two or three . net

Obama's Mortgage Plan: More Harm Than Good?

twoorthreeblog@gmail.com (PastorNoob) — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 19:48:42 -0800

The Wall Street Journal takes a look at President Obama's proposed mortgage rescue plan and finds that it could create far more problems than it solves:

President Obama yesterday announced his plan to prevent home foreclosures, saying he wanted to be "very clear about what this plan will not do: It will not rescue the unscrupulous or irresponsible by throwing good taxpayer money after bad loans . . . And it will not reward folks who bought homes they knew from the beginning they would never be able to afford."
We really do wish he were right. In fact, the details released yesterday suggest the President's plan will do all of the above. The plan will help some struggling homeowners. But by investing in failure, the Administration will also prolong the housing downturn and make financing a home purchase more difficult for future borrowers. Meanwhile, the plan isn't likely to slow the continuing decline in housing prices.

The President's plan is predicated on the false belief that everyone deserves to own a home. The fact is that not everyone can afford to own a home. The efforts of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to make it easier for people to buy homes they could not afford are at the heart of the current financial crisis. Unfortunately, the President's plan does nothing to address this fundamental issue and instead just prolongs the crisis and leaving taxpayers on the hook.

As CNBC's Rick Santelli correctly points out in this clip, this is an example of government rewarding bad behavior. Unfortunately it's the 92% of honest, hardworking Americans he refers to that will pay the price.

The Biblical Perspective on Drinking and Alcohol

twoorthreeblog@gmail.com (PastorNoob) — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 17:04:08 -0800

Based on my previous post, I preached an entire Sunday sermon on the use and abuse of alcohol, from a Biblical perspective. You can download it.

Download Biblical_Perspective_on_Drinking.mp3

Hope for the Holidays

twoorthreeblog@gmail.com (PastorNoob) — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 17:38:00 -0800

I just preached this a week ago, an exposition of Proverbs 3:5-6. Here's the outline:

1. TRUST in the Lord

Blind faith (based on authority)
Reasoned faith ("Before faith comes, reason is king; After faith comes, reason is servant.")
Intuitive faith (profound moral truth is often self-evident and transcendent, not justified by reasoned argument)

2. With ALL of your heart

Faith is an all or nothing proposition,
That does not mean reason has no role in the life of faith, but acts as a refiner and watchman

3. LEAN NOT on your own understanding

Get understanding and wisdom, but don't limit yourself to your own intellectual ability - lean on faith in God.

4. In ALL of your ways acknowledge Him

Learn Biblical principle for all of life (finance, relationships, work, government), not just personal piety
Do what you know is good.
Stop doing evil.

5. He WILL direct your paths

Discussion of free will and self-determination in concert with predestination and Providence

Download Hope for the Holidays.mp3

Christian life goal setting

twoorthreeblog@gmail.com (PastorNoob) — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 11:38:30 -0800

This sermon is the followup to Get Up! An exposition of John 5:1-9. The outline of this sermon includes the major themes from Covey's First Things First, and Shook's One Month to Live: Thirty Days to a No-Regrets Life. In this sermon, I cover the areas of life in which we are to:

Set goals
Live openheartedly and passionately
Obey timeless principle

If we do this, we will live a 'no-regrets' life. The major areas I cover are:

To live
To love
To learn
To leave a legacy

Download Goal Setting.mp3

Get Up! An exposition of John 5:1-9

twoorthreeblog@gmail.com (PastorNoob) — Sun, 19 Oct 2008 22:29:45 -0700

Here's my latest sermon, which got lots of positive feedback. Here's the scripture (John 5:1-9) and outline of the main points, plus the audio link.

Jesus said to him, “Rise, take up your bed and walk.” (John 5:8)

Get up!

Ge control of your life!

Get moving!

Download Get Up!

Living the Passionate Christian Life

twoorthreeblog@gmail.com (PastorNoob) — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 20:04:31 -0700

What makes you burn with excitement? Do you think that the things you are excited about have anything to do with what God has called you to do? This sermon covers five blocks to passion, including:

Not valuing our created Selves
Being utilitarian about our passions
Mistrusting enthusiasm and those who are enthusiastic
Failing to identify and let go of our coping mechanisms
Not stepping beyond doing good to fitting our lives into God's larger plan

Download living_the_passionate_christian_life.mp3

Desiring prayer - seeing prayer as rest rather than work

twoorthreeblog@gmail.com (PastorNoob) — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 00:33:12 -0700

What good is another sermon on HOW to pray if no one is praying in the first place? How do we, then, motivate ourselves to pray, which is a central Christian discipline? The key to maintaining discipline is to maintain desire, and the key to maintaining desire is maintaining an motivating vision. Based on the story of Elijah in the desert (1 Kings 19), I discuss the characteristics of prayer, including:

REST for our souls
REGURGITATION of grievances
RENEWAL of our perspective
REFOCUSING of our plans for the future
RUNNING the race

Download Desiring Prayer

The Truths and Myths of the Christmas Story

twoorthreeblog@gmail.com (PastorNoob) — Mon, 14 Jan 2008 16:21:11 -0800

In this fun message, I cover some surprising myths and truths, including:

Jesus probably didn't have blond hair
Jesus was probably NOT born in December
The Magi were NOT Kings
God led the Magi to Christ using PAGAN ASTROLOGY
- How should Christians view astrology?
- Why learning about God from primarily from nature and astrology are risky and unreliable
The Star of Bethlehem was probably NOT amazing
The Star probably DID lead the Magi (retrograde motion and stationing of Jupiter)
The Magi probably visited Jesus from 4 months to 2 years AFTER his birth

Download Truths and Myths of the Christmas Story

The Star of Bethlehem - the astronomical explanation

Love suffers long and is kind

twoorthreeblog@gmail.com (PastorNoob) — Fri, 23 Nov 2007 14:43:35 -0800

This is the first sermon in a series on love, of which I will preach a few parts. This is one of my favorite sermons so far, and was and is personally challenging to me.

Download Love suffers long and is kind

Time with God - the foundational Christian discipline

twoorthreeblog@gmail.com (PastorNoob) — Thu, 22 Nov 2007 19:06:10 -0800

This sermon is broken up a little with humor while having technical problems, but the content is some of my best so far.

Download Time with God

Finding God's Call V: God's Process and Timing

twoorthreeblog@gmail.com (PastorNoob) — Fri, 28 Sep 2007 11:20:04 -0700

Fifth in the series, this is the last sermon in the series. It covers

The Revealing of God's Call
The Re-education of God's Call
The Renewal of God's Call

It helps us see why God's process involves development of character through failure, difficulty, and outward success that often shows up only at the end of the path, but not in the beginning.

It also discusses why it is never too late to pursue God's plan.

Download finding_gods_call_v_gods_process_and_timing.mp3