Tipping Sacred Cow

Some Cows Need Tipping

My Funny Kids 4

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I apologize for the lack of posts.  With the CFCM conference, and with all the catching up one has after such an event, you can imagine why I wasn’t able to post anything.  In order to make nice I thought I would share some more funny things I have had the privilege of hearing my children say.  I hope you enjoy.

 

McAuley: “They have Cauliflower, do they have Zayneflower?”

 

McAuley: “My God, He is an awesome God. He shows His underwear from heaven above.” His attempt to sing Awesome God,

 

Zayne: “Hello my dad, my one & only dad.”

 

McAuley: “Look at my masterpiece. I actually made four masterpieces.”

Me: “Four masterpieces in one day eh? You have been busy.”

 

Zayne: “I am just thinking how much I love you & how blessed I am to have a dad.” Can’t help but make you feel special.

 

McAuley: “Mom, if I am not talking that means I am not breathing.”

 

McAuley: “Dad, do some spies have Jesus in their heart?”

Me: “Spies are people too.”

 

McAuley: “Someday can I work in a comic book store and sell comics?”

Emily: “Yes, you can work in a comic store, but you will likely never get married.”

 

McAuley: “Dad, some day you are going to die.”

Me: “Yes, and some day you will too.”

McAuley: “Yes, but not at the same time.”

Me: “True, unless of course you’re in the back seat.”

 

McAuley: “What is sarcasm? Is it something you eat?”

My Funny Kids 3

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With all the activity and demands on my schedule this week I thought I would continue the “What’s It Worth” series Monday.  In the meantime I thought you could do with a healthy dose of my reality.  Not to worry, thanks to God and my family, my reality tends to be laced with humorous events.  I hope you enjoy.  Check back in on Monday for the continuation of the “What’s It Worth” series.

 

McAuley: “You. You. You. You have broken the chains, broken the chains.” He was on the toilet yelling this at the top of his lungs.  Not too sure if I should have been worried.

 

McAuley: “It feels like a campfire on my bum.” This statement happened at a different time and has no connection to the last quote.  I just wanted to make sure I clarified that. 

 

Zayne: I don’t ever really have too much on my mind. I’m usually just thinking about being a princess & princess things.

 

Zayne: “Roses are red. Violets are blue. Most of the time I love you. Would you stay for an hour or two?”  This was a poem I overheard as I was walking past her bedroom.

 

Zayne: “Let’s get out of here! We need to fly the kook.” I am sure she meant coop and not some crazy person.

 

Zayne: “Do princesses burp?”

 

McAuley: “I have got some bad news for you. Bees sting you when they are happy.”

 

McAuley: “Dad, I have VISIBLE friends.“

Me: “Thank God for that.”

 

McAuley: “When I am 99 will I be an adult? When I am 200 will I be a grandpa?”

Me: “I sure hope so!”

 

McAuley: “Deliver him from SLUGS God.” We were praying for someone to be delivered from an addiction to drugs. I don’t think McAuley understood, but God did.  I like to think this guy now has an amazing garden as well as a new found freedom from drugs.

 

Chick-Fil-A Controversy

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This has been one busy week for me, and as such you probably will have noticed an absence of posts.  I was not able to write an article today, but as a peace offering I have chosen to put together some helpful links related to the ongoing Chick-Fil-A controversy.  I am guessing most of you are aware of the controversy I am referring to.  However, for my Canadian friends, and any American ones who might be living under a rock, I will try and give a brief overview of the issue at hand.

Chick-Fil-A, a privately held American business, has over the last several years, donated millions of its dollars to organizations gay-rights supports feel promote the traditional definition of marriage (see end of post for a list of the organizations in question).  With the same-sex marriage debate running hot and heavy in the United States, it was only a matter of time before the media questioned Chick-Fil-A on its philanthropic ways.  When Chick-Fil-A’s President and COO Dan Cathy gave an unapologetic and unrepentant response, it was like chumming the sharks.

The outpouring of negative press has encouraged everyone, and his dog, to weigh in on this controversy.  Private citizens who disagreed with Cathy’s alleged position have organized boycotts of Chick-Fil-A.  In response to the boycotts, citizens sympathetic with his statements have organized Chick-Fil-A Appreciation days.  Not to be outdone, a number of over exuberant local politicians have thrown their hats into the ring by publicly stating that Chick-Fil-A’s stance could cost the company if it was to apply for building permits or restaurant licenses.  Some might say that last response is booth dirty pool, and a violation of certain liberties granted in the U.S. Constitution.

