Continuing Discussion about Authority the church and relational models

Here is an outtake of a discussion aboutÂ…. Ahhh Josh McDowell and well morphed into this discussion. I am discussing with Dan on Tall Skinny Kiwi's blog.
It seems to me that churches desperately want to display the same certitude that Paul and other NT writers evidently display in their writings. Paul seemingly knew exactly where to draw the lines in terms of heresy, so why shouldn't we? Paul seemed to have many clear cut answers, so why shouldn't we? (I realize that Ro. 14 would be an exception, even for top-dowChurcheses, although which categories fall into this passage is a matter of debate.) Overall, they read and preach with this mindset: "Here's the scripture which _obviously_ means such and such, believe it and don't argue about what it says [which really means, don't argue with my interpretation]".
Two questions. First, does the NT support such an approach? Iggy, you wrote: "I also agree with Paul that there must be some division in the Church to tell who has sound doctrine and who does not". Could you expand on this? Is a dialogue format of understanding "truth", through the Spirit, shown in the NT? Would 1 Co 12-14 perhaps be an example? Secondly, does the fact that we no longer have apostles make things different in our day? In other words, is dialogue, the role of the Holy Spirit, and the priest-hood of all believers that much more essential in our day?



Dan,
I want say first off that I want the Relational model to be THE model yet, I must say even within the Relational model there is to be some recognized authority.

Now, with that being said, i beleive that is up to the community of belivers to decide how that authority is plaid out as they see and understand scripture. I believe there are many RIGHT models and only a few wrong ones. But again that is my stinky opinion.

Paul of course was under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit as he wrote and given "authority" (oh that "A" word) by God to preach the Gospel to the gentiles. So we will find a wonderful and colorful mixture of Jew, Gentile, ex temple prostitutes, and such all joining and learning how to fellowship under the New Covenant, which I am sure many had no idea, there was an Old Covenant. And learning also new morals and ethics and many other ways to live with each other under this incredible thing we call God's Grace and the Body of Christ.

Here are some disjointed thoughts about discussion and arguments.

1. Paul gave warnings: Col 2:4 (be sure to read these all in context my dear brothers and sisters).


2. We are told to not have anything to do with "stupid" arguments, now lets argue over the definition of stupid! LOL! An argument for the sake quarrelling is just stupid and wrong! and I better not have anyone disagree with that! (2 Tim 2)


3. More on the "stupid arguments" Paul teaches that we are not avoid controversy and arguing over genealogies and such, why? I think with these things so much is up to conjecture. Titus 3:9


4. Paul said that there must be heresy amongst us to be able to tell who has the truth. At least if one reads the KJV. Now in the NIV it says "differences" that right there makes exclusivism just plain wrong! If we have differences without discussion then how would anyone know? This is a way to be able to spot those who need "correcting" and also allow for helping in the spiritual growth of people.1 Cor 11:19

Now about a model.

In 1 Corinthians there was problems, why? Because there were people at that church! These people as I said were Jews, gentiles, temple prostitutes and such so you can only imagine how that would all mix together. There would be so many different backgrounds and stories and thinking and opinions and... You get the idea. We are called a family. In fact Jesus called us His brothers and said those who do the will of His Father were His mother, brothers, and sisters, we are family. We are even more. We are joined together lets say as Adam was "placed" in the garden, a type of Christ in the OT we are now literally placed in the Body of Christ and have become one in Christ in that way. The body has an authority, the Head...The same with us Jesus being our Head. If He lives then so much more His Body, so to me that shows the "institutional" model may not be Biblically accurate. The body inter-relationally interacts with itself. If part is ill the rest of the body suffers and also finds ways to deal and correct itself to heal itself, usually this is regulated in the brain, which is in the Head. I think often in the institutional model we lose out and not let Jesus through the Holy Spirit minister as Husband and the True Head He is. This to me shows a lack of faith. As the Body of Christ we need to learn how to trust Jesus more and not lean on our ideals of "authority".

Authority is not bad, but think about this. All of us, even the lost are under the Authority of God. Demons are under His authority, as all creation is. So, the issue is what makes us as "Christians" above and transcend this authority? Grace and Mercy but most of all our Relationship with the Father through Jesus by the power of the Holy Spirit. It is in the relationship authority is not a real issue. We learn to live and love God's Life and Love. This is so much more than just living under authority.

Blessings,
iggy

10 Things I Have Done You Probably Haven't

Rick set out the challenge to give 10 things I have done that you probably haven't.
Sooooo...

Here is my list.


1. I have been married to the same woman 21 years.
2. I waited 19 years of marriage before our first child was born.
3. I owned a custom Harley... That was pictured in Hot Rod Harleys magazine (before it was renamed Hot Rod bikes.)
4. Rode with bikers for Christ, the vampires, Hells Angels and Hells Bells (the Lesbian biker group)
5. Receive regular emails from major Christian Musicians.
6. Operate an online Christian radio station.
7. Lost the feelings in my hands and feet from neuropathy (doing much better now)
8. Delivered chairs and tables to Clint Eastwoods 2nd wife. We used to see Clint all the time as we lived in the Monterey Ca. area.
9. Attended movies for free between 1995 -1997.
10. Wrestled with a four year old brown bear.


Blessings,
iggy

Something to think about... The death of individualism in America

Much of this disaster was already in place before Katrina.
Just a thought.

iggy


An Unnatural Disaster: A Hurricane Exposes the Man-Made Disaster of the Welfare State by

