Sometimes Thoughtful...Mostly Otherwise...

2008-05-30T00:54:00.002-04:00

don't mean to get people excited like i'm actually gonna post on a regular basis or anything...i just need to have this photo online somewhere...

Back again...sorta/kinda...

2005-03-22T22:27:00.000-05:00

Well, well...here we are a full six friggin' months since my last post.

It doesn't look like anybody missed me at all.

...

Just so you know, I have missed doing this to a certain extent, and this time I don't think I'm going to make any assertions about posting every day or trying to keep up with any sort of self-imposed schedule.

A personal update to start with: I've not kept up with my Scripture reading as often as I should have. When I was posting every day, I was reading every day, but when posting dragged, so did the reading. Maybe getting back into the blogging bit will help with that.

I have applied for Federal Student Aid, and hopefully I'll be attending classes at ODU this fall. I'm aiming towards an Education degree, but we'll see what happens when I get there.

My NaNoWriMo project got nowhere. I got a decent outline out of it, but that was about as far as it got. I'm still palying with it, building up little parts here and there, adding things in my spare time at work, etc. Maybe I'll have a first draft done by the start of the fall semester. Just in time for NaNoWriMo 2005. Maybe I should start working on new outlines now.

Ugh, it's 10pm on a Tuesday night. Band practice was cancelled, so I blew 2 hours waiting at the church (6:30pm-8:30pm) for nothing.

*yawn*

Oh, yeah! The whole reason I actually got the guts to log back in to blogger.com: the Terry Schiavo matter.

It occurs to me this whole thing is really just a big out-of-control abortion case. You have a person incapable of caring for herself whose guardian does not wish to be responsible for her. To this, I answer as I would for any other abortion question: If the guardian seeks relief of responsiblity for his ward, put her up for adoption. With Terry's parents aching to care for their daughter, this seems like a no-brainer. Under no circumstances do you just kill the invalid.

But no, there has to be a big political statement involved. Regardless of the whole "Congress shouldn't get involved" issue (and I think that it should NOT get involved), the fact remains that if Michael Schiavo is permitted to let Terry die, this will set a bad precedent. Think about it: when the courts uphold Michael's right to order Terry's death, it WILL be referenced as precedent for parents who want to let their handicapped chilren die, for older children who want to be rid of aging invalid parents...the consequences of this case are going to be far-reaching and it's going to set the stage for a lot more "medically advised" death that's purported to be for the patient's benefit, because "they wouldn't want to live like that".

However, on the flip side you have more precedents being set for the federal government to weasel itself ever deeper into our thoughts, minds and actions. As much as the Religious Right wants to use the office of the President and the Congress to push their agenda, if we allow the Republican majority this much power now, trust me, the liberals will not hesitate to use it (and cite this as precedent) when the power-pendulum swings back the other way as it eventually will.

So our future hangs on the life of one woman. Upon allowing her death-by-request, we set the stage for more killings of convenience. Upon using federal authority to save her life, we build the basis for further government intrusion into our lives and decisions.

Either way, we lose.

Sorry to sound so cynical, but the only way I see everyone (Terry, Michael, and the American people) getting out of this safely is for Terry to have a resurgence back to full mental health, even if it's only long enough to clarify what to do with her if she relapses back to her invalid state.

More Issues

2004-09-27T22:59:00.000-04:00

like something that happened a few months ago, there's been a couple of days where i've written a post, and couldn't put it up, because i couldn't log onto Blogger.com...weird...

anyhow, here's the last couple of days worth:

Thursday 9/23 -

as PHCC approaches the 40 Days of Purpose, i lift up my buddy Rodger in prayer, that God may give him the time during his local Fire Dept. training to participate in the studies...

Friday 9/24 -

today is my day off, and i've accomplished NOTHING...and it feels good...

Saturday 9/25 -

i'm disappointed because Carolina is taking their bye this week, so they're not playing tomorrow...on the upside, PHCC is kicking off our 40 Days of Purpose program, so there will be thoughts ASAP...

Sunday 9/26 -

it has begun...and it is cool already...more to follow...

New Season, New Start...

2004-09-22T20:48:00.000-04:00

ok all, we're going to try something a little different with the Scripture readings here (read: we're going to try something that's a little less time-consuming for me to create in my posts)...i'm elimintaing the footnotes and the extra links...i was really hoping that i could keep it up, but pasting all those little links and adding the asterisks and all that was just a lot cutting a pasting and by the time i was done with the whole thing, it had taken me an hour to prep one little stinkin' measley post...not that Scripture is measley, but it was still a lot of time spent on nada...

so i'm going to assume that ya'll are smart enough to figure most of this stuff out on your own and present something more streamlined and more straightforward: here's the text of the passage, here's the link to the chapter, and here's what i think about it...kinda like i did my first couple of posts...anyway, to begin the September catch-up, here's a week's worth to start with...enjoy!...

Matthew 9:9-13
9 As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector's booth. "Follow me," he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him. 10 While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew's house, many tax collectors and "sinners" came and ate with him and his disciples. 11 When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, "Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and 'sinners'?" 12 On hearing this, Jesus said, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. 13 But go and learn what this means: 'I desire mercy, not sacrifice.' For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners."

and keep in mind that when the sinners know that you're a Christian, they're watching you...your example is part of what draws them in or pushes them further away (well, when you get down to it, if God is drawing them, it's not like they can resist, but you may delay the inevitable by your poor example)...bear in mind that when we set foot outside, we don't know who's watching, what they know, or what they're thinking...remember whose child you are & be proud of it...

Psalm 42
1 As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God. 2 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God? 3 My tears have been my food day and night, while men say to me all day long, "Where is your God?" 4 These things I remember as I pour out my soul: how I used to go with the multitude, leading the procession to the house of God, with shouts of joy and thanksgiving among the festive throng. 5 Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and 6 my God. My soul is downcast within me; therefore I will remember you from the land of the Jordan, the heights of Hermon-from Mount Mizar. 7 Deep calls to deep in the roar of your waterfalls; all your waves and breakers have swept over me. 8 By day the LORD directs his love, at night his song is with me- a prayer to the God of my life. 9 I say to God my Rock, "Why have you forgotten me? Why must I go about mourning, oppressed by the enemy?" 10 My bones suffer mortal agony as my foes taunt me, saying to me all day long, "Where is your God?" 11 Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.

even struck by oppression and derision, the Psalmist remembers that God is soveriegn and has a good bead on things...he remember what God has done in the past, he remembers that God is faithful and fulfills His promises...with these thoughts in his mind he can still worship and hold to his faith...how often do we forget the things that God has done in our lives?...one of my pastors had us go through an excercise in a class about worship: spend 30 minutes in prayer doing nothing but thanking God...no pleas, no supplications, no praying for other people, no asking for anything, just offering thanks (all of these prayers are good prayers, however for this excercise, we skipped 'em)...it's amazing how fast 30 minutes will go by if you just walk through your house thanking God for your material stuff...then thanking Him for the job that lets you buy all that stuff, then the education that helped you get the job, and your parents for caring enough to make sure you got the education, and the rest of your family...next thing you know, it's a whole hour later, and you're still going...

at that point, start going through the things that He's done for you, prayers that were answered, miracles that you've been a part of, help in a time of need...then continue in that vein and think of how God feels to be in such a position to give you those things...and think about how you felt to receive those gifts...and connect with Him...Pastor Jerry led a whole room full of grown adults to tears as each and every one of us connected with God on a deeper level than we ever had, and we worshipped...it was beautiful...

and i think that's what the Psalmist is doing here, or soemthing along those lines...

John 15:9-17
9 "As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. 10 If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love. 11 I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. 12 My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command. 15 I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. 16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit--fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. 17 This is my command: Love each other.

v16 "You did not choose me, but I chose you instead"...i'm still dealing with the whole pre-destination thing, but that seems to cover it, doesn't it?...

Psalm 1
1 Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. 2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night. 3 He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which
yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers. 4 Not so the wicked! They are like chaff that the wind blows away. 5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous. 6 For the LORD watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.

so to those of you who wail about the harm Bush has done, i say go read Psalm 1...to those of you who fear for the harm Kerry may do, i say go read Psalm 1...and to all of you, i say go read Psalm 42 again...even if it gets bad, we'll have a place to go, and we have a God who's in control...

John 3:14-21
14 Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, 15 that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life. 16 "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son. 19 This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. 20 Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. 21 But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God."

this kind of stuff gives me pause when i'm doing something and i ask myself "would i do this in front of my friends at the church?"...like when i go out and have a few beers...i ask myself that question, and i reply "yeah, i would"...but sometimes there's other things to which i end answering "no"...if i'd be embarrassed to act in ceratin ways in front of my pastor and his family, why should i be okay with myself for doing it elsewhere?...

Colossians 3:22-4:1
22 Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything; and do it, not only when their eye is on you and to win their favor, but with sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord. 23 Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, 24 since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. 25 Anyone who does wrong will be repaid for his wrong, and there is no favoritism. 1 Masters, provide your slaves with what is right and fair, because you know that you also have a Master in heaven.

please see the above comment...

2 Corinthians 3:7-18
7 Now if the ministry that brought death, which was engraved in letters on stone, came with glory, so that the Israelites could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of its glory, fading though it was, 8 will not the ministry of the Spirit be even more glorious? 9 If the ministry that condemns men is glorious, how much more glorious is the ministry that brings righteousness! 10 For what was glorious has no glory now in comparison with the surpassing glory. 11 And if what was fading away came with glory, how much greater is the glory of that which lasts! 12 Therefore, since we have such a hope, we are very bold. 13 We are not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face to keep the Israelites from gazing at it while the radiance was fading away. 14 But their minds were made dull, for to this day the same veil remains when the old covenant is read. It has not been removed, because only in Christ is it taken away. 15 Even to this day when Moses is read, a veil covers their hearts. 16 But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. 17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 18 And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.

i wonder what the modern Jewish faith believes in regards to this?...

One DVD Can Make A Difference...

2004-09-21T21:39:00.000-04:00

Knight Rider...a shadowy flight into the world of a DVD that does not exist!...

oh, yeah!...season one is MINE, wa-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!...

i think that K.I.T.T. was by far the single coolest car ever on TV...i am convinced that he could take Herbie, the Burton Batmobile, the more recent (blatant rip-off yet non-AI) Viper, and at least 80% of the Transformers without even squealing his tires...

Hasselhoff's Michael Knight was ok, but really not required because K.I.T.T. was fully capable on his own...plus there was Devon and Bonnie to take care of him, so Micheal wasn't needed...

regardless, it was still an awesome show, and it's a great DVD package, and i'm all giddy and happy that it's MINE!!!...

Psalm 118:14-24

2004-09-01T17:23:00.001-04:00

slight format changes are in the works for SomeThoughtMostOther in the near future, as i'm trying to get back in the habit of posting a little som'in'-som'in' every day...

again, i really don't know what happened over the last few weeks...laziness, i suppose...but here's to turning over a new leaf and getting back in the swing of things...

