Sunday, March 08, 2009
Friday, March 06, 2009
Delirium
I don't know which is better, Mountain Dew at 3am or having just enough of a fever that everything feels just slightly off. I wonder if this is the sensation that drug users go for sometimes. At least I get it for free, or at least the price of a two liter of Dew. Which I fully endorse at 3am. With some Cool Ranch Doritos. You can ask Jason or Kyle for two more votes in favor.
Flo Rida's "Right Round" is quite the fun song. And now its gone down about seventeen steps for anyone under the age of 21 because the old creepy guy endorses the song. Thank you, thank you very much. Anything I can do to help.
Who doesn't like warm weather??? Well, aside from the random ice core biologist.
I'm looking for volunteers to help me clear some fence rows of brush and brambles. I completely guarantee that you won't get your arms torn apart by thorns if you decide to wear a short sleeve shirt. Umm, no, I don't have my fingers crossed, why do you ask?
It still doesn't top Dead or Alive's "Right Round" though. Take that you young whippersnappers. And get off my lawn!
Flo Rida's "Right Round" is quite the fun song. And now its gone down about seventeen steps for anyone under the age of 21 because the old creepy guy endorses the song. Thank you, thank you very much. Anything I can do to help.
Who doesn't like warm weather??? Well, aside from the random ice core biologist.
I'm looking for volunteers to help me clear some fence rows of brush and brambles. I completely guarantee that you won't get your arms torn apart by thorns if you decide to wear a short sleeve shirt. Umm, no, I don't have my fingers crossed, why do you ask?
It still doesn't top Dead or Alive's "Right Round" though. Take that you young whippersnappers. And get off my lawn!
Wednesday, March 04, 2009
The Upcoming "Mini" Debate
Obviously I missed Wednesday evening Bible study, and I'm sure that John let everyone know that I wasn't wigging out on the statement I made at the close of last week's study. I'm at work people! Right now! (Just don't tell my boss, who's in the dining room presently. Shhhhh!)
Next Wednesday night I will be defending the position of "1 Corinthians 7:39 does not prevent a Christian widow from marrying a non-Christian". John will be defending the conrary position that it does prevent a Christian widow from marrying a non-Christian.
I'm really looking forward to this and hope that I can put on a good defense of what I beleive to be true. It is also my opinion that this falls into the "non-salvific" category. That's such a great word. Salvific. I've only ever heard it a couple of times and there's really no way to work it into a sermon or anything. It has to do with matters of salvation. For example, baptism is a salvific issue. Exercise would be non-salvific, or not directly tied to salvation. Faith is a salvific issue, because you definitely need it to have salvation.
Maybe I'll use that on Wednesday, and all of you who read this can snicker to yourselves. :)
And while my post below pretty much gives you the gist of what I'm going to be talking about, worry not! I do have a few other verses to mention. ;)
Next Wednesday night I will be defending the position of "1 Corinthians 7:39 does not prevent a Christian widow from marrying a non-Christian". John will be defending the conrary position that it does prevent a Christian widow from marrying a non-Christian.
I'm really looking forward to this and hope that I can put on a good defense of what I beleive to be true. It is also my opinion that this falls into the "non-salvific" category. That's such a great word. Salvific. I've only ever heard it a couple of times and there's really no way to work it into a sermon or anything. It has to do with matters of salvation. For example, baptism is a salvific issue. Exercise would be non-salvific, or not directly tied to salvation. Faith is a salvific issue, because you definitely need it to have salvation.
Maybe I'll use that on Wednesday, and all of you who read this can snicker to yourselves. :)
And while my post below pretty much gives you the gist of what I'm going to be talking about, worry not! I do have a few other verses to mention. ;)
Getting no love...
Wow, I didn't expect to have exactly 0 people aside from myself vote for me. Its day one at least. Yikes.
Tuesday, March 03, 2009
Monday, March 02, 2009
Short and sweet
Ok, its Monday, and that means only one thing.
This.
Hezekiah 17:3 says that you must watch, and be in awe.
This.
Hezekiah 17:3 says that you must watch, and be in awe.
Sunday, March 01, 2009
Sunday evening
I love Sunday evening worship. While the large body that gets together on Sunday morning sounds great in singing and is awesome to just be with, the evening crowd feels more intimate. You can always count on a Sunday evening crowd to be attentive, and "dedicated to the cause".
