d i S s O N anCie s

Jesus

2010-12-14T07:21:00.000-08:00

Greatest man in history, named Jesus, had no servants, yet they called him Master. Had no degree, yet they called him Teacher. Had no medicines, yet they called him Healer. He had no army, yet kings feared Him. He won no military battles, yet he conquered the world. He committed no crime, yet they crucified Him........ He was buried in a tomb, yet He's ALIVE. (somebody)

listen and learn

2010-12-04T20:10:00.001-08:00

http://www.newlifeupc.org/practical-holiness-the-mind

How not to Pray

2010-11-12T13:56:00.000-08:00

by Daniel J Koren

Do you pray to “Ogodo?” I remember a brother pacing the floor at a church praying to this unknown being. It went like this: “Ogodogodogodogodogodo, [gasp for air], ogodogodogodogodogodo.” You can follow a better plan to have a meaningful talk with God.

When the dial is stuck
We apostolics create rituals quickly. A church can develop a culture of floor-pacing prayer warriors. If everybody does it, though, watch out for head-on collisions. (By-the-way, I am a pacer, so stay out of my lane.) Another church develops peer pressure to jump. If you are not jumping for joy, you do not have the victory. Another has a culture of lying on the floor—you really are not spiritual unless you are laying prostrate before the Lord at prayer meeting. Our posture does not do much for our prayers, however.

Some people struggle through an hour-long prayer meeting not knowing what to do or say. Creative people have given us “strategies” to help us pray longer. We can pray the tabernacle plan, using each piece of furniture as a prayer prompt. Others use a prayer wheel to help them pray a whole hour. Some have dissected the Lord’s prayer to make each section stretch out enough to fill an hour. May I ask, however, if long prayer is the goal? Jesus condemned those who flaunted their long prayers.

Change your frequency
Remember, we pray to have a meaningful relationship with our Lord. We want Him to hear us, and we need to hear Him. I do not think either happens when we get stuck in ruts like those mentioned above. Jesus warned us to not chant meaningless repetitions. He said we will not get heavenly recognition if we pray in order to get human recognition. So He gave us a simple prayer plan in Luke 11:1-5:

■Worship – “Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
■Submission – “Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth.
■Requests – “Give us day by day our daily bread.
■Confession – “And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us.
■Freedom – “And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil.”

Tune in the signal from above
Do not make a routine out this prayer guide, but think of it as a radio with multiple settings on the dial (like Worship, Submission, Requests, Confession, Freedom, and so on). Each time you pray alone or at church, scan through these stations to see which one comes through the clearest. Some days you start to worship and enter the presence of the Lord immediately. Other days you may not get into glory until you turn the knob to repentance and ask for God’s forgiveness. Sometimes you will get caught up in the Spirit while submitting your will, your day, your home, and your career, to the Lord. Then next day you may try to pray the exact same thing and get nothing but static.

We seek after God until we find where He is moving that day. Listen to His voice, free from commercial breaks or other self-promotion. As I get caught away praying in the Spirit for someone else, worshipping God for His goodness, repenting for the sins of my community, or thanking Him for His blessings, I find an hour to be only a moment in His presence. Without my old prayer program guide, I now get better reception when I tune in to the melody of the Holy Ghost.

Evidential Faith: Calling on the Name of Jesus by Jason L. Weatherly

2010-11-04T09:00:00.000-07:00

Evidential Faith: Calling on the Name of Jesus by Jason L. Weatherly

on voting

2010-11-03T08:00:00.000-07:00

I think it is important that Christians meditate on this verse from 1 Timothy 2:1-4:

1First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men,

2for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity.

3This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior,

4who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.

Christians must vote by Godly principles; but after the election is over, it’s not a time to stop getting one’s hand dirty with politics– we must pray for whoever that wins, will be men and women of justice in their office, and allow peace and harmony so that Christians can share the gospel and not have to deal with those who want to hinder the cause of the gospel and “religious practice” and beliefs.
It’s also not time to slumber until the next election– Christian must be informed with what’s going on, and speak out against evil, while at the same time respecting those in office and make the issue the issue, rather the person.

taken from -
http://veritasdomain.wordpress.com/2010/11/02/for-christians-postelection-is-not-a-time-to-wait-for-the-next-election/

2010-09-30T20:49:00.001-07:00

http://pewforum.org/Other-Beliefs-and-Practices/U-S-Religious-Knowledge-Survey.aspx

the need of the Holy Spirit

2010-04-17T18:52:00.000-07:00

just be honest with yourself...

2009-11-30T11:02:00.000-08:00

this world is full of trickery, confusion, and dishonesty... if you want honesty then just be honest with yourself... the information is out there... be honest with yourself and find the Truth... no one else will do it for you... and here is the thing with Truth... by its very nature it stands alone which means their is only one Truth not many... by its very nature... things which disagree with Truth must be untruths and therefor wrong or false... and luckily by its very nature, becasue it stands apart and alone we are able to find it and find it with certainty.

http://takethestand.typepad.com/files/ep.35full---choose-your-own-adventure-religion.m4a

http://takethestand.typepad.com/files/ep.24-full---testing-the-christian-truth-claim.m4a

I am seeing a surge of what I like to call... Liberal Spiritualist...

I have met people who have rejected all and anything beyond our physical universe... these people can be called atheist or even self proclaimed rationalist. I have met many and debated some and have yet to find one who has given me reason to believe them to be authentic or genuine in their position. Some of the most outspoken ones seem to show a little more conviction for their position yet no proof can be seen in their lives other than the arguably empty words they write and speak. Here is why I can say I have yet to find a self proclaimed atheist or rationalist who lives by their pronouced convictions, because if you want to discard God as a reality, you are left with an intereste in actively mutating, and then why would it be bad to kill weak humans? Wouldn't we just be ensuring that the strongest, most adaptable of us survive? Human rights cannot be justified by evolutionary ideology, they are conflicting at the most fundamental levels. The closest atheist get to this would be Sam Harris and Hitchens' desire to see the US blow the middle east and more specifically the Muslim world off of the face of the earth. This passion of theirs cynically comes from their hate for religion but to their credit I think genuinely comes from a place of real concern for the human race from radical people who want to end the world. Other than that I see little reason to be pursuaded by thier lack of conviction for anything in reality although they believe the mosquito you squash on your arm to be just as purposeful to this life as you they are not going around squashing people yet I assume they slap a mosquito when it lands on their arm. So, I said all of that to say this... I am not threatened or moved by this increasing atheist movement as much as I am the ever present 'Liberal Spiritualist' movement.

here is why... Liberal Spiritualist are systematically breaking down religious Truth from the inside out rather than the athiest attacks from the outside. The liberal spiritualist claim truth on no foundation. the liberal spiritualist picks a part of truth from here and a part of truth from there while leaving out the conviction from there and the judgement from here. They seek to use the rules established by the LORD and governor of this earth yet not submit to any Lordship. They ultimately want utopia on earth much like the athiest yet do not realized the inherit inability for people to achieve this without a Lord. They want peace of mind so badly that instead of sifting throught the religion and philosophy of the world they just combine them all and use what they like and hope to not offend anyone because infact we are all free to choose for our own happiness. This actually all sounds good and nobel and makes one wonder why not live this way... for this is the reason this movement is growing so fast. What is going unrealized is the fact that this goodness they seek after is put here by a LORD and GOD for us to achieve companionship not only with others but with HIM... liberal spiritualist are not interested in HIM though... they are enough for themselves and community becomes their source.

I feel I have not ariculated myself well here... infact i know I have failed to make my point because I have not spent much time writing this post... BUT... if you are at all in an honest search for understanding the religious person , the atheist, or the liberal spiritualist, than just take the time to listen to the 2 pod cast links at the top of this post... and by all means continue your search because this is just an introduction to the debate.

works

2009-11-30T09:18:00.000-08:00

If I do not the works of my Father, believe me not. 38 But if I do, though ye believe not me, believe the works: that ye may know, and believe, that the Father is in me, and I in him. John 10:37-38 (KJV)

- powerful... believe the works... hum...

Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble. 20 But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead? 21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar? 22 Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect? 23 And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God. 24 Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only.
James 2:19-24 (KJV)

- in todays age, work's importance to faith has been lost... work has been tossed aside for a mere verbal acknowledgement of who God is, but even the devils do that... as with the real world... the same is true in the spiritual... 'work' separates the men from the boys!

Is it even rational to believe in God?

2009-10-31T08:15:00.000-07:00

Tim Keller speaking at UPenn
April 16, 2008

http://www.wts.edu/flash/media_popup/media_player.php?paramType=video&id=116

and read Tim Keller's new book also

http://barnabas14blog.blogspot.com/2009/11/book-recommendation-timothy-keller.html

Morality

2009-10-27T10:45:00.000-07:00

If you have seen my previous post about Billy Graham speaking at TED talks, then you heard my claim that the TED audience is mostly liberal, atheistic, earthly utopia seeking people. If you had any doubt about the significance of Billy Graham's opportunity to have the attention of this audience then just watch this video...

http://blog.ted.com/2009/09/the_healthcare.php

this short vid / talk shows the kind of audience TED draws. Now of course this is a generalization because I do not fit the picture painted in this video yet I view TED talks often, but it does generally speak of the common audience. Still many good points can be learned from this talk and the psychology of our moral thinking... although i do not completely agree with the video or the following article written with the video, I find it important to know how people think and why people think it... we have to reach a world who thinks we are below them, stupid, fooled, wrong, believe in fairy tales, etc... how do we reach these people who consider us fools? We have to understand them psychologically... we have to know why they think we are fools... we have to know why they think they are right... we think we're right, they think they're right, we think they're fools, they think we're fools... now that we are on this level playing feild it is important to actually listen to the other and recognize and respect what actually is right about their thinking rather than disregaurding everything they consider.

below is the article which shared a page with the above video... from the talk, a dialogue about health care was spurred... reading this is important to understand why liberals think conservatives are fools for disagreeing with OBAMA Care and also gives insight to persuasive tactics they may use.

talk on moral psychology and US healthcare debate -

In your talk at TED2008, you asked us all to "take the red pill" and step outside of our moral matrix. You said that moral psychology was the red pill, and that it could help people resolve many of the puzzles of politics. When emotions are running high in a debate such as we are seeing in the United States over healthcare, it's difficult to do this. What can moral psychology tell us about the healthcare debate?
I think there are three basic principles of moral psychology, and I find it helpful to approach any new puzzle by applying them.
The first principle is intuitive primacy: Peoples' judgments are based primarily on their intuitive reactions -- on quick gut feelings, not on reasoning. This is how we make most decisions, and Malcolm Gladwell reviewed this research in Blink. Our feelings guide our subsequent thinking, and in this case there is a vast sea of fear and anger out there caused by the financial crisis, the threat of unemployment, the rewarding of greed and arrogance on Wall Street, and the big changes the Obama administration is trying to implement on many fronts. People who didn't vote for Obama started off with negative or ambivalent feelings toward him. Independents who may have voted for him without much love are easily turned against him by talk of tax increases, whether true or not. His race may contribute some negativity, for some people. Whatever the source, negative feelings make it easy for people to believe just about any negative proposition given to them about Obama, including conspiracy theories about his birth certificate. Negative feelings make it easy to believe any negative claim about his health care plan, including the stuff about death panels.
The second principle of moral psychology is that moral thinking is for social doing: We engage in moral thinking not to find the truth, but to find arguments that support our intuitive judgments, so that we can defend ourselves if challenged. The crucial insight here comes from psychologist Tom Gilovich at Cornell, who says that when we want to believe a proposition, we ask, "Can I believe it?" -- and we look only for evidence that the proposition might be true. If we find a single piece of evidence then we're done. We stop. We have a reason we can trot out to support our belief. But if we don't want to believe a proposition, we ask, "Must I believe it?" -- and we look for an escape hatch, a single reason why maybe, just maybe, the proposition is false. So people who have a negative intuitive reaction to Obama, or who are fearful about the enormous changes going on, are already inclined to believe rumors against him and his plans. They hear about death panels and forged birth certificates and ask "can I believe it?" The answer is usually yes, particularly if Fox News raises these questions and brings on experts who claim that the propositions are true. Even if Fox News presents both sides, the fact that somebody on TV endorsed a proposition gives viewers permission to believe it, if they want to. Conversely, Democrats can give rebuttals till they're blue in the face, but if people are asking themselves "must I believe it" about the Democrats' claims then the answer they will usually reach is "no." Logic and consistency just aren't very important when it comes to morality. Reasoning is "the servant of the passions," as the philosopher David Hume said long ago.
That brings us to the third principle, which is that morality binds and builds. I said in my TEDTalk that morality and politics are team sports. People aren't just engaging in post-hoc rationalization to justify their individual feelings. Rather, moral reasoning and rationalizing are done in large part to help your team, and to show that you are a good member of your team. Moral teams tend to form around principles held to be sacred. One sacred principle for conservatives since the 1980s, and for libertarians in all eras, is that government is evil, it is a form oppression. Individual liberty, tied to individual responsibility, are good, so nanny states such as those of Europe, which seem so humane to liberals, are reviled as socialist nightmares that are then mistakenly blended with totalitarian nightmares. Hence the Obama equals Hitler comparisons. Of course, people are quite selective about the aspects of government they find oppressive, and many commentators have pointed out the irony of protesters who say, in one case literally, "keep your government hands off of my medicare." But once again, logic plays little role in our moral lives. Moral claims and arguments function like gang signs -- they show others what team you are on, and they let you share emotions with other people, which bonds you more closely together.
At the end of your talk, you say, "The great conservative insight is that order is really hard to achieve. It's really precious, and really easy to lose." How does this notion that order tends to decay -- suffused by the conservative mentality, which highly values in-groups, authority and purity -- shape conservative thinking about President Obama's healthcare reform proposals? What are liberals missing about the perspective of the political right?
I did say that in-group, authority and purity are necessary for the maintenance of order, but I would never give them a blanket endorsement. Rather, my message to secular liberals is, Don't dismiss these entirely. Be wary of them, sure; they can motivate violations of civil liberties and human rights. But we need them at times, and to a limited degree. Above all recognize that matters related to ingroup (such as immigration, or the flag), authority (such as crime and punishment), and purity (such as sexuality) are the ones that take on a kind of religious importance for most Americans, because they are about binding groups together around sacred values. Liberals often trigger outrage by ignoring these concerns in their pursuit of social justice, or of efficient policy.
In terms of the "five foundations" that I presented in my TEDTalk, I think that a big area of misunderstanding in the current debate concerns the role of purity/sanctity in biomedical issues, particularly abortion, euthanasia, and stem cell research. If your morality is based on the moral foundations of harm/care and fairness/reciprocity (as liberal morality is, in my data), then you're likely to take a very practical or utilitarian approach, one that aims to minimize suffering while maximizing the rights of the individuals involved. You take a "materialist" view of life, which doesn't mean materialistic as in greedy, it means you think the only thing that exists is matter – no souls – so you think life is a physical or mechanical process that can be tinkered with to optimize the welfare of human beings. Hence abortion, voluntary euthanasia, and stem cell research are all justified.
But materialism is deeply and profoundly threatening to many people. It's the reason that the philosopher Peter Singer is so widely attacked, despite his humanitarian intentions. The current Pope and the last one both railed against this form of materialism. The materialism of the secular left opens it up to charges that it promotes a "culture of death." Liberals are said to like to kill fetuses and the elderly; they don't treat anything as sacred. This term has been bandied about on the right for many years, and while it is a gross exaggeration, it is based in a real truth, a real difference on the question of the sacredness of life. So when Palin threw out the term "death panels," the term struck a chord that had been played many times in recent years. Liberals were flabbergasted, because it's a blatant lie, but it's false only in a logical sense, not an emotional one. And once again, logic has little to do with morality. If a pro-life social conservative asks himself whether Obama is secretly plotting to create death panels, he is not asking whether this is likely to be true, he is asking only "can I believe it," and the answer is usually yes.
Of course, liberals believe that it is conservatives who like to kill people (think militarism and capital punishment). Both sides care about life, but in different ways. Both sides live inside their own moral matrices. And just like in the movie The Matrix, morality is a "consensual hallucination" that is very hard to step out of. But moral psychology can help people to understand that there are moral motivations on all sides. People may not be logical, but few of them are crazy.
How would you advise a proponent of Obama's healthcare reform bill to go about persuading its opposition -- or at least to turn the debate toward the actual validity of its proposals, rather than the sensationalist claims?
While it is useful to rebut charges and get your arguments out in circulation, you have to understand that arguments and evidence have little impact on people as long as their feelings tilt them against you. You've got to create trust and liking first, and then people will be willing to listen. People can believe pretty much whatever they want to believe about moral and political issues, as long as some other people near them believe it, so you have to focus on indirect methods to change what people want to believe. You have to get them to the point where they ask themselves "can I believe it?" about your claims, rather than about your opponents' claims. The time to establish that trust and liking was months ago, and perhaps some of it was burned up in the giant bailouts and coziness with Wall Street. I'm not a political scientist; I can't say why his poll numbers went down. But as a moral psychologist I can say that there's now little that can be done to win over or calm down the town-hall protesters. They've formed a new gang, a new heroic moral identity of resistance.
My main suggestion is to boil the plan down to a few easy-to-understand ideas, each of which has some intuitive moral content. The compassion and caring-for-all ideas should be easy for Obama, but they are not going to win over non-liberals, particularly those like Congressman Joe Wilson who are offended by the prospect of caring for outsiders (i.e., immigrants). But Obama might have to reach beyond his moral comfort zone to bring in some conservative ideas of fairness, such as that laziness or personal irresponsibility must not be rewarded. Obama might want to consider discussing the role of lawyers, and the role of lawsuits in driving up the costs of medical care. Even if economists say that this is not a major economic factor, it is a major moral issue for many people: whiny, irresponsible patients team up with crooked lawyers to milk the system for multi-million dollar settlements. It's outrageous, and Obama's opponents specialize in mobilizing outrage. Opposition parties always do, and neither side has a deep respect for the truth, although I do think that the kind of populist moral outrage now being cultivated by Glenn Beck and other conservative media personalities shows the three principles of moral psychology in an unusually florid fashion: intuitive primacy, moral thinking is for social doing, and morality binds and builds. It's very hard to combat such attacks with reasons and evidence. I hope the Obama team finds some more indirect ways to change feelings – perhaps by making progress on the economy, or by handling an international crisis well. When it comes to moral persuasion, the way to the head is through the heart.