Robert Tracinski Sep 02, 2005

by Robert Tracinski

It took four long days for state and federal officials to figure out how to deal with the disaster in New Orleans. I can't blame them, because it also took me four long days to figure out what was going on there. The reason is that the events there make no sense if you think that we are confronting a natural disaster.
If this is just a natural disaster, the response for public officials is obvious: you bring in food, water, and doctors; you send transportation to evacuate refugees to temporary shelters; you send engineers to stop the flooding and rebuild the city's infrastructure. For journalists, natural disasters also have a familiar pattern: the heroism of ordinary people pulling together to survive; the hard work and dedication of doctors, nurses, and rescue workers; the steps being taken to clean up and rebuild.
Public officials did not expect that the first thing they would have to do is to send thousands of armed troops in armored vehicle, as if they are suppressing an enemy insurgency. And journalists—myself included—did not expect that the story would not be about rain, wind, and flooding, but about rape, murder, and looting.
But this is not a natural disaster. It is a man-made disaster.
The man-made disaster is not an inadequate or incompetent response by federal relief agencies, and it was not directly caused by Hurricane Katrina. This is where just about every newspaper and television channel has gotten the story wrong.
The man-made disaster we are now witnessing in New Orleans did not happen over four days last week. It happened over the past four decades. Hurricane Katrina merely exposed it to public view.
The man-made disaster is the welfare state.
For the past few days, I have found the news from New Orleans to be confusing. People were not behaving as you would expect them to behave in an emergency—indeed, they were not behaving as they have behaved in other emergencies. That is what has shocked so many people: they have been saying that this is not what we expect from America. In fact, it is not even what we expect from a Third World country.
When confronted with a disaster, people usually rise to the occasion. They work together to rescue people in danger, and they spontaneously organize to keep order and solve problems. This is especially true in America. We are an enterprising people, used to relying on our own initiative rather than waiting around for the government to take care of us. I have seen this a hundred times, in small examples (a small town whose main traffic light had gone out, causing ordinary citizens to get out of their cars and serve as impromptu traffic cops, directing cars through the intersection) and large ones (the spontaneous response of New Yorkers to September 11).
So what explains the chaos in New Orleans?
To give you an idea of the magnitude of what is going on, here is a description from a Washington Times story:
"Storm victims are raped and beaten; fights erupt with flying fists, knives and guns; fires are breaking out; corpses litter the streets; and police and rescue helicopters are repeatedly fired on.
"The plea from Mayor C. Ray Nagin came even as National Guardsmen poured in to restore order and stop the looting, carjackings and gunfire....
"Last night, Gov. Kathleen Babineaux Blanco said 300 Iraq-hardened Arkansas National Guard members were inside New Orleans with shoot-to-kill orders.
" 'These troops are...under my orders to restore order in the streets,' she said. 'They have M-16s, and they are locked and loaded. These troops know how to shoot and kill and they are more than willing to do so if necessary and I expect they will.' "
The reference to Iraq is eerie. The photo that accompanies this article shows a SWAT team with rifles and armored vests riding on an armored vehicle through trash-strewn streets lined by a rabble of squalid, listless people, one of whom appears to be yelling at them. It looks exactly like a scene from Sadr City in Baghdad.
What explains bands of thugs using a natural disaster as an excuse for an orgy of looting, armed robbery, and rape? What causes unruly mobs to storm the very buses that have arrived to evacuate them, causing the drivers to speed away, frightened for their lives? What causes people to attack the doctors trying to treat patients at the Superdome?
Why are people responding to natural destruction by causing further destruction? Why are they attacking the people who are trying to help them?
My wife, Sherri, figured it out first, and she figured it out on a sense-of-life level. While watching the coverage one night on Fox News Channel, she told me that she was getting a familiar feeling. She studied architecture at the Illinois Institute of Technology, which is located in the South Side of Chicago just blocks away from the Robert Taylor Homes, one of the largest high-rise public housing projects in America. "The projects," as they were known, were infamous for uncontrollable crime and irremediable squalor. (They have since, mercifully, been demolished.)
What Sherri was getting from last night's television coverage was a whiff of the sense of life of "the projects." Then the "crawl"—the informational phrases flashed at the bottom of the screen on most news channels—gave some vital statistics to confirm this sense: 75% of the residents of New Orleans had already evacuated before the hurricane, and of those who remained, a large number were from the city's public housing projects. Jack Wakeland then told me that early reports from CNN and Fox indicated that the city had no plan for evacuating all of the prisoners in the city's jails—so they just let many of them loose. [Update: I have been searching for news reports on this last story, but I have not been able to confirm it. Instead, I have found numerous reports about the collapse of the corrupt and incompetent New Orleans Police Department; see here and here.]
There is no doubt a significant overlap between these two populations--that is, a large number of people in the jails used to live in the housing projects, and vice versa.
There were many decent, innocent people trapped in New Orleans when the deluge hit—but they were trapped alongside large numbers of people from two groups: criminals—and wards of the welfare state, people selected, over decades, for their lack of initiative and self-induced helplessness. The welfare wards were a mass of sheep—on whom the incompetent administration of New Orleans unleashed a pack of wolves.
All of this is related, incidentally, to the incompetence of the city government, which failed to plan for a total evacuation of the city, despite the knowledge that this might be necessary. In a city corrupted by the welfare state, the job of city officials is to ensure the flow of handouts to welfare recipients and patronage to political supporters—not to ensure a lawful, orderly evacuation in case of emergency.
No one has really reported this story, as far as I can tell. In fact, some are already actively distorting it, blaming President Bush, for example, for failing to personally ensure that the Mayor of New Orleans had drafted an adequate evacuation plan. The worst example is an execrable piece from the Toronto Globe and Mail, by a supercilious Canadian who blames the chaos on American "individualism." But the truth is precisely the opposite: the chaos was caused by a system that was the exact opposite of individualism.
What Hurricane Katrina exposed was the psychological consequences of the welfare state. What we consider "normal" behavior in an emergency is behavior that is normal for people who have values and take the responsibility to pursue and protect them. People with values respond to a disaster by fighting against it and doing whatever it takes to overcome the difficulties they face. They don't sit around and complain that the government hasn't taken care of them. And they don't use the chaos of a disaster as an opportunity to prey on their fellow men.
But what about criminals and welfare parasites? Do they worry about saving their houses and property? They don't, because they don't own anything. Do they worry about what is going to happen to their businesses or how they are going to make a living? They never worried about those things before. Do they worry about crime and looting? But living off of stolen wealth is a way of life for them.
People living in piles of their own trash, while petulantly complaining that other people aren't doing enough to take care of them and then shooting at those who come to rescue them—this is not just a description of the chaos at the Superdome. It is a perfect summary of the 40-year history of the welfare state and its public housing projects.
The welfare state—and the brutish, uncivilized mentality it sustains and encourages—is the man-made disaster that explains the moral ugliness that has swamped New Orleans. And that is the story that no one is reporting.
Source: TIA Daily -- September 2, 2005
Robert Tracinski is the editor and publisher of TIADaily.com and The Intellectual Activist magazine.

"He gave us the gift of love and laughter," Goodbye Bob Denver

As a child I grew up with Bob Denver and the Castaways... They made my after school time seem not so long.

Blessings,
iggy

TV's Gilligan Dead
By Joal RyanTue Sep 6, 9:21 PM ET
Somewhere, on some channel, in some time zone, the first mate of the S.S. Minnow is snoozing in a hammock, still boyish, still bumbling, still Gilligan.
Bob Denver, immortalized in TV reruns as the most clueless castaway of Gilligan's Island, died at a North Carolina hospital Friday from cancer-related complications, his family announced Tuesday. He was 70.
Denver underwent quadruple bypass heart surgery in May.
"He gave us the gift of love and laughter," the Denver family said in a statement, "even in his passing."
Russell Johnson, the brainy professor to Denver's brainless wonder on Gilligan's Island, said he shared tears with Denver's friends and fans. "Frankly, Bob Denver would adore your laughter most of all," Johnson said on his Website. "That's more likely why God created him."
Denver starred on Gilligan's Island from 1964 to '67. The sitcom about seven shipwreck survivors, from Hollywood bombshell to Kansas farm girl, was never an Emmy nominee, was not a critical favorite and was a top 20 hit just once. It produced 98 episodes, two fewer than the traditional 100 believed to be mandatory for syndication success. And yet it was in reruns that the show became inescapable, if not indestructible.
"It's 40 years this year it's been on the air continually," Denver observed in 2004 to the Charleston Gazette, a newspaper based in his adopted home state of West Virginia.
If viewers wouldn't let go of Gilligan, Denver never broke with the Skipper's "little buddy," either. He revisited the character several times, in several incarnations, from Saturday morning cartoons (1974's Gilligan's Planet, 1982's Gilligan's Planet) to reunion TV-movies (led by 1978's top-rated Rescue from Gilligan's Island), to a cameo on ALF.
A slightly earlier TV generation, however, arguably best remembered Denver as Maynard G. Krebs, the bongo-playing beatnik on The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis (1959-1963). "I just loved him," series star Duane Hickman told the Associated Press Tuesday. "He was wonderful. One of my dear, dear friends. I feel like a part of me died.
Though not a rerun phenomenon, Dobie Gillis was a heartier prime-time specimen, cranking out nearly 50 more first-run episodes than Gilligan's Island.
Denver's 1993 autobiography played tribute to both of his iconic incarnations: Gilligan, Maynard & Me. Like a good parent, the actor refused to play favorites.
"I enjoyed both equally, but in different ways," Denver wrote on his Website. "Maynard gave me the chance to do wonderful word comedy...When I was offered Gilligan, I chose it because that character gave me the chance to do physical comedy, which I love."
"With Maynard and Gilligan, I had the best of both worlds."
Born in New Rochelle, New York, on Jan. 9, 1935, Denver enjoyed a prime-time run of 11 consecutive years, from 1959, with the debut of Dobie Gillis, to 1970, with the demise of The Good Guys, a little-remembered sitcom that ran for two seasons. Gilligan's Island--a script Denver snagged only because comedian Jerry Van Dyke turned it down first--was sandwiched in between those two shows.
Following The Good Guys, Denver returned to series work with the 1973 syndicated Old West comedy, Dusty's Trail. In 1975, the gone-gray comic starred in the Sid and Marty Krofft children's TV demi-classic Far Out Space Nuts.
Three years later, Denver dusted off Gilligan's floppy white hat and long-sleeved red polo. At 43, the shirt seemed baggier and the antics more desperate, but Rescue from Gilligan's Island was popular enough to spawn two more TV-movies, 1979's The Castaways on Gilligan's Island and 1981's The Harlem Globetrotters on Gilligan's Island.
The critical kibosh on the show, however, remained. In a 1994 Canadian radio interview, Denver was asked if the Smithsonian Institution, home to Archie Bunker's living-room chair and Fonzie's leather jacket, had requested Gilligan's hat.
"Nah, the Smithsonian doesn't ask for anything back from Gilligan," Denver said. "They haven't dropped that low yet."
Denver was back in the headlines in 1998 when he was arrested for marijuana possession. And he created some buzz last year when he launched an oldies station, dubbed "Little Buddy Radio" in West Virginia, and called out TBS' new reality series spin on his old show, The Real Gilligan's Island.
"I really don't think this show is going to work," Denver told the Bluefield [West Virginia] Daily Telegraph. "...I'd like to see them put a lion or a tiger on the island, but I really don't think that would happen."
With Denver's death, Tina Louise, who played movie-star Ginger Grant, and the rest, Johnson and Dawn Wells, as Mary Ann, the farm girl, are the only surviving castaways of the original Gilligan cast. Alan Hale Jr., the Skipper, died in 1990; Jim Backus, the millionaire, in 1989; Natalie Schafer, the millionaire's wife, in 1991.
Denver said all the actors on the series were typecast as a result of the Gilligan reruns that never died, but he, for one, wasn't bitter.
"When you've been part of a show that has made so many people happy and continues to do so to this day, it's hard to resent it," Denver said on his Website. "Besides that, I'm also known as Maynard, which means I say 'WORK?!?!' for fans almost as much as I say, 'Skipper!' "
Survivors include his four children, and Dreama, his wife of 28 years.
"Bob was and always will be my everything," Dreama Denver said in a statement. "I love you, Bob Denver."
Copyright © 2005 E! Online, Inc.

