The Beautiful Beatitudes -the magna charta

I am reading a book called "The Life Of Christ" by Ralph M. Riggs. Here's an excerpt from it:

'First came the beautiful beatitudes which are considered the magna charta of the kingdom of God. These foundational utterances of the New Testament doctrine correspond to the Ten Commandments of the Old Testament. How different, however, from the "Thou shalt" and "Thou shalt not" of the former convenant. Here are the keys into the blessed realm where men reach the ultimate in righteousness and heart satisfaction and arrive at the place where God's blessing rests upon them. The qualities cited here are the very antithesis of what are generally considered desirable and legitimate pursuits in life. As Jesus declared later, "that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God" (Luke 16:15). Fundamentally also, "a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth" (Luke 12:15). Humility, meekness, mercifulness, purity of heart, loving and making peace, and being willing to be persecuted for righteousness' sake--these are listed by Christ as the highest objectives for human living.'

And there has not been a better example of these characteristics being lived out in human life than what we observe having been lived out in Christ's life!

Chevron profited $4.35 Billion in quarter.

I hardly ever follow financial news, so these numbers shock me. Chevron profited $4.35 billion in second quarter earnings, as reported on USAToday.com, which it turns out was actually a let down on Wall Street.

"Chevron (CVX) said Friday its second-quarter earnings soared to a new high, but that wasn't enough to satisfy investors whose expectations have been raised by the oil industry's recent run of eye-popping profit. The company's shares tumbled 3.5%. "

"The company said it earned $4.35 billion, or $1.97 a share, for the three months ended in June. That compared with net income of $3.68 billion, or $1.76 a share, at the same time last year. "

"It marks the company's largest three-month profit in its 127-year history, eclipsing earnings of $4.14 billion registered in last year's final quarter after energy prices spiked in the aftermath of hurricanes Katrina and Rita. "

I guess I just don't see it. That seems like an absurd amount of money to stick in the coffers at the expense of consumers. Good for the investors maybe, but I still just don't see it. We are talking BILLIONS not MILLIONS. The goal is to make money, but my goodness, this seems like an unreasonable amount to make in three months. I still think consumers are being raped at the gas pump, and I have hard time seeing it any other way.

Are we being raped?

USAToday Financial News Headline 28th July 2006:

ExxonMobil quarterly profit at $10.4B

Yesterday I traveled from the St. Louis area to Chicago's O'Hare Airport area. I haven't complained a whole lot about the rising cost of fuel, but I have joked a bit about thinking we were being raped at the pumps. But after seeing the today's headline in USAToday, I have this to say: America, we are being raped at the fuel pumps!

"Surging oil prices may be emptying the wallets of drivers topping off their gas tanks, but they're filling the coffers at ExxonMobil, which Thursday reported the second largest quarterly profit for a U.S. company."

$10.4 billion in profit???

That is a tremendous amount of money to make at the expense of America, who has been found guilty of hiring arsonists to burn their fuel consuming SUV's, so they could buy other fuel conserving vehicles.

I still hear the laughter that continues to echo off the hills in America as they made the trip from the pumps to the bank to deposit the money. Don't you hear it too? Wait what's that other sound? Might it be the outcry of America being raped at the pump?

Reading in Habbakkuk (How do you say that?!)

Last Sunday in Sunday School class we studied humility. One approach to studying humility was to examine its antonym, or the opposite of humility. In this case, pride would be the subject matter considered. Pride of life, or human pride, is anything that exalts itself above God and what He has done for us. It is self-exaltation. It portrays "Look what I have done." And we all know stories in the Bible where pride was the undoing of many a person -even death.

Well, this past week, I became aware of a scripture in Habbakkuk chapter two that I thought was interesting. In The Amplified Bible, verse four, we read:

"Look at the proud; his soul is not straight or right within him, but the [rigidly] just and the [uncompromisingly] righteous man shall live by his faith and in his faithfulness."

The King James version reads this way:

"Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith."

So we aren't guilty of taking things out of context we will acknowledge that the prophet was refering to those who were not heeding the warning of impending disaster at the hand of Israel's enemies, the Chaldeans. Instead they thought they could save themselves by their own methods -apart from God and His deliverance. It is a sickly soul, a soul without a right spirit, not fully submitted to God, an unrenewed mind, that thinks man can save himself. Hence, pride.

So leaving the context of the scripture we examined:

Apart from Christ, man cannot save themselves. Salvation and reconciliation only comes through one, and that is Jesus Christ. Christ is Salvation. Man can never be saved by being good enough, by being religious enough, or by knowing it all. It is a proud man that thinks anything other than his faith in Christ will get him anywhere in any area of his life. It is a proud man who does not acknowledge God in every aspect of his life. We are, we do, we have -because Christ has enabled us to.

It is a humble man who acknowledges God's hand in every aspect of his life. It is humble man who gives thanks and praise to God in everything. It is a humble man who doesn't do anything apart from God's direction, strength, wisdom, and power. It is a humble man who knows it is by faith in Jesus Christ through grace we are saved. It is a humble man who is faithful in all things to God. A humble man will have an upright soul in him. The psalmist said in Psalms chapter fifty-one verse ten (KJV), "Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me." A spirit free from the pride of life.

