Merry Christmas

1
And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from
Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed.

2
(And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.)

3
And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city.

4
And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth,
into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem;
(because he was of the house and lineage of David:)

5
To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.

6
And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were
accomplished that she should be delivered.

7
And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling
clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them
in the inn.

8
And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field,
keeping watch over their flock by night.

9
And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the
Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.

10
And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good
tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.

11
For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which
is Christ the Lord.

12
And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in
swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.

13
And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly
host praising God, and saying,

14
Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward
men.

Sports Good, Bad, and Ugly

I have not written much about sports lately. Quite frankly much of it has been boring. But here are some of my thoughts:

 GOOD

The Cowboys are something else. It is becoming quite clear that in the NFC the path to the Super Bowl is going through Dallas once again. Romo is one of the most exciting players I have seen in a very long time, and his supporting cast is top notch. To top that off it looks like Glenn will be back for the playoffs. With his speed and Owens physical dominance we are going to have quite a dominant receiving core.

BAD

The Atlanta Falcons have fallen apart. I would have said at the seams but they don’t have any left. While their position as my bad team in Pablo’s football pool (sorry Triton) is good for me it brings me to the real bad part of the bad. Their coach has left to lead my beloved Razorbacks. One sports writer called him the "Disingenuous Drifter". We have replaced one coach with an honesty problem with another. What blue chip star athlete is going to want to play for him when he has a bunch of other better more honest choices?

UGLY

The steroid mess in Major League Baseball. This makes me glad that I could care less about the MLB. As a sport it is going down the tubes. They had many opportunities to get their ship righted yet continued to deny that it was even listing in the first place. Now they are on the verge of capsizing and I think the average sports fan could care less. Good riddance.

Sometimes, I Do Not Understand Christians

This is something that has bothered me for some time. Why are we so willing to throw other followers of Yeshua under the bus when they do not agree with our preconceived notions? Music is one of those areas that just boggles my mind. That is combined with our notions of how Yeshua's love for us is perceived. The other day Birdie sent me a link to an article by a guy who thought that modern music was essentially no different than effeminate secular love songs. To assert his point he took singular lines from three Christian songs and three secular songs and asked if we could tell the difference. Of course you could not, they were handpicked to make his point. This kind of selective tearing down really bothers me. Why do we do it?

He seemed to look at His love through one lens. I think that if you look at His Word you will find that there are many facets to His love. I think that some are opening their eyes to that and singing and talking about it. Others see it as heresy, because it challenges their preconceptions. I think we need to open our hearts and minds to see that His love is far greater than what we could ever truly understand. So why do we limit Him?

He is Here

Rather than rewrite all of the details I will just direct you to my wife's blog.

Wings and Prayers

Yeshua Has a Sense of Humor

There has been a lot of discussion
around the family about what day the new one would arrive. The one
day we all said would not be an ideal day is today, Oct 31^st.
Well, guess what? We are on our way to the hospital with Birdie
having contractions about 10 min apart. We think now that she may
have been in labor to some extent since Monday. She is very tired as
she has had very little rest since then. Please keep her and the baby
in your prayers. Just maybe I will be posting about our new bundle
of joy in short order.

Contemplate This

I will post my thoughts later, but I would like for you to contemplate just what this means to you. If you feel led post it in the comments.

 

 

John 3:16
 

Directions

Wow, It has been more than a month since I wrote anything that I have posted. I think mostly it has to do with travel, but I have also had some difficulty writing what is in my mind or I have a brilliant thought while I am driving, only to be too tired to work on it once I get where I am going. My eldest also pointed out that I am trying too hard to stay on a single subject. I think for now I will broaden my horizons a little. Just to get back into the swing of things. I may post a little on my favorite sport (NFL) or politics or whatever I want to. It is my blog after all.

I will try to be around more often. See y'all around.

What Has Happened To Us?

I apologize for not posting so often. There have been a number of things that have been weighing on my soul, and I have not known how to express them. Most of them revolving around marriage and just what that means to the believer. Part of it has to do with a friend who is going through a nasty divorce. The other part has to do with the general attitude toward marriage in our society and in the church. Like I said it weighs on my heart like nothing I have ever felt before. It is almost like Yeshua is letting me feel just a small portion of His pain.

From my friend’s situation I am coming to a greater understanding of what it means to love your wife sacrificially. Just what does it mean when Paul writes that we are to love our wives like Christ loves the church? I cannot help but believe that it means we are to cherish her, and to give our life for her. I am not just talking about being willing to die in her place but to give up our selfish pride and show her our love in a way that she will never doubt our commitment to her. Love in marriage is a commitment beyond any other we will make. I am not talking about being whipped or not being a man, but that part of being a man is the willingness to be selfless for our wives.

Other things such as the marriage debate running on several blogs just has me shaking my head. On one hand we have the marriage mandaters who have boiled down the marriage crisis to failed leadership on the part of men and that if a man chooses not to get married then he is committing a sin against both G_d and womankind. On the other hand we have those who refuse to get married because they feel that the laws in our nation are so lopsided that if something were to happen in their marriage then they will be the ones holding the shaft. The thing that I see is that each group wants to get married on their OWN terms. Ultimately I see this as simply fear, women fear submitting to the authority G_d has given to the husband and men fear committing because they may loose all they have. It is all fear, yet as believers we are not given to a spirit of fear but one of faith and love. True love involves sacrifice by both parties. A commitment to love and sacrifice for each other even when things are not so good. It seems that our churches have lost sight of this. We have embraced divorce as inevitable, embraced singleness as a divine gift, and set marriage as a side bar in G_d's plan. Did not G_d say that a man that finds a wife finds a good thing?

While I understand the concerns of those who choose to remain single, I truly believe they are missing out on one of G_d's greatest blessings. I also think that those on the other side of the coin are shooting themselves in the foot by making this some kind of sin not to get married. It is not supported by scripture. If our churches could get back to teaching that marriage is a blessing and a true picture of G_d's relationship with us I truly think that we could overcome this marriage crisis.

