I'll say this right up front, this is the time of year for churches to have their synods (or whatever they choose to call them). And the issues comes around.

Polygamy hasn't (although a few years ago the denomination I was a part of made a decision that they would no longer call polygamy a sin - this was because in areas where polygamy is legal and/or common, they didn't want to tell a new convert he had to divorce a wife). The other two issues are very much around.

"Drinking alcohol is a sin".

Those who claim this (the new SBC resolution says not only the consumption of alcohol is sin, but also the manufacture and distribution).

These people would not only have kicked Christ out of the wedding at Canna, they would have forbid Him from performing His first miracle. I think that is somewhat of a quote that came to me from somewhere that I can't find now but the link was here.

"All divorce is sin."

God paints a "word picture" of Himself as a man who is divorced describes Himeself as being divorced. (Jeremiah 3)

"Polygamy is a sin."

God paints a "word picture" of Himself as a man describes Himself as having a covenant relationship with two wives, demonstrating the relationship between God, Israel, Judah.

There is a vast difference between how things originally were and what humans have made things to be.

Use of alcohol makes a heart merry. Abuse of alcohol destroys families.

Biblical use of divorce is unfortunate, but it is Biblical. And even an unbiblical divorce is not an unforgivable sin. Abuse of divorce leads to a nonchalant view of the marriage covenant.

Use of polygamy can (in certain circumstances) be used to solve population problems and work problems. Abuse of polygamy leads to abuse of women, jealously and strife.

We should be careful not to call "sin" what the Bible does not call sin.

We should also be careful to understand that even if the Bible doesn't call something "sin", what humans have done with it can be (and many times is) sin.

It is important to know the difference

The first place we have to go with that question is to God.

But before we ask the question, we have to be honest with ourselves - if we don't like the answer, are we willing to change?

Where does "sameness" lead?

does "submit" really mean "submit"?

OBEY?

Eph 5:22Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord. 23For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. 24Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.

Should an unbeliever be able to look at a "Christian" marriage and see the relationship between Christ and His bride reflected?

25Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her 26to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, 27and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. 28In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies.

Should an unbeliever be able to look at a "Christian" marriage and see the relationship between Christ and His bride reflected?

How many of us really (REALLY) take this seriously?

Husbands, do you really feel as though your wives submit to your leadership in the same way that the church submits to Christ?

Wives, do you feel that your husbands "wash you in the Word", able to present you radiant?

How does this / would this make you feel?

Proverbs 27:17 "As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another." Differing views are welcome and desired.

A woman's place...might not be a place.

A woman's place is not a location, it's a state of mind. A state of being.

I don't care what the world has made "feminism" into. I don't care what the world thinks a woman should be. I don't even care what the "church" or other Christians think women should or should not be able to do. I've seen a few posts out there (Christian and otherwise) that have addressed this issue - and I felt like I wanted to say something.

Unless they/you/I can support that position from the Word - don't state it with authority.

I have a picture in my brain of an ideal woman.

...continue reading →

I'm posting this because I'm not the only one - and this isn't the first time for me...and now I'll remember where I have the information tucked away.

Firefox crashed and I lost half of my bookmarks

So, here's how a friend told me how to get them back...

Close firefox
go to

my computer
-> C Drive
-> -> Documents and Settings
-> -> -> my file
-> -> -> -> Application data
-> -> -> -> -> mozilla
-> -> -> -> -> -> firefox
-> -> -> -> -> -> -> profiles
-> -> -> -> -> -> -> -> whatever that file name is .default
-> -> -> -> -> -> -> -> -> bookmarkbackups
-> -> -> -> -> -> -> -> -> -> pick the most recent one with all of your bookmarks (probably the largest one)

either "crtl + c" or "edit" then "copy" to copy that backup.html

go back up the chain one level to "whatever that file name is .default" and delete the current copy of "bookmarks.html".

"edit" the "paste" the old file

change the name of the file to bookmarks.html (the same as what the old one was named)

open firefox and see if it worked.

If you had lost all of your bookmarks, you shouldn't be any worse off than you were...if it works, it saves a lot of grief.

Okay - I really messes up.

Somehow I managed to erase the last half of my sidebar template...the part with all my blogrolls.

Oh well...tomorrow is another day - and I might not get to it until Tuesday...

and then there was my weekend...

that last post was 250!

AND...(drumroll) - tomorrow is my one-year blogging birthday!

