The Sheep and the Goats

Greedy Doctors or Forced Philanthropist

2010-04-20T08:54:00.003-05:00

I read an article a few weeks ago and have kind of been waiting to see how things played out. This might not be an interesting read for most, but it caught my interest so I'm passing it along with minimal comments of my own. Note that this is not meant to be political, but informative. Online sources: here, here and here.

Medicare uses a formula called the Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR) formula to calculate what physicians should be making for specific services (for Medicare patients). There is a supposed "widespread agreement" that the formula is "fatally flawed". As Medicare repeatedly reruns this formula, the results are the same; cut the payments to the physicians. Congress, in the past, has stepped in and prevented these pay-cuts from proceeding. The latest proposed pay-cut was supposed to be a 21.2% pay decrease to physicians and was supposed to take effect April 1^st. On April 19^th, the Senate voted to push out the start date from April 1^st to June 1^st, with plans to potentially extend the current payment plan into October.

"So what? How will this affect me?" you ask.

An online survey conducted by the Surgical Coalition, which represents 240,000 surgeons and anesthesiologists, received feedback from nearly 14,000 physicians. These are doctors from various specialty areas, including: Anesthesiology, Cardio-Thoracic Surgery, Colon and Rectal Surgery, Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, General Surgery, Neurosurgery, OB-GYN, Ophthalmology, Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Orthopaedic Surgery, Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery, Pediatric Surgery, Plastic Surgery, Urology, and Vascular Surgery.

A majority of the respondents claim that they "will be forced to make significant changes in their practices if the cut goes into effect and that timely access to surgical care will be jeopardized if Medicare payments continue to decline." The survey revealed that 96% of those who responded currently participate as Medicare practitioners. If this cut goes into effect, less than one third of them will "be able to remain as Medicare participating physicians."

When asked, "If Medicare reimbursement to physicians is cut by over 21%, what changes to your Medicare participation status do you plan to make?" Respondents answered:

37 percent will change their status to nonparticipating
31 percent plan on remaining a Medicare participating physician
29 percent will opt out of Medicare for two years and privately contract with Medicare patients
3 percent will remain a Medicare nonparticipating physician (this is the portion who were currently NOT participating – in other words, they would not change their status to "Participating")

I kind of like numbers, and these numbers are pretty easy to follow. Of the 14,000 who responded, approximately 13,580 currently participate in Medicare. 420 physicians who responded do not participate in Medicare. If the pay-cut goes into effect, 66% of the current participators will opt out or completely drop being a Medicare participator for a minimum of two years. This is an additional 8,960 physicians on top of the 420 physicians who already do not participate in Medicare, for a total of 9,380. This leaves approximately 4,600 physicians out of 14,000 that will participate in Medicare. Of the 31% of physicians who will still be Medicare participants, three-fourths say they will have to make changes in their practices over the next 12 months, such as "stop providing certain services, reduce staff, defer purchase of new medical equipment, and/or reduce time spent with Medicare patients." Keep in mind, this may be your doctor or specialist.

Below are a few quotes from online commenter's as well as respondents from the survey (they will be pasted in verbatim, so typos belong to the responders). Consider that some of these comments may be wild threats made by greedy doctors who only care about the "bottom line" (aka, their pocket-books). If these are greedy doctors using strong-arm tactics to sway the mind of Congress, it may be working. On the other hand, they may be compassionate practitioners in your town who do care about the patient and the well-being of the community, but truly can't afford to continue treating people at their own expense. We may never know which is which.

charles dupin
Mar 29, 2010

Currently my practice has about a 65% overhead. We therefore are making 35% profit in our relatively small practice. A 20% cut in medicare riembursement would reduce our profit to 15% (working for tips). If other carriers follow medicare, we will not be able to sustain our practice.

Barron O'Neal, MD
Mar 29, 2010

I provide many services at "break even" cost. I will discontinue those servises if the cost of providing those services is more than the reimbursement. Giving care away is one thing. Having to pay to give care away is too much. Barron O'Neal, MD

"I will elect not to perform complex surgery/high‐risk surgery unless it

is emergent and I will decrease elective cases."

General Surgeon

"I am in an academic facility. This could have a devastating impact on

the institution as a whole. The system is already financially strapped.

We are working at close to the breaking point in terms of providers

and resources."

Urologist

"I work in rural area and this will force me to close; the recession has

already put me on the edge with a 10% drop in revenue. Then there

will be no one serving this community's poor."

Orthopaedic Surgeon

"I will no longer be able to afford to do charity cases and will quit

doing them. I am the only cataract surgeon in the area who does

these cases."

Cataract Surgeon

"This will result in staff getting let go without much delay, and the

remaining will work harder."

Ophthalmologist

"This cut will result in longer waits as we cut back clinics due to lack of

staff, longer time to next available appointments and many patients

being turned away at the door. In addition this will negatively affect

the pipeline for people going in to surgery."

General Surgeon

"Medicare patients will essentially be standby only if I have no other

patients to see."

Orthopaedic Surgeon

Return of the Stunt Toad

2009-10-06T20:54:00.006-05:00

For those of you who visit our family journal, you may remember the video of the toad riding in the remote control truck. For those who missed it, go here. As luck would have it, we became the owners of another toad; and since the first toad had so much fun, we thought this one might like to ride as well. This time, we had safety first on our minds. Ross, with his skilled hands, crafted a crash helmet from a split, hollowed-out buckeye, complete with scarf (bread twistee-tie) waving in the wind behind him. (Disregard the masking tape holding the helmet on...hey, you gotta start somewhere. Note-to-self: use duct tape next time.)

Next, the toad is placed into position. You can feel the anticipation vibrating through the toads body. I'm not sure who is more excited at this point, the toad or us guys. Actually, I take that back. I'm pretty sure that we were more excited. The toad was probably a little more fearful (but he hid it well).

And finally, it's time to crack open the throttle and see how many horses this things got under it's hood...er...it actually doesn't have a hood. And it's really not that fast. Which is a good thing...because this could have turned out much worse than it did.

Before you call PETA, please know that no mammals were hurt during this stunt. His helmet actually stayed on until impact, which more than likely saved him from scrambling his brain. And we were pretty much able to stop the truck before it completely ran over him (sort-of).This concludes this episode of Stunt Toad.

And now a message from the star of the show, Stunt Toad himself - "Hey, tadpoles! Play it safe and don't get caught in the first place!"

It's not fair, really...

2009-10-05T07:51:00.002-05:00

...that it's my wife's birthday today, and I'm the one who gets blessed by the gift...of her.

I love you Eshell! Happy birthday!

If only...

2009-10-02T22:38:00.002-05:00

If only I could teach my children...No, if only I could SHOW my children to:

Be peacemakers
Turn the other cheek when struck on the right cheek
Willingly give up their shirt also when they are sued for their coats
Willingly carry the burden of one that uses them an extra mile
Love their enemies
Bless those that curse them
Do good to those that hate them
Pray for them that despitefully use them and persecute them
Forgive others their trespasses
Lay up their treasures in heaven
Serve God rather than mammon
Seek first the kingdom of God

"But that's not the American way".
No, but it is the way of the One we claim to follow.

Matthew 5-6

Turkey Killin'

2009-09-25T21:03:00.005-05:00

Ever wonder how an engineer butchers a turkey? Well, I was on vacation most of last week so I thought it would be a good time to butcher the already over-grown turkeys. The biggest problem with butchering birds is plucking. We've used a feather plucker before, but don't personally own one. The one we used in the past belonged to friends who live in the Angola area (which is too far to drive to butcher two turkeys). I thought I'd try a method I'd heard about "through the grapevine". Worked great!

First things first...separate the head from the body. No pictures of the massacre, although we did have quite the time keeping the huge birds from slipping out of the cinch we had them hanging upside down in.

Next...drain the blood.

Next...separate the skin from the neck. Insert a water hose. Pinch off the neck hole and turn on the water hose. NOTE: Make sure the hose is in between the skin and the neck; if you put the hose in the neck cavity, you have a whole new mess on your hands. WARNING: Don't play the video if your at all squirmy. It's not graphic but it does show me man-handling a dead, headless turkey.

The water fills up the turkey (actually separates the skin from the turkey) and, as you see, will burst the skin like an over-filled water balloon. Worked nice. Plus, running cold water over the turkey's freshly murdered flesh helps to cool the meat quicker.

Next...cut off the feet and wings. Ross (our oldest son; 14yo) did a nice job of this.

Move on to removing the skin. We've butchered and skinned chickens before without the water method. Terrible to skin. A feathery mess! The water, although making the bird a little more slippery, keeps the loose feathers more manageable.

Finally, you gut and rinse (Brookelyn [our oldest daughter; 12yo] did a great job). We finished up by wrapping in cellophane and bagging in a clean garbage bag before introducing them to the chickens in the freezer. Actually, we only put one into the freezer. The male we put into the fridge. We knew we were going to eat him over the weekend. And let me tell you, there's nothing like a fresh turkey. And the crazy thing was over 18lbs to-boot! We put him in our big roaster and the lid wouldn't even come close to fitting on. I rolled him onto his side and lid still wouldn't go. We ended up layering the top of the roaster with aluminum foil and setting the lid on top of that. What a meal.

And as for the vacation...didn't seem like a vacation. Had a great time, but Eshell ran me ragged. Two or three trips to Ohio. One to Lagrange. The zoo. Hiking. Read about it at our family journal blog.

A Bagel Victory

2009-09-05T20:10:00.001-05:00

My experiment is over. I have proven that a public shaming will motivate even the spiciest of people. The bagel delivery crew showed up last night. And true to her word...a burnt bagel was presented. After we laughed about the burnt bagel I asked "Okay, where are the real ones?" And wouldn't you know it, the sweet girl I wrote about earlier delivered as expected. And I was not in the least disappointed. These were the best bagels I have ever graced my mouth with. And if you know me, you can kind of deduce that I've graced my mouth with many bagels in the past. They were fresh; still warm even. We had to try one as soon as they left. I waited until they left so I wouldn't have to share with them. My mouth is watering right now just thinking about them.
Anyway, I thank you for the delicious bagels, Cassia. And for the world to see your ornery-ness, I present to you the Burnt Bagel.

No, I did not eat it. Only a fourteen year old boy would have eaten this.

Bagels

2009-09-03T18:59:00.003-05:00

We have some very dear friends with nine (9) children. They have two young boys, six sweet girls and one, um...one "spicy" one. You see, I have a problem. I love bagels. And wouldn't you know it, it's the spicy one who's famous for making bagels. I've been gently "encouraging" this family to produce the bagels (for me). And guess what...no bagels!! And above that, I'm being threatened that if I do get bagels, they will be burnt. This young lady is famous for her more-than-lightly-browned croutons. Well, my only response is, burnt bagels would be more than what I'm getting now; NO BAGELS!!!

In honor of the new look....

2009-08-11T21:24:00.003-05:00

In honor of the new look here at Sheep and Goats, an ode to pigs:

"A cat will look down to a man. A dog will look up to a man. But a pig will look you straight in the eye and see his equal."
-Winston Churchill

"Pigs are very beautiful animals...There is no point of view from which a really corpulent pig is not full of sumptuous and satisfying curves."
-G.K. Chesterton

"That'll do, Pig. That'll do."
-Arthur Hoggett from the movie Babe

8 Months

2009-07-31T22:18:00.003-05:00

Eight months is a long time to be silent. Does anyone ever visit here any more? Well, the name has changed again. Now it's "Life Lessons From the Egg Basket". We have moved...again. We are now in a small town near Warsaw, Indiana called Mentone. It claims the title "Egg Basket of the Midwest". And right in the middle of town, what do you suppose they have? That's right, a giant egg!! Not giant like ostrich giant. Giant like Godzilla passed through and laid an egg giant. (Is Godzilla a male or female?)
At any rate.We've had quite the adventure(s). I told you that we moved. That's only partially accurate. We've actually moved twice since the last time I posted. No, we are not running from the law (that I know of). We moved Eshell and the children from Michigan to a house in NW Ohio (rental) as I anticipated another job offer. Once the offer came in, I realized that the company I would soon be working for had received grant money from the state of Indiana, with the stipulation that the owner pull employees from Indiana or to Indiana from other places. How delighted I was that we would be moving again!
We were in Michigan for only about two years. It's a beautiful place to live in the summer and fall. Winters...not so much. The company I was working for was growing steadily and was a great place to work. Why did we move you ask? We wanted to get closer to family. A good friend of mine had started a business and he wanted me to work for him; and I wanted to work for him. We didn't seem to fit into the more progressive (liberal) culture of the area (college town...hippies running rampant).
We had a lot of trials in Michigan. Some we fared better than others. We struggled a lot. I struggled a lot. Although we made a lot of friends up there, we just didn't jive. I believe I suffered some spiritual blows, personally. And it's all in the way that I dealt with some of the trials. I tried to work through many issues on my own. I now realize (I always really knew) that I can't always fix things on my own; in my own strength. And I was neglecting my time with the Lord. We went through phases, but I feel that I returned home drained. I now need a refill. Lord, refill me!
He truly met our needs when we lost the baby in Michigan. God strengthened us and He had us in a church full of great people that helped us a ton. We endured drunk, stoned, adulterous neighbors. We even had to hike up and down the hill we lived on because our vehicles didn't always make it up the hill in the winter time. Some things we look back at and laugh. Some things still sting to think about. We'll make a trip back to Michigan in September to see for the first time Isaiah's headstone. It will have been two years. I don't know if I'm ready for that.
And now we're back to looking for a church in our area. No luck so-far. I know God wouldn't bring us back here to keep us in our drought. He has something for us, and I'm excited to see what it is. Almost giddy. So we press on.
We (Eshell and I) have been going through a time of restructuring. We need to make some changes in our lives and in our family. Now it's just trying to keep things balanced and in perspective, while maintaining focus on the LORD. He is teaching us things; bringing us to knew revelations (old revelations for some more spiritual then us). And He is good. And He is faithful. And He will bring us through.
I also brought back baggage from Michigan that I know need to dump. Coffee became a staple while in Michigan. When it snows for nine months straight, you need something to warm you up. Well, now that we're back in the South, I still have the habit (addiction). I've tried to cut back. Two weeks ago, I did pretty good. My boss was out of town (he usually supplies the coffee at work), but last week I was like a junkie looking for a fix. Just when I think I'm doing good (in my own strength), it hits me. And I know what will happen. When I do kick it, they'll introduce bacon flavored coffee. How could a man resist anything bacon-flavored? I'll be hooked again. Pray for me. Pray that Folgers will never introduce bacon-flavored coffee.
I know that some stuff seems petty. But I do struggle with some petty things.
And lastly, I have reluctantly joined the masses and entered into the world of Facebook (against my better judgment). I only have two friends, so get on over there and be my friend!! Just search for my name and look for the guy holding the pig. You can't miss him!!
That's all. But seriously, pray for my family as we work through changes. And more changes to come.

God is Still in Control...

2008-11-04T16:47:00.001-05:00

God is still in control, God is still in control, God is still in control, God is still in control, God is still in control, God is still in control, God is still in control, God is still in control…

No, these are not the lyrics to the latest praise and worship song. This is me reminding myself that no matter what happens this election day, God is still in control. Does that mean that after this election, it’s all smooth sailing from here on out? Certainly not. I’m a believer that sometimes God gives you what you want, regardless if it’s in your personal best interest. Some kings were put in place as a form of judgment. In fact, look at the conversational exchange when Israel started demanding a king. The LORD to Samuel:

1Sa 8:7 And the LORD said unto Samuel, Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee: for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I should not reign over them. 8 According to all the works which they have done since the day that I brought them up out of Egypt even unto this day, wherewith they have forsaken me, and served other gods, so do they also unto thee. 9 Now therefore hearken unto their voice: howbeit yet protest solemnly unto them, and shew them the manner of the king that shall reign over them. 10 And Samuel told all the words of the LORD unto the people that asked of him a king. 11 And he said, This will be the manner of the king that shall reign over you: He will take your sons, and appoint them for himself, for his chariots, and to be his horsemen; and some shall run before his chariots. 12 And he will appoint him captains over thousands, and captains over fifties; and will set them to ear his ground, and to reap his harvest, and to make his instruments of war, and instruments of his chariots. 13 And he will take your daughters to be confectionaries, and to be cooks, and to be bakers. 14 And he will take your fields, and your vineyards, and your oliveyards, even the best of them, and give them to his servants. 15 And he will take the tenth of your seed, and of your vineyards, and give to his officers, and to his servants. 16 And he will take your menservants, and your maidservants, and your goodliest young men, and your asses, and put them to his work. 17 He will take the tenth of your sheep: and ye shall be his servants. 18 And ye shall cry out in that day because of your king which ye shall have chosen you; and the LORD will not hear you in that day.

The LORD told Samuel, they will take your sons and daughters and land and crops and animals for themselves. Are you willing to give that? “Give us a king, just like the other lands!” was their reply. Now here we are. Faced with our own election of our own king. And yes, God did appoint the first king of Israel. Does God still appoint our rulers?

Rom 13:1 Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God.

Paul goes on to tell us to submit to the higher powers as they have been ordained by God. Do these higher powers always make the right decisions? Certainly not. Saul’s life ended in a tormented, bitter shambles. Look at what many rulers throughout history has done to the church. Even though, God was not dethroned by any of the earthly rulers. He is still on the throne and still in control. Where does that leave us?

1Ti 2:1 I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; 2 For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.

Voting may be our civil right, but prayer for the powers-that-be is our Christian duty. This does not mean all will be well in the land. That is for God to deal with. And no president elected will turn this nation into a “Christian Nation”. We do what we are commanded to do. God is still in control.

Imagine This Church

2008-11-03T13:41:00.003-05:00

But imagine this church: It is huge and is still numerically growing. People like it. The music is good. Whole extended families can be found within its membership. The people are welcoming. There are many exciting programs, and people are quickly enlisted into their support. And yet, the church, in trying to look like the world in order to win the world, has done a better job than it may have intended. It does not display the distinctively holy characteristics taught in the New Testament. Imagine such an apparently vigorous church being truly spiritually sick, with no remaining immune system to check and guard against wrong teaching or wrong living. Imagine Christians, knee-deep in recovery groups and sermons on brokenness and grace, being comforted in their sin but never confronted. Imagine those people, made in the image of God, being lost to sin because no one corrects them. Can you imagine such a church? Apart form the size, have I not described many of our American churches?

Mark Dever

Nine Marks of a Healthy Church, Crossway, 2000, p. 172.

Haven’t read this book, but may have to put it on my “to read” list.

