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Those who think it is permissible to tell white lies soon grow color-blind. ~Austin O’Malley

A half truth is a whole lie. ~Yiddish Proverb

If you tell the truth you don’t have to remember anything. ~Mark Twain

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[You may say,]“Everything is permissible for me”–but not everything is beneficial. “Everything is permissible for me”–but I will not be mastered by anything. ” …  The body is not meant for sexual immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. By his power God raised the Lord from the dead, and he will raise us also. Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ himself? Shall I then take the members of Christ and unite them with a prostitute? Never! Do you not know that he who unites himself with a prostitute is one with her in body? For it is said, “The two will become one flesh.” But he who unites himself with the Lord is one with him in spirit.
Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a man commits are outside his body, but he who sins sexually sins against his own body. Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.

- St. Paul

If we name Jesus and claim to understand His Gospel, we must acknowledge that His gracious and sinless blood was not shed to give us a license to be selfish and live without self-control. Our lives tell God, “This is how much I love You.” Our lives also give others a picture of God, regardless of how well we are representing Him.

Oh, may we live new lives that are for His glory and pleasure (which oddly produces the most possible joy for us in the process). May we not take lightly or ignore the one called King, Lord, Almighty, Alpha & Omega, Savior, Holy, Master, & Redeemer. May we imitate, not frustrate the One who was pierced for our transgressions. May we trust His way is actually better than ours.

Amen.

Jon Hamm is a serious and dignified man. That is why I love this:

Tonight on ESPN; I’m not a gracious winner.

VERSUS

Very cool news from the fellas themselves:

Mark your calendars now…
This Saturday, January 23, we are performing on the longest-running music series in American television history, Austin City Limits!

To get you all ready for the big show:
You can read our program preview, set list, and a have a look at photos from our recording now on austincitylimits.com.

ACL is also featuring a clip of our “I and Love and You” performance, which you can watch here!

Austin City Limits airs on PBS: check here for your local listing.

Can’t wait for you to see it!

Best,
The Avett Brothers

*Disclaimer - A man wiser than myself has said that people should think about the word “heretic” like they would the word “rape.” Heresy is a such a serious claim that it must only used when it has to be. I concur and I squirm in the presence of excessive suspicion and those who want to split hairs.

But, because I hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that I can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it (Titus 1:9); I must be the provocateur, faithful to my theological & intellectual commitments. Thus, from my historical examination, I do not see King as a faithful steward of the Gospel of the risen God-man Jesus Christ, who is to get primacy and priority in everything. Further, I wonder if King could be called a Christian, as far as historical orthodoxy is concerned.

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This is the first of 2 posts on MLK, simply highlighting a few of his provocative quotes. I have great respect for the bravery, truth, and boldness King demonstrated as a leader - I would have loved to have marched or have done a sit-in with him. Yet, the next post (which should happen by tomorrow) will take a critical look at his theology; if you want to hear (read) me scrutinize an icon, stay tuned. In the meantime, the Social Studies teacher in me can’t resist presenting you with these:

1 - “If a man hasn’t discovered something that he will die for, he isn’t fit to live.”

2 - “…power without love is reckless and abusive and…love without power is sentimental and anemic. Power at its best is love implementing the demands of justice.”

3 - “A nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defence than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual death.”

4 - “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.”

5 - “It may be true that the law cannot make a man love me, but it can keep him from lynching me, and I think that’s pretty important.”

6 - “The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.”

7 - “Most people…are thermometers that record or register the temperature of the majority’s opinion, not thermostats that transform or regulate the temperature of society.”

8 - “The church must be reminded that it is not the master or the servant of the state, but rather the conscience of the state. It must be the guide and the critic of the state, and never its tool. If the church does not recapture its prophetic zeal, it will become an irrelevant social club without moral or spiritual authority.”

9 - “The profit motive, when it is the sole basis of an economic system, encourages a cutthroat competition and selfish ambition that inspires men to be more concerned about making a living than making a life.”

10 - “Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase.”

