Don't ask questions that might possibly embarrass people. Don't ask questions. Trust. They try and link all of these things to being a humble person – a good person. The thing is, how exactly are you supposed to learn and grow as a person if you never ask questions? How are you supposed to stem the growth of a disbelief if you never answer a question? If you have a whole group of people who don't ask and don't answer and trust to blind faith what do you have? A group of ignorant children living in a box as far as I can see.

You aren't supposed to lie either – but I remember several revised versions of where dinosaurs fit into the picture as far as the creationists go. Shouldn't you be able to keep your story straight? The bible is contradictory enough as it is. After a while of being confronted by people who appear to have no answers to your questions you have to conclude that they are not the place to go to find things out; your suspicions that they may not really know that much at all seem to borne out by the constant falling back on rhetoric that they have learned parrot fashion but which they cannot argue around.

Of course there are your bible scholars and there are people that believe in God who can hold a decent conversation – a reasonable and logical dialogue that doesn't end with you both tearing your hair out. Unfortunately it is not my experience that these people constitute the majority. In fairness I would point out that there are many non-religious people who also cling to ignorant beliefs that are not as reasoned out as they should be.

Am I an atheist? Strange word that. Theism having the same root as theology you would think that atheism would be concerned with a disbelief in religion. I can quite freely admit to disbelieving in a relgion. God? Now that is a different matter – I don't know everything and physics seems to go only so far in explaining how this whole show got on the road. So, am I an agnostic? I actually think that is the most sensible thing to be – for all the negative press they get for being fence sitters, for hedging their bets, their position seems the most tenable. To believe in a religion that struggles to reframe itself every time a new discovery is made about the universe seems to be building your life on shifting sand – even though it has captured the imaginations of so many and seems a pretty tenacious entity, even if actual church attendance is way down now on what it was. To categorically state that there is no god at all out there? It seems an ignorant thing to do – we don't know what lies at the bottom of our oceans, we have only a fairly rudimentary knowledge of how the brain works, how certain things in the body work – and as far as the universe goes and where it came from and where it is going most of that is just guesstimation.

I try to engage certain people in a conversation about their beliefs and they instantly grow hostile as if I am attacking them. I have studied a fair few things to do with their religion so I am not coming at this from an ignorant perspective – I have read The Dead Sea Scrolls, The Talmud, The Torah, various Gnostic scriptures, the writings of religious scholars, and of course various versions of the bible itself. So what am I doing when I try to initiate these conversations? I am trying to do the same thing I did as a child – trying to ask the big questions and find some kind of answer. What is so wrong in that? I am trying to do it from a more informed perspective. I am not poking fun at someone's religion or asking them to stop believing in it – on the contrary I am fascinated by why they do believe; I really want to know how they explain away the inconsistencies to themselves. Do they read these draft versions of scripture and wonder how the word of God can be handed straight to someone and need so much editing? Or do they discount them? Do they revise their idea of what their religion is and what it is built upon in order to shore it up when the rug is pulled out from under them in certain respects. Are they like me? Do they ask questions and want answers and if they feel differently when they get no satisfactory response? I of course understand that this goes on – and I know you, the reader, understand, or should at least suspect, that I put these questions here to outline a thought process.

Why this latest rash of religious contemplation? Well, my stepsons have joined a church and it has brought me back in contact with a social group that I have largely avoided, save funerals and marriages, for a very long time. They ask questions of you, even if mutely, and your lack of involvement in their church seems,if not a problem, then at least a cause for concern. I don't have a problem with the kids going to church – they enjoy it. I don't have a problem with the people in the church. What I have, still, and I wish it wasn't so – is a problem with the idea of churches, the way they use the bible, and all that stuff that is bundled up in a lifetime of questions and processed information. Still, make you think, which is definitely a good thing.

US presidential hopeful Barack Obama has told crowds in Berlin that the US and Europe have drifted apart and it is time for them to come together again.

"If we're honest... we know that sometimes, on both sides of the Atlantic, we have drifted apart and forgotten our shared destiny," he said.

At least 200,000 people heard the Democratic Party candidate make the only public speech of his world tour.

His words were broadcast live in Germany, where he is a popular figure.

The burdens of global citizenship continue to bind us together Barack Obama McCain plays down speech In pictures: Berlin visit

Mr Obama began his speech by paying tribute to the Berliners who held out against Soviet pressure during the blockade in 1948.

Appealing for a renewed partnership with Europe, he identified terrorism, nuclear proliferation, trade barriers and climate change as global challenges.

'Intertwined world'

"While the 20th Century taught us that we share a common
destiny, the 21st has revealed a world more intertwined than at any
time in human history," Mr Obama said.

Thousands turned out for the speech

"In Europe, the view that America is part of what has gone wrong in
our world, rather than a force to help make it right, has become all
too common," he continued.

"In America, there are voices that deride and deny the importance of Europe's role in our security and our future.

"But the burdens of global citizenship continue to bind us together," he added.

He said that partnership and co-operation among nations was "not a choice".

