Hello all!  I’ve been making several changes recently on my blog, adding a few features and plugins into it.  I’m quite happy with the new things that these little new additions enable me to do here.  However, there’s a minor down side… that is, if you’re still viewing my blog under the old address of http://jessica.solideogloria.com, then certain images won’t show up.  If you’re one of these visitors, I just wanted to encourage you to update my blog’s address in your bookmark (or your site link, blog reader, etc.) to the permanent address of http://pilgrimsprogress.net.

I suppose I may be able to fix the problem by web forwarding, but since I’ll likely expire the old web address in the near future anyway, I thought it best if my fellow visitors just update it to the new address.  Besides, pilgrimsprogress.net is one cool domain name and much better than the old one, don’t you think?  Well, if nothing else, it’s definitely much easier to remember.

While surfing through a page for young ladies, I found the following piece of writing by Kathy Gruben.  I thought it was a good article, and though I don’t necessarily agree with every jot & tittle (and since not every single description is universally applicable to every Christian man in every culture), I think the principle behind it is noteworthy.

What a Godly Man Should Look Like

by Kathy Gruben

“I would use these words to describe this wonderful man of virtue….

Noble, chivalrous, courageous, fun, true, wise, loyal, passionate, protector, gentle, humble, strong, self-sacrificial, adventurous, patient, loving, kind, serving, intelligent, polite, family centered, lover of truth, steeped in the Word of God, prayerful and hospitable.

These are not the kind of guys that you always notice first in a crowd.  But they are the ones that you admire most once you do notice them.  They are the ones who go to the person sitting on the side of the church looking left out, and shake hands with a smile.  They are the ones that you will find at home instead of in youth group.  You will see them sitting with their folks rather than passing notes in the back of church with their friends.  You will find them helping in the kitchen or taking out the trash, walking the ladies to their cars and carrying diaper bags even if they don’t belong to them.

You’ll find them with other guys, in deep discussions about theology, worldview philosophies, politics, and books rather than just talking about the latest football games, computer games and girls.  Yet, they can converse on these topics too when needed.   These are the guys who walk on the outside of the sidewalk to protect the lady whom they might be with, and are always watching for ways to take care of her as a sister.  When looking for a mate, they want the one who is at home (or wants to be) and “hangs out” with her mom and siblings more than her buddies.

They love a good time, but it usually entails sword fighting, ultimate Frisbee, board games, hiking, touch football, night tag, water balloon fights and G rated movies rather than sports teams, dancing at the bar or movies with violence and sex-who cares if they are in their 20’s!  A big night on the town includes taking the siblings to the grocery store, the library or out for miniature golf.  They are passionate about the things of God and they do not bend on their convictions, no matter what others may say or do.  They don’t care that some might see them as “goody-goody” or strange for not dating or for spending so much time with their family–they are proud of it!

You might see them on the road at 6:30am rushing to get to a 7:00am catechism class, even though no one is making him go.  You will find them in family worship, singing or playing the piano, teaching God’s word to his family or sitting at his fathers feet.  They write marvelous heart felt letters of encouragement when needed and yet might not say too much by way of personal stuff to many.  They keep confidences.  You might easily see him with a crowd of little ones about him as he helps to teach them something or play with them.  He will watch an old movie and play cards with his siblings or parents, even when he would rather be playing “Stronghold Crusader” on his laptop.

He would give up his very life for his savior, his ideals and his family.  He makes ice cream floats of all kinds - even strange concoctions - and gives his mom tea in bed.  He bakes birthday cakes for his friends with his sister’s recipes.  He learns to follow a recipe and make things in the crock-pot because he wants to be able to at least take care of his wife when the baby comes.  You are likely to find him under a car, on top of a roof, mowing a lawn, mending the fence, writing a book, working the night shift to help the family - anywhere that will require hard work, initiative and drive - but not for his own sake.

They are so admired and dearly loved by their families because they are an indispensable source of joy and encouragement, strength of character and servitude.  They are never truly independent, because they have come to that wonderful place in the Christian life where they realize, that they must be dependent on God alone in His sovereignty, and the people that He has placed in his life.

Therefore, he is a true man’s man.  A giant.  One to look up to.  A hero.  A leader among his peers.  Strong, steady, dependable and one that you could place your life and the lives of your children into his capable and loving hands - with no regrets or fears.”