Just Another Flawed Book

2008-10-26T20:37:00.002-05:00

I read the transcript of an interview a while back that's had me thinking. Then a conversation at work last week really cemented the detriment of the particular mind-set the interview portrayed.
The interview was between Shane Claiborne (interviewer) and Tony Campolo (interviewee). I'm only going to touch on very little of the actual interview which was from 2005 (I believe), but I'll link to it in it's entirety (as I read it) at the end.
The interview is titled "ON EVANGELICALS AND INTERFAITH COOPERATION". The first exchange has Shane asking Tony (an ordained minister in the American Baptist Church and professor emeritus of Sociology at Eastern University in St. Davids, Pennsylvania) to define "evangelical".
Campolo: An evangelical is someone who believes the doctrines of the Apostle's Creed. That outlines exactly what we believe in detail. Secondly, an evangelical has a very high view of scripture though not necessarily inerrancy. And the third thing—we believe that salvation comes by being personally involved with a living resurrected Jesus. So I've defined evangelical in those three terms. There is a doctrinal statement, so that there is some content to what we believe. There is a source of truth, Scripture. And there is a personal relationship with Jesus.
Well, I believe the doctrine of the Apostle's Creed, although I view it is a very compact, condensed definition of what I believe (without detail). It may explain the who/what, but doesn't even come close to explaining the why of Jesus Christ. I also believe deeply in being personally involved with the living resurrected Jesus. What bothers me is his second point. That "evangelicals" hold a very high view of scripture though not necessarily inerrancy. As soon as someone claims inerrancy of the scripture, all arguments are over. Nothing you say, no matter how firmed in scriptural foundation the claim may be, can always be written off as scriptural error. If our salvation comes through an emotional experience and a faulty book, I'll have to pass. I mean, as far as we know, the whole story of the death, burial and resurrection may be a fabrication or embelishment. Who is the special person who gets to pick and choose what is factual and what is not? At times, I like to think that might be the job for me, but when you step back and look at the big picture, how many lives are in the balance when we decide what stays and what goes in scripture.
Two of the guys I work with, one Catholic and one Lutheran, have been told all of their lives that the scriptures are nice stories set in place as examples, but aren't necessarily factual. This is obvious by the lifestyles of these people. The Catholic guy knows the scriptures somewhat (in the typical Catholic way), but the Lutheran not at all. The problem is, whatever I might say to them regarding the scriptures is usually scoffed at. One of them asked a biblical question last week. I usually begin my answer with "if you believe the scriptures as literal...". For some reason, this time I said it it caused the Lutheran guy to say with a smirk "Of course. Is there any other way?" I understand that I only plant the seeds and God brings the harvest. All I can do is keep throwing it and hope that something sticks. Unfortunately, they are pre-programmed to take anything they might hear that might even vaguely sound scriptural skeptically. When I was young and learning the Bible, if I'd been told that I was a sinner and I was going to die and spend an eternity in hell; but Jesus, God in flesh, came to this earth to pay for my sins so that I could live forever - that the Bible said it and it was true; BUT where the Bible says that women shouldn't teach the men or that divorce is unacceptable...these are errors in the scripture. I would have walked away as the Lutheran guy has. I think we tread thin ice when we claim that the scriptures are full of errors and that we as humans can decide which is which.
Who knows, maybe I'm too shallow. Maybe too deep? Too uneducated? All of the above? I know, I've ranted on this before. There's a lot more to the interview than what I've mentioned. A lot more that I'd like to address here if I can make the time. I also have books by these two gentlemen in queue to be read (when I get the time). Maybe that will shed more light on what is true and what is not in the Bible. I'll let you know.

Interview link: here

Disarming Iran With Biscuits and a Hockey Stick

2008-10-03T20:16:00.008-05:00

Disclaimer: Although I didn't want to blog politics this election year, circumstances have forced me to reconsider. Besides, this has a spiritual twist.

Setting the stage:

There is a debate brewing on whether or not Sarah Palin, a professing Christian, should be running for Vice President of the United Sates. The debate I’m referring to does not even bring into account whether or not she is qualified as a political candidate; but if she is permitted to, scripturally, as a wife and mother. Maybe “permitted” is a poor choice of words, as Paul said that “All things are lawful for me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but all things edify not” (1Cor. 10:23). Many on the ultra-conservative side are claiming Titus 2:5 (“keepers at home”) as to why she should not be running; saying she has small children at home, one being special needs (downs syndrome I believe), that she needs to tend to.

One of the conservatives who have spoken out about her campaign is Doug Phillips, President of "Vision Forum", a Texas based ministry. He claims that this is a huge black eye for Christians.

"The Palin selection is the single most dangerous event in the conscience of the Christian community in the last 10 years at least," said Doug Phillips, president of Vision Forum, a Texas-based ministry. "The unabashed, unquestioning support of Sarah Palin and all she represents marks a fundamental departure from our historic position of family priorities -- of moms being at home with young children, of moms being helpers to their husbands, the priority of being keepers of the home."

Neither supporter nor opposer can deny the fact that she has certainly boosted the McCain campaign. And other Christians don't seem to mind. In fact, they claim that Deborah, Esther and Sarah (Abraham's wife) all had special callings from God.

Barbara Barrick, (a) women's ministry coordinator, said she looks to Deborah, a prophetess and judge, as a biblical example of a female leader. Ennis cited Abraham's wife, Sarah, and Queen Esther as other women called by God for special missions.

Looking at both sides of the issue:

Although, I think many conservative Christians were going to drag their feet to the voting booths this year, John McCain was more than likely going to get the majority of their votes. Why? Just because. Most Christians have a weird image of Jesus Christ being a Republican. But I do think that those that are less conservative were split; with many abandoning the pachyderm party and jumping on the pack animal party (see how I did that, with the pach and pack?).

For Doug Phillips to say that selecting Sarah Palin as John McCain's running mate is the "single most dangerous event in the conscience of the Christian community in the last 10 years" is awfully bold. We as Christians have allowed a lot into the Church in the last ten years that, in my opinion, has done far worse damage to the home and to the image of Christ than Sarah Palin running for VP. Yes, he is completely accurate that in Titus, Paul does exhort older women to teach the younger women to be "keepers at home" (KJV) or "workers at home" (ASV) or even "managers of their households" (ISV). Why was this not brought up while she was a governor? Perhaps because she's the governor of...Alaska. Most had never heard of her before. But, Doug, why the offense with her being a Christian and working as VP of the USA. Most churches in America are made up of dual income families. And a role-reversal of the once-typical "male = breader winner" to "female = bring home the bacon" is becoming common-place...in the church. But it doesn't make it right. Because it's widely accepted is not a stamp of approval from God. In fact, many times it's the opposite. If we can take the Bible literally to mean that women should be "keepers" at home, or as the Greek says "a guard" or "stayer at home", than this is what the Holy Spirit meant when He inspired Paul to write it. This also means it applies to the female bank tellers, store clerks, factory workers, engineers, teachers, etc...also.

Should we withhold our vote from the big R because she is now on the ticket? Ooohh, who's to say?

As for Barbara Barrick, a few details many of the more liberal persuasion like to overlook. Sarah (or a female in general) was pretty much the only option to be used to usher in God's people; being Abraham's wife and all. And don't play like Abraham had nothing to do with it. We know how Isaac was conceived! And don't forget how Abraham got into the situation to conceive Ishmael. HIS NAGGING WIFE! Yes God used Sarah, and she was blessed for it. But Abraham wasn't going to do it on his own. And Deborah was not God's first choice if you remember correctly. Only when the man would not heed God's call was she able to step up. And don't try to tell me that their are no conservative Christian men in the United States political arena to run with John McCain! This has clearly been an attention-getting scheme from the beginning. The Repubs saw how well received a female was across the aisle (Hillary) and thought this would be a great way to "glean" some of those votes. Plus, she is what the conservatives want in a president. She is what John McCain is not. She's not wishy-washy on abortion. She appears to be relatively fiscally responsible. She's personable. She's young. None of which is John McCain.

So, personally, I believe that Doug is right in saying that Sarah Palin needs to be home taxiing her children to hockey practice and baking biscuits. But to say this, it applies to every other mother who claims Christ as LORD. No, it's not apples-to-apples comparison. I'm sure the duties of VP will keep her from her family more than being a teacher or bank teller would. But it's a direct conflict to the call of "keeper at home" none-the-less. And I don't think the "Deborah" argument gets a pass either. Sure God uses women. Look at Susanna Wesley, home schooling stay-at-home mother of John and Charles Wesley.

I do think that Doug Phillips did sum it up well when he said "It's more important for us to truthfully represent the priorities of Scripture than it is for us to win an election." Maybe he sees it as a ploy of the GOP as well. Or maybe he's plotting to deny her the White House in hopes of driving her back to the kitchen where she can make her famous biscuits and moose-gravy. Not likely.

Online Source: here

Velvet Elvis for President

2008-06-27T04:53:00.003-05:00

This catchy title comes from two books that I recently finished. The first I finished about a month ago. It is "Velvet Elvis" by Rob Bell. Rob appears to be an interesting character. He seems to be very knowledgeable in Jewish history and rabbinical law. This intrigued me. Just a couple things I have with Rob is that he feels the Bible was written to a different people group, the Hebrew people. He makes it seem as if you can't completely understand what God has for you (through the Bible) unless you have a full grasp of Hebrew lifestyle, history and culture. I may be reading this into the book, but it certainly struck me. I believe that God also had US in mind also when the authors penned the text. I also believe that the text has been preserved for us and that it's just as meaningful to us as it was to the original recipients.
Rob seems like a very likable person, and if we didn't talk Theology, we'd probably get along great. He may be a bit philosophical and quirky for me. Some quotes from the book that I liked:

"The thought of the word church and the word marketing in the same sentence makes me sick." (pg99)

"Christian is a great noun and a poor adjective." (pg84)

"It is one thing to be forgiven; it is another thing to become more and more and more and more the person God made you to be." (pg108)

"It is one thing to be saved. To believe in Jesus. It is another thing to be healed. It is possible to be saved and miserable. It is possible to be saved and not be a healthy, whole, life-giving person. It is possible for the cross to have done something for a person but not in them. What happened to me is that I realized I believed in Jesus and thought of myself as "saved" and "redeemed" and "reborn", yet massive areas of my life were unaffected. I learned that salvation is for ALL of me. I learned that Jesus wants to heal my soul - now." (pg110)

If I had to pick one passage to sum up the book itself, it would probably be: "To keep reforming...theology; the belief about God, Jesus, the Bible, salvation, the future. We must keep reforming the way the Christian faith is defined, lived and explained." (pg12)
I only buy into this in as much as the church has strayed from Christ's original purpose. If we reform just to reform, I believe we continue to distance her from her Groom. If we reform just to bring more people in through the doors, then we, once again, have bypassed her purpose. I do agree that the church is in great need of re-form. To find her original form.
The book was a fun read. I personally don't think the Bible is as hard to understand than he makes it out to be; but I also realize that we will never fully comprehend the great depth of the scripture. The Holy Spirit is a sufficient teacher to open our hearts to passages. There's nothing wrong with wrestling with the scripture, but when a teacher like Rob airs out his doubts about passages, he doesn't understand the damage and disservice he does to the scripture. Rob has a huge following. Many would take anything he says without comparing it to the light of the scripture. That's the dangerous part. On the other hand, many would not even read a word Rob Bell writes because of something they may have heard about him. I'm somewhere in the middle. I found a lot of his thoughts in his book that I disagreed with. I also found some parts in his book that really challenged me. I could not be an attendee at his church, but I may read more of his work. To sum it up, I'll quote another passage from his book about his book; "Test it. Probe it. Do that to this book. Don't swallow it uncritically. Think about it. Wrestle with it. Just because I'm a Christian and I'm trying to articulate a Christian world-view doesn't mean I've got it nailed." (pg 87) Anyone who reads, watches or listens to Bell or any other preacher/teacher of the gospel needs to keep this in mind.

The second book I just finished last night is "Jesus for President: Politics for Ordinary Radicals" co-authored by Shane Claiborne and Chris Haw. Another interesting read. This is a book I had no intentions of reading, but I saw it displayed on the "New Books" shelf at the library. The title actually drew me in. Shane and crew definitely fit the radical label. Not entirely in a bad way. He wrote a lot of things in the book that challenged me also. The most that I got out of the book is "how are we living out the gospel"? Honestly. We hear about taking care of the sick, the poor, the imprisoned. But what are we doing about it? Now there's much more to the book than what I just stated. Much of it that, once again, I thought he took much liberty in his construing of scriptures. But the challenging parts are truly that, challenging. In an over-indulging society, we have really neglected many of the commands and examples of Christ to go to and meet the needs of the needy. Even if it means getting dirty or going without a meal. I'm guilty! But it's not enough for me to just admit my guilt, how will I change? I can't say right now. I don't know right now.
A few quotes I enjoyed from the book:

"Laws enforced by the sword control behavior but cannot change hearts, no matter how sharp the sword is. The redemption of the cross does what laws and bullets and bombs can never do - bring transformation of evildoers and enemies." quote from Greg Boyd, Myth of a Christian Nation
"Another practice is to avoid the language of hype. "Engaging culture" is a big goal for Christians these days. And the best way to do this, so the logic goes, is with the style of the culture at large. We'll need some websites to change the world, and so we'll need some catchy titles, phrases, and images to create "a movement." And of course any good movement has T-shirts, hip words, bumper stickers and slogans (oh yes, and wrist bands).

I don't believe Shane is doing what he's doing to try to start a cool new movement. I think Shane is living out the gospel as Shane understands the gospel. I certainly can't fault him for that. I don't know if I would go to the extremes that Shane goes to, such as the protests and such. I think we need to avoid governmental and state conflict. Shane seems to enjoy it. And some of his antics are certainly humorous. He strikes me as very anti-establishment. He also seems to draw much from the Catholic Church. I'm not sure what his background is. This book will not tell you how to vote this election year, though.
The book goes through the history of God's people. From Adam and Eve through the Hebrew people and God's deliverance from Egypt to His people demanding a king. He tries to establish an understanding of the start of mans establishment. And how we put our faith in trust in these establishments. He speaks a lot to this. About where we put our faith in trust.
I enjoyed the book. I may also read more of his work.
With both books, I don't think I would ever give them to a knew convert or to someone who wants to know more about the gospel. I think that these books need to be read, once again, in the light of the scripture. I think that these books may confuse and/or frustrate someone not well grounded in their faith. They were both interesting, quick reads. Both were challenging at times. I don't know if I got enough out of them to hold a Bible study based on them. I feel I would do more skipping and correcting than actually teaching. Just remember to read and listen to all things in comparison to scripture. If it doesn't measure up, then don't let it "re-form" your theology and doctrine. Take what's good and pass on the rest.
I may post more on my thoughts of these books as time passes and things come to mind. God bless.

Sin...Seriously?

2008-05-13T04:22:00.002-05:00

How seriously should we take sin? Sin in our lives? Sin in the Church? What did Jesus say about sin in our lives? If we have an offending body part, what should we do with it?
Matthew 5:
29 And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.
30 And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.
Many people, especially today, say this is completely figurative. Many people, especially today, are too accepting of sin. I'm not promoting self-mutilation or dismemberment. I'm am proposing that you stop sinning by any means necessary. Jesus commanded that you get rid of the sinning member. To cast out/off that which leads to sin. To separate from it.
There was a man in the Corinthian church that refused to stop sinning. What was Paul's advice to the leaders of this church?
1 Corinthians 5:
1 It is reported commonly that there is fornication among you, and such fornication as is not so much as named among the Gentiles, that one should have his father's wife.
2 And ye are puffed up, and have not rather mourned, that he that hath done this deed might be taken away from among you.
3 For I verily, as absent in body, but present in spirit, have judged already, as though I were present, concerning him that hath so done this deed,
4 In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when ye are gathered together, and my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ,
5 To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.
6 Your glorying is not good. Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump?
7 Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened.
Why would he take such a drastic measure? In verse 7, Paul said that this one man in the church was contaminating the whole body. Paul was willing to send this man to his grave early (destroy the flesh) so that he might retain his salvation, and so the church could clean itself up. One more passage.
Deuteronomy 21:
18 If a man have a stubborn and rebellious son, which will not obey the voice of his father, or the voice of his mother, and that, when they have chastened him, will not hearken unto them:
19 Then shall his father and his mother lay hold on him, and bring him out unto the elders of his city, and unto the gate of his place;
20 And they shall say unto the elders of his city, This our son is stubborn and rebellious, he will not obey our voice; he is a glutton, and a drunkard.
21 And all the men of his city shall stone him with stones, that he die: so shalt thou put evil away from among you; and all Israel shall hear, and fear.
God tells Moses that this is how to deal with an unruly child. Why so drastic? To keep sin out of the camp. Just as a little bit of leaven effects the whole lump of dough, so sin effects the whole family, church...etc. When we look the other way with sin in our own lives or in our church, for one we are not dealing with it the way Jesus Christ commanded. And two, we are allowing sin to spread and fester within the body, when really the infection needs cut out and cast aside. But asking someone to leave the church if they continue in their sin just doesn't sound Christian, does it? Well, if you don't like that idea, try Paul's. Turn him over to Satan for the destruction of his flesh. We need to flush sin from our churches, and we need to start in our own lives...by any means necessary.

Quote

2008-05-07T10:20:00.001-05:00

A quote from King James VI, the king who commissioned the translation of the Bible into the English language in 1604 (completed in 1611):

"Holiness [is] the first and most requisite quality of a Christian (as proceeding from true fear and knowledge of God)."

Probably won’t hear this from too many American pulpits today.

Odds and Ends

2008-05-06T05:52:00.006-05:00

Odds:
A quote from the interim pastor at our church. He couldn't remember where he heard it from. Very true nonetheless.
"When we inoculate the world with a weak gospel, they become immune to the true gospel."
Then, when asked what he attributed the lack of dedication and sincerity in the church to, his response was:"The lack of sin being preached. People don't realize how lost they are. They think that they're good people. Why would good people have a need for a savior?" Great thoughts. It kind of surprised me to hear him say this, though. I kind of thought he was a bit too soft on sin from the pulpit.
Ends:
I had a discussion with one of the leaders in our church a couple weeks ago. He mentioned that one of the congregates asked him about the potential new ministers wife working outside of the home. The leader mentioned his opinion on Titus chapter 2. He feels that it's greatly misused. He feels that we need to focus more on the "keepers" part and not so much on the "home". Here's the passage in question:
Titus 2:
2:3 The aged women likewise, that they be in behaviour as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things;
2:4 That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children,
2:5 To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed.
How can we separate the "keepers" from the "home"? Strong's Greek dictionary says that "keepers at home" is: oy-koo-ros'
From G3624 and οὖρος ouros (a guard; be “ware”); a stayer at home, that is, domestically inclined (a “good housekeeper”): - keeper at home.
A guard...I would think you should be AT home to guard your home. A stayer at home...pretty self explanatory. Domestically inclined? Domestic comes from the Latin domesticus <>domus (house, home). I'm not buying into it. One other thing to note is that this leaders wife also works outside of the home. Maybe he's a little defensive. If a husband and wife agree that the woman works outside of the home, than the woman should work outside of the home. I don't think it's best for the family, but that's just my opinion. But don't distort the scripture to make it agree with your lifestyle.

The Great Falling Away?

2008-04-15T06:07:00.001-05:00

2 Thessalonians

2:1 Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him,

2:2 That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand.

2:3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;

2:4 Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.

Paul wrote the epistle of 2 Thessalonians in response to questions developed from his first letter to them. They obviously had concerns regarding Christ's second coming.

I believe that this should be understood prophetically. I believe that someone (anti-christ) will rise up and position himself in a literal place of worship. How many have set themselves up "as God" in the temple of their own hearts? Watch this YouTube video of Oprah's latest book club. I understand that some may say this is a hit-piece against her, but allow her own words to incriminate her.

Oprah

Notice at approximately 1:00 minute into the video, Oprah states that there are "many paths to what you call god; that her path might be something else. And when she gets there, she might call it the light." She goes on to say that "loving, kindness, generosity brings her...if it brings her to the same point it brings you, it doesn't matter if she called it "god" along the way or not."

She also states that "There couldn't possibly be just one way..." An audience member asks "What about Jesus?" Oprah blasts back "What about Jesus?!" From the audience member "There is one way and only one way and that's through Jesus." Then Oprah exhorts again " There couldn't possibly be just one way!" And to sum it all up...from the audience member "Because YOU say there isn't one way".

At about 3:00 minutes into the video, she tries to reconcile her hybrid of christianity to spiritualism. She flounders. When she was in her late 20's, she got hung up about God being a jealous God. This sent her on her journey to enlightenment. It's also stated that "God is a feeling experience and not a believing experience". Very interesting. How many followers does she have? How many people take what Oprah says without a doubt or consideration?

Maybe Oprah should stick to giving away cars and helping girls in Africa get an education rather than being a spiritual guide. Just a suggestion.

