I've Resisted the Devil. He's Fled! ...I'm Goin Out After Him.

And that, is that.

Thank you.

We can thank Christ when He says through James: (4:7), "Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.

The Lord's Supper [the follow-up]

Here's what got me thinking on the Lord's supper.

Since I could not participate in 'communion' as a non-member at the church I regularly attend, I decided to go to the next 'plain' church 45 minutes away, so as not to have to sit around on communion Sunday and get bored. I'd known these 'plain' folks for about two years and we considered each other faithful brothers.

So the following Sunday, as I finishing up conversation and was getting ready to leave late in the afternoon, here came the sales pitch, and it was explained to me that I needed to submit to a church. For Jesus said that, 'if you don't eat of this body and drink of this blood you can have no part in me'. It was explained to me therefore, that, sooner or later I was going to have to submit to a brotherhood or, implicitly, I could have no part in Jesus. It was also suggested to me that I could not be a member of that church if I was not going to be there regularly. And the church I was presently attending was also not acceptable because of their gospel message fell short.

I was not acceptable for membership in the church I was already attending due to my use of musical instruments and some forms of technology such as the Internet. The two churches in question where simply not acceptable to each other. Nor was any other church, to either one of them. To them, in joining any other church than their 'own' respective church, I would be falling away from the true faith.

So what is a poor fellow to do?

So now, I can't have a part in Jesus in any other way than but through the brotherhood? I thought the Reformation had already occured and that it was already widely known that men can't place themselves between God and men?

Do you see my predicament here?

Has anybody read the book "Catch 22"?

Is this really where some men think Christ has left us?

Well of course it's not where He's left us.

I didn't come right out and charge him with trying to be the Pope. I simply saw it as a good opportunity, even a necessity, to go home and plan for the following Sunday a Lord's Supper celebration at my place. By myself. Others optional. Membership in Christ's Body is all that is required. Others are welcome, but not necessary.

The more I thought about it the more I realized I had been asleep on the issue here and that there was a vital and important spiritual exercise I had been passing up.

Oh! The new found joy that I had only before taken for granted. Christ's invitation was actually for even me!

_________________

This morning is the Lord's Supper Sunday morning celebration. I dropped my ten year old daughter off at church, fed the animals and came inside.

My bread had come out of the oven about an hour ago. It smelled great and I thanked the Lord for it. A few minutes earlier, on my way in, I started to plan. My immediate inclination was to go to the Gospels for the Lord's instructions and start there. But then I remembered them very well already, and wasn't I supposed to 'commune' with a memory here? Sure the Body and the Blood, but is that all we get to remember?

Weren't those instructions permission to open the floodgate of rich memories about the Man who was God revealing Himself to us and calling us to reunite with Him in His own Spiritual Kingdom? Not for free!; but for an immense price 'He' has paid, Himself!, for us? That such a magnificent thing is not free! But [yet], yes, it 'is' already paid for -- by Him. With His Body and His blood. Instead of ours. For us; when we eat it and drink it with thanksgiving.

Uh-oh...that is truly difficult to comprehend. But oh...it's true. Through the testimony and, ohhh...the blessed memory of those faithful witnesses who saw it! and testified of it!, -- God having come down to earth to comfort us -- receiving the indelible memory of it with which they were left no other possibility than to keep reminding anyone and everyone they could get to, of it!, until their dieing day. Oh yes,...I remember now. Thank you for that reminder...it is a rich memory, and I am going to cherish the opportunity to abide there in it. Whew. When do we start?!

Pretty much every "communion" I'd ever been a part of, there was usually a sermon, after which were read Jesus' instructions, then we ate, and then drank, and that was about it. There was very little remembering -- if any. More so than your average Sunday service that is. Maybe that winds up to be the difference between, "communion", and the Lord's Supper. Maybe it was just me. I will allow that it was just me. And those days are over.

So... I remembered.... God, had come to earth with great news. And this, He did not want me to forget.

My very memory of Him was meaningful to Him; He wanted it there. And so if it is a meaningful thing to Him, then it is a great blessing for me to possess and abide in.

So I let my memory unfold itself. I remembered what He had done in my life. And in my remembering I was free to laugh, and cry, and shout out. And marvel. At will and in private.

And I ate...and remembered...and I ate...and I remembered.

Of course the dog had to make an appearance. "Do I through her the crumbs or not, I thought?" ...I thought not.

I went to the Spirit of Christ in me and I just abode there in thought. Not asking. Not telling. Not seeking wisdom. Nor comfort. Just seeking the memories from His Word which God had left us a memory full of, of His having come to His earth. In the flesh. To reveal Himself.

Remembering also His promise when He had come. The promise of His coming. The promise that He would pour out His Spirit on us when He left. And the promise that He would return again and that His Spirit would dwell with us, inside, until He came back.

Remembering again what He's done in my life. And what He's done in the lives of many people I know.

Remembering what He said about things to come. And remembering what I can do in anticipation of those things.
____________

This thing would not be complete without mentioning that someone from church then showed up. I confess, I had invited no one. But they were concerned about me. I was concerned that they might be concerned, and show up. My memorial celebration came to an abrupt halt much sooner than I had planned. He came primarily because he had been hoping to wash my feet. I appreciated that. We appreciate each other. After a long discussion on, unfortunately what all we Christians have to share in common, misguided denominational doctrine, and in spite of that, we washed each others feet, broke bread and drank from the cup. I lectured him on coming not to understand the issues that divide us but to simply further his poorly thought out opinions. I had him thinking. Always make sure your are invited to a Lord's Supper or risk being udged by the host.

When he left, it was hard to get going again. And it was no longer necessary. There's no need to wallow too long in Christ's memorial. I had had almost an hour in it and that had been sufficient. There's now plenty more to do, the more of which, will make the next Lord's Supper at my place equally as marvelous.

He said, "do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me".

I'm going to do this every three or four months.

Amen.

Hymn: As With Gladness Men of Old.

Here's a "re"-arrangment of a well know hymn. I've never heard it done this way before. Maybe this is the way it was actually intended to be done?

Although, there's lot of experimenting going on here.

About 8-9 years ago I was doodling around with Christmas Carols on my guitar around Christmas time and discovered how much I liked this hymn when I slowed it way down and rounded out the 'B' part. It's a nice melodic presentation of some great words.

The day before yesterday was the day in which I finally had a little time to get it down on the recorder. I had to do a 'voice' check. To see if my voice could 'handle' singing this one yet. Not because it was a good day to see how my voice was progressing, but, because I had the time. And in the process was pleased to find out that the voice is about half of the way there. 'There'? I guess, 'there', is wherever it happens to 'be' when it quits getting any better. Hopefully a few years away yet.

You'll notice as you listen to this recording, that I still can't sing. But it's coming. I haven't given up yet.

Someone with a voice should record this one.

I just needed to get this hymn out there and get it started. It has a long way to go. I will be updating it often -- musically and vocally -- but needed to start here. I badly need to sit down and redo the guitar track. I recorded it quickly a couple years ago. It's hard for me to get a clear product out of my recorder. Once you sit down to play this thing on the guitar it's hard to quit. Maybe a better guitar player than myself could send me one?

It works! It's still a beautiful hymn even after I've finished with it.

These words cause me to break down in joy. The melody puts me away into a rich state of thanksgiving to Christ. There's a joyous message here from the writers of this hymn. I hope I came close to delivering it here.

As With Gladness Men of Old

As with gladness men of old, did the guiding star behold --

As with joy they hailed it's light, leading onward beaming bright --

So most gracious God may we, evermore be led by thee. (Repeat line)

____________

As with joyful steps they sped, to that lowly manger bed,

There to bend the knee before, Him whom heaven and earth adore,

So may we with willing feet, ever seek Thy mercy seat. (Repeat line)

____________

As they offered gifts most rare, at the manger rude and bare,

So may we with holy joy, pure and free from sins alloy,

All our costliest treasure bring, Christ to Thee our heavenly King. (Repeat line)

____________

Holy Jesus every day, keep us in Thy narrow way;

And, when earthly things are past, bring our ransomed souls at last

Where they need no star to guide, where no clouds Thy glory hide. (Repeat line)

____________

Some Useful Thoughts by Bunyan on Theological Disputations

John Bunyan's "Grace Abounding":

"I never cared to meddle with things that were controverted and in dispute among the saints, especially things of the lowest nature. Yet it pleased me much to contend with great earnestness for the word of faith, and remission of sins by the death and sufferings of Jesus. But, I say as to other things, I would let them alone, because I saw they engendered strife, and because they neither in doing nor in leaving undone did commend us to God to be His."

"Many poor men and women are illiterate and untrained, and these would find deep thought to be very heavy work. Others are so light and trifling by nature, that they could no more follow out a long process of argument and reasoning, than they could fly. They could never attain to the knowledge of any profound mystery if they expended their whole life in the effort. You need not, therefore, despair: that which is necessary to salvation is not continuous thought, but a simple reliance upon Jesus. Hold you on to this one fact—"In due time Christ died for the ungodly. " This truth will not require from you any deep research or profound reasoning, or convincing argument. There it stands: "In due time Christ died for the ungodly." Fix your mind on that, and rest there."

Lord's Supper at my place next Sun.

I am going to celebrate the Lord's Supper at my place next Sunday. I wonder what it's actually like? I've celebrated 'communion' many times. I'm not even sure where that 'word' communion originated. I think the stiffness and formality of listening to a depiction of what we're supposed to do during the Lord's supper, and then trying to imitate it, most of the time with people who I really didn't share much depth of brotherhood with, may have gotten in the way of my actual doing it in the past. Entirely my fault.

But I'm going to do it next Sunday. I'm going to drop my 10 year old daughter off at church, come home, and bake some bread. Maybe I'll even use wine though I don't think I own any. I don't think I will use wine just so as to avoid any hint of drunkenness -- I don't drink much, so I will probably notice the effects a little too much. Even enjoy them, though I've never been prone to alcohol abuse. So I'll just use juice in any event, and that way nothing will get in my way.

I'll invite a few people from church, although they will all be at church and unable to come. Maybe some will surprise me. I hope not. Although it would be glorious if some did. But they just partook together last week -- after examining each other. And I could not.

I wonder if Jesus wanted us to examine each other. Judge each other. Public testimony for "confessions" and "to clear things up"! Being sure not to commit the unpardonable sin of "pride", and, "rebellion" by "going your own way" without accountability to the brotherhood. My Pastor surely did.

Did I ever let him have it.

___________________________

My initial experience in seeing the Lord’s Supper at Gleason Mennonite Church was that it was well patterned after the original in scripture. Public “self-examination”, sharing of the bread and the cup in reverence to the memory of the Lord, foot washing, hymn singing and fellowship. In communion with one another according to what He had told us. It still is. But with condemnation added that neither Paul nor Jesus include. At least that kind which last week's sermon had brought in.

Let me explain what I mean.

17 Now in this that I declare unto you I praise you not, that ye come together not for the better, but for the worse. 18 For first of all, when ye come together in the church, I hear that there be divisions among you; and I partly believe it. 19 For there must be also heresies among you, that they which are approved may be made manifest among you.

Just an additional thought: he’s not saying that there “should” be heresies among them(opinions opposed to the established views), but rather that divisions and heresies are a certainty('must'), they are expected, and it is necessary('must') for them to show themselves so that the view which is approved, that view which they oppose, may be made manifest, or 'made known'.

But now on to the Lord’s Supper.

20 When ye come together therefore into one place, this is not to eat the Lord's supper.

He said what they are doing is not the Lord’s Supper. It’s a church meal. And not even that properly done. It’s not being done together or in common. There is partiality, sectarianism and even some drunkeness.

21 For in eating every one taketh before other his own supper: and one is hungry, andanother is drunken. 22 What? have ye not houses to eat and to drink in? or despise ye the church of God, and shame them that have not? What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you in this? I praise you not.

23 For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, That the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread: 24 And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me. 25 After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me.

Jesus gave thanks, explained what it stood for and asked us to partake in it, and in doing so, for us to remember Him.

Now is an explanation by Paul:

26 For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord's death till he come. 27 Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord.

In my opinion, Paul is saying the offender is guilty of eating and drinking the body and blood of the Lord unworthily, or, doing so without giving it it's proper worth, or it's proper respect. Regardless of what he actually means, Paul then goes on to explain how to be free of that 'guilt'.

28 But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup.
29 For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily,(or, other than as Jesus told him) eateth and drinketh damnation( or, judgement ) to himself, not discerning the Lord's body(as the Lord prescribed, and every believer would be familiar with).

So the guilt is not discerning the worth of the body and blood of the Lord. A symptom of spiritual inattentiveness and weakness. An unfortunate, even insulting position before the Lord.

30 for this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep.(spiritual sickness)

Paul continues then with his thought from v. 29 above as to drinking judgment on ourselves by not discerning what Jesus asked us to remember about Him - His sacrifice and the covenant.

Here:

31 For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged.

What does he mean “judge ourselves”? He means “examine” ourselves. As in “Let a man examine himself”. Are you discerning the Lord's body? And when we do so we are not judged because we have done what was asked by Paul and implied by Jesus.

If he does not judge(examine) himself, then he will drink judgement to himself. “Eateth and drinketh damnation(judgement) to himself .

The word “damnation” here is a questionable translation of the Greek word 'judgement'. The KJV is a “thought for thought” translation, and in this case their 'thought' gives debateable meaning to the literal word in question. Even though there are places in scripture where 'judgement' is used to mean 'damnation', using the word “damnation”, in this instance, gives it a value that the Greek word does not, in that, “judgement” can mean either ‘condemnation’ or, the opposite, 'aquittal'(and anything in between).

The word "damnation" is seen only in the Syriac manuscripts which overall contain wide variations.

The word "damnation" simply does not fit. Jesus says nothing about 'damnation' in his asking us to 'remember', and Paul simply warns that we will be chastened if we disrespect the memory of the Lord's Supper, and not be 'damned' as unbelievers. "Damnation"(judgement) above simply refers to the act of 'judging' or 'being judged', not being 'damned' or 'judged unto destruction'.

We faithful will all be “judged”, at the Judgement Seat of Christ, but 'aquitted'.

Paul specifies how these violators at the Lord's Supper will be judged immediately after mentioning it.

32 But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world.

They’ll be chastened, or, punished unto correction; not condemned as unbelievers. Then he summarizes his thoughts telling them to do the Lord’s Supper not as divided into factions; and not as a mere meal; but rather a sacred memorial. Not presuming to eat the Lord's Supper without remembering it's meaning and intent.

And for whatever my opinion is worth, before or after a meal, as distinct from the meal, would suit it just fine. Perhaps ideally it might even be done wholly apart from a meal. But not as a meal.

As in accordance with normal Christian doctrine, the only 'ones damned' would be those who eat and drink 'without being believers', and they would have been damned before they ever arrived to eat and drink, and will continue to be, as their unbelief in 'Jesus as God on earth' continues. A believer will not slip from God's saving grace just through the careless labeling and eating of a fellowship meal.

Then Paul finally concludes with:

33 Wherefore, my brethren, when ye come together to eat, tarry one for another. 34 And if any man hunger, let him eat at home; that ye come not together unto condemnation(this is also a presumptuous translation of the Greek word “judgement”). And the rest will I set in order when I come.

And isn't Paul here summarizing the main point of the whole exchange. 'The Lord’s Supper is not a church social meal where you break off into your favorite groups'. Examine yourself to see whether you are in the spirit of hunger and revelry, or rather, in the Spirit of remembering our Lord.
____________________

And, bless his heart, my pastor agreed with me.

I haven't told him yet though that next Sunday is a Lord's Supper celebration at my house.

Nor have I told him that I will not be available for his or anyone elses 'examination'. Just "not available", sorry. Just going to enjoy the Lord's invitation and, take, and eat, and drink, of Him and His memory. The memory of Him telling us about Him and the Father. What He did for us. How He is here with us now. And will take us to the Father when He is ready.

We Lose It, And Are Left With Something Greater.

Two days ago I lost a chicken and found a cat.

A bad day in that respect.

Yesterday I found the chicken and lost the cat.

The chicken I wanted because it was an Aricana chicken which lays green eggs(although I need to check the spelling).

The cat I didn't want, but it showed up in my barn looking skinny and lost. I would gladly have kept the friendly cat had I not already owned two good cats. But he turned out to be my landlord's next door, and I already have his horse since it would rather live here with my horses than with his owners cows. And his cows even visited here briefly until they finished browsing in my garden. So I didn't want his cat!

Instead of a sweet little half grown cat desperately needing a safe haven, it became tainted. And I got my daughter to buy into that idea also(took a moment), and she agreed. So we agreed to take it back to his barn and if it ever comes back I will swat it with the newspaper until it goes away. Although my daughter refuses to participate there.

"Whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel's will save it,"Jesus says.

That is a staggering statement for me and probably many other born again souls here on earth. Losing the visible to gain the invisible. Jesus might comfort us saying, "Yes, I know, that does seem hard to hear". But we know that for they who do it...the invisible becomes visible; the intangible becomes tangible.

We examine ourselves within to find the Spirit of the living God there, both empowering us unto things which if left to ourselves we could not do; and disempowering[not even a word -- but it should be} those destructive forces which we long to be extricated from.

We feel great joy.

Mt 16:25 "For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it."

Today, when someone has on a piece of clothing on that is just flat hard to look at, then sometimes in a playful manner we might say, "hey, why don't you lose that cheesy looking shirt", or, "you could lose silly looking pair of shoes". That very figure of speech, to "lose" this or that, that is to "get rid of it", has entranced me, good or bad, into looking at this verse in a similar fashion.

"Whoever wishes to save his life will 'lose' it"!

Or, 'lose' that phony old life of yours -- count it as rubbish -- and put on all things new and eternal. And it's no loss at all but only gain. Not your life anymore but Christ in you.

So we 'let lose' of our lives and we find Life overflowing! A miracle. And we thank the Lord.

May our days be filled with it.

Several Quotable Quotes.

*Regent College professor John Stackhouse: "We are the most educated Christians in history, and yet our lyrics are considerably stupider than our much less educated Christian forebears—the people who sang lyrics by Fanny Crosby or Charles Wesley or Isaac Watts"?

*Nearly three years ago(2006), Alan Jacobs wrote in Books and Culture, "Right now, and for the foreseeable future, the blogosphere is the friend of information but the enemy of thought."

Which One Of These Is You, or I?

Borrowed from Christianity Today:

Spiritual Formation Agenda
Three priorities for the next 30 years.

Richard Foster

_____________________________________________

"Our world today cries out for a theology of spiritual growth that has been proven to work in the midst of the harsh realities of daily life. Sadly, many have simply given up on the possibility of growth in character formation.

Vast numbers of well-intended folk have exhausted themselves in church work and discovered that this did not substantively change their lives. They found that they were just as impatient and egocentric and fearful as when they began lifting the heavy load of church work. Maybe more so.

Others have immersed themselves in multiple social-service projects. But while the glow of helping others lingered for a time, they soon realized that all their herculean efforts left little lasting imprint on the inner life. Indeed, it often made them much worse inwardly: frustrated and angry and bitter.

Still others have a practical theology that will not allow for spiritual growth. Indeed, they just might see it as a bad thing. Having been saved by grace, these people have become paralyzed by it. To attempt any progress in the spiritual life smacks of "works righteousness" to them. Their liturgies tell them they sin in word, thought, and deed daily, so they conclude that this is their fate until they die. Heaven is their only release from this world of sin and rebellion. Hence, these well-meaning folk will sit in their pews year after year without realizing any movement forward in their life with God.

Finally, a general cultural malaise touches us all to one extent or another. I am referring to how completely we have become accustomed to the normality of dysfunction. The constant media stream of scandals and broken lives and mayhem of every sort elicits from us hardly more than a yawn. We have come to expect little else, even from our religious leaders—perhaps especially from our religious leaders. This overall dysfunction is so pervasive in our culture that it is nearly impossible for us to have a clear vision of spiritual progress. Shining models of holiness are so rare today.

Yet echoing through the centuries is a great company of witnesses telling us of a life vastly richer and deeper and fuller. In all walks of life and in all human situations, they have found a life of "righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit" (Rom. 14:17). They have discovered that real, solid, substantive transformation into the likeness of Christ is possible.

They witness to a character formation that is nigh unto amazing. They have seen their egocentric passions give way to such selflessness and humility of heart, it astonishes even them. Rage and hate and malice are replaced with love and compassion and universal goodwill."
________________________________________

He surely puts it very well. Much to my surprise, he described a church I attended for a long time in paragraph 4.

I don't agree though with his agenda/solution in the rest of his article over at C.T. He puts too much faith in men. My advice would be to encourage people to pick a good literal word-for-word Bible translation and when you get a little stumped with something, just keep reading, and it will finally all make sense. Just keep reading, it will teach you. Find someone experienced who respects the "simplicity" of Christ's Word and ask them to share their understanding of it, if need be(maybe even as much as possible). Pick up the history books but...put down the theology books - except for a quick field trip into the more dysfunctional regions of Christianity - there is only strife and self-gratification in there. Scripture is simple, and vast, just get around people who respect the Bible's insistence on "simplicity". Christ tells us not to sit and figure out the future. God came to earth revealing His sovereignty and Truth, and then returned to heaven before our very eyes. Rejoice! And...keep it simple. And keep reading and growing in it's spiritual nourishment and practice. You'll be astonished at the peaceful and joyous fruit, and the practical understanding it will bear in your life.