~ by Kathy Gruben, 2006

Today is the Lord’s Day!  Happy Lord’s Day to everyone!   I hope you have a blessed day of worship at church today.

Exodus 20:8-10 says, “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the LORD your God.”  So in this scripture God tells us that for six days we shall work, but on the sabbath day we ought not to work, but rather set it aside as a day of rest.

I can hear it now…  “What?  No work?  Yep, I’m all for any rules that says we don’t have to work.  We need more rules like that!”

Heh-heh…   On a more serious note, though, isn’t it so wonderful to have one day of the week where we can set aside all the other cares and affairs of our lives (including its hustles and bustles) and simply devote it for the worship and meditation of our God?  God knows we need it!  I’m grateful for the opportunity to reserve the Lord’s Day for the public worship, private meditation, reading, and reflecting on the things of God.

May you continue to have a blessed and wonderful Lord’s Day today!

To my single female Christian friends, have you ever wondered how you could apply Proverbs 31 to your daily life?  I know that I have.  Whenever I pictured the Proverbs 31 woman, I’ve always thought of her in a wifely role.  She’s industrious, intelligent, creative, trustworthy, resourceful, and makes such a godly example to Christian women.  Proverbs 31 is one of my favorite passages in the Bible.  And ever since I read the passage, I have wished to emulate her should the Lord ever call me to that place and calling in life.  However, I wasn’t sure how unmarried daughters at home could apply Prov. 31.

Well, I’m so glad recently I was able to find a copy of His Chosen Bride by Jennifer Lamp from Abebooks.com for only $10.  This book is about applying Proverbs 31 as a single young woman.  I could not find this gem anywhere else as it is out of print!  I’ve heard the author is currently working on a new revised edition, but I’m not sure when that will come out, though.

In this book, Jennifer leads readers through the beautiful attributes of Proverbs 31, challenging single women to live out these qualities as unto the Lord as their Husband.  As Isaiah 54 says, “Thine Maker is thine Husband…”  The book provides single ladies with ideas and analogies from Prov. 31 on how we could be that kind of wife now, serving God as our Husband.  ’Tis so exciting!  Each chapter is devoted to each individual verse and qualities described in Prov. 31, and provides ideas and encouragement on how it can be applied.  I haven’t finished reading the book yet, but I’m looking forward to learn more from it.  For those who are interested in reading it, apparently a seller “Rare Christian Books” is currently selling this product for under $11 (as of this writing).  Feel free to click here to get this book.  I hope you’ll enjoy it as much as I do.

Recently a visitor to my blog wrote a comment in one of my entries to share his views and beliefs against the Reformed view of soteriology.  One of the nice things and purposes of a blog is to interact, share thoughts, and learn with one another as we seek to grow in our walk with God.  I’m thankful to have the opportunity to learn and exchange thoughts with others.  So with that in mind, I just wanted to share some of my thoughts and reflections on this subject… 

I believe that one of the common objections against the doctrine of God’s sovereign grace in electing sinners often times stems from a misunderstanding of the nature of fallen, sinful human beings.  Many believe that human nature, though infected by original sin and the fall, has a neutral free will or perhaps even the inclination to choose good.

Those who reject Calvinism likened the non-believer as a mere patient suffering from an illness (sin) and in need of a cure (the Gospel).  They believe that he, just like any other sick person, has the ability to choose to take the medication (e.g. choose God).  But this is a wrong analogy.  The Bible likened the sinner not to a sick person, but rather a dead person (e.g. spiritually dead in sin).  There’s a reason why it uses this analogy.  Can a dead person respond to anything?  Does a dead man or woman desire to choose life?  Well, he or she is dead; they are unaware of their need.  The Scripture uses this analogy to point out the impossibility of the sinner to choose God in his spiritual death.  That’s why Paul says that though we were once dead to sin, now we are made alive spiritually in Jesus Christ because that is what it takes for God to save us.

The sinner is dead, blind, and deaf to the things of God.  He cannot respond to God’s outward call.  His heart is deceitful and desperately corrupt.  His will is not free; it is in bondage to his evil nature, therefore, he will not — indeed he cannot — choose good over evil in the spiritual realm.

