Foolishness and What May Come

Thanks Reverendfun.com for reminding us of this fact. 

Jesus says in the book of Matthew, chapter 7, verse 24 – 27:

 24 “Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. 25 Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won’t collapse because it is built on bedrock. 26 But anyone who hears my teaching and doesn’t obey it is foolish, like a person who builds a house on sand. 27 When the rains and floods come and the winds beat against that house, it will collapse with a mighty crash.”

Whoa!  These are very powerful and down right offensive words.

How foolish we are sometimes, eh?

Livin’ Out Loud,

Al

The Stranger it can get on the road to Emmaus

We started reading this book at Fellowship this past week, and my Life Group started our discussion last night.  I was at band practice until 6:20pm, group starts at 6:30, and I had to bring the guys home.

Soooooooo…I was late to Life Group.  I know, big surprise!  Eh Billy?

Well a few things came up in the discussion of the book, but let me start here.

“The Stanger on the Road to Emmaus” is a study tool, a book that presents the reader with the central theme of the Bible, mankind’s need for a Savior, and walks the reader through the entire Bible to show how God unfolded His plan throughout history, and gave us His Word/Holy Scriptures as a tool to find Salvation.  It’s seems like it will be a pretty amazing book.

Now, on to the discussion our group had…

The author mentioned that someone may call into question his objectivity in teaching the Bible, since he believes that all Scripture is 100% completely true.  So, someone had brought up the idea that no one could actually be 100% objective on any subject, since we all have a “World View.”   And someone, at some point within this discussion, stated that we need to define what we mean by truth.

Now, I grew up in this Church , under the teaching, direction and mentoring of a man of God that many would classify as a Pastor who is doctrinally Fundamental.  I went to this College that most would view as pretty conservative and doctrinally “Fundametal.”  So, I have a background and training that is pretty doctrinally conservative and fundamental, and my view of truth is kind of simple and straight forward.

I believe truth is truth when it is true regardless of time, location, my personal belief/s, point in history, or what someone else says or thinks about it.  So for me, if we have to define truth that would be it. 

I agree with the person that said no one can be truly objective since we all has bias, which is due to our world view.   I also believe that God is who He says He is, and that absolute truth is found in the Bible, and that apart from the Bible we cannot fully know God.

I wasn’t there for the discussion, as I said earlier that I came in late, but Erica and I had an awesome discussion about this whole thing.  We had an awesome time asking some tough questions of one another, and finding some doctrinal hills we just wouldn’t die on.

I leave you with 2 questions:

1.   What biasis do you approoach the Bible with?  Why?

2.  Do you believe the Bible is 100% completely accurate? Why?

Livin’ Out Loud

I’m Encouraged

So, I’m not sure why I want to apologize each time I haven;t written for a while, but I’ve decided not to do it this time.  Hey, it’s my Blog and I’ll write if I want to…Or something like that.

So, I’ve been encouraged lately by what’s going at my church.  Fellowship Church is one of the most relevant places a person could ever be.  It is filled with some of the most real, honest, and loving people I’ve had the privilege of being with.  I assume it’s the way so many people have been going out of their way to ensure that people’s needs are met.  It could be that people have been bulding real, authentic community in our Life Groups.  It could be that new people are coming weekly, our online worship experience has been growing, and that people are staying.

It’s all of this.   I am so excited to be a part of a group of Christ followers that get what Jesus is talking about when He said to “love one another like He has loved us.”  Not only do they understand it, but they are living it.  From driving a terminally ill friend from worcester to Boston and back; on more than one occassion, to watching that same man’s two little boys so his wife can be with him, and not feel the strain of watching children.  People at FC have been showing the love of our great God in so many ways, and it encourages me.

I am so blessed to serve the people at FC, and they will probably never know how much they have ministered to me and my family.  The NorthEast is going to get turned upside down.

Livin’ Out Loud,

Al

Why you Little…Doh!

