the horns of ames

Quote of the Day

2006-10-14T23:35:00.000-05:00

"...If we walked out of this room really believing all of this stuff was really real, I mean really real, we'd turn the world upside down. I've often thought, if I really believe that when I went before God in prayer, that I was really walking into the throne room and God was leaning forward with his arms out and says "Come closer, lets talk," if I really believed that, I wouldn't have trouble praying, I'd have trouble getting up and leaving! Do you really believe that what you believe is really real?"

Dr. Del Tackett

President

Focus on the Family Institute

As seen on a key chain...

2006-10-09T20:43:00.000-05:00

"Good morning, this is God. I will be handling all your problems today. I will not need your help, so have a good day!"

:-)

Dave Barry's "25 Things"

2006-10-02T08:30:00.000-05:00

25 Things I Have Learned in 50 Years
Dave Barry

The badness of a movie is directly proportional to the number of
helicopters in it.

You will never find anybody who can give you a clear and
compelling reason why we observe Daylight Saving Time.

People who feel the need to tell you that they have an excellent
sense of humor are telling you that they have no sense of humor.

The most valuable function performed by the federal government is
entertainment.

You should never say anything to a woman that even remotely
suggests you think she's pregnant unless you can see an actual baby
emerging from her at that moment.

A penny saved is worthless.

They can hold all the peace talks they want, but there will never
be peace in the Middle East. Billions of years from now, when Earth
is hurtling toward the Sun and there is nothing left alive on the
planet except a few microorganisms, the microorganisms living in
the Middle East will be bitter enemies.

The most powerful force in the universe is: gossip.

The one thing that unites all human beings, regardless of age,
gender, religion, economic status, or ethnic background, is that,
deep down inside, we all believe that we are above-average drivers.

There comes a time when you should stop expecting other people to
make a big deal about your birthday. That time is: age 11.

There is a very fine line between 'hobby' and 'mental illness.'

People who want to share their religious views with you almost
never want you to share yours with them.

Nobody is normal.

If you had to identify, in one word, the reason why the human
race has not achieved, and never will achieve, its full potential,
that word would be: meetings.

The main accomplishment of almost all organized protests is to
annoy people who are not in them.

If there really is a God who created the entire universe with all
of its glories, and He decides to deliver a message to humanity, He
will not use, as His messenger, a person on cable TV with a bad
hairstyle.

You should not confuse your career with your life.

A person who is nice to you, but rude to the waiter, is not a
nice person.

No matter what happens, somebody will find a way to take it too
seriously.

When trouble arises and things look bad, there is always one
individual who perceives a solution and is willing to take command.
Very often, that individual is crazy.

Your friends love you anyway.

Nobody cares if you can't dance well. Just get up and dance.

Funny thought

2006-09-13T00:43:00.000-05:00

I don't know why this struck me as funny, but I was reading in Revelation tonight and came across Revelation 21:17 - "He also measured its wall, 144 cubits by human measurement, which is also an angel's measurement." I guess an angel is about the same size as a human being. I have always assumed that I suppose, but it kind of argues the thought that angels are some giant beings or small things that sit on your shoulders. Just an interesting thought, nothing theologically ground shattering. :-)

The Bible Says...

2006-08-16T19:56:00.000-05:00

I read this story today and I thought it was amazing. How much time do I spend trying to prove the Bible is accurate instead of letting God's words (1 Thessalonians 2:13) pierce the hearts of the unbelievers and let the Holy Spirit do His work. For me, a natural debater, that's hard for me to do. I will just relay it here from Dr. Adrian Roger's study on "The Incredible Power of Kingdom Authority - Achieving Victory Through Surrender." Copyright LifeWay church resources.

BILLY GRAHAM AND THE POWER OF THE WORD OF GOD

In 1949, when Billy Graham was a very young man, he harbored the same doubts about the Bible that many young people have. When he stood up to preach there was a lack of power. He knew an intellectual battle was waging in his mind over the authority of God's Word.

That year God allowed Billy to spend some time in the mountains outside of Los Angeles. There, he wrestled with God and with himself. He said, "In desperation, I surrendered my will to the living God revealed in the Scripture. I knelt before the open Bible and said, 'Lord, many things in this book I do not understand, but Thou hast said the just shall live by faith. All I have, I have received by faith. Here and now by faith, I accept the Bible as Thy Word, I take it all, I take it without reservations. Where there are things I cannot understand, I will reserve judgement until I receive more light. If this pleases Thee, give me authority as I proclaim Thy Word, and through that authority convict me of sin and turn sinners to the Savior."

