Things I Think
1. I was very saddened by the death of the two police officers in New York this week. I was further
saddened by those who used the tragedy to keep inflammatory political rhetoric at a fevered pitch. We are a culture addicted to rage and those who name the name of Christ are the only ones with a cure for that social disease. It grieves me when I see so many of us infected with it as well…
2. I’m really old school about some things…I still have one of those bumper stickers that says if you hate cops, the next time you’re in trouble call a hippie.
3. It is better to give than receive…unless you are too proud to receive with joy. God may put you in a position where until you learn to receive, you’ll have nothing to give…
4. Commerce can be the enemy of Christmas contemplation…do not let the culture suck all the wonder from the season.
5. Time magazine has always had it’s year end ‘Man of the Year” award. The PhxP will have it’s “Persons of the Year’…and this year they will be Janet Mefford and Wenatchee the Hatchet. There is no reward or certificate unfortunately, but there is much respect. We’ll write more later…
6. Pride is the name of the devil’s agent assigned to the theft of joy.
7. To me, the Incarnation is the most wondrous doctrine of the Christian faith. It’s not just that God became flesh and dwelled among us, it’s that he came as one completely vulnerable and dependent on God and others to survive. We have spent the last 2000 years since then trying to make ourselves invulnerable and independent…
8. I realize that someone reading this might think that the Lord is convicting me of a particular sin…that someone might be right. Sharing it is my way of completely redeeming it.
9. Women in pastoral office is one of those issues I’d love to affirm…but I still believe the weight of biblical evidence precludes me from doing so. I’d love to be wrong…about this and some other things.
10. This is a public service announcement…last night the boy called me and said that his moms iPhone had been stolen. Because we’d activated the tracking app I was able to work with the police and track the thieves all over town until they were caught and the device recovered. While it was very stressful for his mom, it was great fun for me. The moral of the story is to make sure you have the app activated on your phone…
#1- Really- you are MORE saddened over rhetoric than you are over the assassination of two young men who lay their lives on the line for the people, inlcuding those same poeple who chanted “What do we want- dead cops!” over and over thousands of time and not one political figure on the left condemned that rhetoric? You should tell the families of those two slain young men that you are MORE saddened over the rhetoric than you are over the deaths of their loved ones. You should be ashamed and you should evise your post #1.
Back it down, Polo. It’s the rush to force an agenda that has taken the focus off of the deaths themselves. That is the point. And perhaps, something that you are likewise subject to.
Polo,
It probably would have been more accurate for me to write that I was “further’ saddened by the rhetoric…because I believe that the rhetoric is going to cost us even more lives.
You could have asked for a clarification…but you decided to feed your rage addiction, making my point.
I’ve been around cops and worked with cops for most of my adult life…when we lose one in the line of duty it hits home to me in a way it probably doesn’t with most folks..
Now you have a clarification and you’ll need to find something else to be enraged about.
“4. Commerce can be the enemy of Christmas contemplation…do not let the culture suck all the wonder from the season.”
I still don’t understand why folks are in such conflict over this. Are you unable to separate the two? One is a Holy Day and one is a Holiday
Holy Day = a vibrant season of advent in the church (no Christmas until Christmas Eve.)
Holiday = a separate season of Santa Claus Christmas – to be celebrated by shopping like a hockey player on ice and with the family (especially the grandkids) like you are a bunch of Bohemians. It never bothered me to have a Christmas tree because that is not a part of my Holy Day – it is a part of my holiday.
And you can look for small signs when the 2 intersect. When I was at Home Depot in the tree yard buying my tree I perked up to hear the music – as much as I was hoping to hear “Grandma got run over by a reindeer” I was pleasantly surprised that the whole time the music was God honoring Christmas hymns. Go figure.
No backing down here. This blog host Michael made an inflammatory statement which IMO minimized the tragic deaths of the officers to instead focus on what he calls an “addiction to rage”. He then excused himself by inferring that he “feels the pain” greater than most. If we cannot be outraged by an angry mob calling for “dead cops”- which results less than one week later in two dead cops- by a person who cited that mob as inspiration- then what can we be outraged by?
Wade Burleson (a Southern Baptist) has published some excellent article on women in ministry.
I know I am stirring the pot here a bit about women in ministry, but over the years I have seen the Lord use women in teaching, making disciples, and training young men to be pastors. I’ve seen the ministry my friend (a woman) has as a vicar in the Church of England. I know what the word says….but I know the word says I should cover my head, the word says a divorced man is not fit to be an elder (pastor) in the church. Well we have all seen plenty of that go on in movements that don’t allow women to pastor. But no one seems to be bothered by that.
When I read the OT and NT I see how women are treated compared to how we are treated today. Are we saying that women’s rights are against scriptures? I just have lots of questions. I am just not willing put God in a box and tell Him who He can and cannot use and how He can and cannot use them. I have absolutely no desire to be a pastor (or as we called the ladies in the Philippines….”Pastora.”). I have read several articles about the Greek use of certain words and what Paul “really meant. Obviously, I don’t know and as for my life….it doesn’t matter one bit. I’m very content to serve the Lord in and beyond the church walls, with no official office.
Polo,
That’s your opinion and you’re entitled to it.
You are basically trying to make intent that was not intended…but that’s par for the course for you.
I’m not minimizing anything…but we need to think deeply about how we’re interacting in this culture.
Took me about thirty seconds to figure out who you are…
” which IMO minimized the tragic deaths of the officers ” you may have a valid point, so why don’t you come right out and make it, instead of hiding behind an umbrage at the host’s ambiguity
Michael explained himself quite graciously and he is no way a part of the problem
if you want to make a point about mindless jumping to conclusions and crowd pandering politicians… you, yourself, might need to back-track and clarify, eh?
Nonnie,
My biggest scriptural problem is that Paul uses the same creation narrative used to defend marriage to say that women can’t hold the office.
My “official” position is to wait for further understanding…because, like you, I’ve seen God work through women as He works through men.
Here is a link to Wade Burleson’s articles
http://www.wadeburleson.org/search?q=+women+in+ministry
I will admit to careless and imprecise writing…but I won’t be smeared as someone who minimizes the deaths of our public servants.
Em…thank you, my friend.
I’m out for a while.
Indeed. What can we be outraged by? That list is legion.
I was married to a cop. We watched as gang members burned his car one night and never felt safe again. Yet, he went out to do his job, never missing a shift. When he was in the Academy, I went on a ride along with another officer to see what a shift looked and felt like. Nothing in my experience matched the hatred and animosity aimed in our direction at simply being among the city, ready to do the job.
I cannot be outraged by those calling for the death of police officers. I am very saddened by it because even in the midst of their hate and distrust, should they call for help, a police officer will come in response to their call, knowing how people feel. I know how I felt watching my husband leave our home, knowing what he was going into each night, and in all of those emotions, rage never entered the picture.
Laura,
Well said.
I’ve always suggested that people take advantage of the ride a long programs with their local police.
It will open ones eyes to many things…
Some believe that God using Mary….her humbly submitting to God’s will,…”Let it be according to Thy will”… reversed Eve’s self willed sin of doing it “my” way.
A new creation….a new beginning, was begun with Jesus. That the relationship of a man and woman in marriage is different to that of a woman or man in the office of the church.
Just like the end times issues. There are so many differing opinions and brilliant minds that loved Jesus, love and honor His word, and yet disagree on issue.
Again….,I’m just “thinking out loud.” I’m not a theologian..my mind doesn’t work that way. I’m just thinking through issues that I never let myself question or look into before.
When I read Steve Wright and Xenia and others, I know I am not in their league. I’m just a simple person trying to think through life issues in the word of God that before now, I only viewed in terms of what I was told. Hope that makes sense.