Here's another video of a prominent individual in our culture. George W. Bush claims that the muslim Allah and the Christian God are the same thing. And that muslims will join those of us in heaven that are saved by God.He will not say, however, that Osama bin Laden's Allah is our God. A couple of quotes from GWB:

"Well, first of all, I believe in an almighty God, and I believe that all the world, whether they be Muslim, Christian, or any other religion, prays to the same God. That's what I believe. I believe that Islam is a great religion that preaches peace." (Online Source)

"I have spoken clearly about my belief that -- I pray to the same God as a Muslim prays; that the freedom agenda is really aimed at liberating people, and that the hope is, is that there will be an active, real Palestinian state, so people can realize their dreams." (Online Source)

"And the best way to achieve better understanding in the world is for folks just to get together, and get to understand that we share the same God, and we share the same aspirations for children and for our futures." (Online Source)

So do all roads lead to God-Light-Allah, or just the ones that our leaders (Oprah and GWB) pick. Just curious.

Matthew 24:24 - For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.

Whiter than Snow on Easter Sunday

2008-03-23T20:53:00.002-05:00

What made Jesus different than the Old Testament prophets?

John chapter 2 tells of Jesus turning plain water into wine.
II Kings chapter 4 tells of Elisha turning a poisonous pot of stew into an edible pot of stew.

Matthew chapter 14 tells of Jesus supernaturally feeding 5000 people.
I Kings chapter 17 tells of Elijah supernaturally providing food for a widow and her son for "many days".

Matthew chapter 9 tells of Jesus raising Jairus' dead daughter to life.
I Kings chapter 17 also tells of Elijah raising the widow's son from the dead.

Matthew chapter 9 also tells of Jesus healing two blind men and a mute.
II Kings chapter 5 tells of Elisha healing Naaman of leprosy.

We woke up this Easter morning to three fresh inches of powdery snow. This area of the country has been trying to grunt the birth of spring for a couple weeks now. Our 30" of snow on the ground has been burned back to about 20", and the snow that was left was hard, crusty and dirty brown. What an object lesson to awaken on Easter morning to a fresh white covering of snow; appearing to once again purify all that is around it. King David said in Psalm 51:7 "Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow".

So, what made Jesus different than the Old Testament prophets?

Matthew 9:2, Jesus told the man with palsy "Son, be of good cheer: thy sins be forgiven thee". Only the God of heaven would dare make a statement so bold. And only God could make good on this word spoken to the man with palsy. This surely was the God of heaven incarnate. Only He can forgive us our sins. Only He can wash us and make us whiter than snow!
I trust that your Easter was a blessed one, and that your thoughts of His sacrifice will continue throughout the year. God bless!

A Different Crucifixion - Revisited

2008-03-21T06:20:00.002-05:00

I wrote this post in March of '05. Since posting's been kind of slow lately, I thought I'd re-post it. If I took the time to re-write this, I maybe would have changed a few things, but here it is in it's original glory. Ironically, I've been reading through Romans lately. Just yesterday I covered chapter 6. Keep in mind that I wrote this after Easter weekend, originally. And please read through the passage to make the connection. God bless!

With this last weekend being Easter weekend, I did quite a bit of thinking about the crucifixion and the resurrection, obviously. My thoughts were on Jesus Christ and what He did for us by saving us from our sins. Not only saving us from the penalty of our sins, but for saving us from having to sin. I know we never have to sin, but we do. My mind was on the crucifixion of another person; myself.

Romans 6

¹ What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? ² God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein? ³ Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? ⁴ Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. ⁵ For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection: ⁶ Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. ⁷ For he that is dead is freed from sin. ⁸ Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him: ⁹ Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him. ¹⁰ For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God. ¹¹ Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. ¹² Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. ¹³ Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God. ¹⁴ For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.

I was never taught this growing up. I was taught that I will fight against sin and struggle with sin my whole life. I was taught that I will sin and, for the most part, there was nothing that I could do about it. The main scripture that I was taught was 1 John 1:9 “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” A free pass to sin, right? And I did. I committed sins with every intention of asking forgiveness for it later. I felt this odd, but it went along with the teaching I'd heard. Had I ever been shown this passage in Romans (v.1), I would have known better (serves me right for not studying on my own).

I don't claim to be a perfect human. I don't claim to be sinless. With the death of Jesus, with me following Him into His death, He frees us from the bondage of sin. If He says we are dead to sin, do you think He expects us to have to conquer sin on our own. When we were resurrected with Him, we were resurrected with His power to combat sin.

When we do sin, we, being a new creature clothed with Jesus, take Jesus into that sin with us. It is not our “old man” sinning. Our old man is crucified and dead (v.6). The old man is not resurrected. If we say that our old man still lives, we say one of two things. We are not saved because we did not crucify the old man; or Jesus Christ's crucifixion was not sufficient and needs to be crucified again. We know this not to be true because of verses 9 and 10.

When we are under law, or our physical self trying to live a sinless life (or our sinful self), we are condemned by the law. We are married to that law. We want to be rid of that law and be under (or marry) grace, but we can't be married to Christ and His grace while we are married to the law. We need to wait until our first marriage partner (law) is dead. When the law is dead (allowing the old man to be crucified) we are then free to be bound to Jesus Christ and His grace. This is Romans 7:1-4.

This isn't difficult to comprehend, but it is contrary to what I have been taught. I find this right in scripture (as you see above). Jesus is not going to give me a commandment not to sin and then just leave me to figure it out on my own. He has taken care of it already. We just need to claim it. Why do we set people up to sin. Why do we expect it. It's because we have given them a free pass to sin by using the 1 John passage. This has been used by those who have tried to justify their own sin by saying we are all going to sin so get used to it; oh, and by the way, you're baptized now so here's your “get-out-of-jail-for-free” card. Yes, we are free to confess our sins to be forgiven, but this is not something we should be abusing, taking for granted or taking advantage of. This should be a rare occasion. Not something that we include in our form prayer every night before bed. This should be a sorrowful occasion. Like King David's confession in Psalm 51. He didn't weep just because he had been caught in a “big” sin. He wept and cried out to the Lord because he had sinned against God. No, this probably was not his first sin, but I'm sure he didn't hold on to the philosophy of 1 John 1:9 as a trump card either. I think we too often do.

These were my thoughts this weekend. We freely sin, hoping God's grace doesn't run out, rather than living holy lives. We want to hold on to the “old man” as a scape-goat. We need to wake up to the realization that Christ has already settled this. I think Satan makes us think it's harder than it really is. He puffs himself up by whispering to us that we have no power over sin. Sin is going to happen so just let it happen. Sin should not just happen. Our sinful self was crucified with Jesus. Let's act that way. Have you been crucified, yet?

Global Warming...again

2008-03-10T13:15:00.001-05:00

Maybe I missed something. Or maybe I’m not taking this serious enough. Not only is the Vatican adding “ruining the environment” to the list of mortal sins, but the Southern Baptists are now actively taking a stance to stop global warming. 46 key members of the SBC criticized their denomination for being too timid when it comes to global warming. They say their passivity comes across as uncaring, reckless and ill-informed to the world. They should add that their stance against homosexuality comes across as uncaring; their stance against abortion comes across as reckless; and their stance against female clergy is ill-informed (all according to the world). Since when do we worry about how the world views the Church. The Church doesn’t belong to the world, it belongs to Jesus Christ. We should be worried what HE thinks about it. Once again, maybe He is worried how we’re viewed by the alarmists that are the global warming crowd. Maybe I have it all wrong. And as for the Catholic Church adding “mortal sins” willy-nilly, what more can you say. It’s the Catholic Church. If you follow the link and read the article, it sounds like they’re more concerned about their confessional rates plummeting. Maybe this is a way to draw more people in?

Inconsistent?

2008-02-26T15:01:00.000-05:00

Bobby Cutts Jr. admitted to killing his girlfriend and their unborn baby girl. He was convicted of aggravated murder of the unborn fetus and was convicted of plain old murder in the death of his girlfriend. The aggravated murder charge could cost him life in prison if not his own life (death penalty).

My question: How can he be guilty of killing an unborn baby and face capital punishment for it, if we are completely permitted (and encouraged in some cases) to abort (kill) an unborn baby with the aid of a doctor or “medication”? I know this isn’t the first instance of someone being charged with murder for the death of a (wanted) fetus, but this story got me thinking about it again.

We bumped this question around at work a bit today. Two of the guys I work with agreed with the complete nonsense and inconsistency of this. The last guy spun the conversation to promote his opinion on the abortion issue (he’s never shy about voicing his opinions). “I believe they should just draw a line and name the date that a child can live outside the womb without a bunch of wires and hoses. Anything before that date is acceptable.” The problem is naming a date that everyone could agree on. Knowing that development isn’t fully complete until the last couple weeks; does this mean that abortion should be legal until the 36^th to 40^th week? And not every child develops at the same rate. I reminded him of our baby that was born in September that didn’t make it. Babies are born frequently at his age and go on to live very normal lives. How is a doctor to know what kind of support a child will need before the birth? Some assumptions can be made, but to allow this to be the deciding factor of life or death of a child is horrendous at best. It’s been proven time and time again where a doctor, after some fancy test, states that a child will be born laden with disease and disability, only to be proven wrong at the delivery.

Any admitted Pro-Choice supporter should be outraged that this man is being charged with aggravated murder for the death of his unborn daughter. This shakes the very foundation that they stand on. If this was indeed a living baby in his girlfriend’s womb, and not a blob of tissue as Pro-Choicers would have you believe, then every aborted fetus, too, is a living life and should be fought for. Every doctor performing abortions and every nurse assisting should stand the same trial as Mr. Cutts.

Where is the consistency?

The 21st Century Christian

2008-02-21T20:55:00.002-05:00

The average 21st Century Christian doesn't care one way or the other as long as the local church has a lively worship leader, a good anger-management counselor, a singles class where divorcees can pair up again, and everyone can enjoy a "whole lot of love". In this post-doctrine age, the kingdom is something you feel, and Christianity has been re-defined as love, tolerance, and forgiveness, rather than righteousness and judgment. Truth is so little valued that the mere proclamation of it only causes more division.

Michael Pearl from Eight Kingdoms: The Kingdom of God and the Kingdom of Heaven

America's "Pastors"

2008-02-20T07:01:00.000-05:00

1 Corinthians 1:18For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God. 19For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent. 20Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this world? hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? 21For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe. 22For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom: 23But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness; 24But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God. 25Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men. 26For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called: 27But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; 28And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: 29That no flesh should glory in his presence. 30But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption: 31That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.

Aren't we clever? We can make up little skits and prepare nice, helpful messages and bring thousands into the church building. Because we're bringing thousands into the church building, how many of those are true converts? How many are added to THE Church? How many are walking in truth and holiness? We may have several thousand on our roll, but how many are listed in the Lamb's Book of Life? I guess it's not for us to know here and now. I do know that the Lord adds to THE Church...not man. Man just packs the building.

I've seen and heard a lot of America's Pastors lately saying things that are completely un-Biblical. They are redefining “spiritual” or theological words; claiming other ways to salvation apart from Christ alone and even making statements that God is completely happy with who you are and how you live (this last statement made to a crowd of non-believers). I don't argue that men like Rick Warren and Joel Osteen (the two I've seen most) aren't highly energetic, persuasive people. I don't argue that they are not talented people. I wouldn't even argue that they haven't helped thousands of people find better lives for themselves. But to market themselves as preachers of the gospel? This is heresy! Motivational speakers? Certainly! Self-help teachers? Sure. Humanistic teachers? Absolutely. They are teaching humanism in the highest form.

As they continue to water down the gospel, saying that you can simply add a Jesus to your life that's completely satisfied with who you are in your current state of sin and that he wants to reward you with prosperity, they are changing the face and heart of Christianity for the world to see. It's obvious why we are being mourned for by churches in persecuted countries. They are redefining words like sin (now it's like a candy coated cereal treat; not really good for you, but completely acceptable), holiness, sanctification and on and on. Those who only drink from this well will continue to thirst.

As the above passage states, when we bring our wisdom to the table, it is true foolishness. When our marketing geniuses develop a ploy to pack the seats, it's utter nonsense to the One who sacrificed Himself for our sins. How does Jesus feel when we change His message...His story. When we feel we need to massage the gospel so that it's not as offensive? This is the most cherished, loving and merciful message ever! God has given us the recipe to change lives. He has given us the words to speak. We have the power of God. So why do we come up with catchy themes, shocking language and giveaways (seriously, I saw where a church was giving away two 52” flat screen TV's just for showing up for church; another church up here gave away a pick-up truck last year). I'm convinced that it's not our jobs to get people into our buildings by any means necessary. I believe it's our job to preach the true gospel of Jesus Christ and let the Holy Spirit motivate to change lives. Let the Lord add to THE Church. As for these hirlings, they have made and continue to make a mockery of the church and the sacrifice that Jesus made.

Back By Popular Demand

2008-02-18T11:44:00.000-05:00

Another weather report!

Because my wife loves to hear about the weather up here, here’s another installment. We got clobbered again yesterday. We had a minimum of six inches on the ground all over and drifts up to three feet deep that we had to shovel this morning. Schools again were canceled. This additional snow is on top of the 20-25” base that we already had on the ground. While my son and I were vigorously shoveling this morning, my wife popped her lovely head out the door. I was waiting for “Boy, you guys are sure doing a great job!” Instead, I heard “They’re calling for another seven inches today…you’re wasting your time”. Talk about taking the wind out of your sails. She pulled her head back inside before I could sock her with a snowball. We finished up shoveling and I made it to work.

Quick Stats:

Snow to date this season: 127” (that’s over 10 ½ feet)

Deviation from normal: -.8”

Snow depth (on average): 20”

We also had the running of the UP 200 this weekend. This is a shorter version of the Alaskan Iditarod. The dog teams left downtown Marquette, MI between 7:10pm and 8:00pm in two minute intervals on Friday night. They mushed to Grand Marais, MI and returned to Marquette (240 miles round trip) Sunday afternoon. This was a great time to experience a little bit of culture that you don’t find in the southern states. I also have an open offer extended to drive one of the teams of a couple we know. They assure me that the dogs know what they’re doing; I just need to hold on to the sled. We’ll see about that.

I do have other posts in the works. It’s just a matter of getting the time to pull them out of my head and onto the keyboard. I had to get this one done, though. Not only does my wife love living in this frozen tundra, she loves to hear about it.

From the Desk of Mike Farris

2008-02-12T16:16:00.001-05:00

This letter was forwarded to us by friends of ours. We are not currently part of the HSLDA (Home School Legal Defense Association) but are big fans of their service/ministry. If you are a home school family, you’ve at least heard of HSLDA. They are a reputable organization. After a few articles that I’ve read lately (here’s one and here’s another just to link two), I don’t think this is just an unsubstantial paranoia about the future/direction of this country and government. Read through the letter and, if you feel this is a justifiable cause, follow the link and sign the petition.

Troy

February 7, 2008

Dear HSLDA Members and Friends:

I am writing to you today about obtaining permanent protection for our rights as parents. For nearly 25 years, HSLDA has focused on defending the right of parents to home educate their children. We have met with great success in this effort, and we have seen God’s hand of blessing on thousands of families as the homeschooling movement has progressed.

After all, this movement was built upon the firm belief that parents possess a God-given right to direct the upbringing and education of their children. And I know that you’ll agree with me in saying when that right is under fire, we must do whatever we can to protect it.

Parental Rights are in Jeopardy

A “perfect storm” that could literally demolish the rights we value so deeply is approaching on the horizon. If these threats persist, we could soon be looking at the demolition of the parental role, and an upsurge of government intrusion in family life.

Even though parental rights are recognized as a fundamental right under current Supreme Court doctrine, there are two threats to the recognition of this principle.

The Threat from the Federal Courts

Today an increasing number of Supreme Court justices refuse to recognize that parental rights are a fundamental right. In the 2000 case of Troxel v. Granville, only four of the nine Supreme Court justices expressly agreed that the Constitution “protects the fundamental right of parents to make decisions concerning the care, custody, and control of their children.” Two of these justices—then-Chief Justice William Rehnquist and Justice Sandra Day O’Connor—have since left the Court.

Even Justice Antonin Scalia, a noted conservative, holds that parental rights are not judicially enforceable at all until there is a specific parental rights provision in the Constitution.

The Threat of International Law

Even as the recognition of parental rights is fading within the federal courts, international law which diminishes parental authority is approaching possible ratification. The growing use of international law in American courts offers a frightening glimpse into the future. If the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) becomes binding on this country, then parental rights as we know them will be erased. This international treaty provides for the government to define what is in the “best interests of the child,” supplanting the parent as the ultimate decision maker.

Moreover, if the UNCRC is ratified, all state laws which recognize the right to homeschool will be superseded by international law if international tribunals or American courts think that such education is not in the “best interest of the child.” We would do well to remember the example of Germany on this point.

There is Only One Solution

I am convinced that there is only one solution to this attack on the child-parent relationship: We must amend the Constitution to permanently secure the rights of parents. The Parental Rights Amendment is the only way to protect and preserve the rights of parents to make key decisions for their children, as well as to direct their upbringing and education.

The only way that we can accomplish this goal is to gain the nationwide support of millions of parents like you. We need to raise our voices to safeguard the child-parent relationship. And we need to be organized and vocal so that Congress will listen.

It’s the Battle of Our Lifetime

The battle for parental rights will be the fight of our lifetime. That’s why I am turning to you for support as we launch this vital campaign.

The process of amending the Constitution is both long and challenging. Our goal is to have a substantial number of Congressional co-sponsors before the Parental Rights Amendment is even introduced. Ultimately the amendment requires final approval of two-thirds of both the House and the Senate. Once passed by Congress, the amendment must then be ratified by three-fourths of the states.

We Need a Groundswell of Support

As you can see, passing the Parental Rights Amendment is not going to be easy. But it is completely possible. If we can find 10,000 people within each congressional district who are willing to contact their congressmen and senators on this issue, then we can gain a favorable response from most members of Congress. We are referring to these individuals as Citizen Co-sponsors. Our goal is to find 10,000 Citizen Co-sponsors in at least 80% of the congressional districts in the country. While this number may seem daunting, it is clearly attainable. In fact, if each HSLDA member recruits 40 people to become Citizen Co-sponsors by signing the petition, we will reach this goal.

The bottom line is this: we need a groundswell of support and activism from our HSLDA members. That’s why I am asking you to do two things right away.

1. Join ParentalRights.org

You can become a Citizen Co-Sponsor simply by signing the petition for parental rights on ParentalRights.org.

But I am asking you to take this one step further.

I am challenging you to join the campaign. With a gift of $25 or more, you can become a member of ParentalRights.org. There are two reasons why we urgently need your financial support. The first and most obvious reason is that building the infrastructure to secure a Constitutional amendment requires a substantial amount of money. Second, under existing federal law we can only send detailed information about the political implications of this effort to dues-paying members. Therefore certain communications will only be given to our dues-paying members rather than those who have only signed the petition.

2. Get your friends and neighbors involved

I’m asking you to enlist your friends and family to visit ParentalRights.org, and encourage them to join the campaign. Our user-friendly Tell a Friend application enables you to upload email addresses from your address book, and easily inform friends of the importance of the campaign. Growth is essential during the early stages of this effort, and that support needs to start now.

We need grassroots support from dedicated parents in all 50 states to ensure the smooth passage of the amendment. I firmly believe that the homeschooling movement is the key to victory in this massive effort. We’ve come a long way in the last 25 years… but there is so much more ahead.

I’m challenging you to join the fight today.