Psalm 118:14-24
14 The LORD is my strength* and my song; he has become my salvation. 15 Shouts of joy and victory resound in the tents of the righteous: "The LORD's right hand has done mighty things! 16 The LORD's right hand is lifted high; the LORD's right hand has done mighty things!" 17 I will not die* but live, and will proclaim* what the LORD has done. 18 The LORD has chastened me severely, but he has not given me over to death. 19 Open for me the gates of righteousness; I will enter and give thanks to the LORD . 20 This is the gate of the LORD through which the righteous may enter.* 21 I will give you thanks, for you answered me; you have become my salvation. 22 The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone;* 23 the LORD has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes. 24 This is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.
*118:14 = Ex 15:2 - The LORD is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation. He is my God, and I will praise him, my father's God, and I will exalt him.
*118:17 = Hab 1:12 - O LORD , are you not from everlasting? My God, my Holy One, we will not die. O LORD , you have appointed them to execute judgment; O Rock, you have ordained them to punish.
*118:17 = Ps 73:28 - But as for me, it is good to be near God. I have made the Sovereign LORD my refuge; I will tell of all your deeds.
*118:20 = Rev 22:14 - "Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may go through the gates into the city.
*118:22 = Mt 21:42, Mk 12:10, Lk 20:17, Ac 4:11 - Jesus said to them, "Have you never read in the Scriptures: "'The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone; the Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes'?...Haven't you read this scripture: "'The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone;...Jesus looked directly at them and asked, "Then what is the meaning of that which is written: "'The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone'?...He is "'the stone you builders rejected, which has become the capstone.'

y'know, Psalm 118 makes a great praise song...they used to sing a lot of songs like that at a church i used to attend...songs that were pretty much Scripture verses set to upbeat, contemporary music...it was pretty cool...sometimes i miss those songs, but not that church as a whole...there's about four people i knew at that church with whom i keep in fairly regular contact...two of them are marrying each other next month (yes, a guy and a gal), one's a fairly well-known blogger over at Fringe, and last but not least is Fringe's li'l bro, who just got back from Iraq...

i keep weird company...but they're all family with me in Christ, which is why i sing along with Psalm 118!...

soon to come: different format for the Scripture readings, and hopefully daily posts about STUFF...maybe some politics, maybe some music, maybe some sports, and maybe some stuff about my upcoming NaNoWriMo project...hopefully it'll be odd, hopefully it'll be of interest, but it will definitely be Sometimes Thoughtful, Mostly Otherwise...

Romans 8:27-39

2004-09-01T17:22:00.001-04:00

man oh man...behind by about 3 weeks at this point...apologies to any readers who were coming on a semi-regular basis...

here's another late catch-up bit from the end of August...

Romans 8:27-39

27 And he who searches our hearts* knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will. 28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those
who love him,+ who+ have been called according to his purpose. 29 For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son*, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. 30 And those he predestined,* he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified. 31 What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us?* 32 He who did not spare his own Son,* but gave him up for us all--how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? 33 Who will bring any charge* against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died – more than that, who was raised to life – is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.* 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? 36 As it is written: "For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered."+* 37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors* through him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,+ neither the present nor the future, nor any powers,* 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

*8:27 = Rev 2:23 - I will strike her children dead. Then all the churches will know that I am he who searches hearts and minds, and I will repay each of you according to your deeds.

+8:28 Some manuscripts And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God

+8:28 Or works together with those who love him to bring about what is good--with those who

*8:29 = Php 3:21 - who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.

*8:30 = Eph 1:5,11 - he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance
with his pleasure and will--...In him we were also chosen,having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will,

*8:31 = Ps 118:6 - The LORD is with me; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?

*8:32 = Jn 3:16, Ro 5:8 - For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.... But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

*8:33 = Isa 50:8-9 - He who vindicates me is near. Who then will bring charges against me? Let us face each other! Who is my accuser? Let him confront me! It is the Sovereign LORD who helps me. Who is he that will condemn me? They will all wear out like a garment; the moths will eat them up.

*8:34 = Heb 7:25, 9:24, 1Jn 2:1 - Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them....For Christ did not enter a man-made sanctuary that was only a copy of the true one; he entered heaven itself, now to appear for us in God's presence....My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense--Jesus Christ, the Righteous One.

+8:36 Psalm 44:22 - Yet for your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.

*8:36 = Ps 44:22, 2Co 4:11 - Yet for your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered....For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake, so that his life may be revealed in our mortal body.

*8:37 = 1Co 15:57 - But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

+8:38 Or nor heavenly rulers

*8:38 = Eph 1:21 - far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come.

well, my only comment is that really, when it come down to it, what do we have to be afraid of?...we've got a blood-relative who has the ear of the Ultimate & Final Judge, so whatever happens here is kinds inconsequential, isn't it?...

Leviticus 24:1-9

2004-09-01T17:22:00.000-04:00

High Priest or Homeless Bum?...

Leviticus 24:1-9

1 The LORD said to Moses, 2 "Command the Israelites to bring you clear oil of pressed olives for the light so that the lamps may be kept burning continually. 3 Outside the curtain of the Testimony in the Tent of Meeting, Aaron is to tend the lamps before the LORD from evening till morning, continually. This is to be a lasting ordinance for the generations to come. 4 The lamps on the pure gold lampstand before the LORD must be tended continually. 5 "Take fine flour and bake twelve loaves of bread,* using two-tenths of an ephah+ for each loaf. 6 Set them in two rows, six in each row, on the table of pure gold* before the LORD . 7 Along each row put some pure incense as a memorial portion to represent the bread and to be an offering made to the LORD by fire. 8 This bread is to be set out before the LORD regularly,* Sabbath after Sabbath, on behalf of the Israelites, as a lasting covenant. 9 It belongs to Aaron and his sons,* who are to eat it in a holy place, because it is a most holy part of their regular share of the offerings made to the LORD by fire."

*24:5 - Ex 25:30 - Put the bread of the Presence on this table to be before me at all times.

+24:5 - That is, probably about 4 quarts (about 4.5 liters)

*24:6 - Ex 25:23-30 - "Make a table of acacia wood-two cubits long, a cubit wide and a cubit and a half high. Overlay it with pure gold and make a gold molding around it. Also make around it a rim a handbreadth wide and put a gold molding on the rim. Make four gold rings for the table and fasten them to the four corners, where the four legs are. The rings are to be close to the rim to hold the poles used in carrying the table. Make the poles of acacia wood, overlay them with gold and carry the table with them. And make its plates and dishes of pure gold, as well as its pitchers and bowls for the pouring out of offerings. Put the bread of the Presence on this table to be before me at all times.

*24:8 - Nu 4:7 - "Over the table of the Presence they are to spread a blue cloth and put on it the plates, dishes and bowls, and the jars for drink offerings; the bread that is continually there is to remain on it.

*24:8 - 2Ch 2:4 - Now I am about to build a temple for the Name of the LORD my God and to dedicate it to him for burning fragrant incense before him, for setting out the consecrated bread regularly, and for making burnt offerings every morning and evening and on Sabbaths and New Moons and at the appointed feasts of the LORD our God. This is a lasting ordinance for Israel.

*24:9 - Mt 12:4 - He entered the house of God, and he and his companions ate the consecrated bread--which was not lawful for them to do, but only for the priests.

*24:9 - Mk 2:26 - In the days of Abiathar the high priest, he entered the house of God and ate the consecrated bread, which is lawful only for priests to eat. And he also gave some to his companions."

*24:9 - Lk 6:4 - He entered the house of God, and taking the consecrated bread, he ate what is lawful only for priests to eat. And he also gave some to his companions."

it stands to reason then, that He (being Jesus) would consider himself one of the sons of Aaron, seeing as how he ate the bread reserved for them alone in the Temple...that would make him a preist of God, wouldn't it?...but no, He must have just been some crazy dude in off the streets to walk right in and eat that stuff...right?...

John 11:1-7, 32-36

2004-09-01T17:21:00.000-04:00

a story we're all familiar with:

John 11:1-7, 32-36

1 Now a man named Lazarus was sick. He was from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha.* 2 This Mary, whose brother Lazarus now lay sick, was the same one who poured perfume on the Lord and wiped his feet with her hair.* 3 So the sisters sent word to Jesus, "Lord, the one you love is sick." 4 When he heard this, Jesus said, "This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God's glory* so that God's Son may be glorified through it." 5 Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. 6 Yet when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days. 7 Then he said to his disciples, "Let us go back to Judea."

32 When Mary reached the place where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died."* 33 When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled.* 34 "Where have you laid him?" he asked. "Come and see, Lord," they replied. 35 Jesus wept.* 36 Then the Jews said, "See how he loved him!"

*11:1 = Lk 10:38 - As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him.

*11:2 = Jn 12:3 - Then Mary took about a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus' feet and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.

*11:4 = Jn 11:40 - Then Jesus said, "Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?"

*11:32 = Jn 11:21 - "Lord," Martha said to Jesus, "if you had been here, my brother would not have died.

*11:33 = Jn 12:27 - "Now my heart is troubled, and what shall I say? 'Father, save me from this hour'? No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour.

*11:35 = Lk 19:41 - As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it

there's something in verse 4 that i had never noticed before...Jesus said that Lazarus' sickness would not end in death!...he gave the hint of the miracle right there...

i wonder if anyone who heard that made the connexion at the time?...

Genesis 2:8-17

2004-09-01T17:20:00.000-04:00

still struggling with pre-destination...

Genesis 2:8-17

8 Now the LORD God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the man he had formed. 9 And the LORD God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground-trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life* and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. 10 A river watering the garden flowed from Eden; from there it was separated into four headwaters. 11 The name of the first is the Pishon; it winds through the entire land of Havilah, where there is gold. 12 (The gold of that land is good; aromatic resin+ and onyx are also there.) 13 The name of the second river is the Gihon; it winds through the entire land of Cush.+ 14 The name of the third river is the Tigris;* it runs along the east side of Asshur. And the fourth river is the Euphrates. 15 The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. 16 And the LORD God commanded the man, "You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; 17 but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die."*

*2:9 = Ge 3:22,24 - And the LORD God said, "The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever." After he drove the man out, he placed on the east side of the Garden of Eden cherubim and a flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life.

*2:9 = 1Co 15:45 - So it is written: "The first man Adam became a living being"; the last Adam, a lifegiving spirit.

+2:12 Or good; pearls

+2:13 Possibly southeast Mesopotamia

*2:14 = Da 10:4 - On the twenty-fourth day of the first month, as I was standing on the bank of the great river, the Tigris,

*2:17 = Ro 5:12 - Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned--

*2:17 = Ro 6:23 - For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

stand-out point for me: verse 17, specifically the word "when"...it leads me to ask, was this usage of "when" a simple statement of fact, i.e. "WHEN you run your car into a tree, you will surely total it"?...or was it a hint that God knew ahead of the choices Adam and Eve would make?...of course He KNEW, but did we truly have a choice in the matter?...

things that make you go: "hmm"...

i think i'll ask my pastor about that...

