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Friday, October 15, 2004

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Friday, June 18, 2004

Time to move on Time to move on. My blog is now located at http://theologygeekblog.us/main

Sunday, June 13, 2004

Let's Geek it up a notch! I'm starting three new books. Two of them are text books types, so it isn't all that important that I read them cover to cover in the normal way. I am working on getting my first ham radio license. I did pass the Novice written exam at one point (a long time ago), but since there isn't a Novice class anymore, I'm back to studying again. I am hoping to get my Technician Class license with Morse Code privledges. That would allow for local voice communications and worldwide communications via morse code. Morse code is going to be a real issue with me.

Saturday, June 12, 2004

3 cheers for the Cos 3 cheers for the Cos "... with names like Shaniqua, Taliqua and Mohammed and all of that crap, and all of them are in jail. Brown v. the Board of Education is no longer the white person's problem. We have got to take the neighborhood back. We have to go in there – forget about telling your child to go into the Peace Corps – it is right around the corner. They are standing on the corner, and they can't speak English." "Hey, you have a baby when you are 12; your baby turns 13 and has a baby. How old are you? Huh? Grandmother! By the time you are 12, you can have sex with your grandmother, you keep those numbers coming. I'm just predicting." --Bill Cosby

Wednesday, June 09, 2004

Politically Correct Teeball is "pointless" James 1:2-4 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. Let me get this right "trials" produce "steadfastness" (The NIV calls it perseverance), and "steadfastness" produces "perfection". So when I hear stories about kids' teeball teams who play games that have no points and that have no outs, I want to puke. I was reading some articles from my hometown newspaper this morning, and I noticed an article about the first night game of the season. And there is was, these games don't have points. I asked one of my co-workers about this, and he said that his son's games don't have points or outs. The only point is to have fun. What kind of person are you if you don't learn how to struggle and strive at an early age? You are a wuss. A lot of people have been talking about President Reagan this week for good reason. I don't know a whole lot about his policies, nor about his two terms in the white house. I was only 10 when he left office. From what I have heard this week, I can tell that there was at least one thing definite. He was a man of integrity. I want to know how many people in my generation have integrity and how many are going to try to weasel out of everything bad that happens. I don't think that there are many. We've grown up with self-esteem training that makes wusses out of kids by removing the difficulties of being children. We've grown up with more luxuries and easy living than ever before. If historians thought that the baby-boomers were bad, we late gen-x'ers are ever worse. Rude, Crude, and Totally Socially Unacceptable What kind of example are we setting? What kind of example are we setting for our kids? I sometimes wonder. Last Thursday night I had the opportunity to attend the Marion High School commencement program. The program was an event to honor 232 young men and women who had completed their high school careers. Reviewing what I've written so far, the program was an event to honor 232 young men and women. I had to think that some people just didn't get the message. I will concede that the night was hot, and Wilson Gym is not air-conditioned. I understand some people who were in attendance may have had trouble dealing with the heat in the gym. What I fail to understand are the people who roamed the gymnasium and the hallways like it was a high school basketball game instead of a graduation ceremony. I also failed to understand the non-stop talking that continued throughout the program. Fortunately for me, I was able to get a printed copy of Brad Jurgensmeier's speech. Fortunate because I hardly heard a word of it. Yes, I know, Brad could have got a little closer to the microphone. But he shouldn't have had to. When Brad began speaking and it was hard to hear, as adults we should have taken the lead and done our best to keep the gym quiet. Didn't happen. It was also very disturbing when I saw people get up and leave after their favorite graduate's name was announced and he or she received their diploma. Again, back to the early part of this column, the night was for ALL 232 graduates. It seems just a bit rude for a young man or woman to be walking up to accept a high school diploma, while a few feet away a file of family and friends of the previous graduate is heading for the exit. We wonder what's wrong with the young people of today. I suspect that they are just following the example set by their adult role models. My hat's off to the graduates in the Marion High School Class of 2004. Hopefully you heard all of their names. While we're on the subject of things that aggravate me, I've noticed a similar problem at school music programs, especially at junior high concerts. When the concert features multiple bands (the seventh- and eighth-grade bands, for instance) it's not uncommon for a large portion of the crowd to leave when the first band is complete instead of waiting for the whole concert. I have to say, you are missing some good music. How about this one. I dropped my wife, Amy, off at Washington School the other day for her afternoon shift as crossing guard. I started to pull away, but had to stop and wait for the car a few blocks away. Never mind that the speed limit in front of schools is 20 miles per hour. This car was at least traveling double that speed. Oh well, it's just school kids that were getting ready to cross the street within the next few minutes. No big deal, right?!?! Maybe it shouldn't be a wonder why our kids are so independent. Or just maybe we should go a little farther in setting an example for them, or watching out for their well being. I really hate reposting entire articles, but this is one that does not allow remote linking. Arrgh! The url of this article is here: http://www.mariondaily.com/articles/2004/06/11/local_news/news96.txt

Tuesday, June 08, 2004

The Survey: Part 2 The Survey is done. I will put up a permanent link on the righ-hand side of the screen in a few. I am hoping to the survey until 9/1/04, and I will try to have stats up weekly. The script that I am using has a nice MS Excel export feature, so I will try to upload those regularly as well. Thanks again to all those who take my survey. If I could get 100 or more responses by September, then I will be thrilled. The Survey. Part 1 Yesterday I downloaded a PHP based script that is used to make survey's. I am planning on hosting it at my home pc and putting the link here at the blog. The goal of this survey is to find out about how people have been evangelized and the circumstances around their evangelization. I want to hear from Christians and non-Christians who have been evangelized to. I also want to hear about the techniques used to envangelize, the results that the evangelism had on the people, and where the evangelism failed or succeeded. I hope to have the survey online today or tomarrow.

Thursday, June 03, 2004

Ugh! Brockton junior high sex racket probed

Wednesday, June 02, 2004

Good Old Lovable Rational Atheistic Modernists A brief history of bollocks I miss reading about the modernist atheists of yore. Those people who tried prove and disprove different notions on the basis of reason, fact, and truth alone. Some of my Christian counterparts may be questioning my sanity right now, but I don't care. True Christianity has more in common with them than we do with your average postmodern nitwit who couldn't reason his way out of a wet paper bag. (Afterall, the paper bag is just a social construct, and really doesn't exist.) I may just go out and buy this book. Why were Christians so afraid of these guys? Because after Finney's second great awakening, we lost our ability to reason. After events like the Snopes Monkey Trial, we lost our courage and stepped out of the public arena and stepped into our Christian ghettoes. If there is going to be a new Enlightenment and not and new anti-Enlightenment, then I want to see Christians on the cutting edge of that movement and not crying about how judgemental everybody is and how all they want is a personal relationship with Jesus.

Tuesday, June 01, 2004

Depression "It is hard to relish the beauty of a rose when you are coughing up blood." I picked of Spurgeon's "Lectures to my students" last night before I went to sleep. I had remembered that there was a lecture in that book that had to do with depression, and I wanted to check it out. I had heard that Spurgeon had fought with depression for much of his life, and I wanted to read about it for myself. I found the character of a man who was intimate with suffering, and who's sufferings eclipse my own. We can learn a lot from those who have gone before us, and I have linked to three resources below. The first it the lecture from Charles Spurgeon, the second is an essay on the life of David Brainerd by John Piper, and the third is the Diary of David Brainderd which was edited and published by Johnathon Edwards. The Minister's Fainting Fits - Charles H. Spurgeon Reflections on the Life and Ministry of David Brainerd by John Piper The Life and Diary of the Rev. David Brainderd 10 reasons why your church sucks ginkworld.net - where it all starts

Friday, May 28, 2004

Succession? A Cautious Man http://christianexodus.org/ Should I be offended, humoured, or perplexed? From the Blog

Thursday, May 27, 2004

The Choice of God Here is a case of four convicted criminals; Convict A, Convict B, Convict C, and Convict D. They have all been found competent to be tried and they all pleaded guilty and were sentenced to life in prison in their respective court trials. Each of these four criminals were guilty of performing heinous acts of violence ranging from rape to murder to pedophilia. The governor of that state is up for re-election and is deciding that he wants to pardon one of these four criminals as a way to show the public that he is a compassionate man who believes in second chances. Is it unfair for one of the criminals to be pardoned and not the others? I believe that most people would agree that it is fair for criminals to be punished for their actions regardless of whether or not someone else is paroled. Here's my point. I am a criminal. I have done acts that I know were wrong. I have hurt people in my life that I have never said that I am sorry for. I have lied to those that I care about. I have stolen. I have lusted, and I have done many things that I dare not speak about in public. However, I know that I am not alone. Every human with consciousness on this planet has done things that they know were not right. From the child who lies about a cookie that was stolen from the jar to the woman who shoots her husband, we know when we have done wrong whether we feel guilt for it or not. And for that, we deserve to be brought to justice. What is justice? It is a paying back of what is owed through punishment and retribution. When someone steals money from their company, the company will seek justice. They want their money returned as well as for the person to be punished. That is justice. When we do things that are wrong, we don't only hurt ourselves and others, but we are also wrongdoing God, and God demands justice. However, since God is perfect, any action that is less than perfect obedience is a grievous strike offense against him. The cost for such an offense is death. We owe God our lives, not only because he created us, but out of retribution for our offenses toward him. There are no good works we can do to even out our score with God. Even if God were in the business of letting us buy back out bad deeds for good, that doesn't change our state as people. We we are an old trash bag than has been left out to rot. We're full of holes where our bad deeds have left us emotionally and sometimes spiritually damaged. Furthermore, we smell like putrid rotten garbage because we continue to do bad deeds on a daily basis. Even when we do good deeds, we know that in the back of our minds that there is always a tiny bit of ego there that makes our good deeds self-serving and therefore ruins any chance of a truly selfless and good act. Such a person can not hope to be allowed into the presence of a perfect being. That leads us into a real mess, but there is hope. Even if God is not in the good deed for bad deed exchange business, he is in the pardon business because Christ, being a totally perfect human being, paid that price. The question that I want to raise now, is "who gets pardoned?" The Bible says very clearly that some people are going to pay the debts for their bad deeds in Hell. That is justice. Some are going to be pardoned. Just as it is fair for the Governor or pardon some criminals and not others, it is fair for God to pardon some people and not others. Also just like a prisoner awaiting death row, there is nothing the prisoner can do to make the Governor choose them. It is up to the person pardoning to choose. Another bit of good news is that God's choices are better than that of a greedy governor. Another thing is important to note. People on earth don't understand what it is that they are doing when they hurt each other, nor do they want to face that fact. In order for God to pardon us, he must also change us. We must become perfect in the eyes of God. Christ did this for us also. When God opens our eyes and we know that justice has been done for us. We called this the state of being justified. If we are such rotten blind buggers before God makes us become justified, then how can we ask God to fix us. The answer is simple, we can't. God's pardon is complete. He picks us, pardons us, and sets us on a journey on the right road. We can't choose God because of our flaws, instead God has to choose us. Finally, even after God chooses and justifies us, we still haven't gotten rid of all of the holes and the stench. They don't go away until heaven. As a matter of fact, the more that we look at the perfection of God, the more holes we find and the more that our stench reeks. Even then, God is still working on us to seal the holes and to quench the sink. It will take a lifetime to fix some of them. When we get to be with God, we are given a new body and mind that will not have those painful holes or the sickening stench of our failures. Blogger Comments Use this little script if you opted to use comments in Blogger, but they just don't appear.