So, again I ask what has happened to us?

A Married Man's Take

Triton has been posting several articles concerning Debbie Maken and her book concerning the "Marriage Mandate" Christians are under. I wrote a comment on her blog and because I am not sure she will post it I am posting it here on my blog. I have been following this for some time and have kept quiet. I could not keep quiet any longer.

I know that I am new to the debate, but I could not help but notice the amount of vitriol that has been posted in the comments. Just for a little background I got married when I was 21. I have been married to that same woman for almost 17 years now. I have six children including one daughter (12). I am a sold out, born again follower of Jesus Christ. For the most part I agree with Mrs. Maken. What I have been having a hard time with is the argument that it is all men’s fault. I think that if we use that as an argument we are oversimplifying the problem. In order to get this problem resolved it is going to take a lot of change on both sides.

Since the sixties there have been a number of radical societal changes all of these changes have been detrimental to marriage as an institution. One of the biggest being our current divorce laws. The laws have made getting married a virtual minefield for men. Men on the whole want to get married what they don’t want is to be into that marriage 10 years with 2 or 3 children only to find out that his wife is "unhappy" and wants a divorce. Where is the commitment then? Women file the majority of divorces, and when it comes to the outcome of those divorces men generally end up with the short end of the stick. Marriage is more than a 50-50 split it involves each person giving 100% of themselves to make it work. This is my point if a man does not have a reasonable expectation of this then he is not likely to present himself to this risk. Does that mean that he is doing the right thing? I personally do not think so, but it is the reality of what we have sown as a society.

The question is how do we get to the point that marriage is seen as valuable by both men and women. I do not think that there is a simple fix to the problem. While I do think that there is a lot that the leadership in our churches can do to encourage marriage as the desired state, It needs to be done without condemnation of those who are still single. I also think that we need to go farther than that. Our church leadership needs to be actively involved in helping families to teach their children the value of marriage and teaching our daughters to value being keepers in the home. Society on the whole has looked down upon this. Being a homemaker is seen as almost second class and "unfulfilling". This type of thinking is going to have to be discouraged.

Teaching our children these things is more of a long-term solution though. In the short term we have to deal with the problem at hand. We need to teach that marriage is a preferred state. To that end men have to be encouraged to seek out a bride, but on the flip side women have to be willing to give men what they are looking for in a wife. The big thing will be the willingness to forgo the "right" to a no fault divorce. Women will also need to "advertise". If you want to get married let be widely known you are in the market, and that you are looking for a true lifetime commitment. Do not be afraid of doing what it takes to get his attention. Most men are oblivious to what is obvious to you. I am a prime example. My wife got my attention in an unusual way. To this day I consider myself to be one of the most blessed men on this planet because she did.

I hope I am not coming off as too one sided. I think there is plenty of blame to spread around to both sides. The question is are we as Christians willing to quit the blame game and do what is needed to get beyond the problem?

Update:

Well it seems that Triton was wrong. Mrs Maken is no more interested in publishing the opposition's posts than she is in intellectual honesty.

Asking For a Prayer

My friends, I do not ask for prayer for myself very often but a couple of e-mails I have recieved have laid me low. Some accusations have come at me from places I would have never expected, and the pain is a little more than I can bear right now.

I am Stumped

1 John
5:16-17

16
If anyone sees his brother commit a sin that does not lead to death,
he should pray and God will give him life. I refer to those whose sin
does not lead to death. There is a sin that leads to death. I am not
saying that he should pray about that.

17
All wrongdoing is sin, and there is sin that does not lead to death.

NIV

16 If
any man see his brother sin a sin which is not unto death, he shall
ask, and he shall give him life for them that sin not unto death.
There is a sin unto death: I do not say that he shall pray for it.

17 All
unrighteousness is sin: and there is a sin not unto death.

KJV

16 If
anyone sees his brother committing a sin not leading to death, he
shall ask and God will for him give life to those who commit sin not
leading to death There is a sin leading to death; I do not say that
he should make request for this.

17 All
unrighteousness is sin, and there is a sin not leading to death.

NASB

My daughter presented this to me in
our nightly Bible discussion. I was stumped. If the wages of sin is
death, what sin is not unto death? Any help out there my friends?

With a Hat Tip to My Lovely Bride

You are an Independent Analyst.

 

about you

 

You are an Analyst

Your attention to detail, confidence, sense of order, and focus on functionality combine to make you an ANALYST.

You are very curious about how things work, delving into the mechanics behind things.

Along those lines, how well something works is usually more important to you than what it looks like.

You find beauty and wonder mainly in concrete, functional, earthly things.

You are very aware of your own abilities, and you believe that you will find the best way of doing things.

Accordingly, problems do not intimidate you, as you believe in yourself.

You trust yourself to find solutions within the boundaries of your knowledge.

You don’t spend a lot of time imagining how things could be different—you’re well-grounded in the here-and-now.

It is important for you to follow a routine, and you prefer the familiar to the unknown.

Your independent streak allows you to make decisions efficiently and to trust your instincts

You are balanced in your approach to problem-solving, not letting your emotions hold you up.

You prefer to have time to plan for things, feeling better with a schedule than with keeping plans up in the air until the last minute.

Never one to be found in chic boutiques or trendy clothing stores, you take an extremely practical approach to getting dressed.

Generally, you believe that you control your life, and that external forces only play a limited role in determining what happens to you.

 

how you relate to others

 

You are Independent

Your inward focus, trusting nature, and sharp sense of right and wrong make you INDEPENDENT.

Your thoughts and actions are not reliant on what others think about you; you have a clearly defined moral structure.

When it comes to others, you are very practical, expecting people to take care of themselves.

You generally believe the best about people, but you hold them to high standards.

Similarly, you believe in maintaining integrity, honor, and a sense of respect for those who have earned their success.

Trust needs to be earned with you; you're slow to forgive when people have violated your trust.

