I Told You It Was Cold!!

Ok, I've had enough - and so has this snake! An eight-foot boa -- frozen solid -- was found Monday morning, Jan. 29, near the Great Miami River bike path in Middletown (Ohio) by McGraw-Kokosing Inc. employees. Now THAT'S cold!

Fervent Love

It's been a while since I've posted anything related to the name of this blog. It comes from one of my favorite passages of scripture - 1 Peter 1:22.

1:22 Since you have in obedience to the truth purified your souls for a sincere love of the brethren, fervently love one another from the heart, 1:23 for you have been born again not of seed which is perishable but imperishable, that is, through the living and enduring word of God. 1:24 For, "ALL FLESH IS LIKE GRASS, AND ALL ITS GLORY LIKE THE FLOWER OF GRASS. THE GRASS WITHERS, AND THE FLOWER FALLS OFF, 1:25 BUT THE WORD OF THE LORD ENDURES FOREVER." And this is the word which was preached to you.

As I have spent a few minutes studying this over the past few days, I've learned some things that are pretty cool. Any time you see the word “since” in the Bible, you need to automatically check to see if you might be dealing with the result of some previous action. In this case, he clearly states the cause. Let me strip away all the modifying clauses and phrases and get to the basic structure of the sentence. Peter says, “…you have…purified your souls…for you have been born again…through the …word of God.” Sometimes in English it helps to say it in the opposite direction in order to clarify what is really being said, “You have been born again through the word of God, [THEREFORE] your obedience to [that] truth has purified your souls…”

So, coming to Jesus cleanses us. But it doesn't just cleanse us so we can be clean and pure. The cleansing is for a purpose beyond our own need. Peter says that believers have purified your souls for a sincere love of the brethren. The point of the purification is to create a pathway for love. You have been obedient to the truth – that obedience has purified your souls so that you can have sincere love for the brethren – so that you can love each other from the heart.

Too many Christians think they came to Christ - they got born again - just to avoid going to hell. But here we find that one of the major purposes of that born again experience is so that we can learn how to love. More later.

It's Official!

WINTER IS OVER!! I have declared it - I have claimed it - I have named it - I have prophesied it - I am done with winter!!!! I just spent an hour shoveling the last of the ice and snow that has covered my drive way for more than 2 weeks now!!!! THAT'S TWO WEEKS!!! (okay - no snippy remarks from those of you who live in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, or Buffalo, New York. I know I'm a wimp but let me wallow in this a minute.) Today the sun is shining - the temperature is above 50 degrees Fahrenheit (about 13 Celsius or 285 Kelvin [if anyone cares]). I can just feel it in my bones that winter is ov... hold on. I just checked the forecast for tomorrow - high of 32; Sunday - high of 30. Oh well - never mind!

Fear and Trepidation

It is with great fear and trepidation that I am venturing into the world of politics - not to create a stir - but primarily to ask for information. I recently received the following information in my mail box and I am wondering if there is any veracity to it. Let me know what you know to be the facts.

Probable U.S. Presidential candidate, Barack Hussein Obama was born in Honolulu, Hawaii, to Barack Hussein Obama, Sr., a black Muslim from Nyangoma-Kogel, Kenya and Ann Dunham, a white atheist from Wichita, Kansas. Obama's parents met at the University of Hawaii. When Obama was 2 years old, his parents divorced. His father returned to Kenya. His mother then married Lolo Soetoro, a radical Muslim from Indonesia. When Obama was 6 years old, the family relocated to Indonesia. Obama attended a Muslim school in Jakarta. He also spent two years in a Catholic school.

Obama takes great care to conceal the fact that he is a Muslim. He is quick to point out that, He was once a Muslim, but that he also attended Catholic school. Obama's political handlers are attempting to make it appear that Obama's introduction to Islam came via his father, and that this influence was temporary at best. In reality, the senior Obama returned to Kenya soon after the divorce, and never again had any direct influence over his son's education. Lolo Soetoro, the second husband of Obama's mother, Ann Dunham, introduced his stepson to Islam. Obama was enrolled in a Wahabi school in Jakarta. Wahabism is the radical teaching that is followed by the Muslim terrorists who are now waging Jihad against the western world.

Since it is politically expedient to be a Christian when seeking major public office in the United States, Barack Hussein Obama has joined the United Church of Christ in an attempt to downplay his Muslim background.

Does anyone know anything about this?

