Things I Think…
1. Over the last few years my interest has been less theological and more about simply knowing the person and work of Jesus.
The closer you get to Jesus ,the more damage is done to certainty about anything except Jesus…
2. Stress about the approaching election and the state of our culture has shown me to be a person of little faith…sometimes I think like the learned men of Israel…who missed their Messiah because they were so concerned about their nation and strangely enough, their “church”. They lost both because Jesus didn’t look like the Messiah they wanted…Lord, spare me from being so blind…
3. It has always been the way of sinful people to want to be saved…but only saved from what they choose to be,in the manner in which they want to be….narrow is the road indeed…
4. To my like minded brethren…fearing Trump is a sin…because fearing a mere man makes an idol out of them…fear of man denies faith in Christ…I’m working my own repentance…
5. If we’re going to speak in theological terms, all good theology is based on proper Christology…and…wait for it…proper Christology is grounded in proper eschatology…to know Jesus, you must know His mission…
6. One of the most difficult things to understand about the mission of Jesus is that evil has to blossom in full flower before He completes it…
7. On a side note…I’m addicted to those Uncrustable peanut butter and jelly sandwiches…
8. The single most difficult concept to teach well is the love of God for humanity in general and individuals in particular…the easiest thing to communicate is the sinfulness of people in general and in particular…which is why most the “Gospel” teaching you hear sounds more like bad news…and why most of us should shudder at the truth that teachers will be judged by what they taught…
9. Whenever I hear someone being judged as “an enemy of the faith” I wait to hear how much the speaker loves them…because Jesus said we are to love our enemies…then I think about those i consider to be “enemies of the faith” and the words i have to pray choke me…this Christianity is not for cowards…
10. Conditions are ripe for “revival”…covid and politics have done so much soul damage that we are unhealable short of divine grace…do you want to be healed?
7, those things are crack. The grape jelly ones are a minimum of 5 at a time.
I struggle with 8. I am not a fan of the gospel, because I view it to be a bait and switch, created sick, ordered to be well, exchange the very fiber of your being for someone/something else, or you die eternally. I don’t see the love. It’s hard to see the love. It seems conditional. It seems to be at the business end of a gun. I know it is what I was taught, but it feels like the Bible fully supports my summary. I hope to be wrong.
1. This is why for the last year and a half I’ve been preaching Mark’s gospel. It’s amazing how some Christians are fairly unfamiliar with the story and teachings of Jesus.
Reuben,
I get the strawberry ones and can’t quit eating them.
What you were taught is the problem…basically we were taught that Jesus had to save us from god who hated us…which is the real lie from the pit of hell.
You’re going to love how this turns out, my friend…
PH,
The real teachings of Jesus make lots of Christians mad…the rest of my life will be about attending to John’s writings above all other…
“basically we were taught that Jesus had to save us from god who hated us…”
True that.
#4 If Trump is re-elected, we’ll survive. Our country does have many other checks and balances in the system. I’m not saying it will be easy, but we’ll probably get through (of course, If Jesus decides to come on election day, I won’t object!). As to Uncrustables, I have them right up there with Top Ramen and Lunchables-faux food, but oh so tempting. As for me, chocolate in just about any form.
Linn,
Whether we survive him or not (I’m not convinced either way)…the kingdom is still among us.
It’s the bread on those Uncrustables…they could put dirt in it and I’d still eat the whole box…
The union will fall apart at some point, we aren’t the eternal kingdom. Divisive characters in leadership obviously make that union more and more untenable.
There are serious rumblings around the country that make me think it’s closer than I would have thought. Hopefully, the divisions will repair and we’ll be a healthy nation for generations to come.
Eschatology, the goal of all things. Jesus announced his eschatology as his parting words. Making an end to sin and vanquishing dark powers and yet leaving the accomplishment of it on earth out of sight. We do not see all things under his feet but we seen him crowned with glory and honor. In this gap is the mission. If we are to achieve it by his means then we’ve yet to embrace the mission.
Josh,
Do you live in North or South Carolina?
Linn wrote:
“#4 If Trump is re-elected, we’ll survive. Our country does have many other checks and balances in the system. ”
The men who founded our Nation were smart, smart men.
They could see Trump coming from afar and purposely wrote those safeguards into our Constitution.
Popping in for a quick comment.
