The Mentally Challenged Intellect

St. Patricks Breastplate

2006-06-13T12:40:00.000-07:00

I was re-reading George G. Hunters The Celtic way of Evangelism and this prayer of St. Patrick caught my attention because of its value to our life in following Jesus.....

I arise today
Through a mighty strength,
the invocation of the Trinity,
Through the belief in the threeness,
Through confession of the oneness
Of the Creator of Creation.

I arise today Through the strength of Christ's birth with his baptism,
Through the strength of his crucifixion with his burial,
Through the strength of his resurrection with his ascension,
Through the strength of his descent for the judgment of Doom.

I arise today
Through the strength of the love of Cherubim,
In obedience of angels,In the service of archangels,
In hope of resurrection to meet with reward,
In prayers of patriarchs,In predictions of prophets,
In preaching of apostles,
In faith of confessors,
In innocence of holy virgins,
In deeds of righteous men.

I arise today
Through the strength of heaven:
Light of sun,
Radiance of moon,
Splendor of fire,
Speed of lightning,
Swiftness of wind
,Depth of sea,
Stability of earth,
Firmness of rock.

I arise today
Through God's strength to pilot me:
God's might to uphold me,
God's wisdom to guide me,
God's eye to look before me,
God's ear to hear me,
God's word to speak for me,
God's hand to guard me,
God's way to lie before me,
God's shield to protect me,
God's host to save me From snares of devils,
From temptations of vices,
From everyone who shall wish me ill,
Afar and anear,
Alone and in multitude.

I summon today all these powers between me and those evils,
Against every cruel merciless power that may oppose my body and soul,
Against incantations of false prophets,
Against black laws of pagandom
Against false laws of heretics
,Against craft of idolatry,
Against spells of witches and smiths and wizards,
Against every knowledge that corrupts man's body and soul.

Christ to shield me today
Against poison, against burning
,Against drowning,
against wounding,
So that there may come to me abundance of reward.
Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me,
Christ in me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ on my right, Christ on my left,
Christ when I lie down, Christ when I sit down, Christ when I arise,
Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me,
Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me,
Christ in every eye that sees me,Christ in every ear that hears me.

I arise today
Through a mighty strength,
the invocation of the Trinity,
Through belief in the threeness,
Through confession of the oneness,
Of the Creator of Creation.

I of late have been praying this and it is a powerful prayer when these words become your own.

Pacifism Vs. Cowardice

2006-06-10T11:47:00.000-07:00

A little while ago my Pastor and I where having a conversation regarding the christian response to evil done to the helpless, now I had always saw(and still do see) myself as a pacifist , I am against war and any act of aggression, that is unnecessary. My Pastor on the other hand(who is a man I love and respect very much) feels that any act of aggression regardless of purpose is not to be done by a christian. To me, and understand I am not your typical right leaning Evangelical christian, to sit and let violence or harm be done to an innocent smacks of cowardice. Now I don't believe as a christian I should support a violent intervention or confrontation, but its something completely different if I see a man beating a woman and out of compassion I pull him off even if it might cause him harm to do so. I don't believe that a true follower of Christ that is a pacifist can say that Jesus would ignore such a situation and wait for someone else or call the authorities. If I follow Christ and am not willing to or complacent on defending those that are defenseless and protecting the least of society, then am I really following Jesus? The Jesus of the bible didn't sit idly by as the weak and despised where attacked , He defended them. Our society it seems so often is one of extremes , especially in the church. We have the more conservative wing of the church that seemingly cheers every time an enemy is destroyed, but on the flip side you have the more liberal wing that would let the innocent die to keep their pacifist stance. We need to understand that though I may be against war, I don't have to be a coward and not defend the person who is suffering violence. There is the old standard of What would Jesus Do?, well would Jesus stand by idly as the weak suffered violence.

I'm Back

2006-06-01T15:32:00.000-07:00

I'm back after nearly 3 months , I've been working and what not so I haven't had time for blogging. Its not that I've had nothing to say or comment on, I just have been really busy. Of course the unfortunate thing is that now I'm unemployed, after 8 weeks of what amounted to temp work, building electrical panels for packaging machinery. So anyways I'm available to write here again for the next however long it is till my next job.

I have a lot of things on my mind and want to write on them all, but I'll take this one at a time. Starting with Africa, as I've expressed before Bono the lead singer of U2 is one of my personal heroes, with the way he lives out his faith and cares for the least of society and seeks to help right wrongs in this world and isn't afraid to use his fame to push for these things, but in an intelligent and thought out way. The One campaign and DATA have worked and used the power of the people to relieve debt to African nations and medicines to the African people to fight AIDS and Malaria and other more simple illnesses like the flu and not having clean water to drink. Thanks to these movements Millions of bed nets are going to people to prevent and work against Malaria, AIDS drugs are going to those in need to help thousands if not millions. In Tanzania 1.6 million more children are going to school. Growth is happening all over Africa after the $50 Billion of debt relief that came about as a result of the recent G8 summit. I have to say that I am excited that these things are taking place, but more must be done to curb the nearly 6500 Africans that die daily of preventable disease. Also there must be a push for African goods and fair trade with these African nations. The church should be a leader in these movements in the U.S. , the African people hate aid, but they need it, until they can sustain themselves, the church has a call to feed the hungry,clothe the naked, visit the prisoner or care for the sick, we the church must be leaders in this, not Democrats or Republicans, but the church of Jesus Christ, this is not a liberal or conservative thing this is a compassion and Christ thing that must be pushed by the the church to put an end to extreme poverty and unnecessary death by preventable disease. We must work to change our world for the better.

Trust

2006-03-16T12:48:00.000-08:00

I trust God, I really do, in my heart I believe that He will do His work and I'll be blessed just knowing that I'm following His will. I wish I could say that , I wish in every aspect of my life I could say I trust God completely, I'm sure I would have way more peace and I would be blessed always knowing that I'm following God. But I don't and in truth I think there are very few of us that do. See I don't see trusting God in all things as proof of salvation or even a Christ centered life. Now first lets look at those that literally followed Jesus and in many ways had to trust Him with Their lives. There are several instances in the New Testament that they well didn't trust Him, for example at the feeding of the 5000 they were ready to send the people away, because they didn't trust the Lord to take care of them. And even though they were told for 3 years that Jesus would die and rise again the 3rd day, they were in shock at the Lords betrayal , arrest and subsequent crucifixion and the only ones that seemed to believe that there could be a resurrection or at least the appearance of it were the pharisees, the disciples again didn't trust. Trusting God at least the trusting I'm speaking of is more than just mentally saying "OK I trust God" I believe its something deeper it comes from the heart, not the brain, and that is where my trust block lies. I also believe that a lack of trusting God is more common than we would like to admit in the church of Jesus Christ. I am not advocating people not trust God(of course if you truly trust Him my little blog will do nothing to change that trust ) what I am saying is that its merely human to not trust God everywhere. However, this does not mean that we shouldn't seek to trust God in all things through prayer how we live our lives. Trust isn't trust unless its been tested the same as faith if it is not lived out in the real world. I guess what I'm saying is that we need not to destroy or beat up ourselves over our lack of trust in certain areas. We should see these as areas that God can grow us into and work in, we can't be the perfect christian, at least not this side of eternity

1/4 way to the goal

2006-03-13T12:34:00.000-08:00

Its been 4 weeks since I started my diet and amazingly I'm a quarter of the way to my goal of 80 lbs., it really still amazes me how eating fruits and veggies instead of a burger and fries can change your body. I am starting to think that perhaps incorporating a larger, much larger portion of fruits and veggies into my daily intake is changing my metabolism. I have been blown away its becoming more of a lifestyle for me everyday and remains easy when I take one day of the week that I can enjoy the Burger and fries. Its great to be losing and actually going down on the scale. I've said it before but this is still just the beginning. I want to commit myself to this for the rest of my life and look forward to a healthier life also. I know that eventually my weight loss will slow down or stop all together but I don't care I feel great and thank Jesus for it. So here are the stats

Sunday March 12, 2006

329 , -5lbs. (-21 lbs. overall)

MCI

D-I-V-O-R-C-E

2006-03-07T02:17:00.000-08:00

"“Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery; and whoever marries her who is divorced from her husband commits adultery."
Luke 16:18

I want to believe Jesus, I want to take seriously everything that He said in the Gospels, I want to love my neighbor and my enemy, and deny myself and take up my cross. I'm sure that if I polled my Christian friends they would agree, after all isn't why I'm a christian , because I follow Jesus. Yet today in America, the church that we call the Bride and Body of Christ is ignoring the words of the one we call Lord, now I'm not just talking about the typical thing I rant about , the old Evangelical church and its lack of love for our neighbor or our enemy. No I'm ranting about something else, divorce in the body of Christ, stats show that more christian marriages end in divorce than non christian, taking into account what Jesus said in Luke 16 that's an awful lot of adulterers in the body of Christ. It's a scary thing to think that divorce has become common place in your typical evangelical church. Yet the church in general glosses over this like its OK, but yet if a homosexual comes in and is unwilling to conform they are promptly shown the door, same as the unmarried couple living in sin or the girl that ends up pregnant. Now of course I'm not advocating giving the boot to newly divorced, but I'm saying that , what Jesus took seriously we also should take seriously. Divorce is by no means the unpardonable sin, but neither is fornication or homosexuality. Divorce hurts and scars everyone involved, a christian should do everything in their power to prevent divorce, theirs or others. we need to have grace in our marriages, we can't be like the world and call ourselves called out of that same world. The church needs to change, not to suit the world around us, but to be people that takes seriously what Jesus said and not just in loving our neighbors and enemies, but in our marriages and families also.

16 and counting

2006-03-06T12:45:00.000-08:00

I have to say that the last 3 weeks have been awesome, it's been great to eat healthy and almost eating purely vegetarian , I've learned a lot about my own little attitudes about food. I want nothing more than to keep down this path of discipline and growth (or shrinkage) to the weight that I need to be at. I have been changed in attitude I just want to continue. I have to say that I don't have a lot of words this week because I'm in shock at how quickly I'm losing my weight, I know it won't last the whole time but I still will be excited even when its 1 or 2 pounds as long as it goes down. Here are my stats , taking into account that I didn't have a weigh in last week this is what things are looking like on the weight loss front

March 5, 2006

334(-10 lbs.) -16lbs. overall

MCI

The Challenge and the change

2006-03-01T01:10:00.000-08:00

I have been discovering as I have been dieting that there is a sense of discipline that is developing in me. Now, this discipline doesn't just pertain to my eating habits and exercise, but is extending to my spiritual life also. I'm noticing that I find it easier to discipline my prayer life and even what I watch or just plain wasting my time. I'm seeing that my weight loss and whole life discipleship are related. It's funny how we as Americans have this disconnect of our bodies and our spirits, the evangelical church has taught us that the flesh is evil and unimportant in spiritual formation. However, I believe that our bodies are created by God , in His image and is precious in the sight of God,thus if God created our bodies and they are good in His sight then it only makes sense that they should have a part in our spiritual growth. We can't be fat and talk of spiritual discipline, our bodies souls and spirits are all tied together and thus are are all involved in our spiritual formation. I desire change , not only physically but spiritually I am hoping for that change as I journey down the road to better care of this body and as I discipline and submit my body to the work of God in my life I believe I will get a better understanding of what it truly means to be a Disciple of Jesus Christ.