Sight and Sound Theaters, Lancaster PA

June 7, Wednesday, was show day at the Sight and Sound Theatres in Lancaster PA. We had morning tickets for the Living Waters Theater to see the Psalms of David show, and late afternoon tickets for the Millenium Theater to see the Ruth show. The Ruth show featured live animals and was a musical about Ruth, Naomi, and Boaz. It was a very good production with lavish sets, costumes and props, which as I mentioned included animals of all kinds, big and small. They even had horses with riders running up and down the ailes right through where the people were seated. It was specatacular. But without focusing on that aspect the musical, the musical's content and the ideas presented about trusting God in our circumstances was very well done. In between the shows, we went to Fuddruckers to eat lunch.

We were asked not to take photos of either show, but apparantly someone sneaked this one in.

This is a photo of the Lion and the Lamb statue in front of the Millenium Theater.

This is a photo of a manger scene inside the Millenium Theater.

Reading in Haggai, this morning.

This morning, while reading in Haggai, it occurred to me that we are often like the Israelites in how we conduct our lives from time to time.

In Haggai chapter 1, the Lord is getting on to the people for tending to their own lives and not tending to God's business, or the business He had charged them with.

Uh oh!

The thing is, there were consequences for their choices and actions. Let's read and discover what was happening to them.

Haggai 1 (Amplified Bible)

vs 4 Is it time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses while this house [of the Lord] lies in ruins?

vs 5 Now therefore thus says the Lord of hosts: Consider your ways and set your mind on what has come to you.

vs 6 You have sown much, but you have reaped little; you eat, but you do not have enough; you drink, but you do not have your fill; you clothe yourselves, but no one is warm; and he who earns wages has earned them to put them in a bag with holes in it.

vs 7 Thus says the Lord of hosts: Consider your ways (your previous and present conduct) and how you have fared.

vs 8 Go up to the hill country and bring lumber and rebuild [My] house, and I will take pleasure in it and I will be glorified, says the Lord [by accepting it as done for My glory and by displaying My glory in it].

vs 9 You looked for much [harvest], and behold, it came to little; and even when you brought that home, I blew it away. Why? says the Lord of hosts. Because of My house, which lies waste while you yourselves run each man to his own house [eager to build and adorn it].

vs 10 Therefore the heavens above you [for your sake] withhold the dew, and the earth withholds its produce.

vs 11 And I have called for a drought upon the land and the hill country, upon the grain, the fresh wine, the oil, upon what the ground brings forth, upon men and cattle, and upon all the [wearisome] toil of [men's] hands."

Our text says they were sowing much, reaping little. Bringing home the harvest, only to watch it blow away. Earning wages, putting them into bags with holes in them. I see that as they were making the money, but God wasn't blessing that money for maximum provision in their lives. Their earnings were not staying with them long enough to bless them. Today, I would illustrate that as follows. I bring home my paycheck, I have more than the normal amount of car repairs, house repairs, I don't find things on sale at the store as often, my clothes wear out too fast and need replacing, you get the idea. I am getting nickel and dimed to the point where any extra money I might have had is consumed, plus some, on stuff that just seems to keep coming up or happening to me.

Well, this was happening to them because they were not tending to the commandment of God in their life. I am reminded of the scripture in Matthew chapter 6 verse 33, "Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you". (KJV) God blesses His people who put Him first.

Verse 12 (AMP) of our text says "...the people... ....listened to and obeyed the voice of the Lord their God... ....completely... ....and the people [reverently] feared and [worshipfully] turned to the Lord".

The second part of Joshua chapter 24 verse 23 reads, "...incline your heart unto the LORD God of Israel". (KJV)

We need to live lives that are lived for our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We need to make sure we are building the "Lord's house" in our lives and not our own. We need to make sure we are doing things that glorify our Lord, done for His glory. Christ's righteousness has already been imputed to those who believe in Him and His death on the cross, the power of His shed blood, and resurrection. We need to seek Him and be about the Master's business. Prosper spiritually in relationship with God and in glorifying Him and what He has given you will work harder for you.

More Pictures from Lancaster PA Area June 6 2006

I had heard of this town, but now I can say I have been here.



My wife's Pretzel that she made at the Intercourse Pretzel Factory.

The pretzel I made.

It's official!

A wonderful place to eat! Beats anything around here.

Who are the Amish People?

Ever wondered stuff like:

• Who are the Amish? Are they the same as the Pennsylvania Dutch?
• Why do they dress that way?
• What is the history of the Amish?
• The Amish seem stuck in history. Why don't they accept modern ideas and innovations?
• Do they speak English?
• What's an Amish wedding like?
• Do Amish children go to school?

Well, if you have then, this amish web page will certainly be informative.

Pictures from Lancaster Pennsylvania area

Pictures taken June 5 while visiting Lancaster PA.

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Lots of buggies out here in Amish Country.

Typical Amish farm. No electric. All horse powered.

Strasburg Railroad

John the Baptist's Witness

Reading in the Amplified Bible from John chapter 1:

v7 This man came to witness, that he might testify of the Light, that all men might believe in it [adhere to it, trust it, and rely upon it] through him.

v29 The next day John saw Jesus coming to him and said, Look! There is the Lamb of God, Who takes away the sin of the world!

v32 John gave further evidence, saying, I have seen the Spirit descending as a dove out of heaven, and it dwelt on Him [never to depart].

v34 And I have seen [that happen--I actually did see it] and my testimony is that this is the Son of God!

v35 Again the next day John was standing with two of his disciples,

v36 And he looked at Jesus as He walked along, and said, Look! There is the Lamb of God!

v37 The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Him.

