A Useful Record

Does the successful outcome of the Donor-Conceived rest on their personality (dull-minded vs. curious-minded)?

2011-12-01T07:44:00.001-08:00

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Please first read the following link - http://www.npr.org/2011/09/18/140477014/donor-conceived-children-seek-missing-identities

Can we ethically give away our children to comfort childless couples?

Are we using the children in that way for something they would rather not have been a part of? Something that perhaps even they have the right not to be subjected to?

Questions arise. Was the knowledge of there family history carelessly sold away from them?

I think there is a tough (or maybe not so tough) moral question here.

Even in the presence of both good and bad outcomes, there is a dilemma, and it argues that children are not a commodity that we can rightly buy and sell.

To me, it makes abortion look pretty good; in that, abortion effects a living, not-conscious, developing physical entity, but a sperm/egg donation effects a conscious fully viable soul - one standing in front of us holding us accountable for his/her technologically enabled life.

Should the donation require that the donor accept his/her identity will be available to the adult donor-conceived child? Would this significantly change the number of donations, or merely the quality of donors? Would doing so head off these bad outcomes in a humane way that could be acceptable to both the donor and and the donor-conceived?

Feel free to share some thoughts.

If you think this is a challenging issue, then wait until we get to In Vitro Fertilization.

Since last post of January 19, 2011

2011-11-06T16:44:00.000-08:00

It all started here. . .

. . . my mother Jeannette Saunders-Schossow died after her second bout with an agressive form of uterine cancer in two years. She was 84 years old. This is a picture of she, myself, and Deanta. It was the last time she was to be sitting outside in the sunshine, alive. I'll talk more about her later.

I bought a house. Great location. Nice neighborhood. Not much of a house (nice little house next door came with it) on 2.2 acres of land. But. . . a nice little spot underneath the heavens.

Then I tore the second story off . . .

...tore everything else off...

...put a new second story on, and then tore the kitchen off.

And rebuilt it.

I'm trying to finish it up before the snow flies. I'm starting a new job in a month as a CNA. I'm trying to keep from being buried by a pharmacology course which I seem to have to put about 6 hours-a-day study time into. I'm out of horseshoeing. I'm also presently having the long-time bookkeeping methods of my farrier business tested with an audit from the WI Department of Revenue, and my bookkeeping is not faring very well. I am looking forward to not being as busy in about 2 months; after which time I am looking forward to adding on to The Useful Record.

I'm also going to add a lot more house pictures to this post.

Almost back.

2011-08-01T06:32:00.000-07:00

But not quite.

Hymn: Faith is a Living Power from Heaven.

2011-01-19T06:10:00.000-08:00

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Words: Petrus Herbert, in the Bohemian Brethren’s Kirchengeseng, 1566; translated from German to English by Catherine Winkworth, Lyra Germanica, second series, 1858.

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Faith Is a Living Power from Heaven
(Listen)

Faith is a living power from Heaven
That grasps the promise God hath given,
A trust that cannot be o’erthrown,
Fixed heartily on Christ alone.

Faith finds in Christ whate’er we need
To save or strengthen us indeed,
Receives the grace He sends us down,
And makes us share His cross and crown.

Faith in the conscience worketh peace,
And bids the mourner’s weeping cease;
By faith the children’s place we claim,
And give all honor to one Name.

Faith feels the Spirit’s kindling breath
In love and hope that conquer death;
Faith worketh hourly joy in God,
And trusts and blesses e’en the rod.

We thank Thee then, O God of Heaven,
That Thou to us this faith hast given
In Jesus Christ Thy Son, who is
Our only fount and source of bliss.

And from His fullness grant each soul
The rightful faith’s true end and goal,
The blessedness no foes destroy,
Eternal love and light and joy.

(What a beautiful translation this is)

We'll have to give the voice another year or two.

The Parable of the Prison Wall

2011-01-17T07:12:00.000-08:00

I had found this Mennonite handout which I then took the liberty to change a little bit. Now it captures the spirit of what happened to me after I got rid of my television set. I began to detoxify and intensify my mind apart from the T.V., which I never had watched excessively anyway. That thing which had always been considered the "idiot box". The seemingly harmless, very entertaining, seemingly miraculous moving picture screen, which can make anything and everything seem real, when, of course, none of it is. And in the course of presenting it's own make-believe reality (I'm talking about movies and stories), it competes with real life to define our reality for us. And it wins.

Instead of watching the T.V., I've gone about to learning the German language, science, health, about God's miraculous words, His presence here on earth, and even about the many provocative little curiosities that come to mind throughout the day (thinking and reading about how this and that works, and about how this or that is made). With that computer in front of you, you, as well, have a beautiful tool with which to do that. And beautifully, I managed to find a rich, plain, spiritual people to be around (that is, when I need to be around someone), who build their 'real lives' meaningfully and plainly on the words of God, with which, in the company of His Spirit, He did not leave us here alone.

I found this handout (granted, especially after changing it a little) to be a nice illustration of what happened when I made a break through the hole in the wall; and now, what it's like looking back at the problematic world of the T.V. from the outside.

The picture on the prison wall was impressive -- a quiet lake, forests of richly colored trees, rolling hills , and clear, blue skies. Three inmates worked long hours to paint the scene.

Then they added one more outstanding detail. All around the edge of the picture, they cleverly painted in the gray of the prison wall to look like a broken wall. Now it appears that one is looking through a gaping hole in the high block wall to the beauty beyond. Apparently they are reminding themselves that the full reality of the scene can only be realized outside the prison walls. -- they are restricted in the enjoyment of that beauty.

What a lesson for us! Without the gift of the Spirit we are bound in a prison of temporary and fleeting pleasure. Inside the prison we try to find pleasure and satisfaction. We create illusions and imagine all sorts of things that may bring fulfillment. We pursue watching sports and entertainment. We seek wealth and try to buy our way out of boredom or stress with money. But again and again we are brought back to the cold hard reality of our prison wall.

The artistic inmates understand an important element of their condition. They can get a moments satisfaction when they view the scene on the wall, but the true beauty is beyond. They cannot sense the calm of the quiet lake, the stately grandeur of the trees, and the peace of the rolling hills. They can only imagine it and long for it.

Likewise we cannot find true peace while being held captive by the t.v.

We turn it off and it has left us with nothing; nothing, but further dependence on it.

Be careful. It's easy to be one of these captives. And, if you are one, then you truly may not know what you are missing outside of it's walls. High definition t.v. will truly bring a life which is highly defined by t.v. . . ., creating a distant, distorted view of things for you that only has meaning within it's own walls. Staged, concocted, highly scripted, if not - most of the time - purely pretend. And it's fun. At least what little there is that has any creativity or artistry left in it. But the danger is that it can, and does, take the place of things that we should have a more real perspective of.

As it continues to create it's own manufactured reality, I often wonder what is happening as . . . it out-competes the larger reality.

All I'm sure of is of the good things that have happened to my time since I've set it aside. May you experience the same.

Leave the nasty thing behind. Visit the T.V. on your computer once in a while. Wean yourself from it slowly. There's a whole big world out . . . don't let the T.V. completely twist it and dumb it down for you! Science..., literature..., reinvigorate your curiosity! Reality is so much neater than fiction. Inexhaustible, incredible, real.

There. I had to get that out.

The Unrighteous Steward (Let's call it done for now, but, with a whole lot more to be said)

2011-01-05T06:32:00.001-08:00

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I have heard this passage used in several different interesting ways.
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Luke 16:1

1 Now He was also saying to the disciples, "There was a rich man who had a manager, and this manager was reported to him as squandering his possessions. 2 "And he called him and said to him, 'What is this I hear about you? Give an accounting of your management, for you can no longer be manager.' 3 "The manager said to himself, 'What shall I do, since my master is taking the management away from me? I am not strong enough to dig ; I am ashamed to beg. 4 'I know what I shall do, so that when I am removed from the management people will welcome me into their homes.' 5 "And he summoned each one of his master's debtors, and he began saying to the first, 'How much do you owe my master ?' 6 "And he said, 'A hundred measures of oil.' And he said to him, 'Take your bill, and sit down quickly and write fifty.' 7 "Then he said to another, 'And how much do you owe ?' And he said, 'A hundred measures of wheat.' He said to him, 'Take your bill, and write eighty.' 8 "And his master praised the unrighteous manager because he had acted shrewdly ; for the sons of this age are more shrewd in relation to their own kind than the sons of light. 9 "And I say to you, make friends for yourselves by means of the wealth of unrighteousness, so that when it fails, they will receive you into the eternal dwellings. 10 "He who is faithful in a very little thing is faithful also in much ; and he who is unrighteous in a very little thing is unrighteous also in much. 11 "Therefore if you have not been faithful in the use of unrighteous wealth, who will entrust the true riches to you? 12 "And if you have not been faithful in the use of that which is another's, who will give you that which is your own?

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Of course, for those of you who prefer God's word rendered in the 400 year old (Pre)Middle English poetic literary style used in the King James Version, then you have the interesting word, Mammon, used in this passage.

Mammon, on one hand, is a term derived from the Christian Bible used to describe material wealth or greed. The word itself is a transliteration from the Hebrew word "mammon", which means "money.

Mammon means money. In these passages -- that is in the KJV -- mammon has the connotation of money based wealth.

