Postmodern Renaissance Culture Revolutionary

A few weeks back I preached on the subject of “the unforgiveable sin”. Part of that sermon dealt with the question I received from a member of the congregation about suicide. I have heard in a number of places that suicide is an unforgiveable sin. After making a comment about suicide I stated that I would preach a series of sermons on the subject. I knew that the series would be soon but this became an immediate need in my opinion. I received so many responses to the comments I made about suicide in a sermon that I had to respond quickly. I have never had as many deep conversations in response to a sermon as I had after mentioning suicide. I believe that this has something do to with the history of suicides or attempted suicides in our community. In the two years that I have been here, I have heard of or known of more suicides or attempts than anywhere else in my ministry. Part of that has to do with being a part of emergency response. And I am not saying that it is more than anywhere ...

This is making the rounds on the news services and blogs ( this was from KOCO TV 5, OKC ) I had to remove the post due to copyright restrictions. But you can read it here . If you want to start a hot debate on a subject, open up the spanking vs. non-spanking conversation. It will get heated in a hurry. So if you want to jump on this and start something up, here is food for thought. I was spanked as a child and abused as a child. There was a very clear difference. Spanking resulted from wrongdoing on my part. Abuse resulted from loss of control on my father's part. I'm saying that without any judgment or condemnation. It is the past and I am well beyond that. But I make the point to say that there is a difference between the two. The spankings that I remember (and there were few) carried with them a deterrence factor. A spanking was something to be avoided, thus whatever resulted in a spanking was to be avoided. Abuse comes out of nowhere. It is completely at the whim of the per...

Mind if I rant a little. Actually I left off writing so long ago there probably isn't anyone checking on anything new. So I can rant if I want to. Here it goes. I'm listening to a radio preacher talk about the sin and the 10 commandments. And eventually he gets around to talking about Jesus Christ being our salvation. Then he throws out the phrase that Jesus died to offer a relationship, not a religion. There is absolutely nothing wrong with the letter of that statement. But the spirit is all wrong. The implication when I hear statements to that effect (and it has really been a rallying cry the last 10 years or so) is that religion is a less meaningful connection that we have to Christ. Relationship is the better connection that we have with the living Christ. And I suppose that works. But the implication is that the old covenant was a religion, not a relationship. That the code of conduct was the means and the end. The relationship was just doing what God said. And that is whe...

Growing up, athletics was not my cup of tea. I'm just not athletically inclined. I stink at almost anything sportsy. Except volleyball. My 2 inch vertical leap is amazing. Part of me wonders why I wasn't given the athletic gene. But that part is relatively small. I really don't have a passion about athletics. But Nick loves sports. Basketball is his favorite. And he got to play on a team this year. Right now he is running track. He gets excited about playing on the teams. The deal is that he got my genetic (lack of) ability when it comes to athletics. Except swimming. He is a natural in the water. That is a sport in which he would excel. But his lack of natural ability in other sports does not slow him down. (Pun intended) He gets out on the court and chases that ball with joy. He runs and jumps with a love for the activity. And even if he isn't the first place (today he coined the phrase "first to last" to define his position in his heat), I still love to see...

Yes, I abandoned blogging for a while. A long while. I didn't even post sermons. Is that bad? So something has to be extremely important to bring me back, yes? No. Life is about the in's and out's of things we do. And I'm not embarrassed by leaving off of writing. But you never know what will happen this week. (And I'm trying to keep the blog from drying up and blowing away.)

Psalm 8   Unidentified means we don't know What does the Bible have to do with flying saucers, little green men, and aliens? Unidentified flying object is a technical term that has been parodied Are there U.F.O.'s in the Bible? Yes 2 Kings 2:11 – Elijah's final ride Ezekiel 1:15-21 – Ezekiel's wheels Exodus 13:21-22 – pillars There are also creatures that cannot be explained Ezekiel 1:5-10 – creatures of four faces Revelation 4:6-8 – four creatures around the throne Isaiah 6:1-6 – Seraphim Genesis 6:4 – Nephilim (Numbers 13:33; 1 Samuel 17:4) Job 40:15-18 – Behemoth Job 41:1ff – Leviathan Does this mean that UFO's and aliens are real?   Faith and God This sermon series has never tried to divide along real or not It has been the issue of responding to the subject For believers in UFO's it is real for them and they have to be dealt with as with any religious believer Some people see no inconsistency between believing in God and UFOs It isn't completely inconsi...

