All right. I have had it with those emails that tell you if you love Jesus then you will send this email to 500 people and he will bless you. Or, if you really love your family send this email to everyone of them. I just got one a second time, probably from the same person I'm not sure. It starts off talking about untimely death. It proceeds to quote Galatians 6:7, "Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows." The email then goes on tell stories of people dying after certain events. It starts with this one: "JOHN LENNON: Some years before, during his interview with an American Magazine, he said: "Christianity will end, it will disappear. I do not have to argue about that. I am certain. Jesus was ok, but his subjects were too simple, today we are more famous than Him" (1966). Lennon, after saying that the Beatles were more famous than Jesus Christ, was shot six times."
Now most people that know some sort of history of the past two decades knows that John Lennon was shot in 1980, that's 14 years later. Coincidence? Most likely. There are several other examples, but this one is stupid. Is there a good chance that Lennon was misquoted? Sure. Was what he said or quoted as having said wrong? Yes. However, I do not believe a person should take Galatians 6:7 as meaning if you mock God you will die soon after saying it. This is not what that text is saying.
Look at the context of the verse. While it does say that one cannot mock God, the next verse says that one who sows according to one's sinful nature will reap destruction from that nature, the one who sows from the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. It is not saying that those who sow sin will die because of it, because we all will die. Those who sow and reap from their sinful nature and those who sow and reap to the Spirit will die physically. While those who sowed to the Spirit will live on in heaven, those who sowed according to their sinful flesh's desire will not. This is what is being said here.
These verses are found in the midst of Paul's discussion about bringing a brother or sister in Christ back into the fold when they are found to be in sin. After these verses, Paul discusses doing good to all people, especially those who are believers.
This type of attitude of blaming Lennon's assassination on his quote in a magazine 14-years before, is reminiscent of what happened after he said it. People burned their records, told them they were going straight to hell and so forth. Is it any wonder they fled into the hands of Eastern mystic religion?
Whatever happened to showing our neighbors we love them? Whatever happened to doing good to all people? John Lennon is most likely in hell reaping what he sowed, because Evangelicals in America pushed him away from Christianity more than they know. You think you are doing good, but sometimes you really aren't.
28 February 2007
23 February 2007
The Gagging of Babies
I was perusing the BBC News European home page today, because it is the only Web site I enjoy that gives me truly international news, and I came across a story about a hospital in Yekaterinburg, Russia that were gagging babies to keep them quiet. There were two stories on this topic. The first was the initial reporting of the incident that happened earlier this month, actually it was caught on someone's camera phone earlier this month. The second story was talking about the plight of orphans and the otkazniki-children abandoned at hospitals by their parents.
The initial story was telling of how this patient at Hospital No. 15 in the city heard muffled crying of babies. When she went to investigate the noise, she found a nursery just down the hall from her where babies had tape over their mouths to keep them quiet. These children were just a few months old. The nurses said they did it because they were making too much noise for them to work. The children were abandoned because the parents could not take care of them for one of several reasons: financial reasons, alcoholism, drug abuse, or they just don't want them.
This tragedy is one that is found all across Russia, the tragedy of abandoning babies at a hospital not the gagging part that truly is horrible. The UNICEF representative for Russia and Belarus said this incident is a first for him, however the problem of otkazniki is one he has been pushing Russian authorities to address, they have remained silent. Maybe with national and international outrage on the abuse at Hospital No 15 they will finally look into this issue. Here's an excerpt from the story:
"Hospital staff are trained to care for the sick - they are not trained to deal with the cognitive and emotional development of babies," he (the UNICEF representative, Carel de Rooy) told the BBC News website.
"This has serious implications both for the development and long-term health of the child."
Given the potential for damage to these babies' make-up, why do they get left in hospital? The answer, Maxim Gareyev explains, is lack of resources.
"We simply do not have enough children's homes in Sverdlovsk [the region around Yekaterinburg] and Russia in general," he says.
"These babies get left in hospitals but there are no funds or trained medical staff or special facilities for caring for them.
"Of course, the hospitals make space for these babies but the problem is that in the first year of life a baby needs to be cuddled, it needs to be talked to, if it is to develop as a human being."