Hell, Michigan has it's big day on 6-6-06.

The town of Hell, Michigan is getting it's spot in the limelight today. They have special t-shirts and activities going on.

You can read more here on CNN.

RoadsideAmerica.com has a writeup to.

Personally, I question: "Wouldn't the real 6-6-6 have occured 2000 years ago?"

But then, they wouldn't have known about the mark of the Beast since John wouldn't have received the revelation yet... But then they weren't even recording time on the calender like we are now, didn't our calendar system came later?

Driving through Pennsylvania on Sunday June 4 2006

Okay, I will admit it, I like driving through the tunnels in Pennsylvania! There are several of them and most of them aren't very short.

This is a picture inside the Kittatinny Mountain tunnel, just before the Blue Mountain Tunnel.

My wife was getting on to me for not stopping at the different Starbucks we passed on the way. But then we discovered the Service Plaza's on the turnpike have Starbucks in them. Whew hoo!!

It is hard to see, but the Starbucks logo is on the left front door of the Turnpike Service Building. If you click on the picture you would probably be able to see it in the larger fullsize image.

Busch Stadium

Picture taken from the exit lane on I-55 to I-70 eastbound, on June 3, 2006, 8:54am.

Zoomed in on the middle of the above picture.

Iran law requires Jews wear yellow, Christians wear red.

Two articles were published on YNetNews.com
one called Exiles: Iran Jews to wear yellow ribbons,
the other Iran weighing 'national uniform' for all.

In the first one...

"Iranian expatriates reveal that ‘National Uniform Law’ authorized by Iranian parliament includes clause obligating Iranian Jews to wear yellow ribbon; Christians, other minority members to wear colored ribbons as well."

Read the full story here.

Apparantly Jews would wear yellow, Christians would wear red, Islamic Iranians would be required to wear more traditional Islamic dress, ...you get the picture.

Hitler required Jews to be adorned with yellow before he started killing them.

Hmmm....

The thing is though, on the 'net there is a disagreement about whether this is really true or not, whether there really is a law like this. I did hear a short blurb about it on the christian radio SRN news today. That is how I became aware of this. But I didn't catch all of what they said about it.

Canada's National Post originally stirred the pot with it's reporting of this story. The New York Post Online had a story as well.

Missouri Redneck's Deer Stand

Missouri Redneck's Deer Stand

What God did for us.

What God did on our behalf for believers, through Christ's death on the cross.

Colossians 2:15-15 (NIV)

"When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross. And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross."

Guilt can no longer work against believers. Satan the accuser, the source of guilt, was defeated by Christ when Christ died on the cross, when Christ shed His blood, when Christ was gloriously raised from the dead through the power of the Holy Spirit. Christ carried our guilt to the cross. He stood in for us and paid the price that was required for our guilt. Our faith in Christ becomes our basis for righteousness. Righteousness is imputed to us when we believe in Jesus.

Romans 10:4 (NIV)

"Christ is the end of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes."

2 Corinthians 5:21 (NIV)

"God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God."

Christ personally defeated Satan when Satan tempted him in the wilderness. For our benefit, on our behalf as believers, when Christ gave His life on the Cross, Christ defeated Satan once and for all.

Guilt and condemnation no longer defeats us like it did prior to Christ's death and resurrection. In Christ, the accuser's weapon of guilt has been nullified. It has been made useless. Publicly, the powers of darkness were disarmed from being able to use guilt as a weapon. Christ has made a public spectacle of these powers, celebrating their defeat by what He accomplished on the cross. Jesus did not do this for himself, He was already perfectly righteous. No, He did it for us, the sinners, the unrighteous, the unholy, the lost and unsaved. Christ defeated Satan for us. Do our lives reflect that victory, that triumph of Christ over Satan? Is it demonstrated by how we live, worship, love God and those around us?

2 Corinthians 2: 14 (NIV)

"But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him."

The victory has been won, Satan is a defeated foe. Jesus won. He triumphed. It is our job here on earth to enforce that victory in our lives. Jesus has given us a robe of righteousness. We stand not condemned. We have authority as believers on this earth. Let us enforce the victory that Jesus obtained on the cross.

(Inspired from reading Derek Prince's writings on spiritual warfare)

Model Airplane Flight Video

Now, really, think about it.

Isn't it just amazing that a heavy piece of metal can float in the water? That's what a big ship or vessel is.

And isn't it just as amazing that man can build a metal monstrosity that can soar through the air defying gravity? Or is it more amazing that we will get into these airborn machines and leave the safety of having sand between our toes and shade trees above our heads?

Some guys built a model airplane. What a hobby, particularly at the scale they did it.

Here are the specs that were in the email forward.

• Actually has 8 "real turbines" at about $1500 each!
• It took over 2 years to build.
• It has a wing span of about 22 feet and takes multiple pilots, as there are so many things to control.
• Do you think they were nervous during the maiden flight?
• It's unbelievable that someone would make this --- all real turbines!
• Check out the movie link below to see the first flight.

Don't know what is fact or fiction, but the video link below will speak for itself.

http://www.mcgirt.net/RC/VIDEOS/Giant_B52/B52_flight2.wmv

(This email forward was courtesy of my father-in-law.)

