Tag Archives: lunes linkage

•

Organizations of the week (a list of sites)

~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~

Dr. Robert Morey - Truth About Black Liberal Theology

All racist theologies have the same basic core ideas and methodology. Thus it does not really matter if we are talking about the KKK, the Nation of Islam or Black liberal theology, their focus is always on skin and not sin; race and not grace; gossip and not gospel. Racism is always focused on the outward instead of the inward because it cannot deal with the root problem of sin. Hatred and violence feed on bitterness and racist rage. Class envy does not help anyone in this life or in the next. Blaming others for one’s own sin and guilt will not solve the problem. We must take responsibility for what we do in life instead of blaming “the man” for our failures and woe. This is why we need to break the shackle of black liberal theology which enslave the black man and keeps him poor and angry. May God use this study to liberate black men and women from the lie of Black Liberal Theology.

~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~

The Jolly Blogger - The Gospel in Ephesians 2

I found this helpful and expansive in thinking about the gospel.  Sin is defined more broadly than mere action - it is our nature.  The work of Christ pays not only the penalty but crushes the power of sin, thus it has day to day relevance to Christian practice.  And the benefits of the gospel are so much more than just forgiveness of sin or eternal life.

~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~

Front Page Mag - The Truth About Oil

A recent survey on the environment found that seventy percent of people worldwide think that the planet is running out oil. Only less than one quarter believe that there is enough of it to keep it as a primary source of energy. Petro pessimism runs especially high in the United States where a full two thirds think that the point of depletion is within sight.

For every opinion and study, there is an equal and opposite opinion and study (at least sometimes it seems so)

~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~

Timmy Brister links to "Blue Collar Theology" TBI TULIP Seminar

Unfortunately, the majority of what lay people in churches hear these days regarding Calvinism is by those who are vehemently against it, and rarely if ever are the truths accurately and fairly presented.  As a result, those who disagree with the doctrines of grace are not so much disagreeing with the truths so much as they are disagreeing with the caricatures wherein they have been so poorly packaged.  If you want to know what Calvinists believe, listen and read from the Calvinists, such as this seminar by John Piper.  You still might not agree, but at least you will know that your disagreements are with the facts and not with a false representation of them.  For those of you who do believe in the doctrines of grace, you will find this seminar incredibly enriching and encouraging as scores of Scriptures are unfolded for you.  Calvinist and non-Calvinist alike should appreciate the balanced, humble, and accurate approach Piper takes on TULIP.

~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~

The Reformed Mafia on Paedobaptism

By the power vested in me as a founding Don of the Reformed Mafia, I hereby dub R.C. Sproul Jr. an honorary member of the Reformed Mafia for the duration of this post. With that, I want to share an article Sproul Jr. has written. It was sent out via email from the Highlands Study Center last month. I hope it is edifying as well as thought provoking. [Edit: the article was written in response to a question from which the title cof the piece also comes.]

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Daughter Fails math test...Dad goes to jail...

A northern Kentucky man is in jail today – serving a 180-day sentence – because his 18-year-old daughter failed a math test and didn't get her General Equivalency Diploma, or GED, as a previous court order required.

HT: My Domestic Church

~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~

•

Organization of the Week: Snowflakes Adoption:

When a family has been successful in having a child through in vitro fertilization, remaining embryos are often cryo-preserved. This results in the question of what to do with the remaining embryos. These frozen embryos can be the hope of a child for an infertile couple.

~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~

Who is Ali Jawad?

~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~

I still can't embed youtube on the site.

But here...

The Michigan Republican Party blog says:

But if John McCain said this -- if he mistakenly said he'd visited 57 states..and had 1 more to go...while still missing Alaska and Hawaii???? -- the media would be all up in his grill, accusing him of a senior moment. A double standard???

Clinton and Obama are getting tired.

~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~

What would you do if your pastor was in error?

I'd go to the pastorate. And to the board...and to the denomination. And eventually I'd leave, but stay in contact with a pastor in the same classis.

HT: Think Christian

~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~

•

"Organization" of the week:

The Elisha Foundation.

The Elisha Foundation was founded to provide refreshment and encouragement to families caring for people with special needs. Through programs such as family retreats, we seek to provide access to resource professionals, educational specialists and other valuable resources while spending refreshing quality time as a family.

We recognize the need to encourage families who are caring for these special people. Our family retreats provide a balanced schedule of workshops and activities for the family, as well as for each individual, while providing a refreshing and fun environment for the entire family.

~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~

J.I. Packer leaves the Anglican Church.