Spending time alone means a lot to you, as does keeping certain things private.

You quietly observe a lot about the world, giving you a keen sense of both how things are and how things should be.

You've learned that you need to prioritize your own feelings, as opposed to always considering others' feelings first.

My full Personal DNA Profile

Get your own Personal DNA Profile 

"That's True for You, But Not for me." (Relativism)

'Behind this line is fine' is fine, says the relativist. 'As long as you keep
your opinions to yourself then we'll all get along' But does the relativist
stay behind the line when he tells you to?

Imagine a multiple car-car collision at a busy junction near your home. It's
an occurrence that shouldn't be hard to picture. It may, in fact, strike a
little too close to home, as it did for my family and me in June 1997. Now
stretch your imagination further. Assume we live in a less lawsuit-happy world.
Instead of all parties silently exchanging licence and insurance information and
driving away without admitting even a sliver of blame, every one runs into the
junction to explain his or her side of the story: 'You pulled out in front of
me!' 'But I had the right of way. Don't you know that red
means stop?' Pedestrians who witnessed the accident from the curb interject what
they saw. A trucker with an elevated, commanding view of the junction weighs in.
Then perhaps the guilty part steps forward: 'Well, actually, it was my fault. I
was talking on my car phone. I wasn't paying attention to what I was doing. I
caused the accident.'

For all the post-accident debate, when a police officer arrives and begins
taking notes, one truth will be clear: an accident happened. And in time, other
truths will be determined. Ultimately, a description of the accident will emerge
that corresponds to reality.

We live our lives relying on the belief that objective truth exists, if only
we can find it. We gather evidence; weigh credibility and truthfulness; make
difficult judgements. In the end, we arrive at a close proximity to truth. We
can make truthful statements that describe with reasonable accuracy how events
really happened. (Or, given the right evidence, we can determine truth regarding
whether the car we bought was a lemon, or how our major life decisions were
right or wrong, or if God is real.) We believe that if we had a helicopter over
every junction and a video camera inside each car to see who is on the phone,
or shaving, or turning up the volume  we can even discover truth about "accidents".

Truth is more than our subjective reporting of a car crash. It has objective
existence. It has universal application.

Truth is true even if no one knows it
Truth is true even if
no one admits it
Truth is true even if no one agrees what it is
Truth
is true even if no one follows it
Truth is true even if no one but God
grasps it fully

Although some local authorities have given up trying to figure out who
to blame for car accidents (hence "no fault" insurance), truth matters. And when
the stakes are raised – when a child crossing the street is struck and killed,
for example finding the truth becomes essential. Serious circumstances remind
us that the difficulty of finding the truth is no excuse for not looking.

Enter the relativist. To the relativist, no "fact" is in all times and places
true. He argues that because everyone's point of view is different, we can't
ever know what really happened at the accident scene. In fact, the hard-core
relativist says that given the slippery nature of what the rest of us mistakenly
call "truth", we can't even settle on the fact that the accident actually
happened.

So some people, called "relativists", would answer Pilate's question 'What is
truth?' by saying that each person decides what is true for them. Jesus claims
he is true-for-everyone and not just true-for-me.

What could a thoughtful person say in response?

• If my belief is only true for me, then why isn't your belief only
  true for you? Aren't you saying you want me to believe the same thing you do?
  
• You say that no belief is true for everyone, but you want everyone to
  believe what you do.
  
• You're making universal claims that relativism is true and
  absolutism is false. You can't in the same breath say, "Nothing is
  universally true" and "My view is universally true." Relativism
  falsifies itself. It claims there is one position that is true relativism! 
  
• You're applying your view to everyone but yourself. You expect others to
  believe your views (the "self-excepting fallacy").

© Dr Paul Copan 1998

Technical Difficulties

Due to our DSL Modem dying we have been reduced to using the back up 56K modem on our computer. I have forgotten how tedious that is. I will never go back to 56K by choice.

I think I know what is wrong with the modem and I am attempting to fix it. I will know more tonight when I get home. But if it does not work we are stuck in the slow -slow lane until a new one comes in from AT&T. One of the frustrations in having DSL is that you cannot just go out and buy a new DSL modem. You can buy them but you have to sign up for service when you do. I already have service I just need a new modem. If you do not see us around much this weekend you will know why.

On the other hand we are signing up for a cable-based service so we will be greatly increasing our bandwidth for less than we are spending now.

 

Update: I was able to fix our old modem YEAH!!! We will have good access for the weekend and until the cable access is installed July 31st.

Simply Amazing

Chuck Nails one Again

Go read it here.

This commentary was quite timely because of a conversation I was having with my oldest last night.  He just could not understand why I was such an optimist in spite of all that is going on in this world. I turned it around and asked him that if we follow after Yeshua how can we help but be optimistic.

I was telling him that even though we live in a world that everything seems to be going wrong, we have an all powerful G_d in control. We have no real worries in this world including those in the political realm. Our real battle is for hearts and minds, the more we can reach with His love the more we can affect change in our world. On a more personal level I truly believe that there is nothing that can happen to any of His children that He does not let happen. My way of seeing it is if Yeshua wants me alive nothing will be able to take my life from me it is that simple. Even if it is my time, to die is gain so what do I have to worry about? So I say it is time for us to be bold and deliver His message of love and forgiveness, giving full account for the love and joy that is within us. Go win the world and never look back.

On Debt and Living for Yeshua

This has been a very enlightening discussion and has led me to do some more research into the question of debt. Here is what I have found. In of itself debt is not a sin, but it is a form of servanthood. Being in debt is not a desired state for the believer. Now Triton and Geppy have pointed out that short-term debt (defined as 30 days or less) can be used a method of budgeting. I can see their point, but I think that proper budgeting can prevent the need for ever having to use short term debt. I digress, as this is not what I am writing about.

My point has more to do with my calling. If I am a servant of the Most High G_d, and I preach a message of freedom in Him is it not hypocritical of me to turn around and sell as a lifestyle of financial servitude? Face it, credit card companies do not make money when people pay off their credit cards each month. The idea is to keep the customer in a continuous cycle of debt. 

