Abba Father

When I think about a father's role in a child's life, I am deeply reminded of my faith. I see how a child looks to his father and mimicks. I can remember pretending to be like my dad growing up, occasionally saying things like he did and doing particular things in the same manner. When I think about my faith in Christ, I am reminded of Jesus crying "Abba, father!" throughout scripture. "Abba" is a hebrew aramaic term that describes a close and intimate relationship with a father. By initimate, of course, I mean a relationship that is personal and essential that is within the deepest nature personal of love. Eros love is an erotic type of initimate love that I am not speaking of. I mean the type of love by C.S. Lewis' description called 'caritas' or agape love. This is the type of unconditional love that only comes from God.

When Jesus cried "Abba" he saw God the father the same way a child see's his father. The mimicked behavior, the language, and the actions, are ways in which we followed our dads and can be analoguous to Jesus and His father, God. As Christians, we follow in the footsteps of our heavenly father. When we think of loving others, we must think first of how God loves us unconditionally. God does not love us because of what we've done, but He loves us because we are in the likeness of His son Christ! Imagine if God only loved us because of what we do. That would be like a parent saying to a kid, "Child, I only love you when you don't do bad things." What kind of parent would that be? God loves us because He is our father, and when He calls us to salvation, we become in the likeness of His true son, Jesus.

Take joy in salvation because God, abba father, loves us even in times that we fail, stumble, and sin. May the peace of God and His grace & mercy be with you.


Gal. 4:6
And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, "Abba! Father!"

Denominations 101

During my stay in New Jersey for this past summer, I got to evaluate the churches in the area and really see how God is working through the different congregations. The first church I got to attend was the Tuckerton 1st Presbyterian in Tuckerton, NJ. It's a medium bodied church - filled with beautiful stain glass windows, a large wooden cross centered neatly in the front, and a beautiful pipe organ tucked in the left corner. The members of the congregation are causally dressed and the reverened wears a black dress. Although I was not accustomed with a female preacher, I thought the message was informative and scriptural. The best part of the service was partaking in the Holy Communion, or Lord's Supper. The pastor explained the meaning of taking in the supper, and sang a beautiful hymnal to the audience. The supper was intersting. Rather than pass out little plastic cups of juice and round crackers, the congregation lined up to walk up front, tear off a piece of bread from a large loaf and then dip the bread into a large cup.

I attended another Presbyterian church in East Hanover, NJ, called Kitchell Memorial Presybterian. This congregation was similar to Tuckerton's (small quaint atomsphere with friendly fellowship, female reverend, structure of worship, et. al). Overall, my NJ Presbyertian experience was informative, but yet somewhat disappointing. Although the PCA (Presbyterian Church of America) has some disagreement about women being head of a church, there are many congregations that are very biblical in allowing only men to be elders and pastors as instructed in the book of Acts. I did gain some insight on a few things I could encourage my home church towards. (1) The Kitchell Memorial Presbyterian church had a moment for the members to share what God is doing in their life at that moment and also share any praises or prayer requests. Passing a microphone around, many congregates talked about their personal issues as well as how God has blessed them. When it got to me, I simply welcomed myself as a visitor from Arkansas wanting to see what God was doing in the lives of people in NJ. I was flocked with questions like "what is Arkansas like?" and "are you a reverened?". (2) The fellowship and the method involved (saying "Christ be with you" or "Peace be with you" to one another) is very humbling.


Wanting to go more conservative, I attended a Baptist church called Calvary Baptist in Little Egg Harbor, NJ. As a much larger congregation, I found the neatly designed church not as subtle as many of the Orthodox churches I've attended. With big screens and fancy electronics, the church atomsphere was geared towards the contemporary crowd. The fellowship was not as open; members stayed in their general seating area and said their 'hellos' and chatted for a brief while. One could hear members talking about Aunt Sally's health to how bad the crabbing has been. I could tell people did not know I was a guest; as the congregation was numereous. The worship through music was a mixture of traditional patriotic songs (attended near July 4) with some typical songs by David Crowder and Third Day. The pastor, Mike, gave a powering message over the social issues in America such as homosexuality and euthanasia. I would have hoped to hear more about Jesus' gospel and how it applies to these issues. The service did take a humbing twist at the end. The entire congregation all held hands in a big circle in the church and sang a benediction.

I gained some insight from Calvary's church in that they had great mission field oppurtunities. I liked hearing Pastor Mike talk about the lost in their own small towns and area cities, and how they wish to reach to their needs. Although theologically I did not line up directly with Calvary compared to the Presbyterian churches (excluding female pastoral lineup), I enjoyed the two times I attended the church.

Overall, I would rate my church experience combined at an 80/100. I know that there is no such thing as the perfect church. I think Calvary Baptist is a great place for a conservative christian to dig their hands into the mission field. Those Presbyterian churches would most likely not attract younger adults like myself but rather an older crowd. I truly believe this 101-type of experience I got was very informative and such a blessing. I encourage folks to seek out and visit local churches to see what God is doing there.

Verbal Processing: Change.