The “Prince of Preachers” Charles Spurgeon said,

“Free will I have often heard of, but I have never seen it. I have met with will, and plenty of it, but it has either been led captive by sin or held in blessed bonds of grace.”

And George Whitefield aptly said:

“Man is nothing: he hath a free will to go to hell, but none to go to heaven … till God worketh in him to will and to do his good pleasure.”

This is precisely why people continue to reject God in their sins, unless God raises them from their death and makes them alive spiritually.

Another common misunderstanding of God’s unconditional election is the assertion that God makes robots out of men in predestining or electing them unto salvation.  But, no one goes to heaven kicking and screaming.  Allow me to echo the words of Charles Spurgeon when he said, “An Arminian, on his knees, prays desperately like a Calvinist.” The truth is: we despair of anything other than unmerited, irresistible, sovereign grace as the cause of our salvation.  Who of us, when our loved ones are lost as they dangle over the fire of hell, would pray, “O Lord, I know You desire to save my brother John, but he over here has his own free will…”  That prayer surely makes God out to be an impotent Savior.  I’d venture to say that even when we were Arminians, chances are at some point in our lives, we have pleaded on bended knees before the throne of grace, “O Lord, save my unsaved parents!! Seize them! Draw them with Your cords of love. Pluck them out as a brand from the burning, O Lord!”

Which elect person, when awakened from his spiritual death and shown the depravity of his sinfulness, would choose to return to their dead state of damnation in bondage to sin and reject an eternal bliss of heaven with his Holy Creator?  In saving a sinner, the Holy Spirit graciously causes the elect sinner to cooperate, to believe, to repent, to come freely and willingly to Christ.

I praise God that we’re not dependent in any way upon our so called “free will” in order to be saved, for if that were the case, no one would ever be saved!  No one would have chosen God in his natural dead state.  I thank God that we do not serve an impotent Savior who is limited in His work of applying salvation by man’s will, nor is He dependent upon man’s cooperation for success.

If salvation were in even any minute way (or shape or form) dependent upon the “free will” of man who is dead spiritually, we certainly have room to boast.  Consider Charles Spurgeon’s rendition of Arminian prayer to demonstrate the vanity of such a belief:

Fancy him [an Arminian] praying, `Lord, I thank thee I am not like those poor presumptuous Calvinists.  Lord, I was born with a glorious free will; I was born with power by which I can turn to thee of myself; I have improved my grace.  If everybody had done the same with their grace that I have, they might all have been saved.  Lord, I know thou dost not make us willing if we are not willing ourselves.  Thou givest grace to everybody; some do not improve it, but I do.  There are many that will go to hell as much bought with the blood of Christ as I was; they had as much of the Holy Ghost given to them; they had as good a chance, and were as much blessed as I am.  It was not thy grace that made us differ; I know it did a great deal, still I turned the point; I made use of what was given me, and others did not — that is the difference between me and them.’

I am eternally grateful to my Almighty God that salvation is all of Him, beginning to end, top to bottom, inside and out.  I have no room to boast.  I thank God that He saved me not with the help of my own supposed “glorious free will,” but simply by His glorious, amazing grace.

Thank You, Lord, that when I was dead in sin and could not respond to You, You in Your mercy and grace, raised me alive spiritually by changing my dead cold heart of stone with a new heart of flesh, that I may believe and thus come freely and willingly to Christ.

Happy Thanksgiving to you!  I’m excited to be able to celebrate today with my family.   I’m so thankful to God for His infinite goodness, mercy, and blessings that He abundantly pours into my life.  I hope that your Thanksgiving is filled with much joy and thankfulness to our wonderful, gracious God!

The Pilgrims and Puritans celebrating their first Thanksgiving.

I attended the Desiring God 2007 Regional Conference last week in Sacramento.  It was wonderful.  As you can see below, I asked a friend to snap a picture of myself with Dr. John Piper to capture the moment.   Click image to enlarge.

The theme of the conference was the Pleasures of God.  Dr. Piper covered what some of them are, including:

• The pleasure of God in Himself as reflected in His Son Jesus Christ
• The pleasure of God in all that He does
• The pleasure of God in His creation
• The pleasure of God in election
• The pleasure of God in His fame
• The pleasure of God in bruising the Son
• The pleasure of God in the faith and hope of His people
• The pleasure of God in our obedience that comes from faith
• The pleasure of God in concealing Himself from the wise and revealing Himself to His people 

The first few are absorbed upon God (as everything begins with God) making it a God-centered message, while the last few relates to us.