Da Vinci Code

I bought a little book co-authored by Lee Strobel called "Exploring The Da Vinci Code" from a local book store. It is a pocket sized book. I thought it could stand in as the cliff notes version of the book written by (ahem, plagiarized?) by Brown. The book store charged two more dollars for it then I could have gotten it for online, but I guess that is the cost of shopping locally. In case you are wondering it was $4.99 plus tax.

I didn't read the *fiction* novel "The Da Vinci Code". Never will.

Can't imagine I would watch the movie either.

Anyway, I took the book to work and laid it on my desk, out in the open, to be seen by all. I worked this weekend and thought I might get to glance through it while waiting on the computer to process. Didn't happen. But then it occurred to me that maybe I should leave it on the desk. Maybe someone where I work is reading/watching the DVC and might have some questions or might want to actually read Strobel's book.

It has turned out to be a conversation piece.

One person I talked to talked about a lot of different things concerning the DVC, God, religion, the Holy Spirit, and being born again. In the end, when I asked them if they thought they would go to heaven if something happened to them today or tomorrow, they admitted they really didn't know.

Another person told me they read the DVC book, asked if I had, which I hadn't, but I offered Stobel's book to them if they wanted to read it. I think this person just might borrow it before it is over with.

1 John 4 (The Amplified Bible)

1 BELOVED, DO not put faith in every spirit, but prove (test) the spirits to discover whether they proceed from God; for many false prophets have gone forth into the world.

2 By this you may know (perceive and recognize) the Spirit of God: every spirit which acknowledges and confesses [the fact] that Jesus Christ (the Messiah) [actually] has become man and has come in the flesh is of God [has God for its source];

3 And every spirit which does not acknowledge and confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh [but would annul, destroy, sever, disunite Him] is not of God [does not proceed from Him]. This [nonconfession] is the [spirit] of the antichrist, [of] which you heard that it was coming, and now it is already in the world.

The Spider's Web

My pastor forwarded this one:

THE SPIDER'S WEB

During the War, a US marine was separated from his unit. The fighting had been intense, and in the smoke and the crossfire he had lost touch with his comrades.

Alone in the hills, he could hear enemy soldiers coming in his direction. Scrambling for cover, he found his way up a high ridge to several small caves in the rock. Quickly he crawled inside one of the caves. Although safe for the moment, he realized that once the enemy soldiers looking for him swept up the ridge, they would quickly search all the caves and he would be killed.

As he waited, he prayed, "Lord, if it be your will, please protect me. Whatever your will though, I love you and trust you. Amen."

After praying, he lay quietly listening to the enemy begin to draw close. He thought, "Well, I guess the Lord isn't going to help me out of this one.." Then he saw a spider begin to build a web over the front of his cave.

As he watched, listening to the enemy searching for him all the while, the spider layered strand after strand of web across the opening of the cave.

"Ha, he thought. "What I need is a brick wall and what the Lord has sent me is a spider web.
God does have a sense of humor."

As the enemy drew closer he watched from the darkness of his hideout and could see them searching one cave after another. As they came to his, he got ready to make his last stand. To his amazement, however, after glancing in the direction of his cave, they moved on. Suddenly, he realized that with the spider web over the entrance, his cave looked as if no one had entered for quite a while. "Lord, forgive me," prayed the young man. "I had forgotten that in you a spider's web is stronger than a brick wall."

Where is the Great Christian Storehouse?

On El Borak's Myopia, he has offered an opinion on tithing, that I thought was interesting. So I am sharing it here in case you don't follow El B's blog.

The Church is not a business

"In the stern tones of a bill collector, the letters sent to nearly half the members of the Holy Tabernacle Church of God in Christ Apostolic offered its members a worldly choice: Pay up or get kicked out.

Alfreda Moore, the church's executive secretary, had written to more than 200 congregrants..." (more)...

Yikes, What a Ride!

Eduardo Gallo, May 11, 2006 at Madrid's Las Ventas

Wedding Anniversary

I treated my wife to a trip to Chateau on the Lake in Branson for our anniversary. It was very nice. Probably the *nicest* hotel property we have ever stayed at. We really enjoyed our stay there. I didn't want to come back home. They had good food on the property including scrumptious sweet treats. I took some pictures of the property. We stayed on the third floor in a Chateau King room overlooking the lake.

Looking up the hill to the front (lobby side) of the Chateau.

From the third floor looking down into the second and first floor atrium area. The Chateau has lots of stuffed wild animals in the falls area. The glass elevators face the woodsy atrium area. Pretty neat ride up and down them!

Looking up in the middle of the hotel from the third floor of the Chateau.

The Chef here cooks some pretty good food. My wife had salmon and I had a big veal chop. Both of our dinners at the Chateau Grille were excellent!

While we were in Branson, we went to the new Titanic museum. Very interesting place! Here's a picture of the grand staircase recreated to be like the real one on the Titanic. (Except for the handrail in the center of the staircase to the left.)

How to correctly discipline a child

An email forward:

Most of America's populace think it improper to spank children, so I have tried other methods to control my kids when they have one of "those moments."

One that I found effective is for me to just take the child for a car ride and talk.

They usually calm down and stop misbehaving after our car ride together.

I've included a photo below of one of my sessions with my son, in case you would like to use the technique.