2 Timothy 1:15-18

2004-09-01T17:19:00.000-04:00

there's a question in here:

2 Timothy 1:15-18
15 You know that everyone in the province of Asia has deserted me, including Phygelus and Hermogenes. 16 May the Lord show mercy to the household of Onesiphorus, because he often refreshed me and was not ashamed of my chains. 17 On the contrary, when he was in Rome, he searched hard for me until he found me. 18 May the Lord grant that he will find mercy from the Lord on that day! You know very well in how many ways he helped me in Ephesus.

looking right into verses 16 and 17, "and was not afraid of my chains...he searched HARD for me" (emphasis mine)...while this bodes well for dear Onesiphorus who obviously gave a great deal of time and effort to help Paul and his ministry to spread the Gospel, there's something deeper here, i think...

many times in Scripture, chains and other forms of subjugation are used to signify the weight and constriction of sin upon the spirits of men...i wonder, how often do we see our Christian brothers and sisters locked up under some secret sin of indulgence or anger...people who put up a pretty front on Sunday morning, but struggle with serious spiritual issues every day...when we see these, how often do we just sadly shake out heads and say, "well, i'll pray for you", and just hope that it'll all go away?...not to diminish the power of prayer, but shouldn't we be "searching HARD" to find these folks and help them get out of whatever bondage they're in?...i mean, there are bounds of propriety when asking about someone's life, but if you're connecting with them as loving children of God, we should be able to look through the fakey garbage front and find the soul that's tied down inside and asisst however we can...

shouldn't we?...

thoughts, comments?...

Hosea 7

2004-09-01T16:59:00.000-04:00

sounds like America under a Deadpan-ocrat administration...

Hosea 7

1 whenever I would heal Israel,
the sins of Ephraim are exposed
and the crimes of Samaria revealed.*
They practice deceit,
thieves break into houses,*
bandits rob in the streets;
2 but they do not realize
that I remember all their evil deeds.
Their sins engulf them;*
they are always before me.
3 "They delight the king with their wickedness,
the princes with their lies.*
4 They are all adulterers,*
burning like an oven
whose fire the baker need not stir
from the kneading of the dough till it rises.
5 On the day of the festival of our king
the princes become inflamed with wine,*
and he joins hands with the mockers.
6 Their hearts are like an oven;
they approach him with intrigue.
Their passion smolders all night;
in the morning it blazes like a flaming fire.
7 All of them are hot as an oven;
they devour their rulers.
All their kings fall,
and none of them calls on me.
8 "Ephraim mixes* with the nations;
Ephraim is a flat cake not turned over.
9 Foreigners sap his strength,*
but he does not realize it.
His hair is sprinkled with gray,
but he does not notice.
10 Israel's arrogance testifies against him,*
but despite all this
he does not return to the LORD his God
or search* for him.
11 "Ephraim is like a dove,
easily deceived and senseless-
now calling to Egypt,
now turning to Assyria.
12 When they go, I will throw my net* over them;
I will pull them down like birds of the air.
When I hear them flocking together,
I will catch them.
13 Woe to them,
because they have strayed from me!
Destruction to them,
because they have rebelled against me!
I long to redeem them
but they speak lies against me.
14 They do not cry out to me from their hearts*
but wail upon their beds.
They gather together+ for grain and new wine
but turn away from me.
15 I trained them and strengthened them,
but they plot evil* against me.
16 They do not turn to the Most High;
they are like a faulty bow.
Their leaders will fall by the sword
because of their insolent words.
For this they will be ridiculed
in the land of Egypt.*

*7:1 = Hos 6:4 - What can I do with you, Ephraim? What can I do with you, Judah? Your love is like the morning mist, like the early dew that disappears.

*7:1 = Hos 4:2 - There is only cursing, lying and murder, stealing and adultery; they break all bounds, and bloodshed follows bloodshed.

*7:2 = Jer 2:19 - Your wickedness will punish you; your backsliding will rebuke you. Consider then and realize how evil and bitter it is for you when you forsake the LORD your God and have no awe of me," declares the Lord, the LORD Almighty.

*7:3 = Mic 7:3 - Both hands are skilled in doing evil; the ruler demands gifts, the judge accepts bribes, the powerful dictate what they desire- they all conspire together.

*7:4 = Jer 9:2 - Oh, that I had in the desert a lodging place for travelers, so that I might leave my people and go away from them; for they are all adulterers, a crowd of unfaithful people.

*7:5 = Isa 28:1,7 - Woe to that wreath, the pride of Ephraim's drunkards, to the fading flower, his glorious beauty, set on the head of a fertile valley- to that city, the pride of those laid low by wine! And these also stagger from wine and reel from beer: Priests and prophets stagger from beer and are befuddled with wine; they reel from beer, they stagger when seeing visions, they stumble when rendering decisions.

*7:8 = Ps 106:35 - but they mingled with the nations and adopted their customs.
*7:9 = Hos 8:7 - They sow the wind and reap the whirlwind. The stalk has no head; it will produce no flour. Were it to yield grain, foreigners would swallow it up.

*7:10 = Hos 5:5 - Israel's arrogance testifies against them; the Israelites, even Ephraim, stumble in their sin; Judah also stumbles with them.

*7:10 = Isa 9:13 - But the people have not returned to him who struck them, nor have they sought the LORD Almighty.

*7:12 = Eze 12:13 - I will spread my net for him, and he will be caught in my snare; I will bring him to Babylonia, the land of the Chaldeans, but he will not see it, and there he will die.

*7:14 = Jer 3:10 - In spite of all this, her unfaithful sister Judah did not return to me with all her heart, but only in pretense," declares the LORD .

+7:14 Most Hebrew manuscripts; some Hebrew manuscripts and Septuagint They slash themselves

*7:15 = Na 1:9,11 - Whatever they plot against the LORD he will bring to an end; trouble will not come a second time. From you, O Nineveh , has one come forth who plots evil against the LORD and counsels wickedness.

*7:16 = Hos 9:3 - They will not remain in the LORD's land; Ephraim will return to Egypt and eat unclean food in Assyria.

ouchie!...but it's not just the Dems' fault society as a whole has fallen, and it doesn't really matter you political ideology if you're not following the commands of God...i'm not really sure how sincere Dubya's Christianity is, but i have no reasons thus far to doubt his faith...i know i certainly wouldn't do everything he's done, but then, i'm not the President...at least Dubya seems to poking along in the right direction, and we should be praying for him...

John 16:25-33

2004-08-29T01:21:00.000-04:00

faithfulness/loyalty/perseverance vs. cowardice...

John 16:25-33
25 "Though I have been speaking figuratively*, a time is coming when I will no longer use this kind of language but will tell you plainly about my Father. 26 In that day you will ask in my name. I am not saying that I will ask the Father on your behalf. 27 No, the Father himself loves you because you have loved me* and have believed that I came from God. 28 I came from the Father and entered the world; now I am leaving the world and going back to the Father."* 29 Then Jesus' disciples said, "Now you are speaking clearly and without figures of speech. 30 Now we can see that you know all things and that you do not even need to have anyone ask you questions. This makes us believe that you came from God." 31 "You believe at last!"+ Jesus answered. 32 "But a time is coming, and has come, when you will be scattered,* each to his own home. You will leave me all alone. Yet I am not alone, for my Father is with me. 33 "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace.* In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome* the world."
*16:25 = Mt 13:34 - Jesus spoke all these things to the crowd in parables; he did not say anything to them without using a parable.
*16:25 = Jn 10:6 - Jesus used this figure of speech, but they did not understand what he was telling them.
*16:27 = Jn 14:21, 23 - Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him." Jesus replied, "If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.
*16:28 = Jn 13:3 - Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God;
+16:31 Or "Do you now believe?"
*16:32 = Mt 26:31 - Then Jesus told them, "This very night you will all fall away on account of me, for it is written: "'I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.'

*16:33 = Jn 14:27 - Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

*16:33 = Ro 8:37 - No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.

Jesus was faithful...He was honest about who He was, what He was about, what He intended to do, what God would do with and for and through Him, and every promise He made, He saw it through...we have no reason to doubt His spoken word (His teachings as recorded in the Bible) or His Word (the Bible as a whole)...we therefore have no reason to NOT step out in faith and cling to Him...our confidence should be complete and straitforward, as there is no concievable way for Him to fail us...Jesus is God, God is love, love never fails = you can count on His promises...

Hebrews 10:19-23

19 Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, 20 by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, 21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22 let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. 23 Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.

God, on the other hand, has every reason imaginable to doubt US...

Mark 14:50

50 Then everyone deserted him and fled.

everyone deserted him and FLED...not just walked away and peeked over their shoulders to see if everyone was okay, but fled, ran for their lives, did everything possible to distance themselves from Him and His work, "nope, not me, i don't know the guy!"...how often we do that when confronted on issues of faith...it's quite disgusting when you think about it...every time the going gets rough, we drop God and all association of Him for our own reputation...so we can impress mortals humans whose opinions and thought on us will not last...we turn our backs on an eternally complete and truthful God to make nice with shifting immature people who would turn from us just as easily as we turned from Him...

but he loves us anyway...

would you keep a friend around who treats YOU the way YOU treat God?...

would you die for them?...

1 Corinthians 9:19-27

2004-08-29T00:50:00.000-04:00

interesting thought here regarding missions and the like:

1 Corinthians 9:19-27
19 Though I am free and belong to no man, I make myself a slave to everyone,* to win as many as possible.* 20 To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews.* To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. 21 To those not having the law I became like one not having the law* (though I am not free from God's law but am under Christ's law), so as to win those not having the law. 22 To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some. 23 I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings. 24 Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run* in such a way as to get the prize. 25 Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. 26 Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. 27 No, I beat my body* and make it my slave so that
after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.
*9:19 = Gal 5:13 - You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love.
*9:19 = Mt 18:15 - If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over.
*9:20 = Ac 16:3 - Paul wanted to take him along on the journey, so he circumcised him because of the Jews who lived in that area, for they all knew that his father was a Greek.
*9:21 = Ro 2:12, 14 - All who sin apart from the law will also perish apart from the law, and all who sin under the law will be judged by the law. (Indeed, when Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature things required by the law, they are a law for themselves, even though they do not have the law,
*9:24 = 2Ti 4:7 - I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.
*9:27 = Ro 8:13 - For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live,

in verses 20-23, Paul says that he would become like the people he was trying to reach, assuming their appearance and attitudes to better understand their situation and to make the gospel more accessible to them through his living their lifestyle and pointing out how it applies to them personally...really, this makes perfect sense, and it causes one to wonder where it all got lost over the next few hundred years...

i wonder why the various crusaders, Inquisitors, missionaries & such all carried such an attitude of moral superiority when exploration and transporation allowed for a greater spread of God's message?...that whole concept would seem to be kinda pointless...and sadly, it continues in various forms today...

why can't we find ways to connect with people today in ways that they understand and that they will be open to while maintaining the standards of our faith and the life of Christ-like humility we are called to?...

anybody?...

Hebrews 2:9-18

2004-08-26T21:01:00.000-04:00

only 4 days behind...haha! ...