Taking responsibility for actions...Louisiana Officials Could Lose the Katrina Blame Game

Of course this article is a bit slanted as it is from the GOP party. Yet, I see it raises some of the same thoughts I have had in the last few days. I again think the blame game is not necessary at this point, yet since all fingers seem to be pointed at Bush, which I do think many should be, we must recognize that states are sovereign and must ask for help... Also local government is in place to take care of the needs of the city. My belief is that the local city gov't should all be arrested for their lack of action before this disaster.

This article confirms my gut response.

The city did not have a "plan of action".

This senario was a when, not an if. Did you see the 1000's of buses now underwater? I heard a story of a lady who went for two days to get on a bus out of town... Each time she was sent home at dark because of the curfew... Only to spend the night fighting for her and her families life on the roof of her house. That was not Bush's fault... It was the local gov'ts.

Was Bush late in reacting? YES! He seemed like someone who witnessed a car accident and was stunned, then asked someone next to him, "did you see that?" hoping they would say, "nope". Yet, all they said was, "DO SOMETHING!"
He seemed immobilized with who knows what?

Fear? Awe? Shock?

By the way, the news spent too much time on Trent Lotts SECOND HOME that was destroyed.

TOO FREAKING BAD! Especially when so many ONLY home was destroyed. I was a little upset that Mr. Trent was able to get his hands on a helicopter to go an view his SECOND HOME while so many were still waiting on the roof of their house in New Orleans.... Dying. Mr Trent.... You need some priorities!

blessed?
iggy

Louisiana Officials Could Lose the Katrina Blame Game
By Jeff Johnson

(CNSNews.com) --

The Bush administration is being widely criticized for the emergency response to Hurricane Katrina and the allegedly inadequate protection for "the big one" that residents had long feared would hit New Orleans. But research into more than ten years of reporting on hurricane and flood damage mitigation efforts in and around New Orleans indicates that local and state officials did not use federal money that was available for levee improvements or coastal reinforcement and often did not secure local matching funds that would have generated even more federal funding.
In December of 1995, the Orleans Levee Board, the local government entity that oversees the levees and floodgates designed to protect New Orleans and the surrounding areas from rising waters, bragged in a supplement to the Times-Picayune newspaper about federal money received to protect the region from hurricanes.
"In the past four years, the Orleans Levee Board has built up its arsenal. The additional defenses are so critical that Levee Commissioners marched into Congress and brought back almost $60 million to help pay for protection," the pamphlet declared. "The most ambitious flood-fighting plan in generations was drafted. An unprecedented $140 million building campaign launched 41 projects."
The levee board promised Times-Picayune readers that the "few manageable gaps" in the walls protecting the city from Mother Nature's waters "will be sealed within four years (1999) completing our circle of protection."
But less than a year later, that same levee board was denied the authority to refinance its debts. Legislative Auditor Dan Kyle "repeatedly faulted the Levee Board for the way it awards contracts, spends money and ignores public bid laws," according to the Times-Picayune. The newspaper quoted Kyle as saying that the board was near bankruptcy and should not be allowed to refinance any bonds, or issue new ones, until it submitted an acceptable plan to achieve solvency.
Blocked from financing the local portion of the flood fighting efforts, the levee board was unable to spend the federal matching funds that had been designated for the project.
By 1998, Louisiana's state government had a $2 billion construction budget, but less than one tenth of one percent of that -- $1.98 million -- was dedicated to levee improvements in the New Orleans area. State appropriators were able to find $22 million that year to renovate a new home for the Louisiana Supreme Court and $35 million for one phase of an expansion to the New Orleans convention center.
The following year, the state legislature did appropriate $49.5 million for levee improvements, but the proposed spending had to be allocated by the State Bond Commission before the projects could receive financing. The commission placed the levee improvements in the "Priority 5" category, among the projects least likely to receive full or immediate funding.
The Orleans Levee Board was also forced to defer $3.7 million in capital improvement projects in its 2001 budget after residents of the area rejected a proposed tax increase to fund its expanding operations. Long term deferments to nearly 60 projects, based on the revenue shortfall, totaled $47 million worth of work, including projects to shore up the floodwalls.
No new state money had been allocated to the area's hurricane protection projects as of October of 2002, leaving the available 65 percent federal matching funds for such construction untouched.
"The problem is money is real tight in Baton Rouge right now," state Sen. Francis Heitmeier (D-Algiers) told the Times-Picayune. "We have to do with what we can get."
Louisiana Commissioner of Administration Mark Drennen told local officials that, if they reduced their requests for state funding in other, less critical areas, they would have a better chance of getting the requested funds for levee improvements. The newspaper reported that in 2000 and 2001, "the Bond Commission has approved or pledged millions of dollars for projects in Jefferson Parish, including construction of the Tournament Players Club golf course near Westwego, the relocation of Hickory Avenue in Jefferson (Parish) and historic district development in Westwego."
There is no record of such discretionary funding requests being reduced or withdrawn, but in October of 2003, nearby St. Charles Parish did receive a federal grant for $475,000 to build bike paths on top of its levees.
Democrats blame Bush administration
Congressional Democrats have been quick to blame the White House for poor preparation and then a weak response related to Hurricane Katrina. U.S. Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Calif.), ranking Democrat on the House Government Reform Committee, joined two of his colleagues from the Transportation and Infrastructure and Homeland Security committees Tuesday in a letter requesting hearings into what the trio called a "woefully inadequate" federal response.
"Hurricane Katrina was an unstoppable force of nature," Waxman wrote along with Reps. James Oberstar (D-Minn.) and Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.). "But it is plain that the federal government could have done more, sooner, to respond to the immediate survival needs of the residents of Louisiana and Mississippi.
"In fact, different choices for funding and planning to protect New Orleans may even have mitigated the flooding of the city," the Democrats added.
But Rep. Tom Davis (R-Va.) suggested that Waxman "overlooks many other questions that need to be asked, and prematurely faults the federal government for all governmental shortcomings; in fact, local and state government failures are not mentioned at all in [Waxman's] letter."
Davis wrote that Waxman's questions about issues such as the lack of federal plans for evacuating residents without access to vehicles and the alleged failure of the Department of Homeland Security to ensure basic communications capacity for first responders might "prematurely paint the picture that these are solely, or even primarily, federal government responsibilities.
"This is not the time to attack or defend government entities for political purposes. Rather, this is a time to do the oversight we're charged with doing," Davis continued. "Our Committee will aggressively investigate what went wrong and what went right. We'll do it by the book, and let the chips fall where they may."
The House Government Reform Committee will begin hearings on federal disaster preparations and the response to Hurricane Katrina the week of Sept. 12. The House Energy and Commerce Committee is schedule to hold hearings on the economic recovery from Katrina beginning Wednesday morning.
Copyright © 1998-2005 CNSNews.com - Cybercast News Service

Are you a manly man?

Check this out...



also check out relevant magazine also.

Blessings,
iggy

Need a laugh

Do you need a laugh? I know I do...

Katrina relief

Katrina relief

I have been on the road for the past few days. Have not had anytime for TV and such to see how bad the disaster really is down in New Orleans. I am appalled at the politicization of this disaster by both parties. We were hit hard. We need to unite not divide.

This was what we call an act of God… I am not sure if God was behind it. I have read and heard many ideas that people have from China and Russia having the ability to cause drastic weather changes through something called H.A.R.P.S which I think is a little far out there to say the least. To Bush is letting people die because they are black.

Please. Don’t go there. Don’t play the blame game. Come on since 67% of the community of New Orleans is black I think mostly black people will be in the news… it has nothing to do with color. These are people.

We can go back later and figure out what we could have done better or right.

If God is involved in this I see it in only this way. It is to test how we will respond, and sorry we are not doing very well to say the least.

Please support a legitimate disaster response relief like the Red Cross. Pray for the people who are still very scared and trapped and possibly dying. Pray that they unite as a community.

I can only say again this is a time to unite not divide. Prayer and finding ways to give help should be our number one response right now.

I was going over some podcasts as I drove. This one by Alan Hartung, editor of the Ooze, was about the Tsunami that hit the day after Christmas. It has some interesting thought that might be useful during this time.

Blessings,
iggy

Who is reading this Blog?

I was going over some stats of the visitors to this blog... I was a bit overwhelmed as to how many different states let alone countries that have not only visited but returned to read this blog.

I do recognize a few of you from your locations.

I am greatly humbled and want say thank you.

If you see you state and/or country, say hello.



