SpiritForceMagic

And this is not from yourselves...

2012-01-27T22:14:00.000-08:00

I am writing a note once again to argue with teaching I have heard. I have at times written to agree with teaching I have heard, but there is much less energy in such a post, at least for me. Just to say "amen," I would usually just post the thing I agree with on facebook. To enter a debate, to challenge a commonly held position, that's worthy of an entire post. If you don't like that sort of thing, feel free to skip over this post.

Ephesians 2:8-9 says (in the HCSB): For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift— ⁹not from works, so that no one can boast.

I have often heard it taught that "this is not from yourselves; it is God's gift" refers back to "faith," so the verses can be understood to mean: You are saved by grace, and you get to that grace through faith, and that faith is given to you as a gift in order to start the whole process.

Upon closer examination of the verses, though, I believe this cannot be the meaning of "It is God's gift." It seems clear that "God's gift" is contrasted with "from works." It is God's gift. It is not from works. Then if God's gift referred back to faith, the contrast would be "Faith is a gift from God. Faith is not from works." But this doesn't even make sense. What would it mean that faith was from works? Faith and works are contrasted with each other, here and elsewhere in Scripture. These verses are saying that salvation comes through faith, not through works. It is the salvation, not the faith that is in view as a gift in these verses.

So these verses are better understood to mean: Salvation comes by grace. This grace comes through faith. This salvation does not come from what we do, but is a gift from God. Works cannot earn it, so no one can brag about deserving salvation.

Meditating on Circumstances

2011-10-24T22:47:00.000-07:00

Balaam's donkey turned aside, and for all he could see, she was working against him. But he didn't see the angel. He didn't know she was blessing him. And he struck her.

How often, o Lord, do I strike out against the circumstances You shape to bless me? Your word says "You will keep in perfect peace the mind that is dependent on You, for it is trusting in You." Help me, God to trust You in all circumstances. Help me to be a man of peace.

When money is scarce,

When things break,

When my children fight,

When my wife and I disagree,

When the church seems to turn aside,

When I lose things,

When I have too much to do,

When I don't get my way,

When I don't have much time,

When I don't like the plan,

When people are stupid,

When I am stupid,

When children are ignored,

When ministry is missed,

When I stumble and fall...

In all these and other circumstances, when action is required and when stillness is, may I act or be still in peace. For all things are in Your hand, and I am Yours.

Meditating on Circumcision

2011-08-11T20:05:00.001-07:00

Warning: The following thoughts center around circumcision, which happens to involve a part of the body we don't normally talk about in connection to God. Nothing herein is profane, but if you do not wish to read about such earthy things, perhaps you should wait for the next post.

***

Seriously? Really, God? Circumcision? That's how you wanted to mark Your people as belonging to You by covenant? Not a braid like Anakin Skywalker? Not a brand of an Alpha and an Omega on the shoulder? Not an awl through the ear at the doorpost? None of these, but that? THERE?

Nothing could more clearly illustrate that Your ways are not like our ways. No way we would ever have picked that part of the body to represent Your covenant. And NO WAY we would ever have come up with cutting it!

So what were Your thoughts? Why did You decide on circumcision? Of course I'm sure I could never discover all You had in mind, but I have some thoughts. . .some maybe's.

* * *

Maybe. . .God was showing us how comprehensive His interest in our lives is. With this body part we do both the lowest and the highest of physical activities. We use it both for excretion and for love-making. In the former, we differ not a bit from the lowest of animals in the biological need to eliminate waste. In the latter, we rise above the animals and aspire toward the realms of heaven--ok, not always, but ideally. In union of husband and wife we express and explore the image of God, we delight in the intimacies of eros and agape intermingled, and we foreshadow the union of the Lord and His people at the end of time! God not only combined these two functions, the animalistic and the divine, in one organ--He then chose that organ to use for the mark of His covenant. Maybe in this He was showing us that He has concern for, and He claims rights to, every single aspect of our life, from the meanest to the most majestic.

Maybe. . .God was hinting at the internal nature of salvation. That part of the body is almost always hidden. It is seen by almost no one else. We do so many religious things out where people can see. Maybe God was giving us a clue that it is what others don't see that matters most.

Maybe. . .God was setting up another contrast between the old covenant and the new, another wall to be torn down. Obviously, only males could participate in this mark of the covenant. I wonder how that made females feel? Was it just another taken-for-granted thread in the fabric of their male-dominated society, or was it a specific cause for envy? Was there a connection between the man-mark, sexual union, and the hope of salvation through childbirth? At any rate, in the new covenant there is no male or female. All can be baptized. All are equal in Christ Jesus!

Maybe. . .God was helping with sexual temptation. Would the mark of the covenant have made any difference? The rabbis who wrote the Talmud seemed to think so. They said if a man was reminded by his circumcision of the covenant it would help him avoid sexual sin. Of course, the Talmud isn't always the best source for what God really intended. . .It does make me wonder, though, whether it aided in this way at all. I'm trying to come up with a NT parallel. To sin with the very thing that represented your agreement not to sin, would that be like using torn-out pages of the Bible to light up a doobie? Would it be like going skinny-dipping with your mistress in the baptistry?

* * *

If any of this is on the right track, it's a reminder to me of Your total 360-degree design of life, the universe, and everything (to quote Douglas Adams). Every detail of creation and relationship meshes with hundreds of others. The air we breathe surrounds us but doesn't keep us from moving, provides the oxygen we need but doesn't keep us from seeing (what if air weren't clear?), gives us a metaphor for Spirit and provides the lift for birds and helicopters, dissolves in the water for sea-life and holds water for rainfall. Every detail of the universe is like this, intertwined with countless others. . .and it shows how wonderfully wise You are. . .as does circumcision, I'm sure, if only we can rightly understand it.

Meditating on the Holiness of God

2011-08-06T20:12:00.000-07:00

God is holy. This seems self-explanatory, but in my mind it becomes a little more difficult to understand as I analyze the meaning of the word holy.

The man-on-the-street definition of holy is probably most often expressed in terms of doing pious things. Someone is holy who reads their Bible a lot, and prays a lot, and goes to church a lot, etc. Or else “holy” is defined in terms of avoidance. Someone is holy who doesn’t drink or smoke or tell dirty jokes.

In opposition to these popular definitions, our pastoral staff has emphasized that holy means set apart. We ARE holy because we belong to God. The fact of our holy-ness is established by our Savior, not by us or our actions.

This concept is helpful, but I begin to see it is incomplete. I Peter 1:16 tells us it is written, “Be holy, because I am holy.” This makes no sense as a command if my above definition is comprehensive. Maybe, “You are holy,” but not “Be holy.”

Be holy implies that there is something we do that qualifies us a holy. I think it would be an over-simplification to return to the idea that holy equals pious. I think holy has two levels of meaning, when it comes to us who belong to God. There is the holy-as-set-apart aspect which I still believe is true. But there is also a living aspect. I would say it is living differently because of Who we belong to.

In the Old Testament, living differently included not planting two kings of crops in the same field, and not wearing blended fabrics. These prohibitions reinforced the idea of separation, that Israel was not to mix with those who worshiped other gods. Separation was part and parcel of holiness in the OT. God remained apart from humanity, and Israel remained apart from other nations.

But in the New Testament, the emphasis is no longer on separation. It is on incarnation. God meats us. :) God meets us in our flesh. Then we meet others in theirs. Holiness is not about pulling away from the muck and mire of sin, but about diving into it, being unchanged by it, and shining through it.

To say we are holy, then, is to say we belong to God, and He wants us to reflect Him to those who don't. We do this by being different, not just keeping a list of dos and don'ts. Our responsibility is to draw close to Him so we can better reflect Him.

Son in this sense we define ourselves as holy in relation to god--belonging to Him or reflecting Him. But how do we define God's holiness? I've usually defined it thus: He is OTHER. But I'm struggling with the limitations of this definition.

God isn't just Other--He's also like us, or rather we are like Him. We are made in His image. We are made to be like Him in many ways. But God does say His ways and thoughts are higher than ours. So He is both like us and different from us.

And a platypus is different from us. But that doesn't make it holy. Satan is different from us. He's certainly not holy.

I think when we describe God as holy, we are talking about the beautiful, wonderful ways in which He is different, higher, greater. He is wise, just, pure, good, loving, patient, the list goes on and on, each one a trait we may share, and aspire to improve in, but which God exhibits with perfection. Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God Almighty!

Meditating on the Goodness of God

2011-08-03T19:03:00.001-07:00

God is good. Such a simple truth, yet it carries layers of meaning.

God is good, therefore "good" is defined by God. When we say, "How can a good God allow [or cause] such a tragedy?" we are missing the larger picture. Our concept of goodness is limited by our own perspective, which is in some ways merely limited, but in other ways decidedly flawed. God is too wise to make decisions based on anything less than all the facts and all His purposes. The parallel that I often use is that of a parent providing for her two-year-old to be vaccinated. The child only knows the pain of the moment, but the parent comprehends the greater good accomplished. Love, wisdom and knowledge come together to say, "Even though you don't understand, this pain is for your good, and not for yours only; your vaccination is part of the greater process of protecting the population at large from this virus reaching critical mass among the people."

God is good, as opposed to evil. Though ultimately the definitions of good and evil find their source in the character of God, we have a sense of good and evil whether we comprehend God or not. Probably every religion teaches it is more blessed to give than to receive, and do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Though some societies may differ, humanity in general recognizes murder, stealing, and lying as evil, and generosity, sacrifice, and loyalty as good. When we consider any well-agreed-upon standard of "good," we will find that God meets and exceeds all human standards. Though His actions can be mis-characterized (some describe the cross as cosmic child abuse), rightly comprehended God shows Himself to be loving, just, compassionate, thoughtful, sacrificial, truthful, and every other "good" we might choose to name.

God is good, as in good to us. In creation God provided for our physical needs, our enjoyment of beauty, our joy of discovery, our ability to improve the conditions of life, etc. He gave us air, food, water, sunsets, music, sex, fire, electricity, eclipses, oil, iron, x-rays, space exploration and dreams! In our lives He shows us our sin and provides forgiveness. He exposes our isolation and grants us fellowship. He tests our limits and equips us for greatness. He probes our hearts' longings and establishes for us purpose and meaning in life. He has given me a wife who has been an instrument of immeasurable good in my life, beside the joy, love and passion she brings. He has given me four children, always a home, always enough food (more than enough, judging from the bathroom scale), books unnumbered, multiple computers and other gadgets, a ministry of historical significance, friends, opportunities--the list could go on forever! God is so good/God is so good/God is so good/He's so good to me!

God is good at what He does. He knows what needs to be done, when, where, and how. In creation we see His vast wisdom and limitless power. In the story of redemption , we see the same traits, as He works through Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Joshua, Rahab, Ruth, Mary, and Joseph to provide a Savior. He takes a motley crew of apostles and changes the world. He preserves His truth and His church through persecution, corruption, decay and Dark Ages. He doeth all things well.

Meditating on God and His words

2011-08-02T11:37:00.001-07:00

The most fundamental element of our faith is God. That He is and Who He is are the starting points for everything else. Out of His existence and personhood flow His actions. And out of these actions spring our existence and personhood.

We first recognize Him as the One who existed before we did. Second, as the One who authored our existence--the Creator. We are the creature, and we come from and find our meaning in our Creator-God. This relationship is simultaneously one of intimacy and one of separation. The act of creation is a moment of naked connectedness, but it necessarily includes a stepping-apart, else He has not created an other, but only tattooed Himself.

Thus we, blinking in the light see the great Other, our Creator, with space between us. And when the space is smaller, our joy is greater. But sin widens the gap and lessens our joy.

First, pre-existent. Second, Creator. Third, Lawgiver and Judge. Do not eat the fruit. Dying thou shalt die. Cursed is the ground for thy sake. The space between us and our Creator grows greater and greater. And as sin works against the blessings of creation, the splendid holiness of God becomes something to fear rather than dwell in. The fire of our birth threatens to consume us if we draw too near, and the separation is nearly complete.

God is holy, and we are not. God is righteous, and we are not. God is good, and we...are...not.

And yet...the love of the Creator for His creation is undiminished. What we do not know, what we cannot see, is that the widening gulf, the ever-increasing Otherness, is serving an unimaginably beautiful counter-purpose: to develop in the creature a yearning for the Creator to mirror the yearning the Creator has had for the creature since the moment they first parted.

