To Judge or Not to Judge

The following response to an earlier post caught my attention, and I wanted to address it fully.  This line of reasoning has been around for some time and I just can not abide by it.  I’ll explain why.  But first a look at the posted response.

 

 

“Anonymous said…

This was in my mailbox as part of my Bible verse of the day and I thought of you.  Romans 14:1-13.  (See passage)

<snipped for brevity>

I pray that you consider that you risk losing someone by judging them.”

 

 

The key verse in this passage is Romans 14:4, “Who art thou that judgest another man’s servant? to his own master he standeth or falleth. Yea, he shall be holden up: for God is able to make him stand.”

 

Thus the idea is promoted that the Christian should not judge.

 

There are two fundamental differences between what I promote and what this passage condemns.

 

First:  The passage is clearly written about Christians passing judgment upon other Christians.  I agree with the passage, that such a practice is wrong.  From time to time you will hear a minister condemn the activities of another minister.  That is a bad business.  As we grow in the Lord it is important to learn that God calls each of us to unique avenues of ministry.  My favorite example is to compare Noah with Moses, both had the problem of getting a large group over a body of water.  Noah was instructed by God to build a boat, and the fact that he did so makes him a great man of the faith.  But if Moses had followed Noah’s example at the red sea… it would have been a sin.  Moses was given different instructions, as were fitting to the situation.  This is confusing to the new converts.  But what it means is that we should not criticize OTHER CHRISTIANS just because they do things differently than we would.  This is normal, expected and even part of God’s overall plan. 

 

Second:  The activity in question is not something that is clearly contrary to the Laws of God.  Neither the parting of the Red Sea or the building of a boat is a violation of any of the ten commandments.  Please note that there is a huge difference between violating the laws of God and violating the traditions of various denominations.  Mankind is always writing rules.  The Scribes and Pharases turned God’s basic laws into several volumes of man-made rules.  Any Law Library is another example of this fact.  Every denomination has it’s version of the Doctrine and Covenants, whether or not they have stopped and wrote them down.  Men like rules!  BUT the only rules that we will be held to at the great judgment, are those which are given to us by God.  Those are the only ones that really count.

          Also note that there is a huge difference between expounding on the Law of God and passing judgment.  How can anyone keep God’s laws if they do not know what they are?  And how can they know what the Laws are, if no one teaches them?  But teaching the Law is not pointing our finger at someone and calling them a sinner.  It is the act of expounding or promoting the Laws of God.  Nor is admonishing people not to lie or steal a judgment of any particular individual.  It is educating them that the act itself is a sin.  In other words, I maintain that exposing sin is not the same thing as exposing the sinner.

 

Now that I have defined the differences between what I believe we should be doing, from what we should not be doing.  I’d like to explain WHY we should be doing this.  Okay?

 

The biblical cautions against being judgmental are clear and oft quoted. But these assertions have been so overstated that they impress me like the difference between being open minded and being so open minded that have become mindless.  Are Christians really supposed to be so judgment free that they become the epitome of indiscretion?  I think not!  The act of discerning right from wrong is a fundamental exercise in judgment.  Learning right from wrong is a lifelong process and a fundamental part of Christianity!  But that isn’t all.  It isn’t enough to pursue this for yourself only.  The “Live and let Live” philosophy of life.  I think God calls us to do more than that.

 

A part of being a Christian is being salt and light to the world.  Salt is a preservative.  We are supposed to help preserve the nations.  The scripture asks the provocative question, that if salt looses its flavor, how will you season it?  Then it points out that flavorless salt is good for nothing.  My take on that?  Simple, if the Christians look like, act like, sound like the world… well if it looks like a duck, sounds like a duck and acts like a duck, it is a duck.  Christians who blend in too well with the world, so that you can’t tell the difference between them and the lost, are not being salt or light.

 

To make the point a little sharper, we need only consider God’s word to Ezekiel.  See Ezekiel 3:17-21.

 

“17.  Son of man, I have made thee a watchman unto the house of Israel: therefore hear the word at my mouth, and give them warning from me.

 18.  When I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die; and thou givest him not warning, nor speakest to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life; the same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand.

 19.  Yet if thou warn the wicked, and he turn not from his wickedness, nor from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul.

 20.  Again, When a righteous man doth turn from his righteousness, and commit iniquity, and I lay a stumblingblock before him, he shall die: because thou hast not given him warning, he shall die in his sin, and his righteousness which he hath done shall not be remembered; but his blood will I require at thine hand.

 21.  Nevertheless if thou warn the righteous man, that the righteous sin not, and he doth not sin, he shall surely live, because he is warned; also thou hast delivered thy soul.”

 

As I understand this, if we are not warning the lost of the consequences of sin, then their blood is on our hands.  We are accountable.

 

Haven’t we all been commissioned to spread the gospel message?  Are not we all given that task?  Then I ask you this; how can you tell people about the saving grace of Jesus, if and when the lost know nothing about God, God’s Law or their sin?  You might as well be telling them that Santa Cause threw himself on a live grenade to save them from the bogeyman under the bed.  It is all a bunch of silly nonsense to them.  You have to start, like the book of Genesis starts, with the existence of God, that God created everything, and that means it all belongs to Him, and that because he owns it, he has the right to make the rules.  Then I need to know what his rules are, forsaking all the man-made tripe, and then I need to figure out whether I’m guilty or innocent by those rules.  Then and only then will the gospel message become meaningful. 