Blessings,
iggy

United States

Arizona, Glendale
Arkansas, Biggers
California, Lake Isabella
California, Los Angeles
California, Pleasanton
California, Redding
California, San Jose
California, San Mateo,
District of Columbia, Washington
Georgia, Atlanta
Idaho, Idaho Falls
Idaho, Ucon
Kentucky, Burlington
Massachusetts, Lowell
Minnesota, Minneapolis
Minnesota, Saint Paul
Montana, Billings
Montana, Bozeman
Nebraska, Kearney South Dakota, Watertown
New Jersey, Williamstown

New York, Buffalo
New York, Islip
New York, New York
New York, Palisades
North Carolina, Etowah
Ohio, Canton
Ohio, Cleveland
Oregon, Beaverton,
South Carolina, West Columbia
Texas, Austin
Texas, Edinburg
Virginia, Norfolk,
Virginia, Portsmouth

Australia
Sydney

Melbourne

Austria
Vienna, Wien

Argentina
Florida, Buenos Aires

Canada
Toronto, Ontario

Chile
Santiago, Region Metropolitana

Finland
Ruohonp, Western Finland

India
Delhi

Lithuania
Siauliai, Siauliu Apskritis

Mexico
Mexico, Distrito Federal

Norway
Fornebu, Akershus

Singapore

United Kingdom
Blaydon, Newcastle upon Tyne
Saint Mary Bourne, Wiltshire


Venezuela
Caracas, Distrito Federal

Katrina - the fist fo God? Jerusalem Newswire

This is really something to think about. I found it very interesting.
Any thoughts?

Blessings,
iggy
Jerusalem Newswire
Katrina - The fist of God?
By Stan Goodenough
August 29th, 2005
Today is going to be a terrible day for millions of people in the United States as Hurricane Katrina comes roaring ashore on the northern Gulf Coast of the country.
Hopefully, prayerfully, despite the worst-case scenarios being predicted by many weather experts and others in the media, there will not be an enormous loss of life.
But even if no one dies, the thought of hundreds of thousands of people having to leave their homes in the last 48 hours to stream out of the hurricane’s path, not knowing what they will come back to – what will happen to their neighborhoods, their houses, their possessions, almost everything they hold dear – is a terrifying thought indeed.
Untold numbers of people are about to be made refugees. Life, as many in the south-eastern USA have known it for generations, is about to change, painfully and dramatically.
For millions more citizens in the “greatest nation on earth” – those who are not physically near the advancing storm – their existence is also about to take a turn for the worse.
Katrina has forced oil workers to evacuate rigs in the Gulf of Mexico, stopping the production of 600,000 barrels of oil a day. Seven oil refineries and a major oil import terminal have been closed.
Oil prices have already gone through the roof, soaring to a record high of $70.80 a barrel of crude since last Friday. Things could get much worse.
The US is particularly sensitive to oil price hikes. While comprising just five percent of the world population, Americans daily consume 20 million barrels of oil – 25 percent of the world’s total.
Two weeks ago, the monster Katrina was not on any radar screen, although the 2005 hurricane season, which began in July and will not peak until September, had already seen a record number of hurricanes.
On August 14, citizens in the United States, like people around the world, heard about the issuing of an order for the forced evacuation of Jews from parts of Israel’s biblical land.
For six days they watched as thousands of weeping people were pulled and carried from their homes, forced to leave their gardens, parks, communities, schools, towns and synagogues, everything they had spent decades building; banned from ever returning again. Those scenes were soon followed by pictures of bulldozers and other earth-moving machinery pulverizing the just-vacated homes into heaps of dust.
While this was taking place, a small tropical depression was forming near the Bahamas in the Atlantic Ocean. Slowly, as the air began to revolve, the nonthreatening weather system began moving in the direction of Florida.
Yesterday, we in Israel watched as American officials, including President George W. Bush, ordered the mandatory evacuation of New Orleans and its surrounds. That small depression had turned into a frightening fiend. Now we are seeing on our television screens up to a million people being forced to leave their homes. People are weeping on camera, mourning that they are going to lose “everything we own; everything we have worked for.”
As today unfolds we are bracing to see wind and water pounding homes, whole communities, into the ground.
Is this some sort of bizarre coincidence? Not for those who believe in the God of the Bible and the immutability of His Word.
What America is about to experience is the lifting of God’s hand of protection; the implementation of His judgment on the nation most responsible for endangering the land and people of Israel.
The Bible talks about Him shaking His fist over bodies of water, and striking them.
While the “disengagement” plan was purportedly the brainchild of Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, the United States of America has for more than a decade been the chief sponsor and propeller of a diplomatic process that has dangerously weakened Israel in the face of an overwhelming, growing threat to annihilate her.
In the context of the last 12 years of peace-process history and not withstanding the desire of many on Israel’s left to go ahead with this process, the Sharon disengagement plan was something that was forced on Israel, primarily by the United States.
“It is a fact that Israel’s very existence is in grave danger, because of our nation’s sponsorship of 'land for peace' plans, which have led her to the brink of war,” writes US author William R. Koenig, in his 2004 book Eye to Eye– Facing the consequences of dividing Israel. (21st Century Press, Springfield MO, ISBN 0-9728899-9-X).
On the cover, a grim-faced President Bush is shown looking warily at a massive hurricane threatening his country.
Koenig writes, in a book listing major natural and man-made disasters experienced by the USA during its peace-process efforts in the Middle East:
“America is now experiencing the consequences (curses) of Middle East policies, which have been opposed to God’s Word and to the preservation of His covenant land.”
As this “storm of a lifetime” wreaks its rage on the southern United States today, non-believers may be tempted to shake their fists at God. Others will cry out for mercy. Will God hear them?
Our prayer is that He will.
“Pray for us. Pray for all of New Orleans,” a weeping woman resident of the city pleaded on an international television network Sunday evening as Katrina barreled its way towards her.
Many in America couldn’t have cared less about Jews being forced out of their homes and losing everything they have built. Here in Israel, many Jews will be feeling for the Americans who are now facing similar tragedies, tragedies brought about by the forces of heaven rather than through the political power of men.
Can’t you see the link, America? Won’t you see the link?
Copyright 2002-2004 Jerusalem Newswire

From unadoptable to God's child

For some reason I can’t get past this ugly dog story. I was thinking about how we often have such ugliness in our own life, and how we often are quick to judge others who we deem, “different”.

Here is the story as I understand it, taken from Sam”s (the ugly dog name) website.


"Sam is a purebred, yes that's right, a purebred Chinese Crested Hairless. He's almost 15 years old and was taken in as a rescue over five years ago by Susie Lockheed. He was considered "un-adoptable" by local shelters. Susie took him in on a 48-hour trial period. During that time he lived in a cage because he acted like "Cujo" the rabid dog. Susie had to shove food and water into the cage and run. The 48-hour trial became several days, and then Sam just walked out of the cage and became one of the pack (other hairless dogs who found harbor in Susie's domain)."

Susie Lockheed loves animals. She was willing to take into her house a dog all others considered “unadoptable”. Even she was a bit afraid it seems and took care to not take chances that this dog could be dangerous.

What was the redeeming Grace that saved Sam? Susie’s love. Sam responded to Susies love and and soon entered into a new family. Can you see the parallel I am getting at?

God loves you. He is willing to take time to give us mercy and suffer our behavior to show us His love. When all others see you as un-adopotable, God through Jesus, calls you his child. As we respond to God’s love His love enters us and we begin to love others. Soon we find our self in God’s family of other redeemed un-adopotables. Then God adopts us out of His love for us.

We become God’s child, enter His family by His love and now can return love to Him and others.

We come from this.

To this.

Then even better, we are clothed in God righteousness and will be alive Eternally with God
and be in the presence of His Love forever.

Blessings,
iggy

Do you thirst?

Hugo has an interesting post about water. So go there and read it then come back.


OK, so your back.

What I found interesting was that water seems to be, alive. It seems to interact with sound and to pick up the "vibes" around it. Being that humans are about 90% water, I wonder at the effect of our environment has on us. I also began to think and wonder about what Jesus meant about being "Living Water".Water or H2o comes in 3 forms, liquid, solid and gas. If on takes an ice cube and puts it into a pot and brings it to a boil there is a point called flash point that all three exists together as one. I think that is in a way a simplified explanation of the Trinity.

Water is essential to this planet as it sustains life that exist here on planet earth. Earth is unique as it seem to be the only planet that has it in liquid form. One would say it is the lifeblood of the planet. In the body it is essential for it to function properly. It aids in everything from digestion to reproduction to respiration. Without it one will die in a short time.

Jesus said in John 6:63, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink." The pharisees were all in a hubbub about whether Jesus had authority and where that authority came from. Jesus was stating that water is Life and He was Life. That as water is such and intrical part of our being and existence so Jesus must be in our life. Remember, water touches and take part in every thing in our physical body, without it we die.

Without water one dies. Without Christ Jesus we will remain dead in our sins and trespasses.

Let Jesus be Living Water in your life, and let Him flow over your whole existence.