* * *

Throughout this story God has spoken. We read words He spoke in the act of creation--"Let there be....Let us make..." Additionally, we may imagine He spoke to the mud He shaped as we speak to the belly-button of a pregnant mother: "I will be your Father, and I will care for you, and I will never stop loving you. . ." Then after breathing life into the earth-man, He spoke blessing: "Be fruitful and multiply!" And, of course, the words of Law and Judgment already recalled above. And as the gap widened, He kept speaking, sometimes a whisper, sometimes a shout so mighty an empire would crumble. And every word--every law, prophecy, song, proverb, judgment--was precious, and beautiful, and wonderful.

Not merely in themselves, but because they carried the heart of the One who spoke them. Through them He conveyed His yearning. And His promise. "This space will not forever come between us! There is no mountain too high, no ocean too vast, that my love will not find you! I am at work to cross the gap, and in due time I will have both won your heart and set it free! We will be together, you and I!"

And even through this time perhaps the image we are using of a gap, across which God sent His words, is only partially effective in representing reality. For in truth the Creator has found numerous times and ways to draw closer to His creatures. A fire in a bush speaks to Moses, and it is not just a word from God, but God Himself whom Moses faces. Prophets, kings, shepherds and soldiers have touched, or better, been touched by God. Yet each encounter carried with it the promise of one greater, one with the power to re-create creation, to reunite the Maker and the made in ways only hoped for by Moses, David, Daniel and the rest.

In the absence of immediate encounter, the Words were treasured, as a lover stores up letters from the front. This is what God is like! And this is what we are to be like! And here is His promise that we will be united someday!

But some grew confused. Some came to believe that these Words of promise do not portend our unity with our Creator, they ARE that unity. In them, we have what life is to be had! In them we meet our God in what way He is to be met! And the promise of life was exchanged for a life of death. The hope of the Sun was replaced with satisfaction in a fire in a cave. And the Words had to be controlled, reshaped, reinterpreted, hemmed in, lest the reality of the promise burst forth and engulf those who kept the words.

* * *

Then came the moment. The promises found fulfillment in a Child, a cross, a church. The beginning of the end, the end of the beginning, God crossed the gap and now dwells not just with, but WITHIN those who accept the Promises for what they are, and the Promiser for Who He is.

And so now, if the most fundamental element of our faith is God, the second must be God in us. Creation has begun to find fulfillment in its undoing and redoing. We are new creations in Christ, but this happens not in the stepping back, as at the first, but in coming together. The gap has been crossed! We are one!! His Spirit witnesses to our spirit!

So what of the Words? Are they now to be discarded? No! Though we have direct contact with our Creator, our faculties for comprehending Him are yet developing. Through His words he still teaches us about Him. Only now, as spirit unites with Spirit, we can grasp more fully the truths therein. And new Words have been given. "Now that you have seen what the Promise really meant, you are ready to learn more! And new Words are being given. "I want you to trust me with your wayward daughter." "This church needs to open a food bank." you "I forgive you for your abortion." But the words, as always, are not valuable most of all in themselves, but because they carry the heart of our God. It is in Him, not them, that we have life and the fulfillment of the promise.

But we don't act like it. We act like our primary contact with our Creator is still the words, when it is HIM! His Spirit within us! Yes, let us study the words. Yes let us teach new believers to study the words. But let us also learn and teach to commune with God directly, in prayer, fasting, meditation, and in other ways. Let ours not be a faith in Words, but in the Speaker of the Words.

Amen.

Purpose-related thoughts

2011-07-28T16:49:00.001-07:00

I'm dropping the Warren and Prayer guide quotes for now. I have some thoughts to share with LeBron, and I want to share them here first.

Worship

I already raised some questions about how we evaluate our worship services. I am beginning to question the concept of a "worship service." I haven't thoroughly researched this yet, but it seems that the "services" that the early church held would be more accurately described as "discipleship and fellowship services." http://www.alanknox.net/2008/09/early-church-gatherings/ Not that there was no worship in those meetings, but I don't think they felt compelled to label everything as Worship through the reading of the Torah, Worship through the breaking of bread, etc. Worship was part of their gathering, I'm pretty sure, but it was also part of their life! They worshiped in prison, they rejoiced after being flogged by the religious leaders in Acts 5, but it doesn't seem (admittedly, after only a cursory search) that they had "worship services" in our contemporary sense.

I'm not trying to advocate cutting worship out of our gatherings, but it might be easier to realistically plan and evaluate our gatherings if we don't feel the need to label everything as worship. It might be easier to interrupt a sermon (one form of discipleship) to tend to rebellious teenagers (another form of discipleship) if we don't take the view that we are "interrupting" the WORSHIP OF THE LORD. If worship is viewed as every breath we take rather than what we do when we gather, how would it change our expectations?

Fellowship

I believe the current culture of church-hopping undermines fellowship in its deeper senses. Accountability and church discipline are destroyed when all a rebellious person has to do is go to the church down the street and start over. If people bounce from church to church every now and then when they get bored or ticked off, they will never develop deep relationships with fellow church members. I propose we found a movement: first on an associational level, but eventually globally. The pastors and churches that subscribe to the concept would agree not to take new members moving from other local churches that were part of the movement without first meeting with the prospective members and the soon-to-be-former pastors. The reasons for moving can be discussed honestly, and any issues that need to be dealt with (conflict, ego, bitterness) can be lovingly addressed, rather than simply ignored to fester. In many, if not most, cases the aim would be reconciliation with the original church family, though the second church could provide a nurturing environment for healing and growth if necessary on the path to such restoration.

Discipleship

I raised the idea of depending on the Spirit to lead new (or otherwise) converts in their own discipleship. I guess individual needs also need to be balanced with community needs, which is what happens in larger settings, like Sunday School and especially sermons. And I think our community of modern Christians needs to be taught some basic things like: all suffering is not to be avoided, being dishonored for the cause of Christ is worth rejoicing over, mission work is messy and costly, forget about what you "like" and give your life for the kingdom, etc. Of course, others could look at me and list things I need to be taught, I am sure...

Service

While I am intrigued by the idea that our pastor has raised, that we are to do good "especially to those of the household of faith" (Gal 6) my thoughts today have taken me in another direction. I have thought of the example of William Wilberforce, who actively and intentionally and for years pursued the end of the slave trade in England. By comparison, most of our "benevolence" is random and compulsory--we help when someone comes to us. (I do realize that some had to come to Wilberforce, but once he learned of the greater need he did not need individual slaves to come up to him over and over again.) I think of those who worked to end slavery in this country. I think of Mother Theresa serving in Calcutta. I think of Heidi Baker in Mozambique. I think of Paul going from city to city collecting for the poor in Jerusalem. I think we need a ministry mission (at least one). I think we need to look at our community, and perhaps beyond our community, and say to ourselves what is the greatest need that we can impact as ambassadors of the Kingdom, and then marshal the forces of heaven and earth in the effort (all under the direction of God, of course, not to imply directing Him)!

Evangelism

I believe if our church is to matter, we have got to get serious about penetrating the darkness around us with the light of the Gospel. I think we need to make a declaration. We are staking claim to our block for the Kingdom of Heaven. There are about 22 buildings on this block. Some are residences, some are businesses. Within a month, we will get to know every family and every business on this block. We will know them and something of their story. If they have needs, we will seek to aid them. If they are lost we will share Christ. If they are unchurched we will share EHBC. If they are active church members with us or with someone else, we will seek to bless them in their walk with the Lord. If we can patronize their business we will. We will know and be known by this block in the name of Jesus Christ. . .and then we'll take another. And another. Our reach in ministry and evangelism will grow and grow and as we bring in new people they will help us grow even more. And our talk about being a light in this community will mean something.

A second, parallel line of attack comes from the lives of our members. I still believe in the "Wellspring" concept, and the idea of Babystep Evangelism. Maybe it needs to be packaged differently. Maybe my ego got in the way when we tried to launch it before. Whatever the case, our reach shouldn't only spread from the location of our building, but also from the lives of our members.

40 Days of Prayer Days 10-21

2011-07-14T18:03:00.000-07:00

Um, ok. I'm failing more than I'm succeeding at this 40-day-blog thing. Still, better to bat 400 than 200, so I'll try again tonight.

Day 10

Point to Ponder: The heart of worship is surrender.

Prayer guide note: PRAY for protection of the relationships in our church body. Pray that the enemy would not be able to deceive us and disrupt the unity of the body. Pray that you would not fall prey to the lies of the enemy about your brothers and sisters.

Day 11

Point to Ponder: God wants to be my best friend.

Prayer guide note: PRAY for the marriages in our church body. Pray for protection from the darts of the enemy. Pray for love and unity in the families of our church. Pray for the recent marriages in our congregation, and the special stresses of that first year.

Day 12

Point to Ponder: I'm as close to God as I choose to be.

Prayer guide note: Pray that we realize that our inheritance and hope as a church family is in God’s incomparable and incredible great power which is available to us Eph. 1:18-19

Day 13

Point to Ponder: God wants all of me.

Prayer guide note: Pray that our Church Staff becomes more and more surrendered and poured out to Christ, so they can have the mind of Christ. 1 Cor. 2:16

In an earlier blog I asked how God evaluates worship. I anticipated that I would have to engage in a huge word study to track this down. As it turns out, Rick Warren has done at least some of my work for me. His Day 13 is all about worship that pleases God. According to Warren...

God is pleased when our worship is accurate. (John 4:23) To "worship in truth" means to worship God as he is truly revealed in the Bible.
God is pleased when our worship is authentic. (1 Samuel 16:7b) When we worship, God looks past our words to see the attitude of our hearts.
God is pleased when our worship is thoughtful. (Matthew 6:7) If worship is mindless, it is meaningless.
God is pleased when our worship is practical. (Romans 12:1) In eternity, you will receive a new, improved, upgraded body, but while you're here on earth, God says, "Give me what you've got!"

I can agree with all of this, and while I don't know that it's exhaustive, it's enough to return to the question--if this is how God evaluates worship, then how can we begin to evaluate it in the same way instead of in our conventional categories of how-I-liked-the-sermon, how-I-liked-the-music, and how-I-liked-the-kids'-behavior?

40 Days of Prayer Day 06-09

2011-07-05T20:58:00.000-07:00

Well, it doesn't take much to get me off track, but I feel it's a minor victory to get back in the swing of things...

Day 6

Purpose Driven Life Point to Ponder: This world is not my home.

EHBC Prayer Guide Note: PRAY for our community— that our church would be a LIGHT to this neighborhood.

Day 7

Purpose Driven Life Point to Ponder: It's all for Him.

EHBC Prayer Guide Note: PRAY asking God to break your heart for the things that break His. Pray for a spirit of conviction and repentance. Read Psalm 32 and thank God for His mercy and forgiveness.

Day 8

Purpose Driven Life Point to Ponder: I was planned for God's pleasure.

EHBC Prayer Guide Note: Read Psalm 29. Pray that God would sharpen your ears to be able to hear His voice clearly. Pray that each member of our church would be able to clearly discern His voice.

Day 9

Purpose Driven Life Point to Ponder: God smiles when I trust Him.

EHBC Prayer Guide Note: Pray for the Spirit of God to move on the hearts our loved ones who are lost so that they will be able to see how God is grieved and how their lives are being destroyed by sin.

Thoughts I have had over the past few days, hopefully some of them thoughts from God:

(1) I still have way too much of ME in my living, as evidenced by (among other things) how quickly I faded away from my prayer and Bible study and also how easily I take offence at perceived snubs. I must decrease, that He may increase!

(2) All my adult life I have read in Matthew 4:18-22 how these men followed Jesus after hearing Him speak one sentence, and where some have seen faith, I have seen insanity. I have been convinced that they must have heard or seen something of Him prior to this encounter, but I have never been able to support this position with anything other than my thoughts of what seemed reasonable. Last night, I was reading in Luke, and there it was! In chapters 4 and 5 we see that the first disciples did indeed have other interactions with Christ before He invited them to follow Him. It has been there all along and I never saw it. This serves as a reminder how critical it is to READ Scripture, to be thoroughly familiar with the Book from front to back!

(3) There are two ways (at least) to use a concordance. The first is to look for verses you already kindof know to confirm what you already kindof think. The second is to find out what you DON'T know about what the Bible says about a particular subject. This seems to me reflective of two ways to read the Bible. Do we read the Bible to feel good about what we already think? Or do we read the Bible to discover more about our Lord and to submit our lives to what we find?

