Christian Carnival CLXII (162)

Gifted Performers Edition

Romans 12:4 For just as we have many members in one body and all the members do not have the same function, 5 so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. 6 Since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, each of us is to exercise them accordingly:

How do our posts reflect our gifts? We are all bloggers here; and I expected the division of gifts to be narrower than it was. The list is one our church used on its membership form.

Administration
(I Corinthians 12:28)
-organizing, designing and guiding human activities in such a way that Christ’s program is carried out-

• Jack Yoest presents "Charmaine at the National Religious Broadcasters Association National Convention" posted at Reasoned Audacity.


• A.J. at Put up thy Sword! in "No State Religion - Fact or Fiction?" discusses the proposed National Statement on Religious Diversity, which amounts to a government renunciation of New Zealand's Christian identity.


• Katy at Fallible explains in "Unto Ash We Shall Return" that "giving up something for Lent is NOT about trying to work my way to heaven. It’s a time when I can take an honest look at myself, my predilections, my stuck-in-a-rut way of living, and the selfish way in which I often relate to other people, and re-evaluate."

Apostleship
(I Corinthians 12:28; Romans 16:7)
- casting vision to start new ministries using strength of leadership, influence and enthusiasm -

• Don at Evangelical Ecologist wants you to think of this post as the blog version of that store you pass by at the end of the midway: tons of eco-bloggy Christian goodness to choose from. This "Around the Web" post is a roundup of news and links related to Christian ecology. If you're new to the subject, it's a great chance to dive in.

Discernment
(I Corinthians 12:8)
- capable of discovering, analyzing and organizing truth for use by God’s family -

• Mike at Romans 15:4 Project analyzes recent activity in America's Congress that leads him to the conclusion that America is sick: "Chickens More Important than Children Says Congress".


• Lyn presents "Wild at Heart" posted at Thought Renewal to help readers "help themselves" to the truth that God makes available through such resources.


• John at Light Along the Journey looks at what "Genesis Chapter 2, a bad Kirsten Dunst movie, and a Newberry award novel have in common" in "It is not Good for Man to be Alone".


• Jordan at Acton Institute PowerBlog uses "Ripsi's Confession" and behavior on Oxygen's "Bad Girls Club" reality show as testimony to the truth of an Augustinian perspective on happiness and sin.


• Jeremy Pierce presents "Calvinism and Philosophers" posted at Parableman -- A reflection on the recent upsurge in Calvinism among evangelicals, both with theologians and at the popular level, and yet Christian philosophers seem to have little interest in Calvinism.


• Matthew at Mere Orthodoxy presents "Ordo Inspirat: Warfield on Inspiration" -- a brief explication of one of the central theses of Warfield's magisterial Inspiration and Authority of the Bible, and its bearing on how we should approach Scripture.


• At Jordan's View, Alex is methodically contrasting Arminianism with Reformed Theology in a series of articles on "TULIP", and is hoping to conclude the series with a "big picture" look at the practical implications of the two theological systems. The latest post is entitled "Arminianism vs. Reformed Theology (Universal Prevenient Grace vs. Total Inability, Part II)".

Encouragement
(Romans 12:8)
- motivating people through words of comfort, counsel, and exhortation -

• Father Chip Harper at Devotionals from Father Chip discusses the "Liturgy Lesson for Ash Wednesday".


• Brian Russell writes "The Desire to Become" at the Real Meal blog. This essay suggests that every human being has an intrinsic desire to become someone great or a person of significance; and that this points to God's original intentions for people to live holy lives.


• Meagan at Everyday Liturgy is "On the Highways to Zion . . .". Using Psalm 84 as a starting point, she meditates on experiences of failure, confusion, frustration, pause, refreshment and the subtle assurance that "God is" as part of the process of entering into God's ordering of reality and the conditions of human life.


• Mike at Mike McLoughlin's Blog gives us "Biblical Interpretation for Dummies". Sincere believers will inevitably get it wrong when it comes to biblical interpretation. Instead of giving up on it altogether, we ought to pick ourselves up from the dust of confusion and learn how to interpret the Bible better.

Evangelism
(Ephesians 4:11)
- communicating the Gospel so effectively that many people respond in faith -

• As Michael at Chasing the Wind looks from the farthest edge of the galaxy to the smallest binding molecule that holds our cells together, he sees "God is in the Big Things, God is in the Small Things".