Hebrews 2:9-18

9 But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, now crowned with glory and honor* because he suffered death*, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone. 10 In bringing many sons to glory, it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists,* should make the author of their salvation perfect through suffering. 11 Both the one who makes men holy and those who are made holy are of the same family. So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers. 12 He says,
"I will declare your name to my brothers;
in the presence of the congregation I will sing your
praises."+
13 And again,
"I will put my trust in him."+
And again he says,
"Here am I, and the children God has given me."+
14 Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity* so that by his death he might destroy* him who holds the power of death--that is, the devil*--15 and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death. 16 For surely it is not angels he helps, but Abraham's descendants. 17 For this reason he had to be made like his brothers* in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest* in service to God, and that he might make atonement for+ the sins of the people. 18 Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.*
*2:9 = Ac 3:13 - The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified his servant Jesus. You handed him over to be killed, and you disowned him before Pilate, though he had decided to let him go.
*2:9 = Php 2:7-9 - but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death--even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name,
*2:10 = Ro 11:36 - For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen.
+2:12 = Psalm 22:22 - I will declare your name to my brothers; in the congregation I will praise you.
+2:13 = Isaiah 8:17 - I will wait for the LORD, who is hiding his face from the house of Jacob. I will put my trust in him.
+ 2:13 = Isaiah 8:18 - Here am I, and the children the LORD has given me. We are signs and symbols in Israel from the LORD Almighty, who dwells on Mount Zion.
*2:14 = Jn 1:14 - The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
*2:14 = 1Co 15:54-57 - When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: "Death has been swallowed up in victory." "Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?" The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
*2:14 = 1Jn 3:8 - He who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil's work.
*2:17 = Php 2:7 - but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.
*2:17 = Heb 4:14-15 - Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are--yet was without sin.
+2:17 = Or and that he might turn aside God's wrath, taking away
*2:18 = Heb 4:15 - For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are--yet was without sin.

oddly, the thing the jumps out to me first of all is that fact that Jesus was made "a little lower than the angels" (v9)...keyword, LOWER than the angels...meaning the human spirit is a lesser spirit than the angelic spirit...the human form is not as brilliant or as powerful as the angelic form...but for some reason, God created humanity in His own image, and desired connexion and fellowship with this creation...who knows when and where He created the angels?...it doesn't really matter, because even if He had some kind of discourse or connexion with the angels, He still wanted US!...and even when we slipped, even when we committed the SAME ACT THAT EARNED LUCIFER HIS EXPULSION FROM HEAVEN!!! THE VERY SAME ACT OF PRIDE AND WILLFULNESS THAT RESULTED IN THE MORNING-STAR BEING CAST FROM THE CELESTIAL HOME OF GOD!!!, He still cared enough to send a Savior who would be lessened, humbled by His existence as a human to act as a death-double for our entire race...to make sure that the sacrifice would fully realize the conditions of God's justice and righteousness and holiness, Jesus had to be completely and fully man...

wow...

and we take it for granted...even among Christians, we let this become something we fail to marvel at...we let it become a rote statement of our religion, but we forget that it is one of the most basic principle of our FAITH...

guilty as charged here, too...don't think that i'm ranting against all "other" Christians...i've slipped into this mentality of comfort regarding the absolute shrunkenness of Jesus' Spirit as he became fully human...

it's absolutely mind-blowing, and we just kinda - get over it...

let's not...let's remember...let's allow ourselves to be fully cognizant of the shift that God instigated from the blood sacrifice and yearly intercessors to a single perfect specimen, slaughtered...

as through perfectly created Adam from God's hand sin entered, so also through perfectly created Jesus from God's own self sin was conquered...

let's remember this...

amen...

Psalm 33:1-5

2004-08-26T17:30:00.000-04:00

well well well...for those sticks in the mud who don't think that anyhting other than an organ ought to be played for God on Sunday mornings, here's a bit of instruction from the book of Psalms:

Psalm 33:1-5

1 Sing joyfully to the LORD , you righteous;
it is fitting* for the
upright to praise him.
2 Praise the LORD with the harp;
make music to him on the ten-stringed lyre.
3 Sing to him a new song;
play skillfully, and shout for joy.

4 For the word of the LORD is right and true;
he is faithful in all he does.
5 The LORD loves righteousness and justice;*
the earth is full of his unfailing love.

*33:1 = Ps. 147:1 - Praise the LORD. How good it is to sing praises to our God, how pleasant and fitting to praise him!

*33:5 = Ps. 11:7 - For the LORD is righteous, he loves justice; upright men will see his face.

hmm, let's check these points shall we?...we are told to "sing joyfully" (v1), praise him with the harp (v2), & the ten-stringed lyre (v2), SHOUT for joy! (v3)...

it's believed that King David wrote this Psalm, and David was known as a great harpist...that's how he got a spot in the previous king's (Saul's) court as shown here:

1 Samuel 16:15-23
Saul's attendants said to him, "See, an evil spirit from God is tormenting you. Let our lord command his servants here to search for someone who can play the harp. He will play when the evil spirit from God comes upon you, and you will feel better." So Saul said to his attendants, "Find someone who plays well and bring him to me." One of the servants answered, "I have seen a son of Jesse of Bethlehem who knows how to play the harp. He is a brave man and a warrior. He speaks well and is a fine-looking man. And the LORD is with him." Then Saul sent messengers to Jesse and said, "Send me your son David, who is with the sheep." So Jesse took a donkey loaded with bread, a skin of wine and a young goat and sent them with his son David to Saul. David came to Saul and entered his service. Saul liked him very much, and David became one of his armor-bearers. Then Saul sent word to Jesse, saying, "Allow David to remain in my service, for I am pleased with him." Whenever the spirit from God came upon Saul, David would take his harp and play. Then relief would come to Saul; he would feel better, and the evil spirit would leave him.

so David already knew that instruments and songs of praise were great to use in the service of God and pleasing to God...here we see David commissioning music for worship at the temple:

1 Chronicles 25

David, together with the commanders of the army, set apart some of the sons of Asaph, Heman and Jeduthun for the ministry of prophesying, accompanied by harps, lyres and cymbals...The sons of Asaph were under the supervision of Asaph, who prophesied under the king's supervision...Jeduthun...who prophesied, using the harp in thanking and praising the LORD...Heman...through the promises of God to exalt him...[had] fourteen sons and three daughters. All these men were under the supervision of their fathers for the music of the temple of the LORD , with cymbals, lyres and harps, for the ministry at the house of God. Asaph, Jeduthun and Heman were under the supervision of the king. Along with their relatives-all of them trained and skilled in music for the LORD -they numbered 288.

so David had a 288 member Praise & Worship team...cool!...this is highly spiffy, and i think it only solidifies the postition that music as a tool for worship can be contemporary or classic as long as it's being used to focus everyone's hearts and spirits towards God and reaching that connexion to Him & with Him...

5 Days Behind

2004-08-25T18:56:00.000-04:00

man, oh man...

i've got 5 days worth to post, and i'm still working on 'em...i'll be caught up by week's end, though...

i hope...

James 3:1-12

2004-08-23T18:42:00.000-04:00

for someone like me who aspires to be a teacher (and not just a teacher, but a writer of curriculum), this is some heavy stuff...let's take a look...

James 3:1-12

1 Not many of you should presume to be teachers, my brothers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly. 2 We all stumble* in many ways. If anyone is never at fault in what he says, he is a perfect man,* able to keep his whole body in check. 3 When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal.* 4 Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go. 5 Likewise the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts.* Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. 6 The tongue also is a fire,* a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person,* sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell. 7 All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and creatures of the sea are being tamed and have been tamed by man, 8 but no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.* 9 With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God's likeness.* 10 Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be. 11 Can both fresh water and salt+ water flow from the same spring? 12 My brothers, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.

*3:2 = 1Ki 8:46 - When they sin against you-for there is no one who does not sin-and you become angry with them and give them over to the enemy, who takes them captive to his own land, far away or near;

*3:2 = Mt 12:37 - For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned."

*3:3 = Ps 32:9 - Do not be like the horse or the mule, which have no understanding but must be controlled by bit and bridle or they will not come to you.

*3:5 = Ps 12:3-4 - May the LORD cut off all flattering lips and every boastful tongue that says, "We will triumph with our tongues; we own our lips-who is our master?"

*3:6 = Pr 16:27 - A scoundrel plots evil, and his speech is like a scorching fire.

*3:6 = Mt 15:11,18-19 - What goes into a man's mouth does not make him 'unclean,' but what comes out of his mouth, that is what makes him 'unclean.' But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these make a man 'unclean.' For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander.

*3:8 = Ps 140:3 - They make their tongues as sharp as a serpent's; the poison of vipers is on their lips. Selah

*3:9 = Ge 1:26-27 - Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground." So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.

+3:11 Greek bitter (see also verse 14)

dude!...we who teach (v1) will be judged more strictly!...not only are we going to be held responsible for our own personal conduct, but also for the conduct of those we teach...those we pass knowledge to...naturally, what they do with that knowledge is their choice and is for them to settle with God, but if we the teachers are giving them the wrong information to begin with...if we're filling minds with ideas that don't line up with Scripture or that resist the movings of the Holy Spirit, we are going to be judged for that!...

that's scary!...

but scary also is the possibilities of what the tongue can lead into...i don't know that i've started fires (v6) or spread poison (v8), but i've recognized in my own mouth and speech a tendency to talk myself up (v5)...sometimes not directly, but through implication...and also i have a bad habit of talking down to people, speaking to them as inferiors (v9), as if they are less than me...when i catch myself, it's terribly embarrassing...i know i'm being worked on, but still sometimes i wonder how people can stand to carry on conversations with me...

and as arrogant as it may sound, i hope to affect more children with my curriculum than just the ones i come into personal contact with in a classroom setting...i hope that the books i write and help develop become widely used for educating young minds in how to think & how to recognize the reality of God and how a relationship with God through Christ is required for a full and complete life...i fervently pray (and ask for prayer), when it comes time for me to make a contribution to the scads and scads of educational information out there in the world, that the Holy Spirit will guide me and my writing to create something that will reflect Him in such a way that the students and educators that use them will understand who God is and what He's about...

Psalm 84:5-12

2004-08-22T22:52:00.000-04:00

just a prayer and a thank you note...

Psalm 84:5-12
5 Blessed are those whose strength is in you,
who have set their hearts on pilgrimage.
6 As they pass through the Valley of Baca,
they make it a place of springs;
the autumn rains also cover it with pools.+
7 They go from strength to strength,
till each appears before God in Zion.
8 Hear my prayer, O LORD God Almighty;
listen to me, O God of Jacob.
Selah
9 Look upon our shield,+ O God;
look with favor on your anointed one.
10 Better is one day in your courts
than a thousand elsewhere;
I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God
than dwell in the tents of the wicked.
11 For the LORD God is a sun and shield;
the LORD bestows favor and honor;
no good thing does he withhold
from those whose walk is blameless.
12 O LORD Almighty,blessed is the man who trusts in you.
+84:6 Or blessings
+84:9 Or sovereign

oh, Lord that we may trust you as the psalmist does...that we may lift up our eyes to you in times of need and recognize your sovereignty and your mighty strength...let us be blameless before you, washed in the blood of your Holy Son...

thank you for that which you've given, and for the heart that shapes ours...your model heart that yearns for us, and that we surrender to for alteration, for syncronizing with the Living God...for changing us into your image, that we may reflect you better...

thank you...

1 Corinthians 12:12-27

2004-08-22T22:25:00.000-04:00

good news...more catching up today (i'll have it done by week's end, i'm sure!), and i finally got the CD's of the Summer Refreshment i promised...the transcriptions/commentaries are on the way!...