Monday, May 24, 2004

Commencement at Concordia This is snippet from President Bush's Commencement address at Concordia seminary.

Thursday, May 20, 2004

Sketchy Science? Science fiction What do you get when you make a movie about natural phenominon that goes awry due to global warming? You get a bunch of people who who stir up fear that is a real possibility. Who cares if the science is bad. As long as people recycle more and give more money to environmental groups, then that is all that matters, right? Another case where the ends justify the means, and the facts don't matter as long as you feel like you are doing the right thing. False Witness False Witness

Wednesday, May 19, 2004

Idiotic Lyrics The following is the theme song for the newest Star Trek series. It can also be called the theme song for the anti-intellectual generation. Where my Heart will Take Me. by Diane Warren It´s been a long road, getting from there to here. It´s been a long time, but my time is finally near. And I can feel the change in the wind right now. Nothing´s in my way. And they´re not gonna hold me down no more, no they´re not gonna hold me down. Cause I´ve got faith of the heart. I´m going where my heart will take me. I´ve got faith to believe. I can do anything. I´ve got strength of the soul. And no one´s gonna bend or break me. I can reach any star. I´ve got faith, I´ve got faith, faith of the heart. It´s been a long night. Trying to find my way. Been through the darkness. Now I finally have my day. And I will see my dream come alive at last. I will touch the sky. And they´re not gonna hold me down no more, no they´re not gonna change my mind. Cause I´ve got faith of the heart. I´m going where my heart will take me. I´ve got faith to believe. I can do anything. I´ve got strength of the soul. And no one´s gonna bend or break me. I can reach any star. I´ve got faith, faith of the heart. I´ve known the wind so cold, and seen the darkest days. But now the winds I feel, are only winds of change. I´ve been through the fire and I´ve been through the rain. But I´ll be fine. Cause I´ve got faith of the heart. I´m going where my heart will take me. I´ve got faith to believe. I can do anything. I´ve got strength of the soul. And no one´s gonna bend or break me. I can reach any star. I´ve got faith. I´ve got faith of the heart. I´m going where my heart will take me. I´ve got strength of the soul. And no one´s gonna bend or break me. I can reach any star. I´ve got faith, I´ve got faith, faith of the heart. It´s been a long road. This psuedo-spiritual gibberish is everywhere. The words are meaningless. If faith is trust, then it seems that the only person that they author trusts is herself. How sad. I honestly think that this song is about self-esteem. That is the trust that one has in themselves. How many movies from the 80's included the phrase, "You can do anything if you put your mind to it?". My generation was being brought up to believe in ourselves, and to not depend on anyone else. Afterall, you can do anything with enough self-esteem. Phooey! Your self-esteem will leave you high and dry, and possibly dead. It's such a surprise to people when they find out that God doesn't care diddley about their self-esteem. God wants us to trust him alone, and not ourselves. Re: Women in Combat--A Time for Truth Women in Combat--A Time for Truth" I can normally agree with most of Al Mohler's commentary. However, he sometimes irks me in how he over-simplifies topics and how he tries to prove his point from the Bible alone. Don't get me wrong, I am a nut for Sola Scriptura. However, the Bible doesn't hold any weight with non-believers and therefore any arguments that need to me made must be made in conjuction with facts outside of the Bible. I think this is where his commentary falls apart. 1. Of course, the military did not publicly acknowledge that in order to incorporate women in fighting units, the services had to lower physical requirements and redefine terms of service. These "redefined" terms of service would come to public attention from time to time, such as when the presence of pregnant soldiers became a complication on the battlefield. This is the line of reason that should have been dominant throughout the commentary. Of course, some documentation would have been very useful. 2. Arabs prize modesty, and Muslim men are not even to show their full nakedness in the presence of other men--much less women. Furthermore, to force a Muslim man to strip naked before a foreign woman is to humiliate him beyond Arab imagination. The Americans went even further than this, forcing the naked Iraqi detainees to perform real and simulated sex acts with the American women watching--and leering. In an interview with KCNC-TV, the CBS affiliate in Denver, Colorado, Pfc. England explained the tactics she and her colleagues used on the prisoners. "We just humiliated them, got them naked, made them run up and down, you know, get them exhausted." She clearly understood what this meant to the Iraqi men: "I'm a female, and in the Muslim culture it's very embarrassing or humiliating to be naked in front of another female, especially if it's an American." I don't get this. Yes, the humiliation level is raised to a much higher degree when these things are done by women to Arab men. However, to link these men's level humiliation directly to the fact that there are women there is a little silly. I have no doubt that the humiliation would have been just as bad or even worse if there weren't women present. 3. Christian moral teaching holds that military service is for men--not women. The Bible presents a comprehensive pattern of differentiation between men and women. Men are to protect women, even as women bear a special responsibility as nurturers--as wives and mothers. Scriptural texts indicate that war is for men, and "wives," "little ones," and cattle are to remain in the land while men go to war [Joshua 1:14]. Christians have understood this pattern for centuries, even if some appear confused in the present. Evangelical historian Harold O. J. Brown observed this consistent teaching within the Christian tradition: "Within both Judaism and Christianity, indeed almost universally in all human culture, the military profession has been reserved for males." The presence of women in combat forces degrades humanity, putting women in the line of fire while sending all the wrong messages about family, gender, and moral honor. The Abu Ghraib scandal demonstrates that women do not raise the moral level of men in warfare. To the contrary, it looks as if the men lower the moral status of the women. Who are these comments for? Are they for Christians? If so, isn't he just preaching to the choir? Real Christians know that war is ugly, and furthermore that people without Christ are going to do bad things in war. Are these comments are meant to rally us up to fight legislation that allows women in combat? If so, then why not just say that? I hope it's not directed toward non-Christians per my previous comment. There's not really anything here to defend your point. What it seems to me is to be just a rant, and not much of a real commentary. Maybe I'm expecting too much from a blog, but Dr Mohler's blog is set up as if it is commentary from a professional.

Monday, May 17, 2004

Polyamory, here we come! It's just a matter of time... Grove City College psychology professor Warren Throckmorton sends his thoughts on San Francisco Chronicle reporter Don Lattin's recent article about "a group called the Unitarian Universalists for Polyamory Awareness (UUPA).... According to UUPA, polyamory is 'the philosophy and practice of loving or relating intimately to more than one other person at a time with honesty and integrity.' Some within the leadership of the polyamory movement, many of whom identify as bisexual, favor making civil marriage open to three or more people. In the Chronicle article, Jasmine Walston, president of UUPA, said, 'We're where the gay rights movement was 30 years ago.' Click Here for the rest of the article. Question: If the striking down of the Texas anti-sodomy law is the stepping stone to gay marriage, and if gay marriage is the stepping stone to polyamory; then what is next? The criminalization of traditional 2-parent heterosexual marriage?

Sunday, May 16, 2004

TVBlog I've decided to kill the TheologyGeekTVBlog. It was kind of a waste. After I started it, I could find any good pictures. Why? Because I don't watch TV all that much.

Friday, May 14, 2004

'Sketchy' Journalism One of my co-workers uses the word, "sketchy" quite a lot to describe people or businesses of a less than savory nature. I think I like that word. It pretty much encompasses people who look dishonest or have a reputation of dishonesty. In the following article from Spiked!. British journalist Mick Hume writes: Does it matter whether or not the photographs are fakes or staged, if we believe that British troops have been abusing Iraqi detainees? That is the question now being asked by the UK Daily Mirror's defenders and the anti-war movement. To which the resounding answer must be yes, it bloody well does matter. Hume continues: It was after Bosnia that former BBC war reporter Martin Bell called for a new 'journalism of attachment'. He defined this as 'a journalism that cares as well as knows', to be practiced by war reporters who are 'no longer spectators, but participants' with a responsibility not simply to report facts but to take sides with good against evil. In the years since then, we have seen the spread of subjective, emotion-driven journalism by reporters who put themselves at the centre of the story, often mixing up opinion with evidence, feelings with facts. Seeing what you want to see, rather than reporting all that is there, has become prevalent even in such bastions of objective reporting as the BBC. We have arrived at a situation where not only does the Daily Mirror feel free to publish staged photos as depictions of fact, but many others who should know better will step forward to defend its right to do so. The phrase, "the ends justify the means" is a natural outcome of today's relativistic culture. After all,, if the concept of truth isn't important, then neither are the concepts of "facts". Facts are replaced with emotions. The once highly admirable profession of journalism is now synonymous with emotive propaganda. Why? Because people don't want to tell the "true" truth. They want to have "their" side of the story told. They want to give the audience something intriguing, and something that they can personally relate to. Subjective statements about what you want to express and objective facts about what really happened is what separates journalism and propaganda. A true journalist doesn't have a "side" or an alternative motive, because they are supposed to tell the story as if they were invisible and not a part of the story at all. Ideas have consequences and relativism is no exception. Poor and shameful journalism is just one example of these consequences. It gets worse. Without truth and the ability to be known for pure facts, many of the virtues that we hold so dear must be thrown out. Virtues like honor and loyalty are replaced with secession and cynicism. The British have public camera systems designed to keep an eye on their people. Americans now have cameras at traffic lights to ticket offenders who run through them. People don't trust anyone anymore. And, to any one who asks, "does it matter as long as their hearts are in the right place?" Mr. Hume said it best, "yes, it bloody well does matter." A lack of trust means a lack of civil liberties. You can't have both, because most civil liberties aren't really "unalienable rights". They are privledges, and they can not co-exist with a society that does not understand truth.

Thursday, May 13, 2004

Dead Kennedys http://www.geocities.com/deadkennedys55/Frankenchrist.html I'm not all that familiar with this band, but the other day I was looking into a new Googleblog on the phrase, "plastic culture", and I came across this page. As you can see, the album that these songs came out on was published in 1985. So the lyrics are a bit dated. However, the subject matter is very current. I'm not going to comment on every sone in this page right now, but there is one that I think is especially good. This Could Be Anywhere (Words: Biafra; Music: Ray/Biafra/Flouride/Peligro) Cold concrete apartments Rise up from wet black asphalt Below them a few carcasses Of the long gone age of privacy It takes a scary kind of illness To design a place like this for pay Downtown's an endless generic mall Of video games and fast food chains One by one The little houses are bricked up and condemned A subtle hint to move Before the rats move in This could be anywhere This could be everywhere Those new kids at school seem cool But dad says not to talk to them Stick to your old friends They're not our kind So now there's lots of fights So many people I know Come of age tense and bitter-eyed Can't create so they just destroy C'mon! Let's set someone's dog on fire Empty plastic Culture slum suburbia Is a war zone now Sprouting the kinds of gangs We thought we'd left behind This could be anywhere This could be everywhere Kids at school are taking sides Along color and uniform lines My dad's gone and bought a gun He says he's fed up With crime in this town This could be anywhere This could be everywhere This could be anywhere This could be everywhere Anywhere Everywhere I hope I'm gone before it explodes I linger late at night Waiting for the bus No amount of neon jazz Could hide the oozing vibes of death My dad's a vigilante now He's bringing home these weird-ass friends Like the guy who fires blanks at his TV When Kojak's on Or the guy who shows off his submachine gun To his sixteen-year-old daughter's friends Whose sense of pride and hope Is being in the police reserve This could be anywhere This could be everywhere--Everywhere

Wednesday, May 12, 2004

Blogger has been updated Blogger And now Blogger has it's own commenting system. Yay!