So how do we know if we're doing God's will? I suppose the simplest answer would be to say that we don't ever really know since we don't have someone here to slap our hands when we do something wrong. The problem with that though is that we are expected to do the Lord's will, while not having that overbearing teacher watching over our shoulders every moment of the day. The old Biblical maxim of "we have this treasure in earthen vessels" comes into play. We have to self-gauge what we are doing, whether we stand up to what the will of the Lord teaches or not, and it is up to us individually to make sure that we stand on the good foundation. You can look at the many teachings that Jesus gave concerning the heart and love and walking with God to show the personal responsibility that we have to "be right" with God.
One of the biggest struggles that we have in this though is to always retain the eyes of God rather than seeing things with our own eyes. Its very hard to do, because everyone around us does right in their own eyes. The Israelites fell into that many times, specifically in the book of Judges, where that phrase is used many times. They would have a good judge sent by God, the judge would die, and after a short period of time, Israel would be overrun by some foreign land because they were doing that which was right in their own eyes, because they had forgotten God. Then they would cry out to him because they would suddenly figure out that God was still around, and God, being the good God that he is, would send them another judge, and the cycle would begin again.
I often wonder why God is so patient with people, and the Israelites are a good example. If it were me, I'd have tossed them out the window after the second or third time. Its easy to give someone a second chance, but when they spit in your face for the fourth time? To the curb they must go! (Or at least that's what the world would teach.) But not so with God. And thank God for that.
So how do I know if what I'm doing is God's will? If I can picture Jesus himself doing it, there's a pretty good chance. If he showed me how to do it, its of a high probability. And I know that I'm going to fall short of his will every once and again, but he's always going to be there, as long as I'm trying to be with him.
And even for the many who don't want to be with him, he's still reaching out.
Thank God.
So how do we know if we're doing God's will? I suppose the simplest answer would be to say that we don't ever really know since we don't have someone here to slap our hands when we do something wrong. The problem with that though is that we are expected to do the Lord's will, while not having that overbearing teacher watching over our shoulders every moment of the day. The old Biblical maxim of "we have this treasure in earthen vessels" comes into play. We have to self-gauge what we are doing, whether we stand up to what the will of the Lord teaches or not, and it is up to us individually to make sure that we stand on the good foundation. You can look at the many teachings that Jesus gave concerning the heart and love and walking with God to show the personal responsibility that we have to "be right" with God.
One of the biggest struggles that we have in this though is to always retain the eyes of God rather than seeing things with our own eyes. Its very hard to do, because everyone around us does right in their own eyes. The Israelites fell into that many times, specifically in the book of Judges, where that phrase is used many times. They would have a good judge sent by God, the judge would die, and after a short period of time, Israel would be overrun by some foreign land because they were doing that which was right in their own eyes, because they had forgotten God. Then they would cry out to him because they would suddenly figure out that God was still around, and God, being the good God that he is, would send them another judge, and the cycle would begin again.
I often wonder why God is so patient with people, and the Israelites are a good example. If it were me, I'd have tossed them out the window after the second or third time. Its easy to give someone a second chance, but when they spit in your face for the fourth time? To the curb they must go! (Or at least that's what the world would teach.) But not so with God. And thank God for that.
So how do I know if what I'm doing is God's will? If I can picture Jesus himself doing it, there's a pretty good chance. If he showed me how to do it, its of a high probability. And I know that I'm going to fall short of his will every once and again, but he's always going to be there, as long as I'm trying to be with him.
And even for the many who don't want to be with him, he's still reaching out.
Thank God.
So...about this whole economy thing...
It's the worst that it's performed since the early 80's. That's bad, right? Of course it is. So what led to the largest expansion of the U.S. Economy in the mid to late 80's? Massive tax CUTS by Ronald Reagan.
So now we are experiencing a remarkably similar economic state and what's the answer this time? The same thing, right? Well, not so much. Let's hope we and our future generations can survive it.
So now we are experiencing a remarkably similar economic state and what's the answer this time? The same thing, right? Well, not so much. Let's hope we and our future generations can survive it.
Friday, February 27, 2009
Squealing like a little girl
Excuse me while I have a bit of a moment here...
The Bugatti Centenaire
You mean they're going to top this beauty?
The Bugatti Centenaire
You mean they're going to top this beauty?
