The Emergent "Conversation"

From Why We're Not Emergent (By Two Guys Who Should Be):

"The 'we're just in conversation' mantra can become a shtick whereby emergent leaders are easy to listen to and impossible to pin down. It's one thing for a high school student to be in process with his theology. It's another thing for adults who write books and speak around the world about their musings and misgivings. I agree that there must be space for Christians to ask hard questions and explore the tensions in faith, but I seriously question that this space should be hugely public where hundreds of thousands of men and women are eagerly awaiting the next book or blog or podcast arising from your faith journey. No matter what new label you put on it, once you start selling thousands of books, speaking all over the country and world, and being looked to for spiritual and ecclesiastical direction, you're no longer just a conversation partner. You are a leader and teacher."

James 3:1 - "Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness."

And Deliver Us From Sin's Consequences

Being the father of two daughters is a beautiful thing. Having a son is incredible as well - but something about daughters REALLY seems to bring the protective part of dad out. That protective part came out a little bit today. I guess it's no longer possible to take one's daughter to the doctor for a routine physical without them wanting to "talk privately" with your child - which happened with my 14 year old today where she was asked among other things: "Do you like boys or girls?" "Are you sexually active."

While I realize those questions are born of a perverse and morally bankrupt culture - they were asked of my daughter because we declined the HPV vaccine for cervical cancer that they are trying to give all girls age 9-14 today. (Typically this shot is given in anticipation that the young lady will be sexually active with multiple partners before marriage - that's basically what leads to cervical cancer). What's the big deal with getting the shot you ask?

When you treat young people like animals that have no control over their urges - that's exactly what you are going to get. I remind my kids all the time that God gave them a brain - make sure you use it.

Our culture, meanwhile, is doing its best to protect itself from the high price of sin - but they have forgotten that there is no inoculation for your conscience. Some schools refuse to teach abstinence (however abstinence taught without some of the why, why and why behind it loses it's power) and when they do it's alongside of the "be careful" curriculum which is an absolute joke. The lack of high moral standards for our children seems to encourage them to go ahead and 'drive the car' - and by the way, here's the keys - just be careful.

On the CBS news site I found an article with the following: "Some health officials had girded themselves for arguments from religious conservatives and others that vaccinating youngsters against the sexually transmitted virus might make them more likely to have sex. But the controversy never materialized in the panel's public meetings. "

Interesting. They 'girded themselves' for a debate that never came. How sad. Where is the church on this issue of sexual purity? Better yet - where are Bible believing born-again Christians on this issue? It would seem that too many professing believers have been sucked into the cultural black hole that wants to enjoy its sin and then be protected from the consequences of the sin. Jesus taught us to pray "deliver us from evil", not "deliver us from the consequences of evil as we compromise with it".

Parenting teens is hard work and I completely understand that sometimes good kids mess up. But I'm convinced that children well trained and raised to live the Word of God and serve Jesus Christ, and are taught DAILY that there is nothing more important in their entire lives than serving Jesus Christ - will indeed more often than not make the right decisions in these areas.

Any other Christian parents feeling this today?

Why Nationalized Health Care Is A Terrible Idea

Imagine needing a life saving surgery and having to wait over four months for it. That's the reality of life for our neighbors to the north (Canada) with their nationalized health care system. It's gotten so bad that people are suing for health care that they are paying for via their taxes - but not receiving.

From the article:

"Every day we're paying for health care, yet when we go to access it, it's just not there," said Pelton, in comments aimed at the government system her taxes pay for and is supposed to guarantee free care. "It's like somebody's telling you that you can buy this car, and you've paid for the car, but you can't have it right now."

Read the rest HERE.

Ouch

Today I'm sitting in my proverbial easy chair recovering from surgery that reattached my bicep tendon to the bone (That would be the distal tendon). I'm pretty sure I'm feeling the spot where the screw was drilled in my bone - thus I type painfully slow with one arm today.
I'm also pretty sure I'm officially retired from softball considering what it has cost me in two surgery's the past two years. When the enjoyment of playing is surpassed by the cost it's time to hang up the cleats (after seeing the doctor bills - I'm very sure of this).

If anyone has ever torn a bicep tendon - would love to hear about the recovery process.