One of the most memorable moments of the event was when Piper reminded me of God’s sovereignty in electing sinners.  He relates to the time when his son was going through a period of rebellion.  He shared how, contrary to man’s natural inclinations, the doctrine of election was actually a comfort to him.  He shared of his own prayer as a father for his son’s salvation, “Lord, you’re sovereign.  Take him!” as opposed to “Lord, you’re sovereign… but my son over here has his own free will.”  Indeed, we serve an omnipotent God Who is sovereign and supreme over all of life, Who is omniscient, Who is not dependent upon the will of man to accomplish His plans, and Who does all things according to the counsel of His will and for His own good pleasures.

I only wish the conference had been longer.  It was also neat that all the books on the conference tables were sold for only $5, which is much, much lower than their normal retail prices.  On the first day I came early and was fortunate to sit on the fourth row next to the middle aisle.  At the end of the lectures, I was even brave enough to ask Dr. Piper a theological question and hand my copy of The Pleasures of God for him to sign.   He replied, “Sure!  I’d love to sign books.”  He was so kind and humble.  The overall conference was fun and edifying.  And there is just something very exciting and electrifying to be part of a live Reformed conference, hearing God’s Word preached and in the presence of 2,000 other Calvinistic believers in the faith!

“Barefoot and pregnant” in my kitchen (just kidding ), I watched the new Gunn brothers’ DVD The Monstrous Regiment of Women and was discouraged by the reality of what has happened due to the pervasive influence of feminism in our culture, yet encouraged by the Christian ladies who so articulately and clearly defended God’s truth against the onslaught of such femi-nazi non-sense.

The interviewees were prime examples of godly, biblical, Christian ladies who seek to exemplify the Proverbs 31 Woman.  Some of them are authors who write about the importance of being a biblical wife and mother, and also give practical advice in doing so.  Stacy McDonald (author of Raising Maidens of Virtue) and Jennie Chancey (from Ladies Against Feminism) are two amongst them.  Their advice is much needed in this day, and I’m thankful for their contributions.

The Gunn Brothers did an excellent job in documenting from a Christian perspective how feminism has had a devastating impact on the church, state, and family.  Subjects covered include feminism and socialism, women in the military, modesty, women in the workplace, daycare, Margaret Sanger, abortion, Planned Parenthood, Hillary Clinton, birth control, Betty Friedan, and the woman’s role in the family.  This film served as a great encouragement not only for its exposé of the Feminist agenda, but its call for Christian wives and mothers to return to their honorable roles as defined in Scripture.

I think that this film is a breath of fresh air to those of us who are made to feel menial for pursuing such a biblical call, and serves as an encouragement for us to indeed fulfill the high calling of “keepers at home.”

Oct. 15th is the last day for free shipping, in case you’re interested to purchase a copy. I wholeheartedly recommend this film to other ladies as well as men, and to any Christian as well as all outside the church.

Watch the trailer:

And here’s an interesting video clip on Hillary Rodham Clinton…

Time for the October Giveaways at Challies.com!

Enter the draw by clicking the banner above for your chance to win.

What will you receive if you are a winner?

First prize: One case (Forty copies!) of The Truth of the Cross by R.C. Sproul along with a copy of Jesus the Evangelist by Richard Phillips (that’s a retail value of over $600!). The forty books are not to be sold, but are to be given away or used for evangelism. Just think what you could do with forty of them. That’s ten for people in the church, ten for family members, ten for Christmas gifts and ten to hold on to for just the right moment.

Second prize: One copy of Jesus the Evangelist by Richard Phillips and admission for two to the Ligonier Ministries 2008 National Conference, Evangelism According to Jesus.

Third Prize: One copy of Jesus the Evangelist by Richard Phillips and admission for two to the Ligonier Ministries 2008 National Conference, Evangelism According to Jesus.

Have fun!

A CNN debate on “Is Yoga Biblical?” between Dr. MacArthur and Pagitt.  Listen to Pagitt’s comments after the end of the debate as he talked personally to the lady who recorded it.  I thought it’s sad to hear Pastor Doug Pagitt’s sarcastic response in regards to MacArthur’s comments concerning the Word of God.