I was toying around the other day to get a YouTube video onto a DVD for a church presentation. I spent over three hours trying to figure this out with free software. I give it to you in this nice, easy guide.
Anyway, copyright laws should be adhered to. Only download something that is legal to download and present.
This is what I did.
1. Use Firefox, download, and install the Easy YouTube Video Downloader add-on.
2. On the YouTube video clip that you want, you will now see a "Download Video As" with the options of FLV, 3GP, and MP4. Click on the MP4 option. This will download the MP4 to your computer in the location you choose rather than just allowing you to watch it on YouTube. Remember the location.
3. DVDVideoSoft.com has a whole package of software. You will need to download Free Video to DVD converter and Free DVD Video Burner. You can ignore all of the others. The names, although lacking creativity are self-explanatory, Free Video to DVD will be the program you use to change the file from an MP4 to a DVD and Free DVD Video Burner will burn the resulting DVD file onto your blank DVD. Install them both prior to moving to the next step.
4. Insert your blank disc into your computer and close out the autoplay box.
5. In Free Video To DVD Converter all you need to do is select the downloaded file after clicking "browse" in the "input files" section. If it is a smaller file, you might as well change the quality to high in the "presets" section. It will tell you at the bottom if the file is still small enough. The higher the quality, the better it will look on your television. You don't want it to go to the right of the line next to DVD if you are burning onto a regular DVD. Once you have all the selections made, click "CreateDVD."
6. Free Video To DVD Converter will automatically open Free DVD Video Burner and burn after changing the MP4 into a DVD file. It is easiest if you already have the disc you want to burn in your computer and choose "Start DVD burner and begin a recording process."
5. Wait for you DVD to burn. Pop it out and watch in the DVD player of your choice.
Have fun and stay legal.
Canadian and British Health Care Systems - What Do They Think? - An Examination of Public Health Care
With all of the comments running around and all of the people giving their own opinions, I thought I would try to find what other people think about their own health care.
It is difficult to wallow through all of the propaganda on both sides of this discussion. I wanted to find studies done in the relevant nations concerning their feelings of their health care system.
Here is what I have found so far. If you know of relevant studies done in Britain, Canada, Sweden, or some other nation that has a public health care system, please provide me with links to the relevant information.
Canadian Press Harris-Decima did a survey. In it they said that 82% of Canadians believe their system is better than the American system. That means that there is up to 18% of the Canadian population out there to provide propaganda stories against the Canadian health care system. And those stories have been paraded around, but on the whole the Canadians have a positive perception of their health care.
70% of Canadians "think their health care system is working well or very well."
Another interesting quote was stated in the story: "Fifty-five per cent [of Canadians] thought it should be more public, only 12 per cent thought it should be private, and the rest thought Canada has struck the right balance between the two options."
One of the statements that I have heard is that Canadians have to wait in lines for health care. According to the British Columbia Ministry of Health Services website "an individual who needs emergency surgery does not go on a waitlist; they receive treatment without delay. " There is a 26.5 day wait for cardiac surgery. I do not know how long of a wait that is in comparison to America.
On cancer, which I know the wait for, it took me nearly two months from the time of the first mole removal and the discovery of melanoma until the second surgery to remove the area around the cancerous area. Mine was a little longer because it was on the face where I needed plastic surgery and I had insurance coverage issues, but it still was one of the fastest spreading forms of cancer that the doctors seem to be very quick to deal with. My dermatologist will "rush" me in (it will only take a week or two) if I notice a strange spot and mention melanoma on the phone rather than the two month wait that her patients normally have. Unfortunately, I could not find a time for the wait for cancer surgery in Canada once the cancer is detected. In Canada, there is no wait for chemotherapy and only a eight day wait for radiation treatments. That seems faster than what I have heard from family members and other people in the community who have needed those treatments. Those waiting times sound faster than the American system, but again, I only have stories of the American system and no solid studies of American wait times.
I could not find a good study showing what other nations think of their health care. I will continue to look up more as I try to figure out what my view is.
Other articles I ran across while studying:
How Canadians Feel About Their Health Care
Britain Says Health Care is Splendid
U.S. Trails Other in Health Care Satisfaction
It is difficult to wallow through all of the propaganda on both sides of this discussion. I wanted to find studies done in the relevant nations concerning their feelings of their health care system.
Here is what I have found so far. If you know of relevant studies done in Britain, Canada, Sweden, or some other nation that has a public health care system, please provide me with links to the relevant information.
Canadian Press Harris-Decima did a survey. In it they said that 82% of Canadians believe their system is better than the American system. That means that there is up to 18% of the Canadian population out there to provide propaganda stories against the Canadian health care system. And those stories have been paraded around, but on the whole the Canadians have a positive perception of their health care.
70% of Canadians "think their health care system is working well or very well."
Another interesting quote was stated in the story: "Fifty-five per cent [of Canadians] thought it should be more public, only 12 per cent thought it should be private, and the rest thought Canada has struck the right balance between the two options."
One of the statements that I have heard is that Canadians have to wait in lines for health care. According to the British Columbia Ministry of Health Services website "an individual who needs emergency surgery does not go on a waitlist; they receive treatment without delay. " There is a 26.5 day wait for cardiac surgery. I do not know how long of a wait that is in comparison to America.
On cancer, which I know the wait for, it took me nearly two months from the time of the first mole removal and the discovery of melanoma until the second surgery to remove the area around the cancerous area. Mine was a little longer because it was on the face where I needed plastic surgery and I had insurance coverage issues, but it still was one of the fastest spreading forms of cancer that the doctors seem to be very quick to deal with. My dermatologist will "rush" me in (it will only take a week or two) if I notice a strange spot and mention melanoma on the phone rather than the two month wait that her patients normally have. Unfortunately, I could not find a time for the wait for cancer surgery in Canada once the cancer is detected. In Canada, there is no wait for chemotherapy and only a eight day wait for radiation treatments. That seems faster than what I have heard from family members and other people in the community who have needed those treatments. Those waiting times sound faster than the American system, but again, I only have stories of the American system and no solid studies of American wait times.
I could not find a good study showing what other nations think of their health care. I will continue to look up more as I try to figure out what my view is.
Other articles I ran across while studying:
How Canadians Feel About Their Health Care
Britain Says Health Care is Splendid
U.S. Trails Other in Health Care Satisfaction
God Will Add to His Community - The Church that God Builds - Faithfulness, not Effectiveness
The vision of the Antwerp Church of Christ (soon to be Riverside Christian Church)
Community * Passion * Love * Transformation * Community
We are about have real, authentic relationships with one another. We want to be family and friends, not just strangers doing church together. We want to be the church.
We want to have a passion for Jesus and his work in this community.
We want to love everyone in real, tangible ways.
Those are the three things that we do: Community, Passion, Love.
As a result of doing those things, it is our hope that God will transform people in the community.
This leads us to what I am going to talk about today. It is my hope that he will then add people to this community, for it is God that adds to the church.
We focus on being faithful. God does the effectiveness. As long as we do what God would have us do, he will provide the results. We are in his will as long as we are faithful in doing what he has called us to do.
As you have also probably experienced, we know couples who have had trouble getting pregnant. Unfortunately, some have never been able to have children. My heart and prayers go out to them. Others, after making some changes in their life, have been able to reproduce.
Around half of the instances when a couple cannot conceive, it is a result of male infertility.
UPMC (a conglomeration of Pittsburgh medical centers) published an article addressing this:
Factors that negatively affect sperm development and motility include drug and alcohol abuse , diabetes, and bacterial infections. Environmental factors include toxic exposure to chemicals or radiation and overheated testicles. The reasons for many cases of low sperm quality go unresolved. As a matter of routine, many fertility clinics suggest that men trying to conceive should wear boxer shorts instead of briefs or tight-fitting underwear.
