pilgrim people

It is pretty sad when the cheapest gas you can find is $3.83 a gallon. But that is what 87 octane is going for at the Arco on Carlton Hills and Cartlon Oaks in Santee (for all those who worship at Christ URC). Sigh. A bicycle never looked so good.

Just about anyone from my generation (i.e. an American teenager during the 1980s) recognizes Ben Stein's famous line in Ferris Bueller's Day Off as the teacher with the monotone voice calling role: "Bueller? Beuller?...Bueller?"

What I didn't know, until I read it on the Heidelblog, is that Ben Stein is also (in the words of Scott Clark) "an academic, and former presidential speech writer...[and] starring in a documentary about the movement by neo-Darwinists to suppress discussion of intelligent design." Based on the trailer (which you can view here), the movie looks very interesting.

This past Lord's Day, Christ URC had the privilege of receiving three new families into membership: Aaron and Michelle Hasten and their son, Isaiah (pictured above), Dexter and Christyn Lo, and Chuck and Michelle Tedrick. All three families took public vows of membership and reaffirmed their faith in the Person and Work of the Lord Jesus Christ. We also had the priviledge of seeing the covenant sign of baptism applied to Isaiah...

Notice the look on Isaiah's face. He is not too sure about this whole thing, and he isn't about to leave the safety of his mom's arms!

"I promise you, Isaiah, this is not circumcision, this is baptism. We are in the new covenant."

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Isaiah: "Are you gonna stick me in there, pastor?"

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See, Isaiah, it didn't hurt a bit!

We rejoice with the Hastens that Isaiah has been included into the visible covenant community and been given the promise that as surely as water washes away dirt from the body, so too does Christ's blood wash away our sins. May the Holy Spirit work faith into Isaiah's heart to embrace that promise!

Soli Deo Gloria!

What does John Owen have in common with Led Zeppelin?

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In theology, not much. But tell me that Led Zep's renowned guitarist Jimmy Page doesn't bear some resemblance to the seventeenth century Puritan in looks! A case could probably be made that these "twins separated at birth" (and separated by about 330 years!) are both England's greatest: Owen, the greatest theologian England ever produced, and Page the greatest guitarist. But whether or not you buy that thesis, you can't deny the looks are pretty close!