Within six weeks of that prayer, Billy Graham preached the great Los Angeles crusade where thousands were swept into the kingdom of God. His ministry caught on fire for the Lord - making a global impact for the Savior! Now, he recognized that he didn't have to prove the Bible was true. He had settled it in his mind and that faith then impacted his preaching and the men and women who were saved as a result. Now he had a quick, powerful weapon in his hand - a two-edged sword that could pierce the heart of people. He had a flame with which to melt away the unbelief of people, a hammer to break up the stony covering of hearts. All this, Billy Graham says, is why, to this day, he frequently begins sentences with the phrase, "The Bible says..."

Another Christian Publisher Ban

2006-08-12T17:18:00.000-05:00

Ok, so I wrote a while back on my disapproval and boycott of Zondervan publications. Unfortunately, I have a new publisher to add to this list. Heard of Thomas Nelson? Of course you have, they are the world's largest publisher of Bibles in English. So why the ban? I have discovered that Thomas Nelson has decided to diversify a bit. What's their newest project? Something called Naked, Inc. which promotes a new book and website. The book is "The Hot Mom's Handbook" and the website is http://www.hotmomsclub.com. How can Thomas Nelson attach their name to the Word of God and at the same time to the Word of ones that would promote sex outside of marraige, astrology and readings, yoga and meditation, and a hedonistic lifestyle? I have no idea, but I'm sure Nelson would roll over in his grave if he knew what his company has come to.

Congrats to Adam and Jo!

2006-08-07T22:56:00.000-05:00

Well, it's official, my younger brother Adam is married. He and Jo got married on August 5th and the wedding was great. Eli was a ring bearer and he actually went up the aisle. It's great to have Jo in the family, but now we have to figure out a way to get them back up to Iowa instead of that house they just bought in Jefferson City, MO. :-)

Pics from my photo blog can be found below...

Adam and Jo's Wedding

Aug 5, 2006 - 93 Photos

Our Bibles as our Cell Phones

2006-08-01T03:21:00.000-05:00

I wonder what would happen if we treated our Bible like we treat our cell phones.
What if we always carried it around in our purses or pockets?
What if we turned back to go get it if we forgot it?
What if we flipped through it several times a day?
What if we used it to receive messages from the text?
What if we treated it as if we could not live without it?
What if we gave it to kids as gifts?
What if we used it as we traveled?
What if we used it in case of an emergency?

This is something to make you go...hmmm...where is my Bible?
Oh, and one more thing, unlike our cell phone, we don't ever have to worry about our bible being disconnected because Jesus has already paid the bill

Baby Got Book (parody video)

2006-07-26T11:43:00.000-05:00


This is pretty funny. Dan "Southpaw" Smith's parody of "Baby Got Back" as seen on VH1's WebJunk. A "hip" preacher from the Cleveland area. www.whiteboydj.com

Thought of the day

2006-07-16T12:47:00.000-05:00

This day has been brought to you by Jesus Christ.

- This thought was posted with a text message from my mobile phone, this is an update for further explanation. The thought came from the song "Lifesong" by The Casting Crowns that was playing this morning.

"I want to sign your name to the end of this day."

Does God Believe in You?

2006-07-13T23:50:00.000-05:00

I heard this concept from a friend (let's call him Harley) two nights ago. He said that at the Promise Keepers conference, there was a video from www.nooma.com that told the story of Peter walking on the water to Jesus. Essentially the guy said that everyone thinks that Peter had doubts in Jesus, but this guy said that the account in Matthew 14 doesn't actually say that Jesus asked Peter why he lost faith in Christ, he just asks why he had doubt. So this guy thought that maybe our typical interpretation of that story is wrong and that Jesus really was asking Peter why he had doubt about his own ability to walk on water. His point was that God Believes in You! I couldn't disagree more, and this is the outcome of the back and forth we had on the topic. Another friend (let's call him Google) jumped in as well. Here's the transcript. It started as a chat and went to e-mail.....

