Mr. Magoo and Contacts

I remember it well. It was January 6, 1992. I began my Master's degree at the University of Florida and needed to get a new driver's license.

It was the first test I flunked. There was no Bell Curve. There was no extra credit. Unless one memorized it, like many non-English speaking landscape workers. There was only one solution- go see the eye doctor and get glasses.

That is what I did. and came back a week later and got my driver's license. I firmly believe that I could have been a straight-A student during my undergraduate years had my vision been corrected then. I should sue someone...

Anyway, after years of fumbling with glasses, prescription sunglasses and not wanting to fork over 4 grand for eye surgery, I looked into contacts. No pun intended.

It has been two weeks since I began wearing them, and it has been a very positive experience.

Here are some changes I have had to make:

1. Don't wear your prescription sunglasses when you are wearing contacts. Things are EXTREMELY blurry!

2. You get to buy inexpensive sunglasses at the gas station now.

3. You get to walk in the rain again and not worry about the glasses getting wet.

4. You get to walk into or out of a building and glasses don't get foggy.

5. When working outside, your contacts won't slide down your sweatty nose and face.

6. Wear protective eyewear. My old glasses that I wore when working outside doubled as protective eyewear, as they were issued by the military. The other day I learned the hard way that I needed to wear goggle while cutting some wood. I could see clearly, and thought I was wearing my glasses. I wasn't, and spent the next few minutes rinsing!

7. I can now put a pencil behind my ear when working on my MPs (man-projects).

8. Those unsightly chronic nose-indentions are going away!

9. I won't have to use those silly 'flip-up' sunglasses when I lose my prescription glasses!

10. Touching my eyeballs is not as bad as I thought it would be.

No more Mr. Magoo!

Ben Stein's 'Expelled'

I ran across this while doing a routine search this morning. Check out the trailer about Ben Stein's upcoming movie on Darwinism and evolution. The Secular Left's agenda is about more than abortion and blind political correctness.

A recent Pew research study found the following concerning 'evangelicals' and evolution:
(A summary is at this website for Indiana Baptist Perspectives)

"...In contrast, 40 percent said they believed that humans had evolved over time; but of those, 18 percent said that evolution was “guided by a supreme being,” and 26 percent said that evolution occurred through natural selection..."

What a slap in the face to our Almighty God by people who apparently see Genesis 1-11 as not literal but just a nice allegory.

Those who claim Christ as their Savior, dismiss the entire 'after His own image' verse about the creation of Adam. It seems to be a simple conclusion for me. Jesus, through Mary, is a decedent of Eve. God told Satan that there will be a seed that will 'Crush your head'. If we dismiss these foundational verses of the Redemptive act of Christ that is prophesied in Genesis, then we dismiss the entire purpose of redemption of Christ on the Cross.

As we have studied Genesis 1-11 in our Sunday School, then those people who subscribe to evolution and dismiss Genesis as just a story, then their belief in Salvation through Christ is flawed.

If one doubts God's Word of the OT, then His NT is just as flawed. Therefore, one's salvation is flawed. And that is an area where I would not want to wander into.

The Evil Human Resource Director

Catbert, The Evil Human Resource Director, is my hero. Thanks to the US Army, I am working on advanced studies for Human Resources. I'm learning things like how to eliminate people from the 'payroll system', and disallowing travelling expenses with the help of Accounting Trolls.

Just think, your tax dollars at work! Ain't America Great?

Church Membership and the SBC

Thomas Ascol presented this resolution (again) for honest reporting and who is a 'regenerate church member'.

Watch the video below.

http://sbcvoices.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2007-06-16T15%3A33%3A00-04%3A00&max-results=7

Resolution Committee, a lot of 'FEELINGS', The committee 'Feels' or 'Felt'

Our church decided to honestly report our numbers because of the honesty issue. We don't have 450 members (which is what we reported). Salvation is not based on church membership. We have around 200 members with 110 who come to Sunday School.

Pastor Ascol's discipleship and 'Foundations' for teaching children and adults is outstanding and true discipleship.

Too Many Coincidences...

These two pictures are way too close in so many ways...

1. Both are 'out of touch' with reality. Or, maybe they are too much in touch with reality. I was watching Benny Hinn (like an accident, when you scroll by it on the TV, you just cannot help to stop and stare in disbelief!) healing a lady from a limp she had. She could barely talk, as she mumbled most of her words. It was quite funny to watch.

2. One's name is Dr. Evil, and the other could be called Dr. Evil based on the Bible! Benny sucks in millions of dollars a year scamming people into believing he is healing them.

3. Birds of a feather, flock together! Hmm- just looking at the Benny-man's attire makes me laugh (not to mention his TV antics). It is amazing how anyone can take him seriously. But, the world is full of people who are 'foolish'.

4. They both think that they are going to 'win'. Just look at this world's scammers, especially the TV types. Many wind up disgraced, according to the world's standards. Unfortunately, the spiritual implications are much more serious.

I think they are the same person! Benny Hinn and Dr. Evil are the same people. They have the same personality, tailor, and outrageous methods to get what he wants.

They both belong in Ripley's...or at least the people who think the Benny-man is legitimate and send him money.

End Game

What happens when 'Fatigue' is the number one reason to stop doing something?

Edmund Burke, the Irish politician and philosopher said this very true and famous observation:

All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.

While I am assisting one of our units deploy to Iraq, I came across this story that was given to me when I went to Iraq. I am not sure if the author, Irma S. Chambers, is true or the title "A Lesson to my Son" is legit or not. It really doesn't matter to me.

When we get 'tired' of this 'War on Terror', we need to remember the reason and purpose. It is so much bigger than just Iraq. America is far from perfect. We probably should have been involved in more 'wars' and conflicts over the years. We should have gone into Bosnia and Kosovo a couple of years earlier, and saved the lives of 100,000 plus lives. We should have gone to Darfur a long time ago and saved 300,000+ lives there. The list goes on.

We are not a perfect nation, but over the past 231 years, we have fed and cared for many nations. Below is a 'picture' of not just Iraq, but the many times we have come the aide of a country in need:

The other day, my nine year old son wanted to know why we were at war. My husband looked at our son and then looked at me. My husband and I were in the Army during the Gulf War and we would be honored to serve and defend our country again today. I knew that my husband would give him a good explanation. My husband thought for a few minutes and then told my son to go stand in our front living room window.

He told him: "Son, stand there and tell me what you see? " "I see trees and cars and our neighbors houses. " he replied. "OK, now I want you to pretend that our house and our yard is the United States of America and you are President Bush. "

Our son giggled and said "OK. ""Now son, I want you to look out the window and pretend that every house and yard on this block is a different country. " my husband said.

"OK Dad, I'm pretending. "

"Now I want you to stand there and look out the window and see that man come out of his house with his wife and he has her by the hair and is hitting her. You see her bleeding and crying. He hits her in the face, he throws her on the ground, then he starts to kick her to death. Their children run out and are afraid to stop him, they are crying, they are watching this but do nothing because they are kids and afraid of their father.

