TERRIBLE!

Manda planted a watermelon plant last spring, which died off above the ground, but then recovered a foot away from where she originally planted it. She's babied the thing and taken such good care of it. She was very proud

Today, she ran in and had me come look at her plant...this is what I saw...

...continue reading →

A few weeks ago I asked a friend if he could attend an Arminian church, as long as they didn't "push" the differences; could he worship and learn and teach and fellowship in a congregation that believes so differently than he does?

I got a taste of that question last weekend. I visted a church that is outside my demonination, one with a different understanding of how God works.

The associate pastor was the one who gave the message on Sunday; the text was Ephesians 2. We were dead in trespasses and sin...the speaker consistently used the present tense: "we are dead"

Question: What does this teach us about Christ, and His finished work of redemption on the cross? If those who claim Him are taught that they are still dead, what does that say?

He told a story about some men during the beginning of the civil rights fight. Two of the men were ministers, the other was an atheist (Petey Greene). The atheist ended up asking one of the ministers to sum up Christianity in ten words or less and he did it this way: "we are all illegitimate children, but God loves us anyway."

To make a long story short, the other minister ended up getting shot and killed by a police officer - the first minister "used every word he could think of" to describe how he felt about the man who killed his friend. The athiest asked him about his words about Christianity and the minister had to say about that police officer, "he is an illegitimate child, but God loves him anyway." Going on to ask about the man that was killed, the minister used the same words about his friend (a minister), "he is an illegitimate child, but God loves him anyway."

Stop the tape! I believe that when we are saved, we are adopted through Jesus Christ. If we are in Christ, we are illegitimate no longer!

At what point does the speaker of the sermon last Sunday get to claim God as his Father? When we belong to Christ, we can with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. We are His children; He is our Father.

What does this story tell us about Christ and His finished work on the cross? If those who belong to Him are taught that they have no different standing than those who do not, what does that tell them about Christ?
I have a friend who uses the phrase about those who believe that you can lose your salvation: "You get it by grace, but you keep it by works." After the fact works-based salvation. I kept trying to tell him that isn't the way it is taught...

but then...

Sunday, during Sunday school (the text was 1 John 2), the woman who was presenting the material said very clearly (I wrote it down), "Our assurance does not come from our experience or our feelings; our assurance comes from our actions."

Okay. If "actions" are not "works-based", I don't know what other description to use.

How does this point us to Christ? If we are striving to "behave" in order to have assurance, how are we continually being pointed to Christ?

If it is our behavior that keeps us saved, how "finished" is Christ's work?

The short story is: I won't ask again whether he/I would fit in an Arminian church. If I cling to Christ on the cross as my only assurance, if I see myself as an adopted child, no longer a bastard, if i read Ephesians 2 in the past tense...

No, I couldn't belong

The Carnival of Beauty is up!

There are many (MANY) wonderful posts this week, head on over Reveleventblog and check them out, and leave a comment or few.

Quote: "The feminist movement in Western culture is engaged in the slow execution of Christ and Yahweh. Yet very few of the women and men now working for sexual equality within Christianity and Judaism realize the extent of their heresy." - Naomi Goldenberg

"Does Christianity Squash Women" by Rebecca Jones

I bought this book and read it straight through and now I'm reading it again. On the back cover, "Being a real woman is believing and acting on the truth that we have been set apart for a special job by Jesus Christ our Creator and Savior, who was Himself born of a woman."

If you have any interest whatsoever, even a little bit of an interest in understanding God's role for women, you should read this book. It is not at all a book written to keep women "down", or to elevate the status of men. Far from it!

Mrs. Jones begin the preface for her book with a question that was asked of her, "what is a woman?" That is the question: what is it that we were created to be?

Quote: "Ultimately, such feminism must shake its fist not only at human patriarchs, but at the Judeo-Christian God."

(this started out as a book review, but it's too big for that! This is going to end up being a "running book review" and study; each chapter has questions at the back that are as important as the text. Please, please take time for these discussion questions!

...continue reading →

There are two different parts of "blogging"; the writing part and the reading part.

Why do I write a blog? I write because I love to write! Some of what is here I've written for classes, some I've written to clarify things in my own mind. Other things I've written because I truly believe that what I have to say is important and I don't read it "out there" enough. There are many false teachings out there and so many people just don't seem to care.

Why do I read blogs? I read other people's blogs for a variety of reasons. Some I read because I agree with them, others I read because I don't agree with them! Some I don't agree with, but I appreciate the author's consistent stand on a particular issue. (Note: I thrive on learning and find I learn best when my understandings are challenged. This is why I invite debate on my blog, but rarely get into debates in other places - unless that blog either also invites debate or I'm on the "side" of the blog owner; sometimes I do "break the rule" if it's an important enough topic to me.)

Why do I like blogs? I like blogs because the variety is amazing! There are so many different views of so many things and so many people blog for so many different reasons!

(SIDENOTE: one of my "must read every day" blogs is "Alicia Youngji Delgado". I've been checking on this very tiny little girl daily for most of her life! She's planning on going home today!

Why do I read the blogs that I read? Mostly, because I love God and the study of God: theology! Iron sharpens iron and Christians sharpen each other. I am encouraged, challenged and uplifted by the blogs that I read. Sometimes I'm discouraged, either at the shape of the world, the shape of the church, or the shape of me...

What encourages me? Comments (especially when I post photos of my kids). Interactions on the blogs of other Christians.

What do I do to encourage others? If I know that new(er) blogger isn't getting many comments, I really try to comment and just let them know that I'm reading and enjoying.

In the end, I blog because I like blogging. My kids sort of get into it also. They don't write here, although they could. But I started doing the photo scavenger hunt and they started pointing stuff out to me, "Take a picture of that!"

And the group blog I'm on: we were driving down the highway (well, my son was driving) and all of a sudden he slowed down. He pointed and said, "take a picture of that."

“Tolerance is the virtue of the man without convictions.” - G.K.Chesterton

Generally, the first Sola listed is "Sola Scriptura". Does it matter whether or not we teach our children this vital doctrine?

Yes, this doctrine if crucial to a real relationship with Christ, the Savior.

While we were at my sister-in-law's house last weekend, she told us about her pastor's daughter. She went to Wyoming for the summer; her college set up a job, the dorm, everything...all four (4) of her roommates are Mormon. And yes, they "witness".

Would my kids know how to defend Christianity of the Bible against Mormon, Catholicism, or Jehovah's Witness? Can they use the Bible to defend their faith without the catechism, etc.?

Can they start by explaining why the Bible is the only infallible rule of their faith and conduct?

What is "Sola Scriptura"?

The Protestant position is that all things necessary for salvation and concerning faith and life are taught in the Bible clearly enough for the ordinary believer to find it there and understand.

There are those who fight and strongly protest this doctrine, that Biblical doctrine is all we need in order to find Christ.

The Bible is the Word of God. Jesus is the Word; John 1:14 "And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth."

What does the Bible say about its authority?

John 5:39
You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me,

Acts 17:2
And Paul went in, as was his custom, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures,

Acts 17:11
Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.

Acts 18:28
for he powerfully refuted the Jews in public, showing by the Scriptures that the Christ was Jesus.

Romans 15:4
For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.

1 Timothy 4:13
Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation, to teaching.

2 Timothy 3:16
All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,

And what about "tradition"? The word "tradition" is used 16 times in the ESV, most of which deal with the way that tradition is abused:
Matthew 15:6
he need not honor his father.' So for the sake of your tradition you have made void the word of God.

I believe that it is clear that the Bible says that it is in Scripture that we find the Words of God, the Truths of Christ and the Way to the life everlasting.