Sincerely,
A Friend

Vain Babblings

I read a commentary on 1 Timothy 1:6 which says:

"Verse 6. From which some having swerved From which some, though they have pretended to aim at the τελος, scope, or mark, have missed that mark. This is the import of the original word αστοχησαντες.

Turned aside unto vain jangling The original term, ματαιολογιαν, signifies empty or vain talking; discourses that turn to no profit; a great many words and little sense; and that sense not worth the pains of hearing. Such, indeed, is all preaching where Jesus Christ is not held forth." (emphasis added)

This reminded me, as a blogger and as a part of the body of Christ, that I have a responsibility to make sure that words I speak or write, or discussions I participate in should edify my brother and sister in Christ and encourage them in their walk of faith, not divide and create strife among the body. Biblical truth must be at the center of everything we conclude. The writers in the Bible gave several warnings telling it's hearers to not get involved in doctrine that is a even just a slight twist from the truth and to avoid vain babblings.

God help us all.

K-Fish

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Zephaniah and Rebellion

I was reading in Zephaniah last night and found something that I have been pondering since. God's prophet was talking about Jerusalem. In the Amplified version the passage reads:

"She did not listen to and heed the voice [of God]; she accepted no correction or instruction; she trusted not in the Lord [nor leaned on or was confident in Him, but was confident in her own wealth]; she drew not near to her God [but to the god of Baal or Molech]." Zephaniah 3:2

The previous verse says "Woe to her that is rebellious...". This clued me in that the prophet was detailing what activities man engaged in that God viewed as rebellion. I thought to myself, "Well this deserves a second look, because it may shed light into an area in my life that God may be not pleased with." So let us look at the verse again from the first person perspective.

• I did not listen to and heed the voice of God.
• I did not accept correction or instruction.
• I did not trust in the Lord, I was confident in my own means.
• I did not lean on in Him, I relied on my own strength and ability.
• I was not confident in Him, I was filled with unbelief and took matters into my own hands.
• I did not choose activities that would draw me closer to God, but instead pursued the things and sin of the world.

Uh oh. I am guilty on all counts. Thank God for the blood of Jesus and it's cleansing power!

Now let us look at the verse differently (this is how I have it highlighted in my bible).

• I listen to and heed the voice of God.
• I accept correction or instruction.
• I trust in the Lord, I put no confidence in my own means.
• I lean on in Him, He is my Strong Tower and Refuge.
• I am confident in Him, I believe in Him doubting nothing.
• I choose activities that draw me closer to God, daily I submit to God.

This is my prayer, and I pray it be reality in how I live my life, In Jesus' name, So let it be (amen).

Old News or New News?

Disrespect for American Flag at Montebello High.







Pictures came from Michelle Malkin's site.

Are our schools teaching it's students proper respect for the flag of the country they live in? I am sure there was day in America when this would not have been tolerated, protest or not.

Things Not Seen In American Church Services?

The following is from Reflections on Life in Benin.

Sunday Morning Musings from Africa

Things I observed at a church service this past Sunday in Benin, West Africa that most people probably did NOT see at their church service in America:

1 - one of the sincere worshippers, on her way up front to present her offering at the table, reached inside her bra and pulled out her contribution

2 - more than one of the congregants made change as they presented their offering

3 - at the conclusion of the holy sacrament, the communion presider shook out all the cracker crumbs on to the dirt floor of the thatch worship facility so that the couple of baby chicks hanging around the doorway could come in for a quick bite

MORE HUMOUROUS COMMUNION OBSERVATIONS OVER THE PAST 5 YEARS IN BENIN:

- At a relatively new church plant, the one presiding over communion was in charge of making sure the glass of wine was kept full as the congregants journeyed to the front for partaking; I watched carefully as he made sure the glass never got below 3/4 full. I was watching with interest as I saw the line come to an end; yet he continued topping off the glass (in Benin, we use the real stuff for communion). Sure enough, while only two baptized believers remained, the cup ranneth over, so when the last finished, an almost full glass remained. Unsuspecting of his next move, I was rather surprised that the wine guy didn't try and pour the remaining back into the bottle; but rather, with total abandonment of everything-sacrilege, he "downed the hatch", slapped the glass on the table and headed back to his seat with a big smile on his face!

- A regular observation is one where these amazingly talented African Christian women will take their place at the communion table, bouncing a crying baby tied around her back, meanwhile holding another who is latched on nursing, with one hand free to grab the cracker and wine! Takes multi-tasking to a whole new level!

- At another church plant, it was the congrgation's first Sunday to worship together. I was pretty new, too, and was not as confident yet that I wouldn't make a cultural error one day that'd get me kicked out of the village. So I sat in silence and laughing to myself when I noticed from where I was sitting that a fly had landed in the communion cup (we are also one-cuppers). No one knew what to do. There was a fear of disrupting the holy wine, and as well a conscious perception that pouring out the wine would be too costly (one Sunday's offering is not sufficient to cover the cost of the communion wine). So until one older unpretentious man finally reached in with his dirty farmer fingers and plucked out the pesky intruder, everyone else simply picked up the glass, trying their hardest to turn the cup to where gravity would pull the fly away from the point where their lips would sip the wine. It was probably the funniest moment I'll always remember.

Rockin' Randall
Missionary - Benin, West Africa

BBQ AD

This ad was in a local newspaper this week.