You see all of this son. . . . what do you do? "

"Dad? "

"What do you do son? ! "

"I call the police, Dad. "

"OK. Pretend that the police are the United Nations and they take your call, listen to what you know and saw but they refuse to help. What do you do then son? "

"Dad, but the police are supposed to help! " My son starts to whine.

"They don't want to son, because they say that it is not their place or your place to get involved and that you should stay out of it, " my husband says.

"But Dad. . . he killed her! ! " my son exclaims; "I know he did. . ." but the police tell you to stay out of it.

Now I want you to look out that window and pretend you see our neighbor who you're pretending is Saddam turn around and do the same thing to his children. "

"Daddy. . . he kills them? "

"Yes son, he does. What do you do? "

"Well, if the police don't want to help, I will go and ask my next door neighbor to help me stop him. " our son says.

"Son, our next door neighbor sees what is happening and refuses to get involved as well. He refuses to open the door and help you stop him, " my husband says.

"But Dad, I NEED help! ! ! I can't stop him by myself! ! "

"What do you do son? "Our son starts to cry.

"OK, no one wants to help you, the man across the street saw you ask for help and saw that no one would help you stop him. He stands taller and puffs out his chest. Guess what he does next son? "

"What Daddy? "

"He walks across the street to the old ladies house and breaks down her door and drags her out, steals all her stuff and sets her house on fire and then. . . he kills her. He turns around and sees you standing in he window and laughs at you."

"Daddy. . . "

"What do you do son? "Our son is crying and he looks down and he whispers,

"I close the blinds, Daddy. "

My husband looks at our son with tears in his eyes and asks him. . .

"Why? "

"Because Daddy. . . . . the police are supposed to help. . . people who need it. . . . and they won't help. . . . You always say that neighbors are supposed to HELP neighbors, but they won't help either. . . they won't help me stop him. . . I'm afraid. . . . I can't do it by myself. . . Daddy. . . . . I can't look out my window and just watch him do all these terrible things and. . . and. . . . . do nothing. . . so. . . . I'm just going to close the blinds. . . . so I can't see what he's doing. . . . . . . . and I'm going to pretend that it is not happening. "

I start to cry. My husband looks at our nine year old son standing in the window, looking pitiful and ashamed at his answers to my husbands questions and he tells him. . . . "Son"

"Yes, Daddy. "

"Open the blinds because that man. . . . he's at your front door. . . What do you do? ! "

My son looks at his father, anger and defiance in his eyes. He balls up his tiny fists and looks his father square in the eyes, without hesitation he says:

"I DEFEND MY FAMILY DAD! I'M NOT GONNA LET HIM HURT MOMMY OR MY SISTER, DAD! I'M GONNA FIGHT HIM, DAD, I'M GONNA FIGHT HIM! ! ! ! ! "

I see a tear roll down my husband's cheek and he grabs my son to his chest and hugs him tight, and cries. . .

"It's too late to fight him, he's too strong and he's already at YOUR front door, son. . . . . you should have stopped him BEFORE he killed his wife.

You have to do what's right, even if you have to do it alone, before. . . . . . it's too late. " my husband whispers.

THAT scenario I just gave you is WHY we are at war with Iraq. When good men stand by and let evil happen is the greatest EVIL of all.

Our President is doing what is right. We, as a free nation, must understand that this war is a war of humanity.

WE must remove this evil man from power so that we can continue to live in a free world where we are not afraid to look out our window and see crimes on humanity. So that my nine year old son won't grow up in aworld where he feels that if he just "closes" the blinds the atrocities in the world won't affect him. Today the second day of "WAR on IRAQ" I felt compelled to write this and pass it along.

Hopefully, you will understand the lesson my husband tried to teach our son.

"YOU MUST NEVER BE AFRAID TO DO WHAT IS RIGHT! EVEN IF YOU HAVE TO DO IT ALONE! "

BE PROUD TO BE AN AMERICAN! BE PROUD OF OUR PRESIDENT! BE PROUD OF OUR TROOPS! SUPPORT THEM! SUPPORT AMERICA! SO THAT IN THE FUTURE OUR CHILDREN WILL NEVER HAVE TO CLOSE THEIR BLINDS. . . .

The Two Gates

It's never a coincidence when I read a passage of scripture, hear it talked about on the radio, read about the same concept in a book, then (amazingly enough) hear it preached at a non-denominational military service.





The fact that the chaplain did not use one watered down homile (which I am used to hearing in the usual chaplain services) and talked about entering into His Heaven through the narrow gate was a great relief to hear.

The passage I read was concerning Naaman, the Syrian, being healed by God through His prophet Elisha. It's in 2 Kings 5. The bottom line is this-

When God calls us, He calls us for His purpose (to Glorify Him), through His methods (To Glorify Him), at His timing, at His location, and who He wants.

Naaman was a Syrian/Aram. NOT A JEW. He and His people were unclean. Of course, Elisha was a Jew, and one of God's prophets. In order for Naaman to be healed of his leprosy (Naaman was not only not Jewish, he was a leper, strike two!). Save the point that the Aram/Syrians were the enemies of the Jewish Nation (Israel, the Northern Kingdom).

This dude had three strikes. But what did God do? He demanded that if Naaman wanted to be healed he had to do it His way. Naaman is a picture of all of us Christians. We want to be 'cleansed' the easy way. He wanted to do it with money and gifts. He brought the equivalent of over 75 million dollars to Elisha to be healed. But when Elisha demanded he go through the healing process His (God's) way, Naaman refused. We have all done this. When we finally realize that we must do something uncomfortable and unnatural (Which is God's way), we refuse.

This is our sinful nature. We initially repel all things that are of God. We are depraved. However, if Naaman wanted to be healed, he had to do it through the narrow gate. He had to do it God's way.

Matthew 7:13, Jesus talks about the narrow gate. Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress is an excellent picture of a Christian's (and Christian's) spiritual walk. Both gates are together, next to each other. Interestingly enough both paths parallel each other, as a picture of our life here on earth. We sit next to people (in church!) who are on the wicked path and don't even know it. They refuse to cleanse themselves in the Jordan River, as God demanded of Naaman. They are going back home to cleanse themselves in their own 'filthy' water. The water of the world.

So many of us refuse to be cleansed by God's Spirit and His power. It is not a coincidence that in this passage of Matthew Jesus sums it up by saying "Not everyone who cries Lord, Lord will enter the Kingdom of Heaven". Not everyone who raises their hand during an invitation.

Naaman 'walked the aisle'. Naaman 'tithed'. However, the picture paints a man who knew the physical state he was in. He was cursed, as we are cursed with our sin-state. He recognized he could not save him self. He needed others to tell him this after his first denial.

Naaman finally realized he could not do it himself. This is a problem we all have. Naaman was a powerful man, the King of Syria's right hand man, General of all the armies. However, he finally realized his fate. He humbled himself to be washed clean by order of someone else.