"It is the one way, the only way, to protect our common security and advance our common humanity," he argued.

Full Article at BBC

Read the Green Agenda

I've been really busy lately and haven't had much time to post...but here are last nights notes from our burning questions series.

The question was "Where did we get the Bible, and how do we know it's reliable?"

Also...if you are interested in listening to the audio teaching of this series you can access it here.

Question - "Where did we get the Bible, and is it reliable?"

We will break this into 2 questions...

I. Where did we get the Bible?

A.   OT - Handed down to Christians by the Jews. There is not a lot of manuscript evidence because each time a copy was made the previous copy would be destroyed to preserve the accuracy of the text. The 39 books of the OT were considered to be Scripture for hundreds of years before they were canonized around 70 AD.

B.   NT - The 27 books of the NT were put to a strict test to determine their veracity and authority to be included in the canon of Scripture. Each book had to have both Divine and Apostolic authority to it. In other words it had to be inspired by God and then approved by the apostles. The official canon of the NT was settled in the 4^th century AD.

II. Is the Bible reliable?

God has chosen to speak to mankind in two ways, first through what is called "general revelation" which is His Creation. As the Bible clearly teaches in...

Romans 1:18-20, "The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known by God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God's invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and divine nature, so that they are without excuse..."

And then He has revealed Himself to man through what is called "special or specific revelation" which are miracles, prophecy, Theophanies, but primarily special revelation is found in both the Person of Jesus Christ (The Word became flesh) and The Word of God (The Bible).

When speaking of God revealing Himself to man through His Word it is imperative that we understand that the Bible is completely reliable. For we often hear from skeptics that the Bible has been copied so many times that what we possess today is completely different from the original. And that the Bible is full of historical errors and that it contradicts itself. So in order to squelch these skeptics theories about the Bible we need to apply a threefold test that it used to prove the validity of any writings of antiquity.

A. The biographical test (conformation by historical text)

Since we do not possess the original manuscripts of the Old and New Testament we must test the copies that we do possess to see if they are accurate or if they have been corrupted over time.

1. Manuscript evidence for the NT- In looking at the manuscript evidence the first thing we notice about the Bible is the sheer number of extant (available) manuscripts. There are in existence today over 24,000 whole and partial manuscripts of the NT. Any objective person looking into this issue would see that the NT was the most copied book of the ancient world. In fact the next closest book in terms of numbers of manuscripts is Homer's Iliad, which has only 643 surviving manuscripts.

2. Writings of the early church fathers- Even if we lacked the manuscript evidence the NT would be preserved in the writings of the early church fathers.

..."as I possessed all the existing works of the Fathers of the second and third centuries, I commenced to search, and up to this time I have found the entire New Testament except for eleven verses." Sir David Dalrymple

a. Time gap between original and the copies- We must also take into account the time that transpired between the original writing and the copy. For the longer the time period the greater the propensity for error. The New Testament was composed between the years 40 ad and 100 ad. The earliest known complete manuscript of the New Testament is dated to the 4^th century. So you have a time gap of about 300 years. That seems like a lot until you consider Homers' Iliad has a time gap of 500 years. Caesar's writings have a time gap of 1000 years, and other ancient writings have time gaps of 1300 years plus. So in light of the sheer number of ancient manuscripts and the short amount of time between them, "the accuracy of the New Testament is virtually assured." One scholar has calculated that of the 20,000 lines of the NT only about 40 lines (400 words) are seriously disputed by textual critics. It is also important to realize that the great majority of these disputed portions of the NT consist of trivial differences in spelling or style and not one of them affects a fundamental doctrine of the Christian faith. Here is what one of the leading authorities on NT textual criticism says...

"It cannot be too strongly asserted that in substance the text of the Bible is certain. Especially is this the case with the New Testament. The number of manuscripts of the New Testament, of early translations from it, and of quotations from it in the oldest writers of the Church, is so large that it is practically certain that the true readings of every doubtful passage is preserved in some one or other of these ancient authorities. This can be said of no other ancient book in the world." Fredric Kenyon

B. The Internal Test (a test of consistency)-

Although the bibliographic test can affirm to us that the Bible we are holding today is consistent with the original writings. We must prove that those original writings were reliable. For it doesn't do us any good to have accurate copies of a book that is erroneous.

So that takes us to what is called the internal test. This test evaluates what the Bible says about itself to determine if it is internally consistent. In other words does it contradict itself in any way.

1.   NT authors were reliable. (eyewitnesses to their writings).

They were not writing about things they were removed from or had nothing to do with. These were men who walked and talked with Jesus. And the authors who were not so closely associated with Jesus got their information from those who were. Mark got his information from Peter, Luke from Mary the mother of Jesus.

2. NT authors were sincere.

They were writing to people who could have easily refuted their stories if they were not true.

a.   Each author writes with his own style (no collusion) any apparent contradiction actually points to the validity of the authors because it shows that they didn't just get together and copy each other.

b.   Each of the authors alluded to many historical figures, places, events, dates which can easily be verified and could easily point out their lies if that is indeed what they were doing. Why place yourself in such a historical maze if you are telling a lie.

c.   Each of the apostles, except John, died for their faith; these men who were perfectly sane would not die for a lie.

