Odds and Ends Continued

Some of you who have been reading for a while probably remember my Odds and Ends posts where I would link to funny or interesting articles that I read throughout the week. Those posts were time-consuming to create, and so when time got tight, they were the first thing to go. I do have a semi-replacement, though, that I thought I would let you guys know about:

Sam's Shared Items on Google Reader

Even if you don't use Google Reader (and come on, why don't you?), you can still view everything that I share via Reader on this page. I typically share one or two articles a day, so this is a good way to see a lot of good articles. Check it out!

Introducing Pedro

So since I came to school last year, this blog has slipped pretty low on my priority list...building relationships and getting good grades is a lot more important. Before I left for school this year, however, I was talking to my good friend Peter Wilson (who came up with the name for this blog and was almost a founding member), and he mentioned that he had ideas for several posts that he wanted to write but that didn't really fit with the purpose of his own blog, The Tangent. Since I haven't really been using this blog too much, I thought I'd let him post a few times to keep things lively over here (for all three of you who actually still check back occasionally).

To introduce you to Pedro, I'd like to say this: I can think of few friends with whom I have had as many deep, thoughtful, God-glorifying conversations. Even though he moved away last year, every time we run into each other we invariably end up discussing something controversial. I remember fondly long conversations about the nature of movie adaptations, the immaculate conception, Harry Potter, and whether or not Frederick is the best city in the country (answer: it's not). So if I had to choose anyone to come here and post on this blog, it would be Pedro. He is a deep thinker (much deeper than me), and although we disagree on many things (usually artistic), he thinks through everything and does his best to make his life conform to a Christ-centered worldview. (Of course, I've forbidden him to do movie reviews...that's my realm.)

So welcome to HoldFast, Pedro! I look forward to seeing what you have to say.

Graduated!

Well, my high school graduation was last Saturday, and what an event it was. I was the the senior in charge of administrating everything (I was under Mrs. Hoover and the other moms, of course), and I'll be honest: I'm glad it's over. There are a lot of details that go into an event like that which I had no idea where even issues. But thankfully, everything went wonderfully, and the worst mishap was when one of the moms knocked off one of the graduate's caps when they hugged.

Bob Donahue spoke, and gave a nice exhortation from Psalm 90:12, which was our theme verse: "Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom." Bryce and Emily, the 10:31 winners for our class, eloquently thanked our parents for all their work over the years. And I got to give the charge as the unofficial valedictorian (it's hard to figure that out objectively in a homeschool class, but they chose me since I was a National Merit Scholar...of course, all that really means is that I do well on standarized tests, but they insisted). Here's the text of what I said:

Friends, after 13 years, we finally made it. We've been invested in by our parents and by our church, and we have been entrusted with the single most important gift we will ever recieve: the gospel of Jesus Christ. Now, as we go forth into the world as adults, let us be faithful to live that gospel for a watching world to see. Let us seize every moment as an opportunity to glorify God, and let us pursue wisdom and maturity all the days of our lives.

Then my good friend Robby Sawyer (a fellow member of the PC crew) led the class in flipping the tassels on our caps, and then we ran down the aisle to the sounds of James Bond. What a wonderful feeling to run down the back hallway screaming at the top of our lungs. So exhilarating.

(Oh yeah, we also gave our senior pastor, Josh Harris, an honorary membership in our class, since he once mentioned that he has never graduated from anything...i.e. his parents forgot to graduate him from high school. So we gave him a cap and gown, filmed him walking down the aisle, and gave him a diploma. It was great fun, and now I can say that I graduated with a bestselling author, not to mention a prominent pastor and one of the men I greatly respect.)

Now that my life has cleared up a little bit (although not that much), I have a whole line-up of posts I've been working on that should be making an appearance in the next couple of weeks. A foretaste:

• A meditation on Romans 3:26, inspired by John Piper's message at Na
• A defense of the just war theory, inspired by Sergeant York
• A critique of the "God is love" mindset
• A fun browsing of different Narnia book covers
• A response to Karyn's post about predestination (a continuation of this debate a few months ago)
• A massive Odds and Ends post that has been piling up for weeks!
• And of course the long-awaited Harry Potter post! (don't worry, I didn't forget)

So the next few weeks should be interesting as I head out on several vacations and other miscellaneous events. Tonight is my first new caregroup meeting, which I am very excited about. I'll let you all know how that goes. Hopefully this blog gets out of the personal life rut soon and back into some real meaty posts.

