Things I Think
1. I’m teaching through Matthew in our church…and it records God speaking to His people in many diverse ways.
Dreams, angels, visions, and Scripture are all used to convey heavenly messages. I’m not at all convinced that He has chosen to limit himself to the written Word today…
2. The internet is a wonderful and terrible place. Who dreamed one day that we could show the worst of ourselves to so many people at once?
3. I like liverwurst and despise avocados. I must have a demon…
4. The one who would teach others to die to self must himself die first in front of them…
5. Nothing has caused more ruin in my life than trying to be a savior instead of lifting up the Savior…
6. Jesus was a refugee…it is fitting that His church is taking the lead to assist them today…
7. I get weary of people opining that Tim Tebow was released because of his Christian convictions. There are devout Christians on every team in the NFL. If you can play, no one cares what you believe…
8. Our church includes our pets on the prayer list when need be…I believe this should be the norm.
9. Pulled the flannel shirts out this morning…
10. The Bible refers to us as “children” and “sheep”… in other words as people utterly dependent on someone else for their survival and well being. Thus, the importance of prayer…
phoenixpreacher@gmail.com
Tebow is a good dude, but he is a terrible QB. He should have switched to H-back or Tight End years ago.
#8…. I want to be in your church… Can I bring them too? They would settle well, and its nice to have a lap warmer.
Except for the liverwurst and avocados, I’m applauding!
Have a great Labor Day Michael. Calvins Corner today?
1. I just taught on NT prophecy yesterday. I agree, God is not limited to the written word to convey his thoughts/intents. This makes many a cessationist uneasy….perhaps rightly so.
3. My grandma (who was 100% Polish…though I’m not sure if this is relevant or not) made me liverwurst and cucumber sandwiches w/ mayonnaise all the time. I’m proud to say I haven’t touched that highly processed stuff in over 2 decades.
*according to this study my city ranked 3rd “healthiest” in the nation: http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2015/08/31/24-7-wall-st-healthiest-cities/71458218/
gomergirl,
At one of the homes we meet in we have three dogs that join us. 🙂
I have a pretty defined “theology of pets”…that I keep in the church so as not to upset more dry theologians online…
AA,
Yes…recorded it this morning.
Thanks for asking. 🙂
Bryan,
The idea of secessionism is appealing to me because it’s controlled…but I just can’t see it in the Scriptures.
Liverwurst, honey mustard, and Miracle Whip.
Had two yesterday… 🙂
Thank you, Nonnie!
I studied “alien” in NASB:
Abraham was an alien.
The Hebrews in Egypt under Joseph were aliens (immigrants).
The Hebrews leaving Egypt after the Passover were aliens and refugees. As they were all throughout the wilderness.
The Hebrews were aliens in the Promised Land, but the Land Owner was fine with it.
David was a refugee while fleeing from Absalom.
Israel in Assyria….Judah in Babylon….
Let’s not forget the Nativity couple with Baby fleeing for Egypt.
Seems there were thousands of refugees and aliens in the book of Acts, in Israel, in other places.
And I seem to remember a verse about us being “not of this world” somewhere….
JTK,
We worship a refugee who fled political persecution and violence…
I’ve always thought my faith fit well with my Amnesty International past.
I even try to shoehorn my punk rock and skater background into there sometimes.
Fight the power!
Children, I believe, are innocents, incapable of things we all know to be wrong. We teach them wrong when we beat them, when we ridicule them, when we are condescending, when we cut short their goals in order to fit our mold. We are the originators of sin in their life. Not satan. Not god. Humans kill the pure spirit. Jesus seeks to fix that by making us all the same. Paul seeks to make us hate ourselves. Religion seeks to conform us.
The bible screwed up when it acknowledged the child, because the child is naked and unafraid.
JTK,
You have no idea what an encouragement you are to my soul…
Rueben has never seen a toddler, barely able to toddle, bop his playmate over the head with the most lethal weapon his little innocent baby blues can spot when said playmate won’t relinquish the toy he has his eye on – or the sweet little curly top who sinks his or her teeth hard into the flesh of the child they are playing with ,,, no, i must disagree with dear Rueben on this one… however, what we adults do quite well is develop these inclinations in our young… “oh, Johnny, that wasn’t nice; say you’re sorry, dear” – “i’m sahwy” … “good boy! now play nice, dear.” …?… at least we teach them manners…
“8. Our church includes our pets on the prayer list when need be…I believe this should be the norm.”
My church is in a heavily Hispanic area with many RCC who would not step foot in our church along with the language barrier – but each Oct we have a blessing of the animals out on out lawn with our 2 pastors presiding. The line extends at least 100 people.
MLD,
I decided I’m going to do the same every October as well…
i tossed my daughter the TV clicker last nite just as the cat decided to relocate next to her on the sofa and i cracked his little 15 year old skull good! … he was certain she – his god – was the one who cracked him over the head – why do we always think God is the one who is mean?
there are way too many critters in the Bible’s stories to discount their importance to God… there must have been some animals present at our Lord’s birth … but if i’m worshipping God while petting the cat/dog? something seems askew with that – dunno
when you folks bless your animals next month, could you include Axel, Sticky, Gracie and Suds? … living with us, they do need a blessing
Em,
Yes, I will!