Week 1

2006-02-20T00:10:00.000-08:00

Well its been a week since I decided to change my eating habits and get on the road to losing weight and I have to say other than the initial hunger I felt the first 3 days its been great. Ive been eating a regular diet of vegetables and I have for the most part cut out fried foods and high in sugar foods. I feel really good after this week I am not having as many stomach problems and I am very encouraged. I really want this and I believe more than ever that now is the time. So here are my stats after week one, the number in parenthesis is how much I lost or gained this week;

Sunday February 19th, 2006

344lbs. (- 6lbs. )

MCI

Baby Got Bible?

2006-02-14T01:17:00.001-08:00

We Christians are a sad bunch, we talk about how different from this world we are and then we do the same stuff as the world, the humorous part is that we aren't mocking the worlds entertainment or way of doing stuff, we are looking like and doing those same things. We are sad because we constantly cry for acceptance, we have christian music that sounds like a cheap knock off of its secular original, I mean for example Ska which was big for about a year back in 1998, went out of christian music popularity somewhere about 2002. We are pathetic. This leads to my link, I found this site and video and all I can say is that this stuff is just plain goofy

http://www.whiteboydj.com/babygotbook.html

click on the picture and enjoy, laugh, cry or just turn it off

MCI

My Challenge

2006-02-13T00:15:00.000-08:00

I'm fat, I mean I am a big guy, not only height wise but girth wise, I stand at an astonishing ( at least to me 6 foot 3 inches and 350 pounds, I have of recent come to realize how big I really am, I mean I am NFL lineman big without the contract, money and muscle. I was challenged yesterday by my father-in-law to lose 2 pounds a week for the next 40 weeks and as he put it he will make it worth my while. I of course took that to mean some sort of financial compensation. I thought and prayed about it and have decided to take the offer, so now I start on my journey, tomorrow, a journey to better health, smaller clothes and a cash prize. I plan to every week give an update on my progress, hopefully to to my goal of losing 80 pounds. So if you have encouragement I can use it, if not please just ignore these posts every Monday. Thank you and God bless you, here is my starting weight

350 lbs.

February 13, 2006

MCI

Cartoon

2006-02-08T00:24:00.000-08:00

Cartoons are usually made to make us laugh, we look at Bugs Bunny, The Flintstones and even the Simpsons and get a smile or understand it to be in jest. Now there have been increasingly cartoons that are of a more adult nature, things like Anime and South Park and on the more devious side pornographic cartoons. Now for years newspapers have used the cartoon as a form of commentary ever since the invention of the newspaper, these cartoons usually are caricatures of famous people or people groups, for example , Presidents and Senators or Hitlers famous cartoons depicting the Jewish people as something less than human. Throughout the years there have been many of these cartoons that have made fun of, or literally blasphemed a God or religion or religious leader. Usually with little uproar, especially here in the United States. Today we stand at another time that these cartoons are causing an uproar. This time a Danish newspaper printed a cartoon with the picture of Muhammad with a bomb as a turban. Now in Islam creating a picture of the prophet Muhammad is forbidden. This picture has cause a huge reaction in the Middle East, people have been burning buildings and even murdering people over this cartoon. Now as an American I firmly believe in freedom of speech and freedom of the press, I believe that this paper has the right to print these pictures, as do any other publications. However even we as Americans know that free speech has its limit, for example a person cannot walk into a crowded theatre and yell, "FIRE!!", because it causes an unwarranted sense of panic and even danger to those in the theatre. The publishers and Editors of this paper may or may not have know what kind of reaction this cartoon would have caused , but by doing so, they have , put many in danger, I do agree that the Muslim response is probably hyped up by more extreme factions within the Muslim world, and this violence is hardly justified, but neither is the lack of sensibilities shown by the European press. Now I've heard many westerners say that the press has drawn many cartoons making fun of Jesus or Christians, so the Muslims should just deal with it. I couldn't agree less, just because its been done before and some bonehead cartoonist and editor said "OK" to cartoon that is offensive to a large portion of the population, doesn't make it OK to do again. I can agree that political cartoons are meant to incite, but to be ignorant or just plain uncaring with regard to the sensibilities and sensitivities of millions of people is wrong. I don't know how this will all turn out in the end, but I hope that this will awake the world press to the fragility of the world we live in today and in turn will help take step toward peace.

Bono at Prayer breakfast

2006-02-02T12:38:00.000-08:00

Bono, someone I deeply admire spoke at the Washington prayer breakfast today and didn't disappoint, just as Mother Teressa called out the Clinton administration on abortion , so Bono called out this administration and the Washington leadership to do more to
aid the extreme poverty and AIDS crisis in Africa, some of the highlights were Bono saying;

"in this long day, 6,500 Africans will die of AIDS and 110 million kids
won't get to go to school."

he also said

"it's unjust to keep poor people from selling their goods while singing the virtues of the free market, to hold children to ransom for the debts of their grandparents and to withhold medicines that would save lives.
"God will not accept that," he said. "Mine won't. Will yours?"

Referring to the Bible and Koran and what they say about dealing with the poor
he quted these scriptures

Matt. 25:40 - "And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.

Isaiah 58:6-8 - "Is this not the fast that I have chosen: To loose the bonds of wickedness, To undo the heavy burdens,To let the oppressed go free, And that you break every yoke? Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, And that you bring to your house the poor who are cast out; When you see the naked, that you cover him, And not hide yourself from your own flesh? Then your light shall break forth like the morning, Your healing shall spring forth speedily, And your righteousness shall go before you;The glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard. "

and out of the Koran

Surah 2.177 - "but righteousness is this that one should believe in Allah and the last day and the angels and the Book and the prophets, and give away wealth out of love for Him to the near of kin and the orphans and the needy and the wayfarer and the beggars and for (the emancipation of) the captives,"

All these verses spell it out for us that , that we should care for the poor, whether that verse is written by men or God, it still remains true

and..

This is how I desire to live with regard to helping the poor

MCI

Pro-Life

2006-01-31T02:25:00.000-08:00

This my most recent submital to my local paper regarding the homelessness issue facing the city
MCI

I'm pro-life. I have the belief as a christian that abortion is wrong, that the senseless death of an unborn child is terrible and shouldn't be allowed. I believe that socially it sends a bad message to our children regarding the sanctity of human life. Ah, the sanctity of human life, our notion as Americans that all men were created equal or even the christian perspective that men are created in the image of God would tell are sensibilities that human life is sacred. We do value life , most of us are taught from an early age to respect others and just to be nice to people. Our society is one that for the most part is based on the idea of the value of human life, in fact judeo- christian theology teaches that you should "love your neighbor". I'm sure that if I were to take a poll of local(Porterville) Christians, that most if not all would agree with all the principles I have laid out here. Yet if these same ideas are placed on a homeless person, the value of that life decreases radically and people start calling them drug addicts and alcoholics, they demean their value as something less than a person created in the image of God. Over the last couple months there has been 2 people die on the streets of this city, and only God knows how many more didn't receive publicity that have also died on the streets of Porterville.Since these 2 people died , there has been very little call to action(especially within churches), to make a homeless shelter happen, Oh sure there has been plenty of talk, by local religious groups and city leaders, but talk is cheap. We can't say we value life, if we don't value the lives of those that suffer with need. All human life is sacred in the eyes of God, for they all bear His image, from the unborn baby, to the man sleeping under the bridge. I couldn't say I follow Jesus Christ if I didn't believe this. This issue of homelessness, should be taken considerably more seriously , by the christian leaders of this city, than the prayer issue that was rallied against last year. If we that bear the name "Christian" believe in the sanctity of human life then we must do all we can to help these people now.

The Critic

2006-01-27T01:13:00.000-08:00

I have tendency to be rather critical of those that I disagree with or that rub me the wrong way. I was reminded of how critical I can be earlier today, I was busy on a tirade slamming on somebody(name withheld) and just doing what I do well, thinking I am better in those areas than this person, When my lovely wife reminded me that others may recognise my faults also. Its so easy to talk about that other guy and how whacked they are, but as a christian I have to realize that there is no one that has not sinned, no one. While I may recognize a critical spirit in someone else, I must see the pride that I exhibit in my own critical nature. Most of us are guilty of this way of acting, whether it be the Politician that can justify their wrong while condemning another, or the christian that knocks down the believer that listens to secular music, while they have close to 100 DVD's at home that promote the same things that that person might be critical of in those secular songs. The Church is full of this your short coming is worse than mine attitude. We will get bothered by the brother that wastes their money on expensive Gangsta style clothing, while we drive home from church in our nice new Excursion, with all the extras. We live in a land were we are free to do what we like and think what we like, as long as we don't hurt others. The problem isn't, that I don't or do believe, or that I have something and they do or don't, the problem is that we live according to the worlds principles and ideas of freedom and not Gods. We don't see that we are free to love our , neighbor, enemy, or brethren, or that we are free to sell all we have and give it to the poor. We see that I'm free to buy that truck or watch that movie, or criticize our brethren. We , the Church have become just like the world we live in, the perfect way to see how Christians live just like the world , is to go to your local christian store. Better yet listen to the christian political leaders and how they sound just like their non-christian counterparts. Our attitude sucks, we've let freedom ring in all the wrong ways, we have become like the world we are so quick to disassociate ourselves from. So, Are we really that much better than those we are so quick to slam? No, but we can be, if we free ourselves to Christ.