'the name'... it's Jesus!

2009-10-16T09:42:00.000-07:00

TIME magazine parallels historic figures to Moses

2009-10-08T05:53:00.000-07:00

As we read this article, all I ask is that we never forget, as the current trend does, that JESUS was more than just a smart, selfless, prophetic, leader from history whom we can just put into a list with other history changing figures... JESUS was, and is, and is to come... JESUS is the Great I AM... JESUS died yet lives and rose from the grave... there is no other name... JESUS... JESUS is Lord, God all mighty!!! So though this TIME article is interesting... it does not suffice to simply throw THE NAME of the Lord, God Almighty into a list among others... Jesus is an exhaulted name above all other names... I reverence the name of Jesus!

How Moses Shaped America
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1927303-2,00.html

By Bruce Feiler Monday, Oct. 12, 2009

The Ten Commandments teach that freedom depends on law.

"We are in the presence of a lot of Moseses," Barack Obama said on March 4, 2007, three weeks after announcing his candidacy for President. He was speaking in Selma, Ala., surrounded by civil rights pioneers. Obama cast his run for the White House as a fulfillment of the Moses tradition of leading people out of bondage into freedom. "I thank the Moses generation, but we've got to remember that Joshua still had a job to do. As great as Moses was ... he didn't cross over the river to see the promised land."

Eight months into his presidency, Obama might want to give Moses a second look. On issues from health care to Afghanistan, the President faces doubts and rebellions, from an entrenched pharaonic establishment on one hand and restless, stiff-necked followers on the other. There's good reason, then, for Obama to heed the leadership lessons of history's greatest leader. Like presidential predecessors from Washington to Reagan, Obama can use the Moses story to help guide Americans in troubled times. From the Pilgrims to the Founding Fathers, the Civil War to the civil rights movement, Americans have turned to Moses in periods of crisis because his narrative offers a road map of peril and promise.

Plight of the PilgrimsThe Moses story opens in the 13th century B.C.E. with the Israelites enslaved in Egypt. After the pharaoh orders the slaughter of all Israelite male babies, Moses is floated down the Nile, picked up by the pharaoh's daughter and raised in the palace. An adult Moses murders an Egyptian for beating "one of his kinsmen," then flees to the desert, where, later, a voice in a burning bush recruits him to free the Israelites. This moment represents Moses' first leadership test: Will he cling to his unburdened life or attempt to free a people enslaved for centuries?

The plight of the Israelites resonated with the earliest American settlers. For centuries, the Catholic Church had banned the direct reading of Scripture. But the Protestant Reformation, combined with the printing press, brought vernacular Bibles to everyday readers. What Protestants discovered was a narrative that reminded them of their sense of subjugation by the church and appealed to their dreams of a Utopian New World. The Pilgrims stressed this aspect of Moses. When the band of Protestant breakaways left England in 1620, they described themselves as the chosen people fleeing their pharaoh, King James. On the Atlantic, they proclaimed their journey to be as vital as "Moses and the Israelites when they went out of Egypt." And when they got to Cape Cod, they thanked God for letting them pass through their fiery Red Sea.

By the time of the Revolution, the theme of beleaguered people standing up to a superpower had become the go-to narrative of American identity. The two best-selling books of 1776 featured Moses. Thomas Paine, in Common Sense, called King George the "hardened, sullen tempered pharaoh." Samuel Sherwood, in The Church's Flight into the Wilderness, said God would deliver the colonies from Egyptian bondage. The Moses image was so pervasive that on July 4, after signing the Declaration of Independence, the Congress asked Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin and John Adams to propose a seal for the United States. Their recommendation: Moses, leading the Israelites through the Red Sea as the water overwhelms the pharaoh. In their eyes, Moses was America's true Founding Father.

But escaping bondage proved to be only half the story. After the Israelites arrive in the desert, they face a period of lawlessness, which prompts the Ten Commandments. Only by rallying around the new order can the people become a nation. Freedom depends on law.

Americans faced a similar moment of chaos after the Revolution. One Connecticut preacher noted that Moses took 40 years to quell the Israelites' grumbling: Now "we are acting the same stupid part." And so just as a reluctant Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt, then handed down the Ten Commandments, a reluctant George Washington led the colonists to victory, then presided over the drafting of the Constitution. The parallel was not lost. Two-thirds of the eulogies at Washington's death compared the "leader and father of the American nation" to the "first conductor of the Jewish nation."

Let My People GoWhile Moses was a unifying presence during the founding era, a generation later he got dragged into the issue that most divided the country. The Israelites' escape from slavery was the dominant motif of slave spirituals, including "Turn Back Pharaoh's Army," "I Am Bound for the Promised Land" and the most famous, "Go Down, Moses," which was called the national anthem of slaves: "When Israel was in Egypt Land,/ Let my people go;/ Oppressed so hard they could not stand,/ Let my people go."

Spirituals sent coded messages. As Frederick Douglass wrote, when he and his comrades sang, "O Canaan, sweet Canaan,/ I am bound for the land of Canaan," overseers believed they were worshipping the white god. But to them, it meant they were about to escape on the Underground Railroad. The movement's famous conductor, Harriet Tubman, was called the Moses of her people.

And yet even as abolitionists used the Exodus to attack slavery, Southerners used it to defend the institution. The War Between the States became the War Between the Moseses. Slaveholders cited a bevy of biblical passages — Abraham acquires slaves; Moses invites slaves to the first Passover; Jesus does nothing to free slaves — to claim the Bible endorsed slavery. The book that joined Americans together was torn asunder by slavery.

It took America's most Bible-quoting President to reunite the country. Called a pharaoh by his opponents, Abraham Lincoln freed the slaves after a "vow before God"; he invoked the Exodus at Gettysburg. When he died, Lincoln, like Washington before him, was compared to Moses. "There is no historic figure more noble than that of the Jewish lawgiver," Henry Ward Beecher eulogized. "There is scarcely another event in history more touching than his death." Until now. "Again a great leader of the people has passed through toil, sorrow, battle and war, and come near to the promised land of peace, into which he might not pass over."

Lincoln's assassination initiated an even more long-lasting tribute to Moses, the Statue of Liberty, given to America by the French to honor the slain President. The sculptor, Frédéric Bartholdi, chose the goddess of liberty as his model, but he enhanced her with two icons from Moses: the nimbus of light around her head and the tablet in her arms, both from the moment Moses descends Mount Sinai with the Ten Commandments. The message: Freedom comes with law.

Moses and SupermanWith the rise of secularism and the declining influence of the Bible in the 20th century, Moses might have melted away as a role model. But something curious happened. He was so identified as a hero of the American Dream that he superseded Scripture and entered the realm of popular culture, from novels to television.

Superman was modeled partly on Moses. The comic-book hero's creators, two bookish Jews from Cleveland named Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, drew their character's backstory from the superhero of the Torah. Just as baby Moses is floated down the Nile in a basket to escape annihilation, baby Superman is launched into space in a rocket ship to avoid extinction. Just as Moses is raised in an alien world before being summoned to liberate Israel, Superman is raised in an alien environment before being called to assist humanity.

But it was Cecil B. DeMille who turned Moses into a symbol of American power in the Cold War. The 1956 epic The Ten Commandments, which in its inflation-adjusted total ranks as the fifth highest grossing movie of all time, opened with DeMille appearing onscreen. "The theme of this picture is whether men ought to be ruled by God's law or whether they are to be ruled by the whims of a dictator," he said. "The same battle continues throughout the world today." To drive home his point, DeMille cast mostly Americans as Israelites and Europeans as Egyptians. And in the film's final shot, Charlton Heston adopts the pose of the Statue of Liberty and quotes the line from the third book of Moses — Leviticus — inscribed on the Liberty Bell: "Proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof."

To modern Americans, Moses' heartbreak, in many ways, ensures his ongoing appeal. Though a champion of freedom, he was also a prophet of disappointment. After leading the Israelites for 40 years, Moses is denied entry to the promised land for disobeying God. No one understood this aspect of the Moses story better than Martin Luther King Jr. In his first national speech, in 1956, he likened the U.S. Supreme Court to Moses for splitting the Red Sea of segregation. On the night before his death 12 years later, King predicted he would not fulfill his dream. "I've been to the mountaintop," he declared. "And I've looked over. And I've seen the promised land. And I may not get there with you, but I want you to know tonight that we as a people will get to the promised land." Both Moses and King are reminders that even the greatest leaders fall short.

So what lessons can the current occupant of the White House learn from a figure that nearly every one of his predecessors has invoked?

First, sell the milk and honey. Obama is the first President to hold a Passover seder in the White House, but he seems to be forgetting the main point of the service: the story of Moses is, above all, a story. It's a narrative of hope. Details are fine for negotiating policy, but it's the vision of milk and honey that gets people to plunge into the Red Sea.

Second, remember the Nile. As he wrestles with whether to tackle immigration, toughen regulations or insure all Americans, the President should recall that from the moment God hears his people moaning under slavery, the entire moral focus of the Moses story is to build a society that nurtures everyone. Thirty-six times, the Torah urges the Israelites to befriend the stranger, for they were strangers in Egypt.

Third, the one on Sinai takes the heat. The Bible outlines at least a dozen rebellions in which the people attempt to overthrow Moses. In a striking parallel to Obama, the Israelites even question Moses' birthright: "Who made you leader over us?" God offers to destroy the people, but Moses brokers a compromise. The strongest leaders face the harshest criticism and hold fast against their naysayers.

Finally, you may not enter the promised land. Forced to die across the Jordan on Mount Nebo, Moses confronts his final choice: Will he fight or prepare the Israelites for the future? He chooses the latter. "I have put before you this day life and prosperity, death and adversity," he says. "Choose life."

These words capture what may be the most trying lesson of leadership: You may fail, but your legacy is to prepare your followers to succeed without you. So plunge into the waters, persevere through the dryness, and don't be surprised if you don't reach your goal. For the true destination is not this year at all, but next.

Feiler is the author of America's Prophet: Moses and the American Story, from which this article is adapted

Read TIME's 1998 cover story "In Search Of Moses."
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,989815,00.html

earthquakes, tsunamis, and the love of God

2009-10-07T21:20:00.000-07:00

http://biblebasesecondthoughts.blogspot.com/2009/10/earthquakes-tsunamis-and-love-of-god.html

Billy Graham on technology and faith

2009-10-02T06:29:00.001-07:00

Billy Graham adresses TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design - is an invitation-only event where the world's leading thinkers and doers gather to find inspiration)... an audience of mostly technology/science worshiping, utopia seeking, athesist - if I had to guess... and Billy Graham seized this unique invitation & moment to bring the gospel to such an audience...

http://www.ted.com/talks/billy_graham_on_technology_faith_and_suffering.html

though i may have some theological disagreements with Graham... "We should not be quick to reject those who reverence the name of Christ, but who apparently do not have the fulness of truth. The disciples rebuked a man who cast out devils in jesus' name because he was not part of them, but jesus said, "forbid him not: for there is no man which shall do a miracle in my name, that can lightly speak evil of me. For he that is not against us is on our part" (Mark 9:39-40). People such as these are not necessarily saved (Matthew 7:21-23), but they may still help to spread the Word of God and the name of Jesus (Philippians 1:15-18). Instead of opposing them, we should be thankful for what good they do and endeavor to lead them to more truth. If we preach the full gospel in a positive way, the truth will speak for itself and be its own defense." David K. Benard.