#8- It has been my observation that many a willing to test so many others by the James 3:1 rubric but fail to test themselves by the same measure. I would venture to suggest that it might be more accurate to say they are unwilling. I mean who in their “right” mind would judge themselves more harshly let alone have the Lord do it through deep introspection and assessment. It reminds me of how everyone thinks they are are the church of Philadelphia in Revelation while resembling, if not in bits and pieces, wholly like the other six churches. I’m too tired to figure out if that made sense. Lol. I will let the cards fall where they may.
On a personal note: James 3:1 is one of the reasons why I currently sit on the sidelines so to speak instead of creating conditions by which I will be judged more harshly. Sometimes I think it is a good move and other times I have my doubts. I suppose as James said earlier (in chapter 1, I think) about the double minded man applies to your’s truly. In closing I will lean on the spiritual wisdom of a group of four lads from Liverpool who took America by storm:
When I was younger, so much younger than today
But now these days are gone I’m not so self-assured
Now I find I’ve changed my mind and opened up the doors…
Hey Shawn!
Hey Reuben!
I am glad to see you are hanging in there even if it seems it is by a thin string at times. I think and pray for you often. Sometimes the light may seem dim but it is always brighter than the darkness. May God uphold you. Keep on, brother, keep on.
Thanks Shawn. Sure would love to get up there to see y’all again at some point!
Hello again, PhxPeeps,
In the olden days of this blog, I used to absent myself for Lent but I think this year I will instead participate on the blog for Lent, or longer depending on how things go, as a sort of backwards penance. I will try not to be too irritating: that’s the podvig.
A few comments:
1. I did not leave the blog over politics as I do not support either candidate. May God have mercy on both of them and may they live long enough to end their days peacefully and in repentance.
2. May dear precious Em’s memory be eternal! She was one brave lady, standing firm in the face of of so much opposition, including from me, God forgive me. But we’ll see our dear sister one day.
3. Reuben. I said “Anathema!” to you once years back. I want you to know that I meant only the things you were saying (“burn down all the churches”) but not you personally. But I wasn’t clear and so I ask you to forgive me.
4. I am not going to apologize for being a member of the Russian Orthodox Church. I suspect many of you have innocently adopted some erroneous opinions which I will be happy to explain away if you are interested it’s almost certainly of little importance to most here so we can just ignore that elephant in the room if you prefer.
Well this is certainly a self-important post. Good grief.
Orthodox Easter is still a long time away and Great Lent starts on Monday. Sunday is forgiveness Sunday and I ask all of you to forgive me for many things.
Love,
Xenia
Ah Xenia
What a gift to see your post
Grace and Peace
#4: Fearing a man/woman…good point as this ties in well with how BOTH sides peddle fear into the election cycle. I know we all know that, just wanted to chime in.
#9: we spend so much time demonizing and vilifying those who are for things we are against, even when it comes down to ideas and concepts WITHIN the Church, that we are quick to question those people’s salvation.
#7: Amen to peanut butter and jelly sandwiches!
Great to see you Xenia.
Reuben,
Different Shawn…but a hell of good guy to know.
Dan,
I was really losing my peace worrying about Trump and what hell he could bring.
It’s faithless…I had to repent.
Still in process… 🙂
Xenia,
Good to see you…I hope you continue to share your perspectives here…
I don’t worry too much about either Trump or Biden. I dislike Biden the most, I can say that without hesitation.
Rather than worrying about something I (we) have almost zero control over, we’ve put our efforts into preparing for what the future may hold. I’m not an apocalyptic prepper, but the Scriptures do say “consider the ant, thou sluggard,” so we’ve set aside a section in the garage for what we jokingly call “the apocalypse hoard,” even though we’re not really expecting the apocalypse… yet. We do wonder what is going to happen around election time and I don’t trust either side to behave. So while I am not expecting riots in our town I am thinking groceries may become harder to come by, a new germ may manifest itself, etc. So my advice, whatever it’s worth, is to plant whatever kind of garden your property will support, put aside some extra canned goods (for your family and for your neighbors), maybe get some hens, learn to bake bread and to generally disconnect, as much as lies within you, from the world system. If you have a church family, strengthen your ties with your fellow congregants. Just generally realize that this bizarre lifestyle that we have been accustomed to here in the US will not last forever. It may last for a long time yet, but be prepared. We may not always be rich and overfed.
And for spiritual preparation, it’s hard to beat the lives of the Saints who did great things with very little material wealth and were brave in the face of evil. I don’t know which “side” will be bring evil in the currant western world- don’t be surprised if it turns out to be the side you have been placing your hopes on, whichever “side” that is.