Faith
(I Corinthians 12:9)
- capable of trusting God’s presence and power even when a situation seems impossible to others -

• After snow and ice this week in Indianapolis, at Vegetable Soup, Kathleen Dalton looks back 30 years to a storm which taught her "Snow and Ice and Any Other Obstacle is Just a Chance to Trust God."

Giving
(Romans 12:8)
- uniquely able to give eagerly, wisely, generously, and sacrificially from the resources God has provided -

• Tyson Joseph presents "The superhero guide to forgiveness" posted at Tyson Joseph.

Helps/Serving
(I Corinthians 12:28; Romans 12:7)
- the capacity to recognize and meet needs through prompt, cheerful, practical assistance -

• Jacqueline of the Nerd Family marvels at the "22 Week Miracle Baby".


• Catez at Allthings2all presents "An Interview with Gregory Laughery of L'Abri" and author of Living Spirituality. It is a discussion about rock concerts, spiritual optimism, authenticity, and living in community.

Leadership
(Romans 12:8)
- able to motivate and inspire others to work together to accomplish God’s work -

• Annette at Fish and Cans notices that, when parenting, we learn "Lessons from the Children's Page" -- in this case God's joy when we listen and obey.


• Andre at Every Square Inch examines John Piper's book "Amazing Grace in the Life of William Wilberforce". This post discusses how Wilberforce initially sought to give up his parliamentary career after his conversion but was encouraged to fulfill God's call on his life as a politician. It raises the question of how we might connect the dots between our faith and the work God has called us to.

Mercy
(Romans 12:8)
- able to feel and express unusual compassion and sympathy,

offering comfort and support in times of need -

• Bruce Alderman presents "Love your Enemies" posted at It Seems to Me.... Does Jesus love Osama bin Laden? -- a reflection on the difficulties of taking Jesus seriously.


• Weekend Fisher continues a series on "Christianity in Tolkien: What is Strength?" at Heart, Mind, Soul, and Strength. This week examines why the Shire was more capable of defeating Mordor than Gondor.

Pastor/Shepherding
(Ephesians 4:11)
- leading, nurturing, protecting, and caring for the spiritual development of God’s flock -

• Moses E. Miles III presents "How to Start Your Day off Right" posted at Three Sticks - Empowering, Teaching, Healing about spiritual disciplines that help.


• Diane at Crossroads notes that many Christians today are confused about the Sanctification process; while others confuse it with justification: "Sanctificaton - What Is It Exactly?".


• Mark Olson presents "A Prayer For The Season" posted at Pseudo-Polymath -- a good prayer for any penitential purpose.


• Sue at Abstractions looks at Phillips book, Your God is too Small, in "Immortal, Invisible . . .". She thinks we tend to try and fit God into a box much smaller than his reality.


• Rodney at The Journey asks "Why do Men Hate Church?": Why is there an imbalance between the number of men and women in our churches today?

Preaching
(I Corinthians 12:28; I Timothy 2:7)
- powerfully proclaiming God’s truth so that people are encouraged, challenged, and changed -

• Rev Bill at Rev Bill shares this post he has found dealing with "The Credibility Issue": how what preachers say in the pulpit needs to be lived out in their daily living. [the link is under the words "Here's a great post"]

Teaching
(Romans 12:7; I Corinthians 12:28; Ephesians 4:11)
- able to understand and communicate the Scriptures clearly and with spiritual insight -

• Michael, at Tantalizing if True, examines a theoretical alternative to being completely filled with the Holy Spirit: "Be Half-filled With the Spirit"


• Dan Edelen at Cerulean Sanctum examines "Sex and the Created Order", highlighting the order-warping nature of homosexuality (as well as the Church's poor showing in ministering to homosexuals).


• John at Silas Jones trys to answer the question, "Is smoking a sin?" in the post "Up in Smoke". Many like to say that a person's "body is a temple" and so we shouldn't harm it. But is this a good interpretation of scripture, or do we have it all wrong and smoking is really quite OK? A must-read for people who want to retain their beliefs that C.S. Lewis was sinless.


• Isaiah 31:4-5 presents a translation problem that has been solved by the vast majority of English versions by using an unusual translation for a Hebrew phrase. Based on the translation suggested by Brevard Childs, Henry at Participatory Bible Study Blog presents an exegesis in "Isaiah 31:4-5 and Prophetic Revelation Through History" that ties the sequence of chapter 31 with the theme of the book of Isaiah as a whole.


• Richard at dokeo kago grapho soi kratistos theophilos analyzes the strong eschatological interest of Luke "In Those Days".