Try It Out - The Blasphemy Bell

This is my newest "experiment", it's called the "blasphemy bell".  This idea came from several discussions with my small group about how much we have just come to accept blasphemy on T.V.  

Background:

One night after our study, we flipped on the TV to watch American Idol.  What a perfect test case.  It was the initial stages of the show and people were either told to go home or they were chosen to go to Hollywood for the next round.  Almost every single time they person made it through, they would get very excited, scream and jump for joy....and then proceed to use the name of the Lord in vain.  We started counting the number of times we heard it, and while I don't remember the exact totals, I do recall they were quite disturbing when you calculated BPM (Blasphemy Per Minute).

Enter the Blasphemy Bell.  My children have a service bell  they play with in their little toy kitchen.  I saw it one night and decided to move it out to the living room.  Now instead of counting, I just hit the bell each time I hear the Lords name used in vain.

I know what you may be thinking, "Why is he making a game out of blasphemy, it's not funny at all!"  I agree, it's not funny...and that is why I created the game.  I (and I'm sure you as well) have become so desensitized to Blasphemy in T.V. shows and movies.  Sure, if we hear someone at work, on the street, or *GASP* at church  blaspheme we all upset and say "Did you hear that?".   But on T.V.?  Nah.   That's just the way it is, right?  Wrong.

The blasphemy bell is all about sensitization, getting ourselves to listen closely to what we are actually hearing.   Sure, it's fun.  At first.  But as soon as you hit that bell 3 or 4 times I guarantee you will think to yourself, "What in the world am I doing watching this?".   Now, if you don't feel like it's a big deal to watch shows or movies that blaspheme God's name (remember the 3rd Commandment?), it's not up to me to convict you.   That's not my job.

However, it is my prayer that you won't harden your heart to what the Lord is saying in Psalm 139:20:

"For they speak against You wickedly, And Your enemies take Your name in vain."

God's enemies take His name in vain.  If you want to read more, Psalm 139 goes much deeper and talks about how we are to respond to such enemies.  Even to the point of  how our heart is to be.

I leave you with this quote from Charles Spurgeon, that I read last week over at my Buddy Dawg On The Lawn's Blog:

"If the devil comes to my door with his horns visible,I will never let him in; but if he comes with his hat on as a respectable gentleman, he is at once admitted.The metaphor may be very strange, but it is quite true--many a man has taken in an evil thing, because it has been varnished and glossed over, and not apparently an evil; and he has thought in his heart, there is not much harm in it; so he has let in the little thing, and it has been like the breaking forth of water- the first drop has brought after it a torrent.  

The beginning has been but the beginning of a fearful end."

Service up.....Ding!

-W.S.

Do Your Best?

As I drove into my parking spot at work this AM, I noticed this bright green bumper sticker on the car next to me. I think it summarizes a key difference between Mormanism and true Christianity. Not only that, I think it also summarizes a key difference between modern Christianity and true Christianity.

Doing you best is not enough. (Isaiah 64:6):

"For all of us have become like one who is unclean,
And all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment;
And all of us wither like a leaf,
And our iniquities, like the wind, take us away"

If you just do your best, you'll still die like the rest. Our hope is in the perfect penal substitutiany atonement of the Lord Jesus Christ alone.

Ephesians 2:8-9
"For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast"

Each one of us will fail the test if we stand alone on the day of judgment.
-W.S. (mike)

Wretched Sinner Sermon Jams Now On iTunes (Podcast)

I have received a couple requests from folks who wanted an mp3 copy of the sermon jams, and/or an easy way to embed them in their site. I was already in the process of finding an easy way to distribute them anyway, and it turns out the easiest way to do it is to throw them up in a published podcast on iTunes.

So here's the deal. If you would like to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes (and automatically get updates as I create more), then you want to click here:
http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=305112367

If you just want to download the jams directly (or if you wish to link to them in your blog), then you will find what you need here:
http://wretchedsinner.podbean.com/


For His Glory!
-W.S.
(mike)

My New Sermon Jam - Todd Friel Sermon Jam

I've only been working on this one for a couple weeks, but I was quite surprised it came together a little faster than the last one. The sermon jam comes from Todd Friel's (from wretched radio) sermon "How do you know you are a Christian?" sermon he delivered on 1-John. The Jam just highlights the 10 point test Todd cites in 1-John. You can play it using the player below:



Or you can dowload it here in mp3 format.

Todd's original sermon can be found here if you have never heard it.

Would love your thoughts and comments on it. For His Glory.
-W.S.
(Mike)

People You Shouldn't Witness To - Really

I learned a valuable lesson yesterday. There are some people you shouldn't approach to hand a gospel tract. Even if you think you have a good idea for how to approach them.

You see, after my Dr.'s appointment I had to go to the pharmacy that is inside a local grocery store. As I walked out there was an armored car and two guards there unloading cash from the back. This is when I got this "oh so" bright idea as to how I could give them a million dollar bill tract.

As I exited the store, I started walking towards the truck. My first clue should have been the guards reaction...they stopped in their tracks (not tracts) as I approached the open truck filled with money. They just stared at me. Then, I reached into the inside pocket of my jacket (another bad idea) and they changed their posture again. I then proceeded to take out a million dollar bill and said, "Here, I think you dropped one of these." Clever, right? No...not at all.

"No I didn't, now get out of here." He replied. Whoops. My bad.
-W.S.