So, I was perusing the internet tonight and found an article on an insensitive, no grace, no loving, example of Jesus pastor who lashed out at Tom Brady and others for having sex outside of marriage - claiming because of that they were bound to Hell (http://backporch.fanhouse.com/2009/10/19/good-news-pats-haters-tom-brady-is-going-to-hell/?icid=main|aim|dl4|link5|http%3A%2F%2Fbackporch.fanhouse.com%2F2009%2F10%2F19%2Fgood-news-pats-haters-tom-brady-is-going-to-hell%2F).
So, I post this on Facebook and a bud of mine posts another link on Facebook from the same church holding a Bible burning night on Halloween. Here's the link: (http://amazinggracebaptistchurchkjv.com/Download99.html). Read it - it's classic. Not only are they burning any version of the Bible in English that is not the KJV but also books by heretics such as: Billy Graham, Rick Warren, Charles Swindoll, John Piper, Chuck Colson, Bill Bright, Mark Driscoll, Mother Teresea, Erwin McManus, Rob Bell, Brennan Manning, and my favorite "etc". So in other words, any pastor or church that does a better job then his is a heretic, therefore they all should be burned.
Oh, and books are not the only things to get burned. They are also burning music. The genres included are: country , rap , rock , pop, heavy metal, western, soft and easy, southern gospel , contemporary Christian , jazz, soul, oldies but goodies, and of course, again my favorite "etc". So, what can I listen to? Just say what you truly feel - all music is evil, or as they call it "Satan's music".
Oh, it get's better - THEY BACK THIS UP SCRIPTURALLY!!!!! "The Scriptural bases for what we are doing each year is found in Acts 19:18-20 'And many that believed came, and confessed, and shewed their deeds. Many of them also which used curious arts brought their books together, and burned them before all men: and they counted the price of them, and found it fifty thousand pieces of silver. So mightily grew the word of God and prevailed.'
Oh, and did you catch it - THEY DO IT EVERY YEAR!!!!!! This is a quality place for sure - and if you look at the link, you can see that its a hip place - just look at their "amazing" web page, I'm sure this attracts a lot of normal, missional, Jesus loving, not hateful, people and set's a great example to the world of what Jesus is all about... NOT!
This just makes me angry - why?!?!?!?!?!?! Why are there so many bad churches who do not live incarnationally like Jesus? If I'm every driving through North Carolina, I know a church that I won't be checking out. I better stop typing before I go "HULK SMASH" on my laptop...
P.S. On the plus side, they will be serving Fried Chicken... Maybe we should have a book burning of all their material?
October 20, 2009
October 19, 2009
The CA Budget Crisis - CSUF's Furlough Week!
So, the week has come - its week 9 of the semester. Mid terms have finished and we have hit furlough week. God Bless Budget Cut's in the CSU's. In fact, I'd take paying double for half the amount of classes to attend. But on to my point...
This week, i get the privilege of not having class on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. So I'm really going to take advantage of it. Here's how:
1) Hang with friends and just relax - take a sabbath rest.
2) Work, sadly even that doesn't go away, but its cash and it's mission so I'm cool with that - after all, I am an achiever according to stregnthfinders 2.o and I have to achieve things.
3) Intern at RH this week still, while doing my College Life Group and Middle School Life Group.
4) Most importantly I get time to read and pray, to listen and seek. So, on Tuesday before I intern I plan on just going to my favorite spot in the world - the beach to pray, study, reflect and listen to God. I'll probably even end my night there too after my MS Life Group. On Wednesday, before I work, I plan on exploring Fullerton - driving, praying, walking, studying and planning and learning about the great city of Fullerton. Thursday, before I work as well, I plan on finding a spot and just sitting there. Praying for the city. Praying for guidance, praying for wisdom, and seeking the Kingdom. I'm pretty stoked. I'm ready to see the kingdom invade and I'm ready for some quality Jesus time!
This week, i get the privilege of not having class on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. So I'm really going to take advantage of it. Here's how:
1) Hang with friends and just relax - take a sabbath rest.
2) Work, sadly even that doesn't go away, but its cash and it's mission so I'm cool with that - after all, I am an achiever according to stregnthfinders 2.o and I have to achieve things.
3) Intern at RH this week still, while doing my College Life Group and Middle School Life Group.
4) Most importantly I get time to read and pray, to listen and seek. So, on Tuesday before I intern I plan on just going to my favorite spot in the world - the beach to pray, study, reflect and listen to God. I'll probably even end my night there too after my MS Life Group. On Wednesday, before I work, I plan on exploring Fullerton - driving, praying, walking, studying and planning and learning about the great city of Fullerton. Thursday, before I work as well, I plan on finding a spot and just sitting there. Praying for the city. Praying for guidance, praying for wisdom, and seeking the Kingdom. I'm pretty stoked. I'm ready to see the kingdom invade and I'm ready for some quality Jesus time!
October 5, 2009
Detoxing
So it has been a while since my last post and I have a lot I need to blog about, but tonight, err, this morning I'm going to keep it short and simple.
Over the past several months, there have been two things becoming more and more crystallized in my mind as the Holy Spirit leads me and Jesus prepares me for ministry. Heck, these two things that I'm learning are actually one thing, or two sides of the same coin.
Here is the first one: All of life must be living out the Gospel.
That is a big statement, I know. What does that mean? It means that Jesus came to establish a people that were to be about the business of the Father (just like Jesus was), aka, establish His Kingdom on earth. It means that in all we do in our lives, we must be embodying the gospel - not just to those who do not know Jesus - but to those who do know Jesus. Our lives must be gospel led, gospel business, kingdom lives.