Many of us, especially today, wander back to this point. We will consistently refuse to abide by God's instruction. Naaman, as we read it, may have had a full conversion. As he requested soil from Israel to put down in his home/temple so he would offer sacrifices to The God, and not to the gods of Syria/Aram. And he asked for forgiveness for helping his king bow to those gods.

It seem he had a true change of heart. He entered through the Narrow Gate. I am not a theologian, but the next chapter talks about the sons of Elisha, so it seems that Naaman may(hopefully) died, because Syria/Aram are back at their war again...

Anyway. We must enter through the Narrow Gate. We cannot bypass it and say, I'll enter the Narrow Way later. That is not an option. We cannot 'cut in' at the last moment. Jesus said, 'Enter through the Narrow Gate', not join us on the Narrow Path somewhere down the way.

No. That is a very dangerous way to play with one's eternity. It is very serious. It is something we must be ever mindful in our lives as we help others see the two gates. There are two gates. The easy wide open gate leads to eternal destruction. The other gate is the Narrow gate that is difficult to get into, but it leads to Almighty God and His Eternal Glory.

A Godly Woman

Psalm 31: 10-12, 25-31

10 An excellent wife, who can find? For her worth is far above jewels.

11 The hear of her husband trusts in her, and he will have no lack of gain

12 She does him good and not evil all the days of her life.

25 Strength and dignity are her clothing, and she smiles at the future.

26 She opens her mouth in wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue.

27 She looks well to the ways of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness.

28 Her children rise up and bless her; her husband also, and he praises her, saying:

29 "Many daughters have done nobly, but you excel them all."

30 Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised.

31 Give her the product of her hands, and let her works praise her in the gates.

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Over the past few weeks I have done a lot with the military (just ask my wife, and my boys...) and have encountered many who are one of the following:

1. Unhappily married (as if it were an arranged marriage!)

2. Happily divorced (some multiple times)

3. Going through a divorce (with and without children which is a tragedy)

4. The "I Just got married because I am about to go Iraq and want the extra money" group.

5. The "I just got married because I really love my girlfriend and were going to get married anyway so why not now" group.

6. The "I tolerate the old lady because it's too hard to train another one" group.

Then there is the group I am in, which I have found to be in the small minority. It is the one that many feminist groups would think holds women down in a subservient role. A role that is detrimental to the growth of young women, especially young mothers. We can't stop there, it's even worse in the World's view: how horrible it is to be a stay-at-home Mom.

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Hmm...that's another post.

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Anyone who thinks that because she stays at home with three children is not 'living up to her potential' as a liberated woman doesn't have a concept of what it means to be a Godly Woman. Of course what really matters is what God says through His Scripture as to what it really means to be a Woman.

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She has raised two Godly boys who continue to amaze her as to their knowledge of the Bible their understanding of their place in God's plan for their lives. This is where I fall down as the spiritual leader of the home, and she has taken the lead in many ways. This is part of the reason I am writing this today.

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She needs to work on her self-confidence! She often wonders if she is being a 'good mom'. The boys are the apple of her eye, or the 'femur of the dinosaur', or the 'eye-patch of the pirate' to make it applicable to each of them! From each of their teachers in school, to their Sunday School Teachers who continue to be amazed by their knowledge of the Bible, to strangers at the store who complement her on their behaviour.

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They reflect the Godliness they see in her. She has, many times, been a single mom, because Dad has been gone probably three of the eight years since our oldest has been born.

I am continually amazed by what she had done over our wonderful almost 14 years of marriage.

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Who would have thought that the quiet 'strange girl' I met 15 years ago (who had lived in the same house her entire life, except for college) would have stepped out of her comfort zone so many times I have lost count. She has joined churches on her own with two little boys while I was away. She has endured physical trials while I was gone and not able to be with her. Who would have pictured her as persevering and tough?

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God does, as he has given her sufficient Grace, in His time, in His amount. She has weathered many of these things because of her desire for God. I continue to be amazed at her walk with the Lord. Daily she is in the Word, praying and seeking God's guidance for her and her family.

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I love the Godly Woman I married. Her boys love their mother, and will seek a wife that has a heart for God like their mother. Her infant daughter will come to love her mother, and strive to be a Godly Woman like her mother.

Now, if I could get her to complete verse 16 "...she considers a field and buys it and plants a vineyard." Maybe when our littlest one is in kindergarten, she'll have some extra time...

Trust Me, It's Not a Doctored Photo

There we were, the sun was going down. The cool wind blowing in from Wyoming.

Then, from above the crest of the hill, we heard them. We heard 40+ of them. Coming our way.

The little ones at first.

Then the Mothers.

Then the Teenagers.

Then the Fathers.

Then the King, the Master of the Herd, the Behemoth of the Buffalo.

Standing over 8 feet tall. He was the last to come over the crest, as if to say to HIS herd, "I am king, move that car out of the way so I don't have to walk around."

Of course, the high quality camera I had was not enough of a picture to capture all of him, just his eyes in the dark.

He was huge, and was just calmly watching over his 'Family'. Where was the Crocodile Hunter when you needed him? I don't think there is a Buffalo Hunter, at least not living. I wouldn't think about looking oddly at one of the 50 lb babies.

Hmm...they are beautiful, and they say there are 3-4 herds in this area. That's a lot of 'Buffalo Piles'.

Then, after winning the staring contest, he meandered across the dirt road as if to say, "Now that my family is across the street, you may pass. Don't tell anyone what you saw here tonight."

Military Travel

We can all relate to Calvin.

This is how the airlines make you feel sometime. I believe that the Department of Defense (DoD) has a deal with the airlines. The more connections and longer delays, the cheaper the flight. We had four connections coming, and leaving- two days late.

Hmm...sounds like the $200 toilet seats from the 1980s. Someone's hand is getting greased in this deal. And it's not me.

We feel like Calvin on the ground and the Airlines are Hobbes. You are at the whim of them. Pay homage to us, or we will bump you and lose your luggage. Well, you have already done both, so they need to come up with something else to torment us with.

They have, hand over your dime-sized chap-stick. You might be MacGyver and do something with it on the plane.

We were supposed to leave on Friday, now it's Sunday. It's not looking good:

1. The first flight leaving this AM was two hours late leaving.
2. Hortense (made up name of the ticket agent) said my bag was overweight. I saw the scale, 53 lbs. Apparently 50 lbs is max. She wasn't budging. Well, add an 'l' to the word and her shirt and belt were but that's another story.
3. Even when I asked for some slack since UNITED AIRLINES lost my luggage coming here for three days. Nope, Nada, Nyet, Zilch, Zero. She gave me a bag to empty some stuff out. How nice of her!
4. UNITED AIRLINES had that big glitch this past Thursday where 250,000 people were stranded/backed up due to a computer glitch. Hmm...
5. The bumping has now begun. There are seven of us flying back. Two were bumped to tomorrow. No explanation, just a hotel voucher and $20 in meal vouchers.
6. We overheard the next UNITED flight announced that it was overbooked and looking for volunteers. Hmm...
7. When I asked Hortense (again, not her real name) about our flight, she replied "The computers say it's on time". The same computer that ran a smooth operation this past Thursday for United. Hmm...

