Have you ever sat in a swing on a cool fall day, rocking back and forth, and let your mind wander? Sure. But then what? What does one do after a crazy thought, a difficult question, or a spiritual challenge hits you smack dab in the face? Most often, we simply move on: which means we’re really not moving on, but holding pat. I simply can’t any longer. Whatever this journey produces or wherever it leads, let’s do this thing. Continue reading ‘Why Are We Doing This?’
Monthly Archive for October, 2006
Is the Pope Catholic? Can you classify Jerry Falwell as a right wing conservative? Am I somewhat below the intelligence of God? DUH!
Okay, back to the question and the real point behind the question. We SAY on the one hand something about God and then we turn around and DO something that totally negates what we have previously affirmed. Or, at least I can confess I’ve done that several times. Continue reading ‘Do We Have False Ideas About God?’
How could anyone named Gaius Flavius Valerius Aurelius Constantinus be blamed for the woes of Christianity today? Ahh, let me count the ways. Constantine the great (272-337). Few people could tell you anything about the Edict of Milan in 313CE, but it changed the face of Christianity as we know it. And not for the better. Continue reading ‘Blame It On Constantine?’
If Christians are intolerant of anything, it’s a person who might question any traditional belief system that they embrace. And, there are many! Where would we be today had Martin Luther not challenged the system, bucked the paradigms, and questioned if there was not a better way? Where indeed? Continue reading ‘I Challenged An Axiom!’
As I’ve said before (yesterdays’ post), I believe in divine judgment; however, I do not believe in the eternal hell that’s more likle a creation than Hollywood than of the church- though I believe the church did create it. I’ll go in to all those reasons after I review the three judgments. The Bible speaks of eternal torment, annihilation, and reconciliation. One can (and many do) use those Scriptures to justify the position taken: don’t we all? I’m not claiming I am right, I’m just stating where I am after a couple of decades of study. We all read the Scriptures, and then seek the Holy Spirit for their meaning. After doing that, here’s what I’ve discerned. Continue reading ‘Three Options- Three Judgments?’
Sunday, October 29, 2006 – How much of what you believe is true? That’s truly a scary question unless you think that all that you’ve been taught is true…. which is even more frightening. Faith demands that we question! We must rely not just on past teachers, regardless of how sincere they were, but we must learn first hand with the aid of the Holy Spirit. Second-hand religion doesn’t really do the job!
This “thought journey” of an “order“, is a delicate thing indeed. But then, isn’t life? We just don’t cherish it as we should. Nearly twenty years ago, my house burned leaving just the 55 piers that it sat on. One of the messages that I got at that time was that it was a “sign” of fifty five churches that would be united under an apostolic team. Continue reading ‘Twelve & Fifty Five?’
What’s your theology on the end times? I’m not talking about millennialism (Post, Pre, A). I gave up on all of that stuff decades ago. What is your ultimate destiny? Well, forget about you, what’s the destiny of mankind in general, as a whole? What’s going to happen when we die? I’m sure that has some significance for you. Making the house payment next week or the car payment this weekend is probably tops on your list; however, when you get a minute, maybe you could give a moment to the end of life. What’s gonna happen Martha? Glad you asked because I want to share with you three options. Continue reading ‘Eternal Torment- Extermination- Reconciliation?’
I guess it would be safe to say that when I accepted the call, felt the Holy Spirit drawing me, I was over my head. Who can know anything about God? Oh yes, we pretend alot. But no one knows God! No finite, pea brained human could begin to use any words to talk of God. Did I mention that is why we have metaphors? Well, one of the reasons anyway. A metaphor gets us somewhere in the neighborhood- maybe! Continue reading ‘Way Over My Head!’
My Thoughts On Divine Judgment
Do I believe in an eternal hell fire in order to torment a person eternally because of their temporal sins. Nope! Do I believe in a future judgment- divine judgment. Yep! That’s one of the three judgments that I wrote about in yesterdays’ commentary. But, what’s the judgment that we will ALL go through like? You know, the judgment of II Corinthians 5:10. I claim no inerrant insight, just what I have discerened from the Word. All of us see differently, and it’s okay! It really is okay to disagree. Continue reading ‘My Thoughts On Divine Judgment’