Pastors

"Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor...." I Timothy 5:17a

I just came across another great post from FIDE-O: How Much Is Your Pastor Worth?

As the son of a pastor, I think I may have a better idea than most of what is truly required of a pastor. I remember my dad telling the story of one young boy in our congregation who excitedly told my dad, "Pastor John, when I grow up I want to be a pastor like you!" With a smile on his face, my dad replied, "Well that's great! But why do you want to be a pastor?" The child was quick to respond with "Because I'll only have to work one day a week!"

All joking aside, I think that a lot of people in the church today are much like this young boy: ignorant to what the role and responsibilities of a pastor are.

A pastor is a shepherd--an under-shepherd of Jesus Christ, the Good Shepherd--whose duty it is to watch over, protect, and feed Christ's sheep, the Church. A pastor's job isn't preaching; it's shepherding the flock. Yes, while that does involve the corporate proclamation of God's Word ("feeding the sheep"), standing in the pulpit is but a part of the many duties of a pastor. It is the personal interaction that truly makes a man a shepherd. I mean, there are a great many preachers in the Church, but I would guess that only a portion of them are shepherds. A pastor who truly shepherds his flock is one that knows his members by name; who meets with church families in their homes and has families over to his; who teaches and disciples the members with love and truth. Sometimes a shepherd must use the curved crook in his staff to discipline the sheep and bring them back to the fold. Other times the shepherd must warn the sheep of impending danger. And other times the shepherd must simply comfort and calm the sheep.

I've met men in my life who have referred to themselves as pastors and yet were extremely unfriendly and did very little to reach out to the flock. Instead, it was if their goal was to wow their listeners with their big words and "deep thoughts" from the pulpit. But once they stepped down from the pulpit, the magic was gone and they were just ordinary men with no right to be calling themselves pastors.

The job of a pastor is unlike any other occupation in life. It is not one that is sought after or applied for. A man who intends to be an under-shepherd of Christ does so only after receiving a divine calling from God to the pastoral ministry. A certain pastor once told a inquiring young man, "If you are having a difficult time deciding whether to pursue the ministry or some other occupation--choose the other!"

The role of a pastor is serious and his responsibilities difficult. It is not something to be considered lightly. (And for those of you still wondering, a pastor does in fact work more than just on Sundays!!)

I think that if church members were truly in tune with their pastor as a person and what exactly he does--(for them)--local church bodies would be generally healthier. I wish I had the time and energy to conduct some sort of survey of church members across the country to find out how many actually know their pastors. I would ask 2 questions: 1.) What do you believe to be your pastor's responsibilities? and 2.) How well would you say you know your pastor personally? (Go ahead and take a moment to ask yourself these questions.)

In conclusion, I know first-hand how difficult the job of a pastor is at times (in fact, a lot of times!). With this in mind, allow me to list just 2 things that each of us can do to help make our pastor's job easier:

First, as Hebrews 13:17 says, "Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you."

And second, let us regularly lift up our pastors in prayer. Pray that the Lord would be gracious to our pastors, keeping them from sin and giving them wisdom and discernment as they seek to guide and feed and protect us, the flock!

I welcome your comments.

McDonalds

Look!...Now Americans can get fat at McDonald's any hour of the day, everyday of the week!

Actually, despite my tongue-in-cheek humor, I'm quite pleased by the news! There have been various occasions when I would have paid a hefty price for a Sausage McMuffin Meal ®(with Hashbrown, of course!) around 4 in the morning. Now, that wish can become a reality!!

Also, McDonald's coffee is in the news too! According to Consumer Report, McDonald's coffee outranks even Starbucks!

Again, whoever conducted that study didn't consult me!

(Starbucks is still better!...Right, Rusty?)

Retreat Isn't an Option!!

“Perseverance and spirit have done wonders in all ages.”
George Washington

Amidst the popular news media's continual assaults against the war in Iraq, there are those few sages who properly speak out in favor of the US troops and their important mission.

Liz Cheney is one of those spokespersons for freedom.

In her article in the Washington Post, she addresses the incessant anti-war propaganda spouted off by...well, just about everyone on the Left and in the media (and now even some Republicans, too!). The following are some of her astute observations about this war we are in.