3. The content of the Scriptures-

Many claim that the Bible is full of errors and contradictions. Is this really the case?  The fact of the matter is that these alleged discrepancies all have logical explanations if the skeptic would truly look at the Bible objectively. And there again none of these issues change the theme or major teachings of the Bible.

C. The External Test-

This test seeks to find outside sources that can substantiate what the particular document teaches or records. In other words is the Bible consistent with history and science and do outside sources confirms the Biblical record? The answer is a resounding YES! Josephus the 1^st century historian completely validates the entire OT and gives reference to many NT events including the crucifixion, and resurrection of Christ, the death of John the Baptist, the rule of Pontius Pilate, James the half-brother of Jesus and much more. Furthermore the Bible has been proven time and again by outside sources such as Archeology, Ancient History, Science, and Fulfilled Prophesy.

When I was in Israel this past March I learned that the Bible is used as a historical text book in Israeli school rooms there again speaking of its validity and accuracy.

Why the Bible?-

Doesn't it seem interesting that no one is attacking the validity of the Iliad or Caesar's writings and yet the Bible is constantly being analyzed and scrutinized? Why is that? Because if the Bible is true then we have to change the way we live and people don't want to do that. So they attack the Bible hoping to find something that will cast a dark cloud over its pages and make it go away for then they will not have to deal with what it says. But the Bible is not going away.

As Peter says in 1 Peter 2:23-25, "having been born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever, because all flesh is as grass and all the glory of man as the flower of the grass. The grass withers the flower fades away, but the Word of the Lord endures forever."

III. The Rich Resource of the Word-

"All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work."

2 Timothy 3:16

*Let us break this scripture down and examine just how rich of a resource the Bible is to us as believers.

* "All Scripture" means just that the entirety of the Bible is inspired.

* "Inspiration of God" the word "inspiration" here is the Gr. word theopneustos and it means God breathed. This simply means that the Bible has its origin in God. The Bible is God's Word to man! The Biblical view of inspiration is that God superintended the human authors of the Bible so that they wrote and recorded without error His message to mankind in the words of their original writings.

We find here in this verse the four-fold benefit of the Word of God-

* "Profitable" this word holds the idea of being a servant, or being helpful and advantageous. And then it goes onto describe what it is helpful in:

* "Doctrine" this means that the Bible should be determining what we believe. Doctrine is teaching and the Bible is our textbook teaching us about God and the Christian life. The buck stops with the Bible. No other resources are needed. God's revelation is complete and we need to simply believe what the Bible says. We must go to the Bible and have it teach us rather than we putting our own preconceived ideas into it.

* "Reproof" This word has to do with the conviction of a sinner. God will use His Word to bring people to Him. Do not give people your opinions stick to the Bible! "Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God." Romans 10:17

* "Correction" This word comes from two Gr. words and it means to "to make straight". Much like a compass which when used properly will keep us going in the right direction so to the Bible will get us back on track in our walk with the Lord. The Bible is our plum line for life. Just like a carpenter cannot cut straight without the proper guides so the Christian cannot live straight without the Spirit who is our Guide illuminating the Bible as we are faithful to read it.

* "Instruction in righteousness" The Bible is our Instructor it trains, disciplines, and equips us "in righteousness".

*And then notice the result, "that the man of God might be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work." This verse could be translated "that the Christian might be fresh completely ready to serve there destined purpose."

Read Hebrews 4:12

Here the writer to the Hebrews is finishing up his second in a series of six warning passages that are found in the book in the book of Hebrews. This second warning is against the failure to enter into God's rest. The writer is exhorting the believers to use the children of Israel who failed to enter the promise land because of their unbelief as an example. They could not enter God's rest due to their doubting hearts. So too the Christian can wander in the desert of the Christian life and fail to enter into God's rest because of unbelief. This stems from a failure to properly appropriate God's Word into your life. And that is what is behind this 12^th verse of Heb. 4.

That abundant victorious restful Christian life comes through God's Word. You see we must recognize the resource that God's Word is for the believer and then we must realize the repercussions that will result from neglecting God's Word.

IV. The Response to the Word of God-

We have seen the reliability of the God's Word and the beneficial resource that God's Word is so know what should our response be in light of that.

1. Dedication- We need to be men/women who are dedicated to God's Word. Read Psalm 1.

David expresses His deep dedication to God's Word in Psalm 19:10, speaking of God's Word he says, "More to be desired are they than gold, Yea, than much fine gold; Sweeter also than the honey and the honeycomb."

And then in Psalm 119, which is 176 verses of proclamation on how much, the author (whom is probably David) loves, needs and depends upon the Bible. Over and over again he declares how God's Word is his passion. In verse 162 David says, "I rejoice at Your Word as one who finds great treasure." In verse 131 he says, "I opened my mouth and panted, For I longed for your commandments." In verse 97 he proclaims, "Oh, how I love Your law! It is my meditation all the day."