 

Pondering a Moral Question

While I know what my course of action is going to be. I wonder if I have grounds for more than simply resigning my position with Sears. Here is the thing. Working in a sales position we have a number of metrics we are graded on to determine if we are performing our job. 95% of those metrics I have no problem with. Selling installation, protection agreements, and accessories, are all part of the job, but one has been troubling for me since day one. That is the very active pushing of the Sears credit card. Up until now it has been only a sideline issue because I am good at all the other things. The new manager they hired for our group is cracking down on ALL metrics per the instructions of the general manager. Basically if we do not keep up on our metrics and are down two months in a row on any one metric we will be fired. Since starting there I think I have had one maybe two months total I have been up to spec on credit. The main reason is I refuse to SELL credit. It is morally repugnant to me. My main problem is I have not found a tenet in our faith that says it is sinful to be in debt. I have only seen where it is considered unwise. I have seen the damage that can be caused by consumer debt, and cannot be an active party to someone potentially destroying their life financially just to buy a lawn mower, treadmill, or a power tool. The "just have to have it NOW" mentality is fueled by consumer credit cards that charge massive amounts of interest, making it difficult at best for those caught in the trap to ever get out. This can destroy families just as assuredly as drugs, adultery, alcohol, or a number of other social problems can. As someone who believes in protecting the family from these types of ills I cannot continue to work for Sears if they make it an issue. Just kind of wondering if it could be considered religious discrimination.

On Legalism

For making
the suggestion that the student in question in the previous post could have
been a much better witness going through proper channels I have been accused of
being legalistic. How, pray tell, is that the case?  It seem that I get accused of hauling out the
blinders of legalism every time I even suggest that there may be a better way
of doing things, or that something that is held up as good and righteous may
not be what it is made out to be. My friends that is not legalism in any way
shape or form. Legalism is the practice of making salvation based upon the
works that you do. I abhor this. It is not biblical and is not why Yeshua came.
The fact is that churches that practice legalism do more to hurt the church
than they do to bring people to Yeshua. Salvation is by grace alone, once you
have accepted Yeshua’s gift you can never loose it.

 
The fact of
the matter is that our salvation is more than simply fire insurance. Salvation
is the death of our self and the beginning of a new life in Him. We are saved
unto works not by our works. Once we have given our life to Yeshua we are to
keep His commandments, this was how He said we would show our love for Him.
Does this mean that somehow we loose our love for Him or that we loose our
salvation if we fail? Even the suggestion of such a thing is absurd. It simply
is a point in our lives to learn. We pick ourselves up, sometimes with the help
of friends, dust ourselves off, ask forgiveness and continue on in our walk
with Him.  The Bible refers to this
process as the working out of our salvation.  
We should always be looking for ways to improve our relationship with
Him. Sometimes that information will come from our brethren. Iron sharpening
iron is the phrase that comes to mind. Yet sometimes I get the feeling we are
never to say anything to a brother concerning his walk. That would be judgmental,
intolerant, or just plain unloving. I ask this one last question. What is more
loving, warning someone before they fall off the cliff or letting them continue
on their way even though we know there are sharp rocks at the bottom?

 

The Silent Witness

I have
been reading and participating in a discussion over at Heidi's over
the subject of home schooling vs. government schooling. The one
thing that keeps coming up and has got me thinking is concerning what
I call the silent witness. The one parent that has sent (and is a
strong proponent of) government education has consistently asked that
if we take all of the Christian children and home educate them when
will the other children hear about Jesus. The discussion went on to
discuss the fact that Christians, both students and teachers are
effectively muzzled by the government bureaucracy, so essentially
what witness they have is silent, and actions only. So here is my
question. Does it really work? Are people truly influenced to Yeshua
simply by our actions or do they need to hear the why behind our
actions as well? How people interpret our actions is my problem
here. How is a kind action seen as any more than a kind action. We
all are capable of making them without Yeshua in our lives. So what
makes the difference? What makes the person ask why?

The
whole concept of the silent witness bothers me. All we have to do is
show them how wonderful we are and they will come running and begging
to know why we are. That is not the great commission, it is a cop
out. The great commission tells us to take the message out to the
world, to TELL them of His love, His mercy, His grace, His sacrifice,
and His provision. I see nothing about hiding it until we are asked
why we are the way we are. I know I have been quite guilty of this
quite a bit especially at work, but things like this make me think
twice about staying silent.

I cannot
help but see this simply as the starting point. In order for a person
to understand the need for Yeshua's sacrifice and His love it will
have to be shared in words. If a teacher has his or her hands tied at
work, and students are consistently pushed to water down what they
say, how will the lost learn? How do we determine if our actions are
the right ones? The example given left me wanting and is what
prompted this post. A student skips school because he finds out that
Planned Parenthood is coming, and then tells his father why he
skipped school. This is touted as a strong witness. I am not
convinced. First he broke a rule, rather than go through the system.
I know there are ways to opt out for religious convictions. How is
this a strong witness? His classmates did not see an act of faith
they saw an act of defiance and lack of respect for authority with
religious conviction used as an excuse. How is that a good witness?
What did his classmates learn? Did they see Yeshua, or did they see
someone breaking the rules and getting away with it?

I hope
there is someone out there that can enlighten me.

Please Say a Prayer

A
couple of hours ago we witnessed a motorcycle wreck. I was performing
a lane change when I saw two very closely placed headlights coming
very fast just to the right of us. I quickly veered back into the
lane I was leaving. Quite frankly expecting to see a bike speed past
us. What I saw was a bike tumbling past us after hearing what was
apparently the bike hitting the ground. While the officers at the
scene and several witnesses said I was not at fault I am still quite
shaken by the experience.

