The Business of War

"It is not a good fancy" said the lama. "What profit to kill men?"

(and then he is answered):

"Very little--- as I know; but if evil men were not now and then slain it would not be a good world for weaponless dreamers. I do not speak without knowledge who have seen the land from Delhi south awash with blood."


from Kim, by Rudyard Kipling

and that's a Tibetan Lama, not a furry llama, just to head you off at the pass.

On this Memorial Day weekend, may we weaponless dreamers remember those who fought that we may be so...

“I cannot too strongly celebrate the publication of this book. Owing in part to several decades of dispute over justification and how a person is set right with God, we have tended to neglect another component of conversion no less important. Conversion under the terms of the new covenant is more than a matter of position and status in Christ, though never less: it includes miraculous Spirit-given transformation, something immeasurably beyond mere human resolution. It is new birth; it makes us new creatures; it demonstrates that the gospel is the power of God unto salvation. All the creedal orthodoxy in the world cannot replace it. The reason why ‘You must be born again’ is so important is that you must be born again.”
D. A. Carson,
Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, Deerfield, Illinois (and one of the smartest Christians on earth.)



Wanna learn how you were born? You may find it from the Monergism link on the right side of the page.

I just got it the other day, and I'm terribly excited to read it, right after I finish Peter Pan.

A Shameless Plug for Your Own Good

If you would care to turn your gaze right-ward, you will notice a cool little linky-thing that says "Monergism- High on God, Low on Price". Don't worry what that word means right yet, just click on it and buy an ESV Study Bible. You can get free shipping until December 15th by entering "gratia" in the coupon code when you check out.

They came out a couple of months ago, and I've already bought four of them, one for my wife, two for friends, and finally got myself one. (That story below)

Never a Dull Moment

So I've been promoting shamelessly the recently released ESV Study Bible, which I believe to be the best Bible ever produced. It's not the point of this post to tell you why, and I don't have time to do a proper review anyway. Besides, if I only posted things I could discuss well, I would never post. When our story picked up, I had bought two of them, neither for myself. So...


Completely unintentionally, I moved to a spot in New England roughly 45 minutes from the CBD warehouse. I actually don't know if it's THE warehouse, but that's just what we call 'round here. They have a sale three or so times a year where you can get some killer deals on Christian books and whatnot. I'm not interested in the whatnot, but cheap books make giggle...

I knew a sale was coming up, so I decided to attend with one purpose: Acquire myself an ESV Study Bible. Normally, you can get a genuine leather Bible for about $20, so that's what I expected to find. This is the overly drawn out tale of my journey and the fruits thereof.

The doors opened at 8, so I got there at 7:30, with 250 people in front of me. I felt bad about that until 8, when there were 1000 behind me...

I immediately rushed to the Bible section, finding about 75 others milling around. The eight tables full of Bibles were labeled by version, so I thought my job would be quick and easy. I immediately sought out the ESV section, but it took up only 2 feet, and my prey was nowhere in sight.

I was actually after another thing or two, so I found them and came back to get serious. Under every table, stacked two high, were boxes full of Bibles. For about an hour, I looked through every one of them. This was made more difficult than imaginable by the 250 people stuffed around the tables like a European soccer match (without the suffocation).

Do you know what happens when you put 250 Christians in a room made to hold 50? I'm sure it changes as time goes on, but if B.O. were water, I'd have drowned...

After my fruitless search in the Bible area, I decided to go to the scholastic area to look for a Greek NT I need. While standing in the mass, I noticed a guy next to me had what I was looking for in his hand. I smiled at him and said "Did you get that on the Bible table?" "Yes" he said. I smiled again and said "You lucky devil!"

This was not right thing to say...

He looked very offended and growled "First of all, there's no such thing as luck."

I tried to not look like anything and move away as quickly as possible. As my "luck", or should I say providence turned out, that wasn't very far in the subway-like atmosphere of stinky-Christian-bargainhunterville. So I resumed my search for anything that would let me never talk to that guy again.

No exaggeration, about two minutes later, I heard a voice in my ear- "And I'm not a Demon either..."

I just kept looking.

By this time I had been sweating to Steven Curtis Chapman for about two hours now, so it seemed time to pack it in and concede defeat. Things didn't really change for a while since all I could really do was turn the opposite direction and wait.

While trying to not pass out from the fumes, I noticed some warehouse gents with hand trucks wheeling out some more books. As "luck" would have it, they got stuck in traffic right next to me. I didn't have anything else to do, so I stole a peek into the box... Bibles! Could it be?