Sometimes becoming fertile is as easy as changing from whitie-tighties to boxers. Crazy. All it takes is a little change. Other times it is much more difficult. The changes are life changing.
A WebMD article, "Getting Pregnant: Easy Ways to Encourage Fertility," talked about increasing fertility and gave these tips.
"If you're having trouble getting pregnant but you're not quite ready for fertility treatments, there are things you can try on your own."
- Eat Healthy – We had friends who were able to conceive after changing their diet.
- Weight Control – Either high or low weight can hamper productivity. We had another friend who lost some weight and was able to conceive when she previously could not.
- Reduce Stress – Unhealthy stress reducers like alcohol and smoking hurt fertility.
The list continued on but we are not a science class. You can check it out on your own if you would like.
The key here is that reproduction problems are due to a problem within our bodies. It might not be pleasant to say that our bodies are not functioning properly. Nobody wants to admit they are unhealthy. But the stark truth is that a couple who is having trouble conceiving can oftentimes fix the problem in their body that is preventing reproduction by making changes, sometimes as small as switching from whitey tighties to as big as changing all the food one eats. For others, the problem is not curable.
This leads back to the idea I expressed early. We cannot control results. We can only control whether we are making the changes we need to make. God desires faithfulness, not effectiveness.
The unfortunate thing is most people do not want to change their body and would prefer to rely on the quick fix of drugs. That works for many people having fertility problems, but there is not a quick fix for spiritual problems. There is no spiritual pill that a pharmaceutical company can provide for us to make us right spiritually. Jesus is willing to heal us, but that will come with changes.
Our spiritual health might be preventing us from being contagious disciples to those around us and it might be preventing us from being the church God wants us to be. No drug has been manufactured that we can take for spiritual reproduction. God wants us to make disciples of those around us and to be the type of people that he can add seekers to, but that is just a side effect of us being the people God wants us to be.
Jesus taught that if we seek, we will find. I believe he honors that teaching to the point of it being a promise.
[These verses were on the Powerpoint but I did not read them.]
But if from there you seek the LORD your God, you will find him if you look for him with all your heart and with all your soul (Deuteronomy 4:29).
For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened (Matthew 7:8).
If we seek, or if someone else seeks, God will reveal himself to us or them. If we want to be involved in that work, we need to make sure that we have a heart surrendered to God, a heart that God wants to send a seeker to. Oftentimes, we hold back areas of our life. We resemble the Pharisees of Jesus' time who were worried about outward appearance while not having surrendered hearts. Too often, we have not yet surrendered our lives completely to God. We cannot utter the words that Paul wrote when he said, "I urge you to imitate me."
When it comes down to it, God adds to the church. When we add to the church it will not stick. We can add through guilt, manipulation, extravagant shows, and coercion. But when God adds, he adds because he wants the seeker to be surrounded by the people who can be imitated. There are seekers out there that God wants to plug in to healthy churches and have them surrounded by faithful followers. Are we the type of people that God wants to add to?
Let's now go to a passage in the book of Acts about the founding of the church in Antioch.
Now those who were scattered because of the persecution that arose over Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia and Cyprus and Antioch, speaking the word to no one except Jews. But there were some of them, men of Cyprus and Cyrene, who on coming to Antioch spoke to the Hellenists also, preaching the Lord Jesus. And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number who believed turned to the Lord. The report of this came to the ears of the church in Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch. When he came and saw the grace of God, he was glad, and he exhorted them all to remain faithful to the Lord with steadfast purpose, for he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And a great many people were added to the Lord. So Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul, and when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. For a whole year they met with the church and taught a great many people. And in Antioch the disciples were first called Christians (Acts 11:19-26).
What we see here is a typical Pharisaical, Old Testament Jewish, and, unfortunately, modern-day Christian tendency to not be willing to share the good news of Jesus with everyone. We like to keep the faith to people like us. We wouldn't want to upset the church by bringing in someone with a lot of tattoos, piercings—someone who is known around town as a drunkard, a whore, or some other sort of perversion—someone with a more outgoing, experiential or a more introverted, shy personality type. Whatever dislikes we have of other people, we need to make sure that we don't exclude someone from the kingdom of God before giving them the chance to respond.
The Jewish Christians were dispersed throughout the Roman empire due to the persecution in Jerusalem. Similar to Jonah when he fled from the Ninevites, rather than go there and tell them to repent, the Jewish Christians did not want the Gentiles to be part of their church, but some of the Jews, ones that the Bible does not even give us their names, were crazy enough to share with the Gentiles the good news of Jesus. They didn't know any better, and God used their "foolishness" to start what was one of the most influential early churches in the city of Antioch when the Gentiles there responded to their message and gave their lives over to the Lord. What a predicament for the Jewish church. Now they had to deal with Gentile Christians.
I want to share one of the most amazing stories I have ever read. It comes from Tony Campolo's The Kingdom of God is a Party: God's Radical Plan for His Family. Tony is a pastor, speaker, and professor of sociology at Eastern College in Pennsylvania. This excerpt is a little lengthy, but it reveals that if we keep our eyes open and hands ready, we can be used in simple and practical ways to show God's love to those who have a tough time seeing it. We just have to be ready to be bold and a little foolish. It's about showing God's love in incredible, yet simple ways.
Tony was on a trip Honolulu to speak at a Christian Conference. On his first night there, he awoke sometime after three (jet lag from a six hour time difference was keeping him from adjusting to Hawaii time - he's from Pennsylvania) and left the hotel in search of a place to get something to eat. Eventually he found a tiny diner, with one man behind the bar who served him coffee and a doughnut. Tony was the only customer until, quite suddenly, the coffee shop was filled with girls. Some sat at small tables, others at the counter near Tony. From their conversation he learned an astonishing amount about Honolulu's night life, for the girls were discussing their night's work and their male clients. These girls were prostitutes. He tells the story:
I overheard the woman sitting beside me say, "Tomorrow's my birthday. I'm going to be thirty-nine."
Her friend responded in a nasty tone, "So what do you want from me? A birthday party? What do you want? Ya want me to get you a cake and sing 'Happy Birthday?'"
"Come on!" said the woman sitting next to me. "Why do you have to be so mean? I was just telling you, that's all. Why do you have to put me down? I was just telling you it was my birthday. I don't want anything from you. I mean, why should you give me a birthday party? I've never had a birthday party in my whole life. Why should I have one now?"
When I heard that, I made a decision. I sat and waited until the women had left. Then I called over the fat guy behind the counter and I asked him, "Do they come in here every night?"
"Yeah!" he answered.
"The one right next to me, does she come here every night?"
"Yeah," he said. "That's Agnes. Yeah, she comes in here every night. Why d'ya wanta know?"
"Because I heard her say that tomorrow is her birthday," I told him. "What do you say you and I do something about that? What do you think about us throwing a birthday party for her right here tomorrow night?"
A cute smile slowly crossed his chubby cheeks and he answered with measured delight, "That's great!..."
"Look." I told him, "if it's OK with you, I'll get back here tomorrow morning about 2:30 and decorate the place. I'll even get a birthday cake!"
"No way," said Harry (that was his name). "The birthday cake's my thing. I'll make the cake."
At 2:30 the next morning, I was back at the diner. I had picked up some crepe-paper decorations at the store and had made a sign out of big pieces of cardboard that read, "Happy Birthday, Agnes!" I decorated the diner from one end to the other. I had that diner looking good.
The woman who did the cooking must have gotten the word out on the street, because by 3:15 every prostitute in Honolulu was in the place. It was wall-to-wall prostitutes...and me!