Sincerely,

Michael P. Farris
Chairman, Home School Legal Defense Association
President, ParentalRights.org

The HSLDA E-lert Service is a service of:

Home School Legal Defense Association • P.O. Box 3000 • Purcellville, Virginia 20134-9000
Phone: (540) 338-5600 • Fax: (540) 338-2733 • Email: info@hslda.org
Web: http://www.hslda.org

Sin is still Sin

2008-02-11T17:13:00.001-05:00

In a letter written to her son, John Wesley, Susanna penned the following regarding sin:

"Take this rule: whatever weakens your reason, impairs the tenderness of your conscience, obscures your sense of God or takes off your relish of spiritual things; in short, whatever increases the strength and authority of your body over your mind, that thing is sin to you, however innocent it may be in itself."
-- Susanna Wesley (Letter, June 8, 1725)

John Wesley's own working definition of sin (although he did write that all transgressions of divine will need God's forgiving grace): "A willful transgression of a known law of God"

These two definitions are so opposed to what many hear being taught directly from the pulpit today. We had a bit of a discussion in Sunday School class this weekend regarding the fear of the Lord. I mentioned that the reason “churched” people and those in the ministry alike are getting caught up in sin and luke-warmness is the lack of fear of the Lord and lack of relationship with Him. If you are close to someone, it hurts you to even think of hurting them. How then can we so easily thumb our noses at God and go on living our lives for ourselves without an ounce of shame or guilt? We have either never drawn close to God, or have drawn ourselves away from God after being close to Him.

How do you resolve guilt? Either cut off the act that is causing your conscience to feel guilty (sin) and make it right with Him that you’ve offended, or you flee from Him that was offended and suppress the guilt feelings. The further away you are from God, the easier it becomes to offend Him.

Just my thoughts…

Another UP Weather Update

2008-01-30T09:56:00.001-05:00

/O.CON.KMQT.WW.Y.0001.000000T0000Z- 080130T1800Z/ MARQUETTE- INCLUDING THE CITY OF...MARQUETTE 508 AM EST WED JAN 30 2008

...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1 PM EST THIS AFTERNOON...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MARQUETTE HAS CONTINUED A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY...WHICH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1 PM EST THIS AFTERNOON.

EXPECT NORTHWEST WINDS GUSTING AS HIGH AS 45 MPH THIS MORNING TO DROP WIND CHILLS TO 25 TO 35 BELOW ZERO AND CAUSE AREAS OF BLOWING SNOW. PLAN ON REDUCED VISIBILITY AS LOW AS ONE QUARTER MILE AT TIMES IN OPEN AREAS. THE WINDS WILL DIMINISH TO 15 TO 25 MPH THIS AFTERNOON...MODERATING WIND CHILLS TO 15 TO 25 BELOW AND DIMINISHING THE BLOWING SNOW.

A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY MEANS THAT SNOW...STRONG WINDS AND BLOWING SNOW... AND LOW WIND CHILLS ARE EXPECTED. BE PREPARED FOR SNOW COVERED ROADS AND LIMITED VISIBILITIES...AND USE CAUTION WHILE DRIVING.

Yesterday they were calling this a blizzard warning; the third this season. And the snowfall for this winter…106.7” to date. All schools and colleges were canceled this morning. That’s pretty impressive for the UP.

Make My Life a Prayer to You

2008-01-21T13:56:00.001-05:00

I first started listening to Keith Green in high school with my brother and friend. I appreciated his musical talent, but frankly, at that time in my life the music wasn’t hard-core enough so I ditched it. After I reeled in my “wild oats”, I came back to his music and began to appreciate it for its message of holiness and no-compromise; something I certainly was NOT looking for in high school. Keith died in a plane crash in 1982, before I’d even heard of him. His music is still as meaningful today as it was when it was written, in a time of “spiritual journeys”, drugs, mysticism and the Jesus movement. If you’ve never heard of him, you no doubt have heard his music. Hymns such as “O Lord, You’re Beautiful” and “There Is A Redeemer”, as well as many choruses sang in churches and Sunday Schools. His life account is recorded by his wife, Melody, in her book “No Compromise: The Life Story of Keith Green” (1989). Although I don’t always agree with his theological stance, you have to admire his passion and zeal. I recommend the book. It’s an easy, quick read. Parents, you may want to read it before giving it to your teens. It’s not vulgar or profane, but it does describe life in the sixties and seventies (sex, drugs and rock-n-roll). If you think that he was just another contemporary Christian musical artist just singing words with little or no meaning, read his book. Any long-time readers of “sheep and goats” know that I quote his music from time to time. Here’s another one of my favorites of his.

Make My Life a Prayer to You

By: Keith Green

Make my life a prayer to You
I want to do what You want me to
No empty words, no white lies
No token prayers, no compromise

I want to shine the light You gave
Through Your Son You sent to save us
From ourselves and our despair
It comforts me to know You're really there

Well, I want to thank You now for being patient with me
Oh, it's so hard to see when my eyes are on me
I guess I'll have to trust and just believe what You say
Oh, You're coming again, coming to take me away

I want to die and let You give Your life to me that I might live
And share the hope You gave to me
The love that set me free
I want to tell the world out there
You're not some fable or fairy tale
That I've made up inside my head
You're God the Son, You've risen from the dead

I want to die and let You give Your life to me that I might live
And share the hope You gave to me
I want to share the love that set me free

Not So Funny Now

2008-01-11T21:27:00.000-05:00

I heard about a contest several years ago that judged silly warning labels. One that always struck me as odd was the label on a snowblower that read “Do not use snowthrower on roof.” Why is that necessary? "Obviously", I thought to myself, "some less-than-intelligent person tried this at one time and it ended badly." I don't see this warning label as silly, odd or the person who may have tried it as less-than-intelligent. Let me explain. So far this winter, we've had nearly ninety (90) inches of snowfall. It's not even the middle of January. And they say that February is when winter truly kicks in. I see snowblowers chained to chimneys...on roofs. And people use them...up on the roof. Seriously. They get so much snow up here that people actually have concerns of roofs collapsing. We have a friend whose garage roof did collapse under snow load. It was at the family property that was not their permanent dwelling. They didn't get out in time to clean off the roof, and it caved in. It's a genuine concern up here.
"How do you even function in conditions like that?" you may ask. Let me tell you. It's with this: (see photo)
That's right! This is called a Yooper Scooper. This is one of the best tools invented, next to the toaster. Be warned though. This may not work so well in all parts of the country. The snow we get in the UP is light and fluffy. Yeah, I know. Isn't all snow light and fluffy? Not like our snow. Our snow is very "dry" and powdery. An inch of our snow would weigh a fraction of what an inch of Northwest Ohio snow would weigh. To prove my point. After an eight inch snowfall here in northern Michigan, I can run my Yooper Scooper the length of the driveway piling and pushing all eight inches of it the full length of the driveway (maybe 30 feet in length). I can have the whole drive cleared in less than an hour with orders of magnitude less exhaustion, stress and strain on my body. If you want to order one and try for yourself, they were designed and are built right here in the UP. Website is here. And I've seen these used on roofs also.
Next important item is the snow tire. They make a huge difference on icy and snow covered roads. And if you can't afford snow tires and your all season tires still have good tread, try tire siping. For a nominal fee, most tire shops up here will sipe your tires. They have machines that will actually make thin cuts across the treads of your tires. This is proven to provide more traction on icy and snowy roads. Never heard of such a thing until we moved up here. Yoopers seem to be pretty practical. When we get a few years of UP living under our belts, maybe we'll invest in a "plow-truck", also very common up here. Most are circa 1970's trucks with nice plow blades on the front.
All in all, I can't complain. We do live on the side of a hill that has a substantially inclined road to access our driveway. And we have had instances where we couldn't get our vehicles up the road. We actually have a place at the base of the hill where we can park and hike up to the house (1/4 mile maybe). Only until a township plow truck comes along and plows and sands/salts the road (which may take a couple days). I just recently put snow tires on my car and I haven't had the opportunity to try them out on a decent snowfall yet. Maybe my hiking days are over! It's all a part of learning how to deal with a new environment. You adapt and adjust. And we'll survive. Oh, and we're supposed to get more snow this weekend.

Interesting Quote

2007-12-29T20:43:00.000-05:00

Ingrid Schlueter had this quote posted on her site Slice of Laodicea the other day. An interesting web-site if your frustrated with watered-down, non-reverent churches. I don't always agree with her approach, but she brings the heresy in the churches to light.

“If I had my way, I would declare a moratorium on public preaching of ‘the plan of salvation’ in America for one to two years. Then I would call on everyone who has use of the airways and the pulpits to preach the holiness of God, the righteousness of God and the law of God, until sinners would cry out, ‘What must we do to be saved?’ Then I would take them off in a corner and whisper the gospel to them. Such drastic action is needed because we have gospel-hardened a generation of sinners by telling them how to be saved before they have any understanding why they need to be saved.”

-Paris Reidhead, Getting Evangelicals Saved

Christmas Quotes

2007-12-25T21:18:00.000-05:00

Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
Source: Of the Lord, Angel

Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.
Source: Host, Heavenly

God bless us all, every one!
Source: Tim, Tiny

God blessed us all, every one!
Source: Troy, Tiny

Honestly, what can you add to the perfect message given by the angels? This was a message sculpted and breathed no doubt, by the Almighty Himself. What a proclamation! As for the Tiny Tim quote...certainly fitting for the present tense. Mine, certainly God has blessed us all, every one! Merry Christmas to all and God bless!

We Three Kings

2007-12-18T15:13:00.001-05:00

A few years ago I actually read through and pondered the words of this song. Since that time, this has become one of my favorites. In these five short versus, it tells of the true reason why Jesus Christ was born in the grimy confines of a stable. This is the real Reason for the Season. Not a baby that stays in a manger from year to year, but a King who was willing to die because of His love for an unworthy people. This song was written by Reverend John Henry Hopkins, Jr. in 1857 for a Christmas pageant at the General Theological Seminary in New York City.

We three kings of Orient are;
Bearing gifts we traverse afar,
Field and fountain, moor and mountain,
Following yonder star.

Refrain

O star of wonder, star of light,
Star with royal beauty bright,
Westward leading, still proceeding,
Guide us to thy perfect light.

Born a King on Bethlehem’s plain
Gold I bring to crown Him again,
King forever, ceasing never,
Over us all to reign.

Refrain

Frankincense to offer have I;
Incense owns a Deity nigh;
Prayer and praising, voices raising,
Worshipping God on high.

Refrain

Myrrh is mine, its bitter perfume
Breathes a life of gathering gloom;
Sorrowing, sighing, bleeding, dying,
Sealed in the stone cold tomb.

Refrain

Glorious now behold Him arise;
King and God and sacrifice;
Alleluia, Alleluia,
Sounds through the earth and skies.

Refrain

Request

2007-12-13T16:03:00.001-05:00

As Isaiah’s original due date rapidly approaches, please pray for our family. Seemingly simple, meaningless things trigger memories and emotions in both Eshell and I. Although it’s not always easy to give thanks in things we don’t fully understand, we still know and trust in God’s control (and we do thank Him for that!). Also, pray as we still search for a church home. We have met some very nice families and made some friends, but still don’t have a clear direction for fellowship. As goes our life. But that’s another post for another day.

Thanks,

Troy

More Inconvenient Truths

2007-12-12T12:35:00.001-05:00

Headline from ScienceDaily website: New Study Increases Concerns About Climate Model Reliability

It appears more truths are surfacing regarding the data that Al Gore used in his film about the irreversible destruction of the world as we know it because of our frivolous behavior and misuse of the earths resources (see previous post). I know, that’s a terrible run-on sentence. I don’t blame Al Gore for this. It appears that the data that was put out by the researchers was flawed. He just happened to pick it up and use it in his movie model. The new data pretty much says that the lower portion of the atmosphere is warming at a slower rate than what was originally thought. This also means that future warming will be slower than originally predicted. Maybe the sky’s not falling after all?

Sources:

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/12/071211101623.htm

An Inconvenient Truth

2007-12-11T20:54:00.000-05:00

Apparently the only inconvenient truth for Al Gore is that his "documentary" and the "facts" that it contains are unsubstantiated. A couple of articles by Joseph Farah from WorldNetDaily goes into detail. It appears that the popularity of this movie has been sweeping through governments and school systems alike. Both US schools and UK schools have made this mandatory viewing material. One man in the UK had different ideas. He was a concerned parent involved in what his children are being taught. He took this matter to the court system. The UK court ruled that many of the claims in the movie that are conveyed as fact are indeed untruths. The UK ruled the following points of the movie as false:

that sea levels will rise 20 feet in the foreseeable future due to ice melts;
that people are evacuating Pacific island nations because of rising sea levels;
that the "oceanic conveyor" belt is in danger of shutting down and triggering a new ice age;
that rising atmospheric carbon dioxide levels have historically caused temperatures to rise;
that global warming is causing a retreat of Mount Kilimanjaro's alpine glacier;
that global warming is causing Africa's Lake Chad to dry up;
that global warming contributed to Hurricane Katrina;
that polar bears are dying due to receding sea ice;
that global warming is causing coral reefs to bleach and die.

Farah then states "This is the very heart of Gore's film! It has all been ruled a fraud in a court of law. Yet American schoolchildren are still being massively subjected to this torturous propaganda." His points are basically two-fold. First being that we (as Americans) are still willingly allowing the public educational system feed this drivel to our children. And second, why isn't Al Gore being confronted with these findings. He has not come forward and denied the court ruling. He has not tried to clear his name. He has remained rather hushed about the episode. The UK schools are still allowed to show the film, but it must be introduced with "an explicit disclaimer that it is "partisan," "political" and is riddled with misleading exaggerations and factual errors".
My Take:
I have not seen the movie. I have no desire to see the movie. So how can I report on it? Two reasons. One, this is MY blog. And two, I am just relaying a couple articles that I read. Actually, I have read a lot about the movie. And I've read both sides. The court ruling goes along with a lot of what many scientist and climatologist are saying. I understand that there are many on the other side as well. I feel that we do misuse many of the resources that God has given us. What the others are saying is that we need to "inconvenience" ourselves to reverse these detrimental effects to great mother earth. Is there more we could do? Sure, but so many studies have proven that man is not cause of this. This is a natural cycle. Cows and camels pump more carbon into the atmosphere than what man does. Maybe we should cleanse the earth of camels and cows. You know...for the sake of the planet. Maybe Al Gore should stop zooming around the world in jet airplanes consuming mass amounts of fossil fuel and expelling huge amounts of carbon.
At any rate. I thought the articles were interesting and I thought the cartoon was funny. Feel free to read the articles yourself.
Sources:
http://www.wnd.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=59066
http://www.wnd.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=59117

Evolving Faster

2007-12-11T14:47:00.001-05:00

New scientific reports state that we are evolving a lot faster than we did 50,000 years ago. Scientist analyzed our genes and compared them to those of a chimpanzee, our closest evolutionary relative. If we had evolved at the same rate that we were evolving at some 50,000 years ago, we would have 160 times more differences than what we currently do from the chimps. They claim that humans throughout the world are evolving in different directions. Proof is that genes that suppress body odor and dry earwax are spreading rapidly in Asia. Many of the changes noted are diet related. Some people can drink fresh milk, as others cannot. All concrete proof that we are evolving at a different rate than originally thought. They do believe, however, that this rate of evolution will stabilize in a while. By ‘while’ they mean tens of thousands of years, of course.

My Take:

So, they find another inconsistency with their theory of evolution. What do they do? Create another theory to “explain” why they are changing directions. They will never prove the origin of man because their theory continues to change. As they catch up to science and the evidence disproves their theory, they must scramble and develop a new and improved theory. When their “truth” is based on assumptive theories, the theory remains dynamic (constantly changing) as opposed to taking a static, historical approach (history does not change). Until they realize that the truth of the origin of man is recorded in a historically proven book, their story will continue to change. The more evidence that is revealed, the more the book is proven. Proof that God’s word is unchanging.

Sources:

1) http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2007/12/071211-human-evolution_2.html

2) http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/11/science/11gene.html?ref=science

Children Today

2007-11-29T13:32:00.001-05:00

"The children now love luxury; they have bad manners, contempt for authority; they show disrespect for elders and love chatter in place of exercise. Children are now tyrants, not the servants of their households. They no longer rise when elders enter the room. They contradict their parents, chatter before company, gobble up dainties at the table, cross their legs, and tyrannize their teachers." – Socrates (469-399 BC)

There’s much we could add to this, but it stands fairly sufficiently on its own. What would Socrates think about children of this generation? What can we do to reverse what we see? My wife and I have kind of become observers. We sit back and watch people and families and how they interact. At an airport earlier this year I saw a family heading out on spring break. Dad, mom and two kids. Each had their own iPod/MP3 players. They even had kind of a unique form of sign language. Something developed, I assume, to avoid having to de-cyborg yourself every time mom wanted to talk to you or ask you a question. She would just use some impromptu hand signals. The kids would typically respond with an agitated yes or no nod or shake. I wondered what supper was like at their home; or if they even sat together to eat supper. Does dad yell at the kids when sports are on; or maybe just ignore them altogether? Does mom disregard the kids when “Dancing With The Stars” comes on? Are the children an interruption to their lives? Not if you plant them in front of their own TV or video game machine. We’ve become removed and annoyed from spending time with them.

I came across an article while reading through the news. There’s a proposal in the Massachusetts House of Representatives that would ban corporal punishment (House Bill 3922). Lovingly spanking your child would turn you into a criminal. They tried to push this through California a while back. This is not how we correct what we see in the children today. The Bible is very clear on how to remedy this, and it’s not retiring the “rod of correction”.

I’m fairly certain that my children would be ecstatic to spend every waking moment with me or their mother. Why? At times, we have put our interest on hold and taken up their interest. We take ourselves to their level. Whether it’s playing a game or reading a book or coloring a picture. We also involve them in our interest; baking, hunting, fishing, etc... I don’t claim to have perfect children or to have this all figured out. I do know that if we put our selfish “I-need-my-time” attitude on the back burner and show an interest in what our children are doing, you build a bond and a friendship that will outlast any spanking you ever give. That’s not to say that spankings are never necessary. And when I say that you need to build a friendship, that is not the permissive, anything-goes, kids rule the roost mentality that many parents have taken. “If I give them everything they want, maybe they’ll like me!” That’s just sick and way out of order! Catering to them is only fanning the flame. I think parents are just trying to get by long enough to get them out of the house. From there on, it’s society’s problem. Even those that claim Christ have this same misguided thinking. They hope that the Sunday school class will “train them up in the way they should go”. I believe we have made a turn in a very poor direction, and it will take something huge to correct it. Something larger than a push from man. Something like a revival of hearts. And that only comes from God.

Try Again

2007-11-29T05:51:00.000-05:00

I tried to post this yesterday in the comments, but blogger must have went wild. This is response to the comment from the last post.
Typically I don't come out swinging like that when it comes to Bible translations. I've never been a fan of the NIV, but it was mainly for the missing scriptures. When I stumbled across this I had to pass it along. As for Virginia Mollenkott, here are just a couple links: Way of Life an interesting, if not disturbing read; and AV 1611 which is apparently a 1611 KJV only website. As for King James being a homosexual. I don't know for sure. Most of what I've read says that the accusations didn't even surface until 25 years after his death, and that it originated from his arch nemesis. A quick google search turned up these pages: The first one seems to be written by a homosexual "christian", here. Another one that I found by a homosexual "christian" utilized filthy language, therefore gets disqualified from getting a link from me. Here's another. The next three oppose the thinking: here, here and here. What I do know is that he only promoted the translation of the scripture. He didn't take part in it.
As for books. The best that I've read is "Which Version Is The Bible?" by Floyd Nolen Jones. It's very detailed in the history and canonization of the Bible, who translated what and what the other Bible translations are missing or changing. I let a friend borrow it, but if I can get it back, I'll certainly pass it off to you.
Just to sum it up. I believe that all faith and foundation come from the word of God. If you can't believe that God has preserved His word for us and remains infallible, then how can you know what portions of the Bible to trust and what to disregard? And there are too many contradictions between translations for them all to be correct. The history that I've studied on the subject convinces me that the KJV is the authorized and preserved version.
Hope this helps to at least see where we come from. I don't like to stir up controversy or be divisive, but we too like to find truth.