Church Vanity - i want to look pretty

2009-09-28T15:45:00.000-07:00

please do not adorn yourselves but let us 'pimp out' (adorn) the church!!! If this is our new philosophy than I am getting on steroids, giving my wife a boob job, getting myself into debt with a fancy car, might buy a pair of $500 sunglasses, definitly going to shop for the most current trend, and my wife's and my hair will look like whomever happens to be the cutest couple in Hollywood at the moment.... i mean, its about fitting in to reach souls right? Obviously this is not right. God teaches us very plainly... let us not loose site of that. example of simlpe teaching -'does not nature itself teach you?' in other words... is it not obvious? I ask the same question... is it not obvious? If the people are not to adorn themselves, and are rather to live plainly without desire to follow heathen trends... and... if people are the church or rather make up the church... hum... then reason would lead us to believe that possibly the physical church and church programs should not adorn themselves... just a thought, I mean if the new game in town is attracting people to churches with vanities, programs, and entertainment, rather than God and HIS drawing power, then wouldnt it only be reasonable that in order for me to witness, I would have to be the trendiest, coolest, funest (by heathen standards) dood on the block? I do not formulate that we sit in our safe little church buildings and wait for God to bring people to church... it is our commision to get out there and get our shoes muddy... we have to share truth... what i formulate here is that once we share truth or get people to a teaching service or worship service or sermon, then God does not need the church to mimic the world to provide a non-offending and entertaining place for the seeker... if he or she is a seeker than God will not offend them and entertaining them will not be nesessary... which leaves the Saint's focus on entertaining God, which God than inhabits, which the seeker will then feel this inhabitation... and so on... and so forth...

the following links touch on this subject... some vaguely... some agree... some dont...

http://www.preachingpoints.com/2009/08/late-to-the-party/

http://principle-driven.blogspot.com/2009/06/beware-of-thethree-types-of-leaven.html

http://fullproofministry.blogspot.com/2009/10/novel-ministry-concept.html

http://hillaryelizabeth.blogspot.com/2009/09/who-is-jesus.html

http://hillaryelizabeth.blogspot.com/2009/07/what-does-it-really-mean-to-love-god.html

http://theincarnate.blogspot.com/2008/12/missional-vs-attractional-church-models.html

http://theapostolicreport.wordpress.com/2008/04/03/technology-in-the-church-survey-results/

http://theapostolicreport.wordpress.com/2009/01/15/movie-theaters-are-the-new-churches/
http://oldlandmark.wordpress.com/2009/06/19/vanity-pride-and-the-mediaeval-pulpit/

http://theapostolicreport.wordpress.com/2009/02/02/aljc-launches-new-national-advertsing-campaign/#comments

see links above!

if we used our time and energy on the unchanging things (GOD) rather than the everchanging things (people) than the real Apostolic church wouldn't constantly be in competition with the world... people are either looking for the world or looking for THE God... if we keep makeing THE God look like the world then how will they find HIM... of course no man comes to the Father who is not drawn by the Father, let us as the Church... the true Apostolic Church... be that light house sending out that beacon of hope to those who are being drawn by the father... when they receive the call, they should beable to look through the fog and darkness of this world to see the LIGHT shining from an Apostolic Church...

the most common scripture used in support of making the church appeal to the world by becoming more like the world is this scripture:

For though I be free from all men, yet have I made myself servant unto all, that I might gain the more. 20 And unto the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain the Jews; to them that are under the law, as under the law, that I might gain them that are under the law; 21 To them that are without law, as without law, (being not without law to God, but under the law to Christ,) that I might gain them that are without law. 22 To the weak became I as weak, that I might gain the weak: I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some. 23 And this I do for the gospel's sake, that I might be partaker thereof with you.
Our life is like a contest for a prize
24 Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain. 25 And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible. 26 I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air: 27 But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.
1 Cor 9:19-27 (KJV)

breaking it down...

Paul is saying is that he finds ways to relate to people at their level. He doesn't talk down to people, and he doesn't talk over their heads. He doesn't distance himself from others, and he doesn't assume a holier-than-thou attitude. He doesn't speak Greek to Italians. He meets people at their level. He'll discuss gardening with a farmer, cattle and horses with a rancher, sheep with a shepherd. He was educated, and so he could discuss ethics and philosophy with the best of them, but he wasn't so full of himself that he'd refuse to discuss dishpan hands with a scullery maid. And he didn't just talk to people. He'd listen. He gave them his attention. No one was too insignificant to win his ear. He was willing to share their joys and sorrows, and to try to understand their life situations.

Paul leads a good example of a balanced life and preaching style / church style...

you have all heard 'don't be so heavenly minded that you are no earthly good'... well, have you ever heard 'don't be so earthly minded that you are no heavenly good'...

it is about a balance... if at the end of the day we loose our grasp on Acts 2:38, Holiness, and workings in the spiritual gifts, just to become the world so we can reach the world... than we have not reached the world... we have fallen into the world... we have to go out into the world and become them, like GOD became man to reach reach and save man... But JESUS was spotless and perfect... JESUS did not compromise... GOD came to earth in flesh and became like us and NEVER CHANGED... I wish that the Apostolic Church and Truth could go out into the world and be like the world YET NEVER CHANGE...

Christ should be our example in every way... this issue is no different... Paul understood that!

it seems that it might be ok to appeal to the world by going into the world to share Truth... but we should remember to maintain a place which is separate from the world by which one can go to edify, cry, worship, make an alter...

if we do not think that Paul is saying that we should go have a beer or two in the bar to reach the person in the bar THAN why in the world would we think that Paul is telling us to base our entire Church Style / Programs / etc... off of the whims and trends of the world... Jesus was not about entertaining crowds... he was about meeting their needs, healing, sharing hope... Jesus never started a sermon with a nice Gladiator fight, although that would sure have drawn a nice crowd... he allowed Truth and Hope to draw people... why is it that we think we must become proffesional entertainers putting on some very wastful and expensive light show and dance? is it because we think we must contend with Hollywood, MTV, TV evangelism, and the like... trust me, people would be refreshed to find a place without all of that mess... I WAS!

the church must remain Identifiable... separate in purpose, appearance, and action than the world and its religions!

so, how many persons does is take to make your god?

2009-09-04T15:39:00.000-07:00

In his excellent study on Christian iconography, Adolphe Didron carefully maps the clear evolution of the Trinities in both art and architecture. In the most primitive extant examples, symbols of the Godhead may include the hand of God reaching from the clouds, the cross, the lamb, or the dove. No paradigmatic Trinitarian representation exists until the 4th century, and no instances are to be found either in the catacombs or upon ancient Christian sacrophagi (Didron 35). Many of the earliest works that combine these symbols present them in vertical descent, with a hand representing God the Father, a dove representing the Holy Spirit, and the cross representing Christ, the Son. The order significantly communicates an elementary tenet of germinal Trinitarianism, the notion that Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and not the Son. This doctrinal position is still held by the Eastern Church while the Roman Church believes that the Spirit proceeds from both Father and Son. In any case, the earliest examples of Trinities are comprised of mere symbols.

During the 9th to 12th centuries, however, Trinities took on anthropomorphic form, and the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost assumed human attributes. For centuries, Christ had been depicted as a young man. Remarkably, the Father and Spirit were also portrayed as young men, essentially identical to the Son. In fact, it is often difficult to distinguish between the persons, undoubtedly an effort to harmonize the artwork with the Athanasian concept of the cosubstantiality of the members of the Trinity.

In reality, these artistic representations reveal the core contradiction of Trinitarian dogma, that One God exists as three persons. The clear corporal disconnectedness of the three in many examples of art and architecture exaggerates the concept of the Trinity and destroys the scriptural unity of the Godhead, presenting, instead, three gods with no apparent cohesion.
In some Trinities, the Father, who is elderly, supports the Son suspended on the cross. In these cases, the Spirit is most often figured by the dove and proceeds from the mouth of the Father. Similarly, illustrations of Christ’s baptism generally employ the same vertical declension and the dove.The Trinities and the artists’ innovations also took other forms. The introduction of geometrical shapes, predominantly triangles and interlocked circles, emphasized the triplicity of persons, and three became an important number in Gothic architecture. The trefoil, the silhouette of the three interlocked circles, implicitly conveys the Trinity and appeared in church windows and arches.Such misrepresentations of the Godhead metamorphosed into the monstrous with the amalgamation of the Trinity into a one-headed being with three faces, sometimes having three or four eyes and three mouths atop a single body. While such examples flourished and attempted to portray, at least tenuously, the unity of the Father, Son, and Spirit, Pope Urban VIII prohibited such Trinities in 1628 and ordered that examples be destroyed (Didron 61). Whether his anathemization was aesthetic or theological is historically unclear, but these Trinitarian representations stand in stark contrast to other examples where each person is completely individualized.

More disturbing are historical examples of Christian art in which Satan himself is depicted as a claw-footed, unholy trinity with three faces, often with three horns. Such pieces evidence the radical theological distortions of Trinitarianism and presents the devil as God’s equal opposite.
Of particular interest to modern Oneness believers is a 16th Century example of a three-faced Trinity, which includes an intricate schema using the inverted triangle capped by circles to represent the Trinity (Figure 2). The circles labeled Pater (Father), Filius (Son), and Spiritus Sanctus (Holy Spirit) are interpolated with the words “non est”, reading literally: “Father is not Son; Son is not Holy Spirit; Holy Spirit is not Father.” This is important because it was apparently created to rebut those who believed that the Father, Son, and Spirit were not personally distinct. There must have been Christians who were not making radical distinctions between the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; otherwise, this theological message would not have been necessary.

Ultimately, artistic representations of the Trinity create images of a God divided and do not and indeed cannot preserve His unity. In all cases, three gods are figured, whether in symbol or person, revealing the impossible oxymoron of the underlying idea of a triune God. The inability of artists and architects to represent the complex doctrine without making an image of three gods further condemns the false notion of Trinitarian dogma and visually displays the ultimate departure of Trinitarian doctrine from essential monotheism of the ancient Jewish faith and the New Testament Apostolic Church.

Sources:
Didron, Adolphe Napoleon. Christian Iconography: the History of Christian Art in the Middle Ages. Trans. E.J. Millington. Frederick Ungar Publishing Co. New York: 1886.

thanks to www.oldlandmark.wordpress.com

2009-04-07T08:55:00.000-07:00

can't wait for a good ole church service...

Jesus said it not me...

2009-03-05T10:36:00.000-08:00

For Zion's sake will I not hold my peace, and for Jerusalem's sake I will not rest, until the righteousness thereof go forth as brightness, and the salvation thereof as a lamp that burneth. 2 And the Gentiles shall see thy righteousness, and all kings thy glory: and thou shalt be called by a new name, which the mouth of the LORD shall name. Isaiah 62:1-2 (KJV)

This is where my zeal comes from… it is because I am trying to intercede on behalf of the world before God… much like the prophet here is representing all prayers of God’s people who are praying for people to see who Jesus is when he comes… the LORD shall name him… He did… JESUS

For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Heb 4:12 (KJV)

I try to use my current limited knowledge of God’s word whenever I can because I know it is living and powerful… it is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart…

Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. 13 For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure. Phil 2:12-13 (KJV)

Now this is the obligation of the Christian… to see Jesus as our example of obedience and humiliation and to through this example and our like obedience to God, we will find our salvation…

I probably read more secular text than Biblical text but I always try to measure everything to the word of God… why… because it is constant and good… even from an atheists view point… People can learn a lot from Jesus’ life… now of course you can learn a lot from Buddha, Gandhi, and a host of other eastern philosophies but a diligent study shows that every good philosophy is a variation and an interpretation for that culture from that of the teachings and prophecies of Jesus…

That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; 15 But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things Eph 4:14-15 (KJV)

I measure everything to the Bible because I have come to believe that it is true and orginal… and until proved differently I will continue to believe that…

For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; 4 And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables. 2 Tim 4:3-4 (KJV)

People have itching ears… they want to hear what they want to hear… they look for information and teachers who will saying what they want to believe… I believe the Bible without itching ears… there is nothing lovely and I don’t lust after the idea of forsaking all things and taking up my cross for God… a true disciple and true Christians life is not… sow a seed and get a car… a true Christians life is speak the Truth and get persecuted by a world who only wants to hear doctrine not of truth but after their own lust…

Live in the word... Jesus said it not me...

who are you?

2009-01-13T14:06:00.000-08:00

The "architectonics" of identity construction… it is bigger than your “SELF”… don’t forget the “OTHER”

Mikhail Bakhtin is an acclaimed cultural theorist and considered to be one of the most important thinkers and philosophers of the 20th century…

Bakhtin offers a model upon which to base identity. One that has three parts: the center, the not-center, and the relationship between the center and the not-center. For Bakhtin, all three of these parts are necessary for identity to exist. There is no such thing as identity unless all three of these components operate simultaneously.

The first part of Bakhtinian identity, then, is the "center," and it is vitally important that you grasp from the outset that this is NOT the core of individuality that new agers make it. Bakhtin’s "center" is closer to the Freudian idea of the body, with its needs, complexes, and appetites: it is the libidinal (instinctual) space – the animal part of us – the “dust” of us that just attempts to survive. The center is always in movement, always changing, complex and multiple. Its primary energy is centrifugal, or "outward-directed," as the appetites of the body reach into the world to seek gratification. There is no identity here, no morality, no ethic (these things come from the “breath” which went into the dust)– only a complex of centrifugal energies emanating from a moving, changing, living source. Your center is located where you are sitting right now – and yet it is impossible to locate it with precision. The “center” is selfish and egocentric.

The second part, the "not-center" is everything else, everything in your little universe that is not your center. Imagine you have a dog named, say, Anny, a scrappy little yapping dog. Anny is an important part of your not-center, and therefore plays a valuable and active role in making you who you are. Bakhtin wants you to begin your identity analysis in the real time and space of your existence. What better place to start than Anny? And then the other figures who surround you every day?

Who are you in contact with regularly? What are the objects or tools that you use every day to accomplish tasks, or to express yourself? What is your neighborhood like? Your city? Which roads do you travel on? What kind of clothes live in your closet? The food in your cupboard and refrigerator, the books on your bookshelves, the programs and channels that you watch on the television, the films you choose to watch… These things constitute the universe that you live in, and through them you come into being. Begin with the things nearest and dearest to you – the things that irritate and frustrate you on a daily basis – and build your self-analysis from there.
Your "not-center" is centripetal in nature. That is, the world around you is neither static, nor mute, nor inanimate. It is alive, and comes to meet your centrifugal "center." Take, for instance, Eve in the Garden. She “wo-man” walking around in the garden with her “center” which is reaching outward to satisfaction. She gets to walk with God and have a loving husband in Adam, but then the “not center” (the serpent) approaches her – it comes to you.

