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  1. Believe says:

    FIRST!

  2. Babylon's Dread says:

    What no responses?

  3. Believe says:

    aaarggghhhh! Second!

  4. Believe says:

    OK…Hayward is freakin’ hilarious.

    Seen that metaphorical cartoon played out many times (from behind the scenes)…and done it myself.

  5. Erunner says:

    Music is up for the week so feel free to drop by.

    http://morethancoping.wordpress.com/2010/05/01/beautiful-christian-music-praise-worship-may-1st/

    Check out Psalm 62. Beautiful song.

  6. Nomansapologist says:

    Good morning beautiful blog family! Loving you all in prayer today.
    Pondering how much we have today… not in the next life, but here and now.
    We are a rich people, a royal priesthood.

    2 Cor 4:15
    For it is all for your sake, so that as grace extends to more and more people it may increase thanksgiving, to the glory of God.

    Praise God for His goodness and abundance in mercy and love.

  7. Believe says:

    ….ahhh…I did sneak in there after all 🙂

  8. Believe says:

    Em…remember our GM and Ford rabbit trail the other day?

    GM used taxpayer money to “pay off” a small piece of the overall money they received from “us”…

    Forbes is an incredibly credible source. Here’s the “truth” with regards to the propaganda that GM is currently trying to “sell” to the public:

    http://www.forbes.com/2010/04/23/general-motors-economy-bailout-opinions-columnists-shikha-dalmia.html

  9. Believe says:

    …how do you tell when a Politician or large Corporatist is lying?

    Their lips are moving.

  10. Em says:

    Believe, thanks – as for the “lying lips” 🙂 that, like the rise of gender-challenged people today, is a sign of the times (end time? dunno) – we truly are losing touch with reality and consequences. Life isn’t Shakespeare’s stage anymore, it is just a board game (pardon the pun)

  11. Em says:

    Erunner, i am enjoying listening to the music you post now that i can and your Psalm62 led me to some precious worship time this morning – am listening to this that i reached thru you list as i type

    … if my link attempt works….

  12. Jim Jacobson says:

    Well it’s a slow, rainy Saturday in the NW, here is a developing news story: http://www.nationalenquirer.com/obama_cheating_scandal_vera_baker_video_/celebrity/68589 I get all the best news from the Enqirer! 🙂

  13. victorious says:

    How to avoid or be delivered from the corrupting process and practice pictured above.

    Kiss the Son. Psalm2 Our privilege in the Gospel of Jesus Christ!

  14. Erunner says:

    Em, I’m happy you enjoy the music. I recall you weren’t able to listen in the past and thought I’d leave the one song with you in mind. It’s amazing the beautiful music that is available for us to listen to. Your link worked and I saved the song. God bless.

  15. filbertz says:

    great cartoon. ‘dancing cheek to cheek’ only his cheeks are different than yours. 😉

  16. Captain Kevin says:

    Sixteenth!!!

  17. Believe says:

    Kev…LOL.

  18. Captain Kevin says:

    Figured you’d catch that one Believe. BTW, did you used to blog here with a slightly different pseudonym?

  19. Believe says:

    No…I think there’s someone else who is ‘A Believer’ or ‘Believer’…not me.

  20. Believe says:

    Call your congressperson…this is going to affect a lot of people and isn’t getting much attention…but will, after the fact. There are hundreds of thousands of people who are about to be taken off of unemployment…and still have no job prospects…yet we can hand a trillion dollars to the big bankers, AIG and wall street…and can hand nearly 50 billion to GM…but these regular (formerly working) people are toast:

    http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20603037&sid=adF_5VH7azKU

  21. Believe says:

    …actually over 1 million face this very soon…with a total of 3.4 million who want to work, but can’t find a job. Once they reach 99 weeks, they’re casualties as well.

  22. james tiberius kirk says:

    So I have a Reformed friend that I’ve been talking to, and need some very background on Calvinism. Any suggestions?

    Just the facts

  23. james tiberius kirk says:

    Believe,

    Seriously?!?! 99 weeks isn’t enough?

    How many do think is “reasonable”?

