My Response

I apologize for the length between post. It is just that when I received this comment, I wanted to make sure that I responded properly.

First I want to say that I am appalled at some of the comments that we made. They were truly a result of pure ignorance.

"Most people are quite happy with their lives." Really? By that I assume you mean the Upper middle class white people. It is estimated by the World Bank that 2.7 billion [bah bah bah "b" as in Billion or 2,700,000,000 people] live on less the 2 dollars a day. Are those people happy? That doesn't even include the people who are struggling with in the inter cities of the United States, or in the Appalachian region.

Or what about the people who struggle with drug problems, or sexual immorality, or eating disorders, or a broken home, or gambling problems, or living with an abusive spouse, or who were raped, or just can't seem to tell the truth, or who steal money from work, or I could go on and on. Are they happy? Really and truly happy? Granted I am sure they are filled with joy when they get get that fix from drugs, or when they win big in a hand of black jack, after losing 5 pounds because of not eating for 3 days...But eventually they are going to lose that high, or spend that money, or gain the weight back and depression will set in again.

Here is the real issue, The word "love" has lost its meaning.

What is Love? [baby don't hurt me, don't hurt me no more {insert sideways head banging motion}] Seriously what is "Love"? They said, "There is much secular love and happiness in this world. If our sales pitch for the faith is love and happiness, people won't give it a second thought." It sounds like there is "secular love" but since there is "secular love" people don't need Love from God. If we need to label them differently, Secular love and Love from God, then they must be different. Yet if you think that people wouldn't want God's Love because they already have secular love, then you must think that they are at least equal. Which is just plain wrong.
I just explained how secular love, no matter what the source is, who provides it, is flawed. It isn't eternal love, it will fade, go away, you will need that "next fix". God's love, on the other hand, is unconditional, never ending. No matter what you do, God will not love you any less. [we all know where that comes from]

I agree, sin will lead to death. But to get the solution, we must look at the problem.

It all starts in the beginning.

There was God, Adam, Eve, and a garden. God and Humans were together. Adam and Eve eat the fruit, they disobey God, God kicks them out of the garden. God and Humans are separated. There is a hole in Human's hearts. A hole once filled with God, yet due to sin, is now empty. Humans feel sad, lack joy. Humans try to fill it with anything they can find. Drugs, Sex, Money, Gambling, Lying, Cars, you name the sin, humans tried to fill that hole with it.

Now listen, this is important.

The. ONLY. Thing. That. Can. Fill. It. Is. The. Love. Of. God.

That's it. That is the only thing that can quench that thirst that causes us to sin.

That is why I spread the Love of God, and no matter what anyone says, will continue to do so.

A comment left on the site

This is a comment left in response to the "Todd Freil vs. Rob Bell" Post


"Just a warning not to throw the baby out with the bath water.

Jesus Christ and His love is the cure for our cursed world. Sin is a fatal sickness and requires God's love for healing.

A large problem with the modern church is that we are forcing the cure without explaning the sickness.

Imagine a doctor walking down the street with a big syringe. He's offering people a cure. People will think he's crazy or evil and walk right on by. However, if someone first explained that terrorists had attacked the city with biological germ warfare, people would be lining up for that shot.

It is a grave mistake not to tell people about God's love and the warmness of the message of Jesus, but it is most certainly also a big mistake to not tell people WHY they need the love. Most people are quite happy with their lives. If we wait for a death in their family, an emtional break up, bad grades, or other crisis to lead people to Christ they are going to think that our faith is nothing but a "feel good drug" that is supposed to make you happy all of the time and make bad things stop.

The wise man builds his house upon the rocks and the foolish upon sand. The most important message of that parable is that the rain and the storms come to both houses. Too often in America Christians are told that their faith exists just to make them happy.

I was "raised" Christian and believed in God my whole life. However, for the longest time I didn't actually understand the Gospel. I didn't know what I had been saved from. I didn't think that I was a sinner.

He who has been forgiven much, loves much.

There is much secular love and happiness in this world. If our sales pitch for the faith is love and happiness, people won't give it a second thought.

How many times do you hear the "that's good for you, but it's just not for me."

That's because people ARE happy and comfortable as they are without God. The WORD of God makes people uncomfortable and rattles them to true reptence and then true faith.

Reading the Bible shouldn't usually make us feel good about ourselves, it aught to be a call to action, it aught to rile our anger to our own sin, it aught to put a burden on our souls for the lost.