I was reading Dizzy Ninja’s Blog today and was facinated by something he posted here last month. 

Is it an insult to refer to someone as a nonchristian now?

Republican Elizabeth Dole attempts to tie Democrat Kay Hagan to a group called Godless Americans PAC.  The ad in question was rife with misleading clips and attempts to imply that Kay Hagan was, herself, one of those evil, horrible, morally depraved ‘godless’ folk.  Kay Hagan’s response?  “How dare you insult me by implying that I’m not a Christian! I am too!”

He went on to discuss how Barack Obama had a similar thing happen.  Many people assumed, and many others bought into that assumption, that because his father was Muslim and his mother was an Atheist, Mr. Obama couldn’t possibly be a Christian.  I;m glad that the President elect fought the urge to lash out.  It would ahve made him look really foolish, and been extremely divisive if he portrayed the same sentiment that Kay Hagan had.

I would only be offended in that I work hard at living a life that I reflects what I believe.  What I believe are Biblical, Christian princicples, and I want the people that see me each day to think somewhere in their mind that I reflect the character of Jesus Christ.

So, I don’t think I would be offended as much as I would be frustrated with myself for not fully living what I claim to believe.  Which then resulted in people thinkning I was not a Christian.

What a great question Mr. Dizzy poses.  Should a person be offended if they are labeled a non-Christian?

His questions are much better put this way:

So I ask again: is it an insult to be thought of as outside of the majority? Is it wrong to be black, hispanic or asian? Is it a shameful thing to be a Muslim or a Hindu or a Buddhist? Should one be embarrassed of one’s Atheism?

Thanks for the thoughts Dizzy Ninja.

Please share your thoughts on this.

Livin’ Out Loud,

Al

How does God feel about homosexuality?

This was a question posed by my friend Jeff, and he asked me to weigh in on it.  This is just a short reply. I’ll have some more to share soon.

Whoa…Where to begin my friend. This response will have to be in multiple posts. I will post them here, but also on my site. https://aldancyspeaks.wordpress.com.

It will be multiple, because I am leaving work shortly and don’t have much time to write this.

Is it wrong that there is a ‘legitimate’ “end to the experiences you and I feel?” Should something be legitimizeed because someone feels bad about what they are doing? Why is it wrong to call something wrong/sin. we ahve no problem calling something like pedophilia wrong/sin, or alcohol/drug abuse wrong/sin. Then why would it be wrong to call homosexuality wrong/sin?

Ok, I want to touch on the Gay marriage thing. I’m looking at this from 2 points.

1. Marriage is a moral/religious instituition that the government has no business being involved in. The government should be in the business of making law that governs our society. I don’t see marriage as a civil liberty, because I view it as a religious right. A person has the right to be called “married” under the confinds of religious authority or religious whatever…I don’t believe it should be the government’s right or responsibility to put a stamp of approval on matters that are religious. Call it a civil union, with all the same rights that married couples have, but do not call it marriage. I believe that it should be a civil union for unreligious anyones.

That is not discriminatory, it is separation of Church and State. Isn’t that what so many people scream about, and fight to maintain?

2. What we call “marriage” is religiously between 1 man and 1 woman, and should be maintained in the confines of religious establishments. If we are in the context of the Bible, and going by the example that was established from the beginning and continued throughout human history, then is there really any credible argument against that. Can we argue then that any religious definition or example is or has been anything but 1 man with 1 woman.

I think in many cases it is validation that people want. The homosexual community wants the rest of America to validate who they are and what they do. Please tell me if I am wrong on this. Homosexuals want to feel as if they are “normal” human beings that are just as ok as a straight person.

If “marriage,” referring to the thing that everyone is fighting over currently, is defined as a union between people that love each other and want to be committed to one another, then why stop at it being 1 man and 1 woman or 1 man and 1 man etc. Why not make it 2 women and a penguin, or 1 man, 1 woman, a child, and their dog?

That’s my first rant. I have some really good responses to some of your points that I’ll write soon.