  24. Believe says:

    JTK…if there were jobs available, i’d say 4-6 weeks is enough…but these people (some are friends and relatives) have been looking for work for a year or two…and can’t get a job.

    What are they going to do once the unemployment benefits lapse?

    The people I know desperately want to work. I guess they’ll have to participate in other programs to survive.

    Our National Debt is over 14 trillion and climbing…so part of it is a real catch 22…however, we have no problem handing over Corporate Welfare at the drop of a closed-door meeting…and the drop of some special interest money.

  25. London says:

    nope…not the thread for me…moving on…

  26. Believe says:

    RE: Calvinism:

    TULIP.

    Total Depravity: Man is totally depraved…incapable of pleasing God or coming to him on his own…(Anthropology: original sin…man…Adam and Eve…broke the Covenant and are incapable of keeping the Covenant….outside of Christ who is the second Adam and keeps the Covenant on man’s behalf. Sometimes stated “total inability” to come to God on his own.

    Unconditional Election: God, before the foundations of the world, has elected some for glory and some for damnation. Most Calvinists believe that man still must repent and believe and that that is also part of the deal and they don’t try to resolve the two issues. Most believe that God is Sovereign and man is also responsible.

    Limited Atonement: Christ died for the elect…for those who are His. Not for everyone…meaning not for the unregenerate. This is also called “particular redemption”.

    Irresistible Grace: When the elect hear the Gospel…the Holy Spirit works in them and the call is irresistible. All who are His will come. His sheep hear His voice…and will respond to the calling.

    Perseverance of the Saints: Basically, “once saved, always saved”…when a person has been regenerated God will complete the work He began in them…none given to the Son will be lost.

    Other observations…on a human level…Calvinists are very smart…a bit arrogant…cuss once in awhile…and like Kahlua (ok…not all Calvinists…just the one on here 🙂 )

    Seriously, from what I’m learning…we’re all much closer to Calvinists than we may think…once you understand more what most really believe…and what Calvin really taught. A lot of the confusion is over generalizations, mis-definitions, false assumptions and basically misunderstanding.

    The Doctrine of Predestination is a real hot button issue for a lot of people…even amongst Calvinists (especially double predestination).

  27. Believe says:

    JTK…I’d wait for Michael to fix what I posted re: Calvinism…just in case I goofed it up. That was a 30,000 feet way general overview…and from my understanding (which is evolving as I read more and more about it).

  28. Michael says:

    Kirk,

    What do you want to know?

  29. brian says:

    You know being unemployed in the Christian community is totally humiliating to say the least. Your lazy, shiftless, weak, failure, in sin etc.These are some of the comments I have heard in relation to the unemployed. I never understood that the people I know whom are unemployed are some of the hardest working individuals I have ever seen. From my experience in the faith community there is little if any empathy for the un or underemployed individual. I am facing looking for work after some 30 years of employment, now I am always looking and keeping up on my resume and interview skills. I am involved in several startups hoping to keep myself working. I signed up with the employment development department. The idea of loosing my job scares me and I am so totally ashamed of that, a true Christian would never struggle with such things. A true Christina would not need ever. I hate feeling this way I know its not accurate but it was so drilled into my head in my early faith experience that I just cant sake it.

  30. james tiberius kirk says:

    Michael,

    I’m looking for a basic overview on Calvinism, ideally with Bible verses that support the ideas.

    I’ve learned a lot here, but most of my Calvinist interactions have been with an OCD OPC old friend, who “doesn’t do” reasonable discussions…I think he’s burned me in effigy 3 times. Haha

    I have Calvin’s Institutes and have read much of it, a bit of the Westminister Confession…

    I have minunderstood more Calvinists and Calvinism than I understand, it seems, yet find myself focusing on the sovereignty of God more than ever in my life and ministry…

  31. james tiberius kirk says:

    Maybe I need Calvinism For Dummies or a good clean Calvinist/Arminian debate…

  32. Lutheran says:

    JTK,

    A big disclaimer: I’m not a Calvinism expert, by far.

    But I did find this summary of the Five Points online…ironic because it’s from the OPC.