Christmas Gift Ideas

2007-11-27T06:00:00.000-05:00

I stumbled across a news article the other day. These selfless ladies across the pond are gifting the world with their own sterilization. They both feel that having a child would only add to the problem of climate change and overpopulation. One went so far as to have an abortion before sterilization. All for the sake of the earth. One made the comment about meeting her second husband "We both passionately wanted to save the planet - not produce a new life which would only add to the problem." What a caring lady.
The other lady in the article filtered through several boyfriends before finding the right one. Her revelation of the evils of childbearing went like this: "I realised then that a baby would pollute the planet - and that never having a child was the most environmentally friendly thing I could do."
How much of yourself are you willing to give this holiday season?

Next up for the gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender christian in your life: the Gay and Lesbian Bible.
We have here another lady who did the world a favor. She's the first of all previous bible scholars who could actually translate the bible properly. A bible that does NOT speak out against homosexuality. Up until now, we had no way to translate some of the Hebrew and Greek words accurately. But now, we have a bible that caters to the gay and lesbian christians. "Don't feel comfortable coming to the Lord and allowing him to change your life? Don't worry about it! We have a bible that says you can live in the sinful, hell-bound lifestyle that your accustomed to!" If you go to the "About Us" page of the website, she gives some ridiculous example of why she needed to do this. And no, she didn't do this just for the gays and lesbians. She did this to get the accurate translation into the hands of a misled world. She just happened to name it the Gay and Lesbian Bible.

And lastly as I was doing some research, I found out that the original NIV translation had a very open, very active lesbian on it's translating team. In fact, she believes that God is a woman. She also believes that Jesus was born parthenogenetic (because Mary had a child without male fertilization); meaning that "born in parthenogenesis; that parthenogenetic births are always female; that in some cases, therefore, he would be willing to refer to Jesus as 'she' -- up until the last minute of sex reversal, in which case Jesus remains chromosomally female throughout life, but functions as a normal male and looks like a normal male". If your curious about who helped translate the holy, infallible word of God into the train wreck that is the NIV, do a search for Virginia Ramey Mollenkott. She's very proud of her work.

Being an engineer, I have a theory. I think we should pick and island and put the sterilized ladies (and their mates) as well as the gay and lesbian christians on an island. Let them have all the food and water they need for survival. Than check on them in 50 years. See how the commune is thriving. I have a feeling that Darwin may have been right. The weak of the species would die out. Obviously the sterilized men/ladies won't be reproducing. Even more obviously the gays and lesbians won't be reproducing (unless they're cheating). How can this thinking be right? Do they not understand science and biology? My head hurts...

Works, Faith and Salvation

2007-11-26T20:28:00.000-05:00

Answering the comment left on the "Faith, Works and Salvation" post: No. This gentleman was not saying the same thing. He has no assurance of his salvation. He feels that he has to fight and work everyday towards gaining his salvation. His belief does not offend me. If he has no surety of his salvation, I feel sorry for him, but he does not offend me or my faith.
As for you not changing your worldly ways after you're saved, true conversion will bring about heart changes. Heart changes bring about the desire to change your life. A circumcised (converted) heart is crushed at the thought of offending God. That's what James is saying about faith and works. True faith brings about works. Think of Simon the sorcerer in Acts. He believed Philip when he preached; was even baptized. I doubt his conversion was real. Why? He still had his heart set on himself. He wanted to wow the people with the Holy Spirit. So much so, he was willing to pay for that power. He hadn't changed. Read in chapter 8 of Acts, verses 20 through 24. Peter doubted his conversion also. So much so that he said he was going to perish along with his money. His heart was "not right in the sight of God". Doesn't sound like a saved person to me. Salvation starts in the heart and ends in the heart. I can't give you faith, nor can I take your faith.
I'll finish with a few verses.
Galatians 2:20 and 21 - ²⁰I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.²¹I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain. Hmmm, Paul says he lives his life by faith in the Son of God. He also says that if we are living by the law (works) that we are frustrating [to set aside, that is, (by implication) to disesteem, neutralize or violate: - cast off, despise, disannul, frustrate, bring to nought, reject] the grace of God; AND that when we frustrate the grace of God, we have caused Christ to die in vain. That's pretty harsh.
Galatians 5:1-26 (focus 4-6) - ⁴Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace.⁵For we through the Spirit wait for the hope of righteousness by faith.⁶For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision; but faith which worketh by love. Is it fair to say that the circumcision that Paul speaks about is a work?
When we work in our flesh, our works always die out. I've seen many times where people try to take on the ministry (or lifestyle) of someone else without Spiritual conviction, only to become frustrated and swing 180 degrees in the opposite direction. Not once or twice, but time and time again. Like the man in James who doesn't ask in faith, he's "like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed."
Once again, I know that I didn't exhaust the scriptures, but I do hope that you see where I'm coming from. I also hope you read some of the referenced scriptures from the other post.

Ghost Town

2007-11-16T09:56:00.001-05:00

It’s just after nine o’ clock and it’s like a ghost town in here (work). Why? Deer hunting season started yesterday. Judging by the quietness of the office area and the emptiness of the cubes and shop floor, I’ll bet that the company is at about 20% today. Yesterday was about 25%. The beginning of gun season is like a holiday. In fact, up until a couple years ago, the whole shop shut down as a paid holiday on the first day of gun season. Then, with much surprise to management, they found out that not everyone was hunting on this day off! At that point, they re-instated November 15^th as an actual work day and gave everyone an additional vacation day to use at the employees discretion. It’s obvious to me that most people still use this day as a holiday. Hunting is still a way of life up here.

Another factual specimen. A couple years ago, President George W. Bush made a trip up to the UP. He’s only the second U.S. president to visit the UP. He actually expressed a desire to tour our facility. They had his secret service come through and talk to the employees and management. The tour was scrapped when they realized that too many people carried firearms to work or actually had firearms stashed in their desks. They couldn’t guarantee this would be a weapon-free facility and had concerns for the president’s safety. Not that anyone had any intentions to harm him, just that the possibility was there. Having said that, I don’t come to work in fear for my safety. Just as hunting is a part of life, so are firearms. Obviously, they go hand-in-hand. That’s not to say that someone couldn’t become disgruntled and go on a rampage. That could happen in Washington DC where gun control is the most stringent. What it does mean is that if someone does come in here with the intent to harm with a firearm, he will not make much headway with the other people also carrying firearms. Just some more UP history I thought I’d pass along.

Faith, Works and Salvation

2007-11-16T06:23:00.000-05:00

I know that I'm way overdo to finish my thoughts on the Headships post. This should be relatively brief.
I've only ever met one man that verbally told me that you could only find salvation through works. Most people will dance around the issue and dip their toe in the water, but will stop short of jumping in with both feet and actually saying that salvation comes through works. This man could not imagine that God would only require your faith. His example; "If I stood here and told you I had a fifty dollar bill and you could have it, believance alone will not get you this fifty dollars. You have to step up here and grab it."
Ephesians 2:8 starts:⁸For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: ⁹Not of works, lest any man should boast.

This is pretty clear as to what saves us. It is by the grace of God, through our faith (once again, made available by God) that we are saved. Not by works. If it were by our good works, what is the point of the coming and suffering of Christ? So many before Christ lived lives of good works. Alright, so what about verse 10 of the Ephesians passage? Ephesians 2:10: ¹⁰For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them. Yes, it says that we were created to do good works. No, it does not say that we are saved through good works. I already pointed out to you what salvation comes by. God loves for us to do good works. It pleases Him. A couple more references. Jesus himself said that a persons faith has saved them. See Luke 7:50 (read the preceding verses also). The woman who anointed his head with oil and kissed his feet. He forgave her of her sins and made the proclamation "Thy faith hath saved thee". Also in Luke 18:42 he also made the same statement to the blind man. Also in 2 Timothy 3:15, 1 Peter 1:9 and more. In fact, in Galatians 5:4, it says that if you are justified by the law (works), you have fallen from grace. Meaning if you put your faith in the law, you have turned away from God's grace. Your faith is in works, not in God. Also see Romans 4:4.
What about James 2:17 which says: ¹⁷Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. This passage does not say that faith coupled by works saves. It says that faith without works is dead. It's eluding to your faith producing works. Read verse 18 (James 2:18). It says that his faith will produce works. He also says that you can't have one without the other. He is not condoning the thinking of faith and works separated. He said that his faith is proven through his works. Good works is a by-product of true faith. A faith without works is not faith, or is dead faith.
How do you keep your salvation? Through faith! Read: 1 Peter 1:5 ("kept through faith unto salvation"). Jude 1:3 says to "earnestly contend for the faith" unto salvation. Many places he tells them to hold onto the things that first saved them (faith). To go back to that which first saved them (faith). In Hebrews 3, more than once the writer tells them to hold fast the confidence unto the end.
Alright, now that I made my case for salvation, back to the headship. If the un-spiritual husband tells you to cut your hair, put on pants, put on make-up, wear jewelery and stay home from church...does this mean the end of your salvation? Of course not. I just showed that your salvation comes through faith. I also showed that your salvation is kept through faith. Your mean heathen husband can make you do a lot of things, but he can't take away your salvation. Just like the martyrs of history. The biggest push of their persecutors was for them to recant and or deny their faith. Turn their backs on their salvation by grace through faith. They screwed their tongues to wood. They disemboweled them. They burned them and threw them into the wild animals. They took their scriptures and destroyed them. Locked them up and prevented them from going to church. But they went to the death and grave with their faith in salvation. Just as a woman can live amongst a cruel husband and be obedient to him, and still keep her faith; which in turn is confirming her salvation.
I know this is elementary stuff for some. Anyone who chooses to pick up the scripture, read it and actually believe what it says knows this. But the contrary is being preached from pulpits and believed among the congregation. Make sure that your confirming the preaching in your church with the authority of the scriptures. And as a final note, I certainly did not exhaust the scriptures with the passages I used. I know there are more to support this. I just ran out of time to run them all down. Besides, it will give you something to do.

Headships

2007-10-26T05:02:00.000-05:00

I just wanted to quickly cover a portion of my last post. Not that there's been a huge public outcry over what I wrote or anything, but I want to show that what we believe comes right from the word of God. And one more thing before I get started. I am not a dictator in the house. I do like order in the house, but that's just because my wife has spoiled me with keeping an orderly house. For the most part, I'm not too demanding. The reason I point this out is because I don't want people to think that I am extremely tyrannical, constantly shoving down my wifes throat that she must submit to me because thus saith the Lord!! Most of the scripture I'll run through is directed to the wives. I really have no business reading that portion of scripture. This is a subject for my wife to deal with. I have my own hurdles, like loving my wife (not that it's hard to love my wife; she really makes it very easy) and keeping her spotless and without wrinkle.
First of all, the headships are covered pretty unquestionably. Ephesians 5:23 says: For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body. We know without a doubt that Christ is the head of the church. For Paul (through inspiration of God) to compare the husband/wife relationship to that of Christ and church, it must be merited. I Corinthians 11:3 states: But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God. Enough said about headship? These verses are pretty straight-forward.
Most of the arguments against this that we hear go something like this: "I believe that a woman should always obey the Bible and not man." Okay, lets see what the Bible says about wives obeying your husbands. Ephesians 5:22 says: Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. Most women try to make this verse say something that it doesn't. They get hung up on the "as unto the Lord" part, as if trying to make it say that you submit to the Lord as opposed to your husband. It clearly states that you are to submit unto your husband, just like you would submit unto the Lord. And men, see who this is directed to? And what's it say? Women, submit yourselves unto your own husband. Not "Husbands, see that your wives submit unto you." This is an issue for the wives to work out. Typically, she doesn't need your help, and certainly doesn't need to be reminded of this. Also women, see how it says to submit unto your own husbands? Not someone else's husband, including the pastor/preacher/minister. Titus 2:4-5 says that the aged women are to: ...teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children, To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed. Hmm... this says that if your not obedient to your own husband, the word of God is blasphemed.That sounds pretty serious. How do these things get swept under the rug. This is a serious accusation. If a woman is not obedient to their husbands, they are blaspheming the word of God. Definition of blaspheme, in case you're wondering: defame, rail on, revile, speak evil. Who wants to be accused of that? But that certainly is referring to a Christian husband. Most women wouldn't have a problem subjecting to a Christian husband. Women can't be expected to be obedient to a non-saved, non-spiritual husband can she? Let's look at the Ephesians passage all put together. Ephesians 5:22-24 states: Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body.Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing. Once again, a comparison of how the church is subject to Christ. It also says that a wife is to be subject to her husband in every thing. Everything means every thing, doesn't it? Except in spiritual matters, right? Well lets look at another passage. So far, we've just heard Paul's opinion...and he wasn't even married. Peter wrote in 1 Peter 3:1-2 that: Likewise, ye wives, be in subjection to your own husbands; that, if any obey not the word, they also may without the word be won by the conversation of the wives; While they behold your chaste conversation coupled with fear. Peter says, to the wives, that if there are any unbelieving husbands, wives should be in subjection [to subordinate; reflexively to obey: - be under obedience (obedient), put under, subdue unto, (be, make) subject (to, unto), be (put) in subjection (to, under), submit self unto] to their husbands, that their conversation [behavior: - conversation] towards him might win him to the Lord. So even if your husband is not spiritual, even if he is not saved, it is very clear that the woman is supposed to be obedient, submissive, in subjection to him regardless.
Historically:
From what I've seen, and I've become pretty observant, women who come out from under the husbands authority (headship) have homes and households that leave much to be desired. A vast majority of these homes have unhappy or broken marriages and rebellious, wayward children. Conversely, I've read stories (and met) unsaved families living in complete harmony because the wives are under the headship of the husbands. The children are unsaved and unchurched, but are obedient to the parents. This proves to me that the women have a lot of control to set the mood of the family. It also goes to show that the writers of the Bible knew that God's direction not only applies to those in the Church, but is a natural order in the world also. As the devil tries to take over the world, it would make sense that he would start in the home. And as much influence as the wives/mothers have in the homes, this seems to be a prime target.
Before you say to me or to yourself that being obedient to a non-spiritual husband may effect your salvation, I'll try to get my thoughts together and post on this as well (Faith, Works and Salvation). And if you still have issue with what I wrote, take it up with God in prayer. Read through the referenced passages. God wrote it. These are His ideas. If you still have issues, let me know and I will try to clarify. Or better yet, ask your husbands! 1 Corinthians 14:35 And if they (women) will learn any thing, let them ask their husbands at home:

Words of Wisdom

2007-10-23T09:33:00.001-05:00

It’s amazing what gems you’ll stumble across if you sit quietly and listen. These words of wisdom were overheard at my company picnic this summer.

A mother to her child: “Eat your supper, not your butter!”

Hmm…may not have everyday application, but should probably file it away for future reference.

Then just a couple weeks ago I was playing a game with Grace, our 4 year old. She was ready to move on to another game:

Grace: “Where are those ‘burp-sticks’?”

Me: “Burp-Sticks?”

Grace: “Yeah, Abigail’s little burp-sticks.”

I thought for a minute. Then it occurred to me that the day before she was playing with Abigail’s ‘hiccup-sticks’. Abigail had received Pick-up Sticks for her birthday from a grandma. Somehow a transition transpired from ‘Pick-up Sticks’ to ‘Hiccup-Sticks’ and from ‘Hiccup-Sticks’ to another bodily function; ‘Burp-Sticks’. Sometimes it’s like detective work just figuring out what your little ones are trying to say.

Church, Family and Church Family

2007-10-22T19:52:00.000-05:00

Wow, it's been a while.

First off, we're all doing well. It's evident that we're headed into the winter up here. We've been winterizing the house by splitting and stacking wood, putting storm windows in, cleaning out gutters and raking the yard. My wife said the forecast looks like cold and wintry mixes possible this week with highs in the 40's. Seems too early to be experiencing this, but we are in the UP. Geographically, we're more than half-way (to the north) between the Equator and the North Pole.

We've had a rough week. We found out a while back that we had some distinct (and probably major) doctrinal differences with the church that we've been attending. At first, we thought that we could overlook them and just enjoy the fellowship. We love the people and they truly helped us get through a difficult time. Then some things transpired. With encouragement from the ministers wife, my wife gave counsel to some questioning women. The next Sunday, the counsel was ripped apart from the pulpit (by the ministers dad who was filling in), completely butchering the passages that she used. The question was regarding the headship at home. My wife said that the husband is the head of the wife and not the minister. She referenced Ephesians 5, 1 Peter 3 and Titus 2. Each passage specifically states the hierarchy (this may be the wrong word) of the home, without condition. It was preached that a non-spiritual man can't lead a family properly. That if he tells her to do something opposed to the word of God (or opposed to the minister), that she should come out from under his authority and do what's "right". By doing something "opposed to the word of God", I mean if the husband insisted that she stay home from church or cut her hair (ref. the passage in 1 Corinthians 11 regarding hair/covering). It's obvious to us that these are not issues that would cost the wife her salvation. The church felt otherwise. And why should she submit to him, he doesn't love her like Christ loved the church.They made it very conditional (not even mentioning the passage in Peter that specifically says that if your husband isn't a believer, submit to him so that your chase conversation (conduct) might lead him to the Lord). After this, we sat back and watched for a while. We noticed a few things. First, the minister always stated the fact that it was easier to get women into the church than it was men. My theory: by telling the women to disobey their husbands and listen to the minister, this is creating huge amounts of dissension in the home. If she constantly runs to the minster with her problems, what's this doing to the man's self-esteem? No wonder your husband doesn't "love you like Christ loved the church". And what's the point of him trying to lead his family when you're running to the minister double-guessing every decision he makes? As a man, I wouldn't go to that church either. I believe these ministries are destroying families. One poll I read stated that this denomination had the highest divorce rate among all denominations. I can believe it. They had a revival-type meeting last week. We went for one night to "observe". What we noticed was how fake-ly happy the women looked, how unhappy the children looked and how beat-down the men looked. And it was obvious that the women controlled the service. Not by the up-front leading like preaching or song leading; that would be too obvious. They were much more "worshipful" and much louder "praisers". They controlled the mood of the service. I know that might not make sense, but if you sit back and watch, you might see what I mean in your own services. Besides this, we couldn't even feel comfortable inviting others to attend the church because the other doctrinal differences. I'm glad we teach doctrine to our children at home or else this could have completely confused them. Needless to say, I let the minister know that we wouldn't be worshiping there anymore. I'm sure he'll be out to talk. We pray that God opens his heart to the truth. We'll still be friends.

Another observation we had over the weekend. This time it was Sunday at another church we were visiting. We found out that this church was of the "Free-Will" theology, meaning that once someone was saved, there was no way to lose their salvation. We also noticed that they had a huge children's ministry. I was a bit baffled for a while. I wondered what percentage of the kids that came (which it was mentioned that 25 kids came on the bus that morning), stayed in the church for three, five, ten years. I know that if one comes to the Lord, it's all worth it. And I'm not opposed to children's ministries, but shouldn't the main push be for the parents? Get them into the church? I understand that not every parent is going to be receptive of the gospel, but shouldn't that be at least a focus. Then the children just kind of ran wild. One girl had on the roller-skate shoes and was zipping in and out of the sanctuary. Then something hit me there, also. Seeing their stance on salvation, they had in mind to get the kids in, lead them in a "sinners prayer" and baptize them, then let the children run free if they chose to. According to their doctrine, the children are eternally saved regardless of the lifestyle they move onto. Their invitation to salvation seemed so passive and cold. It nearly made me shiver. We won't be going back there either.

We're going to take a break and study at home what we believe and why. First, I'm going to break down the Apostles Creed and study it out, giving scripture references. Then we'll move on to more of a Knapp's Statement of Faith. We may take a break somewhere in there to visit a home church we know of about 30-40 miles from us. I really want to solidify our core and our foundation first. I also need to find a place to baptize one of the children. Eshell checked on-line the other day the temperature of Lake Superior (just a few miles from us)...a chilly 48 degrees. Lake Michigan, about an hours drive, was about ten degrees warmer.

That's it for now. Keep us in your prayers that we survive our first Yooper winter!

God bless!