 

What they do with that message, is between them and God.  But if we fail to warn the world about the whole “the wages of sin is death,” thing, then we are the ones who sin before God.

 

-Pastor Torch.

Endurance 05

The pitfall of false apostles. During his travels Paul ran into this cleaver little scam. Think of the guy who is riding a donkey and gets it to move by dangling a carrot in front of its nose. In like manner a false apostle is someone who uses what motivates you to get you to do his work. They see that you want to grow in the Lord and that you’re striving to learn the things of God. So they tell you all sorts of great stories and stuff on one hand, but with the other they make certain requests known. They need money, they need food, they need you to serve them in some manner. Hold the phone. So do all pastors, teachers and priests. So what is the difference? Ah… good question. The difference is when they sell you on the idea, somehow, that what they offer is special and you will only receive it, if you get it from them. Remember that God is no respecter of persons. What he will do for others, he will do for you. So no man has anything special and unique from God. Neither can any church, organization or group make that claim. The only unique name in the Bible is the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus the Christ. The word says that there is no other name under heaven whereby men can be saved. Therefore the one thing you need from God, Salvation, is given to you directly by Jesus. No man, no organization, no group, no not even a church or a prayer room full of ordained ministers can do anything to affect that. So when you find that the teachings of this one or that one is starting to bring you under bondage to them, rather than closer to Jesus, well, you are being lead astray by a false apostle. These critters can be hard to discern from the real thing, and a mite hard to deal with. But here is something I learned the hard way. The false apostle will eventually reveal their true heart. You know that where your treasure is, you heart will be also? If their heart is with anything other than God, that is your queue! Common maladies are the love of money, power, prestige, and/or fame. Hints of such maladies may be discerned when for example a pastor declines an opportunity to minister to the lost because: ‘it costs too much’, ‘they would not become members of this church so it isn’t expedient for us to do so’, ‘our mission is elsewhere right now and that would just put an unnecessary burden on everyone’, or ‘if we did that, the press would have a field day at our expense!’. If you have heard any of these lines, or anything like it, you have been given a clue that the person does not have his heart in the right place. Pray for that person and be on guard. Do not allow them to ensnare you and burden you. If you do, you’ll eventually become aware that you have been made an (er) donkey … out of.

Endurance 04

The pitfall of self. Did you know that the Bible is full of time-tested advice about how to deal with life’s problems? It motivates the faithful toward self-awareness, self improvement, and it leads them to success. Did you know that the faithful tend to live longer and with a greater quality of health? But the Christian faith is neither a self-improvement program, nor a path to success and it is not a health plan. The fundamental difference between self-improvement programs, get rich scams and health enhancement programs lies in your motivation. If you are motivated by self-interest, self-promotion, self-enhancement… if what drives you is what you can get out of it, then you have missed the boat entirely. You are self-centered, maybe even proud. Christianity is not something that is self-motivated, but in fact it is self-sacrificing. It is just the opposite from what the world sells. Romans chapter 12 talks to us about being a “living sacrifice” for God. Jesus demonstrated this by washing the feet of his disciples, a task normally given to the lowest servant. He taught that those who desire to be first, come in last, but those who prefer to put others first, will be elevated to the seat of honor. When Jesus began his ministry, he started with a forty day fast. He was very hungry when he was done with this, and that is when He was tempted. The first thing he was tempted with, was to prove Himself the Son of God by turning stones into bread. Why would that have been wrong? You know, turning stone into bread is no more a sin by the law than was turning water into wine. But Jesus wouldn’t do it! Why? Could it be, because it would mean that he was using his power and authority, given to him by God, for selfish motives? He was the one who was hungry. He was the one who was being challenged. And no matter whether he did it to show his power, or to appease his hunger, to act as Satan suggested would have meant that He was doing it for himself, doing it selfishly. That would have been a sin. There is a message going around, that has missed this point. It is know as the “prosperity gospel” and it advises it’s followers to claim wealth and prosperity for themselves though the power of Jesus name. There is truth behind the message, but the fundamental point that they miss is that Jesus didn’t die on the cross to become your personal genie and wish fulfiller! In fact, God’s program is more like this: Jesus did the job you couldn’t do, he fulfilled the Law, so that we could do for him the thing that He could not do, populate the Kingdom of Heaven. It is accomplished through an exchange of lives. I give him my life and in return he gives me his. When you consider that my life is wretched, miserable and bound for eternal damnation, and that his is good, honorable, and bound for eternal glory, well this deal is a wonderful opportunity for me! But the key is, again, I have to lay down my life, my self-interest, my self-centeredness, and take up the cross that Jesus has for me to carry. If I never give up being the center of my life, I can never realize the life that Jesus has for me. The Christian has a lot of great and wonderful blessings to look forward to, but if your interest in the Christian Life because of what you will gain from it, you have already sabotaged yourself, and you will become disappointed and bitter. The Christian is not the center of his own world. He does not worship himself.