What is the answer for this problem? Well, there obviously needs to be more staffing at hospitals to take care of this and for there to be more orphanages in Sverdlovsk and the whole of Russia. However, that may not be enough. The true answer to this problem is found in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. When the life/heart changing message of the Gospel is presented and people turn 180-degrees to follow Christ and become believers the social problems will begin to disappear. I am not spouting liberation theology, at least that is not my intent, I am saying that in time, how much time I do not know, there is a change in the lives of the believers to where they will not want to abandon babies in the hospital. There is a challenge before believers to take the gospel so incidents like this will not happen, however we are not going like we should. There should be such an outpouring of people wanting to go to all the nations that mission boards will have to turn people away because there is too many applications not because local churches are not giving.
The local church needs to partner with workers overseas and here in the states so that they can minister more effectively in their areas. This partnership should entail praying for the workers, giving to the workers financially, and going to visit the workers and help out when they can. Why do we not take care of the widow and orphans like we should? Throughout the Bible we are told to do so, yet we do not. Why? The early church used to take in babies that were left to the elements so that they would not die. Why does the church of today not do this? Why are we so concerned with internal things and less concerned about external things? Of course I speak of the church here in the West. I wish I had an answer to these questions, but I do not.
If you want to read the stories yourself go to the BBC Web site and look for the story.
The initial story was telling of how this patient at Hospital No. 15 in the city heard muffled crying of babies. When she went to investigate the noise, she found a nursery just down the hall from her where babies had tape over their mouths to keep them quiet. These children were just a few months old. The nurses said they did it because they were making too much noise for them to work. The children were abandoned because the parents could not take care of them for one of several reasons: financial reasons, alcoholism, drug abuse, or they just don't want them.
This tragedy is one that is found all across Russia, the tragedy of abandoning babies at a hospital not the gagging part that truly is horrible. The UNICEF representative for Russia and Belarus said this incident is a first for him, however the problem of otkazniki is one he has been pushing Russian authorities to address, they have remained silent. Maybe with national and international outrage on the abuse at Hospital No 15 they will finally look into this issue. Here's an excerpt from the story:
"Hospital staff are trained to care for the sick - they are not trained to deal with the cognitive and emotional development of babies," he (the UNICEF representative, Carel de Rooy) told the BBC News website.
"This has serious implications both for the development and long-term health of the child."
Given the potential for damage to these babies' make-up, why do they get left in hospital? The answer, Maxim Gareyev explains, is lack of resources.
"We simply do not have enough children's homes in Sverdlovsk [the region around Yekaterinburg] and Russia in general," he says.
"These babies get left in hospitals but there are no funds or trained medical staff or special facilities for caring for them.
"Of course, the hospitals make space for these babies but the problem is that in the first year of life a baby needs to be cuddled, it needs to be talked to, if it is to develop as a human being."
What is the answer for this problem? Well, there obviously needs to be more staffing at hospitals to take care of this and for there to be more orphanages in Sverdlovsk and the whole of Russia. However, that may not be enough. The true answer to this problem is found in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. When the life/heart changing message of the Gospel is presented and people turn 180-degrees to follow Christ and become believers the social problems will begin to disappear. I am not spouting liberation theology, at least that is not my intent, I am saying that in time, how much time I do not know, there is a change in the lives of the believers to where they will not want to abandon babies in the hospital. There is a challenge before believers to take the gospel so incidents like this will not happen, however we are not going like we should. There should be such an outpouring of people wanting to go to all the nations that mission boards will have to turn people away because there is too many applications not because local churches are not giving.
The local church needs to partner with workers overseas and here in the states so that they can minister more effectively in their areas. This partnership should entail praying for the workers, giving to the workers financially, and going to visit the workers and help out when they can. Why do we not take care of the widow and orphans like we should? Throughout the Bible we are told to do so, yet we do not. Why? The early church used to take in babies that were left to the elements so that they would not die. Why does the church of today not do this? Why are we so concerned with internal things and less concerned about external things? Of course I speak of the church here in the West. I wish I had an answer to these questions, but I do not.
If you want to read the stories yourself go to the BBC Web site and look for the story.
20 February 2007
Friggin' Cars pt. 3
Well, I did some work on my car this afternoon. Hoping that I could fix it. It is somewhat better, but I do not believe that it is completely fixed. Instead of running really, really rough and almost dying on me. It is instead, I don't know exactly how to describe it, surging. If that makes any sense. I'm not sure if that was the fuel injector cleaner working or not, however it did run for fifteen minutes without trying to die or actually dying. Which is a vast improvement. Whether it was the fact that I changed the air filter or the fuel filter from earlier or the fuel injector cleaner doing its job. It is doing much better, however, it is still not so good. So to recap, my car is leaving the ICU. The condition has been upgraded from critical to improving. There's still a long row to hoe and my car can use the prayer. You laugh, but I have prayed for my car the last two times I have worked on it. So far, I'll I've got was a car that was improving. It is working if you want to believe or not, so there.
