Read the Sermon - it's short this week (-: http://sheepspeaks.blogspot.com/2008/03/mark-435-41-we-stand-in-awe-of-you.html
Comments and Criticisms : blog@sheepspeak.com
Sunday, March 30, 2008
Saturday, March 29, 2008
The DC is speaking tomorrow
Tomorrow we are honoured to have the Divisional Commander Major Eric Bond and Major Donna Bond join us in worship at both the Nipawin and Tisdale Corps. He will be preaching in Nipawin. Come one, come all...it is not everyday that a member of TSA cabinet comes here!
Join us! There is a potluck afterwards too!
Join us! There is a potluck afterwards too!
Friday, March 28, 2008
God is the answer!
Spirituality key to children's happiness
What makes a child happy?
According to a new study from the University of British Columbia, spirituality is a major contributor to children's overall happiness.
Mark Holder, Associate Professor of Psychology at UBC, said his study measured which factors make significant contributions to a child's happiness. Spirituality--defined as an "inner belief system"-- accounted for 6.5 to 16.5 percent of the average child's sense of contentment, he said.
That conclusion shocked Holder -- especially since money, the marital status of parents and the child's gender each registered less than one per cent.
read more from the Anglican Planet:
http://anglicanplanet.net/TAPIntern0803c.html
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Bishop Spong: is he an anti-christ?
John Shelby Spong: "We know death to be a permanent state, and to be so total a shutdown of bodily function that the brain is irreversibly destroyed if it is without oxygen for a very few minutes... Certainly a crucified man, executed and buried on Friday, cannot walk out of his tomb resuscitated and alive on Sunday... I must reject all these things as not possible."
read more: http://anglicanplanet.net/TAPBook0803.html
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For a more imformed and interesting view of the resurrection, see Bishop Wright's, 'Jesus' Ressurection and Christian Origins:
http://www.ntwrightpage.com/Wright_Jesus_Resurrection.htm
NT Wright: "There are many other things to say about Jesus' resurrection. But, as far as I am concerned, the historian may and must say that all other explanations for why Christianity arose, and why it took the shape it did, are far less convincing as historical explanations than the one the early Christians themselves offer: that Jesus really did rise from the dead on Easter morning, leaving an empty tomb behind him. The origins of Christianity, the reason why this new movement came into being and took the unexpected form it did, and particularly the strange mutations it produced within the Jewish hope for resurrection and the Jewish hope for a Messiah, are best explained by saying that something happened, two or three days after Jesus' death, for which the accounts in the four gospels are the least inadequate expression we have."
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LIFE AFTER LIFE AFTER DEATH
Hey. Here's one to think about from the Wright Bishop :"'there is life after life after death.' People are very puzzled by that, so I begin to explain it to them. There's life after death. That was Jesus between Good Friday and Easter. He was dead, but he was in whatever life after death is—in paradise without his resurrected body. But that wasn't his final destination. Here I introduce the idea of a two-stage postmortem reality. Most Western Christians have only heard about a two-stage postmortem reality in the Catholic idea of purgatory. That's wrong! A person goes to heaven first and then to the new heavens and new earth. People stare at you like you've just invented some odd heresy, but sorry—this is what the New Testament teaches.
The New Testament doesn't have much to say about what happens to people immediately after they die. It's much more interested in the anticipation of the ultimate new world within this one. If you concentrate on preaching life after death, you devalue the present world. Life after life after death, however, reaffirms the value of this present world. "
read more:
http://blog.preachingtoday.com/2008/03/interview_with_n_t_wright.html
Politics has no business directing or instructing religions about their dogma.
Comment: Why religions must be free to determine how doctrine applies to their members
By Iain T. BensonCentre for Cultural Renewal
TWO RECENT items, one within Canada, the other outside it, and both involving (at least in principle) the Catholic Church and politicians, give an interesting angle on the misuse of the phrase 'separation of Church and State.'
In the first instance, Archbishop Prendergast of Ottawa stated, in an informal interview with an Ottawa-based theology discussion group 'Theology on Tap,' that politicians who obstinately refuse to obey Church teaching in their work as politicians can be refused communion when they show up at Sunday Mass; they can be told, in other words, that they are out of communion with the Church. This statement has created a bit of a buzz from certain quarters. It should not have.
Some have criticized the Archbishop by saying that Catholic politicians should be able to say and do what they like while identifying themselves as 'Catholics' because of some supposed tie-in with the idea of 'the separation of Church and State.' Implicit in this is that what a politician does as a politician ought to have no bearing on his or her religious life. This shows a misunderstanding of how those principles work.
read more from canadianchrisitianity.com : http://www.canadianchristianity.com/nationalupdates/080327comment.html#articletop
By Iain T. BensonCentre for Cultural Renewal
TWO RECENT items, one within Canada, the other outside it, and both involving (at least in principle) the Catholic Church and politicians, give an interesting angle on the misuse of the phrase 'separation of Church and State.'