So that's the priority I would start with if I had a Spiritual Formation Agenda. To encourage my fellow Christian who may be new to this to get a real Bible translation(a word-for-word translation in your own language and the language of those you might want to share it with) and read it a lot. That is the beginning of allowing the Bible to teach itself.

Hats off to the author of the above said article for his own implementation of his agenda for Christ.

Dinesh D'Souza: The Evolution of Darwin

I post this article from Christianity Today. Hopefully they will accept my appreciation for posting it here. It's a nice short article providing very useful reference information on this subject and makes for a nice addition to the record.

I've never felt a conflict between the basic assertions of evolution versus the Bible either. People, on the other hand, can take both and go places with them where neither let's them. What's new about that?

Dinesh D'Souza, a former policy analyst in the Reagan White House, is author of What's So Great About Christianity and other books.

_______________________________

It was in 1859—exactly a century and a half ago—that Charles Darwin published his Origin of Species. It is perhaps the most controversial book of the past millennium, and the work that has since made Darwin the patron saint of modern atheism. According to Richard Dawkins in The Blind Watchmaker, "Darwin made it possible to be an intellectually fulfilled atheist."
Evolution does seem to turn many Christians into unbelievers. A famous example is the distinguished Harvard biologist E. O. Wilson. Evolution gave him a profound sense of intellectual liberation from his Baptist upbringing in the South. Evolution also makes some people secular evangelists for the Darwinist cause. Michael Shermer was an evangelical Christian studying at Pepperdine University when his study of evolution convinced him to give up his faith. Shermer is now the editor of Skeptic magazine.

So does a belief in evolution automatically lead to disbelief in God? Actually, Darwin didn't think that. Darwin was not an "intellectually fulfilled atheist"; rather, he called himself an agnostic. Atheists say God does not exist, while agnostics say they don't know one way or the other. Moreover, Darwin did not boast about his unbelief; rather, he approached it with marked public caution. Shocking the mores of traditional believers may be Dawkins's thing, but it certainly wasn't Darwin's.

Here we must distinguish between Darwin the scientist and Darwin the unbeliever. Darwin, who was raised Anglican and even considered becoming a clergyman, did eventually relinquish his Christian faith. But he did not do so because of evolution.

The story is told in Adrian Desmond and James Moore's authoritative biography, Darwin: The Life of a Tormented Evolutionist. When Darwin's daughter Annie died at age 10, Darwin came to hate the God he blamed for this. This was in 1851, eight years before Darwin released Origin of Species.

Around the time of Annie's death, Darwin also wrote that if Christianity were true, then it would follow that his grandfather Erasmus Darwin and many of his closest family friends would be in hell. Darwin found this utterly unacceptable, given that these men were wise and kind and generous. Darwin's rejection of God was less an act of unbelief than a rebellion against the kind of God posited by Christianity. A God who would allow a young girl to die and good people to go to hell was not anyone whom Darwin wanted to worship.

When Darwin published his work on evolution, the American biologist Asa Gray wrote Darwin to say that his book had shown God's ingenious way of ensuring the unity and diversity of life. From Gray's point of view, Darwin had deepened man's understanding of divine teleology. Darwin praised Gray for seeing a point that no one else had noticed. In later editions of his books, Darwin went out of his way to cite the English writer Charles Kingsley, who described evolution as compatible with religious belief. To the end of his life, Darwin insisted that one could be "an ardent theist and an evolutionist."

Some of Darwin's followers, however, were attracted to Darwin's theory precisely because they saw it as helping overthrow the Christian case for divine creation. Thomas Henry Huxley, for example, noted that evolution's "complete and irreconcilable antagonism" toward Christianity constituted "one of its greatest merits."

So why didn't Darwin correct his overenthusiastic advocate? Here is where the story gets complicated. Over time, Darwin's hostility to Christianity did play a role in his scientific views. While Darwin was originally very modest about evolution—a theory to account for transitions from one life form to another—he became increasingly insistent that evolution was an entirely naturalistic system, having no room for miracles or divine intervention at any point. When Darwin's co-discoverer of evolution, Alfred Russel Wallace, wrote him to say that evolution could not account for man's moral and spiritual nature, Darwin accused him of jeopardizing the whole theory: "I hope you have not murdered too completely your own and my child." Darwin's ultimate position was that it was disastrous for evolution to, at any point, permit a divine foot in the door.

This history is important because we can embrace Darwin's account of evolution without embracing his metaphysical naturalism and unbelief. Dawkins and others like him are in a way confusing the two faces of Charles Darwin. They are under the illusion that to be an evolutionist is essentially to be an atheist. Darwin, to his credit, rejected the equation of these two stances as illogical, even if he didn't always maintain, within his own life, a clear distinction between his science and his animus toward God.
__________________________________________

Dinesh D'Souza, a former policy analyst in the Reagan White House, is author of What's So Great About Christianity and other books.

She Wants to be a Mennonite.

I wonder if now is a good time to get some thoughts down. It's only 8:30pm on a Thursday night. Even though I'm exhausted from trimming feet today, after acquiring Shingles about 5 days ago(that is when Chicken Pox comes back after you're 50, or even 49 1/2, in my case ), the 10 minute nap at 7pm is not going to let me sleep so maybe I'll get some things written down. The thoughts are streaming and they are the kinds of thoughts I've been looking for a chance to get on the record.

My daughter is overnight at my ministers house due to my needing quiet time to heal from working when I should have been resting. They have 11 children from 6 mo. to age 16 and are challenged, and blessed by, and ready to serve her constantly. The Mennonites specialize and excel in raising godly families. Godly families merely being those that simply pattern themselves after and imitate those people and ways that the gospel asks us to. Sometimes I wonder at their large family sizes but am always left in amazement at how well they do raising them up. This minister(servant), Jonathan Martin, came from a family of 15.

Now she's more than halfway through their '4th grade' school year after deciding on her own to go there midway through last summer vacation. She hasn't looked back. She had already asked to get rid of the t.v. many times, not even knowing it was a requirement for enrollment. In fact she talked me into it even before the issue of enrollment came up. Now it's just a distant memory of ungratifying titillation, that has finally revealed itself to her as being completely empty. Even myself, looking back, now see that it occupies a large part of ones world with mostly unnecessary clutter and requires constant maintenance to remain satisfied. I wouldn't have dreamed of asking her to give it up. At that time it was as if it was an inextricable piece of life itself. Now I can't get her to quit reading to me, or alone, singing or just playing. In hindsight, the t.v. environment seems to both of us like one big marketing scheme. It had even robbed us of our precious imaginations. An imagination and freedom that you don't know until you're free from it's mindless enchantments. Oh, it's still fascinating and full of thrilling(oh and sensuous!) things that really have no bearing on reality once it is turned off...that leave their own partly debilitating imprint on ones mind; and an empty one at that that keeps on needing to be fed with...more of the same. It's amazing how you can do without it and replace it with simply more valuable things.

She's out of there. She's fled the afflicted world to a traditional Christian community of great satisfaction to her marked by people with distinguishably godly hearts. With almost no coaxing from me. Gladly never needing to watch the High School Musical 3 to give contorted and very fleeting excitement to her life. She's found the riches of Christ and a people of God who are overflowing in them. She sees Christ reflected in them. She's in love with not only God and Christ, but a people of Theirs as well.

And they know how to do it all in the way of living a life for the Lord. They've learned from earlier pioneers in biblical living that it's possible to find all of God's rich living pleasures and wisdom in the simple and plain message of scripture and be filled up to the fullest measure in life of joy and peace in the Lord. They simply revel in pleasing and honoring the living Lord and enjoy His Life presence in their own lives. And love doing it together.

I can't begin to tell you. But I surely will as time goes on.

She gets out of school a month before the public school kids. Then during the summer she'll learn gardening and canning and producing food and livestock that fills ones life with the mysteries and magnificence of creation. She has seen large happy families with beautiful hearts born of God, who want to share their lives with her, and can't wait to one day help raise one of her own.

I've told them I can't join their church because there needs to be an online Mennonite presence. My daughter has not looked back at her prior fondness of the Internet because she prefers to do those things other ways and thereby avoid the snare and temptation of wasting her valuable time online. It's easy to do. We've all been there. Many of us keep returning there and simply don't give a good account of our time spent on the Internet. Not in relation to it's and our own potential anyway. She won't be allowed by me to use the Internet unsupervised until she's an adult. That's not to say others can't chose to discipline themselves in the use of the Internet if they'd like. We are all different. The Mennonite's avoidance of the Internet serves the purpose of not wasting time and not unmanageably putting the filth of the world in front of their children. It works for them very well. The average Mennonite family's child, it seems to me, has more knowledge of the bible than the average pastor. Almost everyone in my church could be a pastor. And raising a child to that capacity takes a wise use of the family's time.

So while we are not all 'radical disciples' and not all of us consumed with living out a sort of 'practical holiness', let us hope that we have our own regimen of following after and honoring God who appeared on earth in the flesh to make Himself and His ways known to us so that we could know and serve Him. As many of us know there is no greater joy than coming to know Him - serving Him and serving each other.

Well my Shingles are calling me back into bed for the night. Peaceful and joyous abiding in the Spirit of our living and faithful God. Todd

Interpreting "Tongues".

What are "tongues"?

"The gift of tongues" are prophesied of in the book of Mark chapter 16 verses 17-18:

"These signs will accompany those who have believed: in My name they will cast out demons, they will speak with new tongues; they will pick up serpents, and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover."

The gift of tongues were displayed by the disciples on the night of Pentecost following Jesus ascension after they were delivered by God's Holy Spirit as shown in Acts chapter 2 of the Bible. It was Xenoglossy; a phenomenon in which a person is able to speak a language that he or she could not have acquired by natural means. We know they were speaking in a manner of xenoglossy by how it is recorded in the account:

Acts 2:4-8,

"And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit was giving them utterance. Now there were Jews living in Jerusalem, devout men from every nation under heaven. And when this sound occurred, the crowd came together, and were bewildered because each one of them was hearing them speak in his own language. They were amazed and astonished, saying, "Why, are not all these who are speaking Galileans? "And how is it that we each hear them in our own language to which we were born?"

11-12, "--we hear them in our own tongues speaking of the mighty deeds of God." And they all continued in amazement and great perplexity, saying to one another, "What does this mean?"

They had been filled with the Holy Spirit and received the 'gift of speaking in tongues', that is, speaking in a language that he or she did not know until that moment and could not have acquired by any other means than through an immediate gift from God. Discovering this, even the disciples were beside themselves in amazement.

What other kinds of 'tongues' are there?

There is Glossolalia. This is the term Paul used for what the people of Corinth were doing. It was a ready made Greek word for something that had been going on in other false religions since ancient times. Unknowable utterances from men to God.

What is known about Glossolalia?

The highly respected 1972 study of John P. Kildahl (The Psychology of Speaking in Tongues) concludes that "from a linguistic point of view, religiously inspired glossolalic utterances have the same general characteristics as those that are not religiously inspired." In fact, glossolalia is a "human phenomenon, not limited to Christianity nor even to religious behavior." (Dictionary of Pentecostal and Charismatic Movements by Spittler, P. 340).

Felicitas D. Goodman, a psychological anthropologist and linguist, engaged in a study of various English - Spanish - and Mayan-speaking Pentecostal communities in the United States and Mexico. She compared tape recordings of non-Christian rituals from Africa, Borneo, Indonesia and Japan as well. She published her results in 1972 in an extensive monograph (Speaking in Tongues: A Cross-Cultural Study in Glossolalia by Felecitas D. Goodman, University of Chicago Press, 1972).

Goodman concludes that "when all features of glossolalia were taken into consideration--that is, the segmental structure (such as sounds, syllables, phrases) and its suprasegmental elements (namely, rhythm, accent, and especially overall intonation)-- she concluded that there is no distinction in glossolalia between Christians and the followers of non-Christian (pagan) religions. The "association between trance and glossolalia is now accepted by many researchers as a correct assumption," writes Goodman in the prestigious Encyclopedia of Religion (1987).

Goodman also concludes that glossolalia "is, actually, a learned behavior, learned either unawarely or, sometimes consciously." Others have previously pointed out that direct instruction is given on how to "speak in tongues," ie. how to engage in glossolalia.

In fact, it has been found that the "speaking in tongues" practiced in Christian churches and by individual Christians is identical to the chanting language of those who practice voodoo.

This is the glossolalia that the apostle Paul is referring to in 1 Corinthians chapter 14 verse 2.

2 "For one who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God; for no one understands, but in his spirit he speaks mysteries."

For the rest of the chapter, even using the Lord's own words, Paul schools us in xenoglossy - the Lord's tongues - or when, through other strange languages, by the lips of strangers, the Lord says "He" will speak to His people. Biblical 'tongues' are the Lord speaking 'to men', 'through other men'.

It's also important to note that Paul is not introducing a biblical contradiction here by showing 'tongues' as being spoken like those in 14:2, "not to men but to God", and then posting the Lord as stating in verse 21 that they are spoken "God to men". Paul is not introducing a contradiction into scripture but simply contrasting how they are being spoken in Corinth, to the way the Lord's tongues are actually prescribed by the Lord as being spoken. Paul instructs that the 'tongues to God' going on in 14:2 are, actually, supposed to be the 'tongues to the Lord's people' of 14:21, done with a corresponding edifying message in a known language.

It has been said, "tongues are a sign!". I'm sorry, "tongues to God" had been around over a thousand years before Christ, practiced by false religions, and therefore impossible to be regarded by anyone as any sign from the True God. Anyone can do them, whereas, the Lord only performs signs that no one else can do. See His words in the following verse:

John 15 15:24"If I had not done among them the works which no one else did, they would not have sin; but now they have both seen and hated Me and My Father as well."

Xenoglossia is a sign from God to unbelievers; glossolalia is no sign, but merely unknowable human utterances from 'men to God'.

The recorded cases of Glossolalia go back as far as 1100 B.C. If you would care to click on this link, it takes you to an article by someone named Rene Norbergen. I have not tried to confirm all the things he asserts but don't expect a problem doing so. His references are provided.

Regarding the "Gifts of the Spirit" in general. Today all believers have the "gift" of the Spirit - all have equal and impartial access to the Lord who eagerly bends His ear when we raise our prayers and supplications to Him. We as Christians have to be careful not to put ourselves in the uncertain position, when asked by unbelievers about the available healing powers of God, of pointing to individuals we claim are given special Spiritual healing powers. There were once those disciples who healed everyone that was brought to them. Those have ceased while healing and miracles still go on today through prayer and supplication according to the Lord's will. Today, we freely go to His waiting ear in faith and thanksgiving, and ask that healing be done, knowing that our prayers will be answered according to His will, for the good of those that love Him.

I'll be developing this as time permits.

Interpreting "The Gift of Tongues".

Amidst a terrible display of my own reasonings, I've been able to go through the process of allowing scripture, and Paul, in 1 Corinthians 12 through 14, to speak it's Truth concerning 'tongues'. You'll find those reasonings in the last two posts and their 'comments'. It will be painful and cumbersome to read, but Truth reveals itself finally, and now I will try and share with you what it's taught, hopefuly not just me, but all men, in this very post, when time permits. If the Truth is well-served, then it should be a fairly brief post. The Lord is faithful. And even a lot more. Wishing you grace and peace. Todd

I'm still wondering, "How do we know whether or not present day 'tongues' are false tongues?"

And with that, here's another simple related question that came to my mind when I was asked "whether or not I believe 'tongues' are meant for the present time."?

I wondered, "Are there authentically biblical 'tongues' going on in the present time?" Or, have they gone on anywhere since the first century? Does their authentic practice actually exist somewhere now?

These are questions that will quickly get you charged with being "judgmental" or "argumentative" or ("stupid" or)"not meditating on scripture deeply enough". Charges people will forward in order that they don't have to think about such difficult yet important things. We are not taught how to approach tough questions we face when confronted with conflicting Christian teachings. We are taught rather, against reason, that conflicting teachings are acceptable. But the mind of Christ is not "double-minded", and these tough questions are what an honest and sound mind should ask, when faced with multiple conflicting Christian teachings, and should insist upon tough answers.

But here's the real problem I had with the question I was asked as to "whether or not I believe tongues are meant for the present time". I don't think it's a matter of 'believing', or 'not believing' whether or not they are meant for the present, but rather, either they 'are' truly here somewhere today, or they are not. Since they are intended for the unbeliever, they would be able to be seen and heard, and understood, by unbelievers. At the same time they would be able to be seen and heard, and understood, by other believers. Are the scriptural 'tongues' of Mark 16 or Acts 2 here now anywhere and able to be seen and heard?

Do real 'tongues' exist anywhere in the 'present'? My understanding tells me no. Scripture says maybe, but not what we're seeing practiced today by people in the Charismatic church. But when I'm asked "whether or not I believe tongues are for today" by a charismatic and say, "no", because what I'm seeing today appears to be false tongues, I'm told that actually they are for the present day because he/she does them, and so they must be for today, and that if I meditate deeply enough on scripture I will see it. But it can't be whether I believe they are here now or not. Either they are here now, and we can point to them, see and understand them, or we can't, and they are not.

Which then brings us back to the main question. "How do we know whether or not present day 'tongues' are false tongues"?

I think there are people from many religions doing what they believe to be speaking in tongues. Many people from Native American Indian, African, Eastern religions, and etc. claim to do it. But the source of them all cannot be the same God. And surely not the God who came in the flesh and delivered His very Word of Truth to us as it stands in the Bible. He's not the author of those tongues. Those are the tongues, apparently, of other gods whom one day will be no use to them.

But specifically, "are present day 'tongues' and some of the tongues we read about being spoken at Corinth false tongues"?

What are false tongues? Are they even spoken of in the Bible? Are we truly at the mercy of "discerners of spirits" to know whether a 'tongue' being spoken is from a good spirit or bad spirit? Are there, in this present age, all of these spirits, that is, spirits of men, spirits of angels, some of light, some of darkness, and demons wanting to speak to us on Sunday morning in our Charismatic church's?

Or is it simply "learned" behavior, an imitation somehow, behavior glorying in some natural impulses that seem spiritual and come from our flesh?

As 'speaking in tongues' is practiced today, we can be sure that it is done in a way prohibited in scripture. The "unknowable tongues" admittedly cannot be interpreted. They don't even fit the definition of gift of tongues if they are not in a known language. Yet they are spoken, when scripture tells them to be interpreted or to be silent. That's disobedience to scripture. But...that seldom phases anyone born after the Age of Enlightenment. Now days many of us just accept that we will sin here and there, and then thank the Lord for His law of liberty. Except the Law of Liberty does not allow for willful sin.

In my last post, over a month ago, I was discussing 'speaking in tongues' with a gracious fellow who claimed to be a "speaker of tongues", and an "interpreter of tongues". I was forced to consider this practice more thoroughly than I ever had in the past. Our discussion left us at complete odds with each other. Him, the possessor of a marvelous visible gift from God, and me, someone not yet able to see it, or to read and understand certain things in scripture. We looked at scripture together and nothing changed in our position toward one another. Is the answer to the unlock the impasse able to be found in scripture? Does scripture perform what it promises to the seeker of knowledge? Are answers to discussions such as these attainable or does it purposefully leave us fractured like he and I?

(There are men who would teach, that scripture in certain instances, leaves us fractured 'beyond our control' due to us being mere men of limited understanding. But isn't that type of teaching actually faulty. Isn't that "man's" own teaching? Because with the mind of Christ are we not more than merely darkness bound men anymore, condemned to quarreling about the Truth?. Doesn't that sort of teaching mentality which men use to stay entrenched in their differences actually stem from some ungifted teachers simply stubbornly wanting to believe what they want to believe? Aren't we asked to prove everything by scripture? And then also to avoid controversy? Is there even one controversy within the church Body that edifies it? There are common and popular controversies which keep Christians battling each other, almost as if it's a sport, with one eye in the word, and the other eye in the theological wisdom of their favortie man, only to cause them to, once in a while, bolt to the other side and continue to battle against their former allies, all the while relying on someone else's understanding from scripture instead of patiently allowing solely scripture to build their understanding. So I would argue that when we take the abundance of available straightforward directives of scripture, we are fully equipped with all spiritual wisdom and knowledge to answer any reasonable question plainly and confidently. And that there is one faithful Truth.)

So what are "false tongues"? Is there such a thing as a false tongue?

The question that plagues me is , "Are there 'tongues' today at all"? I've seen and heard so-called 'tongues' and have yet to see one that meets the Bible's definition.

Another question that leaps to mind here is, "Has there been a 'tongue' spoken since the first century, or so, that has been verified as being Divinely breathed"? Has it occurred to anyone that, 'speaking in new tongues', is the only sign from Mark 16(below) that cannot be easily verified as to it's source? God or counterfeit? That poses a problem. Maybe the Lord has provided the solution for that problem. But first here's another valid question. "Is there a "gift of tongues", that applies to the present time, in other words, now, mentioned in prophecy? I haven't found one yet.

Is the passage of Mark 16: 16-17 explaining present day "tongues"? Aside from the sign of 'tongues', where are all of these other signs today? Is it only coincidence that 'tongues' is the only one, of all these signs, that we see today? And might that have anything to do with it being the most difficult to verify(verily, verily - truly, truly)? Why haven't any believers or unbelievers I know seen anything resembling real 'speakers of new tongues"? Why haven't any of the believer's I know, except the so-called "prayers in tongues", found themselves possessing the 'gift of tongues', or any of the 'sign gifts' in Mark 6? Might this have a bearing on how we can know if a sign was meant for today or not? Whether any of the signs at all from Mark 6 exists in that context today? Or by asking in what way the present day 'gift' resembles what was foretold of in scripture to see if it matches with what scripture is speaking of? I believe it would have to go a long way to answering What? Where? When? How? and Why? and what sort of 'tongues' are present today.