Deuteronomy 18:9-14   No way, no how Lately there is a revival of an artform that was very popular from the late 1800's to mid 1900's Spiritualists and mediums flourished in the Victorian period Many people believed in the spirit world and sought to make contact The rise of spiritualists and mediums eventually turned in the age of science Science began to "prove" many of these individuals as fakes and con-artists The increased interest in this artform now is due to the willingness of many to believe in the paranormal But this practice of communicating with the dead goes all the way back to pre-biblical times Shaman and magi would claim ability to communicate with spirit world That is where the OT picks up the story The Hebrew children/Israelites were surrounded by cultures that practiced this Egyptians had a very strong belief in the spirit world The Chaldeans were known for their spirit world beliefs The Hebrew children were exposed to this on a daily basis Deuterono...

Ezekiel 37:1-6   How does the Bible deal with ghosts OT – no use of the word "ghost" as rendered in Hebrew 1 Samuel 28:3,11-19 – Saul has Samuel conjured from the dead and has a conversation (eloihim) NT – 2 separate occasions "ghost" is mentioned Jesus walking on the water is considered a ghost (phantasm) (Mt14:26; Mk 6:49) Luke 24:37,39 – Jesus appears and refers to a pneuma not having flesh and blood What are ghosts? Most people define ghosts as the spirit or soul or essence of a person how most times is dead Mark 12:30 – love the Lord with all your heart, soul, mind, strength Matt 10:30 – the body that can be destroyed but not the soul Gen 35:18 – soul departs at death There is an understanding from OT and NT that soul is the breath of life Gen 2:7 – the breath given to man Life is not just physical being Thought and feeling are experienced separate of physical Spirit and soul are not "felt" but it is part of us When physical life ends we believe that ...

Angels and Demons the real story   OT use of angels Hebrew word/s used – malak (messenger) – used in a general sense of a messenger or envoy sent from a person of authority to others; used most frequently of beings sent from God with a message to humans Described as Ex 3:2 – in midst of blazing fire Nu 22:22 – with a drawn sword (1 Chr 21:27) Jdg 6:21 – with a staff; fire from the staff; disappeared Judg 13:18 – name is "wonderful" Ps 103:20-21 – mighty in strength; obedient; serve God's will Other notable uses Angel of the Lord/God – a being sent by God for a protective purpose   OT use of demons Hebrew word/s used – sair (hairy goat; goat demon; Lev 17:7) – used to refer to goat spirit that people sacrificed to shed (shade; Dt 32:17; Ps 106:37) - used to refer to the spirits behind the idols that people chose to sacrifice to other than to Yahweh Described as: with exception of hairy goat demon, no description Other notable uses Evil spirit – Jud 9:23; 1 Sam 16:14-23; ...

I'm still here. Pondering great mysteries. Wondering about my sons become young men. Trying to love my wife more fully. Preaching the Gospel and living it to the best of my ability. But I just haven't been filled with inspiration to put anything to 1's and 0's. So today, boys and girls, I thought I would vent a little frustration at my vacation. I'm going to Disney World. Yeah, I didn't think anyone would be surprised. We are planning on a December trip. Lisa and the boys have never seen the park in full Disney Christmas holiday finest (I got to see some of it solo a couple of years back). We were tempted and didn't resist. One of the nice things about going early in December is that there are smaller crowds. And smaller crowds mean a little slower pace to enjoy things. Except I now find out that the Walt Disney World Christmas Day Parade is being filmed the same weekend we are going to be there. Have you ever seen the Parade on t.v.? Bunches of people linin...

I love comic books. I've been reading them as long as….well as long as I've been reading. I remember some of my earliest comic books were when I was in the second or third grade. And superhero comics are a big part of my collection. Yes, I collect comic books also. Spider-man has always been one of my heroes. And the Avengers were my favorite superhero team. But there is only one comic book series that I have collected almost every copy of and the accompanying toys (yes, I collect dolls….erm, action figures). When G.I. Joe hit the shelves in the early '80's, I grabbed the first copy. I still have it. Nope, it's not worth anything, so don't come looking for it. It is ripped and stained and frayed on the edges. It has no monetary value. But its condition should tell you where its value lies. I read and read that book over and over. This was not the story of G.I. Joe, the soldiers of World War 2. This was not the story of G.I. Joe, the toy soldier and adventurer ...

Yesterday morning I was out on the back porch, drinking my coffee and enjoying E. Stanley Jones. For those who are not familiar, E. Stanley Jones was a Methodist preacher and evangelist in the middle part of the 20 th Century. He was also what may be considered a prolific devotional writer. I am currently collecting and reading through his writings. Most of ESJ's writings were devotional books that were structured to be read completely through (and could be done in one sitting…if you were only reading in a shallow manner), read thematically (he broke the writings into themed sections and not chapters), or daily (each page gives a daily reference). As a frame of reference, think about the Upper Room devotional or Our Daily Bread. Only chewier. What I mean by chewier is that ESJ wrote some real serious thinking and introspective material. He was writing for life change, not just simple devotion. He wasn't trying to give people a brief "time with God" kind of moment. He...