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Here is a photo of the entire fountain

for a label maker.

hat tip: Everyday Mommy

A friend and I have been discussing (on a regular basis) about interacting with culture (or separating from it), or the same situation in a church, etc.

One of the first times we talked about it was right after I read "A Radical Reformission" by Mark Driscoll. The exact situation we were discussing was a young woman who (whether she was or not) dressed "Goth". To be honest, right now, it's a toss up for me - to dress that way, she is identifying herself with a sub-culture that celebrates depression and darkness. But to be willing (as a Christian) to stay with that group, she may be able to reach them in a way that no other person could.

I have recently been through a bit of "stuff" with my old church (actually, for "technical reasons" my membership is still there for a very short while).

So you stay within and try to change things? Or leave and witness to the ones that you still have contact with?

I believe that it is different when you are in a church that you feel is not teaching what is right.

When you belong to a church, you don't just "go". You have a responsibility to that church. You donate time, money and resources. Maybe more importantly, you are committed to submitting to the leadership.

That's what ultimately made my decision. When I got to the point that I didn't want my money and resources going to the things that the church was giving money to, it was time for me to leave. More importantly, when the leadership is taking that church in a direction that I believe is wrong, it is wrong of me to stay, because I cannot submit to leadership I believe is wrong.

I saw a comment similar to that on another blog - that it is better to stay and witness, than to "jump the boat".

Hebrews 13:17
Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account.

Martin Luther is quoted as saying, "Unless therefore, I am convinced by the testimony of Scripture . . . I can and will not retract . . . Here I stand . . . I can do no other. So help me God, Amen!!!"

This man, caught between obeying the church leaders and the testimony of Scripture, refused to retract what his conscience told him was truth.

For me, caught between what the church is saying ("there, there, it's not a big deal") and what I know is Biblical, I refuse to "recant", I must follow conscience.

If I cannot cheerfully and joyfully submit to the leaders of a church, I should not be there.

In a couple of days, it will be Sunday...I'll tell the pastor of the church we're attending now that I have not received a reply to the letter to my old church, and I'll ask for my membership to be transferred.

For the sake of the leadership at my old church, it's the right thing to do.

1. I'm pleasantly cool - Thank You, Lord, for the rain
2. I'm really enjoying my week off, Monday it's back to school (work)
3. I love my kids - and I'm proud of them
4. My back yard (still) has a squash, not a watermelon
5. I haven't had enough coffee today
6. I've been writing about grace and faith; I'm still amazed!
7. I had a few moments of panic when I realized that the linkeys really messed up my page
8. I'm having other "issues" with the site, hopefully I'll get them fixed
9. I'm a little behind on laundry (most of are, I think)
10. I still need more coffee
11. The last "Thursday Thirteen" I visited reminded me that I need to not only read the Bible, I need to choose a few verses to memorize
12. My cat (Simey) is annoying me today - I think that she thinks she's starved for attention
13. Right now, I'm going to get more coffee...

1. (leave your link in comments, I’ll add you here!)

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I CAN'T DO IT!!!

I can't be wordless...but here's the photo - it looks like such a HAPPY pig!

This is going to sound really stupid...but is there somebody out there who doesn't use firefox?

(WOW)

This is what an apology should be...

"There is no excuse, nor should there be any tolerance, for anyone who thinks or expresses any kind of anti-Semitic remark. I want to apologise specifically to everyone in the Jewish community for the vitriolic and harmful words that I said to a law enforcement officer the night I was arrested on a DUI charge.

"I am a public person, and when I say something, either articulated and thought out, or blurted out in a moment of insanity, my words carry weight in the public arena. As a result, I must assume personal responsibility for my words and apologise directly to those who have been hurt and offended by those words.

"The tenets of what I profess to believe necessitate that I exercise charity and tolerance as a way of life. Every human being is God’s child, and if I wish to honour my God I have to honour his children. But please know from my heart that I am not an anti-Semite. I am not a bigot. Hatred of any kind goes against my faith.

"I’m not just asking for forgiveness. I would like to take it one step further, and meet with leaders in the Jewish community, with whom I can have a one-on-one discussion to discern the appropriate path for healing.

"I have begun an ongoing program of recovery and what I am now realising is that I cannot do it alone. I am in the process of understanding where those vicious words came from during that drunken display, and I am asking the Jewish community, whom I have personally offended, to help me on my journey through recovery.

"Again, I am reaching out to the Jewish community for its help. I know there will be many in that community who will want nothing to do with me, and that would be understandable. But I pray that that door is not forever closed.

"This is not about a film. Nor is it about artistic license. This is about real life and recognising the consequences hurtful words can have. It’s about existing in harmony in a world that seems to have gone mad."

What I have tried to teach my kids (and others)

1) I was wrong

2) I'm sorry

3) What can I do to make sure it never happens again

4) How can I make it right with you?

It remains to be seen how the Jewish community will respond - my hope and prayer is that they will reach back.

These are the things that I know.

I am a sinner. The prophet Isaiah said that all of his righteousness was as filthy rags - if his were rags, what must mine be? There are NONE righteous not even one! There is nothing at all that I can DO to earn getting into heaven.

Read this, and then read it again - I cling to it.

"...even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us> for adoption through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.

He chose us! Even before the earth was created, IN LOVE he chose us.

He knew all of the bad things I would ever do, all the dishonor I would bring Him - and He loved me anyway!