The third part of Bakhtinian identity is the relationship between the center and the not-center, and this is much harder to describe than the other two parts, because it’s a process rather than a definable "thing." The relationship of your center and not center is relative to the variations of flux within the social arena. You can see this very clearly by looking at a simple "hello." This greeting is one of the simplest utterances in the English language. Two people meet and one person says "hello." What could be more basic? And yet… The impact and power, the meaning and importance of this small utterance, alters according to the relationship between the two people it connects.

Think about the “hello” between Eve and the serpent. How dynamic was that. Eve was dealing with her “center” (instinctual desires) and her “not center” (in this case temptation). The third part “the relationship between center and not center” was her “breath”, her “mind”, her conscious. She not having proper control over her third part, allowed for man’s first sin.
These little parables show the center and the not-center in process. They show new conscious awareness emerging on the fly, through interaction and negotiation. And what do they all have in common? The interaction takes place through the medium of language.

Language conveys that meanings adopted by a person to refer to him or herself. Therefore, language is intrinsic to identity. Moreover, Bakhtin uses a very specific term to refer to the meanings that swarm within one person's consciousness, making up their identity: "heteroglossia." This term literally means "many voices speaking," and refers to all the discourses, generated at different times and in different places, that converge on you, where you're sitting right now, to make you who you are. Heteroglossia is the word-storm that makes up your interior monologue and the interactions you have with others.

What languages do you speak? Think carefully. This doesn't just mean: Do you speak any languages other than English? It can mean that, but "language" here refers to all kinds of things: a special vocabulary that comes with a technical skill; slang that you use with your friends; specific words you use when indulging an unusual hobby; the fragmented speech that you use to talk to yourself when you're home alone; and body language too, the gestures you use to express yourself. These would be just a small slice of the discourses that pass through you, and that serve to make you who you are. And here we get to the crux of the meaning of "heteroglossia," with its "many voices speaking": you did not invent this language. It came to you from elsewhere. It is in this regard that, as Bakhtin says, you become who you are only through others.

Let's stay with heteroglossia a little longer. Are you familiar with the music theory concept of "polyphony"? When one voice or instrument sounds, you have "monophony" – "one sound." Add another voice or instrument, and there you have "polyphony" – "many sounds" – almost as the word Dissonance as stated in the Blog’s description. This is a great metaphor for the conventional and Bakhtinian concepts of identity. In most people’s attempts they try to remain singular and indivisible, and the self is monophonic. One trombone, blaring alone on a single note. Bakhtinian identity, on the other hand, is polyphonic. In sonic terms, it's an orchestra tuning up.
If your identity was a sound, what would it be? Does your life look like a recreation of Beethoven's Ninth? Or is your identity more like the children’s Symphonia, a group of people who have never played instruments in their lives, and who don't really know how to read music, getting together without a conductor (conductor = God) to perform? Or are you sticking with the conventional approach: one note sounding through the silence trying to be recognized as unique and powerful? If so, what instrument are you?

Bakhtin theorizes that any given moment, each of us is a person in two senses: a "center" and a "not-center." The first is an "I-for-myself" (how I feel from inside to my own consciousness) and the second is an "I-for-the-other" (how I look from outside to someone else). Although both perspectives are real, only the latter is articulate and palpable.

Our reality is made up of the interaction between these two selves (use both of them… get beyond your “self”). For you and for other people, images, impressions, and intonations must cross the boundary between your consciousness and theirs before identity is registered. Identity belongs therefore not to individuals but to the boundary between them: it is concrete, historical, and inevitably shared.

This model of selfhood, which Bakhtin called "architectonic," recommends that we seek out the most varied possible feedback on ourselves, absorbing the reactions and ideas of others with gratitude. Bakhtin's advice: embrace as many others-for-me as possible, thereby guaranteeing a rich inventive, diverse, self-aware, and unrepeatable self. That way we can enter into dialogue with others on terms largely not ours, and learn by responding to something genuinely other (understanding this one concept will help you to witness God like nothing else you could ever learn).

Your identity is an on-going project, co-authored by all the people, places, and objects in your life. If you want it to be well-crafted, as the conductor of an orchestra would want a performance to be, you need to educate yourself (read the Bible and secular writings), and choose your musicians (who are you bouncing your ideas off of) with care. And just like a performance of Beethoven's Ninth, your identity is not a single, unchanging thing, but an event, a "happening" that manifests in space and time and exemplifies continuous development and change.

Bakhtin's notion of "intertextuality" is similar to his concept of heteroglossia, and just as important. Intertextuality is the "voice of the other" within you; the interiorized text of the "other." An example of an intertext would be when you are reading a book, and the author quotes another author. This quote is literally someone else's voice speaking inside the main text. Not so remarkable, but for Bakhtin, your identity is an intertext too (stop blocking out the voices – embrace the intertext – allow this intertext to be the voice of God). That is, everything that you are is made up of pieces that came from elsewhere. There is nothing original about you, as every aspect of your self is a gift of "the other."

Of all the Bakhtinian concepts you might struggle with, this one could be the toughest. As Bakhtin put it:

"I am conscious of myself and become myself only while revealing myself for another, through another, and with the help of another. The most important acts constituting self-consciousness are determined by a relationship toward another consciousness (toward a thou)… The very being of man (both external and internal) is the deepest communion. To be means to communicate… To be means to be for another, and through the other, for oneself. A person has no internal sovereign territory, he is wholly and always on the boundary: looking inside himself, he looks into the eyes of another or with the eyes of another… I cannot manage without another, I cannot become myself without another; I must find myself in another by finding another in myself (in mutual reflection and mutual acceptance)."

Who’s eyes are YOU looking through?

Who is your “other”?

My “other” is God…

I have "AAU 20th Century Ideology" class lecture notes to thank for this info...

of course most 20th century philosophy has deep 'new age' undertones... this philosopher is no different. I tend to still read these new age ideas but of course with a sober mind. It is about haveing a more complex understanding of everything to beable to talk to everybody. Reading philosophy is not for everyone... i think it might even be dangerous for some people. Before reading philosophy you must now where it comes from and with which what agenda it propagates... have a holy ghost sober mind and then take the good and create a lesson while tossing out the bad!

life is good... do I even need God?

2008-11-21T10:12:00.000-08:00

They send forth their little ones like a flock, and their children dance. 12 They take the timbrel and harp, and rejoice at the sound of the organ. 13 They spend their days in wealth, and in a moment go down to the grave. 14 Therefore they say unto God, Depart from us; for we desire not the knowledge of thy ways. 15 What is the Almighty, that we should serve him? and what profit should we have, if we pray unto him?
Job 21:11-15 (KJV)

lets walk back into the dark ages... when people needed God! St. Augustine wrote a book, The City of God, where he refuted the pagans who were blaming the hard times on Christians. In Augustine's book he reveals the good of the fall of Rome. Rome was obsessed with life... health, diet, exercise, consumption, reputation, having more even if it meant going into debt. They were obsessed with news, traveling, entertainment. They were fascinated by fame, success, pride, greed, and all vainities. It was hard to be a Christian in that kind of society. So, the great thing about the fall of Rome was that it allowed Christians to find the light of Christ inside. While the pagans were blaming the Christians for upsetting their gods... their gods were angry so Rome fell. The Christians were finally able to realize that inner peace and contentment that knowing about the good news of Jesus Christ was really all about.

They found virtue in poverty... lessons in hard times. They care not about the earthly treasures and so turned their attention to Godly things. At this time most all Christians and the Church as a whole was poor, but this is what kept them faithful. Now days too many Christians measure their Church and themselves by wealth and prosperity. The Church grew in political power and money... and soon to follow came corruption.

So many parallels to our current cultural situation to that of the Romans can be drawn. We are obsessed with news, entertainment, fame, health, excercise, diet, fashion, sex, more more more stuff even if it has to go on Visa or MasterCard. Church BeCareful... keep your mind on the things beyond this world. Don't play into the vanities of this world. More money and riches and entertainment will not bring more God loving Jesus wanna be Holy poeple into discipleship. Keep the focus on Godly things, the good news of Christ. We must remain Broken to the world to be whole in Christ!

"the rich are never rich enough... enough is simply to be content with what you have rather than to have what you want. When wanting comes first, you can never have enough. If contentment is placed first, it does not matter how much you have." Charles Van Doren, A History of Knowledge

Professional Christians

2008-11-05T19:00:00.000-08:00

"But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men." Matt 15:9 (KJV)

So here you go, millennia ago Jesus recognized the vanity in which some were teaching and worshipping. I believe that in the beginning the Pharisees, of which the above passage is about, were attempting to create a religious movement with good intentions. With polytheism influencing everything, the Pharisees, a Jewish sect, were trying to safeguard their monotheistic beliefs. By implementing a strict observance of Mosaic law, they were attempting to set up healthy guidelines by which they sought to be uncompromisingly loyal to what they believed. The danger they found themselves in was the pride and righteousness of man. Trying so hard to remain true to their faith, they began to create more and more guidelines, philosophies, and traditions. They began to lose sight of the initial aim of setting up a structure with which they could truly serve their faith and instead created a structure with which they began to truly serve themselves. Until this day the word “Pharisee” can be used to describe a hypocritically self-righteous person.

for they say, and do not. 4 For they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men's shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers. 5 But all their works they do for to be seen of men: they make broad their phylacteries, and enlarge the borders of their garments, 6 And love the uppermost rooms at feasts, and the chief seats in the synagogues, 7 And greetings in the markets, and to be called of men, Rabbi, Rabbi.Matt 23:3-7 (KJV)

Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. 17 But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face; 18 That thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly.Matt 6:16-18 (KJV)

So the Pharisees have been remembered not for the good intentions that they started out with but instead they are remembered as the boastful, self righteous, religious people they became. They became “Professional Jews.”It seems that we can stand to learn something from the Pharisees. Have we only become “professional Christians?” God seeing that man was lost on their obvious quest for seeking him, He decided to come to earth robed in flesh as the Son of a virgin mother and become the corner stone of His newly established Church and Doctrine. He then died, leaving His Truth with the Apostles, and resurrected, leaving us in His merciful dispensation of Grace.Of course it didn’t take long for man to turn Jesus and His Doctrine into propaganda for their power and gain. Which ruler could build the most magnificent Cathedral quickly became the new game and seeking to control as many people as possible under the name of religion turned into outright slaughter. Once again, and I may be naïve, but I think that like the Pharisees, these new “Christians” initially aimed to bring people to what they believed to be “Truth.” Beginning with concern for souls, the Church quickly became righteous, proud, hungry for position, and religious.Once again this cycle was recognized and acted upon. Now we find ourselves somewhere around 1400 and 1500 years after the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ. The “church” so distorted now from that which Christ founded already had a history of deadly crusades in the name of religion and the focus, instead of being to the love and salvation of Christ, was on wealth, power, and position. Here, a German theologian, Martin Luther, steps up to the great scary establishment called Christendom, and as quickly as he stood up to the religious, they kicked him out and shunned him, charging him with heresy. This spawned what is known as the Protestant movement. These new Protestant Churches established on Faith rather than works were attempting to undo what the all powerful Catholic establishment had killed for. They were trying to get back to the True Church which was established by God himself, Jesus, nearly one-thousand five-hundred years before. The oppression of the great Catholic Religion pushed many to seek religious liberation. Thus, we have the wonderful United States of America, which was founded on the ideology of freedom – mainly the freedom of religion. Once realizing that European oppression was still finding its way across the Atlantic Ocean, “we the people” stood up and in the year of 1776 on the day of July 4th, we declared our independence from Europe. Now we were truly free to find the Pharisees amongst ourselves. We find ourselves a short 232 years removed from this common pride and yearn for freedom but somehow in that very short powerful history we have become a superpower in the world, yet we find ourselves as self deceived as the Pharisee. It is not “we the people” anymore but rather “we the government,” “we the lobbiest,” “we the crazy liberal Hollywood type who influence the government way too much.” We, who establish the great free society, are giving way to the socialistic tendencies of the secular left today….. whoa…. I am sorry did I just get political…. hopefullly Obama doesnt turn our society into the racially black against white south africa (13 years of black leadership and things have never been worse for South Africa).... Back to the topic at hand…..Where were we…. Ah yes…. The protestant movement was getting ever so closer to the Apostles Doctrine but didn’t quite make it their. From the initial Lutheran Church, the original Protestant Church, many other “denominations” are Christian belief systems spawned. We now find ourselves in the late 19th century and early 20th century. Someone must have been earnestly seeking the Truth of God because all of a sudden different established denominations, such as Methodist, and Baptist, began to seek revival and wanted to and needed to gain a renewal in the Truth of God. For years around this era, churches were creeping closer and closer when all of a sudden, in 1901 with only a handful of students in a Bible School in Topeka, Kansas, Pentecost once again is realized. The Holy Spirit once again fell upon a people who finally made it to a place where they were mentally and spiritually ready to receive Christ. and then the wonderful and powerful 1906 Azusa Street Revival. This began with one man who stumbling upon the Truth of the Word, began to go to these Revival seeking Churches trying to find an answer. Though hundreds of years removed from the religious mindset established so long ago, these Churches continued to kick this man, Seymour, to the street. They were not yet willing to submit there philosophies to the complete Truth and Word of God. Finally, Seymour began having Bible studies in homes and as the crowd got bigger they found a bigger house until they eventually found a place on 312 Azusa Street in Los Angeles. This place had dirt floors and old wooden crates for an alter but the greatest Cathedrals of the old world had never experienced what was taken place in this old building. Day after day, nearly 24hrs and 7 days a week for 3 solid years people were being healed, delivered, and set free in Truth. Again the Church that Jesus intended was once again founded and the Apostles Doctrine revived.We now find ourselves almost exactly 100yrs removed from that time and it seems that most of the denominations which spawned from those events are becoming “Professional Christians.” You see it on TV and hear it on the Radio. You see the competition for the biggest brightest marquee and advertisements as you drive down nearly any street or highway. Nearly everyone has their faith invested in prosperity rather than servitude and preachers and pastors usually drive the most expensive cars, wear the most lavish suits, and live in the most coveted home of anyone else in the church as they stand there preaching about how the Church body is not giving enough in the offerings and they will not be blessed until they give more. The preaching seems rehearsed and the message probably came from one of the many websites that sell sermons online rather than the anointing of God. The music has turned into a theatrical production with extravagant lights and sound systems and usually and little dance that goes along with each song. Though God’s Church was once again established we found away to turn it right back into a religious agenda for man. Some churches are further gone than others but even the churches that once gave me hope are now succumbing to the attraction of these new secularized church services. Once again humanistic intellectualism has infiltrated the Church. Once a month has gone by and a new member has not joined the church, instead of the Pastor instructing the Church to fast and pray and to worship in Truth, he institutes new programs and orders a louder sound system with more colorful lights. The Pastor than hires a big named speaker to bring an illusion of revival which usually only last as long as the guest speaker is there, but it was enough to bring the church back to a place of complacency at least for a little while. The church has become social clubs and if the church you are attending doesn’t keep up with current church trends and music then just drive around until you see the next marquee which screams the loudest. The church has equated growth with spiritual fruits but in actuality the gifts of the spirit are sparse as long as people remain content with following the trends. Secular styles, looks, and sounds are used to lure people into a church that preaches against that very thing. Nothing seems genuine and worship seems showy.The failures of the established Churches of old were mostly due to restrictions and too much tradition and religion. The aspirations of man overshadowed the Truth of the Gospel of Jesus. Today’s Church is just as that, yet instead of instituting restrictions, it is compromising them to allow the secular to be drawn in but if people are won to a watered down Truth than what has been gained.