Friday Fun
C'mon, you know you're down with the Space Invaders goodness...
Happy Up Here from Röyksopp on Vimeo.
Happy Up Here from Röyksopp on Vimeo.
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Only in the Lord
Yes, so if you were in Bible class in Millersburg on Wednesday, and you can think back to before the baptism (which I'll completely forgive, because really, baptisms rock and all), I mentioned that I disagreed with the teacher of the class concerning the phrase "only in the Lord" at the end of 1 Corinthians 7.
Now before I launch into what's sure to be a very short defense, as the post below points out, I'm feeling lazy tonight, let me first say that its generally inadvisable to publicly state that you are disagreeing with an elder of the congregation. Thankfully, John is rather feisty and can hold up to an argument such as this, as most elders can.
My thoughts are that the phrase "only in the Lord" are referring to the manner in which the widow is to remarry rather than the actual person that she is to remarry. Earlier in the chapter, Paul points out that it is not a sin to be married to someone outside of the body of Christ. It is a situation in which many men and women find themselves today, coming to Christ already in the marriage. In the first century, the situation was different than we have in the United States today, for if someone would become a Christian in those days, especially a woman, she ran the very large risk of her husband being perturbed by her joining herself to people whom he did not like or associate with and would leave her. For this cause, Paul says that she is not bound to him to leave the Church to retain the marriage.
But if it is the case that he would remain, or that she was married to a Christian in the first place, and her husband would die, God does have some directives for her. She needs to realize her responsibility to God rather than to her own sexual desires. In 1 Timothy 5:11-12, the church is warned to not take young widows into their benevolent programs (ugh, I hate that terminology, but can't think of any better), because there was a very clear risk of them wandering from the faith because of their sensual desires. It is a risk that has been around for thousands of years, that we still struggle with in the twenty-first century. It is in this way that we can take in Paul's idea here in 1 Corinthians. When the widow chooses to marry, her first thought should be to keep God at the forefront of her decision making. The phrase would be closely associated with another that Paul makes, "Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right..." (Ephesians 6:1). Paul is not directing children to only obey Christian parents. He is telling them that they are to follow the teachings of their parents that are true and good, and as they do so they are following what the Lord wants them to do. He doesn't want them to be rebellious, and he doesn't want the widow's search for a husband to be a rebellion against God, thus, "only in the Lord".
Now before I launch into what's sure to be a very short defense, as the post below points out, I'm feeling lazy tonight, let me first say that its generally inadvisable to publicly state that you are disagreeing with an elder of the congregation. Thankfully, John is rather feisty and can hold up to an argument such as this, as most elders can.
My thoughts are that the phrase "only in the Lord" are referring to the manner in which the widow is to remarry rather than the actual person that she is to remarry. Earlier in the chapter, Paul points out that it is not a sin to be married to someone outside of the body of Christ. It is a situation in which many men and women find themselves today, coming to Christ already in the marriage. In the first century, the situation was different than we have in the United States today, for if someone would become a Christian in those days, especially a woman, she ran the very large risk of her husband being perturbed by her joining herself to people whom he did not like or associate with and would leave her. For this cause, Paul says that she is not bound to him to leave the Church to retain the marriage.
But if it is the case that he would remain, or that she was married to a Christian in the first place, and her husband would die, God does have some directives for her. She needs to realize her responsibility to God rather than to her own sexual desires. In 1 Timothy 5:11-12, the church is warned to not take young widows into their benevolent programs (ugh, I hate that terminology, but can't think of any better), because there was a very clear risk of them wandering from the faith because of their sensual desires. It is a risk that has been around for thousands of years, that we still struggle with in the twenty-first century. It is in this way that we can take in Paul's idea here in 1 Corinthians. When the widow chooses to marry, her first thought should be to keep God at the forefront of her decision making. The phrase would be closely associated with another that Paul makes, "Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right..." (Ephesians 6:1). Paul is not directing children to only obey Christian parents. He is telling them that they are to follow the teachings of their parents that are true and good, and as they do so they are following what the Lord wants them to do. He doesn't want them to be rebellious, and he doesn't want the widow's search for a husband to be a rebellion against God, thus, "only in the Lord".
Thoughts on Vacation Bible School
In the interest of laziness, I direct your steely gaze to my friend Chris Gallagher's website, the Preacher's Pen and my reply to his VBS posting.