Christ died for me! ME! That is amazing and humbling. It is nothing of myself, the glory is God's alone.

The Reformers say, "Soli Deo Gloria" - to the glory of God alone. Anything or anyone that gets between me and Christ's once and for all sacrifice on the cross, takes away from God's glory.

If I trust in Christ alone, for His grace alone, I belong to Him.

John 10 says that we are given to Christ by the Father. Those who believe are the Father's gift to Christ!

This is present tense - we can be sure of our salvation.

There is only one way to heaven. Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the light."

Romans says,

Salvation is apart from the Law (things that we DO), through faith I am justified by His grace as a gift. I cannot earn it and if I try, I will fail miserably.

If you have this faith alone, in Christ alone, you already have His grace as a gift. You don't need all of the external "stuff" - all you need is the grace of Christ.

You can have assurance of your future...1 John 5:13 I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God that you may know that you have eternal life.

I know that there are those who add requirements and teaches that you cannot be sure - but the Bible says that grace is a gift, not something we earn - and that we who believe in the name of the Son of God - we may KNOW!

It is in Christ (alone) by grace (alone) through faith (alone) that we know we are His. There is no other way.

Salvation is by faith alone. That is a core doctrine of the Christian faith that the RCC denies.

It is said that, "Sola Fide, and Sola Scriptura are the two pillars of the Protestant Reformation. The other two branches of Christianity, The Catholics and the Orthodox don't hold to them

This much it true - it's why the Reformers rejected the false teaching of the Roman Catholic church

and the same "sombody" said, "As such then they are only 500 or so years old. So they aren't "core doctrines." In fact, on the church history timeline, they're relative late comers.

Let's look to Scripture first.

Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,” (Rom. 3:24).

“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God,” (Eph. 2:8).

“Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost,” (Titus 3:5).

Contrast that with Trent: “If any one saith, that man is truly absolved from his sins and justified, because that he assuredly believed himself absolved and justified; or, that no one is truly justified but he who believes himself justified; and that, by this faith alone, absolution and justification are effected; let him be anathema.” If you believe the Bible, Trent says, "let you anathema."

I wrote more here.

God:

“For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness,” (Rom. 4:3).

“Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,” (Rom. 5:1).

Trent: Canon 24: “If any one saith, that the justice received is not preserved and also increased before God through good works; but that the said works are merely the fruits and signs of Justification obtained, but not a cause of the increase thereof; let him be anathema.”

God:

“Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage. Behold, I Paul say unto you, that if ye be circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing. For I testify again to every man that is circumcised, that he is a debtor to do the whole law,” (Gal. 5:1-3).

Trent: Canon 30: “If any one saith, that, after the grace of Justification has been received, to every penitent sinner the guilt is remitted, and the debt of eternal punishment is blotted out in such wise, that there remains not any debt of temporal punishment to be discharged either in this world, or in the next in Purgatory, before the entrance to the kingdom of heaven can be opened (to him); let him be anathema.”

Which will you believe? (imagine a balance scale, the magisterium on one side, God on the other)

As for the um..."miscommunication" that Sola Fide is a latecomer...let's look to early church writings.

CLEMENT of Rome: "All the ancient fathers descended from Abraham, both before the Law and under the Law, were glorified and magnified, not through themselves, nor through their works of righteousness which they had done, but through His will. Therefore we, also, being called through His will in Christ Jesus, are not justified through ourselves, neither through our own wisdom, or understanding, or piety, or works which we have done in holiness of heart, but through faith, that faith through which the Almighty God hath justified all that ever lived; to whom be glory for ever, Amen!"

IGNATIUS (1ST CENT): "To me, Christ is in the place of all ancient muniments. For His Cross, and His death, and His resurrection, and the faith which is through Him, are my unpolluted muniments; and in these, through your prayers, I am willing to have been justified."

[Letter to the Philadelphians]: "The prophets also do we love, because they have announced the Gospel; and they hoped in him and awaited him. In him and by their faith in him they were saved, being united to Jesus Christ."

POLYCARP OF SMYRNA (AD 69-156) [in his letter to the Philippianss, ch. 1:3]: "Knowing that 'you are saved by grace, not because of works' (cf. Eph. 2:5, 8, 9), namely, by the will of God through Jesus Christ"
and
"The Lord Jesus Christ, who endured to submit unto death for our sins; whom God raised up, having loosed the pains of hell; in whom ye believe, not having seen Him, but believing ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory.... knowing that through grace ye are saved, not of works, but by the will of God, through Jesus Christ."

JUSTIN MARTYR: [Dialogue with Trypho, ch. XCII]: "For Abraham was declared by God to be righteous, not on account of circumcision, but on account of faith"

AMBROSE: "Without the works of the Law to an ungodly man, that is to say, a Gentile, believing in Christ, his 'faith is imputed for righteousness,' as also it was to Abraham. How, then, can the Jews imagine, that through the works of the Law they are justified with the justification of Abraham, when they see that Abraham was justified, not by the works of the Law, but by faith alone? There is no need, therefore, of the Law, since through faith alone, an ungodly man is justified with God."

CHRYSOSTOM (4TH CENT) [homil. de fide.] "If you believe faith, why do you bring other things in, as though faith alone sufficed not to justify?"

[2 ad Eph. serm. 5]: [speaking of the thief on the cross] "I can shew a faithful man without works... only faith by itself saved him."