In the first instance, Archbishop Prendergast of Ottawa stated, in an informal interview with an Ottawa-based theology discussion group 'Theology on Tap,' that politicians who obstinately refuse to obey Church teaching in their work as politicians can be refused communion when they show up at Sunday Mass; they can be told, in other words, that they are out of communion with the Church. This statement has created a bit of a buzz from certain quarters. It should not have.
Some have criticized the Archbishop by saying that Catholic politicians should be able to say and do what they like while identifying themselves as 'Catholics' because of some supposed tie-in with the idea of 'the separation of Church and State.' Implicit in this is that what a politician does as a politician ought to have no bearing on his or her religious life. This shows a misunderstanding of how those principles work.
read more from canadianchrisitianity.com : http://www.canadianchristianity.com/nationalupdates/080327comment.html#articletop
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
The Empty Truck
I remember once when I was in my early to mid-twenties. I had a contract at Defence Research. It was an exciting, yet a stressful time. I had some very skilled people working with me and the work sometimes was very precise and there was a lot that my staff could do and this was good because I personally couldn't be there every day (I had other contracts to tend to as well) but, even though they could be trusted, there were inevitably aspects of the job that they could and should not do. There were aspects of the job that took my personal attention.
Our contract at Defence Research involved the physical relocation of the lab from the west coast of Canada to the east coast. It was very important that everything that was packed up was to be documented properly. There were things that the scientists were working on that, trust me, you just didn't want to get loose or mixed up in the trip across the country; so we set up a detailed procedure of inventorying everything and after each box was packed I had to personally clear it before it was put on the truck; so I told them never to load the truck when I wasn't there. Repeatedly, I told them how important it was never to load the truck when I wasn't there and it was posted on the doors of the warehouse that they must never load the truck when I wasn't there.
Well one Thursday, when I wasn't there, the truck arrives. Now some of my staff are quite eager workers still at this point and want to get everything done as soon as possible. They think that they know everything that needs to be done. I had told them not to load the truck when I wasn't there - but.
I come into work the next day and the warehouse is empty[9] and there is the truck locked up, apparently ready to go and not a single inventory sheet was even sitting on my desk. I was so upset not only because that truck was not supposed to be loaded when I wasn't there but also because they didn't keep proper records so that whatever is in the truck and whatever is in every box in the truck now needs to be taken out and re-sorted and inventoried. I am upset. I start to raise my voice as I demand that Troy, the only one of my staff that I can find, I yell and demand that Troy that he open the truck and start taking everything out of there. He opens the truck.
Troy opens the truck: it is empty - except for the rest of my staff who are in there laughing at me because I fell for their rouse. They had played a joke on me; I fell for it.
I was upset because, even though the truck was supposed to be empty, even though we all knew it was supposed to be empty, and we were all told repeatedly that it was supposed to be empty, I didn't think it would be. . I didn't believe what I should have believed. I looked around the warehouse at the way things seemed and I didn't believe that the truck would be empty like it was supposed to be.
This is the same as the empty tomb today in our story and indeed in our world today, isn't it? The women are undoubtedly upset as they are going out to the tomb where - even though Jesus said he would rise again on the third day, even though Jesus said in effect that the tomb should be empty - the ladies are upset because they expect that the tomb, like I expected that the truck, they expect that the tomb will not be empty.
But, halleluiah, they're wrong and instead of Jesus' body in the tomb, and instead of my laughing friends in the back of the empty truck, there is a totally different messenger, who in Luke's account (Lk 24:5) asks the question, "Why do you look for the living among the dead?" He has risen.
read more: http://sheepspeaks.blogspot.com/
Without Christianity, our society is doomed
Daily Telegraph By Peter Mullen
read more: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/opinion/main.jhtml?xml=/opinion/2008/03/21/do2102.xml
Last Updated: 12:01am GMT 21/03/2008
Canon Michael Ainsworth, a priest ... in the City of London, was recently attacked in his churchyard by three youths. Michael suffered two black eyes, cuts and bruises. He was taken into hospital and his wife Janina, also a priest, said: "It's obvious that the attack on Michael does contain a religious element." It certainly is obvious: his attackers shouted, "You f------ priest!" as they beat him up. This is the second time that Michael's church has been attacked. After the Good Friday service last year, louts threw bricks through the windows. A parishioner, Susan Crocker, said: "It's not out of the blue - it's a recurrent problem." |
read more: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/opinion/main.jhtml?xml=/opinion/2008/03/21/do2102.xml
Muslims 'to outnumber traditional churchgoers'
Daily Telegraph By Jonathan Petre, Religion Correspondent
Last Updated: 12:01am GMT 25/03/2008
The increasing influence of Islam on British culture is disclosed in research today that shows the number of Muslims worshipping at mosques in England and Wales will outstrip the numbers of Roman Catholics going to church in little more than a decade.
