It seems to me like politics is a taboo topic amongst Christians. I try to have some good conversations with people about politics and they just clam up. Its funny. We'll sit around and gossip and whatever about people we know, but when we try and discuss politics and/or world affairs, they suddenly don't wanna have an opinion. I enjoy talking about politics and world affairs with people. My Bible says to go into all the world and the last time i checked, politics was apart of the world. I understand that not everyone is going to be gung ho about certain topics. And i understand that not many people care about really getting deep about it. but when you don't know the simplest things about a your own government, thats just scary. The American part of me thinks that this is one of the greatest if not the greatest nation, ever. I know that our government has made some policies in the past that weren't good. And those things definitely need to be fixed.
Here, i'll give everyone a quick very brief overview of our government.
3 main branches: Executive (The President), Judicial (Supreme Court, judges) and Legislative (House of Reps and Senate).
congress is House of Reps and Senate.
Whenever they say its a joint session, they mean the House of Reps and Senate are coming together. 2 senators per state and house of reps determined by the population of a state.
There are currently 16 cabinet members in the President's Cabinet. Homeland Security was created after 9/11.
Thus concludes our brief lesson on the U.S. government. I know there are issues and problems within that government. I won't turn a blind eye to that and act like we haven't botched things up in the past. but unless if you don't at least pray for our nation and our leaders, and if your able to and vote, i don't really know that i care to hear what you have to say.
at least pray. and if you can vote and you don't, thats your loss. voting doesn't solve everything. prayer does. but at least w/ voting your voicing your opinion to some degree. and even if it is the electoral college that actually votes in the president... still, voice your say.
i've dealt with people in the past who say that they don't vote b/c Earth isn't their real home, Heaven is. while i agree w/ that, i still say get out and make your voice heard. i've told those people directly to their face that since they could've voted and they simply didn't want to that i didn't wanna hear any complaints about our nation or our president and Washington b/c they didn't voice their opinion. they were a bit shocked, but they agreed.
in any case, have a great day.
Monday, October 29, 2007
Sunday, October 28, 2007
An Expression of Outreach
Well, Halloween is just around the corner. I'm looking towards the time when churches all across the country will hopefully come up with some sort of way to reach out to the local community. I'm not against handing out tracts and doing some sort of ministry outreach. I've found it funny in the past to hear that various youth groups go to these haunted trails. Kinda defeats the purpose...
In any case.... one thing i'm looking towards is the time when your talking to someone and you start to tell them their life story. When you start to dig in deep and instead of just ministering the superficial need, you get deep. You find out why they have the issues and problems that they have. You find out they have an addiction to porn or a smoking addiction or gossip like crazy (yep, gossip is a sin just like being addicted to porn... ((thats bound to stir up a hornets nest))).
I think that having some sort of outreach to the community is great. It pulls people in and gets conversation going. But when that person comes in in a wheelchair or crutches, what happens? I am personally all for eradicating the handicap spots. Get the person healed! That is the job of a 'Christian', being one who is a disciple of Christ. This bogus theology that those gifts have ceased is just that... bogus. I have found NO WHERE in scripture is says that.
I think that hopefully one day, when the church comes into maturity, that you casting a demon out of someone will be like giving them a glass of water. You won't have to sit there for hours on end figuring out what the world is happening. You'll simply be talking to them and you'll be like "oh, and by the way, that spirit of greed that is one you... out now in Jesus name. I was at the mall the other day..."
Am i out of my mind? I don't think so... i may be out of YOUR, but i think i'm thinking pretty clearly. The only reason why that idea might scare you is is because we're soo used to the idea of the church not operating in power. We're soo used to just having our nice little services w/o making much of an actual impact.
I'm personally really tired of it in my own life. It's something that the Lord has been challenging me on for some time now. I believe that the church is slowly coming into a maturity in the Spirit that healings and deliverances and other workings of the Spirit will be common place. We won't be shocked when our 5 year old is laying hands on someone in the supermarket and this person is actually healed!