(4) Is it true that worship is supposed to be for God, not for us? If no, why do we keep saying yes? If yes, why do we still view worship through the lens of our experience? >Our enjoyment of the songs. >Our appreciation of the sermon. >Our level of distraction. If our worship is really for God, then how does HE evaluate it? Is He pleased with "the service" if a certain percentage are "truly" worshiping? Does God only focus on the positive, ignoring those who aren't worshiping or is His Spirit "grieved" by them? (In Isaiah 63, the Spirit is grieved by rebellion, and in Ephesians 4 He is grieved by broken fellowship.) Does He only evaluate individuals, not congregations? In Revelation He addresses churches as groups and says "anyone who has an ear. . ." The overall church is warned concerning the actions of individuals. In Sardis, it's reversed, the overall is bad, but there are a few good people. I conclude God evaluates the body AND the individuals. So how does God evaluate worship? First, DOES God evaluate worship? I would say yes. Jesus said the Father wants "such people" (true worshipers) to worship Him in spirit and truth. God said in places in the Old Testament that worship was unacceptable to Him because of the hearts of the worshipers and/or their behavior outside of the worship environment. So how DOES God evaluate worship, and can we use His criteria to judge our own? I don't have answers to these questions yet, but I think this is the direction our discussion of worship needs to be moving. . .

40 Days of Prayer Day 05

2011-07-02T01:27:00.000-07:00

Purpose Driven Life Point to Ponder: Life is a test and a trust.

EHBC Prayer Guide Note: Read PSALM 42 Pray for that deep calling to deep. Ask God to deepen your hunger for Him.

What I think I have heard from God today:

Hmmm...I've talked to God a lot today, but I don't have any particular thoughts that stand out as "a word from the Lord." I read through Galatians again, and I stopped and prayed over parts of it, regarding Calvinism, and the role of the Holy Spirit in salvation, and the plan of salvation in the Old Testament, and walking in the Spirit. Oh, I do remember one thing, kind of minor, that I think I heard from God...it was to give the Ouija board response only to the girl who asked the question, and let her share it if she wants to. I initially planned to make copies for the whole class, but I think God has warned me that would be unwise, maybe upset some parents. All of which reminds me, I had another student ask me a "religious" question I have yet to follow up on. I'll try to do that this weekend also.

40 Days of Prayer Day 04

2011-06-30T22:21:00.000-07:00

Purpose Driven Life Point to Ponder: There is more to life than just here and now.

EHBC Prayer Guide Note: PRAY for Christ’s followers to walk in the fullness of God’s Spirit so that they can live in the likeness of Christ.

What I think I have heard from God today:

(1) "I am with you on this journey." Yesterday, I'm pondering "walking in the Spirit." Today, our prayer note is to pray that we will walk in the fullness of God's Spirit. How cool is that? I have another item like that, but I'm saving it for point number two. Did God manufacture these coincidences just for me? I don't think so. I think there are too many other people involved for any of it to be "just for me." But God is big enough to weave together ALL the coincidences He needs to speak to any number of us in any number of ways, and then He is near enough to highlight for me in my mind what I need to see "just for me." :)

(2) Yesterday I questioned whether I would have the opportunity to speak to my HT students about spiritual matters. Today one of them asks me what I think about using a Ouija board! Thank you, God! I still didn't have time to get into it in the class, but I'll type up and print a response that she and any other student can read. It's possible that God is allowing me this opportunity but that it doesn't mean I'm "supposed" to be there. Yet as this follows so closely on the heels of my questions yesterday...I conclude with moderate confidence that He is also saying that it is He, and not my own wisdom, that has placed me in this position.

(3) Time for a new go-to preacher. Whenever I have wanted to listen to preaching I have for some time now clicked over to Piper. He's Calvinist and I'm not, but this has never been a hindrance. My wife and my pastor are also both Calvinists! :) But today, listening to a sermon called "If You Abide in My Word, You Are Truly My Disciples," I reached a point (unrelated to Calvinism) where I'm ready to go somewhere else to feed. Piper seems to me to have a bias against unmediated encounters with God. What I mean is, he seems to think that the Bible is the chief (and by his own words, in some ways the ONLY) means by which God speaks to His people today. I don't know that I disagree with the above statement (minus the part in parenthesis), but the bias seems to go beyond that. In explaining the statement of Christ that forms the title of the sermon, Piper makes what I think is an unsupported jump from "My word," to "the Bible." I've seen this bias before. I would say that the Holy Spirit (Spirit of Christ) is our chief connection with God, and the Bible is secondary, but he seems to reverse that. I may not be explaining this well, and I don't want to do anything to tear him down--I love him, his passion for God and His glory, his style of preaching, his pastor's heart, and his vulnerability as a church leader. I will still listen to him in the future, I am sure. But right now, what I yearn for, learning how to hear God's Spirit testify to my spirit, I don't think Piper will teach me, and beyond that I think he will try to discourage me. So, no hard feelings, but I'll be shopping around for a new go-to preacher. Any recommendations?

40 Days of Prayer Day 03

2011-06-30T13:04:00.000-07:00

Purpose Driven Life Point to Ponder: Living on purpose is the path to peace.

EHBC Prayer Guide Note: PRAY for God to revive and unite His people as one family before Him.

What I think I heard from God today:

(1) [via PDL] I have had competing drives. Guilt, resentment and anger, need for approval, and God's purposes have each been the driving force at different times in my forty-almost-two years. . .ok, even in the last year, maybe even in the last month! I have two great hopes for this PDL experience. The first is that I'll learn how to minimize the first three and maximize the fourth. The second is that I'll learn how to judge wisely my opportunities. This school thing, for instance. It definitely takes time away from my "church" job. . .but I'm not sure whether it takes time away from my "kingdom" mission. I mean, I can tell myself that in this position I'll be able to plant evangelistic seeds and nurture the faith of Christian students. . .but will I really? So far there's not been a whole lot of time for spiritual conversations. . .

(2) [via Galatians 5] The Christian walk is so NOT about rules to follow. Walking by the Spirit leads to the kind of life we would want to create with rules, but never could. Of course, what exactly "walking by the Spirit" entails is for me yet a rather nebulous issue. . .

Acts 9:31 So the church throughout all Judea, Galilee, and Samaria had peace, being built up and walking in the fear of the Lord and in the encouragement of the Holy Spirit, and it increased in numbers.

Romans 8:3-4 What the law could not do since it was limited^[3] by the flesh, God did. He condemned sin in the flesh by sending His own Son in flesh like ours under sin’s domain,^[4] and as a sin offering,^[5] ⁴ in order that the law’s requirement would be accomplished in us who do not •walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.

Galatians 5:16 I say then, • walk by the Spirit and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh.

(3) This--this every day searching the Scriptures and/or listening to them taught, spider-senses on edge, waiting for that moment when God's voice comes through with life-changing significance, meditating on what He has said, and sharing it with others--this is supposed to be all my life, not just a 40-day project. Why do I so often settle for such a lesser life?

(4) [via the Narnia movie] Edmund was destined to be a king. It was his right, his proper place. And yet the witch lured him to darkness with promises that he could be king. She FALSELY offered him WHAT WAS ALREADY HIS!!! In order to fall to her temptation, he had to turn away from kingship in truth to a lie--with her, he never would be king! It seems to me that the promises of Satan are always thus. Whatever pleasures, freedoms and powers he offers (and which will be fleeting, hollow, or simply not really there at all), we who name the name of Christ ALREADY HAVE pleasures, freedoms and powers far superior AND WHICH WILL NEVER END!!! Yet so often we, like Edmund, do not know or fully comprehend what has been provided for us, and we sell our birthright for porridge.

40 Days of Prayer Day 02

2011-06-28T22:27:00.000-07:00

Purpose Driven Life Point to Ponder: I am not an accident.

EHBC Prayer Guide Note: Read Acts 2:17-21 and pray according to these verses, that God will again pour out His Spirit upon our church and our community.

What I think I've heard from God today:

Nothing. :) At least not like yesterday. I've listened to more Piper today, and this morning was working on the introductory verses in Galatians. I prayed that while I'm at the school I'll be God's agent of grace and somehow have an impact on these teens. (There's not a whole lot of opportunity to interact with them...)

I heard some very interesting teaching on Daniel's 70th week on 3ABN (the 7th Day Adventist network) which held that Daniel's 70th week was about the Messiah, not the anti-Christ, and that it's already been fulfilled. The little bit I heard made a lot of sense, but I haven't followed up on it yet.

Piper mentioned a funeral in which the minister said at one point in a booming voice "[Whatever the name was] IS NOT DEAD!" That was awesome. He also said that at "death," our fellowship with God is not interrupted for a millisecond, but is in that instant perfected. Wow.

The prayer guide note above ties into something I was thinking...maybe Sunday? Maybe yesterday? It's that we can't share what we don't have. If I want to lead people to go deeper with God, I must go deeper with God. There is no substitute.

None.

No doctrine, outline, book study or even the "gift of teaching" can make up for a shallow walk with Christ. I love my Lord, and I have learned so much from Him, but I know how easily distracted I am, and I know I have never plumbed the depths of His Spirit. I'm asking Him to take me deeper.

I think He's reminding me that He's taught me (some) about the Spiritual Disciplines as a means for opening up to His depth-diving. I've been trying to renew my exploration (as in practice--I think my "research" phase is over) of meditation the last few days, so far in only brief moments, but I intend to continue by His grace. I want to claim the words of "I Refuse," by Josh Wilson, as my own. I just hope I don't look back at the end of these 40 days and have to eat them.

40 Days of Prayer Day 01

2011-06-27T22:36:00.000-07:00

Purpose Driven Life Point to Ponder: It's not about me.

EHBC Prayer Guide Note: Pray that as you spend the next 40 days in prayer and seeking God, you will be able to clearly discern His voice. Record in this journal the things you read and hear. Pray for protection from the enemy. Seeking God on a deeper level makes you vulnerable to spiritual attack. BE AWARE. Cover yourself in prayer, and cover the other members of the church. Read PSALM 42 Pray for that deep calling to deep.

What I think I have heard from God today:

(1) Years after first reading "it's not about me," I still fail so often to live in the light of this wisdom. Many of my angers, frustrations, and impatient attitudes simply crumble before the force of this simple statement. For example, when my children are fighting, why does it make me so angry? What does it have to do with me? The moment is not about my "peace and quiet," but about the adults into which God is growing these children--and He has tasked me to participate in that developmental process! I do not have to meet their anger with my own, because "it's not about me."

(2) [via John Piper preaching] Pursuing the cause is not important; seeking purpose is. What this means in my context is this: I feel fairly certain that certain actions and attitudes have resulted in our church being disciplined, and that this is the cause for the financial problems we have been experiencing. Almost no one that I know of agrees with me on this. I want them to. I want them to hear me, agree with me, and then REPENT! I think God is telling me to let that go. Maybe (if I'm right) He'll show them these things some day, but for now the important thing is not how did we get here, but what does God want to do from here forward. This is hard for me to accept, because if sin got us here, then I think we need to recognize that and repent before we can move forward. But I think God is telling me that changing the minds of other people is not my department. What I need to focus on is primarily this: what will God do in ME through this situation, regardless of the cause. Even if sin got us here, God has an overruling purpose for me--and for the church. This is where I need to focus. [I'm still not sure I'm hearing this one right. I don't want it to be this way. I want to FIX what I think is wrong! I'll ask God to help me see clearly on this matter.]

(3) [incidental, triggered by a glance at a "new believer's workbook"] Discipleship should not be about managing the growth of another believer (new or otherwise), but about facilitating that growth. I have tried on occasion to design a discipleship strategy for our church, and I think they have always been about managing: making sure everyone went through this or that series of studies, learned this or that series of truths... I don't believe having some overall goals or strategies is necessarily a bad thing, but I think my tendency (and I doubt I'm alone in this) is to want to control the path the new believer walks. In considering the concept of facilitating rather than managing, I can envision that a newly baptized believer is paired with a mentor (coach, partner, whatever) who takes him to lunch and at some point asks the new believer: "What questions do you have?" Now, even if the mentor knows the answers to the questions, he doesn't answer them. Rather he leads his new friend to pray to God about the questions, and then (over time, perhaps) they work together to find the answers in Scripture. In this way, the mentor moves in the direction God seems to be moving in this new convert's heart, and he teaches not just the answer to a question, but how to find answers. The joy of discovery and the faithfulness of God to answer prayer are highlighted for the one new to the faith! I'm not saying this is an entire discipleship strategy. I'm just jotting these ideas down while they are fresh in my mind.