True Texans

My daughter, Marisa, received an email recently with the following information:

You Know You're a Texan When...
*You can properly pronounce Corsicana, Ennis, Waxahachie, Palestine, Decatur, Wichita Falls, San Antonio, Waco, and Amarillo.
*A tornado warning siren is your signal to go out in the yard and look for a funnel.
*You've ever had to switch from "heat" to "A/C" in the same day.
*You know that the true value of a parking space is not determined by the distance to the door, but by the availability of shade.
*You think everyone from a bigger city has an accent.
*You measure distance in minutes.
*Little Smokies are something you serve only for special occasions.
*You listen to the weather forecast before picking out an outfit.
*You know cow pies are not made of beef.
*Someone you know has used a football schedule to plan their wedding date.
*You have known someone who has had one belt buckle bigger than your fist.
*You can't pass a dairy queen without getting a Blizzard
*You aren't surprised to find movie rental, ammunition, and bait all in the same store.
*A Mercedes Benz is not a status symbol. A Ford f350 4x4 is.
*You know everything goes better with Ranch Dressing.
*You go to the river/lake because you think it is like going to the ocean.
*You go to the gas station and there is a sign in the window that reads, "No Shoes, No Shirt, No Service!"
*Your family pet is the stray dog with one leg missing, that came limping up to your door.
*You say "Up-their" when you are referring to a place "Over there".
* You say "y'all" as if it was normal.
*You get made fun of for the way you talk.
*People always ask you if you own a horse and ride it to school.
*You get asked if you say "howdy"
*The weather can be sunny one day...rainy another and snowy the next.
*You actually get these jokes and are "fixin' " to send them to your friends.

*****Finally you are 100% Texan if you have ever heard this conversation:
"You wanna coke?"

"Yeah."

"What kind?"

"Dr. Pepper."

AMEN!!!

And So It Begins

Well, tonight marks the night that a huge part of America looks forward to each spring - the American Idol season has begun. For those that have never seen American Idol, you just won't understand what I'm talking about. For those of you who are hooked (and I confess that I have been led astray by my eldest daughter, Marisa), you will know exactly what this is all about. This season started in Minneapolis, Minnesota. 10,000 - that's right TEN THOUSAND people gathered for the first round of auditions. Of that 10,000 only 17 made it through to Hollywood. That is o.017%!! Less that 2 one hundredths of one percent made it through to the second round of this All-American competition. The remarkable thing is that the other 99.9% actually think they will make it! The other 99.9% actually think they are really good! The other 99.9% have no clue that they are REALLY bad - no I mean it -- REALLY BAD! Here's the point I want to make - the whole world - every human on the planet is that group that thinks they are really good when in fact they (WE) are really bad when it comes to our standing with God. Humans want to believe that they can somehow be good enough for God -- humans want to believe that their religious practices are making them acceptable to God. Humans look at their efforts and say, "God I am trying so hard to make You pass me on to the next level - You just have to somehow reward my efforts. After all, I'm not really that bad!" And yet, our efforts really stink. Our singing is off key. Our dancing is without rhythm. Our attempts to be special are weak and broken. On our best day, we humans are nothing more than a heaving heap of broken dreams and promises. The Buddhists fail. The Hindus fail. The Jews fail. The Muslims fail. The Christians fail. The atheists fail. The humanists fail. The new agers fail. The spiritists fail. We all fail to be what we think we are being. In the words of Simon (the notorious bad guy judge), "That was absolutely atrocious!" But the good news is this - Jesus "rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins." (Colossians 1:13-14) And "When you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions, having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross." (Colossians 2:13-14) Even though no one can measure up to the standard set by God - even though we try to convince ourselves that we are really better than we are - when we give everything over to Jesus and trust the work He did for us on the cross - suddenly we are carried into a whole new realm of existence - suddenly we do measure up - but it has nothing to do with us or what we can do - and it has everything to do with Jesus and what He has already done. I'll keep watching American Idol. And every time I watch, I'll be reminded that even my best efforts look like the people who are really REALLY awful compared to God's perfect standard. That's when I will be even more thankful for the free gift God has given me through the cross of Christ.