"Judge not lest ye be judged" is probably the most misquoted verse in the entire Bible. Please examine the context of the verse and the purpose of the passage. That verse teaches and warns against HYPOCRITICAL judgement. It's a call to be judged as well and not to seek self righteousness through judging, because we are often guilty of the same sin. The Bible tells us to judge, just never by our own standard (always use God's) and to judge ourselves first.

"The mouth of the righteous speaketh wisdom, and his tongue talketh of judgment." (Psa 37:30)

"With my lips have I declared all the judgments of thy mouth." (Psa 119:13)

"Open thy mouth, judge righteously, and plead the cause of the poor and needy." (Prov 31:9)

Jesus commended Simon, "Thou hast rightly judged." (Luke 7:43)

"Now, thou son of man, wilt thou judge, wilt thou judge the bloody city? yea, thou shalt show her all her abominations." (Ezek 22:2)

"But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man." (1 Cor 2:15)

"Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? and if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters?" (1 Cor 6:2)

"Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more things that pertain to this life?" (1 Cor 6:3)

Again, keep all of this in light of 1st Corinthians 13:
1 Corinthians 13

1 Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. 2 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.


How can you love someone who is on the path of destruction and not tell them that their sins are leading them unto death? If all you do is love them, they might think that you are approving of their sins. You might enable them. If someone you love is standing on a highway and is about to get hit by a truck you would have to warn them. Not warning someone of comming death is the same as not loving them."

My take on Frosty

So this time each year, the kiddies gather around the TV to watch those cheesy Chirstmas specials from the 1960's. It is a time honored tradition, one that I personally looked forward to for many years. One particualerly aways made me really said, and that was the original Frosty. This is where a little girl named Karen finds a hat of a magician, puts it on a snowman and he comes to life. Though soon the weather turns a bit warm and Frosty begins to melt. Plus the magician wants his hat back so Frosty and Karen decide to flee to the north pole. There the find out that Karen, being human and all, doesnt do to well with the cold weather. They find a green house filled with pionsettias though, and so they decide to warm up there. Against Karen's wishes, Frosty joins her in the green house. Not much later, the magician catches up with them and locks them in the green house, cause Frosty to die....how horrible is that. Granted, Santa comes and chases the magician away, and brings back Frosty with a gust of cold air. But death in a Christmas special? I guess we can say that it is symbolic and all. Frosty is Jesus and Santa is God..[because soon after Frosty comes back to life, he leaves saying, "I'll be back again someday..."] Who would of thought that Frosty could tell us about Jesus...

The Grandest Christmas Tree of Them All: Chapter 1- the legend

It was a brisk night, with that Jack Frost nip in the air. Once again, Little Timmy was forced by his parents to stay up way past his normally rigid 7pm bed time. Usually this would be met with much rejoicing from such an oppressed youngster, yet Little Timmy knew what would be in store for him this night. It has been the same for as long as he could remember. Every year his parents would get caught up in the Christmas wave that swept the nation, the search for the grandest Christmas tree of them all, Pinus Alba Magnifica. Legend has it that many many years ago, when Little Timmy's great-grandfather was only knee high to a grass hopper, a very wealthy man set out on a journey to decorate a Christmas Tree truly fit for that of a new born King. It is said that the silver and gold ornaments adorn every branch the 50 foot tree. The lights are said to contain for colors then that of the Crayola 467 pack. The thing of it is, the old man didn't tell anyone where the tree was to be placed for he was terribly scared that people would find it and ruin it. The Tree stood for many years without any one's knowledge. Then one Christmas Eve, when the man was on his death bed, with his dying breathes he told his only family, his younger brother, about the tree, and that all of his wealth was on the tree. Before he could reveal the location of the tree, he died. The brother quickly gathered a small party of friends to set out to search for the tree. Unsuccessful, they vowed to search every Christmas Eve until the tree had been found and the gold and silver had been recovered. Every year, the search party grew bigger and bigger, and spread out to cover more and more land, yet still no one had found it. Soon, the News caught wind of the Tree, and would run story after story of it. Though no one had ever seen the tree itself, the whole United States of America would participate in the search, in hope that the person or family to find the tree would be able to split the wealth between themselves, and live happily ever after. Little Timmy's parents were no different. They were not well off by any means. So every Christmas Eve, the whole family would crowd into the families beat up old PT Cruiser, that barely ran anymore, not that it ran well to begin with, and spend countless hours in pursuit of the Tree...


to be continued

Matthew Mondays

Today starts what hopefully will turn into a long and hallowed tradition, Matthew Mondays. From Hence forth, every Monday I will write on a passage from Matthew. Maybe I will go in order, maybe The Spirit will move me otherwise. I figure though why not talk about the best gospel [in my opinion atleast] on the worst day of the week.

