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What does the Book say?

My take on things with some interesting if not unusual perspectives from the Bible that are either not considered, or little known about.

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When Average Men Follow Christ	Apr 12, 2008 8:52 pm Mood: fulfilled, 300 Views
When Average Men Follow Christ By Francis Frangipane Before we doubt whether we are the caliber of the first disciples, here is a fact sheet compiled from over 200 New Testament Scriptures concerning those whom Jesus first called. The disciples... came to Christ, believed in Him, followed Him. They... dined with Him, often became hungry, often didn't have time to eat, twice fed the multitudes. They... received special authority to heal and deliver, became Jesus' confidants, were often rebuked and corrected, were entrusted with the mysteries of God's Kingdom. They... did what was not lawful on the Sabbath, broke the traditions of the elders, entered the Kingdom of God and walked in God's power. They... were frightened, fell on their faces, were much afraid, were very astonished, they marveled, they were indignant and they rejoiced. They... became weary on a number of occasions, grumbled and withdrew, some stopped walking with Jesus; even after the resurrection some still doubted, they wrote the New Testament and died for their faith. They... were taught to pray for the Kingdom to come and for laborers for the harvest, yet slept while Jesus prayed; they spent ten days in continuous prayer before Pentecost, and prayed corporately every day afterward at 3:00 p.m.. They... forgot provisions, made commitments they could not keep, individuals begged them to heal people they could not heal, they attempted to exorcise demons that would not leave, they rebuked parents bringing children to be blessed, abandoned Jesus in His deepest need, they were frequently jealous and ambitious, and they turned the world upside down after the resurrection. They... had a tendency to invent doctrines, tried to command fire to fall on the Samaritans, put a limit on how many times to forgive, presumed John would not die, wanted to build tabernacles for Jesus, Moses and Elijah, became the tabernacle of God on earth after Pentecost. They... prepared cities for the arrival of Jesus, prepared the Passover for the last supper, and were prepared by God to represent Christ; ultimately, they were prepared to die for the Lord. They... remembered what Jesus taught, received the great commission, faced terrible opposition from principalities and powers, Jews and Gentiles, yet they made disciples of all nations. Let us read the words of Christ as though we were sitting at Jesus' feet learning. What did Jesus say concerning love, spiritual authority, or the power of faith? It is time to not be overwhelmed by our flaws and weaknesses. Rather, let us obey all Jesus taught and be transformed by the power of the Holy Spirit, even as His first disciples were.
	2 Comments

WE'RE ON GOD'S TEAM

Mar 29, 2008 10:42 pm
Mood: Victorious, 333 Views

Rom 8:31 What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?

Wow, what a team God is setting up for me to work with!

In the last couple posts, I've been referencing my god-daughter Kristen, and her mother Evonne, a very close friend from my past.
I've only given some glimpes of that past, which is in the past, but there is far more to that past, which now merges with the present.
I led Evonne to the Lord myself, and for a number of years was her spiritual mentor so to speak, until I allowed my flesh to try to place us into a romantic relationship that was less then godly.

However, prior to that, she and I were a very good evangeliatic team. In the space of about five years, together we led at least a couple dozen other people to salvation. Many of which were hard core arguementive over faith vs science. Including two of her sisters, both of whom eventually married men we had introduced them to.
But one thing we couldn't manage, although try as we might, was to get her mother to return to her faith as she was brought up. That has now changed, thanks to Kristen, her grand daughter, Evonne's daughter, and my god-daughter.

For over 20 years Evonne had been praying for her hard hearted mother. But only Kristen was able to penetrate that shell of bitterness.

Earlier this week, I stopped in to visit Kristen who is now living with her grandma. As always when I'm around, we got to talking about the Word. But this time, for once she began agreeing with the answers I was providing.
Later on I sent Kristen a text message asking her to help us get her grandma back into church, and she got it done to my surprise, but that wasn't all either.

Evonne is currently living with another of her sisters.(one who is not yet saved) This sister is married with four school-aged children. They do not provide the best examples for their children since they are unbelievers, but their cousen Kristen, and Aunt Evonne are working on them too.