    The author does a really nice job of explaining the pastoral and preaching implications of this theological stance. I like it that Calvinists call it “the doctrines of grace.” Too often critics and those who like lazy caricatures pick apart the ‘five points’ in a digital way. But this author really develops the “big picture” and the implications of this theology. Like Lutheranism, it’s been around for centuries, so I’m assuming there are many ways to study it and look at it. Study any of these stances in a superficial way at your own peril.

    Remember, too, that Calvinism, to one degree or another, undergirds quite a bit of evangelicalism, especially many of its seminaries and publications.

    http://www.opc.org/qa.html?question_id=28

  33. Michael says:

    That’s a good link.

    The other brief exposition would be to read Packers classic introduction to Owens “Death of Death In the Death of Christ”.

    http://www.monergism.com/thethreshold/articles/onsite/packer_intro.html

    I would also say that along with our Orthodox and Lutheran brethren we embrace the fact that there is mystery in the ways of God…places we can’t explain, thus are called to simply worship.

  34. Believe says:

    JTK said, “Maybe I need Calvinism For Dummies or a good clean Calvinist/Arminian debate…”

    Well, I gave you “Calvinism FROM Dummies (me)”…so is that close enough? 🙂

  35. BrianD says:

    We began a short series in Acts. Really today was about encouraging people to tithe, and give, and give very sacrificially.

    Our church continues to grow and expand…and we were told to start giving. Till it hurts.

    It was a great opportunity for me to evaluate my heart…and to ask myself if I can really pay the membership fee right now…and if this is a place where I can serve.

  36. Linnea says:

    Just for fun…the Christian traditions predictor:
    http://www.selectsmart.com/plus/select.php?url=denomtradition

    I came out Presbyterian/Reformed!

  37. Believe says:

    Linnea…that was a hoot!

  38. Believe says:

    http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601010&sid=aJ.lqzE8caFw

    Looks like you can’t run Sovereign Debt ad infinitum without facing default or having to put severe austerity measures in place.

    This is what the U.S. has to look forward to: higher taxes…lower government spending…or risk default down the road…with our 14 plus Trillion Dollar deficit….hugely unfunded Social Security and Medicare…hugely unfunded State Pensions in giant states like Cali and NY…hugely unfunded UAW pensions…etc etc.

    Good times! Thank God for Faith…and thank God for provision…which doesn’t necessarily mean a BMW and a McMansion and new clothes from Macy’s every season and $200 nights out at (insert your hoity toity upscale restaurant here).

  39. Eric Hoffman says:

    Had a cool weekend.

    Friday: I sat on a pannel Q&A representing a new church plant, Imago Dei, for a missions mini-conference. My first, and I was told I didn’t screw it up. 🙂

    Saturday: The women from our core group went to a local ICU and passed out snaks and drinks to folks. One woman was there for 15 hours, had no change, and had nothing during that time. I’ve been there and that sucks!!!! One half of the guys handed out $10 gift-cards for McDonalds to single moms. My group handed out Smoothie King gift-cards to employees at local businesses in the area where we’ll be launching in the fall. Had some great conversations with folks and the owner of the Irish Pub we meet at on Tuesdays for mens study offered up a lot of support. We’re planning a July 4th cook-out in a low-income complex and they’ve offered to supply food. God is GREAT!!!

    Tonight: We gather to worship and praise God for all He did the past 2 days.

    For those who like guitar players, this young lady rips: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G7b-_YcACuQ

  40. Tim says:

    Eric –
    Sounds like a great outreach. Blessings to you guys as the church gets started!

  41. Tim says:

    BTW – the video wasn’t streaming too well for me here, but from what I saw I was impressed. Anyone who can hang with Vai has some serious chops.

  42. Babylon's Dread says:

    Does anyone here care at all about the so-called Hebraic Roots movement?… seems to me to be a rehashing of the Judaizing heresy as well as just pure racism. For I while I considered it aberrant but probably too novel to catch traction. Now I see it as a potentially volatile refuge for rapture maniacs and potentially radical and violent. People are renouncing their Christianity and others are completely converting into Judaism.

  43. Michael says:

    I haven’t seen it gaining any traction..where is this happening?