Some say that the homosexual issue is the breaking point, but the problem is liberalism

Packer urged Anglicans who are adamantly opposed to liberal developments in the Anglican church in Canada and the U.S. to remain "tough" as they re-align themselves under Archbishop Venables into a new non-geographically-based form of Anglicanism.

HT: Denny Burk

~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~

John Piper on TULIP (mp3's)

Nine sessions and notes.

HT: Between Two Worlds

~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~

Morbid, yet...interesting...

chocolate skulls. Made from a cast of a real human skull.

~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~

And another photo from one of my favorite photo sites: Dark Roasted Blend.

okay...just one more.

• 11 Comments

•

"Organization" of the week: Making Great Waves for Kids.

GRAND RAPIDS -- Less than two months before the start of the swimming season, organizers say they need private donations to ensure six outdoor pools stay open for a full eight-week run.

But a businessman who has helped make sure Grand Rapids kids can enjoy a summer splash says it's time for the city to step up.

So far, the Making Great Waves for Kids campaign has raised almost $167,000 toward its goal of $300,000. That's probably enough to open the pools but not enough to make sure they all stay open through August, organizers said.

Click on the first link for contact numbers for more information on how to donate money to keep the pools open, or gently used swim suits.
~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~

"Narrowing the Risk of Mate Selection" - a short review at "Voice of Vision"

A seasoned marriage counselor has observed how couples wound one another in their marriage. He gave the following:

What Wounds A Woman

  • An awareness that she is not first in her husband’s life
  • Her husband’s failure to recognize her attempts to please him
  • Unfavorable comparison to other women
  • Her husband’s lack of spiritual leadership
  • Rejection of her opinion as important
  • Inconsistency in the discipline of the children
  • Attempts to correct her in public

What Wounds A Man

  • Resistance to his will
  • Lack of confidence in his opinion or decisions
  • Resentments for past failures
  • Failure to build loyalty in the children
  • Lack of a grateful spirit
  • Inconsistency in the discipline of the children
  • Criticism in public

OF COURSE these are not all-encompassing. OF COURSE there are more things that wound a person. OF COURSE there are exceptions to every "rule".

•

Organization of the Week

Throughout the year, Mel Trotter Ministries provides shelter, food, clothing, education, Biblical teaching, computer-based learning, and work training and experience to meet people at the physical and spiritual points of need.

Your gracious donation of $28.80 will provide food and care for 15 hungry, homeless, and hurting people. Men, women, and children are counting on you to provide help and hope.

~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~

Audio Bibles in MP3 format (the only English one available is KJV - but there are a few languages that are available for download, free)

~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~

I have purchased WAY more of this guy's music than I intended...

Denez Prigent.

Please watch this youtube video (Denez Prigent and Lisa Gerrard singing for the soundtrack from "Black Hawk Down"

~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~

Willow Creek discovers that you reach the lost by equipping the saints!

Hawkins says, “We used to think you can’t upset a seeker. But while focusing on that we’ve really upset the Christ-centered people.” He spoke about the high levels of dissatisfaction mature believer have with churches. Drawing from the 200 churches and the 57,000 people that have taken the survey, he said that most people are leaving the church because they’re not being challenged enough.

Because it’s the mature Christians who drive evangelism in the church Hawkins says, “Our strategy to reach seekers is now about focusing on the mature believers. This is a huge shift for Willow.”

~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~

Rice for V.P.?

It should be a profoundly offensive notion to any freedom loving person in a democratic context, that the promotion of an inexperienced new face somehow represents black achievement while the promotion of a sitting Secretary of State, former National Security Advisor, former Stanford University Provost, and chief confidant to the sitting President of the United States should be considered a nasty ploy to garner black votes! Given the comprehensive evaluation we have had of her over the past twenty years but more specifically over the past ten years, she would seem the natural selection – contra wise, Obama and Clinton would seem the nasty ploy to garner black votes.

(...)

However, injecting considerations of race and gender in the case of Condoleezza Rice is incredibly infantile, ridiculous and arbitrary. The time to discuss that with regard to her was nearly a decade ago. Condoleezza Rice is now the most qualified name being explored for the Executive – certainly more qualified then Obama and Clinton with their resume's combined. I am not asking you to vote for the ticket that she may be associated with simply because she is a black woman...contra wise, I am asking you to vote based upon the content of her character and the quality of her leadership alone as judged through her experience and until it is confirmed that she is on the ticket, to dismiss with vehemence anyone who would reduce this possibility to a mere racial and/or gender consideration. Condoleezza Rice represents all that blacks and feminist have been fighting for these many years! Lets not dismiss her simply because she is a conservative: this is the change we've been waiting for – real live personal achievement with slave blood still running through her veins, Jim Crow memories yet playing on the canvas of her mind, and still single – the requisite consequence of female strength and independence.