Tuesday, May 11, 2004

Where have you been all my life? LarkNews.com

Sunday, May 09, 2004

John Warwick Montgomery I found these two links late last week. The first is the two homepage of Mr. Montgomery, and the second is to two lectures and an interview. They are all three in very good quality using the Quicktime format. This is interesting stuff if you have the time to listen. http://www.jwm.christendom.co.uk/ and http://www.id.ucsb.edu/detche/video/religion/montgomery/montgomery.html

Wednesday, May 05, 2004

GoogleBlogging: "my faith works for me..." http://azure.bbboy.net/nogodforum-viewthread?forum=6&thread=162
i have a nice god who takes care of me and my needs are met...if money is tight, a friend brings a gift or food...if i'm wishing for nice clothes, three friends drop off huge bags of new, pretty dresses at my door...i have my trials and sorrows, but god gave me the intellligence and wherewithal to solve my problems, and what's beyond my capacity, someone always seems to step in and bridge the gap...
bottom line: my life and my faith works for me...i am not afraid, of life or death...i'm happy, most of the time, and my life has purpose and meaning because there are many lives that have breathed easier because of me... Your life has meaning because you've helped other people? What about those you've hurt in your life?
if you are an atheist, i have absolutely no problem with you (and i don't think god has a problem with you either)...after all the rotten things humanity has done to humanity in the name of god, i don't think god minds one whit whether people believe in god or not (god does not have a penis or a vagina, so i try not to refer to god as "him" or "her")...
Just because people have done bad things in the name of God, why would change whether of not God cares how people think of him or not?  It makes more sense that God wants people to know who he really is and to really know him, so that they will stop doing atrocities in his name.
if you worship god in a way that resonates as truth within your heart, who in the world could have a problem with that...
If it were really about feeling good, then that's all that would matter.  However, if there is really a God who is there, then why shouldn't we try our best to find the true truth about God.  Many people feel some really horrible things that to them are true.
i'll tell you who i think god has a REALLY BIG PROBLEM WITH: XTIANS!
here is a group who have twisted and perverted god's words, if indeed god uttered those words, for one reason: TO KEEP THE CHURCH RICH AND POWERFUL, AND THE PEOPLE IGNORANT...
That's funny, because it was the church that funded the first universities and organized the first public schools.  It was also the church that funded the first non-governmental charities to help those who couldn't support themselves.
it is my prediction and my fervent hope that the suffering and misery the xtian church has caused will one day soon be buried far beneath the rubble of this earth...xtianity teaches people to hate themselves, forsake their families, offer their children as human sacrifice...xtianity would have us believe that god, who is unlimited, has one limited means of reaching god...
1.  Everyone, not just Christians, will pay for their wrongdoings, so your wish for justice will be done.
2.  Except for the child sacrifice lie (I've never heard that one before), the rest is true.  We are told to hate ourselves because we are so evil (see #1).  We also know that by following a religion that whose claims are exclusive, then there will naturally be a forsaking of friends and family.  This isn't something that Christians should choose to have happen, it is just a natural reaction.  It actually brings us much pain when we have to be seperated from our loved ones because they can't accept the change that has happened to us.
3.  Christians know that there is one very limited way to God.  If we are loving, then we won't brag about it, instead we will humbly try to show that one narrow way.  Secondly, this one narrow way is quite different from all of the ways.  It is the only one where you are given a free ticket to God that you don't have to earn.  There is no karma to be worked out, there are no Sharia laws to follow, there are no sacrifices, there is no self-denial to reach nirvana.  There is just a free ticket.  This is totally different from all world religions.
think of the poor pregnant young women who have been banished from their homes, died in backstreet butcheries, in the name of an all loving god...think of the beautiful nations, such as my hawaii, whose religions, cultures and languages were stripped from them by xtian missionaries....think of the torture, death sentences and every manner of evil and despicable cruelty xtians have inflicted on their fellows over the ages...
Are these actions a part of the Christian religion, or are just done in the name of the Christian religion?  No one would dare say that the terrorists who caused the deaths on 9/11 are the same as all Muslims.  In the same way, those who misuse Christianity are not the same as all Christians.  Do Christians do wrong?  Yes.  Are they guilty of wanton death and distruction?  Yes.  Does that mean that the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ is null and void, no!  Nor does it mean that all Christians or all church leaders are guilty for all of these crimes.  It would be just as foolish to make that kind of claim as it would be to make a claim that all Muslims are terrorists.
i applaud the hosts of this board and the anti xtian speakers such as galph, janus, godless and many others who are the voice of reason in this world...
if you are a good person, i love you...i even love xtians i know because they are good people...but i loathe, despise and hate xtianity with all i have...god damn christianity...
Please see the article that I posted entitled: The Gospel for Those Broken by the Church It doesn't give me any joy at all to write this kind of post.  I hate confrontation in any form, but these kind of objections need to be honestly answered in an open way.  I am not the best person to answer them, but sometimes these questions go unanswered, and an attempt at an answer and a willingness to listen to these kinds of complaints are often better than no answer at all.
Too good to pass up: Don't blame me, blame my stress Don't blame me, blame my stress A Canadian politician claimed that work worries led him to steal a $50,000 ring - and everybody bought it. Re: GoogleBlogging

Maybe my initial idea for GoogleBlogging isn't so great, although the intial general behind it isn't so bad. The reason that I am having trouble using this is because it is very difficult to seperate blogs from other kinds of websites with out taking a lot of time, and I would rather spend time writing instead of searching through google.

What I did decide on is to google for a specific phrase and pull out the first few sites that I could find that contained it, and from there, I will critique the post.

My first GoogleBlog to follow just contains one post because it is rather lengthy, and it says a lot of things that need to be honestly replied to.

Tuesday, May 04, 2004

Googleblogging Let's try something new. I am going to Google a phrase that sounds like something that you might here in pop culture, then I am going to pick out the first five blogs, post them in their context, and then comment on them. Google Search: "Grab the Nearest Book" To find out what other people put: Google Search: "Grab the Nearest Book" Riding the "Quick, Grab the Nearest Book" Train Riding the "Quick, Grab the Nearest Book" Train

"Yes, Mary. What is it?" His tone scarcely masked his irritation.

from Decision Making and the Will of God by Gerry Friesen

Instructions:

1. Grab the nearest book.

2. Open the book to page 23.

3. Find the fifth sentence.

4. Post the text of the sentence in your blog along with these instructions.

Monday, May 03, 2004

The Gospel for Those Broken by the Church The Gospel for Those Broken by the Church Bunnie Diehl: I think I'm going to be ill It's very safe in here. The world can't get you with the it's cigarettes, alcohol, and secular lyrics. Bunnie Diehl: I think I'm going to be ill TheologyGeekTVBlog Since I don't have a video cellphone, I can't have a true photoblog, but I do have a tvtuner card, and a lot of free time, so why not try a TVBlog? More info shortly. http://theologygeektvblog.blogspot.com Total Depavity

The "total" doesn't talk about the degree of depravity -- no one, not even Hitler, has ever been as bad as he could be every single day of his life (but only because they -- we -- are restrained by the grace of God). It refers to extent.

See the full blog post here.

Sunday, May 02, 2004

More links.

Not much else than that. Looks like I am getting more hits.

Friday, April 30, 2004

If my child said s/he was gay and getting married, I would... I think the option that I would choose is to continue loving my son or daughter with no change in my approach to them. Let me explain. I would realize and accept that my son or daughter is a sinner. period. That means that they are not just prone to sin, they have a in-born tendancy to sin and in most cases, they can't help but to sin. This is the story of total depravity and the human race. By realizing this, my life is not going to shatter like most Christians if my son turns out to have sexual feelings for another man. This is just the same old sin in another form. I personally, have a tendacy towards alcoholism that I get from my family. I can't help that. But I can keep myself from picking up that first drink or second drink by just not starting. It's that sence of self-control that I wish to extol to my kids so when they are faced with such choices, they will know how to handle this. Would such a thing be difficult? Yes. I understand that homosexual feelings are not a choice. But having a sexual relationship with another person is a choice, and so is abstinance. and that is what I would try to accentuate. Other than that, I would try hard to make sure that my son or daughter is very aware of the forgiveness of Christ for every sin no matter how great. From Christdot.org Issues Etc I can't express how much a I value the the ministry of Issues Etc. This morning I was listening to Todd Wilken's discussion about this year's general synod meeting of the United Methodist Church. I really don't care too much about the goings on in that denomination since I left the Wesleyan Church and became a Calvinist, but Pastor Wilken made a very good observation. The UMC makes for a great case study of Christian Liberalism. That particular topic may be further looked into in a different blog post. The commentaries, conversations, and guests make this resource extremely invaluable. The discussions of Law and Gospel have helped me to identify inconsistancy in my own life; as well as introducing me to CFW Walther. The discussions on the true centrality of God in all worship and works have humbled me and have shown me where I have been prideful. Also, the discussions on the Theology of the Cross vs the Theology or Glory have been very hard hitting and at times, I have seen the truth and I am hit hard by it. I would gladly suggest to any Christian that they listen to this. Do I agree with everything? no. But what I have found to be true in the program is presented in such a way that I can not hide from it. If I moved back to Illinois and I could not find a reformed church, I would gladly attend an LCMS church instead where the Gospel is Rightly preached, and the sacraments are rightly administered. I owe that to Pastor Wilken.

Thursday, April 29, 2004

Why did the Arminian tie a dolphin to his car? He wanted to live the "Porpoise Driven Life". That's bad, I know.

Tuesday, April 27, 2004

A matter of choice In light of last weekend's pro-choice rally in Washington DC, I'm not going to sit here and lecture and rant about how evil abortion is. I think that people like Greg Koukl at Stand to Reason do that much better than I.

Instead, I want to shed some light on what it means to have choice. The choice to do what you want with your body without a government or religious body sticking it's nose in and telling you how to live your live.

Choice is an undoubtably important thing. The ability to choose how to be goverened was one of the founding principals of this country, which was manifested in the slogan, "No Taxation without Representation." Unlike the failed experience that the Old Soviet Bloc felt under the oppression of Communism, the freedom of Americans is what has helped us become the power that we are today. We progressed by challenging ourselves and by creating our own destinies. Every time an American is denied the basic freedoms of life, we should be sad for that individual.

The above paragraph is something that I truly believe and is not just BS. The conflict comes when we ask, "how far do our freedoms reach?"

Do I have the right choose a good education and a chance at bettering myself?

yes.

Do I have the right to choose to eat what I want for dinner?

yes.

Do I have the right to chose to stab myself in the arm with a knife?

yes.

Do I have the right get a penile implants?

yes.

Do I have the right to strangle a kitten to death?

no.

Do I have the right to punch my co-worker?

no.

Do I have the right to chop down the tree in my yard and let is fall on my neighbor's house?

no.