1 Corinthians 12:12-27
12 The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ. 13 For we were all baptized by+ one Spirit into one body--whether Jews or Greeks, slaves or free,*--and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.
14 Now the body is not made up of one part but of many. 15 If the foot should say, "Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body," it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. 16 And if the ear should say, "Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body," it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. 17 If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? 18 But in fact God has arranged* the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. 19 If they were all one part, where would the body be? 20 As it is, there are many parts, but one body. 21 The eye cannot say to the hand, "I don't need you!" And the head cannot say to the feet, "I don't need you!" 22 On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, 23 and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, 24 while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has combined the members of the body and has given greater honor to the parts that lacked it, 25 so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. 26 If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.+ 27 Now you are the body of Christ,* and each one of you is a part of it.

+12:13 Or with; or in

*12:13 = Gal 3:28 - There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

*12:13 = Col 3:11 - Here there is no Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.

*12:18 = 1Cor12:28 - And in the church God has appointed first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then workers of miracles, also those having gifts of healing, those able to help others, those with gifts of administration, and those speaking in different kinds of tongues.

+12:25-26 = Romans 12:15 - Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.

*12:27 = Eph 1:23 - which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.

*12:27 = Eph 4:12 - to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up

*12:27 = Col 1:18, 24 - And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. Now I rejoice in what was
suffered for you, and I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ's afflictions, for the sake of his body, which is the church.

*12:27 = Ro 12:5 - so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.

the body is a unit...disparate pieces put together into a single entity that exists as something altogether greater than any of the individual pieces on their own...so it is with Christ (v12)...the baptism that we all share, confessing Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior: this binds us together into a greater whole than any of us could hope to be as individual believers...

that there are divisions in the church is almost frightening in a way...i mean, when you look at all the churches out there today who all proclaim Christ as Lord and all follow Scripture...when there is no real doctrinal difference between them...when the only cause of division is the details (music, versions of the Bible, etc)...these sources of strife are difficult to swallow...when brothers in Christ call each other "heathen" because of the translations of Scripture they read, there's something deeper going on there...are we letting our pride get in the way of God's plan for His body?...

if someone is telling you that you aren't a true follower of Christ because you don't raise your hands during worship, that's wrong of them to say, and it certainly does not negate your salvation...and if someone tells you that all men who are true believers must have no facial hair, again it is wrong for them to make that statement, and it doesn't make a man a pagan for growing a beard!...(v18) God has arranged the parts of His body, just as He arranged the parts of YOUR physical body...each part has a different role to perform, and none of them cna properly fulfill that role without interacting and being a part of the whole unit, the whole entire body...

and just as we hold dear those parts of our body that are not to be paraded around in public (v23), so then should we also take special care of those people in the body who seem on the surface to be less than honorable...God has ordained that ALL are of worth...ALL are of value...and ALL are essential for the proper functioning of the unit...we are to share in the joy of our brothers and sisters (v26), and we are to share the burdens of sorrow also...

in actively seeking His will...and in obeying with joy...and with this connectedness and interaction, may we fulfill God's purposes for us...

Matthew 7:21-27

2004-08-19T22:34:00.000-04:00

a little short today, but there's catching up to do, so:

Matthew 7:21-27

21 "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,'* will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.* 22 Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' 23 Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'** 24 "Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. 26 But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. 27 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash."

*7:21 = Mt 25:11 - 11 "Later the others also came. 'Sir! Sir!' they said. 'Open the door for us!'

*7:21 = Jas 1:22 - 22 Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.

*7:23 = Ps 6:8 - 8 Away from me, all you who do evil, for the LORD has heard my weeping.

*7:23 = Lk 13:25-27 - 25 Once the owner of the house gets up and closes the door, you will stand outside knocking and pleading, 'Sir, open the door for us.' "But he will answer, 'I don't know you or where you come from.' 26 "Then you will say, 'We ate and drank with you, and you taught in our streets.' 27 "But he will reply, 'I don't know you or where you come from. Away from me, all you evildoers!'

anything can be nothing...let's say that one more time, anything can be nothing...your religion can be nothing...your baptism can be nothing...your prayers, your bowing, your groveling, your evangelism, your observances, your hand-holding, your sacrifices, your good works, your charity...all these things and anything else you SAY, anything else you DO, anything else you HAVE or BUY or OWN or PRACTICE...these - are - NOTHING!...they are as nothing without a personal relationship with the Living Son of God, Jesus Christ...

there are so many people in the church today who think they're part of the family, but they're not...they're a lot of show and a lot of spiritual buzzwords, but ther's no life-changing effects that stem from being grafted to the Vine...there is NOT any joy in Worship, there is NOT a connexion in Spirit...there IS a lot of play-acting...there IS saying what people want to hear...there exists even those who are so blinded to their own distance away from the path to God and righteousness that they can't even recognize that they're headed in the wrong dierection...

and they're going to be turned away from the flock when the Shepherd calls...

so what can we as believers do about it?...what opportunities are given us, what doors are opened for us to take advantage of this situation and launch wave upon wave spiritual grenades into people and places?...how many times does God show us they way to focus His marvelous light into the darkness of those who say but do not act...those who have works but not faith...have we been been doing what the Word SAYS?...what might it say, i hear you ask?...let's take a look:

James 1:22-27

22 Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. 23 Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror 24 and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. 25 But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it--he will be blessed in what he does. 26 If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless. 27 Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

i have blogged on this passage before, and you can read it here...bear in mind that it's from a much narrower, more personal persprctive, but no less relevant for that...but to continue, are we as believers obeying our Father's Holy Will?...are we as children of God taking advantage of this?...have we as the Bride of Christ been using these chances to further the Kingdom?...are we working as afterlife real-estate agents and encouraging rapport with the Holy Spirit?...are we as believers showing people the Way to eternal life through our Lord and Savior?...

are we presenting the facts of the case, which are undisputed?...

let's not wait until the Prosecution rests, people!...

Isa 40:25-31

2004-08-17T01:44:00.000-04:00

still behind...

i'm in a class studying the nature and purpose of Worship...will post thoughts on that soon...

Isa 40:25-31

25 "To whom will you compare me?
Or who is my equal?" says the Holy One.
26 Lift your eyes and look to the heavens:*
Who created all these?
He who brings out the starry host one by one,
and calls them each by name.
Because of his great power and mighty strength,
not one of them is missing.

27 Why do you say, O Jacob,
and complain, O Israel,
"My way is hidden from the LORD ;
my cause is disregarded by my God"?
28 Do you not know?
Have you not heard?
The LORD is the everlasting* God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary,
and his understanding no one can fathom.*
29 He gives strength to the weary*
and increases the power of the weak.
30 Even youths grow tired and weary,
and young men stumble and fall;
31 but those who hope in the LORD
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.
*40:26 = Isa 51:6 - Lift up your eyes to the heavens, look at the earth beneath; the heavens will vanish like smoke, the earth will wear out like a garment and its inhabitants die like flies. But my salvation will last forever, my righteousness will never fail.
*40:28 = Ps 90:2 - Before the mountains were born or you brought forth the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God.
*40:28 = Ps 147:5 - Great is our Lord and mighty in power; his understanding has no limit.
*40:28 = Ro 11:33 - Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out!
*40:29 = Jer 31:25 - "I will refresh the weary and satisfy the faint."

let's start with: "who is my equal?" (v25) says the Holy One, He Who has named the stars...He calls them by name!...who is equal to God?...no one among us, that's for sure...we have scientists who have names for most of the stars, but i don't think they'll come when he calls...on the other hand, when God speaks, nature listens (V26) He who brings out the starry host one by one...imagine that...He calls them out one by one...d'y'know how many stars there are out there?...a lot more than i can call out before suppertime...but God is so vast and completely outside of the space-time restrictions He imposed upon creation that He can call out every star, by name, and expect it to obey...with his power & strength (v26) not one of them is missing!...would we notice if several stars were missing?...somehow, i think not...

what a mighty God that even with the incredible amounts of space between the stars and the seemingly eternal void outside of our atmosphere, it's all in the palm of His hand...just a puff of smoke...a flash in the pan...the very ground we walk upon is a t-shirt about to wear out...an old sheet worn through...yet the promise of salvation, the sacrifice made to allow us a pathway to righteousness and to the Throne of God...that promise will stand for all time...beyond all concepts of permanence...and when Time itself has reached the point where it ceases to be Time as we know it, that promise will be fulfilled, completely and totally...and the Holiness and Righteousness of God will continue on...in His everlasting Love for us, in His infinite Mercy towards us, He desired a re-connexion with His creations...the God who cared enough to do all of that didn't do it all for show...He most certainly cares about you...

so why then do we complain when things get tough that God's dropping the ball?...why then do we whine that God's not paying attention to my needs! right here! right now! what i want!...what i think i need in my life!...what i think i should have to nourish my spirit!..."God, you're not looking out for me!"..."God, you're not giving me ___."..."God, you're not making ___ do ___, but you should because she needs to repent!"...do you really think you know what's best for humanity...or what goes on inside God's mind?...so you really think He can't handle your situation?...(v28) the Lord is Everlasting!...before the mountains were born, you are God...before you brought forth the earth and the rest of creation, you are God...from infinity until eternity, you are GOD...He's been since way before we were...and He'll continue to be after we've stopped being...that's just the way of things...He's God (v28) His Divine will brooks no contradiction & and it's not like you could place limits on Him...put Him in a little box...'fraid not, buddy...His ways and means are out past the limits of what our feeble little corporeal brains can comprehend...

the really wild thing is that with all the power and might and majesty He shares that strength with His servants when they need Him...not just Creator but Sustainer as well!...God doesn't drop the ball!...we drop the ball sometimes, and we look at Him like "what's your problem?!"...just as a child can't consistently catch a ball at a young age, neither can we know enough to react properly during times of spiritual struggle...that's where we need to rely not on ourselves and our own understandings, but on the depth of wisdom that fountains from God...in those times when we require His sustenence (v29) He gives power to the weak!...(v31) those who hope in the Lord: His servants...His children...again in (v31) He will renew their strength...they will soar on eagle's wings...run without tiring...walk without fainting...

He will refresh you...when He could be out with all the stars...

Colossians ch1v19-23

2004-08-16T21:01:00.000-04:00

a day behind, the format's changed, and i'm adding footnotes & more references...lemme know what you think...

Colossians 1:19-23:

19 For God was pleased to have all his fullness* dwell in him, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood*, shed on the
cross. 21 Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of+ your evil behavior. 22 But now he has reconciled you by Christ's physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation*-- 23 if you continue in your faith, established* and firm, not moved from the hope held out in the gospel. This is the gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven,* and of which I, Paul, have become a servant.

*1:19 = Jn 1:16 - From the fullness of his grace we have all received one blessing after another.

*1:20 = Eph 2:13 - But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ.

+1:21 Or minds, as shown by

*1:22 = Eph 5:27 - and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.

*1:23 = Eph 3:17 - so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love,

*1:23 = Ro 10:18 - But I ask: Did they not hear? Of course they did: "Their voice has gone out into all the earth, their words to the endsof the world."