God I seek you and your Truth. Show me your boundaries with conviction and teach me your ways thru your Word. I pray for my Church, which I believe to hold the Gospel Truth, and I pray for the leadership to be led by you rather than the popular trends of influential fast growing Churches around. Bring us back to a place of worship and away from this place of counting new members for self complacency. Do allow us to win souls for your Kingdom and for your Glory and not for our concern with beating the roster of the church next door or bringing in more people because that equals more money which equals a bigger and more magnificent church building. Teach us to reach the world with Christ like methods without having to wrap ourselves in secular vesture. Let us first seek you before we seek ourselves. Reveal yourself to us as we increasingly seek your face. I pray that You keep my Church God and the Saints and Leaders within it. Don’t allow us to become Professional Christians yet continually break us and keep us under submission so that the only hands that build us back up are the Potter’s Hands. I love your Truth and I need your Holy Spirit within me constantly so that I may discern my paths. I pray that my Church remain in earnest Truth and forfeit tendencies and attractions to move away from a deep place of worship in order to attract visitors. I seek you and pray to you because you are ALL, you are EVERYTHING, and my service belongs to you. In the name above all names….JESUS!

I wote this in another blog months ago... just thought is would fit in nicely on this blog...

Ecumenical fallacy

2008-11-05T18:31:00.000-08:00

Non-denominational churches' Statement of Faith

“We believe in all the basic doctrines of conservative evangelical Christianity. On doctrinal issues which have historically divided believers into denominational groups we seek to find Biblically sound middle ground.”

Ecumenical - Concerned with establishing or promoting unity among churches or religions

This it what is fundamentally wrong here. The word catholic basically means the same thing. One church unity for all of Christianity. The first recorded mention of the catholic idea of church was about 100 yrs after the death of Christ. Now we all know how the story goes… the church initially started with apostolic succession and the intent was to create a body of faith which would represent all of Christianity this would give them unity and strength. At the time we can assume so close to the death of Christ and the apostolic succession going strong that most if not all Christians had a like understanding. We know that the apostles preached the same message to the Pharisees, Sadducees, gentiles, and all the different tribes so truthfulness of what Christianity was and what the godhead was and salvation was would have been solid. The same message went forth and the same changes and beliefs spawned from all the different people who were once divided were now like minded. Now just like what is happening today and most Non-denominational churches are an example… the Catholic Church as an organization started searching for ways to except everyone… pagans for example because at the time they were still large in number and power (and I think it is human nature to want to save everyone – though we are flawed and will bend the rules). Thus you get the transformation of pagan holidays and the trinity into Christendom ( pagan trinities- Babylonians(father,mother,child) – anient Egypt- hindu-buddist-taoism (creation, destruction, preservation) even Neo-plotonic philosophy had trinity thought involved and neo-platonic thought probably influences the catholic church more than any other philosophy … this allowed the Christian idea to reach more people but with the man made changes to the truth of God we actually do have an apostasy; the first 150 to 200 years of the catholic religion was not Trinitarian. The trinity didn’t even come up in Christendom until about 200 to 300 years after the death of Christ. Now we are somewhere in the dark ages and so the Catholics control everything at this point… they control written history and will literally kill anyone who speaks out against them so I can only assume that at this point since the Catholics have forfeited true apostolic succession that somewhere in the background some conservative believers in what the bible actually says were hiding and meeting. I can say this because we leave the dark ages into the renaissance and it becomes ok again to question Christendom which Catholics controlled. Which is when you have martin Luther at the end of high renaissance publically coming against the Catholic Church and the religion they have finally created. Unfortunately, though he departed from the Catholics, a few hundred years of total absolute control from the Catholic's religion has tainted the truth of God with traditions and beliefs on the godhead which people cannot part from. Ok now hundreds of years go by and denomination after denomination is created. The list goes on and on. Now these splits came about because while people were trying to rediscover the truth they would find disagreement with one another and split. Of course instead of looking in the word of God they would each think they were right. Now I believe that when the holiness oneness movement happens in the early 1900’s that the truth was breaking through to the forefront. Now I am not saying that everyone before then is condemned. I think that each person is responsible for seeing the grace of God for their own salvation and we cant know the hearts and relationship that people have had with God. We can only make observations from what these people believed in and line it up with the Word of God. the fact is that Non-Denominational churches which use the Statement of Faith listed here is Instead of earnestly seeking truth… willing to make adjustments and compromises to find "middle ground"… for the sake of unity amongst "Christians"…sound familiar = catholic ecumenicalism in 20thcentury relative philosophy... dangerous for true Christians everywhere.

Aren’t WE just so proud of ourselves?

2008-11-04T23:09:00.001-08:00

War hero and model American, John McCain, has just conceded to the President elect of the United States of America, Barack Obama. McCain was as leader even in the face of defeat. He advised Americans who may not be enthusiastic about Obama to be good Americans and as “we the people”, he advised us to continue to be an integral part of the system that is America. It would be easy for us to disconnect or rise up. Our (conservatives) social values are now at a serious risk. We live in an America that has never been more secular minded and liberal. Some of our fundamental rights are also in danger. Obviously our right to arms for the protection of self and property has been and now will fervently be attacked. Our churches that have stood their ground and continued to express religious freedoms by standing against the emerging homosexual culture among other moral values such as abortion will now come under more active attack. It will not be long until we find that our Pastors may be charged with crimes of hate speech because they preach biblical principles which go against a liberal society. As Rev. Jeremiah Wright spews anti-American slurs and racially charges hate speech under the protection and understanding of his President elect spiritual son Obama, our loving values preachers will be muzzled. As President Obama will be playing politics with human infant life, allowing live babies to simply die, our loving values believing people will be muzzled. But, with all of that at stake, McCain has advised us to also concede and follow Obama as our leader. I on the other hand think that this is no time to concede. This is the time to speak up. This is the time to support you conservative leaders in hope that they may be able to regulate the Democratic Liberal super power that now exist in Washington. If we concede with tolerance and acceptance of things that go against everything we believe, we will find ourselves in harder times than these. If you need proof of the insistence of a liberal Government to force their will on you then you need to look no farther than what has been happening with “proposition 8” in California. The people voted against an aggressive homosexual culture in California, yet the liberal courts took it upon themselves to ignore the people for their liberal agenda. If you are afraid of America crumbling under Obama then you need not fear; we are America and we will prevail as a nation. But, if you are afraid that conservative America will crumble under Obama then you may have merit there. I am not proud of America right now although every indication of historic marking tells me to be so. It is true that Obama has been another “first” in America and we should be proud of our “first” achievements as a young nation, but I do believe that motives were skewed. I am sitting here writing this as Obama’s voice is sounding in the background delivering his victory speech yet I am not as moved as most. I would lie if I said that I will not remember this moment in history along with others for its historic implications, but it will be for reasons other than the chance to pat myself on the back for being a part of that history. America, we are where we are because of us. Our leaders are / should be only what we tell them to be and they should only do what we tell them to do. Government is an organized system which possesses the power to implement the will of the people. Of course California’s “proposition 8” fiasco has proved that our Government has felt the liberty to implement their will, but “we the people” must never give up to the extent that we have in this Presidential election. How have we given up as a Nation? It may be simple ignorance. It may be simply racial. It may be our inherent hunger as people to crave to be a part of something. To be a part of something that allows us to feel larger than ourselves. Some of America already has something which allows them to feel larger than themselves. The something that these Americans have is God and all of the principles associated with living for a God beyond the temporal materials of this world. This something allows us to fill that hunger which craves to be bigger than ourselves. These people who have this something voted for McCain / Palin as representatives of social and fiscal values which we agree with. This leaves the rest of America which voted for Obama. This unfortunately tells a sad story of the current state of our American society. It has showed us that so many Americans, more than I imagined, were desperate to feel that belonging to something huge. What is grander than creating the first Black President of the United States of American when most of our parents or surely grandparents were raised segregated? This inherent pain for being a part of a movement and for belonging to such an important event has elected Obama. Of course there is a certain population of America that truly believes in the social and fiscal ideas of the Democratic Party and these folks have relevant and issues based motives for supporting their ideas. When I speak of the people longing to be a part of something, I am speaking of the support that put Obama way over the top when he came from nowhere with no real experience and beat Hillary Clinton then McCain. It is these people who filled that void with Obama. Obama gave them hope. I find my hope in Christ Jesus. I found my politics in John McCain. Here is the truth. Minority voters, young voters, and uninformed voters gave this election to Obama. Now Americans can pat themselves on the back for forcing history. So many people were so discontent with life (mind, spirit, soul) that they provided fuel to force the first Black President for no other reason than to feel good and selfishly have a reason to feel proud in what they helped accomplish. People speculated on whether or not being Black would hurt or help Obama. It by far has helped him. He was lucky enough to run in a time when people were so desperate for belonging that they were willing to force history in order to participate. The fact is that we are ready for a Black President. Obama being Black is a non-issue. America has been open to powerful Black people for some time now. People failed to fill their void with pride about the racial accomplishments America has already secured. I can’t count the number of Black people I heard on the news today say that now their son can believe that he can be anything he wants to be. Their children are finally liberated to dream as big as they wished. People then begin to list the typical jobs which elicit awe that young Black people can now dream of; Doctors, Lawyers, etc…. I guess the fact that a Black American man, Daniel Hale Williams, was the designer and surgeon of the first open heart surgery when he began as a janitor wasn’t enough to allow young Black people to dream of becoming Doctors. I guess an American Black man graduating from Harvard Law School as the president of the Harvard Law Review, Barack Obama, wasn’t enough to allow young Black people to dream of becoming Lawyers. I guess an American Black man who went from homeless to Millions while singularly raising a child, Chris Gardner, wasn’t enough to allow young Black people to dream of becoming as big as they wanted to (and this was an award winning Blockbuster film, starring Will Smith, yet another example of Black success). I guess an American Black man then woman, Colin Powell & Condoleezza Rice, as the 65th and 66th U.S. Secretary of State wasn’t enough to allow young Black people to believe that Government worked for them too. Look, the list can go on and on but the point is that Barack Obama will not “Change” this cultural dilemma in America. If anything he allows the Liberal Left to further break down a valued based conservative society even more so which is the real cause of broken homes which produced thess hopeless children in the first place. Obama’s Party is set up to promote more mediocrity and dependence on the Government which enables this portion of America in the first place. Hopeless poor Americans who feel the Government is against them do not need more welfare stolen from the rich and redistributed to them. They need strong examples who have risen out of those odds to coach them in life strategies which would help them motivate themselves enough to leave the “big bad white man” excuse in the past. The problem is that when this happens, which Bill Cosby is an example of, people reject the responsibilities which are being spoken to them. Supposedly Obama as President is the big fix; the salvation to race issues in America. NO, Obama is just another very successful Black American who has proven that race issues though real, are and have been a non-issue when it comes to opportunity in America. Things only change when “we the people” take our own responsibilities for our own circumstances. I am afraid that the excitement and belonging which drove people to elect Obama hasn’t changed anything except Parties in Washington. People, though less with a Democratic Socialist reign, will still be responsible for their own successes and failures. America unfortunately has made a mistake in desperate need for Hope. Instead of putting their hope in God, they put their hope in Obama and his liberal agenda which only helps to take conservative values out of society more than it already is. So America, I hope you are satisfied and fulfilled and patting yourself on the back. That good feeling that pushed you to ignore the truth about Obama and join the movement to vote for him will fade. Now what?

also see - http://theapostolicreport.wordpress.com/2008/01/01/david-k-bernard-responds-to-the-recent-presidential-election/

just a closer walk

2008-10-30T21:01:00.000-07:00

I am weak but Thou art strong; Jesus, keep me from all wrong;
I'll be satisfied as long as I walk, let me walk close to Thee.

Just a closer walk with Thee, grant it, Jesus, is my plea;

Daily walking close to Thee, let it be, dear Lord, let it be.

Through this world of toil and snares, if I falter, Lord, who cares?
Who with me my burden shares? None but thee, dear Lord, none but Thee.

When my feeble life is o'er, time for me will be no more;
Guide me gently, safely o'er, to Thy kingdom shore, to Thy shore.

COME TO THE CROSS

2008-10-21T07:20:00.000-07:00

he was, and is, and is to come - Praise GOD

2008-10-08T20:12:00.000-07:00

why?

2008-10-07T07:41:00.000-07:00

Have you ever looked at my wife, Geneva, and wondered... why doesn't she cut her hair? why does she only wear dresses and skirts? why doesn't she wear make-up and jewelry?... well i hope this post answers your curiousity!

Neither Geneva (wife) nor I (chuck) were born into Apostolic Holiness Doctrines. We both made separate and personal choices to serve God with all our might during each of our late teen years. The desicion was made separate from family faith, existing freinds, and separate from one another. We were mere freindly aqaintances back then. As we became more freindly we became aware of similar backgrounds and childhood situations. We grew closer because of this connection and understanding of where we came from and where we now were.

anyway... i bring up that history because it is important to understand that I am the only person in my entire family that follows Apostolic Holiness Doctrine and Geneva is also in a similar situation. When compared to both of our sets of families and freinds, our beleifs differ from most on everything from Godhead and Salvation, all the way to outward apearances. Of course people question what they see, i.e. Neva's hair, skirts, etc... my un-pierced and un-tattooed skin, un-highlighted hair, simple style, etc.... Family and freinds who have witnessed the change question it most. New freinds only know us as who we are and so dont question as much. Depending on spiritual disernment and the knowledge of the person asking the questions, our answers will mostly be that of Christ's love and atoning sacrifice for us. The reason for this is because the outward expression and appearance is only a testament to what is happening in our hearts which all began when we first understood Jesus. Still though, especially in the case of Apostolic Holiness women's standards, there are questions and curiosity. These questions should be answered and the answers defended and it is always best done between women. 100yrs ago, our Apostolic Holiness women would have reasonably stood out a bit less than the current state of trendy styles of today, so our Apostolic Holiness women usually recieve the most questions from other curious women.

SO... if anyone reading this blog.... family, friends - old and new, aqaintances, strangers... if yall have ever been curious of the standards, relative to appearance, of Apostolic Holiness women like my lovely and beautiful holy wife Geneva then here are some answers...

the following answers or from the studies and heart of a young lady who has recently found peace in the Apostolic Holiness Doctrine and since has been bombarded with questions from curious family and freinds whom have witness her change.

remember... Neva and I do not practice certain standards because we are UPCI... we are UPCI because through biblical study, and repentant hearts we have found identification with the Faith of this particular Organization.