Were they for the apostles time? Yes, but then for how long?

Mark 16:14-19
Afterward He appeared to the eleven themselves as they were reclining at the table; and He reproached them for their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they had not believed those who had seen Him after He had risen. And He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved; but he who has disbelieved shall be condemned. These signs will accompany those who have believed: in My name they will cast out demons, they will speak with new tongues; they will pick up serpents, and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover." So then, when the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, He was received up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God. And they went out and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them, and confirmed the word by the signs that followed.] [And they promptly reported all these instructions to Peter and his companions. And after that, Jesus Himself sent out through them from east to west the sacred and imperishable proclamation of eternal salvation. ]

Where are they now???

"The Lord worked with them , and confirmed the word by the signs that followed".

"...Jesus Himself sent out through them...the sacred... proclamation...".

This shows these signs were meant especially for the apostles. Exclusively? Perhaps it would have been convenient if Peter had asked, as he did in Luke 12:41, "...Lord, are you addressing this parable to us, or to everyone else as well?" No, most likely not exclusively for the apostles but then probably not far from their authority and teaching either.

Does God use signs to help confirm His word today? Most definitely, but the 'tongues' signs presented today in the Charismatic church only serve to throw things into suspicion and consternation.

If they happened today would we know it? Yes. They would be spoken for a reason, have meaning unto our benefit, be able to be understood and interpreted, and would carry unmistakable Divine content. They would glorify our Lord in a sure way.

Did they fade away as the apostles passed on and the Bible was finished? Is this what Paul meant when he said that 'tongues' will fade away? They certainly have faded, but completely away as signs? Surely God's miracles happen every minute of the day, but were the signs spoken of in this passage different than what we see today only in the charismatic church? The original gift of tongues were meant to command attention and be convicting. To be seen and believed. These are not the ones you find today. The original signs are not the ones you see today on the Benny Hinn show. Are the original sign gifts the ones that you see presented in Charismatic churches on Sunday morning?

And are there two different kinds of "gifts of tongues" as the charismatic would teach today? One spoken of in Acts 2, and the other in 1 Cor. 14:2, and confirmed in 1 Cor. 12:10. Two different kinds of 'gift of tongues', "that should not be mixed up", as a charismatic would say? If that were the case then shouldn't we have further instruction from somewhere as to exactly 'how' there are two different kinds of tongues, and how each should be handled? But aren't 'tongues' the same everywhere they are mentioned in the Bible - that is, known languages with meaning - except in 1 Cor. 14:2?

In v. 14:2, is Paul describing a second kind of tongue which has a different source and a different destination than the first kind. One is from God to unbelievers, through believers; and the other, the Spirit, speaking to God, through the believer, by the believer? Or is Paul actually describing a prevalent, 'man breathed' tongue, being practiced there in Corinth, and not the God breathed "gift"? It's "the tongues of men and of angels". The charismatic claims it to be the Spirit expressing things from a persons heart, that the person themselves cannot express, coming out of the speaker amidst the congregation, as a language that is 'unknowable' and impossible to interpret. This was silenced by Paul. In the modern Charismatic church this requires "discerners of spirits" to tell if it is a good spirit or not. Or if it is God's Spirit or some other spirit. This "praying in tongues" sounds something like would be described as a form of incoherent gibberish, or nonsensical talking. The charismatics call it "praying in tongues" and say it is, in effect, the Spirit's interpreting to God those inexpressible things that are on your heart.

Where else does scripture help us with this unsettling 'second kind of tongue' that presumably Mark 16 now has to make room for? Or can it? The charismatic would like it to, but wouldn't this 'second kind' of tongue be an altogether different kind of thing than is mentioned anywhere in scripture. Wouldn't this be a tongue whereby others are expected to watch the Spirit talking to God from someone else's soul? Is this believable from scripture? I have to admit that that proposition instead defies my belief altogether. O.k. I'm sure this would be where I am told to meditate more deeply into scripture, and see how this would truly be a neat thing. A neat thing to watch the Spirit of God interceding to God before our very eyes. That is if it's truly God. If it is not then the "discerner of spirits" will know. But if it's not , then, where did God go? Why didn't He show up this time? That one sounds like God to me? Are you sure that's not God? How do we know? Where's the rule book again? What a scary circus this is.

Be patient and we'll find out what scripture says. Oh, this will be nothing that will shake any charismatic's belief, nor will it really be anything new. But it will be a sound basis for understanding the next time someone gets ambushed by a charismatic Christian. That is my hope anyway. If you get bored, then consider the 'tongues' comments from my last post, which are really not all that insightful, and please feel free to forward your own understanding. I've come a long way in the last couple of weeks in my understanding of what going on in this area, all credit going to God and the Scriptures, and I'm ready to start drawing some reliable scripture honoring conclusions. My love for these charismatic brothers and sisters of ours is great, and that demands not sugar-coating any admonishments for them from scripture. Scripture speaks clearly in this area presenting no matters left open for debate. But it's going to take another week or two to get it down in a respectful fashion. There is not a whole lot more to say really. I just have to try and get it said right. Thanks for stopping by.

(Just one of those lingering notes here). Would He leave us hearing an "unknowable" tongue, not knowing whether it's a word of encouragement, or a deadly arrow, speaking deceit or setting an ambush?(Jer. 9:8) Can't we be assured that He would not?

_____________________________________
I'm starting here as a continuation of the above, as well as the lengthy comments taken from my discussion in the 'comments' section of the previous post with Paul G., the "speaker of tongues" and "interpreter of tongues" which you can get to through "this link here" .

The "speakers of tongues' in the Charismatic church are not displaying the biblical 'Gift of Tongues":

1.) Anytime they are tested by proving the 'speaker' against the 'interpreter', and then looking at the message 'spoken', they come up false. It's just that simple. Not "empty", false. Well, that's awfully presumptuous for me to say, doesn't it seem like? And exceedingly insensitive? Probably dangerously judgemental? No, I'm simply stating the obvious and the verifiable. Not to impugn anyone or demean anyone, but simply to look at this, held up to what tests we have from scripture, and from nature, to clear things up for my daughter when one day she will be confronted with these charismatic teachings. Let's not forget, Benny Hinn, with his alleged 'gift of healing' television program, is not healing people, if you check with them once they are backstage. Or in subsequent days when the adrenalin and unfulfilled hope have subsided. Much of it is simply staged. Some of it is faked by people truly desperate for healing. Nothing in the way of a miracle goes on there. Is it, in effect, "Simon the magician" of Acts, leading people to Christ? Who knows? One more thing needs to be pointed out. There are no, "speaking in gift of tongues", t.v. shows. Because the content of those shows would be able to be verified.

*"Charismatic praying in tongues" comes from men themselves.

This is how Paul describes it. "For one who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God".

"For if I 'pray in a tongue' my spirit prays".

'praying' in "unknowable tongues", are actually giving voice to spirits other than God. And falsely presenting them to themselves and others as God Himself. 1 Cor. states that God is the originator of His tongues and speaks through men in known languages that have meaning. Any other is not from God and is inappropriate to speak according to scripture. Those are surely "profane and vain babblings" in their content.

Is "praying in tongues" actually Romans 8 being played out before our eyes? Is it the Spirit of God actually searching the heart of the speaker and then using the speaker himself to speak for It, back to God, 'groanings that are too deep for words? Then why doesn't He tell us that? Why instead does He 'put into words' something He tells us is "too deep for words"? But most importantly, why does He put in front of us unidentifiable and only self-edifying babblings, of which we can have no idea whether or not are coming from a mere 'common spirit' - good spirit or bad spirit - to marvel at as though from Him? Possibly a demon bringing God's glory from us to himself. Why would God take the otherwise beautiful and comforting picture He gives us in Romans 8:26-27 of the Spirit explaining our hearts to God, and make a display which we cannot tell from that of a wicked demon? That would be a contradiction from God. But God does not allow contradiction. These displays are not of God. They would even be a betrayal by God. Fooling us into marveling at a demon. Praising, even worshipping a demon. Not knowing! This sort of display is not of God.

The following verse is found worded in many different ways within many different translations. But isn't the spirit of this verse, which resounds the same through all of the translations but is found below in the New King James version, an important and useful foundational perspective when trying to decipher the truth within the teachings of men, otherwise, seemingly godly teachers, such as we find in the Charismatic church?

1 Tim. 6:20 "...avoiding the profane and idle babblings and contradictions of what is falsely called knowledge--.

I've finally learned, through my discussion in the comments section of this post 'what' is 'what'. Now I just need to get it said right in a final post.

Oct. 31...A Day for Every Christian to Hold Dear.

On October 31, 1517, Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses to the church door in Wittenburg, God in His own time loosing His nation free again from political enslavement.

Just in case we'd forgotten that there is something meaningful to remember on the 31st of October, we can always reflect on this precious memory of Martin Luther while we watch for Him(Christ) to return in the same way as those who had seen Him leave.

Another Biblical Inconsistency?

I met a local brother in Christ who I used to attend church with beside a lake along a highway, where he was camping with his family. I stopped there with my daughter and her friend for a side-trip after taking them along with me to shoe one horse today. He showed me that he was reading a book by John MacArthur and I responded saying that he was a good Christian author. He also remarked that he'd come across a new biblical concept never really given any more than lip service in our old church and that was sanctification. I responded with joy and mentioned the verse, "This is the will of God, your sanctification...and that you possess your own vessel in sanctification and honor."

I love that whole passage so I think I'll paste it right here:

1 Thessalonians 4:1-8

1 Finally then, brethren, we request and exhort you in the Lord Jesus, that as you received from us instruction as to how you ought to walk and please God (just as you actually do walk), that you excel still more. 2 For you know what commandments we gave you by the authority of the Lord Jesus. 3 For this is the will of God, your sanctification; that is, that you abstain from sexual immorality; 4 that each of you know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor, 5 not in lustful passion, like the Gentiles who do not know God; 6 and that no man transgress and defraud his brother in the matter because the Lord is the avenger in all these things, just as we also told you before and solemnly warned you. 7 For God has not called us for the purpose of impurity, but in sanctification. 8 So, he who rejects this is not rejecting man but the God who gives His Holy Spirit to you.

Sanctification is a good thing, in all of it's contexts.

I did mention to him that one thing I remember of John MacArthur is that he's fallen into an error of subscribing to the Reformed style of theology. The Reformed Theology is guilty of devising a man-made system of theology which speculates with regards to the nature of 'election' and its specifics. Christian brethren cannot just go about writing doctrine regarding things Christ has not made clear. That's when my friend explained to me that there are two doctrines of election in the Bible.

Bingo, another inconsistency in the Bible? It would have to be. I told him that the "them" he was referring to, the two different doctrines, were both wrong and that God did not give us a specific doctrine of election, but told us only that there is one, after a sort. I told him that there have been brilliant men debating over what exactly is said in the bible about how the dynamic of election is said to actually work, from the beginning of...well, whenever that rueful day was when men started debating over the meaning of clear and simple passages of scripture in the Bible, and that they would continue to not be able to get it sorted out until Christ returns. And that it was not to be known. He agreed that it was a mystery. I don't like to call it a mystery. I don't believe the Bible refers to it as one. I refer to it as a point of God's knowledge which He hasn't intended for us to know the details of, and which the discussion of, never fails to produce quarrels and factions which are warned against by Christ in scripture.

The discussions on the details of 'election' produce more division and alienation from each other than edification.

No inconsistencies in the Bible yet. I'm sure we all agree that the 'pure milk of the word' is all of what it claims to be.

An Alleged Biblical Contradiction Explained.

A Christian woman farrier customer of mine today despaired of the following apparent contradiction that has plagued her as she has struggled to know what to do during times when she's experienced the world's justice system letting her down, not satisfactorily serving up her fill of justice to certain wicked individuals, leaving her with the desire to take measures into her own hands and pursue her own need for revenge.

I can't tell you how gratified I was to hear someone bring up a problem they were having deciphering scripture.

She wasn't sure what to do. She posed what appeared to her to be a contradiction in scripture because she was unable to figure out how to reconcile the following two verses.

1) * "AN EYE FOR AN EYE, AND A TOOTH FOR A TOOTH." and...

2) * "Vengeance is Mine, says the Lord"

______________________________
(1) Mt 5:38
"You have heard that it was said, `AN EYE FOR AN EYE, AND A TOOTH FOR A TOOTH.'

(2) Ro 12:19
Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, "VENGEANCE IS MINE, I WILL REPAY," says the Lord.
______________________________

As usual, I was not ready with a very convicting explanation. I told her it was a "covenant" thing; one old, lived out in the Old Testament, and the other new, as explained by Christ in the New Testament. A dispensational thing. And then I fumbled around explaining the old covenant of the Law and the new covenant of the ministry of the Spirit.

We love our verses. Memorizing them and throwing them around abbreviatedly to explain God's revelation to us through His scripture.

Here's where I went wrong. I had not simply gotten my Bible out.

But even if I'd gotten my bible out, still how would I have quickly found these two verses and made some sense out of them - without fumbling and skimming and searching for a long long time? I would have done it with the Bible Concordance under my seat.

I could have made, perhaps, complete sense of the dilemma in minutes...perhaps looking at least for a moment, like a complete Christian finatic, controlled by the love of Christ even - which I truly hope I am anyway- and sent her away with the complete scriptural answer.

But instead I thanked her for making me think, told her I was going to have to go and fill out my own understanding and come back later with a more satisfactory answer.

I wish I'd taken a moment with her and looked at these verses in my Bible because there instantly appeared the complete answer.

All we'd needed to have done was to go to the remainder of both verses, and then to the following verse, where things would have been instantly cleared up for us.

We could have gone to Romans 9.

Rom. 12:19
Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, "VENGEANCE IS MINE, I WILL REPAY," says the Lord.

From this passage it should be very clear never to take your own revenge. He tells us where, when, why, and how.

And then we'd have gone to Mathew 5.

Mt 5:38
"You have heard that it was said, `AN EYE FOR AN EYE, AND A TOOTH FOR A TOOTH.' 39 "But I say to you, do not resist an evil person;

With the word "But" here Jesus tells us Himself that we are no longer to avenge an eye for an eye.

No more eye for an eye, or tooth for a tooth style self-administered justice. No more revenge. Leave room for the wrath of God.

God tells us now that that was how it was then, but... this is how it is now. Straightaway we are now fully instructed.

Well I'm more prepared now.

_________________________________

44 "But I say to you, love your enemies..."

45 "...so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven;"

_________________________________

Praise be to God, with thanksfulness, through Christ, who is our full knowledge and wisdom in His Word to us.

On Practical Holiness and the Dress of Many Christian Women: It Was Such a Pretty Picture...

There she was. The first time on her horse outside the safe perimeter of our large pasture and wanting badly to canter around our oval training path. So she did. I had still not quite arrived, but could see her, galloping along with feet underneathe her, confidently poised upon her newly aquired old mare. It was such a pretty picture. She was wearing her very modest looking dress which one of the ladies from our Mennonite church made her. Her legs nicely covered with leggets. Perfect. It was working. She can ride in her favorite dresses. Even with modesty. Cool. It was such a pretty picture when...(rude interruption indeed)...the old mare tripped, Deanta went flying up onto her neck, teetering, still hanging on beautifully, the mare stepped, and stepped again, not quite being able to regain her footing and wham! down to the ground they went. End of picture.

The horse took several moments to get up. It wasn't limping. The daughter then was to get up. Crying quite valantly. Then she said, "I'm not hurt I'm just scared". What a composed and adroit evaluation of the situation I thought to myself. "Grab the horse quick!" I screamed. That's just a good old rule of thumb after falling off a horse. I said, "Well praise God, not hurt is good and scared is understandable and can be good as well".

I tried to persuade her that it's very unusual for a horse to fall down like that and much more common that a horse would regain his footing after tripping without crashing to the ground. I told her she did an incredible job sticking with the horse and hung on very well. "Now do you think you can get back on her?"

Oh yeah, and pretty soon she wanted to canter somemore.

What a pretty picture.

And I'm talking particularly about the 'dress'. She's decided that she wants to dress modestly in the same type of dresses the women from church wear. All the time. Not because she has to, but because she wants to.

I told her she could not until she was ready ahead of time to deal with the questions she would get as to why she wears a long dress. Riding the horse and climbing trees around our property is one thing, but beyond that, there are people out there who will not understand. And predictably, there will be many Christians among them.

She said she just wants to praise God. She walks all day long in an exciting and very active relationship with the Lord and wants nothing more than to please him.

I don't consider her wearing the dress and a pony tail an act of praise. But I'm glad she does. I consider it an act of conviction from the heart of an individual believer in response to scriptural recommendations.

I've explained to her that the women from church wear dresses for a number of reasons. To name two here could include that: the Lord recommends womens clothing for women and men's clothing for men; and He also asks for modesty in our dress, and a woman's covering her form is a nice gesture toward that request. Men would understand best the true impact of a woman covering her form on their covetous and easily distracted minds.

I tell her they also do it to separate themselves from the willy-nilly fashions of the world. Even to distinguish themselves culturally as practicing Christians. In other words, to be walking, albeit in one small way, in the ways of the Lord, and not being afraid to show it. To show submissiveness to the gospel, men and the Lord. And to honor and respect the same. They also have more good and divine reasons for wearing what they wear, for which they find encouragment from the Lord Himself.

She's come to see the mind and love of Christ in the people from her church.

The Bible tells us to imitate people of great faith. There's no stopping her now.

I've taken to changing my wardrobe to plain long-sleeved shirts buttoned to the top. In one sense, I want to wear the dress. Perhaps even the head covering. But it's not for the men. I long for the Bible to instruct me on how I can go beyond having just an excited and thankful heart unto Christ and tell me how I can honor him with, not only what I do and say, but also what I chose to wear. Well it really doesn't. And we Christians walk around so camoflouged in our appearance to each other in this wolrd so as to barely see any evidence of each other.

I'm going to imitate a few others of great faith and hope to the Lord that still others ask me why I dress the way I do. For it's not because I have to, but because I want to. Granted it's not for everybody. And perhaps it will help generate some exciting God-honoring conversation and relationships. Because God came to earth and made an appeal to men telling them that He loved them and asks them, because of His love for them, to conform their will in submission to His, and through Him be once again joined back to Him.

She's heard the good news and is overflowing with it. I think she's ready for the battle folks. The Lord has blessed her with His peace and knowledge and I am just beside myself in wonderment and thanksgiving.

Much more to be said here on this topic.

Inconsistencies and Contradictions in the Bible?

Not so long ago...I was going to a church where both the Pastor and the assistant Pastor would occassionally fail to be able to handle certain difficult passages in the Bible successfully and would suggest then that this was due to certain contradictions and/or inconsistencies within the Bible. Yet those Pastors and that church's doctrinal statement both hold to the inerrancy of the Bible. How could there be contradictions or inconsistencies in the infallible Word of God? Surely to novices there are 'seeming' inconsistencies, but are there 'actual' inconsistencies? If there are then how can we claim it to be without error? The inconsistencies are not in the Bible but rather the individuals own theological understanding.

Let me use the following approach to try and make some sense out of how this is so.

Satan said to Jesus, "...it is written, `HE WILL COMMAND HIS ANGELS CONCERNING YOU'; and `ON their HANDS THEY WILL BEAR YOU UP, SO THAT YOU WILL NOT STRIKE YOUR FOOT AGAINST A STONE.' " Jesus said to him, "On the other hand, it is written, `YOU SHALL NOT PUT THE LORD YOUR GOD TO THE TEST.' "


Jesus agrees with satan and says yes, 'such and such', is indeed written. But then He goes on to respond that, even though "it is written", there is a larger principle yet at work here. Therefore you have to take the whole of God's word into account before you make a bold proclamation using just one single verse. Both statements of scripture mentioned above by Christ and satan are correct within their own context but one of them does not contain the whole Truth.


And this is perhaps partly how the leaders of this other church I attended at one time became confused to the point of believing that there are inconsistencies and contradictions in the Word. They would get hung up on certain seemingly contradictory passages after not isolating each passage and looking at it's own unique context in order to get it's meaning; which would have then possibly allowed them to see each passage's unique truth come into harmony with the unique truth of each and every other passage of the Bible.

Here's the root of the problem. This just dawned on me out of the blue this afternoon. The problem is not that there are inconsistencies and contradictions between the passages of the Bible, but rather, between the bible as a whole and their own theological system. Their personal theological system makes it impossible to reconcile the Truth of the Bible to itself. The problem is their flawed theological method.

Well...this idea sure is underdeveloped. It's late at night after an exhausting week. But I've been pondering where this sort of thinking comes from for a long time. I think I may have hit on a partial explanation here. This explanation, which I'm sure has dawned on many others as well, should be useful as a foundation for helping folks like these handle those potentially deceptive passages that would mislead them into believing that there are doctrinal errors, inconsistencies or contradictions in something so True.

I'll probably rework this post a little bit more in the near future. This demands a little more thought than I can give it tonight.

Hearty thanksgiving with you to the Lord.

Poem, Inspired By Lamentations 3.

Surely My Soul Remembers

______

Surely my soul remembers the land it once wandered,

All baron and dry.

Then how my heart was quickened with Your living waters,

And ceased to die.
Surely my soul remembers that You are my portion,

And I am Your heir,

And how my heart, forgetting Your ways and Your kindness,

Squandered it’s share.

*

By my hands I'd refashioned Your work to a vessel of sorrow and grief.