I
want to ask you to please pray for this young man. I do not know his
name and I probably never will. The helmet and jacket he was wearing
probably saved his life, but he took quite a tumble as he was going
somewhere between 70 and 80 mph when he lost control of the bike.
Birdie saw it all from the passenger side and it was quite bad. From
what I saw his injuries looked like mostly a bad case of road rash but we have
no idea what kind of internal injuries he has. Please pray that he
heals quickly and that he takes to heart what may have been a wake up
call on his life.

Wading Back In

I stayed
out of things in the judgment post until now because I wanted to see
how things unfolded. I think it is time to wade back in. First I want
to thank Geppy for coming by and adding to this discussion. Now onto
the meat of things.

Lets see
if I have things right so far. It breaks down into two camps. The
first believing that there is no place for and individual to make a
judgment about whether or not someone is committing a sin, and that
making that judgment is in fact sin our our part. The second being
the camp that states that an individual may judge if another
individuals actions are sinful under specific circumstances. Those
circumstances being that we have our own affairs in order and that we
are willing to be judged by that same measuring stick. Am I right so
far? I do believe that I am. Just for full disclosure I fall into
that second camp.

With
that said, for those who do not know me I am a stickler for
scriptural accuracy. Meaning that you make an argument about
scripture back it up. I am open to changing my position if you can.
Be prepared to be challenged and be willing to change your position
if I can prove my case. Do not bring me an emotional argument as it
will fall on deaf ears.

So let
me tackle a little bit of inaccuracy to begin with from our new
friend Geppy (nothing personal, I am an equal opportunity picker)

“Second
is the Church. The Church body is responsible to judge whether one of
its members is living a continous sin for which he/she is
unrepentent. After attempting to get this person to repent (70×7)
and the person will not repent, then the Church should put the person
out of the Church so as to not bring judgement from Jesus on the
entire body. (Note: this does not give one Church body the right to
judge another Church body; this judgement is restricted to an
organization of people - a community.)”

Lets
start with the 70 X 7 thing. The reference to 70 X 7 has nothing to
do with repentance it has to do with one individual forgiving another
who has wronged him. It was basically a statement about the fact we
are always to forgive those who cause us harm. I guess if you are anal enough to keep track of someone wronging you 490 times you could make a case, but then if you are keeping track is really forgiveness? Repentance on the
other hand is a single act of contrition. It is a turning away from
sin unto rightness with G_d.

Church
discipline is a whole other ball of wax. The point that is being
stated here is in fact the final part of a three step approach. Each
of the steps before it require that a judgment is made, first by an
individual and then by a group of three. The first step in this
process refutes Geppy's argument that individuals are never to make a
judgment. Church discipline is not about keeping a church body out of
disfavor with G_d as much as it is about bringing an unrepentant
brother back into fellowship with his Savior.

I think
that at this point I need to be clear about what judgment is. First,
as Billy D stated, judgment is not condemnation. Judgment is an
evaluation. (i.e. Is it right or is it wrong?) Condemnation is when
that judgment is taken and acted upon in a negative manner. (i.e.
Telling someone they are vile, evil, and will rot in hell because
they did something wrong.) Do you see the difference? Judgment is
required in order to help our brother lift himself out of the mire he
has gotten into. It is a warning that states “Do not go that way
for death is there” If we truly love our brethren then we have an
obligation to help them in their need, and that includes lovingly
helping them turn from the sin in their lives

I Have a Question

Why do we as followers of Yeshua get upset over non-believers acting like non-believers? I read this story on WND today and thought it was funny. What got me was the amount of hate mail he received over it. Yeah, I know he is making fun of people of faith, but so what. Did not Yeshua tell us we would be persecuted, all manner of things said about us? Did he not say we would be blessed? Get over the victim thing and be glad we get persecuted (not that this is "real" persecution), it means we are being noticed.

The Myth of Non-judgementalism

There is a very dangerous teaching going on
in our churches today. It is the thought that we are never to judge, never to
render an opinion on whether or not something someone is doing is wrong.
 While on the surface this seems like a good thing, it is the stepping
stone for all kinds of evil teachings to enter the church. We are to be ever
vigilant about the things being said and done around us and be willing to
render judgment about it.  It always sets me on edge when I here someone
taking a verse about judgment out of context; or to scream about being
judgmental, or lacking tolerance.

I think that a lot of this teaching comes
from Romans chapter 14. In it is a discussion about not judging our brothers
who are weaker and not being a stumbling block to our weaker brothers. 
The context was over what people ate but could be extrapolated to anything that
is not specifically a sin.  The problem is when this is brought over into
the realm of unrepentant sin on the part of a believer.

You see the Word also teaches us to be
willing to be judged by the same measuring stick that we use to make a
judgment.  Taking this kind of approach is humbling and in the true spirit
of His teaching and love. Yeshua judged those who were against Him and living
out sin in their lives, He did it in a loving way to those who were willing to
change and to those who were not willing he allowed them continue in their sin
knowing that eternal judgment would come, Yet he still judged them. The
scriptures teach us that we are not to make judgment lightly, but to make the
blanket statement that we are never to make a judgment about what is going on
in the world can lead us down a path right to the evil one just as assuredly as
making unwarranted judgments.

Posting Woes

Sorry about the lack of posting. Life just sort of took over. I had a trip to L.A. that I ended up having no computer access for several days. All of this to find out i need to fly back out to CA in the next couple of days. Have I mentioned how much I hate flying? Sardines have more room. I will try to keep up the posting more here while I am out this time though as I will have a computer then.

It Has Been a Year

It has now been a year since Samuel's death. The year has been at times difficult, at other times it has seemed like it never happened. In some ways I think that may be my own denial or or method of dealing with it when times get rough. We have had quite a few downward turns in our lives since that time, but Yeshua has been faithful.  After several downturns including the loss of two vehicles and my primary employment, G_d has been turning things around for us. I now have a better job than I had before, we have a larger vehicle capable of holding our large family.  Through all of that we learned about the generosity of complete strangers and how good a landlord we truly have. The latest blessing I think is the best of all and one that comes with only His perfect timing. To find out though you will need to read Birdie's blog.