Jeremiah 15:16 - Your words were found I did eat them and they became to me the joy and the rejoicing of my heart.

Colossians 3:16 - Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly.

2. Application- It is not enough to just be dedicated to God's Word but we must also apply it into our lives if we want to properly respond to it. God's Word is meant to put on shoes and be walked out in our daily lives. "Blessed are the undefiled who walk in the law of the Lord." (vs.Psalm 119:1) "How can a young man keep his way pure by taking heed according to your Word." (vs. 9) Jesus said, "Blessed are they who hear the word of God and keep it."(Luke 11.28) James declares in his epistle that we need "to be doers of the Word and not hearers only." (James 2:22)

Sacramental Integrity

by Archbishop John Vlazny/Archdiocese of Portland, Oregon

At heart we Catholics are a sacramental people. The whole liturgical life of the church revolves around the Eucharistic sacrifice and the sacraments. These sacraments have both a visible and invisible reality. The visible reality is the way in which they are administered and received. The invisible reality is God's grace, the precious gift of God by which we share in his life and through which he shows us the way to salvation.

Sacraments are not simply holy rituals that people of faith have devised over the centuries. We do have such actions but we refer to them as sacramentals. Holy water, blessings with ashes and veneration of sacred objects fall into this category.

Sacraments are different. Again, the Catechism of the Catholic Church instructs us that "the sacraments are efficacious signs of grace, instituted by Christ and entrusted to the church, by which divine life is dispensed to us." The old Baltimore Catechism definition which many of us learned in our youth was even simpler, "Sacraments are outward signs instituted by Christ to give grace." My generation will never forget that definition. The present generation may not be acquainted with any definition. No wonder there is confusion at times.

Because of this confusion and consequent uncertainty, all-too-often there are sacramental celebrations which lack integrity. In fact, many of them are not even sacraments. But their agents pretend they are and gullible people go along. Good Catholics become frustrated with us pastors who don't speak up and condemn such practices. Most of us aren't very good at condemnation because we know our own failings. But clarification about important matters is very much a part of the responsibility of us pastors. I would like to offer some clarifications.

In recent years the media has informed us about the so-called "ordination of women priests." There are those who proclaim that it's a matter of justice that women be allowed into the priesthood. Jesus was clearly an agent for justice in his time and he did not call women to the apostolic ministry as he did the twelve apostles. Priests share in that apostolic ministry with their bishops.

Certainly a woman can pretend to be a priest. There are also many men who pretend to be priests but who are not ordained validly, let alone legitimately. But because they claim to be priests and are talented and generous, many choose to accept them as priests and participate in their alleged sacramental celebrations. This is a serious blow to the sacramental integrity which is a hallmark of our church.

In recent times marriage as we know it has been challenged to the limit. People presume that civil marriage can be whatever civil society wants it to be in this present age of secularism and relativism. But that is not how marriage has been understood over the centuries both by civil society and by the church.

This matter is all the more significant for us Catholics because in our community marriage is a sacrament, the love of husband for wife mirroring the love of Christ for his spouse, the church. Even if civil society acknowledges same-sex marriage as legitimate, this is impossible for the church. Because we also see this as harmful to family life, we speak out against such civil marriages and we certainly work to preserve the integrity of sacramental marriage.

Recently the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith in Rome had to offer a clarification about Baptism. Because of the concern some folks had about exclusive language, there were actually some church ministers who were baptizing "in the name of the Creator and of the Redeemer and of the Sanctifier." But that is not the form for the sacrament of Baptism. Remember! What is a sacrament? A sign of grace instituted by Christ and entrusted to the church. It is not entrusted to individual Christians. It is entrusted to the whole church under the leadership of its pastors. People who take these matters into their own hands cause problems for others. Sacramental integrity requires that ministers of the sacraments follow the rituals as defined by church authority.

Even the sacrament of Reconciliation has been too often misunderstood. I heard about a Reconciliation service where participants were instructed to go and confess their sins to any adult, priest or lay person. Yes, we can all confess our sins to whomever we wish but only an ordained priest is able to confer sacramental absolution. Confessing sins to a friend or neighbor may be helpful. But it is not a sacrament, not a sign which produces the effect of forgiveness from God through the action of the church.

The Anointing of the Sick is also something which is at times non-sacramental. Because priests are not always available, some folks take it on their own initiative to anoint sick persons as a sign of their prayers for healing. This can be a gracious gesture, one that leads people to a closer union with God at a difficult time. But it is not a sacrament. It is not that sacred sign entrusted to the church through which God confers physical, emotional or spiritual healing.

The celebration of the Eucharist is our central action as a Catholic people. Over the past forty plus years many changes have been introduced into the rituals of the church. Unfortunately, because some things changed, there were people who thought all things were about to change and they themselves would decide what to change. Other Catholics who do not appreciate the Novus Ordo, the new rite proposed by Vatican II, have chosen to participate in schismatic liturgical celebrations presided over by ministers not in union with the local Catholic bishop.