UPCI is an Apostolic faith and practices a doctrine of Holiness. It is NOT a set of rules. It is NOT legalism. It is a Biblical standard and principle."Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, "Be holy, for I am holy." And if you call on the Father, who without partiality judges according to each one's work, conduct yourselves throughout the time of your stay here in fear." - 1 Peter 1:13-17
We are never going to be truly Holy until we are glorified with God in Heaven. But here on earth we can be separated from the world, and honor the Lord with our practice of Holiness. Holiness is something that is special to me because I, as an individual, can do this for the Lord on my own behalf. Holiness is a very personal thing. Holiness is an inward thing - and reflected on the outside.Don't you want to please the Lord with your appearance?
Peter says, 'be sober-minded'. This doesn't only mean not-drunk. 'Sober' = Serious about the pursuit of the Lord. Do not 'fashion yourself', or in other words pattern yourself, with the things of the world. Follow the Lord seriously and the outward will show it. Holiness is a separation from the world. God clearly states there is a difference between clean and unclean. He says we should be clean.Holiness is the fear of the Lord and the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. We approach God with fear because He is Holy - not because we think He is going to condemn us, but because it is how He is to be approached - with fear and reverence for who He is. He's holy!
"Holiness, without which no one will see the Lord." - Hebrews 12:14
This scripture is not talking about whether you're going to Heaven or not. But it is saying that without Holiness, no one will see God. I don't know about you, but I want to see the Lord! Holiness is essential and commanded by God."Give unto the LORD the glory due to His name;Worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness." - Psalm 29:2
Holiness is beautiful! In the sight of God, I am beautiful!
The fallen mind of the world looks at the human body as a plain canvas... like an artist wanting to paint and create. We've already been created! Everything we are and everything we have was created by God. Why do we need to add to it?? The world wants to "fix" the body through plastic surgery and try to make this human 'masterpiece.' We were created masterpieces to begin with! We are 'fearfully and wonderfully made.' (Psalm 139:14)"Charm is deceitful and beauty is passing,But a woman who fears the LORD, she shall be praised." - Proverbs 31:30
The fear of the Lord is holiness. Beauty is vanity. 'Vanity' means its going to pass away. Everything will be burned up and gone eventually. Like Solomon says in Ecclesiastes, 'everything is vanity' the same meaning of the word is used here to talk about worldy beauty.What do you want to invest your time in? The things of this world? Spending hours on your hair and make-up and ornamentation? Or would you rather spend time on the things of God? Getting caught up in beauty is a wordly distraction. Holiness separates us from this."Do not let your adornment be merely outward—arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel— rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God." - 1 Peter 3:3-4
What is a gentle and quiet spirit? Well, it doesn't mean that we are to be quiet all the time or we are to be doormats. But rather, having a gentle and quiet spirit is about peace and humility. When we have peace on the inside, we don't have to broadcast who we are on the outside. God values holiness in women as something of great worth. God values me, whether man does or not. Don't I want to be precious in the sight of God?
Isn't pleasing our true love - the Lord - our most important priority?

Specifics for Women
**According to the word of God. NOT legalistic because everyone is convicted at different levels. These are general holiness standards. Most details are just common sense - God gave us brains for a reason. :)

Dress
"A woman shall not wear anything that pertains to a man, nor shall a man put on a woman's garment, for all who do so are an abomination to the LORD your God." - Deuteronomy 22:5

Criticism: 'The Old Testament laws do not pertain to us anymore after Christ.'

Truth: There were three different kinds of Old Testament laws that God had set in place for the Jews. The first were Sacrificial Laws which were wiped out after Jesus died on the cross - being the Ultimate sacrifice. Secondly, there were Ceremonial Laws. These were laws that were specific, or 'kosher' to the Jews because they didn't have the full revelation of God. They were laws about how to approach the presence of God. (ex. in verse 11) The final set of Laws, which still pertain to us today, were Moral Laws. Moral laws show us the difference between right and wrong. These Laws haven't changed! Moral laws don't include just the 'ten commandments'. In verse 5, God says that this is an "abomination" to Him. Abominations are things that God hates with all of His heart. These don't change! After the cross, God didn't just say "Okay, all the things I hated I am cool with now." This is just not true. God will always hate sin.

Criticism: "This verse doesn't say 'women shall wear skirts only'."

Truth: This verse was meant to be defined by the culture. The Bible wasn't written only for Americans. If God has used the word "skirt" in this passage, it would have confused other cultures... like the Asians or Indians. For example, the Indian women wear long tunics and pants and sometimes saris. Their apparel is different, but it still clearly differentiates a man and a woman. In Jewish times, men and women both wore robes... but there was a distinct difference in the make of their robes and how they were worn to separate the sexes. To define our culture, we can take a quick glance back at our history, say 50 years ago when women were only allowed to wear skirts in school. On our bathroom doors, women are defined by a symbolic figure wearing a skirt/dress. There is to be a distinct difference between a man and a woman. God values the difference between man and woman. Our femininity and man's masculinity were created to mesh together perfectly when they both are solid. When things become unbalanced, problems arise - and with the diminishing of other values in our society (marriage, family), we can already see the fruit of this sin. In Christ Jesus, man and woman are equal... but they are NOT the same!

Criticism: "There are women's pants!"

Truth: If you're asking that question, you're missing the point. It's not about the skirts or the pants - it's about being feminine by wearing something that pertains specifically to a lady. And in our culture, that is without-a-doubt a skirt or a dress. The bigger picture of this whole situation is modesty. I'm going to address that next, but while we are on the topic of pants - pants are not as modest as skirts or dresses. (Yes there are immodest skirts, but that's not what I'm talking about. Skirts that don't come up above the knee and are not tight is what the standard is.) Most pants or jeans are tight enough to show the shape of a woman's butt, thighs, and legs. This is not modest. We, as women, may not see it as clearly. But ask any man, and they will agree.

Modesty
"In like manner also, that the women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with propriety and moderation, not with pleated hair or gold or pearls or costly clothing, but, which is proper for women professing godliness, with good works." - 1 Timothy 2:9-10
Modesty is godliness. And godliness is holiness. Most people, when they think of modesty, they think solely of 'showing too much skin' or 'covering up'. Although that is important as well, Timothy warns against other things, such as 'costly clothing'. We have to be careful not to make idols out of clothing and what we 'adorn' ourselves with, especially jewelry. We shouldn't invest our money into these wordly things and we are called to be good stewards of our finances. Tithe the extra! 'Propriety and moderation' refers to a sense of honor and respect towards others and a reverance for God. (Hebrews 12:28 uses the same words to refer to reverence.) Holiness is an attitude of discresion, self-control, and chastity. If you want to profess holiness, do good works!
"Moreover the LORD says:'Because the daughters of Zion are haughty,And walk with outstretched necksAnd wanton eyes,Walking and mincing as they go,Making a jingling with their feet,Therefore the Lord will strike with a scabThe crown of the head of the daughters of Zion,And the LORD will uncover their secret parts.'In that day the Lord will take away the finery:The jingling anklets, the scarves, and the crescents;The pendants, the bracelets, and the veils;The headdresses, the leg ornaments, and the headbands;The perfume boxes, the charms,and the rings;The nose jewels,the festal apparel, and the mantles;The outer garments, the purses,and the mirrors;The fine linen, the turbans, and the robes.And so it shall be:Instead of a sweet smell there will be a stench;Instead of a sash, a rope;Instead of well-set hair, baldness;Instead of a rich robe, a girding of sackcloth;And branding instead of beauty." - Isaiah 3:16-24
It's not only about what God says 'not to do', but also about how God described the people that did do these things. I don't know about you, but I don't like the tone of God's wrath in this passage of Isaiah. The women here were caught up in pride and since that was their attitude, they ornimated themselves with worldy things. The origination of jewelry and make-up were for paganism, slavery, and bondage. (example: the egyptians) Now, there are no technical scriptures saying that women can't wear make-up, but let's take a look at how God describes women who paint their faces. This passage is about Jezebel, who is later referred to as the "hartlet church" in Revelation...
"Now when Jehu had come to Jezreel, Jezebel heard of it; and she put paint on her eyes and adorned her head, and looked through a window. Then, as Jehu entered at the gate, she said, "Is it peace, Zimri, murderer of your master?"And he looked up at the window, and said, "Who is on my side? Who?" So two or three eunuchs looked out at him. Then he said, "Throw her down." So they threw her down, and some of her blood spattered on the wall and on the horses; and he trampled her underfoot. And when he had gone in, he ate and drank. Then he said, "Go now, see to this accursed woman, and bury her, for she was a king's daughter." So they went to bury her, but they found no more of her than the skull and the feet and the palms of her hands. Therefore they came back and told him. And he said, "This is the word of the LORD, which He spoke by His servant Elijah the Tishbite, saying, 'On the plot of ground at Jezreel dogs shall eat the flesh of Jezebel; and the corpse of Jezebel shall be as refuse on the surface of the field, in the plot at Jezreel, so that they shall not say, 'Here lies Jezebel.'" - 2 Kings 9:30-37
Since the history of the world, people have been associated with something by the way they look or dress. When you get dressed, you have to ask yourself, 'Who am I identifying with?' I can tell someone who is 'gothic', that they are 'gothic', and someone who is 'emo', that they are 'emo', etc. When someone looks at you, do they associate you with Jesus? Do they see the Lord? If you put something on, and have to ask, 'Is this okay?"... it probably isn't.

Hair
"The silver-haired head is a crown of glory,If it is found in the way of righteousness." - Proverbs 16:31"
Nor shall you swear by your head, because you cannot make one hair white or black." - Matthew 5:36
Although the specifics on dyeing hair is not completely clear here, we can use our common sense to know that the dyeing of the hair is something done out of vanity. We are not to be vain, but holy. Set apart. The hair color that God created you with is perfect for you. God didn't make any mistakes. Your hair color is what's best for you and for your skin tone, eyes, etc. As we get older, gray or white hair is still beautiful - it is a crown of glory for God's people. Hair dyeing is a cultural fad that is commercialized. Hair product companies and salons don't care what you look like, they just want your money! The products and treatments are designed to make you think you 'must' have them in order to look your best. It's just another money-maker for the american consumer. Don't buy into the world's lies about what you should look like... be not conformed to the world... but be set apart and holy. Embrace the true beauty that God has created you with.
"Now I praise you, brethren, that you remember me in all things and keep the traditions just as I delivered them to you. But I want you to know that the head of every man is Christ, the head of woman is man, and the head of Christ is God. Every man praying or prophesying, having his head covered, dishonors his head. But every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head, for that is one and the same as if her head were shaved. For if a woman is not covered, let her also be shorn. But if it is shameful for a woman to be shorn or shaved, let her be covered. For a man indeed ought not to cover his head, since he is the image and glory of God; but woman is the glory of man. For man is not from woman, but woman from man. Nor was man created for the woman, but woman for the man. For this reason the woman ought to have a symbol of authority on her head, because of the angels. Nevertheless, neither is man independent of woman, nor woman independent of man, in the Lord. For as woman came from man, even so man also comes through woman; but all things are from God.Judge among yourselves. Is it proper for a woman to pray to God with her head uncovered? Does not even nature itself teach you that if a man has long hair, it is a dishonor to him? But if a woman has long hair, it is a glory to her; for her hair is given to her for a covering. But if anyone seems to be contentious, we have no such custom, nor do the churches of God." - 1 Corinthians 11:1-16
This passage is obvious and clear. Some churches like to pick and choose what they want out of the Bible to apply to their lives. But these verses are Scripture, too! They are just as important as the ones before them and after them. All Scripture is God-breathed. Let's dissect this passage...It's not about short or long hair, it's about uncut hair. Many people say, "Well, if you just trim your hair it would be longer." That's not the point. Women shouldn't cut the hair on their head. Like Paul says, if you're going to shear it a little bit... you might as well shave it all off! Baldness was a punishment referred to earlier in Isaiah 3. The issue of hair is a submission issue. 'Submission' is a bad word in our culture today, but it shouldn't be. Submission is about being in order - the order that God created and organized. Men are called to be the priest of the household and women to submit to the man, who is in the will of God. (example... a figure 8... with God at the head, man below God, and woman below man who then submits to the man who brings them both to the glory of God.) Man is the image of the glory of God, and woman is the glory of man. If you have a problem with this, remember who got here first.
A woman's hair is a sign of her submission. Why did God make these signs? Because they are obvious and can be seen by man. Man and woman were meant for eachother and they need eachother in the Lord. For men, long hair is a shame; but for women, long hair is their glory. Women's hair is their covering. 'Covering' is a noun - it's The covering. In verse 15, we can supplement the term 'long hair' wherever it says 'covering'. No woman can deny that there is an emotional connection to us and our hair!
Verse 10 is a bit confusing, but here is the cool idea...
talking about how a woman's hair is her "symbol of authority because of the angels". So what does this mean?... Angels are ministers to the children of God, and although Hollywood likes to play up angels as these flowing, mystical creatures, angels are real. They are given very important jobs in the Bible. They don't preach, but they are messengers and protectors. We all know the story of Lucifer (Satan) when he fell. Why did he fall? Because he got out of his Divine order. He wanted to be just as good as God. There were no second chances. It was a submission issue that got him kicked out of Heaven. When a woman wears her hair uncut, it is a sign of submission to God in her Divine rank of the Lord. Now, the angels know about Lucifer. It is not something they forget. That is why we have spiritual warfare. When the angels look down and see a woman's holiness, it is a sign to them that they can act upon that woman on behalf of God without hesitation. Holiness is something that the angels must see with their eyes, for they cannot see our hearts. Holiness is an inward submission to God that can't help but be portrayed outwardly.
Closing Thoughts
This study was mostly on the standards of Holiness that pertain just to women. There is more to the doctrine of Holiness, but this is, as a woman, what I am most focused on. The other standards are mostly common sense. The underlying theme is to honor God in every aspect of our lives, and every aspect of how we look, act, and portray ourselves. There is, of course, a time for practicality and modesty that may overrank standard principle, but the heart of the matter is wanting to reflect God's glory. There is nothing more important to me than to be beautiful in the sight of the Lord. He made us perfectly the way we are supposed to be. We are beautiful!