Homosexual Part 2 (My Responce)

Homosexuality Part 2 Wow, at this point I’ve had three responses to my ‘dilemma’. I used the homosexual group as an example of an audience that needs to be reached… and that has prompted some reaction. Anonymous reactions, but hey! Since I can’t address their assertions individually (I have no address to which to send a response) I’ll take a moment here to address them. The first and most basic question is the question of whether or not homosexuality is a ‘sin.’ But what is sin? Sin is a violation of God’s law, in the simplest of terms. In the broadest sense, the Bible says that for a man to know what is the right thing to do, and fail to do it, for him it is sin. That casts a very wide net. But if we just stick to the idea that sin is sin if it violates God’s Law, as it is written in the Bible, well, we can still show that this thing we call homosexuality is a sin. Leviticus 18:22 “Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination.” Leviticus 20:13 “And if a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination; they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them.” And for those of you who think the Old Testament is of no consequence, here it is in the New Testament. 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 “Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? (that means you don’t go to heaven) Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God,” As Jack Sparrow would say, “there is what a man can’t do, and there is what a man can do.” According to the Bible, those are things a man can’t do, but what of the things that a man can do? Did you know that we are commanded to love one another? Let me see, how did that go again? I think it is in Romans 12:9 “Don’t just pretend that you love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong(evil). Stand on the side of the good. Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other.” Now I have a question for all of you. If you were in a position to see that the path I am on will soon end in certain death, what would you do? If you love me, really love me, you would not want to see me die, you would warn me and hope I’d listen and get off the path, change direction or something to avoid the impending doom. Right? Right! So, is it difficult for any to believe then, that the –most- loving thing I can do is to inform the homosexual that his chosen path leads to death? It is not out of hate, nor ignorance nor fear, that I say this. I have to tell him that, I am compelled to tell him that out of LOVE! Anything less would be empty words of blessing while we stand idly by and wait to watch them die. That would be hateful and unloving… saying nothing is hate. Informing them, that is love.

Endurance 03

Endurance 03 Before attempting to plot out the path of the new Christian, I think it would be good to point out a few common pitfalls. This would be things that one should avoid doing. By doing this we can trim off some of the numerous possibilities, and then we will be able to deal more handily with what is left over. I think the first pitfall comes to us from several directions. It can be said that Christ died for sin, past, present and future. This is true. But to then assume that a Christian can no longer do any wrong, and to further suggest that any effort on our part to avoid sin, is just a waist; well, that is pure nonsense! Now there are other ways in which this idea is presented, one approach has been dubbed “Greasy Grace”, and another is “Predestination.” Both of these lead to the same ultimate result. “Back-sliders” are what we call people who have gone back to living the same life they had before they were saved. This is the pitfall. It comes from becoming indifferent about your faith. Indifferent, apathetic, cold, or lazy can all be said of the person who is back-sliding. So is the person who is living this apathetic Christian life saved or lost? On one hand they have been forgiven, but on the other hand, ‘faith without works is dead.’ Since salvation is ‘by faith’, are they still saved when that faith is dead? Ultimately the question is not ours to determine. But we can look into the Word for a clue. I feel I have found the clue I need in Revelation 3:15-19. In the letter to the church (Christians) at Laodicea, God says, “I know all the things you do, that you are neither hot nor cold. I wish you were one or the other! But since you are like lukewarm water, I will spit you out of my mouth!” (I don’t think that is a good thing. It doesn’t sound very saved to me.) “You say, ‘I am rich. I have everything I want. I don’t need a thing!’ And you don’t realize that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked. I advise you to buy gold from me – gold that has been purified by fire. Then you will be rich. And also buy white garments so you will not be shamed by your nakedness. And buy ointment for your eyes so you will be able to see. I am the one who corrects and disciplines everyone I love. Be diligent and turn from your indifference.” Clearly then indifference is a bad thing, and diligence is a good thing. You can reserve your thoughts on the salvation question for a future time if you like, but at the very least this passage gives us a heading. Anything that would move us into an inactive, indifferent, or apathetic Christianity, is moving us in the wrong direction. Those things then, that move us to be active, diligent and watchful, those things are moving us in the right direction. Being a Christian is more than putting on a costume and pretending to be something that your not. It is more than signing up for a club and paying the dues. It is more than the observance of a new diet plan. We don’t start by counting the number of times we transgress God’s law and then slowly deprive of ourselves of those transgressions until we reach some desired level of righteousness! Christianity is a fundamental shift of the core beliefs. Jesus Christ becomes the foundation on which we build a completely new home, and a completely new lifestyle. Anything that remains of the old ways are probably nothing more than a pile of trash that is hindering you from enjoying the fullness of your new life. (more to come)

