! Reading in large sections has enabled me to appreciate more the 'big picture' of God's redemptive plan. It is really different that my study of isolated passages.

I was also fearful of being legalistic about the reading, but this is not about my salvation (that's already taken care of) and it is not about being super-spiritual and superior to those who aren't reading as much as I am. This experience is about me immersing myself in the Word of God every day. It has been rewarding.

Keep praying for me as I seek to complete the reading by January 31, 2008!

A Bible Reading Challenge -accepted

2007-12-18T11:56:00.001-05:00

Over at the "Said at Southern" blog, many people are taking a challenge to read through the Word of God by January 31, 2008. I have decided to take the challenge myself.

While I try to read through the Bible once every year, I have never tried to read through it in one month. My concern is that I will read just to get the pages checked off instead of allowing God to use His Word to feed my soul. My hope and prayer is that by diving into God's Word (and possibly reading through the Bible more than once in 2008) that God will nourish my soul in new ways. Pray for me as I undertake this reading challenge.

If you would like to take the challenge yourself, you can read about it at http://saidatsouthern.com/. There are even some helps available there, including a Bible reading chart to help you keep track of your reading each day.

I believe that there are more Bibles in more homes in the United States than ever. I also believe that there are fewer people reading the Bible in the United States than ever. I pray that the latter trend will change.

Thoughts from Charles Spurgeon

2007-12-14T11:05:00.000-05:00

"Brethren, never neglect your spiritual meals, or you will lack stamina and your spirits will sink. Live on the substantial doctrines of grace, and you will outlive and out-work those who delight in the pastry and syllabubs of 'modern thought'." - Charles Spurgeon, Lectures to my Students

The Thermopylae of Christendom, part 2

2007-12-14T10:48:00.000-05:00

I realize that my last post was pretty long, but another thought occurred to me yesterday while thinking about the Spurgeon quote. The Spartans were also able to make their stand - and fight to the last man - because they believed they were doing what they were made to do. It was their calling in life - not simply their job.

Preachers should share this same sense of calling. Being a minister of the Gospel of Jesus Christ is not a career choice; it is a vocation - a calling. Consider the words of the apostle Paul:

But when God, who had set me apart even from my mother's womb and called me through His grace, was pleased to reveal His Son in me so that I might preach Him among the Gentiles...(Gal 1:15-16a NASB)

Paul believed that God had set him apart for ministry before he was even born!

Consider the calling of Jeremiah: Now the word of the LORD came to me saying, "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, And before you were born I consecrated you; I have appointed you a prophet to the nations." (Jer 1:4-5 NASB)

God calls us. If God has not called us, we should not presume to take the office of pastor on ourselves. It is risky. "Let not many of you become teachers, my brethren, knowing that as such we will incur a stricter judgment." (Jam 3:1 NASB)

Let us search our hearts and make certain of our calling. Let us remain where God plants us and move only at His command (rather than hold this office while sending out resumes to the next 'bigger and better' position). We are doing what God created us to do!

The Thermopylae of Christendom

2007-12-13T11:19:00.000-05:00

I am not an historian, but I enjoy reading history. The story of the battle of Thermopylae has always captivated my imagination, so when Spurgeon referred to it in one of his lectures my attention was arrested. Spurgeon says, "Often have I said to my brethren that the pulpit is the Thermopylae of Christendom: there the fight will be lost or won." I have been thinking about this statement ever since and thinking about what Spurgeon might have meant.

The Spartans at Thermopylae were able to hold their ground because they trusted their weapons, their knowledge of warfare, and their fellow soldiers. If we as preachers of the Gospel of Christ are to stand our ground, we must do the same.

The Spartans soldiers trusted their weapons. As preachers, we have only one weapon at our disposal: the Word of God (Ephesians 6:17). This is a weapon we can always trust "For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. (Heb 4:12 NASB)" What better weapon could we ask for?

However, it seems that many preachers no longer trust their weapon. They substitute the world's marketing techniques, anecdotal stories, humor, and personal experience for God's Word in their preaching ministry. Some preachers never get around to the Bible, or read one passage then preach a message that has nothing to do with the verses read. For some a desire to be 'relevant' results in their being merely entertaining. The people in the congregation may enjoy the show, but their souls are not fed.

In some churches, they are busily hammering their swords into a shape that better suits them. The Word of God is twisted to fit whatever the opinions of the culture are. This is a dangerous practice; it results in many believing they are saved, when in fact they have no relationship with Christ at all.

The Spartans also trusted their knowledge of warfare. They had been trained to fight in a particular style. One soldier who did not do his job would bring about a catastrophe! In their formation, no one soldier could afford to try doing it his own way. We preachers must preach the gospel. The full counsel of God is all that will do. If we try to preach ourselves - our opinions, our new ideas, our experience - rather than the Gospel of Christ, we should expect disastrous results.

"Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. Many will say to Me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?' And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.' "(Mat 7:21-23 NASB)

Those to whom Christ is speaking are doing a lot of good things: prophesying, casting out demons, performing miracles in His name. However, they are not doing the will of the Father. God has ordained the foolishness of preaching as the means of saving souls; He has not ordained others. We must be about doing His will - not trying to baptize our own wills. We must trust His plan for warfare.

We must also, like the Spartans, be able to trust our fellow soldiers to fight the good fight. We must encourage each other, rebuke each other when needed, and stand beside one another.

Like the Spartans, we face overwhelming odds. We must always remember that unlike the battle at Thermopylae (which was lost), our victory has already been won by our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. We battle for His glory - not our own.

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. Stand firm therefore, HAVING GIRDED YOUR LOINS WITH TRUTH, and HAVING PUT ON THE BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS, and having shod YOUR FEET WITH THE PREPARATION OF THE GOSPEL OF PEACE; in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. And take THE HELMET OF SALVATION, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. (Eph 6:10-17 NASB)

Thanks for stopping by and checking out my first attempt at blogging!

In Christ's name and for His glory,
BrotherMichael