...for anyone to think that our "justice" system really is one. it is more accurately a battleground where battles are fought. not all the battles are fair. some are armed with sticks and slingshots...while others are armed with missles and tanks and seemingly endless resources.
I think we are in a downward spiral where justice is going to be less and less the fruit of our justice system.
Ours is not the first society to experience this. it won't be the last either.
I need to go back and revisit history. do hard economic times generally elicit more...or less freedom...more or less abuse by the government of its citizenry?
Monday, October 27, 2008
Thursday, October 23, 2008
ministry projects i am considering
considering
starting a bible study in my home with some young families laura and i know. starting to look around to see if there are a few couples in this area who would like to do something.
starting a college ministry effort, initially, just getting together informally with some of the college men i know on local campuses, and then maybe something more organized. starting to look around to see if there are a few men in this area who would like to do something.
starting a businessmen's bible study again. have done these a hundred times. starting to look around to see if there are a few men in this area who would like to do something.
considering a church plant. there may be an opportunity. floating the idea to see if it will develop.
starting a bible study in my home with some young families laura and i know. starting to look around to see if there are a few couples in this area who would like to do something.
starting a college ministry effort, initially, just getting together informally with some of the college men i know on local campuses, and then maybe something more organized. starting to look around to see if there are a few men in this area who would like to do something.
starting a businessmen's bible study again. have done these a hundred times. starting to look around to see if there are a few men in this area who would like to do something.
considering a church plant. there may be an opportunity. floating the idea to see if it will develop.
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
on being "called" to a particular ministry
Had a brief email exchange with a friend about being "called". hit the link on the title and it will take you to the blog post. or, you can click thru down here:
http://heartofwichita.blogspot.com/2008/10/on-being-called-to-particular-ministry.html
http://heartofwichita.blogspot.com/2008/10/on-being-called-to-particular-ministry.html
"Calling"
Gotta write something here about how people use the terminology "Called". think there is much abuse here. Will have to come back to it later.
were the crusaders "called" to go try to build the Kingdom of Christ by earthly force?
if someone says they are called, and is trying to get you to fund their calling, that makes me immediately skeptical.
were the crusaders "called" to go try to build the Kingdom of Christ by earthly force?
if someone says they are called, and is trying to get you to fund their calling, that makes me immediately skeptical.
Monday, October 20, 2008
Dallas Theological Seminary Chapel podcast on Parents' rights in education
This is a podcast from Dallas Seminary. Starts out talking about the "shema" in Deut. 6.
http://www.dts.edu/media/chapel/
Discusses parental rights to influence their kids.
If you're a parent, or a teacher, or have a pulse, you really need to listen to this. Parental rights are being eroded.
http://www.dts.edu/media/chapel/
Discusses parental rights to influence their kids.
If you're a parent, or a teacher, or have a pulse, you really need to listen to this. Parental rights are being eroded.
update on the boys
Josh is a freshman at my alma mater...Biola University. Lives in the same room I did when I was there back in the day. wierd.
Seth is going to go to Cambodia this spring to teach English and lay the groundwork for ministry there.
Landon is so happy that the Rays are in the World Series. :)
Seth is going to go to Cambodia this spring to teach English and lay the groundwork for ministry there.
Landon is so happy that the Rays are in the World Series. :)
how to be a fool in three easy steps
First, don't ever spend time with anyone who is older than yourself. Hang around only with your peers.
Second, make certain that you are constantly pumping godless ideologies into your head via every electronic mechanism possible...waking or sleeping.
Third, don't ever crack your Bible open. (Especially don't read Psalm 1, or the book of Proverbs.)
Second, make certain that you are constantly pumping godless ideologies into your head via every electronic mechanism possible...waking or sleeping.
Third, don't ever crack your Bible open. (Especially don't read Psalm 1, or the book of Proverbs.)
Sunday, October 19, 2008
not as those who have no hope
Just thinking some more about Doyle, and our dear friend Jenny.
"But we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve as do the rest who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus. For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of god, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, ..." (1 Thess. 4:13-17)
...and what a day that will be.
"But we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve as do the rest who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus. For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of god, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, ..." (1 Thess. 4:13-17)
...and what a day that will be.
Saturday, October 18, 2008
sucked into the blogosphere
Hello, My name is Scott...and I'm a blogger.
I've been sucked into the blogosphere.
Is there a twelve step program for this?
I've been sucked into the blogosphere.