Find or write for yourself a good prayer for the country and pray it daily. Pray for elected leaders, for good laws to be enacted, for the military, the police, for doctors and nurses and for teachers to make wise, godly decisions. Whoever you hate or disdain the most, the Lord tells us to pray the most fervently for them.
So, there’s plenty to do beside reading the news on the internet and getting upset. Go plant an apple tree, knit a baby blanket for the new mom in your parish, bake a loaf of bread but most importantly, pray without ceasing.
Xenia,
As a student of history (and in concert with many real historians) I think Trump is the most dangerous figure in American history.
I’ve allowed this to cause me fear…so, I’m redoubling my efforts to live in faith.
I think your advice for preparation is good…not just for this season , but in general.
When I move, we’ll be doing similar things…as if we were preparing for the next big fire.
The prayer books of my traditions provide many good prayers for the nation and leadership…time to actually pray them.
If we come out of it unscathed, we will also come out of it with lots of fresh herbs and vegatables!
Just realized I’ll be the guy desperately trying to get rid of zucchini this fall…
“This is what the LORD of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, says to all the captives he has exiled to Babylon from Jerusalem:
“Build homes, and plan to stay. Plant gardens, and eat the food they produce.
Marry and have children. Then find spouses for them so that you may have many grandchildren. Multiply! Do not dwindle away!
And work for the peace and prosperity of the city where I sent you into exile. Pray to the LORD for it, for its welfare will determine your welfare.””
(Jeremiah 29:4-7 NLT-SE)
Life will go on…producing art has been most therapeutic for me, and going to the gym also.
Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches is right up there too LOL!
Great verse Michael. I don’t even recall that one, but very appropriate.
Dan,
“Uncrustables”!
I’ll be in a good spot for me.
I have no artistic talent and my gym days are over…but I can grow stuff and cook it…the place I’m moving to has some land and we like to garden…I love fruit trees and berries, especially.
I’ll have Liam and three other cats…and a dog…as companions as well…we’ll figure it out.
I think embracing the reality of exile is a key to living through what’s ahead…
Some day the gym will be a distant memory for me. I plan on painting till I die. My hunch is I’ll take up some more “natural” hobby when I retire from my job…gardening?
Ok…
What is “Uncrustables”?
“Uncrustables” are addictive peanut butter and jelly sandwiches…they’re frozen…but when they thaw you could easily eat a box at a time…
oh ok, so it’s a brand name. I think the reality of us living in exile is what is missing in much of the Church’s rantings and postings.
‘I think the reality of us living in exile is what is missing in much of the Church’s rantings and postings.”
I agree…I take it quite literally when we are told to live as exiles where we are.
America has been so comfortable that we want that kingdom and that comfort to continue…even at the expense of the kingdom we really belong to.
I’m as guilty as the next person…but things have changed and it’s time to prepare…
Guilty here too!
Thanks for the PB&J recommendation…will have to investigate to see if it’s available here in Dixie.
A BABYLONIAN REVIVAL
HABAKKUK cried out to God about wayward Israel — his nation, God’s nation in darkness and sin
God said
Behold ye among the heathen, and regard, and wonder marvellously:
For I will work a work in your days,
Which ye will not believe, though it be told you. 1:5
REVIVAL?
Hardly — I am going to send the Chaldeans —
Habakkuk said – Those guys are worse than us – rethink it –So Habakkuk then set himself upon the wall as a watchman to see what God would say
God said: WAIT FOR IT
3 For the vision is yet for an appointed time,
But at the end it shall speak, and not lie:
Though it tarry, wait for it;
Because it will surely come, it will not tarry.
4 Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him:
But the just shall live by his faith.
HE KEPT GOING
— WOE to the rich covetous that make merchandise of people
— WOE to the drunkard and he who entices other to sin
— WOE to the one who speaks to dumb idols
BUT the LORD is in his holy temple let all the earth keep silence before him. Ha 2:20 Oh and that the EARTH shall be covered with the KNOWLEDGE OF THE LORD like the waters cover the sea
Habakkuk stopped talking and started to PRAY
2 O LORD, I have heard thy speech, and was afraid:
O LORD, drevive thy work in the midst of the years,
In the midst of the years make known;
In wrath remember mercy. Ha 3:2
Then Habakkuk got more revelation of the LORD’s intentions
16 When I heard, my belly trembled;
My lips quivered at the voice:
Rottenness entered into my bones, and I trembled in myself,
That I might rest in the day of trouble:
When he cometh up unto the people, he will invade them with his troops.