The answer to the last three questions is no? Other than, "because they are against the law", what is the real reason that I do not have the right to choose to do those things? The reason is because they either inflict pain, cause death, or because they damage someone else's property. The common claim among abortion advocates is that it's their body, and the government has no right to step in and tell them what they can do with it. Science has proven that an embryo is a genetic individual with it's own DNA. It has proven that a fetus responds to external stimuli at a very young age, which proves that it can feel some sembance to pain. It has been proven that a fetus has all of the major organ systems including a functioning nervous system by the end of the second trimester. However, the reach of a woman's right to choose includes the ability to have these organisms destroyed. Why is abortion acceptable, but the intentional strangulation of a kitten, by choice, is punishable by a prison sentence? The person who strangles the kitten is exercizing her right to choose to do what she wants with her body. In this case, it is her hands, not her uterus. It really don't make much sense when you realize that both a kitten and a human fetus are both living organisms who feel physical pain? Why can you do one but not the other?

Friday, April 23, 2004

sp!ked-IT | Article | Touchy-feely toasters sp!ked-IT | Article | Touchy-feely toasters Fallacies Fallacies An Approach to the Extended Memorization of Scripture An Approach to the Extended Memorization of Scripture "God told me" and the Sufficiency of Scripture "God told me" and the Sufficiency of Scripture - 9Marks

Thursday, April 22, 2004

I've got gmail! theologygeek@gmail.com A strange proposition I want to make a deal with the person who runs the English language. I would personally give up my left leg for one special favor to ask. That favor is this: Could you please disallow the word, "faith" to be used as a synonym to the word, "religion"? Thank you. Here's my reason why. Traditionally, the word "faith" meant "to trust" or "to trust in" a thing. This is a good and accurate definition that I think should be upheld. For example, "I have faith in God" means "I trust in God". "I have faith in my friend" means "I trust my friend". If my friend is a pole faultier and is getting ready to vault, I can say, "I have faith in you" which means that "I trust in his ability to make the jump". Of course, the English language has countless instances where a word can have multiple meanings. That is the nature of language. However, there is also a such thing as connotation. Connotation is the general feeling that a person gets about a word. It is less precise than a definition, but it is more personal. Allowing the definition of the word "faith" to include that it is a synonym of the word "religion" will change the connotation of the word "faith". Example 1 My religion is Christianity and my faith is in the God of Christianity. Example 2 My faith is the Christian faith. Lets take a look at the connotations and definitions of the words "religion" and "faith". A religion is a group of people who share a common belief system, which usually centers around a common deity or group of deities. That is the definition of religion. The connotation is that it is a human institution, and that it is a non-personal grouping. I can say that my religion is Christianity, and so could a Roman Catholic, and Jahovah's Witness, and Baptist, and a Gnostic. For the same of my argument though, I want to emphasize that one the main connotations of the word "religion" is that it is impersonal. On the other hand, we have already looked at the definitions of the word faith, but the connotations of the word bring in something else. "Faith" is primarily personal in nature. That connotation, I believe, is not lost when the word, "Faith" gains the definition of "religion". This really comes to focus when a personal pronoun is emphases is used. Lets look at the two examples again, with the connotation in brackets. Example 1 My [religious system] is Christianity and my [personal trust] is in the God of Christianity. Example 2 My [personal religion] is the Christian [religion]. When you personalize a concept the religion by allowing it to have the synonym of the word "faith", you change how it is seen. A "religion" is no longer an objectively definable organization, it is a subjective personal preference. Personal preferences can not be analyzed or judged for their quality any more than a person's preference for Vanilla or Chocolate can be judged for it's quality. However, a religion should be able to be judged for it's good or bad qualities if they claim to be the way reality really works. If you allow religion to personalized, then it changes a religion is. Of course, this is all a farce as far as my argument again why this world should not be used. In reality, the personalization of the religion is what caused the shift in vocabulary, not vice versa. It just irks me when I hear that word being used in the wrong way.

Sunday, April 18, 2004

Movies I've seen a lot of movies this past week, and here's a quick run down on them all. This is the order from Best to Worst. 1. SciFi Channel's Dune Miniseries 2. Blade Runner (Director's Cut) 3. Lost in Translation 4. Dickie Roberts 5. Kill Bill 6. Freddy vs Jason 7. Jeepers Creepers 2 8. Cabin Fever Do I have some screwed up tastes of what? There are times when I get on a horror/action movie kick, and this is one of them. My Throughts: Dune: I was thoroughly impressed with this movie. In my opinion, Scifi did a tremendous job here. They aired the entire miniseries last Sunday, and it really didn't seem like 6 hours had gone by. The acting was very decent. The special effects were good, and they storyline played out very well. This was definately a very enjoyable experience. Blade Runner: What can I say, this is a classic! Harrison Ford was the perfect choice for this movie, and I'm sure that thousands of othe geeks would agree. His little quirks and facial/voice expressions really bring life to the character of Dekker. The movie is a little hard to fallow, and it really requires a second sitting to really understand what is going on. I really want to read the book that this movie is based on if I ever get a chance. I'm sure that there is a lot missing that accounts for the jumps that you have to make to keep the movie going. Lost in Tranlation: After hearing so many good reviews of this movie, I think I hyped myself up a little too much for this one and I was let down. The movie is very low key, the humor is subtle, but the characters are likable. I just didn't know what to make of the relationship between the two main characters. What is a romantc love that was blossoming, or a love that was based in friendship. I hope it is not one of those movies where the audience is meant to decide for themselves. I hate that. This movie did say a lot of things about the nature of lonliness and friendship that I liked. I just wish that there was more to say about the plot. Dickie Robert: This was a fun SNL type of movie. There were quite a few laughs and yes the plot was stupid, and the movie isn't worth much more than a rental, but it makes for a fun night. The song at the end of the movie makes up half the movie itself. Kill Bill: Blood, Blood, Blood, Of all of these movies, this is the bloodiest. Is it needed? I kinda doubt it. I think it actually hurts the movie. There characters are definately interesting, the direction is cool, the anime chapter was definately a plus, but the blood detracts from it. Freddy vs Jason: What can you expect? It's Freddy Krueger vs Jason Vorhees. There gonna be lot's of violence. In my opinion, this one was better than most movies of either series, but certainly not wonderful by any standards. It was fun, and that's just about the extent of it. Jeepers Creepers 2: There's not much to say about this one. It help my attention, and the bad guys died in the fairly satisfying manner, it's just not as much fun as Freddy vs Jason duh duh duh dah! Cabin Fever: This is one of the worst movies I have ever seen! Stay away at all costs! There's no suspence, it's not scary, and the special effects are bad. What is there to a horror movie?!

Friday, April 16, 2004

Forum 2004 Barcelona 2004 What is this? I saw a commercial for this the other night, and I assumed that this is supposed to be a huge gathering of people who are interested and want to promote multiculturalism. There are several private organizations who are to be sponsering this event as well as many corperations such as Toyota, Nestle, and The Discovery Channel. There are also dozens of music performers who are scheduled to be there. These aren't small local bands, but big-name performers like Lenny Kravitz, Alicia Keys, Dido, Phil Collins, Bob Dylan, and Sting. The ticket prices are pretty cheap also, by US standards. If anyone reads this, and has anymore information, please share. I hope to have a message board up and/or guest book up sometime soon. It's just a matter of getting it hosted at trilug.

Thursday, April 15, 2004

Updating the Blog I've done quite a bit of work on this here blog in the last few days, without much actual posting. 1. I've joined Blogwise.com and Blogstreet.com in order to bring in some new hits 2. I'm using a new service at 2rss.com to convert Blogger's atom.xml to a true rss feed. 3. I've added a blogrole, again so I can get more hits. 4. I've merged all of my other blogs into this one. I haven't moved all of the posts over. Some were quite stupid, but I did get the "best of" posts. I'm also adding some new links and maybe making some other changes.

Wednesday, April 14, 2004

I Hate Theology The Internet Monk This article deserves to be read once or twice. I will comment on it when I get a chance to read it again.

Tuesday, April 06, 2004

I just have to share this. Read This!

Monday, April 05, 2004

Dehumanification I listened to the newest Stand to Reason broadcast this morning. The show was about a debate between Brett Kunkle of STR and a professor in San Diego. The topic of the debate was on the existance of moral absolutes. I plan on re-listening to the show tonight and taking notes on the tactics, arguments, and rebuttles that were given. For now, I want to put forth an idea that I have been working on for a while that works along side this idea. The Ten Commandments. --------------------------- 1. You shall have no other gods before me. 2. You shall not make for yourself a carved image. 3. You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain. 4. Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. 5. Honor your father and your mother. 6. You shall not murder. 7. You shall not commit adultery. 8. You shall not steal. 9. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. 10. You shall not covet. (Taken from Exodus 20:1-21 ESV) My main focus here main pertain to what is called the second table of the law. That is, the last five commandments. These commandments have one thing in common, and that is that they are rules for how a person should treat another person. In comparison, the first table of the law is about how a person should act toward God. The second table of the law contains some of the purest examples of universal morality. That is, morality that transends time and culture. The highest moral rule that a person can follow in regards to other people is the second great commandment, "you shall love your neighbor as yourself" (Leviticus 19:19, Matthew 22:39). It is my belief that the moral laws that are found in the second table of the law are universal in nature. Every culture throughout time and throughout every culture have had some laws that resemble or directly follow them. The immediate task then of someone who disagrees with the idea of moral absolutes is to then show that there are indeed examples and evidence of cultures who do not hold to these ideas. As such, I am going to give an example of a culture that seemingly blow by idea out of the water, and then I am going to show that this is not the case. Of course, a one-person debate is certainly not very fair, but I hope to be able to raise some questions which seem important. 1. In 1925, Adolph Hitler wrote "Mein Kampf" while in jail after the Beer Hall Putsch, a failed attempt to raise up a mob in Germany. Thirteen years later, Germany invaded Poland, which began the second world war. ln 1945, when the war was finally over, six million Jews, Gypsies, homosexuals, mentally retarded, and handicapped people were killed as a means of "purifying" the Arian race. "Thou shalt not kill" was not seen as a law, it became a way of life. We must first ask, what was the rationality of the holocost? The answer is the Hitler believed that people of the arian bloodline were superior genetically, and were destined to rule the world as an ultimate example "survival of the fittest". We know that through propaganda, Hitler was able to convince the German people that the Jews were the primary cause of the economic problems that Germany suffered during the great depression. He was able to convince the German people that the Jews were not human, but were animals fit for the slaughter and for slave labor alone. These lies twisted the definition of "human" to exclude numerous group. This is the rationality that allowed the holocaust to happen. When soldiers stopped seeing their victims as people, but a mere objects, then the universal laws that they had always known, no longer apply. This is dehumanification. Dehumanification is, in my opinion, the one greatest lie that a culture tells itself. Why is it morally acceptable for headhunters in New Guinea to kill outsiders with no mercy, because they are not seen as human, the way that they see themselves. Why is it morally acceptable for a man in China to see his wife as a prostitute, because he doesn't see her a human. These aren't examples of differences that point to relativism as being the reason, they show that within a culture, when a person sees another person who they recognize as being equal, the second table of the ten commandments apply, and people treat each other with at least some respect. When a person sees another person as nonhuman, either through lies or ignorance, it doesn't mean that the morality of the first person is in opposition to the universal norms, it just means that their treatment towards others who are not seen as human with always be worse than if they were seen to be human.

