Me..Real and Readable

Worry Wart VS. The Peaceful Warrior

2011-07-15T05:20:00.000-07:00

I'm conflicted most of the time. I have always struggled with one stream of thought at a time which makes my processing pretty convoluted to most everyone including myself. I can be really hard to live with, talk to, reason with and I have a mean streak. And this is me on a good day. I really don't try to be unagreeable, it just seems to come naturally. It use to make me depressed and then one day I realized Jesus loved me, and since then, I am O.K. with the arduous task that is the remaking of me in His image...I'll get there...eventually. Did I mention He loved me? This I know.

I woke this morning at 5 A.M. worried about....everything. I am worried over relationships, finances and my occupation which crowds out most of my creativity frequently. Just plain old worry. On top of that, I have been in a desert and have been for over a year. I have been depressed before, been hopeless before but never have I come to the Word of God and not been refreshed. This last year when I opened up the Bible I got zip, zero, nothing. Interesting but not the least bit funny.

At supper time, as a family, we have been reading the 4:8 Principle and it has been good but not earth shaking to me until this morning. I think the book is great but I have been jammed with worry so I couldn't hear for the schmutz in my ears. Reading Phillipians 4 in context was more than interesting to me. Paul begins with telling them he loves them and that they should stand. Standing is such a active posture-a readiness, prepared. Then, he tells a couple people to put aside their difference and start getting along in other words don't squabble over trite things.

Now that your mind is clear and you are in a posture ready for activity...Rejoice! Rejoice can be translated also, "be well and thrive." When I am worrying I am not thriving I am existing and just existing is like laying in your coffin waiting to die. Paul says rejoice twice in one sentence to press home the idea that rejoicing is a act of fighting back. Not giving up. Rejoicing allows our hearts to recalculates our brains so that we can receive truth. Next the word the TNIV translates as Gentle and the KJV renders "moderate" could be rendered suitable. If you thesaurus suitable it carries some really cool meanings but simply it means don't be rigid, be flexible. Approach things with open hands. This is everything I am bad at I prioritize rightness way above being suitable. I think this is why I am jammed most of the time. I hate collaboration, getting along, taking the time to see all sides. I think I would have made a great foot soldier in a conquering army. Show me what to smash and I'll smash it. Nice simple, straightforward and not at all useful in obtaining sanity. But until I can do that I can't receive truth and it's valuable side kick, my holy grail, peace. I am so glad that God does not wait for us to get this idea 100%. His kindness leads us to repentance even if our repentance is only a good 10% of ourselves. And now that we can receive truth we can begin with a conversation in prayer filled with questions and answers. The word here for prayer is a prayer in a specific place addressed to God. The Jews would try to designate places that were quiet and near water so that they could begin their prayer times with the washing of their hands. The next word supplication is the idea of speaking from where we are lacking-our souls poverty. It is the supplication prayer and pain of not being able to have children like the one that Zechariah prayed in Luke 1:13. For me it is the prayer that I pray about, "why I am I such a jerk and how can I change that without losing who I am?" I have tried not to be redundant when I pray. God knows my needs so I try to broach the subject from different angles or when I feel like I have new revelation. Thankfulness must always encompass prayer. We have so much to be thankful for. If I think back to the darkest parts of my existence here on earth I can always find some modicum of grace and joy. It has taken me years of processing and practice to learn this but it has been well worth it. Thankfulness is a act of rebellion against evil and evil has no answer for a thankful heart. When I am regressing thankfulness is always missing in me. When I get this right, then the thing we all want in every walk of life, every class, every strata of the human and animal existence is made available to us. "And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Phil 4:7)" The meaning behind "transcend all understanding" is the idea that Gods peace will be superior in rank to any other thought we have. Guarding is literally in a military sense that it will defend me against my enemies. So in my finiteness as I worry about every little thing that bears little real effect on eternity but has real effect on my health and well being God's protective, active Peace is key to my peace. So to keep this peace once obtain 4:8 has the key. "⁸ Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things." Media in general will not persuade you to think on these things. It will convince you the only way to be happy is to be balanced. To think about everything. To dwell on evil as much as good. But a diet of 50% junk food and 50% health food is a diet that will kill you. Maybe later I can explore this idea some more.

Halloween and Elections have a lot in common

2010-10-31T22:23:00.000-07:00

I hate Halloween. It is the day that the world celebrates the power of fear and evil. It’s stupid. Don’t get me wrong, I hand out candy to all the kids who come to the door (even the teenagers who should not be trick or treating anymore but that’s a different blog entry) and our kids participate cause…look, I live on this planet and it is not a hill I am dying on. If you like Halloween great….I’m happy for you, but I hate it. I know all the arguments about it’s all for fun and people make to much of it but in my mind it fits in the realm of good vampire movies….News Flash, there is no such thing as good vampires….that’s why they are vampires. Monsters are bad too. Duh. What is so hard about this logic? Whatever and anyway, I just find it interesting that Halloween and elections are both a celebration of fear. Whoever can make me fear the most gets my vote. If you can convince me the other team doesn’t have a reflection when they look in the mirror or that they howl at the moon I will probably vote for you. Seriously, have you looked at the Photoshop work they do on the really expensive political postcards that they send out? The opposition’s expression and menacing eyes make them look like the devils ugly brother! Well happy-The-Do-Da-Halloween-Day all over again!
I believe both sides have good people who sincerely believe their views will change the world if only they could have a long enough run at leadership. So, for the most part, we who cast our votes are probably the sensible middle who understand our shortcomings at least to some degree but elect those who, on paper appear to be like minded to represent us in our state capital or in Washington D.C. The only problem is those who want to be elected are usually more radical and narrow minded and we set them up to fight against their equally polar counterparts hence, nothing really changes. And once they bite the neck and taste the seductive blood that power brings…game, set, match they turn into ghoulish political monsters. Maybe on the outside they are baby kissers but on the inside they have changed into something of the underworld.
Consider the life we cause political representatives to lead. If they are local, they keep their day jobs and with any spare time they have to focus hard on “the issues” and how to wheel and deal to make the people they represent (at least the majority of us) happy. With the other time that they don’t have because it doesn’t exist, they beg, steal or borrow, so that they can gear up for their next campaign and strategize to denounce their enemies worth to their voters. Soon their missing their kids soccer games and dates with their spouse and holidays with their family, till the only thing left is higher aspirations of power which is nourished by their constituents words that in the end, become their only source of life (another beautiful run on sentence). And for those who are in Washington their lives are even more dismal and soulless. Am I saying all politicians fall into this category? No, probably those who only serve one term can be rehabilitated by a wooden stake through the heart (Ish, that might have been to harsh but it drives home the point. Oofta, that was a pun, my bad).
Nevertheless, we don’t care as long as we get our way. We can’t communicate with or understand each other so we elect people to deal with those we don’t want to. To force people to believe what we believe we use politics like it is nothing but a football game and next week we can throw the winning touchdown. Has this ever worked? Have we ever won by controlling another group of people? John Mayer has this song that often haunts my thoughts when I am feeling judgmental it is called “Belief” it goes a little something like this,

“Is there anyone who Ever remembers changing their mind from The paint on a sign?
Is there anyone who really recalls Ever breaking rank at all For something someone yelled real loud one time
Everyone believes In how they think it ought to be Everyone believes And they're not going easily
Belief is a beautiful armor But makes for the heaviest sword Like punching under water You never can hit who you're trying for
Some need the exhibition And some have to know they tried It's the chemical weapon For the war that's raging on inside
Everyone believes From emptiness to everything Everyone believes And no one's going quietly

We're never gonna win the world We're never gonna stop the war We're never gonna beat thisIf belief is what we're fighting for
What puts a hundred thousand children in the sand Belief can, Belief can
What puts the folded flag inside his mother's hand Belief can, Belief can.”

This song causes me to reflect on why I believe what I believe.
Funny how Jesus handled his political status differently. He dealt with it in the micro scale knowing his words, once they caught fire in our lives would eventually affect the macro world. Look at this,

“1Now there were some present at that time who told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices. 2Jesus answered, "Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this way? 3I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish. 4Or those eighteen who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them—do you think they were more guilty than all the others living in Jerusalem? 5I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish…22Then Jesus went through the towns and villages, teaching as he made his way to Jerusalem. 23Someone asked him, "Lord, are only a few people going to be saved?" He said to them, 24"Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to. 25Once the owner of the house gets up and closes the door, you will stand outside knocking and pleading, 'Sir, open the door for us.' Luke 13

(emphasis mine)

Doesn’t this example sound like the moral police trying to decide how we should all live? When people ask Jesus to side with them he refuses and says, don’t worry about others and their eye specks (Matthew 7:5) but YOU…you be a leader by repenting. And don't worry about if others are going to be saved but YOU...you make every effort to stay on the narrow path.

Again, someone asks Jesus to use his popular clout to agree with them to force someone else to change and Jesus responds,
13Someone in the crowd said to him, "Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me."