I've heard a number of pastors render the Parable of the Unrighteous Steward as being less than ideal behavior that we somehow nonetheless should model.

In fact, I've never heard it rendered any other way.

Which is unfortunate.

This, to me, is the core lesson:

9 This I say to you, make friends for yourselves by means of the wealth of unrighteousness, so that when it fails, they will receive you into eternal dwellings.

It may as well be a curse.

Making friends through unrighteousness will get you a place, along with your new friends, in their eternal dwellings. You don't want to be in those eternal dwellings. You've made friends with the world; not with God. You've squandered God's goods and now have tried to reverse your fortunes by making friends with the world through unrighteousness. Now, you've got a big problem. You are an unrighteous steward.

I've seen pastors portray this passage in two ways; one, as a legitimate example of a sort of biblical shrewdness; and two, as all money/wealth (mammon) being unrighteous, and us as being out in the world just doing the best we can in spite of it.

The later is wrong because the Lord "has pleasure in the prosperity of His servant". He doesn't begrudge financial wealth, at times he is complimentary of it, but He does always put His own value on it. That value is temporary. Even often times merely carnal; nonetheless, "Jerusalem was inhabited and in prosperity". He told Jerusalem that if they obey and serve him, they shall spend their days in prosperity, and their years in pleasures. Financial and spiritual; each sphere according to it's need. He does not begrudge wealth or prosperity. He does, however, warn us of it's distracting, defiling nature; which, in turn, is impossible to overstate.

Let's go back to the Steward. When called to give an account to his master for his performance he was found to have squandered his master's goods and was going to be fired.

After the Steward concluding he was to weak by himself to labor, and too proud to beg, he resorted, basically, to stealing by which to make friends and buy his way into their good graces. In fact, all the way into their eternal dwelling places.

The master praised him -- for acting shrewdly like the sons of the age, not like the sons of light. Let's ask exactly what kind of praise that is? It's the kind of praise you don't want to here coming from the Father of light. It is judgment.

Our master, tells us that He is opposed to the proud, gives grace to the humble. He tells us that friendship with the world is hostility toward Him. That whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy to Himself.

There is a clear distinction in each verse between the unrighteous actions of the Steward and the alternate correct actions.

That is, to be, not unrighteous, but faithful, both in the very little and in the very much. If you are unrighteous in some of the small, then how can you be faithful in the big? And therefore how can you be entrusted with any of it?

If you are going to opt for the wealth of unrighteousness, then who is going to trust you with true riches?

If you cannot be trusted in the use of that which is others, then, who will give you something as your own?

Here is a nice reminder about exactly what is what . . .

1 John 2:16 -

For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life is not from the Father, but it is from the world.

Finally, Paul, after being said to have been breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord; and being guaranteed rich financial gain and esteem, instead, gladly makes tents for the rest of his life, enduring the constant stonings and beatings and imprisonments, just to be able to now serve the Lord, and write the most powerful and earth shaking letters to the world about the fullness and the breathtaking beauty of the Spirit left within Him there by God; the Spirit of His Son Jesus , who's crucifixion Paul would no doubt have been in hearty agreement with. God on earth, crucified, who had soon visited Paul with a divine stewardship for him, to pass along to others, that Paul now wishes us all to comprehend and experience and take hold of . . . .

" For this reason I, Paul, . . . if indeed you have heard of the stewardship of God's grace . . . , as I wrote before in brief. . . to be specific, that the Gentiles are fellow heirs and fellow members of the body, and fellow partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel, of which I was made a minister, according to the gift of God's grace which was given to me according to the working of His power. . . to preach to the Gentiles the unfathomable riches of Christ, . . . for this reason I bow my knees before the Father, . . . that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith ; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God…Amen.

It's a "stewardship", in the arms of an unfathomable love by the Creator of the universe, which we are freely invited to comprehend, who, would like to have His love reciprocated; and all of which, delivers to us the amazing gift of an undeserved inner strength, and a joy, that does not come to us by means of the "wealth of unrighteousness", after all, the wages of the wealth of unrighteousness is darkness, sorrow and death, but which comes instead from 'the wealth of righteousness' that is abundantly supplied to us through the Spirit of God, working in us.

A nice adjustment of resolution in the Big Picture - and - To which "Degree of Usefulness" do we go?

2010-12-31T12:53:00.000-08:00

It's probably about time to write something. That's not to say there is not a lot to write about; but that there's just not the time to do it right.

My attentions have been filled with a wonderful mix of things which have all been complementing each other lately. School, work, German language study, bible study, household duties; and it's all had to happen in the course of recovering from a horseback riding injury (a sprained pelvis - I mean really sprained).

I just finished a most fascinating early part of nurse's training early on in my new career track; and that would be the Anatomy and Physiology course. And in a class where 1/3 of the students flunked out, I tied for the highest grade (a frequent "older student" achievement I'm going to guess).

I love the subject material. But more importantly, I am enjoying how my plans for a useful place in the nursing profession are starting to come into view.

Until two days ago I was determined to flunk out of medical school. I'm serious; while I already knew I wanted to go into psychiatric nursing, I was determined to first take a run at something that sounded even more interesting, psychiatric medicine, even flunk out if that is what it took to finally nudge the whole notion from my head; maybe then I could take "no" for an answer? The worst thing that could have happened is I would have been a psychiatrist. However, I feel that I could accomplish everything I need to accomplish as just a psychiatric nurse (doctorate). I could conduct psychotherapy (which is simply just reasoning with folks), I could prescribe many medications, and I could work in an area of intense interest to me.

On the one hand, I realize that I don't need to to be a psychiatrist to become involved in what I'd like to become involved in, but, on the other hand, I thought it would be an interesting challenge and far from a waste of time. I think I'm over it.

Two days ago I think I caught sight of something far more interesting. My church (along with three other nearby sister Conservative Mennonite churches) have started several churches in SE Uganda in recent years. They've been eking along and, for me anyway, have been a source of real frustration. Almost to the point where I need to stop even thinking about it, and talking about it. Criticizing it. Until Wed. night that is, when listening to one of the brethren who had just returned from there give a report, I learned that one of the "sister church" members had a while ago come up with the grant of a few thousand dollars to provide one of the church members there, a Pakistani doctor who had had to flee Pakistan after writing a Christian book, with finances ample to start a small upstart medical clinic. And the clinic is going along very well.

This is the kind of nursing I have wanted to do. A Christian owned medical clinic in a desperate place. And then after hours, teaching the gospel with good Christian brethren whom I had really come to appreciate before they left. A great mini-barn builder and a terribly faithful fellow willing to serve the gospel.

Do you realize what a medical basket case Uganda is? Between diabetes becoming pandemic, A.I.D.s, and, with people generally suffering a lot of abuse from other machete wielding people, they are a physical mess. I've got Christian brothers who went over there with large families of small children to a dangerous and strange place, from building mini-barns, to now bumping along and getting run off of dirt roads all over creation, way outside of most peoples comfort zone, taking to the people a plain gospel.

My kind of folks.

Oh, that's all a while from now that I would go myself; and. . . I'm not ready now anyway! That is, not to do the kind of job I want to do. But it has given me additional perspective.

In a year and a half, I can take the LPN board exam, get pre-certified for Uganda, and, so as to not be tied down to a job here that I can't get away from for a month or two at a time, I will set one of these young lads here to taking care of my farrier customers while I'm gone. And try to arrange a local part-time nursing job.

Get over there, buy a laptop, a little elephant repellent, and continue on in my studies and writings.

And then in my spare time, finish up my registered nurse degree over here, and go on and specialize in psychiatric nursing.

Whew.

Well that all opens the door to one more point. In most respects (at least, in all of the important ones), a theology degree is one of the most useless degrees of higher education that I can think of. In spite of what the halls of higher theological academia would desire us to believe, the bible can and indeed, is designed to, and, indeed, can only "teach itself".

Alright, there is one other good exception in which one may have adequate reason, good reason that is, beyond one having excessive amounts of spare time and intellectual resources, to spend time in "academic theology". And it's all exposed in Jude. That is earnestly contending for the faith, 'within' in the faith. In other words, disproving the false teachers among us who lose themselves, and the gospel, in deceptive,faulty academic reasoning. Don't forget, that while Jude starts out referring to ungodly people who have crept in, he finally moves on to the many otherwise godly men inside the church, who have all sorts of other personal agenda and biased teachings.

Jude makes it clear at the beginning of his letter that he is taking time out from the gospel, the message of salvation, to deal with other serious man-made house cleaning problems within the household of Christ.

Let me make it clear, for the sake of balance, that I humbly believe that I can take any academically based argument and shake it right back down to being resolved with only the Bible. The science(discipline) of Textual Criticism is very handy in helping to produce the best possible representation of the original manuscripts which we use, but the original text is still there with or without the specific science we used improve their organization. The message which is there handily pushes aside anything, such as a higher academic training, between us and God's revelation to us.

But just as I tell the Mennonites that we can't leave the Internet to the Lutherans or the Catholics, but instead are obliged to offer the plain gospel there; likewise, we can't leave the extensive tools of academia to be misused by the hucksters and word-spinners.