Projections show Muslims are to outstrip Catholic Sunday worshippers by 2020
Projections to be published next month estimate that, if trends continue, the number of Catholic worshippers at Sunday Mass will fall to 679,000 by 2020.
By that time, statisticians predict, the number of Muslims praying in mosques on Fridays will have increased to 683,000.
The Christian Research figures also suggest that, over the same period, the number of Muslims at mosques will overtake Church of England members at Sunday services.
read more: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/global/main.jhtml?xml=/global/2008/03/26/noindex/nmuslims125.xml&CMP=EMC-expat2008
I found this article particularly interesting when it showed up in my in-box in light of another interesting article by Colson that I saw highlighted on the ArmyBarmy blog yesterday. -mr
Sunday, March 23, 2008
Holy Resurrection Day!
The Question for us today is, what do we believe?
Read this Resurrection Sunday's sermon on-line at: http://sheepspeaks.blogspot.com/
Comments and inquiries, email us at: blog@sheepspeak.com
Friday, March 21, 2008
Good Friday
Psalm 22: "My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?"
Read the pslam on-line: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=psalm%2022&version=31
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Heaven, Earth and Beer from NT Wright
What then do the New Testament writers mean when they speak of an inheritance waiting for us in heaven? This has been much misunderstood, with awesome results in traditions of thought, prayer, life and art. The point of such passages, as in 1 Peter 1.4, 2 Corinthians 5.1, Philippians
3.20, and so forth, is not that one must 'go to heaven', as in much-popular imagination, in order to enjoy the inheritance there. It is rather that 'heaven' is the place where God stores up his plans and purposes for the future. If I tell a friend that there is beer in the fridge, that doesn't mean he has to get into the fridge in order to enjoy the beer. When the early Christians speak of a new body in heaven, or an inheritance in heaven, they mean what St John the Divine means in Revelation 21: the new identity which at present is kept safe in heaven will be brought from heaven to earth at the great moment of renewal. Yes: the great majority of Christian expressions of hope through the middle ages, the reformation, and the counter-reformation periods have been misleading. 'Heaven' is not the Christian's ultimate destination. For renewed bodies we need a renewed cosmos, including a renewed earth. That is what the New Testament promises.
3.20, and so forth, is not that one must 'go to heaven', as in much-popular imagination, in order to enjoy the inheritance there. It is rather that 'heaven' is the place where God stores up his plans and purposes for the future. If I tell a friend that there is beer in the fridge, that doesn't mean he has to get into the fridge in order to enjoy the beer. When the early Christians speak of a new body in heaven, or an inheritance in heaven, they mean what St John the Divine means in Revelation 21: the new identity which at present is kept safe in heaven will be brought from heaven to earth at the great moment of renewal. Yes: the great majority of Christian expressions of hope through the middle ages, the reformation, and the counter-reformation periods have been misleading. 'Heaven' is not the Christian's ultimate destination. For renewed bodies we need a renewed cosmos, including a renewed earth. That is what the New Testament promises.
read more: http://www.ntwrightpage.com/Wright_Jesus_Resurrection.htm
This is interesting, of course, but please feel free to offer me any differing opinions as well: blog@sheepspeak.com
The Salvation Army's Position on Capital Punishment
Position Statement on Capital Punishment as per request...
The Salvation Army believes in the sanctity of all human life. It considers each person to be of infinite value, and each life a gift from God to be cherished, nurtured and preserved.
The Army believes that forgiveness and transformation are possible for each human being, regardless of his / her past. Christ’s death is redemptive for all who have faith, making it possible for the worst of offenders to find new life in Christ Jesus if they are truly repentant. Long experience in rendering service within the criminal justice systems of many lands, and in ministering to both offenders and victims, and to their respective families, has confirmed the Army’s belief in the possibility of forgiveness and redemption for all through repentance toward God, faith in Jesus Christ, and regeneration by the Holy Spirit.
Because of these beliefs, it would be inconsistent for the Army to support efforts to continue or restore capital punishment. While agreeing that wrongdoing should be adequately dealt with, Salvationists do not support the death penalty.
Approved by I.H.Q November 1996
From: http://www.salvationarmy.org.au/SALV/STANDARD/PC_60018.html
AND
Canada and Bermuda's Position Statement on Capital Punishment
Because Salvationists believe in the sanctity of all human life and in a Christian gospel that offers the hope of redemption to fallen mankind, The Salvation Army in Canada would never campaign for the re-introduction of the death penalty as an ultimate punishment for any crime. It is contrary to our convictions to declare anyone hopeless and deny the possibility of reclamation.However, Salvation Army territorial administration acknowledges there are Salvationists who very sincerely would uphold the state’s right to execute in certain circumstances.