More on Stuff

2006-01-26T00:41:00.000-08:00

"But I say to you who hear: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, and pray for those who spitefully use you. To him who strikes you on the one cheek, offer the other also. And from him who takes away your cloak, do not withhold your tunic either. Give to everyone who asks of you. And from him who takes away your goods do not ask them back. And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise."
( Luke 6:27-31)

American Christianity is a strange sort of patchwork that mixes parts of the bible together to form a God that promotes and stands for American principles. In American Christianity its OK to say God Bless America and screw everyone else, its quite normal to support war and rally against the poor. I was discouraged by this partisan Christianity that was fueled by republican politics more than biblical value. Enter, the Emerging Church the Emerging so often took seriously loving your neighbor , or your enemy and caring for the poor and destitute. This of course earns people that have this mindset the dreaded insult of "Liberal", of which is bad if you are truly holding to biblical orthodoxy, its just that you take more of the bible into consideration. But even at this point in my Journey I think the point is lost, because while Mainline churches and Emergers take those things mentioned above serious so often all of us ignore the rest of that brief passage in Luke 6." From him who takes away your cloak, do not withhold your tunic either. Give to everyone who asks of you. And from him who takes away your goods do not ask them back."Its funny how we still wont let go of our stuff, are we as the church and as individuals giving as Jesus asks of us here? Or are we so reliant on our things that we would be willing to give away our shirt and our favorite hat, are we willing to give our stuff to any one that asks? and if we get stuff taken from us will we not ask for it back? Its funny and sad that I hear both Emerging and Evangelical Christians defend their stuff. We hold onto things so tightly that we don't see that we are holding onto those things so tightly.My things are not mine they are Gods and if He wants to take them away He can, because, He's God. Things should consist of the least value in our lives and should even at times be given away to give us that freedom. Now of course I'm not talking about the thrift store kind of give away, where we take the old beat up and raggedy stuff we don't need anymore and give it away, I'm taking about something that may be even brand new that holds sway on us or that we value or still need. This life is more than about things its about Jesus . Pope John Paul II said , not to long before his death, that America was lost in the grips of materialism, a comment for which he received much criticism, from U.S. politicians and even religious leaders. There was an irony to a man who headed the richest organization on Earth criticising the materialistic was of a nation, but then it struck me , his pursuit of life was not about getting things , it was about service. The culture of the United States is geared toward getting things, and unfortunately so often so is church culture, it can't be about gotta have in the Church of Jesus Christ anymore, it needs to become about gotta give.

Discipleship

2006-01-25T01:22:00.000-08:00

Discipleship, what role does it plays in the "Christian" life. if following Jesus is Synonymous with Discipleship or if being a "Christian" a simply claiming the promise of salvation and living in grace is what it is to be His follower. Now I love the Grace of God and the freedom it brings, but I like Dietrich Bonhoeffer tend to wince at cheap grace and grace without discipleship, now I am not of the opinion that salvation is dependent on your discipleship and perfection., but I have a hard time when Christians don't take the call of Christ seriously. I don't believe that when Jesus called us to Take up our Crosses His intention had anything to do with the fluffy Christianity that we see today. This call of Discipleship, I believe, has very little to do with our political affiliation, support of Government or how often I use the "F" word. Ultimately it has to do with our lifestyle, life choices, and lifes service. I believe that these 3 things, will show and exemplify Jesus to this world, now , so what does it look like?

1. Lifestyle-- How do we live our lives, do we live them with a sense of following Jesus and taking what He said to heart, is our lifestyle punctuated by anxiety, worry, anger, hatred, and selfishness. Or do we show Christ in our lifestyle, by prayer, peace, love and self denial? Now we will all fail in these areas but are we desiring to be more like Jesus by living in the latter or are we like this world living in the former thing

2. Life Choices--- How do we make our decisions in life , how do we choose where to live , or work or how to spend our money(after our tithe). When I say this I mean do we make these choices by the same standards as this world, or do we look at scripture and pray for God to show us what to do and even, where to do it. Do we choose to have the nicest and most extravagant things or do we choose to live in simplicity. Do we value and choose to live the the American dream or do we live by the Sermon on the Mount?

3. Lifes Service---- How do we spend our time? and where do we choose to be. Do we seek to please and gratify ourselves, or do we live for caring for and serving others. Do we give our lives to sports and TV and politics, did we volunteer more time for the last presidential campaign than we have to care for the least our society. How we spend our time and service, doesn't even include just going to church and participating, our lifes service will show our values to this world and our love for others will present Jesus to this world.

Jesus said they will know us by our love , not by our church attendance or political affiliation. Discipleship is a call that Jesus placed on everyone that chose to follow Him. A Disciple is a learner one who has dedicated them self to the learning and following of following Jesus. The same way Michael Jordan dedicated himself to the learning of basketball, is the same way we should dedicate ourselves to Jesus and following Him. Michael Jordan practiced long and hard to play basketball so well, what would our discipleship look like if we put half as much effort into our following of Jesus? The call to discipleship is a whole life call, it should affect every aspect of our lives, our Lifestyle, Life Choices , and Life Service.

The Unfair God

2006-01-24T01:56:00.000-08:00

Thats not fair!!! Have you ever thought that or said that,in a fit of jealousy or in a temper tantrum? We all can say that we have said such a thing at one point in our lives, whether we said it at age 8 or age 80. Fairness, we all want it in our lives we want to be treated just like the other guy, Women want to be treated fairly in the work place , by receiving the same pay as their male counterparts. The whole Governmental system of the United States is, or should be based on the concept of fairness or equality. Fairness is what we teach our children, teaching them to let everyone have a turn at something, because its only fair. Yet as a Christian I follow and serve a God that doesn't treat everyone fairly.

God is unfair, in His stories and in His dealings with people, for example look at the story of the Prodigal son, the other brother who stayed with his father was never rewarded with a party and a good time, no he was given a task, to work in the field, in fact he was last one out there working, but he never got a feast. There is also the Laborers that worked all day and all received the same wage as those that only worked one hour. How often do we see in our christian journeys, a brother or sister that is living a questionable lifestyle, just continually get blessed, while we labor away with very little to show for it.God did not create all men equally, He created some and poured out His riches on them, and others He created and simply poured it on.Why must He be this way, is it because He can , or is it because He is sadistic, No it can't be, He is loving and merciful, He is kind and gentle, a father to the fatherless, the redeemer. I God really unfair, does He love some of His children more than others? Or am I viewing Him in the wrong light or even looking on the wrong level as Asaph did in Psalm 73

"Truly God is good to Israel, To such as are pure in heart. But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled;My steps had nearly slipped.For I was envious of the boastful,When I saw the prosperity of the wicked (Ps. 73:1-3)

Maybe I need to step back and see the perspective and even perhaps the heart of the prodigal son, or the laborers that worked only one hour. After all the Prodigal son is the one that said....

"I will arise and go to my father, and will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you, and I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired servants.”’

and the laborers that worked only one hour

"And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing idle, and said to them, ‘Why have you been standing here idle all day?’ They said to him, ‘Because no one hired us."

Its an attitude and its the heart, the prodigal son returned to be a servant and to work for his father, but his brother labored to receive something from his father , he wanted the blessing that his humbled brother received
The laborers , stuck around all day waiting for work, they could have went home at noon, and said "Oh well", but instead they waited for work, and when asked to work with no thought of how much they would gain from it , just understanding that they would receive what seemed right. I this us, is this our attitude about serving our Lord, do we serve Him to get a blessing , or do we serve Him because we can and should. Do we love our neighbor and our enemy to receive, or to give His love away. How do we approach our service , in humbleness wanting nothing, or in labor expecting to receive what we deem as fair?

So, is God unfair?
I guess its all a matter of why you serve Him.

The Elephant,the Donkey, and the Cross

2006-01-22T19:45:00.000-08:00

A recent Poll found that people that attend church often(2 to 4 times monthly), usually vote republican.This got me thinking, when did Christianity in America begin getting defined by politics or politicians and special interest groups instead of people like those that work with the poor and disadvantaged, or the oppressed,or those suffering injustice. I guess I'm wondering how those that represent the powerful and elite can truly be the image of Christ to the non christian world?Today in America, the face of Christianity is older white men in suits, telling of the "evils of the liberals". Men that seemingly don't promote the teachings of Christ as much as they represent their own agenda's, or that of their political parties.There was a time when Christianity was defined by faces of many colors and genders, when men and women of faith stood up for injustice and compassion instead of morality and the constitution. My desire is that the church in America would move back that way, to standing up for the poor or the oppressed, fighting hate instead of promoting it. I'm reminded of what God told Micah that His people should do, He saidHe has shown you, O man, what is good; And what does the LORD require of you But to do justly, To love mercy, And to walk humbly with your God?Following God has less to do with Morality and the Constitution and more to do with, doing justly,having mercy toward others and walking Humbly with God.

Serving

2006-01-19T12:12:00.000-08:00

1 Chronicles 28 talks about David and his handing over of the kingdom and the temple focus on to Solomon, late in the chapter David says to Solomon " Follow the God of your Father and serve Him with a loyal heart and a willing mind, for the Lord searches the hearts of men and knows the intentions of the thoughts of men."This should be attitude of anyone that follows God and wishes to serve Him we must be loyal in all our lives to God being consumed by Him , Him no longer being the "most important" thing in our life, but being our lives, that is something that has we need we are so busy saying "Jesus and....." we need to start at Jesus as our lives and let Him be our all in all and go from there or as Jesus said let all things be added to us as we seek His Kingdom.We must also have a willing mind a mind that is willing to do what ever God wants of us or is necessary as His disciple. Even doing things that makes us uncomfortable and/or go outside of our boundaries of what we find acceptable behavior or action, we must be completely given to God in service.

The Fight for those that can't help themselves

2006-01-18T13:39:00.000-08:00

This letter was in the Recorder(my local paper) today;

When are people going to be held accountable and responsible for their own actions, and their own choices?
It is not Porterville's or any other city's responsibility to shelter the homeless. It is not Angel Mendoza's responsibility to provide the homeless of Porterville the land, (which they trashed, by the way) to build their tent city. It is not the church organizations' responsibility to provide for them either.Everyone is responsible and should be held accountable for their choices.

Did The Recorder bother to ask the homeless how they spend their SSI checks, their Social Security Disability checks, their welfare checks, food stamps, VA assistance? Did The Recorder bother to ask how many people receive these benefits ... did the paper offer to tell them how to sign up or refer them to someone who knows?What is stopping the homeless from combining resources (cash benefit and food aid) and renting an apartment like the rest of us? Why can they not walk into the Jobs Resource Center and search for jobs on the Internet? Why are they not visiting any temporary agency like CSET, Jobs R Us, and Select Personnel to apply for jobs?How many of the homeless have looked for work in the last 30 days, instead of begging for change at the post office and Wal-Mart or holding a sign at the Highway 65 on and off ramps? How many of them WANT to work? Have they been asked? Is the desire there? How many have bothered to do anything but ask for a handout?Where are the families of these homeless? They have to come from somewhere. Where is the support of family?Most of these questions are not asked, because we don't really want to know that someone spends $700 a month on alcohol and drugs. We don't want to know that food stamps are being traded for cash so someone can go and get high. We don't want to know that addiction is a choice ... we want it to be a disease. We don't REALLY want to know the reasons these people are homeless.There are able-bodied men, women and young adults that are homeless by choice! And the cycle is never ending ... it becomes a way of life for each generation. Why work when the government will give you cash aid and food stamps? Why use the money for groceries when I can go to a soup kitchen and get meals for free? Why clean up, when the dirtier I look the more willing good-hearted people are to give me money and food?Granted, there are some that are unable to work and become homeless not by choice but by circumstance. However, it is my experience there are far more people who CHOOSE to be homeless than not.The issue is not “We need to do something about the homeless.” It is the homeless who need to be held accountable and responsible for their choices and the city should ENFORCE the law!