Where there’s grief there’s compassion, and new every morning, Your faithful bequeath.
And my heart bows down, because great is Your faithfulness,

And great is my need.

______

Surely my soul remembers the day when You turned

Your great anger away.

With grace untold Your kindness came reaching instead,

My soul to save.
Surely my soul remembers it’s joy in Your words

To which none can compare.

And death that came by turning away from them

Leaving them wasted there.

*

By my hands I'd refashioned Your work to a vessel of sorrow and grief.

Where there’s grief there’s compassion, and new every morning, faithfully bequeathed.
And my heart bows down, since great is Your faithfulness,

And great is my need.

______

Surely my soul remembers the rock and the fortress,

Down from which it flew.

Then by Your Son, You bore it on eagles wings,

Mercifully, back to You.
Surely my soul remembers Your teaching ways,

My crooked pathways made straight.

Turning from them, again and again, I did,

As if them I hate.

*

By my hands I’d refashioned Your work to a vessel of sorrow and grief.

Where there’s grief there’s compassion, it’s new every morning, faithfully bequeathed.
And my heart bows down, because great is Your faithfulness,

And great is my need.

(-Todd S.)

_________________________________________________

_______

Here's a little melody to go with it although when I played the last line unfortunately I was not concentrating on phrasing the piano notes according to the words. But soon I'll sing the thing. 2-3 hours of working out my voice, several times a week, has been strengthening it quite a bit. Come back in a few weeks if you want and check it out. This song has got a long way to go but it's a wonder it's here at all. Love, joy.

Bible Conference Weekend at My Church.

Here are a few of my notes from the Bible Conference Weekend at the Mennonite Church of Gleason, WI that I attend. I can't begin to tell you how I enjoyed hearing all of this.
_________________________

The keynotes and thoughts of the first speaker were as follows:

Let's be ambassadors.

Servants asking to be pierced through the ear. (As in the O.T. practice of fastening an ear ring to the servant who did not want to be freed from service after seven years but wanted to serve for life.)
_________________________

Bits and pieces on Biblical non-conformity:

Are we building a heavenly city or tearing down the gates of hell? Both perhaps. Believers need to strengthen and encourage each other because each one makes up part of the wall to keep the enemy out - the enemy being, the defiling influences of the world, the flesh and the devil on ourselves and our families.

Maintain purity with daily washings in the water of the Word.

We recognize there are many other builders(outside of our own denominational membership) and not just ourselves.

Our work is all tested.

There will be some latitude from congregation to congregation. We all do our part towards the finished product.

Let's be true builders.

Let's let nothing be done through strife or vain-glory. Humility, ready to take advice. We all need correction at times because we are human.

When standards are drawn up they need to express unity and have a unifying effect.
_________________________

Other points:

Change in heart is necessary from the kingdom of the world to the kingdom of God. From the power of darkness to the power of the Christian life.

Passing from death into life begins a lifetime of separation.

Separation is the beginning and non-conformity is a continual process.

Beholding the Lord we are changed.

Our motivaton comes from the love of the Lord.

Devotion from thanksgiving opposed to 'formalism' and 'legalism'. Earnest desire to please Him and glorify Him in our body. Separate ourselves from the evil course of society in general. Maintain sense of accountability to the Lord. Keep things out of our homes that might be detrimental to our children.

Train ourselves as servants.
_________________________

And concerning church discipline:

The need for discipline(setting some straight) is unavoidable and sometimes necessary. The speakers illustration was, "If the church drops he reins of discipline then satan will pick them up and drive the church to hell". Yeah! Aaaamen.
_________________________

*One of my favorite notes of the weekend were: "The Bible contains spiritual lessons and edification for every generation."
______________________________

These were the thoughts and instruction of the men who lead my church and the six other sister churches. This stuff was honey to my ears.

Seems like just good sound and basic stuff that is worth keeping close to the front in our Christian minds.

And man, to be around people who aspire to this sort of thing has been a blessing for me.

Thanks for dropping by and may it be all joy to you.

"sensible...,"

Titus 1:8, "...but hospitable, loving what is good, sensible, just, devout, self-controlled, holding fast to the faithful word which is in accordance with teaching, so that he will be able both to exhort in sound doctrine and refute those who contradict."

Sense(sensible): Normal intelligence and judgement.

I think this word 'sensible' as well gives us all great hope.

"O My Gawd!"-(finally updated)

My daughter, bless her concerned heart, has long been getting into discussions with her friends about their use of the phrase "Oh my god!" She doesn't even like it when they say "Oh my gosh!" because it's the same thing spelled differently. Her average friend does not know quite how to handle her unyielding disapproval of language that is disrespectful toward God.

I tell her that even though she has a valid concern most of them will not get it, no matter how valid, because saying "Oh my god/gosh" is so popular and widely accepted. That even though it's being disrespectful toward God to use His name in a "vain", "empty" sort of way, it's not our problem. And if they insist that it's harmless then it's not up to us to force the way we do things onto them. This strong language is the only way I can get her to back down. Her father is extremely proud of the Lord for placing such strong conviction inside of her about this and now he realizes that he's got to teach her about the power the Lord has placed inside of her to allow her to manage this conviction properly.

And while I had a nice post written up this afternoon, something happened, autosave problems began to mount, and with one push of the wrong shortcut button my post disintegrated into cyberspace with only it's inadequate blurry remains left in my memory. So in a day or two I'll be able to pick up on this and give it another shot.
____________________________________

So my whole point here is to get some stuff down on record that my daughter and I can refer to.

The thing that immediately comes to our mind when God's 'name' comes up is thanksgiving and worship. As it probably is with most Christians.

When people use the phrase they are generally expressing dismay, anger or amazement. They're not seeking God's presence, His approval, even His help. They're expressing the same emotion that, when strong enough, turns into violent profanity. It never is actually about God. It's just a selfish and empty 'exclamation' usually related to confusion.

There is usually nothing 'about God' in saying "Oh my god". And if there's nothing about Him in it then His name is being misused 'vainly', in an empty and wasteful way. If one is saying "Oh my god" and 'is' referring to Him, then it's being disrespectful since He's told us not to refer to Him that way. And it would also stand to reason that if it's not about Him, then it's referring to a false god. The very Creator of all things has offered us an intimate relationship with Himself wherein He has asked us to remember that He is The God. Our God. "Hallowed be Thy name". A hallowed name that is not thrown around "with no purpose".

His name is to be honored. We call upon It for our salvation. It represents our Truth in a fleeting messy world.

The phrase "Oh my god" is often used by non-christians to connote the god of their particular concern of the moment. The weather god, the god of luck or good fortune, or 'this', or 'that' god. It's a phrase used commonly by people who have rejected the one true God who's revealed His Son and proved Himself to all men by raising Him from the dead. We don't want to share their vernacular. It's empty and presumptuous at best for them to talk that way and it's a way we don't want to imitate.

The biggest excuse I hear for justifying the use of the phrase "Oh my god!" is that friends and parents do it and, moreover, don't have a problem with it. That would be getting your authority from our friends and aquaintances instead of our Bible. Again, a very compromising position concerning the showing of respect for our Father God who has offered us a place in His kingdom.

I probably should be but I'm not quite done yet. I'm just thankful things let up a little so I was able to get back to this. Sorry it took so long. I'm eager to post some more on the blessing my church has been to me lately but want to get through this thing first. His kingdom come.

A Must Read "Preface".

_________________________Preface________________________
Around the year 892 B.C. four starving lepers outside the besieged city of Samaria came to a desperate choice. If we stay here, they reasoned, we will die. If we go into the city, we will die. If we surrender to the enemy, we will but die, and there is a chance we will be spared. So they walked out to the enemy camp.

When the arrived, to their amazement, they found it deserted. An entire army had fled in panic from an imagined enemy leaving all their provisions behind. As the four hungry lepers went from tent to tent helping themselves, they remembered the starving people in the city. "We're not doing right," they said. "This is a day of good news and we are keeping it to ourselves. Let's go at once and report this to the royal palace." (see II Kings 7:3-9, in the Bible)

From early childhood on, I knew and loved the Bible stories such as the one just related. I could recite in perfect order the books of the Bible. I knew the parables, the miracles and the theology of my church. But there came a time when I discovered things in the Chrisian camp that disturbed me. By the time I became a young adult, disillusionment in some areas had raised the flag of doubt over it all.

At that point in my life I did not want any more Bible stories or sermons on church order and prophesy. I wanted to know the basic message of the Bible and I wanted to know if it was true or not. I remember sketching an imaginary threshing machine that would separate the main points from the details. I wanted a machine like that. In the course of thinking and dreaming, I decided that if there really was an underlying message in the Bible, I should be able to identify it, outline it on a 3 x 5 card, and scrutinize it point by point. I was afraid to examine the Bible for fear that it would not stand the test, yet I knew that in order to truly believe I had to run the risk.

I like the story about the lepers. I can identify first of all with their fear. They took a chance and so did I. I can also identify with the wonder that they felt. They came to a camp that a lot of people had abandoned and found treasure. Finally, I know exactly what they felt like when they said, "We're not doing right. This is a day of good news and we are keeping it to ourselves." God has enriched my life with joy, peace, direction and a satisfied mind. Things like this should not be kept secret. Furthermore, half the joy of wonderful discovery comes from sharing it.

(The rest of the preface is a brief personal note to his customers. He is a truck farmer.)

Best Wishes,
David Schonberg

This is the preface of a book my pastor gave to me the next time he saw me after hearing my testimony of finally finding and then getting to know the Lord. Very encouraging thoughts I felt. Now I'll read the rest of the book.

It's called Ecology and Beyond.

Easter Greetings. He Lives!

The Beauty to Me of God's "Foreknowing" and "Predestining".

I think God probably reserves the privilege of being spontaneous in His moment of decision making as He continuously goes about the authoring of all life. Spontaneous may not be the best word. But He already knows - you could say, foreknows - what He wants. I picture then an omnipotent and omniscient God (an all-powerful and all-knowing God) having infinitely sufficient means to pull off whatever He needed to pull off in order to achieve His pre-determined end result. I suppose He looks down on the whole realm of possible courses of action and choses, or, in the absence of any good possibilities to chose from, just "creates" His own possibilities; foreknowing already, what He wants, all of the possiblities that will present themselves, and then, exactly what He needs to do to get there to His chosen outcome. Enacting right now, in the moment, things of the moment, having prepared them from the beginning of time, and preparing then, as well as now, for things nearly an eternity away.

Of course this would have to be a gross oversimplification. But I truly believe that, in part, the process could go exactly as just described.

We know God does have a different relatioship to "time" than us, but exactly how, we don't know. It's one of those things we can't know yet. We do know His relationship to us is "living and active".

Heb 4:12
For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

I'm convinced that the present and future may be almost as fresh to Him as it is to us; "fresh" being "newly brought into being". Things in the present must be the product of a fluid and ongoing process of Him effecting a Plan. Or no?

The end plan being a "new" product of ongoing deliberation, preparing, pre-planning, deciding, predetermining; all the while knowing ahead of time what outcome He will bring into being.

There are almost an unlimited number of ways to get from Rhinelander to LA. Leaving Rhinelander one could go over through the Twin Cities and then head west. Or go down through the Quad-cities and over. Or down through Atlanta and then over, or over through Tokyo, or Spain and then Butte, and then over. The possiblities are vitually endless. That seems to me to be the range of possibilities that God is confined to. Infinite. Limitless. Any way He wants to get there. Possibly the more scenic the better.

We all know that much has been created beforehand by Him for us to walk in. Of course, that leaves a huge dynamic of possibilities as to "how" that actually "is", and "was", and "will be".

Well I was given cause to put down in words what I envision personally as the sort of base process for God's enacting all of the details of His plan. This is nothing more than a bunch of whimsical chasing after something I can't know for sure. But I've also got to believe it's basically a sound foundational position from which to view God's enacting of His plan. It's all nothing but fear and wonderment for us anyway, cradled within the context of God's great love for those who want to know Him and follow after His words.

Another Song of Mine

Well, here's the next one.

May the Sound of Thanksgiving He Hear

It may be able to be said that I'm doing the song a disservice by putting it out in early "rough" form. Let's not fret over it. This is my "information home" and this is who I am. There are more useful things to do than to take time to socialize with others on any less of a personal level. I am not a socially needy person, and when I do it, I feel like doing it in a meaningful way. So, check out my song.

I've been trying to wrestle it into something in the last week after playing it and giving it some space to grow for the last year now or so.

How interesting it's turned out. My goal has been to come up with something interesting to share with believers that exists within a scriptural context, and then get the attention of some unbelievers when the opportunity presents itself as well. Wow, I've got a long way to go. And there is truly a whole lot of experimentation going on with this one, especially in the "recording techniques" department.

I'm not unsatisfied with the words but many of them will change. For instance, the white horse itself does not conquer but it's Rider conquers. For the most part I wanted to get some adequate words down so I could finish building the song. Some I will change and rearrange. I don't really think the last four words of the song work, but on the other hand their meaning is almost perfect for me.

Just though I'd share it. Lots more to be done with it but I've got to move on to the next one now while continuing to allow the time for my skill level to continue to grow. It's very time consuming getting these things recorded, hopefully this will suffice for now.

May the Sound of Thanksgiving He Hear

______

*

Your great abundance Lord is pure and true.
Which the radiance of Your Son has lit my pathway to.

Those precious living Spirit given things that only come from you.

Then they go back from whence they came.
As the fruitful lips of thanks, giving praise to Your name.

You’re the potter we’re the clay.
We are what Your hands have made.

2.)
Behold Your anger You have turned away.
And restored us to the peace for which we first were made.

You have granted when in faith we come that no one then gets turned away.

Apart from You we wither and we fall
But when joined to you we stand within in Your all in all.

Lord we thank you for the call.
______________________

(Chorus)
As Your Word performs it’s purpose here
And it’s finished work returns to Your ear.
May the sound of thanksgiving You hear.
______________________


3.)

Abiding in my heart Your gladness through
Brings a wonderment more poweful than wine that’s new.

You have rescued us from darkness, brought us safely to Your kingdom through.

And for a true assurance You’re the only source.

Because the hope you’ve placed within us Rides a mighty white horse

Who conquers faithful and true.

...thanks to You

4.)

The anointing you have given me has healed my soul.
From Your power that’s within me now Your seed does grow.

And the garment which You’ve clothed in Your spring of living waters flow.

Your mercy is the shade by day.
And by night your flaming fire castes my fears away.

And I am finally whole.

(Chorus)

___________________________________________

We are what Your hands have made.
You’re the Potter and we’re the clay.
We are most wondrously made.
So, may the sound of thanksgiving You hear.

___________________________________________

Don't We Need to Love to be Corrected?

If one is in a leadership position of a church of believers and he doesn't love correction; I'm going to dare to say, "with all (his) heart and soul and might", then he can't lead.

We all have to aquire wisdom as we can, and when you have it handed to you by a friend or brother, well that's a freebee. Valuable stuff. "For wisdom is better than jewels". "And he who is wise wins souls".

"Reprove a wise man and he will love you."

"But he who listens to reproof aquires understanding."

"But he who regards reproof is sensible."

"But he who ignores reproof goes astray".

"Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, But he who hates reproof is stupid."

"A wise man will hear and increase in learning."

I believe it's accurate to say there is no leader(post-apostolic anyway) in the church who is above being corrected. I've met so many of them who have needed it that how could this not be true?

"Better is open rebuke than love that is concealed"

When Heb. 13:17 says, "Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they keep watch over your souls as those who will give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with grief, for this would be unprofitable for you", it can only be referring to the leaders Paul and the apostles or men directly under their teaching in Christ. Not someone who simply started a church or even worked their way up a church hierarchy to a leadership position. That may be a form of church leadership but such has no authority beyond routine church management. The only real true leaders of the church are the ones chosen and taught directly by Christ. Anyone else could, nevertheless, surely lead in a church, not having any authority in themselves but mere management authority within their own church walls. Leaders come and go, rise and fall, but the only biblical church leaders are the apostles themselves, and their own appointees under their direct supervision. Everyone else is hit and miss. A leader of sorts, but not the leaders that Hebrews is referring to. So be careful what leaders you obey or submit to, because there are plenty of wolves in sheep's clothing out there as well, who love to use this verse in Hebrews for their own purposes.

In any case, don't be afraid to question your leader, because I believe his response will provide you with insight into his leadership capabilities. If he welcomes correction he is a wise man. If he gets defensive then he needs to sit down again, be a student in how to teach, and..."heed instruction and be wise, and do not neglect it".

"Give {instruction} to a wise man and he will be still wiser, teach a righteous man and he will increase {his} learning".

Any self-proclaimed leader should be wise and love correction, and love the one who corrects him.

"Reprove a wise man and he will love you."

If someone corrects him wrongly, then he should love the opportunity to be useful to the Lord, pattern himself after the actual church leaders, and using the authority those church leaders have, teach the would-be corrector rightly, as the original leaders had taught.

"A man will be praised according to his insight."

Seems as though scripture gives me by it's authority, the assurance to say that.

Hymn - He Hideth My Soul

___________

He Hideth My Soul

_________________________

I finally got back to this one. It turned out fairly well. I'm just happy the voice is no worse than it is. Now I'll leave it for another year or so and come back to the hymn as my voice improves. I did everything I could. I did each line nearly 50 times and could not get one bit more steadiness out of the voice. But it's a lot better than it used to be so I'm encouraged. I think there's a tolerable voice in there somewhere so I plan to keep after it.

Words:
Fanny Cros­by

Music:
Wil­liam J. Kirk­pat­rick (MI­DI, score).

He Hideth My Soul

______

A wonderful Savior is Jesus my Lord,

A wonderful Savior to me;

He hideth my soul in the cleft of the rock,

Where rivers of pleasure I see.

______

Refrain

______

He hideth my soul in the cleft of the rock

That shadows a dry, thirsty land;

He hideth my life with the depths of His love,

And covers me there with His hand,

And covers me there with His hand.

______

A wonderful Savior is Jesus my Lord,

He taketh my burden away;

He holdeth me up, and I shall not be moved,

He giveth me strength as my day.

______
Refrain

______
With numberless blessings each moment He crowns,

And filled with His fullness divine,

I sing in my rapture, oh, glory to God

For such a Redeemer as mine!

______

Refrain

______

When clothed in His brightness, transported I rise

To meet Him in clouds of the sky,

His perfect salvation, His wonderful love

I’ll shout with the millions on high.

______
Refrain

______

A Good Week: The Mennonite Denomination.

For a variety of good reasons I decided to make some adjustments and find a more suitable church for myself this week. I've been needing more. So I went looking and here's what I found.

I have to be careful here because one of my hard and fast rules, only because it's also one of the apostle Paul's hard and fast rules, is to not be yoked together with folks who call themselves after the teachings of particular men, because the teachings of Christ are sufficient. I also don't want to use the term "yoked" in a demeaning way (as yoked together with unbelievers), but it's a raw visceral term that helps express my distaste for all of the meddling with the word that many theologians are prone to, leading people away from the pure milk of the word and the simplicity and sufficiency which Christ accomplished in it's revelation directly to us, for our own use, through His apostles. And for the life of me, I just don't get what's so hard to understand about the Word of God that causes so much disagreement between so many in the theological Christian mainstream.

I'm not going to dilute my own walk in the Spirit though, amongst my brothers, by clothing myself with some other popular theologian's belief's or other theological sloganeering, that most of the time they don't even quite understand themselves, but only in the plain trappings of the bible. Therefore, I will not call myself a follower after the teaching of another man or attend a church on that pretense. That should be obvious since it's prohibited in scripture by Christ through Paul in 1 Corinthians. I don't follow after Paul or anyone else because, well he told me not to and, he said he's just the earthen vessel used for the ministry of the Spirit given to him through revelation of Jesus Christ. We are not partial to Paul, because Paul says that God is not partial to him or anyone; not Apollos', Augustine, the pope, Luther, Calvin or Menno. All of these latter men went to their graves yet needing to make corrections to their teachings. Their faith was true and pure but their teaching was imperfect. In fact, the fruit of part of their their labors was simply unnecessary strife and jealousy among mere men which while at one time had assisted in serving a godly purpose, now, having served boldly but being gone, has left us with many associated problems and farther away than ever from being able to with one accord glorify God the Father with one voice in Christ. The results of any true biblical teaching needs to be inarguably true to Christ's teaching, using the very scripture that is designed for the purpose. I will gladly be taught by anyone, corrected, rebuked, and love it and them for it, as long as they're teaching what Christ's Word has already taught. Don't attach another theologian's name to my church.

Yet, this past Sunday, when I went searching for a new setting to learn and worship, and I wound up at the sign along the highway, which I've been wondering about for the past year or so, that said, "Everyone Welcome"... just beneath the words, Mennonite Community Church. Oh man, what am I doing? Well hear me out.

This morning I attended the Mennonite Community Church of Gleason WI. I was as encouraged as I had hoped to be. I'm going to enjoy studying and growing and learning there on Sunday mornings. They generally caution against using the t.v., radio or the computer, but don't prohibit it. Yes, the women submissively and honorably headtop covering. The men's dress ranges from the mennonite signature dark jacket with the unique collar system on the white shirt. I wear a plain causal pair of dress pants with a casual dress shirt. I see no reason to dress the exact same way I would dress if I were just lounging around the house or in the same style bluejeans I would use to work or play in. I prefer to rachet my church dress up one notch from work/play clothes as just a personal act of respect for the Lord on His day, our day, and in His presence, even though the Lord's Spirit dwells in me all day everyday, and is there during the most disrespecting moments of my average day as well. I've been around people who prefer blue jeans worn to church and just figure that they're doing it as their own conviction - possibly to avoid the empty pretense of showing superficial respect by the way one dresses - for church, unto the Lord. You can't judge a book by it's cover, and so is the way that this congregation of mennonites seem to view others. And all are welcome. Still, we do live in a world where one must call himself something or someone else will name it for you. I won't be calling myself anything but a Christian and I'm hoping I've found some good Christian brothers to be around Sunday mornings.