***BEGIN CHAT***

Harley: http://www.nooma.com/uploaded/ProductMedia/2005/December/d91e927f-39db-4fa4-9604-d2b7b6765368.pdf

Harley: pg 15

Harley: the whole deal was in jewish culture, you want to be just like your rabbi
that is the entire point
so peter walked on water to "be like" his rabbi
but then started to doubt that he could be like him
that was the story
peter doubted that he could do what his raabi was doing
which is why he fell

me: God believes in us?
I'm not sure how I feel about that

Harley: why?

me: because God knows we can do NOTHING on our own without Him
that we can never even come close to being like Him
without Him and His forgiveness
so really God believes in Himself if anything
"I can do all things THROUGH CHRIST who strengthens me."

Harley: so cant god believe in us that we have teh power to accept and do things thru christ?

me: that's not believing in us!
that's believing in Christ and what He can do with us
John 15:5
Jesus says "I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same beareth much fruit: FOR APART FROM ME YE CAN DO NOTHING."
so to me, that means God has zero belief in me on my own

Harley: so are you saying believing in yourself is bad?

me: depends, sounds like a slippery slope towards pride to me
I always credit everything to God and ZERO to my own credit
I have always taken that verse to heart
as soon as I believe in myself, it shows up as pride
you know, it's really just depends on what the real message is behind those taglines
if the point is that you can believe that you CAN pursue a Christlike walk in life, then yeah, I think you should at least believe that's possible
and that you can do that, but only because of God's grace, not because you're able to refrain from sin
and does God believe in us? No, I don't think so. I think He shows us His Grace and helps us along and doesn't let us just self destruct in our own evil desires and actions. Without his influence, we would have self destructed by now.

***END CHAT***

***AARON EMAIL TO GOOGLE AND HARLEY***

I gotta get to bed. Just wanted to see if "Google" agrees with me, or if he has another thought on this topic. I like to find things that we might not agree with, it keeps me thinking. :-)

***HARLEY'S RESPONSE***

http://www.rockies.net/~spirit/sermons/a-or02sn.php looked interesting

***AARON'S RESPONSE***

Here's my opinion on that sermon (nice use of Google.com, btw.) :-)

Besides him saying "God believes in you" a ton of times, there isn't really anything backing it up. He uses one verse: "It is too light a thing that you should be my servant to raise up
the tribes of Jacob and to restore the survivors of Israel; I will
give you as a light to the nations."

And that pretty much is God saying I WILL GIVE YOU as a light. God is doing that, He's not "believing in us" to do it. That guy used some REALLY tricky wording, he'd put "I believe in you" RIGHT before and after a quote from Jesus. He also wrote this:

And yet, to our inadequacies and to our fears,
no matter how well hidden, or how up front they may,
the prophet says, Jesus says, God says, but one thing,
and he says it over and over again
"I believe in you."

That isn't a quote, that's putting words in Jesus and God's mouth. He even puts quotes around "I believe in you"!

:-) Sorry I'm attacking this guy, but it's a pretty blatant example of quoting something that isn't really there in my opinion. Reading that thing gave me visions of sitting in a Lutheran church. :-)

What do you think "Google", am I totally off on this one?

***HARLEY'S RESPONSE***

I think there is a lot of comfort found in that this may be a reciporacal relation ship. I trust in god, and likewise god trusts in me (you could add BECAUSE i have trust in him and believe). You could also make the argument that if the holy spirit has entered you as a result of acceptance, then the holy spirit is now your guiding principal and an inherent "part" of you, THEREFORE if god trusts in you hes really trusting partly in himself :-)

***GOOGLE'S RESPONSE***

You guys are amazing! A whole conversation, websites, and chat log while I slept....sweet!

Aaron, I think you are right on the money, from what scripture says. It never, never, never builds the case that we can do anything on our own, or to believe in 'self'. Romans 3 (read the whole chapter) is all about that very idea, "There is no one righteous, not even one; 11there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. 12All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one." I like what you said about John 15:5.

Harley, you are sooo right that men find comfort in the idea of a reciprocal relationship, because it says, "I do hold some power". But reciprocal shouldn't be the word...God is not dependent on man. We have to die to self, pick up our cross, and follow Christ.

Thanks for including me,
"Google"

***MY RESPONSE***

So is God trusting me or is God trusting Himself (the Holy Spirit?) I'm worried this is getting into semantics, but I would be scared if God put any real trust in me. He might have hope in me that I will follow Him, but the only person God can put trust in, is in Himself. If I asked God how much faith He had that I would do something for Him, the answer would be zero. If I asked God how much faith He had that I could do something for Him with His help and power, it would be 100%. I think this seemingly harmless philosophy that God has faith in us or that God trusts us, can be dangerous if we unpack it and start to make God out to be counting on man for anything.