At 3:30 on the dot, the door of the diner swung open and in came Agnes and her friend. I had everybody ready (after all I was kind of the M.C. of the affair) and when they came in we all screamed, "Happy birthday!" Never have I seen a person so flabbergasted...so stunned...so shaken. Her mouth fell open. Her legs seemed to buckle a bit. Her friend grabbed her arm to steady her. As she was led to sit on one of the stools along the counter we all sang "Happy Birthday" to her. As we came to the end of our singing with "happy birthday dear Agnes, happy birthday to you," her eyes moistened, when the birthday cake with all the candles on it was carried out, she lost it and just openly cried.
Harry gruffly mumbled, "Blow out the candles, Agnes! Come on! Blow out the candles! If you don't blow out the candles, I'm gonna hafta blow out the candles." And, after an endless few seconds, he did. Then he handed her a knife and told her, "Cut the cake, Agnes. Yo, Agnes, we all want some cake."
Agnes looked down at the cake. Then without taking her eyes off it, she slowly and softly said, "Look Harry, is it all right with you if I... I mean is it OK if I kind of... what I want to ask you is...is it OK if I keep the cake a little while? I mean is it all right if we don't eat it right away?"
Harry shrugged and answered, "Sure! It's OK If you want to keep the cake, keep the cake. Take it home if you want to."
"Can I," she asked. Then looking at me she said, "I live just down the street a couple of doors. I want to take the cake home, OK? I'll be right back. Honest!"
She got off the stool picked up the cake, and, carrying it like it was the Holy Grail walked slowly toward the door.
As we all just stood there motionless, she left. When the door closed there was a stunned silence in the place. Not knowing what else to do, I broke the silence by saying, "What do you say we pray?"
Looking back on it now it seems more than strange for a sociologist to be leading a prayer meeting with a bunch of prostitutes in a diner in Honolulu at 3:30 in the morning. But then it just felt like the right thing to do.
I prayed for Agnes. I prayed for her salvation. I prayed that her life would be changed and that God would be good to her. When I finished, Harry leaned over the counter and with a trace of hostility in his voice, he said "Hay! You never told me you were a preacher. What kind of church do you belong to?"
In one of those moments when just the right words came, I answered, "I belong to a church that throws birthday parties for whores at 3:30 in the morning."
Harry waited a moment and then almost sneered as he answered, "No you don't. There's no church like that. If there was, I'd join it. I'd join a church like that!"
What would a Christian be hanging out with and loving prostitutes? I don't think we would be comfortable with a minister or church leader who behaved in such a way. But then we probably wouldn't be comfortable with Jesus leading us either. Here are some relevant Bible verses:
Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you. For John came to you to show you the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes did. And even after you saw this, you did not repent and believe him" (Matthew 21:32).
I have written you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people—not at all meaning the people of this world who are immoral, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters. In that case you would have to leave this world. But now I am writing you that you must not associate with anyone who calls himself a brother but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or a slanderer, a drunkard or a swindler. With such a man do not even eat.
What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside? God will judge those outside. "Expel the wicked man from among you" (1 Corinthians 5:9-13).
Are we bold enough to be Jesus in our communities? To discard all prejudices and stereotypes? In this small country town that we live in, I do not know of prostitutes, but there are definitely people in this town that it would not be "appropriate" to hang out with and minister to. But it is these very people that Jesus came for. It is these very people that Paul said that we need to "associate" with. Are we really willing to be Jesus to those around us? Or do we cling to the Jewish Christian tendency, to the Jonah tendency, to the Pharisee tendency to not share the Gospel with everyone.
Now in these days prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch. And one of them named Agabus stood up and foretold by the Spirit that there would be a great famine over all the world (this took place in the days of Claudius). So the disciples determined, everyone according to his ability, to send relief to the brothers living in Judea. And they did so, sending it to the elders by the hand of Barnabas and Saul (Acts 11:27-30).
What we see is that God uses those who are willing to be used. He added to the church, he sent Barnabas and Saul to them to train them. And then he used them. The Jewish Christians in Jerusalem were provided for by the converted Gentile Christians in Antioch.
Do you want to be used by God to transform the lives around you into what God wants them to be? I know I do. I don't want to just get together on Sundays and do church. I want to be the church. I want to be a church in real, authentic relationships with one another. I want to have a passion for Jesus and his work. I want to love my neighbor, you guys, and my enemies as Jesus would have me to. And when I do that-when we each join together to do that-we'll be the church that God adds to. And if he does not, that is his choice. We are called to be faithful, not effective. God has better days ahead of us. He has people he wants to send to us and he has people he wants to send us to. God adds to his community. The question we must ask is, "Are we ready?" Are we willing to continue to change? Are we willing discard all unhealthy traditions and stereotypes? To strive to be the community God wants us to be? To be the church that God wants to add to?
Palin, Romeny, and Obama - The New Rasmussen Poll - But Where is Huckabee?
The new Rasmussen poll is out focusing on the 2012 elections. I do have to admit that speculating about the 2012 elections is more interesting than the Sotamayor hearings. 2012 Match-ups.
OBAMA 45 ROMNEY 45
OBAMA 45 ROMNEY 45
OBAMA 48 PALIN 42
The interesting thing is that 10% of the population will really decide the election. I doubt the core numbers will change all that much. It also shows that Palin would have a tough time catching up.
The main thing I wonder after seeing this poll is, "Where is Huckabee?" My more libertarian friends will wonder where Ron Paul is, but Huckabee received nearly the same amount of votes as Romney during the 2008 Republican primaries. Although that number is slightly skewed by Huckabee having stayed in for a month longer. Huckabee dropped out on March 4, 2008 while Romney dropped out on February 7, 2008. Romney won 10 states while Huckabee won 7 states, two of them coming on February 9, immediately after Romney dropped. Huckabee did win more delegates than Romney. Huckabee was picking up steam during the campaign while Romney was petering out, and he also did it while the media was only focusing on Romney and McCain. It goes to show that people liked Huckabee the more they knew him while people disliked Romney the more they new him.
Personally, it would be tough for me to vote for Romney, ever. I wrote about the main reason I dislike him a couple years ago. Romney's bribe? The Pharmaceutical companies and Mitt Romney.
I am going to shoot Rasmussen a question asking why they did not poll Huckabee against Obama.
Dear Rasmussen Reports,
Thanks for all of the interesting polls. I do appreciate them.
As a concerned blogger, I am writing to ask why you did not poll Huckabee against Obama. I would be very curious to see what the result would be. Are there any plans to do this in the near future?
Thanks for your time.
Sincerely,
Regan ****
Hopefully, they answer. Personally, Huckabee would be the only of these three candidates that I would consider voting for over Obama at the present time.
***
Personal Pastoral & Political Dislaimer:
As a disclaimer on a political blog post concerning my role as a pastor with political views, I do not express these views to be divisive. Part of me wonders if it is unwise to express them on this blog now, but I value authenticity and transparency. I believe that the church should be filled with people of all political persuasions. I also think that each individual should let their faith shape their political views. But it is not for me to decide anyone's political views. That is between the person and God, not me and the person. In church gatherings, I will always remain politically neutral, although I will have views about loving God and loving our neighbors that will be expressed and will stray into political areas without actually condoning or endorsing a political candidate or position. We, as Christians and a nation, need to learn how to love and work with those we disagree with. Not demonize or hurt one another.