Tuesday, March 30, 2004

Saved! Every year, parents (mostly middle to upper class) parents send their kids to Christian schools so they won't be damaged by "the world". They assume that their sweet little darlings are naturally good and will become fine adults if only they could be away from "the world" in secular education. There is a new movie coming out in a few months called Saved! It is a comedy about how rediculous a notion that is. The story is about a girl who attends a Christian High School, falls in love with a boy, and then gets pregnant. She is then harrassed and bullied by her fellow classmates. American Evangelicalism is pretty insipid. Althought this movie will probably stretch the truth a little, I'm sure that it will have quite a backlash from Christian parents due to the subject matter. Evangelicalism takes itself very seriously, which isn't a bad thing, but it often fails to have a sence of humor when it comes to itself. People are so narrowminded in a bad sort of way that they can't take any kind of criticism or parody without being deeply offended. I know that this is brought up way too much, but we are to be open to scrutiny when it comes to our faith. Just like the Bereans who judged what Paul had to say (i.e. being judgemental about his teaching). There's a popular saying that goes, "Christianity's not a religion, it's a relationship". In other words, this relationship is between me and God, so who are you to judge my relationship? Christianity may be more than a religion, but Jesus is not your boyfriend. It's not that kind of a relationship. Part of believing that Christianity is true is that it is true in such a way that others should be able to test whether or not it is true. Don't be afraid if someone challenges your faith in Christ. Welcome it! Be ready with a answer! ...and "because I feel him in my heart" is not acceptable. It never was, and it never will be. If that is the limit of your understanding of the work of Christ, then make sure that's not just indigestion that you're feeling.

Monday, March 22, 2004

A couple of things that I am afraid of. First of all, I don't expect anyone to read my blog and take it as a definitive source on anything. Most of the time, my blog posts are just my random thoughts that I put down, so I can come back and refine them later. To be honest, I don't believe half of the stuff that I read on the web unless it is well documented or it is a site that I trust. Most of the times, "conservative" web sites are just as loony as the "liberal" ones. However, I am bringing forth one very important piece of documentation that I think should be looked at. I don't want you to take my word for it, read it yourself. http://thomas.loc.gov/ Type in, "HR1673" (without quotes) into the "Bill Number" field and click on search to read this bill. This is bill HR1673 that was introduced into the the US House of Representatives on April 8, 2003. According to the bill status site, this bill is still in Committee and has not been passed or defeated yet. This bill, and others like it scare me. The thing that scares me most is this line: (b) DOMESTIC RESPONSIBILITIES- The Secretary shall-- . . . (11) promote racial, religious, and ethnic tolerance; What exactly is meant here by the word, "tolerance"? If tolerance is meant by the old idea of "live and let live", then I think that this is a good thing, but I have serious doubts about whether or not that is the actual definition of the word. I'm afraid that this means that this new department will be in charge of making sure that no race, ethnic group, or religion holds itself as being more prominant than others. Again, I would warmly accept such legislation were it restricted race and ethnicity, because I firmly believe that all humans are created equally with equal rights. However, I affirm that not all religions are equal, and I am afraid that such "hate crimes" legislation could mean that I, my church, and my fellow Christians could be fined or jailed for promoting hate-speech by saying that Christ is the only way. Secondly, I am afraid of other (so-called) Christians who are gladly eating up the crap that is spewed to them by people like the "name it and claim it" camp, and the church growth camp. The thing that they percieve as being salvation comes easy and it is cheap. While, I admit that Salvation is by grace alone by no works by man, the salvation that is prostituted by them is a salvation that is Christless which is no salvation at all. Saying a few magic words does not buy you a cheap and easy afterlife insurance policy. If a person does not realize that they are sinners in need of salvation, then I can not see how they can be saved by trusting in a prayer like this: "Wherever you are listening to this, I invite you to bow your head and quietly whisper the prayer that will change your eternity. "Jesus, I believe in You and I receive You." Go ahead. Just say "Jesus, I believe in You and I receive You." If you sincerely meant that prayer, congratulations! Welcome to the family of God!" (The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren) I've asked this question before, but here it goes, "How can you be saved if you don't know what you are saved from?" I've never been given a significant answer to that question, and that saddens me. What scares me about all of this is what happens when a Christian who kows the Bible steps forward and says, "Listen! Here is what the Bible says about your salvation!" and that message runs contrary to the garbage that is out there? The Bible is full of Hard Truth, not a sugar coated Jesus. I am scared by what will happen when you start rocking the comfortable positions of those who are content in their false salvation.

Thursday, March 18, 2004

Come on, you pansy! BLACK KNIGHT: Come on, you pansy! Monty Python and the Holy Grail A few days ago, there was a horrific bombing on a train in Madrid, Spain. The first names to come out of people's mouths were about the ETA (Euskadi Ta Askatasuna), the militant Basque sepretist group who has been known to plant car bombs and other terrorist acts in order to make the Spanish government grant full autonomy to their area of the country in the Western Pyrenees. However, we now know that this was not the act of the ETA, but instead it is from Al Qaeda. Thousands mourned, and emerged in solidarity, and that is what I want to talk about. In this article, Mick Hume, a British journalist, describes Spain's reaction to the bombing by their participation at the ballot box. "The mood-swing against the Popular Party should be seen not so much as anti-war as anti-politics. People did not seem to be voting against Spain's support for the Iraq war as such; after all, that was not expected to prevent a comfortable PP victory just a week ago. Rather, they were voting post-bombing, in protest at the suggestion that the war had now exposed them to danger. That looks less like a vote against the war than a vote against the idea of taking any decisive action that might have consequences. If so, it is not a victory for peace, and certainly not for socialism, but more for resignation and defeatism. It might have defeated a government of the Right, but it is a deeply conservative mood that does nothing to further the cause of real political change." At least in my opinion, defeatism = wuss. Now, I can understand what grief does to a person. It makes them weary, and it steals their will to fight. However, this bombing was a terrible tragedy, and the people who are guilty ought to be given their just punishment. Instead, the Spaniards are having a pity party. There was a big rally held last Friday night which, "was promoted by the Spanish government (in itself an unusual idea for a political protest) under the slogans 'For the victims, For the constitution, For the defeat of terrorism'. These slogans say nothing - exactly who in Spain is against the victims and for the victory of terrorism? The expressions of solidarity look less like a political response to ETA or al-Qaeda than an incoherent outburst of empathy and anger. The pictures of protesters all holding their hands in the air conjure up an image, not so much of resistance as of resignation."(After Madrid: a strange sort of solidarity, see previous link). The Country Music singer, Aaron Tippin, once sang, "If you don't stand for something, you'll fall for anything." That is true now more than ever, but it's not happening. People no longer worry about issues, or anything outside of them. When they are agitated enough to say something, it is about themselves that they speak. When people gripe, it's about their own hurt feelings or how they are suffering or offended. They can not speak to the issues. They can not give a rational defense for what they feel. That is the problem with people today. It's offensive and intolerant to tell someone what to feel and why, but you are free to whine about your own feelings all that you want. I so heartily wish that this problem was limited to the secular realm, but Christians have been taken in by this hook, line, and sinker. Christians can tell you that they believe in Jesus because they feel him in their hearts, but heaven forbid that they learn how to defend the truth of the resurrection from a rational viewpoint. Sometimes, I wish I could find a nice hard-nosed modernism, the kind that says, "give me proof or shut up", so I can say, "preach it brother!"

Wednesday, March 17, 2004

A few things to think about First of all, I do plan on completing my two implete posts that I have already started, but for now, I've got some random thoughts. I was reading the World Mag Blog today, and someone brought up the topic of what religious movies are going to be made next. Someone brought up the story of Mohammed, but only if it shows the "true" story of Mohammed. True Muslims would be completely up in arms about this because they do not believe in making a graven image of Mohammed. The liberal American muslims would be up in arms because the true Mohammed would be entirely different then the PC clone of Jesus that they make him out to be. I would pay to see a faithful retelling, anyway. Secondly, I've got my own ideas for a movie. How about the life of David? We could film the entire movie in Hebrew, except for the occaisional voiceover which would be nothing but a psalm being read to narrate the thoughts of David. For example: After a night of lust with Bathsheba, David wakes early one morning to find the prophet, Nathan, waiting for him in his palace. Nathan, clearly a bit shaken by the news he must deliver, stands at attention as David enters the room. Nathan, humbly but firmly begins to speak to David, "There were two men in a certain city, the one rich and the other poor. The rich man had very many flocks and herds, but the poor man had nothing but one little ewe lamb, which he had bought. And he brought it up, and it grew up with him and with his children. It used to eat of his morsel and drink from his cup and lie in his arms, and it was like a daughter to him. Now there came a traveler to the rich man, and he was unwilling to take one of his own flock or herd to prepare for the guest who had come to him, but he took the poor man's lamb and prepared it for the man who had come to him." Then David's anger was greatly kindled against the man, and he said to Nathan, "As the LORD lives, the man who has done this deserves to die, and he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity." Nathan said to David, "You are the man! Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, 'I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you out of the hand of Saul. And I gave you your master's house and your master's wives into your arms and gave you the house of Israel and of Judah. And if this were too little, I would add to you as much more. Why have you despised the word of the LORD, to do what is evil in his sight? You have struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword and have taken his wife to be your wife and have killed him with the sword of the Ammonites. Now therefore the sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised me and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.' Thus says the LORD, 'Behold, I will raise up evil against you out of your own house. And I will take your wives before your eyes and give them to your neighbor, and he shall lie with your wives in the sight of this sun. For you did it secretly, but I will do this thing before all Israel and before the sun.'" David said to Nathan, "I have sinned against the LORD." And Nathan said to David, "The LORD also has put away your sin; you shall not die. By this time, David has already slumped down onto the floor in a most unkingly manner. His head is between his knees and he sobs bitterly. In the next seen we see Davis laying in bed alone. He has sent off his wives for the night so he could be alone in his misery. The camera pans over David's reddened face and the narration begins. "1Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin! For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you may be justified in your words and blameless in your judgment. Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me. Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being, and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart. Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones that you have broken rejoice. Hide your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit. Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will return to you. Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, O God of my salvation, and my tongue will sing aloud of your righteousness. O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare your praise. For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it; you will not be pleased with a burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise. Do good to Zion in your good pleasure; build up the walls of Jerusalem; then will you delight in right sacrifices, in burnt offerings and whole burnt offerings; then bulls will be offered on your altar." Is it a cheesy idea, yeah, but I'm sure that someone with some real writing talent could do a very good job with a script. With all of the violence in David's life, we could make this into a LoTR meets the Passion kind of movie.

Tuesday, March 09, 2004

SSDD Okay, maybe it's not the same stuff, but there really isn't a lot of change. I still haven't seen the Passion. The day that I had planned on seeing it, we had a snow storm. Having snow this late in the season is pretty rare for NC, especially enough snow to close work. I'm not too concerned, though. I heard a good argument against seeing the Passion. That is, do I want to see the actor who portrayed Jesus in the film every time that I think of Christ? Well, I doubt that I will put my hope and trust in him, so I guess I am safe from idolatry, but what about the graven image commandment. Should a person have such a viceral image of Christ in their minds. Afterall, a movie can not repressent the trinity, and can only go so far in describing the relation between the Father, Son, and Spirit while keeping a coherent storyline. I probably will see it, but that it just something that has been on my mind lately.