Do you know why we aren't tempted beyond what we can handle? Because God doesn't allow it. Not because we can do it on our own. Not because God trusts that we will follow His will and not fall into temptation, but because God doesn't allow temptation to come our way without providing an escape for us. 1 Corinthians 10:13 "No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it. "

You know, I just read "Google's" response before finishing this one, and I think he has struck a chord with the "I do hold some power" comment. This seems to come full circle to the desire to have a will and control over where your life is headed without surrendering fully to God's will for our lives. Why are we so scared to give God full control? Probably because we know He'll take us out of our comfort zone and we're not willing to give everything up. It's the same excuse some people use not to become a Christian and give their lives up to Christ. Because they know it means giving up excessive drinking, fornication, lust, and other attractive sinful behaviours. In their worldview, it's just not worth it. Man is not inherently good like John Locke would argue. I'd agree with Thomas Hobbes that man is inherently evil. We are born into sin, and we'll turn our back on God and nail Him to the cross any chance we get in the absence of His grace and forgiveness. God doesn't believe in us. Like D said, He calls us to pick up our cross and follow after Him. We can only do that with His help and grace. He can't count on us to do it otherwise.

However, I DO agree that we should strive to be like our rabbi. Ephesians 4:14-16. "14so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. 15Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, 16from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love. " Romans 12 tells us to be transformed in our minds so that we think like God thinks. Has compassion like God has compassion. Desires truth and holiness like God desires truth and holiness. We should be like Christ.

Should Peter have been able to walk on water? Yes. Because of his own power? No. Because of Christ's power? Yes. He had little faith, he doubted. Was Christ disappointed that Peter doubted himself that he could walk on water? Absolutely not, I think that's absurd and really trying to find something that isn't there at all. I think Christ was disappointed that Peter doubted that Christ would protect him and allow him to walk on the water when He had clearly commanded him to do it. Peter took his eyes off of Christ. That is why he sank. Not because he started to doubt himself, but because he looked away from Christ, and started looking at the wind and doubt in Christ crept in, so he began to sink. Read the account from Matthew 14.

Matthew 14:28-33 - 28And Peter answered him, "Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water." 29He said, "Come." So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus. 30But when he saw the wind,[ d] he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, "Lord, save me." 31Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, "O you of little faith, why did you doubt?" 32And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased. 33And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, "Truly you are the Son of God."

This is great stuff, and if nothing else I've been challenged to realize even more that Philippians 4:13 is the theme of my life. Nothing I have is mine, nothing I have done is of my own abilities, all glory and honor goes to the one that created me and gives me the life, the talents and the blessings that I have today, and if He decides in His sovereign will that I should no longer have those things, that is His very right to take them away, and like Job I should continue to praise Him and realize that it is according to His will. Now I just pray that God doesn't find it necessary for me to practice what I preach. :-) Not really, but I have zero doubt that it would be a struggle and painful, but I truly submit to His will...

***GOOGLE'S RESPONSE***

And all the people said......"Amen".

***HARLEY'S RESPONSE***

See, this is one of those things that would define a new division of the church. In the end, it probobly doesnt matter, the only thing that matters is that you believe you are a sinner, cannot not be forgiven without the blood of JC, and accept his sacrafice.

Now, back to the trust issue, I do see that it can lead to self boasting, take away from god, etc, HOWEVER, put this spin on it

God Created Man
God cannot trust man
God cannot create a trustworthy being...is god somehow imperfect then?

in case this comes to a definition problem....

Definition of Trust - Firm reliance on the integrity, ability, or character of a person or thing.

Cannot god have belief in the ability of us to accept him? I would say he has a LOT of that, otherwise how are we saved if we dont have the ability to accept what JC did for us

Definition of Faith - Loyalty to a person or thing; allegiance.

This whole thing doesnt assume god has "allegiance" in us I dont think, and nobody has said god has "faith" in us i dont believe.