Endurance 02

Endurance 02 To be honest, I did not know, nor am I totally sure right now where I am headed with this discussion. I had a number of questions that I needed to work out the answer to, but God is faithful. In church last Sunday, I saw the guiding hand of God take the pastors sermon, which was based largely around baseball, and use it to put me on the right track. His sermon? “Hitting Your Way Out of a Slump.” Mr. and Mrs. American, I have news for you. You have lost your first love and you need to get it back. That passage in Revelation 2:2-5, that may as well have been written to us. “I know all the things you do. I have seen your hard work and your patient endurance. I know you don’t tolerate evil people. You have examined the claims of those who say they are apostles for me without quitting. But I have this complaint against you. You don’t love me or each other as you did at first.” (NLT). I think most of are aware of this on some level, but I want to point out just how far it has gone. The other day an employee of a large retail corporation was telling me that they were forbidden to say “God bless you” when a customer sneezed. They were told instead to just say, “Bless you”. Last night I channel surfed across one of these extreme video programs. A pickup truck had evaded the police and crashed. It spun around about thee times before coming to rest in the middle of the road, ejecting the passenger who was left lying on the street. The camera approached this man on the ground and caught his words which were both audible and sub titled for the audience. He called out, and they beeped over what was presumably a profanity forbidden by the FCC. TV and Radio broadcasters have a list of things they can not put or say on the air. But in the subtitles it read “J-----“ and I thought to myself, what cuss word starts with the letter ‘J’? Then it hit me. The man was calling out to Jesus! And that is what they cut out, bleeped over and considered too profane for the audience to hear! In contrast, right now I’m listening to a Top 40 radio station located in Spain. This is a secular station that plays only the songs that are on that nations top 40 list. And guess what I hear? I hear some songs that are all about God or Jesus. Some of which are more readily identified as ‘Christian music’ than a lot of what our local Christian music station plays everyday. The only such music to cross over from the ‘Christian’ stations to the popular stations here in America are those that DO NOT speak of God or of Jesus. Songs like ‘Butterfly Kisses’ which was nice, but had nothing to do with God. See the contrast? It is no longer a question of ‘Separation of Church and STATE’, we have progressed to the point where the things of God are considered socially unacceptable by PRIVATE parties that deal with the public. Private parties forbid the use of these words for FEAR of OFFENDING people. Think about that! How sad is that in a nation that was founded by and for the purpose of evading religious persecution? The FREE EXERCISE of religion is written into our laws as a guarantee of religious freedom, but our society has renounced the very faith that brought us this nation and this freedom! We have lost our first love! So what should we do? Take up arms and revolt? Build more churches? Invest in more outreach programs? Get a PR company to Christianity a total make-over? Who can hope to beat the advanced weaponry of our own government? America has more churches per capita than any other nation doesn’t it? We already have radio and TV dedicated to the ministry 24/7, what more could we ask for? Who would take charge of the PR corp? Few denominations agree enough with what message the Bible was written to express, imagine if they had to agree with what image we should all be identified with! Clearly we did not loose our first love because of these things, and attempting any of the above would be silly, or worse, even disastrous.

Homosexuals

There is some debate out there about homosexuals and ‘gay marriage’.  I have even been conversing with a friend of mine through e-mail about this.  It all leaves with an unresolved dilemma.  The problem is multi tined.  On one hand, people need to know that homosexuality is wrong, bad, even unhealthy would do, and not acceptable, normal or cute.  In the simplest terms, it destroys lives.  That is the FIRST message that people need to come to grips with.

 

The second message that people need to hear is that God loves you and can rescue you from a life of depravity, no matter whether it comes from, be it drugs, alcohol or sexual addiction, even homosexuality.  God wants to restore you.  All you need to do is give Him and yourself a chance.

 

The first problem with this is that people who are caught-up in the homo-sexual-addiction, do not hear the second message because they feel personally attacked by the first message.  They don’t want to be told that what they are doing is wrong, and they shut you off, so the conversation is over before you get to the good news.

 

As a result my friend figures that message number two is the place to start.  Tell them about God’s love first.  The trouble there is that they figure such a loving and caring God could not possibly be upset with his creatures practicing love one with another, and therefore never come to understand message number one.

 

So how do we get BOTH messages through to them?

 

That is my dilemma.  Any suggestions?

 

-Dan, AKA Pastor Torch.

 

 

 

 

 

Pirats of the Caribbean

Dead man’s Chest.

 

I took the wife and kids to the premier showing here in our town.  Midnight of Thursday the sixth.  J  We all enjoyed the show very much.  It had everything you’d expect, great action, plot twists, comic bits which hale from the first movie and so forth.  But A vast me hardies, after nearly three hours at watch the whole plot near come to completion!  That’s right.  They leave you hanging, dry docked till they make movie number three!  But now that you know, the movie you’ll watch is incomplete… ya gotta see it to know what’s happening.  Otherwise when the next one comes, you won’t have a clue how we came to where that movie will have to start! They leave so many loose ends!  Is Davy Jones done?  Will they defeat the Flying Dutchman?  What of the East India Trading Company?  And what of Jack?  I don’t want to spoil it for you… but this I will say; I loved the scene with the water wheel!  WOW!

 

 

 