Today, I've been thinking about much about myself during this summer vacation here in New Jersey. I am not the same person now as I was the the last summer of 2008. I know we all change in some way over a period of time. We change our clothing styles and how we fix our hair. I feel the change is spiritual. It is something only God influences.

My outlook on things such as patience and lust (my two biggest struggles) has completely evolved. Mind you, I still do struggle with these things but not as heavy as the years past. I can see how God is calling me to something bigger. It is something more than I can imagine. The way He is bringing me back to the likeness of His son is becoming more clear and within reach than ever before. My struggles are two that are very common within all races, all sexes, all nationalities, and all cultures. I cannot hide the things that hinder me. One big change is the way I deal with these things. I thank God that I am suffering as I do for the better glory of Christ.

Another big influence of change starts with my career. I have always enjoyed studying law; whether it be criminal or constitutional law, I enjoy studying it. After speaking with an attorney who takes an associate pastor position at a local church in Paragould, Arkansas, I begin to see how all things within any career work together. In just about any career, Christians can reach someone within their vocation. I have always wanted to fit into a career that makes me a light in a dark place. I now realize that every job - even ministerial - has darkness of some kind. An attorney can serve Christ with such validity and ability as a pastor.

God showing me patience has broadened my perspective in all things. There are so many things I want in my life - marriage, good career, serving within a church - that I have little to understand how to accomplish. God has allowed me to struggle to make me see the perspective of His will. I must first serve Him through whatever I do next. I will be job searching soon in Paragould, Jonesboro, and Little Rock in Arkansas. I truly believe that God will show me the correct pathway in choosing a job. From there, I want to meditate more on scripture to determine if law school is right for me. This is all my way of verbally developing what to do next, or in other words, this writing is my way of both communicating with readers and myself. Just by me sitting down right now writing this, I am processing new ideas and desires.

All this may seem mundane and mediocre. For me, it is not. I am not the same. I have decided to follow Christ. And although I have sat through darkness for such a long time, God is still my light. I have made many impulsive and imprudent decisions in the past and said many things that have damaged and given others a negative view of me. Many say we should forget our past lives. I think to a point this is dangerous. If we don't know who we used to be, then we will have no clue on what we wish to be.

It is interesting to me how people change from year to year. I encourage everyone to seek Christ in all things. In all things, pray for a changed heart. I am happy of my change, and I cannot wait to see where God has me next summer of 2010.

Jesus for Sale

He is not your home-boy as the shirt states; nor is he the co-pilot as the ridiculous bumper sticker implies. Jesus didn't come to start a fashion line. He didn't suffer the most excruciating death by crucifixion to have his name simply put on a bracelet reading "WWJD?" Churches find that marketing Jesus using funny t-shirt sayings and silly slogans work the best to bring in congregates. Jesus is not for sale.

He is our Lord, our Master and our Savior. We use capitalistic principles to share his message of forgiveness and grace; how ludicrous! It is okay to wear a WWJD? shirt and bulletin boards with sayings of Jesus plastered on advertizements. But we simply limit ourselves to this cultural means of getting messages out. We must realize that Jesus is not for sale. It is harmful because the world views Jesus as a marketing figure over a savior. He can be used in Family Guy episodes to play magic tricks and make crude jokes, and our culture loves it. We feed off this marketed Jesus like he is suppose to give us humor and good charm.

Jesus was not a magical Hoodini-type nor was he a quick witted comedian. Stop looking at God like He is a side-kick or a fun name to put on your facebook religious status. Jesus Christ showed us how to have a relationship with God, not how to make us chuckle at bulletin boards. As church bodies, we must stop using the market to make Jesus appealing and worldly lovable. He didn't come to entertain or give a silly list of dos & don'ts. He died for sin and gave us life. So, why do we try to sell him?

The Error of Free Thought

When the French philospher René Descartes said "cogito, ergo sum" or in English "I think therefore I am" , he was engaging in a free thought system. This free thought notion assumes that whatever thinks, must exist. See how this can become erroneous? It does in the way that the agent (thinker) creates assumptions that somehow create truths. What is my point?

I believe there is very little evidence of complete free thought. Think of something right now. I would almost guarantee that your thought did not freely come from nothing. Mankind is not able to create validity. He is not within his power to simply makeup a reality. Something must create a thought. Something must give a thought. If I say I am a complete free thinker who believes that the death penalty is a valid resource based on evidence and statistics, then I have not used complete free thought. I have used someone elses thoughts and opinions to lead towards a conclusion. Such is not absolute free thought.

My issue with many who believe Christianity is an ill towards society because it lacks free thought is their own inconsistencies. The description of freethought is a fallacy in itself: "Freethought is a philosophical viewpoint that holds that beliefs should be formed on the basis of science, logic, and reason, and should not be influenced by authority, tradition, or any other dogma. " Why? Is this not a limitation of people to use their choice? If absolute free thought is based on evidence by other human beings, is that not an influence of authority? Absolutely.