Confirmed by Three Witnesses...

2011-01-10T10:58:00.001-08:00

In Experiencing God: Knowing and Doing the Will of God, Henry Blackaby said:

You need to know what God has on His agenda for your church, community, and nation at this time in history. Then you and your church can adjust your lives to God, so that He can move you into the mainstream of His activity before it is too late. Though God likely will not give you a detailed schedule, He will let you know one step at a time how you and your church need to respond to what He is doing.

I read that in the 1990s. That was the first time I remember encountering this concept. Sometime later, I read The Purpose Driven Church by Rick Warren. In it, he states, "Our job as church leaders, like experienced surfers, is to recognize a wave of God's Spirit and ride it. It is not our responsibility to make waves but to recognize how God is working in the world and join him in the endeavor."

Last month I began rereading a book I had just finished reading, The Contemplative Pastor, by Eugene Peterson. I came upon this statement on page 4: "The assumption of spirituality is that always God is doing something before I know it. So the task is not to get God to do something I think needs to be done, but to become aware of what God is doing so that I can respond to it and participate and take delight in it."

Blogged with the Flock Browser

Quick to Read, Slow to Blog

2010-12-07T21:19:00.001-08:00

Our youth class has been looking at James where it says to be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger. I have (off and on) been consciously working on the idea of being slow to speak. My natural tendency is to be quick to speak. There are a number of reasons for this.

>Arrogance that what I have to say is important for others to hear.
>Desire to be the center of attention, to have people think I am witty.
>Impatience with people as they share their thoughts
>etc.

(Boy, I sound like a real jerk.)

So anyway, I am trying to be aware of the need to listen to others and reserve my own input. I am not always successful by any means, but I'm working on it.

It occurred to me today that our current social media are probably training people in just the opposite direction. The immediacy of tweeting and mobile facebooking condition us to spit out whatever comes to mind, as quickly as it does come to mind, with little time for reflection, analysis, or testing. Blogging is probably a little better, because it is (or at least can be) a longer, more crafted piece of expression.

I'm not saying that any of this is bad, or wrong, or that you shouldn't do it, or even that I shouldn't do it. I'm just trying to see how my own tendencies function and why, and how they need to be reshaped to conform to the wisdom in God's word. I've been inspired by my wife to return to blogging, but I want to be slow about it. :)

Blogged with the Flock Browser

Sermonizer's Remorse

2010-12-06T20:34:00.001-08:00

I don't often get to preach to our larger congregation. When I do, it's usually a one-shot. No series of sermons, and that's ok, but it means I don't get to go back and clarify if I realize something I said was incomplete or not quite right.

So this is my solution. It's only a partial one, to be sure. Not every one who heard the original sermons will be able to read these addenda, but some is better than none. :)

The first issue comes from the sermons I preached on a Sunday morning and evening on Walking Hand in Hand with Jesus. I made a statement (actually, more like a paragraph) along these lines: there is nothing I can do to overcome a sin in my life. Without Christ I am powerless to win any victories against sins in my life. The momentum of the sermon carried me past this point without realizing that those statements aren't exactly true.

Outside of church, where statements like those often sound good because they are accepted without examination, you begin to realize that if they were true, the world would be a much darker place. No lost person would ever be able to quit any particular sin they had ever begun. What I should have said is that without Christ I am powerless to overcome SIN in my life, not SINS. What I believe is true is this: that by willpower or good intentions or with the help of a support group or whatever, I might in fact be able to win a victory over a particular sin in my life; but the SIN NATURE will find other ways to manifest itself. Without Christ, I might win a battle here or there, but I can never win the war.

The second issue I wanted to address is not one of correction, but one of clarification or elaboration. I preached this past Sunday evening that we will have more peace in our life if we "delight in the Lord's instruction," including reading, studying, memorizing, meditating, applying, and worshiping. I believe this is sound teaching, but today I imagined someone listening to that sermon and responding something like this: "Jason, it's easy for you to talk about meditating on God's word day and night. You're a preacher! You are SUPPOSED to think about God stuff all the time. It's your job. But the rest of us have to live in the real world. We don't have time to walk around with our thoughts on the Bible all the time. We have jobs to do and businesses to run and bills to pay and yards to mow and dishes to wash and family fights to deal with etc, etc, etc." (Not that I think a real person would say etc, etc, etc, but you get my drift.) Maybe I don't give my imaginary person enough credit. Maybe a real person would be quick to realize that preachers also have most of these things, but there IS a sense in which we expect ministers to fill their heads with way more "spiritual" stuff than most Christians could possibly be expected to.

To any form of this concern, expressed by people real or imaginary, I want to say the following. The Bible is not just about "God stuff." It's also about "real life stuff." It teaches us how to handle money, and how to deal with sex, and how to navigate through conflicts, and how to treat employees, and how to face hardships, and how to respond to illness, and how to raise children, and how to be married, and how to conquer fear, and how to relieve stress, and how to avoid worry, and lots of other things that EVERYONE wants to know! The Bible is EXTREMELY practical--but you have to invest some serious effort to get to know what's in it in order for that practicality to begin to coalesce for you.

Let me give one example. Most of the time, I listen to Christian radio stations. (Ok, and talk radio as well.) But every now and then, sometimes more frequently, sometimes less so, I listen to secular radio stations for a while. This is largely due to the fact that I have been involved in youth ministry for years, and it's helpful to know at least a little about what the culture is currently dishing out to them. So recently I was listening to some secular morning show, and they were talking to callers who were sharing how they had responded to people they perceived to be jerks in parking--taking up more than one spot, "stealing" a parking place, whatever. One person dumped their milkshake in an open sunroof. One actually ordered an extra coffee so they could pour it on a car. The worst was the caller who had put dog poo under the door handles of the "offender."

The morning crew spoke about how dangerous it is to act out in this way because you don't know how the other person will respond. One of the personalities wondered whether some of these people perhaps actually deserved the penalties poured out upon them. Finally, one of the DJs said something like, "I think that there's something about letting things go, not taking revenge, that is just healthy." It appeared to me that these people were floundering in the dark. None of them seemed to be willing to say that they KNEW what was the right thing to do. If they had even the level of Biblical knowledge that my children have, they could have said you should not return evil for evil. The could have quoted, "vengeance is mine, says the Lord." But neither they nor any of the callers had any real wisdom to shed light on the topic.

So yes, real people up to their necks in real life will benefit from delighting in the Lord's instruction and meditating on it day and night. And when you do, so will the guy who just stole your parking place, though he may never know it.

Blogged with the Flock Browser

Questions about Ephesians 4

2009-11-07T22:17:00.001-08:00

Tonight I heard a preacher teach from Ephesians 4, especially verses 11-16.

And He personally gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, for the training of the saints in the work of ministry, to build up the body of Christ, until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of God's Son, growing into a mature man with a stature measured by Christ's fullness. Then we will no longer be little children, tossed by the waves and blown around by every wind of teaching, by human cunning with cleverness in the techniques of deceit. But Speaking the truth in love, let us grow in every way into Him who is the head--Christ. From Him the whole body, fitted and knit together by every supporting ligament, promotes the growth of the body for building up itself in love by the proper working of each individual part.

His reasoning went like this:

Christ gave these 5 offices to the church
for training, to build up the body
until we all reach
- unity in the faith
- unity in the knowledge of God's Son
- maturity measured by Christ's fullness
We haven't reached these things yet
Therefore, these 5 offices are still needed
Therefore, we will see a resurgence of the offices of apostles and prophets

I think this is exciting and a reasonable interpretation of this passage, but I have some questions about whether other interpretations are possible.

Question #1 Is it possible that the clause "for the training..." and everything that follows relates only to the last of the offices? I don't care at this point whether you combine the last two of the 5 (as some do) into a "pastor/teacher" role or not. Here's a parallel sentence to show what I'm suggesting: Mom brought home some gifts for the children: some candy, some toys, some gum, and some pencils and papers, to write thankyou notes, until they had shown appreciation for all the gifts they got from all their relatives. Now I don't know enough about the Greek grammar to know if this is a possibility, so if anyone does, I'd like to hear from you.

Question #2 If we accept the premise that "for the training..." and everything that follows does apply to all 5 offices, does that necessarily require that all five offices carry through to the end of the process? What if the role of the apostles was to establish the church and provide the New Testament Scriptures? The impact of their work would still be carrying through to the end of the process even if there weren't any apostles on the planet at that time. For comparison: The contractor hired framers, plumbers, electricians, roofers, drywall workers, trim carpenters, and painters, for the building of the house, until it was finished and ready to live in. In this example, the framers' job would be done long before the house was finished, but it wouldn't invalidate the overall statement. I'm not arguing here for the end of the apostolic office; I'm open to either possibility. I'm just trying to see if the conclusion in the sermon is warranted from this passage.

Question #3. If this passage does mean that apostles are going to be around till the end of the maturity process, then why have them vanish and reappear? Why not have them active throughout church history?

Question #4. If this passage does mean that apostles are going to be around till the end of the maturity process, then how do we make sense of what the endpoint looks like?

Forgetting the sermon for a moment, if we just take the last of the offices, pastor and teacher (or pastor/teacher), do we think that there will ever be a time before the return of Christ when pastors and teachers will not be needed?
As long as new people are being born again, how can it ever be that "we all" reach unity and maturity? Won't there always be some new, therefore immature, christians?
If we say that this points to the end, after the return of Christ, then I get confused by "we will no longer be...tossed by waves and blown around by every...cunning... cleverness...deceit." This doesn't sound like it's after the return of Christ to me.

I thought maybe "we all" could be translated "we each," like it's not about them working till everyone is mature, but that the work is fruitful in me until I'm mature and in you untill you're mature, but I couldn't find any translation that used anything other than "we all."

Any ideas out there?

Blogged with the Flock Browser

Word Count Versus Importance

2009-10-24T01:19:00.001-07:00

I've been looking at the concept of meditation, from a Christian perspective, not an Eastern mystic kind of thing. I read a book which had a chapter on meditation and how important it is as a Christian Discipline to bring you closer to God. It was very inspirational, and I've taken some baby steps in this area, but I wanted to do a Bible study on the topic before reaching any definite conclusions based on this author's work. So I started to look up the Hebrew and Greek words which can be translated "meditate." Turns out there are several. That's not so bad, but the hard part is that they can all be translated in other ways depending on the context. Since my Hebrew and Greek aren't nearly good enough to make informed decisions about usage on that level, I decided to back up and just do a survey of the English usage of meditate, meditation, etc. I might not squeeze every possible drop of knowledge out of such a study, but I figured it would give me a good overview. So it turns out in the HCSB there are 20 places where you find variations on the word meditate. Most of these are in the Psalms. Most of these are in Psalm 119. I started thinking, wait, if this is such an important topic, why is it so scarce in Scripture, and used only once in the New Testament?!

I was beginning to think, maybe this author is off base. Maybe meditation is a minor aspect of seeking God. Then, as a test, I did a search for the word "study," and its variants. I didn't get 20 hits. I got fewer. Way fewer. I got 5.

That's it. Five hits for "study." Now I think we can all agree that studying the Word of God is important. And meditation is used 4 times as often in the Bible. Now that doesn't prove that meditation is essential to seeking God. But it does lay to rest any concerns I had that importance is automatically related to the number of times the word is used in the Bible!

Blogged with the Flock Browser

Test

2009-10-13T22:02:00.001-07:00

Once again, testing the links in my system.

My flock browser should post this to Blogger.

MyChurch should mirror this post.

MyChurch should then send a notice to Twitter.

Twitter should then send it to Facebook.

It seems like the threads break so easily and I have to keep restoring some link or another...oh well, "instant" communication comes for a small investment of time and vigilance!

Blogged with the Flock Browser

Which makes more sense?

2009-10-13T21:28:00.001-07:00

Which makes more sense?

The idea that Satan would fool segments of the Lord's church into being more excited about God's active power in their lives, or that he would fool segments of the Lord's church into ignoring the potential of God's active power in their lives?

The idea that Satan would trick churches into thinking God was doing supernatural things in their worship, or that he would trick churches into thinking God would not do supernatural things in their worship?

The idea that Satan would lure Christians into seeking more of God's presence and power, or that he would lull Christians into being satisfied with all the presence and power of God they already had?