From the earliest days of the church, there has been a principle which defines integral catholicity, "ubi episcopus, ibi ecclesia." In other words, the true church of Christ is one that serves the mission of Christ in union with the local bishop. A bishop is the chief shepherd, the chief catechist and the chief liturgist in the diocese. It is his responsibility to define sacramental integrity. His teachings may be challenged, but when they are clearly in union with those of the Bishop of Rome and the other members of the college of bishops, it is more than likely that the challenger is way off base.

In this local church it is my duty from time to time to insist upon sacramental integrity where abuses may occur. Overall, I am greatly impressed with the liturgical life of this local church. But I am also aware that there are those who think they can do things better and as a result cause great harm to the integrity of our sacramental life. When all is said and done, it is important for all of us to remember what the Catechism of the Catholic Church instructs, namely, that "liturgical services are not private functions but are celebrations of the church." Enough said. I thank God for the good Catholic people among us and those who have gone before us whose good works and holiness are attributed to the power that comes from prayer and especially from the sacraments.

The Catholic Sentinel

Here is a link to a blog post at Corriente Ministries that speaks to the church being relevant. It fits well with my post from yesterday.

"Similarly, when I think of our church here, I see a Bohemian Carnival-like atmosphere that is both disconcerting and wonderful.  Disconcerting to me because I was not used to people who didn't know where they'd sleep each night or who speak their minds at the moment or who can be so generous that they'll give away the only slice of pizza they have.  Wonderful because of their humor and the uniqueness  of their perspectives (like the time Sam prayed, 'God, since you're the Father and I'm your son, how about an allowance?').  On the Lower East Side, not everyone colors in the lines." (emphasis mine, p.7)

"Not everyone colors in the lines."  I think sometimes that is the church's problem - we expect everyone to color the same way we do.  Perhaps we are allowing our preferences and prejudices to hinder our worship of the One who created us.

I was born into and raised in a Southern Baptist home in Broken Arrow, Ok. I attended First Baptist Church Broken Arrow from elementary school just about through graduation. I have so many fond memories of those years of faith formation - Sunday school, choir rehearsal (Bro. Charles!), Wednesday night youth service (Bro. Alex!), GA's, youth camp, VBS, mission trips and so many events and people that helped me grow into the woman of faith that I am today.

Unlike many people my conversion was not a conversion from atheism or apathy to religion, or a crisis of faith that led me on a search for truth. I was not unhappy with  my religious tradition and seeking something better; for me it was a conversion to the fullness of my religious background and understanding. Years of interest in faith and religion, and a continuous yearning for more information about anything and everything to do with my own faith as a Protestant couldn't help but lead me to research Catholicism.

Over the years my sister and I spent countless nights at Barnes & Noble reading and talking and questioning and researching and comparing and...debating. We researched Catholicism on the Internet seeking perspectives from anti-Catholics, Protestants, Catholics, converts, and apologists on both sides...and then we debated more.  Finally, in 2003 we decided to join RCIA at St. Thomas the Apostle parish in Riverside, CA.  RCIA stands for Right of Christian Initiation of Adults - this is the process of becoming a member of

the Catholic church as an adult. The process was amazing; initially we were just Inquirers and the classes taught us the history of the church and allowed a lot of time for questions and answers...believe me, we had plenty! Eventually we were asked if we wanted to continue the process of initiation into the Catholic faith; we did.  After much prayer, learning, and commitment on our part and much support, love, and understanding on the part of the entire parish we were both initiated into the Catholic church at Easter Vigil service April 10, 2004. Morgan was baptised, and we both received the sacraments of Confirmation and First Holy Communion. In addition, my younger brother, Joshua, received his sacraments of initiation at Easter Vigil this year on March 22 after completing RCIA himself at St. Paul the Apostle Chino Hills where we now attend.

I love being Catholic. I love walking into the church and knowing that there is a reason and message behind everything I see down to the color of the tiles behind the lectern. I love the reminder of my baptismal promises in the Holy Water. I love the sense of comfort I feel by crossing myself; like a  physical prayer I can

use anytime I need it. I love the mass - the sense of stillness, solemnity, sanctity, and anticipation. I love the Confiteor where we confess to one another that we are sinners and need each others prayers. I love confirming each week my beliefs through the Nicene Creed. I love hearing the priest weave a perfectly sound message from scriptures I thought had nothing to do with one another. I love taking communion and knowing the Lord is with me. I love the sense of community and knowledge that you are being held to a higher standard - not in how you dress or do your hair, but in how you serve the Lord and his creations. I love the stations of the cross and can't contain my tears as I go through them and understand ever better the sacrifice that was made on my behalf. I love the priests and brothers and nuns that have devoted their lives to God and his people. I love confession - you can never know the weight that is lifted just by hearing someone confirm to you verbally that God has forgiven you until you have experienced this sacrament. I love the history. I love the tradition. I love that there is an answer to all my questions, and that sometimes the answer is "we don't know, but that's okay."

 Being Catholic makes me feel closer to God and closer to the person I long to become through Christ.

USAToday had an article on men in the church here.