***MY RESPONSE***

Ok, as we discussed briefly in person, I definitely don't think this would cause a division in the church. I think there is a right and a wrong answer here and we should be able to unpack this enough that someone is going to see that they are wrong and concede the point. :-) I agree that the most important thing is accepting Christ as your atonement for your sins, but I don't agree that it's the ONLY thing that matters. :-) There's more to it than only being saved. That's the beginning.

As for your line of reasoning:

God Created Man
God cannot trust man
God cannot create a trustworthy being...is god somehow imperfect then?

I have a problem with the third point. God cannot create a trustworthy being? Yes, He could have. He could have created us all as robots that would perfectly obey Him and not sin. However, then we wouldn't have had the ability to love Him by CHOICE and the relationship wouldn't be any more significant than the relationship He has with, say, monkeys. God CAN create a trustworthy being. He just gave us free will by putting that tree in the garden where we could decide to continue to be perfect, or to sin. We all know what we chose and continue to choose every day.

You also said, "Cannot god have belief in the ability of us to accept him? I would say he has a LOT of that, otherwise how are we saved if we dont have the ability to accept what JC did for us."

So we have boiled down "God Trusts in you" or "God Believes in you" to "God believes you have the ability to accept him." I think these imply completely different things. God knows you have the ability to accept Him because He gave us that ability, uh, so He believes that what He gave us is sufficient. I don't think it's a matter of having a LOT of that. He KNOWS He gave us the ability to chose or reject Him. It's a matter of black and white. We have the ability because He gave it to us. That's it. Can God take away that ability? I definitely think so. How many times in scripture do we read that he hardened someone's heart? Pharaoh is the prime example. So is it really something that God gives us, not something we were able to create on our own. I think this is starting to really get away from what these guys are trying to preach when they say "God Believes in you." No He doesn't. This whole "believe in yourself" and "God believes in you" philosophy is such a slap in the face of God's gift and grace for us. Leave it to man to take credit for themselves or like to think that God believes in us, trusts in us, or needs us for anything. Not exactly my idea of surrendering.

Am I going too far on anything or am I missing a major point?

Let go. Let God.

Aaron

Welcome to the New Blog Layout

2006-07-12T11:29:00.000-05:00

Ok, so I kept my personal Blog at MSN Spaces for a year because it had a great photo album feature. Now that I have my new photo album ( http://photos.hornit.net), I figured it wasn't worth trying to keep the MSN Spaces Blog up to date since it was more difficult to post to. I already have several Google Blogger.com Blogs, so adding one more is a snap. So, I copied each of my old posts from the old blog to this blog.

I'm doing this in hopes that I'll keep it up to date a little better, but no promises. :-)

New Photo Album

2006-06-15T23:22:00.000-05:00

Ok, I have a new photo album website that I really like (it's Google, so go figure), so all of my photo updates will be done here: http://photos.hornit.net/

Sorry I don't post here much, I've been SO busy. I know, you see that on every blog. :-)

The Da Vinci Code Notebook

2006-05-20T23:50:00.000-05:00

Ok, you got me. I don't really keep this blog up to date very well. I do, however, have another project I'm working on and felt it worthy for it's own page (especially since it gave me an excuse to utilize new Google technology called Google Notebook. I am doing some studying on the Da Vinci Code claims and I am posting my findings at the following site:

http://davinci.hornit.net

I hope you find it interesting!

Preaching to a bear

2006-05-08T19:38:00.000-05:00

A Priest, a Pentecostal Preacher and a Rabbi all served as chaplains to
the students of the University of Georgia in Athens.

They would get together two or three times a week at the Varsity for
coffee and to talk shop.

One day, someone made the comment that preaching to people isn't really
all that hard. A real challenge would be to preach to a bear.
One thing led to another and they decided to do an experiment.
They would all go out into the woods, find a bear, preach to it, and
attempt to convert it.

Seven days later, they're all together to discuss the "experience".
Father Flannery, who has his arm in a sling, is on crutches, and has
various bandages, goes first.

"Well," he says, "I went into the woods to find me a bear. And when I found
him I began to read to him from the Catechism. Well, that bear wanted
nothing to do with me and began to slap me around. So I quickly grabbed
my holy water, sprinkled him and, Holy Mary Mother of God, he became
as gentle as a lamb. The bishop is coming out next week to give him
first communion and confirmation."