There are many who have gone to the underpinnings of man's wisdom, used the legitimate (and fun) tools of academic pursuit, have taken them, and have misused them to mislead others on behalf of their own agenda's and teachings, at Christ's great expense.

So yes, there are some inside of Christendom who have piled their own biased teachings so high with carefully crafted words and self-deceptive and tangled writings that it takes others trained in the academic arts to wade in and unpack them. Defuse them for the protection of others, and bring the gospel back to simply walking in faith and obedience from the bible, with an awe and respect for the love and the power of His Spirit which He freely gives to those who call on His name. And may their hearts be especially blessed for doing so. There is [a] degree of usefulness. But, going out to work each day as a workman, with capable spirit-filled hands and mind, as a highly trained bible-witness of God's knowledge and wisdom, and power, to a desperate world that couldn't care less about the academic God, is altogether apart from, even preeminent, and surely of a much broader usefulness, than trying to academically outwit each other toward our own complex and intellectually self-indulgent version of the gospel.

And on into the new calender year we go.

Pride

2010-11-25T12:22:00.000-08:00

Pride: Failing to recognize in all you do that, if it were not directly God Himself doing it, then, it was at least He who let you.

--T.S. not Elliot

Da Hunt!

2010-11-19T18:45:00.001-08:00

Diss is where last deer season, which was also the final year of an eight year long drought, I wood walk across da river to some public land that was very hard to get to any other way. There I would sit, pretty much all alone, not bothering anybody (for a change), and enjoy waiting for all the deer to come along. I thought I would do the same thing this year.

Diss year the water was way over da tops of my booots and sow I could no longer just walk across da river into hunterless paradise. So I taut, what do I have ta dooo, drop a tree across or get my canoe, er what? Well, I taut, why not walk up treem a liddle bit and maybe sumptin will come to me. And it did!

I looked up stream, and, whether it was intended as such or not, there was a nice big blessing from God. A tree, right across the river. Taaaaaaannnk yoo.

A nice big Balsam had fallen across the river sometime since last year and pretty toon I was scouting ta udder side of the river wid dry boots.

A little farther on at what was left of the base of the tree was a nice clean break (no saw marks).

It was kind of high up there to get on the thing but, IT WAS DRY. And that was nice.

After stomping off a few braches it became a veritable boardwalk.

And on the other side, looking back, it felt a little too good to be true (and very dry).

Through the brush and up the river bank and whoops. Just barely visible through the brush I could see a little glaze orange peeking through the thin harwood covering. You probably can't see it unless you zoom in. But that's o.k. because in order to avoid that hunter and his "blind", the deer will all be walking over to my side. Well that's how it's projected to go in theory anyway. But I will probably spend most of my time hunting down stream to the south and try not to bother him. I just can't sit in one place very long. To much to see, to many places to go.

There was an interesting specimen of a tree which had been struck by lightning. And that fella's stand was straight behind it only by about 20 yards.

And there was some "sign" around where that big critter I was hoping to trick into walking in front of me had scraped the velvet off of his antlers a couple months ago.

I'm still sort of pinching myself over such a nice tree across the river. What a day. Season opens tomorrow.

The End of Evolution or Just A Whole New Generation of Martians?

2010-11-11T09:48:00.000-08:00

With the gradual burning out of the Sun, and the Earth scheduled to slowly turn into an unimaginably cold ball of ice (an incomprehensibly long time from now, or between now and whatever time God ordains that to be); what does that do to the most widely accepted Evolutionary Model, "A process in which the whole universe is a progression of interrelated phenomena"? Part of what "progression" is traveling further and further away from everything out into the unknown? Seems to me the progression here on Earth just ended at about that time. And what do all of the "interrelated phenomena" become then? Everything Will be frozen and hurling through space. What an anticlimactic little scenario in store for this Earth. A fitting end? "How are all my family photos going to fare", I wonder?

All of the sudden explanations of origins and outcomes within the narrow context of Evolution become awfully inadequate.

"We are 'progressing', toward 'what' again... professor?"

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Oh, I get it! Part of our evolutionary paradigm includes a jump to the planet Mars, after the planet Earth begins to fail; presumably, to wait for someone from another galaxy to come along and rescue us from extinction as we hurl farther and farther out into a colder and colder and gradually darker and darker outer space?

So some of our descendants are going to be Martians?

Check out Mars here on Microsoft's World Wide Telescope

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By NICHOLAS K. GERANIOS, Associated Press Nicholas K. Geranios, Associated Press – Mon Nov 15, 4:12 am ET
PULLMAN, Wash. – Invoking the spirit of "Star Trek" in a scholarly article entitled "To Boldly Go," two scientists contend human travel to Mars could happen much more quickly and cheaply if the missions are made one-way. They argue that it would be little different from early settlers to North America, who left Europe with little expectation of return.

"The main point is to get Mars exploration moving," said Dirk Schulze-Makuch of Washington State University, who wrote the article in the latest "Journal of Cosmology" with Paul Davies of Arizona State University. The colleagues state — in one of 55 articles in the issue devoted to exploring Mars — that humans must begin colonizing another planet as a hedge against a catastrophe on Earth.

Mars is a six-month flight away, possesses surface gravity, an atmosphere, abundant water, carbon dioxide and essential minerals. They propose the missions start by sending two two-person teams, in separate ships, to Mars. More colonists and regular supply ships would follow.

A Promising Little Allegory Called, "The Parable of the Faithful Wordsmiths"

2010-11-10T06:22:00.000-08:00

-T S Not Elliot

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One day, just as He had foretold, God made His appearance again on this Earth. He reminded man where He'd been, why, and that, while He was planning to leave His Spirit here, He would soon be going away again for a while, and thus, would they please write down the things He was saying and make sure that they get shared in all places for everyone's edification while He's gone, and quite soon after that, He left.
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Many men went about seeing to it that His words were studiously written do,wn, praised and thanked Him for them and spread them faithfully across the whole orb just as He had spoken them, with His Spirit there seeing to it that no one would be missed.

Almost immediately, men began to feel that they could do a much better job at putting into their own words what the Lord had had them write down, to the point where, pretty soon other men began having to say, "Hey, wait a minute, what did you say He said???".

They could see how poorly the men had done who thought they could do a much better job at putting into their own words that which the Lord had had them write down, and so it wasn't long before they began going about showing that they could do a much better job at it themselves.

Pretty soon the problem grew much worse. More and more, and still more men were making the same mistake as the first by thinking they could do a much better job than the others at putting into their own words that which the Lord had had them write down.

More and more men began seeing the problem now and felt it important to gather together from far and wide to sit down with each other and prove, once and for all, who of them it was that "does the best job of all" at putting into his own words that which the Lord had once had them write down, when they came to the startling realization that, there was a much bigger problem here than they might ever have imagined: After enlisting the finest tools known to men, and the most brilliant men on the face of the orb, each of the men present, astonishingly, was able to prove that he alone was able to do the much better job than the next at putting into his own words that which the Lord had once had them write down; and, that every other man was indeed, doing it poorly.

Oh my! You can imagine the problem this caused as. . . the one to whom it appeared the other had gotten it backwards, to the other appeared to had gotten it inside out. The next, who thought the other to have turned it completely around, was himself, thought to have stood it altogether on its head. It was as if they had all gone slightly mad, one by one. Quite a sight...

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(to be cont. right here a.s.a.p.)

A Conversation on Divorce.

2010-11-02T13:49:00.000-07:00

I initiated a discussion over at the Full Contact Christianity blog, (poor them), as to whether or not the bible agrees with divorce for reasons other than premarital infidelity. Well, the discussion really implodes; there is no divorce the Lord approves of, it simply points to Him the fact that you messed it up all the more without Him. He forgives you but not without a re-tuning of your understanding of what marriage is (and sure, He may forgive you even if you remain in the dark). The discussion here really degenerates, as do so many blog discussions today; but the truths gleaned from it are precious. The ugliness with which this discussion ends, I think, emphasizes how badly emotion had overtaken sensibility in this issue.

I'm going to look at the beauty though the ugliness. I'm sorry, but at the end of the day this is what I do and how I think. My design for the activity in this blog is for it to be real. The good and the bad. Development of a whole picture; fully illuminated with no dark part. Being accountable.

This is "reality blogging" at it's most real. Insufficient time for it, insufficient training for it, but issues come up that need addressing. Things stand or fall on their own merit. Nobody gets a free pass based on their credentials. Man's wisdom gets tested against God's, and, sometimes it gets swept aside by God's larger truths.

In this case, some uncomplimentary things were published about how God views divorce. When you sift the New Testament down on divorce, it doesn't appear to be o.k. under any circumstances. So the facts deserve to be sifted through.

Was "Full Contact" made with the issue? It ends terribly ugly; but not before an important matter is settled. A matter which demanded correction, whether done perfectly of imperfectly; a matter that needs to be addressed regardless of the willingness or unwillingness of one to be corrected. The main 'uglines' is a fellows tendency to look for technicalities to rescue himself from not having answers.