I'm just saying...

Blogged with the Flock Browser

Prayer Accountant Skit

2009-09-20T19:30:00.001-07:00

This is the skit we used this morning. It was very well received. Pastor LeBron was preaching from Philippians 4:19.

[CHRISTIAN enters stage, kneels to pray.]

CHRISTIAN Heavenly Father, I need your wisdom again... [or any suitable intro to a prayer]

[SUIT enters, interrupts] {in our case SUIT was dressed in a tux and top hat :) }

SUIT Excuse me.

CHRISTIAN [continues praying] ...I don't know what to do...

SUIT Excuse me!

CHRISTIAN [looks at SUIT] Are you talking to me?

SUIT Yes, of course. Listen, I'm sorry to interrupt your prayer, but--well, it's your prayers I've come to talk to you about

CHRISTIAN Who are you?

SUIT I am my lord's prayer accountant. I handle record keeping, supply and demand, that sort of thing.

CHRISTIAN You're kidding.

SUIT No, actually. At any rate, you have been praying for a lot lately, and I've come to let you know that your account is being suspended until the end of the year.

CHRISTIAN Suspended?!

SUIT Yes, of course. There are, after all, only so many resources to go around, and we must be fair to other pray-ers, now musn't we?

CHRISTIAN That's ridiculous!

SUIT No, actually. It makes perfect sense. You pray for money for some missionary, it has to come from somewhere. You pray for someone's to get the organ they need, someone else doesn't get it. You see, it's simple economics. Now if you will just sign here, indicating you understand and agree to comply with this suspension until January 1, I'll take my leave.

CHRISTIAN No! I don't believe you. I've been learning some of the promises of God, and I've got them written down right here! [takes out cards, reads]

Psalm 50:12 If I were hungry, I would not tell you, for the world and everything in it is Mine.

Jeremiah 32:27 Look, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh. Is anything too difficult for Me?

Philippians 4:19 And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.

Ephesians 3:20-21 Now to Him who is able to do above and beyond all that we ask or think—according to the power that works in you— to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

SUIT Yes, but, you must understand, my lord sent me to--

CHRISTIAN No! I don't believe you. You're not from MY Lord! Your Lord must be the devil! In Jesus name, go away! [returns to kneeling posture] Heavenly Father, please remove this demon from my presence...[continue praying ad lib]

SUIT [crying out and leaving as if compelled] Fine! You go on praying God's promises! There are plenty of people out there [with wide arm gesture that includes congregation] that won't! [Exits]

[CHRISTIAN stands, nods a bow to audience, and leaves stage.]

Blogged with the Flock Browser

Slandering God

2009-09-20T19:09:00.001-07:00

Fair warning: this is another post disagreeing with Calvinism. Don't mean to upset anyone, just to be part of the dialogue.

I realize that no one person represents the "official" Calvinist position (unless you count Calvin, but I mean current proponents of the larger school of thought), but I read and listen to a lot of John Piper these days, so his positions are the ones I'm mostly wrestling with. He talks here about why he believes infants who die go to heaven. His summary statement, I think, is this: "God will not condemn them because he wants to manifest openly and publicly that he does not condemn those who did not have the mental capacities to put their faith in him."

This seems so hypocritical to me. Part of Calvinism's basic teaching is that God WILL condemn those who do not have the SPIRITUAL capacity to put their faith in Him. So we have two kinds of incapacity, mental and spiritual. If you have one, you get a pass. If you have the other, you go to Hell. And you have no control over either one. You are born mentally incapable and spiritually incapable to believe in Jesus. If you live long enough, you will in most cases develop the mental capacity naturally, but you have no way to become spiritually capable unless God chooses you.

This is one of the biggest problems I have with Calvinism. I know John Piper thinks the doctrine is a treasure of God's glory, and I love John Piper, but I think the doctrine slanders the character and wisdom of God. I think it has Him condemning people for failing to do what they cannot do. I think that makes Him out to be unjust and/or foolish. I'm not saying "I don't want God to be that way, so it must be wrong." I'm saying it seems to be contrary to His character revealed in Scripture.

I'm just saying...

Blogged with the Flock Browser

Sparse Mansion Skit

2009-09-13T20:48:00.001-07:00

Here's the skit we used this morning. The sermon was called Your Spiritual Bank Account from Philippians 4:17.

ANGEL is checking HUMAN into his/her new heavenly abode.

ANGEL: Well, here you are! Your brand new mansion. We're so glad to have you here in Heaven. Have a happy eternity! [starts to leave]

HUMAN: Wait! I, uh, this is great and all, but it's, ah, a little, um, sparse, isn't it?

ANGEL: Well, it's certainly not the least sparse mansion on the block. Take care! [starts to leave]

HUMAN: Wait!...I don't understand. Why is my new home so empty? A few sticks of furniture? That's all I get in heaven?

ANGEL: Well, you see, we unpacked everything you sent ahead. Perhaps if you rearranged those two chairs and that table a bit it would look like more...

HUMAN: Sent ahead? What are you talking about?

ANGEL: [to self] If I had a gold paving stone for everytime I've had this conversation. [to HUMAN] [sighs] You know that Bible passage that says “Don’t collect for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal. But collect for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves don’t break in and steal?”

HUMAN: I think I heard that before...

ANGEL: You think you heard that before?! You heard [flips through pages on clipboard] 32 sermons, 8 Sunday School lessons, 2 camp devotionals, and one skit with an angel on those verses!

HUMAN: Oh, yeah...

ANGEL: But you never changed your life in response to these verses. You lived your whole life building up your supply of gadgets and vacation souveneirs. You filled your home on earth with plenty of stuff, but you barely sent anything ahead for this one!

HUMAN: What about all the ways I served in the church?

ANGEL: [flipping through pages again] Finance committee, had to be chairman. Choir, always wanted the solo. Yard work, insisted on mowing the patch along the busiest roadway. Face it. You never did anything unless you made sure you would get attention and a pat on the back. Well, that was your reward. You get squat for that kind of attitude here.

HUMAN: What about my prayer life? I spent a lot of time on my knees! And even fasted sometimes—I bet most of the other people in my church never did that!

ANGEL: Well, sadly, that's true. But you made such a big deal of letting everybody know about your fasting, you completely destroyed its spiritual value. It became a way for you to show off what a great Christian you thought you were.

HUMAN: But—but--don't I get anything?

ANGEL: Well, you're here—that's way better than nothing, right?

CHILD [walks up, not part of "scene," reads] First Corinthians 3:12-15. If anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay, or straw, each one’s work will become obvious, for the day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire; the fire will test the quality of each one’s work. If anyone’s work that he has built survives, he will receive a reward. If anyone’s work is burned up, it will be lost, but he will be saved; yet it will be like an escape through fire.

ANGEL: [sniffing] Do you smell smoke?

Blogged with the Flock Browser

A Practical Note On Fasting

2009-09-10T08:31:00.001-07:00

From Foster again: "...it is wise to learn to walk well before we try to run. Begin with a partial fast of twenty-four hours' duration; many have found lunch to lunch to be the best time. This means that you would not eat two meals. Fresh fruit juices are excellent to drink during the fast. Attempt this once a week for several weeks. In the beginning you will be fascinated with the physical aspects of your experience, but the most important thing to monitor is the inner attitude of the heart....After two or three weeks you are prepared to attempt a normal fast of twenty-four hours. Drink only water but use healthy amounts of it."

Blogged with the Flock Browser

The Purpose Of Fasting

2009-09-10T07:59:00.001-07:00

I've never done much fasting, a little on rare occasions, sometimes to no apparent effect. Trying to learn more about it (and other spiritual disciplines) now. I guess I always thought the main purpose for fasting was something along the lines of "enhancing our prayers." I just read a different perspective in Richard J Foster's Celebration of Discipline: "...success in prayer, the enduing with power, spiritual insights--these must never replace God as the center of our fasting. John Wesley declares, 'First, let it [fasting] be done unto the Lord with our eye singly fixed on Him. Let our intention herein be this, and this alone, to glorify our Father which is in heaven....'" I never thought about how fasting glorifies God. It says to Him, to myself, and to any angels or demons looking on: "God is worthy of my attention and focus to the extent that I abandon even nourishment for a time." It highlights HIS value. Awesome thought.

Blogged with the Flock Browser

Seeking God's Face

2009-08-19T21:47:00.001-07:00

Read a blog by Piper about seeking the presence of God. He's been convicting me lately about prayer. I can read the Bible (or books to help me understand the Bible) all day long, but it's hard for me to seek God in prayer. Now I can pray ABOUT something or FOR someone, but to pray, just to get closer to God?...That is not a habit I have developed, but I believe He wants me to. I'm gonna go pray now...I don't know what I'm going to say, but the song "Draw Me Close To You" comes to mind.

Blogged with the Flock Browser

Is nothing sacred?

2009-08-18T20:48:00.001-07:00

I read a blog about sarcasm in society and in the church. In it Phil Vischer was quoted:

When we were very young, our parents broke their promises. Their promises to each other, and their promises to us. And millions of American kids in a very short period of time learned that the world isn’t a safe place; that there isn’t anyone who won’t let you down; that their hearts were much too fragile to leave exposed.

The blog author follows this with these statements:

With no where to turn for safety, our fears ferment under the surface into anger. But this toxic brew cannot stay there. It must find a release. Some of us find very destructive ways to alleviate that pressure. The rest of us let it out by mocking things previous generations took seriously—government, work, family, relationships, leaders, and the future. We are a generation that believes nothing is sacred. And if nothing is sacred, everything becomes profane.

I am left to consider the teenagers and children that I work with at church. Could it be that if their parents believe nothing is sacred, they themselves are unaware that such a category even exists? Could it be that they do not respect the sermon, the lesson, the teacher, the music, the worship, the building, each other, or (apparently) themselves because they do not understand that anything at all is worthy of respect? Is it possible that consequences and punishments can motivate them to specific behavior, but that speaking to them of reverence is speaking to them in language they do not comprehend?

Perhaps not. They have been trained (more than not) to be "reverent" during prayer in our children's ministry time. But whether they are merely obeying specific instructions to be still and quiet or whether they grasp the concepts involved, I cannot say.

Blogged with the Flock Browser

Blogger posts

2009-08-17T20:22:00.001-07:00

I don't know why Flock hasn't been able to do my blogger posts lately. I'm trying this one as a test to see if it's working again.

Blogged with the Flock Browser

Whoa, Gabriel, that's not fair!

2009-08-05T20:50:00.000-07:00

So I'm reading in Luke, and the angel Gabriel tells Zechariah his wife would have a baby, etc., and Zechariah asks a question and the angel makes him mute till the birth. Then Gabe scoots over to Mary and tells her she's gonna have a baby. Mary asks a question, and the angel makes her mute--no, wait, he doesn't! That's not fair, is it?! Look at their questions:

Zechariah: How can I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is well along in years?

Mary: How can this be, since I have not been intimate with a man?

Both questions take the form: Explain this, because I have this reason it won't work.

So why does Zechariah get punished and Mary doesn't? Obviously, God likes men better than women. No, wait, He says later there is neither male nor female, and He made them both in His image, so I don't think that's it... Does Mary get a pass because she'll be carrying Jesus and God wants His baby to hear lullabies during gestation? Maybe, but I doubt it. (It's at this point as he reads over my shoulder that my son pronounces my weirdness.)

Here's what I think. THINK! That's important, because this is just a guess, but it makes sense to me. I think that the Bible DOES teach that spiritual leaders are held to a higher level of accountability. I think for a young Jewish girl to struggle in her faith at a bizarre angelic decree is one thing, but for a priest of Israel, in the very service of the temple, to display a weak faith is another. I take this as a lesson to me, as a pastor-type. Yes, I'm only human, but as a spiritual leader, I need to be ready to respond to God when He moves in unexpected directions!

What do you think? Am I on the right track here?

Word Contest

2009-08-05T20:24:00.000-07:00

Can you figure out what the following words have in common? A free can tab necklace to the first correct answer! Spenser makes these from cleaned soda can tabs, which are cut and popped together in links four tabs thick. Everyone who sees them thinks they are really cool!

abet
act
ant
box
chill
chilly
chip
clot
cot
dim
egg
first
ghost
hill
hilt
hip
imp
in
jot
lost
mop
most
not
oops
pry
sty

2009-06-29T19:07:00.000-07:00

Well, we made it! The ride down here took us through a couple of heavy rains, and I was worried we might miss the registration period, but we got here with about 10 minutes to spare. Thanks again to all you who gave the guys work or just outright made donations to make this possible.