Blessings,

iggy

I love Brother Elson

I have been so blessed by this brother in Singapore. His insights give me real pause to wonder at the story of Christ as He is revealed throughout the OT.

If you haven't you should check him out. I will admit that I would have found Him way toooooo positive in the past, yet I guess I find myself seeking more positive things for my mind and Spirit. When i need a little ice chipped of my cold heart I find peace and joy at Elson's blog.



Blessings,
iggy

Pat Robertson apologized

Pat Robertson did apologize... So let's get on with more important issues.

So, did you see the picture of the ugly dog?

blessings,
iggy

I saw this dog on TV

I saw this dog on TV the other day… All I could think was, “Did The Guys from iron Maiden breed Eddie?”

You may need to get prayed up before you go and look.

This is one ugly Dog.

A picture of Eddie the mascot of iron Maiden.


Blessing,
iggy

Now you decide.

If on takes some time to really look at This Hugo Chavez, I would agree that he is dangerous.

He does seem to be aligning himself with Cuba, and Islamic leaders. In a time when Russia and China are doing joint military training, "to send a message to the USA" I think we "United States" do need to act in some way.

Does Pat Robertson have freedom to say what he wants. Yes! Should he "think" before he speaks? Yes, as we all should. Believe me I am not a 700 club fan. I can't get past that plastic appearance. Yet, I do believe in Grace, Mercy and forgiveness.

Pat, if you read this, apologize and let's all move on.

But keep your eyes open on Venezuela!
blessings,
iggy

Venezuelas break with DEA (the other side)

Venezuela's break with the DEA: a dangerous game
By Veneconomy
23.08.05 Originally posted 18.08.05 Ten days ago the government of Hugo Chávez ended the cooperation agreement between the Venezuelan authorities and the DEA for fighting drug trafficking. With this decision, the government merely acknowledged something that had been brewing for quite some time. The only unexpected part was that the government apparently speeded up the break, in anticipation of the U.S. government’s announcement that it intended to ban six members of the National Guard’s Drug Enforcement Command from entering the United States, arguing their “little collaboration, complicity or obstruction” during joint operations.
If this is the case, the Venezuelan government came up with a way to counteract the blow from Washington and try to bend international opinion in its favor, by staging a theatrical break with the Drug Enforcement Administration.
Some analysts say that the government had been looking for a way to get rid of the DEA for quite some time. There had been several warning signs that the Venezuelan government’s interest in cooperating with the U.S. in the drug war was waning. Among others, frequent breaches of agreements for fighting narcoterrorism and the split, since early this year, between the National Guard (NG) and the DEA. Then there was the mutual dislike and lack of trust between the DEA and General Frank Morgado, head of the NG’s Anti-drug Command and one of the officers who is barred from the United States.
Ever since the beginning of this year, there has been an increase in “moves” of officials who were diligent in backing the war on drugs. Among the most notorious we have: the sudden dismissal, without notice, of the President of the National Commission to Fight the Unlawful Use of Drugs (Conacuid), Mildred Camero; the splitting up of the team of professionals who worked at that agency; and the decapitation of the only operating unit that was still working in close collaboration with the DEA, when head CICPC inspector Juan de Castro was given his retirement orders.
This is what has led some people to believe that, when Chávez found out several weeks ago that the U.S. was planning on revoking the visas of senior NG officers, he saw his chance. The Venezuelan government set in motion an investigation of charges made in June, before the Fundamental Rights Department of the Prosecutor General’s Office, by two “informers” for the DEA, the NG and the CICPC, concerning irregularities, ranging from “illegal actions during raids to alleged disappearance of drugs.” For Venezuela the corollary to this investigation was President Chávez’s announcement of the termination of cooperation with the DEA, an agency he accused of being a façade for "intelligence work against the government" and a collaborator in drug trafficking, in an effort to turn the table on the U.S.
Now we can expect a counterpunch from the U.S., which has been handed concrete facts to work with, not just words and ideology. Expectations are that Venezuela will not be among those “certified” by the U.S. government as a country that cooperates in the war on drugs, when the list is published on September 15. This could be a harsh blow for President Chávez’s expansionist plans. It is not at all the same for other countries and governments to show their sympathies and liking for a revolutionary as for a friend of narcoterrorism.
In the meantime, Venezuela will continue its onward rush to become a bridge for drug trafficking, as a first step towards becoming a no-man’s land where drug traffickers will do as they please.

A tale of two preachers (one side of the story)

A tale of two preachers: Pat Robertson and Chavez
By Daniel Duquenal Venezuela News and Views
23.08.05 Normally I would not bother writing about this type of story but I have received so many mails on that that I feel obliged to post a note.Evangelical preacher Pat Robertson, of the 700 Club fame, of the 1988 presidential run adventure, has asked for someone to shoot Chavez. I read somewhere else that one of his arguments is that since Chavez claims everywhere that the US is trying to take him down, well, "we" might as well do it.This is in a way hysterical. After all, Chavez who has become a preacher himself, spitting as much fire and brimstone as Pat Robertson in his younger days is just collecting his verbal due from another preacher who apparently takes all of Chavez speeches against the US as true. Some of his very own medicine?The vice, Jose Vicente Rangel, of course jumped on the issue making a fool of himself claiming that Robertson, a has-been, is direct evidence of US terrorism, or some such nonsense. Well, Mr. Vice, Robertson might be to Bush what the Tupamaros are to Chavez when they shout agaisnt the US. Should Bush demand that the Tupamaros be arrested for terrorism? Or that the "youth" that put the US on trial a few dasy ago should be called upon for their terrorist words? Gimme a break!Should we give any importance to Pat Robertson words? None at all. He already got too much exposure, and he is embarrassing greatly the White House who had to come out quickly to dismiss his words. After all he is the man that called for hurricanes to hit Florida when Disney granted equal partner benefits to its homosexual employees . In my book, Chavez, Jose Vicente and Pat are birds of a feather. When you keep shouting the extremist line all the time, well, you are bound to get an echo.'nuf written!
PS: just for the record. I do not want Chavez dead. I want him alive and put on trial for all the hurt he has done to Venezuela since 1992, for all the people that died due to his reckless actions, for all the sick people that did not get good health care because of all the money he squandered around the world and at home, for all the corruption that he has ignored, if not blessed, past and present regimes included.
Editor's note: I must stress that I couldn't agree more with Daniel's post script. Actually I would even venture into saying that Chavez be jailed, after that trial suggested by Daniel, in an ADMAX type of facility a la John Gotti.

What is your Dream Church?

I was just checking out some different blogs and found a link to this church.
I found this list of what is a dream church.
DREAMS
Here is a list of what some of our folks said would describe their "Dream Church:"

• a place to reveal your true life - your sins and secrets


• more crazy people


• passionate people


• casual dress


• church where things change


• food


• where my friends can feel comfortable


• where the focus is on Jesus


• everyone participates


• a place of laughter


• relationship focused


• ministries for the needy


• artistic


• scripturally based

Now here is the challenge, you can’t reuse these, but may rephrase these….
What is your “dream Church?”

Blessings,
iggy

A Car Wreck

LOL! You gotta hear this to believe it.

Blessings,
iggy

Tagged!

Rick tagged me... I think, as I have never been tagged before.
The question is:

List ten songs that you are currently digging. It does not matter what genre they are from, whether they have words, or even if they are no good, but they must be songs you are really enjoying right now. Post these instructions, the artists, and the ten songs in your blog. Then tag five other people to see what they are listening to.

And yes Rick. Some of us still "dig it". I still have some 8 tracks somewhere in storage. Ha ha.
Yet, this is my greatest fear. To tell what is in my CD player. I run an online radio station so I play a lot of inde stuff. I am sure most have nt heard of some of these. I have mixed it all together for the list.
1. Alter Bridge - Find the Real
2. Audio Slave - I am the Highway
3. Global Warning - Solace
4. Brave saint Saturn - Under Bridges
5. Casting Crowns - If We Are The Body
6. Gipsy Carnes - Wailin' Wall
7. Jeremy Camp - Trust In You
8. Pillar - Bring me Down
9. The Wiggles - big red car
10. Vega Tales - The Dance Of The Cucumber

Now I guess I tag someone...
how about Levi, Elson, Russ, and Hugo... What's in your CD changer?

blessings,
iggy

Jesus said to Paul Tillich

Jesus said to Paul Tillich, "Who do you say that I am?"
Paul Tillich replied, "You are the eschatological manifestation of the ground of our being, the kerygma of which we find the ultimate meaning in our interpersonal relationships."




And Jesus said, "What?"



Blessings,
iggy

Peter and the Keys

Matthew 16:13. When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, "Who do people say the Son of Man is?"
14. They replied, "Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets."
15. "But what about you?" he asked. "Who do you say I am?"
16. Simon Peter answered, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."
17. Jesus replied, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven.
18. And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.
19. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven."
20. Then he warned his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Christ.