It Is (still) Well With Our Souls

2007-09-18T05:44:00.000-05:00

As expected, we still have our moments. Some days are better than others. Sundays are hard for Eshell. Any day that I have time to dwell on the loss of Isaiah is hard for me. Yesterday happened to be one of them. I met Eshell and the kids for lunch. On my way back to work I lost it. Then I lost it again on my way home from work.
The notes, cards, phone calls and e-mails have been a real blessing. Also, we know that we still have tons of prayer coverage; for which we are very thankful. Thanks to all who read my last post and commented; either through the comments or through phone/e-mail/cards. To get things out like this helps me heal. The story of the Shunammite woman has also helped. Read it in 2 Kings 4. She only ever wanted a child. The Lord blessed her with one. Then he died. She ran in desperation to the man of God (Elisha) and fell vexed at his feet. The Lord chose to raise the child up, but before He did, she exclaimed "It is well".
After things have had a chance to settle down, my mind has also struggled with thoughts like: "Did you really do all that you could have done?" I know it seems completely nonsensical, but it has plagued me. I remember a couple years ago when Regan Clem posted about the loss of his twins (I wish I could find that post). He struggled with some of the same feelings. Could I have prayed a different way? Maybe I should have prayed for Eshell more earnestly and her bleeding would have stopped, letting the baby stay in longer. I knew at the time that I was completely helpless to do anything in my own power and strength. That's why I gave it God at that time. Why now do I try to take it back from God?
I know that what happened, happened for a reason. I also know that it happened for our good (Romans 8:28). (That last sentence was hard to write and is even harder to understand.) We may never know why or how on this earth. But we still trust God and His plan for us.
We are doing well, but prayers are still much appreciated. Thanks for all of the support!

Troy

Another Soldier Down

2007-09-08T20:00:00.000-05:00

We've lost another soldier in the war. You won't hear about him on the news. He was actually to be a soldier-in-training. The war wasn't for oil, or to overthrow a dictator. This was a much more important war. This was a future soldier in THE WAR. The war of Biblical proportions. The war of good versus evil. He was to be trained up in the Spirit and in Truth. He would be as an arrow in the hands of a mighty warrior. He would do great things for the Mighty King. But the King saw fit to call him from service. Now he sits at the King's own banqueting table. Although he left a family that loved him, he now entertains a company that loves him more. A company who knew like no other what was best for him. The very company that created his entire being. The company that knit him together in his mothers womb. The company that breathed the breath of life into his nostrils and lungs. This is the company that called him home.

Sunday, September 2, 2007, I was in the shower getting ready for church. Eshell came in and was chatting with me about typical stuff. Just as I was finishing up she said "I'm bleeding".
We knew from an early ultrasound that she had complete placenta previa; which means here placenta was completely covering her cervix. The doctor gave her some restrictions and said that if the condition didn't correct itself, they would take the baby c-section ten days before her due date (December 21st). They also said that she may experience bleeding (without pain), but this was typically common between 27-34 weeks and that we were to promptly bring her in.
She was now 24 weeks. She was bleeding heavily and was experiencing a lot of pain. I called the OB doctor and they said to bring her to the birthing area of the hospital where they could check her. She managed to make it out to the van and after I confirmed that she and all of the children were buckled in, I proceeded to speed to the hospital. I was driving about 75mph on highway 41 into Marquette with Eshell insisting that we were going to get pulled over. I disregarded her. We then got pulled over. As the State Police officer was walking up along our van, I stuck my drivers license out the window and said "Officer, my wife is hemorrhaging and I need to get her to the hospital". He said "Go ahead" so I took off again.
We got to the hospital, and after a circus show, made our way to the birthing area. The children waited in the waiting area while we got Eshell settled. They would try to get her bleeding under control, but if they couldn't they would have to take the baby via c-section. Things appeared mellow for a while, so I told Eshell that I would take the children home and feed them and let the ministers wife come and sit with them so I could be with her.
I took the children to get a sandwich and took them home. As soon as I got them unloaded I got a call from Eshell saying they were going to take the baby and that they couldn't wait for me to get there. I got the children inside and called the minister and let him know the situation and to have his wife come out and sit with the children. I was then off again to the hospital. I cried and prayed that the Lord would be with them. I prayed "Lord, they came into this world as your children. If you choose to take them now, they'll leave as your children".
I arrived as they were finishing up the procedure. The doctor came in and informed me that Eshell was doing well and that she would spend a few minutes in the recovery room while she was coming around. The baby was stable and was being attended to by the neonatologist. She informed me that he came out fighting at a length of 12 inches and a weight of 1 pound 8 ounces. Isaiah Nathanael would be his name, born at 12:22pm on 09/02/07. The Lord gave that name to Eshell shortly after she gave birth to Susanna two and a half years ago. Eshell recovered, but they had to give her a pint of blood due to her heavy bleeding.
After she came around, we prayed together often. When we were able to see Isaiah, he was in an incubator with wires and hoses running from everywhere. He had a machine breathing for him. We'd seen this before with some of our other children. The difference is, our next smallest child was born weighing 5 pounds 2 ounces. We prayed for a healing to his body, but we also gave him back to the Lord at that time. We had prayed that if the Lord was going to take him, to do it quickly. At about 9:45pm, the doctor came in and said that there was nothing more he could do...our baby was going to die. We had requested that in this situation, we wanted him unhooked from his machines and brought in to us. As I held him, I cried and prayed. I told God that it wasn't too late to perform a miracle. They pronounced him dead at 10:05pm on 09/02/07. God did not let me down. We are not bitter nor angry at God for choosing not to heal our baby. He knows far better, how could we doubt Him? We cried and called out to the Lord to comfort us. I've never felt a pain like I felt when I gave my baby back to the nurse. It felt like she took a part of my being with her. We cried and prayed some more and an amazing peace covered us both. God's Spirit was so evident, we were again comforted. We could both honestly say, and did say, that "It is well with my soul". I spent that night with Eshell in the hospital room.
I got up early the next morning and went home. I wanted to be there when the children woke up. As they woke up, I let them know that mommy was doing fine, but that Isaiah didn't make it through the night. The two oldest took it very hard. The little ones didn't understand. I tried to comfort and pray with them all.
Eshell had the best doctors and the best nurses that I believe I've ever met. They truly made this all easier. Eshell had the nurses and the social worker who were evaluating her mental state in tears. They came to "counsel" her, but as she began to tell of God's goodness, they both wept. They actually let her come home a day early (Tuesday) because they thought she would "heal better at home". And one nurse mentioned to the doctor that she had a great faith in God and that would help her get through. My mom, mother-in-law and father-in-law were all up here for help and support. Between that and our church family...what a blessing! And I know we had prayers coming in from all over. What a comfort to know you're smothered in prayers of the saints.
We had the funeral for the baby on Friday. I thought it would be difficult. I had given the baby's spirit to God as he lay in my arms on Sunday night. Now I would give his body to the grave. Eshell and I prayed before going to the funeral. The minister did a beautiful job, and God was faithful and comforted us. We cried when the ministers wife sang "It Is Well" at the graveside. I'm sure we'll have our moments of sorrow. I'm sure things will jog our memory of the small amount of time we got to spend with him. But we will always remember the grace that God gave us to get through this.
On Wednesday when I was finally able to turn on some music again, I had the Isaac's family CD in the car stereo. The song with the same title as this post came on and it ministered to me as did several songs on the CD. Hard to imagine bluegrass music ministering. The specific lyrics that touched me was "the fight before the victory; the cross before the crown". This is a bump in the road to the victory. The victory that Isaiah is already enjoying. Please pray that God would continue His mercy on this family. That we would not begin to doubt Him. We do serve a God that has the power to heal, but will comfort when He doesn't. Praise Him for His divine will and grace.

Update

2007-08-14T05:35:00.000-05:00

We visited a small church two weeks ago and almost instantly knew that God had led us there. The church group is about 1 year old with a young minister (29 I think) with a young family (3 little girls: 4, 2 and maybe 4-6 months). Most of the families of the church seem to be new converts with little to no church background. The minister works full time in construction, manages the church and conducts Bible studies throughout the week. Not so much verbally, but in his actions he's screaming for encouragement and support. How this type of lifestyle must suck every ounce of energy from a person. The minister and his wife are probably bombarded with the needs of ministry. We will attend here and encourage where we can. I've already talked to the minister on several occasions about different things and we seem to click. We have a lot of similar interest.
My prayer is that we can sit back and not be too invasive. That we wouldn't try to take over his ministry. That we would serve in the gaps that need filled. There are parts of the service that bug me, but really they're trivial things. My wife and I discussed last night how we'll just pray about the quirky things, and if they're issues that God deems worthy to make a fuss about, He'll lay it on the ministers heart to change.
He is very focused on the family. Once again, his family is still young. He needs to focus on his family. He also needs to teach it. With a fresh group of Christians, they've probably never heard about holy living or protecting your family; as soon as they get stripped of their innocence, you can't get that back. If God moves you, please pray for this situation.
Also, pray for other opportunities that may be opening up. I can fill in more details later about this.
And lastly, God seems to be working on everyone in the Knapp household. The children are asking spiritual questions. I pray for wisdom in answering them. I always need to remember to answer in a way that a six year old can understand. Also to answer the questions and not break into a sermon, complete with topic changes and cross references.
Anyway, we would covet your prayers in this time as God is working in this family. Pray that we could be pleasing to God and glorify Him in all that we do!

The Interview

2007-07-24T07:46:00.001-05:00

So, I had my interview scheduled for the first week of April this year; the 5^th to be exact. We thought we’d take advantage of the long weekend (Good Friday) and see the area. In Ohio, we have a superstition that says if it rains on Easter, the next seven Sundays will rain. Our superstition says nothing about snow. On Tuesday of that week, the Engineering manager of the new company called me at work. “Troy, I’m really sorry to call you at work. I know it’s not real appropriate to do, but we’re expecting a blizzard up here on Thursday and wanted to know if you would like to re-schedule your interview.” Silence….Me: “You realize this is April, correct?” Eric: “Yeah; we’re usually good for one good snow storm every spring.” More silence…Me: “Let me call you back.”

I talked it over with my wife and we decided to take the trip. We ended up leaving that night instead of the next morning like originally planned. We ran into snow about an hour from Marquette. It was just a heavy snow and no blowing. We finally got into Marquette at about 3:30 a.m. so we pulled into a rest area to sleep in the van for a bit. We couldn’t sleep so we moved the van to a hotel parking lot in town and went to sleep. When we woke up about an hour later, the van was rocking because the wind was blowing so hard. We found our way to the company to pick up the keys to the company’s apartment. Finally, we were settled in. We spent the day in the apartment watching the snow and wind blow up to 50 mph. We were staying in an apartment about two blocks off the south shore of Lake Superior and the wind was tearing off the lake.

I made it to the interview the next morning. I was completely amazed to see that a blizzard up here doesn’t slow people down…at all. The interview went well. And I made it back to the apartment where my wife sent me out to Fazoli’s to get supper. The roads were terrible and the drivers were scary. We had a tour lined up for Friday morning, so my son and I went to meet the tour guide. It was still snowing and blowing quite a bit. This guy’s driving a full size Ford van like it’s a sports car in the snow. Needless to say, I was a bit nervous. We made it back to the apartment that afternoon, and after consulting the weather channel, decided to head for home. It looked like the wind had let up a bit and the snow dwindled to a flurry, but they were calling for another 18 inches overnight. By that time, we should be safe into the lower peninsula, if not at home. The main highway we take home was closed due to snow coverage so we had to take an alternate route. I think we ended up making it home at about 1 or 1:30 a.m., safe and sound. It felt great to be home.

I kept hearing from people how well the UP keeps the roads clean. When I went out in the snow, the roads were awful. Then it occurred to me; with all the snow blowing, there’s really not much you can do to keep the roads clean. I was awe struck when the wind finally died down. That’s when they brought out the snow removal equipment. Back home, we call them land-movers. These are huge tractors with buckets and blades. Big equipment used by land excavators. They also had trucks like we used in Ohio, only they used them to throw salt and sand. They were too light-weight to get down to business. They really did do a great job on the snow once it stopped blowing. It ended up snowing over 50 inches over the few days we were up there. They tried to console me by saying that this was the worst blizzard they’d had in several years. That wasn’t much consolation. We’ll see how this winter pans out. They also tell me that my house is located right in the snow belt….on a hill…on a dirt road…that might get neglected by the county when it comes to snow removal. It’s not uncommon to get 300 inches of snow in a year in this area. Well, God is faithful. We’ll leave it in His hands.

That’s it for now. God bless.

Troy

Update

2007-07-12T05:14:00.000-05:00

We are pretty much settled into the house. The basement is still a bit disorganized, but not too bad. After all, it is a basement. The house has been a bit quirky; sometimes shutting it's water off at random points in time. That's not always too convenient.
We have several hundred acres out our back door that belongs to the mining company up here. The land is all wilderness and all public access. We've enjoyed hiking and exploring the land. We've seen bear tracks relatively close to the house. That might get interesting. Deer and porcupine are also plentiful up here.
We got our van back last weekend. Friends from back home brought it up to us. That was a very nice visit. They are hoping to move up here (2.5 hours away) in Aug./Sep. and they wanted to visit the farm they are going to purchase on the way. Muddy revealed how God provided for them in the way of a vehicle. Same here. It didn't turn out costing $5000 like the first mechanic quoted. Our friends towed it to another mechanic friend who happened to need a roof on a barn of his. The guys struck a deal. Our friends would put a roof on the barn if the mechanic would fix our van. When the van was delivered, we DID NOT get a bill. We gave them some gas money for their troubles. What a blessing! I still need to learn that when I take something to God, to leave it with Him. I always stress about these situations initially. Then God always come through. You'd think I'd learn.
Speaking of the van. Now that we have transportation that we can all fit into, we can start visiting churches in the area. Pray for that situation. We've endured some frustrating church visits in the past. Maybe things will be different up here. We'll see.
That's all you get now. Next update I'll tell you about the interview up here and the a little about the yoopers.
God bless!!

Splittin' the Mitten

2007-06-02T21:35:00.000-05:00

Well, the name says it all. As you can see, this is now "The Sheep and the Goats: Life Lessons From the U.P." My family and I took a gamble and came to live with the yoopers. So whats with the title "Splittin' the Mitten"? Look at a map. The shortest route from NW Ohio to the U.P. is straight through downstate Michigan (the mitten). We've traveled those roads so many times in the last two months...it's really kind of sad.

I took a job in Marquette, Michigan. It's the largest city in the whole U.P. with a modest population of ~20,000. We bought a house in a small town called Negaunee (crazy Native American names up here). I've been at the new job for about a month now. Seems like a very interesting company. My co-workers have been great to work with so far.

What else...hmm...? Oh, we're also expecting again! Eshell is due in early-to-mid December. That was a surprise.

Our van also broke down. Luckily it happened before Eshell and the children made the trip up here. I can't imagine the chaos of it breaking down on the busy interstate with all of the children somewhere in Michigan. The mechanic wanted $5000 for a new motor. We have a good friend down there who's wheeling-n-dealing with a mechanic friend of his on our behalf. So, last Friday I'm on my way to Ohio to pick Eshell and the kids up to bring them to Michigan because we're closing on our house on the following Tuesday. I just cruised through Mount Pleasant and it's 11:00 p.m. I hit a deer in our only functioning vehicle. The car is rendered inoperable. I call the cops and he calls a tow truck and a hotel. Very nice people in Mount Pleasant, Michigan. The hotel gave me a room at a discounted rate because of my circumstances. The hotel let me stay an additional three hours for free. The guy at Nextell let me charge my cell phone in his store (turned out his family was originally from Hicksville, Ohio). And the people at Starbucks let me sit in their store for about an hour and a half while my brother brought my wife and kids to pick me up and bring us to Marquette. The car should be fixed by the middle of next week. The van...not so sure. We're driving a rental mini-van for now.

So, that's it for now. I know I'm missing some other crazy adventures. They'll come to me and I'll pass them along. Hopefully my faithful reader(s) haven't given up hope. Maybe I'll get some momentum and I'll start posting again. Maybe not.

God bless!!

Guess the Country

2007-04-17T15:13:00.001-05:00

I know it's been a while. I just wanted to pass along a bit o' cheer. I have a lot to update including "splittin' the mitten", but for now you get this. Our marketing manager received an e-mail from a potential international customer. For reasons that need not be explained, it struck me as funny. Can you guess what country this gentleman is from? His voicemail is even funnier than the e-mail. I wouldn't laugh at him if I didn't think he was laughing at himself.

Dear Ken,

I am sorry to asked you many questions.

I received question from (insert customer name here) about the experience to make the flexible shaft of Ni-Titanium.

Please let me know the yes or No or you can do that.

Thank you for your accept to my poor English.

Best regards,

(insert foreign name here)

There you have it. We have the pleasure of dealing with this on a daily basis. What we won't endure for a little business.

Statement of Concern for the Church

2006-12-13T09:18:00.000-05:00

PLEASE READ THE PREVIOUS POST BEFORE READING THIS!

All right, here it is in all of it's judgmental glory! Actually, I think this is very tactfully written; and I couldn't agree more with it's content. Here is a link to the original post on Slice of Laodicea. I've scaled down the font to try to save room. Hopefully it's legible.

A STATEMENT OF CONCERN

TO THE LEADERSHIP OF
THE CHURCHES OF AMERICA

I. The Main Concern

Over the past few years, our church has strayed from complete reliance on the Bible and the leading of the Holy Spirit, and now in emphasizing modern church-growth methods, preaches a watered-down version of the gospel.

II. Half a Gospel

Our church now presents only half of the gospel in its Sunday church services. [1] The gospel preached here is a sincere attempt to reach the lost, but is unfortunately a message that only highlights grace and faith in Christ, and leaves out any mention of hell[2] or judgment. [3] This presentation weakens the essentials of repentance and personal holiness. Biblical words such as “hell,” “condemnation,” “judgment,” and “sin” are avoided and are commonly unmentioned. Typically, these words are exchanged for inoffensive phrases such as “seeker” instead of “sinner.”

In its pursuit of assimilating the latest church growth methods, our church now presents a modern “seeker sensitive” version of the gospel. This softened version of the gospel is meant to be more comfortable to the ears of visitors in hopes of getting them to stay.[4] No doubt that the true gospel is for sinners. However, the “seeker sensitive” version typically advocates a therapeutic message that convinces “seekers” to simply accept Christ. While the act of receiving Christ should be emphasized, there must first be laid the foundation of judgment and repentance. Presenting a gospel without reference to sin, judgment, and holiness is only half the gospel.

A. The Importance of Judgment

The reason for preaching the reality of judgment is obvious—because it’s real and it’s eminent. While the mention of hell and judgment may offend listeners[5] and even turn some completely away, it must still be preached.[6] Just as alarming words are meant to wake a sleeping family from a burning house, so are these words meant to awaken[7] the lost.

The judgment of hell awaits all who have failed to keep the perfect law of God.[8] Since all of humanity is utterly and completely sinful,[9] and all have broken the law of God,[10] all people deserve hell. It is only because of God’s sacrifice of his Son, Jesus Christ that those who repent and put their faith in Him can enter heaven. A sinner must understand that they have sinned, not only against others, but primarily against a holy God. Failure to mention judgment, whether intentional or unintentional, is in danger of painting a picture of an unjust God.[11] Since God is perfectly good, he must punish liars, thieves, adulterers, murders, and so on. It is only because God brought punishment upon Jesus on the cross that he can allow repentant believers into his kingdom.