Christian One Liners

Subject: Fw: Christian One Liners

Some one-liners that I got in my e-mail. I did a bit of editing. Hope you like them. >  >Christian One Liners > >*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+* > >Don't let your worries get the >Best of you;  remember, Moses started >Out as a basket case. > >*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+* > >Some people are kind, polite, and sweet-spirited >Until you sit in their pew. > >*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+* > >Many folks want to serve God, but only as advisors. > >*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+* > >It is easier to preach ten sermons than it is to live one. > >*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+* > >The good Lord didn't create anything >Without a purpose, but squirrels' come close. > >*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+* > >When you get to your wit's end,  you'll find God lives there. > >*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+* > >People are funny;  they want to be in the >Front of the bus, the middle of the road, and the back of the church. > >*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+* > >Opportunity may knock once, but temptation >Bangs on your doors and windows constantly. > >*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+* > >Quit griping about your church;  if it was perfect,  you wouldn't be comfortable there. > >*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+* > >If your church needs a better pastor, you only need to pray for the one it has. > >*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+* > >Some minds are like concrete >Thoroughly mixed up and permanently set. > >*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+* > >Peace starts with a smile. > >*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+* > >I don't know why some people >Change churches;  what difference does >It make which one you stay home from?! > >*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+* > >A lot of church members who >Are singing "Standing on the Promises" are just sitting on the premises. > >*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+* > >Be ye fishers of men.  You catch them - He'll clean them. > >*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+* > >Coincidence is when God chooses to remain anonymous. > >*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+* > >Don't put a question mark where God put a period. > >*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+* > >Don't wait for 6 strong men to take you to church. > >*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+* > >Forbidden fruits create many jams. > >*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+* > >God doesn't call the qualified, He qualifies the called. > >*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+* > >God grades on the cross, not the curve. > >*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+* > >God loves everyone, but probably prefers >"fruits of the spirit" over "religious nuts!" > >*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+* > >God promises a safe landing, not a calm passage. > >*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+* > >He who angers you, controls you! > >*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+* > >If God is your Co-pilot - swap >seats! > >*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+* > >Prayer: > >Don't give God instructions -- just report for duty! > >*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+* > >The task ahead of us is never as >Great as the Power behind us. > >*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+* > >The Will of God never takes you to >Where the Grace of God will not protect you. > >*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+* > >We don't change the message, the message changes us. > >*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+* > >You can tell how big a person >Is by what it takes to..........discourage him. > >*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+* > >The best mathematical equation I have ever seen: >1 cross + 3 nails= 4 given. > >*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*

Caller ID

The following was forwarded to me. Author Unknown.

>> >> On a Saturday night several weeks ago, this pastor was working >>late, and decided to call his wife before he left for home. It was about >>10:00 PM , but his wife didn't answer the phone. >> >> >> >> >> >> The pastor let the phone ring many times. He thought it was odd >>that she didn't answer, but decided to wrap up a few things and try again >>in a few minutes. When he tried again she answered right away. He asked >>her why she hadn't answered before, and she said that it hadn't rung at >>their house. They brushed it off as a fluke and went on their merry ways. >> >> >> The following Monday, the pastor received a call at the church >>office, which was the phone that he'd used that Saturday night. The man >>that he spoke with wanted to know why he'd called on Saturday night. >> >> The pastor couldn't figure out what the man was talking about. Then

>>the man said, "It rang and rang, but I didn't answer." The pastor >>remembered the mishap and apologized for disturbing him, explaining that >>he'd intended to call his wife. >> >> The man said, "That's, OK. Let me tell you my story. >> >> >> You see, I was planning to commit suicide on Saturday night, but >>before I did, I prayed, 'God if you're there, and you don't want me to do >>this, give me a sign now.' At that point my phone started to ring. I >>looked at the caller ID, and it said, 'Almighty God'. I was afraid to >>answer!" >> >> >> The reason why it showed on the man's caller ID that the call came >>from "Almighty God" is because the church that the pastor attends is >>called Almighty God Tabernacle!! >> >> >> >> If you believe that God answers prayers then pass this on. God >>bless! >>

Fast Pace

Why is life always running at full speed?

 

Is your life too fast paced?  I know mine is.

 

This last week has seen my wife go in for an out-patient surgical procedure, which has left her mostly bed-ridden so far.  I have had a midterm exam in Calculus, I have another coming up in Chemistry.  I ran sound for the church last weekend and this weekend I installed a new sound system in the car.  And this is all in addition to the everyday cooking, cleaning, running around and shopping that we always do.

 

Life can become so hectic at times.  I think we manage to get through these things by putting our brains in auto-pilot and numbly just walking it out.

 

That of course is not a good idea.

 

We need time to think.  We need time to sort things out, to just feel and let the emotions play out. 

 

 I have often been critical of Eastern Religions.  Meditation to me was kind of a Yoga thing.  Bah! Humbug! was my knee-jerk reaction to that idea!  But did you ever notice that the Bible does support the idea of meditation?  King David often mentions meditation such as Ps 49:3  “ My mouth shall speak wisdom, and the meditation of my heart shall give understanding.”  Ps 63:6 “When I remember You(God) on my bed, I meditate on You(God) in the night watches.” 

 

Meditation is not just for people with an Eastern Religion.  1’st Timothy 4:12-15 says, “Let no one despise your youth, but be an example to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity.  … give attention to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine. … do not neglect the gift (of the Holy Spirit)… Meditate on these things; give yourself entirely to them, that your progress may be evident to all.”

 

The pace of this “modern life” seems to rule out any opportunity to just sit and meditate on God and the things He has for us.  But I want to encourage you to give this practice some room in your life.  I know that the problems of life loom large on the horizon and it is hard to see a way around the many obsicles, but I also know that everything is relative.  Our problems are often huge in relation to our abilities, but these same problems are small in relation to God’s abilities.  So when I take some time out and just focus on God… my problems tend to shrink back down in size.  I have a solid rock with which to compare them.  A rock that never changes and always gives me a firm foot-hold. 

 

I believe meditation is a vital, and often over-looked part of prayer.  To me it isn’t enough to recite a laundry list of to-do items that we want God to give attention to… I think we need to be open to Him, and to His laundry list of to-do items that we need to give attention to, too!