Point two which ties directly into this, is that we must live these gospel lives in community. Why? Because God lives in community as the Trinity present in God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Not only that, God has always been about creating a people. First through Adam, then Noah, then Abraham, then the Isrealites and now the Church (with the capital C, not the lower case c). He's always about blessing a people to be a blessing to the world. In our world today that is the Church.
But in this gospel life lived in community it is an enormus task with lots of variables from scenario to scenario - the common linkage is that we are supposed to live life in such a way that as individuals participating in community we live such lives that the world demands an explanation, and the only explanation is the Gospel.
Jesus has been teaching me a lot about that recently. The Holy Spirit is growing that passion in me continually. Today, tonight, God gave me an oppurtunity to put this into practice. Before I share my story, I must preface it by saying that I'm not perfect at this. By no means. I fail, and fail a lot. This is one of the times I feel I have gotten it right.
Today, a brother of mine gave me a phone call. We help each other do life together and are developing a stronger bond all the time. He called, while I was in RH Student Ministries @ South County. Sent him a text and found out it was important. Snuck out and gave him a call. Where he shared with me the news that his girl friends dad had died on Thursday.
I'll admit, not the phone call I expected. Don't know what I was expecting, just not that. So we talk and find out the details, I'm heart broken, say goodbye and go back to the students. For the rest of the day it was hanging over me, I was broken and sad for two people I love. All I wanted to do was be with them, and grieve with them, and pray over them.
Then, the 9pm @ RockHarbor Central Campus begins. We sit through it and I realize that the response time is the ideal time to pray for him and her. So, after the message when response time hits - I pull him aside and ask him to come with me to the prayer room. Again, a note, I'm by no means perfect. But it is here, where I get to pray with him, pray over him, and lift him up. It is here, where community happened. Where life was done together, where it was all laid bare and made sure that for the sake of the Gospel whatever was needed from me he had as I'm there to keep him upright.
After that I asked if I could pray over them both. So he brought her in. It was sad, she's a beautiful, energetic woman who loves Jesus and I could feel and see the heaviness in her soul. I hug her and spend time grieving. It is after this that I look at them both, and do life, and live community of the Gospel out with them and share my heart, how I'm here for her, for him, for them. And then, prayed for these two amazing people who love Jesus and each other, that model a Godly relationship to the world, through the Gospel in their community.
The Gospel embodied in community. It hurts. Its tough. Its worth it. We just model ourselves after our perfect example, Jesus, till he returns and takes away things such as death. Remember, after all, even "Jesus wept".
Over the past several months, there have been two things becoming more and more crystallized in my mind as the Holy Spirit leads me and Jesus prepares me for ministry. Heck, these two things that I'm learning are actually one thing, or two sides of the same coin.
Here is the first one: All of life must be living out the Gospel.
That is a big statement, I know. What does that mean? It means that Jesus came to establish a people that were to be about the business of the Father (just like Jesus was), aka, establish His Kingdom on earth. It means that in all we do in our lives, we must be embodying the gospel - not just to those who do not know Jesus - but to those who do know Jesus. Our lives must be gospel led, gospel business, kingdom lives.
Point two which ties directly into this, is that we must live these gospel lives in community. Why? Because God lives in community as the Trinity present in God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Not only that, God has always been about creating a people. First through Adam, then Noah, then Abraham, then the Isrealites and now the Church (with the capital C, not the lower case c). He's always about blessing a people to be a blessing to the world. In our world today that is the Church.
But in this gospel life lived in community it is an enormus task with lots of variables from scenario to scenario - the common linkage is that we are supposed to live life in such a way that as individuals participating in community we live such lives that the world demands an explanation, and the only explanation is the Gospel.
Jesus has been teaching me a lot about that recently. The Holy Spirit is growing that passion in me continually. Today, tonight, God gave me an oppurtunity to put this into practice. Before I share my story, I must preface it by saying that I'm not perfect at this. By no means. I fail, and fail a lot. This is one of the times I feel I have gotten it right.
Today, a brother of mine gave me a phone call. We help each other do life together and are developing a stronger bond all the time. He called, while I was in RH Student Ministries @ South County. Sent him a text and found out it was important. Snuck out and gave him a call. Where he shared with me the news that his girl friends dad had died on Thursday.
I'll admit, not the phone call I expected. Don't know what I was expecting, just not that. So we talk and find out the details, I'm heart broken, say goodbye and go back to the students. For the rest of the day it was hanging over me, I was broken and sad for two people I love. All I wanted to do was be with them, and grieve with them, and pray over them.
Then, the 9pm @ RockHarbor Central Campus begins. We sit through it and I realize that the response time is the ideal time to pray for him and her. So, after the message when response time hits - I pull him aside and ask him to come with me to the prayer room. Again, a note, I'm by no means perfect. But it is here, where I get to pray with him, pray over him, and lift him up. It is here, where community happened. Where life was done together, where it was all laid bare and made sure that for the sake of the Gospel whatever was needed from me he had as I'm there to keep him upright.
After that I asked if I could pray over them both. So he brought her in. It was sad, she's a beautiful, energetic woman who loves Jesus and I could feel and see the heaviness in her soul. I hug her and spend time grieving. It is after this that I look at them both, and do life, and live community of the Gospel out with them and share my heart, how I'm here for her, for him, for them. And then, prayed for these two amazing people who love Jesus and each other, that model a Godly relationship to the world, through the Gospel in their community.
The Gospel embodied in community. It hurts. Its tough. Its worth it. We just model ourselves after our perfect example, Jesus, till he returns and takes away things such as death. Remember, after all, even "Jesus wept".
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