I'm gonna give the guys a chance to say a little something before I continue.

From Jason Sheffield:yay i got to see the beach and the ocean for the frist time yay anyways holler homies thought i was done but i got some prickly things in my feet there god awful little things its horrible im traumatized from the experince jason and travis had pull them out and help me back to the room jeez just horrible

Spenser: It was a long trip, and then we got some good food when we showed up.

Randall: What I learned about God before we started on this trip was that I didn't know there were rules or regulations and that I can look in Leviticus any time I want and learn about Jesus and lots of other stuff.

Travis: I learned to NEVER EVER walk on the beach barefoot. These terrible "prickly pears" stuck to our feet. We could hardly walk. Otherwise it has been a good experience. WHOOHOO!

Jason Cardwell: Me again. I'm sure some of the above needs some interpretaion. I'm gonna go ahead and post this now, and later I'll add some pictures and tell you more about our day...hopefully I can help you understand some of what the guys said.

Throwing Cards of Doom

2009-06-25T08:04:00.000-07:00

Momma's Cup

2009-06-19T23:08:00.001-07:00

This is the skit we used last week. It took the form of a narrator reading the text and two actors pantomiming the action. I thought they did a great job with it.

Momma's Cup: A Skit in Pantomime with Narration
A Parable of Sanctification

Once upon a time there was a cup. This wasn't just any old cup. This was Momma's cup. [Momma stands holding "cup."]

It was Momma's favorite cup. It was a big 32-ounce, insulated, good for hot or cold beverages kind of cup. [Momma gestures in front of cup a la The Price is Right.]

Every morning, Momma would brew her favorite coffee, and pour her cup full of java for the ride to work and the first two hours before break time. [Momma goes through the motions of pouring the coffee, driving while sipping, typing and taking sips.]

At breaktime, Momma washed out her cup and filled it with icewater. [Momma washes, fills, sips, types, sips, and...] She refilled it at lunch, and by the end of the day, she had consumed 8 glasses of water. She was fully hydrated, and her skin was clear. [...shows off her clear skin.]

When she got home from work, Momma put her cup on the counter by the bread box. [Momma puts cup away,] No one else ever used Momma's cup. It was just for her. [and puts hands on hips.]

But one Saturday morning, while Momma was doing laundry, her youngest took the cup to play with outside. She filled it with dirt and pebbles and poured them out to make a little mountain. [Girl takes cup and goes to play on ground, filling it with rocks and dirt, pouring, refilling, etc.]

After a while, Momma came to check on her youngest and saw with horror what had happened to her cup. [Momma comes out, waves arms, girl cowers.]

Momma was filled with rage. She took her cup, now too filthy ever to use again, and smashed it with a large rock, then stomped it to little pieces. [Momma acts this out. Girl "cries" with hands to face.]

Wait a minute! That's not right! Let's go back. [Momma walks backwards to where she was.]

When she got home from work, Momma put her cup on the counter by the bread box. [Momma puts cup away,] No one else ever used Momma's cup. It was just for her. [and puts hands on hips.]

But one Saturday morning, while Momma was doing laundry, her youngest took the cup to play with outside. She filled it with dirt and pebbles and poured them out to make a little mountain. [Girl takes cup and goes to play on ground, filling it with rocks and dirt, pouring, refilling, etc.]

After a while, Momma came to check on her youngest and saw with amusement what had happened to her cup. [Momma comes out, laughs, girl holds cup up to her.]

Momma took the cup and immediately put it back on the counter. Monday morning, her coffee was filled with dirt and pebbles, but she didn't care. [Momma pours coffee, takes a sip, chokes, then beams.]

Hold on, that's not right either. Lets try this one more time! [Momma walks backwards to where she was.]

When she got home from work, Momma put her cup on the counter by the bread box. [Momma puts cup away,] No one else ever used Momma's cup. It was just for her. [and puts hands on hips.]

But one Saturday morning, while Momma was doing laundry, her youngest took the cup to play with outside. She filled it with dirt and pebbles and poured them out to make a little mountain. [Girl takes cup and goes to play on ground, filling it with rocks and dirt, pouring, refilling, etc.]

After a while, Momma came to check on her youngest and saw with some concern what had happened to her cup. [Momma comes out, puts one hand on hip, and reaches for cup with other. Girl hands Momma cup.]

She took her cup in to the sink and washed it thoroughly with soap and hot water. She rinsed it very well, and then she put it up on a higher shelf. [Momma acts this out. Girl follows and watches.]

She reminded her youngest that Momma's cup was special to her. She found a disposable cup to play with. And no one ever filled Momma's cup with dirt again. [Momma acts this out. Girl takes cup and goes back to play.]

The end. [Momma, Girl, and Narrator all take a bow.]

Blogged with the Flock Browser

testing

2009-06-17T12:17:00.001-07:00

Testing again

Blogged with the Flock Browser

Sanctified Past Tense

2009-06-13T07:14:00.000-07:00

1 Cor 1:30 says Christ became for us wisdom from God, as well as righteousness, sanctification, and redemption. We usually think of growing in wisdom and righteousness, but of redemption being an all-at-once kind of thing. If you look at the context, Paul is talking about how God chose the foolish, the weak, the insignificant and the despised to shame the wise, strong, powerful and noble. So you could say that this is not a case of us BECOMING wise, but of God's wisdom in Christ working in us, and this is true from the moment of salvation, as is Christ BEING righteousness, sanctification, and redemption, not granting them.

In Chapter 6, verse 11, he says that some of the Corinthians were sexually immoral, idolaters, adulterers, male prostitutes, homosexuals, thieves, greedy people, drunkards, revilers, and swindlers, BUT they were: WASHED, SANCTIFIED, and JUSTIFIED. The implication is this: because of these three processes, they are not (or should not be?) any longer those bad things.

So in each of these cases, sanctification is an event in the past, with impact in the present. Christ became our sanctification, and remains so. We were sanctified, so our behavior can be (should be!) different than it used to be.

Why would Jesus need to be Sanctified?

2009-06-13T00:39:00.000-07:00

In John 17, Jesus says "I sanctify Myself for them, so they also may be sanctified by the truth." Hunh? Isn't Jesus already perfectly holy (or sanctified)? Why would he need to sanctify Himself?

Compare with Hebrews 13:12, where it says "Therefore Jesus also suffered outside the gate, so that He might sanctify the people by His own blood."

Both these verses follow the pattern: Jesus does/did X so that people could be sanctified by Y. Is it fair to say that sanctifying Himself is parallel to suffering outside the gate, i.e., dying on the cross. If so, then how is truth parallel to the blood?

I think this means that Jesus set himself apart to die--He dedicated himself to die. This was what He meant in John. This is similar to the way God told the Israelites to dedicate everyone in conquered cities to Him, and it meant to kill them. I think this sanctification is talking about the sanctification of salvation, and I think that it is faith in the truth about the blood of Jesus which allows salvation--by grace THROUGH FAITH.

Sanctification word study continued

2009-06-11T11:06:00.000-07:00

Romans 6:19 I am using a human analogy because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you offered the parts of yourselves as slaves to moral impurity, and to greater and greater lawlessness, so now offer them as slaves to righteousness, which results in sanctification. [sanctification=consecration, purification, the effect of consecration~~from to render or acknowledge, or to be venerable or hallow, to separate from profane things and dedicate to God, to purify~~from most holy thing, a saint]

Romans 6:22 But now, since you have been liberated from sin and become enslaved to God, you have your fruit, which results in sanctification--and the end is eternal life! [sanctification=consecration, purification, the effect of consecration~~from to render or acknowledge, or to be venerable or hallow, to separate from profane things and dedicate to God, to purify~~from most holy thing, a saint]

Romans 15:16 to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles, serving as a priest of God's good news. My purpose is that the offering of the Gentiles may be acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit. [sanctify=to render or acknowledge, or to be venerable or hallow, to separate from profane things and dedicate to God, to purify~~from most holy thing, a saint]

1 Corinthians 1:2 To God's church at Corinth, to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus and called as saints, with all those in every place who call on the name of Jesus Christ our Lord--theirs and ours. [sanctify=to render or acknowledge, or to be venerable or hallow, to separate from profane things and dedicate to God, to purify~~from most holy thing, a saint]

1 Corinthians 1:30 But from Him you are in Christ Jesus, who for us became wisdom from God, as well as righteousness, sanctification, and redemption, [sanctification=consecration, purification, the effect of consecration~~from to render or acknowledge, or to be venerable or hallow, to separate from profane things and dedicate to God, to purify~~from most holy thing, a saint]

1 Corinthians 6:11 Some of you were like this; but you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. [sanctify=to render or acknowledge, or to be venerable or hallow, to separate from profane things and dedicate to God, to purify~~from most holy thing, a saint]

1 Corinthians 7:14 For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the Christian husband. Otherwise your children would be unclean, but now they are holy. [sanctify=to render or acknowledge, or to be venerable or hallow, to separate from profane things and dedicate to God, to purify~~from most holy thing, a saint]

2 Corinthians 7:1 Therefore dear friends, since we have such promises, we should wash ourselves clean from every impurity of the flesh and spirit, making our sanctification complete in the fear of God. [sanctification= majesty, holiness, moral purity~~from most holy thing, a saint]

1 Thessalonians 4:3 For this is God's will, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality, [sanctification=consecration, purification, the effect of consecration~~from to render or acknowledge, or to be venerable or hallow, to separate from profane things and dedicate to God, to purify~~from most holy thing, a saint]

1 Thessalonians 4:4 so that each of you knows how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor, [sanctification=consecration, purification, the effect of consecration~~from to render or acknowledge, or to be venerable or hallow, to separate from profane things and dedicate to God, to purify~~from most holy thing, a saint]

1 Thessalonians 4:7 For God has not called us to impurity, but to sanctification. [sanctification=consecration, purification, the effect of consecration~~from to render or acknowledge, or to be venerable or hallow, to separate from profane things and dedicate to God, to purify~~from most holy thing, a saint]

1 Thessalonians 5:23 Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely. And may your spirit, soul, and body be kept sound and blameless for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. [sanctify=to render or acknowledge, or to be venerable or hallow, to separate from profane things and dedicate to God, to purify~~from most holy thing, a saint]

2 Thessalonians 2:13 But we must always thank God for you, brothers loved by the Lord, because from the beginning God has chosen you for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and through belief in the truth. [sanctify=to render or acknowledge, or to be venerable or hallow, to separate from profane things and dedicate to God, to purify~~from most holy thing, a saint]

1 Timothy 4:5 since it is sanctified by the word of God and by prayer. [sanctify=to render or acknowledge, or to be venerable or hallow, to separate from profane things and dedicate to God, to purify~~from most holy thing, a saint]

Hebrews 2:11 For the One who sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have one Father. That is why He is not ashamed to call them brothers, [sanctify(both times)=to render or acknowledge, or to be venerable or hallow, to separate from profane things and dedicate to God, to purify~~from most holy thing, a saint]

Hebrews 9:13 For if the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling those who are defiled, sanctify for the purification of the flesh, [sanctify=to render or acknowledge, or to be venerable or hallow, to separate from profane things and dedicate to God, to purify~~from most holy thing, a saint]

Hebrews 10:10 By this will, we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once and for all. [sanctify=to render or acknowledge, or to be venerable or hallow, to separate from profane things and dedicate to God, to purify~~from most holy thing, a saint]

Hebrews 10:14 For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are sanctified. [sanctify=to render or acknowledge, or to be venerable or hallow, to separate from profane things and dedicate to God, to purify~~from most holy thing, a saint]

Hebrews 10:29 How much worse punishment, do you think one will deserve who has trampled on the Son of God, regarded as profane the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and insulted the Spirit of grace? [sanctify=to render or acknowledge, or to be venerable or hallow, to separate from profane things and dedicate to God, to purify~~from most holy thing, a saint]

Hebrews 13:12 Therefore Jesus also suffered outside the gate, so that He might sanctify the people by His own blood. [sanctify=to render or acknowledge, or to be venerable or hallow, to separate from profane things and dedicate to God, to purify~~from most holy thing, a saint]

So all of these NT references use a set of related Greek words, variously translated (in the KJ) as sanctify, hallow, be holy, holy, saints, holy one, holiness, and sanctification, for a total of almost 300 uses.