Paul writes to the church in Colossi that God desired to have continued blessings reside in Christ & that God desired to use Christ as the bridge between His own Holiness and mankind's unrighteousness...to bring peace (v20) through His shed blood...now let's think for a minute...to make peace you first need to be in a state of "not peace"...a state of conflict...and that's where Christians were & the unsaved currently are...we were & they are at odds with the Creator... we were & they are at war with the Most High… we were & they are enemies of GOD Almighty!...that's not a place i'd want to be...i've read the book of Revelations and i know what happens to God's enemies...not something i'd look forward to...we were alienated from God (v21), separated from God...due to and evidenced by: what?...evil behavior...our evil behavior...let’s take a look at some of the evil behaviors that God may be referring to here…

Romans 1:21-32

21 For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles. 24 Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. 25 They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator--who is forever praised. Amen.

26 Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones. 27 In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were
inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion.

28 Furthermore, since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, he gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done. 29 They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, 30 slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; 31 they are senseless, faithless, heartless, ruthless. 32 Although they know God's righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.

that is the kind of crud that shows us to be enemies of God...we may not practice these acts, and though we don’t explicitly encourage such behavior, we cover our PC behinds with garbage like “yeah, she’s gay - not that there’s anything wrong with that!”...bad news people!...there’s a lot wrong with that...sadly, we all just snicker when someone recites the PC catchphrase, and we all breathe a sigh of relief that we didn’t have to directly confront immorality...taking a stand on something is scary business isn’t it?...but these are the acts that declare and perpetuate a Christian’s past & an unbeliever’s present state of war on God...direct assaults against His will and His laws...open defiance of the statues He has laid forth and revealed through written Scripture and the Living Word, Christ...

but we were focusing on God’s desire for peace between mankind and Himself...His solution?...

v22 But now he has reconciled you by Christ's physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation

reconciled by the death of a physical body...Christ’s perfect, sinless physical human body...by that single surrender of a life...which act to some at the time must have seemed on the surface & during the moment to be completely senseless and pointless...by the victory of His physical human body’s resurrection...by Christ’s death & life (in that order) we are spared...by Christ’s death & life we are presented Holy in the Father’s sight...Holy in His presence...alive in our own Spirit and alive in the Holy Spirit...without blemish, without stain...pure and blameless, free from any and all accusation...by that one act of releasing His hold on the mortal shell He filled, Christ bridged the gulf...He re-established communication...He paid the ultimate price and fulfilled God’s desire for peace...

This is the Gospel that we have heard...are we then, like Paul (v23), servants of it?...

Joshua ch6v1-5,v20

2004-08-14T13:17:00.000-04:00

have you ever come across anyone in your life who refutes Christianity as a "myth"?...like our faith is equivalent to believing in the Greek deities of ancient days?...well, sad to say those folks are going to hell, but on a brighter note we've got this to think about from Joshua:

v3 March around the city once with all the armed men. Do this for six days. v4 Have seven priests carry trumpets of rams' horns in front of the ark. On the seventh day, march around the city seven times, with the priests blowing the trumpets. v5 When you hear them sound a long blast on the trumpets, have all the people give a loud shout; then the wall of the city will collapse and the people will go up, every man straight in." v20 When the trumpets sounded, the people shouted, and at the sound of the trumpet, when the people gave a loud shout, the wall collapsed; so every man charged straight in, and they took the city.

yeah, yeah, i can hear you all now: "we've heard the story of Joshua and Jericho 85 bajillion times from Sunday School and Vacation Bible School all the way up through youth groups and regular sermons!"...well, here's the kicker, folks...your heathen friends have these archeological facts to deal with...and (surprise surprise!) nobody other than Christians who care actually seem to know about this stuff!...

it's almost scary that when evidence supporting the infallibility of the Bible as a historical record is unearthed, people try to discredit it or simply ignore it and hope that it goes away...because if the Bible is true historically, they have to deal with it being correct in other things...like, Jesus really did say He was the Son of God...

so let's think about it...was/is Jesus the Son of God?...it's a yes or no question which leads us to further questions about who He really was, and sadly, the logic does not let us get any easy ways out, such as "oh, he was just a prophet of God", or "Jesus was just a good teacher", or "well, he was a nice man with some good social ideas" as some people like to claim...When Jesus made his claim to be God made into Flesh, the Sacrificial Unblemished Lamb for the Human Race, he either told the truth or he didn't...we'll start with negative...Jesus was lying...He made is claim, but it was FALSE...Jesus was not/is not the Son of God...

if he was lying, then that leads us to ponder WHY?...was it out of some malicious intent?...did He knowingly lie about his Godhood?...yes?...no?...again, for the sake of argument, we'll assume no, He did not lie out of any malicious intent...He made a false claim for whatever good intentions, and for some reason, He kept up the charade all the way through a FRIGGIN' EXOCUTION...that makes no sense whatsoever!...if Jesus' paternal claim was incorrect and He made it in error for good reasons, we still have to wonder what possessed Him to continue insisting upon the veracity of His assertion...sounds to me like he was a lunatic...just a crazy guy!..."I'm Moses!...no wait, I'm King David!...no, better yet I'm God's only Son!...and I'm here to save the world!...let me go out and get myself killed!"...what kind of madness!?...i don't know about you, but i'm not sure i'd like to follow the touchy-feely love-your-neighbor teachings of a certifiable nutcase...what other claims did he make that were out of left field?...

ok, that's one down...let's now assume that He DID know he was lying...He did it on purpose...He made these claims for fame, glory, martyrdom, to incite the Jews to revolt again the Romans...it doesn't matter what the agenda was...Jesus LIED about it, acted on that lie, suckered others to follow, got some of them killed too...that's really messed up...and again, He kept up the whole thing all the way onto a cross!...again, thouroughly tetched in de head...i'm surely not about to follow the teachings of a guy who purposefully and maliciously lied to people for whatever reasons, be they for good or ill...

so let's recap:
Jesus said "I'm the Messiah, the Son of God"...True/False? False...
did Jesus know His claim was False?...Yes/No?
Yes = that makes Jesus a LIAR!...
No = that makes Jesus a LUNATIC!...
either way, things don't look to good for the touchy-feelies who like Christ's "be nice to everyone, turn the other cheek" mentality, and yet fear anything else that has to do with His Divine Nature...

we'll start at the top one more time:
Jesus said "I'm the Messiah, the Son of God"...True/False? True...
that opens up a buttload of metaphysical worm cans that MUST be dealt with if you're going to make sense of anything in this world...and really, it's the only logical choice...i choose to believe it because it's manifestly True, but whatever your reasons, look into it, listen to that still small voice, and find the answers in Him and in His historically accurate Word...

we are now miles and centuries away from the original passage, but i got a head of steam, and this is what happens when i do...

Bonnie and...Charley?

2004-08-14T13:15:00.000-04:00

wait, where's Clyde!?...

oh well...see Hurricance Charley tear up my home state!...

Matthew ch26v6-13

2004-08-14T13:00:00.000-04:00

i had a dream the other night:

my maternal grandfather (who will be 89 this November) was in the hospital, and we all went to see him...he's a devout Catholic, and as far as i know, he's never truly accepted Christ...he wasn't doing too well when everyone visited, and i knew that SOMEONE had to witness too him before it was too late...but i didn't and neither did anyone else...a little while later, i found the courage to go back to his room and talk about Jesus as a Savior, not just an icon...as i approached his room, i saw my pastor coming out of there and he stopped me in the hallway to tell me that my grandfather had passed...i just kind of stood in shock for a little while...i looked up at Pastor John and told him what i had been intending to do...he told me that my grandfather had just been saved before his time was up...that's why Pastor John had been there...i asked him how he knew, and he replied, "your cousin Josh asked me to come see him"...that's about where i woke up...

Josh and i go to the same church, and we share this grandfather through Josh's dad and my mom who are brother/sister...why didn't i ask Pastor John?...why didn't i say something before?...it's bugged me ever since...

from Matthew:

v6 While Jesus was in Bethany in the home of a man known as Simon the Leper, v7 a woman came to him with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, which she poured on his head as he was reclining at the table. v8 When the disciples saw this, they were indignant. "Why this waste?" they asked. v9 "This perfume could have been sold at a high price and the money given to the poor." v10 Aware of this, Jesus said to them, "Why are you bothering this woman? She has done a
beautiful thing to me. v11 The poor you will always have with you, but you will not always have me. v12 When she poured this perfume on my body, she did it to prepare me for burial. v13 I tell you the truth, wherever this gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her."

why am i keeping all my perfume to myself?...

Projekt Revolution Tour

2004-08-14T12:38:00.000-04:00

for those of you who don't know, i do part time work at the Verizon Wireless Virginia Beach Amphitheater here in VA...i'm "Event Staff", which means i'm doing anything from guarding the backstage/dressing room area to searching people at the front gate to patrolling the lawn seating area looking for morons who think they can get away with peeing in the bushes...all that and everything in between...

Wednesday night, i was down the "orchestra seating" (mosh pit) standing gaurd behind the barrier to keep people from rushing the stage and to keep crowd-surfing to a minimum...who was onstage behind me?...all the acts currently on the Projekt Revolution Tour...

first up was Less Than Jake...i missed them comepletly, seeing as i do have a day job that kept me busy and kept paying me until about 4:30pm...i didn't get to the Amphitheater until 5pm and LTJ was done and gone...oh well *shrug*...

as i took my place, i saw The Used onstage...they were nearing the end of their set, and i only got to hear about 4 songs before they headed off...i'm not really familiar with TU, but they had a lot of energy, and i think was the ONLY person in the entire venue not singing along...well, me and the big dude about three spots down the barrier line...

word up - i mean, third up was Snoop Dogg...what can i say?...i'm not really a rap/hip-hop type guy, but the man had a real stage presence...he had live musicians onstage with him, something i didn't expect...i figured there'd be him and a couple DJ's who would lay down a beat for Snoop to sing over...wrong...it was truly live music, and you could tell that Snoop loves to entertain...he was having a blast onstage, and even though i didn't know any of his songs he was a lot of fun to watch...he even had the crowd chanting a modified version of a familiar tune as he left the stage: "na-na-na-na...na-na-na-na...hey hey hey...Snoo-oop Doooogg!"...it cracked me up...

like their work or not, no one can deny that the next band is one of the most powerful-sounding metal acts out there: Korn...i've seen these guys before, as part of the first Summer Sanitarium Tour a few years ago, and i kid you not: these guys will blow almost anyone off the stage...the massive wall of sound that they belt out is some of the heaviest, most skull-crushing riffage i've ever heard and in my opinion, they were better now than they were when i saw them last...their set was pretty much every top single they've ever had, but c'mon...there's a reason those songs were top singles...everyone knew them all, and this was where the crowd started to get rowdy...we only had to kick out about 4 guys though, so all in all it wasn't as bad as it could have been in that regard....

and last but not least, and most certainly the most loudly accepted band of the night, our headliners...Linkin Park...they came out strong and stayed that way all night...they did about half and half from each of their two albums and kept up the energy and ferocity all night...we had extra guards on the barrier line that were part of the LP crew...needless to say, it's a good thing they were there...many many people were asked to leave in not-so-gentle tones after doing remarkably stupid things way too close to the stage...you wonder why people try stunts like that when it never works...

all in all, an incredible night...

and the best part?...i got paid for it!...

Massive Build-Up --> Weak Punchline

2004-08-14T12:36:00.000-04:00

to all 3 of my readers (there might be more, but i haven't put in a counter yet, so i really don't know for sure): i'm sorry about the lack of postings recently...i'd been writing them, but i couldn't seem to log in and actually post them...maybe it's my ISP...i dunno...i'm not quite that savvy when it comes to "Ye Olde Maladys Of The Elektronickal"...sad...anyway, now everything seems to be back up, so: YAY!...