My conclusion is this: Nothing in this world is not influenced by something else. One cannot concluse that a Christian is less of a freethinker and open to others than an atheist. Every group is exclusive. In other words, each group believes that everyone should beleive what they believe. There is no such thing in this world as inclusive people, or absolutists for 'freeness.' Here is a good example by Timothy Keller in the book "Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism" :

"Imagine that one of board members of the local Gay, Lesbian, and Transgender Community Center announces, "I've had a religious experience and now I believe homosexuality is a sin." As weeks go by, he persists in making that assertion. Imagine that a board member of the Alliance Against Same-Sex Marriage announces "I discovered that my son is gay, and I think he has the right to marry his partner." No matter how personally gracious and flexible the members of each group are, the day will come when each group will have to say 'You must step off the board because you don't share a common commitment with us.'"

See, both of these groups may believe they are free in their thought and open. While one may seem more inclusive and free, it is not. Each one of these groups of people are based on ideas and thoughts and beliefs. For such groups that consider themselves more inclusive and valid because they believe they are freethinking absolutists, I caution them. Free thought must come from some past teaching of folks like Decartes. Think of my final illustration:

If free thinking was such a neccessary foundation, then we should rid of laws, education, and social norms. We should allow children to freely choose, not their parents, on whether they want education. We should allow eveyone to decide if laws such as stealing gasoline are wrong, and not a governing body. If a woman wants to walk topless down a street corner in front of young children, it should be okay under the complete free thinking system.

See the error? I am not suggesting that thinking for yourself is a negative thing. But I again caution those who want to exclude Christians for being ignorant because we base our foundation of beliefs on God. We are no more exclusive than them.

Grace and peace be with you.

Tis the Season to Be Single

Ever feel alone in this world's mass production of relationships? Ever feel like no matter how hard you to find your way out of the dating world, you somehow get sucked back into the world's system of relationship norms?

I feel that way very often. But in this world where being 'something' with someone else is key, I find that scripture, or the Holy Bible, tells me more than what meets the standard of American cultural norms and values.

1. At one point in time, all Christians are called to be single.
2. There is a season of growth through singleness.
3. Complete singleness is meant for some and not others.

There came a point in my life where I began to question motive I had. Whether it be purchasing a new CD or deciding what to do with myself, I began to inquire on why I did these things. I finally immersed myself in scripture and found that the Christian must do all these for the glory of God. In order to do so, we must be called to things. We will all go through a period of being alone, or single. There is a time when we must embrace that period for a season. Just as there are seasons in weather, there are seasons of love relationships.

As C.S. Lewis writes about 3 of 4 of the types of love (eros-in love, storge-affection, philia-friendships) I see the period of this season. We all begin at that philia, or friendship love. The singleness from the other types of love through heterosexual desires for another person is short lived for some, and longer for others. I have been single for about 2 years. Some, have been single their entire life. God uses us different. That period of singleness should be viewed as joyful! There is a purpose behind being single. God wants us to see ourselves and who we are to become. The most dangerous thing is this thought that "I should start dating to figure out who I am and who I want to be with." The idea is dangerous because it puts the trust of determining oneself in dating. Dating will not give us answers. Only God the Father can give us directly our knowledge of who we shall marry. As said before in below blogs, that dating is for the purpose of determining if someone is right for marriage. There is no other purpose.

Finally, being married is meant for some and not others. Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 7:6-9:
"Now as a concession,not a command, I say this. I wish that all were as I myself am. But each has his own gift from God,one of one kind and one of another. To the unmarried and the widows I say that it is good for them to remain single as I am. But if they cannot exercise self-control, they should marry. For it is better to marry than to burn with passion."

In other words, it is good to remain single if God gives you that gift. But not all have the gift of singleness and self-control from the desires of marriage. It is better to be married than to let the desires of marriage to never be fulfilled.

It is my hope and my prayer, that all single men and woman of the Christian faith see the bigger picture. We are His people, a living stone of His kingdom. We all have pathways set for us. As God brought us from the womb, He planned for us a special life of His will. Part of that, is being submissive and willing to follow. We all know that singleness and relationships and marriage are a big part of our lives. Let's trust that whatever season we are in-singleness or the polar opposite-that we can trust that God will be gloried forever and forever. Amen.

Plane Thoughts

As I sat on the plane en route (June 5) to Newark, New Jersey, I ponder on God’s love super-seceding my will and agency. His surpassing grace, His mercy through Christ, and His continual love for me is so profound, it axiomatically births this new system of restriction. I am under His constraint which gives me no complete free agency, or will. Nothing is without His consent. I cannot fathom of how immense God’s unconditioned elect muse over how He such.

Which all inquiry leaves me to now: What might I say of His love that restricts? I must be reverent. As we buckle up and slow down to 55 mph when an officer tails our bumper, believers must submit to Godly authority the same way. For spiritual growth through salvation, we must long for His teaching and be reverent before His name (1 Peter 2:2)

As I am here in New Jersey for the next two months , I hope and pray that I remain reverent of the Almighty God.

May grace & peace be with you.