• Quitting helps the terrorists.
• Beware the polls.
• Retreat from Iraq hurts us in the broader war.
  
• Our soldiers will win if we let them. Read their blogs. Talk to them. They know that free people must fight to defend their freedom.
  
• We must be in it to win.

In the President's State of the Union address last week, I believe he truly got to the core of the matter with the following:

In the mind of the terrorist, this war began well before September the 11th, and will not end until their radical vision is fulfilled. And these past five years have given us a much clearer view of the nature of this enemy. Al Qaeda and its followers are Sunni extremists, possessed by hatred and commanded by a harsh and narrow ideology. Take almost any principle of civilization, and their goal is the opposite. They preach with threats, instruct with bullets and bombs, and promise paradise for the murder of the innocent.

This war is more than a clash of arms -- it is a decisive ideological struggle, and the security of our nation is in the balance.

But our nation's Lefties, along with the popular news media, do not understand this fact: that America is not fighting a national people but an ideology! The Islamo-facist against whom we wage war hates us--not because of anything we did to them, but because it is a part of their religious worldview to hate the Infidel!

And this is why America cannot hesitate, slack off, or give up in its fight against these terrorists who have held Iraq--and much of the Middle East--hostage for far too long.

Ladies and gentlemen: On this day, at this hour, it is still within our power to shape the outcome of this battle. Let us find our resolve, and turn events toward victory.

Amen, Mr. President. AMEN!

Let the political pundits and common bandwagoneers (some with whom I am personally acquainted) say what they will. But at the end of the day, after the car bombs cease and the dust settles again in Baghdad, I believe that President Bush will be positively remembered for his lonely stand to defend the freedom of the Iraqi people and to ensure America's continued protection from terrorism.

At least the Iraqis will thank him.


For some well-written thoughts on the importance of the war against terrorism, read the following articles:

"No Third Way in Iraq"

"Turning Surge into Victory"

Here is a site with some pictures from the war. [Warning: Some of these photos are graphic!]

Laser-beams & Plasma-bombs

Interesting news about our Asian..."allies"?

Washington Times:
The anti-satellite weapon was identified by U.S. government officials as a nonexplosive "kinetic kill vehicle," which destroys its target simply by colliding with it.
...The report, produced by defense analyst Michael Pillsbury, revealed that China has plans for secret space weapons that include ground-based lasers, air-to-space missile interceptors and an exotic plasma bomb that would destroy orbiting satellites by enveloping them in an electronic cloud.

Illustration courtesy of Telegraph.co.uk

Don't Lose Heart, Republicans!

Here's a little "lift" for those Republicans who have been recently overwhelmed by the late, negative news of the Democratic Left (i.e. Hillary's news media monopoly) and pejorative opinion polls on topics like Bush and Iraq.

2008 is still a long way off, and a lot can happen between now and then.

(Thanks again for the reminder, Michael!)

Featured Hymn #1

For the last few years our church has been faithful in introducing a "new" or relatively unfamiliar hymn to the congregation each month. After the first of the year, we take one Sunday evening service to sing all twelve hymns that were featured the previous year. Beginning with this post, I plan on featuring various hymn lyrics that may or may not be known to my readers. But I pray that the words of each featured hymn-writer--whomever he or she might be--will encourage, convict, and/or teach your heart. Enjoy!

Send Thou, O Lord, To Ev'ry Place

Words: Ma­ry Cor­ne­lia Bi­shop Gates, 1890.
Courtesy of The Cyber Hymnal

Send Thou, O Lord, to every place
Swift messengers before Thy face,
The heralds of Thy wondrous grace,
Where Thou Thyself wilt come.

Send men whose eyes have seen the King,
Men in whose ears His sweet words ring;
Send such Thy lost ones home to bring;
Send them where Thou wilt come.

To bring good news to souls in sin;
The bruised and broken hearts to win;
In every place to bring them in
Where Thou Thyself wilt come.

Thou Who hast died, Thy vict’ry claim;
Assert, O Christ, Thy glory’s name
In every place to bring them in
Where Thou Thyself wilt come.

Gird each one with the Spirit’s sword,
The sword of Thine own deathless Word;
And make them conquerors, conquering, Lord,
Where Thou Thyself wilt come.