Its found here.
Yes, lazy...I know.
Its found here.
Yes, lazy...I know.
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Because you know you want to
Yes, you do need to check out http://clevelandteapartyprotest.blogspot.com/
There's going to be a protest of the government throwing all of our money around at the laundry list of things that they haven't been about to throw money at for the last ten years or so. These protests are going on all over the place. Wear black on Friday if you can't attend.
My favorite post is here
There's going to be a protest of the government throwing all of our money around at the laundry list of things that they haven't been about to throw money at for the last ten years or so. These protests are going on all over the place. Wear black on Friday if you can't attend.
My favorite post is here
Slogans
Here are some ideas for slogans you can use on your signs.
- Pay for Your OWN Mortgage
- Free Markets, Not Free Loaders
- No Public Money for Private Failure
- Reward Responsibility, Not Irresponsibility
- Andrew Jackson was Right: No to Bank Nationalization
- Cut Taxes, Not Deals
- Next Time, Read the Bill Before You Sign It
- You Can’t Borrow to Prosperity
- Don’t Mortgage the Future
- Solve Problems, Don’t Sweep Them Under the Table
- 220 Years to Build the Republic, 1 Month to Destroy It
- Why Should I Pay for YOUR Bad Decisions
- Restore the Republic, Revolt Against Socialism
- READ THE BILL NEXT TIME
- No Taxation Without Deliberative Representation
- No Spending Without Deliberative Representation
- The Very Small List: Things Government Does Well
- REPEAL THE PORK
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Comparisons
A nice tip of the hat to Seftor, a long-time acquaintance here on the intertubes. Below you see a Wordle overview of the Obama speech this evening.
To this, compare the most prominent speech that our previous president presented prior to projecting our power to parts previously unknown.
Its interesting that the "big" words are pretty much the same. The drumbeat is always the same no matter who is in office. Point one for anyone who wants to be president - ALWAYS TALK ABOUT AMERICA. Downplay the word "I" especially. Whether we're talking about terrrrrists or the economy, Americans like to hear about themselves. Maybe this is one of those things that proves a great point that I believe. Our nation is based largely on the inestimable value of hope. If you can inspire hope within the people of this nation, you will be the one leading it. Its been true since at least the days of Jimmy Carter. Perhaps longer, but I can't remember back that far.
Hope doesn't necessarily need to be tied to change, but it is far easier to package them together as a two for one deal.
Speaking of deals, if you'd like a night at the Inn where I work, call me in the next couple of days. Its bargain basement pricing! I was told to raise occupancy, but no mention was made about room rates. Come one come all!
To this, compare the most prominent speech that our previous president presented prior to projecting our power to parts previously unknown.
Its interesting that the "big" words are pretty much the same. The drumbeat is always the same no matter who is in office. Point one for anyone who wants to be president - ALWAYS TALK ABOUT AMERICA. Downplay the word "I" especially. Whether we're talking about terrrrrists or the economy, Americans like to hear about themselves. Maybe this is one of those things that proves a great point that I believe. Our nation is based largely on the inestimable value of hope. If you can inspire hope within the people of this nation, you will be the one leading it. Its been true since at least the days of Jimmy Carter. Perhaps longer, but I can't remember back that far.
Hope doesn't necessarily need to be tied to change, but it is far easier to package them together as a two for one deal.
Speaking of deals, if you'd like a night at the Inn where I work, call me in the next couple of days. Its bargain basement pricing! I was told to raise occupancy, but no mention was made about room rates. Come one come all!
WHAT????
Ok, I can deal with the infatuation that seems to surround our new president. He's a good looking guy, won the election handily, is well tanned... But really, again with the primetime speech? And we all know what he's going to say...
"well, to put it simply, the economy is pretty slow, but the money from my spending plan is going to go a long way. Really, it is. Trust me, throwing money at a problem works every time that it's tried. Right?"
Ok maybe not in so many words.
"well, to put it simply, the economy is pretty slow, but the money from my spending plan is going to go a long way. Really, it is. Trust me, throwing money at a problem works every time that it's tried. Right?"
Ok maybe not in so many words.
Monday, February 23, 2009
Not good
Ugh, I just realized how dreadful this blog looks. That will have to be remedied very soon.
I gotta say...