Love Defined

Today I was sitting in Caffe Buono located in the heart of Jonesboro, Arkansas, to enjoy a cup of coffee and fellowship among friends. I began to people watch and was struck at the comparisons of love expressed between those of a marriage and those in a courtship (dating). I saw two sets of couples- I assumed they were because of their physical contact- embracing one another differently but in a particular pattern. The "courters" (those in a courtship; dating relationship) sat close, would touch each other on the face and shoulders, and they held hands. The married couples seemed to be more into the mix of fellowship, saying hello to acquaintances while the "courters" conversed amongst themselves. It hit me as I soaked in this that we each define love so incredibly different. I started to wonder if love could be objectively defined.

Webster's dictionary establishes love as "unselfish loyal and benevolent concern for the good of another" and "strong affection for another arising out of kinship or personal ties; attraction based on sexual desire; affection and tenderness felt by lovers; affection based on admiration, benevolence, or common interests." While these are all valid, I believe more can come from love than one expects. Love is not defined by man since our abilities to comprehend its mysteries are limited. We are not necessary objective rational beings but rather beings who try to rationalize objectivity's. Love is an subjective item, or in other words, it is a truth experienced different among individuals.

All of human kindness, compassion, and joy can be defined within love. Kindness is a state of affection through action. Compassion means literally "to suffer with" and joy is a state of happiness or felicity. Love is so broad it cannot be defined by a small definition. The couples sitting in the coffee shop all had there different expressions of love. The young boyfriend and girlfriend expressed their kindness through physical touch while the love expressed by the married couple was seen joy as they appeared content and well.

As for me, it reflected on my hopes for a Christian marriage. Considering what my last blog essayed, I say it played out in life at the coffee shop.I may be criticized for what I hope for but so be it. I seek not the type of love that is given so cheaply that one merely "thinks" they have love for me; no, rather, I would aspire for such kinship that Christ unites me with a Christian woman with the same compassions for serving God. God will deliver me a girl that I doubt knows now, as me the same, that one day our friendship will blossom into courtship the same way a small seed with some rain and sunshine blooms to a beautiful root to then a flower. She and I will both understand our friendship and aspire for more, as we both understand that one must befriend before courting.I do not know the name of my destined wife, nor her location. I don't know whether she likes italian food or enjoys golf games. I know her faith. I know she will be, as I am, fearful of a decision of courtship. But I know the Lord is sovereign and we are not. I know her longings for the Lord. I will know she is a woman that has such the beauty of Christ, her soul longs for the word of the Lord. Her purity and her love exists through her that one can see the love of God flow through her attributes. Oh, how peaceful the day shall be when I am able to tell this woman my love and hers in return. How joyful the day we realize that our friendship should be that growing seed! Christ gave himself as a fragrant offering (Esphesians 5:2) and did this as an act of love. It was defined as a sacrifice of oneself. So shall I emphasize, marrying this woman as uniting with her as a sacrifice of my adolescence into adulthood. Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife and the two shall become one flesh according to Esphesians 5:31. Scripture is so profoundly mysterious yet so definite in explaining love. I shall love my wife the way Christ loved his people and his church. My defined love should be without blemish, the same way Christ had no spots when he sacrificed himself for us. Both male and female God created as equals; we shall submit to one another out of reverence to Christ (Esp. 5:21). How glorious the day God presents me with the knowledge of who I will have this with!

Sound to good to be true some may afford to me. I think it would be a miracle worth waiting for. I will admit, I fear the courting world. I must take a leap of faith on the grounds that I will not hinder my cause. Worldly relationships have destroyed the foundation of human love. We somehow believe that we date for fun and for pleasure; this idea, I will not be persuaded to follow. I do believe in love through the miracle of God's divine work. Yes, we can believe in miracles. I believe when two strangers are united together in Christian friendship, courtship, then marriage, the miracle and mysterious will of God is developed to such an definition of the love only He can deliver through His almighty, gracious, and merciful love.

(For a good read about love, relationships, and similar topics read "Boy Meets Girl" by Joshua Harris)

Dilemma's of Human Relationships

There is nothing more profound in human existence than the process of social interaction creating relationships. In each one of us, there is a foundation of want for relationships. I am not directly essaying the initimate, heteroerotic consanguinities, but rather our connections with other people. Most people (I say most as there are those with desire for very little human contact) desire to have others in their life. Hence we have marriages, boyfriends and girlfriends, best friends, accountability partners, roommates, counselors, pastors, rabbis, doctors, lawyers, et al, that have people in such positions for others. There is no career that is made independently. In other words, no jobs in the world are created for the better good of the person doing the job; we create some type of relationship with people through our jobs.

What then can we call these relationships 'dilemmas'? What creates a dilemma with people? Let me break these down into two points:

1. Pride Dilemma
Typically, our (American) social world pushes for independence. This occasionally leaves some to feel they need no others. Some are joyed to call ourselves "non-conformists." However, there is no such. When one trys not to conform the social expectations and means neccesary to goal acheivement in any society, they believe they have started a revolution within themselves when actually, these types of behaviors have been done before. This 'pride dilemma' exhorts that man should live his life to fulfill his wants. This is okay to an extent in that man has no will to freely choose everything for himself. He must, to survive, rely on others.