As Emily and I prepare to step out to plant a church, the lack of men in church and the need to focus on reaching them to create a spiritual heritage for future generations is a REAL BIG DEAL for me. There's generally not a significant Male Spiritual Heritage in my family.  I know first-hand what the affects of a spiritually luke-warm dad can be like on the spiritual condition of a family.  I want to start a legacy of faith in my family that explodes into the lives of other men and their families.  That's a recipe for true community transformation.

I've been reading and researching a lot of churches doing "manly" things.  I'm not 100% sure how far we're going to go at Transformation Church in Towson . . . but we're definitely not going to be the pansy-breeders that a lot of churches I've gone to over the years have become.

Can't help but remember what a preacher friend called my cohort of seminary students: "Yellow-bellied panty-wasters."  If that's what we're training preachers to be, no wonder the church is in such bad shape!

Read here:

CHRISTIAN ZIONISM: AN OXYMORON

I was born in 1978 to my parents, the first-born child of two. My brother was born 2 ½ years later. My parents were both Christians and were involved in church. My father worked shift work at a mill about 45 minutes away.  My mom worked too, but only when we were asleep or at school. She was around a lot. She was sort of the June Cleaver type, cooking, cleaning and generally involved in our lives.
Most of the memories of my family are of being super involved in church. Our lives were always wrapped around it. They are mostly good memories now.   At one time most of them brought the sting of rejection.  I never felt that I could measure up to what I was supposed to be. Some unattainable and lofty Godliness that I now know is impossible to achieve.  I knew what a mature Christian looked like and I could talk the talk really well. I thought I was one.  I was running frantically trying to look like I had it figured out. At school, I performed too. I was a good student and  a cheerleader.  I made sure everyone knew I was a Christian. I was so judgmental and  hypocritical. Don’t get me wrong, I loved Jesus to the best of my ability (or so I thought)  and I did genuinely want others to know Him.  I just did it out of fear and  did not know what it was like to have  love relationship with the One who created me.  I now know that I did not have the steps in the middle filled in.  What do I mean? Well I did not have a relationship with Christ. I just had empty rituals and jargon. I had the appearance of Godliness but not the power of God. I had a distant, performance-based relationship with Him. I felt that He was constantly disappointed in me. I could never do enough to make Him proud of me…. It took some time to realize this was not the first time I had felt like this.  I had felt like this all my life growing up. I never felt that I could please my parents. I felt that nothing was ever good enough. I had to be the best at everything I did or I was a failure.  I put up a good facade of being a happy, well-adjusted, Christian girl but on the inside, I was miserable. I hated my life and wished I were dead.
I was 11 the first time I thought about suicide.  The thought came to my mind dozens of times a day. Every time I felt angry, hurt or like a failure, I would think about ending my life. I was too afraid of actually killing my self so I began to cut.  I would run razors over my skin until I felt some sort of relief from the emotional pain. Anything to relieve the pressure in my life. I wrote out so many suicide notes that I lost count.  I never told anyone this until later on in life. It was my secret shame, one more area I could not live up to the standard. Who was I to feel this way? I had a good family, I was not the neglected child of divorced parents!!  How could I help others if I could not help myself? I had nothing to give. I was empty and broken.  I tried to bring worth to myself by  performing and looking like I had it all together,  all in the hope that my pain would be healed.  I began thinking that if I got married.  I thought that a husband who loved me unconditionally would heal my pain. I began dating Jon in 1995, The summer before Senior year.  We dated exclusively until we got married in 1998. Within six months of marriage, I began to have suicidal ideas again. I was devastated. I really thought that marriage was going to bring me relief. I came to realize that there was no human who could fill the emptiness in my soul. I had to face the fact that it was not my circumstances that were causing my so much pain. The pain was in me. The problem was me. I joined a seekers group through Living Well Ministries in September 1998.  That small group of women  helped lead me out of the darkness I was living in. I know that God ordained this step in my life and  I am so grateful to my Father in Heaven that He spared my life. Not only did He spare it, He has redeemed it and brought meaning and joy into it. He sent me on a journey to discover why I felt the way I did and taught me how to Love myself and others from the abundance of my heart instead of the emptiness. I now know that Love is a choice. I don’t have to look for love to fill my brokenness, I now love because I know what love is...it has a name and that name is Jesus Christ!
I love my life now. I am even at peace with my past. I am very glad that I lived through the pain I did  because through it I saw the kind of God I serve. Suicide is no longer a thought for me. I am happily married and I love who God created me to be. He has transformed me. I now gladly serve Him because He brought me out of darkness into the light of His love.  I love Him more than anything in this world! I now see a constant thread throughout my life that was Him. He wove together the ugly, dark of my past with the light and beauty of  His love and made a beautiful tapestry!

(Beyond90Seconds.com broke this story at approximately 12:25pm PST on July 24. This page was last updated at 1:47pm PST.)

(July 24) Beyond90Seconds.com has learned that a trial date for the State of New Mexico's criminal case against controversial church leader Wayne Bent has been scheduled to begin Monday, October 20, 2008 at 9am at the Union County Courthouse in Clayton, New Mexico.