I often tell people to get their little children involved in this stuff. I mean, who in their right mind is going to turn down a 5 year old when this little child asks to pray for them. Ok, so there might be a few people.... but just think of this...
Your in the store and a little child comes up to you and says "I see you have a cast on. Would u mind if i prayed for you?" and not only that but they begin to tell you your life story.
I love the fact that its about faith and not feelings. I prayed for a guy once and the only thing i felt was really tired. It was a Friday afternoon and i just got home from bible school. i wanted to go in and lay down. but no, God had a child he wanted me to minister to. and i'm personally really glad i felt nothing. because that means it wasn't me doing it... it was God reaching down and touching this person. I've prayed for countless others and absolutely nothing happened. Which bothers me at times b/c then i start to question my faith.
The bible says that these signs accompany those who come in the name of Jesus. They lay their hands on the sick and they recover. Doesn't anyone else wonder or question this stuff?
I really hope that this has gotten your thinking cap going. I mean, at times you gotta wrestle with this stuff and just get a holy frustrated with it and just really have it out with God. God likes that i think. Or He at least likes us coming to Him.
You know like the 5 fold ministry gifts aren't for us to get all puffed up with and walk around like we're someone. They're for us to train others up and see the kingdom of God come down! For me, pastor is a position, not a title. Apostle is a position, not a title. True ministry giftings are not for people to get puffed up over. They're for us to lay down our lives and see Jesus exalted. I fully believe in honoring men and women of God. but i don't like pedestals. thats why i like serving at church soo much. the job gets done and i move on. i'm not doing it for a pat on the back... i'm doing it to see others ministered to. i pray for others for them to be released into their calling and get their lives straightened out.
This past week was a beginning of training for my new job. Our trainer told us that we as the worker bees are the real workers. without us, the CEO and the people up top are out of a job.
wow, you get the ball rolling and you never know what will come out. (and for you FIRE grads/students.. i know i sound like Gladstone or Dr. Brown a lot. hehe. i try not to but you know....)
In any case.... one thing i'm looking towards is the time when your talking to someone and you start to tell them their life story. When you start to dig in deep and instead of just ministering the superficial need, you get deep. You find out why they have the issues and problems that they have. You find out they have an addiction to porn or a smoking addiction or gossip like crazy (yep, gossip is a sin just like being addicted to porn... ((thats bound to stir up a hornets nest))).
I think that having some sort of outreach to the community is great. It pulls people in and gets conversation going. But when that person comes in in a wheelchair or crutches, what happens? I am personally all for eradicating the handicap spots. Get the person healed! That is the job of a 'Christian', being one who is a disciple of Christ. This bogus theology that those gifts have ceased is just that... bogus. I have found NO WHERE in scripture is says that.
I think that hopefully one day, when the church comes into maturity, that you casting a demon out of someone will be like giving them a glass of water. You won't have to sit there for hours on end figuring out what the world is happening. You'll simply be talking to them and you'll be like "oh, and by the way, that spirit of greed that is one you... out now in Jesus name. I was at the mall the other day..."
Am i out of my mind? I don't think so... i may be out of YOUR, but i think i'm thinking pretty clearly. The only reason why that idea might scare you is is because we're soo used to the idea of the church not operating in power. We're soo used to just having our nice little services w/o making much of an actual impact.
I'm personally really tired of it in my own life. It's something that the Lord has been challenging me on for some time now. I believe that the church is slowly coming into a maturity in the Spirit that healings and deliverances and other workings of the Spirit will be common place. We won't be shocked when our 5 year old is laying hands on someone in the supermarket and this person is actually healed!
I often tell people to get their little children involved in this stuff. I mean, who in their right mind is going to turn down a 5 year old when this little child asks to pray for them. Ok, so there might be a few people.... but just think of this...
