Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Tuesday, October 09, 2007
Sniffing out Counterfeits
The American Banking Association has a training program that [illustrates a great way to protect against counterfeits]. Each year it sends hundreds of bank tellers to Washington in order to teach them to detect counterfeit money,… It is most interesting that during the entire two-week training program, no teller touches counterfeit money. Only the original passes through his hands. The reason for this is that the American Banking Association is convinced that if a man is thoroughly familiar with the original, he will not be deceived by the counterfeit bill, no matter how much like the original it appears. It is the contention of this writer that if the average Christian would become familiar once again with the great foundations of his faith, he would be able to detect those counterfeit elements so apparent in the cult systems, which set themselves apart from biblical Christianity… Close familiarity with the genuine is the best protection against the counterfeit” (p.23).
Dr. Walter Martin, The Kingdom of the Cults
Dr. Walter Martin, The Kingdom of the Cults
Friday, August 17, 2007
Friday, April 13, 2007
Part 1
I have always gone to church since I was a baby. It is a part of who I am.
This sounds so cliché' but it is true. I grew up in a church and had a church family. I cannot remember not knowing who Jesus was...and yet I am still a sinner...I still need Jesus.
Growing up a churcheon (a person who goes to church for the sake of going to church :oP ) was fun. I mean...we went on Sundays and holidays and for youth group with Care-Away Street (A Christian Sesame Street complete with puppets), and Church you camp & family camp (the most fun ever as a kid), and then Sunday school...it was all really quite fun. What was weird though, was that at some point as a young kid (maybe 9 or 10) I stopped wanting to go to Sunday school and Care-Away Street and wanted sit in the sanctuary with my parents...not to really be with my parents per say, but to listen to what Pastor Booher was talking about. I can remember the bible stories so clearly. I remember Pastor Booher telling us about Jesus and his disciples and how we were all sinners. For some reason I understood. I mean I already knew...It was like I already knew what he was saying; he was just filling in more details than I had heard in Sunday school. It wasn't a real big church, and pretty much everyone knew each other...but every Sunday at the end of the sermon, Pastor Booher would ask if anyone wanted to come forward and accept Christ as their Savior (which in my mind I determined meant that I was no longer a sinner...but a follower of Christ...and he had forgiven me for my sins...and I wouldn't go to hell). Pretty big thoughts I guess for a ten year old...but to me it was common sense.
Every Sunday for a month I would think about this and say to myself...I already believe. I was scared to go in front of the congregation...for a 10 year old...scary stuff. I kept feeling God move me...urging me to go forward...but I couldn't move my feet or open my mouth. So there I would sit with my parents on either side just staring at Pastor Booher. Pastor Booher reminded me of my Grandpa King...really nice and laid back...and definitely a Godly man. It was almost like God himself would talk to me through whatever Pastor Booher was preaching. I wasn't scared of him...I was scared of all the people who would be looking at me if I decided to go up. I kept my thoughts to myself...never told anyone the mental battle that was going on...until one Sunday...
My parents both worked with Care-Away Street...so sometimes one would be there during church and I would sit with the one who wasn't...or sit with my grandparents. This particular Sunday I was just sitting with mom. This time when Pastor Booher asked if anyone would like to make a public acknowledgement of Christ as Lord and Savior...I looked at my mom and said:
"Can I go up there?"
My mom looked at me in shock...started tearing up and said, "absolutely."
I walked forward and saw the look of amazement in my Pastor's eyes. He just smiled and I will never forget what he said. He told the congregation he was surprised and excited that such a young person was ready to accept Christ. He smiled and prayed for me...and I looked up afterward and saw my father in the back of the sanctuary looking through the glass crying and smiling. Later he would tell me that God told him to go look in on the service. How awesome is that! That is probably one of the best father-son moments of my life.
Later I met with an older Christian in the church and discussed faith and what my commitment meant to God and me. I knew what I believed and he was convinced so a month later I was baptized. My life hadn't changed miraculously, I still believed what I had pretty much always believed that Jesus Christ was God, Lord, and Savior. He had shed his blood for my sins and anyone else who would accept him and let him rule as Lord in their life was saved. I was saved through Christ not for what I did. Though there was no miraculous change in my daily life, my public acceptance did bring about refinement in my life in which God would use my teens and young adult life to reveal to me....