Raise up, O Lord the Holy Ghost,
From this broad land a mighty host,
Their war cry, “We will seek the lost
Where Thou, O Christ, wilt come.”

Best Movies of 2006

Relatively speaking, I saw fewer movies in 2006 than I typically do in a year. (I'm still debating whether or not that fact is positive or negative.)

Nevertheless, I figured I would do a limited recap on the previous year's movies...or at least those movies which I did see!

These are my favorites in a few different categories from the movies that I saw in '06:

Overall Best Picture: United 93 (An extremely factual story about one of the fatal flights on 9/11/2001. This film by its very nature is bound to deeply impact every single viewer! I walked into the theater knowing that I would shed a few tears. When the credits rolled, there wasn't a dry eye or untouched heart in the room. It's a good reminder as to why America as a nation should be adamant about doing everything possible to find terrorists and kill them!)

Best Action: Casino Royale (Craig is definitely a tough guy!...the opening chase scene was the best Bond chase scene EVER!)

Best Comedy: Night at the Museum (Clean, laugh-out loud humor! Fun for any age!)

The following list represents some of the films that I saw and enjoyed in 2006 (some, I'll admit, don't rank very high on the asthetics scale; however, for whatever crazy reason, I was entertained or intrigued by them!). This list is not exhaustive of all the movies I saw in 2006, but just a sample of those 2006 films that I think are worth the time to watch.

Notables:
World Trade Center (A naturally moving story. I cried.)
The Prestige (Unsurprisingly magical!)
The Da Vinci Code (Not as good as the book. Despite most critics' reviews, I still enjoyed it.)
Inside Man (Twists, turns, and a clever surprise ending.)
Cars (Another good one from Pixar.)
Over the Hedge (The squirrel made me laugh out loud!)
Glory Road (Not quite Remember the Titans, but still good!)
The Break-Up (Finally! A movie with a realistic ending!)
Superman Returns (fun, though kinda cheesy at parts)
Click (I think almost every guy has wanted a remote control like that at some point or another!)
Deja Vu (Denzel in a cool, sci-fi/action flick. (Isn't that Jesus playing the part of the bad guy?))
Scoop (Woody Allen, Hugh Jackman, & Scarlett Johansson in a fun, murderous comedy)
Flyboys (clean & entertaining portrayal of WWI pilots)
Tristan and Isolde (Knights, swordfights, and a lovestory.)
X-Men: The Last Stand (Colossus was cool! Wolverine is still my idol.)

I welcome your comments on this list......even better, add your own "Best of '06."

50 Most Influential Christians in America

Thanks to Kevin Cawley for sharing this *interesting* article.

Quick question: Doesn't the title "The 50 Most Influential Christians in America" lead you to believe that everyone on this list is a Christian?...

Hmmmm. Doesn't look that way!

(I don't know what morons were surveyed to come up with this list, but I know that I certainly wasn't asked my opinion!)

Guess who's #1?....
Good Idea of the Day: Use this list to play some games with the family: "Spot the Wolf" or "I Spy a Heretic."

On the Lot

Here's a new reality show that may be worth my time.

ON THE LOT

Just knowing that Spielberg is behind this grabs my attention! Check it out for yourself.

2007 Movies

The following is a list of movies that are anticipated to be released in 2007. Obviously, this list is not an exhaustive list of all 2007 releases, but instead, a list of movies that at first glance seem to interest me. I am sure that by the time I see the trailers to some of these movies, I will change my mind about wanting to see them, and I am also sure that there will be more movies than those on this list that will interest me as the year progresses.

For now, however, enjoy researching some of these flicks and decide for yourself whether or not you think you will see them in 2007! Have fun!

January
5 th Thr3e
19 th The Good German
27 th Seraphim Falls

February
16 th Ghost Rider
23 rd Amazing Grace, The Number 23

March
9 th 300
16 th Shooter
30 th Blades of Glory

May
4 th Spiderman 3
18th Shrek the Third
25 th Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End

June
15th Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer
22nd Evan Almighty
29 th Die Hard 4: Live Free or Die Hard

July
4th Transformers
27 th Stardust, The Simpsons Movie

August
3 rd The Bourne Ultimatum

November
16th Beowulf

December
21th National Treasure 2

Release Date TBA:
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
Pride and Glory
The Brazilian Job

2008 Expectancies:
Iron Man
The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian
The Dark Knight
James Bond 22
Halo
Indiana Jones 4
Speed Racer
Toy Story 3

End of Days?...Read For Yourself!