That is the Chick-Fil-A controversy in an oversimplified nutshell.  So instead of weighting in and giving my opinion I thought I would provide four links to articles which I found helpful in sorting my thoughts on the issue.   As always I can not vouch for everything associated with the linked pages, so use them at your own discretion.  The links are as follows:

Religious Liberty Under Threat

Lies in the Press

Chick-Fil-A Day

Government Power Regulating Business Based on Political Spending

 

For those of you interested in the actual numbers, here are the organizations Chick-Fil-A supported (including dollar amounts) in 2010. The total comes to $1,974,380.

  • Marriage & Family Foundation: $1,188,380
  • Fellowship Of Christian Athletes: $480,000
  • National Christian Foundation: $247,500
  • New Mexico Christian Foundation: $54,000
  • Exodus International: $1,000
  • Family Research Council: $1,000
  • Georgia Family Council: $2,500

 

 

 

Web Goodies

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Are you hurting for good places to go on the internet?  Getting a little tired of watching countless music montages involving kittens on Youtube?  One solution would be to just stick around here and enjoy the Cow. Not that realistic eh?.  Well, I do have something that may help you.  Here are a few of the sites I enjoy perusing, and maybe you will too.

www.challies.com

This is the home of Tim Challies.  Not too sure who Tim is?  Well, he is a husband, father, pastor, author, blogger, and most importantly he is a fellow Canuck.  Tim is the Cal Ripken, Jr. of bloggers.  I say this because I can not remember a day – yes I said day – he has missed posting something, or several somethings, on his blog.  Everything he writes, including his popular book reviews, will have a definite Christ centered trajectory, which is right up my alley.  My eventual goal is to have Tim link to just one of my posts.  Let’s see if it happens.

 

 

www.9marks.org

Every christian leader needs to know about the 9 Marks.  This site is all about equipping shepherds.  Mark Dever and his crew consistently put out valuable free resources which are designed to help grow healthy churches that will display God’s glory in their respective communities.  Lots of good stuff here.

 

 

 

 

thegospelcoalition.org

The Gospel Coalition is a wonderful resource for both pastors and laypersons.  It exists as a  network of Christians committed to the gospel and its furtherance.  Among its varied resources it boasts a huge stable of bloggers.  Justin Taylor, Kevin DeYoung, D. A. Carson, and Thabiti Anyabwile are just a sampling of the regular contributors who blog for the TGC.

 

 

teampyro.blogspot.com

This is the home of the Pyromaniacs.  Phil Johnson, Dan Philips, and Frank Turk are the main body of maniacs who constitute the Pyros.  Be sure to keep your eyes open for the Weekly Dose of Spurgeon mixed in among their regular blog posts.

 

 

 

 

 

www.reformation21.org

Reformation 21 is an online magazine with a definite reformed bent.  If you check it out you will find lots of informative articles, and a very active blog roll.  If you want to read about theological subjects, book reviews, and cultural commentary then this is right up your alley.

 

 

 

Some Cows Need Tipping

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So why did I choose Tipping Sacred Cow as my home?  The answer to that goes back to when I was a child.  My parents introduced me to God at an early age.  It wasn’t a saving knowledge, but it was an understanding that started me on my journey to Christ.

One Bible story that struck me as odd was the account of Israel’s idolatry with the golden calf.  How could they switch teams so fast, and for what, a golden cow?  I grew up around farms and to someone acquainted with cows it made absolutely no sense to worship one.  To my further childhood surprise I was to find out that the Israelites were not alone in their bovine worship.  I was to discover that cows were revered and inviolable in the Hindu religion.  Thus was the beginning of my understanding of sacred cows.

As I matured I discovered that sacred cows existed in more than just India. The term sacred cow no longer described the almost 140 species of cloven-hoofed ruminant mammals which one might deem hallowed.  Instead it described something or someone  that was beyond criticism or questioning.  With this new understanding it became evident to me that we had herds of sacred cows taking up residence in our lives, and especially in our churches.

Every Christian community has its own subculture of customs, traditions and beliefs.  Given that we are human and more than fallible, we are likely going to add elements to the apostolic tradition that run contrary to sound biblical doctrine.  It happened in the past (read Galatians people) and it happens today.  You can likely guess that when I ran into such things as a child I asked questions, and questions did get me in trouble.

Should our traditions, customs, and beliefs be exempt from criticism and questions?  I should hope not.  Our traditions and customs can be difficult to overcome and abandon.  Yet it remains our task in every generation to critically examine our own to ensure that they are consistent with sound biblical doctrine.  It is with this understanding that I began to examine my own customs, traditions and beliefs under the microscope of the scriptures.  I found many to be sound and scriptural, but for the few that could not be found in scripture, they were cows worth tipping.