2. Dependance Dilemma
Independence is not a negative connection with others. Man cannot be expected to have everything afforded to him in order to grow with others. Many times people are expected continually have relationships with others so there means necessary to human growth is based on someone else. These folks rely on others to give them their means.


What portion is these of any use? How then can I say that this is of some grave importance for people to consider about how they interact with those neighbored to them? I believe these dilemmas create several problems that inheirt dangers of honesty, integrity, love, and humility, within the 5 types of relationships.

1. Familyhood
2. Acquantice
3. Friendship
4. Courtship (dating)
5. Marriage

No human will exist without these 5 types-unless one excludes themselves from the world. Man and woman alike will experience these. With these dilemmas, I believe the reasons we have items like divorce. Tackling divorce, it is likely the man and woman either became acquantices and jumped into marriage without first stepping through the line of human interactional growth. People that get into courtships that fall into these dilemmas are susceptible to poor relationships.

What does this mean for me right now?
As a Christian, God has placed me on Earth to be pure, loving, humble, and most important, a being guided by His will. God created humans different. If there were not God, all humans- if any existed- would not be unique and diverse. Animals run off instict, humans are social beings that change ideas, norms, taboos, and activities with time. I see myself having the hopeful joy of a marriage. To achieve that, I must grow in friendship with a Christian woman. Our unique differences along with God's call, will create a desire for courtship, which is only in existence to determine if marriage is proper.

I am not seeking a worldly marriage, guided by the principles and foundations of current social norms and values. Rather, I am seeking one that symbolizes God's purpose of man and woman and to show value to how Christ loves His church.

Grace and peace be with you

Top 3 Must Reads

1. The Five Dilemmas of Calvinim by Craig Brown.
Author Craig Brown takes five misconceptions of calvinism. He uses scripture to answer the top five reasons to seemingly disprove this theology. Critics of this reformed theology focus on issues that are labeled as unbiblical. Craig Brown shows that scripture supports these misunderstandings to be very biblical indeed. It is a short read but very informative.

2. The Reasons for God: Belief in the Age of Skepticism by Timothy Keller
Author and Presbyterian Pastor Timothy Keller takes issues from atheists and skeptics of Christianity such as 'how can there only be one "God"?' and 'why would a "God" allow suffering?' An excerpt from the introduction explains that "Keller uses literature, philosophy, real-life conversations, and reasoning to explain how faith in a Christian God is a soundly rational belief, held by thoughtful people of intellectual integrity with a deep compassion for those who truly want to know the truth."


3. The Cross Centered Life: Keeping the Gospel The Main Thing by CJ Mahaney
Sometimes it is easy to forget why Christians do what we do. Mahaney reminds believers to not take Christ out of Christianity. God's grace and mercy for His people should give us the joy in our salvation.

Calvinism explained by J.I. Packer

An outstanding quotation from J. I. Packer (from his book ‘Quest for Godliness’ and his preface to John Owen’s classic work ‘The Death of Death in the Death of Christ’):


“Now the real nature of Calvinistic soteriology becomes plain. It is no artificial oddity, nor a product of overbold logic. Its central confession, that God saves sinners, that Christ redeemed us by his blood is the witness both of the Bible and of the believing heart.

The Calvinist is the Christian who confesses before men in his theology just what he believes in his heart before God when he prays. He thinks and speaks at all times of the sovereign grace of God in the way that every Christian does when he pleads for the souls of others, or when he obeys the impulse of worship which rises unbidden within him, prompting him to deny himself all praise and to give all the glory of his salvation to his Savior.


Calvinism is the natural theology written on the heart of the new man in Christ, whereas Arminianism is an intellectual sin of infirmity, natural only in the sense in which all such sins are natural, even to the regenerate. Calvinistic thinking is the Christian being himself on the intellectual level; Arminian thinking is the Christian failing to be himself through the weakness of the flesh.

Calvinism is what the Christian church has always held and taught when its mind has not been distracted by controversy and false traditions from attending to what Scripture actually says; that is the significance of the patristic testimonies to the teaching of the 'five points', which can be quoted in abundance. (Owen appends a few on redemption; a much larger collection may be seen in John Gill's The Cause of God and Truth.)


So that really it is most misleading to call this soteriology 'Calvinism' at all, for it is not a peculiarity of John Calvin and the divines of Dort, but a part of the revealed truth of God and the catholic Christian faith. 'Calvinism' is one of the 'odious names' by which down the centuries prejudice has been raised against it. But the thing itself is just the biblical gospel.”


(Found through reformationtheology.com)

Are All Sings Equal in the Eyes of God?