Reverend Billy Bob spoke next. He was in a wheelchair, with an arm and
both legs in casts, and an IV drip. In his best fire and brimstone oratory he
claimed, " WELL brothers, you KNOW that we don't sprinkle! I went out
and I FOUND me a bear. And then I began to read to my bear from
God's HOLY WORD! But that bear wanted nothing to do with me. So I
took HOLD of him and we began to wrestle. We wrestled down one hill,
UP another and DOWN another until we came to a creek. So I quick
DUNKED him and BAPTIZED his hairy soul. And just like you said, he
became as gentle as a lamb. We spent the rest of the time praising Jesus."

They both looked down at the rabbi, who was lying in a hospital bed. He
was in a body cast and traction with IV's and monitors running in and out
of him. He was in bad shape.

Rabbi Lipschitz looks up and struggles to speak to the others. "Looking
back on it, circumcision may not have been the best way to start things
out."

What about those that haven't heard?

2006-03-03T07:23:00.000-06:00

If you have 15-20 minutes, give the following article a read. However, I will caution that this guy's paragraph mentioning predestination and election, in my opinion, negates his entire argument for evangelism because he views certain people as already predestined to be believers, so I view it as failed logic. Definitely a Calvanist, although never specifically stated (see also his many references to RC Sproul, a well known Calvanist.) That's just one paragraph, though, the rest of it is pretty convincing. I'm not done looking, but I found this to be one of the better cases for point of salvation by Christ's name only, no exceptions.

http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Delphi/8449/exclus2.html

Let the good news roll...

Oh yeah, and if you wonder what John MacArthur says on this topic, here's a summary: "People say, you hear this in mission discussions, "Oh those people over there who have never heard the gospel, the Lord's going to save them somehow." Nobody will ever be saved, nobody will ever come into a saving relationship with God who does not know the true gospel regarding Jesus Christ...nobody. There isn't any salvation in any other name. The one who does not abide in the teaching of Christ does not have God. The one who does abide in that teaching has both the Father and the Son."

The entire sermon is worth reading, it can be found here: http://www.ondoctrine.com/2mac0009.htm

And finally, a 3 pager that answers some of the common objections to this philosophy: http://www.calebproject.org/userfiles/MIB-lost.pdf
So what do you all think? Use the Comments section!

[Comment from David S.]

Aaron,

Hadn't been to your site in a while, but found this posting of interest. I read a bit of the first article. Then read the 3rd one, then John MacArthurs article. My initial take on it is this:

The 3rd article contradicts the 1st one to me. The 1st article claims, "I do not see how this verse can be used to argue that one can be saved without hearing of Christ if he follows his conscience." The 3rd one says, "The Bible does not teach that God will judge a person for rejecting Christ if he has not heard of Christ. In fact, the Bible teaches clearly that God's judgment is based on a person's response to the truth he has received."

While the 3rd article goes on to say that there is no record of those who have been saved outside of Christ, it purposes not to rule it out, which I think the 1st article clearly does.

For a starting point, I think there are two parts to this discussion. In the quote you have from the John M. article, he speaks of his disagreement with those who claim people are Christians who have never heard the 'truth'. The 1st article talks of those who believe in Christ specifically, and the 3rd article points to both the idea of revelation through creation/conscience and Christ.

What do you think?
David S.

Ephesians 4:29

2006-02-17T23:06:00.000-06:00

Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. [ESV]

I kind of like how the HCSB uses the phrase "rotten talk." Is negative and filthy talk a benefit to others around us? Then why do we throw it out there? I think it's for attention, but without considering the type of attention it brings.

Memorize a Bible Verse, Get a Free Drink

2006-02-07T08:13:00.000-06:00

Memorize a Bible Verse, Get a Free Drink

SNEAD, Ala. -- Dale Lanier has found a way to get people to read and memorize Bible verses.

If they walk into his convenience store in Snead, Ala., and recite the Bible passage he's selected, they can have a free soft drink or cup of coffee.

This month's memory verse is Psalm 118:8, which reads: "It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man."

Lanier said he's been doing this for the last six years, and gives away between two and 12 drinks a day. He said entire families sometimes walk in and recite the Bible passage he has picked.

http://www.kcci.com/irresistible/6791834/detail.html?rss=des&psp=irresistible

EZWord

2006-02-01T06:39:00.000-06:00

I really, really love this software. It's a program that runs in your taskbar and whenever you move your mouse over a scripture reference, it immediately brings up the chapter with the verses highlighted. It's awesome because you don't have to get out a Bible, copy and paste the reference into a new window and do an Internet search on it, or launch your Bible software. It's just instant. I get several daily devotionals in e-mail and when the mention a Bible verse, I can just roll my mouse over it to read it. I know it's $10, but it's definitely software worth paying for. It comes in King James Version and Holman Christian Standard, but you can purchase other translations as well.