Thursday, February 26, 2004

Plans I think that I will go see "The Passion" this afternoon as long as it doesn't snow too much. I'll have her drop me off at the theater, and I'll walk home so I can have time to think as I walk. I'll need a lot of time. I've been reading reviews this morning, so I think that I will be ready to see it. I get the feeling that I will be hit very hard by this emotionally

Wednesday, February 25, 2004

Coming to terms I am coming to terms with the fact that I will never have one of my heart's most precious desires. If you've read my other blogs and the history of this one, I think that you will see three themes. 1. An interest and concern for my culture. 2. An interest and concern for Christian theology. 3. A general sadness when it comes to relationships. Growing up, I had this general image of the girl that I wanted to marry. She was to be a nice, intelligent, and compassionate. She was supposed to have enough attitude to tell me when I was wrong, and nurturing enough to help go where I needed to go. She didn't have to be very pretty or physical, although preferably a little on the short side. I didn't marry that woman. The woman that I married is quite the opposite of most of those characteristics. Without going into a lot of wife bashing, I have to say that I didn't get what I bargained for. I'm just now coming to terms with that in a big sort of way. You may think I'm crazy for thinking this, because afterall, we've been married for nearly 3 years. I've been lying to myself all of this time by making her out to be someone who she is not. I regret treating her like that, and I know that bad habits are hard to break. I'm not the kind of man who will divorce my wife because I am simply not happy with her, but I need to get it into my head that this marriage isn't about me and my desires. It is about us. We're in it until death. I have to make a real change in the way that I treat and think about her if I want our relationship to be worth anything.

Thursday, February 19, 2004

Changes, and more changes...well just a few. I've added a link to some of my poems. I know that they are not in a consistant format, but that's okay. The moon poem was meant to be white on a black background. Sorta like nighttime, right? Walking kind of works on just a white background. It is meant to be kind of drab. Just like pavement on a city street. The only kind of background that I can think of that would be fitting would be a picture of a sidewalk or of a city street, but not necessarily a landscape picture. As for the Tree, I originally had a background of foliage with the poem in bright green font. Also, if you notice, when the text of the poem is centered, you really can see the outline of a tree in the way that the stanzas are formed. This was unintentional, I promise. I am not nearly that creative to do such a thing on purpose. What does notebook paper have to do with a tree? Well, not much. I'm not trying to make an ecological statement or anything, but I do like the contrast. A plain piece of notebook paper is empty. It is potential. It has the ability to share thoughts from me to you. In contrast, the tree is something that you know nothing about, except through my words. Sure, you will most likely envision a tree that is different than the tree that I envision, but through my words, I can prune the tree in your mind. I can make is grow older, and I can have a sparrow land on it. This is why writing is so wonderful. It gives you the ability to share your thoughts with others, and it all begins with a blank piece of notebook paper. In other news.... I recieved by copy of "Decision Making and the Will of God". I am going to try hard to take notes, and be able to defend what I believe in a consistant and tactful manner.

Tuesday, February 17, 2004

Back on the wagon This a term most usually used by junkies and alcoholics. When someone falls off of the wagon, that means they went back to the bottle, pot, crack, etc. I don't think that it is too far of a stretch for me to label myself in the same way. I can spend a week or two in faithful prayer, study, and repentance, then fall completely off of the wagon and go back to my old ways. Is this inconsistancy on my part? Yes, it is. Does that tarnish how people look at me? Yes, again. Does this someone change my religion since I am not good at practicing it? No, it does not. If Christianity was about following a set of rules without ever breaking them, then I would be up the creek. If I were judged by the my karma, then I would be on my way to karmic hell. i.e. the life of the dung beetle (or something worse, like maybe the life of Al Sharpton ;) However, this is not how Christianity works. Christian Grace is more comprehensive then than just a one time forgiveness. It kicks in when we rebel against God and do things to break his moral law. We know that we will do that again and again and again. As Paul said, "I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate." Is this an escape clause that is built into the Bible to justify doing what you want? No, on the contrary it is grace that binds us to the law that we wish to be seperated from. When a Christian is born again (regenerated), at that moment they die to sin, that is, they are pardoned from the enevitable fate that befalls all who commit sin which is eternity in Hell. This is the primary work of Grace that most are familiar with. If we are pardoned from Hell by an act that was outside of us, then how foolish are we to go back and sin more? It is because of grace that we keep going back the the law and trying to live by it all the more. T'was Grace that taught... my heart to fear. And Grace, my fears relieved. How precious did that Grace appear... the hour I first believed. This is just proof that Christians are hypocrites. They just can't practice what they preach. This is both correct, and incorrect depending on how you view it. As Christians, we have certain rules that we try to live by. Being human, we have to admit that it is impossible for us to actually live by them all, all of the time. In this way, we can not possibly practice all that we preach. The Bible tells us that we should strive to be perfect, but no one will actually achieve this goal on earth. However another thing is true. We know from the Bible that there is forgiveness for all sin, even when it comes from repeat offenders like myself. In other words, we admit that we can't practive always living up to the rules that are set before us, but we can live in foregiveness because that does not come from us. If you look at Christians as being a bunch of big-mouthed idiots who like to spout a bunch of crap towards everyone else, then you're right. We can't practice what we preach. If you see us as being a bunch of big-mouthed idiots who like to spout a bunch of crap towards everyone else, but who recognize that they are guilty and they are seeking forgiveness for their indescretions, then you are closer to the mark. The old bumbersticker that says "Christians aren't perfect, just forgiven" may sound a bit trite, but essentially it is true.

Sunday, February 15, 2004

How then should we live (Living constistantly inside of a worldview) I was thinking today that as a Christian, we have to live with a certain double standard. For example, I believe in the Christian doctrine of Total Depravity. This means that humans are not born naturally good. Instead, just the opposite is true. We are born naturally self-absorbed and careless about others. It occurred to me that we have to live as if people are naturally good when dealing with non-Christians, but living the truth they they are not when dealing with each other. I came to this conclusion: this simply can not be! We have to live like the truth is the truth no matter how unpopular is could be. That's pretty scary. I don't believe in looking for a divine word from God when making every decision. As long as you are following Biblical principal, you follow your conscience, and you exercise wisdom, then you can be sure that you are following the will of God. I don't want to think about the reprecussions about the first time that I inadvertantly bring up this subject. I am totally afraid that I could really hurt someone's faith like that I did to one friend. I don't want to do that, but if I disagree and I have good reason then I can not help but stand by the truth. I just have to sit down and put my finger on what is true before I can share that.

Friday, February 13, 2004

Poems My Poems They are in various stages of completion. The pages are in progress, the poems are done.

Tuesday, February 10, 2004

Is this thing on? Hellooo?

Monday, February 09, 2004

Cannibalism is not a lifestyle choice http://www.spiked-online.com/Articles/0000000CA3C2.htm Is this where we are heading? In 10 or 20 years, are we going to be eating "soylent green"? Will the cover of Time magazine be of a non-beef, eco-friendly, cheeseburger that is not only good for the environment, but it helps reduce environmental issues, crime, and over-population? I'm scared and more than a little shocked. Maybe I ought to stay fat, that way I'll be nothing but grissle. Sheesh!

Thursday, February 05, 2004

Can't concentrate

1.1

The words of the Preacher the son of David, king in Jerusalem

1.2

Vanity of Vanities says the preayer. All is vanity.

1.3

What does man gain by all the toil at which he toils under the sun?

1.4

A generation goes, and a generation comes, but the earth remains forever.

1.5

The sun rises, and the sun goes down, and hastens to the place where is rises.

1.6

The wind blows to the south, and goes around to the north. Around and around goes the wind, and on it's circuits the wind returns.

1.7

The streams run to the sea, but the sea is not full. to the place where the streams flow, there they flow again.

(ESV)

Memorization is hard!

Wednesday, February 04, 2004

Okay, so I fibbed a little...

I just found a pic of myself that came off of my Yahoo profile. I'm not an egomaniac, I just like that pic.

I also fixed a link for Monergism.com

That should be it for tonight.

How's it look?

I'm finished messing around with my blog template. If I do anything else, it might be leech some graphics, but I probably won't go that far.

Today has kinda sucked. Not as bad as yesterday, to be sure, but it sucked anyway. What am I supposed to be doing here, anyway? I see so much stuff that needs to be changed, but I do not have the education nor the clout to make any real changes, and that just plain sucks.

All I know is that I have to keep on faithfully working if I am going to suceed anywhere.

Thank God for Grace.

Jason

Tuesday, February 03, 2004

Lamentations Continued

Maybe I'm just getting on my tired, worn out old soapbox, but I am deeply upset. The above link is nothing new. The original story from George Barna was here on +. a few weeks ago, and so it is old news.

There are some things worth fighting for. Basic doctrine is one of those things.

The Nicene Creed and it's contents is one of those things that is worth fighting over.

* I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible.

* And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all worlds; God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God; begotten, not made, being of one subst/enance with the Father, by whom all things were made.

* Who, for us men for our salvation, came down from heaven, and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the virgin Mary, and was made man; and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate; He suffered and was buried; and the third day He rose again, according to the Scriptures; and ascended into heaven, and sits on the right hand of the Father; and He shall come again, with glory, to judge the quick and the dead; whose kingdom shall have no end.

* And I believe in the Holy Ghost, the Lord and Giver of Life; who proceeds from the Father and the Son; who with the Father and the Son together is worshipped and glorified; who spoke by the prophets.

* And I believe one holy catholic and apostolic Church. I acknowledge one baptism for the remission of sins; and I look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.

Likewise, the Apostles's creed and also it's contents are worth fighting over.

I know that there are somethings like Arminanism vs Calvinism that are debatable, and one's salvation does not hinge on such matters. I have to say though that there is a such thing as heresy. Heresy isn't limited to Jehovah's Witnesses and Mormons. It is sitting next to us in our pews. It is telling Christians that if they pray the prayer of Jabez, God HAS to answer their prayers. It is telling them that they have to perform steps A, B, and C, in order to hear the voice of God. If you are thinking about buying a new car, and if you feel like you are "called by God" to buy a Toyota, then that is God telling you to buy a Toyota. Nevermind the fact, that maybe that feeling could have been just some gas.

That's right, I'm wearing my asbestos undies, so flame away.

The Christianity that came from the reformation gave us one thing that is most important. It gave us a Christianity that is internally consistant. I wasn't perfect, because humanity isn't perfect, but it worked. It's rules were based on fact from the Bible, not from "someone's nudge about how things should be".

I am ashamed to evangelize and worry that the person that I lead to Christ will be caught up in all of this horse dung. Why do Christians look likes fools to the Atheist community? Because we are. We're not fools for Christ. We're a bunch of humanists who go to Jesus's Country Club on Sundays.

BTW, I admit that I am a hard-nosed Calvinist puritan wannabe. (in the most puritanical sence) Without definate control and rules, Christianity will further de-evolve in the culture.

Lamentations Stray Pastors I think the above article says it all.