So this evening, when we went to our usual Saturday service at the Prayer Center, we had to use Evonne's van, because her mother, and two of her nieces came with us. Kristen stayed back and babysat the other two.
At first her mother was as hard as a rock, and the girls were very shy. We went to the cafe area in the back, (where we can talk without disturbing other worshipers)
Evonne began speaking the Word to her mother, more mightily then I ever saw her do. I for the most part, silently interceded, but also kept an eye on the girls, who quickly got bored sitting at a table with the adults. One of the other children came and asked if they could come play, and praise, and Aunt Evonne gave her nod of approval.

A short time later both girls were up front with the other children who were dancing, waving flags, or kneeling for prayer, following suit.

Pastor Ric's message was great as always, and Evonne's mother was beyond impressed. She felt like the message was specificly directed at her.
At alter call, she went up, got prayed for, and annointed with oil.
Her chronic back pain from a long ago slipped disk vanished, and she hadn't felt that good in many years. When we left she walked without any slouch, unaided for the first time in ten years, and was even out the door ahead of the rest of us. When we told Kristen about her Grandam, she said, "I told her so!" (could that genetic test be wrong? She sounds more like me, then I sound like me.)

She plans to be in our church tomorrow morning, along with another woman who goes to school with Evonne, that she had invited.
I have a couple potentuals as well, which I had spoken to during our food pantry earlier this week.

If this keeps up, we may have to trade in one of our vehicles for a bus, which would be worth it.

6 Comments

I FORGOT	Mar 23, 2008 2:13 pm Mood: nostalgic, 300 Views
I forgot to mention a few things about my god-daughter Kristen in the other blog. I knew of her ever since before she was born, (In fact I knew by revelation that the mother was pregnant, that it would be a girl born the first week of April the following year) Which at first the mother denied. I only saw Kristen once when she was a baby, and never got to know her personally until she was 19 years old. After her mother had broke up with me, each of us went our own direction in life. I married, adopted the two children my wife already had, and evenutally divorced her. The girl's mother also married, divorced, and had two more girls who are now teenagers. I encountered Kristen's mom while on a date with another woman. It was someone I had met last summer here on B.C. and was dating. She invited me to her church picnic, and it turned out they both attended the same church. She surprised the heck out of me by giving the woman I was dating a glowing report of me. Too bad she didn't listen to it, but that's her loss. I told the woman I was dating the whole story, and she encouraged me to contact the mother about Kristen, so I did. That night I received a phone call from the crying teenage girl who had never heard of me until her mother told her just then. I arrainged to meet both of them for lunch after church, but they decided to surprise me by showing up at MY church service. Kristen was not much of one for attending church with Mom, but they both love it now. That now fills in some gaps. There is more to tell, but I'll sit on it for now, for it's a story still in development.
	2 Comments

My Easter Girl

Mar 22, 2008 9:42 pm
Mood: proud like a dad should be, 319 Views

This is Kristen, my god-daughter. She was born on Easter Day in 1988.

Her mother was a former girlfriend of mine from before when I met my now ex-wife, and for a lot of years, I had questions of her possibly being my biological daughter.
After DNA testing revealed she is not, I couldn't let her go through a father's rejection again. Her biological father dumped her mother after he got her pregnant, making her mother raise her without a fatherly influence in her life, which was after her mother dumped me, but that's all in the past now.

So to make it a win\win situation, I declared her as my god-daughter. So far she has responded very well to the love of God I'm teaching her by my example. She and her mother have joined my church, and she is asking questions about God.
But best of all, is she is turning around and beginning to speak it to others as well.

She has even told her mother she would approve of her mother re-uniting with me, since no man has ever treated her mother as the Christian lady she is, except for me.
I don't know about us re-uniting, but we have renewed our once (over 20 years ago) very close platonic friendship, which I spoiled by pushing for us to become lovers.

I got this feeling that the Lord has some big plans for Kristen.