” I like liverwurst and despise avocados. I must have a demon…” what does it mean when you like them both? in my sandwich liverwurst needs sliced onion and they both need mayo 🙂
excellent list to think on today… #5 deserves a book
thank you, Michael… i will tell my daughter
Thank you, Em…unfortunately, I could probably write a book about #5…
I love liverwurst AND avocados but definitely not together!
I love liverwurst and I love to gross out the grandkids by having them read the ingredients
Farmer Johns’ = Pig Snouts. I love it. 🙂
Michael,
“We worship a refugee who fled political persecution and violence…”
We do???? Personally I worship a guy who walked right into political persecution and violence. – “From that time Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised.”
Tell me about your guy. 😉
MLD,
He did both…
“Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.” And he rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed to Egyptand remained there until the death of Herod.”
(Matthew 2:13–15 ESV)
Em, I have a 7 year old son. You insult me? They learned that when you said “no”. When you said “mine”. When you ruined them.
Your god taught you that they sin. You made them sin. There is no way around it.
Reuben,
This is not going to be a platform for your war on all things Christian.
My guess is that Em’s kids turned out just fine.
Period.
Michael – his parents were refugees – Jesus was baggage. 😉
Reuben,
If kids are so innocent, why did you have to say NO! the first time that set all things in motion? If children were innocent, you wouldn’t ever need to discipline them, since according to your child rearing skills / comments – it is telling them NO and mine that destroys them.
Pulled the flannel shirts out this morning…
I don’t think we’ll be doing that for a while. It’s supposed to be in the 90’s most of the week with high humidity as well, weather more typical of mid-July than the first full week of September.
Larry,
We may break a hundred here by Friday…summer isn’t letting go without a fight. 🙂
my idea of cessationism does not preclude God speaking to us outside the written Word. It just will never contradict His written Word.
Re: #1 Sounding vaguely charismatic there… 😀
Happy Labor Day…
“Children, I believe, are innocents, incapable of things we all know to be wrong.”
well, i should have said that i totally agree with the first part of the sentence… they ARE innocent – by reason of the inability to exercise self control
For instance, God does not hold the angry 2 year old who is throwing a tantrum in the supermarket aisle accountable; they are tired, they can’t have the animal crackers and mom/dad isn’t finished with the shopping chore that the little tyke has, of necessity, been drug along on…
if the parent responds with a tantrum, i.e., smacking their annoying little booger of a kid, THEY, the mom or dad, are in danger of hell-fire…
just sayin 🙂
#10 – has anyone seen the War Room? it sounds like a great movie, but…
On the airplane this morning we sat behind a family of four. The boys were approx. 3 and 18 months. Their parents held to the philosophy that says if you never say a harsh word to your kids and you are always engaging and gentle and attentive, the kids will be well-mannered, selfless and happy.
These kids were miserable. The three year old cried for ten loud minutes because the airplane didn’t have WiFi and his own personal iPad didn’t have full functionality. Would he like some pasta? NO! Would he like his toy truck? NO! and threw it on the floor. Would he like to watch Thomas the Train perhaps? Whaaaaaah, NO! He refused to put on his seat belt. He cried almost the whole time. Would he like some milk? NO! Same thing with the little one. Both parents exhausted themselves for the 2.5 hour trip trying to appease these little monsters.
Little monsters. Came by it naturally. They *did* get it from their parents, though. Ancestral (original) sin. Kids don’t have to be taught to be rotten, they have to be taught to be good.
-Xenia, mother of five, grandmother of three.
I didn’t mention that they both apparently bite. They didn’t learn that from their parents!
2.The stuff that comes across my Facebook really make’s me cringe at times. Now I’m speaking about what are supposed to be Christian in their message. Bad bad theology……
During the summers of my college years I worked in a meat packing plant. Almost everything we cooked had a really appetizing aroma. The one exception – liverwurst. When that stuff came out of the smokehouses it would have the most wretched vile potent smell that it would send you running for cover to the far reaches of the plant.
Thanks, Michael
I was 100% convinced that God speaks to us with and without scripture from the first day I was born again. Actually I knew it before I knew it was at all a question.
Jesus was a refugee?
Is this an incarnation assertion
or
an economic one?
Amplify plz
What is a refugee?
It is one who flees their homeland to escape political oppression and/or violence.
Joseph, Mary, and the Christ child were refugees from Herod who fled to Egypt for their lives.
Jesus was a refugee.
Caught me napping…
BD,
Happens to the best of us… and me too. 🙂
Jesus also was taken to the most neighboring nation to His homeland (as opposed to not finding five or six safe nations adequate)….and they all returned immediately upon the end of the present distress.
The current comparison fails on point one and we will see about point two.
Steve,
I was not making a comparison.
I was stating a fact.
Jesus and family were refugees traveling with gold, frankincense and myrrh (i wonder if they took their donkey?)
i understand that, if you are fleeing for your life today, there is some sort of international rule that the neighboring country has to grant asylum until the situation resolves … heard that on the TV today … was that how the cities of refuge worked in O.T. times? … i know that was for specific individuals not whole populations…
#43 – i concur, except that, as soon as one starts declaring that as fact, people start hearing all kinds of special messages… “i have a message for you from God….” IMV don’t tell anybody – let them be surprised 🙂
Agree with Xenia’s 38.