14Jesus replied, "Man, who appointed me a judge or an arbiter between you?" 15Then he said to them, "Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions." Luke 12

(emphasis mine)

Does this last section sound like our debate over taxes and where they should go? Both parties try to make us believe that the sum of our lives a worth is wrapped up into what we have or don't have. But Jesus says the kingdom of God is different. It is like this,

18Then Jesus asked, "What is the kingdom of God like? What shall I compare it to? 19It is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his garden. It grew and became a tree, and the birds of the air perched in its branches."

20Again he asked, "What shall I compare the kingdom of God to? 21It is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into a large amount[a] of flour until it worked all through the dough." Luke 13

In other words the Kingdom of God has to start out in a small group of people that are infected not by ideas but with self-awareness (I know who I am and I need to repent) and grace (I don’t know every thing so I should be careful how I judge) for others because they choose to hear one another.
No matter how many times I go over this I find that I am a conflicted conservative.
Conflicted because I have a story and it affects my worldview. I grew up among people who acted sub-human and I don’t like them. I label them the American poor or at least the pool of American poor I was acquainted with. As I look back at my story, I have through hard work and determination rose out of the ghetto and the craziness of the inner city and I don’t have many found memories of the people or places I left behind. many of the ones I hear about still choose to make excuses for themselves as they wonder why things suck. They suck because they make stupid choices. That might sting to some of you but I am being honest about my bias. I am not defending it. Not saying I am right just letting you know what is going on in my goofy little brain. I don’t have much sympathy for the American downtrodden but I can send money to the poor in India. People who live in Indian never beat me up or abused me the way the American poor have. Just saying. And for those, who care for the American poor, your life story has brought you to that place where you see them as something that can become better…awesome, but when we vote we are going to vote completely differently. And this is just one of the many examples I could list but by the end I will have some haters out there so I will quit while I am behind.
So tell me where is the forum that we can get together and talk in a third space so we can get to know each other? A place we can walk away and not have to persuade or even agree at the end? Where it is not a debate but a forum of ideas where we don’t have to vote against one another. I want things to be different I don’t want to feed the monsters and vampires but I am an American who only understands the system I was born into and when I consider Europe or communistic countries (read Child 44 that will cure you of communism) I don’t consider them to be a brain-trust to follow either. So if anybody has any bright ideas do share cause in the immortal words of Elvis Costello, “what’s so funny bout piece, love and understanding.”

Why are we tested?

2010-08-30T18:22:00.000-07:00

My BFF Cheryl and I were conversing after the service on Sunday about why God tests us and it really got me thinking, which led to a pile of books on my coffee table and Firefox tabs open to a obscene amount with maps and other bible-web paraphernalia and here is what I am in process with. We all to some extent are influence by a lack of diverse ideas in our lives and possibly at the church we attend. There are some ideas that have been reinforced so many times that we think they our own but they are not. What did I just say? Simply put, I am interested in challenging myself and maybe you by serendipity or maybe your response will be, "duh, I already knew that dumb, dumb." If you don't like what I propose, that is cool with me, we can still enjoy a nice "Cab" together as long at it is reasonably priced, but I digress. This may seem like four wheeling in Washington State with a rental Mazda 5 (I heard about someone doing that by accident once) but maybe we'll learn something.
Thirty Six verses in the O.T. use the Hebrew word H5254 - "nacah" translated:

prove 20 times, tempt 12 times, assay 2 times, adventure 1 times, try 1 time but that is not the only word used. Another word H974 - "bachan" is alternate word for testing and is translated: try 19 times, prove 7 times, examine 1 time, tempt 1 time and trial 1 time

I read all these words in their context and here is what I think I discovered; maybe test isn't the best idea for what God was doing to His people. One of my favorite web-tools is the Blue Letter Bible, it is a wealth of "Greek Lexicon this" and "Hebrew dictionary that" and it is very helpful,

The Gesenius's Lexicon says that the word "nacah" has the idea that you test something by smell. That's right, God smells us so....yeah. The second word "bachan" is a word used when you touch something or use a touchstone to test it's purity. For instance by using a touchstone you can discover the amount of gold or other precious metals that make up a rock. (Ps 26:2, 1Cor.3:12-14). So God proves us by feeling us out too. Both of these words are used for men "testing" God as well even though God tells man not to test him, He sometimes accepts the test and proves himself. i.e. Exodus 17 (Israelite's "test" God and even though they are told not to, God still shows up and provides water. Also, "where your fathers tested and tried me, though they had seen what I did. (Psalm 95:9 italics mine showing both words for test in the same sentence)

With so many choices what makes a translator translate a word the way they do? Context, theological upbringing, consultation with other translators (that usually have the same theological bent that they do) and prayer. I am not knocking the translators I just want to understand it for myself.

Before we talk about the actual passages lets consider the culture and time period where we are introduced to these words. To our modern ears testing gives a connotation of school with pass or fail notions. But these people were farmers and herdsman that only attended the school of "hard knocks." 8000 years ago, to "test" something they would smell it to see if it was ripe/ready or touch it to see what it was made of. i.e a touchstone was used to see how much Gold was in a rock. Another word that could be used that translators would accept is the word assay. According to dictionary to assay something is to assess or see what someone or something is made of. I think that is what God was doing, He was not testing them (pass/fail) He was seeing what they are made of so He could decide what they could handle next. My friend Nathan Bloom is really smart and he says God has a growth chart for all of us but some areas of growth can't begin until some other areas of growth are completed. He says in the project management field it is called the critical path. check this out:

The essential technique for using Critical Path Method ^[6] is to construct a model of the project that includes the following:

A list of all activities required to complete the project (typically categorized within a work breakdown structure),
The time (duration) that each activity will take to completion, and
The dependencies between the activities

This is fascinating. Abraham can't have Issac until he completes some check marks of faith (stop trying to create a baby your way and stop saying Sarah is your sister) and God is O.K. waiting for him to be ready or as KJV frames it "(long-suffering).

The Israelite's that enter the dessert after the Exodus get stuck there because they never complete their critical path and are left there while God waits till their kids are ready (Numbers 14).

Judges 3 says God "assayed" the children by leaving some of the minor enemies of Israel and he did this "² (he did this only to teach warfare to the descendants of the Israelites who had not had previous battle experience)".

In every Bible verse that uses either of these words seem to emphatically promote that God is sometimes upset, sometimes bewildered, always long-suffering, always faithful, believing and hoping all things (1 Cor 13) but he is waiting to see something in us to move us on to the next step of our critical path and because we have free will he has to wait, he can't force us and he won't make us learn. (I know you are wandering, "but I thought God knew everything", apparently, to be in relationship with us, he appears willing to limit his foreknowledge. I know some are you a thinking, "I thought he only test us so we would learn something about ourselves not so he could learn something?" Maybe you right but what I was taught about hermeneutics and exegesis is that I am not suppose to read meaning into a passage if I can't find in a the Bible a clear statement of a theological belief in other words I can't find anywhere in N.T. or O.T. where God says, "when I test you it is so you learn something about yourself not so I learn something about yourself." No where not once. I can't explain it, I am just saying that is what it says. Maybe a later date I will tease that idea out more but until then I welcome open discussion on that matter. Nevertheless, I say all that to say this. God has plans to prosper you and not to harm you and His test are not about some kind of school grade it is like life coaching. When I Coach youth sports, I "try" and "test" each player at each position and then I make a Critical Path to help them develop and succeed in sports. Sometimes I hold them back from shooting, throwing, swing or kicking in certain situations so that they don't become discourage; meanwhile I am chearing on every success and lifting them up in the areas they still need growth. How much more your heavenly father would do the same for you.