BBQ for weddings?

AP News Bits on Iran and Uranium

'Iran has successfully enriched uranium for the first time... ...President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said'.

'"At this historic moment, with the blessings of God almighty and the efforts made by our scientists, I declare here that the laboratory scale nuclear fuel cycle has been completed and young scientists produced enriched uranium needed to the degree for nuclear power plants Sunday," Ahmadinejad said.'

'Ahmadinejad said Iran "relies on the sublime beliefs that lie within the Iranian and Islamic culture. Our nation does not get its strength from nuclear arsenals."'

The Second Coming

A web page that appears to be associated with the Seventh Day Adventists has a Flash presentation that illustrates what scripture says about the second coming (click here).

This was brought to my attention by my father-in-law.

It was interesting reading the Seventh Day Adventists Fundamental Beliefs page, particularly item numbers 25, 26, 27, and 28. The page had a copyright claim at the bottom or I would have posted them here. However, I included some phrases (paraphrased) which I found interesting and somewhat different than my current understanding of end-time prophecy. The added emphasis is mine.

At Jesus' return, the righteous deceased will be resurrected, and together with those living who are righteous, will be glorified and taken up to heaven, not so for the unrighteous, they will die.

...death is a state of unconsciousness for all people.

The millennium, a thousand-year reign of Christ... ...During the mellennium the rest of the dead (the wicked) will be judged; the earth will be void of human beings and utterly desolate. Earth will be solely occupied by Satan and those under his dominion (his angels).

K-Fish <><

More Mormons and Christians

See previous post Mormon Muslim or Christian for the conversation leading to this post.

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So that everyone understands, I am not accusing individuals [who are Mormon] of not being christian persons because of their specific religious affiliation. Only God knows a man's heart and whether or not He lives in it and if His kingdom is established in that person. If Jesus knows a person as a believer in Him and as His follower and they are living a different life as a result of that, then I would definitely say they would be a 'christian person', perhaps maybe even a Christian, denomination or affiliation is of no consequence at this point.

With that in mind, let me explain where I am coming from about the question of Mormons being Christians. Now we are talking about churches or denominations, not individuals. Christian churches in the mid-west consist of your Baptist, Lutheran, Methodist, Pentecostal, etc type churches. They say they are christian churches and have for decades, because most of them have roots born out of the Reformation (protestant christians). These christian churches say the Mormon church is not christian mainly because they have doctrine that goes beyond the Bible and they turn to more than the Bible for direction and authority in their life. Some of the battle cries of the Reformation were 'the bible alone', 'justification by faith alone', 'the cross alone' to name a few. I know when we were growing up, we mormons did not call ourselves christians. I did not even know what a christian was other than it was someone who went to a different church than the one I grew up in. But here recently the family started using the word Christian in their speech and email about themselves and I just wondered why and when that had started.

To clarify another point, when I say 'a Bible believing Christian' I am refering to a 'bible alone' believing Christian which would make a distinction between groups or churches.

As for my statements of belief presented, I presented it so that there would be an understanding of what I think as I understand the writings in the bible to present concerning how a person goes to heaven versus what you said the Qur'an said about all good people go to heaven. It should be clear I don't think being good has anything to do with whether a person goes to heaven. (What is good and how good is good enough?). I also wanted it to be clear that I believe the Bible, the Bible alone, as the holy God-inspired, every verse is translated correctly (it is inerrant), authority in my life. I thought this was an important aspect to share as part of my belief foundation (so readers would know where I was coming from) because the Mormon church says it only accepts the KJV bible "insofar as it is translated correctly". Previous Mormon church leaders have written about how the Bible is subject to translation error and imply that it can't be trusted as a solitary source of doctrine. I disagree with that.

'"He [Joseph Smith] stands alone as a source of doctrine," says Dallin H. Oaks, member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles [high ranking LDS church leadership] ...' ('The Mormon Odyssey', Oct 17 2005 Newsweek)

'Because of Mormonism's unique theology, some of which challenges early Christian creeds, many Christian denominations don't consider the LDS Church to be Christian. "There is no rightful claim by historic Mormon doctrine to the name Christian, because they deny almost every one of the major fundamental doctrines of Christendom," says Norman Geisler, founder of the Southern Evangelical Seminary.' ('The Mormon Odyssey', Oct 17 2005 Newsweek)

Mormon, Muslim or Christian?

Okay, the following post came from a family blog, where a relative of mine (a nephew maybe) posted the following thoughts:

"The main reason that I was unsure about the war in Iraq was that I was afraid of the course that it would set and the fact that I was worried about the possiblity that the war begun in Iraq would spread to many other nations. I believe that there is no solution to the current problem in the middle east. I believe that we should try as hard as we can and do what is right in the middle east to bring peace. I believe that the issues facing the middle east are not only political in nature. I believe that a far more powerful force is to be found in the religious ideology of those involved. The jews, The Christians and the Muslims will have conflict in the future because of those different belief systems. As the as-Mahdi Army militiaman said, now to them we are Jews. "Amongst them we have placed enmity and hatred till the Day of Judgment. Every time they kindle the fire of war, Allah doth extinguish it; but they (ever) strive to do mischief on earth. And Allah loveth not those who do mischief." - the prophet Muhammad."