Did Jesus start the institution of Church, or was Jesus responding to Peter’s faith?

Let’s break this passage down.

Verse 1:
Jesus has just finished feeding the 4000 in chapter 15. Then in the beginning of chapter 16 the Pharisees and Sadducees ask Jesus for a sign…. Isn’t that a bit funny. Here Jesus just did a miracle, and religious leaders want a “sign”?

They are still questioning who He is. They were so wicked they could not see the sign before them. Jesus warns His disciples against the yeast of the Pharisees. That they must guard their hearts against the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.

Now with that we enter the passage above.

Jesus then asks who the Son of Man is…. They reply what others say He was…. interesting how even now we look to what others say. We are quick to trust others word and not seek and see what God reveals in our own heart.

They respond with, "Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets."

I think Jesus just smiled and then asked,” But what about you?" he asked. "Who do you say I am?" Jesus is much more interested in our heart than what we think others “think”.
He wants us to be responsible for ourselves. Remember Adam in the garden? Instead of accepting responsibility for his actions he said, “that woman you gave me… she did it.”
We are accountable for our own hearts, not others.

Simon of course is the first to chime in with, “16. Simon Peter answered, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."

Jesus blesses him. Why? Because Peter had tapped into something…. The Father in Heaven. Peter had opened his heart to the Father though Jesus.

Jesus then goes on in verse 18. And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.

Let’s break this down as this is the verse many teach that the church is an instutution…. I already mentioned how the church is not an institution in another post. You can read it here.

First off Jesus does seem to have renamed Simon to Peter. Peter of course means “rock”. I like to think of Peter being a bit like Rocky Balboa. So, Jesus was calling Simon His Rocky. The one of solid rock like faith.

Now how do I get “faith” out of this statement?

First, it was the Father who revealed who Jesus was… to have the Father reveal anything to anyone, takes faith.
Second, if one looks at the literal translation, it reads more like this.

18. 2504 I also 1161 And 4671 to you 3004 say, 3754 - 4771 You 1487 are 4074 Peter, 2532 and 1909 upon 5026 this 4073 bedrock 9999 {statement} 3618 I will build 3450 of me 3588 the 1577 community 2532 and 9999 {the} 4439 gates 0086 of Hades 3756 not 2729 will prevail against 0846 her.

Reorganized a bit it reads like this:
And I also say to you, you are Peter, and upon this bedrock (statement) I will build the community of me, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against her.

I think one can now see a couple of things here.

It is on Peter’s statement, which is the foundation. The statement of faith revealed by the Father that Jesus would build His community. The gates of Hades, or Hell will not prevail against Jesus’ community of faith.

I see nowhere this is an institution. I see a relational community of believers united in Faith.

Now in verse 19. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven."

Here is does seem that the keys of the kingdom of heaven are being given to Peter. This key is the relational faith that Peter has acknowledged. For Peter is now commissioned to share the gospel with the Jews. Peter’s faith in Christ Jesus opened the heavens. Whatever Peter did in this new found faith, would be the things already done in the heavens by the Father… I know some say that Peter was given authority, in a way, but more his decision were now based on his relationship with the Father.

This was not as some teach just authority that whatever Peter’s decisions where, they were already done in heaven. I think this is a bit backwards, especially as Peter was often on the wrong side until the Father revealed things to him of how things where in heaven.
Remember the sheet lowered down from heaven and how Peter argued against eating the “unclean animals” in Acts? Peter fought God as He revealed the truth. Peter finally caught on and then went and taught the truth to the Jews. This was only because of his relationship in faith with the Father through Jesus

To say Peter was now somehow made some perfect mouthpiece or given some type of super ordained knowledge at this point of the Keys given to him is a bit of a stretch. Also, though this word “you” is singular, it seems that he is speaking to more than just Peter for the next statement is to all the disciples to not let anyone know Who He is.


I think it is safe to say that though there is some authority teaching in this passage, it is only because of the relational aspects. Without this relational revelation, Peter would not have revealed his faith. I think also an interesting thing about this passage is that the Father must reveal who Jesus is. He must give revelation, and as he does we must choose.

To me that is the most important part, the choice.
If you are unsure Who Jesus is, pray that God will reveal Who Jesus is to you.

Blessings,
iggy

Jailed Pakistani Christian Released On Bail

I was not going to comment on Guantanamo Bay, or the Amnesty International statement, but after reading this and several other account in Islam countries my blood began to boil.


Jailed Pakistani Christian Released On Bail
Jeremy Reynalds, Assist News Service
A Christian believer who ran afoul of Pakistan's strict blasphemy law has just been released on a bond of $4200. Yousaf Masih, 60, was arrested on June 28 from the Lalkurti area in Nowshera following an allegation that he had deliberately burnt pages of the Koran. After Masih's arrest, a news release from the All Pakistan Minorities Alliance (APMA) stated that he was brutally tortured in a police station and later moved to the Central Jail in Peshawar, where he was kept in a special cell. There was serious concern beginning to emerge about Masih's health. Masih was released from jail on Aug. 6. The news release from APMA stated that when Masih was informed about his impending freedom, "he fell down on his knees and loudly said, 'Hallelujah.'. We took him from Central Jail in Peshawar to a location where his family was waiting for him." Speaking in the news release, an APMA official called Masih's release on bail "a great miracle." He added, "It is for the first time in Pakistan that (someone accused of blasphemy) is released from jail on bail in a very short span ... Such type of blasphemy cases take years for any kind of outcome."


I have a big beef with Amnesty International...

How can they say the things about Guantanamo Bay, which I agree was a human rights scandal..When this sort of stuff is a daily event in any Muslim country?

I am not anti Muslim, just curious as to why those of the Islam faith do not stand against this sort of abuse? I do applaud the London Muslim community for finally saying that anyone who kills themselves and takes innocent lives is going straight to hell....That was very late in coming. Yet, even in that, the radicals definition of "innocent" is very tainted.

Amnesty International was a great organization..At least I thought. Now, I wonder...Are they really out for human rights? Or are they just like so many, out for the money....

At this time I withhold any support for Amnesty International.
Pray for those persecuted Christians in Arab and other nations.

Blessed?
iggy

Redefining church

Redefining thoughts on "Church".

I do not know Greek or Hebrew, yet I have a trusty Strong’s concordance and a basic understanding on how words are constructed. With these tools, God has shown me much.

I have been having some radical thoughts about this whole "Church" idea. As I do more study I find that somehow maybe the idea of “church” was lost in the translation. Literally.

The first time the word appears is in Matthew16: 18:

18. And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.

The first thing about this is that Jesus would never had used the word church…. Synagogue, maybe, religion…. That is what some seem to think. Institution? That is what it has been interpreted as.

But……

In the literal translation they use the word “community” instead of “Church”. Now, that sounds more like Jesus to me.


18. And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my community, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.

Now if one goes deeper here into the Greek we see something even more interesting.

Strong's Ref. # 1577
Romanized ekklesia
Pronounced ek-klay-see'-ah
from a compound of GSN1537 and a derivative of GSN2564; a calling out, i.e. (concretely) a popular meeting, especially a religious congregation (Jewish synagogue, or Christian community of members on earth or saints in heaven or both):
KJV--assembly, church.

Notice it says it comes from two words… this is a compound word…. So what are the two words? Roughly in English they are, in a few more words

Strong's Number: 1537
Transliterated: ek
Phonetic: ek
Text: a primary preposition denoting origin (the point whence action or motion proceeds), from, out (of place, time, or cause; literal or figurative; direct or remote): --after, among, X are, at, betwixt(-yond), by (the means of), exceedingly, (+ abundantly above), for(- th), from (among, forth, up), + grudgingly, + heartily, X heavenly, X hereby, + very highly, in, ...ly, (because, by reason) of, off (from), on, out among (from, of), over, since, X thenceforth, through, X unto, X vehemently, with(-out). Often used in composition, with the same general import; often of completion.

Strong's Number: 2564
Transliterated: kaleo
Phonetic: kal-eh'-o
Text: akin to the base of 2753; to "call" (properly, aloud, but used in a variety of applications, dir. or otherwise): --bid, call (forth), (whose, whose sur-)name (was [called]).


Breaking this down a bit one might say “called out from”. I like to say, “called out ones.”
Or “those called to completion”….

Put together it gives a connotation of a group or community of people called out to completion. Now, I like that better than “church”.

We are called out ones who gather together as a community. What a blessing that is. With this I see the “church” not as an institution of cold bricks and mortar that needs to
Have air conditioning in the summer, (except in them fire and brimstone churches) and heaters in the winter. It suddenly has a rush of blood to it face, color and vibrance courses through it veins and blood pumps in its heart. It suddenly begins to realize it is alive and in amazement, finds out it is loved. Then to be told that she is a beloved Bride
Betrothed to a Bridegroom, who loves her so much that He is making her perfect in every way, for His Names sake, but also because of His great Love for her.