Grace and Peace

The necessity for motion

2010-08-28T14:07:00.000-07:00

When I think of my elementary years I don’t usually have very fond memories. I usually think about how much I moved, reminisce about the violent and crazy people I knew and how unstable my life was at that time and then I usually skip forward to when I was seventeen and accepted Jesus as lord and life leader. But recently, in a unguarded moment I found myself reflecting on how important it was for me back then that I was in constant motion. This lead me to think about my parents situation back then. My parents did not have the greatest upbringing either. Both of them had to overcome unbelievable obstacles that were stranger then fiction (their childhood's would make Stephen King have nightmares). So when they married they came together with all their baggage and passed on to their children (most of it seemed negative) but one thing was positive...motion. A pivotal moment in our family was when my dad was laid-off from his long standing job of 17 years in 1981 and we lost everything. Both of my parents educations didn't exceed the 8th grade so manual labor was the only opportunity provided them but they chose that instead of government assistance even when government assistance would have given us more. In the third grade, I remember having to get up at 4 A.M. to go with my dad to start the coke ovens at a company called PermaCoat plastics, driving a forklift around the plant for fun (once I knocked down a flight of stairs, oops), after the morning plant chores I was taken to school by another plant worker named Robert E. Lee (I kid you not), spending the day at school, then going to the Uniontown Polish club (yes, I learned to play pool and polka) where my dad bar tended all night, only to starting the process all over again the next day. My dad and mom both worked at the plant, my mom stripped incoming pipes and my dad did a little of everything else. My dad made $2.85 and hour at the plant and even less at the Polish club and to add insult to injury the factory wouldn't pay him sometimes for a month. Some weeks we had nothing to eat but canned corn and canned tomatoes heated up with powder milk to drink. We lived in the projects and other run down housing. Once, my parents bought a duplex for $10,000 but soon lost it to the bank because they couldn't afford it. Life was unbelievably hard but my parents never gave up motion. They fought, kicked, scraped, had nervous break downs, were depressed, got back up, separated, drank to much, got new jobs, moved, clawed, bit, climbed, fell, bled, cried, tried, failed, pulled their hair out, found Jesus, lost him, found him again, went to school, worked harder, found a Steele mill in New Jersey, retired, went back to school and stayed together. All the while staying in motion...riding momentum. I honor that. I think their lesson saved my life. I have been on the edge of depression and suicidal tendencies I have been addicted to lying and pornography and fighting and cheating and I dropped out of High School and tried to out do Paul for the "chief of sinners" title meanwhile, I found Jesus all the while following in my parents foot steps of motion, work (I have been gainfully employed since I was twelve) and falling forward. So there is this little verse in the bible that says, "But those who wait on the LORD
Shall renew their strength;
They shall mount up with wings like eagles,
They shall run and not be weary,
They shall walk and not faint."

Isaiah 40:31

and earlier in the passage I am assured of my redemption and that God is holding all things together. It use to bother like it bothered Tom Petty, (yeah, the waiting IS the hardest part) cause I am no good at waiting it frightens me. When I am not in motion I feel like the darkness will catch up and swallow me but I think I am starting to understand it, waiting does not mean we a stagnant it means we don't try to form answers to questions that God has not clearly spoken about. In other words, we move forward while we live with questions. Why is this world so messed up? Why do I want to hurt myself? Why are there stillborn babies born? Why are my parents alcoholics? There are endless questions that start with why and they can cause us to freeze like deer on a dark road in the middle of the night which is for them the worst time to wonder, "why is it so bright over there to my left, that's weird (famous last words)?" the best thing for us to do is keep moving. Luke 18 has this great passage about this very thing, persistence and motion which epitomizes everything we love about the apostle Paul and other bible character's of faith.

Luke 18

The Parable of the Persistent Widow

¹Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. ²He said: "In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared about men. ³And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, 'Grant me justice against my adversary.'

⁴"For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, 'Even though I don't fear God or care about men, ⁵yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won't eventually wear me out with her coming!' "

⁶And the Lord said, "Listen to what the unjust judge says. ⁷And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? ⁸I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?"

Faith is not psychological certainty but persistence into a idea like "God is good all the time" and then in all my questions I will begin with the premise God is good which will fuel my motion forward and eventually answers or peace on this side of heaven. We are assured that our persistence will not fall on blind eyes or deaf ears in heaven. So keep on fellow travelers and may God bless your feet.

A need for a tribe

2010-07-18T20:21:00.000-07:00

Lately, with everyone moving away or talking about moving I have been sad. If you looked at me, you wouldn't know it cause...you know, I'm a tough guy. But a week ago, while driving to a far away destination, I kinda broke down in my minivan and really was grieving the loss of some close friends. My church family structure has been in upheaval for the last few years as well and it takes so long to get to know new people that I am not that keen on the prospects. One of the main reasons for this is it takes a long time to define yourself. You have to define you normal self as well as your weird self balanced against the parts of yourself that is ugly or just plain unkind. And many times, by the time you define who you are the person you have opened up to figures out they don't like you and never will, leaving you with the process of starting over again.

This made me think about how it must have been way back when towns were small or people lived in tribes. In the past, I have only thought of the downside of such an arrangement. The myopic view of the world, the limited opportunities and the lack of privacy seemed to outweight any good that could come from such a communal paradigm. However, lately stacked up against the alternatives I find myself pining for such an establishment. Think about the fact that tribal chief never moves on to become chief of a better and bigger tribe. Roles within the community aren't necessarily based on popularity or prestige cause how do you look down upon the only source of clean water bearers or food preparation experts or cloth menders-every role is life essential. Lives are intertwined so closely that it would be hard to hide an "issue"; stuff would have to be dealt with.

We scoff at the ways of the amish or native americans while we chase after emptiness and success that never brings happiness or internal peace. I guess like Neil Young said, "keep on rockin' in the free world" cause the alternative would be....change.

My Resignation

2010-05-25T12:08:00.000-07:00

Do you ever get the feeling you don’t know what is really going on? Like Rip Van Winkle, I feel like I have been asleep for 20 years and have awakened to discover that my reality has been altered. Maybe I have always been asleep…maybe I still am; but I can recall an event 20 years ago when I started going to church and I felt like I had found “truth” and truth woke me up. But did it? It feels like my respite was only a minute and I moved from one mode of slumber to another, possibly something darker. In the later dream-state like the former I feel like something sinister is pulling puppet strings and only the characters faces have been altered.
When I accepted Jesus as Lord the crowd I ran with handed me a manual but it wasn’t the Bible. It looked like a Bible but it was interpreted for me with footnotes that held the agenda of that particular “in crowd”. Then I went to college and there I was given a different Bible with different footnotes but the principles were the same; I am dumb, weak, and incapable of true understanding so if I stick to their rules I will somehow get a trophy handed to me in heaven. I was taught to repeat after them phrases and cliché’s that after awhile all sound bromide. I was told who the good guys were (us) and who the bad guys are (them) and it was all very black and white and tidy.
Funny how similar my work life reminds me of my religious life. There too, I have a manual that looks like a Bible and has footnotes so I know when to bow and laugh and brown nose; it is all very nice. The world system is set up so that we either fail, sacrifice our integrity or we choose to face a much darker end, one in which we don’t recant and they burn us at the stake of public opinion. The true individual with an untamed “I” is always despised because it reflects back at the world its lack of realism.
That is all broken now. I realize it was the same puppet master pulling the strings. I was duped and I am angry. Angry at myself for letting this happen. Angry, that I am thirty-seven years old and still a stranger to myself. Angry that those who reach for power with good intentions are always lying to themselves and us about how corrupted they are. That the processes that are needed to find your true-self are called pride and heresy by the religious establishment for no other reason but to control and manipulate the masses. I am angry at the masses for willingly choosing to be controlled just so they don’t have to think or become real. I am angry that I have chosen the way of control and I am one of the biggest offenders of this lie. I am angry that in the name of altruism so many have been trampled so that we can feel superior.
Now what? The pious, atheist, agnostics and apathist are all the same. A third are pure evil, a third are disillusioned and the other third are still journeying on. I am not sure which group I am in. All I know is when this reality hit me the impact could not even register on a seismographic scale. I have nothing else to offer on this subject. I trust so very few. I am sure the Trinity exists and what they have said about themselves is true but I am aware that I don’t even understand what I just wrote about them fully. I see as though through a mirror and a funhouse mirror at that. Right now, I feel like I don’t know how to get a hold of them anymore not because they won’t answer, I just don’t trust myself to know their number. I haven’t used scripture throughout this little diatribe, not because I don’t believe in it anymore but because I don’t trust myself to use it in such a way that I won’t manipulate you with it for my own self-centeredness.
Why am writing this? I think I needed to write a letter of resignation. I quite. I don’t want to rule the world anymore. I don’t want to be associated with organizations or movements that want to either. I am sorry for all the pain I have caused. I am sorry I don’t have any answers for anyone. I am just….sorry.

When Worlds Collide

2010-02-07T06:15:00.000-08:00

I did something today that was probably ill-advised although on the surface it would seem pretty innocuous. I started off the day by attending one of the most successful mega-churches in the world, Hillsong, Sydney, downtown campus, and ended the day at a community of Jesus followers that was so obscure that the neighbors around the gathering place were unaware they were even there (Small Boat Big Sea). The obvious twisted symbiosis that these organisms share when juxtaposed with one another is quite striking. This little entry is just my way of "thinking out-loud"

Hillsong: I woke up at 6:30 and headed to a bus stop 45 minutes early to catch a free bus provided by Hillsong for it's downtown attenders that I found out about on there website. They have 3 morning service and one evening service on Sunday and one on Saturday night, I chose the 8:05 am service cause I had stuff to do at 9:30 am. I had guess where I thought the bus would actually stop because none of the locals or paid central bus station professionals new anything about the church pickup location. Eventually, some Hillsong perishers wandered up and we waited about 20 minutes together without anybody acknowledging my existence. After we were picked up there was a passenger in the front to tell me how exciting it was to be at Hillsong today cause we were going to hear about the Vision of the church. When we arrived at the church we were met with a umbrella brigade that got us in the door dry (it was raining hard) where about five thousand greeters shook my hand and welcomed me while the smell of coffee from the coffee bar and the modern interior with numerous plasma displays captivated my ofactory and eyes.