Pope Benedict XVI has recently said that there are three main sins that are worse than others. These are so terrible, only he can offer an "absolution" in your favor. These include any type of desecration to the church during commummion, priests sharing secrets from confession, and at the top of the list, any attempt to assassinate the pope. I might also note that in no attempt am disqualifying the catholic church. However I would like to see where scripture lines up with this very comprehensive list. "For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23) and "The blood of Jesus purifies us from every sin (1 John 1:7).


One thing we also need to remember is that if we have been saved by grace, only through faith in Christ Jesus, then his sacrifice covers the sins of our past, present, and future debts. This does not give us a "sin-all-we-want" label, but the ability to flee from the sin that holds us back from Christ.

The reason I use the Pope's statement is to show us this: We as humans judge what is worse than others. We have in our system levels of wrong doings. Example: Misdemeanor and Felony offenses. From a simple lie to shooting a man in cold blood, the judgement of God is clear. Everyone has sinned. There is not one sin that makes one worse than others. If so, God's grace & mercy would not be enough.

I send a word of encouragment yet with warning to many. There are those transgressions on Earth than are worse than others yes, but we are speaking of God. In His eyes, we are not labeled as worse or better than others in the fact we have sinned. And also for a word to the skeptic in my reading:

Matthew 7:3-5
Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.

Grace & Peace Be With You

You Are Special

If you have ever been curious about how God related directly to His children, watch this. It's about 9 minutes long but very worth watching.

If you question: How can God love me? How does He?

Give this video a chance

Congress' Failure

A trillion dollars is A LOT of money. Here is a photo of what it looks like. Look closely. In the left hand corner of the squared drawing, you'll see a human being. Also notice that each stack of money on a pallet is double stacked. 1 pallet is a 100,000 million dollars. Each stack contain the bill with Franklin's smiling face.

America's Congress has decided to write a check for 1.75 trillion dollars. That is not all. The fiscal year in 2010, the fresh president plans on asking the feds to write a 3.4 Trillion dollar hot-check to recover the national deficit.The president states in his stimulus proposal that roughly 18% of this 1.75 T money will be spent...what about the rest? When we create money, average American citizens have to pay for it...ludicrous! 816 Billion of that 1.75 trillion is for government bailouts. AIG, an insurance company failure, just received 180 billion dollars. And where did that check that we will have to pay for go? It went for adding bonuses to AIG executives. Because AIG was not contracted to use a cross-cut sanction bail-out check, they were not required to spend it in a particular way. So, instead of mending the insurance drop-outs and company failures, this organization stole our money. This is Congress' fault, particularly Democrat Senator Christopher Dodd. He admitted to knowing about the bonuses; he said nothing during the house debate to pass the proposal.

This isn't a stimulus package...its a minute band aid. We all know that paying our way and not encouraging social and fiscal responsibility will get us nothing. Congress gave away our money, now they are attacking AIG, among other companies, for doing something that Congress knew they'd do! The feeble-minded, contradictory senate used this bill as a legislative cover-up. It's American taxpayer theft. Tim Geithner, Obama's secretary of the treasury, says he didn't know about the bail-out language in the proposal...funny, the language went to his office for a 12 hour review.

Rather than make an effort about our troubled economy, our president seems to take light of the situation by making a comedy appearance on Jay Jeno. I for sure won't be joining in on the laughs.

Driscoll Shares the Gospel on CNN

Divine Plan

I have been thinking recently about my life and what God is doing in my current life.

Much has happened since I really just sat down and meditated on God and His divine purpose for me. I have considered much; I have thought deeply. I am starting to feel a yearning. I am starting to feel a peace. For such a long time, I have been worried. I have a fear of failure. My college graduation is near, and I had some anxiety about my future. Where will I go? What will I do? I have wanted to go to law school for quite a while. After much prayer, I have felt the need not to apply for this fall semester. I rather feel the need to journey through patience. I have never taken time to listen. God is not this lonely old man sitting in the clouds kicking and screaming wanting us to listen to Him, but He does want us to response to His words. While many try to prove that God's divine plan is a farce, God will still prevail. People have tried to prove God is fake and strike Christianity as a lie. Interestingly enough after all of those who have tried to counteract my faith have passed from this world, God is still here.

I feel God is leading me towards His plan in this way:

1. I need to lay down my idols. An idol is anything I love more than God. Idols are not necessary living things. Idols can be concrete things like work, school, relationships, pride, golf, camping, hanging out with friends, control over everything, and comfort.
2. To find a temporary job before law school that utilizes serving someone besides myself.
3. Love those that are less desirable.
4. Strike out disobeidance.
5. Habitually study scripture.

God's plan may not be exactly like that. Likely, much more will I have to improve on. But I know I have to change these listed things. God is sovereign and in control. Nothing catches Him off-guard. I pray for patience to receive His divine purpose.

In Defense

It is not my goal to prove people wrong. The goal of Christian apologetics is not to prove people wrong simply for the sake of it. It is to defend the misunderstood foundations of Christianity.I believe that because of the complexity of God and His sovereignty, it is not possible for man to understand everything. What divides believers from non-believers is this pathetic intolerance of one another. I believe that Christ Jesus did not come to start creating division like we have done even in our own churches. He came to love, humble himself, and share truth. One of the biggest arguments against Christianity is a lack of proof from earthly speculation. Many scientists & theorist have concluded a fatal fallacy saying because Christianity cannot neither be proven nor put in a raw form, therefore it cannot be concluded as a fact.