Phyllis Parker is a resident of Porterville

And this will be my response coming soon

In the Jan. 18th edition of the Porterville Recorder Phyllis Parker had something to say regarding the homeless situation in Porterville. She stated that that these homeless are in that state simply by choice, now I will agree that there are those that choose to live this lifestyle, but as is typical with many in Porterville the stereotype takes precedence. Ms. Parker states that these people are spending their money on drugs and alcohol, hence that is the reason they can’t get an Apartment like the rest of us. She also wants to know why they just don’t go get a job. These are all reasonable questions; so let me see if I can answer them. First, to say that most homeless are on drugs or alcohol is to make a very large blanket assessment that is the typical red herring thrown out by those that live comfortably and don’t wish to help those in need. For those that think in this manner they don’t wish to think that they themselves could end up in the same situation. Secondly to say that an individual or group should combine their resources to rent an Apartment is wrong on 2 levels, because I’m sure as Ms. Parker knows in order to rent an Apartment the apartment complex owner or manager runs a credit check and based on that usually decides whether or not to rent the property to an individual. Now if you are homeless you probably don’t have a good credit rating, therefore you can’t get an apartment, of course someone on social assistance couldn’t afford first month’s rent and a deposit anyway. The next reason a “group” of homeless could never rent an apartment is because many apartment managers and tenants wouldn’t want them living there, as sad as it sounds its the truth. The Last Question I want to address is, the typical why don’t they just get a job. Getting a job in Porterville is a major undertaking even if you have all the right skills and training, let alone if you come in to a job interview in older clothes and not being able to give a home address. Asking a homeless person to get a job is a lot to ask in Porterville, even through J.R.U. because you have to have a phone number to be contacted at and if you’re homeless again you don’t have a phone. Regardless of how you feel about the homeless, Porterville still is in Dire need of a Homeless shelter, not homes but a place that can help them transition from homelessness to self sustainability. A place were they could have shelter in the rain, cold and extreme heat of the Valley. Were adults as well as children can find shelter, were job assistance and drug and Alcohol counseling can be found, we should be willing to help others in need whether they are in need by choice or by unfortunate events. Attacking those around us does not benefit our community, but helping those in our community that are in need or are suffering that is what will make our community great. We can no longer ignore the homeless of our city or refer to them as the people over there, we need to see them as our neighbors in need, whom when we help will make this a community we will be happy to raise our children in.

Who Would We Expect?

2006-01-17T11:52:00.000-08:00

Would I reject Jesus Christ if He came today?I mean would I snarl at Him and want Him gone from this planet , if He came today? Its easy for me to look at the person under the banner of Christ, who says things like "God hates fags" or "Be Intolerant, because Jesus was". I guess for me I see a different Jesus than them a Jesus of compassion and mercy, a Jesus that cared for the hurting and broken and outcast of society. How often we shake our heads at the Pharisees and the Apostles for not believing or flat out rejecting what Jesus said and did, and we feel how could they not see it, but I think our advantage is clear , we have the whole story, we know how it ends. We can say in our faith He has to be who He said He was, after all, you have prophecy, and He did rise on the 3rd day. But back to my initial thought of"would I reject Jesus?"I possibly could I feel, I think we all could. It all comes to expectations for me, see the Pharisees rejected Jesus, because He didn't meet their expectations, He wasn't the conquering ruler they wanted, He didn't come with a sword, He came with His life and even that was meant to be given. Do I put the same expectations on Jesus in my understanding of Him?, See the problem with a book is its not very personal, I mean after all I couldn't claim to know the President by reading his biography, I may know about him but, I don't know him.Now I know a lot of people at this point would say "but I have a personal relationship with Jesus, I do know Him!!"On this point I would agree, but how many of us view that relationship and the person of Christ in our lives through our own value system? For that matter how many of us view only part , even biblically of who Jesus is and was on this earth? The Jesus we see in the bible was so many things, why do you think that there are 4 gospels, with 4 different views of Him. I really believe that if for some reason Jesus was to walk up to my front door right now, knock and come in and talk with me , it would probably be completely different than what I think it would be. How many of us have met a someone famous and had a completely different experience of who this person is in person than what we thought or read of them? I believe the same would be true of Jesus. Jesus always challenged the thinking and lives of those around Him(the Pharisees,Apostles,Saducees,Roman Soldiers, Tax Collectors,sinners, etc.), I don't believe that Jesus would be any different if He where here today, He would challenge our thinking and our way of looking at life in general. And I believe the result would be the same , even with post moderns. I believe a lot of us would yell Crucify!, Crucify!!, because He didn't do what we expected, or He didn't tell off the people we feel need it. Would we let our expectations get in the way of Jesus being Jesus, or a better question relating to that personal relationship with the resurrected Jesus, will we let those same values and expectations get in the way?Jesus will challenge us and change us , if we drop our own expectations, for the reality that is truly Jesus .

Who are we looking like?

2006-01-12T20:21:00.000-08:00

How much are we to resemble the ideas and thoughts of this world? When was the last time we saw a christian attacked for really following Jesus in this country? Christians of the Right wing persuasion tend to think they are persecuted when their perceived rights are attacked or they cant have a manger scene in front of city hall. While other Evangelicals call it persecution when they come to strong while sharing their faith and even become pushy and the other person gets angry, or when they look down on non Christians and are told they rude. Very rarely is a christian attacked in this country for holding to deep Gospel principals, Now I'm not just referring to caring for the sick or poor or being against war or anti Death(as in the penalty or abortion). I talking about living a life that runs contrary to this world system, A like that says forget the markers of success that the world has placed on life. A life that rejects individualism and the self nature, one that embraces simplicity and service , serving the kings as well as the poor. A life that sees hunger and poverty and rejection as great things to have in the christian life and not things to overcome with our effort and abilities. What makes us different? How do our lives reflect Jesus to this world, is it in our morality and church attendance, is it our t- shirts and music. Are we reflecting Christ or are we reflecting the culture. If we are well spoken of by men regarding our manner of life and our faith then we are like the false prophets of old, if we are rich or full we have received our consolation. I wonder, Jesus said in His Fathers house are many mansions, but He never said how many shacks there are. This world is passing and the things of it , it is our calling to go in love with the gospel and compassion and care for the hurting and broken, while living in this world, but not in its systems and ideals, reflecting the Father,Son and Spirit and being rejected and hated for sake of Jesus.

That Kingdom look

2006-01-11T01:29:00.000-08:00

Its a rainy night, and I'm thinking about life and the Kingdom of God. Iam wondering what my life should be like, and how I should be perceived by the people that are not followers of Jesus.Should I only be about love, and tolerance, or do I make sure that there is truth in my life , I mean isn't love without truth kind of pointless, should I just act like a hippie and love everyone, with no semblance of truth? Or do I walk around like a robot, quoting scripture, and having no feelings, no compassion, no mercy, no tolerance? God, who am I?, should I correct sin, in an unbeliever, or live as an example, in the confidence of my faith in Christ? God form in me the heart of the man you want of me, not what a church wants, or my family, or what those who have taught me before want, but you , I don't want to be those things, I want to belong to you. Let your word read me, tell me what it says, don't let me tell it what it means, Holy Spirit , lead me in to ALL truth.The Kingdom of God it sounds so grandiose, and amazing, but is it meant to be all of that? Is Gods kingdom about great cities, and powerful men, does it contain Gold and Steeples reaching to the heavens, does it have wealth and great numbers? Or is it more about the tiny and insignificant, does it maybe contain warped wood, and chipped rock, and shanties, covered in the dust of the earth, or does it have poverty(by the worlds standards) and very few who would choose to live as member of the kingdom? Is God really found in the great churches and and academics institutions that would bear His name? I suppose he could be found there, after all He is Omnipresent. Where is this Kingdom? Its here , its there, its in India, and Palestine, its in the one handed man lifting his arms in praise outside in the African heat. Its in the the eyes of a starving child as his mother holds him , and asks God if he would spare his life and take hers. Its in the prostitute, and the crack addict, the AIDS patient, and the prisoner who fought for justice.Maybe thats a bad description, maybe that's not where Gods kingdom is, but maybe that's where He wants it to be.I do believe that that is where our king would be, you know Him he's the one that died , and instead of ruling the world by force, He let them take Him and put Him on a throne that was fitting, a throne that spoke of sacrifice, selflessness , and hope. He left this earth, but He didn't for see even though He said it was necessary to leave so that the The Holy Spirit could come, it was more than about that , see Jesus knew this was a big world, and that in the body He bore in the 1st century, He would never be able to cover the whole world with His compassion. But the Holy Spirit , the Omnipresence of God could , and it could only be done through us, His Body, we are not the Lords lone apprentices, we, when the Holy Spirit is dwelling in us, are Him, we are His body, we can be everywhere, because we are many, but we are one . I think that is Gods Kingdom, ands its not just for me or anyone else that claims His name, its meant for the hurting, and the oppressed , the hungry, poor, sick, naked, the outcast, and the lost.

Porterville' s Shame

2006-01-06T12:33:00.000-08:00

The city I live in Porterville Ca. has recently been waging a seeming war against the homeless making sure that they stay hidden on the river instead of in plain sight. I have decided to throw my 2 cents worth in into the local paper. Of course I know by doing so I take my own reputation as a follower of Christ in my own hand, but aww what the hech........

What a sad day Wednesday Jan. 4th was. On that day the residents of "Tent City" where pushed to the side and out of sight, the way Porterville likes to deal with its homeless situation, turn a blind eye. By some estimates 350 people live on the streets in this city and yet there is no Homeless shelter, at least not one capable of handing that sort of number and that is a shame. Its a shame that so many people have to live in the cold and rain of this winter and the heat of summer. Its a shame that if some in this city have their way and people will be forbidden from living in Hotels/Motels and the number of homeless could double or triple. The greatest shame of all is that in a town with nearly 150 churches, full of followers of Jesus Christ, that there is no shelter. I have seen churches in this community get bigger and build ornate buildings, while others have been remodeled and renovated, but still the Rescue Mission and other organisations that aid the poor struggle to fulfill that mission. Its time for Christians to stand up and do what Christ has asked of you. Love your Neighbor. Last year when the City Council was going to take away "Jesus Name" from their meetings the Christians of this community stood up against it, today as the homeless are told to stay on the river and out of sight, the church is mostly silent and that truly is a shame.