Contrast:

SBBS: I am in Sydney to work so after taking pictures of Federated marketer's at the beach, I meandered up to the Fairlight area of Manly beach and arrived about an hour early for....church. There was a lady about 30 years old holding a guitar sitting on the front steps of a old Baptist church that is now the William Street Art Studio. She said Hi and said she was just waiting for her husband to arrive with the keys to the church and while we were standing there, various people drove or walked by and informed us they were all running a bit late and would be there soon, they turned out to be the musicians in charge of "worship" that night (No one in Australia cares that much about time or promptness I am finding out...not even Starbuck's employees). So me and Row (the lady on the steps) stood there conversing like old friends about church and life and kids and we were soon joined by her husband who was toiting their 15 month old daughter on one hip and a coos coos salad he had made for tonights gathering in his hands.

Hillsong: We stood in the lobby waiting for the ushers dressed in uniform (every one that was "staff" had on black slacks and the black Hillsong heart shirt) to drop the ropes blocking the way to the sanctuary and there were a lot of hustle and bustle going on as people found out in the lobby figuring out where they needed to be or do or go with kids and teens and people were ordering latte's and asking questions at the information desk; the place was a buzz. As I looked around I couldn't help to notice how culturally diverse Hillsong was. I found out later the locals call it the immigrant church and that was pretty cool. Soon the ropes came down and we entered the chilly, dark, technologically advanced sanctuary of Hillsong, downtown campus. It was really impressive. Six huge screens and a stage full of beautiful and talented people were ready to lead us in worship with big smiles on there faces while the video director and 6 cameramen chose just the right camera angles of musicians, instruments and singers to fill the screens accented with graphics and lyrics for us to follow along with, it was quite stirring and I found myself with my hands in the air lost in worship.

SBBS: Once we had the doors unlocked Dan, Row's husband, gave me the choice of just hanging out and listening to the musicians practice or helping him setup. I chose help setup. So just like one of the family, I carried plates out, poured water and wine in glasses (they thought it was funny how many glasses I filled with water, oops) and generaly got to meet people as they came in carrying whatever homemade dish they brought to pass for that night.

Hillsong: After worship, a pastor got up and welcomed us and talked about how excited he was that it was Vision Sunday, we were instructed that a video had been put together by senior pastor Brian Houston and that he would be sharing with us the vision of the church. A offering was taken up with the traditional plate passing while the pastor warned us that the video would most likely blow us away so we were asked to please refrain from texting or emailing our friends so they would get an equal chance of being blown away as well. The video was one of the best videos I have ever scene. It was moving and inspiring and it really made you want to do "something". It interweaved the lives of three families and how God had touched them through Hillsong and the video was laced with commentary from world renown speaker and Hillsong Senior Pastor Brian Houston saying how he always wanted to start a church that made a difference and that is why along with there campus's in Sydney, London, Kiev, Cape Town, Stockholm and Paris they were going to expand there ministry in New York City and I was informed that I was a part of this by financially giving and getting "plugged in" locally. Getting involved was as easy as attending an upcoming conference or if I was talented in the arts let someone know and if I wasn't I could clean bathrooms or serve coffee. I was in and out of the service in roughly 50 minutes and I was back on the bus heading back to my hotel ready to get on with my busy day. I will say this, I talked a couple that goes to a conservative Lutheran church back in Owatonna to go with me and Tim L. to Hillsong and the husband ended up raising his hand for a re-dedication of his life or to accept Jesus as his savior I don't know which but the service had a definite impact on him.

SBBS: After everyone was gathered many people literally greeted each other with a kiss on the cheek while kids ran around our feet chasing each other. Then, a little one page bulletin was handed out that said "welcome" and it informed me what this whole night would be like in a paragraph of text. One of the people who attended this gathering is Michael Frost who is a seminary professor and world renowned Christian speaker but he wasn't at the gathering that night and actually rarely taught but always attended. When I said I heard about their group when I heard Michael speak in Minnesota most everyone rolled there eyes irrelevantly and in tounge in cheek fashion said, "oh yeah, michael is a big deal." Come to find out every week at SBBS, it is someone else's turn to lead. Every Sunday someone different is in charge of the four L's. Which they call their Rhythm. Here is what they say about it:

Our Rhythm

We encourage one another to live by a simple rhythm - Look, Listen, Learn, Live. So we regularly think:

Look – How can I be attentive to God and to others this week? What have I seen or heard of God’s work in my world?

That night they chose the song "Hands" by Jewel and Row and the band performed with the help of some little girls who inpromtu got up and sang the chorus, followed by a short discussion of the meaning of the lyrics as we ate a meal together. After the meal the kids were in charge of clean up with the guidance of the person in charge that week for set up (Which was Dan)

Listen – To whom can I make myself vulnerable this week & in what ways have I opened myself others?

Sarah Chose the Rob Bell Nooma video called "Luggage." And talked a little about her journey into a life of forgiveness.

Learn – What have I learned from God’s Word this week & in what ways am I seeking to embody that learning?

Nick P. a seminary graduate, spoke on a passage from acts and then we broke into small groups to discuss. I must say, the conversation was lively and people were respectful and attentive to whoever was speaking.

Live – How can I make myself available to God for his purposes this week?

This is most interesting. Normally at this point someone shares how God is teaching them to be like Jesus and people in the group give input and affirm that person or if appropriate offer guidance. This night the person who was on the docket to speak got water in there house and couldn't attend.

We started at 5:30 and didn't break it up till 8 P.M.

In the end they said they would be talking over thier collective "Vision" next week on Saturday over breakfast together and they would decide together where they would be going this next year "and no, the world famous Michael Frost would not even be in attendance.

After saying goodbye like I would see them next week I trekked back down the hill to catch the Ferry back to Sydney and I could help feeling like my head was a atom that has been in a particle accelerator all day. Can Jesus' bride so strikingly different depending on which profile I see. And where do the thousands of traditional denominatiolly driven churches like Bethel or trinity in little old Owatonna fit into this brave new world? I am not here to make up your mind for you, you are just going to have to be living in the question with me.

The Gathering week 4

2009-11-22T19:05:00.000-08:00

TheGatheringWeek4 Matthew 2:1-9

Cast of Characters:

Herod:

Was a descendant of Esau (Edomite or as the Romans called them Idumea ) During the intertestament period both the Maccabeus and John Hyrcanus fought and subdued the Idumeans and forced them to convert to Judaism and be circumcised however, when the Romans took control of the area they chose Herod's father Antipater to rule all of Judea. (1,2,3)

Heord was paranoid and a very cruel leader who would punished any uprising against him with cruel recourse. He won over his critics and foes by ellaborate building projects like

*

He built relentlessly -- cities, palaces and fortresses, some of which still stand:
* the fortresses at Masada, Antonia and Herodium
* the port city of Caesarea
* the huge edifice at the top of the Cave of the Patriarchs in Hebron
* the massive fortifications around Jerusalem as well as three towers at the entrance to the city (the remains of which are today erroneously named the Tower of David) and much more (4)

Toward the end of his life he tried to have his family killed because he was sick (his father was poisoned by the Jews) but many of them escaped and ruled after his death. This is one of the reasons why he was afraid of the message for the Magi.

Magi:

The Magi were not kings but sorcerers or magicians who studied the stars (This was considered a science and was respected in Jesus' day). They came from the east and were thought to be Chaldeans (Abraham's original people) and were followers of Zoroastrianism. Zoroaster's believed

Ahura Mazda is the beginning and the end, the creator of everything which can and cannot be seen, the Eternal, the Pure and the only Truth.

Daena (din in modern Persian) is the eternal Law, whose order was revealed to humanity through the Mathra-Spenta ("Holy Words").

For these, asha was the course of everything observable, the motion of the planets and astral bodies, the progression of the seasons, the pattern of daily nomadic herdsman life, governed by regular metronomic events such as sunrise and sunset. All physical creation (geti) was thus determined to run according to a master plan—inherent to Ahura Mazda

The Struggle is between order and chaos and the order is affected by humans agreeing with Asha and having "good thoughts, good words, good deeds" (Humata, Hukhta, Hvarshta in Avestan), for it is through these that asha is maintained and druj is kept in check.

The Zoroaster's were prominent in the east when Daniel was in Babylon. (Dan 2) 5 and I think during this time the people of Iran began to look for signs the only way they new how and God revealed to them his son through there sorcery.

The Gifts 5

1. The three gifts had a spiritual meaning : gold as a symbol of kingship on earth, frankincense (an incense) as a symbol of priestship, and myrrh (an embalming oil) as a symbol of death.

