Archive for April 2006
Book review - "The Real Lincoln"
Posted on Monday, April 03, 2006 at 12:32 PM by David Zavadil
The banner on the back of this book reads, "Most of what you know
about Lincoln is false." This is not your ordinary biography. The
author, Thomas J. DiLorenzo, paints a picture of the beloved 16th
President that few have seen. Quoting from Lincoln's own speeches and
writings, DiLorenzo demonstrates that Lincoln was hardly the antislavery
activist, US reformer we have all been taught about.
In today's world, where we hear constantly about our President abusing the powers of the office, DiLorenzo paints a picture of the beloved Republican President that would shock most 21st century Republicans. In favor of a European Merchantilist economic system, with a central bank and heavy tariffs on imports, Lincoln set out to create his vision of the United States of America. His first task had to be the elimination of the prevalent view of states rights. From his revoking the Habeas Corpus to his condoning of Sherman and Grant's "total war" views, his goal was clear, a strong centralized government with a centralized bank and more.
This book is a must read to the serious student of history. It is different from what we are used to and will be sure to get you thinking. It will cause you to wonder, "so that is why things are like they are today." Some of the book is a dry read, but DiLorenzo did a good job at keeping the layman interested.
I give this book a 
out of five!
Psalm 119 Waw
Posted on Tuesday, April 11, 2006 at 2:08 PM by David Zavadil
41 Let your steadfast love come to me, O Lord, your salvation according to your promise;
42 then shall I have an answer for him who taunts me, for I trust in your word.
43 And take not the word of truth utterly out of my mouth, for my hope is in your rules.
44 I will keep your law continually, forever and ever,
45 and I shall walk in a wide place, for I have sought your precepts.
46 I will also speak of your testimonies before kings and shall not be put to shame,
47 for I find my delight in your commandments, which I love.
48 I will lift up my hands toward your commandments, which I love, and I will meditate on your statutes.
I have to apologize to those of you who have been following this study. I have been substitute teaching, while seeking a call and have had little time to sit down and write. I had hoped to maybe make use of my palm, but have not yet found the software that would allow me to write a post and add it to my site. At any rate, let me do this today, let me begin on this section and rather than trying to cover the whole passage, I will work on part and finish in the next couple of days. Fair enough? I pray so.
41 Let your steadfast love come to me, O Lord, your salvation according to your promise;
Love. I think that if there is one thing every human wants to experience it is love. Not necessarily erotic love, but the fullness of love that overwhelms the life of the recipient. The Psalmist prays for that type of love. Charles Bridges writes, " A prayer of deep anxiety-large deisre-simple faith!" That it is!
The word translated love in the ESV is rendered mercies in the KJV and "unfailing love" in the NIV. The Hebrew word is chesed and carries a meaning that emcompasses the fullness of God's mercy and love. To experience the chesed of God is to experience the fullness of the character of God and is seen in His loving mercy to us. It is bound in and with his salvation, promised to us beginning in Genesis 3:15 and repeated throughout Scripture. In fact, the true mercies of God can not be seen apart from the salvation of God. To think of God's mercy, His full love, without contemplating His salvation is impossible. Bridges put it this way, "Therefore general notions of mercy without a distinct apprehension of salvation have their origin in presumption, not in warrented faith." Lord, let your mercies come upon us!
This mercy/salvation relationship raises a question. Why are we in such a need of the fullness of love displayed in God's saving mercy? ( Ok, I know none of us really talk like this, but it sounds nicer than,"Why do I need that stuff?") We first need to be saved from the wrath and punishment of a Holy God. The sinful acts of our first parents, Adam and Eve, left us all condemned as sinners. At birth we are already marked with a death sentence. The merciful salvation of God, frees us from this death sentence.
Not only are we condemned from birth, we are also under bondage to sin. Sin wars against us all of our lives, but through the saving mercy of our God, it has no victory. However, it is not a foe to be taken lightly. William Bridge, not the same man I quoted earlier, said, "If the guilt of sin is so great that nothing can satisfy it but the blood of Jesus; and the filth of sin is so great that nothing can fetch out the stain thereof but the blood of Jesus, how great, how heinous, how sinful must the evil of sin be." Apart from the mercy of God found in the salvation brought us through Jesus Christ, we could never overcome the bondage of sin. In the merciful salvation of Jesus Christ, we are made righteous through the effective work of Christ, not anything we have done or will do.
We also need to be saved from ourselves. I don't know about you, but I do know myself. If I am in charge, I will make a mess of things. I will begin by taking the easy path and then seek the one that will make me feel the best, and give me the most in return. Left to myself, I not only won't but can not seek the way of God. The mercies/love of God found in His salvation frees me from this bondage to self. I am no longer bound to mess things up but freed to live in grace and mercy, resting in the righteousness of Christ.
Every day we should begin as the Psalmist begins this passage. 41 Let your steadfast love come to me, O Lord, your salvation according to your promise; Make this your prayer each day as you awake. We will next examine how this is carried out in our lives.
Edited on: Tuesday, April 11, 2006 2:14 PMPosted in Bible Study (RSS)
New Link - University of Alabama A-Day
Posted on Thursday, April 13, 2006 at 11:10 PM by David Zavadil
If you live in the south, you have to love football. In our family we root for Alabama. During our kids recent Spring Break, we traveled to Tuscaloosa, Alabama for the annual A-day festivities. Visit the A-Day link to see some pics from the festivities.
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New Artist to Check out
Posted on Saturday, April 29, 2006 at 3:53 PM by David Zavadil
Last night I had the privilege of hearing the son of a pastor friend of mine. Rev. Jim Barnes pastors Christ Covenant PCA in Farragut, TN. His son Dave Barnes has opened for Amy Grant and has just released his first studio album (CD). If you do not have high speed access, I would recomment going to Dave's "My Space" site Dave Barnes Myspace .
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