God's Grace

2008-10-04T12:45:00.000-07:00

You have spite me every day... as you go your merry way, seems to me as if you’re in some kind of trance... I’ve done wonders in your time, I’ve done miracles of all kinds, but I cannot force you to give me a chance... to show you love, you really need to know, to see your hurt is more than I can bare... though you run from me and hide , and my love you have denied, my love for you will go on... but you choose to be deceived, and in me you won’t believe, my love for you will go on... well your heart just seems sustained, other voices you obey, follow blindly only to be hurt again, I’ve bought you with my life, and I’ve paid an awesome price, don’t you realize that I am your best friend... I call to you, each and every day, I really don’t know why you choose to run... you run from me and hide, and my love you have denied, my love for you will go on... although you choose to be deceived, and in me you won’t believe, my love for you will go on... I call out to you every day, but you still turn me away, my love for you will go on... you say you need a little more space, I’ll cover you with my grace, my love for you will go on... my love why do you choose to ignore my love, my love why do you choose to ignore my love, my love why do you choose to ignore my love... why do you choose to ignore my love... only time you choose to call me, is whenever you are deep in trouble, time and time again I’ve come, to your rescue, though you choose to ignore my attempts to show you kindness, I don’t care what you’ve done I’m still in love with you, I’m still in love with you my child... my love why do you choose to ignore my love, why do you still choose to ignore my love, my love why do you choose to ignore my love, why do you choose to ignore my love... why do you simply refuse, make up your mind, inside and choose, my love... my love is real, and it’s for you, make up your mind, why won’t you choose, my love... my love is forever... I want to love you , wanna heal you, want to restore you , adore you, I want to love you , I need to save you , save you, I wanna pick you up, heal you , turn you all around, I want to love you , heal you , I want to restore you , yes I do...

My love for you will go on – men of standard

the lyrics to the song above are just great... why did I choose to post these lyrics you ask? well the song is sung in the First Person of GOD and I just think it really makes the message of this song very powerful. There is sometimes a confusion over God's true Grace and here it is... probably the most powerful message of the song is the repetition of the word "choose" throughout the song... we have the power to choose God's Grace...

choose wisely...

TRUTH

2008-07-27T17:37:00.000-07:00

I have missed a couple of post but plan to catch up . . . until then, I have a couple of quotes from a great book that I have called TRUTH.

“Our recognition and understanding of our own identity arises out of, and depends integrally on, our appreciation of a reality that is definitively independent of ourselves. In other words, it arises out of and depends on our recognition that there are facts and truths over which we cannot hope to exercise, direct, or immediate control. If there were no such facts or truths, if the world invariably and unresistingly became whatever we might like or wish it to be, we would be unable to distinguish ourselves from what is other than ourselves and we would have no sense of what in particular we ourselves are. It is only through our recognition of a world of stubbornly independent reality, fact, and truth that we come both to recognize ourselves as beings distinct from others and to articulate the specific nature of our own identities. How, then, can we fail to take the importance of factuality and of reality seriously? How can we fail to care about truth? We cannot.” Harry G. Frankfurt’s, Truth (moral philosophy)

“We need to recognize what it is that we really want, what will most fully satisfy us, and what anxieties most intractably block us from acting as we would like. Genuine self-knowledge is, no doubt, exceptionally difficult to attain, and truth about what we are may certainly be distressing. In our efforts to conduct our lives successfully, however, a readiness to face disturbing facts about ourselves may be an even more critical asset than a competent understanding merely of what we are up against in the outside world. Without truth, either we have no opinion at all concerning how things are or our opinion is wrong. One way or the other, we do not know what kind of situation we are in. We don’t know what’s going on, either in the world around us or within ourselves. If we do have some relevant beliefs about these matters, they are mistaken; and false beliefs, naturally, do not effectively help us to cope. Perhaps we may be, for a time, blissfully ignorant or happily deceived, and in those ways, despite all of the difficulties that endanger us, we may temporarily avoid being especially upset or disturbed.” Harry G. Frankfurt’s, Truth (moral philosophy)

psychomachy

2008-07-13T14:20:00.000-07:00

What in the world does “psychomachy” mean? Listen to what Apostle Paul said,

“For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin. 15 For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I. 16 If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good. 17 Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. 18 For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not. 19 For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do. 20 Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. 21 I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me. 22 For I delight in the law of God after the inward man: 23 But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. 24 O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? 25 I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.” Romans 7:14-25 (KJV)

The only reason Paul was able to so clearly admit to and define the struggle between the carnal and the spiritual was because he was Holy and striving for Holiness every day. He did not remain in denial about the true psychomachy, WAR between body and soul, that is the reality of life. We should all be running in the direction of Holiness and with the help of the Holy Spirit, we are more prepared for that battle. We need all to hate sin as much as Paul did; as much as God does....
I am bothered that not many people want to accept that this WAR is real. I am more bother that people whom I look up to and respect are choosing to fight this WAR by sleeping with the enemy. I have been struggling with some of the more “modern” tendencies of the Church. I have tried my hardest to except these new trends as I watched and continue to watch people whom I admire buy into these new tactics of worship and outreach. I pray that God give me a peace in my heart with these issues that disturb me, but I have found no peace in these new tactics. I think to myself, “who am I not to buy into these tactics? Are not the men whom have begun to practice these tactics greater than I? Do they not know God more than I? Do they not pray more than I? How then can I question these new methods?” The truth is that I think that these men are so engulfed into the church scene that they have lost focus. These men have become more concerned with their kingdom rather than GOD’s. The church is literally filled with people who have no clue. They attend church for communion with people rather than GOD, and though the preacher gets up and preaches from the Bible, it is nothing more than part of a service of entertainment. You ask, “Chuck, what is your real concern? The church is growing and people are being saved.” I wonder who’s church is growing; the church of God or the church of Preachers. Are people conforming to God and becoming Holy onto God or are people simply fitting in to what has become social Sundays. Ok, let’s get to the heart of my issues . . .
When I became part of a wonderful youth group as a young man, it was amazing. I would walk into the small room and with a minimum of instruments and music; the youth pastor would get up and just begin to whole heartedly praise and worship God. It was contagious. There was no way that I could sit there and watch this young man pour out his heart to God in worship and Truth and not be moved to cry out to that same God that moved him. It was all real and genuine and no gimmicks were involved. I was in no way ashamed of this place and invited friends all of the time to this new and amazing place. Years passed and these amazing wed. night youth meetings were cancelled for a Friday night youth meeting. This is when we begin to sleep with the enemy. The leadership was anxious that they would now have to contend with Friday night secular activities, so what did they do? I still remember the first service like it was yesterday. Many other Denominational Churches were already using these secular strategies to add to their fold and I guess we were going to try running a play from their play book. It all began with a fellowship hour. This was filled with games and food and created to be a fun time for visitors who would probably rather not be at church on a secular action packed Friday night. Youth staff had been setting up for hours – a stage, crazy lights, props, extravagant sound, etc. I wondered why we were not just having service in the normal small room with the normal half broken instruments. I guess that wasn’t good enough for God though it was more real than what I was about to experience. Since it is the first Fri. night youth service, much of the church leadership was there to see how things went. It begins . . .
We are all in the recreation center 'GYM' and the bass drum starts. Bump, BUmp, BUMp, BUMP… then the electric guitar… then the singing. I guess this was our cue that the service had begun. The doors to the room open and it is foggy and dark with red, green, yellow, blue lights going every which way. Me and my buddy in utter confusion on whether this was a church service or a night club, pull out our ID’s to prove our age for entrance. As far as I was concerned, I was distracted from the purpose of God the entire service. The message was full of fun jokes and I had the most difficult time really tapping into my spiritual mind. It was a most horrible experience for me and a crush to the youth services which were so edifying before. The sad thing now is that these services are absolutely normal to the youth of today and because of the introduction to all of these new stimulants... i just dont know if turning back is even an option now. with a youth focused on being kool instead of being holy, this might be the only way to reach them... i pray not... i think we can break the chains and addiction to worldly acceptance and trendiness, and stimulant overloads.
While in college, about three hours from my home church, there was a great church about 30mins away. A group of my friends would attend a Wed. night young persons service there and it was x10 what I just described above. People there seemed to love it. They were all enjoying themselves and making plans on where they would eat out at afterwards. It was full of distractions and gimmicks and there was no way that I was going to find my spirit mind in that atmosphere. The problem I found with myself was that this youth group was booming with growth and everyone seemed to get into except me. Was something wrong with me? Is something wrong with me? I just simply chose not to go to the services anymore. I mean people were being touch, changed and rearranged? Later on a young minister who was heavily involved with the youth of this same church was leading services out of a hotel conference room in my college town. I began to go to these small gatherings and he was amazing. Every Tues. night we would get together and worship and then he would lead us in Word. His illustrations and delivery was genius. I quickly began to admire this young man and gain a huge amount of respect for him. Eventually the service faded away and this young man began to travel and speak all over the country, which is what he is still doing. The thing is that it was his progressive thinking that created the young person services that I didn’t agree with. A good friend of mine and now assistant youth pastor of a church’s youth group became a part of this college church and was influenced greatly. It is good yet bad. He loves God, which is obvious, but his desire is to amplify the progressivness of this college church in his church’s youth group. Why? Because he was able to watch an exponential growth of this progressive church near my college town. Why do the older leadership buy into these gimmicks of a service? Because it is a fact that if the youth group is growing the church is growing. Your still thinking… what is the big deal Chuck? Things change and the youth groups are growing.
The youth groups are growing? Reader…are you really that superficial. The youth groups may be growing but is God’s Kingdom growing? I would say no. I would say that the only thing growing is man’s church. And why is it so… because that has been the focus of leadership for sometimes now. Every leader seems to want a bigger church and with that comes the increased desire for more money. These leaders are either deceived or hide behind the gimmick that they are doing these things for God but I think they have bought into the big church prosperity package of so many other mega churches. Let me back up… remember the young minister from near my college town? Lets look at some of his literature…

“The number one reason most students won’t bring their friends to church is because they are embarrassed by what goes on. Maybe they love you and God and everyone in the world but they will not subject themselves to the humiliation of being embarrassed by what goes on in their church youth service. It’s up to you as the leader to change that.”

Now you would expect that the leader of a youth group which is apparently embarrassed of the youth services would need a serious talking to from that leader…”For I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ”. But that is not what happens here. Instead he then gives some “cool” tips on exactly how that leader is supposed to make changes. . .

“Invest in some cool relevant posters, maybe a life size poster of the 1950s Superman or Elvis. Tip: cut him out and attach him to thick cardboard or Styrofoam, it gives him a shadowed effect on the wall.”

“MTV spends thousands of dollars to find out what students like, search MTVs website for ideas.”

Then goes on about food and coffee bars and fun, fun, fun. Then gives a resource on where to find sermons online… “In a pinch for a message? Go to sermoncentral.com”

I should not even have to go on any further. I am appalled and disgusted at what a spectacle church has become. Understand this reader… we will not beat this world and really reach this world with the Gospel of Christ by using secular tactics. Creating night club atmospheres and spending thousands on sound systems will not save the lost and dying people out there. What it is sure to do is increase your kingdom though. But we should be trying to increase God’s Kingdom. I am not a traditionalist and you need to stop calling your elders in Christ old fogies who are scared of change. You should listen to these elders and heed to their wisdom.
We are at WAR and using gimmicks and secular tactics and disguising ourselves in secular garments so more people can feel safe does not make the REAL WAR go away. With the crazy modern day trends to create mega churches, the training up of real Christians is all but a thing of the past. For most ministers, teaching a few home Bible studies, getting them baptized and coming to church regularly, getting them to pay their tithes and keeping them hooked by fancy choirs, and pretty sermons seems to be way things are. What happened to the real teaching and training of Christians? Now we cannot go out there and expect to recruit people for GOD by telling them that they must die. Although they must die to live. Imagine if the US military went around telling young men that the ARMY needed more people to die so they must sign up because they are running out of people to die. They would not get many people to sign up. So what does the military do? They cloth themselves with gimmicks, just like the church is doing today, and they in essence trick people into signing up, just like the church today. Then 911 happens and all of those boys who were promised college and parties and girls and vehicles and money are going to have to go and die. If they could they might run but they are bound by contract. Now, what about the boys who were distraught by 911 and rushed to the recruiters office for service. These men are ready to fight and they are aware of the cause and the urgency. They will not run when the going gets tough. They are sold out…

What if the church told people about the real “911”. What if instead of spending wasted hours and money on gimmicks and shows and learning from the world… what if we opened our Bibles and prayer closets and showed people the LOVE of GOD and the cause of Christ. Then when people would be presented with the reality of WAR then and only then are they prepared to be sold out. The ones who have signed up under false pretences and gimmicks will either eventually fall away from the church or even worse they will stay and impact the church continually in the direction that it is going….closer to the fence…. And in that case, GOD help us all.

Books could be written on this apostasy but I must stop here… for now…

The Rock of Truth

2008-07-06T14:35:00.000-07:00

“Pilate saith unto him, What is truth? And when he had said this, he went out again unto the Jews, and saith unto them, I find in him no fault at all.” John 18:38 (KJV)

Jesus is on trial . . . Pilate looks at Jesus and asks Him “what is truth?” . . . As the question leaves Pilate’s lips, he realizes that he is starring Truth in the face. Without an answer from Jesus, Pilate goes out to the Jews and says “I find in him no fault at all.”

Need I say more . . .

Jesus knew his purpose. He knew that he would not be released on this Passover. Isn’t ironic that Jesus took the place of a condemned criminal that day . . . a sinner, Barabbas, was released while Jesus willingly took his place. HE has taken all of our places. We can all be released from sin if we will only “love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might” Deut 6:5 (KJV). We can all look Truth in the eyes, like Pilate, and see Truth. Where does one look to stare Truth in the eyes? One must look at the Word. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” John 1:1 (KJV). Ok, so we now see the Word was God. What does Jesus have to do with this? How did Pilate see the Truth just by looking at Jesus? “the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.” John 1:14 (KJV). So let me get this straight. . . Pilate saw Truth because he looked at the Word? Yes, God was the Word and the Word was made flesh. So Jesus is the Word manifest and the Word was God, therefore Jesus is God. This is what Pilate realized. This is what the Jews refused to see. “He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. “ John 1:10 (KJV). Jesus is more than just a part of God. Jesus was the creator of the world . . . “He was in the world, and the world was made by him” . . . Pilate saw this Truth. He realized that he was speaking to the King of Kings. He could find no fault with Jesus. Don’t be one of the ones that know him not. Until you realize who Jesus is, God manifest in flesh, then you cannot appreciate Calvary.

“What is truth?”

Truth is that Jesus is Lord our God manifest in flesh for it was the only way to have a perfect sacrifice for the redemption of the sin of man. Pilate knew this because he looked Truth in the face. We know this by HIS Word. We can look Truth in the face as well. The Word was God and the Word was made flesh. Jesus is the Word! We know Him through his Word. We know his Word by his Spirit. Now the Word we have is written Word and Jesus was the Divine Word (logos), but we can move forward in faith knowing that “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: 17 That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.” 2 Tim 3:15-17 (KJV). The Word saves our souls. No, no, no. . . Jesus saves! Wait a minute. Jesus is the Word. We know him and His Grace by His Word. “Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls. 22 But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. 23 For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: 24 For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was. 25 But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed. 26 If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man's religion is vain. 27 Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.” James 1:21-27 (KJV). Lord I want to stand for you. I want to take up my cross and follow you. I want to die so I might live. I want your will and not mine. Teach me your ways LORD, that I might build my house upon the Rock. “that Rock was Christ” 1 Cor 10:4 (KJV). Allow me to look into your eyes and see your Truth. I do not want to remain as a child and speak as a child but I desire to grow by your Word which feeds me and do your perfect work. “He is the Rock, his work is perfect” Deut 32:4 (KJV). I want to be a doer of your Word and not only a hearer who sits in the pew waiting to be deceived, because You have said “whoesoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: and the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.” Matt 7:24-25 (KJV). LORD bless me with the gift of Faith. LORD built my Faith upon the Rock so it cannot be shaken.