* Sometimes this is described more generally as gold symbolizing virtue, frankincense symbolizing prayer, and myrrh symbolizing suffering.

The gifts would have been worth enough to sustain the young family when they escaped to Egypt.

Exodus 34:7 Hidden love

2009-11-10T06:23:00.001-08:00

Exodus 34:7 (New International Version)

7 maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation."

This verse was really bugging me. I struggle with the consistency of the Old Testament Jehovah to the New Testament Jesus. Nevertheless, I feel it is import no matter how I feel to be honest with a passage when I come to it an allow myself to live in the question of, "I can't figure this out." One thing however, that has been very helpful to me is something I learned from Greg Boyd, it is the "Christocentric Principle" approach to Biblical studies. His definition is,

"The Christocentric Principle: All of our thinking about God must be rooted in Christ. Jesus reveals what God has always been like. We thus need to read the Old Testament “through the lens” of Christ"

The first chapter of the book of Hebrews puts it this way,

1 In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, 2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe. 3 The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven. 4 So he became as much superior to the angels as the name he has inherited is superior to theirs. (emphasis mine)

So as I approach the Old Testament I try to view it through what I know about Jesus. And to me, Exodus 34:7a, is what I would expect of Jesus but then the last part of the verse seems out of place, "Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation. (b)"

Why would a God who says he will be merciful to the actual perpetrators condemn their children for the sins of their parents and grandparents and even the great, great, great grandparents?

If we step back and read the whole chapter it seems even more out of place.

6 And the LORD passed before him and proclaimed, “The LORD, the LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth, 7 keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children and the children’s children to the third and the fourth generation.”
8 So Moses made haste and bowed his head toward the earth, and worshiped.

The passage's focus is mercy, grace and forgiveness and longsuffering. God say he will not only forgive Israel's sin at Moses request but he also makes a covenant with them that he alone is responsible for which again, makes the visiting punishment on grandchildren seem out of place.

So the next thing I did was to read the passage in a couple different translations but I did not find any new revelations. Then I looked for similar phrases elsewhere in the bible using the "Treasury of Scriptrures" which comes free with E-Sword. If you have never used E-Sword and you have a Windows PC or a Mac running Windows I highly recommend this free bible study software. It is awesome and everything I am writing about here was assited with E-sword and Biblegateway.com.

Here is what I found, if you read Exodus 20:4-6, Deuteronomy 5:8-10, Nehemiah 1:4-6, Psalm 86:14-17, Jeremiah 32 and Daniel 9 you will see a pattern. This phrasing is an acknowledgement that there are consequences for sin but when we are as far from God as we think we can get, His desire is for us change so that we would stop punishing ourselves with our own sin. It is not that God wants to punish us every time we step out of line, it is that he realizes the natural consequence of not abiding with him is punishment. This fallen world will punish us naturally if we are not walking in the protection (commandments in the Old Testament view before Christ's death and resurrection) of God's presence. However, regardless of our actions God will move heaven and Hell to redeem the lost. The Jeremiah passage is a perfect example. Jerimiah quotes this Exodus passage to God and says , "You said this would happen if we did not do what you said. And you said it would effect our children as well and now we are going to suffer the consequences for a long time and it is all our fault. (paraphrase)" God could have looked at Jeremiah and said, "Preach it brother." but he responds like this,
" 36 "You are saying about this city, 'By the sword, famine and plague it will be handed over to the king of Babylon'; but this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: 37 I will surely gather them from all the lands where I banish them in my furious anger and great wrath; I will bring them back to this place and let them live in safety. 38 They will be my people, and I will be their God. 39 I will give them singleness of heart and action, so that they will always fear me for their own good and the good of their children after them. 40 I will make an everlasting covenant with them: I will never stop doing good to them, and I will inspire them to fear me, so that they will never turn away from me. 41 I will rejoice in doing them good and will assuredly plant them in this land with all my heart and soul." (Jeremiah 32)

Before the people repent God says he will chase after Israel and it's children regardless of their action or unrepentant heart. Nine times he says "I" will do this. He will gather the Israelites (including their children) back to safety. God would appeal to their hearts and make a everlasting covenant where he would rejoice in doing good to them forever and give them his heart and soul. So it seems this phrasing is more an acknowledgement from earth (man) toward heaven (God) that we will pay a price for our decisions. It is how we pray now when we goofed up and are ready to acknowledge all the damage we have caused ourselves and people around us. For instance, "Dear God, forgive my sins. I am sorry I have not taken time to acknowledge that I have a problem with anger and now I can see that my daughter has been infected by anger and has been acting out with her siblings I want to ask for mercy and grace for myself and her. Renew my mind...Amen." This is a prayer I have prayed and continue to pray.

After looking up other passages I returned to Exodus 34:7 and started to brake down each individual Hebrew phrase using E-Sword. One version of the bible that comes free with E-sword is the King James with the Strong's Hebrew definitions attached to each phrase. What I found may surprise you. Here is what it looks like.

Exo 34:7 KeepingH5341 mercyH2617 for thousands,H505 forgivingH5375 iniquityH5771 and transgressionH6588 and sin,H2403 and that will by no means clearH3808 H5352 H5352 the guilty; visitingH6485 the iniquityH5771 of the fathersH1 uponH5921 the children,H1121 and uponH5921 the children'sH1121 children,H1121 untoH5921 the thirdH8029 and toH5921 the fourthH7256 generation.

The H next to the number means the word is Hebrew and the number is a corresponding phrase or word that gets translated to English. There is a Hebrew word for every word till we get to the word sin and then the phrase, "and that will by no means clearH3808 H5352 H5352 the guilty;" is made up of only two Hebrew words with one word being repeated and the word guilty in the phrase was added by translators because they felt it was implied (that is why it is italicized). The repeated word H5352 "nâqâh" can mean to be stipped bare or to be made blameless or even set free.

The Treasury of Scripture has this note to share, "that will by no means clear the guilty: The Hebrew nakkeh lo yenakkeh, has been rendered "Acquitting him who is not innocent." Nothing can more strongly express the goodness of God to frail mortals than this declaration, "which has been misunderstood and misinterpreted by all our translators." (Emphasis mine)

So God is saying I am merciful and forgive those who don't deserve it. Now that sounds like Jesus! But what about that last part about visiting the sin on the children? Lastly, I took the Hebrew phrase and googled it and here is something interesting I found.

"Nevertheless, acts of mercy, pardon, pity, and grace should more frequently be performed by the governor of a country than acts of punishment; seeing that all the thirteen middothof God are attributes of mercy with only one exception, namely, "visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children" (Exod. xxxiv. 7); for the meaning of the preceding attribute (in the original ve-nakkeh lo yenakkeh) is "and he will not utterly destroy"; (and not "He will by no means clear the guilty"); comp. "And she will be utterly destroyed (ve-nikketah), she shall sit upon the ground" (Isa. iii. 26). When it is said that God is visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, this refers exclusively to the sin of idolatry, and to no other sin. That this is the case may be inferred from what is said in the ten commandments, "upon the third and fourth generation of my enemies" (Exod. xx. 5), none except idolaters being called "enemy"; comp. also "every abomination to the Lord, which he hateth" (Deut. xii. 31). It was, however, considered sufficient to extend the punishment to the fourth generation, because the fourth generation is the utmost a man can see of his posterity; and when, therefore, the idolaters of a place are destroyed, the old man worshipping idols is killed, his son, his grandson, and his great-grandson, that is, the fourth generation. (Guide for the Perplexed, by Moses Maimonides, Friedländer tr. [1904], at sacred-texts.com)

So to the Hebrews in their unique time and place would have understood that God was saying if they worshiped idols their children would be affected for at least four generations. How many of us can relate to this truth and are probably feeling the effects of the sins of our parents and their parents and so forth. Another result of idolatry would be the trust in another God for everyday needs and redemption and if you are looking to something else to "fix and restore you" you are choosing not to partake of the mercy and grace God is always extending by your own volition.

So I will end with my own paraphrase of Exodus 34:6-8

"I am the only true creator God. The essence of who I am is merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth. therefore I will always extend mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression to those who cannot earn it or deserve forgiveness. However, if you choose to worship another god you are choosing not to partake in the greatness of who I am."

Eternal Love,

Abba.

Ref. Verses

Exodus 20: 4 "You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. 5You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, 6 but showing love to a thousand {generations} of those who love me and keep my commandments.

Deuteronomy 5: 8 "You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. 9You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, 10 but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.

Nehemiah 1: 4 When I heard these things, I sat down and wept. For some days I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven. 5Then I said: "O LORD, God of heaven, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with those who love him and obey his commands, 6 let your ear be attentive and your eyes open to hear the prayer your servant is praying before you day and night for your servants, the people of Israel. I confess the sins we Israelites, including myself and my father's house, have committed against you. 7 We have acted very wickedly toward you. We have not obeyed the commands, decrees and laws you gave your servant Moses.