Why not start at the Begining...

Matthew 1
It starts out kind of boring, or so it would have you think. It starts out with a family tree for Christ, which links him as a direct descendant of Abraham. Pretty neat. What is also important is that it fulfills on of the prophesies, in Isaiah 11:1 which talks about how "A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit." Notice how "Branch is capitalized....some foreshadowing perhaps? So that is why Matthew starts out how it does. Then we get into the very very very abbreviated story of the Birth of Christ. Though I would like to point out, that this particular telling of the story focuses a bit more on Joseph. Why is Joseph so important? Couldn't Mary just married someone else, or even do the whole single mother bit? Well Joseph, as stated in the first part of the chapter, is a direct descendant of David, so with no Joseph, no fulfilling of the Isaiah 11:1 prophesy...Kind of neat eh?

Todd Friel vs Rob Bell

For those who read [not skim, skimming gets you nowhere, it is like sinning and by skimming you make Baby Jesus cry....] this daily, you get quite the treat, two post in one day. We can say that this is a make up for the lack of a post yesterday. But in truth it is because I came across something on the internet that lite a fire in my belly. Now I have been on this Rob Bell kick as of late. I am been watching the Nooma videos, and reading his book. I would have to say I agree with his stance on probably 95% of what he says. Today I came across a video by this guy named Todd Friel. It was in response to the Nooma video "Bullhorn Guy", which ironically enough was the first taste of Rob Bell I had and what got me on this kick. In Rob Bell's video, he talks about the ineffectiveness of the fire and brimstone approach to Christianity. He goes on to talk about how Love is were it is. The video is on myspace, I urge you to view it if you haven't before continuing to read.

So then Todd Friel made a video response to "Bullhorn Guy" called, "A Bullhorn Response". Again this is on Myspace and go watch it before you continue to read. Now "A Bullhorn Response" talks about how we need to have that fire and brimstone in our lives. We need to talk about sin and hell. I don't mean to be bias, so this is why you need to watch the video first, and this is a direct quote, but Todd said in an almost mocking manner that "They think that Jesus is love, and since Jesus showed people love, we should show people love, and the last thing we should be doing is going around condemning people or converting people." Like I said, direct quote. Now initially I was going to write this about how we all need to be different because God made us different and that some people are Rob Bell people and some people are Todd Friel people. But after listening/watching it again to get that quote, it threw some gas on that fire in my belly. That think is out right offensive to me as a Christian. You know what the real funny thing is, two verses were quoted over and over again to back up Todd. Romans 7:7 which states, "But I can hear you say 'If the law code was as bad as all that, it is no better then sin itself.' That's certainly not true. the law code had a more perfectly legitimate function. Without its clear guidelines for right and wrong, moral behavior would mostly be guest work. Apart from the succinct surgical command, "You shall not covet," I could have dressed covetousness up to look like a virtue and ruined my life with it." Also they used Galatians 3:24 "The Law was like those Greek tutors, with which you are familiar, who escort children to school and protect them from danger or distraction, making sure the children will really get to the place they set out for." [both from The Message] First off, I would just like to point out who wrote both of those passages, Paul. Lets see what Christ has to say about all this stuff about condemnation vs. love stuff. Matthew 7:1 "Judge not, that ye be not judge." [KJV so the conservatives can understand] Matthew 22 37-40: "Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets." [Again in KJV] Say it with me folks, you know it, Christ always trumps Paul. Always. Forever and ever amen. And what did Christ say, Love don't condemn. Honestly I could care less what Rob Bell has to say. Christ says to love, so apparently Love is all you need...

[insert title here]

First off I would like to apologize for not getting a post up yesterday. I know how devastating that must have been. Yesterday was an interesting one of sorts. Have you ever been blamed for an entire generation of females dressing like "prostitutes"? After yesterday, I can finally answer yes to that question...

Anyway. So I read an interesting passage yesterday in the book "Velvet Elvis" by Rob Bell. I don't want to talk about it too much because, frankly, it is going to be my big Christmas present. A lot of my friends will be getting a copy [fingers crossed]. But it talked about the fact that all to often we have this perfect picture of who we should be as Christians. Then it talked about how we need to take that image out back and put a bullet in it's head...Killing our "Superwhatever". I think that is enough on that for right now.

Question: If you had to touch either Fergi or Madonna, first who would tough? Secondly what disease would you get?

I would like to get some response to this, so please send them to me....