 

 Maybe that is the part that scares us most… we all know what that could mean.

 

But if we are not meditating, if we are not getting quite with God and allowing Him to talk to us… are we treating our Lord as King or servant?

 

What are we doing here?

I have grown-up, for the most part, with computers.  I was first introduced to them by our Air Force back in 1983!  I have been an avid computer user ever since.  <> If your reading this you probably found the link in here from TryFast… if not you may want to go to www.tryfast.com and check out their services. <>    <> WHAT ARE WE DOING HERE?<>    <>

 

What we are doing here is pursuing a new form of Christian ministry.  Since the creation of the internet, there has been a potential to reach the masses through the unlimited connectivity of the internet.  The porn industry has tapped this potential.  The Christians have not.

 

When the Lord told us to “go into all the world and preach the gospel to every living creature”  I think he meant the internet as well, or would include it.  The net is perfectly suited to for large scale ministry!  But the fundamentals can not be abandoned in the face of new technology.  The key is to find the right way to apply the fundamentals with the new technology.

 

This is why I’ve selected an internet cam-chat room as the flag-ship location for ministry, because a fundamental in ministry is that, like Jesus, we are called to work one on one with people.  We need face to face contact… we must be real to them, in order to reach them.

 

Secondly, the chat sight is connected to a static web page where quick answers can be found to the most common questions.  This is because people have come to expect quick answers, and access to information.  That page is linked to this, a Blog.

 

The Blog serves as a bulletin.. where everyone can connect and get the latest information no matter what time of day they are online.  The internet never sleeps but we do… so no one person can be there to moderate the room 24/7!  That is where the blog comes in.  I can post important updates or thoughts here, and everyone can read them and stay current on any news or information.

 

Plus the blog is your way to reach me, no matter whether I’m online or not.  Every message posted here is e-mailed to my private e-mail address.  So I wont miss it!

 

-Pastor Torch.

 

Look for the Christian Fellowship on TryFast… members rooms section, under Fellowship Tabernacle.

Prayer Requests.

If you have any prayer requests, please post a comment and leave the vital information so that everyone can be praying for you.  When you have some extra time, drop back by and see who else needs prayer… you can pray for them too!

 

Private messages can be e-mailed to me directly.  Be cautious about including too much personal information here.

 

-Pastor Torch

 

Classes Start & New projects.

Dear Reader,

 

Today is Monday… MLK day and a holiday, otherwise classes would be starting today.  As it is, I start my new Spring/06 semester classes tomorrow.  Won’t that be nice?  

 

You would think that would be enough for someone my age.  I am re-taking Calculus 1 since I did not pass it the first time. < I have not gotten used to the way these college professors fail to actually teach you anything.  You’re expected to figure out about half or more of it on your own. >  I am also forging ahead with Chemistry.  I will have had a full year of chemistry with a lab when I’m done.  That is not required by BSU for my degree, but it is required by other Universities, and I want to have that block filled in incase I ever get the chance to transfer (move).  These are two heavy classes, and you’d think that would be enough…

 

My parents have given me a project in the form of a 1976 light blue Mercedes Benz.  It has been in their garage for about twelve years.  Dad was playing around with various engine/transmission options.  He finally was convinced that he should just return it to the original OEM spec’s.  So it now has a rebuilt 5 cylinder diesel engine and the 4 speed automatic transmission like when it was new.  But it has sat around for so long, almost nothing else worked.  Only two of four power windows move when you hit the buttons.  The automatic door locks keep it unlocked at all times.  The trunk lock had to be repaired, the ignition switch was falling apart.  The defroster did not work because the system is locked into A/C mode.  The turn signals didn’t work, the dash lights still won’t.  The fuel filter plugged from all the years of accumulated Idaho dust before the first 1/8’th of a tank had been used (I can only guess how many of those I’ll burn through to start with.)  So this is a work in progress to be sure.  It has some paint issues, some body work (a lot of little dents from being used like a work bench/storage shelf for so many moons,) and some upholstery issues too.

 

It may be worth the time and effort however.  New, the 300D sold for twelve grand.  Right now the car might be worth about 2 grand (as is).  But restored, they go for about 6 grand.  I’ve been told that on E-bay they can pull twice that… but as far as I can tell, that is only a rumor.  The only way to afford these repairs, however, is to sell my Tracker.  Then I’ll be stuck if the MB breaks down on me.  And going 50 miles round trip to school is a top priority right now.  ?? Which car to trust & keep; which car to sell??  That is a puzzle.  The Tracker is far newer, but has 136 k-miles on it and is also in need of some garage/mechanic time.  I’d have to sell the MB to afford it’s repairs, such as a new timing belt, and some ignition work (it isn’t idling well.) 

 

So you’d think that is enough to put on my plate right now, but…

 

My wife has decided that we need to build our own dinning room table.  This is an honor!  To be trusted to build what is probably the most important furnishing in the entire house!  Wow!  When you think about it, the dinning room table is where you have most of your family time.  It is where you entertain guests.  It is where you go to work on a project, do some art or craft, or work on some food prep.  It is very visible and very functional.  Your choice of table says a great deal about your living style.  If the table is too fancy; it says your life is all a show, a mask you wear for people to see.  If the table is cluttered, dusty, or miss-used, it says that your life is lived else-where, outside your home, on the go, on the road, or at the office; that you’re not at home, at home.  If it is small, you are probably lonely.  If it is huge, you either have a lot of family or a lot of friends.  I think this table, more than anything, reflects our attitudes and ideas about how life is lived.  –Just a side bar thought here.