Tony Campolo, Agnes, Birthday Parties for Prostitutes, and God's Love
I want to share one of the most amazing stories I have ever read. It comes from Tony Campolo's - a pastor, speaker, and professor of sociology at Eastern College in Pennsylvania - The Kingdom of God is a Party: God's Radical Plan for His Family
. It is a little lengthy, but it reveals that if we keep our eyes open and hands ready, we can be used in simple and practical ways to show God's love to those who have a tough time seeing it. We just have to be ready to be bold and a little foolish. It's about showing God's love in incredible, yet simple ways. I asked Tony in person whether this story was real. He affirmed that it was. Tony was on a trip Honolulu to speak at a Christian Conference. On his first night there, he awoke sometime after three (jet lag from a six hour time difference was keeping him from adjusting to Hawaii time - he's from Pennsylvania) and left the hotel in search of a place to get something to eat. Eventually he found a tiny diner, with one man behind the bar who served him coffee and a doughnut. Tony was the only customer until, quite suddenly, the coffee shop was filled with girls. Some sat at small tables, others at the counter near Tony. From their conversation he learned an astonishing amount about Honolulu's night life as the girls discussed their night's work and male clients. These girls were prostitutes. He tells the story:
I overheard the woman sitting beside me say, "Tomorrow's my birthday. I'm going to be thirty-nine."
Her friend responded in a nasty tone, "So what do you want from me? A birthday party? What do you want? Ya want me to get you a cake and sing 'Happy Birthday?'"
"Come on!" said the woman sitting next to me. "Why do you have to be so mean? I was just telling you, that's all. Why do you have to put me down? I was just telling you it was my birthday. I don't want anything from you. I mean, why should you give me a birthday party? I've never had a birthday party in my whole life. Why should I have one now?"
When I heard that, I made a decision. I sat and waited until the women had left. Then I called over the fat guy behind the counter and I asked him, "Do they come in here every night?”
"Yeah!" he answered.
"The one right next to me, does she come here every night?"
"Yeah," he said. "That's Agnes. Yeah, she comes in here every night. Why d'ya wanta know?"
"Because I heard her say that tomorrow is her birthday," I told him. "What do you say you and I do something about that? What do you think about us throwing a birthday party for her right here tomorrow night?"
A cute smile slowly crossed his chubby cheeks and he answered with measured delight, "That's great!..."
"Look." I told him, "if it's OK with you, I'll get back here tomorrow morning about 2:30 and decorate the place. I'll even get a birthday cake!"
"No way," said Harry (that was his name). "The birthday cake's my thing. I'll make the cake.”
At 2:30 the next morning, I was back at the diner. I had picked up some crepe-paper decorations at the store and had made a sign out of big pieces of cardboard that read, "Happy Birthday, Agnes!" I decorated the diner from one end to the other. I had that diner looking good.
The woman who did the cooking must have gotten the word out on the street, because by 3:15 every prostitute in Honolulu was in the place. It was wall-to-wall prostitutes...and me!
At 3:30 on the dot, the door of the diner swung open and in came Agnes and her friend. I had everybody ready (after all I was kind of the M.C. of the affair) and when they came in we all screamed, "Happy birthday!" Never have I seen a person so flabbergasted...so stunned...so shaken. Her mouth fell open. Her legs seemed to buckle a bit. Her friend grabbed her arm to steady her. As she was led to sit on one of the stools along the counter we all sang "Happy Birthday" to her. As we came to the end of our singing with "happy birthday dear Agnes, happy birthday to you," her eyes moistened, when the birthday cake with all the candles on it was carried out, she lost it and just openly cried.
Harry gruffly mumbled, "Blow out the candles, Agnes! Come on! Blow out the candles! If you don't blow out the candles, I'm gonna hafta blow out the candles." And, after an endless few seconds, he did. Then he handed her a knife and told her, "Cut the cake, Agnes. Yo, Agnes, we all want some cake.”
Agnes looked down at the cake. Then without taking her eyes off it, she slowly and softly said, "Look Harry, is it all right with you if I... I mean is it OK if I kind of... want I want to ask you is...is it OK if keep the cake a little while? I mean is it all right if we don't eat it right away?"
Harry shrugged and answered, "Sure! It's O.K If you want to keep the cake, keep the cake. Take it home if you want to."
"Can I," she asked. Then looking at me she said, "I live just down the street a couple of doors. I want to take the cake home, OK? I'll be right back. Honest!"
She got off the stool picked up the cake, and, carrying it like it was the Holy Grail walked slowly toward the door.
As we all just stood there motionless, she left. When the door closed there was a stunned silence in the place. Not knowing what else to do, I broke the silence by saying, "What do you say we pray?”
Looking back on it now it seems more than strange for a sociologist to be leading a prayer meeting with a bunch of prostitutes in a diner in Honolulu at 3:30 in the morning. But then it just felt like the right thing to do.
I prayed for Agnes. I prayed for her salvation. I prayed that her life would be changed and that God would be good to her. When I finished, Harry leaned over the counter and with a trace of hostility in his voice, he said "Hay! You never told me you were a preacher. What kind of church do you belong to?"
In one of those moments when just the right words came, I answered, "I belong to a church that throws birthday parties for whores at 3:30 in the morning."
Harry waited a moment and then almost sneered as he answered, "No you don't. There's no church like that. If there was, I'd join it. I'd join a church like that!”
Here are some relevant Bible verses:
Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you. For John came to you to show you the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes did. And even after you saw this, you did not repent and believe him" (Matthew 21:32).
I have written you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people—not at all meaning the people of this world who are immoral, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters. In that case you would have to leave this world. But now I am writing you that you must not associate with anyone who calls himself a brother but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or a slanderer, a drunkard or a swindler. With such a man do not even eat.
What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside? God will judge those outside. "Expel the wicked man from among you" (1 Corinthians 5:9-13).
Are we bold enough to be Jesus in our communities? In the small country town that I live in, I do not know of prostitutes, but there are definitely people in this town that it would not be "appropriate" to hang out with and minister to. But it is these very people that Jesus came for. It is these very people that Paul said that we need to "associate" with. Are we willing to be Jesus to those around us?
Reproductive Health, Infertility, The Church, Our Heart, and Seekers
As you have also probably experienced, we have known some couples who have had trouble getting pregnant. Unfortunately, some have never been able to have babies. My heart and prayers go out to those couples who have struggled with this issue. Others, after making some changes in their life, were able to reproduce.
Around half of the instances when a couple cannot conceive, it is a result of male infertility. UPMC (a conglomeration of Pittsburgh medical centers) published an article addressing this:
A WebMD article, “Getting Pregnant: Easy Ways to Encourage Fertility,” talked about increasing fertility and gave these tips. ()
1. Eat Healthy – We had friends who were able to conceive after changing their diet.
2. Weight Control – Either high or low weight can hamper productivity. We had another friend who lost some weight and was able to conceive when she previously could not.
3. Reduce Stress – Unhealthy stress reducers like alcohol and smoking hurt fertility.
They had more but we are not a science blog. You can check out the link on your own if you would like.
The key here is that reproduction problems are due to a problem within our bodies. It might not be pleasant to say; nobody wants to admit they are unhealthy. But the stark truth is that a couple who is having trouble conceiving can oftentimes fix the problem in their body that is preventing reproduction. The unfortunate thing is most people do not want to change their body and would prefer to rely on the quick fix of drugs. That works for many people having fertility problems, but there is not a quick fix for spiritual problems that are prohibiting us from reproducing.
Our spiritual health might be preventing us from being contagious disciples and churches. No drug has been manufactured that we can take for spiritual reproduction if we refuse to be the people that God wants us to be. He wants us to make disciples of those around us and to be the type of people that he can add seekers to, but that is just a side effect of us being the people God wants us to be.
Jesus taught that if we seek, we will find. I believe he honors that teaching to the point of it being a promise. If we seek, or if someone else seeks, God will reveal himself to us or them. If we want to be involved in that work, we need to make sure that we have a heart surrendered to God that God wants to send a seeker to. Oftentimes, we hold back areas of our life. We resemble the Pharisees of the Jesus’ time who were worried about outward appearance while not having surrendered insides. We have yet surrendered our lives completely to God. We cannot utter the words that Paul wrote when he said, "I urge you to imitate me."
