~ emerging thought in Montana ~

I did a double take when I saw this article... that Bigchurch.com is own and operated by, of all people Penthouse.

Here is a bit from the article:

BigChurch offers dating services, Bible search and commentary in four different languages, and boasts half a million Christian members worldwide, though a job posting on the site, the high-salaried requirements for which presume a certain comfort level with adult content, boasts 8 million active members. A footnote at the bottom disclaims any expectations of real-time numeric accuracy, though.

I personally do not think dating services are that great an idea... though I know a few that use Eharmony... but still have not found that "right" one. But this was sort of strange as I understand you can do Bible searches and other "Christian" services... ( had to add "Christian" in there as some might have their minds still in the gutter.)

Now some might think people like me who are "emergent/emerging" would be excited at how relevant this is... but really this is what happens when Christians are not relevant and promote Jesus as a business. The world does not take us serious. But they do see us a marketable.

iggy

I have been coresponding with Jon Cardwell over the past year. He is a missionary in Alaska yet has found out he has ALS otherwise know as "Lou Gehrig's disease". I was saddened to hear this. ALS is a slow degenerative muscle disease so it will take some time for it to have it's full effect on Jon. He still has needs as making a living.

I have asked people to pray over the internet a few times and have seen miracles. From the miracle of my son who was rapidly losing weight from birth and not eathing to see him begin to eat and gain strength and weight the very day many prayed, to the recent fires in Molt/Park City area in which none of my relatives property was damaged by fire. In fact one relative had the fire stop right at her property line and there seems no reason other than divine intervention.

I know God can heal people and I ask that you pray for Jon. He is currently in the lower states looking for places to preach and possibly to be the full time pastor.

Please Bless Jon and his family,

iggy

It was April 15th 1912...

"Titanic was built with a double bottom but not a double hull. It had watertight bulkheads, but they didn't all go all the way to the top of the hull. These omissions doomed the ship after a 200-foot gash was torn in its starboard side below the waterline by a spur projecting from the iceberg. Or perhaps, new research suggests, the gash was not that big, but substandard rivets caused the Titanic's hull plates to buckle."

A Pregnant Man?

If this family came to your church...

"Despite the fact that my belly is growing with a new life inside me, I am stable and confident being the man that I am.

“To Nancy, I am her husband carrying our child - I am so lucky to have such a loving, supportive wife.

“I will be my daughter’s father, and Nancy will be her mother. We will be a family.”

It has been a few days since I last posted something. Been busy. I had a person quit a work so I am back to working nights and days.

Here are a few things going on out there which I have found interesting.

Michael Spencer aka as the Internet Monk is a busy man! Not only does he teach and do a couple of blogs, but he also does a couple of podcasts and now is joined with The Old White Guy Steve Brown at Steve Brown Etc. Michael Spencer is blogging at that site also as well as doing interviews.

Steve Brown Etc has become one of my favorite shows. A recent show featured Mike Meagher. You think you have it tough? Listen to the conditions Mike and his wife CHOSE to live in. OH! and you get three free sins for going there!

I hadn't gone to jordoncooper.com for a while but this one caught my eye... How to download Youtube videos.

Tall Skinny Andrew Jones has this rather "cool" visual... just go and look.

There is also this guy...

I am also thinking of moving this blog to Wordpress.com.... here is the link. I am running both blogs to see the difference in traffic. Let me know what you think.

I never realized that Montana was a "Catholic" state. Joe Martino has a post on this that was rather interesting.

Now, I also need some prayer. He have been evicted so that the landlord can renovate the house. He is cool and gave us three months, yet one month has gone by and still no place to move to. He said we could extend the stay if needed, yet we need to just get it done.

Also, I have been really struggling with dealing with some people (I confess that I just do not care to get into stupid debates with people who just are out to attack others) I am attempting humor to channel my anger... Let me know what you think.... the link was above.

I am also really desiring to go full time into ministry. I need prayer that God supplies our needs. I have a good job, yet it takes so much time and energy out of me... I just want to go deeper into what I see God wanting me to do. Pray that our church grows so that I can go full time as a pastor.

Also, iggyROCKS! needs support. I am getting asked by ministers from different countries for help with Grace related materials.... as well as being asked for study Bibles from students in Africa. One box i have been trying send cost me $186 just to send a two pound box. I am asking that you pray that God will not only supply the $400 to keep iggyROCKS! rocking but to also give a surplus that allows us to send these materials to these people. If you even know of a ministry that does already this let me know. Every dollar given goes directly to keeping the station going and these types of ministries.