Why get upset. It's your tax dollars at work (mine, too). I'm sitting here getting paid by the DoD because the Airlines can't get their act together.

I will probably never see that little bag with my uniforms and boots again. I think I see Rudy (Not his real name) trying on my boots.

Maybe I can catch a flight on Aeroflot...

Flexibility

It was 89 degrees when I left home, and up in the Black Hills of South Dakota/Wyoming it was 33 degrees, snowing, and 50-60 MPH gusts. When I called back home, it was 91 with miserable humidity.



Which is worse? My motto has always been to be hot rather than cold. I think that changed when I went to Iraq, when the thermostat hit 138 degrees. I would rather have been cold!



It is a nice respite from the heat and humidity. As long as we have our 'snivel gear'- clothing items for wimps who can't handle the cold weather- we are doing just fine.



Anyone up for a snowball fight?

The Army and the Boy Scouts

My Chief Warrant Officer and I (and about 5 other guys) are doing some training with our reserve unit. He is a 20 year veteran and has been around the block. He is an aviator, dustoff pilot, been to Iraq, Kuwait ('91), and other places. He knows his stuff. After some typical Hurry Up and Wait things with our higher headquarters, he turns around to me and says:

"Sir, do you know what the difference between the Boy Scouts and the U.S. Army is?"

"No I don't Chief, what is it?"

" We have artillery, they don't."

After realizing he was absolutly right, and 10 minutes of humorous reflection, I though about that. I had to correct him, though.

I said, "Chief, considering some other items today, there is no difference. You know those MRE heaters that when you add water to them, they heat up? Well, as you know, if you mix the powder into a 2 liter bottle and twist on the cap, it will explode. Well, both of my sons love to do that and what them blow up. Therefore, one could consider that similar to an artillery piece. The only item they are missing is the launch vehicle!"

He replied, "That's scary. Our local troop would probably do a much better job than some of the units we dealing with here."

Hmm...some points to ponder about our national security.

Of course our unit is not one of them. We have our 'Stuff' together. All of us have been to Iraq (some multiple times) and know how to get stuff done. This is our unit's 'Crest' from their time in Iraq. I was there the same time, but doing a Civil Affairs mission. I think it's pretty cool.

Purposeful Denominational Ignorance

Caveat, I do understand the times we live in. We need to be discerning and harsh when it comes to apostate preaching in our churches. We need to test the spirits.

http://www.christianresearchnetwork.com/, where Ken Silva is Editor, for the most part helps many of us to be aware of the apostasy that is attempting to creep into the Christian Church. However, it seems many times recently he enjoys tearing down brothers in Christ with snippy, smarmy, and flippant comments. Many times, it is quite ignorant and the 'research' in 'christianresearchnetwork.com' is quite often skewed to fit his 'agenda'

His recent article mentions Al Mohler's recent article about a recent event in the Methodist Church, then goes on to make points about Al Mohler's comments about the UMC problems, and accuses him of not making the same comments about the SBC.

As an SBC pastor, Mr. Silva is quick to personally attack people and leaders.

My theory is that Ken Silva may be ordained as an SBC pastor, but he does not demonstrate a very good understanding of how the local Baptist church relates to the SBC as a whole. Any SBC person, especially a pastor, knows how the SBC works and is set up and how the Seminaries are set up. Those churches who desire to ordain women pastors, endorse homosexuality, question the authenticity of scripture, etc, unfortunately might choose to affiliate with the SBC, but in reality that is why the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship was founded almost 20 years ago. There is a reason those apostate churches choose to dually affiliate with the CBF and the SBC. They want the SBC name and resources (and the numbers generated by those older members who want the SBC affiliation and would leave if there were a complete break), yet want the liberal, ungodly theology of the CBF. There are many churches like this. They are the churches of Laodicea.

He spreads disinformation and inflammatory rhetoric to those who are not SBC. He bears false witness toward others outside the SBC denomination. Those outsiders do not understand the workings of the SBC. It is foreign to them. The SBC does not own churches nor employ pastors, like the UMC, PCA, ELCA, and most other Protestant denominations. Each church is autonomous and is freely to affiliate with any organization. Of course, he will deny this.

However, it is obvious he enjoys looking for fights. In fact, I personally know of a church in our own association that chose to be dually aligned with the CBF and the SBC, and our association has told the pastor he can no longer serve on the committees or in postions of leadership as long as his church is affiliated with the CBF. So, to say that no one in the SBC is acting on these kinds of things is not true. These things are typically handled by the local association, not necessarily addressed by the larger Convention.

Unfortunately Ken Silva's message of discernment (which is great ministry tool) gets lost in his rhetoric and personal attacks. He misses the target and loses his effectiveness when he attacks those who are fighting the battle for us and consistently speaking about things that are wrong in evangelicalism today.

Those who claim to be a 'Baptist', which may include over 25 separate entities of 'Baptist'. Of course, one could argue whether some Baptists are truly Christians (we can chase that rabbit in sooooo many directions). Let's redo this map and narrow the search and use the non-negotiables of the faith and then see the distribution of all so-called believers.

I would speculate that not only would the distribution change, but the actual numbers would too. That is what Jesus weeps over when He looks down on this world.

Many will claim the title 'Christian', yet in the Final Judgement, He will say to many:

'I never knew you, depart from me you doer of iniquity'

(Matthew 7:23)

The New Baptist Covenant

The New Baptist Covenant is an interesting idea. A couple of points to get this one started:

They reaffirmed their commitment to traditional Baptist values, including sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ and its implications for public and private morality (1).

They specifically committed themselves to their obligation as Christians to promote peace with justice, to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, shelter the homeless, care for the sick and the marginalized, welcome the strangers among us, and promote religious liberty and respect for religious diversity (2).

(1): Former president, Bill "Is-Is" Clinton, supports this organization. His church, in Arkansas, is aligned with the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship. I guess these 'commitments' are 'flexible', as is CBF theology (Public and private morality) Hmm...

(2): Since former president Jimmy Carter believes that Mormons are going to Heaven, I guess it is not that important to place the Great Commission in as one of the specific commitments.

Since Jimmy "Many Paths" Carter doesn't require accepting Jesus Christ as Savior, I guess Evangelism doesn't need to be on the 'A' list.

Fortunately SBC President had this to say about this organization:

Southern Baptist Convention president Frank Page released a statement reproving former President Jimmy Carter's New Baptist initiative, saying, "I will not be a part of any smokescreen leftwing liberal agenda that seeks to deny the greatest need in our world, that being that the lost be shown the way to eternal life through Jesus Christ, our Lord."

(1) We see which leader/organization has the TRUE needs of the lost world at heart.

