Verses for the Day

“May you be strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy, giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light.  He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”  Colossians 1:11-14

Before Jack Johnson there was David

Way before Jack Johnson asked, “Where’d all the good people go?” David the Psalmist had cried out to the Lord.  I came across this psalm today and was moved by it:

“Save, O LORD, for the godly one is gone; for the faithful have vanished from among the children of man.
Everyone utters lies to his neighbor; with flattering lips and a double heart they speak.
May the LORD cut off all flattering lips, the tongue that makes great boasts, those who say, ‘With our tongue we will prevail, our lips are with us; who is master over us?’
‘Because the poor are plundered, because the needy groan, I will now arise,’ says the LORD; ‘I will place him in the safety for which he longs.’
The words of the LORD are pure words, like silver refined in a furnace on the ground, purified seven times.
You, O LORD, will keep them; you will guard us from this generation forever.
On every side the wicked prowl, as vileness is exalted among the children of man.”

-Psalm 12

The Chiastic Bathsheba Narrative

The recognition of chiastic structures in the Bible has made something of a comeback lately in Biblical exegesis, and that’s a good thing.  Like any exegetical tool, it must be wielded appropriately and can sometimes be used unnecessarily, but there’s no doubt that chiasms are prevalent through the Scriptures.  I was reminded again of one of the more poignant examples – the Bathsheba narrative in 2 Samuel.  (Note: A relates to A1, B to B1, with the center letter – in this case “E” – being the story’s thesis or main point):

A. Joab is on the field besieging Rabbah, but David has stayed behind in Jerusalem (2 Samuel 11:1)
….B. David sleeps with Bathsheba, and she becomes pregnant (11:2-5)
……..C. David arranges for Uriah’s death (11:6-25)
………….D. Bathsheba mourns for Uriah (11:26-27)
……………..E. Nathan confronts David’s sin (12:1-15a)
………….D1. David mourns for his infant son (12:15b-17)
……..C1. David’s son dies (12:18-23)
….B1. David sleeps with Bathsheba, and she becomes pregnant (12:24-25)
A1. David goes to Rabbah and finishes the siege, then returns to Jerusalem (12:26-31)*

* Peter Leithart, A House for My Name, p. 150

 

K-Cup Review: Starbucks French Roast

This morning I finally partook in a Starbucks K-cup, the French Roast to be exact.  With Keurig brewers continuing to gain wider audiences, many people had wondered when some of the larger coffee chains would hop on board.  Dunkin’ Donuts got in the game a little while ago, and sure enough Starbucks is now on the scene as well.

At my local grocer, House Blend, Breakfast Blend, and French Roast were the only Starbucks varieties available (I’m unsure if there are more) and naturally, with French Roast being the only dark roast, I sprung for it.  When I say sprung for it, I mean my wife called me from the store and graciously agreed to indulge my addiction by tossing a box of the pods into the cart.  (Thanks!)

A couple comments:
First, when it comes to capturing the essence of the coffee as it is served in-store, to me Dunkin’ Donuts  has pulled things off a bit better.  In my opinion, the DD K-cups taste just about spot-on to how their coffee tastes right when you order a cup at one of their locations.  This Starbucks pack on the other hand, to me didn’t taste quite as spot-on to their in-store brew, although I will admit that I don’t drink their French Roast in-store nearly as often seeing as it is only infrequently offered.

Secondly, when I do happen to patron a Starbucks it’s because I’m craving a strong roast – something I know I will consistently receive from them, unlike at Dunkin’ Donuts (which I still find the most consumable, the downside is it seems to vary in strength) or places like Panera.  With that being said however, this French Roast lacked the punch I was looking for.  All in all, it was a very satisfying, flavorful cup of coffee, just not quite as bold as I’ve come to think of Starbucks as and that I had hoped for.

Thirdly, and finally, I understand the rationale for the bigger corporations like Folgers, Starbucks, Dunkin’ Donuts, etc. starting to package their product in K-cup portions.  I also understand why people would be jazzed about this, if one of the said corporations happens to be your brew of choice.  For me though, the fun and beauty of the Keurig is that it allows me access to coffees, blends and roasters that I can’t find on every street corner or have served to me at any run-of-the-mill store, restaurant or house.  The Keurig widens your horizon to a plethora of coffees, that were it not for Keurig success, would be really hard to come by.  Not only that, but many of the more obscure roasters are making some dang good, bold coffee and to them I will continue to more consistently turn (in this form) than the Starbucks or Dunkin’.  If I want their coffee, I will go into one of the shops.