Which would imply that to fully understand "sanctification," I would need to study all these passages. But I'm not seeking absolutely comprehensive knowledge right now. This message is sort of an introductory lesson.

Two Videos Not to Miss

2009-06-11T08:17:00.000-07:00

I have never heard of SermonJams before. I have never seen a video like this one for church use. The production is phenominal. Check it out.

This second video is cool. The neatest part to me is that apparently, Piper's crew has teamed up with Christian hip-hop artist Lecrae.

Sanctification Sermon Prep

2009-06-10T21:37:00.001-07:00

I have always tended to "protect" my sermon prep from other people's view...didn't want anyone to see anything but the finished product.

This is an experiment in moving the total opposite direction. Hardly anyone reads this blog anyway, but maybe some day it could develop that sermon preparation becomes a community effort, as we all seek to hear God together.

Or maybe it's just late, and I'm not thinking clearly. Anyway, here goes.

I've been looking at several passages about sanctification, but I have yet to check into the original language behind them...

1 Kings 9:7 I will cut off Israel from the land I gave them, and I will reject the temple I have sanctified for My name. Israel will become an object of scorn and ridicule among all the peoples. [sanctify=consecrate, sanctify, prepare, dedicate]

2 Chronicles 7:20 then I will uproot Israel from the soil that I gave them, and this temple that I have sanctified for My name I will banish from My presence; I will make it an object of scorn and ridicle among all the peoples. [sanctify=consecrate, sanctify, prepare, dedicate]

Eze 37:28 When My sanctuary is among them forever, the nations will know that I, the Lord, sanctify Israel." [sanctify=consecrate, sanctify, prepare, dedicate]

Joel 2:16 Gather the people; sanctify the congregation; assemble the aged; gather the children, even those nursing at the breast. Let the bridegroom leave his bedroom, and the bride her honeymoon chamber. [sanctify=consecrate, sanctify, prepare, dedicate]

All four of these OT passages use the same Hebrew word for sanctify, a word which is also translated (in King James) hallow, dedicate, holy, prepare, consecrate, appointed, bid, and purified, for over 170 uses in the OT.

Let's look at the NT...I expect a similar pattern.

Matthew 23:17 Blind fools! For which is greater, the gold or the sanctuary that sanctified the gold? [sanctify=to render or acknowledge, or to be venerable or hallow, to separate from profane things and dedicate to God, to purify~~from most holy thing, a saint]

Matthew 23:19 Blind people! For which is greater, the gift or the altar that sanctifies the gift? [sanctify=most holy thing, a saint]

John 17:17 Sanctify them by the truth; Your word is truth. [sanctify=to render or acknowledge, or to be venerable or hallow, to separate from profane things and dedicate to God, to purify~~from most holy thing, a saint]

John 17:19 I sanctify Myself for them, so they also may be sanctified by the truth. [sanctify(both times)=to render or acknowledge, or to be venerable or hallow, to separate from profane things and dedicate to God, to purify~~from most holy thing, a saint]

Acts 20:32 "And now, I commit you to God and to the message of His grace, which is able to build you up and to give you an inheritance among all who are sanctified. [sanctify=to render or acknowledge, or to be venerable or hallow, to separate from profane things and dedicate to God, to purify~~from most holy thing, a saint]

Acts 26:18 to open their eyes that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a share among those who are sanctified by faith in Me.' [sanctify=to render or acknowledge, or to be venerable or hallow, to separate from profane things and dedicate to God, to purify~~from most holy thing, a saint]

Father Knows Best Skit

2009-06-10T21:20:00.000-07:00

Looks like we used this skit back in February of 2008...

Father Knows Best

Set: table with two chairs. Father is seated at SL end of the table, His left shoulder to the audience.

Daughter enters SR and sits at SR end of table, her right shoulder to audience. She has a cup of coffee and is skimming a paper as she speaks to her father.

Daughter (can be improvised along these lines) (speaking not comically fast, but without giving her father a chance to reply): Good morning, Daddy. I'm glad I get to have breakfast with you. It's such a great way to start my day. Oh, and what a day it's going to be! I have to get both kids to school before work since Tony's out of town. Then I have to meet the cable guy between what, 2 and 4 today. He better not be late because I have to be at a meeting at 4:30, and then I pick up the kids after practice at 6:00. And then of course we're supposed to have dinner at Luigi's with their uncle. I did tell you that my dear brother Charles [said with obvious sarcasm] is coming into town today, didn't I? Has he talked with you lately? I am so NOT looking forward to seeing him again. The last time we were together we got into a fight, and we never really resolved it. Oh goodness, I'm gonna be late if I don't hurry! I'll talk to you later, Dad. Bye!

Father watches silently as she exits SR.

Wait a beat. Then Daughter enters SR, sits at table with coffee and newspaper again. It's the next morning.

Daughter (again, can be improvised along these lines) (speaking at a slower pace, but without really listening to her father's replies): Good morning, Daddy. I really blew it last night. I tried to act like nothing was wrong between us, but Charles couldn't let it go. He wanted to “RESOLVE” things. So it's really not my fault right? I mean he asked me how we ended up at odds! So I told him!

Father (matter-of-factly): You only told him one side of it. Did you listen to how you hurt him back then?

Daughter (ignoring him): Now instead of a cold war we have a hot war going again. And in front of the kids. I cannot believe he blindsided me with them at the table. I'm so angry I don't know what to do. What do you think?

Father: You should forgive him. You should listen to him. You should ask him to forgive you for your part of this war.

Daughter: Maybe I can get Debbie to call him. She was always his favorite sister. Maybe she can talk some sense into him. [brightens] Yeah, that sounds like a plan. Thanks, Dad! It always helps to talk to you! [gets up, exits SR]

Wait a beat. Then Daughter enters and sits again, no props this time. It is later the same day.

Daughter: [defeated] Daddy, I only made things worse with Charles. He was so offended that I called Debbie. He called and really tore into me. Now I think Debbie's mad at me too! I don't know what to do. Why does it have to be so complicated?

Father: It doesn't.

Daughter: [looks up at him] You're right. I made this mess myself. My pride, my anger, my scheming, I'm the one who complicated things. But what can I do now? It's already complicated; it's too late to change that!

Father: It's never to late to be humble. You can lay down your pride, your anger, your scheming. You can confess to Charles how you were wrong back then, and how you were wrong last night, and how you were wrong today. You can confess to Debbie how you were wrong to involve her in taking your side. It's not too late for simple truth.

Daughter: But what if they don't want to forgive me?

Father: That's not your part. You're complicating things again. Do your part. Confess your faults. Let them worry about their parts. [stands]

Daughter: [stands] Thanks, Dad. I have another confession to make as well. These times together, well most of the time I don't really listen to what you have to say. I know you already know that, but I need to say I'm sorry. You always watch over me, and I know you know best. I don't want my prayers to be all one way. Lord, I'm so glad I'm listening to you now. [they hug, blackout]

Penn and Teller--cups and balls

2009-06-08T22:01:00.000-07:00

John Williams is The Man

2009-06-01T10:39:00.000-07:00

"Things Honorable" skit

2009-05-31T13:17:00.001-07:00

This was our skit for today. The preacher was speaking on thinking on whatever is honorable.

Setting: Two teenage guys sitting down to lunch with brown bags.

Anthony: Hey, Brock, did you see the Eagle fly last night?

Brock: You talking about Cole Davis?

Anthony: Yeah, man! They call him the Eagle because his talons never miss a catch and he soars across the field like he's got wings!

Brock: Yeah, I know. I saw the game. He played well.

Anthony: He played well? Man, it was all Davis, all the time. He caught three TD passes, and even managed to throw one on that surprise option! He was awesome!

Brock: He had a great game.

Anthony: Man, I'm gonna be just like him! I'm gonna be...the Hawk!

Brock: You can do better than that.

Anthony: You're right—not the Hawk, the Vulture!

Brock: No, I mean you can find someone better to try to be like.

Anthony: You're crazy! He's got the best record of any receiver for the last ten seasons!

Brock: That may be true on the field, but what about the rest of his life?

Anthony: What are you talking about?

Brock: Dude, his personal life is a mess. He left his wife when she was eight months pregnant so he could date some dancer—I think that lasted about a year, and then he was on to another girl. He's had two DUIs. He got drunk and threw a tv out a hotel window last month! He's just not an honorable man. He may win games, but he doesn't win my respect.

Anthony: [considering]So who do you like?

Brock: Well, I like a few players a lot, but my favorite is Curtis Holden. He's a solid lineman, but what I really like about him is his Christian witness. He and his wife have been married for fourteen years, they have three kids, and Curtis takes them all to church every week. He stays away from drugs and alcohol. He does volunteer work in schools and children's hospitals. He's a great guy on and off the field. That's someone who deserves honor and respect, someone I want to be like.

Anthony: [finished with his lunch, getting up] Cool. I see what you mean. I'll have to watch Curtis play this weekend. I might even take down my Eagle poster. Thanks for the info! [exits]

Blogged with the Flock Browser

Friendship Skit

2009-05-29T22:15:00.001-07:00

This was from back in November, for a service on friendship:

Scene: Psychotherapist's office: chair and “couch”

PATIENT has just entered and is shaking DOC's hand.

DOC: Well, Mrs Planter, why don't you have a seat on the couch and tell me why you are here.

PATIENT: [reclining] Well, Doc, I've been having trouble sleeping. When I'm laying in the bed I worry that something is under the bed and it's gonna get me, so I move under the bed to prove to myself that there's nothing to worry about. Then after a while I start worrying that there's something on top of the bed and it's gonna get my husband and so I move back on top of the bed. By the time morning comes, this has happened several times and we have gotten very little actual sleep.

DOC: Ah, this kind of persistent delusion stems from long held feelings of insecurity, repressed in your early adult years by the facade of success, but now coming to light as you begin to question the choices you have made, similar to the common male mid-life-crisis. It often takes months of therapy to dig back into your childhood and discover what events led you to feel inferior, and months more to learn to positively re-evaluate your personhood through mature analytical processes rather than childish emotional reactionism. Or, you can solve your problem in about 20 minutes.

PATIENT: How, doctor, how?

DOC: Cut the legs off your bed.

PATIENT: [wait a beat] But that's not all, doc. Even when I do sleep, I have disturbing dreams. One night last month I dreamed I was a set of curtains.

DOC: You've got to pull yourself together.

PATIENT: And last week I dreamed I was a deck of playing cards.

DOC: We'll deal with that later.

PATIENT: And last night I had two very strange dreams. First I dreamed I was a wigwam. Then I dreamed I was a teepee.

DOC: I think I am beginning to see the problem. You are two tents!

PATIENT: And doc, sleep issues aren't my only problems, according to my husband. He thinks I'm crazy because I like sausages!

DOC: Why that's not crazy! I like sausages also!

PATIENT: Really?! That's reassuring. [beat] You should come over and see my collection some time. I have hundreds.

DOC: [does doubletake] Hmmm...self esteem issues, stress, overinvestment of time in sausage collecting...I think I am ready to make a diagnosis. You need to experience the benefits of friendship. How long has it been since you had a good friend?

PATIENT: Oh, doc, I do have friends, 1234 on MyFace.com alone!

DOC: No, no. I mean REAL friends! People you actually spend time with!

PATIENT: Well, I was at a class reunion recently. I spent time with over a hundred of my old friends from the good old days. Does that count?

DOC: No! You need friends that you do things with on a regular basis, not every 10 years!

PATIENT: Ok, what about my friends at work? I see them every day!

DOC: Do you see them outside of the office?

PATIENT: Those jerks? Of course not!

DOC: Ok, let's try again. Do you have any friends that you share your inner thoughts and feelings with?

PATIENT: Ummmm.....Hey! I'm doing that with you. Does that make me your friend?

DOC: Goodness no! I want to forget about you the minute the door closes behind—I mean, unfortunately we have to maintain a professional distance in our relationship.

PATIENT: Well, doc, it looks like I don't have any real friends besides my husband. Where can I get some?

DOC: You know, our mothers always used to say, to have a friend, be a friend.

PATIENT: But how can I learn what it means to be a true friend?

DOC: Have you ever heard of the Bible?

Blogged with the Flock Browser

Penn and Teller demonstrate the seven basic principles of magic.

