Have you ever had one of those “WHAT” moments? This was one for me.

Can this “minister” actually be saying this?

"Even as a minister I am careful what I presume Jesus would do if he were alive today, but one thing I know from the Bible is that Jesus was not against women having a choice in continuing a pregnancy," he continued.
"Jesus was for peace on earth, justice on earth, compassion on earth, mercy on earth, and choice on earth," Bigelow added.
http://www.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2002/12/4/70006.shtml

Another good reason for the RCA to sever ties with the UCC!!!

It pains me when stuff like this comes from the east coast it gives the rest of the country the wrong view. THERE ARE CONSERVATIVES ON THE EAST COAST

A Learning Experience

This week in ministry was a learning experience. Because of my limited time spent in the calling of working with youth I'm still processing this unique vocation. I learned that all of my good intentions can change. A good number of the events I have planned for the youth group have had to be changed for circumstances both in my control and outside of my control.

A word of advice that I can give to those that are interested in the calling of youth ministry is to be on the ball. Be sure to get things together and try your hardest to keep all the balls in the air at one time. Some times its difficult, juggling six, seven, and sometimes thirteen balls at one time seems impossible. But you must realize that if you divide the work to two, three or thirteen (if you have the numbers) jugglers there is less the chance that balls get dropped.

I have to stand up and say to people that look to me to lead and apologize that I have dropped some of the balls and realize that I am a man with only two arms and limited coordination to keep the balls in the air.

A Blog is Born

The youth ministry of Faith Reformed Church has a new informational blog.

http://faithreformedyouth.blogspot.com/

Check it out

Is it bad?

Is it bad when the Democratic National Committee chairman needs to be rebuffed by his own organization?
If the head of a snake is going in the wrong direction the body will follow.

Howard Dean, the Democratic National Committee chairman who was the hero of his party's anti-war wing before his gaffe-prone 2004 presidential candidacy crashed and burned in Iowa, still doesn't think the Iraqis are better off with dictator Saddam Hussein out of power and in prison. Appearing on CBS' "Face the Nation" yesterday, the fiery former Vermont governor said, "It looks like today, and this could change, as of today it looks like women will be worse off in Iraq than they were when Saddam Hussein was president of Iraq." Mr. Dean was the guy who said right after Saddam was found hiding in a "spider hole" that his capture by U.S. troops "has not made America safer," a statement ridiculed and condemned by most of his Democratic rivals at the time. In a brief statement yesterday, the Republican National Committee said, "Dean's wild assertion that Iraqi women would be better off living under Saddam Hussein than democracy is not only counterproductive to meaningful debate, it demeans the hard work of American servicemen and women serving in Iraq."

Proof

From Drudge

Biblical Pool of Siloam Is Uncovered in JerusalemTue Aug 09 2005 00:09:33 ETWorkers repairing a sewage pipe in the old city of Jerusalem have discovered the biblical Pool of Siloam, a freshwater reservoir that was a major gathering place for ancient Jews making religious pilgrimages to the city and the reputed site where Jesus cured a man blind from birth, the LOS ANGELES TIMES reports. The pool was fed by the now famous Hezekiah's Tunnel and is ``a much grander affair'' than archeologists previously believed, with three tiers of stone stairs allowing easy access to the water, according to Hershel Shanks, editor of Biblical Archeology Review, which reported the find Monday. ``Scholars have said that there wasn't a Pool of Siloam and that John was using a religious conceit'' to illustrate a point, said New Testament scholar James H. Charlesworth of the Princeton Theological Seminary. ``Now we have found the Pool of Siloam ... exactly where John said it was.'' A gospel that was thought to be ``pure theology is now shown to be grounded in history,'' he said. The discovery puts a new spotlight on what is called the pilgrimage to Jerusalem, a trip that religious law required ancient Jews to make at least once a year, said archeologist Ronny Reich of the University of Haifa, who excavated the pool. ``Jesus was just another pilgrim coming to Jerusalem,'' he said. ``It would be natural to find him there.'' The newly discovered pool is less than 200 yards from another Pool of Siloam, this one a reconstruction built between A.D. 400 and 460 by the empress Eudocia of Byzantium, who oversaw the rebuilding of several Biblical sites.


I guess those who say the Bible is not literal fact need to rethink

Christ is the model of masculinity

To begin we must have a foundation of what the meaning of the word masculine is. Random House says that masculine is “Having qualities, as vigor, strength, etc., characteristics of men.” Breaking things down further vigor and strength can be defined as “Healthy physical or mental might.” Now let’s examine the life of Christ.

First we must start with the daily occupation of Jesus. He was born to a family of carpenters and he took the role his family set for him. “Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, “ (Mark 6:3) I find this craftsman role is truly masculine. More then likely during the time of Christ the name carpenter was someone that equates to our modern stone mason. With a lack of trees and vegetation stone was the primary building material and if you have ever talked, or even got out and did some masonry work, it becomes rather clear that a fit and strong body is developed in building with brick and mortar.

Secondly a man, a true man, is mentally strong. The best model that Christ offers to us is torment and torture that was endured in the crucifixion. Showing the world that he was courageous (defined as “The ability to face difficulty or danger with firmness and with out fear) he took his cross and took all the pain and anguish of all of humanity, I wince and hobble if is stub my toe on my coffee table. Christ knew, through his divinity, his purpose for coming to earth. He knew that he was to suffer and die on the cross for all of humanity, but faced it with strength, without running and hiding.

Thirdly Christ stepped out and was a leader a truly masculine trait. It was a risk to buck the authority. The Roma Empire was the largest of its time and controlled m majority of Europe, Asia Minor, and the Northern Coast of Africa. It took someone that was willing to risk it all to set forth a movement that was to change the world, but again that was another reason Christ came to earth. It was also a risk to challenge the Jewish authority of the time. If your church and denomination were to do something that was against scripture would you be able to stand against the “Ruling Class?”

Fourthly Christ was protective. The scene was the temple and Christ saw the money changers doing business in the temple. “So he made a whip out of cords, and drove all form the temple area, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. To those who sold doves he said, “Get those out of here! How dare you turn my Father’s house into a market!” (John 2:15,16) If the temple was his Fathers house it was his house as well. He was protecting the purity and virtue of the worship home, truly a masculine trite protecting the family.

Well I have gone on, I have more, but I will save that for another post.

Hello Hebrew and Greek

Today I downloaded a free program that offers 50 some different translations of the Bible. I down loaded 20 of them onto my computer and a few things struck me. The first is they did not offer the New International Version, that is minor compared to my other qualms. I took my life’s theme verse Colossians 3:23 “Whatever you do, work with all your heart, as working for the Lord not for men.” (NIV) Taking that verse some of the New Modern translations take that verse and change it totally. The biggest difference is with the final word of the verse “men.” Have we become such a touchy, sensitive society that we can’t distinguish that men means all of humanity. Is it such a matter to stumble over that we need to change truth to make it more politically correct? The Bible was inspired by God to human authors who are we to change it. Which is why I titled this “Hello Hebrew and Greek.” I am going to make an effort to study Hebrew and Greek so that I can read the bible in the way that God intended it and not changed by the politically correct “select.” And those of you who know me and have read my past posts I have a hard enough time with the English language to be taking on two more classical languages. If this offends you … tough, talk with God and tell him that you changed his words to fit your worldview.

What goes around comes around

Can someone help me with this? The lovely and civil Helen Thomas was exposed by one of her comrades and she is again complaining. Is she taken aback that a journalist printed something that she assumed was a private conversation. How many times in her long, and I mean long, career has she printed or reported something that was “private” or “off the record.” I say what is good for the goose is good for the gander.