They do fancy themselves as trying to be separate from the world, as they see it, and I can't fault them for the way they chose to do that. In my mind it's a worthy effort on their part; better than no effort at all ,which is much more common around the professed Christians I've been around. These folks are honoring certain parts of Christ's teaching that there is some ambiguity in (for lack of a better word), and this bunch is willing to extend to others that there is some liberty in Christ to be exercised here as far as dress and tradition. Hopefully.

I'm hoping that they enjoy fellowshiping with folks according to what's in folk's hearts as born out by their words and deeds through Christ. Most of what I heard all morning this morning was that they believe that it's all about Christ. That's all I heard in the preaching. This appears to be a great setting to have as my church. A place to share in the excitement and growth in God's grace through Christ with some earnest folks.

For baptism they tend away from immersion but will do it in any biblical way one prefers. Baptism to them, just as in the bible, is an outword show of devotion and commitment. I'm putting words in their mouth now, but just repeating things I discovered while chatting with a few of the members.

An hour of Sunday School at 10am, kids in the basement and adults in the sanctuary/meeting room, followed by 45 minutes to an hour of preaching. I couldn't have liked the preacher more. A few young teachers-in-training, one by one, lead the bible study and all of us were asked to comment and contribute at every point. I couldn't believe it. Man this is what I was looking for this side of heaven.


We sang three or four hymns in beautiful relaxed a cappella.


The preacher this morning took us through the OT highlighting moments when and how the nation of Israel was told to listen to the Lord, and how in the NT He shows us how it is just as important to Him today. He just stuck to the word and let it do all the talking, always making the distinction between the era's(his word) of the old and new testament and between the befores-and-afters of our Lord's sacrificing Himself to accomplish what is impossible for us. The guy was very light-hearted and spiritedly either reciting scripture or reading scripture most of the time. I loved the way he taught with it.

It was just a good find today friends.

Oh, just as within any group of folks, it is sure to have it's disappoinments. But I'll try to encourage and to strengthen as well as to be encouraged and to be strengthened. They seem to have a Pastor who is able to lead in that. That appears to be a strong part of their mission statement. His adult kids seem to represent him as a father well. I've seen them in their bulk food store for years now.

My options for a church have been very limited. Turning to the phone book under "churches" I almost found myself finally turning to the local Methodist church. Seeing a church called, Mary Queen of the Universe, was a real revolting wake-up call that this was serious business, finding another church family, even though I love my old one. And there was just about every fractured denomination under the sun there in the phonebook. There was another local bible church which I was somewhat familiar with and I could already begin to count the ways in which I'd be disappointed if I had to call that church my home. I was actually becoming a little dispondent, not for me but for my daughter, when I remembered the sign in front of the new mennonite community church built a couple of years ago about 25 minute south of here, which sort of surprised me when it ended with, "All Are Welcome". After visiting there this morning my hopes were confirmed that my need for an edifying church group of believers may become a reality there. The Pastor invites all guests each Sunday to have lunch with his family. What an excellent way that was to kick things off. I had called down and was informed of that ahead of time.

I'm expecting that they'll allow me to worship and study with them without enforcing a dress code on me, although I'm sure they'll expect some respect for their own Christian lifestyle convictions, and on those terms I'm willing to show them plenty of it. My daughter came away with the suggestion that they would appreciate it if she had her hair in braids. I'm more than willing to do that. I'll try and keep from asking them to stumble from their God honoring convictions toward the Lord as long as in return I'm allowed to carefully exercise my liberty to dress the way I see as equally befitting faithfulness to the Lord. In fact, I will have no trouble wearing a shirt and tie like the rest if some of them would feel more comfortable.

There is absolutely no place for my piano playing at the place and I couldn't care less. They want me to sing then I'll sing. Bass though, just to keep the peace. Their layered a cappella singing was very rich and sweet.

I recall 12 years ago when I was trying to find the Lord I'd heard about in my youth, and how I had intentionally worn a jacket, shirt and tie, just because everyone else was dressing down. Just to show you some of my independent tendencies. Then this gal I was seeing made fun of me for overdressing and I quickly conformed to the fashion of the time.

They seemed about as excited to see a new brother in the Lord as I was to see them today.

The men greet each other with a holy kiss. An optional thing with them that I can't foresee participating in.

My daughter made two new friends today, now her new sisters in the Lord, and is just flat excited about growing in the knowledge of God through Christ with them. She put her faith in dad to find us a good church and dad might just have pulled it off. We spent almost the entire twenty-five minute drive down talking about the Big Book.

I know my mind, and my new Pastor knows his, and both being very different I think may, if we do as we should and are tolerant of one another as Paul prescribes, then be of one joyful accord with one another and see, as well as allow others to see, the glory of God, together in Christ.

I'm excited, and I could see his genuine excitement in talking and preaching about the Lord's teaching as well. What a great week.

They Look at Jesus and Put Their Faith in Demons.

That's the conclusion I came to this morning anyway while hearing some of the things regarding the funeral of the mormon president.

The demons would be the made-up prophets of the mormon faith and their made-up and falsified doctrines. Everythings made-up. The prophet Moroni and so on. It's heartbreaking and so I just had to comment about it. The mormon has looked at Jesus and then turned to hear and obey demons who were disquised as servants of righteousness.

It's almost the perfect religion, patterned after Christianity and all. The only thing they fall short of when compared to Christianity is God's counsel, Christ the Son and the Holy Spirit. They follow after men who follow after destructive spirits. What a shame. The demons of Joseph Smith and his conspirators snatched the truth of the gospel of God from their followers hearts before it could take hold.

Hymn - Jesus Thy Blood and Righteousness

Here's another good all around hymn that came to my notice because of the adoration by a good brother in Christ in his blog; good lyrics and beautiful melody.

_________________________

Jesus Thy Blood and Righteousness

_________________________________


Words: Nikolaus L. von Zin­zen­dorf, 1739 (Christi Blut und Ge­rech­tig­keit); first pub­lished in the eighth ap­pen­dix to his Das Ge­sang-Buch der Ge­meine in Herrn-Huth.; trans­lat­ed from Ger­man to Eng­lish by
bio("John Wes­ley","w/e/s/wesley_j")

Music: Will­iam Gar­din­er, 1815

Cyberhymnal(MI­DI, score).

Jesus, Thy Blood and Righteousness

______
Jesus, Thy blood and righteousness

My beauty are, my glorious dress;

’Midst flaming worlds, in these arrayed,

With joy shall I lift up my head.
______

Bold shall I stand in Thy great day;

For who aught to my charge shall lay?

Fully absolved through these I am

From sin and fear, from guilt and shame.
______

The holy, meek, unspotted Lamb,

Who from the Father’s bosom came,

Who died for me, e’en me to atone,

Now for my Lord and God I own.
______

Lord, I believe Thy precious blood,

Which, at the mercy seat of God,

Forever doth for sinners plead,

For me, e’en for my soul, was shed.
______

Lord, I believe were sinners more

Than sands upon the ocean shore,

Thou hast for all a ransom paid,

For all a full atonement made.
______

When from the dust of death I rise

To claim my mansion in the skies,

Ev’n then this shall be all my plea,

Jesus hath lived, hath died, for me.
______

This spotless robe the same appears,

When ruined nature sinks in years;

No age can change its glorious hue,

The robe of Christ is ever new.
______

Jesus, the endless praise to Thee,

Whose boundless mercy hath for me—

For me a full atonement made,

An everlasting ransom paid.
______

O let the dead now hear Thy voice;

Now bid Thy banished ones rejoice;

Their beauty this, their glorious dress,

Jesus, Thy blood and righteousness.

Hymn - In the Hour of Trial

___________

In the Hour of Trial

___________________

Here's one I ran across the other week when given the option of picking a hymn concerning Jesus' arrest and betrayal. It doesn't really, but it does mention Gethsemane. I decided to experiment with it. I'm not nearly done but ran out of time so this will have to suffice for now. Gotta move on to another. This is barely roughed out, I haven't figured out yet how to mix and master these things, but as you'll see it's a great hymn. And as you will see I still can't sing. But there is great neglected potential in every corner of God's creation to fellowship with the Lord, and my vocal cords are no exception.

And I just had to see how this hymn would sound playing it in this style. It sounds like I'm hopelessly Scotch-Irish. And I found out that it sounds very rough.

I'm sort of on my way here to covering My Jesus I Love Thee in this same style, so I'll be trying to go there next.

In the Hour of Trial


Words: James Mont­gom­e­ry, 1834; first ap­peared in his Orig­in­al Hymns for Pub­lic, Pri­vate and So­cial De­vo­tion, 1853.
Music: Spen­cer Lane, 1874

MI­DI, score.

In the Hour of Trial

______
In the hour of trial, Jesus, plead for me,

Lest by base denial I depart from Thee.

When Thou seest me waver, with a look recall,

Nor for fear or favor suffer me to fall.

______

With forbidden pleasures would this vain world charm,

Or its sordid treasures spread to work me harm,

Bring to my remembrance sad Gethsemane,

Or, in darker semblance, cross-crowned Calvary.

______

Should Thy mercy send me sorrow, toil and woe,

Or should pain attend me on my path below,

Grant that I may never fail Thy hand to see;

Grant that I may ever cast my care on Thee.

______
When my last hour cometh, fraught with strife and pain,

When my dust returneth to the dust again,

On Thy truth relying, through that mortal strife,

Jesus, take me, dying, to eternal life.

______

To Do List...

______________________________________

Things I need to do today:


1. Have as my ambition to be pleasing to Him. (2Cor. 5:9)


2. Be controlled by the love of Christ. (2 Cor. 5:14)


3. Grab some cod liver oil from the natural food store.


4. Commend myself to every man's conscience in the sight of God. (2Cor.4:2)


5. Give no cause for offense in anything so that the ministry will not be discredited. (2Cor. 6:3)



______________________________________________________

A Song of Mine.

_______________

Song: Reborn of the Spirit

________________________


A few years ago, let's say 3, I pulled a phone number off of the bulletin board of a local music store. It was a woman advertising her own organizing of a Christian coffee shop band up in Conover, WI. Quite the middle of nowhere. She had some huge goals she claimed God had purposed for her. Well I thought I would give her a try, after all, I was getting closer and closer to becoming proficient on the piano and perhaps in the meantime I could just fake it and slide by. I had a nice toy piano that I though made some pretty convincing sounds. Well she interviewed me over the phone, but not knowing that was the last I was going to hear from her, and being a little nervous with my still novice skills, I thought I'd better work out a little on some contemporary sounding chord progressions and be ready.

About an hour later I had sort of gotten to like this little ditty I was doodling with and just kept going with it. I played it an hour or two here and there through the years, just never yet being able to play what I had in mind. Until about two weeks ago when I finally decided to take a good run at it and see where I was at with it. After all I can't really go on putting it off and putting it off. So I was pleasantly surprised to see that I was making some solid progress in my playing and then got it down on a recording, which is a whole nother thing. If I ever get the time and the resources to formally record it I will have someone else do the final mix. But in the meantime, I was able to get alot of ideas down on this rough recording of mine here. And it is rough. This one has got a long way to go yet.

Of course, everything on it needs work. Including the way it's arranged. But it's getting closer. I couldn't play nearly like this a year ago so I'm excited to see next year what another year's practice will bring; especially another year working on the voice.

Now that I can sit back and listen to it, I see all the things wrong with it, and the lyrics and much of the rest of it is still subject to change.

There are about four other songs I've made that I'm hoping I can get up to speed yet this winter and put here on public display.

For the lack of liking any other name I'm going to call it, Reborn of the Spirit.

I don't want to quit on it right now. I would love to have another couple of days to sink into it, work out some errors and develope some more ideas. But this is where it's going to have to stay for now. There're a couple of awkward spots I don't know what to do with yet, but hang in there. I'll definately get to them. Plus, I'm in about the middle of growing a whole new set of vocal cords. Takes time. Thanks for taking the time to stop by.

Again, here's the link.

Barring any sore throats, one of my goals next week is to re-sing Whiter Than Snow. Which is not sung so bad right now except for the timing and the two different voices I have. Have you noticed that? I redid The Love of God, but I still can't sing it any better so I still have the old one up. It's a hard key for me or something. Sounds atrocious. But it'll come.

_______________________________________

Reborn of the Spirit

There was a time, it’s written to see

The Maker of all, made our hearts to be free

Made them much like His own, in His image He’d sown.

And He fashioned a temple out of flesh and bone.

____

He told it one day, His word to obey.

But He already knew, that heart was drifting away.

So He sent forth His Spirit, Who to make the way clear,

The path of redemption, down which our hearts He would steer.

____

To believe in His Son. For behold He has come.

To be placed on the altar, that His justice be done.

To turn the hearts of His children, from their own earthly ways,

To the things of the promise, for whom the Son he obeys.

____

_________________

(Chorus)

The wind it does blow, right where it wishes, we’re told.

And you may hear the sound, but know not wherefrom it goes.

Such is the one, who’s been reborn of the Spirit,

And just as the wind, unto the Kingdom,

you’ll draw near it.

_________________

____

Then His beautiful son, said He just could not stay.

Said the world that we live in, is just passing away.

But let your heart be not troubled, when I’m gone from here,

Cause the gift from the Father, of the Spirit will be here.

____

Because the Spirit will come, and dwell in each one,

Who asks of the Father, for His will to be done.

He’ll be a Light to your pathway, and teach you to see,

That My Word is Truth, and My Truth sets you free.

____
What the eye has not seen, nor the ear not yet heard.

What’s been shielded in mystery, within God’s holy word.

What has never before, to the heart entered in,

Has now been prepared, for all of those who love Him.

____

Chorus

____

(3rd part-choral)

____

In through the eyes of your heart you will see,
The Light of the world who wants all men to recieve,
The Spirit of Truth Whom the Father did say
Will know the way home, and will help show you the way.
_______________________________________

Website out of order.

Well nuts. I messed up my personal website. That includes all music links to it. But I should have it rebuilt by the end of this coming week.

Actually that doesn't include all music links to it. I just checked and they are all still there after completely uninstalling and reinstalling my Yahoo Sitebuilder. All the better. But I can't co-mingle with the old site because I messed up the operating folders so badly. I learned what I needed to learn in the process though to make it more functional in the long run, so all is not lost. I do like the Yahoo Sitebuilder a lot and things will reconstruct very quickly; except...I did have other things to do. Oh well.

Hymn - Whiter Than Snow

___________

Whiter Than Snow

_______________

Here's a hymn I found last week that I really liked and made a rough recording of this afternoon. I had to do a voice track in order to see what the instrumentation should sound like. And just to see where to go with it next. The voice is coming along although it's going to be at least another year before it's going to start to sound like anything. Everything needs work. You have to start somewhere. It is in A Flat, which is a new singing key for me. Seems a little more in my range but has too many flats.

Whiter Than Snow

Words:
James L. Ni­chol­son
Will­iam G. Fisch­er (MI­DI, score).

Whiter Than Snow

Lord Jesus, I long to be perfectly whole; I want Thee forever to live in my soul.
Break down every idol, cast out every foe; now wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

Refrain:
Whiter than snow, yes, whiter than snow. Now wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

Lord Jesus, let nothing unholy remain, apply Thine own blood and extract ev’ry stain;
To get this blest cleansing, I all things forego—Now wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

Refrain

Lord Jesus, look down from Thy throne in the skies, and help me to make a complete sacrifice.
I give up myself, and whatever I know, now wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

Refrain

Lord Jesus, for this I most humbly entreat, I wait, blessèd Lord, at Thy crucified feet.
By faith, for my cleansing, I see Thy blood flow,Now wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

Refrain

Lord Jesus, Thou seest I patiently wait, come now, and within me a new heart create;
To those who have sought Thee, Thou never saidst “No,” now wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

Refrain

The blessing by faith, I receive from above; o glory! my soul is made perfect in love;
my prayer has prevailed, and this moment I know,The blood is applied, I am whiter than snow.

Refrain

Time

Using left-over egg nog on raisin bran is something you may not want to try. Although it did get my feet to warm up this morning.

I will not be installing satellite dish's for Directv this winter. It's a field directed toward folks who want to marry a 6-7 day workweek plus holidays and I'm not on this planet to get rich but rather to raise my kid and it's very hard for me to do both. Although being solvent would be nice and I'll continue to work toward that goal. In the meantime, it's a spiritual windfall for me during the winter when I can let the fruit of the Spirit grow within me, being fed by spending time consuming the Lord's word, and bring my life to a greater understanding about the riches which the Lord has prepared and revealed for us. Invaluable stuff. Well worth the 27% interest it's costing me for letting my credit card get out of control; a price one has to pay sometimes for not having a savings; and truly a costly and foolish way to subsidize one's life.

But there's better income in farriering than there is in dish installing.

So enough off-season supplemental job hunting and back to redeeming that elusive thing which I now have, which we refer to as... "extra time". Time to go after things everlasting in value which are unsurpassed by anything else here on earth. Things that money can't buy; but that only "time" can. Although, it's just a shame, once you've wasted a lot of "time", how much money it takes to get any more of it.

Or perhaps the whole process opens the door up for the gradual aquiring of God's wisdom and the spiritual strength and growth that will follow.

Eph 5:16
"making the most of your time, because the days are evil."

1Ti 5:13
"At the same time they also learn to be idle, as they go around from house to house; and not merely idle, but also gossips and busybodies, talking about things not proper to mention."

Ga 6:9
"Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary."

O the useful gift of time.

O Come, All Ye Faithful

_____________

O Come, All Ye Faithful

Stocking Up on Christmas Fruit Cake.

______

No, I'm not necessarily talking about your lower intestinal tract. What a glorious day here in the pending kingdom; with a little help from a big piece of home-made fruitcake. There's almost nothing better. The fruit and spices and the tangy rinds and things, wow. I got a reprieve from riding along with an installer today because he's not working. It's a Tuesday and the guy's not working, and I heard a very small child in the background. These are good signs. This guy may have a life going on beyond marriage to his job. Maybe I too can have one. I have to admit, I panicked when I saw "mandatory 6 days a week" on the satellite dish installer job description. That's what you would call a family eliminator.

Making Christmas Fruitcake is one of my traditions. Listening to much contemporary and traditional celtic Christmas music is another.

______

Holiday Tip:Don't leave your camera in the car overnight in freezing weather because the lithium batteries will freeze and be ruined.

________________________________

______

Not just one batch but two!

______

______

This is good medication for the hurry and stress of the busy holiday season! It's the recipe from Betty Crocker's Encyclodepia of Cooking. Didn't your mom give you one of those? There is no bad recipe from there.

Gals: Look for a man to marry who has his own chef's table in the kitchen.

Those who have been to my house, if they look closely will see that the piano is no longer in the kitchen.

Let's pray the holiday season quickly passes after leaving a few fond rememberances of celebrating the Lord's birth together.

Times Up.

My winter is now going to look completely different than it did a week ago.

I'm going to add 'satellite dish' installer to my resume. Directv. I have to. For the past year or so I've been racking my mind trying to figure out what else I would do if I weren't doing farrier/horse dentistry work. On top of that I've spent too much money in the last seveal years on upgrading broken down large appliances, washer, dryer, refrigerator, and buying digital musical and recording equipment to take my passion for hymns and playing music a step or two further. But for the two reasons stated above, I need to temporarily take steps now to get caught up financially.

There is great money in satellite intalling. For this company anyway. They want you to work 6 days a week, which is a family killer, but they agreed with me on five. So I'll go into work mode, knock out this debt I have accumulated, and then get back to these long luxurious off-season winter days of studying the bible and crafting around with the piano playing. Actually trying to work my way into doing it full-time one day. I think it would be neat to work into a full-time preaching/teaching stage gig. Earnest study and inspirational song writing. There are five tunes of mine I am hoping to run past the general public a.s.a.p. The digital age has made these things much more possible. When all is said and done, just to grow in the Lord will suffice.

I love shoeing horses, and will continue indefinately, but this is the wrong time of year to add customers and so I need a back-up. Both farriering and satellite installing are very well-paying specialties and that's how a guy, a single father with full custody of the daughter, homemaker, etc. finds 2-6 hours a day to study the bible and improve on the piano(ohhhh...what I could do with 8 hours everyday). You go out and hustle your butt off and come home and get very efficient.

I was a little bit leary, in my compromised financial condition, what I was going to do in the case of a medical emergency or other surprise. I didn't like the idea of waiting to find out. So this supplementary means of employment is a gift from God. One of many continuously.

So one week from today I drive down 2 1/2 hours to Chippewa Falls WI and do two five-day weeks of training. I applied three weeks ago and they just called back last Friday and said my background check cleared and were wondering if I was still interested.

So that leaves me 6 days to wrap up all my commitments, and reschedule everything I can't wrap up. Everything I reschedule is going to have to be scheduled into my precious weekend time that I owe my daughter and so everything now becomes completely scheduled in.

I can continue to study taped scripture as I do the considerable driving I'll be doing between satellite installations. And thankfully, I'll be able to work on and continue to train my voice while driving. I just sort of obscure my mouth with my hand to passing motorists and train the voice. Very rural up here too, with fewer cars to worry about than most places.