Failure to mention judgment and hell also rob grace of its meaning.[12] What worth is the concept of grace unless it means unmerited deliverance from punishment? The full message of grace will not make sense to an unbeliever until the dire consequence of hell is made known to him. Just like the situation of a doctor and a patient—the patient will not appreciate the cure until he is told in detail, the severity of the disease. [13]

B. The Importance of Repentance

In order for a sinner to come to God, they must repent and put their faith in Christ.[14] Full repentance must be preached and is critical to the process of salvation. In order for a sinner to put their whole faith in Christ, they have to repent—that is confess, renounce, and turn from sin altogether. Faith without repentance is not complete faith. One cannot be a bondservant of Christ while still enslaved to the bondage of sin.[15]

Often, the reason repentance is left out or diminished is because it is deemed as offensive and insensitive to new church visitors. Whenever the disposition and attitude of the sinner are protected in such a manner, the pride of man is exalted above the Lord’s call to humility.[16] Failure to fully emphasize repentance, denies the Biblical doctrine of the depravity of humanity.[17] Humanity’s pride is thus catered to, and as a result, the holiness of God is not glorified.

C. The Misunderstanding of the Message of Grace

When judgment and repentance are negated, the full message of grace is diminished. In place of the full grace message, what is promoted is the idea of Jesus as a life-enhancer.[18] A common phrase within this presentation is “Come to Jesus, because God has a wonderful plan for your life.”[19] While God does have wonderful plan for your life on His terms, this does not mean protection from persecution, tribulation and strife.[20] In fact, Jesus mentioned that we should expect and will experience hardship.[21] When a sinner accepts the gospel on the grounds that they will receive lasting happiness, they will become confused later on when they face difficulty.[22]

Another common phrase is that “Jesus will give you peace and joy.” While this is true, peace and joy are spiritual fruit rooted in the hope of eternal salvation.[23] Therefore, by leaving out judgment and eternity, peace and joy as incentives are not sufficient within themselves in reaching the lost. The fact of the matter is, that Jesus is not a mere life-enhancer but a life-saver.

By preaching the reality of judgment and hell, the sinner is awakened to his coming end. By then presenting the cross, the love of God is magnified. It is the warning of condemnation that drives the sinner to the cross. By presenting these truths, the gospel therefore makes sense to the unbeliever and the message is infinitely more meaningful.

D. The Importance of Holiness

Typically preached at our church are life affirming, motivational messages. While encouragement is important, the messages presented focus almost entirely on self.[24] Such messages are only based lightly on Scripture and rely too much on secular self-help principles. Sermons often allude only to a few Scripture references whenever it is convenient to the message.

According to Scripture, the Lord has called us to a life of holiness[25]—which does not necessarily include personal happiness or satisfaction. Holiness is an act of complete surrender when one is wholly devoted to God. When one surrenders their will to God, they have made a conscious decision to die to their own desires and conform to the complete will of God—even if this means persecution, tribulation and strife.[26] Such a person is consumed only by the desires of God. In doing so, they also put others before themselves. They are then able to love the Lord God with all of their heart, soul, mind, and strength and to love others as themselves.[27]

This brings us full circle to repentance. The person who desires to live a holy life continues to put their faith in Christ and also die completely to sin in repentance. Holiness is in keeping with repentance.

III. The Result

A. Half Christians

A gospel void of repentance and holiness is only half of the gospel. There cannot be full repentance without the forewarning of judgment.[28] There cannot be holiness without complete repentance. A gospel not mentioning judgment or hell, robs grace of its full meaning. What you have left is a message that must resort to a false perception of grace that emphasizes Jesus as a mere life enhancement. In turn, without repentance or a true call to holiness, what is produced are Christians who are still self-centered and entangled in the world. Half a gospel produces half Christians.

B. Lack of Spiritual Growth

This half gospel is one that our church preaches in a sincere attempt to reach the lost. Although it would make sense to make the gospel more accessible, this does not mean the essential truths should be altered in order to make it more acceptable. The fact of the matter is, that there will always be people that will reject the gospel. Jesus never promised results, he only commanded that the gospel be preached.[29] This softened form of evangelism is a part of the drive to increase church attendance. In hopes of retaining visitors, such a gospel is presented. This overflows and affects the church members. If messages are consistently tailored to visitors, regular attendees and church members are disenfranchised. The opportunity to grow deeper in faith is not made available. The Life Groups do not offer further nourishment for growth because the lessons are still primarily based on the sermon. When the mission of the church is focused primarily on visitors, there results a lack of practical, as well as spiritual fruit. Visitors then continue to come to church expecting much and offering little servanthood in return.

C. What Must Be Done

Our Church must return to the Bible as its sole source of teaching, preaching, and direction.[30] This does not mean alluding to a few Scripture references in a sermon whenever convenient. Sermons should be Holy Spirit led and solely based in Scripture. The Bible advocates reliance on the Holy Spirit as essential.[31] Likewise, the Holy Spirit will always advocate the full teaching of the Scripture as essential.

In keeping with the authority of Scripture, our pastor must also proclaim the entirely of the gospel including the reality of hell, judgment, the need for repentance as well as faith, and the call to holiness. It is for the glory of God that the gospel be preached in its fullness—the gospel initiated by the Law, foretold by the prophets, made possible in Christ, and proclaimed by the Apostles and the martyrs. Forever and ever may the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit be glorified. Amen.

TRES M. ADAMES

Scripture References & Annotations

[1]The gospel, when not presented in its fullness, is a different gospel. The Apostle Paul is very strict about this in Galatians, writing:

“I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel—which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned! As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let him be eternally condemned!” (Galatians 1:6-9)

[2] These are very Biblical words. No one spoke of hell more than Jesus. Hell is mentioned in the Bible numerous times. These are only some references: (Deuteronomy 32:22; Matthew 5:22-30; Matthew 11:23; Matthew 16:18; Matthew 18:9; Matthew 23:33; Mark 9:42-49; Luke 10:15; Luke 12:5; Luke 16:19-23; James 3:6; 2 Peter 2:4-10; Revelation 1:18; Revelation 6:8; Revelation 19:20; Revelation 20:13-15; Revelation 21:8)

[3] The judgment is also specifically mentioned in some of the verses listed above, as well as these: (Acts 10:42; Acts 17:31; Romans 2:16; Romans 3:5-6; 2 Timothy 4:1; Hebrews 10:30; Hebrews 13:4; 1 Peter 4:5)

[4] The Apostle Paul spoke of a time that would come when people would only want to be taught what they wanted to hear: “Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry.”
(2 Timothy 4:2-5)

[5] Paul wrote that “the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing,” (1 Corinthians 1:18) as well as a “stumbling block.” See all of (1 Corinthians 1:18-25).

[6] A quick glance at the experiences of Paul in the Book of Acts shows that the pure gospel was rarely received well without negative reaction. The Apostles were regularly met with opposition soon after preaching the gospel: Paul preaches at Damascus after his conversion and has to flee in a basket over the city wall (Acts 9:19-25); Paul debates with the Grecian Jews who later want to kill him, he flees to Caesarea (Acts 9:28-30); Paul and Barnabas are expelled from Pisidian Antioch amid persecution (Acts 13:49-52); Paul and Barnabas have to flee Iconium after the Jews plot to kill them after speaking boldly (Acts 14:1-7); Paul is stoned (Acts14:19-20); Paul and Silas are thrown in prison (Acts 16:16-24); A riot forms after Paul preaches in Thessalonica (Acts 17:1-9); Sneered by most at the Areopagus in Athens (Acts 17:32-34); Paul brought to court (Acts 18:12-17); Rioted in Ephesus (Acts 19:23-41); Arrested in Jerusalem (Acts 21:27-36); Plot to kill Paul (Acts 23:12-22)

[7] It is the law, which brings condemnation, that also awakens believers to the truth. “The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul.” (Psalm 19:7) See also (Romans 3:19-20)

[8] This is not hellfire preaching. Hellfire preaching simply declares punishment without reason. This is akin to a police officer barging into someone’s home and announcing arrest without explaining the crime. Explaining the nature of sin, as magnified by the law, makes the possibility of hell and judgment more feasible.

[9] The Depravity of Humanity: “There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one…’There is no fear of God before their eyes.’” (Romans 3:9-18) as well as (Genesis 6:5; Jeremiah 13:23; Romans 1:18-32; Romans 3:23; Romans 7:8-9; Ephesians 2:3)

[10] “For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it.” (James 2:10)

[11] “What shall we say? That God is unjust in bringing his wrath on us? I am using a human argument. Certainly not! If that were so, how could God judge the world? (Romans 3:5-6)

[12] Condemnation, brought by the law, is what magnifies grace: “The law was added so that the trespass might increase. But where sin increased, grace increased all the more, so that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Romans 5:20-21)

[13] In Luke 7:41-43, Jesus tells the parable of two indebted men: Two men owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii and the other fifty. Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he canceled the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more? Simon replied, ‘I suppose the one who had the bigger debt canceled’ ‘You have judged correctly,’ Jesus said.” Grace abounded when the offense was greater. The man who owed more appreciated the grace given to him more than the other man. Taking this a step further: not even mentioning hell, or any offense at all, is affronting the whole foundation of grace itself.

[14] Repentance and Faith are the twofold responses to the gospel. Repentance means to confess and turn from sin. Repentance and the call to repent is mentioned in the New Testament numerous upon numerous times: (Matthew 3:2,8,11; Matthew 4:17; Matthew 11:20-21; Matthew 21:32; Mark 1:4; Mark 1:15; Mark 6:12; Luke 3:3; Luke 3:8; Luke 5:32; Luke 10:13; Luke 13:1-9; Luke 15:7,10; Luke 16:30; Luke 17:3-4; Luke 24:7; Acts 2:38; Acts 3:19; Acts 5:31; Acts 11:18; Acts 13:24; Acts 17:30; Acts 20:21; Acts 26:20; Romans 2:4; 2 Corinthians 7:10; 2 Corinthians 12:21; 2 Peter 3:9; Revelation 2:5; Revelation 2:16; Revelation 3:3,19; Revelation 9:20-21; Revelation 16:9,11)

[15] “But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin…You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness…When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the control of righteousness. What benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of? Those things result in death! But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life.” (Romans 6:15-23)

[16] Those who are humble of heart are those who receive grace, not the prideful. “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” (James 4:6)

[17] See note 8 on the Depravity of Humanity.

[18] Often these words of Jesus are used to justify this approach: “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” (John 10:10) What Jesus is referring to is not lifestyle enhancement, but everlasting life.

[19] Jeremiah 29:11 is often pointed to as a verse indicating God’s desire for prosperity. However, this is a directive prophecy amid many others that pronounce disaster and calamity.

[20] The Book of Hebrews talks of many heroes of the faith who overcame much for the Lord (Hebrews 11:4-32). However, it acknowledges the persecution, trials, and tribulations that many underwent also: “Others were tortured and refused to be released, so that they might gain a better resurrection. Some faced jeers and flogging, while still others were chained and put in prison. They were stoned; they were sawed in two; they were put to death by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated—the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, and in caves and holes in the ground.” (Hebrews 11:32-38)

[21] “Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.” (Matthew 5:10-11) “Men will hate you because of me, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved.” (Mark 13:13)

[22] The Parable of the Sower speaks of different types of people who respond to the gospel; some abandon after calamity: “When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is the seed sown along the path. The one who received the seed that fell on rocky places is the man who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. But since he has no root, he lasts only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, he quickly falls away. The one who received the seed that fell among the thorns is the man who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful. But the one who received the seed that fell on good soil is the man who hears the word and understands it. He produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown." (Matthew 13:18-23)

[23] Peace and joy are not instant blessings given after conversion. They come from the Holy Spirit through adversity, and are rooted in the hope of eternity. Therefore, how can people discover true joy and peace without being even being told of the hope of heaven? “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but wealso rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.” (Romans 5:1-5)

[24] Paul says in the last days, “People will be lovers of themselves” (2 Timothy 3:2.) Why then does the church appear to be helping them do such?

[25] The call to holiness is intricately woven throughout the New Testament. Only a few of these verses: (Romans 6:19-22; Romans 12:1-2; 1 Corinthians 1:2; 2 Corinthians 7:1; Ephesians 4:24; 1 Thessalonians 4:3-7; 1 Timothy 2:2; 2 Timothy 1:9; 2 Timothy 2:21; Titus 1:8; Hebrews 12:10; 1 Peter 1:15-16; 2 Peter 3:11)

[26] “In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.” (2 Timothy 3:12)

[27] “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.’” (Matthew 22:37-40)

[28] Nonbelievers must be fully told of why they need to repent. Failure to do so is not a complete representation of Christ and what he did for us: “How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can they preach unless they are sent?” (Romans 10:14-15)

[29] “He said to them, ‘Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.’” (Mark 16:15-16)

[30] All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness.” (2 Timothy 3:16)

[31] The words of Jesus in Scripture urge the leading of the Holy Spirit: “For the Holy Spirit will teach you at that time what you should say." (Luke 12:12) and if the scriptures are certainly “God-breathed” (2 Timothy 3:16), then the Holy Spirit will always speak primarily through his eternal Word established centuries before.

A "Slice" of Truth

2006-12-13T06:53:00.000-05:00

I've been stopping by a blog for the past couple weeks that I find fascinating and informative. It's called Slice of Laodicea and was started by a lady who has been a Christian radio talk show host for several years. We used to listen to her when we lived in Warsaw, Indiana (she's syndicated from Milwaukee, Wisconsin). Her focus is to shed light on the "new and improved" churches of today. Someone recently sent her a note explaining his situation and the changes his church is going through. I've pasted the note below. He also posted a letter on the door of the church building expressing his concern. It's a bit lengthy, but I feel so strongly of the content of the letter, I'm going to post it in it's entirety here later.I would just link to it, but I'm terrible about following links from web-sites. If I post it, at least I've put it in front of you and have given you the opportunity to read it.

Dear Ingrid,

I have been reading your blog for the past year. I used to be a Media Director at an evangelical Church until 3 months ago. Recently, the church moved into a new building and really been pushing Rick Warren's Purpose Driven Church model. The leadership also shifted to more "relevant" forms of worship. When I was on staff, I really became convicted that the church was watering down the gospel and was headed in the wrong direction. I finally confronted the Pastor about it, and he immediately asked me to resign.

He also asked the Children's Director to resign also, because we were considered "poison" by going against the vision or dream of the church.

Anyway, my friend and I have been regular readers of your blog and have appreciated the discernment put forth. This weekend we posted a letter on the door of the church (in the spirit of Luther) voicing our concerns about the direction of the church. I'm not sure what it will do--Probably nothing, unfortunately.

But just a note of encouragement, my friend and I are both young (24). I used to be swayed by the emergent and relevant teaching, but through your blog, as well as other ministries like Way of the Master, the Holy Spirit has really changed my heart and corrected my thinking. I plan on going into the ministry to become a Pastor and am attending seminary this January.

Thank you for what you do. There are still young people out there who are willing to stand for Biblical principles!

God Bless.

Quotable Quotes

2006-11-16T09:56:00.000-05:00

Searching for the lyrics for the previous post, I came across a couple quotes from Keith I thought were worth sharing.

"It's time to quit playing church and start being the Church (Matt. 18:20)" — Keith Green, as quoted by Melody Green in the introduction to A Cry in the Wilderness, Sparrow Press, 1993.

and one of my favorites:

"No Compromise is what the whole Gospel of Jesus is all about... 'For I tell you...no man can serve two masters...' (Matt. 6:24). In a day when believers seem to be trying to please both the world and the Lord (which is an impossible thing), when people are far more concerned about offending their friends than offending God, there is only one answer...Deny yourself, take up your cross and follow Him!" — Keith Green, No Compromise album, 1978.

Troy

Rushing Wind

2006-11-16T09:51:00.000-05:00

Rushing Wind - Keith Green

Rushing wind blow through this temple,

Blowing out the dust within,

Come and breathe you breath upon me,

I've been born again.

Holy spirit, I surrender, take me where you want to go,

Plant me by your living water,

Plant me deep so I can grow.

Jesus, you're the one, who sets my spirit free,

Use me lord, glorify, your holy name through me.

Separate me from this world lord.

Sanctify my life for you.

Daily change me to your image,

Help me bear good fruit.

Every day you're drawing closer.

Trials come to test my faith.

But when all is said and done lord,

You know, it was worth the wait.

Jesus, you're the one, who set my spirit free,

Use me lord, glorify, your holy name through me.

Rushing wind blow through this temple,

Blowing out the dust within,

Come and breathe you breath upon me,

For I've been born again.

A Broken System

2006-11-03T07:34:00.000-05:00

I want to bring a couple stories to your attention. First story's here. A 23 year old South Carolina man was arrested for trying to dig up the grave of a 12 year old girl. He saw her picture in an obituary and thought she was cute. He wanted to dig her up, "take her home and have some fun". He plead guilty but mentally ill to two charges of destruction of a graveyard. He was sentenced to 20 years in prison and was ordered to register as a sex offender. I do applaud the judge for sentencing this man. We had an instance in our town where a mentally handicapped boy tried to rape another younger boy. Nothing was done because "you can't punish someone who's mentally ill". Then it came out later that he also tried to mess with a little boy whom he crossed paths with on his job. Still, nothing was done! At least they're putting this man away. 20 years should be enough to rehabilitate someone, no? Second story. A man in prison for 20 years for murdering a 5 year old boy and stabbing his mother for refusing his sexual advances, was released to Indiana on parole in March. Found a job at a restaurant in a very rural town as a dishwasher. Abducted and murdered a 16 year old girl who also worked with him. He said on his way home his vehicle broke down. The girl stopped to help him and he said that "a feeling came over him". He is pleading not guilty by reason of insanity. Why was he released? It's obvious that there's a problem with the system. I hate to bring up problems that I don't have an answer for. The answer that I have certainly doesn't sound Christian. On the other hand, Jesus Christ himself said that someone who offends a little child would be better to have a mill stone hung around their necks and dumped into the water. So a firing squad might not be so un-Christian after all. How, as the family of this 16 year old girl, cope with a situation like this. Knowing that this man was a sexual pervert and a murderer when he went into prison. He was released by our judicial system only to murder again. How do you deal with this? Once again, I don't have a good answer. God have mercy on this country! God bless, and protect your children.

troy

Tragedy on the Farm

2006-10-25T07:34:00.000-05:00

I received tragic news at the supper table last night. We have a beagle on the farm (as most farms do) named Joker; aka "The Happy Hound-dog". Joker had a wife. A chicken-wife. That's right. He had a Buff-Orpington chicken that he allowed to live with him in his dog box. Our children affectionately referred to her as "Joker's Chicken Wife". For several months, they lived in perfect harmony (like ebony and ivory) at the back of our yard. This is not a common event in nature. Beagle's are bred and trained to chase and bark at anything that moves that's smaller than they are (namely rabbits). I must admit, he truly was hen-pecked. When it came to house-hold hierarchy, "Chicken Wife" ruled the roost. But, it appeared that they loved each other. She would groom him of bugs. He would sniff and lick her in response. He even went so far as to eat her eggs that she laid in the dog box. October 24, 2006 marks the day that Joker put away his chicken wife. He did not follow biblical guidelines and give her a certificate of divorce. He gave her...more of a munch and a chomp. What triggered Joker to turn on his own chicken wife, we will never know. What ever possessed him to use his muzzle that was designed to drool, sniff and yelp as an instrument of terror and destruction will forever remain a mystery. As we reflect back on the life if Clucky...or Henny...or was it Big Comb or Red Comb...as we reflect back on the life of "Joker's Chicken Wife" we will always remember what could have been. The two of them growing old together. Sharing their food. Sharing their home. Sharing her leg. We will always remember them as husband and chicken-wife. We actually wondered together as a family if this was a true sign of the end of time. Lion and lamb. Beagle and chicken. Now we just know that it was a short span of confusion in nature. Rest in peace, Chicken Wife.

An Assassin Bug

2006-10-20T08:34:00.000-05:00

A guy from my work found a bug over the weekend. He didn't know what it was so he brought it in to work to see if anyone had seen one before. Knowing that my wife and children would not rest until they had identified it, I offered to take it home and let them study it. I took this picture of it crawling on the children's craft table. We found out that it's called a "Wheel Bug" because of the cog-like feature on it's back. Below is an excerpt from a web-site describing the bug. This particular specimen was around 1 inch in length. Enjoy!