Wednesday, January 07, 2004

The worst is my being alone by Don Chaffer 18 January, 1994 at 04:01 You Were at The Time For Love (1994) Lyrics: "Aaron, have you ever had a burning in your chest That made you just want to be free?" It was a warm afternoon when she asked him this, As they sat on the shore of the sea Well, Aaron just tugged at his hair and he took A very long time to reply And by the time that he spoke, she'd forgotten she asked And was lost in the clouds of the sky He said, "Kelly, I don't think I've ever wanted as much To be free as I've longed to be known. And of the things that I hate As I look at my life, The worst is my being alone." The rest of his words he kept from her ears Cause he thought she might not understand And she didn't reply. She couldn't figure out how, Cause the fire in her heart had been fanned Oh, of all the things known that he could've spoken that day, He chose one from deep down inside Without intending her to, he caused her to confess Her false confidence and how she had lied She said, "Aaron, I don't think I've ever wanted as much To be free as I've longed to be known. And of the things that I hate As I look at my life, The worst is my being alone." And as they headed home, neither of them could speak a word And they held their own spirits to blame But at the pulse of the waves, they both turned around Surely someone was calling their name Someone was calling their name

Wednesday, December 24, 2003

Ambassador’s Creed An ambassador is…

Ready. An Ambassador is alert for chances to represent Christ and will not back away from a challenge or an opportunity.

Patient. An Ambassador won’t quarrel, but will listen in order to understand, then with gentleness seek to respectfully correct those in opposition.

Reasonable. An Ambassador has informed convictions (not just feelings), gives reasons, asks questions, aggressively seeks answers, and will not be stumped by the same challenge twice.

Tactical. An Ambassador adapts to each unique person and situation, maneuvering with wisdom to challenge bad thinking, presenting the truth in an understandable and compelling way.

Clear. An Ambassador is careful with language, and will not rely on Christian lingo nor gain unfair advantage with empty rhetoric.

Fair. An Ambassador is sympathetic and understanding towards the opposition, and will acknowledge the merits of contrary views.

Honest. An Ambassador is careful with the facts and will not misrepresent his opponent, overstate his own case, or understate the demands of the Gospel.

Humble. An Ambassador is provisional in his claims, knowing that his understanding of truth is fallible, and will not press a point beyond what his evidence allows.

Attractive. An Ambassador will act with grace, kindness, and good manners and will not dishonor Christ in his conduct.

Dependent. An Ambassador knows that effectiveness requires joining his best efforts with God’s power.

If you've read my profile, I can guess that you can tell that I am a Christian. I am posting the Ambassador's Creed so that you can know that althought I am a Christian, I try to not be pushy and obnoxious the way that a lot of Christians tend to be. I am not ashamed of Christianity or the name Christian, although I do realize that there are a lot of us out there who give good reason to be ashamed of that title. I also reserve the right to believe in truth as being something that is objective and singular. In many areas, such as religion, there are not many ways. There is one way. I can't nor do I want to make you except or believe that truth, but I have the right to believe it and to try to defend what I believe.

Wednesday, November 05, 2003

I'm a glory seeker I'm a glory-seeker. I want people to think more highly of me, than I should. I do things so other people will think better of me. I want their praise. I want them to be proud of me. I should give because giving with the right motives is giving to the glory of God. I don't do that. I give for my own selfsih desires. I am the Pharisee. I stand on the street corner and I pray out loud so others will see me. When I tell about my problems, I make them out to be worse than everybody else's. I am a fool. When I talk about the good things, I make mine better that everyone else's. I am a liar. I deserve death, and I hope it comes soon. Although i mean those words, I say them but with a secret desire that someone will read this and have pity on me. FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, DO NOT PITY ME!!!!!!!!! Do not feed me. Let this self-obsession die of starvation. I am shit. That is an ugly word, but it is the truth. I am foul. My every motivation is filth. I want to die. I want the pain to end, and I want to stop causing pain. Hurt lies in my wake, and the hurt of others walls by the wayside as I walk. I can not help you. DON'T look to me! I am the leper! I will hurt you and make your flesh fall off. I will hurt you and I will cause you to feel more pain.

Monday, November 03, 2003

Feeling Better I'm feeling better today. I just get so confused as to what I'm supposed to be doing. Serena and I are looking at a lawsuit that could potentially give us a huge sum of money, as well as being a class action suit. That could potentially be an answer to my prayers. It would mean funds to finish school as well as a way to get myself and my friends and family out of debt. I don't think it is immoral to do this thing, but I wonder about how it will make me look. The good does seem to outway the bad, and yet I'm scared.

Saturday, November 01, 2003

I am so freaking weird. You know how you look at other people, and they don't really seem to have a problem relating to each other. They can be friends with anyone, and it wouldn't phase them a bit if someone didn't like them. Well, that's not me. I don't have the slightest idea as to how to be freinds with someone. I am a quitter. I am a jerk, and I have some pretty messed up reasons for wanting to be around some people. I don't feel authentic, even when I try. I don't feel welcome even when I am asked. Outside of my own house, I feel out of place. I don't really fear people, and I am bold enough to go out in public, but I am so weird, that I push people away, even when I am not trying to do so. What is wrong with me?

Thursday, October 16, 2003

Chicken Poop for the Soul.... http://www.theinterviewwithgod.com/popup3.html ... Meant to be completely unoffensive to Catholics, Mormons, Uniterians, Baptists, Hindus, Muslims, Bahai's, and anyone else you can mention... ...and completely heretical. (Oh nevermind that last comment! We all know that doctrine divides, and every path leads to "God", right?)

Tuesday, September 30, 2003

Pride and Self-Esteem Proverbs 11:2 "When pride comes, then comes dishonor, But with the humble is wisdom." (NASB) Self-Esteem \Self`-es*teem"\, n. The holding a good opinion of one's self; self-complacency. Source: Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc. Lack of Self Esteem is seen by many to be the major cause of every childhood and adult anxiety in our culture. We are told that if you can't love yourself, then how can you love someone else; but isn't this faulty logic from the get go? Let's analyze what we mean by Self-Esteem. Self-Esteem in common terms is this amount of affection that we have for ourself. My first question is this: Why should we love ourselves to begin with? That's a tough question, and I think it brings us to the answer that is given to us be society. We should love ourselves because we are worth something. That's certainly a good answer, but: Q. 1. how much are we worth? Q. 2. What is it about us that gives us worth? The answers from society. A. 1. We are worth much because there is only one of us in the world and that makes us special. A. 2. Every one of us has a talent, even if it is a secret talent. Our talents and our individuality are what make us special and give us worth, because with our talents we can help people and we can contribute to society. When we know what we are worth, we can do anything because we know that can succeed in whatever we do. The answers from the Bible. Gen 1:26 And God said, Let Us make man in Our image, after Our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the heavens, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over all the creepers creeping on the earth. A. 1. Our worth comes from the fact that we were personally and individually created by the creator of the universe. We were not mass produced, but we were known since before the beginning of the universe. Our worth is not based in something that we can find in ourselves, but on something that has been given to us (life). A. 2 We were not created by random fusion of sperm and egg, but for a reason. The reason that we have been created for is this: we are created to worship God and enjoy him forever. Our purpose in life tells us that our worth stems from a superior and perfect being. That is something concrete, unlike society's answer which can change depending on our mood. I have worth because I have been chosen and personally made, and my existance is not an accident.

Friday, September 26, 2003

Praise and Worship Why does it matter what style or praise and worship that you prefer? I've been to several different churches in my time. I've heard country , rock, pipe organ, jazz, and choir music in my life. In every setting, I've seen people who have been touched by the praise and worship. That brings me to my point. It doesn't matter, because the praise and worship is not meant for YOU. Are you or someone you know going to a church because you are moved by the praise and worship. It makes YOU feel better, and it makes YOU feel closer to God? If so, then there is something wrong. Here is a fictitious Q and A. Does it sound familiar? Q. Who are you praising? A. God Q. Why do you praise? A. Because he is good, he died on cross for us, and because he loves us. Q. What is the worst part of praise and worship? A. Sometimes I get bored if the songs are really old and they feel too stuffy. Q. What is the best part of praise and worship? A. Feeling excited and closer to God through the praise. Q. If you stopped feeling this way during worship, would you continue to go to this church? A. I don't know, maybe. If praise is meant to honor God, why should it matter whether or not you feel anything or get anything out of it? If you are praising God for the right reasons, then that is all that matters. When you have praise and worship with expectations other than that to honor God, then it is no longer praise to God. It then becomes an exercize in making yourself feel good, while wearing a mask of praise and worship. Rant OFF:

Wednesday, September 24, 2003

Books I finished reading "The Minister's Self-Watch" from C.H. Spurgeon's Lectures to my students. The lecture is really very well organized, and should lend itself to review quite nicely. My initial reaction is that this man really had a zeal for presenting the Gospel to the lost. I have to admit that I did not get any feeling that this guy did not believe everything that he said. That may just be his writing style, but I doubt it. He seems genuine. The moral standards that he puts forward for ministers is rigorous, but I can't say that I am surprised. After reading the lecture, my conscience has been "thickened" I feel more responsibility to act "as a minister" should act. I am a representative for the kingdom, and it really is silly to think that I could be a representative for a country who I am afraid to say the name of. Ouch! That's a kick in the pants. I think I am going to like Spurgeon. Last night, after finishing "The Minister's Self-Watch", I started re-reading Schaeffer's A Christian Manifesto. This book scares me, because I know that is will ask more of me than what I am ready to do. It is darn scary to even think about any kind of civil disobedience even if it is for the furthering of the kingdom. However, it may come to that someday. :( I hope the Christ comes back before that. The idea scares me. "Manifesto" is only 156 pages. I should finish it this week and start with the review soon after.

Friday, June 27, 2003

Reply I recieved a reply to my May 22 post. It is here: http://tbcrh.org/blog/archives/000005.php

Monday, May 26, 2003

Heather Heather. I guess its time that I discuss the first of two Heathers that were in my life at one time. When I was a Junior in High School, way back in 1995, I had my first potential relationship with a girl. I had an advanced English class called Novel during 3rd period. The class was cool, and as usual, I was forgetful and I had a habit of leaving my notebook underneath my desk. On one specific day, I came back to class and I found a note written in the notebook. The note said that this person liked the poem I had written in it and that I had better not forget it again or else they would keep it. Well, I was forgetful and I left it again. The next day, I recieved another note and it said something like "You forgot your notebook again. I know who you are and where you live. I like you. I am a sophomore and my name is heather." I couldn't believe it. i had spent nearly 3 years in High School and never once did I meet someone who showed even an once of interest is me. Part of me was sceptical, but most of me was just plain ecstatic. I had hope! Well, we passed notes back and forth to each other. I left her my phone number and I recieved a reply that said that her mom took the phone with her every night and so she had no opportunity to call me. I found this very odd, but I gave her the benefit of the doubt. What else could I do? After passing a week or two, we decided to meet at a school dance. They have these dances ever 2 weeks or so. She told me that she would be wearing a blue shirt and jeans. I got there early and waited and watched. She never showed up. I don't think I had ever felt so heartbroken. The rational and hopeful part of me kept saying, "something must have happened. She wouldn't have stood me up" I went home and I wrote a long note to her saying how much I wanted to meet her. At the time, I owned only 2 CD's One was the Gin Blossoms's New Miserable Experience and the of was Spin Doctors. One song kept playing in my mind off of that Gin Blossoms CD that night. The lyrics are: -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Pieces of the Night. Is it any wonder that the stars just don't rush by When you're only doin' 60 through this oh-so-vacant night But it's lacking something big this time What the hell did you expect to find Aphrodite on a barstool by your side Twelfth night we go After something everyone should know Somewhere in the distance out of sight... Then i saw: gin mill rainfall What do you remember if at all Only pieces of the night... And is it any wonder in the middle of the crowd If you let your feet get trampled on When the music is that loud But you wanted to be where you are But it looked much better from afar A hillside in shadow Between the people and the stars Twelfth night we go After something everyone should know Somewhere in the distance out of sight... Then i saw: gin mill rainfall What do you remember if at all Only pieces of the night... It seems so distant But still only half the night away Where notions between your questions come too Is it any wonder where The pieces of the night have been... -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The next day, I left her that note and I found one sitting inside my locker. It said that she was sorry for not meeting me, but it was not something she could control. I later found out from someone who said that she was Heather's friend that Heather's dad had hit her that night and the police was clled. She was then sent back to live with her mother. I never heard from her again, and I was without hope.