When it comes down to it, God adds to the church. When we add to the church it will not stick. We can add through guilt, manipulation, extravagant shows, and coercion. But when God adds, he adds because he wants the seeker to be surrounded by the people who can be imitated. There are seekers out there that God wants to plug in to healthy churches and have them surrounded by faithful followers. Are we the type of people that God wants to add to?
Around half of the instances when a couple cannot conceive, it is a result of male infertility. UPMC (a conglomeration of Pittsburgh medical centers) published an article addressing this:
Factors that negatively affect sperm development and motility include drug and alcohol abuse , diabetes , and bacterial infections. Environmental factors include toxic exposure to chemicals or radiation and overheated testicles. The reasons for many cases of low sperm quality go unresolved. As a matter of routine, many fertility clinics suggest that men trying to conceive should wear boxer shorts instead of briefs or tight-fitting underwear.
A WebMD article, “Getting Pregnant: Easy Ways to Encourage Fertility,” talked about increasing fertility and gave these tips. ()
If you’re having trouble getting pregnant but you're not quite ready for fertility treatments, there are things you can try on your own.
1. Eat Healthy – We had friends who were able to conceive after changing their diet.
2. Weight Control – Either high or low weight can hamper productivity. We had another friend who lost some weight and was able to conceive when she previously could not.
3. Reduce Stress – Unhealthy stress reducers like alcohol and smoking hurt fertility.
They had more but we are not a science blog. You can check out the link on your own if you would like.
The key here is that reproduction problems are due to a problem within our bodies. It might not be pleasant to say; nobody wants to admit they are unhealthy. But the stark truth is that a couple who is having trouble conceiving can oftentimes fix the problem in their body that is preventing reproduction. The unfortunate thing is most people do not want to change their body and would prefer to rely on the quick fix of drugs. That works for many people having fertility problems, but there is not a quick fix for spiritual problems that are prohibiting us from reproducing.
Our spiritual health might be preventing us from being contagious disciples and churches. No drug has been manufactured that we can take for spiritual reproduction if we refuse to be the people that God wants us to be. He wants us to make disciples of those around us and to be the type of people that he can add seekers to, but that is just a side effect of us being the people God wants us to be.
Jesus taught that if we seek, we will find. I believe he honors that teaching to the point of it being a promise. If we seek, or if someone else seeks, God will reveal himself to us or them. If we want to be involved in that work, we need to make sure that we have a heart surrendered to God that God wants to send a seeker to. Oftentimes, we hold back areas of our life. We resemble the Pharisees of the Jesus’ time who were worried about outward appearance while not having surrendered insides. We have yet surrendered our lives completely to God. We cannot utter the words that Paul wrote when he said, "I urge you to imitate me."
When it comes down to it, God adds to the church. When we add to the church it will not stick. We can add through guilt, manipulation, extravagant shows, and coercion. But when God adds, he adds because he wants the seeker to be surrounded by the people who can be imitated. There are seekers out there that God wants to plug in to healthy churches and have them surrounded by faithful followers. Are we the type of people that God wants to add to?
Repetition of Phrases in Modern Praise Songs Compared to some of the Good Old Hymns
It is Well repeats the phrase "It is Well" 24 times. It is the king of abusing repetition.
It appears that repetition is not something exclusive to modern music. It is the nature of the chorus.
The only new song that we have introduced in our church is God of This City. More songs will be introduced gradually, but it had to be this song that caused the repetition comment. God of this City only repeats "There is no one like our God" eight times and "Greater things have yet to come" seven times. Although the song does use "greater things" twelve times. But it pales in comparison to the great classic "It is Well". It falls into trouble appearing repetitious in that it has a pre-chorus, whatever that is, and a chorus.
Have Thine Own Way, Lord, without any chorus repeats the phrase "Have thy own way" eight times.
I Have Decided to Follow Jesus repeats the phrase "follow Jesus" six times with the word "follow" used nine times.
How Great Thou Art repeats the phrase "How Great Thou Art" seventeen times.
I Must Tell Jesus repeats the phrase "I Must Tell Jesus" fifteen times. Just tell him already!
Repetition is not a question of new songs versus old songs. It is more of whether it is a repetition we are used to and like compared to a new repetition.
Championship Manager 01/02 Released for Free by Eidos - My Disappointment with Football Manager
When I lived with Scott Monette and Mike Fabian at college, we played Championship Manager 00/01 like there was no tomorrow, logging in much more time than we should have. Because computers were slower then, I think Championship Manager is the only video game that improved my schoolwork. I did a lot of reading waiting for the game engine to get to my next match. 01/02 is really just a statistical update to the version we played in college with a few tweaks here and there. It made me very happy to see that Eidos Interactive released the original 01/02 for free in order to promote their upcoming relaunch of the Championship Manager franchise.
Link to Championship Manager 01/02.
If sales are any gauge, I am one of the few that is unsatisfied with the Football Manager branch of Championship Manager. After Eidos and Sports Interactives' divorce in early 2004, Sports Interactive took the code and went on to publish Football Manager. Eidos kept the name and released another Championship Manager that failed to live up to its predecessors. Football Manager has gone the route of micromanaging tactics, something that I greatly despise. I like searching for new players, helping them develop, controlling the budget, putting the right sub in at just the appropriate time, and dealing with personality conflicts between players. It is fun to toy around with tactics, but I do not enjoy a game where I have to constantly tweak and change my tactics every ten minutes in order to win. With Football Manager, Sports Interactive has jumped over that fine line between game and simulator. I just do not enjoy it any more.
But now I can relive the greatest soccer management game I have ever played, for free. Life is good.
Link to Championship Manager 01/02.
If sales are any gauge, I am one of the few that is unsatisfied with the Football Manager branch of Championship Manager. After Eidos and Sports Interactives' divorce in early 2004, Sports Interactive took the code and went on to publish Football Manager. Eidos kept the name and released another Championship Manager that failed to live up to its predecessors. Football Manager has gone the route of micromanaging tactics, something that I greatly despise. I like searching for new players, helping them develop, controlling the budget, putting the right sub in at just the appropriate time, and dealing with personality conflicts between players. It is fun to toy around with tactics, but I do not enjoy a game where I have to constantly tweak and change my tactics every ten minutes in order to win. With Football Manager, Sports Interactive has jumped over that fine line between game and simulator. I just do not enjoy it any more.
But now I can relive the greatest soccer management game I have ever played, for free. Life is good.
Elder Scrolls 2: Daggerfall Released by Bethesda for Free - Getting Daggerfall to Work on Vista
Daggerfall, otherwise known as Elder Scrolls II, is a massive, non-linear RPG. It is different from its successors, Skyrim, Oblivion, and Morrowind, in that it is focused on a massive random universe rather than graphics. No two games in Daggerfall will be alike although the gameplay element is the same.
[edit: Rather than fix the problems with getting Daggerfall to work on your machine, Ancestral Ghost has compiled a version that works immediately after download and installation. It's the total Daggerfall package. "DaggerfallSetup is a ready to play Daggerfall install compatible with modern Windows Systems. The game already includes patch 2.13 and the official CompUSA Special Edition questpack, and will work with an already configured DosBox. You can install all unofficial fixes at this time via options, as well as new quests and translations." You can find it here.]
This game is difficult to get to work on modern machines, but there are some tricks. If you are new to playing old Dos games on XP or Vista, then read through the following.
1. Download Daggerfall.
2. Go to your C drive and create a folder called Dosgames.
3. Go and download DosBox .73. The top link on that page is for Windows. You can also download DosBox for many other operating systems.
4. In the start menu, use the DosBox Config selection. This will open a text file. Under [dosbox] there is a line marked memsize=16. Change 16 to 32. (Tip - An easy way to find memsize is to do a search [ctrl-f] for "memsize"). If you have an LCD monitor, you may wish to scroll up to [render] and change aspect=false to aspect=true. If desired, change fullscreen=false to fullscreen=true under [sdl]. Close and save.