A Valid Point

On my last post Triton and Morris each had a valid point. What do you do when the problem is systemic? There were enough clues in the article to allow you to come to that conclusion, and I had to some point thought about that angle.  I was thinking more along the lines of what should be done with one single heretic in a position of power.

Triton and Morris are right that the problems within the Anglican church are larger than one heretic behind a pulpit. The fact that the Church of England has no problem with not following the guidelines set forth in the Word as to who should be in church leadership is not only problematic, but probably led to this man being able to make such outlandish claims.  The real question is at what point do we abandon a church group as not being truly Christian.  This is a significant question as a good portion of my ministry will revolve around it.  I am calling those of faith to true repentance and a return to their first Love. So at what point do I leave them to their own devices so to speak?  I know there are those who will take me to task for this type of thinking but there is Biblical precedent for it. I cant help but think about the instruction to wipe the dust from your feet of the town that would not listen to the message of Yeshua's love.

My Hackles are Raised

While sitting around recovering from the flu bug I got at work, Birdie calls to me and says this is going to make me mad. Was she ever right. First go read the story:  Idea Christ died for sins 'insane,' claims Christian pastor

 
I am not sure where to begin with this over-the-top heresy. This is not some crackpot on the street corner, but a man behind a pulpit. I do not think that I need to get into the fact that he does not belong in the pulpit due to his "lifestyle" choices, but I digress. This man is attacking the very foundation of the Christian faith.  The substitutionary atonement is the foundation upon which our faith is based. Without Yeshua's death on the cross and His subsequent resurrection there would be no Christian faith. To turn and make His sacrifice into this statement "share in the worst of grief and suffering that life can throw at us." is beyond the pale. The man is a heretic and should be removed from the pulpit.

One simple verse in the Word is enough to refute this bozo:

For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that
whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. John 3:16

The need for His sacrifice is the central theme of the entire Word.  To deny this is to deny Yeshua Himself.  This "pastor" should removed from his leadership role until he can honestly repent of this heresy.

"Bong Hits for Jesus"

I do not often comment upon political events but listening to the radio this morning set me off. I listen to a radio talk show hosted by a man named Jeff Bolton on KLIF 570 AM. He calls himself the Mayor of Commonsenseville but this time I felt he left his common sense at home. On his radio show he stated that he does not think that students at school should not have any rights to free speech regardless of the message. This was in response to the case before the Supreme Court over the Bong Hits for Jesus case. I e-mailed him my response.

Mr. Bolton,

I do not often disagree with you, but on this issue I believe that you are dangerously wrong. The problem is in looking at where our rights come from. Do they come from the state or are they inalienable "natural" rights.

If you believe as I do that free speech is an inalienable right then the state has no right to tell you, I, or a student at a school sanctioned event what can be said even if that message is offensive to someone else. The danger in allowing the government to regulate speech in our schools is that it teaches that our rights are not inalienable and are at the whim of the state. Once that toe hold is established it is not a far stretch to find other areas where the state can regulate that speech especially when you attach the almighty "tax dollar" to it. We have already come a long way from our founders intentions of a government founded upon common law and its precepts of limited government and personal freedom. What you are advocating is continuing down the path toward complete government control of our lives. I find that much more of a problem than some kid holding up a stupid sign.

The fundamentals of common law come down to two points; first do nothing to harm another person and second do what you say you are going to do. What this boy did, while offensive to my fundamental Christian beliefs, did not violate these two principals of common law. If the principal had looked at this situation in that kind of light, then none of this would be here in court today. If the principal had taken this boy aside and told him that although he had the right to say what he said, but what he said was stupid then that would have been the end of the matter. Instead the principal suspends the boy for 5 days for "violating" the "school speech policy" and then suspends him an additional 5 days for quoting Thomas Jefferson on free speech rights, all because what he said did not fit the state approved speech requirements. These actions have lead us to a number of court cases that have cost us a whole lot more money than this kid saying something stupid while on a school sanctioned event.

Thank you for reading this and I hope you rethink your position on this issue.

The Love of G_d

Have you ever wondered what G_d's love is like? It is something I contemplate a lot. I got to contemplating it again after reading some posts and comments over at Roland's. The posts were initially about who Yeshua would hang out with, but it got me thinking because of those who talk about His love and grace. It got me thinking more about His love and our response to that love. It also got me thinking about how He he loves us.

The thing is that the more I read the more I come to understand that G_d has a single-minded obsession with His creation, namely us. The most popular verse in the Bible is John 3:16. Most of us could recite it without thinking, but have you ever contemplated it? G_d's love is so vast, so great, so amazing, that he willingly gave up His Son for us. Think about that. I would dare say that for the most of us we would give up our lives for our children, but have you ever contemplated the the thought of giving up your children? How hard would that be? What kind of pain, anguish, and grief must be endured? G_d did that for us; for you; for me. When I sit down and really think about it I am awestruck. Having lost a child I think I have had a glimpse into the pain He suffered for us. The thing that really gets me is that it was done willingly.  That my friends is obsession: the willingness to do whatever you have too, to get what you want, even if it costs you everything. He wanted us restored to Him so badly, He was willing to sacrifice His Son for us.

How do we respond to that?  The Bible tells us one of Yeshua's parables compares to the Kingdom of G_d to a treasure in a field. A man finds that treasure and is so obsessed with it that he goes and sells everything he has to buy the field just so he can have that treasure. Can we even contemplate that level of desire? Do we have that level of love? Are we willing to give our lives for Him? Are we willing to LIVE for Him? Do we have the same kind of obsession for Him that He has for us? This is what He desires, could we offer Him any less?

Taking Wing

I will be out of town for a couple of days, and completely out of pocket. I have to fly to L.A. on a business trip. This is one of the aspects of my job I am not wild about. Flying has always put me on edge and with all the new "security" I now hate the process. Please pray a traveling mercies prayer for me on this one.