Christian Humanitarianism

2006-01-05T12:58:00.000-08:00

I feel Ive become more of a Christian Humanitarian lately, I mean shouldn't those words be always closely tied together anyway, Wasn't Jesus a humanitarian of sorts, He cared for the hurting, the broken, the sick,and the poor.Why is the church today in America so much more different than the Jesus that we read about in the Gospels, I mean if we are the continuing incarnation of Christ, why all the heartlessness. Why when a homeless man begs do Christians, make comments like "get a job", or "what a loser" or "I wont give him money he'll probably just buy some booze". Aren't these the same people that beg God for forgiveness every Sunday, and lift their hands singing their worship songs that they sing to another homeless man. Quite frankly the church is Screwed up in so many ways and it angers me. When I go to a website like http://exchristian.net and read the testimonies of ex-christians and why they turned away and most of them did because of the way "Christians" treated them. I can't personally fix the church, or christian thinking, but I believe that part of the reason for the post modern shift is because of these very things, I really believe that most Christians in America think more like the pharisees of Jesus' day than they do like Jesus. Now I don't claim to have the market cornered on being a Christ follower, I fall short all over the place, but I believe that God has given me compassion, and personally that that is one of Jesus' greatest traits, and I hope to model that to this world.

P.O.V.

2006-01-04T11:34:00.000-08:00

I have rejected a lot of what I was spoon fed by Calvary Chapel, and have realized, that non-fundies, and non EV Christians might not be all that wrong. Its not that Ive accepted biblical liberalism, and rejected the bible, and the miracles, and Divine working of God. Ive just realized that there is so much gospel that the EV fundy church ignores, there is so much picking and choosing, if it is about going to heaven and as I call it pie in the sky theology , well then it is big in EV circles. Whats more American Xians are about a subculture, that is almost the same as the world except that its all done in Jesus name, if the Christian label is put on something it must be "safe" for us to keep living in our very little christian bubble, that consists of music,media, TV, clothes, books, stores, plumbers, gardeners,etc.,etc..Just stop hiding your light love this world, try to understand them, sit with them, cry with them, laugh with them, pray for them, be like Jesus to them.We always as Christians want to see Jesus, in fact the large pulpit at my church has a plaque with the verse in John that says"We wish to see Jesus". The cool part is that Jesus tells us how to see Him in the everyday, not in some huge spiritual experience with music, and preaching, and prayer, no as He recently reminded me, we will see Him when we Feed the hungry, visit the sick and imprisoned,clothe the naked, care for the stranger,do these to the least of these, Lord I want to see you every day, help me to find the least in my own life, and not ignore them or your call to be the continuing incarnation of Christ to this world, forgive us in your church Lord, we have lost the plot, and are in need of your Spirit to teach us again the reason we are here.

This another re-post from my Thinking Blog

To Believe or to Believe

2006-01-03T00:32:00.000-08:00

Belief, a word that is powerful, a word that separates the faithful from the unfaithful, faith is the substance of things hoped for, and is impossible without belief.But what are we believing?Are we believing in God?, In Jesus?, the Easter Bunny?, or Santa?Belief is useless, belief is just a mental judgement that you've concluded that something holds enough merit to put some faith in its existence.Belief is never questioned in the bible beliving in God or a god is never an issue, and ultimately it isn't in our society today, seeing as 95% of Americans believe in God or a god.See as a christian doubt that there is a God should never be an issue, see even Satan, didnt use "there is no God" thought on anyone, David said the fool has said in his heart there is no God.No belief in God is no issue, what is?Believing God, that is the issue facing the church of Christ today, evangelicalism has taught that the gospel is a ticket to heaven and not a way of life, that at its core is about abundant living. Do I believe Jesus when he said that those that didn't do it unto the least of these will be cast out into outer darkness, or that he said turn the other cheek,or that I must deny myself take up my cross and follow him. Believing God is what seems to lack in the church today, not only in the institutional church, but also in the emerging church as well, when Jesus said Go and sin no more, did he mean it , am I going to live my life in awareness of the fact that sin is bad, as God said, or will I make up excuses for why its not a sin to me.I believe in God, Oh do I ever believe in Him, but more importantly, I believe His Word, in the Bible, in prayer, in creation, and in my life.Believeing God as James said faith without works is dead, just like sin without grace is , if I believe God I should live like it, If I believe God when he says there is a real Hell, I should be doing as I belive Jesus said and making disciples of all men.If you are a christian, you already believe in God, now we must take the next step, and like Abraham believe God, God help us to belive what you said in our lives not just in lipservice, but in true christian action.

The Hospital

2006-01-01T14:10:00.000-08:00

There was a time long ago when a sinner could go into a church, and just like a hospital get help for those things that ailed him, if he was in pain , there was a treatment, the great physician would have those that work for him give unlimited amounts of mercy and grace, love and compassion, for anyone knows these can only help to cure pain , and sin.Not to long ago a new group took over the hospital, instead of understanding, and love, they couldn't understand how these sinners didn't know any better, so they treated the ailment for a short while, but started to get vocal about how they felt the sinners had come to this point, and told them things like"you should have known better", and "people who do those things are going to the morgue".Needless to say the Great Physician had dealt with this a long time ago before he built the hospital, and he was very saddened by the attitude of his workers, though there where some who kept to the old way of caring for the sinners, the new workers almost completely took over the hospital. Over time the new workers even started making descisions on their own and started to force the Great Physician out of most all decisions, they called it the thinking mans hospital. As time went on less and less sinners came to the hospital, the workers said, we need a new way of doing things, we need a new program, these sinners are dumb lets take down the red cross over the door, if it feels less like hospital they will come. This worked for a little while, then the sinners stopped coming again, this time though the sinners were saying things like, "the hospital doesn't know how to heal you", and the "great physicians workers are a bunch of hypocrites, acting like doctors, but they have no clue".Again the great physician was saddened. Until one day one of the newer workers went outside the hospital and talked to the sinners, of course this really upset most of the workers who said things like, "why is he out there" and "he must want to quit working for the great physician,this newer worker found something out, the sinners really did need the great physicians help.The young worker, in his naivete, did something that most no one had done in a really long time, he called the great physician and asked him what to do. The great physician told the young worker, " go out to them and give them unlimited amounts of grace and mercy, love and compassion, set up a tent out side and put the red cross on it, and Ill be there too.Today that small hospital outside the large ornate hospital is growing, sinners come to meet the great physician and receive grace and mercy, love and compassion, some still go to the big hospital, and the great physician still tries to oversee things, but his heart is in the new hospital, and with the increasing number of young workers giving to the sinners grace and mercy, love and compassion.

This is post from my old blog called thinking......

2006

2005-12-31T15:59:00.000-08:00

What I will be planning to do for 2006......

Personal;

lose weight, maybe get under 300, that would be good

Spiritual;

Develop a pattern of spiritual discipline, including fasting,silence,solitude,study, prayer,and worship

Professionally;

Finish school and get a job good enough to support my family, even if Rachel where to lose her job

Family;

Spend more time and do more things with my wife and kids

Ministry;

be useful in the Body of Christ

and work to help those that can't help themselves in my community, to fight for the poor and push local churches into action

Life in General;

Become more like Jesus

Happy New Year

That One Thing

2005-12-14T23:47:00.000-08:00

"Then all the tax collectors and the sinners drew near to Him to hear Him."
Luke 15:1

Passages in the Gospels like this one and many others have always intriuged me. I have numerous times written on passages that reflect the idea presented here. Im always perplexed at the how and why of such passages, its revolutionary thought an idea that runs totally contrary to the church and would that we live in today. What you might ask is it, its that Jesus drew sinners to Him, and not only that , they listened to what He had to say. The wicked and unrighteous of Jesus' day came to Him. When was the last time you heard someone that has never attended church or never had any real religious inclination say " Im going to a church, so I can be near all those wonderful christians and hear what they have to say." I can honestly answer never. In fact the sad thing is that people are to busy running away from the disciples of Jesus to even want to hear a thing we have to say. Why? What has happened that the very ambassadors of Jesus have become sinner repelant. Oh sure the Evangelical church can point to its growing numbers and "saved" souls. But if you really get into it most of these people already thought like your typical evangelical, without the God talk. Is the church culturally irrelevant, is it not righteous enough, as some have claimed? Does need more explanations on whay the Bible and Science can coexsist together? Jesus said"they will know you by your apoligetics", No wait thats not right, by our funny anecdotes used in our sermons?, or maybe it was they will know by how sinless of a life we live? Its Love, They will know us by our love, now you may say "but its gotta be love with standards, it cant be that hippy free love stuff". I do agree, but it also has to be a love that fits the definition set out by 1 Cor. 13

Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails.

My wife and I had a freind that moved in with us about a year ago, she was just coming out of a Lesbian relationship and had very little if any spiritual interest, what did we do, preach at her and tell her she needed to repent?, No We didnt act holier than thou either, we let her see our faults, but we also showed her love and forgiveness and mercy and compassion. She noticed this and wanted to be around us, and would listen to what we had to say, as long as we did the same and after 4 months about a year ago she became a follower of Jesus and thanks to a Grace filled , merciful , compassionate and most of all loving church, she still follows Jesus. The downside to this story, is that unfortunately, this is an anomily, I regret to say that I dont always show that same brand of love to the unbelievers I meet. I think the questions that Ive had about passages like Luke 15:1 are starting to be answered. Some may say "well Duh!!" but if its so "Duh" why dont sinner want to be near us or hear us? Just some food for thought.

Tookie

2005-12-08T11:54:00.000-08:00

In little less than a week Stanley "Tookie" Williams will be sent to die for the murder of 4 people. I am indifferent about the whole thing and partially confused. I have for the last few years been opposed to the death penalty, for both spiritual and statistical reasons. Let me explain my view, I believe that a state has the right to execute anyone it See's fit under the guise of a secular human existence. Now that execution may not be just or even good, but a state government has the right to do such things. The death penalty does not however prevent homicide. Now I also understand how a person living in this world would want to see the same fate that their loved ones suffered carried out on the perpetrator that committed the act. All these things are well and reasonable
But here is the rub for me, I am a Christian, a sinner saved by Grace, I believe in and follow a God that See's no difference between my pride and Arrogance and the murder of innocent people. Therefore how can I who have received the greatest forgiveness imaginable , call for the death of another fellow sinner, biblically I cant justify such a thing. Now on to "Tookie" Williams, over the last couple weeks cries have gone out saying that he is innocent and that he is a changed man, today there is a hearing for his clemency. If Williams is guilty of these murders, then the State of California has the right to carry out his execution, even though I think it is wrong and I believe there are better ways of punishing someone guilty of murder, but as a christian I cannot call for his death, I pray for him and his family and I think what he has done in the area of peacemaking and to seek to prevent gang violence are wonderful and I pray that his message is continued for a long time to come. But Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger does not share my beliefs and the State of California Judicial system See's it in black and white. So , I in the end only hope and pray for "Tookie" Williams clemency, but I know that his fate rests in the hands of the State of California and unfortunately to a lesser extent God. May God be your strength Mr. Williams and may you find peace and rest in Him , here or in the hereafter.