Thursday, May 22, 2003

Sick of Christians Sick of Christians. I am really getting pretty disgruntled by other Christians, and I admit that I am in need of help. They infuriate me and I want to stop all contactw it them. No, I am not talking about the ones who actually believe that the Bible is true and that there is a such thing as truth. I'm talking about those who get their daily dose of Jesus from their devotional book in the morning and/or evening and then don't think about him the rest of the time except for Sunday. I'm sick of how they have the gall to call themselves Christian, but they do not apply the Gospel to their lives, nor do they even CARE. They'll listen to sickeningly aweful music (both Christian and Secular) and they don't have enough of a conscience to tell themselves no. I'm not perfect. No, I'm not by any stretch of the imagination. I am downright aweful, but at least I recognize that. Part of me wants to write a letter to the entire ekklesia similar to the letter to the Laodiceans. I want to hurt their feelings, make them have a conscience, and see them turn and repent, but that is not right either. I want those things out of my own anger and spite, not for the glory of God. They're messed up and I'm messed up. I need help. I big part of me thinks that they need salvation. I can't judge someone's relationship to God, but we are told to judge them by their fruit. Most so called Christians have none that is good. ugh. I feel sick.

Thursday, May 15, 2003

Long Time no blog! Long time no blog! After I wrote my last post, I felt ashamed. I honestly logged in today to edit that last port or delete it all together. I didn't want people to think that I am some kind of weirdo...As if anyone actually reads my blog. Anyway, I'm not going to edit it not delete it. I am glad that I said what I said. Children, and society in general, should be taught about the world not sheltered from it. This lack of understanding is one of the reasons why people have such a horrible understanding of the world around them when they are on their own. Just a thought. I'm going try to write more, and maybe I'll start amiking some sence along the way. Then again, maybe not.

Thursday, May 01, 2003

Letter Dear pastor, I humbly come before you to announce that Serena and I will no longer be congregants at the CHURCH. This decision has been thought over for several weeks. Although I respect the bond of church membership, I feel that our continual membership is a hindrance to my Christian walk as well as to S----’s. As I have said above, I am not taking this situation lightly. I have tried to gather my thoughts into logical reasons why I feel that our continual participation is not beneficial. I pray that you take these reasons to heart and that you pour yourself over the scriptures that I have included. You should also know that I am open to reasonable objections to the points that I am presenting. If I am wrong, then I open myself to correction. 1. Theological Content. There is a general lack of theology in the sermons and teachings that are presented to the congregation of CHURCH. This is not just a pet peeve of mine, but a real concern that the real and beneficial doctrines of God are not being presented. I am not talking about some mystical subjects that one may have to ‘read between the lines’ to understand, but topics that are presented very clear in the text of the Bible. A few of these subjects are, but not limited to: Sanctification (how do we grow in holiness?), Justification (what happens when we get saved?), and Atonement (why did Jesus have to die?). These are not trivial issues; in fact Paul encouraged Timothy to grow in his understanding of doctrine. (1 Timothy 4:6-16) I believe that I have expressed this to you before, but even at the risk of repeating myself, I have to state that if someone doesn’t know the basics of the Christian doctrine, it is easy for them to fall into serious heresy. I know that is a strong statement, but the idea that all religions are relative is very prominent in today’s culture. That means that the people in High School and in the Universities are being bombarded with the idea that everyone’s religion is essentially equal. They are labeled “intolerant” if they voice that their religion is the one true religion. This horrible teaching is not limited to the young people in school, but also to everyone who owns a TV. Without a strong knowledge of the foundation of the faith, they have no defense for why they believe. (1 Peter 3:15) If they have no defense, then they will fall for anything. (2 Peter 2:1-2) 2. Community. There’s an old joke that says, “Whenever you are looking for the perfect church, it is only perfect until you get there.” I can really relate to this joke. The temptation to go out and find the “perfect” church is within most Christians. I want to assure you that this is not my reason for leaving. I intended to persevere no matter the problems that I had with the church. I thought that if I tried to start new programs and bring new ideas to the table, then things would change. They didn’t. I have offered on multiple occasions to be of service. Just give me a call, and I’ll try my best to do my part. I didn’t receive any calls. These may sound like selfish reasons, but in fact, they are symptoms of a much greater problem. There is a real lack of community at CHURCH. Whether it has been verbalized or not, I believe that this is the main cause for the decrease of congregants at the church. The community at CHURCH is lacking in personal accountability and it is suffering because of the existence of closed cliques.

Thursday, January 09, 2003

Oh God! This is life! I'm an American. I have been lived in comfortable middle-America all of my life. I have lived a life of relative ease. I have never went too long without a meal. I've never went too long without the basics of life. I have never seen anyone die. Heck, I've never even broken a bone before. This thing that I call a life is really pretty pathetic. The huge overwealming majority of people in the world live in a state of misery that I may never know. Life, for most people, is full of violence in one way or another. Americans are the exception. We don't see real violence every day, but it is out there and it won't always seem that way. My father-in-law won't eat chicken for reasons that I find intolerable. When he was a boy, he had to watch his mother kill a chicken (by the usual means) and since then, he won't eat any kind of poultry or game foul. This is just an example of the comfort of Americans. We blindly think that this lifestyle is going to go on forever. It isn't. America will be brought as low as her neighbors and her people will have to STRUGGLE to survive. We think that 9/11 was a tragedy, and I agree that it was, but it is only a small sample of what the world goes through everyday. I propose that we stop watering-down elements of our society that are truly human, so people can understand what it means to be human. When tragedy comes, society will split into different campstwo camps. To place this idea in terms that an American might understand, when people are not at peace, they are going to look a lot like Nazi Germany. The majority of the people are going to be the Nazis. They are going to thirst for power and glory or they are going to be sheep who do what they are told. The rest are going to be powerless and they will be slaughtered because they do not submit to the powerful. These are the Jews. A very small portion are going to be those who help those who can not help themselves such a the humanitarians. If there is a movie or a television program that contains disturbing content and violence, do not "protect" your older children and teenagers from it, make sure they understand that such things do happen, and they can happen again. Instill in them a sense of doing what is right. Tell them that pain is real, and that the best thing they could ever do is to help others who are in pain. By not telling them these things, you are bringing up children with questionable moralities. If you children do not know that a reckless persuit of power is evil, then what is to stop them from doing it? If you do not know this, then it's time you dug out your Bible and started reading it. Ecc 1:1 "Vanity of vanities, all is vanity."

Thursday, December 12, 2002

Depressed I'm a little depressed today. I am still bothered that I am in a dead-end job. I make much less than the average wage for my job, and I feel that my supervisor is burned out and so she doesn't care about what goes on here. My co-workers who work in another state do not communicate with each other about *important* things let alone communicate with us who they don't even see on a regular basis. It is really quite irritating. To make is worse, I looked through a job website at lunch today, and there are ZERO jobs out there that I am qualified to do. I feel like such a loser. I can't even go to school because we don't have them money and my wife won't get off of her butt and try to go to school. I wish her parents would give ME her tuition money. I know I could do better if I had the chance. I am halfway considering teaching my wife the finer points to PC's and how they work, and maybe even talking her into working on them for a living....PC Certifications are cheaper than nursing school, and she wouldn't have to be on her feet or deal with other people....then again, she will probably laugh at me and say that she is a bad wife and drop it there. I am so agitated!

Tuesday, December 03, 2002

Disturbed I know, I am supposed to be a big man, but I feel terrible. I feel like I want to cry. So the HR person at my company sends out the mass email saying they are looking for someone to be assistant to the person in charge of training and corporate documentation. I thought, that's GREAT! I've been doing this work for some time for my company and I havn't even looked to getting any kind of reward for my effort. I just do it because it needs to be done. I emailed her back and asked if it could be done at my location, and it was a flat out "no". There was no "maybe" or "we can look into it", it was just "no". I know that this is just my pride talking, and it shouldn't affect how I feel or perform my job, but I honestly want to quit and show them what they are missing by not having me around. Realisticly, I know that people like me (even smart ones like me) are a dime a dozen and it wouldn't take much for them to get along without me, they would probably find someone with a better personallity anyway. I need to just do the work expected of my by my job and by God and get on with life, and I am sure that is what I will do as soon as this pain goes away. Lord, please take this painful prideful pain away from me so that I can do your will. In Jesus name I pray, Amen.

Wednesday, November 13, 2002

Blue Collar Blues Have you ever seen the guys who graduate from High School only to work in the same dead end jobs that their parents had. When we were kids we all dreamed of being scientists and astronauts. The problem is that many of us went on the same dead end jobs and lives of their parents. For a while, I was one of them, and who knows . . . I could be one again before I die. I’ve had my share of dead end jobs. I was a busboy/dishwasher for Shoney’s, I was a dishwasher for a Chinese restaurant, I was a stockperson/grocery bagger at a grocery store, I was (ugh!) a telemarketer, and I flipped burgers at McDonald’s. I did all of these things before I came to my present job. Which is very nice and cushy compared to what I did then. I’ve also known several people who made their lives at such jobs. They never make much more than minimum wage, and they often die young or the live painful (physically and emotionally) lives. Due to environment and psychology, they never strived too hard for much more. I respect those people who barely get by and the live by the sweat of their brow. God bless the poor man and woman who do what they do for their family. I can’t help but think of John Wesley. Here was a man who was born very poor, but was able to make his way through Oxford. After his true conversion, he went back and preached to the poorest of the boor in the British Isles. John Wesley was a very intelligent man. I may not always agree with his theology, but at least he had one, and recognized the need to know the doctrines of the Bible. I have known many ‘country’ preachers in my life. I assume that most of them had good intentions. I assume that they saw the awful condition in the church as a whole. They saw all of the splits that are there, and they saw the strife between denominations and congregations. In rebuke, many of them forsook their denominations and started or join congregations that had no such labels. In a way, this is admirable. Unfortunately, much sound doctrine and teaching is usually left behind also. I want to learn the sound doctrine, and I want to teach it to these people. I want to give them the truth of the gospel, which is concrete and never changing. I want to show them to seek holiness and Godliness rather than an emotional experience. My goals are lofty, but I want to give these people something to grasp on to when they feel low. I want to show them that there is another way, a true way, a solid way, and the hand of God is there to keep them on their feet.