Be blessed,

iggy

I posted this Tuesday, August 29, 2006 not knowing if it was a true story. Then last Friday I received an email stating this.

I went back to re-read the post and found myself weeping (as I remember the first time I read it) yet this time with the realization that it was a very real story about a very real person.

I took a while to respond as I did not really know how to, yet sent this back to "Bonnie" who sent me the email.

Please send a note here on this post or an email to me to pass on to Bonnie if this story blessed you in some way. I know the family would love to here it.

GOD LIVES UNDER THE BED

Don't start reading this one until you've got more than 3 or 4 minutes to just "scan" over it.
It deserves a bit of time for some reflection. I envy Kevin. My brother Kevin thinks God lives under his bed. At least that's what I heard him say one night.

He was praying out loud in his dark bedroom, and I stopped to listen, "Are you there, God?" he said. "Where are you? Oh, I see. Under the bed..."I giggled softly and tiptoed off to my own room. Kevin's unique perspectives are often a source of amusement. But that night something else lingered long after the humor. I realized for the first time the very different world Kevin lives in.

Kevin was born 30 years ago, mentally disabled as a result of difficulties during labor. Apart from his size (he's 6-foot-2), there are few ways in which he is an adult. He reasons and communicates with the capabilities of a 7-year-old, and he always will. He will probably always believe that God lives under his bed, that Santa Claus is the one who fills the space under our tree every Christmas and that airplanes stay up in the sky because angels carry them.

I remember wondering if Kevin realizes he is different.


Is he ever dissatisfied with his monotonous life?


Up before dawn each day, off to work at a workshop for the disabled, home to walk our cocker spaniel, return to eat his favorite macaroni-and-cheese for dinner, and later to bed.

The only variation in the entire scheme is laundry, when he hovers excitedly over the washing machine like a mother with her newborn child. He does not seem dissatisfied.

He lopes out to the bus every morning at 7:05, eager for a day of simple work. He wrings his hands excitedly while the water boils on the stove before dinner, and he stays up late twice a week to gather our dirty laundry for his next day's laundry chores.

And Saturdays-oh, the bliss of Saturdays! That's the day my Dad takes Kevin to the airport to have a soft drink, watch the planes land, and speculate loudly on the destination of each passenger inside. "That one's goin' to Chi-car-go!" Kevin shouts as he claps his hands. His anticipation is so great he can hardly sleep on Friday nights. And so goes his world of daily rituals and weekend field trips. He doesn't know what it means to be discontent. His life is simple. He will never know the entanglements of wealth of power, and he does not care what brand of clothing he wears or what kind of food he eats. His needs have always been met, and he never worries that one day they may not be. His hands are diligent. Kevin is never so happy as when he is working. When he unloads the dishwasher or vacuums the carpet, his heart is completely in it.


He does not shrink from a job when it is begun, and he does not leave a job until it is finished. But when his tasks are done, Kevin knows how to relax.

He is not obsessed with his work or the work of others. His heart is pure. He still believes everyone tells the truth, promises must be kept, and when you are wrong, you apologize instead of argue. Free from pride and unconcerned with appearances, Kevin is not afraid to cry when he is hurt, angry or sorry.

He is always transparent, always sincere.

And he trusts God.

Not confined by intellectual reasoning, when he comes to Christ, he comes as a child. Kevin seems to know God - to really be friends with Him in a way that is difficult for an "educated" person to grasp. God seems like his closest companion.

In my moments of doubt and frustrations with my Christianity I envy the security Kevin has in his simple faith.

It is then that I am most willing to admit that he has some divine knowledge that rises above my mortal questions.

It is then I realize that perhaps he is not the one with the handicap . . I am.

My obligations, my fear, my pride, my circumstances - they all become disabilities when I do not trust them to God's care.

Who knows if Kevin comprehends things I can never learn? After all, he has spent his whole life in that kind of innocence, praying after dark and soaking up the goodness and love of God. And one day, when the mysteries of heaven are opened, and we are all amazed at how close God really is to our hearts, I'll realize that God heard the simple prayers of a boy who believed that God lived under his bed.

Kevin won't be surprised at all!