This sounds so cliché' but it is true. I grew up in a church and had a church family. I cannot remember not knowing who Jesus was...and yet I am still a sinner...I still need Jesus.
Growing up a churcheon (a person who goes to church for the sake of going to church :oP ) was fun. I mean...we went on Sundays and holidays and for youth group with Care-Away Street (A Christian Sesame Street complete with puppets), and Church you camp & family camp (the most fun ever as a kid), and then Sunday school...it was all really quite fun. What was weird though, was that at some point as a young kid (maybe 9 or 10) I stopped wanting to go to Sunday school and Care-Away Street and wanted sit in the sanctuary with my parents...not to really be with my parents per say, but to listen to what Pastor Booher was talking about. I can remember the bible stories so clearly. I remember Pastor Booher telling us about Jesus and his disciples and how we were all sinners. For some reason I understood. I mean I already knew...It was like I already knew what he was saying; he was just filling in more details than I had heard in Sunday school. It wasn't a real big church, and pretty much everyone knew each other...but every Sunday at the end of the sermon, Pastor Booher would ask if anyone wanted to come forward and accept Christ as their Savior (which in my mind I determined meant that I was no longer a sinner...but a follower of Christ...and he had forgiven me for my sins...and I wouldn't go to hell). Pretty big thoughts I guess for a ten year old...but to me it was common sense.
Every Sunday for a month I would think about this and say to myself...I already believe. I was scared to go in front of the congregation...for a 10 year old...scary stuff. I kept feeling God move me...urging me to go forward...but I couldn't move my feet or open my mouth. So there I would sit with my parents on either side just staring at Pastor Booher. Pastor Booher reminded me of my Grandpa King...really nice and laid back...and definitely a Godly man. It was almost like God himself would talk to me through whatever Pastor Booher was preaching. I wasn't scared of him...I was scared of all the people who would be looking at me if I decided to go up. I kept my thoughts to myself...never told anyone the mental battle that was going on...until one Sunday...
My parents both worked with Care-Away Street...so sometimes one would be there during church and I would sit with the one who wasn't...or sit with my grandparents. This particular Sunday I was just sitting with mom. This time when Pastor Booher asked if anyone would like to make a public acknowledgement of Christ as Lord and Savior...I looked at my mom and said:
"Can I go up there?"
My mom looked at me in shock...started tearing up and said, "absolutely."
I walked forward and saw the look of amazement in my Pastor's eyes. He just smiled and I will never forget what he said. He told the congregation he was surprised and excited that such a young person was ready to accept Christ. He smiled and prayed for me...and I looked up afterward and saw my father in the back of the sanctuary looking through the glass crying and smiling. Later he would tell me that God told him to go look in on the service. How awesome is that! That is probably one of the best father-son moments of my life.
Later I met with an older Christian in the church and discussed faith and what my commitment meant to God and me. I knew what I believed and he was convinced so a month later I was baptized. My life hadn't changed miraculously, I still believed what I had pretty much always believed that Jesus Christ was God, Lord, and Savior. He had shed his blood for my sins and anyone else who would accept him and let him rule as Lord in their life was saved. I was saved through Christ not for what I did. Though there was no miraculous change in my daily life, my public acceptance did bring about refinement in my life in which God would use my teens and young adult life to reveal to me....
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
Thoughts?
“I believe that God made a bad decision and a good decision at the same time; bad by killing people [in Noah’s flood] and good by fixing his mistake by giving us his son.”
How do you feel about this statement made during a local church service?
"Thoughts" was Barrowed from HMB.
How do you feel about this statement made during a local church service?
"Thoughts" was Barrowed from HMB.
Wednesday, February 07, 2007
Wednesday, January 31, 2007
Lenses
What lenses do you see the world with? I am taking a discipleship class at Riverview and heard a story about a friend of mine who is only about 12 years old and autistic sees things differently. He sees things that most of us don't. His father told me a story and it just crushed my spirit down a bit...made me tear up...and wonder if his disability is really a disability.
A couple of weeks ago, my little friend was standing in line for lunch and watching the snow fall outside. I imagine him starring with a smirk and turning around in line as he pondered the snow. The girl behind him thought that he is gave her a dirty look. A confrontation ensued and some of his friends tried to step in to help the situation. The girl was so angry and mad that she decked poor Sam right in the ear. Sam is such an innocent nice kid...he didn't know what to do...he just fell to the ground. By this time his ear must have been ringing, and finally an adult took care of the situation and the little girl got in trouble.