Definitely worth checking out!

http://www.ezword.com/

[Originally posted February 1, 2006 - 6:39AM]

Talking about 2006 May Motorcycle Trip

2006-01-28T23:39:00.001-06:00

Hey, check out the new blog that David is maintaining for our motorcycle group. The next ride is May 5th-7th 2006. Check out the routes!

Aaron

Quote

2006 May Motorcycle Trip

The next motorycle trip will be the weekend of May 5th-7th. We will originate out of Ames and head southeast down towards Wapello State Park. If you would like to join us, or just get the route info, let me know. Should be 12-15 people going as of now.

Friday night we would stay at Wapello State park, which has a lake. Saturday night we would stay at Stevens State Park. Sunday morning we return. Camp under the stars or tent...cook around a fire. You know the drill!

Here are links for the idea:

Friday:
http://tinyurl.com/dfctm

Saturday:
http://tinyurl.com/dvbfl

Sunday:
http://tinyurl.com/7levz

Bearing Arms

2006-01-28T23:39:00.000-06:00

Ok, so after 2 trips to Sportsmans in Ankeny, one trip to JAX in Ames, and two gun shows, I finally found the handgun to add to my collection. I already own a .22 rifle and a 16 guage shotgun (yes, 16 guage). Gifts from my parents when I was a teenager. I didn't have a handgun yet, so I finally took care of that problem today!

It's a Ruger Blackhawk .357 Magnum. It has a 6.5" barrel. It actually came with a second chamber that holds 9mm, so it can actually shoot 3 different jackets (.357 Mag, .380 Special, and 9mm). Nice 6 round single action shooter. Should be lots of fun. I saw it brand new at Sportsmans for $439.99, but I got it (brand new) from a booth at the gun show at the fairgrounds in Des Moines for $386! I wanted the one that did 9mm so I could take it to the range in Ames and plunk off the cheap ammo. The Mags will be for when needed in the middle of the night (hopefully never!) :-)

If you'd like to shoot with me sometime, just let me know!!

Zondervan fan?

2006-01-22T09:46:00.000-06:00

I found an article in the January 2006 edition of "The Berean Call" kind of interesting. It was titled "Earnestly Contend" by Dave Hunt. I don't always agree with what Dave Hunt says or how he says it, but this comment was intriguing:

The Billy Graham Evangelistic Association published a special "Crusade Edition" (1962, 1964, 1969) of Halley's Bible Handbook and boldly removed Halley's careful documentation of the evil of the popes and the slaughter of true Christians. Zondervan published a revised edition of Halley's Bible Handbook in 2000, which likewise eliminated references to the RCC's (Roman Catholic Church's) heresies and the millions of evangelical CHristians slaughtered by Rome. Instead it says: "The Roman Catholic CHurch responded to the Portestant Reformation by reforming and renewing itself."

When challenged about its lies, Stan Gundry, Zondervan's Vice President and Editor-in-Chief responded, "The purpose of the rewriting was...to give a more balanced portrayal of the history of Christianity." Whitewashing Roman Catholic doctrine and practice and leaving out the slaughter of millions of Christians gives a "More balanced" history?! And who owns Zondervan, publisher of The Purpose-Driven Life?

In 1988, Zondervan and its NIV Bible were purchased by Harper & Row Publishers (now HarperCollins Publishers), who put out pro-homosexual books such as Making Out, The Book of Lesbian Sex and Sexuality ("Beautifully illustrated with full-color photography...") and others! HarperCollins is a subsidiary of Rupert Murdoch's The News Coporation, which owns Twentieth Centry Fox and Fox Broadcasting. The latter produces some of the most immoral, anti-family shows on television. Murdoch - to whom Pat Robertson sold the Family Channel (paid for by CBN donors) for $1.9 billion - was knighted by the Pope after donating $10 million for a new Catholic cathedral in Los Angeles. And Rick Warren claims to be Murdoch's pastor.

Christian publishers have put profits ahead of sound doctrine and have made a lot of money by giving customers what they want instead of the biblical truth they need, selling out to the world monetarily as they alread had morally. Isn't this the opposite of contending for the faith?