.
My “tribe” believes in one way, and I would not try to fight against it.
I just find it very interesting to discuss, but I won’t argue or break fellowship over it
A thing I think …. RIP Joe Cocker
Blog host Michael- if you did not intend to state that you have more sadness over the rhetoric than you do over the deaths- revise the post. The post still reads as you wrote it- and it says what it says. I did not misrepresent the intent- the intent is clearly stated. If you meant something else- change the words. Words have meaning.
in defense of Nonnie (as if she needed it here), she is a minister with a ministry and makes as much or more sense than anyone else here 🙂
i think that the role of pastor was not a practical one in Paul’s day… unless single, a woman was very likely to have children and home responsibilities that were much more demanding than they are today… and as Nonnie and others have documented, women were some of the best servants of God with specific tasks all down thru Biblical history… today? To a great extent, children are an option, if one believes in birth control – NOT abortion – and housekeeping is not a big deal, not as demanding as in the past – does that make women better able to pastor? is pastoring a nurturing role or a leadership role? i don’t think the average Christian woman will be comfortable fulfilling the job description of the pastor… that said, if she and the congregation feel she is their right pastor? … dunno … mebbe…
Regarding #9, I would be careful not to take one’s experience or concensus over the clear teaching of scripture.
Nonnie’s #6
Some churches still believe women should cover their heads in church and that divorced men should not be ordained or must step down if they do get divorced.
And Bonnie’s #
Yep, just as Christ is the 2nd Adam, Mary is, in a way, the 2nd Eve.
I revised the post…no need to give my enemies reason to curse me.
1. I was very saddened by the death of the two police officers in New York this week. I was further
saddened by those who used the tragedy to keep inflammatory political rhetoric at a fevered pitch.
———
Polo.
I believe you’ve misread Michael’s words. He said further saddened not more saddened. There is a difference not without distinction.
Praying for the families of all involved.
-mike
#5- Congrats to Mefford and Hatchet! Maybe you should add a page to the blog for the inductees to your PhxP “Person of the Year” honor roll. They both did a lot of good this year.
For the record
I’m saddened by brothers in Christ who would rather bite and rebuke other brothers than consider the other’s opinion and perhaps give grace for a less than artful first articulation of said opinion.
I agree with michael. A call for clarification could have been more helpful and instructive than the flame thrower.
“Make your own application” :^)
Bonnie? I meant Nonnie!
Although Nonnie is quite bonnie.
🙂
Thank you blog host Michael for clarifying your words. Now they are less inflammatory. There has been an increasing sentiment expressed on this blog in recent months (not necessarily by the host) that police are overly aggressive, too well armed, militia like and insensitive to the communities in which they serve. I was reacting to that sentiment coupled with blog host Michaels opening thoughts for the week. Before we even bury these two heroes we should not be discussing the culture we should first be expressing our grief. I grieve for these innocents and thier families and encourage all here to support them any way u can
“Find my iPhone” is a great tool. Every smartphone owner should learn to use the tracking tool for their phone.
Polo,
Thank you for telling us how to react according to your standards.
You really should start your own blog so we’ll always know how to always do so.
I find people like you odd…if I don’t like someone or the things they write, or both…I don’t read them.
You fall into the both category and it’s a mystery to me why you bother…
Michael #9 is good point and will remain a hot button issue for a while especially in our Spanish speaking communities. In many regions throughout Mexico and elsewhere in Latin America a growing number of women are actually leading local churches especially form within the independent Pentecostal/charismatic church movements. We are seeing this trend in the southwestern US and other US states with large Spanish speaking communities.
I likewise have my reservations about ordaining women but a pattern we have seen throughout time is that the Lord will use whom He pleases when men do not step up to the plate to lead.