 

My wife wants a table, built in the traditional Castilian style.  These are thick rugged tables, a bit rustic and not very ornate.  Had she wanted anything too fine, I’d have had to decline building it.  But rugged and rustic are good!  We bought about $150 worth of redwood for it, and spent another $350 on tools and equipment that I’ll need for this.  So far I’ve gotten a router, a table saw, some 4 ft. clamps, and two roller stands out of the deal.

 

Perhaps that is enough to put on my plate for awhile.  Yet, somehow, I’ll bet someone finds room for more… I might even find some time to post on my blog!

 

Smile! Life is good!

 

One parting idea, on a completely different topic, ---  “If being black is all that, why haven’t they opened an African Food restaurant?”

 

Grins and giggles!

 

 

Today in Spain.

Dear reader, There are things about life in America that bothers me. We have it good here, as far as material wealth is concerned, but where living is concerned, we are dirt poor. For example, as I type this, I am watching a live broadcast (via the net) out of Valencia, Spain. The fact that I can see live TV from half way around the earth, while sitting in my study here at home is evidence of our material wealth. What I am seeing on that station proves that we have forgotten how to live! Today is the day of the three kings in Spain. You know the three kings that came to visit the Christ child? We often call them the three wise men. Well, today in Spain, as they do every year, they celebrate the day of the kings. They had a parade for the kings as they entered the city square. The streets were lit up like any great Christmas décor should be. There was pageantry as the kings were welcomed to the city. There was joy as the kings delivered gifts to all the children. There was music and fire works.. this thing was bigger and better then the ball dropping in New York City at midnight. And the final act? The three kings present themselves to the Joseph and Mary and the baby Jesus! This is a beautiful tradition! It is glorious, glamorous, and edifying! It was great to see, and I’m very happy that I found it. But could you imagine such a thing happening here in the US? If we proposed such a display, the only thing I think we would see on TV is the protestors and the lawyers for the ACLU decrying the violation of civil rights or separation of church and state or some such nonsense as that. Why do they always do that? What is wrong with celebrating? What is wrong with bringing gifts to children? What is wrong with parades and lights, and music and such? Nothing! We do it for stupid reasons. We hold parades for the city to honor the city leaders. We have lights and music and such to mark the annual roll over of the clock. So why not celebrate an event that impacted history and is still the core reason behind so much of our customs and traditions? Why can’t we live and let live? But most of all, why have we allowed those who don’t know how to live, to beat us down and prevent us from living?

Calc test

Well, today was the big day.  Okay, one of four big days.  It was the third calculus exam.  The last one will be given about three weeks after Thanks-Giving.  It will be the Final Exam.  (My, my, my, doesn’t that have a terminal ring to it?)  I honestly do not know how any one is expected to get though these classes.  It would be one thing if it were my only class.  They must expect us to have a lot of free time to study.  And they do!

 

They tell us to have between two and three hours of study time for every hour of class time.  I did the math, (I am in Calculus after all, you can trust my addition and multiplication skills,) if I did that...  I would be putting in a 60 hour work (study) week, every week!  You know that isn’t happen’ in!

 

So they must be exaggerating... because if it held true, then there is no way anyone could get through a four year degree in just four years!  I’m taking this stand because my degree (engineering) is laid out as a four year degree if you can maintain a 17 credit per semester class load.  I have a 13 or 14 credit load and by their numbers it is equal to a 60 hour work week.  How could anyone do even more?

 

The truth is, that heavy classes do require that level of study.  Other classes are much less demanding and some require almost no outside study at all.  I think right now I run between 25 and 30 hours a week on my studies.  The rest of life is taking up the other hours. 

 

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>                     Dan                     <

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Our Fences are built!

Winter is setting in.  The mountains to the south already have white caps.  The time for back-yard projects is almost finished until spring.  But because on Saturday morning we happened to notice that there are some of those little wooden stakes with the orange plastic flagging tied to the top standing here and there in the otherwise empty field behind our house, and because this must mean that someone is ready to develop that ground into another sub-division, we decided it was a great weekend to finish putting up our back fence.

 

We built the side fence, the one that separates our back yard from the next-door neighbors’ back yard about two months ago.  Then I moved the gate that they put in the front, to the back.  I built a wider (double) gate in the front so I can park my little trailer behind the fence at the side of the house. All we needed to do finish enclosing the back yard was to build the back section.  I had already bought the posts and cement.  We only needed the lumber.

 

Saturday turned out to be a good time for this.  We even had an unexpected check in the mail that more than covered the expense!  Isn’t God awesome?  So we put up our posts after lunch, it was warm enough to work outside after lunch... and then we headed down to Lowe’s.  The price on the dog-eared cedar fencing had come down since the last time I’d bought some, about 40 cents a board.  Not bad when you need 110 of them.  That saved me $44.oo off what I’d have had to pay had we done this earlier on.

 

Saturday night fell with only about half of those being put up.  Sunday morning I went back out before church and was able to finish it, and just in time.  It rained pretty good after that and turned the ground to mud.  But at last we have a fully fenced back yard.  It looks bigger somehow.  Might have something to do with not being able to see the huge field beyond and feeling like we only have a tiny piece of ground in comparison.   