"I respect every man and his religion and I even think that Muhammad was a very good man and that the Qur'an in full of wonderful passages encouraging peace and love and unity. The Qur'an teaches that no matter what religion you follow as long as you are a good person you will go to heaven.

"There is also a great deal of hate and many statements in the Qur'an that can explain why those who focus on that small part of the book can be driven to feel justified in deliberatly killing innocent people and themselves at the same time. The Jews and Christians are refered to as "Infidels" in many passages. The idea of Holy war or war against not only nations but Religions as well is not a new idea for Muslims. In india many years ago the major religion was Hinduism and then the Muslims came in and killed many of their leaders and spread the religion of Islam throughout india. In many nations that are composed of a majority of Muslims there is little tolerance for other religions or belief systems (Such as women's rights) I do not condemn or hate the religion of Islam and I also realize that the messages at it's heart from the prophet Muhammad is the source of many of the problems we face today. I also want to share my opinion that Muhammad was only reacting to the times in which he lived. As a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints I believe that the true Church of Christ was not on the earth in 570 A.D. (Having been lost even in America by 421 A.D.) I believe that Muhammad was a very good man who was only reacting to the behavior of the Apostate Jews and the Apostate Christians who both claimed to speak and act for God but in truth were misguided and wrong."

"I offer my belief that the truth was restored to earth in it's fullness through the prophet Joseph Smith and that those truths contain the answers. Our Father in Heaven, Allah, loves all of his children and commands us to do the same. As Christians I believe that we are called upon to love and forgive all of the people of the earth and to work for their greatest happiness, freedom and good whatever it is. I am given comfort in the hope and faith that the Son of God, Jesus Christ will return to the earth to save the just and righteous in every nation and religion and destroy the wicked in every nation and religion. My greatest hope is to be found among those, in the words of Muhammad, "who believe in Allah and the Last Day, and work righteousness"."

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I left this reply to his post on the family blog:

"I'm confused. Is my relative a Book of Mormon believing Mormon, a Holy Bible believing Christian, or a Qur'an believing Muslim? I would think he could only be one of the three.

For the record, I am a Holy Bible believing Christian, who believes that it is by grace through faith in Jesus Christ that I am saved and no other way. Not by being good enough, not by being religious or having religion, or by knowing it all. Jesus paid the price for my sin, plain and simple, I accept that. He saved me from eternal damnation in a sinner's hell because of what He did. There is not a single work (including self righteousness) that I could ever do as a human being on this earth to save myself, get myself into or earn my way into heaven, save to believe in Jesus. There is not any other name under Heaven by which I can be saved, for no man goes to the Father (not Allah) except by Jesus.

As a Holy Bible believing Christian, I believe the Holy Bible (the Scriptures), both the Old and New Testaments, are verbally inspired of God and are the revelation of God to man, the infallible, authoritative rule of faith and conduct. Having said that, this immediately will cause me to reject any teaching by any other man, any other book, or any other 'prophet' that does not line up with the Word of God (The Holy Bible).

That, my friends and relatives, is why confrontation between religions is a sure thing. Everyone thinks their teaching or religion is correct and if it's different than your's or mine, well then, we have a problem. One of us has to be wrong.

Bible believing Christians embrace the Bible as their solitary single source of truth because not doing so opens the door to not having an authoritative standard by which to judge or discern things by. Christians believe the Bible is the 'acid test' of truth, not prayer. If someone presents a teaching or a theology or a prophetic message to me that I can't prove out in the Bible, I don't turn to prayer to figure out if it is truth. I either reject it as a falsehood or I don't embrace it as part of my theology.

It is interesting to me, when I was growing up, we Mormons never called ourselves Christians. But a few years ago, I discovered that Mormons were in fact doing that now, and after researching it, found that this started back in the early 80's in church writings presenting reasons why Mormons were Christians. What was the purpose of that? If you start looking really hard at the theology of Protestant Christianity (aka Christians) it is so much different than that of Mormons it doesn't make sense. If Mormons are oranges and Christians are apples, why does the Mormon church want the world to see them as apples when they are oranges? Muslims aren't trying to call themselves Christian, yet many of them believe Jesus (Christ) was a great prophet, a good man. If they are pears, they are pears, they are not trying to be apples.

Anyway, that was my two cents worth.

I have been on both sides of the fence, Mormonism and Christianity, and on the surface they seem very similar, but when you get down to the nuts and bolts of it, the doctrines are very different. What appears to be the same belief on both sides is very different when you analyze it and dig deep into the theology behind the belief.

My greatest hope is Jesus and what He did on the cross when He shed His blood for me, giving His life for me, so that I might have eternal life.

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Upholding/Enforcing Our Laws

As most of us know, when a person is elected or appointed to an office of PUBLIC TRUST, he or she vows or affirms that he or she will uphold the laws of and defend the state or country in which the person holds office.

My question is this: Have the laws of The United States been broken by not enforcing the immigration statuets that are on the books? My point is that by not enforcing the statuets that we have is the cause of having the large numbers of illegal immigrants that are now in our country. Should those in authority be held accountable for this gross violation of our laws?

What are your thoughts?

Death (and those left behind)

Hebrews 9:27

"And as it is appointed unto men once to die,..."

For some reason I have been pondering on this verse for several weeks. I don't think I knew anyone who had died recently in our area. So I can't figure out why, "Why is this verse on the hamster wheel exerciser in my brain?".