Stuff

2005-12-01T00:28:00.000-08:00

I have a lot. Its that simple, I have a lot of stuff. I have 2 TVs a computer, with Broadband access no less , I have 2 cars(a jeep and a Saturn) I own a home and multiple other little gadgets and gizmo's. I'm also a Christian and Ive been wondering, where and when I as a christian cross the line from just taking care of my needs to being selfish and just having things for status. I guess it can kind of come down to motivation, why do I want that thing? Maybe it even has to do with my behavior regarding that thing or that stuff. When I want something is it in order to glorify God or even use it for His glory. Or do I want it to receive praise and to invoke envy in the eyes of others. I know there are times that I want something because , well its just Cool. Now I'm not saying that we are not allowed to want things as a christian, but I'm wondering how much materialism dominates our attitudes and outlooks, as American Christians. How much does ,my house, my cars, my stuff , mean to me. We all will answer of course that God means the most, then our families and then other people, and we all could say well Id sell or give it all away for my family and if God told me to, but would we or could we? Could we in our materialistic American give it up , just like that, or would we say "but God , just this one thing". Materialism is a plague , not just with the average American, but also with the average christian. The day after Thanksgiving I watched video from incidents all over this country, in Walmarts and Targets and Radio Shacks, where people threw out their sense of decency and attacked others over laptops and DVD players and XBox 360's. All I could wonder was how many of those people resorting to their baser selves over home electronics was, how many of them went to church on Sunday , to worship the God who told the rich young ruler "give all that you have to the poor and follow me." About 2 years ago the then Pope John Paul II, said that the biggest issue with America, was its materialism, and loudest rebukes and yelps I heard where from Christians , born again evangelical believers and followers of Christ. It saddened me then and I think it saddens the Lord everyday, that we His church in this country live like kings and queens, making excuses for our excess and criticizing any that would call it what is , sin. May we get it someday and see that really are actually poor.

Thankfulness

2005-11-23T11:45:00.000-08:00

I thought it fitting with tomorrow being the day that Americans are thankful, what they might be thankful for I have no idea. Are they thankful that they have a job, ahouse,a family. Are they thankful that they have 2 days off of that job? Thankfullness is a precious thing, to have it is to have perspective, when we are thankful, I mean truely thankful our lives are different, the way we live changes. We stop thinking that we deserve anything and start realizing the blessings that we have in our lives. The blessedness of that job, home, or family. we also start to become thankful for the misfortunes and troubles we have had, the things that seemed so burdendome in the past are things that make us or break us today. So I say be thankful and enjoy your thanksgiving, but as you give thanks, give thanks for all things not just those things that are good but also those that OK or even bad, because if we are giving thanks to God he is the one that sends rain and drought, health and sickness. Be thankful to Him today for its those things we experience today that will make us who we will be tomorrow.

God Hates the Emerging Church?

2005-11-16T02:03:00.000-08:00

Paul Proctor a Baptist with a chip on His shoulder has written an interesting article in which he states that God killed Kyle Lake , the Baptist Pastor in Texas electrocuted in the baptismal pool, because God is sending a message to the Emerging Church. I wont say a word, let him say it himself..........

http://www.newswithviews.com/PaulProctor/proctor82.htm

Top 10 Christian Songs (not written by a CCM artist)

2005-11-13T02:28:00.000-08:00

Evangelical Outpost has the 99 best Christian songs , I thought that I'd do the 10 best Christian songs that aren't your typical CCM song

1.One-U2

2.My Own Prison-Creed

3.Dust In the Wind-Kansas

4.My Immortal-Evanescence

5.I am the Highway-Audioslave

6.Where is the Love-Black Eyed Peas

7.Hung My Head-Johnny Cash

8.Jesus Doesn't want Me for a Sunbeam-Nirvana

9.If God Will Send His Angels-U2

10.Hold Me Jordan-Tara Maclean

Now this is opinion, and nothing more I like this songs most for a good worship time, because their lyrics and heart really speak to me in my faith.

Veterans

2005-11-11T01:17:00.000-08:00

Today is veterans day, at least here in the U. S. its the day set aside to honor those that have served this country, whether in war or in peace. A day that the average American swells up with pride, gladly waves the stars and bars, and sometimes attends a parade. Today we are to say to those that serve and have served in the military , Thank You for my freedom. While I pray for those in the military(as well as those that they fight). How can I as a follower of the Prince of Peace applaud war?, and Death? I love the idea of America, the give me your tired,your poor, your huddled masses America, but I can't celebrate the invade a country, kill 100,000 of its citizens "liberating" it America. Today over 2000 American and over 100,000 Iraqi families are missing someone, someone to hug or hold , or to just simply chat with. War is Hell, why we celebrate that Ill never know.

What if?

2005-11-07T23:16:00.000-08:00

Perhaps Ive pondered this before maybe the question has been asked on another day in another forum, of these things I cant recall, but then again I have a fairly poor memory. There is a question swirling in my pea brain, a thought that I cant answer. What if................, What if we , those that claim, allegiance, faith, hope , trust, etc. to Jesus Christ, took what He said seriously, What if we Believed Him, not just so we can get our ticket to the eternal obode, but we believed it and acted on it. What if we really would .........................

Matthew 5:44
love your enemies
bless those who curse you
do good to those who hate you
pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you

or........

Luke 14:12
When you give a dinner or a supper, do not ask your friends, your brothers, your relatives, nor rich neighbors, lest they also invite you back, and you be repaid.

What if?

I for one cannot even imagine a world were even 50% of all christians practiced just these things in thier daily lives, after all these are just 2 of the many challenging verses that where spoken by our Lord. What would be thie impact on this planet, on this country on your community. Its unfathomable , but isnt that the sad part, that the church has gone so far from what Christ called it to be that simply following these 5 things leaves one dumbfounded.I mean these things really only deal with conflict and hunger. Would these lead to the end of War and Starvation if 1 Billion people truely believed these things. I dont know?

But What if instead of philosophising about "what ifs" we simply did those things, now that would be truely unbelievable. We should always remember what Jesus said about those that took Him seriously

Luke 7:24,25 ; Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock.

How serious are we?

What if we really are

What if?

Are We Really that Much Better?

2005-11-04T00:38:00.000-08:00

I have tendency to be rather critical of those that I disagree with or that rub me the wrong way. I was reminded of how critical I can be earlier today, I was busy on a tirade slamming on somebody(name withheld) and just doing what I do well, thinking I am better in those areas than this person, When my lovely wife remined me that others may recognise my faults also. Its so easy to talk about that other guy and how wacked they are, but as a christian I have to realize that that there is noe that have not sinned, no one. While I may recognize a critical spirit in someone else I must see the pride that I exhibit in my own critical nature. Most of us are guilty of this way of acting, whether it be the Politician that can justify their wrong while condemning another, or the christian that knocks down the believer that listens to secular music, while they have close to 100 DVD's at home that promote the same things that that person might be critical in those secular songs. The Church is full of this your short coming is worse than mine attitude. We will get bothered by the brother that wastes their money on expensive Gangsta style clothing, while we drive home from church in our nice new Excursion, with all the extras. We live in a land were we are free to do what we like and think what we like, as long as we dont hurt others, the problem isnt, that I dont do,believe, or have something and they do do, its that we live according to the worlds principle and idea of freedom and not Gods. We dont see that we are free to love our ,neighbor,enemy,or brethren, or that we are free to sell all we have and give it to the poor, we see that Im free to buy that truck or watch that movie, or critcize our brethren. Are we really that much better than those we are so quick to slam,No, but we can be, if we free ourselves to Christ.

The Great Porterville Hypocrisy

2005-10-28T12:07:00.000-07:00

Well its official, I have heard straight from the horses mouth, PAMA will do nothing to fight against this new ordinance to ban people from living in Hotels/Motels, or seemingly do nothing to help them if this ordinance is passed. A friend of mine was at the Elders meeting for our church, when he asked the Pastor about this possiblity and he said what I figured that this is a political issue, and not something PAMA can get involved in. Im sorry but that is a hypocritical statement, did they not(himself included) sign a petition saying that PAMA and its members stand against Jesus name being unallowed in prayer time before city council meetings, a very political move if I would say so. But now when its something that will affect the community and the poor, certainly something the church should care about, its a political issue and they wont get involved? I have to say that this is very disapointing to hear coming from a Pastor that I really thought was for real, I have to say Im doubting my commitment to this church, as I said in a previous post, do we really believe all the things we say we do? I believe its a somber ,No. Im saddened by this and now see that perhaps God is calling me to carry this fight, in prayer and in words, if this happens and the church simply ignores it, it has become irrelevant and meaningless in this little burg. If it passes and the church mobilizes to aid these people in the form of shelters and financial services, or small no interest, forgivable loans, then it is a beautiful thing in action. The president of PAMA Pete Schembailer said that the churches of Porterville are united, thats great, now lets see if they are united in a relevant way.

Bono Interview

2005-10-26T01:47:00.000-07:00

Im a huge U2 fan , and Bono is one of the few celebraties that I deeply respect, the following is an excerpt from the Rolling Stone interview, I just put in things regarding faith, the questions are in itallics.......

What role did religion play in your childhood?
I knew that we were different on our street because my mother was Protestant. And that she'd married a Catholic. At a time of strong sectarian feeling in the country, I knew that was special. We didn't go to the neighborhood schools -- we got on a bus. I picked up the courage they had to have had to follow through on their love.
Did you feel religious when you went to church?
Even then I prayed more outside of the church than inside. It gets back to the songs I was listening to; to me, they were prayers. "How many roads must a man walk down?" That wasn't a rhetorical question to me. It was addressed to God. It's a question I wanted to know the answer to, and I'm wondering, who do I ask that to? I'm not gonna ask a schoolteacher. When John Lennon sings, "Oh, my love/For the first time in my life/My eyes are wide open" -- these songs have an intimacy for me that's not just between people, I realize now, not just sexual intimacy. A spiritual intimacy.
Who is God to you at that point in your life?
I don't know. I would rarely be asking these questions inside the church. I see lovely nice people hanging out in a church. Occasionally, when I'm singing a hymn like . . . oh, if I can think of a good one . . . oh, "When I Survey the Wondrous Cross" or "Be Thou My Vision," something would stir inside of me. But, basically, religion left me cold.