Blog host Michael I guess you want to run s blog where everyone agees with you. When I don’t you suggest I leave. “Vote with my feet “. In other circumstances your behavior would b classified as abuse. Two police officers were murdered in cold blood. You chose that event to start a conversation about rage addiction. Really???? That’s your contribution to the dialog? I took offense and you acted all indignant and proceeded to attack my character. Look in the mirror blog host Michael.
Polo,
I probably have more dissenting opinion than most.
Dissenting opinion doesn’t mean acting aspersions on my character or the character of others which is the only reason you ever post.
You are now banned from the site.
Sincerely,
Blog host Michael.
Regarding the incarnation.
If you have not done so, I encourage you to spend three minutes viewing “The Christmas Scale” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rNDtHdG5mVk It was used as part of our church services yesterday.
I have to admit I’m not surprised by the shootings. Ever since Ferguson came to light I feared that that tragedy would be a spark to ignite racial division and further violence. Some people live for ways to drive wedges between us instead of acting to work towards the beginnings of a solution.
Sadly there are many who ‘represent’ God who are not helping things.
I don’t believe things will get better in the big picture.
Life seems to be a very cheap commodity with too many. Look at your local, state, national, and international news. We don’t have it in us to come to a place of agreement/peace.
I love reading, hearing, and seeing the good news that is out there but the evil out there will always dominate the news.
What is saddening is when believers are firing salvos at one another over these and other things.
Christians aren’t the most popular people in this world and many won’t care no matter what good we do. Our goal should be to please our Father and encourage one another.
We pretty much place ourselves on the sidelines when we no longer know who the enemy is.
I am thankful for the many Godly people who make up this community who seek to make a difference. It makes me proud.
Erunner,
Christians are among the most vociferous on both sides of any cultural issue these days.
It’s easy to get caught up in it.
We still have a few people here who despise me from the old days…CC folks who think I have a tail.
I’ll be weeding them out on my new “minimal stress” diet.
“I am thankful for the many Godly people who make up this community who seek to make a difference. It makes me proud.”
Me too…when we’re good we’re very good…when we’re not…well…
Michael, you’re in a spot where you can’t win with some. I wouldn’t handle it nearly as well as you do. Nothing surprises me having been here for so long. I do like the nuclear option with some you have employed!! 🙂
As for the giving and receiving?
The entire matter of the Christian faith is receiving and giving …
IN that order.
Michael
Have a very Merry Christmas.
Michael, I echo dude’s wish on#37. I also thank God for the ministry He has given you to minister to many on this online community of believers, including me.
Wish you a Merry Xmas my friend.
Fco.
Michael, Nonnie, Laura, Em, Xenia, E — you all gave me nuggets to chew on today. I’m sad I can’t seem to find the time to interact here much anymore, but I do read and appreciate all your contributions 🙂 God’s peace and provision to you all this Christmas season.
http://shekinahfellowship.blogspot.com/2014/12/i-will-awaken-dawn.html
I got over the whole idea of putting “Christ back into Christmas” years ago, the year Christmas fell on a Sunday and churches closed for the families to have their Christmas.
Most of us know the truth about Christmas, how the celebration was assimilated into the church and such. So let’s just be honest and enjoy all the craziness, give some gifts, wish people an honest “Merry Christmas” and enjoy each other through the Holiday. Oh, this year I had the opportunity to stand in the cold with thousands of Germans, holding and drinking a mug of hot spiced wine. It was a good thing.
An don’t forget MLD still needs the latest iPad. Maybe Santa will realize you’re good enough this year. 😉
4 & 7 make me cheer out loud. All the way from Idaho.
Great things, dear friend.
What preceded this tragic event in NYC was the suicide of a great officer at the 73rd Precinct who came in one hour early every day to prepare his heart and mind for his upcoming midnight shift in Brooklyn. He shot himself two days before this ambush. He left behind a wife and two very small children. The pressure became too much for him to take. The NYPD is reeling and uniting at the same time. We need to pray for every officer, but especially these guys right now in the NYPD. They are under immense stress. Pray for revival and peace. Thanks.