(HT: Reformed Blacks of America)

~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~

"What is a 'Reformed Church'?"

What is a Reformed church anyway? Why are they called “Reformed”? What do they believe? Where did they come from? What do they do? These are the types of basic questions I hope to introduce here. What I hope I am able to communicate to you here is that Reformed churches are Christian churches—believing that the Bible is the Word of God, that there is only one God who exists eternally as a Trinity, and that Jesus Christ is both God and man. Reformed churches are also Protestant churches—rejecting the claims of the Pope to be the Head of the Church, acknowledging instead that Jesus Christ is the Head of his Church, and that he rules and governs his Church by his Word and Spirit. Finally, Reformed churches are just that, Reformed churches—believing that sinful humans are saved by grace alone, from eternity past to eternity future, and that we experience this grace of God as the Holy Spirit uses certain means that God has appointed in the Church: the preaching of the Word and celebration of the Sacraments.

(HT: Oceanside United Reformed Church)

~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~

and the photo of the week...

From "Michigan in Pictures"

•

Nutrients in cat food (above)

Our cat, Henry, is diabetic. A few months ago he dropped half of his weight and was walking as if he had had a stroke (only not side-to-side, his back half wasn't working right). The vet called his "neuropathy" - nerve damage due to diabetes. With insulin he might improve or he might not. He did improve, but not much.

THEN...we put him on a pretty strict low-carb diet and he put his weight back on (with less fat, more muscle) and his walking is nearly normal. You would not notice his limp-i-ness unless we point it out.

(my favorite information page: Binky's.)

Cats are carnivores in the wild! God designed them to eat meat. In fact, their "perfect" diet is the exact ratios that you would find in the carcass of a mouse (3 percent carbohydrate, 40 percent protein, and 50 percent fat).

~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~

Recent studies show that cats with diabetes can be better and even sometimes brought into with a low-carbohydrate (sometimes called "Catkins", though more properly Hodgkins) diet. ( It's hardly surprising for cats, who eat about 5% calories from carbs in nature. Veterinarians are gradually switching their recommendations to a low-carb diet as well. The Feline Diabetes Message Board discovered the benefits of this diet along with "Zone" author Dr. Barry Sears and bestselling author Sherry Sontag, back in 1999.

There are a lot of vets out there that will tell you that a high-carb dry food diet is the #1 cause of diabetes in cats. In the summer, when Henry goes in for his checkup, I will not be surprised if his diabetes is well under control, or even in remission.

Dry food is a great convenience and may be necessary in some cases when the guardian is gone long hours or cannot feed on a regular schedule. But at least 50% of the diet (preferably 100% if you want to ensure optimum health!) should be a high-protein, high-moisture, low-carb diet such as canned or homemade food. Your cat will be healthier, and while you'll spend a little more on food up front, ultimately you'll save hundreds, if not thousands, on veterinary bills!

~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~

There are very few low-carb dry foods and some of them are very expensive.

The Eukanuba is $15.99 for 7 pounds at PetSmart (and if you order through AA.com, you can get 4 sky miles for every dollar spent. I do this on the first of the month).

ChowHound carries Innova Evo food for cats and dogs.

* EVO Cat and Kitten Food is made WITHOUT GRAINS!

* EVO Cat and Kitten Food has the HIGHEST MEAT CONTENT of any dry cat food!

* EVO Cat and Kitten Food contains 50% PROTEIN, 22% FAT, and only 7% CARBOHYDRATES, the lowest in the industry!!

* EVO Cat and Kitten Food is made with the same ingredients as you might find in a typical ''wild'' feline diet - RAW, MEATY BONES & cartilage, veggies & fruit.

Evo for cats is $36.09 on Amazon (but you have to pay $12.00 in shipping). If you have a ChowHound, you can get it there and you can see the price is comparable). It is about 8% carbs, so it is in a pretty good range...the best for a dry food.

HERE is a chart for dry cat food by nutrition.

~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~

Canned food:

A couple of the best low carb cat foods are from...Walmart. At least carb-count wise. We've found that the most economical way to handle the cat feeding issue is to feed canned most of the time (two or three cans a day) and to let him graze on the dry in between.

HERE is Binky's chart for canned food by nutrition.

I have a list of the preferred foods that I keep in my planner (including wet and dry food, taken from Binky's lists). My preferred foods include dry food at less than 25% of the calories coming from carb and canned foods at less than 5% of the calories coming from carb.