Here's an interesting article about an asteroid that may be set to hit earth in less than 30 years from now!

AAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!.....
We better start making preparations now! Quick! Call Bruce Willis to help save the world!

More than likely, it will have less of an impact than did Y2K.










...Anyone worried?

Q&A with President Bush

For those who don't pay attention to the news, President Bush gave a much anticipated address to the nation tonight. I would encourage everyone, whether you watched the presentation or not, to take a look at the following blog for a unique and terrific take on the President's speech:

Between Two Worlds: Address to the Nation

For the full transcripts of the speech, click here.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

"Goodbye 2006...

and Hello 2007!!"

Instead of posting my own resloutions, I thought that these resolutions of Jonathan Edwards would be of greater benefit to my readers.

"...Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be glory both now and forever! Amen." 2 Peter 3:18

Have a blessed New Year in the service of our Lord!

Steve Camp on Saddam's Execution

I would be doing a disservice to anyone who reads this blog if I didn't post a link to Steve Camp's excellent post on Saddam's execution. I am always blessed by his posts, and as usual, was very pleased to read his thoughts on the death of Hussein. Here's an exerpt from the post:

But God “takes no delight” in Saddam’s death… Because at the moment of his last breath he entered everlasting perdition and now has knowledge of his torment; of the Lordship of Jesus Christ; the eternal plight of his sin; the futility of the Islamic faith; and has but tasted of God’s holy wrath—for one day, he will receive a physical body in which he will suffer and be tortured night and day forever and ever without relief or reprise by the wrath of a holy God. It is a punishment the weight of which no man can fathom in this life. Saddam has been under the wrath of God all of his life (John 3:36); but he now knows the realty of such divine anger. He is conscience; he is suffering; and he is eternally damned. All who reject Jesus Christ and His gospel are under God’s wrath—and there are no exceptions (John 14:6).

To tell you the truth, I am still mulling over the following words from Camp’s blog:

Beloved, our lives are a vapor (James 4:11); we live once, we die once, and then the judgment (Heb. 9:27). So may I entreat those who do not know Christ to flee… flee to Him; and "flee from the wrath to come" (Matt. 3:7). Do not harden your heart while “today is called today” (Heb. 3:-4) and it be too late for you as it is for Saddam. Do not be contented by thinking you have already fled to Christ. Make certain! Beg the Lord to search your heart and show you yourself. Test yourself to see if you are in the faith (2 Cor. 13:5). And if not, repent of your sin, trust in Christ alone, through faith alone, by grace alone for the hope of the salvation of your souls (Roms. 3:21-26). Flee all other means to salvation whereby you may find some glory in your own works, deeds or religious practice. Come to the end of yourself--"deny yourself, take up your cross and follow Him" (Matt. 16:24). "If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation" (Roms. 10:9-10).

Thanks, Steve, for this very biblical perspective on our world’s current events and a very personal exhortation to each and every reader, both saved and unsaved!


Related News Article:
New York Times

DING, DONG, SADDAM IS DEAD!

"Criminal Saddam was hanged to death," an al-Iraqiya announcer said. The station played patriotic music and showed images of national monuments and other landmarks. [Source: BBC News]

According to reports, Barzan al-Tikriti--Saddam's half-brother--and former Iraqi chief judge Awad Hamed al-Bandar were also hung alongside Saddam today, Saturday December 29, around 6:00AM (10:00PM EST) in Bahgdad.

My initial thoughts when hearing the news:

Justice is served!...(and I hope it hurt!!)

(...Now let the popular news media pundits begin their tongue-wagging!)

The looming question in my mind is this: How will the capture, conviction, and execution of Saddam Hussein impact the Presidency of George W. Bush in the scope of history? Or more presently: How will other nations view the United States in the shadow of Saddam's recent death?

My prediction is this: To answer my latter question, I think that many countries will praise the death of the murderer as a just punishment and the ultimate will of the People of Iraq. However, I doubt that much, if any credit will be given to the U.S., especially not to Bush.