I've finally started to catch up with the technology revolution. Sure, there's no AT&T Wireless service down here in Holmes County, but this iPod Touch works just fine. I can even hack out a blog post on it now. Granted, I've always been a bit of a technophile. (And for you folks in Garrettsville, that does not mean that I like to do naughty things with my computer.) This thing is completely amazing though. I can now definitively tell you exactly which houses between here and Berlin have wireless internets that I can leech off of, but of course I'd never do anything like that.
No, not me.
But on a more serious note, my thoughts and prayers go out to Mark Manlove's family and friends. I know that this is a very hard time for you all. Take every chance you get to talk with one another for support. He was a great help to me on more than one occasion, but I'm sure I was a bit of a nuisance at times. May the Lord bless you in your time of need.
No, not me.
But on a more serious note, my thoughts and prayers go out to Mark Manlove's family and friends. I know that this is a very hard time for you all. Take every chance you get to talk with one another for support. He was a great help to me on more than one occasion, but I'm sure I was a bit of a nuisance at times. May the Lord bless you in your time of need.
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Sooner or later
Ok, so one looks around this quiet hovel in the snow-blanketed (though believe me, that's a relative term, right Windham type folks?) village of Glenmont, and find themselves prepared to call out to the world once again.
Far too long one might say, not nearly long enough another.
I debate within myself which side I fall upon, but that very question is answered by this dance of pixels on a vibrant stage. But what to address? What vital issue arises that needs the voice of someone far inferior to those who have gone before? Has a village council decided to navel-gaze rather than be forward looking? Has a lonely fire hydrant gone sour once again? Are there pizzas that need delivered?
Alas no.
Nothing exciting. Which is normal for every day life here in Holmes County, don't get me wrong. The seedy underbelly of life here doesn't really seem so seedy, though local folks would have you to believe that our problems are the same as the larger and more populated areas. Sure, drugs, alcohol, rampant stupidity and all of the other maladies of life persist, even here. On the other hand, we are still able to hide those things, rather than being played out in the open in many other communities. Our life is good, pleasant, yea verily. We deal more with disparity between east and west, the proverbial discord between the "haves" and "have nots". Thankfully, the naturally following whining is not as obvious, even though the dirty looks have persisted.
So let our discussion begin.
Far too long one might say, not nearly long enough another.
I debate within myself which side I fall upon, but that very question is answered by this dance of pixels on a vibrant stage. But what to address? What vital issue arises that needs the voice of someone far inferior to those who have gone before? Has a village council decided to navel-gaze rather than be forward looking? Has a lonely fire hydrant gone sour once again? Are there pizzas that need delivered?
Alas no.
Nothing exciting. Which is normal for every day life here in Holmes County, don't get me wrong. The seedy underbelly of life here doesn't really seem so seedy, though local folks would have you to believe that our problems are the same as the larger and more populated areas. Sure, drugs, alcohol, rampant stupidity and all of the other maladies of life persist, even here. On the other hand, we are still able to hide those things, rather than being played out in the open in many other communities. Our life is good, pleasant, yea verily. We deal more with disparity between east and west, the proverbial discord between the "haves" and "have nots". Thankfully, the naturally following whining is not as obvious, even though the dirty looks have persisted.
So let our discussion begin.
Monday, January 14, 2008
What the...
Huh? What am I doing here?
Oh, hi folks, I notice that every once in a while someone drops by and pokes their head in the door. I just wanted to say hi, how's it going? Things are good here, got a new job running the Front Desk at this place right here. Yeah, I know, who'd have thought? Me? In the high-class hotel industry? I think not! But seriously! I am! So what's up with you? Mmmhmm. Really? I'd have never thought that either!
Well, I need to get going, lots of stuff going on here, schedules and stuff. Hey, I'll catch you later?
We've got to make it sooner next time though. K?
Oh, hi folks, I notice that every once in a while someone drops by and pokes their head in the door. I just wanted to say hi, how's it going? Things are good here, got a new job running the Front Desk at this place right here. Yeah, I know, who'd have thought? Me? In the high-class hotel industry? I think not! But seriously! I am! So what's up with you? Mmmhmm. Really? I'd have never thought that either!
Well, I need to get going, lots of stuff going on here, schedules and stuff. Hey, I'll catch you later?
We've got to make it sooner next time though. K?
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