I had a great time playing soccer this morning with some of the guys. How much do you know about the history of soccer? I did some quick research here, and learned:

There is documentary evidence that a game or skill building exercise, involving kicking a ball into a small net, was used by the Chinese military during the Han Dynasty - around the 2nd and 3rd centuries BC.

In medieval times, towns and villages played against rival towns and villages - and kicking, punching, biting and gouging were allowed.

In the 1880’s, Oxford University students used slang which involved adding an “er” to the end of words they had deliberately shortened. “Rugger,” was slang for Rugby Football. A student, named Charles Wreford Brown, was asked if he liked to play rugger. ‘No soccer!’ Was his witty reply. He had shortened asSOCiation (football) and added “er.” The term was coined!

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J.C. Ryle, the great 19th century pastor and theologian had some stuff to say about spiritual disciplines (Bible intake, prayer, meditation, worship, etc.). In his book Holiness, he writes:

Here are the roots of true Christianity. Wrong here, a man is wrong all the way through. Here is the whole reason why many professing Christians never seem to get on; they are careless and slovenly about their private prayers. They read their Bibles but little and with very little heartiness of spirit. They give themselves no time for self-inquiry and quiet thought about the state of their souls. (p. 89)

I think any of us could think of reasons that we don’t read our Bibles and pray enough. But let’s encourage one another by answering this question: “What has helped you (or what have your parents done to help you) to practice the spiritual disciplines, meet with God regularly, read his word, and pray?”

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I was reading CJ’s The Cross-Centered Life this morning. I try to review it about every 3 or 4 months because I tend to forget the gospel. (Incidentally, I think the apostle Paul that would happen to us; that’s why he tells Timothy to “remember Jesus Christ” 2 Tim 2:8.) CJ writes:

…you don’t need a background in drugs, or any other dramatic conversion experience, for the cross to be dear to you… when we hear the very bad news that we’re deserving of judgment we can appreciate the very good news that God has provided salvation through his son. (p. 13-15)

Then CJ quotes author John Stott:

All around us we see Christians and churches relaxing their grasp on the gospel, fumbling it, and in danger of letting it drop from their hands altogether. (p. 15)

What do you do each day so that you don’t “relax your grasp on the gopspel”, “fumble it”, or “let it drop altogether”?

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How many of you are sticking with it? Delicious pancakes on the other end, although the real reward is in having read all the way through God’s word! If you are reading D.A. Carson’s For the Love of God, Volume 1, this morning’s (May 18) entry probably stood out to you like it did to me:

Most Christians have listened to testimonies that relate how some man or woman lived a life of fruitlessness and open degradation, or at least of quiet desperation before becoming a Christian. Genuine faith in the Lord Christ brought about a personal revolution… Where there was despair, there is now joy; where there was turmoil, there is now peace; where there was anxiety, there is now some measure of serenity. And some of us who were raised in Christian homes have secretly wondered if perhaps it might have been better if we had been converted out of some rotten background.

That is not the psalmist’s view. “For you, O Lord, are my hope, my trust, O LORD, from my youth. Upon you I have leaned from before my birth; you are he who took me from my mother’s womb. My praise is continually of you.” (Ps. 71:5-6).

The most thoughtful of those who are converted later in life wish they had not wasted so many of their early years. Now that they have found the pearl of great price, their only regret is that they did not find it sooner. More importanly, those who are reared in godly Christian homes are steeped in Scripture from their youth… instead of wishing they could have had a worse background (!), they sometimes hang their head in shame that they have done so little with their advantages, and frankly recognize that apart from the grace of God, there is no crime and sin to which they could not sink. It is best, by far, to be grateful for a godly heritage and to petition God himself for grace that will see you through old age.

So when was the last time you thanked your parents for raising you in a godly home, preaching the gospel to you, and training you to apply God’s word to your life? Do it soon. Do it often.

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It seems like you guys have this figured out. I post, you respond. You respond to responses. On it goes. In case you’re wondering, here are some guidelines for using this blog:

• Check back often. I plan to post regularly, even if I can’t post every day.
• Respond all you like. I want to hear from you.
• Humility required. When posting a response to someone else’s comments, treat them like you were talking to them face-to-face. Not sure what that should be like? Check out Ephesians 4:1-3.
• Post anonymously if you like, but sign your name. I know that sounds paradoxical, but try it, and you’ll see what I mean. We value your opinion, and we want to know who you are.
• Got questions or ideas for posts? Email me!
• Finally, I’m confident that you will keep your comments encouraging and redemptive. I have the power to delete, but I trust I won’t have to use it.

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I know how to make the best sandwich in the world. Here are the ingredients:

• Peanut butter (crunchy!).
• Banana.
• Mayonnaise.

Yum.

You can respond that this sounds gross if you want, but you have to tell us: what’s the strangest thing you eat that other people think is out there?

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Here’s what you will find next to my bed. (I don’t read each of these every night; it depends on how late it is and how much energy I have left.)

• Evangelical Feminism & Biblical Truth by Wayne Grudem (I’m reading this because the battle to preserve a biblical understanding of manhood and womanhood will likely be one of the great theological battles of our generation, and I want to be prepared).
• His Excellency by Joseph Ellis (a biography of George Washington).
• Ivanhoe by Walter Scott (Nicole and I read this aloud to one another).

Of course, I have a different set of books for the morning. I’m currently reading the following. Again, not every book every day but some combination.

• The Bible, English Standard Version.
  
• For the Love of God, Volume 1 by D.A. Carson.
• Temptation and Sin by John Owen.
• Knowing God by J.I. Packer.

What about you? What’s next to your bed?

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In case you weren’t taking notes at the youth meeting on Saturday, here is the schedule for the summer:

• 6/11 End of the Year Picnic
• 6/25 Canoe Trip
• 7/18 Kings’ Dominion
• 7/31 Picnic at Mason Neck State Park
• 8/13 Parents’ Meeting
• 8/24-27 Youth Retreat

Details forthcoming!

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99 days. We’re in double digits now.

As we are planning the retreat, I would like to know: are there any events, games, or other features that you really hope we can do this year?

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By now you’re probably aware that Disney is releasing The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe on December 9, 2005. See Disney’s LWW site here. Apple QuickTime is showing two featurettes that are informative and exciting, one from the special-effects house WETA, and one by the director, Andrew Adamson.

If you haven’t read the book, you should read it before you see the movie. Let your mental picture of Narnia be shaped by author C.S. Lewis first, then by Disney.

Which is your favorite book in the Narnia series and why?

For my part, I love them all. But I’ve always particularly liked The Last Battle because of the depiction of Aslan’s final triumph and the children’s entrance into heaven.

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