Later that evening, his dad had a conversation with Sam. It was all his dad could do not to be so furious, that he wanted to take out the other kids parents for raising such a "jerk of a kid". As he is talked to Sam and tried to keep himself from being overcome with anger and hatred toward the other kid and her family....Sam said something so profound and honest...and that is Sam...honest as they come...it totally shocked his father.
"Dad, that girl much really being going through a lot and having a hard time...I mean she must really being having a really tough day to be so angry to hit someone."
His dad was speechless...Sam could see the girls pain even though he was the one who got pummelled. He was seeing her through a different set of lenses. He was looking at her the way Jesus looks at all of us...with love and compassion. Sam was loving his neighbor as himself...and his neighbor was in essence his enemy. Maybe we are the one's with a disability. Most of reaction would have acted similar to his dad or we would've fought back. Sam loved the girl enough to perceive her pain. God has giving Sam an ability that most of us struggle to achieve on a daily basis.
Have you ever wondered if any of God's promises are conditional? I learned something in the discipleship class. Take this one for example from John 13:35 "By this all men will know you are my disciples, if you love one another." Did you catch the condition? All men will only know you are disciples of Christ...IF...you love one another! It is conditional...but also a guarantee. Hmmm...have you ever noticed that? Are we loving our neighbor the right way? Do they know we are a Christian? OR...Are we living ignoring how we act and looking at life through our own lens instead of through the lens of Christ? Another good question....who is our neighbor then? Ever wondered that? Well so did the Jews of old...they even asked Jesus about it! Do some reading....look up Luke 10:25-39...the parable of the good Samaritan. Jesus tells us who our neighbors are....anyone with a need...even if they are our enemy. Sam figured this out...and he is only 12. Look for my thoughts on this parable soon. I have some interested things to say about it...which I learned from Sam's dad.
A couple of weeks ago, my little friend was standing in line for lunch and watching the snow fall outside. I imagine him starring with a smirk and turning around in line as he pondered the snow. The girl behind him thought that he is gave her a dirty look. A confrontation ensued and some of his friends tried to step in to help the situation. The girl was so angry and mad that she decked poor Sam right in the ear. Sam is such an innocent nice kid...he didn't know what to do...he just fell to the ground. By this time his ear must have been ringing, and finally an adult took care of the situation and the little girl got in trouble.
Later that evening, his dad had a conversation with Sam. It was all his dad could do not to be so furious, that he wanted to take out the other kids parents for raising such a "jerk of a kid". As he is talked to Sam and tried to keep himself from being overcome with anger and hatred toward the other kid and her family....Sam said something so profound and honest...and that is Sam...honest as they come...it totally shocked his father.
"Dad, that girl much really being going through a lot and having a hard time...I mean she must really being having a really tough day to be so angry to hit someone."
His dad was speechless...Sam could see the girls pain even though he was the one who got pummelled. He was seeing her through a different set of lenses. He was looking at her the way Jesus looks at all of us...with love and compassion. Sam was loving his neighbor as himself...and his neighbor was in essence his enemy. Maybe we are the one's with a disability. Most of reaction would have acted similar to his dad or we would've fought back. Sam loved the girl enough to perceive her pain. God has giving Sam an ability that most of us struggle to achieve on a daily basis.
Have you ever wondered if any of God's promises are conditional? I learned something in the discipleship class. Take this one for example from John 13:35 "By this all men will know you are my disciples, if you love one another." Did you catch the condition? All men will only know you are disciples of Christ...IF...you love one another! It is conditional...but also a guarantee. Hmmm...have you ever noticed that? Are we loving our neighbor the right way? Do they know we are a Christian? OR...Are we living ignoring how we act and looking at life through our own lens instead of through the lens of Christ? Another good question....who is our neighbor then? Ever wondered that? Well so did the Jews of old...they even asked Jesus about it! Do some reading....look up Luke 10:25-39...the parable of the good Samaritan. Jesus tells us who our neighbors are....anyone with a need...even if they are our enemy. Sam figured this out...and he is only 12. Look for my thoughts on this parable soon. I have some interested things to say about it...which I learned from Sam's dad.
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