Andrew Williams's Blog

Do not awaken love….

Andrew Williams — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 18:57:24 GMT

“I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem, by the gazelles or the does of the field, that you not stir up or awaken love until it pleases.” - Song of Songs 2:7 ESV
I love this verse. I got even a deeper glimpse of what this verse means from our Song of Songs series in our [...]

What if “the earth stood still” for a moment?

Andrew Williams — Sun, 28 Dec 2008 17:53:32 GMT

A few weeks ago I typed a blog on silence, or better yet, the noises around us, the hustle, the crowds. Tonight, I saw The Day the Earth Stood Still. This blog really has nothing to do with the movie at all, but I figured the name was kinda catchy. In case you haven’t figured [...]

Christmas is more than…..

Andrew Williams — Thu, 25 Dec 2008 22:49:31 GMT

There is something more to Christmas than gifts, lights, santa, etc. Those things are fun, gifts are fun to GIVE and receive. But, that is not the real reason behind it. Some will argue that Christmas was started as a pagan holiday. Ok, that is true. But, that wasn’t the end of the story. Christians [...]

Addicted to Noise, Hurry, and Crowds

Andrew Williams — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 12:14:50 GMT

First off, this post was inspired by Mark Driscoll’s blog entitled “Silence”. I will take some points from it, but also speak for myself too.
Do some thinking for a moment. (I know, we don’t like to do it). When you wake up, what do you wake up to? Most likely, some form of alarm clock [...]

Say “NO” to Prosperity Gospel

Andrew Williams — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 09:26:10 GMT

Whatever happened to preaching the Gospel and actually talking about salvation, and getting down and dirty and talking about Hell and sin. Hell is a real place. (Yes, you can go too far sometimes, there are extremes on both sides.) So many pastors nowadays feel like it’s not important to talk about sin, and some [...]

Be Thankful Daily

Andrew Williams — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 15:38:31 GMT

We all are thankful everyday, whether we know it or not. But, we only “document” one day throughout the year to be thankful. I’m not criticizing Thanksgiving Day at all. But, just remember that we need to be thankful EVERY DAY, not just one day out of 365 days.
Most importantly, be thankful for God’s wonderful, [...]

“Crash”: A World FULL of Stereotypes

Andrew Williams — Sun, 23 Nov 2008 15:27:57 GMT

Have you ever been rude to someone based on their color? Have you ever thought someone was "bad" or harmful to you or your family based on their ethinicity? Have you ever "taken advantage" of someone because you had the "power" to do so? This is called a stereotype. It is alive AND well in our world today, YOU CAN HELP CHANGE THAT!!

My Review of Barack Obama

Andrew Williams — Sun, 23 Nov 2008 15:27:52 GMT

Originally submitted at Fathead

The Barack Obama Fathead wall graphic is constructed from tough, tear and fade-resistant vinyl and features high-resolution 3D graphics. The fathead is approximately 1'9" W x 6'5" H, and includes separate mini graphics of the team logo, additional player image, player name and n… [...]

Six Ways To Engage Culture

Andrew Williams — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 17:51:59 GMT

Summarizing the Six Ways

When engaging culture prayerfully, we depend on the wisdom that comes from the Spirit who searches out all cultures, who can enable us to recognize and rejoice in what is true, beautiful, and good, and reject or redeem what is false, ugly, and immoral. As a result, engaging culture can become an act of communion with God. Relying on the wisdom of the Spirit will also mean careful investigation of cultural issues, being critical of our own biases while maintaining an open ear to the arguments of others. However, we're not left to navigate the turbulent waters of our culture with only prayer and reason. God has given us his Word, a divine and authoritative Text from which we can glean wisdom and theological principles to engage culture.

When wrestling with issues, we must be careful to bring questions, not assumptions, from our culture to the Word, following a pattern of Text-Theology-Culture. This biblical-theological engagement with culture should always lead to redemptive action, restoring what is ugly and immoral from our position as accepted children of God, citizens of Zion. In turn, we can engage culture humbly and selectively, recognizing our limitations and rejoicing in our unique opportunities to engage the world around us.

Finally, try to practice these six ways of engaging culture not just as an individual but in community. To put a spin on Rufus Wainwright's words: Only when the Church in this country becomes obsessed with glorifying God in all things will we critically and redemptively engage our culture on all kinds of subjects.

Never Doubt God.

Andrew Williams — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 05:22:51 GMT

If we are honest with ourselves, we probably have doubted God in our lifetime. Or, for sure, we have friends that have. After you get “done” doubting God, it is the worst feeling ever.
I use to wonder what God wants me to do with my life. I knew for a fact He was calling me [...]