2009-05-29T07:28:00.001-07:00

But He Has Done More

2009-05-28T22:57:00.001-07:00

The last time I preached I looked at the Holy Spirit's work throughout God's plan. I fashioned it after the Dayenu model.

These are the last notes I had typed for that sermon. Some of it I didn't flesh out on the computer, but in my mind, and then as I spoke.

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness covered the surface of the watery depths, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters. [Gen 1:1-2] There in the blackness, God's Spirit was an awesome wind blowing over the face of the Earth. He was present in creation from the first moments, changing formlessness into beauty, emptiness into glory...and if that's all He ever did, we would praise Him and seek His presence in the gentle breezes, and in the mighty hurricanes that blow across creation today. But He has done more.

Pharoah said to his servants, “Can we find anyone like this, a man who has the spirit of God in him?” [Genesis 41:38] The Holy Spirit guided Joseph, and gave him wisdom and insight, leading him from slavery and imprisonment to freedom and royal power. Through Joseph He shaped the destiny of Israel, bringing the family of Jacob to the fiery sands of Egypt, in which to forge a new nation that should bear the both the oracles and the lamb of God...and if that's all He ever did, we would worship Him and declare His wisdom in leading Joseph and his people from defeat to victory. But He has done more.

The LORD also spoke to Moses: “Look, I have appointed by name Bezalel son of Uri, son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah. I have filled him with God's Spirit, with wisdom, understanding, and ability in every craft to design artistic works in gold, silver and bronze, to cut gemstones for mounting, and to carve wood for work in every craft. [Exodus 31:1-5] Who could possibly create a tent worthy to be the dwelling place for the Presence of the Lord? Who could represent His glory in wood and cloth, or even precious metals and gemstones? The Spirit of the Lord gave a man such wisdom and skill. Through the fingers of Bezalel God's Spirit crafted the holiest of spaces, filled with majesty and wonder and beauty and the violence of redemption, a doorway through which to glimpse both the wrath and the mercies of the Judge of Israel...and if that's all He ever did, we would wonder at the ark and the altar, and the promise of salvation sewn into the veil. But He has done more.

When Balaam looked up and saw Israel encamped tribe by tribe, the Spirit of God descended on him, and he prollaimed his poem. . .Then Balak became furious with Balaam, struck his hands together, and said to him, “I summoned you to put a curse on my enemies, but instead, you have blessed them these three times.” [Numbers 24: 2, 3a, 10] The Holy Spirit watched over His people, turning cursing into blessing, protecting His sheep from the wolves who would feast on them. For forty years He shepherded them, bringing them surely to the Promised Land, the land to which the Messiah would come centuries later...and if that's all He ever did, we would rest easy today in the care of that same Spirit, trusting Him to guide and protect us as well. But He has done more.

The LORD replied to Moses, “Take Joshua son of Nun, a man who has the Spirit in him, and lay your hands on him. Have him stand before Eleazar the priest and the whole community, and commission him in their sight.” [Numbers 27: 18-19] As God prepared to take Moses away from His children, He would not leave them without inspired leadership. The Holy Spirit was in Joshua, to guide him as he led the conquest of the Promised Land. God's Spirit had protected them on their journey thus far, and He would lead them to victory in Canaan...and if that's all He ever did, we would praise Him for His grace and pray for His presence in our own leaders' lives. But He has done more.

The Spirit of the LORD was on him, and he judged Israel. Othniel went out to battle, and the LORD handed over Cushan-rishathaim king of Aram to him, so that Othniel overpowered him....The Spirit of the LORD enveloped Gideon, and he blew the ram's horn and the Abiezrites rallied behind him....The Spirit of the LORD came on Jephthah, who traveled through Gilead and Manasseh, and then through Mizpah of Gilead....The Spirit of the LORD took control of him, and he went down to Ashkelon and killed 30 of their men. He stripped them and gave their clothes to those who had explained the riddle. In a rage, Samson returned to his father's house. [Judges 3:10, 6:34, 11:29, 14:19] After leading His people to inhabit the Promised Land, the Spirit of the Lord watched His people turn aside from the path He was leading them on. Time and time again, they worshiped other gods, the Lord disciplined them through the armies of other nations, they cried out to Him in repentance, and He raised someone up to lead them in throwing off their oppressors. God's Spirit empowered these judges and used them to bring mercy to His people, despite the human weaknesses of the individuals He chose to lead...and if that's all He ever did, we would continue to tell the tales of Gideon, Samson, and the others, certain that if God can use these men He can use us as well. But He has done more.

The Spirit of the LORD took control of David from that day forward....Now the Spirit of the LORD had left Saul...The Spirit of God came on Azariah son of Oded...In the midst of the congregation, the Spirit of the LORD came on Jahaziel...The Spirit of the God took control of Zechariah son of Jehoiada the priest. He stood above the people and said to them, “This is what God says: 'Why are you transgressing the LORD's commands and you do not prosper? Because you have abandoned the LORD, He has abandoned you.' ”...The Spirit of the Lord GOD is on Me, because the LORD has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and freedom to the prisoners. [1 Samuel 16:13b, 14a, 2 Chronicles 15:1, 20:14a, 24:20, Isaiah 61:1] After the Judges came the Kings and the Prophets; the Spirit's work continued unabated. He blessed, guided, and spoke through them, declaring judgment and mercy. God's Spirit moved through each phase of Israel's history, guiding individuals, nations, and events, moving ever closer to the moment when it would be God not merely in Spirit, but also in flesh, who spoke to His people...and it that's all He ever did, we would be confident that the Spirit of God could carry us through each phase of our own journey as well. But He has done more.

The angel replied to her: The Holy Spirit will come upon you,and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore the holy One to be born will be called the Son of God....The birth of Jesus Christ came about this way: After His mother Mary had been engaged to Joseph, it was discovered before they came together that she was pregnant by the Holy Spirit. [Luke 1:35, Matthew 1:18]

After Jesus was baptized, He went up immediately from the water. The heavens suddenly opened for Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming down on Him....Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the Devil....If I drive out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come to you. [Matthew 3:16, 4:1, 12:28]

The Spirit is the One who gives life....Jesus Christ...was established as the powerful Son of God by the resurrection from the dead according to the Spirit of holiness....And if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead lives in you... [John 6:63a, Romans 1:3b,4b, 8:11a]

Suddenly a sound like that of a violent rushing wind came from heaven, and it filled the whole house where they were staying. And tongues, like flames of fire that were divided, appeared to them and rested on each one of them. Then they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in different languages, as the Spirit gave them ability for speech. [Acts 2:2-4]

Then Peter was filled with the Holy Spirit and said to them, “Rulers of the people and elders.”...When they had prayed, the place where they were assembled was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak God’s message with boldness....When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord carried Philip away, and the eunuch did not see him any longer. But he went on his way rejoicing. So the church throughout all Judea, Galilee, and Samaria had peace, being built up and walking in the fear of the Lord and in the encouragement of the Holy Spirit, and it increased in numbers. As they were ministering to the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, "Set apart for Me Barnabas and Saul for the work that I have called them to." ...Being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they came down to Seleucia, and from there they sailed to Cyprus. [Acts 4:8,31, 8:39, 9:31 13:2,4]

Inspiration of Scriptures—2 Peter 1:21
Empowerment of preachers—1 Peter 1:12
Illumination of hearts—1 Corinthians 2:6-16
Conviction of sinners—John 16:8
Regeneration of souls—John 3:5-8
Sealing of salvation—Ephesians 1:13
Indwelling of believers—1 Corinthians 6:19
Joining of members—1 Corinthians 12:13
Giving of gifts—Romans 12, 1 Corinthians 12
Sanctification of saints—2 Corinthians 3:18
Production of fruit—Galatians 5:22-23
Creation of intimacy—Romans 8:14-16

The most powerful words you can speak

2009-05-28T22:48:00.001-07:00

In Youth last night, one of the verses we looked at was Romans 1:16.

For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is God's power for salvation to everyone who believes, first to the Jew, and also to the Greek.

James talked about how powerful the tongue is.

With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men who are made in God’s likeness.

But when I think about it, I realize that most of the words we speak are limited in power. We may be able to (1) convey information, (2) change opinions, or (3) lift up or bring low emotionally. But when we speak the words of the gospel, the words we speak have the power to transform hearts!

There are plenty of aspects of this power: God promised His word would not return to Him empty, the word is sharper than a double-edged sword, the Holy Spirit illumines the hearer. There's plenty going on when we share the gospel. But the bottom line is, when you share the gospel, you are sharing the most powerful words you will ever speak. Your words can impact the eternal character and destiny of the person you are speaking to, and by extension, to all they may speak to, and all they may speak to, and so on.

So Paul wasn't ashamed of the gospel. He knew that no matter where he went, or whom he met, or what they had to say, the words he was bringing were the most important and powerful thing they would ever hear. It's still true today. God make us unashamed, and as Paul says in verse 15, eager to preach the good news!

Blogged with the Flock Browser

Biblical Experts Wanted

2009-05-26T23:22:00.001-07:00

The story of Larry Burkett inspires me. I can't find the more detailed version of the story right now, but as I remember it, he was motivated to search the Bible for every reference to money (I don't remember what got him started). By the time he had studied hundreds of direct and indirect references to money in Scripture, he had become something of an expert in what God had to say on the subject. Of course he went on to become an author and radio personality, among other things, but it all started very simple--he studied what the Bible had to say.

I think there's room for lots of "experts" in our churches. In a sense, every time I prepare to preach on a topic rather than a single passage, and I look up all the verses about that topic, I am becoming an expert on the topic, and that's why I'm qualified to speak on the matter in a sermon. But the church is not supposed to be about one or two staff pastors and a handful of Sunday School teachers doing all the teaching in the church--we all are called to build up the body in some way, and I suspect if more of us would do more learning, then more of us could do more teaching.

Ok, so maybe you don't want to start off by jumping into the deep end like Burkett did. To become an expert on "love" in the Bible, you'd have to study over 500 verses with the word "love," about 60 with "loves," over 100 with "loved," and a few with "loving." But there are plenty of more bite-sized topics to chew on. Here are some examples; maybe you can try one of these to start with.

about 60 verses with the word "disease"
about 55 verses with the word "ear"
about 12 verses with the word "hell"
about 35 verses with the word "lament"
about 40 verses with the word "naked"
about 60 verses with the word "pride"
about 95 verses with the word "rich"
about 80 verses with the word "tongue"
about 20 verses with the word "value"
about 75 verses with the word "witness"

This was just a random selection of searches in the Holman Christian Standard Bible. How about it? Are you ready to become a Biblical Expert?

Blogged with the Flock Browser

Two Services With No Drama?!

2009-05-25T20:26:00.000-07:00

Hard to believe, we didn't have a skit in either service this past Sunday. I can barely remember when a drama was an unexpected, even daring element in a Morning Worship service at Eastern Heights; now the skits are a regular, expected segment of the 11:00 hour (or hour-and-fifteen). But we try not to get into ruts too deeply, and aim to craft each service independently around the message of the sermon. This Sunday morning he was speaking on "whatsoever things are true," and rather than a drama, we did a demonstration based on some statistics from Barna. Their updates are always interesting. The one we culled from this week is called

Most American Christians Do Not Believe that Satan or the Holy Spirit Exist

Then, for the evening service we crafted a service that was dramatic in a lot of ways, but it didn't contain "a drama." People arrived and were directed downstairs where they got a "round trip ticket" and a "temporary passport" to heaven. Then they came up to the sanctuary, where we had a "throne" set up with a couple of large banners, and their ticket was collected. After an introduction, the service intertwined scripture, exposition, and congregational singing. At the end, in lieu of casting down crowns, which none of us have yet, everyone had a card on which they could express what they were giving to the Lord.

I got to do the intro. It was inspired by something Steve Harvey did on his DVD Don't Trip, He Ain't Through With Me Yet. If you watch it on Netflix you can go to about 1:12 or so and see him do what it would be like if he got to introduce the second coming. I didn't do his, but I tried to get the flavor of it similar!

So no drama? Maybe that's not exactly true, but no skit, and that's unusual these days.

Further Testing the System

2009-05-25T18:44:00.001-07:00

My SpiritForceMagic blog is feeding to MyChurch. Now I have to figure out how to blog to the system from Flock!

Blogged with the Flock Browser

Testing the system

2009-05-25T12:10:00.001-07:00

I'm trying to feed this blog to MyChurch, so I can then blog to MyChurch from Flock!