  44. Babylon's Dread says:

    Michael,

    The scholars are taking no notice of it…neither are the denominations or the mainstream publishers.. but take a look at web sites, and the massive fragmentation of the Messianic movement, look at the segment of Charisma dedicated to Israel, take a look at the edge of the charismatic renewals …everywhere there is an ethos of getting God’s blessing by loving apostate Israel.

    This thing is a very large grass roots thing….mention “Hebraic Roots” and many people get near manic delight…

    I think it is a damnable heresy that will further marginalize the impact of our witness.

  45. Michael says:

    Do you have a couple links?

    This has been totally off my radar since we had a guy named Banner here a few years ago.

    Israel is the hardest issue for me to get my head around…

  46. Babylon's Dread says:

    Take a look;
    http://www.home-and-school-solutions.com/HR/hebrew-roots-links.htm

    http://www.messianic.com/top/

    You will never exhaust it…

  47. Xenia says:

    I’m currently reading St. Justin Martyr’s Dialog with Trypho the Jew in my journey through the ECFs. Anyone who is attracted to this Hebraic Roots stuff needs to read it. Or just the book of Galatians should do the trick. I think people are attracted to this for several reasons. One, people are tired of faddish Christianity (although this too is a fad) and are desperate for some antiquity and two, it’s just a hop skip and a jump from dispenasationalist Zionism. A fatal jump, though.

  48. Believe says:

    …Messianics are gaining popularity in my neck of the woods. There are regular Torah classes being taught in our area, FWIW.

  49. james tiberius kirk says:

    A guy in my church works for a Jewish Republican candidate for governor…my Left Behind fanatic mother-in-law said “it’s ok if he practices his faith” after talking about whether or not rival candidates were believers….I told he that THE MOST antichrist people I regularly run into at public universities are Jewish people (even more than Muslims) and she looked at me like I was a gay Mormon….
    The article Dread posted awhile back about the Messianic Jewish lady who is now Orthodox and openly opposes Christians was haunting…

  50. Believe says:

    “and she looked at me like I was a gay Mormon….”

    ROTFLMAO!

  51. Glenn says:

    I think that with the Messianic movement and the Hebraic roots people, you have a
    continuum just like with Baptists. A Baptist might be Northern, Southern, Conservative,
    American, GARB, Independent, 7th Day, Missionary, KJV-only ad infinitum.
    My experience with Messianics is limited, but good and the ones that I know, aren’t that weird or legalistic. With some it is more of a cultural thing. I really appreciate the presentation that Jews for Jesus does showing Christ in the Passover. There are some
    “regular” churches in the area that have Passover Seders every year for that purpose.

    I have friends that go to the Messianic Service on Saturday and to Calvary Chapel on
    Sunday. She is half Jewish and half Italian and grew up in New York City. She grew up
    Jewish and liberal and now considers herself a conservative Christian. He grew up
    Southern Baptist in Detroit. They enjoy keeping the Sabbath and the feasts, but are anything but legalistic about it. To them Kosher is a good idea for health reasons, but
    not that big a deal.

    Four and a half years ago, just before I was scheduled for heart surgery, they had the
    Pastor (Rabbi) of their Congregation come up to the hospital and pray for me. He prayed in Hebrew and in English and that was a blessed time. He is a great guy and many a
    Sunday night I have seen him at my church enjoying a good old fashioned Baptist service.

    I am sure that there are some really way out, over the top Messianics, but these folks
    are OK in my book. Check out the Congregation’s website. http://cloj.org
    Their statement of faith seems pretty fundamental to me.

    I think that too many Christians are totally ignorant of our “Jewish Roots” and need to
    get a little better educated so they can have a better understanding of scripture.

    Let’s not paint them with a broad brush.

  52. Believe says:

    MLD…and anyone else…hope you took my advice and closed out long positions at S&P 1200 plus…it’s going to be awhile until we reach that mark again.

    There are things going on in the macro-financial world that are not “good”…it’ll be an interesting couple of months….to be followed by an interesting couple of years.

  53. Erunner says:

    I’ve posted an excellent article concerning mother’s day by Shannon Woodward today for the third straight year. I think there might be some excellent things for pastor’s to consider as you approach this coming weekend.

    http://morethancoping.wordpress.com/2010/05/04/mothers-day-from-an-infertile-womans-perspective/

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