Thanks alot my friends. 

Who is in Control?

After stories like the last one I think that we need a reminder of just who is in control. This song is actually very near and dear to my heart. The day that Samuel died and I was on my way home from the hospital to see my other children I was praying and simply asking why.  This was the first song that came on the radio after I had turned it on. It was the first time I allowed myself to weep over his death. This is also something I do not recommend while driving.

 

[audio:http://eaglewoodsnest.org/wp-content/uploads/2007/03/01-god-is-in-control.mp3]

Signs of the Times

We have just witnessed one of the shots over the deck of freedoms for those who profess Yeshua as Lord. 

 

9th Circuit endorses censoring Christians

Bruised but not Broken

I want to thank everyone you commented on the previous post. I thought Birdie said something that sums this up quite well so I am going to quote her...

 

"Bruised is not broken and wounded is not destroyed."

 

This seems to be a recurring theme here in our home. While the attacks on us were brutal we have survived and we will move on.  I think one of my flaws is I do not know when to stay out of a debate. I could have gone on and not addressed her question, but hind site is 20/20, and knowing her it would have come up again. Life often lands us hard knocks, I am so glad that I have a Savior in whom I can go sit in His lap when it gets real rough. Thanks again my friends.

 

Deep Wounds

I am not sure how many of you are aware of the blowup over at Erik's.  It got quite ugly and it all came down to that we were accused of at the very least being negligent in our son's death to  at worst being outright responsible for it.  For those who really want to know the details they can read them at Erik's blog.

As in all battles there are casualties, this is no exception.  What went on over at Erik's reopened wounds that were still in the healing process. Ever since Samuel died Birdie has struggled with the idea that she was at fault for Samuels death.  The fact that we were not has not has not made her feel she can absolve herself of his death.  To have a person who to her is a complete stranger say the things that were said has left her reeling to say the least.  At this point she is seriously considering giving up blogging altogether. My friends I ask you to be praying for her and I. I too have been left reeling from this and if I did not have this calling on my life I would probably slide right on out of the blog world myself.  While I did try to talk her into not leaving I could not argue with her logic.

Update:

The post and comment thread that caused the problem have been removed over at Erik's. I want to thank everyone for their support and prayers.  This is something I would not wish upon my worst enemy. I also want to personally thank Erik for removing the post over the personal attacks in the comments.

Prayer

Hey everybody, I would like for all of you to be praying for my mentor Jimmie. He has been going through some tough times lately due to his health. For details read these links:

Day for discovery

Update

The Diagnosis

The Right Answer

The
funny thing about reading the comments to my last post I knew that I
would get the answers I got for the most part. Jimmy surprised me
though. He sent me some very interesting stuff that I am currently
looking over. As a matter of fact I only read a little bit of what he
sent last night and spent quite a bit of time praying and
contemplating (and not sleeping). It was not a good time to have left my Bible at home.
(mental note: Make sure Bible gets packed when I travel.) I think I
will share where I think things are going after I finish reading what
Jimmy sent me. I do believe that I have been looking in the wrong
places to start. I do believe that G_d through Jimmy is showing me a
way to go forward (one I had thought of before but dismissed). I have
to remember that even our Lord did not go through the established
hierarchy, in fact He was against it because it had become corrupt.
This blog will be a forum, but it is only a launching pad and a tool.
The real ministry will have to involve people in real life, not just
in cyberspace.

More
to come...

Where Do We Go From Here?

That is the question I ask myself allot these days. I have this calling yet I am not sure how to get the message out to those who need to hear it. As I have mentioned before I am a simple man with no formal education in theology or other things of religion. The established hierarchy is not likely to listen to one lone man that does not have their "credentials" (at least that is my experience). This is part of the reason for starting this blog; yet all I have are a few regular readers and friends. I know the simple answer to the question, but I still wonder how things will play out.

Why Eaglewood Ministries?

One of the reasons I moved my blog over to TheoBloggers is because I want to use this blog to be an extension of my future ministry. While the other blog had some cute things about the kids and my football stuff I want this blog to be more representative of who I am and what my calling is all about. I use a pseudonym on-line but I have not been shy about letting those who ask know who I am. My real name is David, The name Eaglewood actually came from a medieval study my children did a few years ago and I became Lord Eaglewood due to my fondness of the majestic eagle.

So the questions remain. Who am I and what is my mission?

As to who I am. I am probably the least likely person anyone would think G_d would call upon to be one of His prophets for this age. I am a father of 5 children one of whom is with Yeshua now. I am also extremely reluctant because I know it is a hard row to hoe. No one wants to be told what I have been told, but then I can think of some other reluctant prophets as well. I wonder sometimes if my reluctance is similarly motivated. Jonah wanted Nineveh to be destroyed. I myself am not sure the “church” in America will listen, so I wonder if it would simply be better to let the church be purified by fire. That is when I remember He does not wish to work that way.

That brings me to my mission or ministry so to speak. As I mentioned above my calling is that of a prophet. That in of itself is a hard one for me to swallow coming from my Baptist background and all. But here it is in a nutshell. I have been called to proclaim His truth to the church as a whole. He is a patient G_d but it is running out. Like the Israelites he has found us wanting. We have been turning away from His truths in His Word and leaning upon on our own understanding. This I believe has been the result of over 200 years of peace and growth in the church. In the past two centuries little has happened in the American churches. We have been insulated from the persecution felt around the world and we have grown fat and happy. We have forgotten our true Love and His heart is broken over it. So I am a herald in some regard. G-d wants his children back and is sending out those like me to bring the truth of His Word and His love to a church that would rather wallow in it's own agenda. He wants to see His children willingly return to Him, but He is also preparing the lay waste to the church as we know it. If He has to He will bring us through the refiners fire. Those that are true will remain, those who are not will not. It is that simple.