The jury trial is scheduled to last five days.

This new information is found in a Criminal Scheduling Order filed in Union County District Court at 10:04am today.

On May 20, a grand jury indicted Bent on four counts: two counts of criminal sexual contact of a minor in the second degree, unclothed. And two counts of contributing to the delinquency of a minor.

The next court event in the Bent case is a pre-trial hearing scheduled for August 19 at 2:30pm at the Union County Courthouse.  Beyond90Seconds.com has learned that this hearing had been scheduled for August 12, but was rescheduled this morning due to a scheduling conflict.

According to the Criminal Scheduling Order, the State has until September 1 to present Bent's attorney with a proposed plea agreement.

Union County Court Deputy Clerk Karen Vieites confirms the jury trial will begin October 20 unless a plea agreement is reached prior to that time.

Criminal Scheduling Order, signed by Judge Gerald E. Baca and delivered this morning to Deputy District Attorney Tomas Benavidez and Wayne Bent's attorney, Sarah Montoya:

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(See all Beyond90Seconds.com Wayne Bent stories)

I wonder why? Are criticisms of Mormonism really so unfounded? Are they really so groundless? While many of them certainly are groundless or deceptive, I do think there are a lot of earnest and legitimate criticisms out there, but I rarely hear a Mormon, when confronted with one of those criticisms, accept it. While I don't necessarily expect to see Mormons granting the truth of negative assessments of their religion (although it would be incredibly refreshing), that's not the only option. The Mormon in the fight could always go the "it's a feature, not a bug" route, and claim that the criticisms about the Church are true, but they are ultimately not negative. I guess, to be fair, I have seen people argue like this, too, and it gets on my nerves as well. So maybe it really isn't a preferable option.

Assuming that some criticisms of Mormonism are legitimate and grounded in fact and/or actual experience, why then do defenders of the faith not own up to them? Why do they habitually deny or claim that they are being misrepresented? Is it simply the case that so many lies and misrepresentations are in fact made about the church that defenders are just in the habit of playing the "nuh-uh" card, so they do it as a reflex? Or is there something unique about Mormonism that makes it so that its members will go to great lengths to avoid conceding that it has any bad points?

I guess it's fair to ask if this is really "unique" or not, and how much it exists when talking about other faiths, but in my experience, most Christian denominations that aren't NRMs are pretty open to internal dissent and criticism from within.

A number of churches are now preaching a message I never heard from the pulpit growing up: God wants you to have sex. Lots of sex. Great sex. All for his glory, of course.

READ: Does God Want You To Have a Better Sex Life?

She says I am the first name she thought of.  Oh dear.  This is waaaaay outside of my comfort zone.  I am a good worker-bee....a grunt, if you will.  But PLEASE don't ask me to plan, or make decisions, or...heaven forbid....pray OUT LOUD! 

I am selfish, and immature, and I'm not at all sure that I would work well in this capacity.  I am comfortable with accounting, and publishing, and that is my current niche in the church.  I keep the books, do the secretarial work, publish the weekly worship folder and study materials.  This is something I CAN do. 

I know she is in a difficult position, and believe me...it will take three "ordinary" women to do what this gal does.  So, on a step of faith, I expressed to her my limitations, my honest feelings about it, and told her that if she still wanted me, I would give it a go (having felt the urging of the Holy Spirit in that direction......or was it just guilt?).  Of course she wanted me.

Help!

Keep in mind that sound denotes health. Titus must teach what goes hand in hand with healthy doctrine. Notice the distinction that Paul is making at this point between healthy doctrine and teaching that is in harmony with it. Paul is not telling Titus to go over and over doctrine with these Cretan Christians, as important as doctrine is. Paul is telling Titus that there is a kind of life  that accompanies doctrine and he is called to teach that.

Spiritual Health in the individual and in the church is assessed by activity (but not busyness, more about that in later articles). Earlier in chapter 1, Paul says that there is kind of person that claims to know God, but by their actions they deny him.

The point is this: healthy teaching calls the church to be tangible expressions of sound doctrine through godly living and good works.

Paul goes on to give instructions to Titus for specific groups in the church. Anytime scripture singles a group out the implication is that there is particular weakness or propensity within that group. When Paul tells fathers not to exasperate their children in Ephesians 6.4, he implies that fathers are especially prone to this kind of thing. So it is in Titus that Paul gives particular instruction to older men, older women, younger women, young men and even slaves. 

It is not enough for the individuals that make up these groups within the church to all agree on a few points of doctrine. They must embody the gospel of Jesus Christ in their homes, neighborhoods, workplaces authentically and practically.

Healthy teaching, conforms to sound doctrine, but its concerns do not end there. That is not to say that it is extra-biblical. It is to say, that while Paul’s instruction for Titus to teach older men to be temperate is not a doctrinal issue it is of immense importance because as Paul says 3 or 4 times, in various ways, in this section, our lives either attract people to the gospel or they distract people from the gospel.