• 2 Comments

•

Organization of the Week:

ASA, the nation’s leading grassroots autism organization, exists to improve the lives of all affected by autism. We do this by increasing public awareness about the day-to-day issues faced by people on the spectrum, advocating for appropriate services for individuals across the lifespan, and providing the latest information regarding treatment, education, research and advocacy.

~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~

No beer at the barber shop in my town...

"Barbershop asks attorney general to OK free beer "

Here's the thing...I know a woman who goes to a particular beauty salon because they give her champaign during her hair cut. But the guys can't get a beer?

I think that it should either "cut" both ways or not at all.

~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~

The Amish are being prosecuted for not keeping up with technology...

MORRISTOWN, N.Y. (AP) _ The religious rights of 10 Old Order Amish men are being violated by an upstate New York town that is selectively prosecuting them for building homes without permits, a national public interest group charged Tuesday.

Meanwhile, elected officials in rural Morristown accuse the state of turning its back on them in the dispute, which the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty said involves discrimination against the Amish.(...)

The fight began in July 2006 when a member of the conservative Swartzentruber sect was charged with building a house without a permit. Since then, nine other Amish men have been cited for failing to adhere to the town's building code.

Building codes are established by the state and enforced by towns, villages and cities. Morristown updated its 22-year-old building codes in 2006 based on a model law provided by the state. The code requires new and existing structures "to keep pace with advances in technology in fire protection and building construction."

"The basis of the Old Order Amish faith is that they don't conform to new technology," said Steve Ballan, the St. Lawrence County assistant public defender who is representing the Amish men. "So if you have a law that says you have to keep pace with technology, that's the same as having a law that says no Amish allowed."

The men do not deny building houses without permits. They are willing to purchase building permits, but contend the requirements of the codes _ such as having smoke detectors, submitting engineering plans and allowing inspections _ violate their religious beliefs, Ballan said.

~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~

MMM...chocolate.

~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~

•

organization of the "week"

 

Each year millions of people participate in VSA arts programs through a nationwide network of affiliates and in more than 60 countries around the world.

VSA arts programming and initiatives are guided by four essential principles:

 

  • Every young person with a disability deserves access to high quality arts learning experiences.
  • All artists in schools and art educators should be prepared to include students with disabilities in their instruction.
  • All children, youth, and adults with disabilities should have complete access to cultural facilities and activities.
  • All individuals with disabilities who aspire to careers in the arts should have the opportunity to develop appropriate skills.

 

 

Inclusion teaches us that all means all. Everybody. No exceptions. The arts invite people to leave familiar territory, to explore new answers and seek new questions. The arts offer a means to self-expression, communication, and independence. By learning through the arts, students become lifelong learners, experiencing the joy of discovery and exploration, and the value of each other's ideas.

VSA arts is committed to driving change - changing perceptions and practice, classroom by classroom, community by community, and ultimately society.

~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~

From "Ask the Pastor"

Therefore, whether or not “obey” appears in the vows, a devout Christian wife desires to do everything according to her husband’s will. In this, she models the Church’s submission to her Bridegroom. Meanwhile, even as he heads the household, the believing husband still places all of his wife’s needs ahead of his own and gives her no cause to rebel against his decisions, whether or not she has promised to obey him, because his love for her is absolute.

~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~

• 24 Comments

•

Ministry of the "week"

"As experts on domestic abuse, especially as it relates to issues of faith, we will equip the faith community to recognize and respond appropriately to this problem that does not discriminate according to age, race, ethnic origin, religion or socio-economic status. With a goal of preventing the abuse cycle before it can even begin, we will develop and implement educational curricula to teach children and young people to recognize signs of abusive behavior and unhealthy relationships. We will work toward the elimination of domestic abuse, promoting knowledge and change, one person at a time."
~~~~~~~~~~

yes...it is real.

Playmobil Security Check Point.

HT: "Days to Come"

~~~~~~~~~~

•

~~~~~~~~~~

Ministry of the "week"

Forgotten Man Ministries
The Great Commission Ignoring those in jail or prison would be to disobey the clear, direct command of our Lord. He said "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations..." Inmates need to hear the Gospel of Christ and be made disciples as Jesus commanded. We must follow the example of Jesus who ministered to the publicans, sinners, thieves and harlots. Those people were sick with sin and needed the Great Physician to heal them. Today, FMM follows in Christ's footsteps by bringing the healing powers of the Great Physician to those behind bars.

~~~~~~~~~~

and...it's been a pretty slow week.  So that's about it.