Your in the store and a little child comes up to you and says "I see you have a cast on. Would u mind if i prayed for you?" and not only that but they begin to tell you your life story.
I love the fact that its about faith and not feelings. I prayed for a guy once and the only thing i felt was really tired. It was a Friday afternoon and i just got home from bible school. i wanted to go in and lay down. but no, God had a child he wanted me to minister to. and i'm personally really glad i felt nothing. because that means it wasn't me doing it... it was God reaching down and touching this person. I've prayed for countless others and absolutely nothing happened. Which bothers me at times b/c then i start to question my faith.
The bible says that these signs accompany those who come in the name of Jesus. They lay their hands on the sick and they recover. Doesn't anyone else wonder or question this stuff?
I really hope that this has gotten your thinking cap going. I mean, at times you gotta wrestle with this stuff and just get a holy frustrated with it and just really have it out with God. God likes that i think. Or He at least likes us coming to Him.
You know like the 5 fold ministry gifts aren't for us to get all puffed up with and walk around like we're someone. They're for us to train others up and see the kingdom of God come down! For me, pastor is a position, not a title. Apostle is a position, not a title. True ministry giftings are not for people to get puffed up over. They're for us to lay down our lives and see Jesus exalted. I fully believe in honoring men and women of God. but i don't like pedestals. thats why i like serving at church soo much. the job gets done and i move on. i'm not doing it for a pat on the back... i'm doing it to see others ministered to. i pray for others for them to be released into their calling and get their lives straightened out.
This past week was a beginning of training for my new job. Our trainer told us that we as the worker bees are the real workers. without us, the CEO and the people up top are out of a job.
wow, you get the ball rolling and you never know what will come out. (and for you FIRE grads/students.. i know i sound like Gladstone or Dr. Brown a lot. hehe. i try not to but you know....)
Saturday, October 27, 2007
Dance the Night Away
The video is really self explanatory. It shows a lot of good aspects of real life w/ youth. I know i deal with this stuff all the time. I mean, this is life for some kids... unfortunately.
Last month i was able to minister at a youth retreat in PA. Now, i wanted to share a good revolution message... rally the troops, go get 'em sort of deal. But God knew better. As i shared before, i ministered the Father's Heart. These kids need a revelation of who God is as their Father. They're sick and tired of propped up religion and nice services and people getting up their and acting like they got it all together with expensive clothes. They want the presence of God. They're crying out for people to live right.
So thanks to Lakewood church for putting this human video on. Rock on guys.
Lord, teach me to be a good steward of what you've entrusted me with.
Thursday, October 25, 2007
Missions/Giving
I love to travel. I love to get in a car and go somewhere and spend time with people. Or jump on a plane and fly for hours and hours and hours.... i just have a high tolerance i guess for that stuff. i'm sure its different for different people, given their circumstances. Probably if and when you get small children, its a different story.
It's kind of funny now that i love to travel because when i was younger, probably around 5 or so, my family was going to Disney World. From where we lived in Pennsylvania, its a good probably 20+ hour drive. From what my parents tell me, we get to Lancaster City, about 20 minutes out and my mom tells me that i started saying "Go home now... go home now.."
Yeah, its one of those cute little kiddie things your parents will lovingly remind you of time and time again... like the time i kissed the flower girl at a wedding where i was the ring bearer...
In other news... This week is our missions festival and alumni gathering. This is an awesome time of year where a good number of the missionaries come back to the base and meet and greet and raise money... Its a dangerous time for bank accounts. I'm the type of person where i hear a need and i'm just like i wanna give...
So of course i'm giving. ever notice how throwing out $10 bucks to go see a movie is no big deal but giving that same money to a missionary is like a stretch to us? It's because one situation is where we are spending that money on ourselves and not someone else. People can tend to be a bit selfish... myself included. Another joy that i have is when i go out to eat with people and they're not able to cover their meal, i take it for them. That's why i love to help out around here because i'm simply spending my energy and time and not necessarily getting anything in return for it. Which sometimes, i have to really check my heart because i'll do something and i'm secretly hoping to get noticed for it.