To answer my prior question, however, contrary to all popular opinion, I still truly believe that George W. Bush will be remembered, hopefully even in my future grandchildren's history books, as one of the greatest and most courageous leaders of the 21st century, among the likes of other strong, modern Presidents such as FDR, JFK, and Reagan. Additionally, I think that the political and physical downfall of Saddam Hussein, the genocidal dictator, will only enhance the legacy of our nation's 43rd President.

In the eternal scheme of things, however, the end of the matter is as such: the One and only God of the Bible is a holy and just God! No matter how Saddam died, in order for us to understand his eternal fate, it is important for us to know how he lived. With this in mind, I rest assure knowing that Saddam Hussein is, at this very moment, facing God's righteous judgment and will pay for his sins against God in the fires of hell. As the author of Hebrews notes, “It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” (10:31)

This understanding of God causes me to both reverentially fear Him and take comfort in Him.

Soli Deo Gloria!


Related News Articles:
USA Today (1)
USA Today (2)
FOX News
BBC News
Yahoo News (1)
Yahoo News (2)
Reuters
New York Daily News
Zee News Imam Husham Al-Husainy of Dearborn, Mich., second from left, celebrates with other Iraqi-Americans after hearing of Saddam Hussein's execution on Friday. By Gary Malerba, AP

Nota Bene: I plan to post more on this topic as further information comes to light. Additionally, I fully intend to post or link to the video and/or photographs of Saddam's hanging when either become available on the web.

Christians & Culture: Love, Death, & Weinerdogs

I read this blog a few days ago and was really struck by its truth. Here's a snippet of what he says:

As a people, we Christians have adopted one of the worst attributes of the anabaptist tradition, and that is a rather sincere disdain for things which are true and beautiful. Here's what I mean by that: we have set up a false dichotomy between "true" and "beautiful" so that anything which is "true" must be plain or otherwise homely, and everything which is "beautiful" must be the work of the devil because it appeals to our eyes and ears. And we have also let the world dictate to us what is "beautiful" so that we don't even know it when we see it anymore.

Read the rest of what Frank Turk of TeamPyro has to say about Christians and the Culture at the Pyromaniacs blog.

Three Letter Word

Here's another good post by Tim Challies. The funniest thing is that Paige and I were just recently discussing the same problem on which Tim sheds light here at Challies Dot Com.

As it has been said before, "How can you present the cure without first diagnosing the problem.

C'mon! It's time for churches to come back to calling it by name: sin.

Christmas in Baxter Springs

My wife and I flew into Tulsa last night from Phoenix and drove up to see Paige's family for the holidays. They live in Baxter Springs, Kansas, which is about an hour and a half north of Tulsa and an hour west of Springfield, Missouri. There's a lot of history here in Baxter Springs. There was a Civil War battle (or skirmish) fought here; the former Route 66 passed through the town; and baseball legend Mickey Mantle was first spotted by a Yankees scout as he hit 3 homeruns for the Baxter Springs Whiz Kids at a ball field in the tiny town.

It's beautiful here in the Ozarks; so green compared to Phoenix! We're hoping for a white Christmas; not too sure why, though, because snow usually doesn't make life easier.

Anyway, I hope you all have a very blessed Christmas. From what I hear, "it's the most wonderful time of the year." I'll let each individual be the judge of that! But one thing is for sure: it is the perfect time to meditate on Jesus Christ--the baby that was born to die for the purpose of saving sinners like me. What wonder and mystery are wrapped up in the thought of His virgin birth and the fact that God took on the nature of man in order to save men from His wrath and their sin. As I think about Christmas this year, I see it as the beginning of the story. It's the Introduction and first chapters of the story of Christ's life, a life which was lived and given entirely for others. He was born and lived 33 years in the shadow of the cross. He was the greatest example of true service, humility, and love. And most importantly, in the thankful words of Philip Bliss, "Hallelujah, what a Savior!"

“The Noblest King”

The noblest King was born in a stable;
A blessed baby boy would later die for His people.
Raised in Nazareth, He was the Savior.
Though killed and abused, He was Creator!