That is church. It is not that the people make up the church or as some say the people are the Church. No. The church is the body of Christ, this body He loves as His own. We are loved as a husband loves his wife… for that is what we are… His Bride!

One of the called out ones who gather in Billings MT,

Blessings,
iggy

Pray for Jordon Cooper

Jordon needs our prayers.

blessings,
iggy

A Liberal and a conservation

A Liberal and a Conservative

Q: How do you tell the difference between a liberal and a conservative?

A: Easy. Watch a man drowning fifty feet offshore. The conservative will throw out 25 feet of rope and shout "swim for it!"The liberal will toss out 50 feet of rope, drop his own end, and go off to do another good deed.

Blessings,
iggy

ETERNAL LIFE IS CHRIST

I wanted to share this quote with you from one of my favorite teachers Maj. Ian Thomas.This has blessed me. I hope it does the same for you.

Blessings

iggy

ETERNAL LIFE IS CHRIST

By: Major W. Ian Thomas

What is eternal life? Is it a place that you are going to when you are dead? Is it a peculiar feeling inside? If you were to ask a normal congregation, or any sort of Bible class or Sunday school in an evangelical church to define eternal life, you would be amazed at the strange answers you would get!

What is eternal life? When does it begin? I noticed just the other day, in a hospital chapel where I was speaking, a tablet on the wall in memory of one of the previous chaplains, and in giving the date of his death it said, "He entered into eternal life." Is that true if he was a Christian? Is it right to imply, as did that tablet on the wall, that eternal life begins when a man is physically dead? No, indeed!

"And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life" (I John 5:11,12)
Jesus Christ and eternal life are synonymous terms, and eternal life is none other than Jesus Christ Himself, of whom it is written in John 1:4 ­ "In Him was life; and this life was the light of men." "If you have eternal life at all, it simply means that you have the Son, Jesus Christ ­ now!

Jesus said, "I am the Way, I am the Truth, I am the Life" (John 14:6)
Eternal life is not a peculiar feeling inside! It is not your ultimate destination, to which you will go when you are dead. If you are born again, eternal life is that quality of life that you possess right now, at this very moment, in your own physical body, with your own two feet on the ground, and in the world TODAYI And where does this life come from? Of Him! He is that Life!
So if you have eternal life, it means that you have Somebody, Jesus Christ, and the life that you possess is of Him.

From: The Saving Life of Christ. Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House. ©1961

To Believe and Confess Jesus is not enough

I am in a discussion with a good friend who is a fulfilled Jew. His comments were of interest to me. This is only a portion of his statement.


Shalom,

It doesn't take a "believer" to say that they know Y'SHUA!Mat 8:29 And, behold, they cried out, saying, What have we to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God? art thou come hither to torment us before the time?Mar 1:24 Saying, Let [us] alone; what have we to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth? art thou come to destroy us? I know thee who thou art, the Holy One of God.Mar 1:34 And he healed many that were sick of divers diseases, and cast out many devils; and suffered not the devils to speak, because they knew him.Luk 4:34 Saying, Let [us] alone; what have we to do with thee, [thou] Jesus of Nazareth? art thou come to destroy us? I know thee who thou art; the Holy One of God.Luk 4:41 And devils also came out of many, crying out, and saying, Thou art Christ the Son of God. And he rebuking [them] suffered them not to speak: for they knew that he was Christ.Confessing the name of Y'SHUA is not enough for as you can see even the demons know who HE is!Knowing HIM is not enough. The demons recognize HIS voice. They know HIM well enough for they were once in Heaven with HIM.Doing miracles is not enough nor does "DOING" alone prove you to be HIS child, for there will come a time when even a "False Prophet" will "DO" such things.Rev 19:20 And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.

For you to be saved when the dead in CHRIST are raised and when the final trumpet sounds there must be the combination of these aspects. You must first accept and confess Y'SHUA as your SAVIOR! Is HE your SAVIOR? If not, then call upon HIS name to save your SPIRIT! Accept the price to redeem you that HE has paid, please?

Pastor Eric Aschendorf

My response:

Once again, I approach things from a bit of a different view. Ha-ha!

Often people I encounter claim to have had an experience of "going forward" to receive the "forgiveness of Jesus". As I talk to them I realize they have never really accepted Jesus Himself. Some claim they are not yet clean enough, or that they have never heard that Jesus gave them His Eternal Life to live through them.

There is a passage in Philippians 2 that states:

12. Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed--not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence--continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, 13. For it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.

Many focus on the first part. Of working out YOUR salvation with fear and trembling….

But miss the most important part …. For it is GOD WHO WORKS IN YOU TO WILL and act according to HIS PURPOSE. Emphasis of course is mine.

It is God’s work He is doing through us…. We submit our will and receive His will.

I see we are literally “dead in our sins” and resurrected spiritually alive in Christ. This is a shadow of sort (a reality also) that points to the Last Resurrection we call our Blessed Hope.

Too many spend their life double minded, thinking they still have a free will, even though they gave that up for God’s will. They carry the corpse of their former self around and live shallow stinking dead Christian lives…. Often suffering for no reason other than they have not allowed themselves to be dead.

Don’t get me wrong; I do believe we still sin. For we are not perfect, but that is God’s job not ours…. To be perfect. Ours right now is to be the imperfect creature in need of a Savior. Paul states in Romans 7:

17. As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me.

Yes, we have a corrupted body of flesh. It has desires and impulses and we fall for these all the time. Yet, we are in the spirit alive. The Seed of Christ is planted in our hearts and is driving out the work of the devil. (1 John 3:9)

Many of these things seem so simple. Yet, if one only receives the forgiveness without receiving the Eternal Life, one has only received half the Gospel.

Forgiveness is the gate to salvation…. Jesus was the sin sacrifice for our salvation. He called Himself the gate for His sheep to enter…. (John 10: 17)

But often many equate forgiveness = salvation… forgiveness was once for all (Romans 6:10,Hebrewss 7:27, Hebrews 9:12)

Jesus said, at the cross “forgive them Father for they know not what they do!” They all were forgiven, yet not all were saved. I see that is the issue. Some have received the forgiveness and never received the Forgiver!

For it is good to be forgiven, yet it is better to be a Beloved.

Of the Called Out Ones who Gather at Billings MT.
Blessings,
Pastor Carlos

What is Emergent?

What is emergent?

Iggy:

I've done some looking into the Emergent Church movement and do appreciate the desire of this movement to put a charge into the institutionalizing of Christianity. It does seem that doctrinal issues are not as crucial in the New Reformation (as you say) as it was in the "First" Reformation of the 1500s. The conversation seems to be based on unity based upon fellowship rather than doctrinal stances. Am I correct in this? Just trying to understand.

In Christ,

Matt

My response:

close...
It is hard to understand because it looks like a movement, yet, it is not. Though there is now
talk about it actually becoming one.
It crosses all denominations. It makes it inclusive as opposed to exclusive.
It is allowing as you said the openness of conversation, as opposed to setting
lines in the sand.
It is about following Christ, and not man's teaching or an institution.
It is the seeking of the REAL.... It is the de-institutionalizing of the Church.
It is greater than the original Reformation as it is about deconstructing and
re-examining all things. To even be open to that ability.

I would say it is more:
organic than mechanical
conversation vs. direction
less vs. more
people vs. profit


It is being relevant in an age that views Christianity as irrelevant.

It is to me seeing the Church not as an institution but literally the Body of Christ.
If one looks at the word church in the Bible, it is broken down into two parts;

"the called out ones/those that gather".

So to me it is the called out ones who gather at Billings.

This gives the "church" a pulse, life and it becomes more organic and no longer an institution,
(When has a building ever hugged anyone). Even to say the church is the people still loses out that that it is more than the people but the Body of the Risen Savior. It means that we become One with Christ not just a denomination of "people" who rally under a man's teaching. But those that literally become One with The One, as Jesus prayed in John 17.

I have become more aware of how much we add to the Gospel, by our culture, our own bias,
and backgrounds. We can personalize our faith but to add these things actually diminishes the works of Christ, like adding works to Grace.

Blessings,
iggy

Papa Murphy's Concerned About You

Papa Murphy's Concerned


I found this extremely funny!
Papa Murphy's is a "you bake" pizza place. You go, and they make it, then you drive home and
cook it yourself. It is supposed to be a bit cheaper then delivery. Though I think I might argue that point.

Here is the thing. We have to drive to get the pizza from these guys and they are telling us we could, most certainly can get in a car accident while doing it! But we will get a free pizza voucher if we go and check out this insurance agent.

I really fought the idea of calling them and saying, "I am convinced! I will no longer drive to Papa Murphy's and pick up my pizza. I was not aware of how dangerous that really is, so from now on I will only have my pizza delivered."