Great Answer To Emergent 'Mystery' Credo

"Certain avant-garde evangelicals sometimes act as if the demise of certainty is a dramatic new intellectual development, rather than seeing it for what it actually is: an echo of the old unbelief. It is unbelief cloaked in a religious disguise and seeking legitimacy as if it were merely a humbler kind of faith. But it’s not faith at all. In reality, the contemporary refusal to regard any truth as sure and certain is the worst kind of infidelity. The church’s duty has always been to confront such skepticism and answer it by clearly proclaiming the truth God has revealed in His Word."

- John MacArthur (Emphasis mine)

Healing Evangelists Of The Past

Very interesting article on some of the great revivalists/evangelists of the past found HERE.

With all of the current ongoing talk about healing evangelists, this look at some from history who were used in the gift of healing, like John G. Lake, Smith Wigglesworth and others is quite interesting and informative.

El Salvador Miracle Season

(This report comes from A/G missionaries Don & Terri Triplett, missionaries to El Salvador. Honestly, these type reports are so common from our missionaries that sometimes we take them for granted - this isn't even all of the stories because of space considerations - but I thought I'd post these as a faith builder!)

Dear Family & Friends,

Jesus always calls a person, then He tells them to Go to a place, and when they obey and GO, then He shows up to do the Miraculous. During the summer, many young people come to El Salvador on AIM ministry teams, determined to see what God wants to do through their lives. Their FAITH is high, and after praying and practicing for months prior to arriving in El Salvador, they are ready for anything.

It is so wonderful to see the eyes of young people when they pray the sinner’s prayer with their first convert, or lay hands on a sick person, and they are healed instantaneously. Something just clicks inside them, and they are never the same again. Let me tell you some of their stories to build your faith!

"A large lump disappears..."

In one outreach, a lady came for prayer with a large lump in her breast that had been hemorrhaging, and the doctors had told her that she would need to have immediate surgery. While the team prayed for her, she sensed a burning sensation, so she ran to her house to check out what had happened. She came back testifying that she had been remarkably healed and both the lump and hemorrhage was completely gone.

"A women healed who could not walk..."

In another outreach a lady, not able to walk, was instantly healed and came to the team to show them that she was instantly healed and came to the team to show them what the Lord had done for her in the privacy of her own home, as the team prayed for those who had come forward for healing. She was so happy; she danced back and forth in front of the team to celebrate what God had.

"Speaking in tongues in English..."

The Holy Spirit has been Baptizing children and adults--without warning--on the streets as the teams pray under the anointing. One mom called Pastor Raul to ask him what he had done to her daughter who could not stop speaking in tongues in English as she prayed all over her house. She had been filled with the Holy Spirit, and nobody in her home knew what that was all about until Pastor Raul explained it to her from the Bible. In another community, several people were Baptized in the Holy Spirit suddenly while the Anointing flowed during a street meeting. The Holy Spirit brought them under conviction, and they began to repent of many things in their lives.

"Filled with the Holy Spirit..."

On a mission’s trip to the Miskito Indians of Nicaragua, a lady was baptized in the Holy Spirit when one of our pastors prayed for her to be healed, and she began to speak in tongues in Spanish (which she could not speak at all). All over El Salvador, children, youth and adults are being filled with the Holy Spirit. We have seen hundreds receive the Baptism in the Holy Spirit.

"Hernia instantly healed..."

A woman with a hernia was instantly healed and testified of the wonderful thing God had done for her.

"Man with shattered leg and pelvis healed..."

A man was hit by a van and drug under the van, breaking his leg and shattering his pelvis. He was told he would not be able to get out of bed for 6 months and that he needed to have pins and plates put into his hip and pelvis to hold it together to heal. He had no money, so he was sent home to heal in bed the best he could without treatment. He lay desperate in his bed, praying to God for a miracle. He came to church to testify that God had healed him, and to prove it he walked around with some crutches and sat through a 3 hours service--only 2 weeks after it happened! Now after 3 weeks, he has no use for the crutches, and he is walking around testifying everywhere about what God did for him.

"A tumor disappears..."

A lady’s womb was healed. As a mass disappeared, she was very grateful to God. Another lady with a large tumor on her head was healed, and the tumor disappeared.

"Women healed of tuberculosis..."