This discussion is sort of a tame one as blogging goes. Sometimes men of low character show up and shine light on things for us. Someone must. I'll be the weak one. God uses the weak. The test here is whether we are going to focus more on style or substance. Sometimes maybe God needs to use men with a strategy to get through our tangled web of excuses and willingness not to listen. I'll be the one with the poor manners, but he will have to be the one with the faulty reasoning. Poor reasoning, in this instance, renders the institution of Christian marriage just a temporary formality; poor reasoning gives permission to a 'legitimate' exit from a marriage following an infidelity(and much less) in the place of reconciliation, forgiveness, and the process for maturation, hope. It replaces God's hope with our hope that the next marriage will be better; or the next. Reasoning that legitimizes Christians having the same divorce rate as Non-Christians as being the work of God..

In Nursing, it is taught that the important thing is the answer, not the means of obtaining it. And in the end, style is nice, but is nothing without substance. Good style can lead to a bad end. Good substance never will. God gives us clear and infallible substance to teach and help infuse into a marriage. When it appears to fail, it is our failure, not His. Marriage maintains it's potential for permanence without us.

-- Marriage is permanent and the Lord will never tell you divorce is a good end.

Christ will help y0u succeed; He will not help you fail. He is not an "enabler" to disobedience and defeat. But if you accept that you have failed without Him, He will be there after a divorce to help you pick up the pieces and go on.

But the real astonishing part of all of this; He will be there to empower us to endure a marriage that we may not be able to see how we can possibly endure by ourselves.

Now let us who are able, continue to expand on and teach that great truth. . . our own imperfections and all.

(So,) How far are those stars?

2010-10-23T20:36:00.000-07:00

Let me borrow a few paragraphs from a classic children's Christian magazine we get at our house called Nature's Friend, http://www.naturefriendmagazine.com/. I wonder how many of the Conservative Mennonites out there know this magazine has a website (the plain folks that is - women wear head covering, congregations shy away from the internet, no musical instruments, etc.)? I just realized myself that they have a website. While both I and the folks at the Conservative Mennonite Church I attend love each other with God's rich abundant love, and, love the internet, I'm the only one who uses it. Well, who admits to it anyway.

What a fine magazine though, and here is what they had to say on, "How Far Are Those Stars?" September, 2010 (Oh man. . . they are rrrrreally far.)

"It is difficult to comprehend the vast distances across space, but if we shrink everything down to a more manageable size, we can better realize the vast distances between Earth and the stars.

We'll start by making everything in the universe a billion times smaller. Now the Earth is a bout the size of a pinhead, about .05 inches across (which is a lot bigger than a pinhead by the way) or less than 1/16 of an inch across. At this scale, the Moon would be less than 1/64 inch in size and would be 1.5 inches away. The Sun being much farther away, would be about 49 feet in the distance and would be about 5 1/5 inches in diameter. The planet Jupiter would be about 255 feet away from the Earth, Pluto would lie at almost 2,000 feet.

Now we are ready to go to the nearest star. This is where we take a big jump. Proxima Centauri, the star nearest to us, would be 2,470 miles away. . . "

O.k., this is where I need to get off until I can process.

Genetics/Mother Nature/Voice Check

2010-10-09T18:36:00.000-07:00

Here are a few off-the-cuff remarks on a Sunday morning. (The server refused to put spaces between my paragraphs so I had to take matters into my own hands with a little star. Please bear with.)

We are learning how to make more and more things grow the way in which we would like them to; though, it is a bumpy road. Here is one strangely colored little red/green cherry tomato that showed up on the shelves the other day. Whoever made it however, did so at the expense of it's flavor. Thankfully we still have the old blueprint.
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Mother nature appears to have made man with the capacity to effect his environment and then turn on her and ultimately destroy it. Mother Nature, left to her own devices, can really mess up. Even science says that one day the world must come to an end. Science sure helps put into proper perspective what God confided to us already several thousand years ago.
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Isn't Mother Nature hard to define. My Anatomy and Physiology (A & P) professor refers to her once in a while for an answer to those really tough questions. The ones he can't answer. I am not going to rain on his parade and ask him to come up with a sensible scientific definition for Mother Nature. Oh, he would come up with one, but, isn't it interesting that it would not stand up to critical analysis. Because she (Mother Nature) has never spoken to nor has she made herself known to anyone (that we are aware of). She does not fit then as a very reliable source of truth. I like good scientific reasoning much better. However, I would guess it may not phase him much that Mother Nature may not exist at all. It doesn't phase many folks. And this life is usually too full of enough distractions and amusements, fascinations, and even hardship, to guarantee that most of us will never even have the time to be bothered by that thought that, nature may not be our mother at all. But the idea of Mother Nature as being some ultimate source of power has nonetheless surely condemned many of us to a life of partial answers. Mother Nature is simply the natural system of things created by, and to be used by, it's creator. Very insignificant and even self-destructive when left to itself.
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For instance, we like our science of Genetics and suppose that it will give us the insight needed to answer the tough questions on the origins and workings of this world. Yet, it's hard to admit to the fact that the more we discover about it, the more there is to it than we 'can know'. We never will get outside of our universe, and if there were a "Big Bang", then, what did explode, and, where did that originate from? Most everything we believe which holds the 'real clues' as to what really constitutes matter, is just too infinitesimally small to see (neutrinos for one). We will never actually see nor explain spiritual matter, and, can surmise that it gets even much smaller than that(spiritual particles that is ), and so, we really can't claim to know much about anything.

Nonetheless, there are those who feast on 'what we can know' as though they are on the trail of some tenable 'final answer'. But, that final answer which they seek is finally unknowable. We can know that very fact both through scientific logic, and through the logic of God's Spirit, which, thanks to Him, He has been revealing to us since the beginning of this world.

That is not to discount the beauty, the vastness, and the worth, of 'what we can know' in this world; trying to search and to know everything we can find out in this world. It's real accessibility is just in ones approach. Since we 'can' know that God was on the earth in Jesus revealing Himself to us, then it only stands to reason that we go with what we know for sure, and look in His direction for any meaningful answers to the tough questions.

Yes, the only way we will know the answers to the tough question is to seek answers from the Creator Himself. Everything has a Creator. Man, who can in a unique and limited sense himself, 'create', did not just rise from the dust haphazardly. So, with 'man', the quasi-creator, who in some people's imaginations might be capable of knowing, in time, nearly everything; why would there then not be a larger 'being' responsible for all of creation who has attributes similar to man's only vastly greater?

The existence of that Creator is self-evident in this world. And like any Creator would do, He has made His existence known to His creation. While we are down here wondering what the big answers are, He is up there, with exclusive ownership of them; having shown Himself to us, and proven to us that the search for the answers need go no further than Him. So ours is the next move. Got to see Him for the answers.

Answers freely offered. The Spirit of Truth. Jesus did not just make that up.

God Himself, the irrefutable one, while coming to the world in the flesh, and proving to us that He is who He says He is, both told us, and showed us, that His ways are indeed higher than our ways, that He's got the final answers, and that, 'that', is where they are going to stay until we make it all the way back to Him. He 'has' shown us that He alone possesses the answers, and, He, 'has' told us where we can find Him.

-"Then you'll know that I, the Lord, have spoken and done it, said the Lord."(NASB)

We recognize that there are spiritual things in this world, spiritual matter; and thus, spiritual logic. Science has now recognized that there is a type of invisible energy that passes right through the earth. Spiritual-like things have now gained a different place in the 'world scientific conversation', and the Lord has therby 'upped' the pressure a little bit on men to know that He is God.

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Well, I did re-sing these two hymns during the last couple of days. My voice is still no violin. I was fortunate enough to get an A & P test out of the way (50/53, yes!) and have a few hours to see how the voice was progressing. Plus, the singing on these two hymns was pretty bad. Now it's only bad.

But, the voice is coming along. I have no idea if it will ever come around far enough. It's the only voice I have. It shows a little promise here and there. But anyone who knows me knows how stubborn I am and I've got another good ten years or so to keep at it. I've thought of having some muscles grafted from my biceps to the voice box. If not, then I would love to find someone else to sing on these piano pieces (even if). I had to redo each line in these tunes 30-40 times before I could get a take where my voice did not crack or jump around on me. But it's simply a conditioning thing and I have many hours of driving in my average work day during which to practice.

And the piano playing I miss. There's been no time for that for the last year or so. I will get back to that and will just have to fake it in the meantime. It does seem to stick with me well.

I Sing the Mighty Power of God
(With this tune I'm just trying to make the vocal presentable until I can redo the music - and if you feel adventurous you can check out the music that just recently has started to play when you open up the Home Page of my website at http://www.toddsaunders.us/ . There you will find a 'little too-speedy' new upstart recording of this tune.

He Hideth My Soul
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This music needs much more time than I'm able to give it. But here it is anyway. I'll be into nursing in a few years and then maybe things will settle down and I can get to it more. Take it up another level. If not, then perhaps it will just be a little time well spent. I do sort of have my eye on a nursing job at the Catholic hospital in Merrill which has a nice big baby grand piano in their foyer!

Probably more to add but this will have to do for now.

6 Hardboiled eggs a day: Culinary dream come true or coronary nightmare?

2010-10-07T19:44:00.000-07:00

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Experiment time:

Question: Affect on arterial cholesterol level after eating approximately 6 hardboiled eggs a day for one year?

Supplies:

1) 6 Eggs (farm-grown) varying in size and shape from, freakishly large(XXXL - can't even get whole thing in mouth at one time), to, very small(barely a mouth full - may just as well have two at a time).