This Generic Brand is a No-Go

There are some things in this life that we can 'Go Generic'. Below is a list of some items that are perfectly fine:

1. Claritin (allergy medication) = Wallitin, the Wallgreen's generic
2. Mountain Dew = Mountain Hollow (Dollar General generic)
3. Frosted Flakes = Crispy Flakes (Food Lion generic)
4. Tylenol/Excedrin/etc pain relievers = Wallbuprophin, Walcedrin, Walenol, etc
(can you tell I frequent Walgreens, Dollar General and Food Lion?)

HOWEVER

There is one thing that I won't scrimp on. That is world Famous

Thomas's English Muffin

This little baby cannot be duplicated. Our hospital's cafeteria recently went from the Original to a generic 'Mediocre Muffin', probably Harry's Hoboken Muffin. I have nothing against Hoboken (New Jersey, the Garden State. That's another story), in fact, I grew up with a friend who was from Hoboken. Nice guy.

However, there are significant differences between the two. The generic fails to have all the precious nooks and crannies that Thomas puts in his English Muffin. It is so sad to not have the ability to fill each little crevice with melted butter. Hmm.

But now I can only blog and complain about it as my Hoboken Muffin's butter just drips off the side because those little nooks and crannies are gone. Poof!

Of course it's George Bush's fault that our cafeteria manager decided to go generic. I knew I could blame someone for it, and since he is the cause of everything evil, I figure I could add to the list this item. It is apparent that the President hates the English, nooks and crannies and loves Hoboken more.

If you put all the dots together, it is obvious to see that it is all a conspiracy. It is all about the 2000 election and Wisconsin. After all it is the Diary State. Butter is a dairy product. He is exacting retribution on this state by eliminating the nooks and crannies thereby reducing the demand for butter. This will result in chaos in Wisconsin and the dairy community. It will spread to Illinois, which also is a Blue State and cause wide-spread panic in the Chicago Commodities Market which will have a domino effect crossing the ocean to the White Cliffs of Dover (That's England).

When will this madness stop? Rise up people and let your voice be heard. The English have stood behind us through thick and thin. We must support them in these difficult times.

To quote Winston Churchill: "We will never, never, never never give up (our English Muffins)"

I added the last few words for emphasis and to make my point.

My Precious Cheese Dip...

The expression on the face of my eight year old son when I told him we (Just him and me) were going to have cheese dip at the local Mexican Restaurant.

A Royal Priesthood

1 Peter 2:9-12

9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God's own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of the darkness into His Marvelous light;

10 for you once were not a people, but now you are the people of God; you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

11 Beloved, I urge you as aliens and strangers to abstain from fleshly lusts, which wage war against the soul.

12 Keep your behavior excellent among the Gentiles, so that in the thing win which they slander you as evildoers, they may on account of your good deeds, as they observe them, glorify God in the day of Christ's coming Judgement.

As we all know, many denominations use these versus to promote their doctrine over others. Who is the Chosen Race? Is it about me personally, is it about literal Israel, is it about which church is replacing Israel (covenant), visible v. invisible church, etc.

Is this about predestination? Am I one of the chosen? What if I desire God, but am not one of the chosen? Can I refuse the call from the Holy Spirit?

These questions can go on and on...

Unfortunately, people take these (and all others) to promote their own 'points of view'.

The bottom line for me today

I am a child of God, who accepted Jesus' Death and Resurrection as the payment for my sins. When I die and stand in front of Almighty God, and He demands payment for my sin, Jesus will be beside me and all God will see is His Grace (Blood of the Lamb) covering me.

Jesus is our High Priest. He went before the Father and sacrificed His life. The Old Testament picture of Passover paints the perfect picture. Once a year, the High Priest went into the Holy of Holies and, in the Presence of God, sacrificed the lamb for the sins of the nation.

Jesus went into the presence of God as the Unblemished Lamb, paying the price of His Children. Sins in the past, present and future.

It is Finished

Jesus paid the price, once and for all. Period. We are now a Royal Priesthood, we have received Mercy, called to be salt and light. What an awesome picture Peter paints as to the privilege of being one of His children. It is not to be taken lightly.

The day of judgement is coming. We need to act accordingly. He will separate the sheep from the goats, wheat from the chaff, hot from the cold.

I pray that I will draw closer to Him daily. I slip daily, if not hourly, probably closer each minute!

These versus should speak to us as ways to live desiring God, not debating doctrine.

Payroll

Why did I come in early on Memorial Day? When I could do it on Tuesday? Is it because payroll deadline falls on a holiday which pushes it to the next day, Tuesday by 10 am.

That still doesn't answer the question. Why didn't I just Do It Later? Well, here's why:

1. There are 1100 employees here
2. There are only 10 'servers' available for our payroll system.
3. We have 90 Percenters who call themselves 'supervisors' that do most of the payroll for departments.
4. These 90 Percenters do not plan ahead with payroll details (vacation hours to add, missed punches, etc)
5. What do these 90 Percenters do? They come in and log onto the payroll servers, and realize they do not have what they need to complete their payroll.

6. These 90 percenters STAY LOGGED ON because they do not want to 'lose their spot'. At this point, they begin to wander the halls of our place of employment hoping to find those employees who forgot to clock-in, etc.

7. These 90 Percenters also tend to be the ones who will stop by the cafeteria (while still logged onto the payroll server, one of the ten) and have their third breakfast of the morning. Then proceed to complain about how short of breath they are...hmm...

8. About 90 minutes later, they waddle back to their cubicle to complete their payroll on time.
9. There are about 30 directors/supervisors (I use those terms loosely) who do this every two weeks.

30 x 90% = 27 I estimate that there are 27 of these kinds of people in our place of employment who have to 'clean up after' 1100 x 90% = 990. Quite a mix.

This is a world-wide standard. Do your own calculations at your workplace and you will realize what we are dealing with here!

One may ask why don't I just come in earlier tomorrow? I get up at 5:30am to run 3-4 miles, have my quiet time and be ready to work around 7:30.

Some things are more important. And besides, I've got a great job here. This is the one thing I can complain about!

Milk Theology

It seems that as I prepare for the next year of Sunday School (this September), I begin to mull over the potential curriculum for various classes. We have great teachers in our church and I thank God for the gift of teaching many of our 'volunteers' have. It is a true blessing.

However, I continually struggle with the standard, turn-key, watered down curriculum simplistic "MILK" we have to choose from. There is nothing theologically wrong about it, but for the most part it doesn't challenge people. I will say that it is true that there are many who take this curriculum and do wonders with it.

We mostly struggle with the children's area. It is terribly weak. It doesn't give children a true 'Foundation'. How many times do our kids learn about Adam and Eve, the Apple, Noah's Ark (two of each kind? read it again!), Dave and the five rocks, the three wise men (only three?), and of course Joseph, Mary and Bethlehem.

Sunday after Sunday, Month after Month, Year after Year...

We started one class with an Answers in Genesis class. Something very different. Wow! It has been excellent. These kids (Jr. High) are learning the absolute Foundation of Everything. The pastor and I want to use this curriculum church wide, but are taking a more pragmatic approach.