Carnivals Two, for Me and You

2004-08-12T23:01:00.000-04:00

Smallest Minority has the Carnival of the Vanities!...

Beyond the Rim has the Christian Carnival!...

thanks to Jeremiah @ Fringe...

Matthew ch5v43-48

2004-08-12T17:13:00.000-04:00

Jesus said (today) in the book of Matthew:

v43 "You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' v44 But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, v45 that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. v46 If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? v47 And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? v48 Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

what a conviction!...everyone always quotes the whole "Love your neighbor as yourself" stuff, but this goes a significant step further...

are you listening, Yasser?...are you listening Iran, North Korea, Lebanon?...are you listening Germany, France, Canada?...are you listening, Israel?...

these countries are hardly an exhaustive list, and surely this passage was not designed for governments only...as a personal stroke, do we pray for the legislators who try to re-write the Consitution of the United States to remove God from our National History?...do we offer up thanks for the cop who pulls us over when we're in a hurry?...are we asking that mercy and grace be shown to the boss who refuses to give us raises but advances less-qualified individuals to positions of authority?...do we ask God that wisdom & discernment be given our professors and the people who educate our children?...

do we?...

do you?...

Galatians ch3v26-ch4v7

2004-08-12T16:47:00.000-04:00

yesterday, Paul wrote to the Galatians, and expressed that they were now heirs of God with & through Christ:

v26 You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, v27 for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. v28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for
you are all one in Christ Jesus. v29 If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise. ch4v1 What I am saying is that as long as the heir is a child, he is no different from a slave, although he owns the whole estate...v3 So also, when we were children, we were in slavery under the basic principles of the world. v4 But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law, v5 to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons. v6 Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, "Abba, Father." v7 So you are no longer a slave, but a son; and since you are a son, God has made you also an heir.

that's something that most non-Christians never seem to realize...even though we use terms like "born-again", "children of God", "God the Father", etc. everyone still seems to think that submission and obedience to God through the gift of Christ's sacrifice makes us slaves or servants as opposed to children & dependents...

it's fascinating to me how people think that real freedom begins and ends with themselves or with society as a whole...logically, these people are daft, but no one ever points it out...to be responsible/answerable only to yourself is foolish...it leads to arguments of "i say i can smack you and that makes it ok"...really, if you follow such thoughts to their own ridiculous logical end, that's the core problem...it's my morality versus yours...my will versus yours...who's to judge right and wrong?...

so they cover themselves by saying that human society sets the boundaries for what's acceptable behavior and what is not...but again, this concept places no absolutes on morality because as history shows, what societies will accept or reject with regards to moral actions or statutes changes from culture to culture and from era to era over time...some even argue that we are in a constant refining process, and that one day we will have a set of laws to take into account all possibilities of any action and will list how any and all deviations from said law should be dealt with...

so they're going to regulate your life action by action and punish you if you step out of line?...doesn't sound much like freedom to me...

given the option, i'd much rather submit myself to a Righteous and Holy God who had laid out His laws and His requirements, and rest assured that by following those laws, i will be taken care of one way or another...

after all, what Father doesn't take care of his obedient children?...

Job ch9v1-10

2004-08-11T06:33:00.000-04:00

late, but that's ok, 'cuz my God is bigger than your clock...

indeed, Job said:

v2 "Indeed, I know that this is true. But how can a mortal be righteous before God? v3 Though one wished to dispute with him, he could not answer him one time out of a thousand. v4 His wisdom is profound, his power is vast. Who has resisted him and come out unscathed?...v9 He is the Maker of the Bear and Orion, the Pleiades and the constellations of the south. v10 He performs wonders that cannot be fathomed, miracles that cannot be counted.

and yet we think that we can keep Him in a box in our pockets, to be pulled out when it's time for a "God moment"...or when we're in trouble that we can't handle, "help, i can't afford this new game system!"...

he's more complete as God than we could ever dream to be as human...if Spirit were made of physical matter, He'd still be greater than the sum & product of all the particles (including those particales that are thus far theorized yet unproven) contained in the universe...

so many people lose the connexion between these two seemingly disparate parts of God's nature...but remember the little clip:

v3 Though one wished to dispute with him, he could not answer him one time out of a thousand.

i take that verse to mean that this God who can change the very fabric of reality on a whim takes the time to argue with people...He doens't just vaporize us where we stand...he listens to our protestations, then convinces us anyway...by asking questions we can't answer...by proving yet again that He's got a good bead on the situation and He's not going to let us fall...

it's nice to know that whatever i'm stuck with, whatever my trial...my God is bigger than that...

James ch1v21-27

2004-08-09T22:05:00.000-04:00

back on schedule!...

from James today...

instruction:

v21 Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you.

fulfillment: have i humbly accepted the Word planted in me?...i think i have accepted parts of it, but even then it wasn't humbly...it was kicking and screaming...

instruction:

v22 Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.

fulfillment: i admit that my mind wanders during church sometimes...listening is a struggle itself, but then doing?...am i paying attention to the extent that i understand and am capable of doing what it says?...

warning:

v23 Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror v24 and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like.

response: i could describe myself well enough that a perfect stranger could pick me out of a lineup...can i practice the Word in my life and attitudes so that unbelievers can identify me from the world?...

promise:

v25 But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it--he will be blessed in what he does.

acknowledgement: shouldn't this be our goal?...our aim?...i know that's not where i've been pointing my heart, but i'm slowly relinquishing control of that aim as God moves and convicts my heart and spirit...

wisdom:

v26 If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless.

truth: certain priests and/or imams, anyone?...

The Word:

v27 Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

Humble Acceptance: please Lord, move my heart and shape me so that this is my desire!...

Romans ch16v1-16

2004-08-08T23:35:00.000-04:00

this is so wild...here in Romans, we have Paul writing to the (obviously) Roman Christians...in this part of the letter, he takes time out to mention all the people that have been working behind the scenes...

in the middle of one of the most oft-quoted and referred books of the Bible, we find shout-outs!...

v1-15 (edited to show names only) I commend to you our sister Phoebe, Priscilla and Aquila, Epenetus, Mary, Andronicus and Junias, Ampliatus, Urbanus, Stachys, Apelles, the household of Aristobulus, Herodion, the household of Narcissus, Tryphena and Tryphosa, Persis, Rufus and his mother, Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermes, Patrobas, Hermas and the brothers with them, Philologus, Julia, Nereus and his sister, and Olympas and all the saints with them.

if you're ever in a postition where you think God doesn't notice what work you're putting in as a part of your local Church body, or that He never seems to see the sacrificing that you've committed yourself to, just look at these guys and remember that we serve an all-powerful God from whom nothing and no action escapes notice...

rest assured that one day, we will meet Him and get our own big shout-outs...they might be mad props, but they might be disses...

what will He say to you?...

Searching for Superman

2004-08-08T20:20:00.000-04:00

anyone out there want to be the Man of Steel on the big-screen?...

here's your chance...

Call for Actor to play SUPERMAN for Warner Bros. Feature

Pat Moran + Associates Casting (Emmy Award winner for HOMICIDE: Life on the Street) is part of a nation-wide search for an actor to portray Clark Kent/Superman in a new feature film for Warner Brothers.

Description of the role: Late 20’s, tall, handsome, chiseled good
looks. Athletic. Strong character. All American. Confident, yet awkward. Faster than a speeding bullet.

Film will be directed by Bryan Singer (X-MEN, USUAL
SUSPECTS), produced by Jon Peters & Gilbert Adler. No other cast has been announced yet.

Although Pat Moran + Associates are accepting open submissions from both actors and non-actors, auditions are by appointment only. Auditions will be held the week of August 16th through August 20th.

Anyone interested in auditioning for this starring role should send either a Headshot & Resume’, a model card, or a clear individual photograph of themselves to:

Pat Moran + Assoc.
ATTN: “Superman”
3500 Boston St., Suite 425
Baltimore, MD 21224

Photos should include: Name, Age & Phone Number(s). Photos are
non-returnable. No phone calls to Pat Moran + Associates, please.

thanks to Ain't It Cool News...

Another Year, Another Post...

2004-08-08T11:59:00.000-04:00

Jeremiah over at Fringe tacks off another birthday...one more year spent shuffling around this mortal coil...

drop him a line here...offer to buy him a Gunniess here...

2Timothy ch1v1-7, ch2v1-2

2004-08-08T10:30:00.000-04:00

late again...

crud...

Paul's second letter to Timothy reminds us that you don't come to Christ out of nowhere...without getting into all the details and controversies of predestination (something i still struggle with in my own walk), it holds that non-believers have the seed of the Gospel planted in them by exposure to someone telling them, and also by the constant prayers of those Christians the unsaved come into contact with, as seen here:

v5 I have been reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also.

so Timothy's mother and grandmother (and probably friends of theirs, too) were followers of Christ before he was, and i'm convinced that they were praying for him daily...

so as Christians, ask yourselves: are you praying for the unsaved people in your life the way other believers prayed for you to meet Christ?...

Now Booking Vacations to Atlantis!

2004-08-08T10:21:00.000-04:00

not as lost as we were led to believe, a Swedish geographer thinks that Plato's descriptions of the island nation of Atlantis were actually referring to the island nation of Ireland...

he cites geographical similarities from Plato's writings and other interesting tidbits in sucha way that it certainly seems plausible...

go read the whole thing...

thanks to Jessica...

Extreme Makeover (Iraqi-style!)

2004-08-07T23:41:00.000-04:00

well, well...looks like the Iraqis have picked up on the evil TV-producing habits of the American Satans...

the fact that they've decided to just go around do this for their own people is absolutely brilliant, and each of the Muslim families that donate to the show are fulfilling one of the obligations of their faith...it's win/win!...

go read the whole thing...

thanks to the Christian Science Moniter...

1Samuel ch12v6-25

2004-08-07T01:35:00.000-04:00

today, we see evidence of God's infinite mercy and forgiveness towards His people, even after they'd been pursuing the worship of idols and ignoring the commands of God passed down through Moses and the Judges...
final Judge = Samuel

v14 If you fear the LORD and serve and obey him and do not rebel against his commands, and if both you and the king who reigns over you follow the LORD your God-good! v15 But if you do not obey the LORD , and if you rebel against his commands, his hand will be against you, as it was against your fathers....v16 "Now then, stand still and see this great thing the LORD is about to do before your eyes!...v19 The people all said to Samuel, "Pray to the LORD your God for your servants so that we will not die, for we have added to all our other sins the evil of asking for a king." v20 "Do not be afraid," Samuel replied. "You have done all this evil; yet do not turn away from the LORD , but serve the LORD with all your heart....v22 For the sake of his great name the LORD will not reject his people, because the LORD was pleased to make you his own. v23 As for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the LORD by failing to pray for you. And I will teach you the way that is good and right. v24 But be sure to fear the LORD and serve him faithfully with all your heart; consider what great things he has done for you.

even after meeting with God on a personal level, we still fail sometimes...as a matter of fact, we fail a lot :P nyah!...but it's ok...as long as we recognize that it's wrong and we repent of it wholeheartdly, God still grants mercy...