Since 8 weeks old, Violet has been seriously paying attention to and enjoying her books; thank all of you who bought her one! We have enjoyed the literature, which has focused on things like the color of certain objects, the noises animals make, and counting. My baby knows fire trucks are red and that doggies say, “woof!” Awesome.

As far as literacy goes, we’re off to a good start indeed! Yet, my goal is to move her on to refereed scientific journals & existential philosophy by her second birthday…there’s nothing cuter than a toddler quoting Nietzsche!

“The gospel of justifying faith means that while Christians are, in themselves still sinful and sinning, yet in Christ, in God’s sight, they are accepted and righteous. So we can say that we are more wicked than we ever dared believe, but more loved and accepted in Christ than we ever dared hope — at the very same time. This creates a radical new dynamic for personal growth. It means that the more you see your own flaws and sins, the more precious, electrifying, and amazing God’s grace appears to you. But on the other hand, the more aware you are of God’s grace and acceptance in Christ, the more able you are to drop your denials and self-defenses and admit the true dimensions and character of your sin.”

— Tim Keller

“My name is Conan O’Brien and I may soon be available for children’s parties.”

- Conan O’Brien

For women who you find attractive or for women who find you attractive:

Bounce your eyes…

Avoid her…

When you’re in her company, play the dweeb…

A dweeb is the opposite of a player. In relationships players send and receive social signals smoothly. Dweebs do not. When a player wants to send attraction signals, there are certain things he’ll do. He’ll flirt. He’ll banter. He’ll smile with a knowing look. He’ll talk about hip things. In short, he’ll be cool…

As a married man, however, a little social suicide is very much in order. Always play the dweeb. Players flirt…learn to un-flirt. Players banter…learn to un-banter. If a woman smiles with a knowing look, learn to smile with a slightly confused look, to un-smile. If she talks about things that are hip, talk about things that are un-hip to her, like your wife and kids. She’ll find you pleasant enough but rather bland and uninteresting. Perfect.

- Every Man’s Battle, p. 171

OR, as Paul says it in 2 Timothy 2:

20 In a wealthy home some utensils are made of gold and silver, and some are made of wood and clay. The expensive utensils are used for special occasions, and the cheap ones are for everyday use. 21 If you keep yourself pure, you will be a special utensil for honorable use. Your life will be clean, and you will be ready for the Master to use you for every good work. 22 Run from anything that stimulates youthful lusts. Instead, pursue righteous living, faithfulness, love, and peace. Enjoy the companionship of those who call on the Lord with pure hearts.

Even with an unsuccessful dunk, this is amazing (and speaking of amazing, how about the name, Tiny Gallon!):

JEREMIAH 9:23-24

This is what the LORD says:
“Let not the wise man boast of his wisdom
or the strong man boast of his strength
or the rich man boast of his riches,
but let him who boasts boast about this:
that he understands and knows me,
that I am the LORD, who exercises kindness,
justice and righteousness on earth,
for in these I delight,” declares the LORD.

10 goals for this new year, some are more concrete than others. Anyway, I’m asking all of you to keep me accountable. Seriously do this. Send a random email, ask me in person, send a messenger pigeon, whatever it takes - hold me to this.

1. Find full time employment, even if that means moving

2. Completely deactivate facebook for 1 month…we’ll be friends again, I promise

3. a) Call my mom more often and b) work smarter, not harder; managing time more effectively

4. a) Work out 4 times a week and b) get more sleep

5. Kiss my wife 5 times every day

6. Trust God recklessly (gulp.)

7. Spend “enough” time (According to Dev) with my wife & daughter (i.e. squeeze a date night in every week, no matter what)

8. a) Consistently chew with my mouth closed and b) wear tighter jeans

9. Challenge & empower other men to live a better story

10. a) Spend at least 5 minutes a day praying for other people and b) share Jesus more often

…working through an excellent book that speaks straight to the heart, Tim Keller’s Counterfeit Gods. Two quotes for now, more thoughts another time:

We never imagine that getting our heart’s deepest desires might be the worst thing that can ever happen to us.

Jesus must become more beautiful to your imagination, more attractive to your heart, than your idol…If you uproot the idol and fail to ‘plant’ the love of Christ in its place, the idol will grow back.