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...

These are my kids petting the stingrays. The exhibit is here only for the summer and it's very cool.

This is me petting the stingray. Tom took the photo and got a little close...it was fun, though.

This is Tom feeding the stingray. These fish are actually very gentle and have a sensitive mouth (and no teeth like we have).

This is Manda feeding the stingray - I wasn't quite ready and the fish came along so quickly that the photo is a little blurred.

I like it that even though my kids are (mostly) grown they still like to do things like this.

The zoo has a cage full of budgies that you can walk through (you can see that there's a lot of them) and (for a fee) feed them with seeds stuck on a popsicle stick (Tom and Manda did)

Our zoo's komodo dragon.

If you all were in a church service and saw a "prophet" lay hands on a woman and say these words...what kind of church (denomination wise) would you think you were in? (this is an exact transcript)

"I believe that there is going to be a mentoring relationship with the prophetic. But I want to ignite you, I want to provoke you, I want to inspire you to speak the prophetic word of the Lord even as you see me doing it this morning because you see things and you know things you don’t know how to get how to get it across. So in the name of Jesus, amen, I impart to you - amen! - the empowerment of the Holy Ghost and the gifting that is upon your life to speak prophetically. I call it forth, I call forth the prophetic utterance, the prophetic gift, again, the prophetic anointing with boldness right now in the name of Jesus that she will speak those words that will change lives, that will bring deliverance and I declare Father God that this is that day that you anoint Lord God that this is that day that that impartation take place and Father God that she will not be able to rest until she obeys that call Lord and that you will give her skills you will provide the training you will provide the understanding so that there will be no fear but that there will be the boldness Lord to walk in the calling of the anointing that is upon her live…in Jesus name."