Long experience of rendering service within the criminal justice systems of many lands, and in ministering both to offenders and the victims of crime, has confirmed The Salvation Army’s continuing belief in the possibility of redemption for all through repentance toward God, faith in Christ and regeneration by the Holy Spirit.
The Salvation Army affirms that society must be protected from the violent criminal. Church, judiciary and medicine must together further explore crime prevention and treatment. Society itself must honestly examine what it now tolerates in mass media communication and courageously legislate against all that reduces the dignity of man, corrupts moral values and incites the worst of human passion.
The Salvation Army, Canada & Bermuda, 1990
Click here to download a PDF file of this position statement.
Click here to download a PDF file of all the position statements.
The Salvation Army believes in the sanctity of all human life. It considers each person to be of infinite value, and each life a gift from God to be cherished, nurtured and preserved.
The Army believes that forgiveness and transformation are possible for each human being, regardless of his / her past. Christ’s death is redemptive for all who have faith, making it possible for the worst of offenders to find new life in Christ Jesus if they are truly repentant. Long experience in rendering service within the criminal justice systems of many lands, and in ministering to both offenders and victims, and to their respective families, has confirmed the Army’s belief in the possibility of forgiveness and redemption for all through repentance toward God, faith in Jesus Christ, and regeneration by the Holy Spirit.
Because of these beliefs, it would be inconsistent for the Army to support efforts to continue or restore capital punishment. While agreeing that wrongdoing should be adequately dealt with, Salvationists do not support the death penalty.
Approved by I.H.Q November 1996
From: http://www.salvationarmy.org.au/SALV/STANDARD/PC_60018.html
AND
Canada and Bermuda's Position Statement on Capital Punishment
Because Salvationists believe in the sanctity of all human life and in a Christian gospel that offers the hope of redemption to fallen mankind, The Salvation Army in Canada would never campaign for the re-introduction of the death penalty as an ultimate punishment for any crime. It is contrary to our convictions to declare anyone hopeless and deny the possibility of reclamation.However, Salvation Army territorial administration acknowledges there are Salvationists who very sincerely would uphold the state’s right to execute in certain circumstances.
Long experience of rendering service within the criminal justice systems of many lands, and in ministering both to offenders and the victims of crime, has confirmed The Salvation Army’s continuing belief in the possibility of redemption for all through repentance toward God, faith in Christ and regeneration by the Holy Spirit.
The Salvation Army affirms that society must be protected from the violent criminal. Church, judiciary and medicine must together further explore crime prevention and treatment. Society itself must honestly examine what it now tolerates in mass media communication and courageously legislate against all that reduces the dignity of man, corrupts moral values and incites the worst of human passion.
The Salvation Army, Canada & Bermuda, 1990
Click here to download a PDF file of this position statement.
Click here to download a PDF file of all the position statements.
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Thank the Lord for everyone who helps us in the community here...
Thanks be to the Lord...
Thanks for all those who support the ministry and everyone who came out to the dessert and PPT presentation about what the Lord does through TSA in Nipawin.
Thanks for Jarvis and Save-U IGA, Bill, Annette and Bi-Nett Plumbing and Heating, Rebecca Lodge
Thanks for the Legion, the seniors, Rotary International, St Eugene's and the Knights of Columbus and Oasis.
Thanks for the Rotary's No-Name Band
Monday, March 17, 2008
Happy St Patrick's Day - or is it?
ARMYBARMY: This is not St. Patrick's Day. Did you know that? Normally 17th March is the day. But it turns out that the Catholics (correctly, I believe) don't let any saints days cut in on Holy Week. So they celebrated St. Patrick's day on the 14th. You can read a bit about it at First Things (bottom right) on the March 14 post.
ANYWAY: I used this line on my daughter when we arrived at school and she informed me that she didn't have any green to wear. She was good with it. She was better with the fact though that I had a green clip in my pocket that she could wear in her hair.
ST PATRICK'S WAR ON TERROR: St Pat led a very successful war on terror. He was kidnapped an enslaved by Irish terrorists. When he managed to get free, he fled home, and then returned to Ireland to evangelise his attackers.
They offered him a life of slavery; he, in return, offered them a life of freedom in Christ which they gratefully accepted. Good model for a war on terror indeed.
ANYWAY: I used this line on my daughter when we arrived at school and she informed me that she didn't have any green to wear. She was good with it. She was better with the fact though that I had a green clip in my pocket that she could wear in her hair.
ST PATRICK'S WAR ON TERROR: St Pat led a very successful war on terror. He was kidnapped an enslaved by Irish terrorists. When he managed to get free, he fled home, and then returned to Ireland to evangelise his attackers.
They offered him a life of slavery; he, in return, offered them a life of freedom in Christ which they gratefully accepted. Good model for a war on terror indeed.
Saturday, March 15, 2008
Captial Punishment, an evangelist's viewpoint
Since I've been asked a lot in the last couple of days to offer my opinion...