In other news, the planning for the honeymoon which I thought was beginning to hit a snag with airfare to Vienna being so expensive. However, I know a guy who knows a guy and is getting me cheaper airfare. And there was much rejoicing: Yeah.
In other news, the planning for the honeymoon which I thought was beginning to hit a snag with airfare to Vienna being so expensive. However, I know a guy who knows a guy and is getting me cheaper airfare. And there was much rejoicing: Yeah.
14 February 2007
An Open Letter about Love
Dear Friends,
I am writing this letter in response to comments I have been hearing and notes I have read on Facebook. Why do a lot of you hate Valentine's Day? I'm not saying that I love it. It really is not one of my favorite days of the year, however I suck it up and take it like a man. That is I wait until the last minute to do anything. However, for those of you who hate this day, hate it because you are alone. While you will never admit this it is true.
The friends that I have who are single fall into one of three categories. Category one are those who do not want to look for a relationship right now and are content. Category two are those who say they do not want to look for a relationship but secretly are and they are not content. Category three are those who are looking for a relationship and will not be content until they have one. While there is nothing wrong with being single, I myself was single for 23 years before dating Rebecca (those doing the math will realize that was how old I was when we started dating), there is something wrong with your attitudes. Those who are content have a good attitude. Those who are not looking and not content generally have a good attitude. Those of you who are looking and will never be content until there is someone in your life, generally have a bad attitude.
While I will name no names in this letter, I want to make sure I am talking to you. Also be aware that this letter is not directed toward anyone but to all of my single brothers and sisters in Christ. I have word of advice for all of you who have this bad attitude. Get over it. Those that I am addressing this to are adults. Start acting like adults. Shut up and get over it. So you do not have anyone, suck it up. You can read all the Christian dating books that tell all about how to find someone all you want to, I did not. Nor did I have any desire to do so. If you think those strategies will work for you then do it. If you do not think they will work for you then don't do it.
You want to know what worked for me. Prayer. I prayed a lot for God to send someone to me. Especially, during my first year at Seminary. It was stressful, for those who are there or have been there you know what I mean. There were nights after spending all night locked in my room writing a paper I would get on my face and plead with God to send someone. God answered the earnest pleading of my heart. For those who are about to take this route or those who have tried prayer and may not have given an earnest pleading, don't lost hope.
Until the Lord sends someone to you, deal with your loneliness by fully relying on the Lord to be your constant companion. It was during those times where I was struggling with my loneliness and pleading earnestly to the Lord that I grew in my walk with him. He taught me a lot and he can do it for you.
Maybe waiting for the right person will work for you. Maybe calling off dating for a while will work for you. I do not know what will work. However, if you feel the stress rising and the loneliness getting a little too much, fall prostrate on the floor and pour your heart out to God. Allow God to work in you. Allow yourself to get close to Him. I know this just seems like rambling, however take this advice to heart and open yourself and allow the Lord to work with you. It is amazing to see what will come of your earnest pleading with Him.
Blessings,
Philip
I am writing this letter in response to comments I have been hearing and notes I have read on Facebook. Why do a lot of you hate Valentine's Day? I'm not saying that I love it. It really is not one of my favorite days of the year, however I suck it up and take it like a man. That is I wait until the last minute to do anything. However, for those of you who hate this day, hate it because you are alone. While you will never admit this it is true.
The friends that I have who are single fall into one of three categories. Category one are those who do not want to look for a relationship right now and are content. Category two are those who say they do not want to look for a relationship but secretly are and they are not content. Category three are those who are looking for a relationship and will not be content until they have one. While there is nothing wrong with being single, I myself was single for 23 years before dating Rebecca (those doing the math will realize that was how old I was when we started dating), there is something wrong with your attitudes. Those who are content have a good attitude. Those who are not looking and not content generally have a good attitude. Those of you who are looking and will never be content until there is someone in your life, generally have a bad attitude.
