Church Discipline - Tough Subject

Tonight at our Wednesday night Bible study, we ended up discussing church discipline, or as some might call it - excommunication. We very quickly looked at 3 major passages that dealt with this topic: 1 Tim.1:18-20; 1 Corin.5; and Matt.18:15-17. This is a really tough subject for the modern church for many reasons. One reason is, for years now pastors just haven't had the backbone to preach the whole counsel of God, and therefore many sincere believers are completely ignorant of what God's word says. Another reason is, we live in a very tolerant, relativistic culture... which boils down to everyone is afraid to tell anyone their wrong about anything. People have forgotten that we are not the standard, God's word is, we aren't the Judge; He is. And finally, church discipline is for maintaining the purity of the collective body of Christ, as well as helping individuals believers be as close to God as possible... and its sad to say, but I just don't think the vast majority of believers in churches across this nation today are really all that concerned with their own personal holiness before God. So, if we're not concerned with our own, then we're certainly not going to hold anyone else accountable, and rightly so.

Now, one very important aspect about this is, people MUST understand... this is not about punishment or retribution... it's about RESTORATION. Because a professing believer living in a lifestyle of unrepentant sin is NOT in fellowship with God, and gives more evidence of being still dead in their sin and separated from God, as opposed to being alive in Christ and reconciled to God. And it truly breaks my heart for the millions of people out there with their name on a church roll, who believe when they die they're going to heaven, when in all probability... they're not. And it absolutely infuriates me with all the pseudo-churches out there, who claim to be Christian, but who have long since abandoned the Scriptures, who do nothing but deceive and lull people into spiritual apathy. I fear for the pastors of those so-called churches when they stand before God and answer for all the souls who were under their care. Church Discipline is indeed a tough subject... but one desperately needed in the modern church in America.

Rainy Days

What do you do on rainy days when you just have to get out of the house? Well, in our town there's really not much more to do than to go to the local Wal-Mart and play with the toys! So, that's what we did. As you can see, we especially liked the toy leaf-blowers and the foam swords. Make sense... after a hard days work... everyone has to let off some steam. :)

Insane Religious News Stories - So Funny, It's Sad

Story #1
The Episcopal Church defrocked long-time priest, Ann Redding, after she failed to renounce her faith in Islam. Redding, who became a Muslim in 2006, has maintained that she also remained a practicing Christian. She alleged that neither faith contradicted the other, but the Episcopal Church leaders did not agree, stating that a priest of the church cannot be both a Christian and a Muslim.

Story #2
Don't have time to pray... No problem, let the computer do it for you! For those without time to pray, but yet still want a little religion in their life... a website started right here in the United States, offers the soft apostasy of "prayer out-sourcing." Users of the site may subscribe and let the company's computers recite prayers for them using text-to-speech software. For example, protestant subscribers can pay $3.95 a month for a computer to recite the Lord's Prayer each day for them. The website also encourages Catholics "to show God you're really serious" by purchasing "The Complete Rosary Package" - for the small fee of $50. The site even has prayers for Muslims and get this... promises to point the speakers toward Mecca!

I promise these were actual news stories from World Magazine.
See for yourself at www.worldmag.com.

Species Confusion?

This is Dinah, our cat. However, as you can see from the picture, she likes to sit up on her back legs alot. I think she thinks she's a meerkat or something. (haha)

No, but seriously... she's a good kitty. This week since Andrea has been gone, me and Dinah have gotten close. She keeps me company no matter what room I'm in. :)

Snow Days!

Andrea said before she left for Charlotte, "Watch it snow while we're gone." Well, it did. Charlotte got about 2 inches also, but I believe we got a little more than that. I wish Caleb and Taite had been here to play in it. I'm not sure how much playing I myself could have done, seeing as how I've been sick for the last 3 days, but I would have really loved to see them!

Proper Theology Through Catechism Questions

I've started teaching theology to my son Caleb who is 4 years through an old tool... Catechism Questions.  I just started the other day and already he has 3 questions down.  Here are the 3 he has down so far:

1) Who made you?  Answer: God (or Jesus, as Caleb says)

2) What else did "Jesus" make?   Answer: He made all things.

3) Why did Jesus make you and all things?   Answer: For His own glory.

Caleb is so cute when he says, "For his own glory."   Now, I know that he doesn't get the meaning of all that yet, but that's not the point.  The point is simply to expose them to the proper theology, get it in grained on their little hearts, and one day as they mature, they will come to know what it means.  Catechism questions is a time-tested tool for educating our children in the things of God.  Many great men and women of God have used them successfully for hundreds of years.  And as a Christian father, this is one of my passions... I want to really educate my children in the things of God.  I absolutely can't wait until they're teenagers and in the church youth group.  No spiritual milk for my boys... their youth pastor better come with some meat!

A Reminder for 2009 About Why I AM Here

The Apostle Paul wrote to his young son in the faith, Timothy, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit in 2 Timothy 2:2, "the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also."

This is basically just Paul's way of restating the Great Commission of Jesus Christ found in Matthew 28:18-20. And it is a reminder for me concerning my purpose for living in 2009. This is what God has created me, saved me, and called me for... that I may take the things I have heard and learned from Him and committ these truths about God to other faithful men who will not only grow themselves to be closer and better disciples in 2009, but that they will eventually in turn teach others the things that they have learned.

Why am I here? To glorify the Lord God by doing everything in my power to make disciples of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.

Happy New Year and "God bless us, everyone!" - Tiny Tim.

Puberty Halting Drug... ARE YOU KIDDING ME??

That's right! There is actually talk of a puberty halting drug in order to give gender confused young people more time to decide which gender they want to be. You can read about it by going to the address below.

Wow... I would never thought I would see this day. Teens actually having to decide what gender they're going to be like what college they're going to. And what makes it 1000 times worse, parents and professionals are actually going along with it. Unbelievable! What a sad and morally bankrupt world we're living in today. Jesus come soon!!!

http://www.onenewsnow.com/Culture/Default.aspx?id=354740

This Sickens Me to No End

You know something is terribly screwed up in our country when a parent takes a toddler or child to the doctor's office for a common problem or routine check up, and just because the child may have a small bruise or scrap somewhere, and immediately the parent is looked at with suspicion.

And yet the same time, Planned Parenthood is protecting child rapists all the time! This kind of blatant illegal behavior just absolutely infuriates me!!

Copy the following and paste it in the window (can't remember how to make a link)

http://www.onenewsnow.com/Culture/Default.aspx?id=354222

I Never Thought I'd Actually Win

As most boys, my little guys love trains, and I have to admit that I like them too. So, recently I have decided to start collecting the Thomas the Train Wooden Railway collection. They're great little toys, plus they were created by a pastor for his son. I think that is real neat. The stories and videos with Thomas and Friends are really good too... teaching good values and things.

So, the other day I was playing around on ebay. My very first time on ebay. And so I started bidding on something. They're were a lot of people bidding and the price was pretty cheap for what we were bidding on so, I never actually thought I'd win. Well, you can probably guess... I did win! I was shocked. This was the item I won... my very first piece. It is the Thomas the Train Deluxe Roundhouse.

I know some people think I'm silly... a 32 year old man collecting toys, but everyone has some type of hobby. Plus think about it this way... if I collect 1-2 pieces a year, just think how awesome a train set I will have when God gives us grandchildren. They will always want to come to Grandpa's house! (hehe.) Eventually, I like to get all the videos too.