But sometimes we have to ask ourselves why we are doing something. Is it to get recognised? I have to ask myself that a lot! Are you serving in certain aspects to get something in return? Or are you truly doing it to get noticed? Would you continue to do it if you wouldn't get recognised?
Giving unannounced. Giving in such a way that only God sees you doing it. That's fun to me.
It's kind of funny now that i love to travel because when i was younger, probably around 5 or so, my family was going to Disney World. From where we lived in Pennsylvania, its a good probably 20+ hour drive. From what my parents tell me, we get to Lancaster City, about 20 minutes out and my mom tells me that i started saying "Go home now... go home now.."
Yeah, its one of those cute little kiddie things your parents will lovingly remind you of time and time again... like the time i kissed the flower girl at a wedding where i was the ring bearer...
In other news... This week is our missions festival and alumni gathering. This is an awesome time of year where a good number of the missionaries come back to the base and meet and greet and raise money... Its a dangerous time for bank accounts. I'm the type of person where i hear a need and i'm just like i wanna give...
So of course i'm giving. ever notice how throwing out $10 bucks to go see a movie is no big deal but giving that same money to a missionary is like a stretch to us? It's because one situation is where we are spending that money on ourselves and not someone else. People can tend to be a bit selfish... myself included. Another joy that i have is when i go out to eat with people and they're not able to cover their meal, i take it for them. That's why i love to help out around here because i'm simply spending my energy and time and not necessarily getting anything in return for it. Which sometimes, i have to really check my heart because i'll do something and i'm secretly hoping to get noticed for it.
But sometimes we have to ask ourselves why we are doing something. Is it to get recognised? I have to ask myself that a lot! Are you serving in certain aspects to get something in return? Or are you truly doing it to get noticed? Would you continue to do it if you wouldn't get recognised?
Giving unannounced. Giving in such a way that only God sees you doing it. That's fun to me.
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
People are interesting
It hasn't been til just recently that i've started looking for other peoples blog sites and their myspaces and whatnot. I just find it soo funny in that the differences between the male sites and the female sites. Despite what some people wanna believe, guys and girls are different. Our physical bodies are different (if you haven't realized this yet, you need help), our emotional lives are different and the list goes on and on.
Sometime ago in one of my classes at school, the teacher, Dr. Peters, put up a slide to summarize the difference between guys and girls. For the guys, it was an on/off switch. for the girls, there were all sorts of dials and buttons and knobs and whatever else. That sums it up. Guys and girls are different. If you want to argue this, i'm all ears.
As i was pondering this today, i was just like "God, why do you have it that two 'species' that at times can't stand one another, fall in love and come together and do all we do?" Still haven't gotten an answer for it. It's just funny.
Sometime ago in one of my classes at school, the teacher, Dr. Peters, put up a slide to summarize the difference between guys and girls. For the guys, it was an on/off switch. for the girls, there were all sorts of dials and buttons and knobs and whatever else. That sums it up. Guys and girls are different. If you want to argue this, i'm all ears.
As i was pondering this today, i was just like "God, why do you have it that two 'species' that at times can't stand one another, fall in love and come together and do all we do?" Still haven't gotten an answer for it. It's just funny.
Apostolic Strategy
Sometime ago, the Lord laid it on my heart to understand what Apostolic Strategy is. So i've been praying and praying and praying for Apostolic Strategy. To give a definition for it, i'd say its an idea or strategy on how to take a territory and claim it for God and pray into it.
I believe i shared this before, but sometime ago, i was helping a friend of mine rebuilding his uncles cabin. The job they gave me was to knock out a portion roughly 4'x5' of a cinder block wall. Now for a guy like me, it sounded great! i get to take a sledge hammer and just go to town on this thing! All the aggression i get to take out on it...