The Wheel Bug, Arilus cristatus, has some of the best-developed mouthparts of any True Bug. Its formidable beak arises at the anterior end of its long tubular head and unfolds forward. When it encounters a prey item--usually some adult insect or caterpillar--it typically lunges forward in its own slow way, grabs onto the prey with its front legs, and buries its hypodermic beak into some soft body part of the hapless prey. The Wheel Bug then injects enzyme-laden saliva--which immobilizes the prey within 30 seconds and turns its parts into porridge--after which the predatory bug sucks out all the victim's bodily fluids. This activity, of course, kills the prey item, which is why the Wheel Bug is classified in the Reduviidae--the Assassin Bug Family. It's worth noting that Wheel Bugs aren't all that particular about where they stick their beaks--which is fair warning that humans should use appropriate care when handling one. Some folk have allergic reactions to the bite, while others simply say a Wheel Bug nibble hurts ten times more than a hornet sting and takes weeks or months to heal.

Excerpt from this web-site:

Simple Mathematics

2006-10-18T10:47:00.000-05:00

I was talking to a man from our church this weekend. We ended up with a "mathematical theory" that seemed reasonable, so I thought I'd pass it along. The size of the government is directly proportional to the moral state of the country. Explained: the more the country's morality declines, the government must get larger to "enforce" morality. I always wondered how our governments structure/function strayed so far from what our founding fathers envisioned.

Inversely, as the morality of the people decline, the more accepting the government is of our moral decay. What was not accepted in the past is now welcomed, then encouraged, then pushed. In the last fifty years, we've voted, in the government, on such issues as abortion, same-sex marriage, posting the Ten Commandments, etc... In times past, these topics were not issues. Right was right and wrong was wrong. As our morality declines, these things become issues. Despite the size or might of military, a morally corrupt country is destined for defeat.

Compared to the church: the more morally calloused the people become, the more tolerant the church becomes on issues. What the church once reproved, they now excuse. This is nothing new. Paul dealt with it in the book of 1st Corinthians. It is more commonplace and widely accepted now.

As society looses it's backbone to stand up against immorality, the government looses it's backbone to stand up against the voting people. As the people begin to loose their backbone, the church looses it's backbone to biblically deal with immorality. It all ties in somehow.

Just a topic to stimulate thought.

God bless!

troy

A Special Day

2006-10-05T07:03:00.000-05:00

On this day in 1975 God gave me a very special gift. Not only did he give this gift to me, but to the world. She has caused many laughs and many tears in our home. The first time I saw her, she captivated my heart. That's right, Kate Winslet of "Titanic" proportions turns 31 today.

Just kidding. This is actually her birthday, but I found out by googling this date. This is my wonderful wife's birthday. She truly is very special and valuable...beyond "Titanic" proportions. She has been such a blessing in our home. She brings balance to me. She brings support and encouragement. That God would bless me with such a help-meet! She saw fit to marry a young kid with no direction and no motivation. She sees fit to stay with an older kid with wild dreams of becoming a farmer and still no motivation (for more than 12 years now!). She's put up with job changes and moves and also apparent stand-stills. She encouraged me through my dreams of becoming and engineer, and then a doctor, then back to an engineer. She puts her own personal dreams and goals on hold for the good of the family. She's very giving and tenderhearted (although she probably wouldn't admit it). She loves me when I'm not so loveable. She's great with her babies...all of them. And they love and cherish her (as do I). She is a keeper at home. She is a full-time: mother, teacher, nurse, counselor, cook, maid, nanny, motivational speaker, lawn-care specialist, gardener, launderer, hog slopper, horse groomer, farmer (in-training)...etc. You get the idea. Most important, she's a child of God and she's my wife, and I love her.

Happy Birthday, Eshell!!

Love,

troy (cm)

What A Day

2006-10-03T04:37:00.000-05:00

After taking a thrashing at work yesterday, my wife knew exactly what I needed when I got home...BLT's. With fresh, whole wheat toast, fresh garden tomatoes, bacon right off of the pig last week and....store bought lettuce (can't win 'em all). She knew I had a rough day and she did her best to make it better. Our oldest son even let me beat him in Battleship last night. I praise God for a great wife and family.

troy

When I Hear the Praises Start

2006-09-23T09:03:00.000-05:00

My son, My son, why are you striving
You can't add one thing to what's been done for you
I did it all while I was dying
Rest in your faith, my peace will come to you

For when I hear the praises start
I want to rain upon you
Blessings that will fill your heart
I see no stain upon you
Because you are my child and you know me
To Me you're only holy
Nothing that you've done remains
Only what you do for Me

My child, My child, why are you weeping
You will not have to wait forever
That day and that hour is in My keeping
The day I'll bring you into Heaven

For when I hear the praises start
My child, I want to rain upon you
Blessing that will fill your heart
I see no stain upon you
Because you are My child and you know me
To me you're only holy
Nothing that you've done remains
Only what you do in Me

My precious bride, the day is nearing
When I'll take you in My arms and hold you
I know there are so many things that you've been hearing
But you just hold on to what I have told you

For when I hear the praises start
My bride, I want to rain upon you
Blessings that will fill your heart
I see no stain upon you
Because you are My child, and you know Me
To me you're only holy
Nothing that you've done will remain
Only what you do for me

Keith Green

Fluff and Stuff

2006-09-18T06:17:00.000-05:00

In honor of the last commenter (which I have a strong suspicion is my wife...she's such and exhorter), here is the next installment of "Fluff and Stuff".

There's a guy here at work who always comes in first thing every morning and pours the remainder of yesterdays coffee into his mug and microwaves it. 24 hour old coffee sounds kind of gross to me; but he does the same on Monday mornings as well. This means the coffee has been sitting in the coffee pot since Friday morning. 72 hour old coffee not only sounds gross, but it sounds unhealthy to me. He survived Vietnam, so old coffee's probably nothing to him.

This ends this installment of "Fluff and Stuff".

troy

Scriptures for thought...how much still applies today?

2006-07-28T07:05:00.000-05:00

I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the LORD.

Our feet shall stand within thy gates, O Jerusalem.

Jerusalem is builded as a city that is compact together:

Whither the tribes go up, the tribes of the LORD, unto the testimony of Israel, to give thanks unto the name of the LORD.

For there are set thrones of judgment, the thrones of the house of David.

Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee.

Peace be within thy walls, and prosperity within thy palaces.

For my brethren and companions' sakes, I will now say, Peace be within thee.

Because of the house of the LORD our God I will seek thy good.

Psalm 122

Scriptures Through Pictures

2006-06-06T05:52:00.000-05:00

Genesis 1:28
"(And you)...have dominion over...every living thing that moveth upon the earth."

Acts 10:13
"And there came a voice to him, Rise,...kill and eat."

Any other appropriate scriptures you can think of to describe this picture?

My Wife, the Poet

2006-05-09T13:30:00.000-05:00

Received this e-mail at work this afternoon from my wife ...quite sickening, frankly.

Hahahahahah!!!!!!!! You are a caged bird and I am soaring on freedom's wings under the azure sky! Can you hear the sweet melody of the birds and smell the tantalizing smell of wildflowers? Can you see the trees bursting forth their aromatic scent? When my precious little Susanna plays on the lush velvety carpet of God's perfection my heart soars in gratitude towards the Lord and my husband for their gifts to me and I relish my freedom as I get the joy of surrounding myself with beauty daily. Thank you, dear husband, as you sacrifice your freedom so I can soar.

Love,
Eshell

Why isn't she in the house making biscuits or something?

A Time for Evaluation

2006-05-05T13:27:00.000-05:00

We had a shake-up in our church this week. One of the families have a daughter that ran away. She left a lengthy note explaining how she fears God but she doesn't really trust Him. This was her way of learning to trust God. She's fifteen years old, so she couldn't (or didn't) drive. They found her the next day a town or two away. She comes from a nice family. They always appear happy. She seems like a smart young lady. They homeschool her. I was left wondering "What's going on?. They appear to be doing things right." Things were a bit stressed at home. Dad works in Wisconsin and mom goes with him for the week sometimes. It's about a six-hour drive from their place in north-east Indiana. Is this the reason? Or a part of it? She has an older sister that stays with her when mom and dad are gone. They have a farm they are trying to sell in Indiana so they can all move to Wisconsin. During a men's meeting two weeks ago the men suggested to him that he is too focused on the farm and not enough on his family. This might be the case.

All this rattling through my head takes me back to something the elder of our church said shortly after we started attending. He looked out across the congregation and commented on how nice the children looked and behaved. They wear the right clothes. They say the right things. They're all homeschooled so they have a good education. Well mannered. "But what's the state of their heart?" Ooh. Wasn't really expecting that. They can quote passages of the Bible, but is it in their heart?

Every family in our church homeschool their children. Not that it's mandated, that's just the way it's worked out so far. Some very large families. They, once again, appear Godly. An area a lot of "conservative" families fail miserably is TRAINING our children. We do train them. We train them what to say. We train them what do. We insist they memorize mass quantities of scripture. We scold them or spank them when they act up. Many homeschool children fear their parents. Possibly an un-healthy fear. We have abused our parental role. We have manipulated them into little "Yes-men" or robots. Our fear of looking bad in public (pride) has caused us to sever any friendship or attachment we once had - could have - should have with our children. There needs to be a time for this type of training. There also needs to be time for bonding. A time for fellowship. If you don't know your children, how do expect to know the state of their heart? How can you know if their hurting? If their doubting God? If their contemplating running away? Some people have a business of child-rearing as opposed to a family. The calendar hanging on our kitchen wall speaks to this. It has a quote on it this month along the lines of "Don't tell me how many children you birthed; how many are walking in truth?" It's kind of a new way of looking at things. We primarily focus on the outward obedience of our children and not on the in-ward state of their heart. I know it has made my wife and I stop and think about our interaction with our children. Do we have their hearts? Do they love and trust us or just fear us?

So many things to evaluate. By God's grace, we'll get through it.

Changes

2006-05-03T04:36:00.000-05:00

I've made a few subtle changes to my blog. I want to make more but have a fear. A lot of "casual" bloggers, I have noticed, will make a bunch of changes as a last ditch effort to motivate themselves to blog more. Usually it ends up as a dead blog. I would like to change the template, but don't really like any of bloggers "ready-made" templates...and besides, changes that drastic means certain death.

Seriously though, we have been going through a lot of changes. We have seen God work so much in our lives recently that it's amazing. He truly does take care of his children. Maybe I'll take some time and post about some of the areas He's working. And not just our lives, but friends and family around us, too.

This is a picture of our pet turkeys that were supposed to be butchered for Thanksgiving last year. This picture shows them at probably a couple months old. Tommy and Yap-Yap have been very good pets. Tommy turned out to be such a friendly turkey that we decided not to "invite" them to Thanksgiving dinner last year. Tommy was a bit compulsive about pecking people on the back-side, but despite that, she was very fond of humans. She would follow you around the yard and plop herself down wherever you were working. She especially liked sitting right behind your feet. A 40-50 pound bird is easy to trip over. She was very fond of sitting in mud puddles(?). I had to put Tommy down this weekend for some health reasons that I wont go into. I know it sounds extremely odd, but it was kind of hard for me. Tommy was like a friend. She was there when I was splitting wood. She was there when I was working on the van in the freezing rain (although she kept pecking my hand every time I went to grab a tool). She aloud you to pick her up and carry her around (although the older she got the harder it was...once again, 40-50 lbs.). She will be missed. By her sister, Yap-Yap; by the children; by myself and my wife; by anyone who has tripped over her or been pecked in the back-side by her.

Well, that's all for now. I have much more to say but have to get the older kids up to start math with them. It didn't happen yesterday. I inadvertently slept in. I don't feel bad though, it was my birthday; which my wife and kids made very special. They are the best!

God bless.

Fun Raccoon Facts

2006-03-07T05:17:00.000-05:00

We learned some interesting facts about raccoons this last weekend.

Dogs don't like raccoons sleeping in their dog-boxes.
Raccoons don't like to play with dogs while cornered in a dog-box.
Dogs don't like to play with raccoons while raccoons are cornered in a dog-box.
They bare their teeth and growl: both.
Raccoons like peanut-butter sandwiches.
You can use a peanut-butter sandwich to lead a raccoon to a live trap.
You can use a peanut-butter sandwich to lead a raccoon to a live trap until you grab it by the head and try to shove it in.
Raccoons don't like to be grabbed by the head.
Dogs like peanut-butter sandwiches.
Dogs won't go into a raccoon infested dog-box for a peanut-butter sandwich.
A shovel doesn't work well to try to pull a raccoon out of a dog-box.
A garden rake works well to pull a raccoon out of a dog-box.
Dogs like to play with raccoons when they are not in their dog-box.

I'll leave the rest up to your imagination.

A side note: We are not typically cruel to animals, but when a predator comes around that might threaten our chicken, turkey and guinea flock, we need to do what we can to protect them. Except maybe for the guineas. I could probably let a few of those go.

Fullness of Joy

2006-03-07T05:02:00.000-05:00

Psalm 16:11
Thou wilt show me the path of life; in thy presence is fullness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures forevermore.

There are a few things that I've learned about joyfulness. For one, joyfulness is not a condition resultant of your external experiences. Another way to say it is that your not only joyful when things go well for you. Joyfulness is a consistent condition of your heart regardless of your external circumstances. This passage says that your joy will be full if you are in the presence of the Lord. Using deductive reasoning, it would be safe to say that if you are not joyful, you are not in the presence of the Lord. Whom do you think moved from who's presence? You or the Lord?

What Are We?

2006-02-23T06:22:00.000-05:00

Hmm. Paul asks a good question. It's actually made me stop and think. I appreciate the question; but what I appreciate more is that Paul can't label me. I like it that way. I don't like labels. Here is a little bit of how I feel about THE Church. I wrote this back in December of '04. We don't belong to a denomination. That's not to say that we are in the “non-denominational” groups, such as Church of Christ. I would throw the Churches of Christ (at least the ones in this area) in the denominational group, although they claim not to be. We have been to several churches/denominations seeking like-minded believers and establishing our doctrine. What we've realized is that you don't let a church or denomination establish your doctrine. You let the Bible and the Holy Spirit establish your doctrine. We have not been to a church where we believed the complete doctrine of any denomination. We do, however, believe some of each church. Every church we've been to has been a blessing to us in one form or another, and we always have taken something away. Sometimes it was “Boy, I'll never set foot in there again!” We personally have been to Church of Christ (was raised in that most of my young life), Baptist, Presbyterian, Pentecostal and some “home” or small group fellowships. Have met some really nice people along the way. Some who I believe are totally sold out to the Lord.

For me to list my complete faith and doctrine stance would take a long time and would probably have to be broken up over several post, but I'll hit the high-lights.

I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.
I believe the Bible is a literal book, written by man but inspired by God (my preference is KJV). [Theres a couple posts at this link titled Literal Bible]
I believe that Jesus came down from heaven to die for the redemption of all man.
I believe that His blood purifies and redeems us.
I believe that we can put away our sinful nature and live a holy life, pleasing to the Lord.
I believe that you can have assurance of your salvation that no one can take from you.
I believe that you can forfeit/loose that salvation through life decisions.
I believe in the New Testament church.
I believe that the Holy Spirit still works in the way it did in the New Testament.
I believe that Jesus Christ is coming back a second time to gather his Church/Bride home with Him.

Obviously, this is pretty broad. I didn't hit a lot of hot topics (I tend to skip over the end-times discussions like tribulation, millennia, rapture and so-on) and some that I've argued a lot of my life (baptism, communion, speaking in tongues). Some I'm still trying to figure out.

We are at a church/fellowship (no denominational ties or even name for that matter - started out as a house church) now that is made up of families that don't agree on many of these issues. They may debate them in private or men's-round-table-discussions, but typically aren't preached about from the pulpit. We are there because it is safe for my family to worship there. We have been to places that we may have agreed with more of the preaching, but you didn't dare let your children go to Sunday School or play with many of the other kids out of sight or hearing range. I believe that your children should be involved and should be able to make friends at church.

What it boils down to is believing the Bible. Seeking God's wisdom. Listening to the Spirit. Trusting in Christ Jesus.

Paul, if this is too broad and didn't answer your questions, let me know and I'll take another stab at it. Maybe ask more direct or specific questions; like: what is your stance on...? Or maybe you don't really care. That's fine too.

God bless!

Update

2006-02-10T20:54:00.000-05:00

Just wanted to let you know that I'm still alive. I was hoping to get something logged in January, but obviously that didn't happen. We have had quite a time the last few months. Early in December we were coming home from a church meeting at a church we used to attend. The weather was pretty nasty (first REAL snow of the year) and I wasn't used driving the van we purchased in May. To make a long story short, we rolled the van in the ditch, ending up on our side. Kind of an interesting experience. Praise God no one got injured (except my wife getting whiplash). We got the van fixed, but it's given us problems since. The strange part is that the problems are in no way related to the accident.
We also had a water line rupture in the back yard causing it to flood. I mentioned it to the guys at church. "Just start digging at the water leak" they told me. I fell for it. I started digging. I dug for four hours the first day and didn't even find the water line. Two hours the next day...still no line. Two days after that, one of the guys from the church came over to help dig. We finally found the line five and a half feet in the ground. We dug all day and couldn't find the leak. Next day two more guys from the church came over to dig. They found and fixed the leak. We still have a large hole in the back yard that I'm slowly getting filled in.
We've been pretty busy at work. There's a big gathering of orthopedic surgeons in Chicago happening in March that my company always attends so we've been gearing up for that.
The family went through the flu a couple weeks ago. I was the only one to escape it's clutches.
I've really been enjoying some music that I downloaded (legally) off the web. It's all scripture set to music. I've really been enjoying a group called Scripture Song. It's kind of folky. I find it a refuge at work. You can visit them here and download songs from each of their albums. I've got to get some of the CD's. We found them from this web-site that has a lot of different groups/artist that primarily put scripture to music. I can't recommend it all because I haven't listened to them all, but some of it's quite enjoyable to me. Just go to the MP3 page.
I preach next weekend at church. The message that been working through my mind goes along with the message that the elder of our church preach last weekend. Should be interesting. Hopefully my message won't seem conflicting to his message.
We are six animals lighter these days. We got rid of our goats. I didn't have the time or money to get a suitable enclosure built for them. Crazy animals escaped everything I tried in the past. They need something more like San Quentin then standard fencing. Rebellious animals! Our pigs have joined our chickens in the freezer. Fresh bacon, ham and sausage...can't beat it. We have also eliminated all roosters from our flock. We were finding things not-so-desirable in our eggs. We should be in good shape now, and our neighbors should hate us less for not having the natural alarm clocks going off at 4:00 a.m.
That's enough for now. It's getting late for me.
God bless!

Encouraged through Trials

2005-12-23T05:04:00.000-05:00

Back in March I told you about our family doctor (Phil) who had a son (John, 14 yrs. old) with cancer. John died yesterday morning after his bone cancer spread to his lungs. Typically you would think this is a tragic event. In the flesh, it is. This family has grown so spiritually minded about this that it's unlike anything I've ever seen. It's obvious that they've grown in the Lord. We've grown just reading the updates about John. The post on his web-site from yesterday announcing his death read:

John died this morning. For some reason Laura and I couldn’t sleep so we sat up and dozed on and off in the living room with John. He was sleeping more soundly than usual and suddenly he woke up bright and excited and said, "I’m going home now. It’s awesome. I’m going to be with Jesus." He was so happy about it. Then he fell into a restless sleep and died peacefully several hours later. God is so merciful.

I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing. (2 Timothy 4:7,8) Way to go John. I’ll see you in heaven.

Thanks for you prayers....Phil

Phil then posted again after that to convey funeral arrangemnts (times, locations, etc.) and said:

God’s peace is flooding our home.

What a testimony. If you have time, read back through some of their updates on the web-site. It will encourage and challenge you (and probably make you cry).

Blessings.