Here are 10 truths and premises that try to strike down Christianity. Some of these are my responses, and some are principles to remember.

1. Christianity is not based on a earthly element. It's source is an exterior foundation that cannot be put into worldy logic. Why? Because if we understood the foundations of human logic, we would see that the purpose of such thought is to understand things to fit into our brains.

2. Humans can only be so smart (hence IQ tests). We cannot speculate things beyond our own control. It is my belief that the main reason people are atheist or agnostic is a fear of control. If there is a force beyong human logic that can control things that we cannot literally see or completely understand, then humans by social nature tend to not be comfortable with it. I speak on this from experience because I have personally dealt with this on the subject.

3. To doubt somethings existence is to admit that there is a possibility it is real. This isn't something a Christian once said, it is a philosophical law of thought. Before someone can identify as a nonbeliever, he must first acknowledge the very idea, or concept, or possibility of God so he can then deny His existence So...you must acknowledge God before you can deny Him..so in theory you admit that God is real so you can refute Him. David saw the fallacy of this long ago when he said, "Only the fool has said in his heart, 'there is no God.'" (Psalm 14:1).

4. Agnosticism is a broken system as well. "Neither the existence nor the nature of God, nor the ultimate origin of the universe is known or knowable" is the premise . In other words: "I can't know, you can't know, and nobody can know." So because one person cannot understand, noone else can. Leith Samuel wrote in "The Impossibility of Agnosticism", mentions three kinds of agnostics: Dogmatic. "I don't know, you don't know, and no one can know."Here is a person who already has his mind made up. He has the same problem as the atheist above--he must know EVERYTHING in order to say it dogmatically. This person must know everything about everything about everything. Mathmatically, this is impossible. Indifferent. "I don't know, and I don't care." God will never reveal Himself to someone who does not care to know. Basically, life is meaningless. We could kill other people and it mean nothing. Life can be lived anyway because life is nothing. Dissatisfied. "I don't know, but I'd like to know." Here is a person who demonstrates an openness to truth and is willing to change his position if he has sufficient reason to do so. He is also demonstrating what should be true about agnosticism, that is, for one who is searching for truth, agnosticism should be temporary, a path on the way to a less skeptical view of life.

5. Before I was a Christian, I wondered about this Jesus character. Either he was who he said he was or he was a complete lunatic. We cannot doubt Jesus was real. His name, character, and actions (death by crucifixtion) is written all throughout history and not just the Bible.

6. I doubt there are many true non-believers in God; it would be dangerous even from a secular view. It is not humanly possible to be able to conclude there is no God. As I said, humans are only smart to a certain extent. This would mean, that is it possible then, that because there is more knowledge, that there is much more out there than we know? I believe so.

7. If there were many gods, instead of an absolutist god (Judeo-Christian God) then the world would be chaos. Nothing would function. Why? Because all the gods would be fighting for their own solo gratia (single glory alone).

8. Non-believers in God must believe that metaphysics are invalid. They would have to believe that nothing came from nothing. Reality, human cognition, and atomic matter are all created by blind chance. This is could hardly be true. I think it would be rather unsafe to live life based on everything being an accident. An atheist would have to agree that they came from nothing, they live in nothing, and life is about nothing.

9. Human existence on Earth is no accident. It's atmosphere is made of 78.08% nitrogen, 20.95% oxygen, 0.93% argon, 0.038% carbon dioxide. If any of those levels were to change, life would not exist. To believe this was an accident is completely ludacris.

10. I don't want to argue secular evolutionism. The father of biological evolution, Charles Darwin, reputed his own doctrine. I believe it is almost a waste for people to argue pro-darwinism when the man himself wrote that his theory could not possibly be correct. Despite what many people think, Christians can believe in some of these evolutionary theories (although some are not anti-theist): Cosmic, Stellar and Planetary, Biological, Chemical, Molecular, Prokaryotic, Eukaryotic, Multicellular, and Social Evolution. Ergo?Although many would claim "since you say it is humanly impossible to claim there is a God, it would be humanly impossible to conclude there is." This is a good secular argument but it cannot taken away from the subjectivity of a personal attribute. If I was once not a believer with all the reliance of worldly speculation, then I must have some collective truth to attribute where I am today as a believer in God. I cannot explain my experience with God. I cannot put into form "GOD" because I am human. Noone can put everything into a perspective that is 100% undisputable from a worldly form. Many may say there is just to much ambiguity. But my belief is that if I am wrong, then I would've spent X amount of years of my life believing...but if the folks that disagree with my believes are wrong, I would hate to be in their shoes.

Grace and Peace be with you.

Baseball Season!