Heaven: there's always room for one more...

It Takes Two To Tango

2004-08-06T01:08:00.000-04:00

and that's why my Partner-In-Crime and i are taking lessons...so we'll be able to tango properly the next time we're caught in a barrage of music from "Carmen"...you wouldn't believe how often that happens...

*slow, slow, quick-quick-slow, slow, quick-quick*...

here's where we're going to do the dance thing...all visitors feel free to come along if you're in the Norfolk, VA area...

this Friday is our instructor's birthday...she'll be 29, so everyone bring a present...

Deuteronomy ch32v44-52

2004-08-05T18:21:00.000-04:00

at the end of his life and the end of last Book of Law (Deuteronomy), Moses was told by God that he wasn't going to enter the Promised Land...

dude's 120 years old...he was 80 when God had him tell Pharaoh to step off, and he's been wandering for 40 years in the desert with a disobedient and difficult people...God's been there the whole time, working through this with Moses, but can you imagine giving 40 years of your life to a job (and not just 9am-5pm for 5 days a week...Moses was living this), and at the end, you're about to retire and enjoy everything that you've worked so hard for and the boss calls up and says "you're fired"...

that would kinda suck...and you could easily get bitter about being treated that way, but Moses took a different route...

v44 Moses came with Joshua son of Nun and spoke all the words of this song in the hearing of the people. v45 When Moses finished reciting all these words to all Israel, v46 he said to them, "Take to heart all the words I have solemnly declared to you this day, so that you may command your children to obey carefully all the words of this law. v47 They are not just idle words for you-they are your life. By them you will live long in the land you are crossing the Jordan to possess." (emphasis mine)

Moses didn't go down and whine and complain about anything...he accepted God's judgment, and gave everyone a last reminder that the God they follow is the One and Only, and they'd best pay attention to the code of conduct laid out for His Kingdom of Priests...

cool how Moses held up his faith in a seemingly unfair situation...

and how often do we complain when our siblings get a bigger piece of cake on our birthdays?...

Psalm ch55v16-23

2004-08-05T18:02:00.000-04:00

late again...dang...

oh well..nothing for it but to roll on...a Psalm of David for yesterday...

something i've wondered about is: where'd we get the habit/tradition of praying over a meal?...i know there's probably a lot of answers that can be found in Scripture and other places, but this passage seemed as good an answer as any...

v16But I call to God...v17Evening, morning and noon...

the rest of the passage goes on to describe how God rescues David from hardship and suffering, delivering His child and bringing justice to the wicked...but i just got hung up on that one little segment: Evening, morning and noon...that's usually when we eat, isn't it?...and if it's something that we're doing on a regular basis every day, isn't it prudent to take some time before a meal to spend in prayer?...not just blessing the food, but a little gratitude that there's food to be had in the first place, and that you're in a state of health that allows you enjoy the food...

just a little time with God to say "thanks"...try it out...

Feeling like a bead!

2004-08-04T17:53:00.000-04:00

if Jeremiah's blog is the Fringe on the sleeves of life, then consider me a bead hanging from said fringe...

and a grateful bead at that...thanks for the mention!...

Carnival of the Vanities

2004-08-04T17:50:00.000-04:00

seldom sober is a carrier of COTV...if we're lucky it'll be contagious and infect here someday soon...

Hebrews ch12v7-11

2004-08-04T01:57:00.000-04:00

well...this bit of Hebrews was an eye-opener...and a day late...that's a bad habit that i don't need at the beginnings of a blog...i need to get back up to date ASAP before i end up behind the times on news posts instead of tiny insights into Scripture...

anyway, we find here the admonition to the Hebrews (and therefore, to us):

v7Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father? v8If you are not disciplined (and everyone undergoes discipline), then you are illegitimate children and not true sons.

what an interesting thing to say (on the surface), especially verse 8...if you've been cruising by in your spiritual life under the impression that all was right between you and God, yet you were never convicted by the Holy Spirit for any reason...or maybe if you've felt yourself put under increasing trials and stress seemingly out of nowhere, did it ever once occur to you that maybe things aren't right after all?...that maybe God isn't giving you the Spirit-filled paddle because you're not one of His kids, and therefore, you're just one of the lost crowd that won't have a home when all is said and done?...chew on that...

we continue:

v9Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of our spirits and live!
v10Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness.

for those of us who don't really have to deal with that v7-8 issue (but maybe you are currently dealing with it...if so, click here...no strings, no donations, no demanding a decision now...just information and Truth), have you found that the older you get, the smarter your dad got?...i did, and it was kinda scary and a little sad...but it's true...

as i find myself in certain situations, i rely more upon the things i learned from my dad, and maybe some of the stuff that seemed so inane and stupid and unfair and un-necessary really turned out to be sound advice...how much more so will our Heavenly Father reveal to us later the wisdom of doing as he commanded when we rely on Him and his teachings...

v11No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.

(unless you've been trained without discipline)...

here we're focusing on those that get their spiritual rears kicked on occasion...if you do get whipped conviction-style (like I am right now concerning my finances, my prayer life, my life as an example of Christian living), do you work it out to figure out what God want for you?...do you pray and ask others of stronger and more mature faith to help you with that?...or do you stand there and wail and bawl with your fingers in your mouth like a toddler?...sometimes i find myself in that latter group, but lately i've been trying mightily to discern God's will and purpose for me in these times of diffculty...

prayers will not go un-appreciated...

Isaiah ch61v1-3

2004-08-03T01:22:00.000-04:00

yesterday's passage from Isaiah...just a bit of encouragement for our mission & purpose:

v1 The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me:

to preach good news to the poor

to bind up the brokenhearted

to proclaim freedom for the captives

release from darkness for the prisoners

v2 to proclaim the year of the LORD's favor and the day of vengeance of our God

to comfort all who mourn

v3 provide for those who grieve in Zion

to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes

the oil of gladness instead of mourning

a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair...

that's what we're for...to give these things wholeheartedly in the name and authority of the Living God...i know i haven't quite been living up to it recently, but i'm still being worked on...there's convictions i'm feeling and i'm still working through them...

i'm relatively new in my church (only been attending since December or so and a member for only a few months) so i haven't really learned to trust anyone enough that i'd ask them to be an accountability partner for me...plus, i don't trust in my own discernment or feel strong enough in my own walk to be a partner to another...

yet...

hope is a beautiful thing...

P.S....the part in v3 that says "provide for those who grieve in Zion (emphasis mine)"?...i like to think of that as validation that America's stance towards Israel is on the right track...

P.P.S....Point Harbor Community Church is running a "Summer Refreshment" series with Steve Van Winkle from Montana...i'll be asking for recordings of his sermons so i can offer them up in an abbreviated online form and litter them throughout with thoughts and expoundings by yours truly...

Revelation ch5v6-14

2004-08-01T23:46:00.000-04:00

today's bit of reading comes from the book of Revelation, in which we find the Lamb who was slain receiving praise and honor and worship from the angels in heaven...and when the angels had cried out that the Lamb was in fact worthy of such adulation, every creature on earth responded appropriately and offered up a song recognizing this fact:

v11Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand. They encircled the throne and the living creatures and the elders. v12In a loud voice they sang:
"Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain,
to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength
and honor and glory and praise!"
v13Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, singing:
"To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb
be praise and honor and glory and power,
for ever and ever!"

such a beautiful thing...it doesn't say "all the believers" or even "all men"...let's look again shall we?

v13...every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them...

EVERY CREATURE IN HEAVEN AND EARTH!...EVERY creature...even the cockroaches are singing!...does this not reflect the complete and mighty totality of God?...that all of creation worships Him on that day when He mainfests himself on Earth again...it's almost scary...we're going to be singing with owls and porcupines and dust mites and pine trees and gravel and orchids and flounder and pythons and chickadees and sunflowers and boll weevils and ladybugs and blades of grass and tigers and ostriches and snails and cows and desert sand and whales and the ice caps and the stars and cosmic dust and pretty much every bit of matter in all of existence, on every plane of existence...

sure beats trying to get on "American Idol", doesn't it?...

Evanescence, Seether, Breaking Benjamin

2004-08-01T10:49:00.000-04:00

wow...

went and saw Evanescence last night @ the Ntelos Harbor Center in Portsmouth...sweet show...they did almost everything from Fallen, some junk i've never heard (which i assume was older material from Origins because a lot of people were singing along, so i doubt that it was new stuff) plus a cover of Korn's "Thoughtless" from the latter's Untouchables disc...hearing A.Lee belt out something so racous was a slight assault to the senses, but not so much that it wasn't awesome in its' own way...plus her piano arrangement was a fresh, unique take on the tune...

Seether got to precede Big-E, and naturally towards the end of the set, they played "Broken"...A.Lee snuck out to give up her half of the duet and just about stole the show from her boyfriend's band on that one song...Seet appeared to be a little uncertain about themselves at first, but they loosened up the longer they were on stage (which was only about 45 mins)...their last offering was their own version of Nirvana's "You Know You're Right", which i found to be quite touching, seeing as how S.Morgan (Seet's frontman) really reveres K.Cobain as his #1 musical influence...

the first act was Breaking Benjamin, and while they only had a half-hour on stage and it was still light out when they performed, they nonetheless seemed to be the most comfortable and confident in front of the crowd...maybe it's due to that fact that they actually have TWO records out instead of Big-E's and Seet's 1 apiece...i really do think that theirs was by far the best set of the show...they mixed up the old and new material and had fun with the audience...even to the point of starting to play a Seet song...B.Burnley (BB's frontman does a great impersonation of S.Morgan and when they stopped after about two or three bars, he paused for a moment and grinned, "Shaun is gonna kill me backstage!"...

all in all, a show worth the $30...

Luke ch10v1-12, v17-20

2004-07-31T14:08:00.000-04:00

was reading in Luke today, and it's interesting that when Christ sent out the 72, He told them not pack, not to stop on the road, nothing...he sent them out to all the places he was getting ready to visit and they were to prepare people for His coming...when they came back from those preparations, they were psyched!...demons would submit to them when they were about Christ's business!...how cool is that?...but He admonished them and their reverie thus:

v.20 However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that
your names are written in heaven.

how often do we think about that?...we go out and pray and teach and prepare for His coming...we watch as marvelous events happen...as people are healed and as ministries grow...we start to take such pride and joy in the corporeal things that occur on Earth...not to detract from their significance as manifestations of the Holy Spirit's influence and infinite power, but whatever evidence we see on Earth of God's power and movement today, let us not forget that this is only the beginning...this only a taste of Life Eternal with the Creator and Sustainer of all that is...

our names are written in heaven, and even if demons didn't submit to us, the knowledge of our salvation should be sufficient for our joy...

First Ever!

2004-07-31T14:00:00.000-04:00

hmm...i'm not sure if i should feel proud, frightened or in-way-over-my-head but whatever the feeling, good or bad, i've entered the blogosphere...ta-da!...

inspired by Jeremiah over at Fringe, i've mustered up the guts to plant my thoughts on the 'net for everyone to criticize...it'll probably be light blogging at first...ruminations of the day and whatnot...you know, the useless "how i spent my summer vacation" stuff that fills a lot of blogs and online journals...

anyway, this is it...

maybe i'll go down in infamy as the blogger with the smallest audience...