(maybe not)

Every year my parents and siblings have a weekend camping trip...for the first time, one of my siblings isn't going...for the first time most of the "older cousins" aren't going (3/6 of them are out of the state now and one - my son - is working all weekend and the other is with my sister who has other plans.

That leaves my daughter. My sister that isn't going has a daughter that Manda most often hangs out with, so Manda is not a happy camper at this point. The next cousins are three girls - all young.

Manda tried to get a friend to go with her - actually she asked a lot of friends, but this seems to be a popular weekend to be away. Camping, Mexico, Mackinaw...and so on.

We'll see how it all works out...

Down to the Wire at my Old Church.

Today, I’m writing a letter to the board of elders at my old church. The letter is including a lot of things, some of which I’ve blogged about here. This is an important point – I’m not blogging about anything that is not public knowledge – this church is not hiding what they are doing,

Maybe it’s better put “hiding in plain sight”. Many people aren’t familiar with the website, so they wouldn’t know that piece. Many people aren’t familiar with Pentecostalism so they wouldn’t know that piece. Many people aren’t familiar with the language of “modalism” so they wouldn’t know that piece. Many people aren’t familiar with the words of “healing” ministries so they wouldn’t know that piece.

But when you put these things together, I believe it means trouble in a Reformed Church.

The first piece is setting the groundwork for obedience to church leaders, no matter what. I want to make it very clear that I'm not advocating rebelling against leaders for a minor reason.

What I am talking about is questioning a planned and deliberate departure from the policies of the denomination of which Sunshine is a part. My higher leadership is not the pastors of Sunshine Church. My higher leadership is the denomination of which Sunshine is a part - the Christian Reformed Church of North America.

Here are the steps to "follow the leader - no matter what"

- God put the authorities in place

- To question the authorities is to question God

- To question the authorities is to be in rebellion of God

- If we don’t follow the leader, God will punish us (deal with our flesh/give us a curse)

The "leaders" in all these contexts are pastors, not denominational leaders.

Indeed, in the past months, as I’ve discussed these issues with members of Sunshine, I wish I had a dollar for every time somebody has said, “But will you submit to the leadership?”

Here’s a first look at the website pieces. A cached webpage, "Prayer Thoughts" by Pastor Dave, is found here.

December 30, 2005:

People of prayer like Daniel are those that are pursuing intimacy with God - Intimacy that is possible through Jesus Christ and only through a yielding to the Holy Spirit. What comes out of this intimacy is a trust in the authorities that God puts in our lives. Sometimes these authorities act and talk in ways that don't represent us, yet to trust God is to submit to their leadership.

If you rebel against this prayer thought, ask God about it, he put the authorities in place.

A friend put it this way: anyone in an “authority” position is on a mission from God (all apologies to the Blues Brothers). If “we” see an authority that is acting, talking and leading in ways that don’t represent “us”, submit anyway.

This “follow the leader no matter what” mindset is mirrored in “apostle” Sherman Shelton’s (Firehouse Ministries) message at Sunshine Community Church in January.

The text is “if you love me, you will keep my commandments” The entire message is posted here (MP3) – the January 8 service.

Shelton says: “I have summed it up into something else. This is what God is saying to us. The love God is looking for is a love that chooses to keep its eye on the authority in your life”

(at minute 29) “We as the body of Christ are better off stepping in the wrong direction unified than to be right and side against what God is doing.” (Question: how can you be “right” and side against what God is doing?)

Shermon Shelton outright said that if we question the leadership, we are second-guessing God and it is “possible” that God may give us a little curse.

This also reflects the “prophecy” of the “prophetess” Corine given at Sunshine Church: “God says whoever does not cooperate with the unity that is between the two of you God says if they do not obey by the Spirit He will have to deal with their flesh.”

Again, I'm NOT suggesting that disobeying leadership is good - BUT - my higher leadership is not the pastors of Sunshine Church. My higher leadership is the denomination of which Sunshine is a part - the Christian Reformed Church of North America.

I think I've found a "church home". Here is something very interesting - the first time I visited, this was the banner that runs long the ceiling from the back to the front of the church (one on each side of the sanctuary. (They do change them with the season and it's changed now, but this is the one that was there the first time I went.

next...my son has been in the process
of choosing a tattoo and has drawn one
that he likes - this one --------------->

(Yes, I know it's a pretty popular design,
but it is the one that he favors...