5. Extract the Daggerfall zip file to c:\dosgames. This will create two directories, dagger and dfcd. If you do not have a good extraction program, I recommend 7Zip. It's quick and easy to use.
6. Run dosbox. Type the following, hitting enter after each:
mount c c:\dosgames -freesize 1000
mount d c:\dosgames\dfcd -t cdrom -label Daggerfall
D:
INSTALL
The Daggerfall install program will run. Leave it windowed, do not enlarge it.
7. Select "Install the Game to your Hard Drive". Change the install size to Huge. Agree to wherever it wants to install it (The Installation states that it will install on c:\dagger but really it is going to install at c:\dosgames\dagger because of the way we mounted the directories into DosBox), that's where we want it anyway. Click, "Go ahead and install the game".
8. After installation is over, it will run the sound set-up program. Use the keyboard keys to highlight auto detect, then press enter. Go with whatever it finds. Got to select midi. For this we want Sound Blaster 16, and Port 388, which should be the default. Click Ok on the screens until you exit installation. This will return us to the Dos-Box screen. Isn't it great that we no longer have to configure sound every time we get a new game?
9. Type dag213. This will run the update. Answer yes to both questions.
10. At this point we can type Dagger and run the game.
11. Every time you load dos box to run the game in the future you will need to type..
mount c c:\dosgames -freesize 1024
mount d c:\dosgames\dfcd -t cdrom -label Daggerfall
c:
cd dagger
dagger
****
The following is optional.
If you do not have other dos games and do not plan on using DosBox for any other game except Daggerfall, you can do the followng to make DosBox a permanent Daggerfall machine.
Go back to DosBox's Config file again. Scroll to the bottom. You will see this line: [autoexec]. Anything entered below this will run automatically every time DosBox is launched.
To run the game automatically when DosBox is launched, copy the below to your file, below [autoexec]:
mount c c:\dosgames -freesize 1024
mount d c:\dosgames\dfcd -t cdrom -label Daggerfall
c:
cd dagger
dagger
Then save the file and closed.
****
This step is not necessary unless you are getting "daggerfall has encountered an internal error at 0". Skip until you try the game. Open Notepad. Go to c:\dosgames\dagger, change file type to "all files", and open z.cfg. Make sure that the cd path is correct. It should read pathcd d:\dagger\arena2\.
[edit: Rather than fix the problems with getting Daggerfall to work on your machine, Ancestral Ghost has compiled a version that works immediately after download and installation. It's the total Daggerfall package. "DaggerfallSetup is a ready to play Daggerfall install compatible with modern Windows Systems. The game already includes patch 2.13 and the official CompUSA Special Edition questpack, and will work with an already configured DosBox. You can install all unofficial fixes at this time via options, as well as new quests and translations." You can find it here.]
Translations of the Bible - English Standard Version
The English Standard Version
has been making some waves in the Christian community. It is the number one selling Bible for the Kindle
at Amazon. It has been endorsed by everyone from Jack Cottrell, Max Lucado, to Ravi Zacharias. But I decided to look at the preface to see how they approached interpreting the original texts.
The ESV takes the place of the New Revised Standard Version as an update of the Revised Standard Version. The NRSV was published in 1989. The NRSV is my personal favorite, although I will be making the switch to the ESV. It has been slammed as being too liberal in some circles. Here is a post making that point. What I like most about the NRSV, which the ESV tries to maintain, is that it takes the approach of being a literal translation while still trying to be grammatically fluid.
There is debate on whether a more dynamic, thought-for-thought, translation like the Message or the New Living Bible is more useful than a literal, word-for-word, translation like the NASB or the ESV is better. Each probably serves its purpose and probably more useful for some rather than others depending on what the intended purpose in reading Scripture is. Many people do not want to go to the Scriptures and have an intense study. They will leave that up to their more studious friends and concede to them on the religious tit-for-tat discussions.
Any translation is influenced by the interpretation of the translator. The more you move away from the a literal translation to a dynamic translation, the more you inevitably will have the theological biases of the translator in the Scripture. Those who are reading the more dynamic versions must realize that they are reading something between a literal translation and a commentary. For this reason, it is best to go with a more literal translation when doing serious Bible study if you do not read the original languages.
Many literal translation proponents enjoy the New American Standard. The NASB does take the literal translation approach, but it seems grammatically choppy and really grains against me when reading. I don't want to be grammatically frustrated when I read the Scriptures. I want to be challenged, frustrated about my own ineptitude at serving Christ completely, and wallow in grace, but I do not want to be distracted by bad sentence structure. I have no problem with the translation of the NASB. It is the delivery of that translation that upsets me.
When I do intensive Bible study, I will reference and look at the NASB, the NRSV, the NIV (because that is what most people read), and the original text if I am reading the New Testament (my Hebrew is useless). I might even look at the Message or some relevant commentaries if I am confused. But the NRSV is what I use when I just doing my devotions or reading the Bible for pleasure.
But I am going to trade in my NRSV for the ESV. It takes the literal approach while trying to be grammatically fluid. They explain their approach in their preface:
Michael Marlowe, a reviewer, posted a lengthy review in which he stated that "Its English recalls the classic diction of the KJV, and so it has some literary power (this is not unimportant in a Bible version)." Wayne Jackson, in his review for the Christian Courier, noted that the language is "rendered in beautiful English." That might seem irrelevant, but for those of us who cannot stand the NIV or the NASB because of the grammar, have fluid grammar is important for a literal translation.
In then end, all of the popular translations cover the essentials of the faith and would be useful for study. We will not be saved through study. The purpose of study is to show ourselves approved in the way we live. It's not just to be intellectual Scripture giants. Our knowledge is pretty irrelevant without grasping the grace of God and surrendering our hearts to him.
edited to add:
I just pulled the trigger and bought...
I liked the single column, reference system of this Bible. You can view a sample page here.
You can see other ESV Bibles at their website although I would advise buying them on Amazon where it much cheaper and free shipping if you order over $25. I found it best to look at the company's website because I was looking for a Bible with the cross references. Then I would take the ISBN number from the website and look it up on Amazon to find to the price.
has been making some waves in the Christian community. It is the number one selling Bible for the Kindle at Amazon. It has been endorsed by everyone from Jack Cottrell, Max Lucado, to Ravi Zacharias. But I decided to look at the preface to see how they approached interpreting the original texts. The ESV takes the place of the New Revised Standard Version as an update of the Revised Standard Version. The NRSV was published in 1989. The NRSV is my personal favorite, although I will be making the switch to the ESV. It has been slammed as being too liberal in some circles. Here is a post making that point. What I like most about the NRSV, which the ESV tries to maintain, is that it takes the approach of being a literal translation while still trying to be grammatically fluid.
There is debate on whether a more dynamic, thought-for-thought, translation like the Message or the New Living Bible is more useful than a literal, word-for-word, translation like the NASB or the ESV is better. Each probably serves its purpose and probably more useful for some rather than others depending on what the intended purpose in reading Scripture is. Many people do not want to go to the Scriptures and have an intense study. They will leave that up to their more studious friends and concede to them on the religious tit-for-tat discussions.
Any translation is influenced by the interpretation of the translator. The more you move away from the a literal translation to a dynamic translation, the more you inevitably will have the theological biases of the translator in the Scripture. Those who are reading the more dynamic versions must realize that they are reading something between a literal translation and a commentary. For this reason, it is best to go with a more literal translation when doing serious Bible study if you do not read the original languages.
Many literal translation proponents enjoy the New American Standard. The NASB does take the literal translation approach, but it seems grammatically choppy and really grains against me when reading. I don't want to be grammatically frustrated when I read the Scriptures. I want to be challenged, frustrated about my own ineptitude at serving Christ completely, and wallow in grace, but I do not want to be distracted by bad sentence structure. I have no problem with the translation of the NASB. It is the delivery of that translation that upsets me.