So on the one hand I'm fortunate to be blessed with gainful employment, and on the other, I'm faced with having to organize more than ever in my growth and progress toward spiritual goals.

Hey, I'm only 48 years old---phfffllahhhhh*%+#!!%# yiye yiye. Other than that, I'm really not that phased.

So farewell for now to those long luxurious 2-3 winter days a week of study and practice when the daughter's in school; only rest assured, I will return to them. Stronger-let's just never mind older.

So I took a few spare moments today and added some effects and some other ideas to the hymn The Love of God. Just to generate and begin to develope some more ideas toward a final recording of it. I would liked to have given it a few more hours today but can't. Still very rough. Plus I ramped it up to the highest possible stereo setting (320 kbps stereo, 148 MB) just to see how accessible it is at that level. So it will be a for an extra high speed connection but probably not sound much better than the low-speed connection. It would truly be gratifying to have the time to learn how to use this recording equipment to it's fuller potential, but that too, is still to happen sometime in the future. One of these days, there will be a Christian music producer, and he/she and I, are going to have some fun. At least soon I will be better able to afford one.

Tomorrow I start my ten required ride-alongs, even before I start the training next week, to qualify to do the job solo, a.s.a.p. So my time is awegone.

Love in the faith!

Hymn: The Love of God is Greater Far.

___________

The Love of God

______________

Well... here's a rough draft.

It sounds much better on my computer than it does on a piece of high-fidelity digital equipment. I think eventually, with all the work I've been putting in on my voice, and the work I will continue to do, I may eventually be able to fool people into thinking I can sing. But as of right now, the verdict is still out.


The Love of God


To be honest, I wish I didn't have to sing it. But without the words it wouldn't be complete. I think if I knew I was wanting to be singing hymns for other people at this point in my life that I would have started working on the voice sooner.

I was directed to this hymn by ~Rose Cole, listened to it here at this website, and then tried to do an honorable job reproducing it above. In the process I really came to like it. Here's a beginning.

The Love of God

The love of God is greater far

Than tongue or pen can ever tell;

It goes beyond the highest star,

And reaches to the lowest hell.

The guilty pair, bowed down with care,

God gave His Son to win;

His erring child he reconciled,

And pardoned from his sin.
__

When hoary time shall pass away,

And earthly thrones and kingdoms fall;

When men who here refuse to pray,

On rocks and hill and mountains call;

God's love, so sure, shall still endure,

All measureless and strong;

Redeeming grace to Adam's race

The saints' and angels' song.
__

Could we with ink the ocean fill,

And were the skies of parchment made;

Were ev'ry stalk on earth a quill,

And ev'ry man a scribe by trade;

To write the love of God above

Would drain the ocean dry;

Nor could the scroll contain the whole,

Tho' stretched from sky to sky.

__

Chorus:
O, love of God, how rich and pure!

How measureless and strong!

It shall forevermore endure

The saints and angels song.

Milestone.

________________

O Love that wilt Not Let Me Go

_________________________

I came across a post at Brian's site on Saturday that included a hymn with some outstanding lyrics in it. It's called, O Love That Wilt Not Let Me Go. The words got to me. That's what hymns are supposed to be about. Making a joyful noise to the Lord with words filled with praise and gratitude and the understanding of what He's done for us. Not necessarily "praise", "praise", "praise", but words and ideas that evoke praise and that remind Him we've been in His book and understand who He is and what He's done for us. Those are the kind of words that are in this hymn. And it's beautiful musically as well. Hope I haven't wrecked it for ya.

So I thought, well shoot, I can't sing, but I play around with this thing and turn the congregation lose with it some Sunday Morning. On top of that, I can't keep from singing, so I have to just dive into it and make the most of it.

Here's where the milestone comes in. I got the tune all memorized and sort of crafted around with and roughly drafted and recorded all in mostly one day. I played it a couple times Saturday night and a couple times on Sunday but it quickly came to life today. And, wait a minute, just like most days, today I had to go do a few horses, get a bucket full of beets I had cut up pickled. Even now, it was just 8:45 and I realized I had about 10 scheduling calls to make that I had intended to but neglected to make. And it really looks like the dog blew up all over the floor of our house because I still haven't run the vacumn cleaner like I've been needing to. That will have to wait for another day.

But yikes, did I play the music today. The reason it's a musical milestone for me today is because I got this tune all arranged today and then finally played through once for the recorder all in one take. Yes, that's the good part----one time through. One time near the end I had to redo one part, but that was it. That's good news. I've been needing to get to this point musically. And this is a new style progression for me too. I'm finally coming to know this instrument better as well as coming to know how to manage my mind and my memory more effectively.

So give it a listen. It's very raw and rough but the general idea is there now for me to listen to and develope. By the end of the winter this should be one that I can make a finished recording of.

The voice needs so much work. I'm starting to gain control over the thing. It never dawned on me until it was too late that I was going to have to sing these things myself. I did have a scratchy voice week this week for some reason if that's any consolation. My voice is saying "you gotta be kidding", but I'm not taking no for an answer. It's been in emergency training now for about a year so I'm going to try and stay optimistic. All your complaints are surely justified.

So this is a milestone moment. Well, It's a rushed, rough milestone moment, but I had to tell someone.

Listen and hope. Thanks!

-Here's a link to the tune.-

O Love That Wilt Not Let Me Go

O Love that wilt not let me go,

I rest my weary soul in thee;

I give thee back the life I owe,

That in thine ocean depths its flow

May richer, fuller be.

O light that followest all my way,

I yield my flickering torch to thee;

My heart restores its borrowed ray,

That in thy sunshine’s blaze its day

May brighter, fairer be.

O Joy that seekest me through pain,

I cannot close my heart to thee;

I trace the rainbow through the rain,

And feel the promise is not vain,

That morn shall tearless be.

O Cross that liftest up my head,

I dare not ask to fly from thee;

I lay in dust life’s glory dead,

And from the ground there blossoms red

Life that shall endless be.

_______________________________

I'll try to update this version in month or two. It's pretty rough.

The "communion" in Communion.

The last supper of Jesus with His disciples was a moment when Jesus chose to hand down a tradition. A ceremony of sorts. A memorial service to Him proclaiming His death until returns. The question as to 'how often' seems to be answered in the instruction 'as often as you do it'. And 'with whom' seems to range from the choice of doing it alone at home by oneself, to doing it with care and respect at any time or with any gathering of believers.

Paul says we are proclaming the Lord's death until He comes. Paul stressed that there is a worthy manner in which to eat and drink to Christ and that each man examine himself to that end. I believe Paul warns against coming together to eat and drink and to socialize to the Lord without the perspective of having your complete heart, mind, and soul set in the Spirit and on the memory of Jesus here on earth and everything His presence entailed.

And lastly Paul seems to say that when folks come together to eat and drink to the Lord, then wait for one another, and do it together.

Here are a few side notes before I go on:

Christ doesn't open the door to examining each other. Only Christ can do the examining. We all will stand individually before the judgement seat of Christ..."so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body". There's no way we can truly know one another's hearts. A man's heart can only truly be known by God.

If you don't judge the body rightly then you'll bring judgement upon yourself. If you are not in Christ proclaiming His death in remembrance when you eat and drink then you'll be judged-or condemned, "For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. He who believes in Him is not judged;"

At the last supper Jesus gave thanks, gave us bread and vinefruitjuice(so not to have to call it wine or juice, or fruit of the vine) representing His body and His blood of the covenant poured out for many, and told us to eat and drink of it in remembrance of Him until He comes back, when we will drink it with Him again.

So going on then...I struggle with the lack of meaning that there has been in the many so-named communion experiences I've had during church and am now trying to consider ways of having Communion with other believers in ways that would give it more of the meaning and the spirit for which it was intended. Afterall, Christian Communion is one of the greatest opportunities there is for sharing in the memory and instruction of our Lord from the last supper together with other believers, and we should make the most of it. Least of all, when necessary, we could perhaps spare it from becoming a dry ritual that no longer pleases us or God.

I like the phrase Lord's Supper, but does how we celebrate it resemble what is prescribed as we watch the last supper with the Lord here on earth in scripture? Probably close enough for most Christians. In letter yes, certainly close enough, but in spirit, or intent, I think we may tend to short-change it some of the time.

Most Communion ceremonies I've experienced, that is, the sharing of bread and vinefruitjuice in the remembrance of Jesus, have seemed lackluster and mechanical. A repetitious and dry ritual by our design most of the time.

Well of course, compared to when it was first turned into a sacrament by some of the early church, it's doing pretty well now. But in its popular present day form, isn't it just terribly dumbed down, almost to the point of having most of its biblical value taken out of it. Don't most of us just sit their to ourselves, staring straight ahead, usually the same mechanical prayers recited for us, even the same predictable cup holders passed around. Usually music to preoccupy us or even to manufacture cheap emotion. Or, for effect, no music. It sure is a stark contrast to the dynamic fellowship of the first Lord's Supper.

The account given in Matthew tells of how Jesus, while they were eating, said to take the drink, the fruit of the vine, not blood, but grape juice or wine, most likely wine, and drink it, for it represents His 'blood of the covenant' being pured out for many, and He'll not drink with us again until He drinks it with us anew in the kingdom someday. A truly joyful promise. And He says, as recorded in 1 Corinthians, to do it often and each time in remembrance of Him. The bread and the drink. Afterall, He had been teaching them that He was the Bread of God, the Bread of Life, the true Bread coming down out of heaven and He was now instituting a symbolic ceremony of memorial. Symbolic presumably because He could have easily given everyone there an actual piece of His body, or even called down little Spiritual pieces of His body just as He did at the Christian meeting during Pentecost just following His being sacrificed on the cross. The Bread of Life gave thanks, gave us a token of his new covenant with us of forgiveness, and told us we'll be with Him in the Kingdom one day. He gave us a lot to remember.

He introduced a memorial ceremony that evening encouraging us to partake in the representing of His blood and His body in the object of the juice and the bread, to honor His memory and service to us and His Father in being sacrificed at the altar of the cross in place of us. And then they sang a hymn.

So how did the communion memorial of breaking bread together at a special mealtime become a time of staring straight ahead together, each alone, and nibbling quietly, drinking out of a phony little glass, remembering? I'm sure the answer is: structure, formalization, predictability. Striving for a display during which very few people are offended and which no one can be accused of being like what the Corinthians were convicted of which was gluttony, insincerity, or of missing the point of the remembrance. All of these reasons for restraint and efforts to formalize the service of Communion would be honorable if they included other equally honorable elements included in the first model of the Lord's supper which are left out. And in such a fashion most types of communion services which I've been a part of have taken an exciting and honorable service prescribed in the bible toward the remembrance of Jesus having been here among us in the flesh and blood, and turned it into a mechanical and sterile dissappointment which barely meats or sometimes even misses it's rich provision.

We do remember Him at times other than during a food based communion. Afterall, we remember Him in one sense every day as we read and prosper spiritually from the counsel of His word in the bible. We're left with peace and joy, and above all, thanksgiving. For the end of His mortal life for us meant that He rose from the dead and turned our grief to joy. That is the best of all possible outcomes for us. He's left us with joy. And now he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together. He is a light on our dark soul everyday and tells us we may rejoice in that. No one can take away the fact that we will see Him again one day and that in fact is one of our most immediate and intense sources of joy.

Of course everything is not joy. There is still sin in us and around us. But the sin no longer has any power over us because His death robbed sin of it's power and left us with a great hope.

But still all is not joy. God's wrath, once directed at our own souls outside of the Body of Christ, continues to be directed at many good people we care about. Their peril tends to evoke sorrow on one hand, yet for us, gives God's love real meaning. God's love is the main power player with His justice. "Behold the kindness and severity of God". We see that the only and true God who's revealed Himself to mankind, our God, who revealed Himself in His Son Jesus, is both a God of love and a God of judgement. Our God of love can't be just a one dimensional God of love only or His love would mean nothing. It would have a very flat dynamic. But, having shown us in His word how He has now satisfied His just hatred and punishment of sin by sacrificing His Son in our place, for those who would obey His gospel, then ours, who would look upon and obey the gospel, is a relationship with God of great joy and thanksgiving. He's shown us what godly love is. And in the end, therefore, sin gets the destruction it deserves and God proves His love through His justice. No one can deprive us believers of that assurance and the attending joy except our own pride. That assurance of grace through our faith in Jesus' sacrifice is the undescribable gift of God. Communion is the time to remember God was here, in Jesus, walking among us, doing His work of grace for our benefit. His sacrifice was symbolic yet real. Most of all it's purpose is virtually incomprehensible, yet true, and therefore, worth remembering, together, the body and the blood of God that was here on this earth for us. A memory faithfully passed on to us by His apostles and prophets.

The time of remembering together is not when we go in our closets. There is a time for going in your closet, being alone with God, honoring God in your own personal way, having..."The faith which you have, have as your own conviction before God. Happy is he who does not condemn himself in what he approves", being careful not to cause others to stumble, believing things unto our Lord on your own accord, that bring you comfort, things that, while others are not required to believe, cannot be regarded with contempt by anyone else as they are done as your own conviction before the Lord. That is not to say, in my opinion, that you cannot hold the last supper remembrance alone by yourself. But Paul seems to express his understanding of how it was meant to be indulged in when together in his address to the Corinthians(as included at the bottom of this page).

It seems to me remembering Jesus' would be one of joy and awe. I think guilt would be an inappropriate intruder. Guilt may be a necessary thing for some to keep their flesh in line but Jesus teaches Spiritual things. We're to be lead by the Spirit not by the flesh. It would have to be important for feelings of guilt and then shame to resolve themselves into feelings of joyful thanksgiving in accordance with Christ having paid for our guilt, atoned, made amends for our guilt. Guilt is of sin and not faith. Not a fruit of the Spirit but of sin. I suppose for some guilt is hard to resolve into gratitude but I don't see where scripture encourages guilt. Scripture does indicate we are capable of having a good conscience before the Lord. The remembrance of Jesus Christ is one of the Lamb of sacrifice that finally reconciled us with the kindness and blessings of God. In a sense, guilt and sadness by themselves, indeed may deny the true memory of the finished work of Jesus here on earth. Perhaps grieving is appropriate and indeed natural at times, but not as others do who have no hope. We've entered into the joy of our Master. Isn't the only meaningful response one of thanksgiving. I have seen guilt encouraged to it's own end during communion and think that it's misguided emotional indulgence to do so.

Shouldn't we be dipping our hands in the bowl together, so to speak, at Communion time, together, pouring each other's drinks of the fruit of the vine, and remembering His visit as well as the meaning to us of His temporary absence? And then remembering some more, and then more, knowing that we've been invited to do so by God when He was on earth, and remembering that He said we'll do it again with Him one day. And then they even sang a hymn. Do it with a flute and a cymbal for a change? Not really, just kidding. But it's the last supper memorial celebration, give it the uniqueness that befits it.

They ate while reclined at the table. They talked as they ate(perhaps even with mouth's partly full).

When Jesus said, "to eat with unwashed hands does not defile the man", he did not say it's proper physical hygeine to not wash your hands before eating. He did say that eating with dirty hands will not defile a man's heart but what comes out of a man's mouth will. So we would naturally need to wash our hands before Communion, and we surely wouldn't want to touch each others bread. But do we already?

Frankly, at last communion I could not help but to touch at least two or three of the other pieces of cracker while dipping for mine. It was physically impossible not to. So we already dip our hands into the bowl together-well, those of us who don't cut our wonderbread into neat little squares. Now if we could just recline and partake together(instead of staring straight ahead alone in silence), remembering, feeling the sorrow of our flesh surpassed and pushed aside by the joy of our spirit having been joined with His, and the joy of our Spirits from Him knit together with each others. That would be communion. Communing together in close rapport, remembering, thinking, pondering, while we ate, talking...like the model itself. Acting like one Body.

If we run out of things to remember then we could also remember those things He told us He will leave here with us until He returns. Remembering His words "let not your heart be troubled", "Peace I leave with you", "My peace I give you".

Remembering the Comforter He sent.

"...how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?"

If we are going to pretend to commune together during Communion, remembering the body and blood of His new covenant of life with us, His absence, and then, while not being unmindful of His living presence inside of each of us, remembering that He will finally return for us when we will enjoy, anew, another drink, or toast with Him, in honor of the covenant of His blood and the reign of His grace over those of us who act in faith towards Him according to His visit to earth.

I think it would be nice that if we are going to manufacture a name like Communion for the Lord's last supper, then we should somehow, where it's lacking that is, get the communing together into Communion.

And then secondly, if we are going to go through the motions of following the scriptural invitation to partake and remember together then why not give it the opportunity to be a befitting Spiritual exercise of the church body that reflects the memory of Christ's life past, present and future as was so graciously expressed during that last supper.




Matthew 26:26-30
While they were eating, Jesus took some bread, and after a blessing, He broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, "Take, eat; this is My body." And when He had taken a cup and given thanks, He gave it to them, saying, "Drink from it, all of you; for this is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for forgiveness of sins. "But I say to you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father's kingdom." After singing a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.



Mark 14:12-31
On the first day of Unleavened Bread, when the Passover lamb was being sacrificed, His disciples said to Him, "Where do You want us to go and prepare for You to eat the Passover?" And He sent two of His disciples and said to them, "Go into the city, and a man will meet you carrying a pitcher of water; follow him; and wherever he enters, say to the owner of the house, `The Teacher says, "Where is My guest room in which I may eat the Passover with My disciples?"' "And he himself will show you a large upper room furnished and ready; prepare for us there." The disciples went out and came to the city, and found it just as He had told them; and they prepared the Passover. When it was evening He came with the twelve. As they were reclining at the table and eating, Jesus said, "Truly I say to you that one of you will betray Me--one who is eating with Me." They began to be grieved and to say to Him one by one, "Surely not I?" And He said to them, "It is one of the twelve, one who dips with Me in the bowl. "For the Son of Man is to go just as it is written of Him; but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been good for that man if he had not been born." While they were eating, He took some bread, and after a blessing He broke it, and gave it to them, and said, "Take it; this is My body." And when He had taken a cup and given thanks, He gave it to them, and they all drank from it. And He said to them, "This is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many. "Truly I say to you, I will never again drink of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God." After singing a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.



1 Corinthians 11:23-34
For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus in the night in which He was betrayed took bread; and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, "This is My body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of Me." In the same way He took the cup also after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in My blood; do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me." For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until He comes. Therefore whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner, shall be guilty of the body and the blood of the Lord. 28 But a man must examine himself, and in so doing he is to eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For he who eats and drinks, eats and drinks judgment to himself if he does not judge the body rightly. For this reason many among you are weak and sick, and a number sleep. But if we judged ourselves rightly, we would not be judged. But when we are judged, we are disciplined by the Lord so that we will not be condemned along with the world. So then, my brethren, when you come together to eat, wait for one another. If anyone is hungry, let him eat at home, so that you will not come together for judgment. The remaining matters I will arrange when I come.

Bloom

__________________
Done.

Glorying In Our Divisions?

That's it. It's happened in my own bible study group and again, almost ad nauseum, I find myself discussing one of the most cancerous problems in the body of Christ; that is, following men instead of Christ. Whether it be the pope, Mennon, Arminius, Calvin, Luther or on and on and on. Paul warns against that by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, and most of christendom is instead happily and proudly mired in the very error.

1 Corinthians 1:10-25 (New American Standard Bible)

"Now I exhort you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all agree and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be made complete in the same mind and in the same judgment. For I have been informed concerning you, my brethren, by Chloe's people, that there are quarrels among you. Now I mean this, that each one of you is saying, "I am of Paul," and "I of Apollos," and "I of Cephas," and "I of Christ." Has Christ been divided? Paul was not crucified for you, was he? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?"

"For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not in cleverness of speech, so that the cross of Christ would not be made void."

Preach the cross like Paul, not the man-made doctrine that the brightest christian minds in the world can't even nearly agree on.

Jesus Christ became to us wisdom from God, righteousness, sanctification and redemption. What else matters? Hundreds in the bible who witnessed Christs birth, death, resurrection and ascension, and the hundreds of thousands who testify of them, simply point to the cross. Anything that ushers in division or quarreling about doctrine is not from God but from the flesh. Paul says anything of that sort can ultimately make the cross void. And today we see christians and their clever speech not only being unable to hold their own and know scripture as well as their athiest adversaries in public forum but even amongst themselves as they wrangle together over highly coveted doctrine. We've made a public sport of it.

"For consider your calling, brethren, that there are not many wise according to the flesh."

Does he say that he whom men deem to be the wisest theologian is really the power of God? Or that, therefore, that theologian and his adherents may then boast before God? No, he says the opposite. And secondly, men can't agree on who they would deem the wisest theologian to be anyway.

The power of God and the wisdom of God is Christ. "Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. "

So where do all of the numerous, quarrelsome, man-made doctrines which men untenably lord over one another as being the real truth fit into all of this wise counsel from Christ through Paul; apart from giving the destroyer satan the advantage in dividing God's (self-satisfied) household?
I'd like to suggest that it's out of a disrespectful disregard to plain scripture.

"Has Christ been divided?"

Yes, Christ has been divided.

But as members of the Body of Christ we could be mindful of Paul's words and begin to correct this damage.

"until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ. " "Built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit."

Or simply ignore Pauls exhortations as most of our church fathers have grievously chosen to on their watch.

Nicodemus/"Reborn of the Spirit"

__________

Reborn of the Spirit

_________________

A remarkable christian brother of mine prompted me to think about, among many other things, how many of the most learned and esteemed theologians of our time simply cannot get the rest of the body of Christ to buy into their personal proclamations of the true meaning of Christ's own words. On and on some of them persist even to the point of effectually wrangling, quarreling, showing a "morbid interest in controversial questions". Luckily, to help understand this, I thought of Nicodemus.

