Head-dibs

Douglas Adams four-part trilogy, the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, includes a curious setting where at the edge of the universe, one is able to sit down to a nice restaurant meal and watch the oscillating beginning and end of all things. Reflecting on this last year leaves me with the impression that we’ve had the appetizer and salad, now awaiting the arrival of the main course (or at least one of its features). Take a moment and think through the headlines: how many times has the world ended? There is the first lesson I’ve learned: think. Think about the source of the information. Some may quickly say, “ religion and religious fanatics are the source.” The second lesson I’ve learned is this: God can be trusted. Now, let’s process this. It takes not much thought to agree there will be an end to the world and it will happen in two ways: our personal death and the leaving of it; and, the actual cessation of all things as we know it. One will happen before the other, and should the l...

Watch this excellent presentation called " The Bible vs. The Book of Mormon " " The Watchtower Society Exposed " is an older documentary, but worth the time. Grek Koukl answers the question, " How do I give a gracious response to someone who tells me he's 'sending white light' my way when I've asked for prayers ?" I can't stand it when people push their opinions on me. I am offended by this public service announcement:

Psalm 119:89, 100 "Forever, O LORD, Your word is settled in heaven . . . I understand more than the ancients because I have kept Your precepts." A Brahmin once said to a missionary: "We are finding you out. You are not as good as your Book. If you were as good as your Book, you could conquer India for Christ in five years." Scripture reveals the truth and sheds light on our shortcomings. If scripture excuses sin, how can it be God's word? God's word is timeless and does not change. God protects His word, and even pagans know this to be true. Picture a column, a permanent station, something put into place, rock solid. This is the sense of the meaning of God's "settled" word. This is the Hebrew word used to describe the built altar in Genesis 33:20, Rachel's grave marker in Genesis 35:20, a monument in 1 Samuel 15:12. American theologian Albert Barnes (1798–1870) explains, "The meaning here is, that the word - the law - the promise - of ...

Mormons believe the Bible to be the word of God "as far as it is translated correctly." The Watchtower Bible and Tract Society has published that "all other translations had been corrupted where the Bible translators actually let their religious bias show through their renderings" (The Watchtower, 10/15/85, p.21, Insight on the News). Islam holds the idea that the Bible contains original revelation from God, but is corrupted in one way or another. When I see or hear statements that draw distrust to scripture, my initial reaction is to ask the person which group they belong to--many are so flippant about their declarations they are not aware they are echoing what others say with no regard to the implication: imagine! Informing scripture! The problem really is not with the text, but with the author. People simply fail to believe God. This is why Religion Stores are so popular--people can make up their own as they go: keep what one likes, throw out what one does not li...

This is an amazing video. From Pinpoint Evangelism :

Why is there a one-way street?

“ Therefore when he had gone out, Jesus said ‘ Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in Him; if God is glorified in Him, God will also glorify Him in Himself, and will glorify Him immediately. Little children, I am with you a little while longer. You will seek Me; and as I said to the Jews, now I also say to you, ‘Where I am going, you cannot come.’ A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another .” (John 13:31-35) I’ve spent the last few days reflecting on Saturday. To wax Shakespearean, it was an liven’d event that hath dutifully unfix’t mine hair (and any small acquaintance thereunto doth prove there stands but little with which to unfix!). Overall, the entire event was certainly providential, but I still can’t explain why my knees quakened so! I was taking my daughter to work Saturday morning and had this overwh...

I've really missed being here. I was also glad to have a break from “the routine”--God used a good portion of my time away to remind me of the most important things--time away from the technologies (TV or computers, etc) have been refreshing. Rather than my simply report the events of our move, I was going to actually set this up like a Mad-Lib game because, 1) there were times this last week when I had no words to describe what was occurring, so filling in the blanks would have captured the spirit; and, 2) I was on drugs when I came up with the whole mad-lib idea (the reason will be clear later). What began as a fiasco ended as an unequivocal quivering monstrosity of cock-eyed flum-dummery (either that, or "insert adjective here"). We had planned on completing our move in 2 days, but instead, finished 4 days later at 11:30 p.m. The place we were moving was the House of Entropy--pre-existing problems experienced by the owners (as former tenants) worsened as we could not g...