We sing of Jesus Christ
Born that glorious night!
From Bethlehem God brought us
The world’s only Light.
O Prince of Peace, the Mighty God,
The King from David’s line;
Emmanuel, our true Messiah—
We sing of Jesus Christ.

“Glory to God!” sang the angels from heaven.
Incarnate Deity from Mary, God’s servant.
From shepherds to sages, the start guided many
To the place where he lay: the holy baby.

We sing of Jesus Christ
Born that glorious night!
From Bethlehem God brought us
The world’s only Light.
O Prince of Peace, the Mighty God,
The King from David’s line;
Emmanuel, our true Messiah—
We sing of Jesus Christ.

Unimaginable love that hung on a cross!
He gave us His life by giving His own.
From a crying little baby to Redeemer of many,
The noblest King died to win victory!

We sing of Jesus Christ
Born that glorious night!
From Bethlehem God brought us
The world’s only Light.
O Prince of Peace, the Mighty God,
The King from David’s line;
Emmanuel, our true Messiah—
We sing of Jesus Christ.

© David J. Giarrizzo, 2002

Mr. First Amendment?

Can someone PLEASE keep this man away from the microphone?!

Ya know, Sean Penn--no matter what anyone thinks of him as an actor--reminds me of a rebellious and ignorant 14 year old who thinks he knows more than mom and dad.

His latest public episode came at the Creative Coalition's 9th annual Christopher Reeve Awards Gala on December 18th in New York City. Penn was honored by the Creative Coalition as the spotlighted recipient of the Christopher Reeve First Amendment Award. To read his entire acceptance speech, go to huffingtonpost.com. (Warning: Be sure to have a barf-bag close by!)

In typical Sean Penn style, he spewed what may sound like great, passionate political rhetoric to the common Leftist's ear. However, the Oscar-winning actor's not-so-subtle feelings toward Bush, Cheney, Rumsfield, and crew came across as loud and abnoxious as a giant-size chihuaha barking into a megaphone at 4 in the morning! And similar to the bark of a chichuaha, it's really difficult to understand what Sean Penn is really saying.

Yes, I know that he's pissed off about the war in Iraq. In fact, I think Sean Penn is the President of the anti-war club, a.k.a. "Hollywood."

And yes, he absolutely hates "Dubya" and "Trigger-finger Cheney" and the rest of the current administration.

And yes, he feels like a victim; most Lefties do.

But when it comes down to it, I don't think Sean Penn has a clue! He's all words--99.99% of which are based on conspiracy theories and personal opinions.

And who made Hollywood celebrities the political spokespersons of the Democratic party, anyway? To tell you the truth, if I was a sensible Democrat, I would cringe every time I saw another celebrity step up to a microphone to try to talk about politics. Especially Sean Penn! (If you're still confused about that which I write, just read for yourself: huffingtonpost.com.)

My conclusion is this: Sean Penn needs to leave!...

...(We just need to figure out how to get Michael Moore, Tim & Susan, and Cindy Sheehan to go with him!)

So what do YOU think?

Robot Rights

Here's the latest from our friends across the pond on the technological science front: Robots deserve the same rights as humans!

Check out the story here.

Amazing Grace Movie...

Coming to theaters February 23, 2007, the story of God's Amazing Grace in the lives of John Newton, William Wilberforce, and countless others!

Check out the official movie website and spread the word about the film's release in 2 months!

Mt. Hood Tragedy

To see the video of Frank James, brother of Mt. Hood victim Kelly James, making a formal statement regarding the identification of their brother's body, click here.

Let us continue to keep the remaining climbers and all of the family members in our prayers.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,236983,00.html

Welcome Friends!

Take a look around.
Enjoy the blog links.
Leave a comment.

Thanks for stopping by!

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

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!

"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.

WELCOME!

WELCOME TO MY NEW BLOG, "FRUITFUL LIFE." My name is David, and I am the publisher of this here weblog.

There will be a variety of posts on this blog on a variety of topics, but in everything, I want to encourage a spirit of love and respect in all that I post; and I would request the same from anyone who comments. As Paul said in Ephesians 4:29, "Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen."

I hope you enjoy your visit to my simple little site and take advantage of some of the helpful links. May you grow in the grace of knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ!

Thanks for stopping by!

-DG