Analogous, religiously...

My Death Dream

2011-02-09T22:09:00.001-08:00

I was gonna die. I was in the hands of good friends and in a safe place, and i was gonna die. Not sure why, either. I can say this much: in my dream, my death was imminent, certain and necessary. All I could do was tremble/quake in fear while in the hands of my friends. I wasn't afraid of dying or death per se, but of loosing my wife and kids. It's the only thing in my mind in the dream. I'll

What if God were make-believe?

2010-05-07T06:10:00.000-07:00

First thing's first, you should read the very real story that inspired this post. Please read: http://wretchedsinner.blogspot.com/2008/11/we-lost-baby-my-3-word-response.htmlI have friends who ascribe to the concept that God is great if you believe in Him, and that one way to God/heaven is as good as another. I have learned over the years the the varying concepts of God and the afterlife from the

2010-03-13T20:19:00.000-08:00

How our marriage ended...

2010-02-25T22:15:00.000-08:00

...and found new life: I want to share this for a few reasons, the very first of which is to celebrate our 5th wedding anniversary. Ironic, how I choose to celebrate such a thing by sharing the lowest moment in our marriage. The great truth is that in our weakest moment is where God is strongest. Read on if you please... and

Out of control, In control

2010-01-14T07:31:00.001-08:00

From the end of the earth I will cry to You when my heart is overwhelmed; lead me to the rock that is higher than I. — Psalm 61:2When you're feeling alone and hopeless, remember that God is in control.Prayer is an amazing tool. People debate over whether God answers prayers or if he hears prayers. People question their motives and question other peoples' motives. There's a lot to be said about

"It takes more faith to NOT believe in God..."

2010-01-06T05:27:00.000-08:00

... than it takes to believe in God.The assumption here is that it takes a lot of faith to believe in God. The corollary seems to be that it doesn't take any faith to not believe. The arguement is made in many churches and houses of religious and philosophical debate that "It takes more faith to not believe in God than it does to believe in God." The suggestion here is generally made that you

Government dollars at work?

2009-11-19T06:50:00.000-08:00

That is, your tax dollars.CNN article regarding Recovery.govThis article says, in plain english, that the website www.recovery.gov has inaccurately reported stimulus money spent and the jobs saved/ created in US congressional districts that don't exist."A report released Wednesday by the Franklin Center for Government & Public Integrity said it found such errors on pages for all 50 states, four

Who do you say Jesus is?

2009-11-09T13:17:00.000-08:00

I've heard many teachers and theologians pose this question. I've heard them pose it themselves as well as reflect upon the chapter and verse where Jesus asked the same question. These theologians and teachers always come back with the same basic reflection what you, the people, "tend to say in response", but I'd like to hear it from you! I'll share some of the pat answers they give, and even my

Vocation

2009-09-04T12:13:00.000-07:00

In merriam Webster's online dictionary, it's described thus:1 a : a summons or strong inclination to a particular state or course of action; especially : a divine call to the religious life b : an entry into the priesthood or a religious order2 a : the work in which a person is employed : occupation b : the persons engaged in a particular occupation3 : the special function of an individual or

Much needed correction

2009-09-01T07:01:00.000-07:00

It was brought to my attention that I made an error in my wording in a prior post.When your child is dying and you can do nothing about it...In the paragraph that starts "Some clarifications...", 3rd one down, I said my wife and I condone the murder of Dr. Tiller. I was, most definitely, mistaking the word condone. We do not approve, applaud, or take pleasure of any kind in his murder. The post

The Bible being taught in public schools?

2009-08-17T14:52:00.000-07:00

I was directed to an article from a Texas news station (thanks Nathan!):http://www.kltv.com/global/story.asp?s=10933571According to the story, the Bible is, by law, being taught in public schools in Texas. The reaction I saw to the article was one of sharp disgust and upset. I jumped into the conversation with both feet; suddenly, a question occurred to me that demands to be asked:What does that

When your child is dying and you can do nothing about it...

2009-08-11T20:06:00.000-07:00

http://www.perinatalhospice.org/Below is a commentary I posted on someone else's blog. The original post was a response to the murder of the late-term abortion doctor, Dr. Tiller:I want to attempt a personal response while avoiding ad-homonym. wish me luck: My wife and I were sitting on the sofa one night recently when the story of Tiller’s murder was reiterated (why, I don’t recall). From my

Willing to pay... to volunteer?

2009-08-11T14:48:00.000-07:00

So, my friend has this friend who volunteered at Hazeltine for the PGA tournament. I don't care much for golf, but this caught my attention: To volunteer, it cost her $180. She got passes to get in all week regardless of which days she's working, so I think it pays off. Saying/ reading it out loud is still rather bewildering to me."You want to volunteer? Sure. $180 please.""You want a week's pass

Fisherman, Fisher of Men.