Beginning with a couple in the morning, topped with one large dab of Miracle Whip (sometimes also a squirt of mustard or honey, maybe horseradish. . .), and then the rest throughout the day.

2) One large Corel cereal bowl 3/4 full of raw oatmeal, raw cow's milk topped with 1 & 1/2 tablespoons of evaporated cane sugar.

Hypotheses:

Yummy! Wow.

Prediction:

1) Energy level high.

2) Feel good.

3) Protein very good.

4) Only slightly high cholesterol level at the present is predicted to stay about the same (hope I'm right?).

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Duration of experiment is subject to findings of new cautionary information during Microbiology course next semester.

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Eventually, it does have to get there.

2010-09-21T06:38:00.000-07:00

All of the posts in this blog tend to be amended and upgraded during the weeks following their original appearance. For some reason they always abundantly present room for improvement and clarification when I reread them a week or two later. This blog is intended to be a place of mine for the solid and constructive considering of important spiritual issues. Not a place where I am showing how others are not sorting out spiritual things correctly, but rather a place where I present how to, in part, actually 'do it' correctly. To present a workable, God honoring way of 'viewing', and then 'doing' things.

And while not being able to get it said 'quite all the way' the first time, every time, it is important that it does eventually get there.

And thus, provide not just a bunch of interesting chatter for the moment, but, an interesting and useful, and yes, slow in coming, longterm record of this little spot in the world. Something becoming more useful as it gets bigger. Something, miraculously, basically sound, which lends itself from that point to be built upon.

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A Sidenote: Is it any mystery how Facebook burns precious time and leaves a person with very little of anything? The internet is an "by-itself-not-sufficient electronic reality" we roam in these days. We must take care to use it wisely.

On Dressmaking

2010-09-17T06:51:00.001-07:00

The ladies from church hadn't had time to make her a new dress for the first day of school. Of course, with an average of 8.5 children per family, they're time-strapped!

So it was a good excuse to follow through and do something I'd been meaning to do for a while now. And I'd gotten the pattern several years ago, bought a sewing machine, even made half a dress. But she'd outgrown the patterrn so I tore apart a badly stained dress she already had and just traced it bigger.

As it was going to be made by Dad - and not a female - she had said she "might" wear it on the first day, but probably the second. She was also very justifiably suspicious of what it might look like. . . and so was I.

But the Lord was good. He'd given me patience and the ability to learn to work with my hands and it worked out better than would otherwise have been possible.

This is the third time this week, the second week of school, that she's going to wear the dress that Dad made for her to wear on the first day of school.

Now, as you can see, I have some catching up on houseword to do.

On the Liberty to Sin.

2010-09-10T07:21:00.000-07:00

Of course, as we all know, the perfect Law of Liberty does not free us "to do", but frees us from "having to do". We have our own free will, "to do" as we will, but much of the time it will get us into trouble. And particularly with the Lord.

Christians can and still do sin, nonetheless, and . . . God forbids it. Therefore, it gets a Christian in trouble with the Lord. Since God has given us knowledge aplenty to know what sin is and how and why to avoid it. And the power - His power - to pull that off. And so we don't consciously persist in what we know to be sin.

We also know that anywhere the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. Those in whom the Spirit of the Lord does not abide are the only ones who will practice sin, because, the Lord told us so in 1 John 3:9. "No one who is born of God practices sin, because the seed of God abides in him". Where the seed of God is there is no sin. Where the Lord is, there is no sin. Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is no sin. And apart from the Spirit of the Lord, there 'is' sin, and there is also then no liberty. No liberty in sin. The person who willfully goes on sinning will separate himself from the Lord. And, apart from the Lord he can expect no liberty.

I think the following statement gives us insight as well.

Romans 11:22
"Behold then the kindness and severity of God ; to those who fell, severity, but to you, God's kindness, if you continue in His kindness ; otherwise you also will be cut off."

God's kindness is almost incomprehensible. He simply wants us to look and see that Jesus' visit to this earth was His clear and sensible way of paving the way for us back to Himself. To be His grateful sons, in His gracious kingdom. He simply wants us to desire it, Him and His kingdom. Not desire it merely in order to save our own lives (He does know our motives), because he that would seek to save his life will lose it, but, to desire it after beholding Him, and His unique love for us whom He has created. Created by Him to have a love for Him such as He has for us. He has shown us that He is a loving Creator, and one who, very understandably, does not appreciate 'not' having His great love for us reciprocated.

His liberty is conditioned upon our love for Him. For upon seeing His love and what He has done for us we are helpless to do anything other than to love Him back. Outside of that love, and the love for that Spirit of His, and the loathing of those things which He finds loathesome (that is, not lovable but despicable), namely, willful sin, there is no liberty.

Don't do it. Don't try to use the gracious law of liberty as an excuse to sin so that God's grace may abound. Because it says, "God forbid". It says if the seed of the Lord abides in you then you will not tolerate nor want to indulge in anything that resembles sin. Things profane, angry, impatient, arrogant, lawless, selfish, and so on.

Just be assured that, if you love the Spirit of the Lord, and if He knows it (and He knows your heart better than you do), then there is nothing more that you "have to do" than to go forward and enjoy His liberty and the freedom in that liberty. It's freedom(release) from the power of sin. It's the aquired power over sinning itself. And it's in the Spirit of the Lord.

Hymn: My Jesus I Love Thee

2010-08-24T16:12:00.000-07:00

I've enjoyed playing around on this one for a long time. I finally got a few extra moments to get it recorded. Hope you like it.

My Jesus, I Love Thee

But for now, I better go and study my Anatomy and Physiology.

2010-07-28T19:39:00.000-07:00

I got a tremendous deal on these two horses. The one on the left is a 'Morab' (his breeding is Morgan and Arabian), named Dante. He is either a genius, or he's retarded. I'll have to train him. He is 7 years old and should have been trained long ago. He's very hyper-active but intelligent. Handling as many different horses as I do daily I have come to be able to spot intelligence, versus just shear, raw nervous energy. He appears to have given up the later. Or else he's an injury just waiting to happen. We'll see. His brother next to him (and below), is a very sure-footed, powerful and smart horse, also a 'Morab', whose name is now Cappucino. Very well broke and appreciates people. I got them and one other for a song; the other I had to give to a friend who had once given me a very good horse.

I passed the pre-entrance exam for the nursing program at Nicolet College two weeks ago with a nice, confidence building percentile so I'm off and getting a head start on Anatomy and Physiology for the next semester as well as back to studying German; gardening, butchering chickens again, starting to process firewood, and by far and foremost, continuing to pour over and marvel at the things God revealed to us concerning His administration of things here on earth, ages past, and ages to come.

* * * * * *

Summers around our place - a particularly intense time for the very physically demanding vocation of horseshoeing - is punctuated with our birthdays and much gorging on DQ ice cream cake, enjoying the flowers in full bloom, and beating those hot summer evening in the house by putting on our fins and masks/snorkels and paddling our kickboards out into the middle of the lake and watching the sun disappear off the tops of the tall clouds.

The seasoning process is going very well! It takes time, hard work in this life to season, ripen. It's not an easy thing with all of the distractions in this world to become built up together with Him - and others - who have seen, rejoice in His presence, and set their eyes on things from above.

A Conversation on Divorce/Remarriage/Adultery.

2010-06-24T20:41:00.000-07:00

Here's one I've been waiting to get at.

I stumbled upon John Howard Yoder. Lately, the past year or so, I've come across a lot of interesting and diverse perspectives on divorce and remarriage. John Howard Yoder gives us some very useful footing from which to start to seek understanding on the subject of divorce and remarriage, along biblical lines.

Here is his website at the University of Notre Dame -- you will notice that he's been dead for a few years -- and here is his article that I'll be using to get the ball rolling(if the link does not work then go most of the way down the page to Marriage, Divorce and Sexuality, and click on "One flesh Until Death...). It's a very useful piece of insight into what the Bible says about divorce/remarriage/adultery. An exciting topic.

I will also bring in at least two passages that he does not, which will be John 8, the woman caught in the very act of adultery, and the woman at the well in John 4.

We've gotten to the point that most of us accept divorce and remarriage, but do we know why? And how? My goal here is to broaden perspective, and stimulate thought.

I will get to it in the time to come, but first, I have to pass an entrance exam by 10 days, put out by the National League For Nursing, in order to get into a pretty good nursing program. And then, if I flunk it, I'll have to wait another 6 months before I can retake it; and if I pass it, I'm going to be that much closer to being an RN. And then, with roughly 10 more online courses, I'm told that I can have my bachelors in nursing, after which I will go on through some Seminary or the other and get my license to preach.

But first things first.

Read ahead and get some footing for a discussion (...perhaps just a monologue) on divorce, remarriage and adultery.

Probably not a favorite subject.

What Part About "The Fear of God" Don't I Understand?

2010-06-14T12:20:00.000-07:00

Well, none of it. I don't get any of it.

Why not? It says to fear the Lord in the New Testament, plain as day, several times.

I just don't get it.

Primarily because something greater than fear is here.

God's new covenant does not explain to us how or why to fear the Lord. And it does tell us why 'not' to fear Him. More inconsistencies? Contradictions?