Well, you can imagine that after a very short time, i got very winded. so i just started to chip away little by little. It was during that time that the Lord started to really speak to me about strategy. And lately, he's been bringing it up again and again. Just today, while home during lunch, i quickly jotted down some notes about "how to take a public high school for Jesus." now notice that i said for Jesus. that means non violence.
I can remember a youth pastor once telling me that he always got calls from the nearby high schools because soo many of his kids went to these schools. And whenever God would break out in the high schools, they would call him to come in and minister at the schools. What an open door!
So in light of that, i've also been working on my vision for the future. What i wanna see myself getting involved in in the coming years.
Part of that is is to be involved in working with computers. And with my new job, i'm learning a lot of that stuff. The company that i work for is Logitech. so at work, i'm on the Logitech account. In the coming weeks i'll be working the phones and troubleshooting problems for people over the phone. I'm excited.
I miss the relationships that i have with people from Wal-Mart, but it was time to move on. I'll see them in the days and weeks to follow i'm sure. I still plan on shopping there.
I believe i shared this before, but sometime ago, i was helping a friend of mine rebuilding his uncles cabin. The job they gave me was to knock out a portion roughly 4'x5' of a cinder block wall. Now for a guy like me, it sounded great! i get to take a sledge hammer and just go to town on this thing! All the aggression i get to take out on it...
Well, you can imagine that after a very short time, i got very winded. so i just started to chip away little by little. It was during that time that the Lord started to really speak to me about strategy. And lately, he's been bringing it up again and again. Just today, while home during lunch, i quickly jotted down some notes about "how to take a public high school for Jesus." now notice that i said for Jesus. that means non violence.
I can remember a youth pastor once telling me that he always got calls from the nearby high schools because soo many of his kids went to these schools. And whenever God would break out in the high schools, they would call him to come in and minister at the schools. What an open door!
So in light of that, i've also been working on my vision for the future. What i wanna see myself getting involved in in the coming years.
Part of that is is to be involved in working with computers. And with my new job, i'm learning a lot of that stuff. The company that i work for is Logitech. so at work, i'm on the Logitech account. In the coming weeks i'll be working the phones and troubleshooting problems for people over the phone. I'm excited.
I miss the relationships that i have with people from Wal-Mart, but it was time to move on. I'll see them in the days and weeks to follow i'm sure. I still plan on shopping there.
Monday, October 22, 2007
New Beginnings... The Connextion
Well, today i started my new job! It was great! It's Mon.-Fri. 9am-6pm. The next two weeks is just basically classroom training. Probably by the end of next week, we'll be taking calls and dealing with customers. But i look forward to being in a different environment and learning a specific trade more. I'm more geared toward the technological field anyways.
But in any case, i'm really excited about it all AND i'm looking towards getting more people involved w/ it. i can think of a lot of people to refer there for jobs.
Also this week is our missions festival here at FIRE. Missionaries from all over the globe are coming in and i get too see tons of old friends and make new ones! Its great to hear all the stories of all the healings and salvations and deliverances and the other assortment of stories you get from these guys. It makes me wanna just go out and get my own stories... anyone for some traveling w/ me? I only have about 50 nations i can think of right now to travel from, so it won't take that long to wittle down the list...
We're taking Jesus to the nations... come on.. lets go!
But in any case, i'm really excited about it all AND i'm looking towards getting more people involved w/ it. i can think of a lot of people to refer there for jobs.
Also this week is our missions festival here at FIRE. Missionaries from all over the globe are coming in and i get too see tons of old friends and make new ones! Its great to hear all the stories of all the healings and salvations and deliverances and the other assortment of stories you get from these guys. It makes me wanna just go out and get my own stories... anyone for some traveling w/ me? I only have about 50 nations i can think of right now to travel from, so it won't take that long to wittle down the list...
We're taking Jesus to the nations... come on.. lets go!
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