While I will name no names in this letter, I want to make sure I am talking to you. Also be aware that this letter is not directed toward anyone but to all of my single brothers and sisters in Christ. I have word of advice for all of you who have this bad attitude. Get over it. Those that I am addressing this to are adults. Start acting like adults. Shut up and get over it. So you do not have anyone, suck it up. You can read all the Christian dating books that tell all about how to find someone all you want to, I did not. Nor did I have any desire to do so. If you think those strategies will work for you then do it. If you do not think they will work for you then don't do it.
You want to know what worked for me. Prayer. I prayed a lot for God to send someone to me. Especially, during my first year at Seminary. It was stressful, for those who are there or have been there you know what I mean. There were nights after spending all night locked in my room writing a paper I would get on my face and plead with God to send someone. God answered the earnest pleading of my heart. For those who are about to take this route or those who have tried prayer and may not have given an earnest pleading, don't lost hope.
Until the Lord sends someone to you, deal with your loneliness by fully relying on the Lord to be your constant companion. It was during those times where I was struggling with my loneliness and pleading earnestly to the Lord that I grew in my walk with him. He taught me a lot and he can do it for you.
Maybe waiting for the right person will work for you. Maybe calling off dating for a while will work for you. I do not know what will work. However, if you feel the stress rising and the loneliness getting a little too much, fall prostrate on the floor and pour your heart out to God. Allow God to work in you. Allow yourself to get close to Him. I know this just seems like rambling, however take this advice to heart and open yourself and allow the Lord to work with you. It is amazing to see what will come of your earnest pleading with Him.
Blessings,
Philip
11 February 2007
Friggin' Cars pt. 2
So, I changed my fuel filter on my car. Spilled not a small amount of gas on the parking lot here at Seminary. That did not fix the problem. Instead of running smooth after a while. It ended up dying, alot. Last time it died, there was smoke coming from the engine. The oil level is good, it is time for an oil change by two miles. However, it could either be bad spark plugs or the timing belt is bad. I really need someone to make a house call. I think my dad needs to make a run up here to help me fix my car. I would really, really appreciate it. Even though it probably will not happen. My hands smell like gas, the area around my car smells like gas. This just stinks, in more than one way.
I hate my car right now.
I hate my car right now.
10 February 2007
Friggin' Cars
So, I try to figure out what is wrong with my car. I think it is the fuel filter, I'm pretty sure that it still is the fuel filter that is causing so much trouble. However, my dad and future father-in-law said it could just be water in the line and to put some HEET in the tank and see what happens. So I just did that and the car did not want to run. It would run for a little while and then all of a sudden act like it was starving for fuel. I called my dad while standing outside doing this and he said that it is most like the fuel filter. So, I called Pep-Boys thinking maybe they have someone that can come out and fix my car on the spot. Because of the engine not wanting to run, the vacuum to the breaks is not getting there which makes stopping a whole lot of fun. The guy informed me that the cars must come to them. I informed him this was not possible. He then quotes me a price on how much it would be to change the fuel filter. It is actually cheaper to change it myself.
Friggin' cars. This is the time when I wish the city of Louisville had a really good metro system. I know the bus system is good, but I'm talking like subways and street cars even. Along with the buses and taxis. This is driving me crazy, my car has been sitting for about two weeks and nothing has been done with it because it has been too cold. It is supposed to be warmer tomorrow, but who knows. Hopefully it will be so I can go buy a filter and fix my car and hopefully that will be it. I wonder if Auto Zone makes house calls? I should call them. The photo is what I want to do to my car right now, if only I had a sword like that.
Friggin' cars. This is the time when I wish the city of Louisville had a really good metro system. I know the bus system is good, but I'm talking like subways and street cars even. Along with the buses and taxis. This is driving me crazy, my car has been sitting for about two weeks and nothing has been done with it because it has been too cold. It is supposed to be warmer tomorrow, but who knows. Hopefully it will be so I can go buy a filter and fix my car and hopefully that will be it. I wonder if Auto Zone makes house calls? I should call them. The photo is what I want to do to my car right now, if only I had a sword like that.
09 February 2007
First of many
Well, I decided to start this just for the fun of it all and b/c it could have long term effects for my future ministry. To start this blog I'm going to share some quotes from the 3rd Floor Manly quote board.
"I'm crazy like a cat, that's why my friends call me whiskers."
"Mmm . . . Irish"
"Stoops ain't Stupid"
"Whoa! That's Wet."
"Butterscotch is crack!"
"I'm crazy like a cat, that's why my friends call me whiskers."
"Mmm . . . Irish"
"Stoops ain't Stupid"
"Whoa! That's Wet."
"Butterscotch is crack!"
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