Psalm 86: 14 The arrogant are attacking me, O God; a band of ruthless men seeks my life— men without regard for you. 15 But you, O Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness.
16 Turn to me and have mercy on me; grant your strength to your servant and save the son of your maidservant. [b]
17 Give me a sign of your goodness, that my enemies may see it and be put to shame, for you, O LORD, have helped me and comforted me.

Jeremiah 32 and Daniel 9: (you have to read the whole chapter it is beautiful)

The Gathering Part 2 The importance of Genealogy Matt 1:1-17 November 8th 2009

2009-11-07T21:33:00.001-08:00

Review:
Genealogies were important to the Jews because they proved your “right” to be royalty.
Matthew Traces Jesus' right to the thrown through Joseph his father while Luke traces his right through Mary.
The records for the kings lineage was kept at the temple until it was destroyed in 70 AD.
There are four women mentioned in Jesus' lineage was very unusual so it seems to signify something new for the role of women and non-Jewish believers.

Question?

What is so important about our heritage? (Matthew 1:1-17

One of the major things I think we can learn from this passage is that Jesus was not born with any better opportunity then any of us. His parent were not rich and wasn't even married when he was conceived (so no one could question the possibility of a immaculate conception he had to live with the stigma of being a illegitimate child). His mother was probably between the age of 13-16 and his father could have been anywhere from 19-40 (it was common for older men to marry very young girls back then and it may explain why we never here of Joseph after Jesus begins his ministry, he might have passed away). Beyond the fact that he descended from royalty he had all the same haunts in his family tree as any of us and he was most likely worse off. He could clearly see that in his lineage he had, pagans, murderers, adulterers, incestuous relationships and kings who were unkind to there subjects and enslaved them; just to name a few indiscretions. Not to mention the fact that the Jewish nation left the protection of God for the promises of other gods many times, leaving Jesus even without a patriotism to brag about. There are not many sins that he died for on the Cross of Calvary that someone in his family tree didn't commit. And yet the Bible says Jesus can relate to our plight, “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. (Hebrew 4:15) Jesus was tempted because he was fully human. He had the parents that modeled fallen-ness because fallen-ness was modeled by their parents who saw it in their parents etc... The term “you are just like your mother, father, uncle or grandparent” is true in two ways: some sins are modeled and learned by observation while others seem to be more intuitive because they are the result of a generational sin passed on through a spiritual obligation to evil. One way the bible illuminates this truth is, “The sins of the father will be visited on their children for generations to come.” (my paraphrase of Num 14:18). Another example is in Romans 7 Paul says, “21 I find then a law, that evil is present with me, the one who wills to do good. 22 For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man. 23 But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. 24 O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? 25 I thank God—through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, with the mind I myself serve the law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin.
The answer to our issue is Jesus. Jesus resisted every temptation through the power of the Holy Spirit and died in our place so the Spirit was able to say about him.
“The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me,because the LORD has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives
and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the LORD's favor
and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, (Is. 61:1,2)
We are either captive (in prison because of something someone else has done to us) or prisoners (in prison because of something we ourselves have done.) but in either case we can be set free because of the ministry of Jesus.

What is a generational curse? Here is one definition,

“Generational curses are judgments that are passed on to individuals because of sins perpetuated in a family in a number of generations. Generational curses are similar to original sin curses because they can be passed down on a generational basis. They differ in that generational curses do not impose eternal judgment. They bring judgment or bondage during an individual's life, reducing the quality of life, until that individual addresses the sin issues that put the curses into place.” Don Rogers

How do you address sins that have been passed down to us? First, we must realize that whether a sin is ours or one passed onto us we are always responsible for our actions no matter what the cause of our sin. However, while some sin can be dealt with by asking for forgiveness directly for a sin some deliverance only comes after finding the root cause of our sin and then praying for deliverance of it. This may seem like a minor difference but have you ever been angry, sad, ashamed, had other feelings that seemed out of place or lied about something and wondered, "why did I do that or feel that way"? That might be because you are dealing with something that has been passed down to you. The good news is Jesus is bigger than either kind of sin and will deliver you from all of your short comings.
So practically, how do we address generational sins? It would be best to take some time and sit alone with God and ask him this question, "God would you reveal to me the things I struggle with that are not because of my own faults but a sin in my family line?" Then with a pen a paper in hand take time to listen and write down unedited the Holy Spirits response to you. Then take that list to your parents or friends who are on a faith journey to be more like Jesus and asked them to pray with you over your list and see if it rings true with them that these are generational sins and if you agree in your spirits with God's Spirit then pray for those curses to be broken in your life so that they are not passed on to your kids.

Jesus said, "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." (John 10:10)

If we want to have life to the full then,

"Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. (Hebrews 4:16)

The Gathering Part 1: The lineage of Jesus

2009-11-01T11:20:00.000-08:00

Matthew 1:1-17

Why was Jesus' Lineage important?

It proved that he was of the line of David therefore, he could be a king in Israel. (You had to be a royal blood to be the Messiah).

Until 70 A.D. (when the temple was destroyed by the Romans) if you were of the line of David you could go to the temple and trace your family tree by the scrolls that were meticulousness kept by temple scribes. It was not a guessing game and you could not be a king if you were not connected to the line of David.

Why is it significant that there are four women in Jesus' lineage? It was not necessary for women to be mentioned in a patriarchal (Lineage represented by fathers, matriarchal would be lineage represented by mothers, the Jews lineage was strictly patriarchal) lineage and yet four women are mention in Jesus' ancestry. The four women did not come from great backgrounds either. Tamar was was not Jewish, Rehab (Canaanite), Ruth (Moabite, a descendant of Lot) and Bathsheba the mother of Solomon, the wife of Uriah could have been either Jewish or Hittite. Tamar, Rehab, And Bathsheba are know for their sexual sins and Ruth came from a people not well respected by a Jewish audience, and yet under direction of the Holy Spirit they are added to the This most important list. This was a sign of God to show right from the beginning of Jesus' ministry he would be making room for the non-Jewish people-groups and elevating the status of women of New Testament women compared to Old Testament ones. A common prayer prayed by Jews of Jesus times was, "Blessed art thou, O God, for not making me a Gentile, slave, or woman." Guess God was not a big fan of that prayer.

Here is a quick rundown of the other people mentioned in Jesus' lineage.

Abraham: Family came from modern day Iraq where he grew up worshiping the sun God Nanna.
Struggle with lying when in trouble but loved his family and was one of the richest men of his time.
Married to Sarai who God miraculously gave a child at an old age.

Issac: Was also successful at business man and share his fathers problem with lying. (probably observed it at home and work with his Dad) Married Rebekah. Rebekah also struggled with having children.

Judah: Was successful in saving Joseph's life but seems to be a all around immoral person sleeping with his daughter-in-law when he thougt she was a prostitute and being given to superstition.

Pharez and Zerah out of Tamar: Judah was the father of her children Gen:38

Hezron was Pharez's son: we don't know anything about him

Aram: - Unknown

Amminadab: – Aaron took his daughter as a wife and seems to be the respected leader of the tribe of Judah before his son.

Nahshon:- The leader of the tribe of Judah during the Exodus Numbers 1:7

Salmon: Father of Boaz. (Ruth 4:20, Ps. 68:14)

Boaz Out of Rahab: This is significant because it shows the missional mission statement of GOd. He has always been interested in reaching the world.

Obed out of Ruth: Ruth was a Moabite. Moabites were descendants of Lots showing God's complete forgiveness of Lot and his family.

Jesse: Seems to be a everyday guy who was loyal to God and Israel.

David: Man after Gods own heart.

Solomon out of her who had been the wife of Uriah: Uriah was a Hittie who were known as warriors and giants and at one time they were enemies of Israel. (Gen 15:20) But by Genesis chapter 20 the Hittites seem to be friends cause Ephron the Hittite allows Abraham to bury Sarah on his land for free.

Rehoboam: destroyed davids kingdom by taking bad council and enslaving his own people 1Kings 12) His mom was a descendant of Lots younger daughter (the Ammonites).. (1 Sam 11) Saul scatters the ammonites and they live among the Israelites after that.

Abijam: was evil and married to a forenier that was suppose to be disposed of

Asa: followed God and returned them to true worship

Jehoshaphat: Walked in the way of David and took council from prophets

Jehoram: Good king and warrior died because he was betrayed

Uzziah: Good king but made a bad choice at the end of his life

Jotham: Good king died of leprosy

Ahaz: Bad king practiced the rights of foreign gods

Hezekiah: was a great king with a lot of faith but ended poorly and did not care about the generation after him.

Manasseh: Bad king but repented at the end of his life.

Amon: Bad king his servants killed him and put his 8 year old son in his place

Josiah: Good king listen to council and to God. Turned people back tot he law and rebuilt the kingdom at the grand old age of 8 years old.

