God Has a Whole Universe to Run

God has a whole universe to run, and just imagine the trillions of details He has to dovetail in order to make things turn out according to His plan. It would be lunacy for me to begrudge an interrupted slumber when I have no idea of the carefully positioned dominoes involved here. And besides all the cosmic reasons why I was awakened early—which started my day earlier, which got me on the road earlier, which caused me to meet an entirely difference set of people and circumstances all day long and into infinity—there are the personal reasons God means just for me.

It occurs to me that God may simply have allowed the perplexingly untimely phone call to test my heart, to see whether I will trust Him when I am baffled “The LORD your God is testing you, to know whether you love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul”— Deuteronomy 13:3. Sometimes He gives us these opportunities to exercise a muscular faith in the face of a sheer unknown—when there is no explanation but that God is God. And I believe He likes to hear us say the words—out loud and before the angels—”Lord, no matter what happens, I will trust in You.”

Those are the closing paragraphs of Andrée Seu’s Incident at Motel 6 over at WorldMagBlog.

It’s short. And it blessed me.

It might do that for you as well.

Antivirus Software? Yeah, Sure.

If you want your Windows PC to be secure, here are the essential steps.

1. Use a modern operating system. Sorry, folks—Windows XP simply isn’t secure enough for ordinary people to use today.

2. Keep your OS up to date and backed up. Turn on Windows Update and make sure it’s running properly.

3. Keep applications updated also. Remove unwanted programs that could represent a security threat.

4. Be suspicious of any new software. If you’re not sure a program is safe, don’t install it.

5. Set up standard non-administrator accounts for unsophisticated users. With a standard account a user needs to talk to you and convince you to enter the administrator’s password before installing any new software.

6. Use a modern browser. If you’re still using Windows XP and Internet Explorer 6, stop it.

7. Install an antivirus program and keep it up to date. I recommend the free Microsoft Security Essentials, which is available for download or as an optional update on systems where Windows does not detect an antivirus program.

And one final word: Don’t be paranoid.

The article (Do you really need antivirus software?) is more substantial than what I’ve quoted above. That said, it’s not long and well worth your reading time.

Myth: Neutral Music

'Music is neutral; lyrics are the message.' There's simply no factual basis for this belief. Is the music I use really at war against the content of the lyrics?

Do you believe the myth?

And live by it?

And defend it?

And get defensive and testy when it’s challenged?

Here are the opening and closing paragraphs of a piece I learned about on…uh…Facebook:

For years I have heard the claim that the type of music in corporate worship is irrelevant. It is not the music that matters, but the lyrics. Music is supposedly “neutral,” and the lyrics alone determine the message. There is simply no factual basis for this belief. The propagation of this idea has resulted in much spiritual confusion today where the music used in worship actually wars against the content of the lyrics.

[…]

In summary, music always speaks. It always has something to say on its own—free of lyrics. What our worship music says about God must line up with what we are told about God in His Word. We know God two ways: both by His character and by His works as they are recorded in Scripture. Nobody is very interested in knowing the character and works of God today, and that ultimately is the root of the problem. We cannot speak honestly of one we do not know. God is made over into man’s image today, and the music used to worship Him reflects that. A thorough knowledge of God through His Word will have a reformational effect on Christian worship. Only when we know God can we truly worship him in spirit and in truth.

Soli Deo Gloria

Do read the whole piece: Music is Never “Neutral” by Tom Schlueter

Boasting: The Smartness of Refraining

Do you hate pride?

This is a bit of counsel I have learned the value of. It is not smart to slip into your conversation little boasts about yourself—the college you went to, the degrees you earned, the plum positions you held. First of all, it sounds proud and diminishes you ever so slightly in the eyes of the other person. Secondly, it sets a trap for your own feet, because eventually (think about it), if you develop a relationship with the person you are speaking to, he or she will find out your true measure. If you have presented yourself too highly, your fall in his esteem will be the worse.

If, on the other hand, you have wisely refrained from boasting, your new friend will be continually delighted with pleasant discoveries about you, which will be all the more pleasing to him because you did not brag at all.

That is so true, Andrée Seu. Thank you!

PS: Click her name to read the full piece. It’s short.

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Above all, love God!

since November 9, 2005