“The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower”. Psalms 18:2 (KJV)

My heart bleeds

2008-06-29T18:38:00.000-07:00

"Open rebuke is better than secret love." Prov 27:5 (KJV)

I must make my intentions and motivations apparent, for it is by knowing my motivations that one will understand last week’s post “Does GOD’s Grace forfeit GOD’s Judgment?” Proverbs, the book of wisdom, tells us that it is better to be open with our differences rather than ignoring them. I am not playing a Denominational game here. Denomination does not save anyone, but we are saved by the Grace of GOD through Christ Jesus. I wrote last week’s post because I am afraid that people have mistaken the true Grace of GOD with the secular tolerance doctrine of most preachers today, and when I make this statement, I am including every Christian Denomination, including my own. As I said, the word judgment has been given a pejorative meaning and when judgment equals condemnation then it is negative but I do not make my statements with criticism and condemnation. My motivation is Love and edification. I understand Jesus taught in Luke 6:41-42(KJV) - "And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but perceivest not the beam that is in thine own eye? 42 Either how canst thou say to thy brother, Brother, let me pull out the mote that is in thine eye, when thou thyself beholdest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, cast out first the beam out of thine own eye, and then shalt thou see clearly to pull out the mote that is in thy brother's eye." I have been under the helm of confusion and complacency and made-up secular doctrines of man. This is the reason I can see clearly on this particular issue and “pull out the mote that is in my brother’s eye”. I speak frankly on this subject and will rebuke the feel good doctrine of man with a strong tone but do not mistake this for hate and condemnation. Because my heart bleeds with love for the soul of my brethren I can sometimes get carried away in strife and become quite contentious with my speech. This is wrong of me and I pray GOD convict my soul and purify my intentions. My only motive is to serve my Lord and help my brother. 2 Tim 2:24-25(KJV) – tells me that “the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, 25 In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth;” This is my intent. I only wish to measure myself by the ruler of Truth and that is the ruler of which I use to measure others as well. 2 Cor 10:12-13 (KJV) – tells us not to “compare ourselves with some that commend themselves: but they measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise. 13 But we will not boast of things without our measure, but according to the measure of the rule which God hath distributed to us, a measure to reach even unto you.” We must hold ourselves and others accountable to the measure which “GOD hath distributed to us” and not compare ourselves to one another. This is a huge problem I see in many Christian churches today. Rather than someone measuring their salvation by the Word of GOD they listen to the man/minister in church whom spoke salvation to them. Rather than seek the Word of GOD to see what conviction and holiness HIS Grace will bring to us, some only hear the distorted message of tolerance and unconditional salvation that Jesus’ Blood brings to us. If people and churches and preachers measure themselves by other people and churches and preachers than all you end up with are people and churches and preachers. We should all want to end up in Truth and Truth is found in a relationship with GOD through HIS Word, and prayer, and praise, and worship. We should measure ourselves not by what the feel good preacher preaches but by the hard Truth of the Word of GOD. So if by some reason you may have mistaken or misunderstood my intentions or my message from last week, then I hope this should clarify the motivation of Love by which I approach this subject with. Do not get angry at me but remember what Proverbs says about the correction of the Lord which is what I seek to make apparent. “Despise not the chastening of the LORD; neither be weary of his correction: For whom the LORD loveth he correcteth.” Prov 3:11-12 (KJV). I must contend that I am not anti-church. I believe church is a very important and powerful part of a Christian’s life. I have a church which I absolutely love and wish it were big enough to fit the world but I must also contend that you must personally seek GOD’s Truth by the Word which he hath provided to us and not rely on only the preacher’s words. You must hold you leadership and your church accountable to that Truth which you have sought and if the church will not budge then they have not a love for the Truth and rather than cause strife, you should seek a church which is seeking the Truth as you are.

"Churches don't need new members half so much as they need the old bunch made over. There wouldn't be so many non-church goers if there were not so many non-going churches. Too many churches are little more than four walls and a roof." - Billy Sunday

My frustration only lies with the individual as much as you have not sought the Truth for yourself but instead have relied on the Pastor. My real fury is with the Leadership which by all accounts should know the Truth yet they soften it as to not offend anyone. They walk around it and poke at it every now and again yet they are too afraid to point at the church a say we are failing to be the church Jesus intended. They only preach the feel good, warm fuzzy areas of the scripture and the church is more than happy to receive it in comfortable complacency. But church, how can we continue to be comfortable when we sit back and watch the church walls swell with unsaved souls whom think they have been born again while the Pastor conjures up “false fire” with encouragement.

Once again, I do not play a Denominational game. I believe that Jesus and NOT Denomination saves, but you must hold your Denomination’s feet to the fire when it comes to the Truth of the Word of GOD. Do not trust your soul in the hands of another’s discernment, but examine yourself to see if you are in faith.

Does GOD’s Grace forfeit GOD’s Judgement?

2008-06-22T09:12:00.000-07:00

11 Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do. 12 And we beseech you, brethren, to know them which labour among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you; 1 Thess 5:11-12 (KJV)

1 I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom; 2 Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. 3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; 4 And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables. 2 Tim 4:1-4 (KJV)

9 Holding fast the faithful word as he hath been taught, that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers. 10 For there are many unruly and vain talkers and deceivers, specially they of the circumcision: 11 Whose mouths must be stopped, who subvert whole houses, teaching things which they ought not, for filthy lucre's sake. 12 One of themselves, even a prophet of their own, said, The Cretians are alway liars, evil beasts, slow bellies. 13 This witness is true. Wherefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith; 14 Not giving heed to Jewish fables, and commandments of men, that turn from the truth. 15 Unto the pure all things are pure: but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience is defiled. 16 They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate. Titus 1:9-16 (KJV)

Again and again I have been met with the question, “why would you not come to my Church?” This is a difficult question to answer because I wish everyone to come to mine, and I know that once others have found something that they love and believe in, they want to share it with the world too. Judgement has been given a pajoritive meaning and thus when telling someone whom you disagree with on Biblical Truths that you think that his or her Church may be wrong, it is difficult to not sound as though you are in judgement of that person. The truth is that I only wish for people to be accountable to the Word of GOD which is our judgement. 1 Thess 5:11-12 tells us to “edify” one another. This means to enlighten one another. This enlightenment and edification can only come by the Word of GOD. This portion of scripture also advises us to beaware of those who admonish or counsel us. So, though people have created this censorship within and around the church… you have all heard it…”it is wrong to judge”… in fact we are meant to do just that. Now, the bible does say however that to judge others (assert righteousness) we must judge ourselves by those same standards because GOD will hold us all accountable (Matt 7:1 (KJV). Still it is difficult to look a friend in the eyes and say, “I believe that your leaders are guiding you down the wrong path.” Why is this difficult? Should it not be easy to tell someone you love that you think “they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears.” To tell someone you love, that “I know your intentions are pure but you have placed yourself under the admonishment of leadership whom ‘subvert whole houses, teaching things which they ought not, for filthy lucre's sake.” I must say that the initial intentions of theses leaders may have been mostly pure too but as we know money being the root of all of evil they succumbed to the sake of “lucre” or monetary reward rather than the sake of Truth. Now these men sound as though they are in truth and the followers really are wonderful good people but because the leaders have for some reason “received not the love of the truth, that they may be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie” (2 Thess 2:1-12) these leaders now pass these delusions down to the church members. So, you may think that these are some tall charges that I am making, but we live in a day when people apply human logic to remove God’s constraints. People call this freedom and liberty which is giving to us by the Grace of God, and when these people experience rebuke from the Word of GOD, they search for a church where they can be at ease and where heeding our Master’s demands may not be high priority. The search then becomes a search for acceptance and not change by Truth. For example, my friend recently told me that atleast people are recieveing something of God that they would have otherwise missed out on. This person told me that God still moves in these places and thus must still be right for people to attend because even if the truth may be distorted, the fundemental belief in Jesus is still there. I responded by saying that I do not put restraint on the power of my LORD. I know he can move in the mist of any confusion and even if one person there is knocking on HIS door, it will be open, but why would you want to put yourself in this lukewarm place of complacency and deciet. God knows “thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot… So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.” Rev 3:15-16 (KJV). Complacency with a lukewarm atmoshpere is dangerous, “because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked” Rev 3:17 (KJV). Some may ask, “what makes you think that you know the truth? How can you approach me and say that what you believe is true and that I am wrong? I only say that all I can do is judge you along with myself by the full truth of the word of GOD. It is all in the Book. The Bible does not contain the word of GOD… it is the WORD of GOD. “Despise not the chastening of the LORD; neither be weary of his correction: For whom the LORD loveth he correcteth.” Prov 3:11-12 (KJV). It is too easy to claim the Grace of GOD and not claim HIS Lordship. We are not to lean to our own understanding. Our understanding is deceptive and unreliable. Our understanding tells us that it is ok to get drunk on Saturday night and go to church on Sunday morning. Our understanding tells us that it is ok to sit under the guidance of half truths. Our understanding tells us that obedience to GOD is a thing of the past. Our understanding wants to believe that GOD’s Grace forfiets GOD’s judgment. Our understanding wants to believe that being relatively good when juxtaposed to the world is enough. Our understanding wants us to believe that we just need to call on to his name, but does not accept the fact that he may still not know us for we are doers of iniquity. “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and insruction.” Prov 1:7. This fear of GOD is based on reverence for Him. We must respect and obey GOD or we can not claim to know him. It is time that we all question our Faith. It is time that we all question our leaders. It is time that we all question one another. It is time that we all find the quinch to our hunger within the Word of GOD and not the feel good words of man. We must know the Word to know God. And finally we must “know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness. 20 And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life. 21 Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen.” 1 John 5:19-21 (KJV).
GOD’s Grace does not forfiet HIS judgement. HIS Grace allows us to to be under HIS full justice but with Mercy and Forgivness. We must still obey HIS Word in order to claim we understand his Grace. Who are we to claim the power of the Grace of GOD yet not live in reverence and obedience to HIS Lordship. Beware of a church which ignores obedience to the Word of GOD if that portion of Word may compromise your worldy life or sound “peculiar” (we dont understand peculiar... to die is to live - to lose is to gain - to give is to recieve...). “But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:” 1 Peter 2:9 (KJV). Do not follow these minister’s whom give in to temptations to change their dcotrine of salvation to allow more people to fit into their fold. Syncretism is no way to lead a church. Finding a Biblical middle ground so that oppossing christians may now hold hands and be complacent is no way to lead a church. We must take on the responsibility to truthfully approach our differences and not just ignore them. Though hard to except, there is a right and a wrong. Ignoring that, does not make it disappear. Grace does not give us the right to ignore our differences. We will be judged by Truth and must honestly seek to find this truth by which we will be judged. “Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted.” Gal 6:1 (KJV).

More than I can give . . .

2008-06-15T13:59:00.000-07:00

"Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me." Mark 8:34 (KJV)

What am I to do? How do I follow HIM? Do I simply, through prayer and supplication, ask what HE will of me. Do I travel the world and preach HIS gospel. Do I merely go to Church on Sunday and profess my acknowledgment of HIM. Or, do I literally forfeit myself, my dreams, my worldly accomplishments and possessions. But still, if I do this how do I follow HIM; HIM who I know only through Faith. I can not even prove HE is real. Then how is it that I follow HIM and lose my life for HIS and the Gospel’s sake. HE tells me, by HIS Word, that to lose my life for this cause is to save it. This is how I follow him; to bring this message to the world. A message from a God among many of this world; I choose JESUS but I can no more prove him over the gods of Olympus, or of Babylon, or of ancient Egypt. Moses when faced with this same problem had a stick turn into a snake. He had water turned into blood. He had a sea of water parted for passage. I have Faith. Where is my stick so I may show my opposers the True Power of my God. I believe that if I had this stick then my God could turn it to a snake. The only thing I lack is the stick.
I search through the knowledge of this world so I may understand what I do not believe in order to fully grasp what I do believe. I seek a life inspired by love and guided by knowledge in a world which only seeks selfish and mostly ignorant happiness. The life I seek is not easy and is met with resistance. I do not wish to always feel good or achieve worldly bliss as do many others. Many only wish to do what feels good and makes them happy. These same people do not wish to discover certain truths about this world which would make it impossible to enjoy a strip club or a margarita, so they choose to ignore these truths in order to find bliss in their own ignorance. Where is my stick so I can show them the Truth which they choose to ignore. The Word which has been preserved through the ages acts as my “sword” in this world, but it has a dull edge against the free will of man. What I need is a stick to turn into a snake before their very eyes.
But then I ask myself. Would even a stick having turned into a snake before the very eyes of many, change anything at all. Did it make the Pharaoh believe in the God of Abraham any more than he did before. No… the Pharaoh instead called upon the sorceries of this world. I do not believe he did this to contend with the obvious superior power of the God which Moses was presenting. He did this much like the people of today cling to their worldly powers so that he could preserve a certain disbelief even when everything within him said that there was more. Why would he choose to ignore the power displayed before his very eyes. Because, he would have had to give up his throne.
So even if I had the stick, people would still have to choose to give up their throne (secular pleasure, money, power, control, etc…). Still, I do not know what I should do. Have I given up my throne. Have I even identified my throne. I can not prove God to the world but have I proven God to myself. I believe and I have faith but wouldn’t I be doing more if I really had proof. Do I go through the motions hoping that one day I will know without a doubt although I believe I know without a doubt right now. I still wonder; if I have stumbled onto the Truth, then why is it so hard for others to see. My job is to help them to see but I cannot describe what to look for. I know what I am looking for but how do I know what they are looking for. Are we all looking for the same thing? Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz, a 17th-18th century German philosopher, stated that “if a proposition is true, then its negation is false and vice versa.” This means that I am right and those who oppose me are wrong or I am wrong and at least some of my opposers are right. I believe I am right or I would believe something different, but others feel as strongly as I do that they are right in what they believe. Because of this I think it is healthy to ask oneself the question; what if I am wrong? I ask myself that question everyday and everyday I try to answer myself. Thus far I have been right because I still believe what I believe. I can only hope that others do the same.
God ask of me more than I can give but is that not obvious. He is God. Of course I have not the worth that he would desire. So what if I give up my throne, my accomplishments, and my possessions. Those things are of no worth to him. Those things will never be enough. What I do have is will. My will is the only thing not in the power of God. I control my will. He has given it to me because that is the one thing I control; the one thing effected only by my desires. My will… if I give this up, then I have given God exactly what he desires of me. Now I only have to choose; is it more than I can give?