It Pleases God to Call

“Since we are to judge the will of God from His Word, which testifies that the children of believers are holy, not by nature, but in virtue of the covenant of grace, in which they together with their parents are comprehended, godly parents ought not to doubt the election and salvation of their children whom it pleases God to call out of this life in their infancy.”

- Canons of Dort, ch.1, art. 17 in The Christian Faith, p. 797

The Sacramental Aspect of the Word

“Preaching involves teaching, but it is much more than that.  The sacramental aspect of the Word – that is, its role as a means of grace – underlies Reformation teaching.  The preaching of the gospel not only calls people to faith in Christ; it is the means by which the Spirit creates faith in their hearts (as expressed in Q 65 of the Heidelberg Catechism).  In evangelical theologies, this sacramental aspect of God’s Word is often marginalized by a purely pedagogical (instructional) concept.  It is therefore not surprising that when the Word is reduced to its didactic function there arises a longing of the people to encounter God here and now through other means.  However, by affirming its sacramental as well as the regulative (canonical) character, we can recognize the Word as God’s working and ruling, saving and teaching.”

- Horton, The Christian Faith, p. 754

K-Cup Review: Dark Magic

As noted in an earlier post, Sumatran Reserve, for me claims the title of best Green Mountain K-cup blend, if not overall best on the market period.  Coming in at a close second though – as far as Green Mountain blends are concerned – is Dark Magic.

Dark Magic is another Extra Bold blend and it is a dandy.  In fact, the more I drink it, the more I think I’m ready to crown it as my current overall favorite in the K-cup arena.  Hear me on this – Dark Magic is not the overall most robust blend, I still give that nod to Sumatran Reserve.  If I could only have one cup of coffee, I would still choose Sumatran Reserve over Dark Magic for the simple fact that SR is just a touch richer, darker and bolder.  However, DM is almost just as sturdy yet is a smidge more drinkable, especially over the course of multiple cups, and for that reason in my mind is the current overall favorite when considering these additional factors.

Dark Magic is sturdy, with just a hint of wood and smoke tones, yet is rounded off enough in its finish to make it suitable for larger quantity consumption.  I would specifically recommend sipping it while reading of what C.S. Lewis calls, the deeper magic in Narnia, or while enjoying the 1976 Electric Light Orchestra hit, Strange Magic, preferably on vinyl.

The Descent of God’s Word

“The dualism between practice and theory, faith and reason, pure religion and ecclesiastical faith, deeds and creeds, and countless other antithesis in modern thought is bound up with the fundamental dualism between the realm of spirit and the realm of matter, the intellectual ascent of vision versus the descent of God’s Word to us in the flesh and in history.  If we insist on the unwarranted presupposition that we can trust only that which we know as individuals immediately, intuitively, by an inner light, we will never believe that the highest truth can come to us as the telling of a story concerning particular historical events.”

- Michael Horton, The Christian Faith, p. 95

Hearing is Believing

“If you ask a Christian what the work is by which he becomes worthy of the name “Christian,” he will be able to give absolutely no other answer than that it is the hearing of the Word of God, that is, faith.  Therefore, the ears alone are the organs of a Christian man, for he is justified and declared to be a Christian, not because of the works of any member but because of faith.”

- Martin Luther,
quoted by Michael Horton in The Christian Faith: A Systematic Theology for Pilgrims on the Way, p. 94

God Who Heals the Breach

“Contrary to our distorted intuitions, the gospel does not encourage our conquest of heaven through intellectual, mystical, and moral striving.  It announces that even while we were enemies, God reconciled us (Rom. 5:10).  While we were dead in sins, he made us alive in Christ (Eph. 2:5).  We are saved by God’s good works, not our own (Eph. 2:8-9).  Because we are sinners, God’s speech is disruptive and disorienting.  It is not we who overcome estrangement, but God who heals the breach by communicating the gospel of his Son.”

- Michael Horton, The Christian Faith: A Systematic Theology for Pilgrims on the Way