I’m the one…

Which Action Hero Would You Be? v. 2.0
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Ruth Graham, Wife of Billy Graham, Dies at 87

Yonat Shimron
06-15-07 (RNS) Ruth Bell Graham, the independent and strong-willed wife of evangelist Billy Graham, died Thursday at 5:05 p.m. at her home in Montreat, N.C., surrounded by her husband and five children, longtime spokesman Larry Ross said.

Graham, who had been in ill health for several years, was 87.

Nice…

The House on North Broadway

When I worked at the little Southern Baptist church in Southern Indiana, I had an event happen that I have only told a few people about. Last evening, my wife and I and my mother-in-law watched The Exorcism of Emily Rose. One of the themes of the movie is the priest seeling it as vitally important that Emily’s story be told. And in the end of the film, you find out that telling her story was Emily’s last wish before she died. The reason? She felt that people could not deny that God existed if she showed them the devil.

Now, that is not why I am going to tell you this story. I don’t think that people have to see the devil to believe in God. That seems silly to me. But I do think that telling this story is important, especially in this day and age when, within the Evangelical community, there is an overwhelming denial of the power of the spiritual. Afterall, if there wasn’t, why would we resort to medicines to treat every single problem in our lives? Could it be that restless leg syndrome, schizophernia, and other such “disorders” are actually the demonic at work? And could it be that treating them with pills is just giving them free reign over our lives?

For your consideration

I found a couple of articles and a cartoon that I am going to share with you today.

The first has to do with the SBC and their little sexual abuse thingie.  This is just making me sicker and sicker.  Remember how the RCC just tried to cover it up and act like it wasn’t happening?   Well, the SBC isn’t that tactful.  They are not denying it is happening, but rather than actually dealing with it, here is what the president of the SBC, Frank Page, had to say in a recent article in the Florida Baptist Witness:

Please realize that there are groups who claim to be one thing when in reality they are another. It would be great if the many groups who are claiming to be groups of advocacy and encouragement in ministry were that which they claim. Please be aware that there are groups that are nothing more than opportunistic persons who are seeking to raise opportunities for personal gain.

He also said this little statement in the Florida Baptist Witness article:

Some persons have accused Southern Baptists of ignoring the issue and hiding behind our polity. Let me clearly state that we believe in the autonomy of the local church as a biblical mandate. We are not hiding behind anything, except the Bible.

Hmm…sounds to me like we have a problem.  Nowhere has Mr. Page suggested anything that really addresses the issue.  The autonomy of the local church seems so important that they are unwilling to, even in extreme circumstances like this one, violate that.  I’m sorry, but when pastors are violating children, policy violation should be the least of our concerns.

Moving on.

Here is an article that asks some really good questions regarding second amendment rights.

And lastly,

Just to keep you abreast

Here is what the SBC has decided to start looking into regarding their little issue with sex-offender pastors:

SBC President Says Denomination Looking Into Sex Offender Registry

A registry?  You’ve got to be kidding me…People are being hurt very deeply by this issue and the only answer they can come up with is to consider a sex offender registry?  That doesn’t address the real problem. I guess they aren’t really willing to deal…

In other news, be prepared for my next post…I am going to be addressing an issue that really seems to stir a lot of controversy: masculinity.  Be prepared to have your gender roles shaken!

Amazing Grace Sunday

If you have MySpace, click here for some information on this.  Especially if you live in the Newburgh/Evansville Indiana area.

That link will take you to the MySpace event page where you can RSVP if you would like to attend or make any comments you may want to regarding what we’re doing.  I must make mention, though, that if you’re rude, you will be deleted.

For everyone else, here is what the deal is.

Two hundred years ago, British politician William Wilberforce and his band of loyal friends took on the most powerful forces of their day to end the slave trade. His mentor was John Newton, the slave-trader-turned-song-writer, who wrote the world’s most popular hymn, Amazing Grace.

This year is the 200th anniversary of the abolition of the slave trade. But the work of justice and mercy continues. 27 million men, women, and children are still enslaved around the globe.

Join us in fellowship, prayer, and discussion of how we might take action.

For more information on Amazing Grace Sunday, click here.

For more information on the community we’re trying to get started in the area, click here.

Reflect while I am away

Tomorrow I leavefor northern Indiana for the wedding ceremony. Auni and I will be having our union blessed by one of my closest friends, Luke Harris. I, therefore, won’t be posting anything for about a week and a half. In light of this, I want to leave you with some things to reflect on while I am away. Some of these I will turn into articles on this blog.

1. And [Abraham] believed the LORD, and he counted it to him as righteousness. (Genesis 15:6 ESV)
   Think about theHebrew word here rendered “believe” and then turn over to the New Testament and read Romans 4 and James 2 in the places where this passage is used and think about the Greek word for believe. You may have to use some Bible study tools unless you are fluent in these languages. But meditate on those word.
2. What does it mean when Paul says,
   It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery. (Galations 5:1 NASB)?
   Are we free from something or free to something?
3. According to Birger Gerhardsson, “Torah is above all a holy, authoritative attitude towards life and way of life.” What does this mean for the Christian?

Please pray for safe travel, nice weather, and blessings on the union of Auni and Jeremy Zerby.

Thoughts On My Call to Ministry

***NOTE: This is a paper that I had to write for my Intro to Ministry class at school. I decided that I would share it here for you to read and consider. Feel free to respond. END NOTE***

I sensed God’s call on my life to go into the ministry when I was a senior in high school. I had not really been fighting the call so much as I had been unsure what it was exactly that God was calling me to do. It felt like I was fighting with Him at the time, but, looking back, I was just not as in tune to God’s voice as I should have been.

As a senior in high school, at church, I was forced into a situation where I had to study the Scripture’s in an in-depth manner. The youth minister at the time was an intense individual and loved deep study. He was Reformed to the fullest. Even though this was a Southern Baptist church, he went even so far as to affirm the validity of paedobaptism. How he was ever hired to this church I will never understand save for believing that God had him placed there to open my ears to God’s calling on my life.

My Emerging Journey

The people [of Beroea] were more open-minded than those in Thessalonica, since they welcomed the message with eagerness and examined the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so. (Acts 17:11 HCSB)

My journey through the Emerging Church is coming to a close. I can’t say that any of this has been a waste of time, as some might be apt to say, though. I have learned a lot, and my faith in the God of the Scriptures has greatly increased. I have come away with some different ideas about some things, but none of those new ideas are going to effect my standing before God in the end.