When I do intensive Bible study, I will reference and look at the NASB, the NRSV, the NIV (because that is what most people read), and the original text if I am reading the New Testament (my Hebrew is useless). I might even look at the Message or some relevant commentaries if I am confused. But the NRSV is what I use when I just doing my devotions or reading the Bible for pleasure.
But I am going to trade in my NRSV for the ESV. It takes the literal approach while trying to be grammatically fluid. They explain their approach in their preface:
Every translation is at many points a trade-off between literal precision and readability, between “formal equivalence” in expression and “functional equivalence” in communication, and the ESV is no exception. Within this framework we have sought to be “as literal as possible” while maintaining clarity of expression and literary excellence. Therefore, to the extent that plain English permits and the meaning in each case allows, we have sought to use the same English word for important recurring words in the original; and, as far as grammar and syntax allow, we have rendered Old Testament passages cited in the New in ways that show their correspondence. Thus in each of these areas, as well as throughout the Bible as a whole, we have sought to capture the echoes and overtones of meaning that are so abundantly present in the original texts.
Michael Marlowe, a reviewer, posted a lengthy review in which he stated that "Its English recalls the classic diction of the KJV, and so it has some literary power (this is not unimportant in a Bible version)." Wayne Jackson, in his review for the Christian Courier, noted that the language is "rendered in beautiful English." That might seem irrelevant, but for those of us who cannot stand the NIV or the NASB because of the grammar, have fluid grammar is important for a literal translation.
In then end, all of the popular translations cover the essentials of the faith and would be useful for study. We will not be saved through study. The purpose of study is to show ourselves approved in the way we live. It's not just to be intellectual Scripture giants. Our knowledge is pretty irrelevant without grasping the grace of God and surrendering our hearts to him.
edited to add:
I just pulled the trigger and bought...
I liked the single column, reference system of this Bible. You can view a sample page here.
You can see other ESV Bibles at their website although I would advise buying them on Amazon
where it much cheaper and free shipping if you order over $25. I found it best to look at the company's website because I was looking for a Bible with the cross references. Then I would take the ISBN number from the website and look it up on Amazon to find to the price.
John Day - Reading Through the Book of John
On Saturday, July 18, from at 9-1, the Antwerp Church of Christ will host a reading of the book of John.
Through reading the book in one complete setting, it is our hope that we might see the big picture and let the writings of the apostle John to transform our mind. Too often, we miss the overarching themes of the books of the Bible because we read a verse here or a chapter there.
John is such a great book. It was the last of the four Gospels to be written. Through the telling of the life of Jesus, John is trying to train and correct the church from unfruitful beliefs and practices it has developed in the sixty years since its establishment. His main focus is love; it is apparent that the church of the first 90s, like the church of our time, struggled with loving one another.
We will follow up the reading with a free lunch to talk about the book of John. This will not be a class or a lecture, but an open discussion to share with our feelings and thoughts with one another after having read through the entire book of John.
People of any religious or non-religious background are welcome. We are just reading a book of the Bible and not trying to impose any one view of it. We hope to, through the guidance of the Spirit, let it change us rather than have us make it say what we want it to say.
All translations of the Scripture are also welcomed.
Through reading the book in one complete setting, it is our hope that we might see the big picture and let the writings of the apostle John to transform our mind. Too often, we miss the overarching themes of the books of the Bible because we read a verse here or a chapter there.
John is such a great book. It was the last of the four Gospels to be written. Through the telling of the life of Jesus, John is trying to train and correct the church from unfruitful beliefs and practices it has developed in the sixty years since its establishment. His main focus is love; it is apparent that the church of the first 90s, like the church of our time, struggled with loving one another.
We will follow up the reading with a free lunch to talk about the book of John. This will not be a class or a lecture, but an open discussion to share with our feelings and thoughts with one another after having read through the entire book of John.
People of any religious or non-religious background are welcome. We are just reading a book of the Bible and not trying to impose any one view of it. We hope to, through the guidance of the Spirit, let it change us rather than have us make it say what we want it to say.
All translations of the Scripture are also welcomed.
An Ugly Cat, The Rebirth of a Church, Personal Response to Christ’s Love, and a God of Second Chances
After a recent leadership meeting at the church, there was this ugly, pregnant cat climbing on my car and rubbing against my leg as I was talking with a friend in the parking lot. At the time I was annoyed by the cat. She had a weird limp, no tail, and was one of the ugliest cats I had ever seen. I've only seen uglier on the internet.
The next day I was thinking about that cat. She had been through a lot to make her that ugly. I would not be surprised if she had been hit by a car or involved in some farming incident with a combine. I have no idea how she had lost her tail.
Then it struck me, her kittens will be precious little kittens. Her physical ailments will not be passed on. The same is true for us as a church. We are being born again. In the fall, we are going to reintroduce ourselves to the community as Riverside Christian Church. We are going to be a new plant, coming out of what was the Antwerp Church of Christ. We are going to focus on having real, authentic community with one another, passion for Jesus and his work, and loving everyone we encounter.
And you can join and change yourself. You do not have to be part of our church to restart your life if that is what you need. No matter how spiritually deformed you feel you are, God is willing to make you whole. The process won't be a bed of roses, but it will be the best decision you have ever made. We, as a church, have been given a second chance at life. And God is giving you a second chance. We serve a gracious God of second chances.
Despite the fact that I dropped the ball in loving my roommate when I bailed him from jail by not relaying the message that God laid on my heart, I have been given many more chances to love since that time. Just because you fail and are not who God intends for you to be at times, God is willing to give you another chance. He always gives us another chance. Despite my failures to follow, God has blessed me at other times by allowing me to join in his work. There is nothing greater than to be God's hands in helping the hurting, the oppressed, our neighbors and friends, and even our enemies – there is nothing better in this world than love expressed in real, tangible ways. That's what the path he has called each one us toward, a path of loving our brothers and sisters, our neighbors, and our enemies. Let us follow, get up when we fail, and follow again.
The next day I was thinking about that cat. She had been through a lot to make her that ugly. I would not be surprised if she had been hit by a car or involved in some farming incident with a combine. I have no idea how she had lost her tail.
Then it struck me, her kittens will be precious little kittens. Her physical ailments will not be passed on. The same is true for us as a church. We are being born again. In the fall, we are going to reintroduce ourselves to the community as Riverside Christian Church. We are going to be a new plant, coming out of what was the Antwerp Church of Christ. We are going to focus on having real, authentic community with one another, passion for Jesus and his work, and loving everyone we encounter.
And you can join and change yourself. You do not have to be part of our church to restart your life if that is what you need. No matter how spiritually deformed you feel you are, God is willing to make you whole. The process won't be a bed of roses, but it will be the best decision you have ever made. We, as a church, have been given a second chance at life. And God is giving you a second chance. We serve a gracious God of second chances.
Despite the fact that I dropped the ball in loving my roommate when I bailed him from jail by not relaying the message that God laid on my heart, I have been given many more chances to love since that time. Just because you fail and are not who God intends for you to be at times, God is willing to give you another chance. He always gives us another chance. Despite my failures to follow, God has blessed me at other times by allowing me to join in his work. There is nothing greater than to be God's hands in helping the hurting, the oppressed, our neighbors and friends, and even our enemies – there is nothing better in this world than love expressed in real, tangible ways. That's what the path he has called each one us toward, a path of loving our brothers and sisters, our neighbors, and our enemies. Let us follow, get up when we fail, and follow again.
My first conversation with Jabberwacky
Well I tried to converse with Jabberwacky. It was a complete waste of time. Not as much of a waste as the time you might waste reading it though.