17 Although the fig tree shall not blossom,
Neither shall fruit be in the vines;
The labour of the olive shall zzfail,
And the fields shall yield no meat;
The flock shall be cut off from the fold,
And there shall be no herd in the stalls:
18 Yet I will rejoice in the LORD,
I will joy in the God of my salvation.
19 The LORD God is my strength,
And he will make my feet like hinds’ feet,
And he will make me to walk fupon mine high places.
And he confessed his faith and worshipped
AND HE NEVER SAW REVIVAL OR RESTORATION
BUT he lived by faith — Justified.
The following verse to the one I posted…
“This is what the LORD of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, says: “Do not let your prophets and fortune-tellers who are with you in the land of Babylon trick you. Do not listen to their dreams,
because they are telling you lies in my name. I have not sent them,” says the LORD.”
(Jeremiah 29:8-9 NLT-SE)
To go with Alan’s quote…I just saw my friends on Facebook from a hyper charismatic church …they are at a renewal convention prophesying that all the evil in government will be rooted out this year.
Their hearts are in the right place…but their heads are wedged firmly in a dark place…
If all the evil in government will be rooted out this year, we’ll need to start a completely new government next year.
On another note, Uncrustables are downright tasty!!
“Their hearts are in the right place…but their heads are wedged firmly in a dark place…”
Been there, done that myself. Currently describes the administration where I work.
By the way, thanks for your perseverance here on this site. Hello to all!
Xenia!!!!!
10 – revival is still revival if the body revived is small but clothed in Jesus’ righteousness. No one seems to like that when I say it.
9 – feels like swallowing cinnamon powder, doesn’t it?
8 – God loves you, but I won’t pray for you. Isn’t this where Jeremiah came to eventually? Is that appropriate for us?
7- Whenever we accidentally order too much free lunch from the Cafeteria for my class, and there are Uncrustables, I pray for forgiveness and thank the taxpayers… yep… ain’t proud of it.
6 – One of the most difficult things to understand about the mission of Jesus is that evil has to blossom in full flower before He completes it…
It won’t fully flower, if it did “no flesh would be saved.” Mark 13:20
5 – Is proper eschatology grounded in proper… Israel, er, ology?
4 – Fearing Trump is so weird to me, Fearing Biden or the deep state is so weird to me. They feel so far removed from my experience of reality. I know these days the consequences of their bad decisions are closer to me than ever before, but it feels as though they exist in a different, brutally hellish malaise I am happy to give to them.
3 – It has always been the way of sinful people to want to be saved…but only saved from what they choose to be,in the manner in which they want to be….narrow is the road indeed…
this may be my problem above, I dunno. The worst anyone can do is short circuit me to heaven.
2 – Maybe we place too much faith in our forefathers of this nation. I think it has always been rigged, and evil is now really, brightly flowering, most can finally smell it’s stench, but only a few know what it is. Everyone else thinks it’s the person next to them. Why shouldn’t I think it’s always been this way? Evil is as religiously patient as any pious man.
1 – The closer you get to Jesus ,the more damage is done to certainty about anything except Jesus…
Agreed. And only fully agreeing today because over the last 2 1/2 years I have come face to face with some deep layers of the onion of my psyche – and it really smells. The most heartbreaking part is that it has been there since childhood, and I have the Psych reports to prove it to myself. All I have is Jesus.
Thanks Alan, Josh, Kevin and Michael for the kind welcome. It’s good to be back!
With all this talk about chickens and apocalypse vegetables …
We live in a 90 year plus house we love on the edge of downtown. A couple blocks from our house is a little old church with the windows shuttered and 11 or 12 no trespassing signs. We’ve never see anybody there in five years except an occasional landscaping or roofing crew.
When we moved here I looked at their website and it said they had two locations, the church building and a little ranch at “an undisclosed location” in the mountains, where they would all go “when things get bad”. Apparently they are already there. But they still pay people to cut the grass and repair the building.
We had five chickens, plus a retired little bantam rooster living in the house in “assisted living” status with my wife’s macaw, cockatoos, and other birds, with a peacock and emu outside. Since the chickens were getting older, and laying less, we got two chicks who are now adults and will be laying soon.
Then, when it was raining, four chicks about a week old showed up in our front door, begging to be adopted! Our best guess is someone got the chicks, then when dad came home he said “We’re not keeping those”, and dumped them in our yard.
Then, as spring approached, the other hens started laying again. So we will have plenty of eggs. Maybe we can trade for zucchini?
John, whereabouts in AZ? I live in AZ and there’s definitely no roosters, emus, peacocks, etc. around here.
Kevin, we live on the edge of downtown Mesa.