Even The Wind And The Sea Obey!
Wind storms, snow storms, hurricanes, tornadoes, typhoons, tsunamis, you name it, they seem to be everywhere these days! And, yes, they are more frequent and dangerous than ever before. The whole world is clamoring for climate change and trying to figure out what to do about it. The Bible has this to say about the multitude of severe weather calamities all over the world: "there shall be earthquakes in diverse places, and there shall be famines and troubles." (Mark 13: 8; Mat. 24: 7) That does not sound good, does it? Nor do I see anywhere in the Word that weather patterns will reverse and improve!
Her Price is Beyond Pearls
Shabbat observance for an orthodox Jewish family in the 1960"s was very different than that of the orthodox Jewish family of the 21st century. For the most part the "eruv" (symbolic fence for carrying personal items on the sabbath) was practically non existent unless it was constructed for personal use, in one"s personal domain. Boys did not play basketball on the driveway hoop (it was not appropriate) unless you went away for a weekend (to the mountains or resort), nor did orthodox Jews own canines as pets because they were considered mooktza (forbidden to handle) on Shabbat. Another noticeably absent feature of Jewish domestic life in those years was the liturgical rendition of Eshet Chayil (Woman of Valor), which today is conspicuously integrated into the Friday night Shabbat ritual prior to Kiddush (blessing over the sacramental wine).
Trust And Obey Part II
Joshua left the tent of the presence of the Lord dumbfounded by the Lord's command. The Israelite army was to march around the heavily fortified city of Jericho seven times and shout on the final pass. Determined to show no apprehension for God's request, Joshua walked back towards the encampment and was met by a man. Joshua 5: 13-15, "While Joshua was near Jericho, he suddenly saw a man standing in front of him, holding a sword. Joshua went up to him and asked, 'Are you one of our soldiers, or an enemy? ' 'Neither, ' the man answered. 'I am here as the commander of the Lord's army.' Joshua threw himself on the ground in worship and said, 'I am your servant, sir.
Complacency in the Church, Overcoming It
Complacency is overcome by change, however in order to have change you must first overcome complacency. This is the chicken and egg problem, which comes first. Change begins with a single powerful person, spreads from him or her to a few others through examples, produces some group benefit, and then spreads still more widely. In order to bring about change you must have a plan or a program. In order to have a successful program you must have change and the change or involvement of people in the change will reduce complacency. The more programs, the more change and less complacency. The problem to overcome with programs is how to keep them moving ahead and produce positive results.
Repent America - A Ministry on the Frontlines
Repent America is hands down the organization that can be found down on the frontlines at any time night or day. Some people think they are highly confrontational but there remains a host of Christians that still believe that the gospel is supposed to send "a sword" Mt. 10:34 into the world not a milk toast message of compromise and cotton candy. They show up at abortion clinics, gay parades and anywhere where the friction is the greatest. They are armed with gospel tracts and a willingness to tell it like it is and that has earned them several arrests and removals from many gatherings around the nation.
Don t Forget to Baptize em
As a guy with a license to marry and bury, weddings, baptisms and baby dedications are among my favorite ministerial things to do. I was once talking to a woman in the workplace who was excitedly telling me about a girl whom she had been discipling. Her enthusiasm disappeared when she added that she only wished she could be the one to baptize the girl. Of course, the woman was feeling bound by the belief that, because she wasn't a minister in her denomination - or worse - because she was "merely" a woman, the odds of that taking place were slim to none. Au contraire, amigo! There's nothing more that I love as a licensed minister than to step back and allow all the non-licensed "priests and kings" to enjoy these opportunities to minister.
Trust And Obey: Part I
Joshua looked out at the Jordan River. It was harvest time and the river was flooding. His prayers immediately flowed towards Heaven asking God to help the Israelites to safely cross the water. Joshua was the servant of Moses. He was his understudy and now he was the prophet's successor. All Israel looked to his guidance and wondered if he could carry on where Moses left off and get the people to the Promised Land securely. The task was huge and the man full of the Spirit of God knew that the only way he could succeed was if the miracles that Moses performed were passed onto him. He fell on his knees before the tent containing the ark of the covenant of God.
The Lost Tomb of Jesus
4:39 AM Now playing in the theater of the absurd, "The Lost Tomb of Jesus", produced by Oscar-winning director James Cameron, written and directed by award winning documentarian Simcha Jacobovici. Yes, Its that time of year once again. The beginning of the Lenten season and concluding with Easter Sunday. Last year it was NBC and their glorification of Michael Baigent's book "The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail". The year before that it was an ABC special aimed directly at mythologizing the resurrection of Jesus Christ. This year it is a documentary showing on the Discovery Channel on Sunday, March 4th, and its companion book "The Jesus Tomb".
7 Tips For Spirituality - Making A Connection
This article on tips for spirituality came about as the result of work done with people in addiction recovery. The concepts are applicable to most every one however. The question is often asked, what can I do to improve my spirituality? Addiction can be viewed as a disease of isolation, becoming disconnected to life. Addiction recovery and spirituality can be viewed as the process of becoming connected. The more connections in our lives, the greater the chance of coming into harmony with our surroundings. There are basically four areas of life, or types of relationships we work toward in becoming connected.
The Secret May Have Some Problems
There is a lot of fervor going on right now about the movie "The Secret." There are those who think that it's the greatest thing to come along in centuries and everybody should buy it. And there are those who look at it as evil incarnate and tell us that we should run away as fast as we can. And to be fair, I'm sure that most people are somewhere in between those two extremes. As I Christian I do have one major problem with the movie. The idea that "the universe" is an all-powerful genie that will grant us our every wish clearly disagrees with the Bible. Scripture tells us that it is a loving, all-powerful God, and not some nebulous, impersonal force, who cares for us and provides all that we need.