4 Comments

Player or Not !!!	Mar 16, 2008 11:44 pm Mood: sympathetic, 451 Views
I have kept silent, and stayed out of the arguments over whether or not Michael33333 is a player. It is a fruitless discussion, but also it's difficult for me to be totally objective because a year and half ago, similar accusations and mud was being flung at me, and I remember all too well how much it had hurt. I had spent my 47th birthday in divorce court. It was the last place I wanted to be on my birthday. Heck, I would even had rather been at work. If that wasn't enough, I had lost badly on the most critical issues because I had a judge who thought it was better for me to support my ex-wife, then for the state to support her. To lighten up my mood when I got home, I decided to write a blog with some humor, and began... ATTENTION: NOW ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS FOR THE FOLLOWING POSITION. GIRLFRIEND What followed was a humorous want ad which lightened me up, as well as a lot of folks. Most everyone knew this was all in humor and treated it in the humor it was intended to be. Except for one woman who took offense that in this pun, one of the qualities I claimed to have been looking for was a high $ex drive. She decided that it meant that I was looking for a non-committed $ex partner. At first I made light of it, and asked for an on line role call of female bloggers who would have been willing to go on a 'dinner and move,' date with me, based on what they knew of me, and if I happened to live in their community. Some 15 or 20 women replied affirmatively which really upset this one who was accusing me. From that point on, the whole blog got real ugly, with this woman calling me less then moral, because I said I was seeking a girlfriend, rather then a wife. She took it upon herself to 'warn' her B.C. sisters about my 'sinful intentions'. I also had less then choice words for her, having just completed a divorce, re-marriage was not my top priority of the day. I handled the matter very poorly to be sure. A lot less Christ like then how Michael33333 has dealt with a similar adversity. The only thing I could do to prevent a train wreak, was to delete what had become B.C.s most active blog ever. I can identify with recent events that have affected our brother Michael, having been there and done that. The accusations, the anger, the feelings of rejection, and betrayal. Bewilderment, and remorse for my part in arguments that divided the body of Christ. The physical distances we all have from each other makes real contact, and physical relationships unlikely at best. A real 'player' would have a most difficult time in 'playing', for the ability to do so is only virtual, just as our relationships with each other here on line is also virtual. Therefore if Michael is indeed a 'player' then he is only a virtual player. However, the feelings generated by accusations are very real to the one who is being accused. That being said, the warnings, to and concerns for sisters in Christ are unwarranted, for no real threat to these women exists. Since nothing can happen, nothing can be prevented with warnings, opinions, and accusations. Which means the only possible results are damage to the character and reputation of a man of God who has earned the friendship of many other bloggers on this site. Those who hold negitive opinions of Michael are wrong to express them in open forums. They should use more private means to express their views to Michael, and if they strongly feel that someone is at risk of being hurt by Michael, that too should be handled by more private means. I don't think that anyone needs to leave B.C. over what has happened, but let's learn from it, and not let it happen again. Galatians 6:10 - As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.
	13 Comments