They do not even see they are sending a double message in this advertisement.

Now, how many Churches do the same thing? They sing "just as you are", then teach everyone in the congregation that God won't hear them if they sin, or that they are being punished for not repenting, or that they must "do these things" to maintain or grow in their faith. I read that it is God who make things grow. That desire should come from within to want to know Jesus in a personal way.

As the Body of Christ we must be aware of these things. As seekers may call us one day and say, "You have convinced me, there is no God. For you say God is love, and yet I never saw it from you".

Just some thoughts.
blessings,
iggy

Ciana DeMay Shelton

Introducing Ciana DeMay Shelton

She was born at 2:59 PM, Thursday July 21.

weighing in at 7 lbs 6 ounces
19.5 inches long

Thanks for all you prayers and love.

Blessed,
iggy

Feeling Better... But still have a nasty cough.

Thanks to everyone who prayed for me about my case of pneumonia. It seems to be now just an annoying cough. I do think I will be able to be present when my daughter is born.

If TES goes into labor today, which we hope, we will be off to the hospital. If not, she will be induced tomorrow, if there is an available bed in the birthing unit.

Again, thanks for all your prayers.

Blessings,
iggy

The Exchanged Life

Some of you may have check out the link to the teachings of Irenaeus I have on this page.
My theology took on a grand transition after reading His teachings. I see as Irenaeus who was a disciple of the Polycarp and the Apostle John taught one must subject his free will unto God. I see this as the exchange of wills from ours to Gods. This is the exchanged life or as scripture calls it, becoming a new creation.

I see a common saying as a bit unscriptural... yet as I am not a legalist (at least I pray ha-ha) I don’t make too much out of it. We often hear the phrase, "I gave my life to the Lord", when in reality we had no life.... as all that dwelt in us before Christ was death. We should say, "I gave my death to the Lord, and He gave me His eternal life." In fact Christ Jesus gave Himself for He is Life itself.

I see the real issue in Christianity today is the equation of forgiveness = salvation. When in the scripture all are forgiven, yet it does not say all are saved. When Jesus yelled, "Father, forgive them they know not what they do". I see all at the cross forgiven; yet I would never say all present at the cross were saved.

What this leads to is many receiving only half the Gospel that leads to Life.

Many go forward, not to receive Christ Jesus, but to receive forgiveness. This forgiveness is already granted by way of the cross. The only way of salvation is Jesus for He is salvation.

I see many people being deceived that they are saved, when in reality they only have acknowledged that God forgave them and have not received the power unto salvation, or the Life of Christ.

Now some may call this the indwelling of the Holy Spirit... and I agree... for without the Holy Spirit indwelling us we do not have the power to be saved. This power can only come from God Who is our only salvation, and our hope of glory.

Blessings,
iggy

Pneumonia?

Here it is 100+ degrees and I get pneumonia. It started out with a high fever and a trip to the emergency room.
Please pray as it is possible that I am contagious. The last thing TES needs (or Fischer) is pneumonia while she is giving birth.
Also, pray I get over this before she goes into labor.


blessings,

iggy

Find the Real by Alter Bridge

Find The Real
Stuck in the middle I burrow inside
Back to the cradle
Away from the burdens of all my crimes
Before it’s fatal
My past has found me the truth’s come out
All is remembered
With no place to fall but straight down
I must surrender
Well it seems I’ve
Finally thought of everything
I wanna love
I wanna feel
Find peace
Find the real
There’s a face I put on all my life
The face of an angel
But I look in the mirror only to find
The face of a stranger
And with all I’ve taken I hunger for more
Cause I’m selfish
And all I’m left with is a crown of thorns
And I’m helpless
Well it seems I’ve
Finally thought of everything
I wanna love
I wanna feel
Find peace
Find the real
I’ll trade these lies for something right
I’ll kill what hurts with something pure
I will be redeemed so I can breathe again
Well it seems I’ve
Finally thought of everything
I wanna love
I wanna feel
Find peace
Find the real
Well it seems I’ve
Finally thought of everything
I wanna love
I wanna feel
Find peace
Find the real

Thoughts on sin and the fall

This was my response to some great questions Rick on his blog Caffeinated Adventures is asking.

The conversation is around sin.

Rick,
Great questions! I am not attempting to answer the question per se, but share my journey.
All I can say in my journey sin is not right vs. Wrong thinking.... Sin is a state of being of believing we can on our own, know right from wrong and good from evil.


In Christ we are return to the "good" that all creation was, a return to innocence, as before the fall.
We fell from a state of Grace to a works mentality of seeking to find for our selves, right and wrong.

When we took upon our self to be the judge of good and evil as you stated I agree we chose to be as God.

I think this is what is wrong with most of modern thinking. They focus on right wrong, being fixated on the very thing that is our fallen state. So it seems that is the big struggle.

I see it as returning to total dependence on God the Father as Jesus Himself walked. Jesus did what was good and that was His focus, the result, righteousness satisfied. A bit of a dichotomy, yet that is as God is sometimes.

Blessings,
iggy

Wisdom.....

One evening an old Cherokee told his grandson about a battle that goes on inside people. He said, "My son, the battle is between 2 wolves.""One is Evil. It is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority and ego.The other is God. It is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith."The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, "Which wolf wins?"The old Cherokee simply replied, "The one you feed."
Author Unknown.
blessings,
iggy

Nunc Dimittis

I just read this blog Waiter Rant.... it is real. it is raw......

It will touch your heart....

blessings,
iggy

what's next? the abomination of desolation?

bushfish.... what's next the abomination of desolation?

I found a new link to my site.... preacherruss at Glocality..... see the link in the links section.
I am amazed and humbled that someone would even link to me....

I find myself alienated from the Christian right more and more…. I used to think I was one until a few years back. I guess the luster started to tarnish with Bush sr. handing over the election to Clinton. Bush sr. never had a clue his statement about unwed mother and such would be….offensive. So, Clinton became president and soon she will run again.
(Wink).

I do not consider my self a Bush basher. I kind of like the guy. I don’t agree with all his policies, as I think he is distracting us with social security, while he ignores national security as in securing our borders. I think his real problem is he is not a great communicator. He seems to be reluctant to have a real press conference. Not that anyone in the press knows what that is anymore.

A while back I wrote about a vision I had about the perfect Christian, made in our image.
It was a false god that many seem to have as the goal of their faith. It is a false god of religious deception. Now, here is an example of the religious right deifying (without even realizing they are doing it) the president! They have replaced Christ Jesus with Bush.

In the middle of the fish is a small cross or the Greek letters "ΙΧΘΥΣ" or "ιχθυς" which means Ichthys or simply, fish.
But, to the Christian being persecuted it meant something very significant. It meant, Iēsous Christos Theou Huios Sōtēr meaning "Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior".

So, if you look at this fish you will not see Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior, but Bush.
Can you see why this is offensive?

Blessings,
iggy

The Bible is Worthless without Jesus

The Bible is worthless without Jesus.

Without Jesus we only have a book with rules.... without Jesus this book does not give eternal life.
Only with Jesus the Bible comes alive.... only because Christ lives does the book live. Without Jesus we have a "Religion".

With Jesus we have a relationship.

The Bible is useless without Jesus.

Too many people put all the emphisis on the bible... and think it give eteneral life... it does not.... only Jesus does.

John 5: 39. You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about me, 40. yet you refuse to come to me to have life.

John 7: 37. On the last and greatest day of the Feast, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. 38. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him." 39. By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified.

Luke 24: 25. He said to them, "How foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! 26. Did not the Christ have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?" 27. And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself. 28. As they approached the village to which they were going, Jesus acted as if he were going farther. 29. But they urged him strongly, "Stay with us, for it is nearly evening; the day is almost over." So he went in to stay with them. 30. When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them. 31. Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight. 32. They asked each other, "Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?"

Luke 24:44. He said to them, "This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms." 45. Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. 46. He told them, "This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, 47. and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. 48. You are witnesses of these things.



The Bible does not have all we need....

Jesus has all we need....

2 Peter 1:2. Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. 3. His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. 4. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.

Without Jesus the Bible is worthless.

It would only be a book that gives us false hope in pleasing God by our own
righteousness.

There are those who seem to have added one more to the Trinity. It is as if they think the Bible itself is God.
It is God's written word and and unveiling revelation of Who He is and Who
Jesus is. Though I do revere and respect God's written word I do not worship it.
I worship the Person it speaks of.

I have come across many who "study" and have a form of godliness that is not of God, nor with understanding.....

2 Timothy 3: 1. But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. 2. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive,
disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3. without love, unforgiving, slanderous,
without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, 4. treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God-- 5. having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them. 6. They are the kind who worm their way into homes and gain control over weak-willed women, who are loaded down with sins and are swayed by all kinds of evil desires, 7. always learning but never able to acknowledge the truth.

Blessings,
iggy