Ahh, it's that time of year! The season when the dandelions start blooming and birds start singing is coming near. That day when those who recognize day-light savings time get to set their clocks an hour ahead will soon be here! It is also that time of year when fans get to dust off their old mitts and gloves, unfold their favorite player's jersey, and stretch out a logoed ball cap. Yes my friends, baseball season is near. Now, I am not a sports-geek. Personally, I think professional sports is too often idolized and worshipped. However, I think there is something mitigating about sitting in the stands, having a coke & burger, and watching your favorite player crank one over the park. Maybe it is the time of the year I like. We are so blessed to have this season. So let's put aside our annoyances with ESPN barking about another NY Yankee being charged with steroids and whether Chris Carpenter will have the arm and wits to play for St. Louis. Let us have joy in what God has given us this Saturday, March 7, 2009, and look forward to an another beautiful spring time!


Romans 15:13

"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope."

The Wretched Economy

What shall we do? Will I ever find a job? What about gas prices? What about the housing market? What will this nation do to fix itself?

The many inquiries have flooded our nations news channels since the beginning of televised news in the 1950s. We will never figure this one out. Our greedy nation has failed its citizens. But most importantly, we have deceived ourselves. Our new president, Obama, has promised hope and prosperity for all Americans. Such a promise is dangerous. Now readers, I am not an Obama hater, nor am I saying that he has made an awful mistake. I believe we cannot fix our problems by believing that one man will fix it all.

Let's be honest. You really think one small group of men and woman resting our nation's capital can fix the economic problems of 303,824,640 American citizens? Give me a break. YOU must fix this, not the government. When you get your income checks in, invest or save. The problem with the fresh administration is they will give more money to the lower economic-class of society and tax it higher for middle class and up. Nothing against anyone who is poor, but there is a definite reason people are poor. They were either not taught how to spend, do not care how to spend, or have nothing to spend. This isn't a fallacious statement friends, but fact.

If you give hundreds of dollars to individuals who do not care to save, will that help the economy? NO! History has proved this over and over. In the 90s, our deceitful president, Clinton, taxed and spend and gave away billions of dollars increasing the national debt (or known as deficit). This money was freely given to families who instead of buying their children diapers and a better education, spent their money on electronics, entertainment, and alcohol (again not a fallacy but historic fact).

Readers, if you think the government is going to solve all the problems, then please wake up. The only thing that can mend and heal our land is Christ. But with our laws and liberties, we cannot expect a nation to turn from their wicked ways. Roughly 70% of Americans consider themselves Christians. I truly believe if this were true, we would see a revolution in America. One can only aspire for such.

"...if my people who are called by my name, humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land." 2 Chronicles 7:14

Christianity & Porn

I don't care what anyone says, pornography is ingenious. Think about it...porn destroys marriages, ruins lives, and is still able to still make trillions of dollars yearly. Porn is about as addicting as illegal controlled substances and still able to be seen as completely legal. You could ask any general member of this society, and I can assure you that you'd find a consensus that porn is a definite problem. Rather, we as a nation tend to push this dastardly form of entertainment under the rug and see it as "free expression." 68% of kids at religiously affiliated schools said they had intentionally looked at porn online. The average age of a child being exposed to pornography porn is 11. And yes, the girls struggle just like the boys.

Why do I say porn is ingenious? Christians have somehow assumed they are untouchable. Without shame, I admit that pornography was an issue for me. It corrupted my life. I hid behind the sinful shadow and would never admit to anyone I struggled. I was scared to admit that something so in need of prayer and accountability was keeping me silent. The brain-works of its game tricks billions of users ever moment of the day.

What's the solution for one who struggles with pornography? For Christians, it takes repentance and perserverance. Having an accountability partner is a requirement for solving the addiction. Having someone to keep account of websites visited and praying over the situation can be the greatest thing a Christian can experience. Try going to http://www.xxxchurch.com/. It's an accounability and information site about the porn dilemma for Christians. One thing we must not forget is God is the author of life. He is the only reason we have forgiveness.

"But sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints. Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving. For you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God." Ephesians 5:3-5 (ESV)

Who Am I?

I find it rather difficult to put who I am on paper. But since I have exposed myself to the world of blogging, I think anyone who reads anything I write should be keen in understanding the author. I am 22 years old. For most of my life, I have been struggling to find my purpose and my calling. At 19, God came into my life and altered my purpose. It was not unusual to see my body planted in the typical, long oak pews with the velvet cushioned seats. I listened diligently as a pastor would storm the audience with his robust and charismatic sermons and in return roars of 'amens' from his spectators. I followed my own carnal desires and what pleased my soul. It is easy for man to live an eternity alone. It is easy for us to dig into the order of earthly functions. When God chose me to serve and give Him glory, it changed the perspective of my reality. Where at one time I fed the desires of my heart, I now am perservering in Christ. I am not perfect. In my entirety I have found that I love the blessings of God's glory all around me. I have decided to go to law school this fall and search more for His blessing. I hope anyone keeping up with any of these blogs will see God shining through. If you like learning about politics, the ideas behind Christianity, and any current situations that would contain a Christian input, I think you'll enjoy what I have to say.