Lauren's fine just so you all know. We are sick, so we walk around with masks on when we are near her. She CAN'T get sick. Not now.

I'm looking forward to tomorrow's post for Photography Friday, I got a few cool shots in the last week or so that I'm looking forward to sharing.

One night while our youth group was about to meet, he ushered in a group of "goth" kids. (sorry I hate to label, but you get the picture) We are talking black trench coats, white make up, smoking outside the doors, the whole deal. This was in a day and time, when most everyone swore they were vampires and freaked out about the "goth" movement.  Most people in our church cringed, people starting whispering, some got upset and so on.  On this night Brian made a very bold point statement to us and our church - "Everyone Belongs." This one moment changed so much in my thinking of Church. 

Well this weekend, 13 years later Brian has made that bold statement again. A few months ago he called the Pastors in the community TOGETHER, different denominations, different styles and of different color to dream about Church's working with each other. This is something that I have wanted to see my whole life, questioned why not, and never actually seen take place. Out of that meeting 10 churches, including ours become part of an organization called "Engage Atlanta". 

This weekend starting on Friday night and ending Sunday night, these churches are coming TOGETHER to paint a new picture of Jesus, Christianity and Church to our community. This moment is taking place in a community where half the churches have literally split at some point or closed doors.  We are gathering to do a complete makeover. We did a house last year (HERE), but this goes to a whole new level.

Paul Richardson our Outreach Pastor - (A GENIUS) is spearheading this. He does not blog - loser :) If you ever have questions this is the guy you need to talk with.  He is phenomenal and the best thinking dude in this area I know. The funny thing is that he was in the youth group with me and remembers the same night. His contact info is 1-800-IAM-AWESOME! - (syke) but you can go to www.westridge.com to contact him :)   

We have around 200 projects with a few THOUSAND people landscaping, painting school hallways, roofing homes, building retaining walls, and even completing an entire sports fields for a local school.  We start on Friday evening, work through Saturday and here is the best part - work through Sunday morning. NO CHURCH SERVICE that morning!  

Why?  The "Church" is not people inside a building, we are the  "Church" wherever we go in the world!  We get to BE the church to our community. That night we will gather at 7:30 in the SAM'S CLUB parking lot - all of the churches TOGETHER, a huge celebration in the heart of our community, celebrating TOGETHER that we serve the One true God.

The picture is going to be amazing!  The body of Christ is made up of unique individuals, its what makes it so beautiful, and for the first time our community gets to see this in action. Lots of churches do things like this and maybe even on a bigger scale.(hard to think of) The greatest part of this weekend is not how much we are doing, it is showing the BODY of Christ come TOGETHER to love on those in the world around us. WHAT COULD BE BETTER!

1 John 4 tells us that "no one has seen God, but if we love each other He is brought into full expression through us..."

Please pray that this is exactly what takes place at our Community Makeover!

• All genders are include
• I think it will be very big.  And a lot of people.  Or the church will be in heaven and the angels would sing with the church. {with picture}
• My granddaughters and their daughters grow up in a world where all women worldwide have peace and equality.
• Acceptance of all people who believe that Jesus is Lord and are saved.
• We will have a Maen’s Caucus, too.
• Have more people come
• Find solutions to global warming – change our destructive habits towards the Earth.
• I will want more loving people to come.
• A church that accepts everyone, without people judging
• Gentle Jesus, meek and mild, look down upon your children so as to be strengthened to do greater exploits for the Kingdom!
• To learn to accept and appreciate everyone within the church and not judge
• I dream that we will all be able to SEE the STARS through clean air.
• An openness to one another in love / A stronger witness for peace / A deeper commitment to following Jesus, surrender to the Holy Spirit, and deeper praise of God
• Growth and expansion in unity under God
• Everyone is welcome
• Women in all areas of leadership…. women preaching, teaching, singing, serving…. equal justice.

What are your dreams for the next 300 years of the Church?  Post them as comments here!

The reason I bring this up is that it goes right in line with what I have been thinking about, blogging about and praying about. I believe God is doing some positive things in our denomination and state and this is just one of them. Nathan and I have had conversations along these lines that we would like to see these type things offered at LLBC. I can see us offerering these type classes or studies as an ongoing part of our equipping classes. I know Sonny Schofield is in favor of this and supports this direction.

So pray for us as we seek the Lords direction and timing on this issue.

I read three different devotional books in my quiet time and today 2 of them dealt with being patient and letting God work things out for us.  Ouch.  That stepped on my toes.  While I believe that God wants you to make decisions with his counsel and prayer and move on decisions that you make, I'm learning that there are times when it's best to just be still and wait on the Lord, allowing him to open some doors when they all seem locked.

This is hard to do.  When I'm confronted with decisions I want to be active, doing research, checking options, doing SOMETHING.  My devotions today, however, have convinced me that there are times when we just need to trust God, knowing that he knows our needs and will work to meet them in his best way.  Jesus told us not to worry about tomorrow, yet this is a command that most of us routinely disobey.

God help me to learn to be patient and trust that you have it all in control!