It does at times reiterate the fear that the nation of Israel was governed by. But then Christ came with the gift of grace. Deliverance by His own sacrifice in return for faith. An assurance apart from the Law. And apart from ethnicity or nationality.

The same way James telling us that 'faith without works is dead' - and presumably then so are you if your faith isn't accompanied by the requisite works - does not mean that it takes faith plus works to equal salvation. Algebra comes to our rescue. We are saved to God through faith. (Did you know that several mainstream branches of theology can be disproved through simple algebra?)

Let's divide the word(fear) rightly. There are at least two different Greek words translated as "fear" in our biblical manuscripts. Probably more. Doesn't matter. Let them all mean 'fear'. Being afraid.

But now, something greater than fear is here. It's the grace of God. The free gift of lovingkindness in exchange for desiring God. Not desiring eternal life only, for he who seeks to save his own life will lose it, but for desiring God. Loving Him for what He has done and why.

And 'love' castes out 'fear'.

In Ephesians 4, Paul gets on his knees before the Father and prays that we understand this. In his words, that we 'comprehend' and 'know' this. The depth of Christ's love with which He is calling us back to Him. Being rooted and grounded in love. This is where the power is. God's power toward us that resides in our inner man. His Spirit. And it's not the Spirit of fear. It's His amazing grace which has it's beginnings in His amazing love.

The spirit of fear is something that dates back to before each of our personal conversions. We are told to have a memory of it. When we were sons of disobedience. Before we heard and believed God. Before we knew and comprehended the gospel. What part of the gospel? Simply that God has visited us in Jesus and wants our attention.

What is left of fear as a believer. Either love castes it out or it does not.

Is what we are to fear now actually ourselves 'falling back into unbelief'? Not absolutely. Perhaps, if that's the way we feel, then it is ourselves we should fear? Not God. Then, if that is what happens, it seems there would then have to be a falling 'out' of love, and then a falling back 'into' fear. Wouldn't it? It should. But can you have both at the same time? Can the two exist together? Surely, in the nation of Israel it did, but they did not have Christ?

And there's much more to be said. But fortunately no hurry. My clothes are done. I'm at the laundry. Thank you Lord for Wi-fi and a little extra money to be able to afford a laptop. I discovered what Wi-fi is at the laundromat and then two hours later I owned a laptop. Well actually my credit card company owns it. Yikes.

Agate and Bond Falls, UP Michigan

2010-06-05T21:11:00.000-07:00

We like da water der.

And then I was worried something like a log was going to come over the falls and land on my head so I panicked and got out.

Simplicity

2010-05-24T06:43:00.000-07:00

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Any intelligent fool can make things bigger, more complex, and more violent.
It takes a touch of genius - and a lot of courage - to move in the opposite direction.
(Albert Einstein)

Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.
(Leonardo da Vinci)
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This 5 Billion Year Old Biblical Planet of Ours.

2010-04-10T13:59:00.000-07:00

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The Bible seems to, indeed, teach a five billion year old earth.

Here is one I've been intending to tackle for quite a while. It's nothing less than a way of looking at the Genesis account of the beginning of the present heavens and earth in such a way that everything fits. That is a claim that no other theory can really make.

Genesis 1:7 God made the expanse, and separated the waters which were below the expanse from the waters which were above the expanse ; and it was so. 8 God called the expanse heaven. And there was evening and there was morning, a second day. 9 Then God said, "Let the waters below the heavens be gathered into one place, and let the dry land appear "; and it was so. 10 God called the dry land earth, and the gathering of the waters He called seas ; and God saw that it was good.

The above states that the heaven and the earth were made out of something that was already here.

We look around us at a 5 billion year old Earth --give or take a few billion. Does science fail us Christians by contradicting the very word of God? Or is the earth indeed billions of years old? Or is science just wrong? And if so, then why do we teach science to our children in our Christian schools? Do our very eyes and ears deceive us and is God just intentionally presenting us with an illusion -- a contradiction? No. And on top of that, God forbid!

Proverbs 20:12, "The hearing ear and the seeing eye, The LORD has made both of them"

Is this some sort of trick then that the Lord has played on us, by giving us a few billion year old looking earth, and then asking us to believe otherwise? No. The two -- God's account and science's confirmation of it -- conform to one another. He's simply asking us to rise to the occasion of showing, and teaching, that He created a whole new world, just as Genesis says it. And in ways that we can't fathom, just record.

Many evolutionists overstep and take off into unfounded speculation that it was a gradual process, and not out of well founded science. Science cannot explain what happened 6-10 thousand years ago, all it can do is document it. Let's not blame science! Let's applaud science! The dismissal of the Lord's account of creation by the hyper-evolutionists is easily countervailed by the fact that the Lord came to earth 2000 years ago, in the flesh, and affirmed the Genesis account of the beginning of this creation, putting to rest all other fallacies.

Oh, it may not be as poetic as some would like.

Can it be any other way? Where are all of those things closest to the surface of the ground that should explain how we progressed from an animal like man who could not write, and had no language, to the sudden appearance of complex and distinct language families? From nothing much to all of the sudden, several elaborate and complex civilizations? Where is the link from one to the next? From the animal-like prehistoric man of 9-10 thousand years ago to modern man? It should be staring us in the face just below the surface of the ground; that is, the rest of the pieces that explain the sudden new birth of life! A whole new and different creation than existed just before! But it's not. And the claims of Hyper-Evolution require that some explanation be therre. But it is not. How can that be?

As God would have it, Jesus(God) came to earth and confirmed the Genesis account in God's hitherto revelation to the world. Just before He then confirmed that He did not die, by appearing to many after his exdecution. And His plain and irrefutable existence in the very being of those who call on Him.

'Evolution' is a part of the biblical record.

You know, the way men of old, like Abraham(175 years), and the whole well documented line of men before him who lived for hundreds and hundreds of years, are so much different in life span than those of generations that come after them. That change in lifespan satisfies the following definition of evolution: The Process By Which Species Change Across Generations? Because it is true, they did. And still do. Then why does it seem so awkward that Evolution, and God's program for the planet, could exist in present day harmony?

Aren't we breeding people today who are vastly different in their biological make-up than people of only a few generations ago? Are there not genetic aberrations that are always creeping in to the human genome, and other genomes? Haven't we found now that we can sort of evolve ourselves by manipulating the genome? Are not ever adapting bacteria constantly growing resistant to antibiotics before our very eyes? Evolving before our very eyes? To name a few off the top of my scientifically untrained mind.

Recent studies of Mars reveal the presence sometime in the past of running fluid, possibly water. Doesn't this show that the placement of Mars to the Sun is dramatically different than it was at another time? Isn't that God placing and even rearranging the planets in the heavens as He sees fit?

Doesn't everything we see and hear lead us to believe God's Genesis account of creation?

As Christians, don't we have before us, arguably, both a several billion year old planet, and, six thousand year old race of mankind? Something happened give or take six thousand years ago where everything changed and an entirely new creation came into existence.

It's right there in every one's science books. The manlike creatures before the new creation were no more than animals capable of nothing that would distinguish them any differently from an animal today. No agriculture. No language. No writing. Nothing beyond what today we would refer to as high animal behavior.

God arrived, just as He had planned from the beginning of time, hovered over the face of the waters, and began to further exact His plan for a dwelling place for His children. He gathered the dry land and the water into it's present arrangement and named the upper expanse "heaven", and the dry land, he called "earth". He says He did. He created the heaven and the earth. He also created an entire new arrangement in the universe. He created new flora, new fauna. New everything! Everything changed! And most astonishingly, He created a whole new man and a new woman according to His own image who until then had not existed. His renewed presence and His predestined plan now forming a whole new creation at their appointed time!

The very trustworthy theory of Evolution, how living things in this world are able to exercise their will, has been misused to speculate about the origins of modern man in ways that don't stand up to full scientific evaluation. That is a part of the science of Evolution that is a quasi-science. Not suported by science. Or supported by bad science. Science itself keeps those secondary, poorly founded evolutionary claims, from being stated as fact. Keeps them in the category of a para-science. Thus, Evolution can quite effectively be kept in it's place with good science. Just as the Lord has designed.

Well, praise and thank the Lord again and again for His appearing, yet, not in His absence, but, in the presence of His living Spirit, here, and now, with which He claims, seals and lavishes on those who take note of Him, and His amazing plan, expected now from the beginning of time, and brought to us once at the consummation of the ages through the appearing of Himself in the flesh.

Beautifully, astonishingly and wondrously done.

Thank you Lord.

There

2010-03-15T09:01:00.000-07:00

_________Guess who these guys are.

Last Night I Talked to a Man.

2010-03-03T16:47:00.000-08:00

Last night I talked to a man who said he's been waiting his whole life for me to call. He had one simple question, the answer to which everyone around him knew but would not tell him. A question not many of us have. Why did he not have the name of his father on his birth certificate? The name all of his brothers and sisters had? Who was his father?

When I told him who I was he didn't know how he could ever even thank me enough. That he's been waiting his whole life to hear someone tell him the truth in this regard.

We're brothers.

Can a man have a half brother? I can't. Did the sons of Jacob, the nation of Israel, consider themselves half brothers? They came from a total of four different mothers. The Lord's own family from which He said all the nations of the world would be blessed. Did the Lord refer to them as half brothers? No, He did not. Did they refer to themselves as half brothers? No. Either a man is a brother or he's not. This guy is my younger brother; whether I like it or not. He's a gift. And, on top of that, he's a very neat guy. What a blessing the Lord has delivered to both of us.