Nicodemus, a teacher of Israel, who could not even accept Christ's own testimony at first due to it seems his own eyes being clogged with poorly rendered Jewish theology, finally had the reluctant wisdom to come by night and ask Jesus some awkwardly simple questions, and had them answered fully with what was to be an offer to himself as well, through Jesus, to enter into the kingdom of God. Hopefully Nicodemus left satisfied, went back and studied his scriptures further, and then did not let any man tell him differently.

We see Nicodemus again further on in the storyline, not denying Jesus, and soon to recieve the news of His resurrection, His ascension, and amazingly even recieve his own rebirth, with his new heart and mind now beholding the revealed King and Kingdom.

What an lesson in taking Christ's words for what they say.

Moreover, Nicodemus' recorded encounter with Christ is a passage from which, about a year and a half ago, I was moved through the love from God contained in that passage to try and form a lyric that would fit with a tune I had recently made up, wherby the rich passage could dwell in me also now in song form, and continue to instruct me as well as allow me to sing with thanksgiving to the Lord. Oh...it needs a little fine tuning, but give it a try.

_______________________________________

Reborn of the Spirit

There was a time, it’s written to see
The Maker of all, made our hearts to be free
Made them much like His own, in His image He’d sown.
And He fashioned a temple out of flesh and bone.

He told it one day, His word to obey.
But He already knew, that heart was drifting away.
So He sent forth His Spirit, Who to make the way clear,
The path of redemption, down which our hearts He would steer.

To believe in His Son. For behold He has come.
To be placed on the altar, that His justice be done.
To turn the hearts of His children, from their own earthly ways,
To the things of the promise, for whom the Son he obeys.

(Chorus)
The wind it does blow, right where it wishes, we’re told.
And you may hear the sound, but know not wherefrom it goes.
Such is the one, who’s been reborn of the Spirit,
And just as the wind, unto the Kingdom, you’ll draw near it.

Then His beautiful son, said He just could not stay.
Said the world that we live in, is just passing away.
But let your heart be not troubled, when I’m gone from here,
Cause the gift from the Father, of the Spirit will be here.

Because the Spirit will come, and dwell in each one,
Who asks of the Father, for His will to be done.
He’ll be a Light to your pathway, and teach you to see,
That My Word is Truth, and My Truth sets you free.

(Chorus)

What the eye has not seen, nor the ear not yet heard.
What’s been shielded in mystery, within God’s holy word.
What has never before, to the heart entered in,
Has now been prepared, for all of those who love Him.

(3rd part-choral)

In through the eyes of your heart you will see,
The Light of the world who wants all men to recieve,
The Spirit of Truth Whom the Father did say
Will know the way home, and will help show you the way.

_______________________________________

The music I cannot play yet. It's done, I simply can't get through it respectably yet. It's a little complicated and a little bigger musically than I am right now. Thankfully, the Lord provides for us to grow up in all aspects into Him. So I should have a completed rough version of it late this Fall.

___________

2-4-2008

I've since learned it and updated with a link to the playing of the song here.

Summer Hymn Festival Time Again.

It's that time of year again when I go half an hour north to Minoqua each Monday night and participate in a seven week rehearsal as a member of a 140 person choir which they call the Northwoods Hymn Festival Choir. This is it's sixth year and my third year of being involved in it. It's a powerful musical experience for me as well as a challenging one.

Hark, I Hear the Harps Eternal was a new song to me last year and musically left a nice impression on me. You can't quite capture the huge sound these 140 people make on your average computer speaker, but maybe it will come close.


Hark, I Hear the Harps Eternal.



We had a guest composer/conductor of some renown from out east named Gilbert Martin who was commissioned to write a piece to celebrate the 5th anniversary and wrote for us Laudate Dominum.


Laudate Dominum


I just bought four of the last few cds. they had left of The Gift of Alleluia, 2006 Northwoods Hymn Festival, to give to friends, so I don't think they'll mind if I post some songs here.

Take My Life and Let It Be.

Here is a hymn I've been working on in a style that is beginning to come together. I thought I'd post it here, on the page with the others, for the distraction and entertainment of a few other of you hymn lovers. Hope you enjoy it.

Take My Life and Let It Be
___________________________________

Dear Daughter: A Faithfilled Mother Teaching Her Daughter.

_____________________________________

Php 3:17 , "Brethren, join in following my example, and observe those who walk according to the pattern you have in us".

_____________________________________

From: Martyrs Mirror, T. J. van Braght, 1660

Through a certain good friend a very affectionate and consolatory testament of Janneken Munstdorp, the wife of Hans van Munstdorp, has been put into our hands, which she wrote in prison at Antwerp, after the offering up of her husband, when she was in daily expectation of death, to her dear little daughter-to whom she had given birth in prison, and who was now only about a month old-for a perpetual remembrance, farewell, and adieu from this evil world. It reads as follows,

WRITTEN TO JANNEKEN MY OWN DEAREST DAUGHTER, WHILE I WAS (UNWORTHILY) CONFINED FOR THE LORD'S SAKE, IN PRISON, AT ANTWERP, A. D. 1573

The true love of God and wisdom of the Father strengthen you in virtue, my dearest child; the Lord of heaven and earth, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, the Lord in Israel, keep you in His virtue, and strengthen and confirm your understanding in His truth. My dear little child, I commend you to the Almighty, great and terrible God, who only is wise, that He will keep you, and let you grow up in His fear, or that He will take you home in your youth, this is my heart's request of the Lord: you who are yet so young, and whom I must leave here in this wicked, evil, perverse world.Since, then, the Lord has so ordered and foreordained it, that I must leave you here, and you are here deprived of father and mother, I will commend you to the Lord; let Him do with you according to His holy will. He will govern you and be a Father to you, so that you shall have no lack here, if you only fear God; for He will be the Father of the orphans and the Protector of the widows.Hence, my dear lamb, I who am imprisoned and bound here for the Lord's sake, can help you in no other way; I had to leave your father for the Lord's sake, and could keep him only a short time. We were permitted to live together only half a year, after which we were apprehended, because we sought the salvation of our souls. They took him from me, not knowing my condition, and I had to remain in imprisonment, and see him go before me; and it was a great grief to him that I had to remain here in prison. And now that I have abided the time, and borne you under my heart with great sorrow for nine months, and given birth to you here in prison, in great pain, they have taken you from me. Here I lie, expecting death every morning, and shall now soon follow your dear father. And I, your dear mother, write you, my dearest child, something for a remembrance, that you will thereby remember your dear father and your dear mother.Since I am now delivered up to death, and must leave you here alone, I must through these lines cause you to remember, that when you have attained your understanding, you endeavor to fear God, and see and examine why and for whose name we both died; and be not ashamed to confess us before the world, for you must know that it is not for the sake of any evil. Hence be not ashamed of us; it is the way which the prophets and the apostles went, and the narrow way which leads into eternal life, for there shall no other way be found by which to be saved.Hence, my young lamb, for whose sake I still have, and have had, great sorrow, seek, when you have attained your understanding, this narrow way, though there is sometimes much danger in it according to the flesh, as we may see and read, if we diligently examine and read the Scriptures, that much is said concerning the cross of Christ. And there are many in this world who are enemies of the cross, who seek to be free from it among the world, and to escape it. But, my dear child, if we would with Christ seek and inherit salvation, we must also help bear His cross; and this is the cross which He would have us bear: to follow His footsteps, and to help bear His reproach; for Christ Himself says, "Ye shall be persecuted, killed, and dispersed for my name's sake." Yea, He Himself went before us in this way of reproach, and left us an example, that we should follow His steps; for His sake all must be forsaken, father, mother, sister, brother, husband, child, yea, one's own life.I must now also forsake all this for the Lord's sake, which the world is not worthy to suffer; for if we had continued in the world, we would have had no trouble. For when we were one with the world and practiced idolatry, and loved all manner of unrighteousness, we could live at peace with the world; but when we desired to fear God, and to shun such improper ways, well knowing that this could not please God, wherefore we sought to shun all this, and turned from idolatry to the worship of the living God, and sought here in quietness and gentleness to practice our faith, then they did not leave us in peace; then our blood was sought; then we had to be a prey to everyone, and become a spectacle to all the world. They seek here to murder and to burn us; we are placed at posts and stakes, and our flesh is given as food to the worms.Thus, my dear child, it is now fulfilled in your dear father and mother. It was indeed prophesied to us beforehand, that this was awaiting us; but not everyone is chosen hereunto, nor expects it; the Lord has chosen us hereunto. Hence, when you have attained your understanding, follow this example of your father and mother. And, my dear child, this is my request of you, since you are still very little and young; I wrote this when you were but one month old. As I am soon now to offer up my sacrifice, by the help of the Lord, I leave you this, "That you fulfill my request, always uniting with them that fear God; and do not regard the pomp and boasting of the world, nor the great multitude, whose way leads to the abyss of hell, but look at the little flock of Israelites, who have no freedom anywhere, and must always flee from one land to the other, as Abraham did; that you may hereafter obtain your fatherland; for if you seek your salvation, it is easy to perceive which is the way that leads to life, or the way that leads into hell. Above all things, seek the kingdom of heaven and His righteousness; and whatever you need besides shall be added unto you. Matt. 6:33."Further, my dear child, I pray you, that wherever you live when you are grown up, and begin to have understanding, you conduct yourself well and honestly, so that no one need have cause to complain of you. And always be faithful, taking good heed not to wrong any one. Learn to carry your hands always uprightly, and see that you like to work, for Paul says, "If any will not work, neither shall he eat." II Thess. 3:10. And Peter says, "He that will love life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil." I Pet. 3:10.Hence, my dear Janneken, do not accustom your mouth to filthy talk, nor to ugly words that are not proper, nor to lies; for a liar has no part in the kingdom of heaven; for it is written, "The mouth that lieth slayeth the soul." Hence beware of this, and run not in the street as other bad children do; rather take up a book, and learn to seek there that which concerns your salvation.And where you have your home, obey those whose bread you eat. If they speak evil, do you speak well. And learn always to love to be doing something; and do not think yourself too good for any thing, nor exalt yourself, but condescend to the lowly, and always honor the aged wherever you are.I leave you here; Oh, that it had pleased the Lord, that I might have brought you up; I should so gladly have done my best with respect to it; but it seems that it is not the Lord's will. And though it had not come thus, and I had remained with you for a time, the Lord could still take me from you, and then, too, you should have to be without me, even as it has now gone with your father and myself, that we could live together but so short a time, when we were so well joined since the Lord had so well mated us, that we would not have forsaken each other for the whole world, and yet we had to leave each other for the Lord's sake. So I must also leave you here, my dearest lamb; the Lord that created and made you now takes me from you, it is His holy will. I must now pass through this narrow way which the prophets and martyrs of Christ passed through, and many thousands who put off the mortal clothing; who died here for Christ, and now they wait under the altar till their number shall be fulfilled, of which number your dear father is one. And I am now on the point of following him, for I am delivered up to death, as it appears in the eyes of- man; but if it were not the will of the Lord (though it seems that I am delivered up to death), He could yet easily; deliver me out of their hands and give me back to, you, my child. Even as the Lord returned to -Abraham his son Isaac, so He could still easily do it; He is still the same God that delivered Daniel out of the lion's, den, and the three young men out of the fiery furnace; He could still easily deliver me out of the hands of man.Now, my child, if this be not so, I know, that He is faithful and faithfully keeps His promise. Thus, my poor orphan child, always be resigned; though I and your father are now taken from you; know that you have a Father in heaven, who will doubtless well provide for you: And when you are old enough, give diligence to learn to read and write, since it is very convenient, and most profitable in this distress, for him that fears God, that you may sometimes read this letter; also the other letters, which your father left you; do read them, and remember us both thereby. Dear Janneken, we have not left you much of this world's goods, and I have now not much to give you, but what I have I give you. However, we leave you a good example to fear God, which is better than much of the temporal goods of this world. Only follow us, and you shall have wealth enough; true, you are poor here, but you shall possess much wealth, if you only fear God and shun sin. As the apostle says to the Hebrews, "My son despise not thou the chastening of the Lord for they that would be without chastisement are bastards, and not sons or heirs." Heb. 12:5. Hence, my dear lamb, cease not, because of the cross, to fear God, for a Christian is not made meet except by much tribulation and persecution upon this world, and we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God; for Paul says, "All that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution." II Tim. 3:12. And Christ says, "He that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me; As not worthy of me; for the servant is not better than his lord, nor the disciple above his master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more shall they call them of his household." Matt. 10:38, 24, 25: If they have persecuted' the Lord, they will also persecute us; if they have hated Him, they will also hate us; and this they do ,because they have not known my Father, nor me, says the Almighty Lord. For His kingdom was not of this world; had His kingdom been of this, world, the world would have loved Him; but because His kingdom was not of this world; therefore the world hated Him.' So it also is now, since our kingdom is not of this world, the world will hate us; but it is better for us to be despised here by the world, than that we should hereafter have to mourn forever. But they that will not taste the bitter here; can hereafter not expect eternal life; for we know that Paul says, that all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall be persecuted and be a prey to everyone.Thus, my dear child, this way the prophets and apostles and many thousands of other God-fearing persons went before us, for an example unto us; and Christ Himself did not spare Himself for us, but delivered up Himself unto death for our sakes -how then should He not give us all things? Hence, my dearest lamb, seek to follow this way, this I pray you, as much as you value your salvation; for this is the only way which leads to eternal life, yea, there is no other way by which we can be saved than only through Jesus Christ, as Paul says, "Other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ" (I Cor. 3:11); by whose, stripes we are healed, and through whose blood we have been dearly purchased; for we have not been bought with gold or silver, but through His bitter death, and His precious blood which He shed for us. And we were as erring sheep in this world, but now are we redeemed through His precious and dear blood, and He has now: called us to be heirs and first-fruits of Christ. All those that have died unto sin, and amended their lives, and are thus risen with Christ into newness of life, these no- longer desire to live to themselves, but their life belongs to the Lord; if they live, they live to the Lord; if they die, they die unto the Lord; they are so resigned that whether they live or die, they belong to the Lord. For, my dear lamb, what shall it avail them that Christ died, who still continue in their sins, and do not turn from this improper life in which they are still sunk as drunkards, murderers, adulterers, idolaters, liars, backbiters, or railers who cannot please God, whose works proceed only from the devil, all of which the Lord prohibits and says that except they amend their lives, they shall not inherit the kingdom of God? And it shall avail them nothing that He died, if they will not repent. They would sin upon the grace of God, but they say not that He is just; He is indeed merciful, but He is also just; we may not sin upon His grace. Though we do our best to fear the Lord, and to renounce ourselves according to our ability, yea, though we did all that He commands us, which we are far from doing, we should only do that which is commanded us; we must yet confess that we are unprofitable servants and have not merited anything but are guilty of eternal death. If He were -not merciful, we could not be saved; hence we may not sin upon His grace, but always strive according to our ability to follow that which he commands us.My dear lamb; we can merit nothing, but must through grace inherit salvation; hence always endeayor to fear God, for the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and he that fears the Lord will do good, and it will be well with him in this world and in that which is to come. And always join those that seek to fear the Lord from the heart, and be not conformed to the world, to do as she does, nor walk in any improper course of life; for the world shall pass away, and all the nations that serve her shall perish with her. Nor have fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them; and be transformed by the renewing of your life, that you may show forth the virtues in which God has called you.O my dearest lamb, that you might know the truth when you have attained your understanding, and that you might follow your dear father and mother, who went before you; for your dear father demonstrated with his blood that it is the genuine truth, and I also hope to attest the same with my blood, though flesh and blood must remain on the posts and on the stake, well knowing that we shall meet hereafter. Do you also follow us my dear lamb, that you too may come where we shall be, and that we may find one another there, where the Lord shall say, "Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the beginning."Then our joy shall not be taken from us. Though they have separated us here, so that we are taken from you, and must go before you, know that it was the Lord's will; if it had been His pleasure, He could easily have ordered it otherwise.Hence, my dear child, be content; He knows what He has determined concerning you, that I must leave you here. Always be honorable and courteous toward all men, and let your modesty be manifest to all men when you have attained to your understanding.I leave you here among my friends; I hope that my father, and my step-mother, and my brothers, and my sisters will do the best with you as long as they live. Be subject and obedient to them in every thing, so far as it is not contrary to God. I leave you what comes from my mother's death, namely, thirty guilders and over; I do not know how much it is, since I have been long imprisoned here, and do not know what it has all cost. But I hope that Grietge, my dear sister, who has shown me so much friendship, will do her best to give you what belongs to you. And as to what may come to you from your father, I do not know, since I can learn nothing about his parents, because it is so far from here; if they should inquire after you, my friends may do the best in the matter.And now, Janneken, my dear lamb, who are yet very little and young, I leave you this letter, together with a gold real, which I had with me in prison, and this I leave you for a perpetual adieu, and for a testament; that you may remember me by it, as also by this letter. Read it, when you have understanding, and keep it as long as you live in remembrance of me and of your father, if peradventure you might be edified by it. And I herewith bid you adieu, my dear Janneken Munstdorp,and kiss you heartily, my dear lamb, with a perpetual kiss of peace. Follow me and your father, and be not ashamed to confess us before the world, for we were not ashamed to confess our faith before the world, and this adulterous generation; hence I pray you, that you be not ashamed to confess our faith, since it is the true evangelical faith, an other than which shall never be found.Let it be your glory that we did not die for any evil doing, and strive to do likewise, though they should also seek to kill you. And on no account cease to love God above all, for no one can prevent you from fearing God. If you follow that which is good, and seek peace, and ensue it, you shall receive the crown of eternal life; this crown I wish you and the crucified, bleeding, naked, despised, rejected and slain Jesus Christ for your bridegroom.This I wish you for a perpetual testament, and for a perpetual adieu and farewell my dearest lamb.Remember thereby your dear father, and me, your dear mother, who have written this with my own hand, for your edification; and always keep this gold real with you, with this letter, for a perpetual testament: I herewith bid you adieu and farewell; I hope to seal this letter with my blood at the stake.I herewith commend you to the Lord, and to the comforting Word of His grace, and bid you adieu once more. I hope to wait for you; follow me, my dearest child.Once more, adieu, my dearest upon earth; adieu, and nothing more; adieu, follow me; adieu and farewell. Written on the 10th of August, A. D. 1573, at Antwerp. This is the testament which I wrote in prison for my daughter Janneken, whom I bore and gave birth to here in my bonds.By me your dearest mother, imprisoned for the Lord's sake.

JANNEKEN MUNSTDORP.(Martyrs Mirror (http://www.homecomers.org/mirror/contents.htm), T. J. van Braght, 1660, p. 984-988,
emphasis added).
_____________________________________



Heb 6:12 ...so that you will not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.


A jarring and wonderful demonstration of one mother's strength from the Lord, and her faithfilled love and obedience.

__



Ro 8:18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us.


__

This Is Another Post I Found Great Truth And Encouragment In.

A very good analysis of a very serious problem amongst all the interdependent parts of the body of Christ.

This Post, To Me, Is Wisdom In Progress.

Bobby Grow seems to be blossoming towards being an even more critical thinker. Very encouraging. I just wanted this one for the record. At least until he changes blog addresses again.

Wisconsin River Hike.

Please let me tell you about my Wisconsin Rver Hike the other day just a remote mile downstream of the Camp Ten Ski Hill where I lived when my daughter was born.

So off we went four-wheeling it back to the so-named Whirlpool Rapid. It's actually on the map in the Delorme Wisconsin Road Atlas. I knew it was a pretty spot but had never yet seen it with a log jam that enabled us to get 3/4 of the way across the river. Nice surprise.


Here is a view looking upstream from below the rapid.






















Deanta had just followed my reading glasses tube downstream for a hundred yards, after it had fallen out of my pocket, until she was able to snatch it from an eddy. So she was feeling pretty good about herself after I proclaimed her the hero.


































Now she was going to survey things until the quest for adventure would overtake her and her dad and they would walk the log bridge to get to the center island.

















Here's a view looking downstream from atop the log bridge.

















Dad was the first one over while Deanta held the camera very steady finally for a nice clear picture.

















Here's the Head guide with tummy protruding from too many chocolate Easter eggs.

















Almost there.

















Now here's the log between the first and second island. Pretty tame.

















And then we ran out of logs and could just peer across at the opposite shore.

















Here's the island.

















The view upstream from center.

















Upstream looking back at the log bridge.


















Fun hike.

_____________________________________


Just practicing for the next log jam over Bond Falls.

______________________________________



A very scenic little falls 45 minutes north of Eagle River WI.
































































______________________________________

Awana Grand Prix Time.

One gravity hungry block of wood. I just went at it with the bench grinder and finished it with some old spray paint I had. I even had a can of enamel. I'm hooked now.

Google doesn't remember the password to my daughter's blog right now so I'll post it here. Isn't Awana grand Prix time fun? I was dreading all the time I was going to have to come up with to get a car made but it wasn't so bad afterall.

Now I have to make another one and try and get her to let me race this one in the leaders race. Otherwise I might be racing the prettiest little girly looking car in the group.

___________________________________

Just A Short Note: Theology Is Not Always Our Friend.

For my own personal growth in the word, and to fend off the clever and self-important messengers of historic and contemporary christian theology, I need to once in a while remember certain important things.

You have those who say that to study scripture and even merely read the bible is to engage in theology. Theology is an inescapable part of looking to and understanding God's word.