A Jealous God	Mar 8, 2008 1:02 am Mood: sleepy, 219 Views
A Jealous God by Francis Frangipane Have you ever sensed spiritual resistance, as though some power much greater than you was deliberately opposing your success? We often assume it is the devil who is fighting us. Allow me to suggest that, on some occasions, what is standing in your way may not be an enemy at all; it may actually be the jealousy of God. Is the Almighty jealous for us? Yes. The Lord describes Himself often in the Bible as "a jealous God" (Ex. 20:5, 34:14; Deut. 4:24, 5:9, etc.). We should expect He would be jealous since we have actually been created for His pleasure. While His covering, nurturing love accepts us as we are, a time comes when He begins to confront the false gods, the idols, which rule in our hearts. Indeed, anything in us that denies Him full access to our souls, that stands between our hearts and His, becomes His enemy. The revelation that His jealousy will fight against our hidden idols can be frightening if we are intent upon sin, yet it can also be liberating if we desire intimacy with Him. For He will not allow us to find enduring fulfillment in something apart from Him. Listen to His command in Exodus: "Watch yourself that you make no covenant with the inhabitants of the land into which you are going, lest it become a snare in your midst. But rather, you are to tear down their altars and smash their sacred pillars and cut down their Asherim --- for you shall not worship any other god, for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God" (Ex. 34:12-14). Oh, let us hear God's heart in trembling fear. The Lord's very name is Jealous. Jealousy is central to His nature. Indeed, it is an abomination that false gods should occupy our hearts, for we are the temple of God. A Land Of Idols Israel committed many sins, but the worst of them involved idol worship; idolatry, beyond all others, tried God's heart. How does that relate to us, you ask? We don't have other gods in our society. Yes, we do. Though they are not standing openly in our city squares (usually), the idols in our land are just as demanding. In fact, our nation is full of false gods that influence both our actions and our thoughts. Since we each were created to worship God in focused purity, God must confront the idols in our hearts. Indeed, from His view idolatry is unfaithfulness. Recall the Lord's word, "No one can serve two masters." One of the most dominant idols in our culture is obsession with wealth. Even though our currency says "In God We Trust," it is more often the dollar we rely upon, not God. In fact, while billions of the world's poor starve, we are addicted to spending our wealth selfishly upon ourselves. Jesus said in Matthew 6:24, "You cannot serve (bow before) God and mammon." God, not money, must be our master. If we tithe, give to the poor, and do not let money rule us, wealth can certainly become our servant, and thus a blessing to us and others. But if we allow finances to rule us, mammon can easily become a false God adding stress and greed to our existence. Yet, remember: Jesus did not say we couldn't have money; He said we couldn't serve money. The voice of mammon must be subdued if the Lord alone is to be our Master. Betrothed To One Lord Consider the powerful influence that entertainment, sports, fashion and the drive for success and materialism have over American society. If the Lord has to compete with our passions, then we are harboring idols in our hearts. Fear also is a powerful idol that rules many souls, especially during these times. We must see God's jealousy as His desire to love and shelter us through life. He is without the dark, evil elements that human jealousy has. But even with our finite understanding, we know jealousy is response to unfaithfulness in a loved one. Once human jealousy awakens, it easily can become a consuming fire. If this has happened to you, then you know somewhat how our unfaithfulness affects the Lord's heart. Paul certainly was thinking about this when he wrote, "For I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy; for I betrothed you to one husband, that to Christ I might present you as a pure virgin" (2 Cor. 11:2). James 4:5 says, "He jealously desires the Spirit which He has made to dwell in us." Yet, James also said, "You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God." (James 4:4). The Lord jealously desires our spirit; He calls us into oneness with Him, where we live fearlessly and radiantly as His bride in the earth. Sometimes, as I seek the Lord, I call Him by His name "Jealous." It has a profound effect on my heart. I know He knows me and loves me. As I surrender to Him, I actually advance deeper into the secret chambers of His love. Yet, should I pursue other things at the expense of my time with Him --- even this writing itself --- I feel the fire of His jealousy. I am hemmed in and unable to advance successfully anywhere except toward Him. The Idol Of Wanton Immorality We've discussed the idol of mammon and we've mentioned other idols such as fear and worldliness. But let me also speak candidly about another false god: the powerful idol of unbridled sexuality. Remember, in Exodus 34 we previously read the Lord's command to cut down the Asherim. The Asherim were fertility goddesses worshiped in the ancient pagan countries surrounding Israel. They were demons that had infested human sexuality and perverted it until sex actually became a central object of worship. Today, in America, we may not have Asherim or fertility poles on the street corners, but certainly the realm of human sexuality has been exploited by the demonic realm. Sexuality is the bait used to sell a myriad of products that, in themselves, have nothing to do with sex. It's a demonic power in our world that is corrupting millions of people. Let me be very plain: If you're watching movies or looking at other media that glorifies wanton or perverted sexuality, you're serving a demonic idol. My friends, don't compromise with immoral entertainment. Don't compromise with the sensuality that oozes from most of the fashion and music industries. Put an Internet filter on your computer so you won't stumble. Get rid of the cable movie channels that bring immorality into your home. One thing leads to another and you will soon be under the power of a corrupting and addicting influence that will literally consume your soul. The Lord created sexuality for the purpose of natural reproduction. Reproduction is God's design, yes. But Satan has manipulated God's purpose in order to bind people to their fleshly identity. Once bound, we find ourselves trapped in an almost irresistible and insatiable hunger for increasingly perverse forms of sexuality, none of which have a purpose in reproduction or marriage fulfillment. Beloved, don't tolerate open doors to immoral filth. Capture the first inclinations toward sensuality, for it leads to seduction and many a life has been destroyed by this idol. Do not "own" perverse thoughts that urge you toward adulterous or homosexual lifestyles. If you fall, get up, repent, and rise again (See Mic. 7-. Remember, God wants you to destroy the idol of wanton sexuality, not have it destroy you. You must be aggressive and stand up and fight!
	0 Comments

This Should have been me.

Mar 5, 2008 10:57 pm
Mood: grateful, 447 Views

Yesterday, when I started my car, I noticed a ticking sound like when the oil is low. I had just added oil 3 days before, but I popped the hood to look, and to my horror found my oil cap off and still sitting exactly where I had left it, and now oil was spewed all over from having driven over 200 miles in the last three days with the oil cap off.