2009-07-31T05:27:00.000-07:00

I write this one for those who never read the bible and for those who love this part as much as I do.Many people think Jesus was a good teacher and not much more. His message was peace and love, "do unto others", and "love your enemies, love your neighbors". He was all of that, but he was much more.Jesus' real message focused so much more on showing God's glory to others. Share the the power and

A Fine Line Between Worship and Idolatry

2009-07-19T20:26:00.000-07:00

A good friend sent me a quote the other day. He is reading "Open Ice" by Jack Falla. I'll not commit the injustice of trying to repeat the quote; read the book and you'll know it when you see it. It's about Falla observing the Sistine Chapel ceiling artwork. Witnessing the painting of the creation of water made him think of ice, from which we get hockey. It really was a pretty amusing quote, and

Of Napping and Anger Management

2009-07-13T17:10:00.000-07:00

Some thoughts regarding napping: I'm finding that I have 2 primary options come nap time: the couch in the living room, or the bed in, well, in the bedroom. There is a third option, but that's simply falling asleep where I am, and that's not so cool. So here is what I'm learning: The basic factors in the decision are intended length of nap and peace and quiet required.The Shock NapThere is the

Responding to "What the un-churched don't like about Christians"

2009-07-09T20:22:00.000-07:00

"What the un-churched don't like about Christians" a blog post by Thom RainerIf you're reading this, please hit the blog link above and read that first. It should take you 5 minutes - I don't mind waiting.My request of you now is this: Tell me what you think. Agree or disagree? What side of the equation are you, Christian or not? Churched or unchurched?For people new to me, let me tell you: I

It's the 'H' word for "Nights in Rodanthe"

2009-07-08T05:42:00.000-07:00

I try to use it sparingly. About people or food I'll (almost) never use it. When I use it the most often is regarding washing the dishes...The above is stated to assure you that I say this with much thought and intention: I hate the movie "Nights in Rodanthe". The movie was predictable but I don't mind a predictable movie. It was a sappy chick-flick but I don't mind that either. What I hated

Faith and Reason

2009-06-30T05:31:00.000-07:00

(Blog at Stand to Reason)Greg Koukl is a Christian apologetics guy over at www.STR.org. His latest blog really sums up one of my biggest frustrations of being a Christian. The whole blog post is this:Faith is not what we fall back to when reason isn't available. It's the conviction of what we have reason to believe.Spiritual things have become so trivial to the everyday life that no one seems to

Narcolepsy - an open ended reflection...

2009-06-29T18:16:00.000-07:00

I posted on twitter last Saturday that I had a no-narco-nap day. It was pretty nice, I have to say. When you have narcolepsy, not being tired is a great thing. It's like what you've heard about the blind, how their hearing and other senses get more acute, stronger. For me, I get tired quite often. It's not all the time, but often enough that when I'm fully awake I can get the feeling like I'm

What Timothy gave up for Christ's sake

2009-06-25T13:46:00.000-07:00

Somewhere around the end of Acts chapter 15 and the beginning of Acts chapter 16 the apostle Paul meets Timothy for the first time. This would be the same Timothy for whom the 2 books later in the Bible would be named.I was listening to a podcast that read through that particular passage when something struck me as funny (not funny - haha, but funny - huh?). These two meet each other and Paul

The Wisdom of Gamaliel

2009-06-20T10:06:00.000-07:00

I always pronounced it guh-MAY-lee-ul, but apparently it's pronounced GAMMA-lyle. So who is he and who cares, right?From theBible:Acts chapter 5, v33-395:33 Now when they heard this, they became furious and wanted to execute them. 5:34 But a Pharisee whose name was Gamaliel, a teacher of the law who was respected by all the people, stood up in the council and ordered the men to be put outside for

Ever held a life in your hands?

2009-06-19T21:26:00.000-07:00

We were swimming at the pool this evening. My 3 yr old daughter was adrift in a floaty ring and when all backs were turned, it tipped. She went under for a second or two when grammie and mom both shouted. I turned and dove in from across the pool. I came up underneath her and lifted her out. She coughed and wimpered a bit, but was fine. It was terrifying, yet (for the most part) we managed to

Narco-sleepy

2009-06-19T19:19:00.000-07:00

This is what my good buddy has always called it. Narco-sleepy, and my narco-sleepy pills.I have narcolepsy. I've started reading other blogs on this topic and I now say with confidence that mine is a low-grade narcolepsy. As I get to know these many ways of sharing information, I'll have to link them - they are quite an insight to the disorder, if you care to read about it.So I offer some insight

The chair analogy

2009-06-14T12:02:00.000-07:00

I heard this analogy last week. It originates from John MacArthur and my paraphrase of the analogy goes like this:The question is about putting your faith in Jesus. What does it mean, what is it like? This question seems simple to the average christian, even to non-believers who know a thing or three about Christianity. Lets look at Jesus like we do a chair, for a minute. (Here, John MacArthur is