The truth be reconciled that, yes, theology is a study of things religious. Is there any disagreement with that definition? We have Christian theologians, Hindu theologians, Islamic theologians and even Greek Mythologogical theologians. This man-made science of theology has to be applied with the uttmost care when using it to clarify the words of God's revealed self, Jesus, in Christianity, for Jesus said already that His words are Truth which came from the Father. We have to recieve them that way, all of them, together, purely and plainly.

Yes, and then you have spiritually guided Christian theology, in which you have wild disagreement and spiritual disharmony that is in reckless opposition to the clear scriptural counsel to agree and be of the same mind in scripture. When the theological tools are applied to God's word discretely and with measured restraint it can lead to reinforcement and support for Christ's own words. When it's used selfishly or superficially it can leave brethren splintered and scattered and left apart from each other in slightly different gospels.

The world of Christian theology, has long ago taken on a life of it's own, apart from sound workmanship in and under Christ's counsel. It's become virtually a man-made science trying to prove those things which God ordained for us only to know in part for now.

This makes it clear to me that Christian theology is not always our friend and cannot be said to be a part and parcel of studying God's word.

I need protection from the fleshly biting and devouring forces thriving within the Body of Christ in the form of self-proclaimed christian theology. And that very reassuredly comes in the form of a good literal rendering of scripture in the NASV bible, a Greek/English NASV interlinear bible in Greek and English, a good scriptural dictionary, a concordance to bolster the memory, along with the promised indwelling Spiritual help that Christ came through with for us. A good teacher is invaluable as well. One that's always learning. One that you can be sure you have when he uses the entire bible to teach itself, so to speak. And it's a big book and is very helpful to have someone around with a love and a respect for it that's been through it a few more times than I have.

Very few people share my fascination and admiration for christian theological thinking from just after Christ and until now. In my own mind, that may be why I can see it, not only for what it is, but more importantly, for what it is not. And then get back to studying the pure milk of the word right from the book. As it was intended. Oooo...can I say that? As it was intended? Yes, most definately.

It was a more comforting day when I came to that realization. Hope it works for a few others as well.

Comfort and joy, spiritually, from Him to us, as promised. Together in Christ(ripped asunder in theology, ohhpppssttt...sorry). And it is well with our soul.



______________________________

Regrets, Minor Regrets and Blessings.

A day very well blessed. I get to practice piano for a couple of hours. Then go about 20 minutes away and make a pretty good worthwhile time of getting out in the mud and trimming up some Morgans that I had put some shoes on for the Christmas parade last November. Come home to about 2 more hours of practice after when my kiddo will get home and we'll skate off to girl scouts. I'll get some reading time in while I wait, come home, and after dinner she can practice her piano briefly, do a little Awana, and then it's either computer games with dad or watch a little tv while dad goes of to practice or study some more. Nice well rounded day.

I'm trying to finish My Jesus, I Love Thee and Since I Have Been Redeemed. My playing is growing in leaps and bounds-at the cost of a huge time investment-which I thank God continously that I have, and owe to Him. I will work at filling out the four tunes I have on my website, or the two instrumentals that is. I won't be posting hymns and songs I'm going to formally record. There is no hurry for them, as I see it. There are, however, many great hymns that are left for the meantime to have some fun with and to share with friends and aquantainces here.

I also intend to press on and explore as many fascinating scripturally relevant questions as time permits. Such as the one in the last post that I still have to answer. A minor regret is that I don't have the time to debate away alot of the divisive Christian theology that has crept into the Church, from right about the time Jesus, probably reluctantly, left us to our own devices down here and went off hoping we would listen and testify to what He said. But people have always and always will listen and be tickled by every wind of doctrine that comes along, and so all a person can do is make sure that they're grounded in what Christ has done for them, and leave it at that. And let's not forbid, even make some use of what He has done for them. Given the opportunity, I would love to host a 'Theological detox' blog to give some of these hard core, hard label, theologically opposed and encamped Christians a new look at going 'theology free', so to speak, and uniting in scripture, and scripture alone. And there have been worse dreams. But for now I slog on in the vast sufficiency of the present.

Here's (part of) My Philosophy.

My hope is to take these hymns and put a little complementary twist in them. Probably the same as most any player of hymns. There are a lot of musical tools and techniques that have developed along since most of these hymns were written and I suspect most of the orignal authors would enjoy having many of these musical developments employed in the presenting of their masterpieces. I can't help but have my entire history of musical experience well up inside of me as I play through many of these hymn pieces, and consider it a privilege to let them share in the growth that has occured in the musical arts since their own beginnings. Music is........form and content. All of it's form is 'of ' the world, and there is none which is by itself unclean. But it's content springs from the heart, and for the 'new heart', there is a spiritual standard. Looking forward to explaining that further as time permits. And as the Lords gracious teaching enables.

That's all I know for sure tonight, because, my time allotment has run out and my daughter just let me know that.

I'm awfully excited about the He Hideth My Soul arrangement. Not necessarily the recording of the present arrangement as it stands. Because it's time in line finally came to sit down with it and decide where I was going with it and, it wasn't until I was done slogging through it many times, and I was done recording it, that the theme really firmed up. So I'm looking forward to a few weeks of learning how to play it and then coming back and tentatively finishing it. And then singing through it. And that's what I'm looking forward to almost the most. That, I have to emphasize, is the great hope I have that many of these pieces will useful for to others than myself. That's more of the philosophy thing...there are many who love to sing these vintage hymns that simply need some musical accompanyment that presents a pleasant opportunity to do just that. I'm still trying to figure out how to best manage that. At least I can finally play them.

I'll be resinging all of these as my sort of self taught voice training progresses. All of them that make the website that is. There are many that won't, but will, however, be formally recorded and ultimately shared. I've learned I can't sing very well in the morning but that that's when I start on a song and the voice track needs to get in early so I can build onto it as opposed to the other way around. I'm doing most of these in the course of one or two days. As a means to figuring out how to do them the next time better. Or just socking them away until I can get them to a better producer than myself. But the ones on the website will be slowly evolving all the time.

I sat down the other evening and resang, "I Sing the Mighty Power of God". It sounded more like yelling. That let me know that my voice conditioning was working. It's nice to know that the pipes are starting to pump pretty well. But now I have to work toward that happy medium. I've got to work on improving the voice. Speaking of that tune, that was my first home recording effort and wasn't really intended to come out as such a pop tune. But I've fallen in great like with the end product. It's all from my electric effects piano so I know I could easily reproduce the whole song for a crowd of people and that has some practical benefits. But not a lot of my stuff is going to have that sort of sound. Just wait until half of the hymnal I've turned into a jig. Yikes. Still working on my technique there.

So on it goes.

http://toddsaunders.us/livemusic.html



___________________________

I Know Whom I Believe.

____________________

I Know Whom I Have Believed
_________________________________


Here's one. Something got into me, I think even the first time, when I was assigned this hymn to play on a Sunday. About four years ago this spring as I remember. We play a hymn at the beginning of the service and one at the end. I hadn't played the piano in about probably 23 years, my last lesson had been in the fourth grade (or 38 years ago), but was glad to get back at it because frankly, between my fiddle, guitar, accordian, and trumpet, it was my first love. Just a little big to lug around. But when I began to get these assigned hymns, I couldn't stop my left hand from wanting to get a little excited. Nor could I quit toying around and adding little variations. And it's happened with every hymn I've played since. So it's chronic. The sobering news is that these hymns are not complete without their God honoring words and I can't really sing very well yet. So I'm trying to get serious and get my voice a little more well trained. So watch your ears.

The hymn came together for me on Monday morning. I finally figured out, on Monday morning, how the extra pieces which I've enjoyed playing to myself with this hymn for several years now would all fit together. Seemingly. So this is meant for your enjoyment and to put a little bounce in your step while meditating on the truly inspiring words contained in this hymn.

It's by no means finished yet. It's what you would call a rough demo. But I see no reason to keep it in a box. It's the very popular and familiar hymn called I Know Whom I Have Believed and below is the link:


I Know Whom I Have Believed


______________________________________

Not Exactly As I Had Planned, But Even So, Better...And With Some Time Left Over To Share It With A Few Others.

Not at all what I had planned, but all in all, a good day. A true cross section slice of the days around here. While I have the time and the inspiration to tell anyone who may be curious about it, I may as well get going on it. God enabled me to have a remarkable couple of days in spite of His changing my well laid plan. Always our good fortune when that happens. Please, let me tell you about it.

I had no water since yesterday afternoon. I rent a house and forty acres owned and plumbed by the contractor that built the 50 parcel mobile home park who's water system broke down yesterday. They turned the water on at 2pm and it took until 5:30pm to work its way up the hill to the last place on the line which mine is. In the meantime, my daughter was home from school today with either pink eye or the look alike virus with the painful eyes minus the pink. She didn't do to badly pain wise. She did decide it was important enough to make a wild concoction in the kitchen that spread wildly dirty dishes across the whole table with no water in sight to do any cleaning of the dishes or the floor. Then she had been dreaming of cracking a bunch of eggs pretending to be baking something. I finally let her get it out of her system today. I told her, yes, she could even crack an entire carton of them. She thought I meant both cartons. I had a flat of bacon in the fridge and with a bunch of cheese I made a huge favorite dish of mine while she fell back from exhaustion on the couch from her cold. It was scrambled bacon and eggs with cheddar cheese. I ate almost half of it myself. The water came trickling back slowly and I finally got everything cleaned up. The horses and the dog and the cats were happy to have a drink of water again. I even managed to get a shower after three days and it's now 10pm.

What made me feel particularly useful was cozying with my daughter for an entire Care Bear video tonight. There were so many other things calling me. I think she's beginning to see that she has a pretty special dad. I thank God continuously for that and allowing that to me. In the respect that she's getting pretty much most of the things a young girl needs from a parent. She came in on me in my bedroom/office/music studio when I had just laid out her crazy mom's latest communication from jail. Her mom is crazy as well as in jail. In jail for not abiding by the conditions of probation she recieved for illegally taking her daughter from her daughter's father. As for the crazy, naively this is something I had not realized until after she was pregnant with my daughter. We'd been together for 2 1/2 years before that happened, planning to get married, even with marriage certificate in hand at one point. Just after my daughter was concieved the subsequent stress brought out the fact that the mom had a serious reality disorder. Clinically a personality disorder. Which had it's roots far before the pregnancy. These things happen in this life. My daughter looked at the colorful drawings and messages from her mom, said, "oh, look at the stuff mom sent me", and then never looked back at it. At 7 1/2 years old she still remembers when mom took her from her dad, and other family and friends, because she was mad at dad. She lived in mom's van on and off for nine months while mom taught dad a lesson. She was only 18 months old when she didn't quite understand where good old dad was. The guy who took her everywhere he went.

So the daughter is getting a pretty good dose of what it's like to have a good dad. One that loves her like he loves Christ. Even if that's the husbands job, she's going to know what a good husband looks like when the time comes. And I do thank God almost everyday that I am not physically attracted to young girls. Many are, which I don't quite understand other than attributing it to genetics coupled with lack of self control. I'm a lucky dad and she's a lucky young lady. And she knows it. She's stuck with the cherished and dedicated God ordained leader of her family all day long on a lot of days and she knows it's good.

Therfore, not at all what I had planned for my day was able to come to be. She's sick again. We had both been sick for a week two weeks ago. Still barely over that one and now again. I'm fighting it and don't know if it'll get me yet.

Yesterday was a good day. I took all day and worked on "As With Gladness, Men of Old". Trying to get an acceptable fingerstyle guitar part down. I gave up playing the guitar almost altogether when I took up fiddle playing about 13 years ago. And then a year and a half ago I found no more time to play the fiddle. I returned to the piano after answering a call to be the substitute piano player at church. I hadn't played in 25 years. I found out that all the years of playing guitar and fiddle playing by ear gave me wild, crazy fingers on the piano, which I never dreamed I had, never happy to leave the melody alone. And an end all love for the hymns of the hymnal with their powerful messages about the word of God and the Lord Himself. I couldn't believe it. I don't think I'll be able to play all of them enough if I live to be 90 years old.

So I worked on "As With Gladness...", slowed it way down even from the slow tempo I settled on a few weeks ago when I tried to get some ideas down. It's no ordinary Christmas tune. The lyrics are truly extrodinary and the melody absolutely sets itself apart. And today, I finally put the electrical tape on the top two strings just right, in order to muffle their overpowering bass and still get a ledgible note out of them. I discovered the right place to put it and went through the whole tune one time and got a keeper. Not great but enough of a foundation on which to build the rest of the tune.

I also discovered that sitting down in my office chair, instead of standing up, and tilting my head straight back is the only way I can hit the notes I need to hit in the key of G. I still have the same problem of having to cry when I first hear the tune being done. I think that was helping to be in the way of getting some listenable vocal tracks down a few weeks ago. Certain parts of the body swell up when you cry. Even from joy. But the solution is a simple mind over matter thing(not always simple). Good emotions are a dime a dozen. Inspiration and encouragement from a godly message accompanied by music requires you to control your emotions and grow.

Not as much as I had hoped for these three days of freedom with my daughter in school and myself off from work. But somehow I am on track and all is well in my little place of preparation for the Kingdom to come. Monday I managed to finally get comfortable with the basis of an arrangement of "I Know Whom I have Believed". So now it's just a matter of learning how to play what I've decided what must be played. It's another special tune among many. My whole goal with these hymns is to let no one, young or old, be able to say, "Boy, there's an old hymn that I'm tired of". But instead want to say, " My goodness, now there's one we should sing more often". The hymns themselves make that easy to do.

I've been having so much luck finishing an arrangement of the beautiful hymn, "He Hideth My Soul", that it looks like I'll have that one to share real soon.

This is My father's world is one that I started to play fairly regularly about a year ago. It was a nice tune and it was in E flat. E flat is a difficult key with many good tunes from the hymnal played in it. My hymnal anyway. Fairest Lord Jesus, Holy Holy Holy, All Creatures of Our God and King. About a year ago I was telling a customer of mine who is a very devoted Christian woman that I work at Christian inspirational music in my spare time when she requested that, when I get my recording equipment this winter, I make her a recording of This is My Father's World for her to sing along with. Then I didn't hear from her for a long time. When she called a few weeks ago I was so excited that the recorder and my playing had finally come together and so I would immediately make her a copy and bring it along when I went to trim her horses. Problem was I hadn't really been working on it. So I sat down the day before I was to see her and made a recording of it to meet the deadline I had set. I was as much learning how to use the recorder as I was figuring out how the arrangement wanted to sound. But here it is if you'd care to listen to it. http://toddsaunders.us/livemusic.html. It's really very rough but is primarily meant to mark a valuable milestone in my plan to help serve God's plan. When you reach the website just click on This Is My Father's World.

Beyond everything, I did some comment exploration on some ideas I am lead to believe are valuable in helping to manage some of the ages old theological fractures of the church, by trying to get to some of the root causes of this believer enabled object of so much heartbreak within the church. Yes, I've concluded that I'm oversensitive to it but that nonetheless there is a great deal of sensitivity towards it which has been asked of us by the Lord. A post on some observations on labels among Christians and their potential to get in the way, by my good friend and inspiring brother in Christ Brian Hedrick. https://www2.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=19707504&postID=5701756458559092817

So I truly had a day of so much less than I had hoped for yet so much more than I could have asked for. It's late now. I have to wake up in the morning and see whether or not my body is going to give in to this cold. Looking forward to more of this conversation.

Finally...A Coming Together.

At last, a coming together of two things, neither of which I have time for. I just discovered I can do voice exercises and blog at the same time. So here I come again. But I can't comment and do voice exercises, so take heart. But I will need to do voice exercises for a couple hours a day if I'm going to whip this voice of mine into shape. While I'd like to 'sing the mighty power of God', I can't yet. Not mightily anyway. But maybe soon.

Today While Driving.

2 Corinthians on tape, in NASB form, has been playing in the tape player of my Rav4 now for months. What a unique letter from Paul to those wealthy young-in-Christ folks. Paul is so refreshed by Titus, such a workman in Christ, who had such an edifying effect on the new church in Macedonia, and now is hoped on by Paul to have an equally strengthening effect on the Corinthian church. That is just something that never quite sank in as it did today. There is so much there.

Here are a few of the other verses that jumped out at me today that I'd just like to mention especially. Just good stuff:


8:4, "...begging us with much urging for the favor of participation in the support of the saints, and this we had not expected,..."

I am in awe here.


11:21, "To my shame I must say that we have been weak by comparison."

It seems to me, that what is indispensible to the vital ability in Paul's personality which makes all of his trademark truth revealing sarcasm work so well is, his humble honesty.


13:11, "Finally, brethren, rejoice, be made complete, be comforted, be like-minded, live in peace;..."

How can we thank Him enough for that.

Click Below For My Live Music Page(My Hymn Singing and Piano).

Hymn: The Mighty Power of God

My Favorite...

________________

Domine Fili Unigenite (Only Begotten Lord and Son of God...) by Antonio Vivaldi.

________________

...with my other favorite:

Gloria

________________

And...Another Nice Carol.

This is John Rutter's Nativity Carol.

Nativity Carol

Claire Rutter, Eric Traulert, Carl Davis

On Calvin's Institutes, chapter 24-Election.

It's a huge book.

Here below is a link that will take you to...

John Calvin: Institutes of the Chrisian Religion.

http://www.reformed.org/books/institutes/books/indxbk3.html

It will be convenient for reference, and also means I will have to do a lot less typing. This link above is the link you will want to use for an uninterrupted look at the text of Calvins writing's. Otherwise, the following text will be full of my 'cavilling'. Just so you know, "cavil", is one of Calvin's most often used insolent expressions while referring to people who differ with him.

I intended to start on the chapter about election since that is one of the most intriguing areas of his doctrine, when, in all of my looking around and on my way past another earlier chapter on election, I stumbled on this chapter, in which he suggests that during our study of scripture, the Holy Spirit will 'confirm' what is accurate and what is not accurate, during our interpreting of scripture. This reminded me of a part of the Mormon doctrine, which is identical and just as unscriptural, and told to me during a home visit by some local Mormons when they stated that the Holy Spirit 'confirms', and therefore that was how they could know whether their handling of scripture was true or not. I was a much younger Christian then, but I told them that the Holy Spirit does not confirm but rather He helps to teach. You first need to do the necessary hard work of looking at the Word thoroughly, and the Spirit will help teach you throughout that process and help you arrive at an accurate understanding. There is no confirming going on directly by the Holy Spirit other than the content of the Word Itself clarifying Itself under the guidance of the Spirit. The Mormon informed me that he would search for the real meaning of a passage in God's word and if it felt right, then that meant the Spirit was at work 'confirming' it in him. Luckily that is not what we must rely on to know if our interpretation of God's word is accurate or not. So I could not let this assertion that ,"
Scripture Must Be Confirmed by the Witness of the Spirit. Thus May Its Authority Be Established as Certain; and It is a Wicked Falsehood that Its Credibility Depends on the Judgment of the Church", from Calvin, pass without looking more closely at it. Surely he is arguing against the false claims of heavenly authority by the established Roman papist church here. False claims of authority which he was soon to replicate himself and impose upon other in a like fashion by use of his own doctrines. But is his doctrine on the Spirit 'confirming' really sound, in spite of his accuracy as to the abominable doctrine of the Roman church? No because the Holy Spirit as, 'confirming scripture by witness', is not presented anywhere in scripture. The bible does not develope a principle wherein the Spirit 'confirms'.

Stop!

And now, thankfully, I'm done wasting my time disputing the accuracy of doctrine of this sort, here in this blog, since this is a blog, and people will inevitably come forth with the same tiresome, inconclusive guessing with which they do in most other blogs, with no intention of learning anything new. So I'm clearing this thing out of my blog draft section and disposing of it this way and calling it quits on this type of thing. I am moving back to learning and sharing in the rich teaching of Christ and His bible in some better way. Feel free to argue in support of this kind of doctrine in the post and I will eagerly respond and try and help you from participating in such strange and divisive doctrine, otherwise, just come around instead and launch some inspiring questions for all of our benefit, from time to time, and we'll try to build each other up toward being in agreement and in the same mind of Christ. And I am going to rejoice and thank God every single time that happens because it is usually so rare and will always be so joyous.

This is rushed. So come on back once in awhile and I truly thnk you'll see and even appreciate what I mean.

Two more things:

The post above is one I threw together 6 or 8 months ago. It's the last of it's kind that you'll see coming from this blog in that it clearly proposes a dispute. I'm going to try and figure out how to go on and post in a different sort of way. Less of looking for a dispute. I need to explore and get on to something better. Can't really explain it adequately right now.

Second thing is, I have to qualify what I said in my first sentence. I will occassionally be commenting in other blogs, presuming to (isn't that putting it modestly) correct people who misrepresent the word, for not only their edification, but more selfishly, for my own edification and growth progression which sometimes getting in a dispute can assist in. Because I see this debating within the Body of Christ itself, as it demonstrates itself in real time here in the blogisphere and elsewhere, more often than not, to be unfruitful and a distraction to the gaining of sound understanding . I really don't know what the problem or the solution is, just that there is one. And...lo!, an opportunity and an area in need of service toward Christ. Wow, thank you Lord.

**Not to skip mention that, my comments at this particular blog post will help explain everything(at length, wheww). *Just Enter Here*. You will find the perfect example of a blog post that starts out with insulting and purely divisive language by a so-called theologian. And a blog host who does not have the insight with which to conduct an edifying discussion and rather just encourages division of this sort within the body of Christ. And the only possible result is a type of disputing warned against by Christ.