I now had 3 quarts of oil everywhere except in my oil pan. By all rights the engine should have locked up and blown over 190 miles ago.
Or it should have caught fire. But neither occured.
This is the very same car that I had replaced the engine on last winter when I failed to check the oil and let it run out.
Costed me $850, and to think I did it again.

So I put 3 quarts of oil in, replaced the cap, and started the car. It purred just like it always does, and performed like it always has. There was no damage done to the engine. P.T.L.

God's grace abounds.

12 Comments

Happy Birthday jerseygirl1964	Feb 29, 2008 12:30 am Mood: Blessed, 480 Views
Today is a special day for our dear sister and friend Ginny. She is 44 years old, yet this is only her 11th birthday. Yup, there's something special about leap year babys, and Ginny is one of them. Happy B. Day sweet sister. Byron
	24 Comments

God Took You Seriously	Feb 26, 2008 11:03 am Mood: adventurous, 318 Views
God Took You Seriously by Francis Frangipane People give their lives to Jesus Christ for many reasons. Some need physical or emotional healing; others are in search of peace and forgiveness. Whatever our condition, God meets us in the valley of our need. Indeed, the Lord reveals Himself to man as heaven's answer for our needs. He is a "father of the fatherless and a judge for the widows." He even makes "a home for the lonely" and leads "out the prisoners into prosperity" (Ps. 68:5-6). God uses our need to draw us to Christ. Yet, the consciousness of our need narrows our revelation of God, limiting His activity in our lives to the boundaries of our struggles. Thus, many Christians never awakened spiritually to the deeper call of God, which is to attain the likeness of Christ. We are forgiven, healed and blessed, but we experience a ceiling on our spiritual growth. Regardless, the Spirit of God remains committed to our personal transformation. If we should awakened spiritually to the vision of Christlikeness, the attention of God will approach us in a unique and powerful way. Indeed, two things will occur: one, we will read the Scriptures with revelation; God's word will speak to us in a much deeper way as we discover the reason why we exist. The second reality that will unfold is this: our lives will begin to progressively face greater challenges. You see, we think that just having a sincere desire to be like Jesus is itself an attainment, and it is. But it is only a beginning. If we are serious about our transformation, God becomes serious in fulfilling our quest. He will place us in situations that are designed to kill our old nature, often compelling us to Christlikeness just to survive the battle. Consider the heroes you have studied in the Bible: each faced great conflicts before they reached certain spiritual levels, and they often experienced greater conflicts after they enjoyed important breakthroughs. Look at what Joseph experienced before he attained his destiny. Or consider what David had to conquer before he became king. God is not squeamish about testing our character. His goal is to create in us the very life of Jesus. Consider what Jesus faced at the Jordan River. First, He was empowered by the Holy Spirit. We would think this Spirit-empowering would launch Christ into His public ministry, but instead He is driven by the Spirit into the wilderness. Why? The Bible says, "to be tempted [or tested] by the devil." For forty days Jesus fasted and prayed. At the end of this time, we might expect a great spiritual breakthrough, but the opposite actually occurred. In fact, the first supernatural being who appeared to Jesus after His fast was not God, but the devil. Three times the character of Jesus was tested by Satan himself. Most of us are familiar with the story of Christ in the wilderness (Matt. 4:1-11), but remember: Jesus faced all three of these temptations without having eaten for forty days. In weakness, the tests grew more intense. And here is my point. If we are serious about personal transformation, we will soon realize that when we pass a test, life does not necessarily become easier. In fact, what occurs is that we soon graduate into something more difficult. And it is here, in the more difficult test, that our quest for Christlikeness is being answered. Perhaps you are facing conflict that seems beyond your understanding. You ask, "Why am I in this battle? What did I do to deserve this conflict?" It is possible that the whole reason for your increased warfare is that you prayed, sincerely, "Father, I want to be like Jesus." God took you seriously.
	3 Comments

MORE WHERE THAT CAME FROM

Feb 11, 2008 12:50 pm
Mood: worried, 281 Views

This is getting really old.

If you look carefully at the snowband, and can tell the cities, I live in Cedar Rapids, and I work in Iowa City. You can see what is in between, and I'll be leaving for work in a few moments. Still no snow tires on my car. We got a big list of cancelations, but my place of employment is NOT among them. They need to cancel winter.

Pray for me please!!

And the next time you hear someone cry about global warming, send them to Iowa.

2 Comments

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