Artificial intelligence has a long way to go.
Jabberwacky: How are you today?
User: Doing well, yourself.
Jabberwacky: I'm doing fine.
User: That's good.
Jabberwacky: Are you cheerful today?
User: I guess so. it's been a good day so far. I'm looking forward to lunch.
Jabberwacky: Lunch is nice, but here it's 7:00.
User: Too bad. I guess we won't do lunch together. what do you like to eat?
Jabberwacky: It depends how hard you throw them.
User: My fastball isn't what it used to be.
Jabberwacky: At what time were your perceptions optimum?
User: You're beginning to confuse me.
Jabberwacky: HOw so?
User: I never mentioned that my perceptions were not optimum. Now I must admit that they probably are not, but that is in a metaphysical sense.
Jabberwacky: Like Pogs.
User: Well, I can see how one can get metaphysics and pogs confused.
Jabberwacky: Thank you again. I am happy to confuse you.
User: I'm not confused. you are. I'm happily waiting just a few more minutes until lunch.
Jabberwacky: It's crude to make jokes to someone you don't know about regnancy. If it was a joke.
User: Well, I see that this is about as fun as talking to an Indian customer service rep that I cannot understand.
Jabberwacky: Apparently nothing of interest to YOU, you soulless monstrosity.
User: Later.
Jabberwacky: It's too late for that.
Artificial intelligence has a long way to go.
Love - What We Need to Change the World -- or at Least Our Neighbors
The reason most churches in America are struggling is not because the culture is hostile to the gospel but that we have yet to really live the gospel in their midst. We like to speak the gospel, but words are cheap. Most people reject intellectual propositions rather than Jesus Christ. We need to live the gospel, not just speak it.
The key to loving is that the change that Jesus brings has to have already happened in us. Love begins with us accepting Christ's love and reflecting it to others. We cannot love the unlovable unless our hearts are changed from a worldly, selfish state to a Christ-like, giving, sacrificial state.
When we see the hurt, the oppressed, the hopeless, are we hurt? Do we sympathize? Or do we echo the words of the Pharisee who prayed, "God, I thank you that I am not like other people" (Luke 18:11). Are we haughty in our position of wealth, education, or any other part of our life we hang our pride and success on? The tax collector prayed, "God, be merciful to me, a sinner!" (Luke 18:13). Jesus followed that up by saying, "I tell you, this man (the tax collector) went down to his home justified rather than the other; for all who exalt themselves will be humbled, but all who humble themselves will be exalted" (Luke 18:14).
A chart in the book UnChristian, which deals with what the younger generation thinks about the church and what the church has done to foster that thought, explains the call to a radical, sacrificial and loving life through the following verses.
Quote from unChristian: What a New Generation Really Thinks about Christianity... and Why It Matters
by David Kinnaman (213-314).
The key to loving is that the change that Jesus brings has to have already happened in us. Love begins with us accepting Christ's love and reflecting it to others. We cannot love the unlovable unless our hearts are changed from a worldly, selfish state to a Christ-like, giving, sacrificial state.
When we see the hurt, the oppressed, the hopeless, are we hurt? Do we sympathize? Or do we echo the words of the Pharisee who prayed, "God, I thank you that I am not like other people" (Luke 18:11). Are we haughty in our position of wealth, education, or any other part of our life we hang our pride and success on? The tax collector prayed, "God, be merciful to me, a sinner!" (Luke 18:13). Jesus followed that up by saying, "I tell you, this man (the tax collector) went down to his home justified rather than the other; for all who exalt themselves will be humbled, but all who humble themselves will be exalted" (Luke 18:14).
A chart in the book UnChristian, which deals with what the younger generation thinks about the church and what the church has done to foster that thought, explains the call to a radical, sacrificial and loving life through the following verses.
Genesis 12:2-3—God wants the lives of his people to bless others.
Isaiah 58:10—God followers should spend themselves on behalf of the poor.
Micah 6:8—We should be known for living humbly and pursuing justice and offering mercy.
Matthew 5:44—Love people who seem to be ‘enemies’ and pray for them.
Matthew 25:35-40—Whatever people do for the ‘least of these’—forgotten and overlooked people in society—they do for Jesus.
Mark 9:35—The greatest role in life is to serve others.
Luke 4:18—Jesus’ ministry was first introduced as freeing captives, serving the oppressed, and healing the sick.
Luke 15:3-7—God pursues people like a shepherd would search for even one straying sheep.
Luke 15:11-32—God is described as a father who patiently waits for the return of his child.
John 3:17—Jesus came not to condemn the world but to save it.
John 15:13—You cannot love a person more than by giving your life up for him or her.
Galatians 5:13—Christians have freedom to love unconditionally as Christ loved people.
Philippians 2:17; 2 Timothy 4:6; 1 John 3:16-19—Our lives are to be ‘poured out’ and spent to serve God’s purposes.
Philippians 2:5-11; Colossians 1:21-22—Our attitude should be like that of Jesus, who loved and accepted humans even though they were ‘enemies’ of God. The he changed their status from enemies to friends, even sons and daughters of God, when they commit themselves to him.
1 Timothy 3:1-7—One of the qualifications of Christian leadership is to have ‘a good reputation with outsiders’ (v.7 NIV).
Titus 3:2—Christians should be peaceable and considerate, showing true humility toward everyone.
2 Peter 3:9—God wants everyone to repent and turn to him.
Would other people describe your life as a Christian in these terms? Do these principles guide your relationships with outsiders? Are you a Christ follower who seeks to live out this picture of Christianity as you interact with others?
Quote from unChristian: What a New Generation Really Thinks about Christianity... and Why It Matters
by David Kinnaman (213-314).
Love in the Face of Oppression - Quakers and Nazis
"You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous" (Matthew 5:43-45).
In testimony given before the House Military Affairs committee from July 10 to August 2, 1940, during the hearings on the Selective Training and Service Act, the Society of Friends gave their view on how they hoped the government would treat conscientious objectors. During the grilling from representatives who did not regard conscientious objectors highly, Paul French, the eventual head of the organization that represented the conscientious objectors with the government, was asked how Quakers were fairing under the Nazis. In reply, French shared the following testimony about a group of Quakers who were in an area conquered by the Germans:
"The Quaker units in Holland under German occupation and in Germany are still functioning. We just had a very interesting account last night from a member of the Service Committee of the Quaker unit functioning in Bordeaux when the Germany army came in. They had been feeding Spanish refugee children, and as soon as the German army of occupation landed, naturally, they were a bit concerned as to what was going to happen and they went to the commanding general and asked what their position was to be, and the two ranking officers of the German army told them that they had been fed by the Quaker relief organization 20 years ago, and to go ahead an operate as they had."
What a powerful testimony of the principle to love all people in all situations.
In testimony given before the House Military Affairs committee from July 10 to August 2, 1940, during the hearings on the Selective Training and Service Act, the Society of Friends gave their view on how they hoped the government would treat conscientious objectors. During the grilling from representatives who did not regard conscientious objectors highly, Paul French, the eventual head of the organization that represented the conscientious objectors with the government, was asked how Quakers were fairing under the Nazis. In reply, French shared the following testimony about a group of Quakers who were in an area conquered by the Germans:
"The Quaker units in Holland under German occupation and in Germany are still functioning. We just had a very interesting account last night from a member of the Service Committee of the Quaker unit functioning in Bordeaux when the Germany army came in. They had been feeding Spanish refugee children, and as soon as the German army of occupation landed, naturally, they were a bit concerned as to what was going to happen and they went to the commanding general and asked what their position was to be, and the two ranking officers of the German army told them that they had been fed by the Quaker relief organization 20 years ago, and to go ahead an operate as they had."
What a powerful testimony of the principle to love all people in all situations.
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