What is your religious belief today? What is your concept of God?
If I could put it simply, I would say that I believe there's a force of love and logic in the world, a force of love and logic behind the universe. And I believe in the poetic genius of a creator who would choose to express such unfathomable power as a child born in "straw poverty"; i.e., the story of Christ makes sense to me.
How does it make sense?
As an artist, I see the poetry of it. It's so brilliant. That this scale of creation, and the unfathomable universe, should describe itself in such vulnerability, as a child. That is mind-blowing to me. I guess that would make me a Christian. Although I don't use the label, because it is so very hard to live up to. I feel like I'm the worst example of it, so I just kinda keep my mouth shut.
Do you pray or have any religious practices?
I try to take time out of every day, in prayer and meditation. I feel as at home in a Catholic cathedral as in a revival tent. I also have enormous respect for my friends who are atheists, most of whom are, and the courage it takes not to believe.
How big an influence is the Bible on your songwriting? How much do you draw on its imagery, its ideas?
It sustains me.
As a belief, or as a literary thing?
As a belief. These are hard subjects to talk about because you can sound like such a dickhead. I'm the sort of character who's got to have an anchor. I want to be around immovable objects. I want to build my house on a rock, because even if the waters are not high around the house, I'm going to bring back a storm. I have that in me. So it's sort of underpinning for me.
I don't read it as a historical book. I don't read it as, "Well, that's good advice." I let it speak to me in other ways. They call it the rhema. It's a hard word to translate from Greek, but it sort of means it changes in the moment you're in. It seems to do that for me.
You're saying it's a living thing?
It's a plumb line for me. In the Scriptures, it is self-described as a clear pool that you can see yourself in, to see where you're at, if you're still enough. I'm writing a poem at the moment called "The Pilgrim and His Lack of Progress." I'm not sure I'm the best advertisement for this stuff.
What do you think of the evangelical movement that we see in the United States now?
I'm wary of faith outside of actions. I'm wary of religiosity that ignores the wider world. In 2001, only seven percent of evangelicals polled felt it incumbent upon themselves to respond to the AIDS emergency. This appalled me. I asked for meetings with as many church leaders as would have them with me. I used my background in the Scriptures to speak to them about the so-called leprosy of our age and how I felt Christ would respond to it. And they had better get to it quickly, or they would be very much on the other side of what God was doing in the world.
Amazingly, they did respond. I couldn't believe it. It almost ruined it for me -- 'cause I love giving out about the church and Christianity. But they actually came through: Jesse Helms, you know, publicly repents for the way he thinks about AIDS.
I've started to see this community as a real resource in America. I have described them as "narrow-minded idealists." If you can widen the aperture of that idealism, these people want to change the world. They want their lives to have meaning. And it's one of the things that the Democratic Party has missed out on. You know, so much of the moral high ground in the past was Democratic: FDR, RFK, Cesar Chavez. Now I suppose it's Hillary's passion for cheaper medical care. And Teddy Kennedy, of course.

How Relevant is the Church?

2005-10-25T01:17:00.000-07:00

How relevant is the church today, in dealing with the social ills of this society, Im not talking about politics , morality , or even spiritual salvation. Im speaking about the social ills, of poverty, abortion, abuse, etc. What is the church doing to work against these things, not by using political means, or judical means to change things, what are Gods people doing to affect the poor and marginalized of society. Today in Porterville people live outdoors on a river bed, while churches renovate, women that feel they can't afford it are still aborting their babies. Other women sell their bodies to men to pay the rent, while children are neglected or abused , and without hope. These things are all happening in Porterville a town of 45,000 people and 150+ churches. And it begs to be asked, why? and how?. A couple months back the churches of this town where willing to go to the mat to save prayer in Jesus name at city council meetings, but never has there been an organized response to fight poverty or even raise funds to build a bonafied homeless shelter in Porterville. A few weeks ago the city council looked at the issue of banning most people from taking up permanent residence in hotels/motels, by Gods grace it was shelved for a further look. The interesting thing is that I never saw or heard of one objection to this proposed ordinence, from the church or other religious organisations.Again I ask why and how?When I see these things I wonder, do they really believe Jesus, or is it lip service, the church has become a haven for the self righteous and self absorbed, a place for the good to sneer at the bad and praise God that they are not like those people, or feel sorry for them, being in their situation, but never extend an arm of compassion. The church should be refuge for the hurting and the broken, the abused as well as the repentant abuser, a home for prostitutes and drug addicts, where the hungry can get a warm meal, instead of dirty looks from those worried about the new carpet. Maybe Im an idealist, but church shouldn't be about winning or being right, or moral, it should be about love and forgiveness, not rejecting those of its community, that resides in, but loving them and opening their arms to them to show them the savior Jesus, who should be in our midst.So is the church relevant, not really, can it be , if people are willing to put aside agendas and politics and love God and love their neighbor, I believe it can.

Hidden

2005-10-17T12:01:00.000-07:00

And again He said, “To what shall I liken the kingdom of God? It is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal till it was all leavened

Its funny how when we discuss the Kingdom of God, so many words describe it, big, powerful, future, etc. God kingdom, I believe defies our desriptions, or our and our expectations, its is both bigger and smaller than we could even fathom. It is also based in weakness as well as power. The kingdom is also present as well as future. Of course of late Ive heard terms such as subversive and mysterious, both of which are great desciptions The verse that is just above gives another word to describe the Kingdom of God, hid. Now while the Kingdom fits into all those other descriptions, it is also hidden or at least its ment to be. The church today , which would be the present manifestation of the Kingdom is anything but hidden, its seen on every street corner in America, heard on every radio, and seen on every TV. The Evangelical Church today is anything but hidden, its in politics and sports and entertainment. The desription that Jesus suggests here is that the Kingdom of God is not to overtake , but to infultrate, like the leaven in the dough. We the church are not to take over, but to become a part of the culture to be a part of every part of this world, and just as the leaven was in the dough but not of it, so we are in this world not of this world. There christians in almost every facet of life, including bars, politics , sports , entertainment, or even in , dare I say sinful situations. We are not to be shouting down desenters and and conforming society to our wants, but influencing those around us with the kingdom and being like that leaven, infultratingevery part of our socoety, not in power, or bigness, or through the worlds means, but by weakness,smallness, and subversivness. The kingdom needs to be hidden until the world is leavened fully by it, God let your Kingdom come and your will be done, and let us be like that leaven and hidden and quietly leavening the whole lump.

To Replay or not to Replay!

2005-10-13T12:08:00.000-07:00

My favorite Baseball team is the L.A. Angels, last night they where playing in game 2 of the American League Championship Series, it was the bottum of the 9th inning with 2 outs, with the scored 1-1, A. J. Pierzynski was at the plate and Kelvim Escobar was onm the mound for the Angels, with 2 strikes the pitch went by Pierzynski and he swung, seemingly striking out, the catcher Josh Paul and all the Angels headed to the dugout to start the 10th. Of course the the umpire pumped his fist giving the appearance of the 3rd out. Thats when things got strange, Josh Paul did the normal catchers flip of the ball to the mound, just then A. J. Pierzynski ran to first, thinking that the ball hit the ground, the umpires called him safe, The Angels where livid, Mike Scossia the Angels manager argued for 5 minutes to no avail, needless to say, after a pinch runner was put in, and he stole second, Joe Crede hit a double to left that scored the winning run. Baseball is a game of skill based on human effort to beat the other guy, and as usual when human effort is involved inevitabley human error will come into play also. To eliminate this Ive heard many calling for the institution of instant replay in baseball, now as much as I would have loved that game to have been decided on good game calling, I would still prefer it to be decided by those on the field, including the umps. I may hate the calls that they miss and a well umpired game as my father taught me (he umpired pro Softball for 20 years) a well umpired game is one where the umpired is barely recognized as being there. Replay may be OK in Football or Baseketball, or even Hockey, but to me there is a purity to the bad and good calls of baseball. I think that Baseball is fine , bad calls and all, Since I see it like a chess match , they wouldn't call for replay in chess, base ball is about strategy and in the end the Angels had 3 errors that game and didn't deserve to win , playing that bad, after all they gave up 0 earned runs, but 2 unearned, and lost 2-1. My hope as an Angels fan is that they win the next 3 three games by wide enough margins that a play like this doesn't matter, we'll see though starting Friday how this affects the Angels, I hope it doesn't , but heres hoping.

Do we Believe?

2005-10-09T15:35:00.000-07:00

The question has been asked, what does faith look like, I mean of course in our lives. Is faith going to church, or reading our bibles, or even serving at a food pantry. Does it consist of being moral or clean, or voting Republican. Or is it as simple as believing in Jesus , for our Salvation, or trusting Him to provide for our needs. Ive been to a few churches in my 10 years of following Jesus, I would say that most of them took the bible "literally" and held a relatively conversative theology. The thing that has always stuck out is the way they say they are what they are not. The church that say it takes the bible and the teachings of Jesus seriously usually, doesn't. Now dont get me wrong, they belive Jesus died for their sins and rose on the third day, they may even read their bibles and believe their Pastor on everything, but they miss the more intensive and difficult words of Jesus like . love your enemies or die to yourself, thus they are not taking their bibles totally seriously. The thing Im wondering about is, why we dont practice what we preach, now I dont say this in a legalistic way, but in a faithful and nonhypocritcal way. Today at our church we discussed Jesus and His compassion. The question was asked if you saw a homeless man by a freeway off ramp, with brown paper bags , with cans in them empty of course, and he was begging for money or something, what would people do, well most people answered , ignore him, or fear him. Then he said what would a christian do, the responses where, give money, pray for him. but I think that is wrong, I believe most christians would do the same as their secular neighbors, and not one christian would bat an eye at that cold response to the least of these. We and my church and self included dont believe what we nod our heads at on a Sunday morning, because we dont follow in our lives the one we say we believe, but we wax philosophical about the church and our church and how we are doing better, we aren't perfect, but we aren't like them, we are all hypocrites. We can't live this way and claim Christ as Lord, I believe that I am at a breaking point between waxing philosophical and acting out what I believe is biblically the right way of living. A time ago on my other blog, I said we had a disconnect in our faith, we have no problem believing in Jesus, our problem is believing Jesus. So I have to wonder do we believe, or do we just believe in.

Wil the Church help the Poor of Porterville?

2005-10-04T12:21:00.000-07:00

The city I live in Porterville Ca., is an interesting place, its one of the few places left in California that a person can buy a house and not mortgage a body part. It is also a very Agricultural economy and thus it is a very poor economy, a place where at any given time the unemployment rate is between 9 to20%, depending on the time of year. Now another thing that brings money to the economy is tourism, of course this is not that large of an industry here, seeing as we are still several miles away from prime mountain locations. The poverty that exists here is not the homeless folks living on the major streets brand, though that exsists also, but more on the river. Most of the poor in Porterville live in some sort of dwelling, wheter rented Apartment, low income housing, or Hotels/Motels. Its this last place that the city of Porterville is taking aim at. Tonight the city council will be looking at an ordinance that will make it illegal for a person or people to reside in a hotel/motel for more than 30 consecutive days and no more than 60 days in a month, this as the City Manger John Longley is aimed at ending the awkwardness of having tenents and tourists in the same place. The basic idea is to help the tiny tourist business in Porterville. If this ordinance is enacted it will create an unbelievable homeless situation in this city, both individual and family will be tossed out on the street, and that is wrong. I know the argument is well if they can afford a hotel/motel room for a month , why cant they get an apartment? Simply said its is more than they can afford, the reason people choose to live in hotel/motels instead of apartments, is that they can afford a weekly fee of say $200, but they do not have the money for a deposit and a first and sometimes last months rent, that can come to a total of $1000 or $1500. This ordinance must be stopped, my hope is that the Church will step up, along with other organisations, like Porterville Area Ministerial Association(PAMA) or the Rescue Mission, to me this is a defining moment for the church in this city, will it let the city kick hundreds of people onto the street and stay silent? Dear God I hope not. The church must stand against injustice and biblically this is a great injustice.