Does he have any idea of the initiating I have stored up for a younger brother?

I talked to him for three hours last night. I'll meet him, finally, this Saturday. He's coming right up from downstate.

Hey, How About That . . a Half Brother.(Let me put that a little differently)

2010-03-02T12:48:00.000-08:00

So I just found my half brother. To the best of my knowledge, my only half brother.

What does that mean?

I'm not sure what that means to me. I've always had a brother. A sister. I know who my father is, always have, and I even grew up with him; all the way until I was 13. I don't think it ever even dawned on him, when the time came that he had to go, to have a regular visitation schedule with me once he left. I know it didn't to me. I was only puzzled as to why my mother hadn't asked him to go sooner. The marriage just never did work. I wrote him a letter soon after he left asking him not to go, stand up to mom, not to give up on the family. But he wrote back and said that my mother's mind was made up, and that it was probably for the better. I silently agreed with him, but, poooofff!!!, there went the family. I wanted to have it both ways.

I thought it was a no-brainer; the family had been dead in the water for years; I thought this was just meant to be. There was even a sense of relief. I just didn't want to let anybody off the hook! What do you mean failure? Come here Dad, I thought, . . . you're a Dad. . . don't you know that there is no room in my vocabulary for a failed Dad of mine?

Our Pastor counseled my mother and father that he could not see any point in their staying together. One would hope a Pastor would put up a little more of a fight than that. But it was over. And to me it was none too soon. But yet, perhaps a little bit too...

But there was something I didn't know; that my Dad had had an infidelity with his cousins wife, which had resulted in the birth of a baby boy. My mother got the hospital bill in the mail from the boy's mother the following year.

I guess I'm glad not knowing how I would have handled that bit of information at that time in my life.

So a divorce ensued and my Dad went on to achieve, by any gracious standard, even lesser things in life. But he tried to stay close to the family for a while and deserves credit for doing the best that he was able.

But back to the boy, Robert, who is no longer a boy but a young man in his mid forties.

I found out about him 3-4 years ago in a conversation with my mother. I was immediately upended by the thought that, "What if he were wondering who I was?". I certainly did wonder about him.

Last week there was the death of his uncle, my second cousin. Through a series of unlikely events the announcement of that fact wound up in my email box. I googled the obituary and found all the names and locations of the people I'd been unable to locate the past year. Two phone calls and one email later and I connected up with an Uncle Bill who was glad to help by contacting Robert's mother and locating Robert.

So what does this mean? To him?

Am I sort of an unsolicited nusaince?

Do I need this? I'm 50 years old. Is it not a little late to find out about a half sibling?

Does it even matter to him?

It would to me.

So. . .

Does he know who his father is?

I assume he does.

Has he met him? I'll just figure he has.

If the young man has met his father(my father), then I know what the young man went away from that meeting with, and I know it wasn't much. I know the father did not need or even know what to do with another son. I know that. And I'll assume the son has accepted that and has dealt with it. And that's what brings us here to this intriguing question.

What does it mean now? That is, what would it mean if . . . "I were in his shoes"?

Let's face it. . . some people are not introspective; and if you're not really sure what I mean when I say that, or even question whether or not you even need to be introspective, then you are probably not.

It means that if I were in his shoes then, would I appreciate knowing that there is still a healthy natural family instinct in some who want to reach out and make sure that their own are o.k.; because it is healthy, and it is good, and you've got to because no one else will.

It means if there are some blanks he still needs filled in about the rest of his chemistry, his genetics, his lineage, his kin, that, I've got some of the answers he has to have.

It means, if he needs it, he's got an open book about his natural father.

And that's important. It means if he has a curiosity about these things he has somewhere to take it.

If it were me, that would be a big one folks. A real big one.

And, all I need to know now is that he's o.k.; wherever this world has taken him.

And then I can be o.k.

But not until I know.

So. . . I will now find out.

I Sing Mighty Power of God (. . . Or Do I ?)

2010-02-16T19:37:00.000-08:00

_____________________________________________

Well, here it is again. I Sing the Mighty Power of God. I did re-sing this one this week. I had a few extra hours this week and well. . . , I have been working on my voice. I did a little experimenting with it as well. I'll continue to go somewhere with it.

The instrumentation is the same as it was when I first recorded it three years ago. It was my first attempt with my bedroom based 8-track, "studio-in-a box" recorder, and I have about a day and a half into it. I naively recorded this one in such a way as the only thing I can change is the vocal.

So I'll just go on now and re-record this one instrumentally this summer -- Lord willing. I thoroughly enjoyed recording this hymn and there are some real fun things about it that I am going to enjoy developing, but it requires time, and that is something I really don't have much of right now. But then. . . there's all eternity. I Hope you find something encouraging in it all.

And then of course, stay assured(or perplexed), I will continue trying to do something with my voice. Even someone else singing would be nice.
_____________________________________________

And How Could He Know This?

2010-02-16T07:55:00.000-08:00

_______________________________________________

Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900) - philosopher
"The person lives most beautifully who does not reflect upon existence"
_______________________________________________

As the old joke goes. Nieitzsche said that, "To do is to be!"; Aristotle said, "to be is to do!", and then of course Sinatra said, "It's Do-be-do-be-dooo...". And Sinatra was probably the closest.

But I would say a person lives most beautifully who reflects mightily on existence yet is careful not to obsess upon it too much.

One can very easily wind up like this great philosopher Nietzsche, perplexed, and befuddled as to the meaning of anything. Well, apart from his terrible mental breakdown later in life.

We take care of how and where and from whom we draw our wisdom.

God appeared such as He had been telling men for a long time that He would, in fact appearing to them from the beginning of recorded time, and then He absolutely astonished the world through His last visit and the things He revealed to us.

And then He gave us a lasting gift as He sent forth His Spirit into the very minds and bodies of all who would look and answer His simple call to come, to see, and know, that it is true, that it is He, and He wants them back.

He's joined Himself to those who call on His name. Those who can tear their hearts and minds away from the pleasures of the world long enough to see. . . 'it's Maker', and His more beautiful plan.

Ohhh. . . ------------------that beautiful tearing sound!

A Handy Thing for Those of Us Without the Gift of Tongues

2010-01-16T20:49:00.000-08:00

____________

Vielen Dank an der Herr, unser Gott aus allen von uns.

Just click here, plug it in the box and set it to translate from German to English.

____________

I had a blessing today...

2010-01-14T12:50:00.000-08:00

A light green egg. Or is it blueish? I think the chicken is starting to decide what color her eggs are going to be. I think green. From an Arcana chicken. They tend to lay eggs of that color. This is the first one. A Robin's egg is much brighter but less of a meal than this one.

I decided yesterday to learn German. Deutsch. I had a year of it high school. As well as a year of Spanish. I walked up to a man and said "No schpreckenzie Deutsch". But rather than feeling satisfied in knowing how to clearly communicate that fact to him - as I had intended - instead I felt very stupid. And rightfully so.

I could be very useful as an interpreter and a teacher to plain church people - of the Anabaptist variety - here and over there. And they do need help. We all do. That fact not diminished. . ., they really need help. It won't be my help but just me assisting in the Lord's work, since He has privileged us all to serve Him and each other through Himself. And there is possibly no greater joy here on earth.

The Developmental Psychology reading assignments for my first college class have been very interesting. Like theological theories psychological theories are organized, coherent sets of specific information that helps us understand, explain and make predictions. By definition they are neither right or wrong. Don't let the foundation of your knowledge 'of', and 'in' the Lord, be based on a theory.

Of course, Jesus said He is telling us these things that so when they came to pass. . . we would know that He is the One whom He said He is.

And I just misquoted scripture didn't I? Or did I?

Actually He says "then you will 'believe' that I am He".

But He means that you will "know". And that is 'why' we know; and that is 'why' we believe!

I'm using TellMeMore German language training software. $300.00, that my credit card seems to believe I have - and, I suspect I may - and, it will be here in two days.

I'm terribly excited.

It's all just a bunch of terribly hard work ahead, but. . . , work in the Lord is Spiritual rest.

Wish me a ton of hard work.

Joao Paulo Lins e Silva vs. the boy(well, alright...I did send him one more, after, as it turns out, he'd already decided to release the boy).

2009-12-22T19:07:00.000-08:00

____________

Sent 12/22/2009

____________
Re: the boy
____________

Joao,

You file yet more appeals while the chief justice of your nation's Supreme Court has already made his legal opinion known.

I hope I can soon find a way to lose interest in lecturing you.

The massive damage is done. A criminal abduction is now winding down. The damage to the boy and his father is almost over. The damage to you is only beginning.

Why? You -- you work everyday in the court system there. You knew the boys father would eventually prevail according to the rule of law. The rule of law is there to protect the boy -- from you Joao.

And now your daughter, your poor daughter. Do you realize what kind of job you have ahead of you raising her? Not some other woman raising her Joao, but you. And imagine what she will think someday when she considers what it would be like to have had a father like David Goldman?

