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Showing posts from 2014

Observation:

The struggle that many of us face is the inability to do all that we would like to (particularly financially/materially) for our families and loved ones, and the accompanying feelings of inability and failure.  Yes, part of it can be attributed to the sub-conscious comparing with others that we tend to do. Part of it is also the standards that we hold ourselves to, based on how we tend to measure/define ‘success’. These measures/definitions  are entirely arbitrary, yes, but nonetheless real. The lines of demarcation are ethereal to be sure, but at times the reality of our situations can be as confining as titanium bars. I wish that I could provide such that my wife and daughter lacked nothing, and could obtain, even on a whim, whatsoever they desired. I cannot. I wish that money was not an issue, a confinement that weighs into nearly every decision that must be made. But it is. C’est la vie, c’est le guerre. There are times when I look about me, and I cannot see what I h

The Option you choose makes ALL the difference

 We as a culture value our opinions over the truth. That is because we are taught that truth is in fact relative, and subjective. The problem is that when this ideology is applied to the scripture, mayhem ensues, because the Word of God is just what it is: The Word of God, and when we run into things which are uncomfortable or in disagreement with our held views, we have three options:     a)    Bring our views in line with, and bow to, the Scripture     b)    Ignore the passage     c)    Change its meaning     The Option you choose makes ALL the difference.     Is your soul worth your momentary pleasure or comfort?

Someday We'll All be Free

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I had the honor of singing at the memorial of a friend recently... Al Stewart  was a man who touched many lives,  and left an indelible imprint on us all... He is, and will continue to be, greatly loved, and sorely missed.

(Not so) Random thoughts on Philippians 2:4-15

For me, this Passage in Philippians 2 continues to increase in meaning, better yet, increase in depth. Philippians 2:4-15 (HCSB) 4 Everyone should look out not ⌊only⌋ for his own interests, but also for the interests of others. 5 Make your own attitude that of Christ Jesus, (what was his attitude/mindset?) 6 who, existing in the form of God, did not consider equality with God as something to be used for His own advantage. 7 Instead He emptied Himself by assuming the form of a slave , (He relinquished his sense of entitlement, and if anyone EVER had a the right to a sense of entitlement, it was Jesus) taking on the likeness of men. And when He had come as a man in His external form, 8 He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death— even to death on a cross. (His submission to the will of another, which was a mental and emotional thing, was manifested in his body, expressed as obedience) 9 For this reason God highly exalted Him and gave Him the name th

"Pope and Change"

A Facebook friend wondered aloud how Pope Francis got to be Pope in light of comments like this: "We have created New idols. worship of the ancient golden calf has returned in a new and ruthless guise in the idolatry of money and the dictatorship of an impersonal economy lacking a truly human purpose. The worldwide crisis affecting finance and the economy lays bare their imbalances and, above all, their lack of real concern for human beings."   - Pope Francis I responded thus: "He became Pope the same way that Barack Obama became President. He's ethnically 'new', with clever words and expressed sentiments, that sound like a breath of fresh air, but underneath the same old gears are operating the same old machine. In a few years, the Hope and Change Pope will have the same level of disappointment among those who really care as the Hope and Change President. Mark my words. He will do nothing doctrinally or otherwise to move the Lying Behemoth

After 'Strange Fire'

(note: This piece was written a while ago, I just never got around to posting it.)  I have had a very interesting time reading the commentaries, blog posts, articles, tweets and more that have risen up as a result of the 'Strange Fire' Conference. Full disclosure. I am a former charismatic. Yes, former . As in I   ‘used to be’ I do not believe in 'speaking in tongues' any longer, (yes I used to do it) at least as practiced by the Pentecostals and charismatics that I know and Love. I no longer believe in what they will define as 'The baptism of the Holy Ghost' (aka the second blessing, doctrine of subsequence, which differs significantly from the Biblical definition) Am I still saved? Yes , Sanctified? Yes . Holy Ghost Filled? Yes. Am I a cessationist, then? No, rather, not quite... (I will explain that in a later piece.) It is not for lack of experiences, mind you. Rather it is because I believe that my experiences/feelings are not evidence

The word for the New Year is: 'Intentionality'

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'Intentionality' - "The state of having or being formed by an intention." The intentions (will) of the LORD are never thwarted. He makes His Will known to us via His Word, and we are bound, as His Slaves, to obey. We are His adopted children, and as such, via His Spirit, we are transformed by the renewing of our minds, and being conformed to the image of His Son. Praise the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavens. For He chose us in Him, before the foundation of the world, to be holy and blameless in His sight. In love,   He predestined us to be adopted through Jesus Christ for Himself, according to His favor and will, to the praise of His glorious grace that He favored us with in the Beloved. We have redemption in Him through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace that He lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding. He made known to us