A New Semester

I love the first day of school - I always have. There is just an excitement in the air. Today, there are also snowflakes in the air, but that's another story. I'm looking forward to this term, especially, because I get to teach something entirely new. I'll be teaching "The Writings of Peter." I have a month to finish preparation. The modular system we currently use at the Forerunner School of Ministry means that students can focus all their attention on one subject for 4 weeks straight. It also means that teachers can focus all their attention on the subject at hand for just a few weeks. It also means that there is little or no time for preparation during the teaching phase - you have to have all your material together on the first day of class. The next month will be a definite scramble for me to get ready. But that's part of the excitement! I'm looking forward to it. Perhaps I'll get to share some of what I teach (and learn) with you! I know you must be all a-flutter at the very thought of that. I better quit while I'm ahead.

A Cold Afternoon

It's Friday, January 12 (of course you already knew that) and it's just plain cold here in Kansas City. Freezing drizzle. Sleet. A bit of wind. I ventured into the prayer room at the International House of Prayer today for a few minutes - dummy me, I forgot my little reading glasses, so I couldn't read anything. But guess what - that's OK! I just enjoyed the worship and the warm peace of God's goodness. Didn't stay long, though - the weather was getting worse and so Debbie and I headed home after about an hour and a half. On the way there were fire trucks and police cars with lights flashing on both sides of the road - taking care of cars and drivers that had spun and crashed on the ice. One car was upside down. After a trip that took twice as long as usual to make, Debbie and I grabbed a bowl of soup (home made of course), and then headed for Wal-Mart before the weather deteriorated further. Back home again, I am now sitting in my office, reading blogs, sipping some kind of tea that I cannot identify. There was not one word of English on the box - not even one English looking letter - nothing but some kind of Asian symbols. Even though I can't identify it, it is warm and I'm certain that it is good for me. It kind of tastes like - ummmm - uh - ah - well - it kind of tastes like - uh - well, maybe like the hay bales we used to play on when I would visit a friend's farm - or perhaps like the alfalfa that another friend used to feed his sheep. And the odd thing is - I kinda like it. Oh well, so much for taste. I may just be gearing up for a long cold icy snowy weekend.

So Maybe I Don't Get It

I've run into it from time to time, and usually I just nod my head indicating that I understand, but what I'm really saying is, "I don't get it and I don't really want to get it." What am I talking about? I'm talking about something that makes absolutely no sense to me and seems to be contrived and really stretching the Word of God - this whole thing about biblical numerology or biblical numerics. This is the magical, mystical, hocus-pocus, completely arbitrary practice of assigning spiritual meaning to certain numbers. For example, someone said to me a while back, "I went to the store the other day and the cashier gave me back 37 cents in change. Then not long after that, I got a new cell phone number and the last 4 digits were 3737. And I'm so excited!" I must have looked confused, you know the "I-don't-have-a-clue-what-you-are-talking-about" look. Surely someone other than me has had that look before! Anyway, I must have had it because this person followed up with, "I'm excited because YOU KNOW that 37 in the Bible stands for wealth. And the fact that I've just gotten three 37's means that the wealth that is coming to me is a sure thing!"

I didn't respond - I couldn't respond - I was completely dumbfounded - I just grinned and walked away. How do people come up with this stuff? Who is putting this stuff out? Am I completely out of touch with what the Bible teaches? Is this really biblical? Or has this kind of thing just crept into the teaching of the Word of Truth and has become part of the tradition (like three wise men - the Bible doesn't teach there were 3 wise men - but our Christmas tradition says there were three, so we just automatically believe there were three - sorry, I got off on a rant) that we assume is biblical. I've looked at some of the web sites that talk about "gematria" and "numerology" and every one of them is a weird combination of beliefs - a kind of syncretism of Christian teaching with astrology and new age spiritism and who knows what else. So maybe I don't get it, but I feel better now having gotten it off my chest.

A Prayer for the New Year

I know 2007 is almost 10 days old now, but it isn't too late to offer this prayer for the new year. It's a prayer that some have attributed to John Wesley - though I don't think anyone has ever traced it directly to him. Most Wesleyan theologians now simply call it a covenant prayer in the Wesleyan tradition. Whatever it's called and whoever first prayed it are not really important. But the content of the prayer cuts right to the heart. I pray it often - though not often enough. It is definitely a prayer that should be prayed as a New Year's resolution annually.