A busy week

Yes, I have been a very bad blogger. School's wrapping up, I had two AP tests last week (English Language and Economics) and a Latin final this week, plus preparing for New Attitude...basically I'm swamped. So I haven't posted all week, and don't expect anything profound until after graduation on June 2. While you're waiting, however, read Deuteronomy. That's where I've been parked in my devotions, and it has been cutting me straight to the heart. Here is one of the passagesthat has really stuck out to me, enjoy:

"For you are a people holy to the Lord your God. The Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession, out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth. It was not because you were more in number than any other people that the Lord set his love on you and chose you, for you were the fewest of all peoples, but it is because the Lord loves you and is keeping the oath that he swore to your fathers, that the Lord has brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt. Know therefore that the Lord your God is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations." Deut. 7:6-9

A Chronicle of God's Grace

Well, I have to say that my "sabbatical" was a very good idea. I'll probably be picking back up again this week since our rehearsal schedule is a lot lighter, but I thought I would direct those who are interested to a post I wrote on my Xanga about my experiences during production week for Godspell. I make it a point to try and avoid lots of personal details on this blog, at least when it comes to names, places, and specific events in my life, because there are a lot of people who read this who don't know any of those names, places, or specific events, and nobody wants to read the diary of someone they don't know personally. However, I have learned so much about God's grace this week that I just had to pass it on to the world at large. I'm going to excerpt the most important parts here:

Throughout the week, as everything was going wrong with the weather, rehearsal plans, and sickness, as we were losing cast members left and right and performing with a third of the cast as understudies, we all were constantly being reminded to trust in God. What became my theme verse for the week was a verse that Anna had read during prayer on Saturday morning:

You keep him in perfect peace
Whose mind is stayed on you,
Because he trusts in you. (Isaiah 26:3)

I had to keep my mind stayed on God the whole week, and so did everyone else. All of us had periods of discouragement, but God was so good to keep bringing us back to him, and we were drawn together as a cast through the trials. It was marvelous to see how God worked...

The amazing thing is how God's grace has been manifested in the peace he gave all of us this week, through all the problems and setbacks and sicknesses. Mrs. Mays can be commended for always keeping our eyes focused on God's grace and providence whenever things went wrong, setting the right tone for the whole week. I am amazed at the grace God gave those people who are sick and those people subbing in for them. He has helped everyone, even the understudies, perform at an incredibly high level, and most importantly to proclaim the gospel to over 2000 people. I am just so amazed at how God works through adversity to bring us closer to him.

God is so good :)

(Props to Kate Price for the photos)

And now for a word from our sponsors...

Well, I have all kinds of things to say in this whole predestination argument...but it's going to have to wait. Life has become absolutely nuts for the primary reason that it's production week for Godspell! Nonstop rehearsals since Thursday only broken up by classes, homework, and graduation planning. Not to mention looking for scholarships...

Anyway, my point is that I have decided to take a break from this blog for the next week, and possibly the following week as well. I'm sure that Claire, Peter, and Paul will still have many good things to say on the subject by then, plus I'll be able to do a little brushing up on what I believe in the meantime.

Just to clarify for Claire, I am an essentially Reformed charismatic, meaning that I hold to most of the basic tenets of Calvinism (i.e. TULIP), although I differ in many important respects (i.e. baptism), and I believe that the Holy Spirit is still active and gives miraculous gifts to the church. For a more detailed summary, click here.

Can't wait to see you all again in a few weeks! Pray for Godspell, with God's grace it will be quite a show!

A New Year's Resolution

Well, over the last four months since we started this blog, I have come to a conclusion: I am not Tim Challies. Not only do I not have the time or ability to write the lengthy articles that he is known for every day, I can't even post more than once a month. And since Josh went on a prolonged media fast in November, he hasn't been able to post anything either. For these reasons, I apologize for being a lousy blogger. This, therefore, is my New Year's resolution for this blog:

I hereby resolve to post something at least once a week.

No more with not posting unless the article could become a small book. I am committed to getting something onto this blog every week, preferably twice a week. With the way my schedule works, it appears as though the most likely times for me posting will be Monday and Friday. I don't know when the next time Josh will be posting is, but I hope it's soon.

One big thing I will be contributing is a feature called Odds and Ends that I already do on my Xanga. In the spirit of Tim Challies' A La Carte, I will link to interesting articles, videos, and other web content I've found over the week. I hope everyone enjoys them as much as I do.

Since I'm already running out of time for today, I'll leave you with this excerpt from Mark Dever's The Message of the Old Testament--Promises Made, from the chapter on Judges:

"When your state is genuinely desperate, it's good to know it. So once Adam and Eve had sinned and earned God's wrath, it was imperative for them to realize this. When God cast them out of the Garden, therefore, he was, in effect, mercifully giving them the opportunity to see that they could not save themselves. And as they saw their offspring die, they began to perceive that their own predicament affected all their descendents.

God then called Abraham to show Abraham and his descendents that he is a promise-making and promise-keeping God. But could Abraham's own faith save all is descendents? No, all the great patriarchs died.

God then gave the people of Israel his law and his priests. Did he do this in order to save them through his law and his priests? No, but he taught them more about his own holy character and their own sin. And he taught them that neither the law nor merely human priests and animal sacrifices could save them.