We are beginning an Expository series of Genesis. One of our members has an incredible gift of teaching and Creation Science background. His first adult class was this past spring and we had an average of 25-35 people in it. It was an incredible study. He is starting part two, "Genesis 1-11, Verse By Verse".

What ever happened to Expository Bible Study? Since growing up in the 70s and 80s, almost all of my Bible Studies have been 'Stovepipe'. Topical. A little here, and a little over there. No foundation.

Alistair Begg is quoted as saying in a recent Hebrew's study that my wife and I are listening to that the primary purpose of a pastor is teaching his flock (Hebrews 5:1-4). Teaching the foundation of the Christian life. Not allowing heresy into the church. John MacArthur has said numerous times that expository Bible Teaching should be the rule not the exception. Unfortunately, it is very rare that expository teaching is the Rule anymore.

Of course, 'Exposing' the Word of God will (and should) make us uncomfortable in our sin and convict us to draw closer to God, not ourselves. It should Expose the false teachings that we hear and see IN THE CHURCH today. It should Expose the Scripture, inerrant and pure and without error. It should EXPOSE the total depravity of ME and that without Christ's Blood Atonement on the Cross and the Holy Spirit's drawing me towards Him, I am but the chaff destined for the fire.

Unfortunately, most of us don't like to be Exposed. We are dirty, filthy rags. Only because of Christ's Blood are we washed white as snow. Because we don't have a foundation of Faith, we fall for false or questionable teachings in the Church.

The whole Purpose Driven Program is a dangerous result of years of this 'Milk Theology'. PDL, and the other PD's are, in my opinion, a whole lot of Milk, and very little steak. Paul warns us of not moving beyond dairy products.

Honestly, I have struggled with Celebrate Recovery (a PDL product). We have had many people come to know the Lord and have turned their life around in the program. However, I still believe that the Holy Spirit is speaking to me every time someone mentions it in Church. I believe that lives are changed through this program. That doesn't mean that we shouldn't critically look at it from a Biblical perspective and ensure it doesn't conflict with scripture for the future. I have two serious points to start off with:

1. I have a serious problem with not being able to correct people in the small group when something needs to be corrected. When someone questions a basic doctrine of Faith and 'crosstalk' is prohibited, that is a problem. Jesus did plenty of 'crosstalk' during His 33 years on earth!

2. The 'CR' Bible: it contains SERIOUS translation ERRORs!

3. New Age psychology. Your path to your Higher Power. Now I understand that Rick Warren uses it to mean Jesus Christ. But if it is coming from an "Evangelical" Pastor, why use New-Age Terminology?

4. We are 'Delivered' from our sins. Period. We don't need to continue in a small group rehashing it over and over again. I don't need to get up in front of people and say, every time, "Hi, I'm Harry, I am a follower of Jesus Christ, and I am recovering from Food Addictions/Co-dependent relationships/Anger/etc. Where is this in Scripture? It seems that many who are sold out to CR try to convince EVERYONE that they have something that they need Recovery from. This is not Scriptural. Our sins are forgiven and they are removed as far as the East is from the West. We need discipleship. We need accountability with one another, yes. But not the ongoing perpetual recovery that never seems to end.

5. The 12-step program is based on Alcoholics Anonymous. Whose founder was a spirit channeler who was given a vision, during an drunken binge, to stop drinking and do it using 12 steps. This is where the "Higher Power" comes from. This guy's higher power was a spirit guide. Does this belong in a church?

I am not one to jump on or off publicly without discussing, praying, studying and researching it. This whole PDL movement has for some reason bothered me from the beginning. I've read the books, discussed some of these points with others.

Here is a link I just found that compares some PDL/CR issues from a Scriptural perspective. It is a very short, yet concise description of the serious theological problems with PDL/CR.

My bottom line is this. We have gone through the Wide Gate onto the Wide Path with our teaching and preaching for so long that we don't even recognize Scriptural error anymore. Solid, expository preaching and teaching is offensive in most 'Evangelical' churches.

Read the Pilgrim's Progress. We got our copy through Truth For Life (www.truthforlife.org), Alistair Begg's ministry. Get the one with today's English, not the King's English! It has Scripture References and is a great picture of a Christian's journey. They have a kid's version, too.

The Christian life and witness is too serious to be 'stovepiped'. Scripture is too important to be brushed off as 'too difficult' to read verse by verse (Homilies, anyone?). We need to Expose each verse, Expose false teaching, Expose our Sin for what it is. Sin. Not shortfalls, mistakes, psychological defects, etc. No. It is rebellion against Almighty God. That is sin. Jesus' Blood Atonement on the Cross fulfilled the cost of my sin. When I bring up my sin that I have already asked for forgiveness for over again (and not recovered from), I'm basically saying that Jesus' death on the Cross wasn't good enough. NO! I am Delivered from that Sin. What I need is to be discipled by Godly people on a daily basis.

Not a gimmicky, smarmy intro line that is plagiarized from AA. Not a program based on the occult.

We are called to be the Salt and the Light. Don't let the salt become bland and worthless.

Teach the Word. Verse by Verse. Expose Evil.

Ecumenical Spines (Now that's an oxymoron!)

With the passing of Jerry Fallwell (JF), we are seeing a resurgence of those who vehemently disagreed with him. Why? Besides being a Christian? Was it more than that?

Of course it was. Whether you liked him or not, he almost never backed down. He did say some things that were probably best said from the campaign trail rather than the pulpit. Putting that aside, his ability to stand firm is what many so-called 'Christians' were, and are, afraid to do.

Gutless Christians

America is filled with luke-warm Christians. Ecumenical Christians. Those willing to sell out. Their fruit is rotten, their faith built on straw and hay. We know what the 'Master' did to those- he cut them off and cast them into the fire. After 9-11 we were filled with TV images of "Evangelicals" praying with Imams, Priests, Bishops, etc. Anyone who questions those on stage were labelled as intolerant and narrow-minded.

I am just as guilty a lot of the time. I'll be the first to admit that I sometimes don't speak up when I should. I fall short many times. However, I am blessed to have a pastor who refuses to 'do the ecumenical thing'. He sets the example for the rest of us and does it Biblically. He has stood firm aligning with Scriptural Integrity.

JF stood firm in many issues. He took the heat because so many of us backed down and slinked back into our holes. Like him or despise him. Agree with the methods of the Moral Majority or not. He stood firm for his Christian beliefs. Provided young people an education at an institution that espoused Scriptural Doctrines instead of the scientific/philosophical garbage of evolution, secular humanism, etc.

People, John tells us in Revelation that it is only going to eventually get worse. We just don't know when. We need to speak the truth. Firmly and in love. Peter, through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, says it perfectly (of course it is, it is inspired!)

1 Peter 3:15 "But sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence,"

On a Roll...

I can't be too serious all the time. Here are a couple of clips from my (our) Alma Mater. Proud to be a Florida Gator!








