Power Blog!!

Introducing the first of possibly many Power Blogs...meaning I write alot on various stuff and just do it all at once. Get bored at work...so I blog.

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More often then not, I'm able to find people who say the words I can't formulate. Here's a good example of one of my thoughts...from a list of the Top 10 Contributions Charasmatics have made to Christianity, taken from

http://timbayly.worldmagblog.com/timbayly/archives/024105.html

1. A focus on New Testament “gifts of the Spirit” such as healing, prophecy, and tongues.

I’m very much of a split mind on this since, although I’m not the normal reformed cessationist, the vast majority of what passes today in public as the practice of these gifts is, in my experience, fake. (How many times have I heard an overwrought matron prophesying, “O my people, I just want to love you and to gather you to my bosom, if you would only let me.” No thanks--this is no prophetic word, but only an overwrought matron.

I'm tending to agree. I really don't believe I have heard anyone truly speak in tongues since I started attending Marantha. However, I will admit that it's possible I have; I can think of one or two people whose occasional mutterings might have been legit. However, when someone can just "turn it on" or "speak it" in the Spirit...I admit I doubt it's true. To them, maybe; not to me.

And those prophetic words people like to blurt out during the songs...yeaaaahhhh...except for Dean's leading, I think they are just annoying. The words might be true, and the meaning and spirit (lower case) behind them are sincere, but they are hardly prophetic. If I said "God loves you," that's not prophetic; it's just Bible, and really, it's just

DUH.

Although the guy does go on to point out 1Corinthians 14:39...and I agree with that. And he makes some REALLY good points in the next bit...

Deadpan worship devoid of emotions and physical movement is the bane of reformed worship. God gave us emotions and bodies, and both should be active in worship. As I’ve pointed out elsewhere, Scripture is filled with examples of the people of God in worship kneeling, shouting, dancing, falling on their faces, standing, lifting their hands, and so on. The absence of any body movement beyond standing and sitting in reformed worship is an indication of our worship of the intellect and our tendency to lift doctrine above practice. So you won’t be surprised to find out that I believe it’s sin, and that in our congregation we kneel, stand, lift our hands, and that I hope the day will come when we will dance and fall on our faces, too.

I'll just work on some emotion for the time being...maybe a hand raised...

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In other news, it's kinda funny that my screensaver on my computer provides a better focus point than President Bush's face. It's hard watching the guy at times; but I did listen/watch the Presidential address tonight. If there is one thing I can say about my years at community college is that it taught me the importance of paying attention to the world and the news. Thanks Jack, you've cemented me as a Fox watcher...much to your chagrin! (Don't worry, I check both sides...just trying to be fair and balanced...)

But in regards to his address and the whole issue...

I don't know.

He makes some good points...everyone makes some good points...but what's the best point?

Should we grant complete amnesty to any illegal who has had a child in our country? Probably not.

Should illegal workers be deported and forced to complete the immigration process if they want back in? I'd say yes. But then again, wouldn't half of Hollywood and our music industry be gone? LoL...

Amnesty vs total amnesty vs partial amnesty vs no amnesty. Which of these 4 views do I hold to? It's tricky...I'm probably leaning toward no amnesty...but on conditions, none of which have to do with the illegal immigrants specifically.

For example...one of the big arguments is that illegals do the work Americans won't do. Yet why won't Americans do the jobs? Could the fact that companies pay crap have anything to do with it? I'd be willing to be a "sanitation engineer" if I'm guaranteed more than $5-7 an hour. You just can't live off that. In today's society, if you are working a 40 hour week, it's probably MINIMUM to earn at least $10 an hour just in order to survive; and even then, you are probably have to live with 4 other people just to afford a 2 bedroom apartment that was made for cheaper than your monthly rent.

There are just too many problems with our society for any one solution to fix them all. Greed is just too prevalant, and too much power is in too few hands. Change is needed.

Or perhaps just grace and God...
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I must admit, I find sites like screenit.com offensive. It annoys me to no end that people are willing to base their discernment on a movie based on the number of cusswords, amount of violence, or hints of sexualness that are contained within a film or tv show. Maybe its my aspirations to be a filmmaker, tv producer, story writer, or just lover of fiction...I don't know.

If someone were to make a movie about the salvation of a prisoner on deathrow, and included his illegal and possibily murderous past, and wanted to make it lifelike...would he not use cusswords? Probably not. That's not reality. "I just don't feel comfortable exposing myself to such things." You mean you never walk underneath that sign in your church that says "You are now entering the mission field"?

Would a movie about a Christian martyr who stood up for his beliefs and got executed not include violence? Hardly. That's not reality.

And just how do you define sexual immorality? Nudity? Kissing? Bare shoulders? If a married couple, within the context of the story, kiss...does that offend you? Do you turn away in shame or, worse yet, in sin? "But they aren't married in real life." What if they were? Would you turn away at a marriage ceremony when the minister says "You may kiss the bride?" Where do you draw the line?

You know, I realize I'm just preaching to the backrows. You all have your set beliefs, and nothing less than the voice of God will change your mind...or my mind probably too...although we both will continue to shout at each other and get annoyed at each other. And then one of us will get tired of it, and start saying stuff like "well what works for you is between you and God, and this is just how I live MY life...but really, according to X scripture, you should..."

And eventually one of us will walk away from the room in disgust. And saddened that a God given opportunity for fellowship and discourse has been lost due to our "sinful nature."

So what it's worth...I apologize. I don't really want to be the party that causes others to stumble.

But I still just don't understand.
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And I know I might ruffle some feathers by saying this...but why is it that some people either seem to take delight in or feel it is their Godly duty to dig up and throw dirt on people's enjoyments?

Real life examples I've heard-

"You like Superman? Did you know he is the Anti-Christ, the exact opposite of all that Christ should be!! You should not expose such filth to your children."

"You own a gun? Oh, you enjoy hunting. Did you know the Bible says we shouldn't condone violence?" I still don't get that one...

"How can you drink out of a brown bottle? Oh, it's root beer? Well, the Bible I read says that you should avoid the appearance of evil and not tempt others, and it really looks like you are drinking some evil drink there. But, really, that's just what my Bible says..."

The worse of the lot...and I realize this doesn't apply anymore to alot of people, but I've still heard it-

"NIV? How can you be saved if you are reading an uninspired evil translation made by a council of devil worshippers and homosexuals? I don't care if you have been saved for years...unless you read the inspired King James Version of the Bible, you are NOT SAVED."

And my personal favorite: "You like U2? Did you know, ignoring the instruments and STYLE of music they play and the fact that they drink alcohol, that Bono once dressed up as the Devil and that he appeared nude once? Or that U2's lyrics say that salvation isn't all that is necessary in this world, that "they still haven't found what they are looking for," so obviously they are unBiblical as well as unsaved?

I just don't understand. And I can hear some of you thinking "the boy is just ticked off at everything" or "he must like being angry all the time"...well, really, I'm not, and I don't want to be. I'm saddened more than angry; frustrated or disheartened perhaps.

And after writing all this, pretty depressed...

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And one final plug...the new Red Hot Chili Peppers album, Stadium Arcadia, a double disc, is actually not too bad. However, far too many of the songs can be fit under that "b-side" banner, but most of them are on the second of the two discs (second in my mind, not their mind). Still, it's an excellent album, well worth picking up if you enjoy good music.

And of course, for some truly excellent music, try U2 or Kaiser Chiefs.

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Thus concludes Power Blog...