If one ends the life of a Christian, for whatever reason, one removes that soldier from the good side of the fight for souls.
If one ends the life of a non-Christian, then one sends them to hell.
This is the real choice (re: state executions) in the reality of the post-ressurection world.
And, from an evangelistic point of view, I don't think we would want to do either.
Friday, March 14, 2008
AA On-line
I was privileged to attend an AA meeting again today. The Lord always blesses me greatly when I am in attendance at the meetings here in Nipawin.
For any who are recovering (or delivered, sanctified former) alcoholics, these meetings are a good source of support and encouragement. In the meeting one, of course, acknowledges the significance of God as we understand Him and I, of course, call God by name: Jesus Christ. Prasie the Lord for all the work He does through AA.
You can read (or listen to) the Big Book and other resources on-line at : http://www.aabigbook.com/
'Remember to that - like with AA - our walk with the Lord, is always one day at a time. May you today find yourself continuing in salvation and sanctification. In Jesus name. Amen.'
For any who are recovering (or delivered, sanctified former) alcoholics, these meetings are a good source of support and encouragement. In the meeting one, of course, acknowledges the significance of God as we understand Him and I, of course, call God by name: Jesus Christ. Prasie the Lord for all the work He does through AA.
You can read (or listen to) the Big Book and other resources on-line at : http://www.aabigbook.com/
'Remember to that - like with AA - our walk with the Lord, is always one day at a time. May you today find yourself continuing in salvation and sanctification. In Jesus name. Amen.'
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Praise be to God
A Lady gave her life to the Lord tonight at the Bible Study at the Corps.
Praise the Lord...
Ro 1:16, "I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes..."
Praise the Lord...
Ro 1:16, "I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes..."
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Prayer and the Kingdom of Heaven (Part 1)
Mark’s gospel story, as we have been reading here, is full of people asking Jesus for miracles that indeed Jesus does perform, in many cases according to the people's faith but Mark’s gospel also has people’s demand for a sign (Mark 8:11) from heaven flatly denied. Jesus is God.
Because Jesus is God, he is not simply easily swayed by our whims and fancies; Heaven is not a democracy where if we have a simple majority of prayers we can overthrow the will of God. Heaven, Praise the Lord, is a kingdom, a monarchy run by an absolute monarch.
This absolute monarch is a loving king. He is a father who wants the best for us and this, I think, is a big reason why he wants us to approach Him with what is on our hearts and minds and still He does not always give us what we want – sometimes the things we want, like Peter in our story here (Mark 8:31-33), sometimes the things we want when we set our minds on the things of people, are not what is best for us and neither are they what is best for the Kingdom.
God loves us; why then would he give us what is neither good for us nor for the Kingdom of God (cf. Luke 11:11-13)?
read more: http://www.sheepspeaks.blogspot.com/
Because Jesus is God, he is not simply easily swayed by our whims and fancies; Heaven is not a democracy where if we have a simple majority of prayers we can overthrow the will of God. Heaven, Praise the Lord, is a kingdom, a monarchy run by an absolute monarch.
This absolute monarch is a loving king. He is a father who wants the best for us and this, I think, is a big reason why he wants us to approach Him with what is on our hearts and minds and still He does not always give us what we want – sometimes the things we want, like Peter in our story here (Mark 8:31-33), sometimes the things we want when we set our minds on the things of people, are not what is best for us and neither are they what is best for the Kingdom.
God loves us; why then would he give us what is neither good for us nor for the Kingdom of God (cf. Luke 11:11-13)?
read more: http://www.sheepspeaks.blogspot.com/
Monday, March 10, 2008
24/7 working for the Lord
From http://www.armybarmy.com/
Today is Labour Day in Melbourne. 'No one' works. The Army has something somewhat similar. It is a dictum that says 'every hour and every power for Christ and duty'. It is epitomised by Salvo leaders in various roles pulling 24/7 weeks, always on call. You see some carving into their nights, and others their mornings. You see some interrupting their sleeps. You see many optimising hours and moments all the time.
I had a DC who once told us not to complain unless we were over 60 hours/week and we couldn't handle it. I have probably misrepresented that since then by shortening it for convenience to a '60-hour week', when really it was doing at least that and not complaining. Praise God that many can handle more than 60 hours normally without complaining. Now, over seven days, 60 is about 8 2/3 hours/day.
So, here's a hat tip to Labour Day - 8 2/3 hour days without complaining! (I guess - but only after we live up to Every Hour and Every Power for Christ and Duty)
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How about using one of your hours today to do a little evangelism?
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God is here.SA Daily Reading: Deuteronomy 13-15; Galatians 1.
Much grace,sec
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With the fully sanctified TSA life, 60 hours a week is a good starting point (we should all grow from there, of course) but as Captian Court reminds us that is only after we live up to 'every hour and every power for Christ and duty.'