We celebrated a Big Day for Mom’s on May 18th with over 2,400 in attendance. Terri prayed with a lady who was diagnosed in the final stage Tuberculosis. Terri prayed a simple prayer of faith and anointed her with oil as the power of God began to flow with power to heal. The lady went home feeling better than she had in years, and to her joy, when she went to her doctors, they couldn’t believe their eyes as they read the new X-rays. She was completely healed of Tuberculosis and given brand new lungs. The doctors couldn’t believe what they were seeing, so they sent the X-rays to the Sanitarium for further analysis because they can’t figure out what happened. She has since been taken off all medication as she does not need to take anything.

"Healed of an incurable disease..."

A team leader came down from the USA with interstitial cystitis, and in constant pain. In fact, it is so painful that in the USA, it is the third highest cause of suicide from a disease. She believed the Lord had healed her before she came to El Salvador, yet she was up in the Prayer Fortress the night before she was to start her week of ministry, praying and wondering if she would have a relapse. As she prayed, she saw a vision of Jesus being drug to the Cross to suffer for her. The sight was unbearable, as she not only saw Him suffer in great detail, but as they were dragging Him away, He looked back at her and mouthed the words, “I Promise.” She then knew she was well and the disease would never bother her again. With complete liberty she worked up a sweat, day after day the entire week of ministry, with absolutely NO pain in her body.

Fish With Trish

If you enjoy listening to the Way of the Master radio show (I listen via podcast), then you are familiar with a segment they do called "Fish With Trish" - a live street witnessing encounter via phone interview with Todd Friel and Trish Ramos. HERE is her website which includes video taped segments of these interviews.

Man Sues Church Over 'Spiritual' Tumble

A man says he was so consumed by the spirit of God that he fell and hit his head while worshipping.

Now he wants Lakewind Church to pay $2.5 million for medical bills, lost income, and pain and suffering.

Read the rest HERE.

Lakeland Reprise

Good balanced article from Pastor John Lindell:

"Methodologies and styles can vary and frankly some make me uncomfortable. At the same time, there is a place for adopting the Apostle Paul’s attitude, “The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice.” (Philippians 1:15-18). This I know to be true – when people seek the Lord with all their heart they will find Him; when people call on the name of the Lord they will be saved; and when people hunger and thirst for righteousness they will be filled. Wherever these things are happening God will be faithful to His Word."

Read the rest HERE.

Homosexual Researchers In "Denial"

A West Coast psychologist believes pro-homosexual researchers are not being honest regarding children raised in homosexual homes.

Dr. Trayce Hansen took a close look at studies done by homosexuals in which they concluded that children suffer no adverse affects when raised by homosexuals. But she contends the studies prove there is harm.

Not a bit surprising. Read the rest of the story HERE.

A Fundamentalist Church? Please...

Fox news is reporting that a "Fundamentalist church" will be protesting and celebrating at the funeral of Army Spc. Megan L. Touma - the young lady found dead in a hotel room two weeks ago. They speak of Westboro Baptist church in Kansas - a group that has become infamous for picketing at soldiers funerals - and is a group that is neither a church nor fundamental, but rather a perverse group of cult-like members that call themselves a church.

These folks are about as despicable as they come. Sadly, this feeds the confusion of millions of Americans who will hear the word "fundamental" and lump Bible believing churches in with groups like this.

Waldorf And Statler

You might recognize these 'guys' and remember them from The Muppet Show years ago. These two characters, known as Waldorf and Statler, were the resident cynics on the show. While they were funny and entertaining - they were so because they constantly found fault and criticized everyone else on the show who was trying to do something worthwhile.

I agree with my friend Tim Enloe in his post HERE concerning the critical nature that many have concerning revival (any revival), as in, too many Waldorf's and Statler's. As I stated below concerning this topic, I want to be very careful in how I judge and assess various revival's. I certainly don't want to be Nadab or Abihu and run with strange fire, however and equally as bad - I definitely don't want to be the Pharisee who knew the Word, spent time praying, and yet completely missed the boat because they lacked intimacy with God and had basically become our two Muppet friends above.

Sadly there seems to be far too many within the Body of Christ that secretly root for churches, minister's or even revival's to fail and feel vindicated somehow when they do, merely because in their limited faith and understanding of God they don't believe God could "use someone like that", or "do something in that manner". I'm not endorsing craziness whatsoever - on the other hand I'm not endorsing those of the Pharisaical persuasion either.

There are certainly things in most every revival that can cause us to raise our eyebrows - that doesn't mean that God is not at work and as pointed out in Tim's post - there's never been a perfect revival in history.