You don't really matter to anyone Joao. You're wholly replaceable. The law firm, your friends, your family, could easily go on without you. You would be for a while an inconvenient memory. You don't matter to anyone Joao -- except your daughter. And to her you are everything. So get after it with her.

Some Good News Concerning The Previous Two Posts

2009-12-22T18:33:00.000-08:00

____________

Brazil's chief justice rules for US dad in custody battle.

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João Paulo Lins e Silva vs. the boy

2009-12-21T07:11:00.000-08:00

____________

Sent 12-21-2009

____________
re: the boy
____________

Joao-

Are you sure the boy is going to testify in your favor?

If he does, and then ultimately realizes that he has betrayed himself and his father, Joao, it will be over between he and you.

I believe the boy is starting to understand even now Joao.

Will the boy really go before the judge and betray himself and his father?

Are you sure you understood what I meant when I said, "The boy, as he grows older, will ultimately have wanted to exercise his right to have his natural father"?

He will look back at this, Joao, and he will see what he's done. And he will see that he was acting on your behalf and not his own. He will see that the information he needed to make the right decision for himself was withheld from him.

The boy will eventually be reunited with his father. Will it be when he grows up? Then it will not be too late for him, but, it will, at that time, be too late for you. He will understand then what you have done to him. You will have asked him to chose between his father and you, yes, after first working to assasinate the man both literally and in the boys own mind. Eliminate the boys most prized possession. His father. What were you thinking?

Be careful Joao. There is an old saying that might be brought to bare here in order to help you understand your situation. It would be as follows: "If you want to keep the boy, then, let him go free". Otherwise, soon, in the eyes of the boy, it will be too late for you.

Are you the only one who does not understand this?

Return the boy. Apologize to the father for what you did four years ago during a lapse into poor judgement. Admit that you did wrong by not returning him to his father immediately, admit it to yourself, forgive yourself, accept the father's forgiveness, and continue on in a relationship under the boy's good graces. The boy will understand that.

May you seek the Lord's will in this matter,

Todd S.

If you elect to ignore and perhaps block any of this or any subsequent correspondences from me, then, please, if you are still the least bit curious about what I might be saying, feel free to check with any of your friends or family, or any of your associates, as they will be recieving same. And even anyone associated with them Joao. Thank you for your time.

...and welcome to the Information Age.

In A "Brave New" Electronic World

2009-12-18T06:46:00.000-08:00

I was reading the news yesterday and came across this report.

So I found the ex-step-father on the web, who seems to be a very influential family court lawyer in Brazil, and I wrote him this email:

______________

Re: the boy

"You've got a very important decision to make.

The boy will ultimately have wanted to exercise his right to have his natural father.

Nor does this child belong to it's grandparents.

If you desire to do the honorable thing by the boy then return the boy to his father and visit him occassionally. Not everyone would have the financial means to do that. But you do. I'm guessing that this boys father would be more than happy to accomodate your and the boy's friendship. As well as your mother-in-law.

Consider yourself fortunate if you never have a child abducted. I can tell you this with great assuredness, yet, I was fortunate enough to get mine back. May you never feel what this boy's father has felt.

Be careful, this boy needs you to do the right thing.

The Lord's peace to you.

Todd
www.toddsaunders.us"

One does what one can.

One does what one has to.

Writing

2009-12-13T08:40:00.001-08:00

Shall I learn to write? I should better say so. And it would be about time.

If I'm going to start back to school in January for nursing, learn again the algebra, geometry, physics and etc. plus, alas, nursing, then why not learn how to effectively put my thoughts down in print while I'm at it. Maybe I'll find out, finally, that I have nothing to say? That would be a burden lifted.

And so I will.

Wow. I've found the neatest website that makes learning to write so easy for me to understand. It's right here. Capital Commuity College Foundation.

I can't tell you how many times I've gone back to my second from last blog entry and was aghast at my inability to get the grammar right - even the thoughts right - ; re-writing it and re-writing it. Running on and on, never knowing how to punctuate, arrange or defragmentize. What an opportunity this will be. By learning to write I can finally clear my mind of all this rubbish that I feel I have to put in order, knowing how better to use 'what' or 'which' or 'this' or 'that'.

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

2009-11-21T09:12:00.000-08:00

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 [follow-up]

2009-11-21T08:02:00.000-08:00

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 already know the instructions and actually go on and 'commune' with a memory here? Sure the Body and the Blood, but 'what' was that an invitation 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 back to Him in His Kingdom? All expenses paid! For free? Not for free!; but for an immense price, which, 'He' has already 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, because we can't pay it, but are allowed to eat of the sacrifice, and drink of His sacrifice, with thanksgiving, as we remember His sacrifice, and the love for us He has that caused Him to 'be' the sacrifice, and consequently be punished and put to death, instead of us. And that, while we would have stayed dead, and deservedly so, He did not, so that, through faith, we would not.

Uh-oh...that is truly difficult to comprehend. But there it was, and there it happened.

But oh...,it's true. Through the witness and subsequent testimony -- and, ohhh...the blessed memory -- of those faithful witnesses who saw it! and testified of it!, -- of God having come down to earth to walk among us -- and the indelible memory they were shown, of God Himself! testifying to us, through them, after which they could not help but to keep telling everyone, and anyone they could get to, of, it!, until their dieing day, and that!, is how we remember!

Oh yes,...I remember now.... And thank you for that reminder...it is a rich memory, and, I am going to cherish the opportunity to abide there in it now. Whew. When - do - we - - - start?

In just about 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. At least 'time' given to it. Not any moreso than during your average Sunday service that is. Maybe that winds up to be the difference between, "communion", and the Lord's Supper. It was promoted as 'communion', but there was not so much communing being done. And not even that much "Lord's supper" being done. Maybe it was just me. I will allow, that, it was just me. And, that those days are now 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 daughter's life. And in my remembering... I was free to laugh, and cry, or to just 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 throw 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 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; to His creation.

Remembering also the promise He had made when He had come. The promise that He would pour out His Spirit on us when He left. And the promise that He would return again, and that, until He came back, His Spirit would dwell here with us, inside of us, 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 not invited anyone. But they were concerned about me. I was concerned that they might be concerned me... 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 (unfortunately on something all we Christians can share in common -- that is, misguided denominational doctrine), and, in spite of it, 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 own poorly thought out opinions(to which in all fairness should be added "in my opinion"). I had him thinking anyway. Always make sure your are invited to a Lord's Supper or risk being uncerimoniously 'judged' 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 overly long at one sitting in Christ's memorial. I had had almost an hour in it and that had been sufficient. Subsequently more important is the present and the future. There's now plenty more to do, the more of which, will make my next Lord's Supper equally as rewarding.

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.

2009-11-20T23:12:00.000-08:00

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)

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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)

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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)

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Some Useful Thoughts by Bunyan on Theological Disputations

2009-11-13T23:13:00.000-08:00

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.

2009-11-12T17:08:00.000-08:00

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.

2009-10-27T09:35:00.000-07:00

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.

2009-03-10T08:06:00.000-07:00

*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?

2009-02-05T10:35:00.000-08:00

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

2009-01-23T09:48:00.000-08:00

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.

2009-01-22T18:41:00.000-08:00

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".

2009-01-09T20:30:00.000-08:00

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".

2009-01-08T11:23:00.000-08:00

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?"

2008-12-03T07:27:00.000-08:00

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.

2008-10-30T20:17:00.000-07:00

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?

2008-08-01T17:15:00.001-07:00

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.

2008-07-23T20:08:00.000-07:00

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...

2008-06-26T19:52:00.000-07:00

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?

2008-05-16T16:55:00.000-07:00

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.

2008-05-08T08:29:00.000-07:00

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.

2008-05-03T11:40:00.000-07:00

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...,"

2008-05-03T11:19:00.000-07:00

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)

2008-04-06T17:03:00.000-07:00

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".

2008-04-02T14:51:00.000-07:00

_________________________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!

2008-03-22T19:15:00.000-07:00

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

2008-03-10T13:17:00.000-07:00

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

2008-03-04T07:18:00.000-08:00

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

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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?

2008-02-15T11:49:00.000-08:00

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

2008-02-15T09:29:00.000-08:00

___________

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.

2008-02-10T14:52:00.000-08:00

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.

2008-02-05T18:37:00.000-08:00

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

2008-02-04T07:12:00.000-08:00

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.

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Jesus Thy Blood and Righteousness

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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

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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Jesus, the endless praise to Thee,

Whose boundless mercy hath for me—

For me a full atonement made,

An everlasting ransom paid.
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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

2008-01-31T19:42:00.000-08:00

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In the Hour of Trial

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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

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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To Do List...

2008-01-27T09:01:00.000-08:00

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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)

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A Song of Mine.

2008-01-24T09:33:00.000-08:00

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Song: Reborn of the Spirit

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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(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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Chorus

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(3rd part-choral)

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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.
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Website out of order.

2008-01-18T21:33:00.001-08:00

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

2008-01-09T13:18:00.000-08:00

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Whiter Than Snow

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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

2008-01-03T07:29:00.000-08:00

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

2007-12-19T14:12:00.000-08:00

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O Come, All Ye Faithful

Stocking Up on Christmas Fruit Cake.

2007-12-04T08:38:00.000-08:00

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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.

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

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Not just one batch but two!

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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.

2007-12-03T09:42:00.000-08:00

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!