You've got a little glory on your face

2005-12-30T06:54:00.000-06:00

I was reading 2 Corinthians 3 this morning (yes, I read "Our Daily Bread") and thought it was really cool. I had a slightly different take on it than the ODB author. First of all, there's something cool in the first 3 verses. Paul calls the church of Corinth "Christ's letter." It made me imagine that God is trying to communicate with the people of the world, and the way He choses to do that, besides with His Word (the Bible), is by writing them another letter through the lives of His church. Unfortunately, there are plenty of churches perverting His message and actually hurt His message instead of expressing it. We should accurately express the love and judgment of God to others in our lives and as a church body. If nothing else, to show the love and peace we have as members of God's family!

Paul jumps into his "Romanesque" talk about how we need to shed the Old Testament law structure (he refers to it as "the letter" in verse 6) and take on the new convenant of faith in Christ alone and indwelling of the Holy Spirit.

The part I took from 7-18 was more about Christ's glory reflecting on our faces. Moses's face was shining so brightly as a reflection of the glory of God, that his face had to be veiled. However, it eventually faded away. Just like the necessity of keeping the law of the Old Testament. So if obtaining the law and meeting with God once made Moses's face shine with glory, how much more obvious should it be to other that we are "glowing" with Christ's glory? Because the salvation we are offered now through the faith in Christ is so much more powerful than the keeping of the law was back then. The keeping of the law was simply to point out that it couldn't be done and that everyone was a sinner needing God. Now we have full access to God and can communicate with Him whenever we want!

Verse 15-16 says "However, to this day, whenever Moses is read, a veil lies over their hearts, but whenever a person turns to the Lord, the veil is removed." The Jews were still following the Old Testament law and regarding their good works as their way to salvation. They were dimming the true glory of God. It can only be fully recognized through faith in Christ!

And here's my favorite. Verse 18. "We all, with unveiled faces, are reflecting the glory of the Lord and are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory; this is from the Lord who is the Spirit." We should have glowing faces (figuratively speaking)! People should know right away that there is something different about us when they meet us. They should see a happiness and a love for God that shines brightly. We are like the moon is to the sun. We should be reflecting God's glory to the people around us. We should be like Christ! That's what sanctification is all about. Being made more like Christ. Let's not wait until we die to be like Christ, let's be like Him now while people on earth can witness it and want to have the joy that we have and "turn to the Lord."

In Him,
Aaron

Brasilian Dancers

2005-12-28T23:22:00.000-06:00

Check out my Tech Blog to see some dancers I videoed in Brasil. Unfortunately, MSN Spaces won't let me link up the video here, so you'll have to check it out on my Tech Blog...

Legal Disclaimer

2005-12-19T13:09:00.000-06:00

Legal Disclaimer: "Merry Christmas" (hereafter "The Greeting")... this
announcement is not intended to offend, alienate, foster hate or be a
precursor for any egregious acts (legal or illegal), thoughts, words or
deeds. "The Greeting" is made only in the context to which it may be legally
received, if in fact, it is received at all. It is not intended to be nor
should it be, in any way, connected to any other type of greeting, real or
imagined, past, present or future. No references to any persons,things or
substances, animate or inanimate, real, fictional or otherwise should be
assumed by the reader or receiver of the greeting (hereafter, 'the
greetee').

The greeting is not being made to (nor will tenders be accepted from or on
behalf of) nonbelievers in 'The Greeting' in any jurisdiction in which
making and or accepting the greeting would violate that jurisdiction's laws
or feelings (also refer to local statutes and ordinances related to'The
Greeting'). In any jurisdiction in which perceived 'greeting' is not
welcomed nor agreed upon by all 'greetees', then the 'greetor' of 'The
Greeting' will be held harmless in this life and the next, including
allissuing posterity both now and forever. 'The Greeting' may be made by a
licensed 'greetor' and any liability assumed or created by the 'greetee'
shall be the sole responsibility of said 'greetor'.

If you have been aggrieved, offended, waylaid, parlayed, filleted or delayed
in any way, either real, imagined or perceived by said 'Greeting' and or by
'greetor' as the result of receiving said 'greeting', you can call toll free
1-800-CHRISTMAS to speak with legal counsel."

Copyright: Urban Family Council, 2001