Friday, December 15, 2006

Ryan Ferguson recites Hebrews chapters 9 and 10


Check this out!...
Imagine if we all read God's Word with this much gusto and excitement!

Side Note: In my opinion, the term "Charismatic Christian" is redundant. We as the children of God and ambassadors for Christ should be charismatic about our calling!

This video is from the WorshipGod06 Conference Aug. 9-12, 2006. Ryan Ferguson is giving a memorized dramatic recitation of Hebrews 9 and 10 from the ESV Bible. God’s Word is powerful.

The Holy Bible, English Standard Version is copyright ©2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Source: Fide-O

Homeschooling


Eventually, it is my desire to post at length on the subject of education. Being an education major and former teacher myself, education and the philosophy thereof holds a dear place in my heart.

One of the things that my wife and I have talked about with regards to our future children (if/when God is pleased to give us children) is the way in which we educate our them--whether we will send them to public schools, private schools, or homeschool.

For now, however, I came across some very interesting articles by Tim Challies of Challies Dot Com. I would encourage you to take a look at his thoughts on why he and his wife have chosen not to homeschool their children. As he mentions, there is a lot of info out there on the reasons why Christians should homeschool their children, but not nearly as much on why Christians should not homeschool. At the very least, Challie's thoughts are thought-provoking! Take a look here: "Why I Do Not Homeschool."

Some other interesting posts on homeschooling from a homeschooler: http://ceruleansanctum.com/2006/05/more-on-homeschooling.html

Wednesday, December 13, 2006

Peter Boyle/"Frank Barone" Dead at 71

This guy really made me laugh!

Here's the full story:
http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/am-boyleobit1213,0,4889956.story

Save Yourself Some Money This Christmas


Democrats & Republicans

For My Democratic Friends:

"Please accept with no obligation, implied or implicit, our best wishes for an environmentally conscious, socially responsible, low-stress, non-addictive, gender-neutral celebration of the winter solstice holiday, practiced within the most enjoyable traditions of the religious persuasion of your choice, or secular practices of your choice, with respect for the religious/secular persuasion and/or traditions of others, or their choice not to practice religious or secular traditions at all. We also wish you a fiscally successful, personally fulfilling and medically uncomplicated recognition of the generally accepted calendar year 2007, but not without due respect for the calendars of choice of other cultures whose contributions to society have helped make America great. Not to imply that America is necessarily greater than any other country nor the only America in the Western Hemisphere. And without regard to the race, creed, color, age, physical ability, religious faith or sexual preference of the wishes. By accepting these greetings you are accepting these terms. This greeting is subject to clarification or withdrawal. It is freely transferable with no alteration to the original greeting. It implies no promise by the wisher to actually implement any of the wishes for herself or himself or others, and is void where prohibited by law and is revocable at the sole discretion of the wisher. This wish is warranted to perform as expected within the usual application of good tidings for a period of one year or until the issuance of a subsequent holiday greeting, whichever comes first, and warranty is limited to replacement of this wish or issuance of a new wish at the sole discretion of the wisher."

For My Republican Friends:

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Tuesday, December 12, 2006

"You Will Recognize Them By Their Fruits" ... PART I

Jesus Christ spoke about two types of trees: 1.) bad trees and 2.) good trees (Matthew 7:15-20). This discourse was a part of His well-known "Sermon on the Mount." Here Christ is speaking to His disciples, warning them of false prophets who will try to attack them. He explains that these false teachers will come dressed up in the clothing of true sheep, or believers, "but inwardly are ravenous wolves." And to describe the method by which the believer is to recognize these wolves, Christ remarks, "You will recognize them by their fruits."

John Gill comments on this passage: "The Jews have a proverb pretty much like this, "a gourd is known by its branches". The gloss upon it is, "it is, as if it was said, from the time it buds forth, and goes out of the branch, it is known whether it is good or not;'' i.e. the goodness of the gourd is known by the fruit its branches bear. So a good preacher is known by the good doctrine he brings, and a bad one, by his unsound doctrine."

Again, Gill on the subject:

The meaning of our Lord is, that from the false doctrines of men comes no good fruit of faith, holiness, joy, peace, and comfort. Their doctrines are like "thorns", which prick and pierce, give pain and uneasiness; and, like "thistles", choke, and are unprofitable, afford no solid food and nourishment; yea, their words eat as do a canker, are contrary to vital religion and powerful godliness. This sense I prefer; because, on the one hand, it is possible for a false teacher to do works, which may be externally good; though indeed no good works, properly speaking, can be performed by an unregenerate man, because he has neither good principles to act from, nor good ends in view: and, on the other hand, a man who is destitute of the grace of God, and lives ill, may yet have right notions of the Gospel, though he has no experimental knowledge and relish of it; but where false doctrines are imbibed, and propagated, no good fruit can follow upon it.


It follows, both textually and logically, that only a good tree bears good fruit and only a bad tree bears bad fruit. Notice, the tree that is good bears the fruit that is good. In saying this, the tree is good even before the bearing of any observable fruit. The fruit, when grown, does not make the tree good or bad. The tree, being either good or bad in the beginning produces fruit that is like the tree, good or bad. Again, Gill :


As a good man does, and will do good works, but his works do not make him a good man; he is so before he performs good works, or he would never be able to do them; these make him appear to be a good man: so a good preacher, that has an experimental knowledge of the doctrines of the Gospel, will deliver out sound doctrine, who is first made so by the gifts and graces of the Spirit of God; and by searching the Scriptures, and examining his doctrines by them, he will be known and appear to be a good minister of Jesus Christ, nourished up in the words of faith and good doctrine; and such a good minister of the Gospel, out of the good treasure of Gospel truths put into his earthen vessel, will bring forth, from time to time, good and excellent truths, to the edification and profit of those that hear: "but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit"; if the tree is corrupt, the fruit will be corrupt; and as is the preacher, so will be his doctrines: if he is a corrupt preacher, or a man of a corrupt mind, destitute of the truth, his preaching will be such as will tend to corrupt both the principles and practices of men; for such evil men and seducers, out of the evil treasure of false doctrines, which they have received into their judgments, will bring forth, either more secretly or openly, evil tenets in their ministry, which prove of bad consequence to the souls of men.

"...Let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth."