Christians, Tipping, and Leaving Tracts

Seven of our church members went to the Jacksonville Landing this evening to share the Good News of Christ. Michael talked to a server who was on a break, offering him a Gospel tract. He said he already had several of them…because Christians left as tips. Michael sought clarification, asking, “People leave them as tips or with tips?” The answer? Both.

I said to Michael, “Kind of makes you want to say to someone like that, ‘On behalf of all the lame Christians out there who aren’t representing Christ very well, I want to apologize.’”

Please, don’t ever leave a Gospel tract without a generous tip. Leaving Gospel tracts in the place of money for tips is scandalous, an embarrassment to the Christian community...even if the service is sub-par or bad. Think about this, God demonstrated His love toward us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us…the just for the unjust, the godly for the ungodly. Even if a server is rude and not helpful, to bless them with a generous tip is acting very God-like, displaying love toward someone who has not earned it or in any way made you feel like being generous. That’s grace.

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Ben Phillips on Modesty

One of my good longtime friends, Ben Phillips, is my guest for this post. He recently penned this excellent piece on modesty. Ben is currently serving as the Family Ministry Team Leader at the Arkansas Baptist Convention. 

Modest Choices by Ben Phillips

Gaze at the TV, view a hit music video, examine a magazine, saunter through the mall, (dare I say enter a sanctuary?) and it’s easy to observe that modesty is not the fashion trend in today’s American culture.  A 2007 report by the American Psychological Association on the sexualization of girls reveals the negative consequences of this pervasive societal drift.

As a father of a teenage daughter and two sons, I’ve wrestled with this issue from a biblical perspective.  One writer quotes, “modesty is more about the heart than the hemline.”  In order to apprehend modesty correctly, one must inform the heart with Scripture.

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Three Reasons to Like TPC Champ K. J. Choi

Reason #1 – He has a great story. He grew up on an island that has no golf course and didn’t touch a golf club until he was sixteen. When he did take up the game, after a teacher suggested he would do well at it, he had a three hour journey (one way) to get to the closest golf course. During his obligatory two-year term in the South Korean Army, he practiced his golf swing by hitting pine cones with the butt of his rifle. He was the first Korean to earn his PGA playing card, as well as the first to win on the Tour.

Reason #2 – He is generous. Last year he donated $100,000 to Japanese flood victims. In 2008 he won the Sony Open and gave a third ($320,000) of his earnings to the victims’ families of a warehouse fire in Seoul, Korea.

Reason #3 – He loves Jesus. In a 2003 interview Choi said, “I was first introduced to Christ in December of 1992 when I started dating my wife. She told me about the Lord and the Church and why it was good to have faith in God. And naturally I took her advice and after awhile, I felt it helped me and made me feel comfortable and gain patience. It also helped me concentrate more when it came to golf.” When he lived in Houston, one of his pastors wrote of his devotion: “He is also a member of our church and a devout Christian….and never misses a Sunday worship service or Wednesday prayer meeting when he is in town.”

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Modesty – The Forgotten Virtue

As we think about the value of mothers this weekend, we cannot help but think about how far our culture is straying from the biblical description of what the standard should be for women. This includes Christian women who have never been taught modesty.

Several years ago we came across these outstanding resources from the Mahaney family. First a message from C. J. Mahaney:

http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?SID=12908209345

(Note: when Mahaney talks about PDI, he is talking about the former name of the church planting movement he started, which has since been renamed Sovereign Grace Ministries)

The ladies of his family wrote this wonderful little booklet to help Christian women discern how to dress appropriately:

http://girltalk.blogs.com/girltalk/files/modesty_heart_check3.pdf

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Happy 400th to the King James Version!

May 2, 1611 – The King James Version was first published. No other book in the history of the world has had a greater impact than this edition of the Bible. While it is certainly not my first choice for reading or study, it is a masterpiece from both a literary and a scholarly perspective. Over fifty scholars collaborated in producing this monumental work that has ministered truth to millions over four centuries. Praise be to God for His Word!

I took a quick snapshot of four of my King James Bibles:

Top to Bottom – Calfskin Royal Ruby (Trinitarian Bible Society), Calfskin Windsor Text (Trinitarian Bible Society), Genuine Leather Pilgrim Study Bible (Oxford), Calfskin Executive Series Large Print (Local Church Bible Publishers).

I was planning on purchasing another KJV Bible (for our church’s Scripture readings) from Trinitarian Bible Society, but they have yet to get their new website up and running. Talk about blowing it! Here it is the official birthday of the KJV and you cannot purchase a KJV from one of the best, most affordable publishers on the planet…a publisher who is dedicated to the propagation of the KJV specifically!

So instead I ordered a new large print calfskin KJV (the one at the bottom of the picture) from Local Church Bible Publishers in Lansing, Michigan. Talk about amazing timing: it arrived on my doorstep today. I am really impressed with the quality of this Bible.

Some of you might be thinking that perhaps you should go buy a new King James Version since this year is the 400th anniversary of the KJV. I recommend you do. But I also recommend that you do not go anywhere to do it. Instead do your homework on the internet and then order one online. The best editions are attained through the mail rather than found in stores. The Bibles you find in your average Christian bookstore are medium to low quality. I recommend you purchase one that will last a lifetime and, therefore, can be passed down to your children and grandchildren. If you want a KJV with that kind of quality binding, you need to choose one of the following: Cambridge (England), R. L. Allan (Scotland), Trinitarian Bible Society (England), or Local Church Bible Publishers (Lansing, Michigan). The former two will require a substantial amount of money, but the latter two are amazingly affordable for the quality of their bindings. Make sure you get a calfskin or goatskin leather binding.

As for my preferences, although I do not have a Cambridge  KJV, I do have several Cambridge Bibles and love them. I have one R. L. Allan; it is fabulous. Trinitarian Bible Society  (TBS) Bibles are basically reliable workhorses at incredibly low prices. Local Church Bibles are a nice combination of both endurance and luxury. Cambridge and Allan are the cream of the crop, and the pricetag on their Bibles reflect that (and increasingly so with the plunging American dollar vs. the British pound).

If money is no object, then I recommend (based on research from reputable sources) that you look at the goatskin R. L. Allan Long Primer. But be ready to hand over a couple of Benjamin Franklin greenbacks. Testimonies from owners say that they are worth every penny. I would not know from personal experience; I just don’t love the KJV that much. But for about the same amount of money as one Long Primer, you can equip yourself with the same stack of Bibles I’ve pictured above.

Even if you don’t buy a new KJV, if you are a parent, why don’t you take some time today to teach your children about the KJV and it’s impact? I plan to do that this evening. If you need some ideas, try these websites:

http://kjv400celebration.com/

http://kjv400.co.uk/

http://www.kingjamesbibletrust.org/

As for where to buy a good copy of the KJV online, try these websites:

http://lcbplansing.org/Bibles/Executive.htm

http://www.evangelicalbible.com/

http://www.discountbible.com/

And when they finally get their sales site up and running again:

http://www.tbs-sales.org/

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