2005-09-27T11:40:00.000-07:00

The Theory of Intelligent Design

Please note that this is a rant....

Today as I write, a court battle is being fought in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, a battle that has been fought since the Scopes Monkey trial, a battle to decide if God created the Earth and all things on it or if life arose through a process of evolution. This battle which is raging in Harrisburg and the state of Kansas is a part of something bigger, bigger than Intelligent Design or evolution. Its a battle over the culture and heart of America, its the right versus the left and Democrat versus Republican. These pushes by the religious right are all a part of a larger effort to seemingly bring the Kingdom of God down to Earth, lowering Gods reign to that of a Democratic system. The Christian political minds of this country have for years now tried to talk of the evils of liberalism, fighting and hating Bill Clinton, they have warned of judges legislating from the bench all the while wanting judges to do the same by overturning Roe v. Wade . They have blindly followed almost anyone with an (R) after their name even in War or policies that hurt the weakest. But all the while they knew they hold the power, it was the Religious Right that got George W. Bush elected in 2004. This effort by the Religious right is an effort to force the law of God on this nation, to make the 10 commandments the law of the land. They are using power, political power to get their way. The Kingdom of God will not be established by men but by God. The church is giving in to the allure of and want for power and control that they can have. The religious right forgets that that this world will get worse and worse, before the Kingdom comes. I believe its Satan that is behind a lot of this, because he has always been into cheap imitations of the real thing, thats what the religious right is making a cheap imitation of the real Kingdom of God

2005-09-20T12:07:00.000-07:00

The Age of Grace

GRACE, Gods UNMERRITED favor

Gods grace is all sufficient for all we need in this life and it covers the entire world. Gods law which as Paul says is used as a school master to lead us to Christ, comes up short in us. Gods law is usually the unfortunate part of our faith that the world sees. Our effort to push morality, a morality that we ourselves cannot keep, on this world. Its funny how that we(the church) get involved in politics and government so that we can make this country live by the law that we are no longer under that should be a shcool master to teach and show us our failings and need for our savior, we tell the world that this is what will make things good if we live by these 10 commandments, its ludicrous. Then of course when a terrible thing happens, like 9/11 or Hurricane Katrina, we (the Church) say that God is judging those people or our nation for rejecting Him, Im personally tired of the christians that have said that because of Mardi Gras and all the sexual excess in New Orleans God judged the city, if God is busy judging cities for their immorality, then what about San Francisco or Las Vegas, or Bejing after all its full of atheists.The reason is that God is not "judging" these places, cause if He did they would never rebuild. In fact Jesus spoke about this in Luke 13

1 There were present at that season some who told Him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. 2 And Jesus answered and said to them, “Do you suppose that these Galileans were worse sinners than all other Galileans, because they suffered such things? 3 I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish. 4 Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them, do you think that they were worse sinners than all other men who dwelt in Jerusalem? 5 I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish.”

Jesus says here that just because your immoral or even evil you wont get smashed like a bug, these things happen to everyone, not just the immoral or sinners, in fact Im sure there where plenty of Christians in the twin towers and in New Orleans.

Jesus goes on to explain how God is regarding judgenent,

He also spoke this parable: “A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came seeking fruit on it and found none. 7 Then he said to the keeper of his vineyard, ‘Look, for three years I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree and find none. Cut it down; why does it use up the ground?’ 8 But he answered and said to him, ‘Sir, let it alone this year also, until I dig around it and fertilize it. 9 And if it bears fruit, well. But if not, after that you can cut it down.’

God is like the keeper of the vineyard even though we dont bear fruit He doesn't wish us to perish, in fact He may even do all He can to help us bear fruit, even though we never have in the past. God is patient with all of us, believer and non believer alike, He doesn't smite when we get a little out of line , He just poors out more Grace We (the Church ) are the ones calling for Gods judgement on this world and claiming it in His name when we see it happen. We are a lot like Jonah , we want to let the world no that they need to repent, but at the same time we want God to judge the unrighteous. God had something to say to Jonah that I think might even apply to us today.

the LORD said, “You have had pity on the plant for which you have not labored, nor made it grow, which came up in a night and perished in a night. 11 And should I not pity Nineveh, that great city, in which are more than one hundred and twenty thousand persons who cannot discern between their right hand and their left—and much livestock?”

God doesn't look at the terrible things that are done in the world and lick His chops thinking of ways to judge those that are lost. God looks on them with pity, He loves them and cares for them, He pours out His Grace on them and He gives them what they need.

2005-09-15T12:04:00.000-07:00

Yesterday the words " Under God" in the pledge of Alligence was ruled unconstitutional by an appelate court here on the left coast and this will most likely go to the Supreme court eventually, Yawn!!!, Im so tired of the worry in this country that our religious freedom and as some believe our heritage is being taken away. This whole thing is getting old, the christian right for as long as Ive been following Jesus has been trying to convince us that this country was founded as a christian country on christian principles. Now It was founded by men that believed in God, and came from a sort of christian heritage after all in 17th and 18th century Europe there wasn't much choice of religion. The christian religion was more of a cultural norm than a way you chose to live contrary to the world around you. Most of the founders of this country belonged to the Masons, an organisation that most christians of the evangelical persuation would call a cult. Thomas Jefferson, didn't believe in any thing supernatural and in fact had his own bible that had all the miracles of Jesus taken out. George Washington the first President even wrote in the treaty of Tripoli that the United States was not a Christian Nation. Another part that comes out of this whole battle over God in public policy is the way the typical Evangelical feels that they are persecuted that the whole non christian world is out to get them, when its nothing more than a political battle that they have gotten involved in and the person on the opposite side disagrees. Christians need to stop relying on public policy and laws to define the movement of the church and start focusing on really following Jesus, whether we have "under God" in the pledge or not, or even if the religious freedoms of this country completely erode, we should not be about making the world act like us, but about us acting more like Jesus to a lost and dying world. I believe that by living like Jesus and loving our neighbors that the world can change , even if the laws aren't favorable to us.

2005-09-13T11:26:00.000-07:00

Bush Takes Responsibility for Blunders

WASHINGTON - President Bush said Tuesday that "I take responsibility" for failures in dealing with Hurricane Katrina and said the disaster raised broader questions about the government's ability to respond to natural disasters as well as terror attacks.
"Katrina exposed serious problems in our response capability at all levels of government," Bush said at joint White House news conference with the president of
Iraq'
"To the extent the federal government didn't fully do its job right, I take responsibility," Bush said.
The president was asked whether people should be worried about the government's ability to handle another terrorist attack given failures in responding to Katrina.
"Are we capable of dealing with a severe attack? That's a very important question and it's in the national interest that we find out what went on so we can better respond," Bush replied.
He said he wanted to know both what went wrong and what went right.
As for blunders in the federal response, "I'm not going to defend the process going in," Bush said. "I am going to defend the people saving lives."
He praised relief workers at all levels. "I want people in America to understand how hard people worked to save lives down there," he said.

I have to say that when I opened up Yahoo and saw this I was deeply impressed, this is a leader, and I deeply respect this I really hope that those that oppose Bush wont do the same thing that their Conservative adversaries did when Clinton admitted his wrong during the Lewinsky fiasco. I hope that there will be enough common sense to see the need for change not partisan bickering. As not being a Bush supporter in almost all senses, this act has given me some more respect to the man and his character.

2005-09-12T12:07:00.000-07:00

2 Weeks ago today hurricane Katrina was ravaging the Gulf Coast, in the days following a tragedy unfolded, a tragedy that can not be described, a human tragedy. The poor of New Orleans trying to flee the rising flood waters, sometimes being herded like animals into the Superdome and the cities convention center, all the while the question was asked where is the help? Let the debate begin. Those on the left and the media blamed the federal government, more specifically the Bush administration. While those on the right in an effort to defend their man, were busy blaming the state and local governments. highlghiting Lousianas govenor and New Orleans mayor Ray Nagin. What happened on the Gulf coast was a natural disaster of a biblical scale, the behavior of the few that looted raped and pilaged is inexcusable and to say its because of their poverty is an affront to every poor person that seeks to be honest and good, but in the same instance, I dont blame a person for stealing food or water for themselves or others, to survive. Here is my assesment, all are to blame from the streets of New Orleans to the Oval Office, it starts at the lowest level, the level of the poor, more spcifically the gangs that ran the city for 5 days, what they did in a terrible situation to make it worse was disgusting and I firmly believe that God will judge them righteously. Next the city officials, who let 560 school busus sit and get flooded, instead of using them to get the near 100,000 people in New Orleans that had no transportation out of the city. The Govenor of Louisiana, for not sending the national Guard into the citythe instant Katrina had passed, just for safeguard, instead of making them leave due to the leeve breaking. Now the Feds are guilty of a slow response, to aid and evacuate via the coast guard and FEMA, for days an area that was a National disaster area recieved no aid, in the form of food and water or better yet a way out. Lastly the president bears the responsiblity of not being a leader and getting upset and angry that all these things happened and using his power to make things come about, instead of being seemingly more concerned about the oil production and how it was hurt, than the situation that wasn't being taken care of in New Orleans. I guess I lied there is one more and this one is for all us christians, last of all God is to blame , after all it was Him that caused Katrina to happen, but difference about Him and everyone else is that He wont defend Himself and wont shift blame, which is tthe way we should live our lives, because it sure would make this whole thing easier to handle by everyone if people realized that mistakes where made by all , now lets all get to fixing it.

2005-09-08T12:44:00.000-07:00

While the rest of the country was focusing on Hurricane Katrina and the devastation in the Gulf coast, the state legislature here in California was hard at work passing legislation to make this state the first to allow gay marriage. fortunately though Gov. Schwarzenegger is planning on terminating this piece of legislation. Now I believe that constitutionally homosexuals have the right to marry , being that it is a pursuit of happiness, thus guarenteed under the law, also as a christian, this would affect my life and faith in no way, in fact it would make me have to live what I believe more diligently. So why do I have a problem with what the California legislature did, because it was seemingly underhanded, being done while America and California's attention was focused elsewhere. This is something that needs to be debated and discussed, with the full attention of the citizens of the state of California after all it was those same citizens that approved prop 22, outlawing gay marriage. What would have been the outcry, if in the days following 9/11, congress would have banned abortion? In short much more discourse needs to take place on the subjuect of gay marriage, in California and America, and in the midst of a national disaster, when full discourse is not likely, the debate must be postponed, no matter what your feeling on this issue

2005-09-08T11:45:00.000-07:00

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