It is good that God doesn't take time off from His responsibilities...
Today is Labour Day in Melbourne. 'No one' works. The Army has something somewhat similar. It is a dictum that says 'every hour and every power for Christ and duty'. It is epitomised by Salvo leaders in various roles pulling 24/7 weeks, always on call. You see some carving into their nights, and others their mornings. You see some interrupting their sleeps. You see many optimising hours and moments all the time.
I had a DC who once told us not to complain unless we were over 60 hours/week and we couldn't handle it. I have probably misrepresented that since then by shortening it for convenience to a '60-hour week', when really it was doing at least that and not complaining. Praise God that many can handle more than 60 hours normally without complaining. Now, over seven days, 60 is about 8 2/3 hours/day.
So, here's a hat tip to Labour Day - 8 2/3 hour days without complaining! (I guess - but only after we live up to Every Hour and Every Power for Christ and Duty)
----
How about using one of your hours today to do a little evangelism?
----
God is here.SA Daily Reading: Deuteronomy 13-15; Galatians 1.
Much grace,sec
---------
With the fully sanctified TSA life, 60 hours a week is a good starting point (we should all grow from there, of course) but as Captian Court reminds us that is only after we live up to 'every hour and every power for Christ and duty.'
It is good that God doesn't take time off from His responsibilities...
Sunday, March 09, 2008
Sunday's Sermon
Mark 8:31-33: Do you have in mind the things of God or the things of man?
To read the sermon visit: http://www.sheepspeaks.blogspot.com/
As always coments and critiques are welcome at blog@sheepspeak.com
Saturday, March 08, 2008
Hey read this from sojo.net
from: http://www.sojo.net/
Friday, March 07, 2008
The Passion of the Iraqi Christ (by Shane Claiborne)
Five years ago, I was in Iraq. It was as a member of the Iraq Peace Team, living in the middle of the "shock-and-awe" bombing of Baghdad -- some of the scariest days of my life. As Easter approached, we walked through the Lenten season with brothers and sisters in Iraq. One night I had a terrible dream, and I wrote about it in my journal. As I re-read it this season I found it as timely an image as five years back, and I decided not to doctor it up or try to polish it – but just to include the recollection of that dream as it is in my journal.
Sometimes it is hard to sleep -- so many thoughts. A bomber flew over. I looked up and could see, "U.S. Air Force" on it. I tried to think only of Jesus – the beautiful Lover of Nazareth. The other night I dreamed of Jesus. At first I could only see his back, somehow I knew it was him. His large, strong back was shirtless (and not as fair-skinned as I had once thought!). He was stooped over on all fours as if he were cradling something on the ground. I wondered what it was, so I tried to get a better glance.
A little head popped out from beneath his arm, giggling hysterically. Then another squirmed out from the other side. And another. How many were there?! Still kneeling on all fours with his arms spread wide, Jesus frantically tried to keep them gathered beneath him, as if he knew danger was looming. There were hundreds of little faces [Author's note: Jesus was gigantic, not to scale. I know it's weird; it's a dream.] So there was this huge Jesus, sprawled out above all the children. He looked like a kid frantically trying to keep a litter of young puppies from scattering.
And then there was a loud crack. Out of nowhere a whip struck Jesus on his back. He yelled in pain. Then again – the skin ripped open. And again. The children began to cry. A few young stragglers ducked safely under Jesus' chest with the others. As the whip continued to strike him, rocks began to fall from the sky like hailstones – pounding on his back and bouncing off. The children huddled beneath him, sobbing. His body convulsed in agony, but he never loosened his grip on the little ones below. As the rocks kept falling, something else started to drop from the sky. These objects looked similar to the rocks, but when they hit his back they did not bounce off like the rocks had. They sunk into his skin ... and then they exploded, tearing huge holes into his back, one after another. His bones became exposed, and soon his body stopped moving. Blood poured off his sides and rained down on the children.
STOP! STOP! In the name of God, stop. I could not wake up. The holes continued to tear into his flesh until the body barely resembled anything human. Then, at last, there was silence. Stillness. Slowly, the children began to stir. They crept timidly from beneath the rubble, covered with blood ... but alive. And I awoke ... sweating, panting, but alive.
After I had that dream, I remember going to a worship service, one of the most powerful services I've ever attended. There were thousands of Christians from all over the Middle East gathered just before Easter. We sang "Amazing Grace" in Arabic. We said the Lord's Prayer together in all kinds of different tongues. Then the bishops read a statement addressed to Muslims, which read: "We believe that you are created in the image of God and we love you." It was pregnant with hope. Afterward I confessed to one of the bishops that I was surprised to see so many Christians in Iraq. He looked at me blankly and said gently, "Yes, my friend. This is where Christianity began. You did not invent it in America. You have only domesticated it. Go back and tell the church in America that we are praying for them … to be the body of Christ, to embody the gospel of Jesus." His words still echo in my soul.