You see it is not something people want to hear. Heck I did not even want to hear it, but when he told me to study what happened to His children (the Israelites)to see what He will do if we do not turn back to Him I did. Then I ran for years. I did not want this burden, by the world's (and the church's) standards I am not qualified. I have no ministry degrees, and I am not to get any. Yet I have been chosen so I will do what He wills. I will trust that He will open the doors to get His message out to those who need to hear it.

Respect

It is funny how people earn and lose respect. I think that it is often looked for in all the wrong places. Yesterday’s Super Bowl is a perfect example of that. A lot was made of the fact that a certain superstar quarterback could not win the big game and therefore he did not have the respect other players of the same caliber gain much easier. Now that he has done that he has "earned" the respect of those in professional sports.

While I think that this is good and most of the sports media are covering it that way, I do not think that he or any other player deserves the highest respect. In all of the accomplishments in what was a mediocre game, the most noteworthy thing that happened was after the game was over. The owner Jim Irsay, and head coach Tony Dungy did not put the team and it ‘s accomplishments first. They put their Lord Jesus and the plight of others first. They made it very clear that what they did was done to the glory of their Lord and not just for personal glory. When Tony Dungy was pressed about the "social significance" (black coach) of his victory he downplayed the black coach aspect and said the most significant thing was the Christian way the organization was run. I have learned more about the way the Colts organization is run and the family first atmosphere that is promoted there. To me this shows that it does not have to be an all consuming drive that is needed to win on a professional level. While I will always remain a Cowboys fan, the Colts organization has gained a new fan, not just because they win games, but because they do it right.

Thanks, Birdie

To which race of Middle Earth do you belong?

 

 

 

 

 

Rohirrim
Take this quiz!

 
This is my FAVORITE race in LOTR! 

Your Love is Better Than Life

 I just found a plugin for playing single mp3 tracks. The way I love music I will get a lot of use out of this.

 

 

[audio:http://eaglewoodsnest.org/wp-content/uploads/2007/02/07-your-love-is-better-than-life.mp3]

Under Construction

It has been funny to watch the comments while I worked on the style for my new blog. I am still learning new tricks and there may be future changes, but I am happy for the most part with this one. I will be spending more time working on Birdie's new blog.  That has been an adventure already.  We have been having trouble finding a theme to work with for her. She wants a warm friendly blog that says it is feminine without driving away her male readers. We have looked at stuff that is the right mixture of colors but not widget ready and one that was perfect but had no sidebar (grrrrr). A lot of the widget ready themes have been muted or techno in style or have been so girly they made your eyes bleed.  I do think I will have it up and running soon though and have her posting there in no time.

 

Wings and Prayers

Commenting

Triton mentioned some things about commenting over here and I have fixed the problems. Commenting should be much easier now.

Just in Time...

for me to set up a new blog, I have to go out of town for a few days. Be back as soon as possible and hopefully I will have a laptop the next time I go on a trip.

New Beginings

After a long discussion with Birdie, We are in the process of moving our blogs over to Wordpress and we have signed up with a Christian hosting site. The fact is I was feeling cramped in what I could do with the other blog. As time goes by I will be updating the looks of this site. The only unfortunate thing is that because we had already switched to the New Blogger we cannot import our old blog to this one.  Now if someone has a program that will allow us to do that then I would be more than grateful if they could share it.

 

Update: My new friends at TheoBloggers have helped me out on the import issue. I am really thankful for that.

Lessons

This past year has been one of roller coaster like extremes. Yet the one thing that has been constant in all of this has been the never ending unwavering love of G_d. Over the past year just about everything has been stripped out from under us. From the death of our son to the loss of my job right when we needed it the most, totally devastated us. It shook us to our foundations. The funny thing is that when you are shook to your foundation you find out just what that foundation is. For us it was Yeshua's love and grace. When the entire world was falling down around us He held us, comforted us, and sustained us. The one thing that I have found the hardest in all of this is writing about it all. I am normally a quiet reserved man, not given to discussing my personal pain. I would like to share what I have learned in all of the pain.

I have learned how to persevere through unimaginable pain. I once thought that the loss of one of my children would be the end of me. I have learned it is not. Has it changed me? Yes it has, but not in the ways I would have expected. I have learned to have more empathy for one thing, that has aways been hard for me. I have also learned that there are people out there ready to love regardless of your circumstance. I think that the most important thing I have learned is that He is more real than I could have ever imagined. Losing Samuel was the singularly hardest thing I have ever been through. When I was brought to my knees and laid lower than I could have thought possible Yeshua picked me up, dusted me off, and just held me in His arms. No words were ever needed. I wish I could adequately explain the experience, but I know that I could not do it justice. Life goes on and we still face struggles but we have learned to simply trust Him in all things He has a plan and it is perfect, that is assured. When things get bad I can always climb back up in my Daddy's lap and let Him take care of it.

 

Your Love Oh Lord

THR3E a Review

THR3E was the first Ted Dekker book I had ever read. From that point on I have been a Ted Dekker fan. So when Foxfaith films made a movie out of this book I was stoked. I have been waiting for some time to see this movie and it was worth the wait. I will be honest this is not your typical “Christian” work. It is a suspense thriller and has rated a PG-13 rating because of it's intensity and subject matter. If what you are looking for is a remake of little house on the prairie or anything in that type of genre then you are looking in the wrong place.

I thought the adaption from the book was very well done. While there were some differences they were mostly due to setting and the addition of a character not in the book. All in all the story was kept the same and you were able to see what his point was. It is hard to write a complete review without revealing plot lines for those who have not read the book, but I will tell you that even with knowing the end I was riveted throughout the entire movie. I will have to say again it was very well done, and I heartily recommend this movie.

I do have one gripe about the story and how a part of one of the character's past was handled. In attempt to show systemic abuse, homeschooling was depicted in a very bad light. While this was in the book the fact that the character was schooled at home was an afterthought. In the movie it seemed to be almost a focal point. It may be that as someone involved in homeschooling and having had to deal with the issue, Birdie and I may be more sensitive to this issue than others, but it is still there and we think it could have been handled differently with the same results.