I am no longer my own, but Yours.
Put me to what You will;
Rank me with whom You will.
Put me to doing, put me to suffering.
Let me be employed by You or laid aside for You,
Exalted for You or brought low by You.
Let me be full, let me be empty.
Let me have all things, let me have nothing.
I freely and heartily yield all things to Your pleasure and disposal.
And now, O glorious and blessed God,
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,
You are mine, and I am Yours. So be it.
And the covenant that I have made on earth let it be confirmed in heaven.

Amen.

May you find this prayer flowing from your heart often in 2007.

It's Cold and Flu Season

It's cold and flue season. How do I know? I used almost an entire box of tissue yesterday - sat in the recliner feeling sorry for myself - wore three shirts, was covered by a blanket and was still freezing - felt like I was swallowing thumbtacks - resisting coughing because it really hurts. Need I go on? Probably not. The crummy thing about it is that I wash my hands like some kind of neurotic germophobe - I cough or sneeze into the bend of my elbow instead of my hand - I take vitamin C - I do lots of good things that ought to make me invincible! Yeah, right! So for all you folks out there in bloggerland - take care of yourselves and just maybe you will avoid the tiny little bugs that are feasting on my flesh right now.

Darfur

At the encouragement of Shawn Blanc, I am venturing into the arena of the controversial - Genocide in Darfur. Granted, my understanding of the whole issue is child-like, but I am appalled by the reports I do hear, see, and read. One article I read said that Christians in a "Christian Chat Room" (somehow that seems almost like an oxymoron), when asked to discuss the issue, completely dismissed the topic saying that charity begins at home and wondering why Christians in America should care what is happening half way around the world. I'm not surprised - American Christians are among the most biblically illiterate and therefore self-centered in the world.

My heart is broken when I see the faces of the children caught in this horror. I think of my own children and grand children. How would I respond were these things happening to my family? Well guess what! It is happening to my family - my brothers and sisters in Christ are among the main targets of the extremist Muslim militias. My brothers and sisters in Christ are being starved, beaten, raped, tortured and murdered. So why am I not more broken? Why am I not moved to tears? Why am I not moving heaven through prayer on behalf of my family in Darfur? It's time for the Body of Christ in the developed countries of the world to be shaken by the atrocities and mobilize themselves in whatever ways possible - especially in prayer!

Significant Information

I found it - the significant information you needed in order to make it through the remainder of the day. Did you know that every square inch of human skin contains 20 feet of blood vessels? I don't know if that is based on actual measurement, or extrapolation from some other set of data, but I thought you'd like to know about it. For this and other important facts, check out 20 little known facts about the human body.

Now that I have your attention (I'm certain that I do), let me direct your attention to another little tidbit of information. Did you know that 75% of all people leaving a church service can not identify what the pastor has just talked about in his/her sermon? Did you also know that 50% of the pastors who had just preached the sermon could not name the point of the sermons they had just preached! Hence, the oft repeated scenario:



"Hey, did you hear Preacher A this morning?"


"No, what did he/she say?"


"I don't know, but it was good! You ought to get the recording."



If Preacher A had done what he/she was supposed to do, most hearers could at least communicate the basic outline or most important point of the message. Some of the problem is lazy listeners - but most of the problem is lazy preachers. Let me encourage any aspiring preachers to make sure you know what point you want to make (preferably your point will be the same as the Bible writer was making) before you stand to proclaim the Truth.

Welcome Back, Tom!

Yes, I am welcoming myself back - back to the world of blogging. It seems that eons have passed since I last ventured to share a few thoughts. Since last we met, I have visited my son, daughter-in-law, and grandchildren in South Carolina; and celebrated Christmas with them. I have also celebrated Christmas again with my daughter, son-in-law, and granddaughter from Wisconsin. Of course both celebrations included my wife and #1 daughter. I must say, without any bias or prejudice whatsoever, that I have a great family! Three children - 2 "children-in-law" - 4 grandchildren - and a wonderful wife. What joys all!!!

In addition to celebrations related to the birth of Jesus, I have also celebrated the love and wonder of God through prayer and worship with approximately 12,000 young adults at the OneThing Conference in Kansas City. Some of you may have participated in person or on the web. Thanks to God TV the quality of the broadcast was stepped up quite a bit over previous endeavors. If you were one that joined the conference through the web stream, I'd like to hear your response to the conference and the quality of broadcast.

One last comment - while we were away at the OneThing conference, the prayer room at the International House of Prayer was transformed to make it more "visual friendly." I think I like it! There are a few things that will take a little getting used to, but that's okay! A little change is good for us from time to time.