Jehoiachin: He was evil and the Israelites were taken into captivity under this king

Shealtiel: Good king

Zerbbabel: Good King

Abiud: Not mentioned elsewhere

Eliakim: was a priest king.

Azor,Sadoc,Achim,Eliud,Eleazar,Matthan,Jacob,Joseph: The rest of the names mentioned were all rulers after the Israelites were in captivity. They could not have been kings but must have been leaders during the inter-testament period (The four hundred years between the last book of the Old Testament and the writing of the New Testament. Some of the names are mention in apocrypha books (books that tell the history of the Jews during the inter-testament times) but these books are not recognized as being inspired by the Holy Spirit.

Titus 2 the new you

2008-07-16T06:38:00.000-07:00

Titus and the "New Doctrine"
Ever wander why Paul condems the Jews for having to many rules for the people to follow only to turn around and come up with a list of his own? In the book of Titus is an exciting and helpful book that draws us into a closer relationship with God through a new "sound doctrine." What is this new Doctrine? Come and see

Now listening to teachers and preachers only works if you engage yourself with the Holy Spirit and ask Him throughout the message, "what do you think of that?" Let him be your teacher and guide this morning. Also, I don't know much so if the Holy Spirit gives something to you would you email me and share it? We have the same Spirit and I am giving you what he gave to me and I am asking only the same in return. I have prepared for this message but consider this time to be like a DVD you would rent that has alternative endings. I am leaving room for the H.S. to do whatever he wants.

O.K. here is the passage...

Titus (The New You)

Titus 2

1 But as for you, speak the things which are proper for sound doctrine:
2 that the older men be sober, reverent, temperate, sound in faith, in love, in patience;
3 the older women likewise, that they be reverent in behavior, not slanderers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things—
4 that they admonish the young women to love their husbands, to love their children,
5 to be discreet, chaste, homemakers, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be blasphemed.
6 Likewise, exhort the young men to be sober-minded,
7 in all things showing yourself to be a pattern of good works; in doctrine showing integrity, reverence, incorruptibility,[a]
8 sound speech that cannot be condemned, that one who is an opponent may be ashamed, having nothing evil to say of you.[b]
9 Exhort bondservants to be obedient to their own masters, to be well pleasing in all things, not answering back,
10 not pilfering, but showing all good fidelity, that they may adorn the doctrine of God our Savior in all things.
11 For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men,
12 teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age,
13 looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ,
14 who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works.
15 Speak these things, exhort, and rebuke with all authority. Let no one despise you.

So when I read the Bible I like to ask questions of the passage. Hear are a few.

1. What is sound doctrine?

2. Where did this origination of the order of family come from? Is it Jewish or Roman or Holy Spirit or what?

3. Why would Paul tell them to follow a set of rules after he told Titus to ignore the rule givers in chapter 1?

4. Why would you set such high standards for such low-life people?

5. Why give people a set of rules to follow when in chapter 3 Paul is going to tell them it is not by works of righteousness but by Christ we are saved? So why does it matter how we live?

6. Why would Paul promote slavery?

7. In light of what sound doctrine means where do we receive the words we live by? Is by those who speak death over us like in epimendes or is it from those who want us to live by rules like the circumcised? or is it the doctrine of Christ?

Consider this, the letters to Timothy and Titus are letters written from a spiritual father to his sons. They would have had a lot of time in ministry together where they cried, laughed shared victories and defeats together and just like any close family they would have developed their own family language. In the studio where I work we have a "Seinfeld language". When I say the "Big Salad" or bazaro world, Soup Nazi, "Newman", Art Vandelay, I could go on and on with words that for some of you mean nothing and for others will bring back vivid images of the best comedy ever made. Friends always create a subculture that includes an inclusive language that help promote camaraderie.

This weekend we had a awesome time camping with some families here at Bethel. Sitting around the camp fire people would say a few words from the trip we had last year and it would immediately bring back laughs and fond memories.

I believe Paul and his boys have their own code and the main word is Sound Doctrine, it is a trigger letting the decoder know that everything that follows should be decrypted by the many hours of teaching and learning together we did when they were face to face.

Paul is writing to two warriors who are behind enemy lines. At this time Christianity is a minority religion and the Romans are concerned about these movements upsetting the balance in a society so sophisticated as theirs. They were also concerned with any religion that had a messiah because the word messiah meant a revolt would be coming that the government would have to squash or face chaos in the streets and possibly causing a dethroning of the incumbent regime. Also, at this time morals did not come from religion, most pagan religions were void of morals, morals were decided on by the philosophers, religions were places were people went to party and be hedonistic. Now considering all of this, Paul does something very cunning I think, in case any body gets this letter that would have reason to harm his boys he uses their cypher. He points out Jews who are known as trouble makers to the Roman society and separates himself from that bunch and tells Titus to do the same. He then puts the Roman authorities at ease by lifting up their family values and societal structure as agreeable to Christianity.

The family structure he lays out is not Jewish but Greco-Roman in nature; the man of the house was the center of the universe and the women, children and extended family revolved around him.
Wives rarely left the house to insure that legitimacy of the patriarchs lineage staid in tacked. Men had other women that they took to parties and social events. Old women were father figures of the roman "sit-coms" they were thought of as drinking and talking to much. And slavery was a very important part of societal structure and in couple of paragraphs Paul basically says, "to whom it may concern, don't worry we are not going to rock the boat." Or did He?

Sound Doctrine I believe are principles that are transferable to any age and can be applied to any culture. It is not a structure that must be maintained exactly the way it was 2000 years ago. Sound Doctrine is

What is sound doctrine? (is it the code of ethics to follow?)

Places were we find Sound Doctrine

Doctrine:
Hebrew – “leqach” pronounced “leh-kakh” – teaching, learning, insight and also with the thing taught, teaching-power and persuasiveness
Greek – “didache” – teaching, instruction, religious teaching, what is taught
Matthew 7:28 – after Jesus shared parables on the kingdom of God and discussions of the desired “fruit” of Christians, this verse says that “the people were astonished at His doctrine”

Sound:
Hebrew – “towb” for “good doctrine in Pro. 4:2, pronounced tobe, meaning good, healthy, prosperous, happy (same word as God used in creation)
Greek – “hygiaino”, pronounced “hu-gai-ee-noo”, meaning to be sound, well, in good health (root word for hygiene); for Christians, it means that views of doctrine are free from any mixture of error; also one who keeps the graces and is strong; sound, true, in-corrupt
What is your spiritual hygiene like? How healthy are you spiritually? Are you strong or weak and unhealthy?

So the idea is a healthy teaching about who they Crete's are.

How healthy are the Cretans? Well as we heard last week from Josh the Creatans don’t have a real healthy lineage. They seem to be living under a curse that was pronounced 600 years before by a man named Epimenides in a poem to Zeus. The Crete’s had put Zeus down by saying he was mortal so Epimenides penned these words,

“They fashioned a tomb for thee, O holy and high one—

The Cretans, always liars, evil beasts, idle bellies!

But thou art not dead: thou livest and abidest forever,

For in thee we live and move and have our being.” – Cretica

Now how do you change a group of people who believe they are just the way they are?

What about the trading in the old rules for new ones?

The Jews that Paul addresses at the end of chapter 1 possibly came to be followers of Christ on the day of Pentecost. However, some had mixed the message of Jesus with Gnostic concepts or with law from the O.T. trying to override the teachings of Jesus and make them secondary to their own religious desires. Paul is not telling Titus, "hear are the new rules from God" (unless God designed the oppressive family structure of the Greco/Roman world which was cruel toward women, children and promoted slavery) he is saying, "All of what I taught you apply to your current situation (vs. 12 “present Age”).

Here is how I see it, the qualifier is “sound doctrine” If you were to hang out with Paul this is what you would walk away with,

1. Admit your obstacles. (And such were some of you)

Story of me wanting to be a lawyer

(Encouraging the low life’s)

1Cor 6: 9 Or do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor practicing homosexuals 10 nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

2. Renew Your mind. (It is not what you do but who you are)

Sin is bigger that you, Jesus is Lord of all.

Galatians 2:20 Crucified in Christ

2 Corinthians 10:5 We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

Rom 6:13 Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness. 14For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace.

We offer ourselves to God not to being better.

3. The evidence of resting is fruit or good works without trying. It is the fruits of the Spirit not our fruit

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. 25 Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.

4. There is an enemy who is trying to stop us at all cost.

Eph6:10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

If you think spiritual warfare is a bunch of bunk you are in for a world of hurt.

Living in sound doctrine has nothing to do with the station you are living in. Paul knows that he cannot abolish slavery or equity issues of his day until the Spirit has a chance to change the heart and this is only done by people who care more for the kingdom then their own rights as human beings.

So you can see, in light of what sound doctrine Paul ends titus two talking about walking in the spirit and our future hope which results in good works.

1 Timothy 1

1Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the command of God our Savior and of Christ Jesus our hope,

2To Timothy my true son in the faith:
Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.