God then gave them judges. Did he do this so that these judges would save them? No, but these judges taught them more about God's power and authority. They also taught the people that a mere human judge could not save them.

After the judges, God would give the people what they would begin clamoring for in 1 Samuel: a king. Would he give them a line of kings so that the kings would save them? No, but eh kings would teach the people still more about God by foreshadowing the kind of rule God would ultimately assum with his people. And the kings taught them that a merely human king would never save them.

God would also give the prophets to his people. Would he do this so that he prophets would save them? No, but the prophets would teach still more about God and his words. And they would teach the people that a mere human prophet could not save them.

God would let his sinful people, who were determined not to rely on him, rely on every other possible means, until every other possible means was exhausted. Finally, they would learn that the only one who could save them was God himself, and then they would turn to him."

We're sorry, we're sorry

Yes, we are sorry. Life has been so crazy and hectic that I have not had time to write the next post. But, this Sunday I should be able to get it written, so look here on Monday and hopefully you'll be able to read something worthwhile. If I don't, feel free to heckle me until I do.

Soon to come...

Sorry everybody, but college application essays come before this blog, I must say. I'm slowly working on the next post, which will cover the second commandment and graven images. I'll post it as soon as I can finish it, so please bear with me. Until then, let me encourage you to read Tim Challies' liveblogging of the Desiring God conference last weekend (there's a link on the sidebar); it's well worth the time.

A Few Reminders...

Ok guys,

A few quick reminders about this blog...

1. We are all Christians here. 1 Corinthians 1:10 says, "I appeal to you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment." This is a good reason for this blog. It will help us to discuss topics, and become more united in the same mind. However, we must all remember what keeps us united. We are all united through the Gospel. Let us never forget that.

2. This is a public blog. Because of this fact, I am simply going to ask once... Can we please refrain from making fun of each other on this site? What you are saying is in fact, being published. I'm fine with teasing and making fun of each other, but let's save it for another setting.

3. Do not accept everything we say. Absolute truth is only found in God and in Scripture, the Word of God. Do not just blindly accept anything said on this site. Go look for yourself. Find out what the Bible says.

4. Ask questions. We would love to hear your questions and suggestions for a new post.

Introduction

The following introduction was written by our good friend Peter Wilson, who was the one who came up with the idea for launching this blog. Sadly, he had to back out of being a contributor, but I still think his introduction has a lot of wisdom. I tacked on the bit at the end, but the rest is all Pete's.

As I sat in front of my computer thinking about what I should say in the first post on HoldFast. I wondered what would be the best introduction to the participants of this blog. The conclusion I came to was that the best way to introduce ourselves would be to introduce anyone who is reading this to our savior, Jesus Christ. Our identities that we hold to most dearly are not our names, our favorite football teams, or any other superficial object of this world. We identify ourselves first and foremost as children of God through adoption as sons (Gal. 4:4-6).

This gift is the gift that we hold fast to. We have all been baptized in a public declaration that our life his hidden with Christ in God (Col. 3:1-4). Lord willing, everything that is posted on this blog will be a reflection of our Savior’s heart.

I find that my own words fail when trying to speak of our savior so I find it best to use words inspired by God himself from Ephesians 2:1-10. [Text taken from the ESV bible.]

And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience-- among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.

But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ--by grace you have been saved--and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

This is the kind of God we serve. Let our God be served by our conduct on this website.

So, who exactly are we? We're a couple of senior guys with a passion for the glory of God. We believe that God wishes for us to exercise our God-given thinking and reasoning skills to "test every spirit" (1 John 4:1), whether those "spirits" be related to media, politics, current events, or theology.

That's what this blog will be for: thoughtful evaluations of anything we can apply biblical thinking to. In doing this, though, we are not claiming to have any wisdom at all. Nothing we say on this blog is authoritative, so that's why we want to open this blog up to comments. We welcome your comments, critiques, and disagreements with everything we say.

Now, it would be helpful if you knew who we were. So here you are:

Sam Branchaw: 17 years old, high school senior. Born and raised in Gaithersburg, MD, by wonderful godly parents, and a life-long member of Covenant Life Church. Has three siblings, a sister and two brothers, of which he is the oldest, and also has a black lab. Came to Christ at age 10 after being in secret rebellion for two years. Loves history, reading, blogging, and watching a good movie. Known as the king of random information by his friends.

Josh Tucker: 17 years old, high school senior. Born and raised in Gaithersburg, MD, by wonderful godly parents, and a life-long member of Covenant Life Church. Has four siblings, three sisters and a brother, of which he is the second child, and also has a golden retriever. Came to Christ at age 13 after eight years of rebellion. Known as an incredibly passionate guy by his friends.

There may be one more contributor to this blog, but for now the name will remain undisclosed. He will be introduced in the event that he joins.

So that's us. A couple of regular guys. But, through God's grace, we are heirs with Christ and sons of God. So we seek to honor God through the medium of this blog. We hope you'll join us on this journey.