Is there a twelve step program for this?
inspired to eccentricity
Went to the funeral of a godly man today, an old cowboy/oilman type with an Irish heritage, a talent for clever witicisms, and a beautiful daughter with a wonderful family (our friends).
The old guys with the interesting lives...the deep scars...the quirks in their personalities...those are the guys I'm drawn to...not the bland, vanilla, never seen a battle kind of guys, but the one's who actually dodged bullets in fox holes, saw hard times, and fought a few fights, and persevered to the end with the Lord. Those are the guys I want to see. Those are the guys I want to spend my time with. That's the kind of guy I want to be when I'm 80. (got a sinkin' feelin' I'm well on my way to eccentricity.)
That old man was remembered well today, and was well-loved.
Now he's kickin' back at the table with the rest of the guys in Hebrews 11.
The old guys with the interesting lives...the deep scars...the quirks in their personalities...those are the guys I'm drawn to...not the bland, vanilla, never seen a battle kind of guys, but the one's who actually dodged bullets in fox holes, saw hard times, and fought a few fights, and persevered to the end with the Lord. Those are the guys I want to see. Those are the guys I want to spend my time with. That's the kind of guy I want to be when I'm 80. (got a sinkin' feelin' I'm well on my way to eccentricity.)
That old man was remembered well today, and was well-loved.
Now he's kickin' back at the table with the rest of the guys in Hebrews 11.
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
what kind of "missional" are you, dude?
Just re-connecting with some well-loved classmates back from the Biola days. One guy's profile on a networking site uses the term "missional". Gotta be careful with that one nowadays. The term has been co-opted by those who think that truth is in flux...evolving...that everything in relative and nothing is knowable.
What kind of "Missional" are you, dude?
Are you "Mars Hill" missional?
Or are you "Brian McLaren" missional (YIKES)?
For the record. I'm a man on a mission. I believe God has revealed His absolute TRUTH to us in HIS WORD, that the Truth is objectively knowable, and that your mission, if you choose to except it, is to tell everyone around you about Him to the praise of His glorious grace.
What kind of "Missional" are you, dude?
Are you "Mars Hill" missional?
Or are you "Brian McLaren" missional (YIKES)?
For the record. I'm a man on a mission. I believe God has revealed His absolute TRUTH to us in HIS WORD, that the Truth is objectively knowable, and that your mission, if you choose to except it, is to tell everyone around you about Him to the praise of His glorious grace.
doctrine divides
Every once in a while, I hear someone say, "I don't think we should be talking about doctrine. Doctrine divides."
To which I say:
You're darn skippy doctrine divides. It divides Truth from Error, Light from Darkness, Good from Evil, and Salvation from Eternal Punishment.
I'm not out to make an enemy. Like Paul says, "As much as possible, be at peace with all men." But when you fail to tell someone the Truth, you're leaving them in error, and the consequences of that can be eternal torment. You're not doing him or her any favors, and you're not earning any credit in the Kingdom either..."Well, Lord, I didn't want to offend anyone, so I just talked about the things that made them feel better, or smoothed over conflict".
The Lord has something to say about that in His Word: "If you see people who are going to the slaughter and you don't rescue them, their blood is on your head."
That's not something I want to hear as an assessment of my life on earth. How about you?
To which I say:
You're darn skippy doctrine divides. It divides Truth from Error, Light from Darkness, Good from Evil, and Salvation from Eternal Punishment.
I'm not out to make an enemy. Like Paul says, "As much as possible, be at peace with all men." But when you fail to tell someone the Truth, you're leaving them in error, and the consequences of that can be eternal torment. You're not doing him or her any favors, and you're not earning any credit in the Kingdom either..."Well, Lord, I didn't want to offend anyone, so I just talked about the things that made them feel better, or smoothed over conflict".
The Lord has something to say about that in His Word: "If you see people who are going to the slaughter and you don't rescue them, their blood is on your head."
That's not something I want to hear as an assessment of my life on earth. How about you?
"The Fad of the Land"
Remember that Newsboys song, "The Fad of the Land"?
Why is it that every couple of years or so, the "christian" community gets so hyped up about some latest book, and then when i go read it, i find all this weak or messed up doctrine, or sometimes outright heresy?
As an aside, here, I sure get sick of all the coffee mugs and coffee table books and pens and desktop trinkets and the way the christian publishing marketing juggernaut just peddles these things ("...peddling the Word of God..."?) to a culture easily distracted by shiny objects...hungry for gimmicky, sound-bitey, shiny little trinkety stuff in stead of studying the Word.