But then last Friday, a man I know came to my work place looking for someone to help him make arrangements for his wife, who had just died. He was taking it pretty hard and wasn't in his right mind at all. She was sick for some time, but still it is sad. We will miss his wife: she was a sweet lady!

I will be pall bearer tomorrow along with several co-workers. I don't remember ever doing this before.

Now I wonder, what will become of the husband? They were married a long time.

Psalm 89:48

"What man is he that liveth, and shall not see death? shall he deliver his soul from the hand of the grave? Selah."

1 Corinthians 15:54, 55, 56

(v54) "...Death is swallowed up in victory." (v55) "O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?" (57) "But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ."

One Liner

Some minds are like concrete...

thoroughly mixed up and permanently set.


Romans 12:2

And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. (KJV)

Minister Shot by Wife

"A minister’s wife was charged Friday with shooting her husband to death in the parsonage in a crime that shocked the congregation and shattered the couple’s happy and loving image."

You can read the story here.

Another excerpt from the same AP article:

"Churches of Christ do not consider themselves a denomination since every congregation is independently governed by a group of church elders. They generally believe the Bible should be interpreted literally and that baptism is essential for salvation. The church is also noted for its prohibition on using musical instruments during services." (emphasis added by K-Fish)

From the Assemblies of God web site:

Assembly of God General Superintendent Thomas E. Trask was recently asked, "Brother Trask, some may be hearing about the Vision for Transformation for the first time, so can you give an explanation of what it is and what it hopes to accomplish?"

Trask responsed, "The Vision for Transformation was launched in order for the Assemblies of God to take a serious look at its internal and external operation and ministry. Externally, we were created as a fellowship. There are many who call us a denomination, but there is a world of difference. A denomination, as it ages, becomes more restrictive. It puts in place policies, practices and procedures.

A fellowship is a releasing agency. We are 91 years old. However, over this period, we have put into place practices, procedures, and policies that have become more restrictive. I believe, for the 21st century, the church needs to be a releasing agency.

But, ultimately, this isn’t about whether the Assemblies of God is a denomination or fellowship. It is about the kingdom of God. This church was raised up by God to serve the kingdom of God. Not to serve a fellowship. Not to serve a denomination.

Internally, everything is up for evaluation except, of course, our doctrine. Over the past two years we’ve made some hard decisions. Some of those decisions were made so that we would remain a new wineskin." (emphasis added by K-Fish)

I was going to add my two cents worth, but...

Email Forwards: Is your hut on fire?

Email forwards...

...do you cringe when you open your inbox and it is full of forwards? If only one person you know is sending forwards, it probably is okay. But when you have a host of friends sending forwards and regularly sending lots of them, it becomes an annoyance. I don't read them.

There, I said it. It is not a secret anymore.

Today my pastor forwarded a little jewel. But rather than forward it to the hundred or so email addresses in my address book, you will find it posted here. You can thank me when you leave a comment here in a minute. Please read on...

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Subject: Is Your Hut On Fire?

The only survivor of a shipwreck was washed up on a small, uninhabited island. He prayed feverishly for GOD to rescue him, and every day he scanned the horizon for help, but none seemed forthcoming. Exhausted, he eventually managed to build a little hut out of driftwood to protect himself from the elements, and to store his few possessions.

One day, after scavenging for food, he arrived home to find his little hut in flames, with smoke rolling up to the sky. The worst had happened, and everything was lost. He was stunned with disbelief, grief, and anger. "GOD, how could you do this to me?" he cried!

Early the next day he was awakened by the sound of a ship that was approaching the island. It had come to rescue him. "How did you know I was here? "Asked the weary man of his rescuers. "We saw your smoke signal," they replied.

It's easy to get discouraged when things are going bad, but we shouldn't lose heart, because GOD is at work in our lives, even in the midst of pain and suffering.

Remember that, the next time your little hut seems to be burning to the ground, it just may be a smoke signal that summons the grace of GOD.

You May Want To Consider Passing This On, because You Never Know Who Feels Like Their Hut Is On Fire Today!

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...now, did that little jewel bless you?

Iran and the end times

There is a lot of news these days about nation of Iran and the possibility of Iran developing nuclear weapons. Seems that the rest of the world is opposed to this becoming a reality. Due to the widespread resistance to this and the defiant stand that Iran has taken, I can't help but think about the prophecy concerning the anti-christ and how he will come in, make peace for a while and then rule the world for a period of time. With all other nations against Iran having nuclear production and the hard stand that Iran is taking, could this be the beginning of Armageddon? World situations such as this causes one to stop and consider how the event fits into Bibical prophecy.

Mother Goose and her Bible

Okay, you have got to listen to this.

(Make sure you turn the volume up on your speakers so you can still hear it while you are laughing.)

Catholic Ad in Newspaper.

I was thinking...

Jesus ascended into Heaven, "...he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight..." (Acts 1: 9-11, KJV).

Jesus is seen "...standing on the right hand of God..." by Stephen (Acts 7:55, KJV)

There are almost a dozen scripture references in the New Testament that speak about Jesus going to and being seated in the heavenlies at the right hand of the Father after His resurrection.

I know very little about Catholics or the basis for their theology. Having said that I will get to my point, or rather, my question.

What does the statement "Catholics believe Jesus remains in our world," mean?