 

It also feels like a metaphor.  In the old house we never did have a fully fenced back yard.  I had given considerable thought to how and where to put fences and gates, but we never did get to build them.  In that house we were taken advantage of.  Several times I lost items of some value to alley trolls (thieves) who would steal things from us right out of our (exposed) back yard.  That at least is not going to happen here.  It also reminds me that in this house, our money is our own.  We have built a new boundary in our financial lives. It has been a hard lesson, but this person is no longer accepting gifts with strings attached.  If it is a ‘gift’ it is given freely.  No strings.  If it is not a gift, then it must be payment for some service or other good.  And the terms of that negotiation had better be clearly stated, clearly understood and perfectly acceptable to both parties.  To often you don’t get what you thought were agreeing to when the condition are vague.

 

The trouble some people have is that like the little children on the play-ground, when a game is not going their way, they want to continuously change the rules so that they can turn it around to their favor...  you know the kind.  Some of those kids never grew up and they are still playing that same game.  They don’t want clear contracts, because they can’t modify them when things turn out differently than what they thought it would.

New room mates

In my office, I now have two new ‘room mates.’  They are alike in some ways, and quite opposite in all others.  The contrast between them I find most amusing.  One is a futon, the other is an elliptical.  Both were bought brand new.  Both came in a box with lots of packaging.  Both came with “some-assembly-required.”  Both are made mostly of metal.  Both take-up some considerable real-estate in my office.

 

That is about where the comparison ends.  To use the futon, one must either sit and relax or lay down and sleep.  It is one big sitting place that can be made into an even larger sleeping place.  It has cushions and pillows and a warm wrap.  In contrast, to use the elliptical you must stand up on the “pedals” as there is no place to sit at all.  It has no cushions or pillows, nor will it allow you to relax, let alone sleep.  In order to use it, you have to keep it moving.  It has an electronic display to show you how much exercise you have done. 

 

So one makes you tiered, the other gives you a place to rest.  

 

There are a lot of things in this crazy world that are like that.  Like yen and yang, opposites that fit neatly together and create a sort of whole.  Like light and dark.  If we only had one or the other, could we still have a rainbow?  Technicalities aside, I think you see my meaning.

 

That elliptical is just what the doctor ordered.  I don’t get enough exercise on any given day and my middle has exceeded it’s boundaries as consequence.  But the futon is just as important.  While it would not do to let my physical vessel deteriorate while I am improving my mind, neither can one contemplate deep thoughts while your calves are screaming and your heart is pounding in your ears.  Meditation, I’ve found, is better done with a more relaxed posture.

 

 

The mousetrap car

Hello everyone.

 

It has been a while since I have had time to write, at least, here in the journal.  I thought I’d give a sort of progress report on one class I’m taking.  It is called ENGR 120, A.K.A. Intro to Engineering.

 

This should be a great class, a load of fun.  And it would be, I think, if the adjunct professor weren’t a bit of a flake.  So far we have designed a process for making peanut-butter-and-cracker-sandwiches.  Our process fail miserably.  Then we made a composite for construction.  My group has attempted to use bamboo and glue… we won’t know the results until they are tested for strength, which is scheduled just before the holidays this month.

 

Currently we are attempting to build a mouse-trap-car.  You take a mouse trap, and use only the energy of the spring when the trap is set, to propel a car.  This can be done for speed or distance.  Our test is for distance.

 

 

So I built a car frame, one of the team built this drum attachment for the mouse trap.  I robbed the axels and wheels off a 1 dollar toy car.  Dollar stores are good.  That is also where I found the huge package of tongue depressor sized popsicle sticks to make the frame out of.  So here is the final product.

 

Current status:  My best run went just over 12 ft.

 

If you get a chance to build one of these, weight

seems to be an issue.  Go for light!  A popular choice

is CD’s for wheels.  I’d have done the same but could

not find anything to make a hub out of.  The axle’s are only

0.1” diam, and the center hole in a CD is 0.6” diam.  That is

a big difference.

 

 

 

New Orleans.

<<< Deep Thoughts >>> In the wake of Catrina, and now Rita, two huge hurricanes... what can be said? Well a lot if you haven't been listening to the news. I was. I was impressed that the entire debaucle about FEMA was easy to understand and easy to demonstraight. It is not about FEMA at all. For one thing, no one, not even FEMA -should- be prepaired for massive devistaion on the scale that we have seen in the wake of these two storms. The American tax payers do not need to be paying for warehouses full of MRE's, Tents, Generators and such when the prospect of needing it all is rather rare. My opinion. The difference between Lousiana and Texas... or Lousiana and Mississippi... is that the people in Lousiana have/had no respect for authority. They did not respect the call for evacuation. They did not respect the private property of others. They did not cooperate with FEMA, or the even the President of the USA! They caused their own troubles! Am I off my rocker? No. The proof of this is all over the net even now. It is appearent in all the Mardi-Gras pictures... think about it. The people had a culture of thumbing their noses at their own police and getting away with it. That break-down in authority cost them lives. It is perhapps the grace of God that 10,000's were not killed.... It is self-evident in the fact that looting after the storm was rampat only in Lousiana. Now even some of thier own police are being charged with having looted. Pathetic!