I'm not a "throw the baby out with the bathwater" kind of guy. I occasionally read a book, knowing full well that it is coming from a skewed perspective. I've learned a thing or two from a pagan, or an immature believer occasionally, or from a Mormon (did I say that out loud?) (was remembering "Seven Habits" yesterday in a conversation with a friend.), or from some other lost person. I sometimes read or listen to something that I know is flat-out godless, because I want to engage the culture
I've been trying to teach my boys...sometimes I feel with limited success...to be discerning about the music they listen to, for example. Measure what you are hearing against the revealed Truth in Scripture, and then make some determinations...is it right? is it wrong? is it benign (not much is)? is it deceptive? is it going to make me more like Christ? is a "weaker brother's" sensibility going to be troubled by it? "Whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, think on these things..."
Why are we so undiscerning? Because we don't know what's in the Word. We'd rather have our ears tickled, or in laziness, be entertained with dancers and videos and thumping music and a pastor guy working way to hard to be "with it" trying to appeal to the culture. ( I love thumping music by the way, in the proper context.)
I think sometimes people are just sucked in by whatever emotional need, or hot button they might have, and then because they lack a solid Biblical foundation in their thinking, they miss the obvious departures from Biblical Truth.
I don't think we give people enough credit, on the other hand. I had a pastor say to me that basically they preach to the lowest common denominator (or what they think is the lowest common denominator). In other words, they think people can't grasp it if you just get the Word out and open it up for them. I disagree.
I have an idea. Like Ezra, let's just get our Bibles out and roll up our sleeves and really set our hearts on studying the Word, and doing what it says, and teaching others about it.
Remember that Pepsi commercial?: "WAKE UP PEOPLE!!!"
Why is it that every couple of years or so, the "christian" community gets so hyped up about some latest book, and then when i go read it, i find all this weak or messed up doctrine, or sometimes outright heresy?
As an aside, here, I sure get sick of all the coffee mugs and coffee table books and pens and desktop trinkets and the way the christian publishing marketing juggernaut just peddles these things ("...peddling the Word of God..."?) to a culture easily distracted by shiny objects...hungry for gimmicky, sound-bitey, shiny little trinkety stuff in stead of studying the Word.
I'm not a "throw the baby out with the bathwater" kind of guy. I occasionally read a book, knowing full well that it is coming from a skewed perspective. I've learned a thing or two from a pagan, or an immature believer occasionally, or from a Mormon (did I say that out loud?) (was remembering "Seven Habits" yesterday in a conversation with a friend.), or from some other lost person. I sometimes read or listen to something that I know is flat-out godless, because I want to engage the culture
I've been trying to teach my boys...sometimes I feel with limited success...to be discerning about the music they listen to, for example. Measure what you are hearing against the revealed Truth in Scripture, and then make some determinations...is it right? is it wrong? is it benign (not much is)? is it deceptive? is it going to make me more like Christ? is a "weaker brother's" sensibility going to be troubled by it? "Whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, think on these things..."
Why are we so undiscerning? Because we don't know what's in the Word. We'd rather have our ears tickled, or in laziness, be entertained with dancers and videos and thumping music and a pastor guy working way to hard to be "with it" trying to appeal to the culture. ( I love thumping music by the way, in the proper context.)
I think sometimes people are just sucked in by whatever emotional need, or hot button they might have, and then because they lack a solid Biblical foundation in their thinking, they miss the obvious departures from Biblical Truth.
I don't think we give people enough credit, on the other hand. I had a pastor say to me that basically they preach to the lowest common denominator (or what they think is the lowest common denominator). In other words, they think people can't grasp it if you just get the Word out and open it up for them. I disagree.
I have an idea. Like Ezra, let's just get our Bibles out and roll up our sleeves and really set our hearts on studying the Word, and doing what it says, and teaching others about it.
Remember that Pepsi commercial?: "WAKE UP PEOPLE!!!"
it's personal
just setting this up so it will be here cuz I can. might want to use it for something serious someday.
peace to all who enter here.
check out the blog where we're floating the idea of a downtown church plant in a historical old stone church: http://heartofWichita.blogspot.com
peace to all who enter here.
check out the blog where we're floating the idea of a downtown church plant in a historical old stone church: http://heartofWichita.blogspot.com
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