May we remember this Easter season -- that it may be Friday, but Sunday is coming. Death may be all around us, but in the end resurrection triumphs. Another little one clinging to Jesus.
Friday, March 07, 2008
The Passion of the Iraqi Christ (by Shane Claiborne)
Five years ago, I was in Iraq. It was as a member of the Iraq Peace Team, living in the middle of the "shock-and-awe" bombing of Baghdad -- some of the scariest days of my life. As Easter approached, we walked through the Lenten season with brothers and sisters in Iraq. One night I had a terrible dream, and I wrote about it in my journal. As I re-read it this season I found it as timely an image as five years back, and I decided not to doctor it up or try to polish it – but just to include the recollection of that dream as it is in my journal.
Sometimes it is hard to sleep -- so many thoughts. A bomber flew over. I looked up and could see, "U.S. Air Force" on it. I tried to think only of Jesus – the beautiful Lover of Nazareth. The other night I dreamed of Jesus. At first I could only see his back, somehow I knew it was him. His large, strong back was shirtless (and not as fair-skinned as I had once thought!). He was stooped over on all fours as if he were cradling something on the ground. I wondered what it was, so I tried to get a better glance.
A little head popped out from beneath his arm, giggling hysterically. Then another squirmed out from the other side. And another. How many were there?! Still kneeling on all fours with his arms spread wide, Jesus frantically tried to keep them gathered beneath him, as if he knew danger was looming. There were hundreds of little faces [Author's note: Jesus was gigantic, not to scale. I know it's weird; it's a dream.] So there was this huge Jesus, sprawled out above all the children. He looked like a kid frantically trying to keep a litter of young puppies from scattering.
And then there was a loud crack. Out of nowhere a whip struck Jesus on his back. He yelled in pain. Then again – the skin ripped open. And again. The children began to cry. A few young stragglers ducked safely under Jesus' chest with the others. As the whip continued to strike him, rocks began to fall from the sky like hailstones – pounding on his back and bouncing off. The children huddled beneath him, sobbing. His body convulsed in agony, but he never loosened his grip on the little ones below. As the rocks kept falling, something else started to drop from the sky. These objects looked similar to the rocks, but when they hit his back they did not bounce off like the rocks had. They sunk into his skin ... and then they exploded, tearing huge holes into his back, one after another. His bones became exposed, and soon his body stopped moving. Blood poured off his sides and rained down on the children.
STOP! STOP! In the name of God, stop. I could not wake up. The holes continued to tear into his flesh until the body barely resembled anything human. Then, at last, there was silence. Stillness. Slowly, the children began to stir. They crept timidly from beneath the rubble, covered with blood ... but alive. And I awoke ... sweating, panting, but alive.
After I had that dream, I remember going to a worship service, one of the most powerful services I've ever attended. There were thousands of Christians from all over the Middle East gathered just before Easter. We sang "Amazing Grace" in Arabic. We said the Lord's Prayer together in all kinds of different tongues. Then the bishops read a statement addressed to Muslims, which read: "We believe that you are created in the image of God and we love you." It was pregnant with hope. Afterward I confessed to one of the bishops that I was surprised to see so many Christians in Iraq. He looked at me blankly and said gently, "Yes, my friend. This is where Christianity began. You did not invent it in America. You have only domesticated it. Go back and tell the church in America that we are praying for them … to be the body of Christ, to embody the gospel of Jesus." His words still echo in my soul.
May we remember this Easter season -- that it may be Friday, but Sunday is coming. Death may be all around us, but in the end resurrection triumphs. Another little one clinging to Jesus.
Friday, March 07, 2008
Suing the Religious Right for divorce
Faith in the US Election: Evangelicals may be in the process of "suing the Religious Right for divorce"
WWW.CanadianChristianity.com
By Jim Coggins
THE PRIORITIES of many American evangelicals are evolving -- and this new reality may be reflected in the current election campaign.
"A new concern for social justice is breaking out precisely at the places -- and in the people -- where faith is more personal," said Jim Wallis of Sojourners magazine.
Read more (this really is an interesting article) http://www.canadianchristianity.com/nationalupdates/080305faith.html
WWW.CanadianChristianity.com
By Jim Coggins
THE PRIORITIES of many American evangelicals are evolving -- and this new reality may be reflected in the current election campaign.
"A new concern for social justice is breaking out precisely at the places -- and in the people -- where faith is more personal," said Jim Wallis of Sojourners magazine.
Read more (this really is an interesting article) http://www.canadianchristianity.com/nationalupdates/080305faith.html
Thursday, March 06, 2008
In The News
Is safety more important than religion?
Judge rules against Sikh challenge of helmet law
Last Updated: Thursday, March 6, 2008 10:57 AM ET
A judge in Brampton, Ont., rejected a human rights challenge to an Ontario law on Thursday, ruling that motorcyclists must wear helmets while riding because safety concerns outweigh religious rights.
read more from CBC on-line: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/toronto/story/2008/03/06/helmet-sikh.html
Crack in the programme?