Warning Against False Teachers of the Law

3As I urged you when I went into Macedonia, stay there in Ephesus so that you may command certain men not to teach false doctrines any longer 4nor to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies. These promote controversies rather than God's work—which is by faith. 5The goal of this command is love, which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. 6Some have wandered away from these and turned to meaningless talk. 7They want to be teachers of the law, but they do not know what they are talking about or what they so confidently affirm.

8We know that the law is good if one uses it properly. 9We also know that law[a] is made not for the righteous but for lawbreakers and rebels, the ungodly and sinful, the unholy and irreligious; for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers, 10for adulterers and perverts, for slave traders and liars and perjurers—and for whatever else is contrary to the sound doctrine 11that conforms to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, which he entrusted to me.

Rest in the Holy Spirit

The Lord's Grace to Paul

12I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that he considered me faithful, appointing me to his service. 13Even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief. 14The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.

15Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst. 16But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on him and receive eternal life. 17Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen.

18Timothy, my son, I give you this instruction in keeping with the prophecies once made about you, so that by following them you may fight the good fight, 19holding on to faith and a good conscience. Some have rejected these and so have shipwrecked their faith. 20Among them are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have handed over to Satan to be taught not to blaspheme.

1 Timothy 4 (New International Version)

1 Timothy 4

Instructions to Timothy

1The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons.
2Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron.
3They forbid people to marry and order them to abstain from certain foods, which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and who know the truth.
4For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving,
5because it is consecrated by the word of God and prayer.

6If you point these things out to the brothers, you will be a good minister of Christ Jesus, brought up in the truths of the faith and of the good teaching that you have followed.

7Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives' tales; rather, train yourself to be godly.

8For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.

9This is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance

10(and for this we labor and strive), that we have put our hope in the living God, who is the Savior of all men, and especially of those who believe.

11Command and teach these things.

12Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity. 13Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to preaching and to teaching. 14Do not neglect your gift, which was given you through a prophetic message when the body of elders laid their hands on you.

15Be diligent in these matters; give yourself wholly to them, so that everyone may see your progress. 16Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers.

1 Timothy 6 (New International Version)

1 Timothy 6

1All who are under the yoke of slavery should consider their masters worthy of full respect, so that God's name and our teaching may not be slandered. 2Those who have believing masters are not to show less respect for them because they are brothers. Instead, they are to serve them even better, because those who benefit from their service are believers, and dear to them. These are the things you are to teach and urge on them.

Love of Money

3If anyone teaches false doctrines and does not agree to the sound instruction of our Lord Jesus Christ and to godly teaching, 4he is conceited and understands nothing. He has an unhealthy interest in controversies and quarrels about words that result in envy, strife, malicious talk, evil suspicions 5and constant friction between men of corrupt mind, who have been robbed of the truth and who think that godliness is a means to financial gain.

6But godliness with contentment is great gain. 7For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. 8But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. 9People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. 10For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.

Paul's Charge to Timothy

11But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. 12Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses. 13In the sight of God, who gives life to everything, and of Christ Jesus, who while testifying before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, I charge you 14to keep this command without spot or blame until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15which God will bring about in his own time—God, the blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings and Lord of lords, 16who alone is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or can see. To him be honor and might forever. Amen.

17Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. 18Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. 19In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.

20Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to your care. Turn away from godless chatter and the opposing ideas of what is falsely called knowledge, 21which some have professed and in so doing have wandered from the faith.
Grace be with you.

2 Peter 1

1Simon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ,
To those who through the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ have received a faith as precious as ours:

2Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.

Making One's Calling and Election Sure

3His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. 4Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.

5For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; 6and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; 7and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. 8For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9But if anyone does not have them, he is nearsighted and blind, and has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins.

10Therefore, my brothers, be all the more eager to make your calling and election sure. For if you do these things, you will never fall, 11and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Prophecy of Scripture

12So I will always remind you of these things, even though you know them and are firmly established in the truth you now have. 13I think it is right to refresh your memory as long as I live in the tent of this body, 14because I know that I will soon put it aside, as our Lord Jesus Christ has made clear to me. 15And I will make every effort to see that after my departure you will always be able to remember these things.

16We did not follow cleverly invented stories when we told you about the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. 17For he received honor and glory from God the Father when the voice came to him from the Majestic Glory, saying, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased."[a] 18We ourselves heard this voice that came from heaven when we were with him on the sacred mountain.

19And we have the word of the prophets made more certain, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. 20Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet's own interpretation. 21For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.

Ben,

I would agree with BDAG that DIDASKALIA is "that which is taught," and yes,
the word is used numerous times in the pastorals (15x). I'm arguing that
DIDASKALIA in the pastorals has a broader semantic domain than "doctrine"
(at least the way I usually use the word--this may be from my Bible college
background where I took Doctrine I-IV, which were classes in theology). 1
Tim. 1:10 is an example where DIDASKALIA must include teaching of an ethical
nature:

1 Tim. 1:10
PORNOIS ARSENOKOITAIS ANDRAPODISTAIS YEUSTAIS EPIORKOIS, KAI EI TI hETERON
THi hUGIAINOUSHi DIDASKALIAi ANTIKEITAI

Jonathan Boyd
Huxley, IA

Ben wrote:
DIDASKALIA seems to be the Pastorals' word for Doctrine. Except for
Ephesians 4:14, the normal word for Doctrine is DIDACH. BAGD ought to come
to the rescue here. Maybe DIDASKALIA is verbal teaching, as against a
written code or summary, a DIDACH (the name of the eponymous extracanonical
book).

The hUGIANWSKH DIDASKALIA is the correct or sound teaching, as opposed to
the different teaching or Other Doctrine of 1 Timothy 1:3-4 (MH
hETERODIDASKALEIN MHDE PROSECEIN MUQOIS, ktl).

This sounds interesting

2008-04-03T19:48:00.000-07:00

Google Calendar

2008-01-01T13:04:00.000-08:00

Google Calendar

BibleGateway.com- Commentaries » Luke 1 » Preface: An Invitation to Be Reassured

2007-12-18T05:33:00.000-08:00

BibleGateway.com- Commentaries » Luke 1 » Preface: An Invitation to Be Reassured

Theophilus (Biblical) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

2007-12-18T05:29:00.000-08:00

Wings (Study)

Luke

Lk 1:1-4. Many have undertaken to draw
up an account of the things that have
been fulfilled among us. Just as they
were handed down to us by those who
from the first were eyewitnesses and
servants of the word. With this in mind,
since I myself have carefully investigated
everything from the beginning, I too
decided to write an orderly account for
you, most excellent Theophilus, so that
you may know the certainty of the things
you have been taught.

Who was Theophilus?
Theophilus (Biblical) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

http://www.biblegateway.com/resources/commentaries/index.php?action=getCommentaryText&cid=3&source=1&seq=i.49.1.1

Synoptic Gospels

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Synoptic_Gospels

Slow Cooker Veggie-Beef Soup with Okra - Allrecipes

2007-12-12T07:47:00.000-08:00

Slow Cooker Veggie-Beef Soup with Okra - Allrecipes

Allrecipes | Print Recipes

2007-12-12T07:46:00.000-08:00

Allrecipes Print Recipes Good BBQ Chicken

Player for Pocket PC

2007-12-09T04:30:00.001-08:00

http://www.sompy.com/sw.html

AeroGrow: Ultimate 3-Shelf Wall Garden

2007-12-08T14:10:00.000-08:00

AeroGrow: Ultimate 3-Shelf Wall Garden

I am reading for elder retreat

2007-04-23T21:11:00.000-07:00

We are meeting to set down the ground rules for Elders at Bethel. Our homework is reading a pamplet called, "Basic principles of policy governance and your roles and responsibilities as a board member. I thought is would be boring but I am finding a lot to like about these materials.

There is a main point that we need to ask ourselves when deciding what we as a board need to focus on at Bethel and that is What good, for whom and at what cost. We are meeting this week to discuss this topic.

blog

2007-04-09T19:30:00.000-07:00

blog

Today in the Studio 4-9-2007

2007-04-09T18:53:00.000-07:00

Worked all day at the mall. We were light the JMA and decided on setting 2ppt ,3 video,4 meeting , and 11 walking in for the show. Tim Lueck, Paul Peterson, Dan Madden, Greg Grimley, Bob Petersen and the guy from R&K Electric were in attendance. We change the direction of the lights on the side screen and went through audio checks. The matrix on the tt24 changes the audio. Al Annexstad is coming in tomorrow at 7AM. I need to contact the J store in Mankato tomorrow and see if they will be in the J Video. Tim says I need to get better at emailing people back at work so I need to pay better attention to this. Tim will be talking to brad this week about the job again I hope he takes it. God be in control of who gets this position. It is very important that the right personality is hired.

Here is where I will write stuff starting tommorow

2007-04-03T18:40:00.001-07:00

Everything you want to know and more.