Who's next? I'm sure Ohio State is getting tired of the beatings...

Florida Gators and the Crocodile Hunter

For those of you who are familiar with the elusive and terrifying Florida Gator, here is a little clip from the late Steve Irwin...

Innerancy of the Word

Number two on the list of items that are Absolutes for Christians is the Innerancy of the Word.

We just finished an introductory study in Apologetics from one of our truly gifted members in our Church. The teacher is in his 'second' career as a Christian Scientist. He led us through Scripture to show how Genesis is proven throughout the New Testament. It was truly amazing.

Similar to John MacArthur's premise that when one denies the Innerancy of the Scripture, one's salvation is seriously compromised. Christ is the Word. Question the Word is to Question Christ.

If one believes in Evolution, then one denies the Genesis account. Deny Genesis, then Deny Christ. Christ was in the beginning. John 1:1 is pretty plain and simple. In the beginning was the Word (Greek translation = Christ), and the Word (Greek=Christ) was with God (Greek I AM), and the Word (Christ) was God (I AM).

This simple verse has profound theological implications. It lays the foundation for who Christ was/is/ever shall be. It clearly defines the Trinity. It clearly defines Jesus as the Messiah. The Word cannot be changed, as it existed before time, and was only written down through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit by men.

Without error.

Amen.

VSIPs

The world is full of VSIPs. They are everywhere. The most common places to see these VSIPs are:

1. In front of you in line. Any line, usually the slowest moving. The more VSIPs, the slower the line.
2. Driving the car next to, or in front of you.
3. In the seat next to you on an Airplane.
4. The first one on the airplane who puts their eight pieces of carry-on luggage in the first overhead bin above seat #2A. His seat is #86D. It takes him 15 minutes to situate his bags and backs up the entire flight. It's okay, he's a VSIP.
5. She's the one who looks like guy from the Star Trek who is blind with that 'virtual eye' thing to help him see, except she has something like it in her ear at the table next to you at McDonald's.
6. He says "Hi, how are you doing" you answer foolishly because he's not talking to you. You don't think you're that important for him to lower himself to talk to you do you?
7. There's a kid drowning at the pool, and Mom is poolside yelling into space (because she has the Star Trek ear thing, remember?) that she has to go and yell at the lifeguard to save her kid. Too late...

You all remember the days when (in 1993 for me) when the first cell-phones came out. They were the size of a shoebox, and weight about the same as a miniature schnauzer. Now, they are the size of three rabbit droppings stuck together.


At that time, there were only four people who use cell-phones:

1. The guy who carried the 'Football' for the President. He would call the guys who would press 'The Button' when the POTUS would lean over to him and tell him. Obviously the POTUS didn't need one himself. It was too heavy, and would interfere with him shaking hands and kissing babies.

2. Emergency Doctors. Of course, these guys need to have one. That is a no-brainer.

3. Pizza Delivery Guys. We need a way to find out why our pies are over 30" late, and help them find there way.

4. Terrorists (they use them to detonate those IEDs)


Process of Elimination:

1. There is only one 'Football Guy'. And he's usually with the POTUS. The only exception is when he is in the executive bedroom, and I am pretty sure that he isn't sitting in a chair next to the nightstand "Just In Case". Maybe then the President carries it... then it would get in the way of something else...hmm.

2. Emergency Doctors. There aren't that many of them. Statistically, maybe one per plain, and I doubt he is doing his nails talking into the air at the local YMCA watching his kid drown.

3. Pizza Delivery Guys. On the plane? That's some delivery service...but hate to see their 'hidden fuel charges' for their products!

4. I don't think Terrorists are that popular here in the States. Akbar and his little brother, call him 'Spotter', isn't common here. So I doubt that. However, maybe if the cell-phone companies did a 'retro' program making all phone like they did back in early 90's, it would make these IEDs a little more difficult to do. Make "Spotter", Akbar's malnourished little brother, lug the 25 pound cellphone with the external antenna dragging behind a mile to the IED point. By that time the 8 pound battery is dead, and Spotter was so tired, he probably dropped the spare in a pile of donkey poo a half-mile back. That 'Allah Be Praised' mission just flopped. Kind of Spotter did on the side of the road in exhaustion. (Of course the US Convoy see Spotter passed out on the side of the road and stop to render aid and give him Candy. Only to have him and Akbar try it again tomorrow. How nice.)

Who the heck are all of these other people think they are? They are VSIPs. Very Self-Important People.

They are not going anywhere. We are stuck with them. Don't become one of them. Don't talk to them. Don't look them in the eyes. Don't acknowledge them. They are in need of a 12-step recovery program.

'Hello. My name is Cookie (or Chip). I am a recovering VSIP. "

Valentine's Day

A message I heard on the way to work on V-D (no sexual disease pun there- just some symbolism about this Hallmark Holiday and how intimidating this day can for some. Not me, of course!) Talked about the 'Beautiful People of the Bible'.

The Bible talks specifically about three people: Rebekah, Rachel and Joseph (of Technicolor Coat Fame), one of which is who my Beautiful Wife is named after!

Genesis 24 details the beginning courtship of Isaac and Rebekah and their first meeting:

15 And it came about before he had finished speaking, that behold, Rebekah who was born to Bethuel the son of Milcah, the wife of Abraham's Brother Nahor, came out with her jar on her shoulder, 16 and the girl was very beautiful, a virgin, and no man had had relations with her and she went down to the spring and filled her jar, and came up. 17 Then the servant rand to meet her, and said, "Please let me drink a little water from your jar."

There are some parallels:

1. When we first met in January 1992 I was a stranger in a strange land (From Indiana to Florida to go to school).

2. Proudly she was pure (as so was I)

3. She was beautiful.

4. A good friend of mine (we were roommates) and a friend of hers played matchmakers (not servants, though).

5. She was the one!

There were differences too:

1. I wasn't thirsty, nor was my servant/friend.

2. My Camels weren't thirsty.

3. I didn't totally know she was the one at the time. (v 21: the man was gazing at her in silence, to know whether the Lord had made his journey successful or not.)


She is my loving wife of three beautiful children, and is everything I could have dreamed of. The Lord chose her for me before the foundation of the world, just as He Supremely arranged the Meeting of Isaac and Rebekah.

God is Awesome!

Essential Doctrines of the Christian Faith: #1

Jesus is both God and man

References: Genesis 3:22, John 1:14, Colossians 2:9, and I John 4:1-4.
Excellent Site for further study: Christian Apologetics and Research Ministry

To me, John 1:1-5 are the most awesome verses that describes Jesus' essence:

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

2 He was in the beginning with God.

3 All thing were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. 4 In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.

5 And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.

This is an ESSENTIAL belief that if denied, then it seriously questions one's Salvation. It is this essence of Christ that allows Jesus' Death on the Cross and Resurrection to Atone for our Sins. It He was/is not God, then the Cross was just the cross, another crucifixion by the Romans.

Denial of this Number One essential shakes the entire foundation of Christianity, and the authenticity of the Bible.