UN agency lashes Canada over crack-pipe programs
Last Updated: Thursday, March 6, 2008 4:32 PM ET
The United Nations has denounced programs in three Canadian cities that provide safe crack pipes to drug addicts with the aim of curbing disease.
The crack pipe programs in Vancouver, Ottawa and Toronto violate a worldwide anti-drug convention signed by Canada in 1988, the UN's International Narcotics Control Board says in its annual report, released Wednesday.
read more from CBC on-line: http://www.cbc.ca/health/story/2008/03/06/crack-un.html
Tuesday, March 04, 2008
Mark 7:18-23 - sanctification in paper bag?
It is not what enters into a person that defiles one but rather what comes out of someone for there in lies evil intentions.
This is a very simple truth …it is not what the world pours into us that purifies or defiles us, it is the effect we have on the world as what is inside of us is poured out.
There is a children’s story by Robert Munch (illustrated by Michael Marchenko) entitled the Paper Bag Princess. In this story, Prince Ronald was about to marry Princess Elisabeth when a dragon comes smashes the castle, burns all the royal possessions and carries off – Prince Ronald.
So off to the rescue is Princess Elisabeth. There is only one problem though, the castle is smashed, she is all covered in soot and can’t find anything to wear except a dirt old paper bag.
Undaunted, she puts on the paper bag and proceeds to prove her Royal worth by out-manoeuvring, out-smarting, and defeating the dragon while rescuing Prince Ronald.
When Ronald sees his rescuer, He looks at her and says, “Elizabeth, you are a mess! You smell like ashes, your hair is all tangled and you are wearing a dirty old paper bag. Come back when you are dressed like a real princess.”
“Ronald, says Elisabeth, “your hair is nice and your clothes are all pretty, you look like a real prince but you are … [not].” They don’t get married after all.
You see, Prince Ronald was clean on the outside but he lacked some of the good fruit of Galatians 5 on the inside that we read about earlier. Elisabeth, however dirty she was on the outside, showed patience, perseverance, and other beautiful fruit; on the inside she was clean.
So today I encourage us all to make sure that we are clean on the inside. Look at ourselves in the mirror of Mark Chapter 7 and make sure that our glasses are shiny indeed. Make sure that inside there is no, as Verse 21ff of Mark 7 says, make sure there are no “evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. All these evils come from inside and make a man ‘unclean.’”
If upon examination, we do see these things, reflected in our glass, don’t worry, it doesn’t need to remain that way. There is a great detergent out there called ‘Sin Away’ produced by the blood of Jesus - that can remove any stain and get those glasses as shiny as new again.
This is a very simple truth …it is not what the world pours into us that purifies or defiles us, it is the effect we have on the world as what is inside of us is poured out.
There is a children’s story by Robert Munch (illustrated by Michael Marchenko) entitled the Paper Bag Princess. In this story, Prince Ronald was about to marry Princess Elisabeth when a dragon comes smashes the castle, burns all the royal possessions and carries off – Prince Ronald.
So off to the rescue is Princess Elisabeth. There is only one problem though, the castle is smashed, she is all covered in soot and can’t find anything to wear except a dirt old paper bag.
Undaunted, she puts on the paper bag and proceeds to prove her Royal worth by out-manoeuvring, out-smarting, and defeating the dragon while rescuing Prince Ronald.
When Ronald sees his rescuer, He looks at her and says, “Elizabeth, you are a mess! You smell like ashes, your hair is all tangled and you are wearing a dirty old paper bag. Come back when you are dressed like a real princess.”
“Ronald, says Elisabeth, “your hair is nice and your clothes are all pretty, you look like a real prince but you are … [not].” They don’t get married after all.
You see, Prince Ronald was clean on the outside but he lacked some of the good fruit of Galatians 5 on the inside that we read about earlier. Elisabeth, however dirty she was on the outside, showed patience, perseverance, and other beautiful fruit; on the inside she was clean.
So today I encourage us all to make sure that we are clean on the inside. Look at ourselves in the mirror of Mark Chapter 7 and make sure that our glasses are shiny indeed. Make sure that inside there is no, as Verse 21ff of Mark 7 says, make sure there are no “evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. All these evils come from inside and make a man ‘unclean.’”
If upon examination, we do see these things, reflected in our glass, don’t worry, it doesn’t need to remain that way. There is a great detergent out there called ‘Sin Away’ produced by the blood of Jesus - that can remove any stain and get those glasses as shiny as new again.
Monday, March 03, 2008
Mark 7:1-23: Inside and Outside
Read the sermon: http://www.sheepspeaks.blogspot.com/This one is a little more narrative than most of mine; let me know what you think: blog@sheepspeak.com
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