Top box, third book down, was an ESV Study Bible. I'd recognize that loveliness anywhere by now. So I told the dude with cart, "I need to follow you." He said "OK."

So with another change of directions, and a CBD lead blocker, Hand-truck Bill and stinky tired Kevin made our way over to a safe zone. It was there I met the love of my life: A black calf-skin ESV Study Bible. Retail- $158, CBD sale- $48.

Needless to say, I'm still trying to calm down.

Now when you look at the picture, you may be asking yourself: "What's that gold bar on the cover?" I'm glad you asked. It could either represent how much money I saved, or it could be the thing covering the engraving that they either messed up or had sent back, take your pick.

What can I say? I'm just one "Providential Son of the Most High", and my Daddy is good to me.

Oh the Excitement!!!!!!

How excited am I about the recently released ESV Study Bible? Perty dang excited, that's how excited. Here's a story to illustrate:

Last night, we were having over someone who I felt would benefit greatly from this resource, someone whom I did not know I would see again very soon. So, I...

went to two Christian bookstores that are out of business, one that only hablas espanol, one Borders, one Barnes and Nobles and a Target (as a last desperate measure). This all too over an hour, and much backtracking, and I didn't even find one.

So, I went home, asked them their preferred color, and ordered that sucker online. I've already bought my wife one, the notes are EXCELLENT, and the ESV translation is a lovely and faithful translation.

Get one, as soon as they print some more. You can check out the book of Matthew here.

You can buy one here, and while you're at it, pick up something else to read as well.

A gift idea- quick...

If there is anyone out there in the blogosphere who loves me and has been searching for the just-oh-so-perfect gift, and you have no budget limit, well here's your chance...


I drool when I think about it, and it's on sale, but hurry, it goes off sale tomorrow (Sunday 7/20).

I hope I win...

Cool giveaway, and won't hurt you a bit:

On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness

A gift from my wife, who read from a friend, and then bought from a store, and gave to her husband, who giggled with glee, and then read with excitement, this new book of fantasy.

You who are too boring to like anything not true, please do not read this book, but those who spent their childhood running through Narnia, climbing the cliffs of Mount Doom, flying through time with Gaudior, sorrowing with the Wild Thing, then please put your kids to bed and come with me to the land of Skree.

The thing I hate so about reading a brand new book is that I have to wait whoknowshowlong to have a stab at the second one. That stinks.

It's nice, though, to read a book that's not all bound up with powerful ethical analogy blah, blah, blah, but is just fun to read. That I can comfortably know the author isn't writing an entire series just so he can kill God at the end is super fun as well.

Well, if I haven't mysteriously alluded to too many other fantasies to bore you stiff, then I sum up:

Forget about the mortgage, your sick aunt Lois, what Sister-stuckupbutt said at church, etc., and read this book. Enjoy, live, make Andrew Petersen money, he is one of the minority that deserve it.

( So click on the post title and buy the book already, silly muffin...)

Cheap MP3 Bible!!!

Here's your answer to finding that cheap mp3 Bible, although I must confess it's actually 15.99 plus shipping. I think it cost me $17.-- total. I have had it for four days, and have listened up to I Samuel. It's very good. I will add more about that later... (Click on the title)

I found two different versions of the NASB on MP3, and this is the only one I could listen to. The other sounds like Leutinent Warf of Star Trek: Next Generation, though that's cool if you like that kinda thing.

Let me again emphasize the point here: If I really believe that the Bible is God's very words He wanted to let humanity know, then shouldn't it's reading and studying occupy a place of prominence in my life? My actions speak louder than my words, ya know?

Mat 13:44 "The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in the field, which a man found and hid again; and from joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field."

The point is not merely that he thought the treasure was cool and bought it, but that from the joy of finding it, he gladly sold everything else. Does not the time we devote to other, more urgent things exhibit where our hearts desire truly lies??

I'm not being pious or arrogant here, I'm just trying to be honest with myself, and since I'm just lookin at a pc screen as I type this, honestly transparent with the world at large... I do fail here miserably, but God is doing a work in me to renew me to the knowledge of my Creator. It is He who works in me, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.

That allows me to do two things:

#1 Be brutally honest and open, laying open myself to others because He has forgiven me and works in me.

#2 Be completely confident that I will be a trophy of His grace, and He has guaranteed it, for He is the one working in me His purposes, having been pre-determined to be conformed to the image of His Son.

May we all fall on His grace daily, praise the God who loves today though He knows we fail tomorrow, may we praise Him all the more because of that, and may we wake up tomorrow looking a little more as we should because of it.