Jehovah's Witness and Christian Science both deny this essential. Of course all other religions such as Islam, reject this belief.

PostNeoEmergoUniContaplagianism

A new religion has been established. Here are some key terms:

1. Feeler: The person who espouses the nebulous beliefs of PostNeoEmergoUniContaplagianism.
2. Feelism: The belief of the PostNeoEmergoUniContaplagianism.
3. Feelology: The study of PostNeoEmergoUniContaplagianism.
4. Head Feeler: The current unofficial leader of Feelism. It is unofficial because not everyone Feels the same way.
5. Feelosophy: The quest for understanding Feelism. This is a futile quest because understanding Feelism is like Nailing Jello to a Wall: I cannot be done. See prior post.
6. Feelogian: one who dedicates one's entire Feeler-being to the quest for understanding of Feelism. Feelogians, if truly scholarly, eventually require medical attention to repair physical damage done to joints by the endless twisting and contortions required to understand Feelism. As #4 and #5 state, it is futile. Following Biblical Theological Rehabilitation (BTR), these people see the error of their ways and become Former Feelers who have seen the Light or 'F2WHSTLs.


We will continue to study and discern this new religion based on the Truth of Scripture.

1 John 4

1 Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world.

2 By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has com in the flesh is from God;

3 and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God; and this is the spirit of the Antichrist, of which you have heard that is coming, and now it is already in the world.

Nailing Jello to the Wall...

Just to get some thoughts off my chest: Trying to pin down an answer to a question with most 'Emergent' people, and those who are 'Contemplative' is like trying to nail JELL-O to the Wall!

IT CANNOT BE DONE!!! It is humanly impossible. However, Emergents (as will we all) will some day stand before Almighty God and have to answer one important question.

Let us begin the I FEEL Meter Running! It is a good tool for us to determine the level of Biblical knowledge. It is an inverse relationship: The higher the number, the deeper the slide into the Theological Pit of Pseudo Humility (aka 'Arrogance')

Last year the Baptist Press ran an article where Al Mohler (President of Southern Seminary) and Brian McClaren, the Premier Emergent of Today (henceforth known as PEOT). A question was asked of both of them:

"When asked whether a person must trust Christ as dying on the cross to make atonement for their sin in order to be a Christian:"

Dr. Mohler: "Absolutely."

McClaren: "I (1) wouldn't say that having that understanding is all that it means to be a Christian. I think (2) that some people might have that understanding and not be interested in following Jesus. They want Jesus' blood to pay for their sins so they can go to heaven, but they aren't really interested in following Jesus in this life." (Has he answered the question, yet?)

McClaren on Homosexuality, Adultery, Divorce, etc: no comment, except: "This issue has become inappropriately political. I (3) have my own opinions, but I (4) don't believe that the smartest thing for me (5) to do is to go around and make those varying opinions a reason to separate myself (6) from other Christians. I (6) fellowship with Christians who have a diversity of opinions of homosexuality." (How about the Bible, PEOT? What does it say?)

Huh? McClaren = 6


Dr. Mohler: When it comes to issues such as the exclusivity of the Gospel, the identity of Jesus Christ as both fully human and fully divine, the authoritative character of Scripture as written revelation, and the clear (Hey, PEOT: There is a hint for you!) teaching of Scripture concerning issues such as homosexuality, this movement (Emergent) simply refuses to answer the questions. (Amen!) A responsible theological argument must acknowledge that difficult questions demand to be answered. (What PEOT is incapable of doing) We are not faced with an endless array of doctrinal variants from which we can pick and choose."

Dr. Mohler = 0

FEEL Meter:
Mr. McClaren: 6
Dr. Mohler: 0

Matthew 7:20-23

Ways Contrasted, Fruits Contrasted

20 So then, you will know them by their fruits.

21 Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of Heaven; but he who does the will of My Father, who is in Heaven.

22 Many will say to Me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?'

23 And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; Depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness."

That is the last thing anyone wants to hear on Judgement Day. Over the next few weeks, we will be going through the basic doctrines of the Christian Faith. There are some that are ESSENTIALs of the Christian Faith, or specifically spoken and commanded in the Bible. Then there are those that divide us among denominations that are merely opinions or interpretations of Scripture on which Scripture is not explicit: these are the NON-ESSENTIALS.


A denial of an Essential- is a Denial of God. Scripture is 'crystal':

1 John 2:23 is clear: "Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father; the one who confesses the Son has the Father also."

Matthew 10:33 is 'Waterford' here too: "But whoever shall deny Me before men, I will also deny him before my Father who is in Heaven."

And for those of you who say that God is all about love, peace, and that we need to 'agree to disagree' and get along: How about we read the NEXT VERSE, putting the whole passage in context:

34 Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth; I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.

Others...

Matthew 16:27 For the Son of Man is going to come in the glory of His Father with His angels: and will then recompense every man according to his deeds.

In Matthew 23:1-36 'Woe to you' seven times to the Pharisees, then proceeds to call them (in public): Hypocrites,
False Teachers
Fools
Blind Men
Blind guides
Rotting on the Inside
Serpents
Finally: Verse 33: "You Brood of Vipers, how will you escape the sentence of hell?"

The Bible was written to Believers in Jesus Christ. These verses are to show us how serious Jesus is when He was on earth. It is not to be taken lightly. We are in a spiritual battle. We cannot let the enemy into our camp. Jesus is clear about false teachers. What constitutes a false teacher?

Discernment. Judgement is for God, Discernment is for Christians.

Nailing Jell-O to the wall- only God can do it!

Tuba Correction!

Florida Ohio State
1st Downs 21 8
Total Yards 370 82
Passing 214 35*
Rushing 156 47
Penalties 6-50 5-50
3rd Down Conversions 10-19 1-9
4th Down Conversions 2-3 0-1
Turnovers 0 2
Possession 40:48 19:12

My mistake. The Tuba Player ran the same amount of yards that Troy Smith passed for against The University of Florida

41-14 Football & Basketball, UF and SEC are King

Coming Soon: Stats from the Game.

Guess What- the Tuba Player who dotted the "i" for the OSU Band Monday Night ran 30 yards to do so. That means he had more rushing yards than the OSU Offensive Line!

Heh...

Celebrate Recovery

Just a link to an editorial on Celebrate Recovery. Wifey and I are dealing with some 'quickening' of our spirits in relation to CR, and this article comes pretty close to pin pointing it.

http://www.thebereancall.org/Newsletter/html/2005/oct05.php

This comment alone is worthy of not allowing this program into a church:

"Pastors and elders can be small group leaders, but not for teaching purposes. No leader may biblically instruct or correct but may only affirm the “transparency” of the participant sharing his feelings."

So when a CR participant says "Elvis came to me last night in a vision and told me to stop doing drugs and eating peanut-butter and banana sandwiches", all a pastor or elder can do is sit there and smile and not correct (like the Bible commands us to do!)

Hmm...

This needs more Biblical Research.