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Showing posts from 2011

The True Church

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Being a member of the former World Wide Church of God, we would frequently refer to our church as "the true church".  And truly I believed I found the "true church" of God. This was an organization was extremely legalistic by standards. They imposed all sorts of rules and regulations, you'd be hard pressed to find the Good Book. Nevertheless, I felt then, it was worth it, as it was the "true church" after all. Back then, all other churches were "false", and the haughtiness we carried amongst ourselves, and neatly folded doctrinal materials, justified our judgmental behavior as we were true members.  I'd laugh looking back from where I stand now, except it's unfunny. Looking back, I see a sad, desperate, situation. A group of folks with severe self-esteem issues grasping at any resemblance of self-importance. Severe self-esteem issues, I say because it showed a true lack of understanding of God's grace and Christ'

Walking in His Waterprints

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Okay, now this is funny. Looking at my stats for this blog a month ago, I noticed I was getting some traffic from a porn site. Yes, that's right...porn. Well, I thought, my outreach is heading in the right direction and paid it no nevermind. A month later, I was contacted by a webmaster requesting a link exchange. The webmaster believed that my blog would fit perfectly into their "collection of quality links" on their site. In hindsight, his insistence that the email was not spam should have been my first clue that this request was not your typical link exchange request. Nevertheless, I clicked on the link and was bombarded with pictures of a woman displaying her ta-tas. My blog is a perfect fit for a porn site?! I was offended! The more I thought of it the more I realized that quite possibly, the webmaster may have taken my "no judgment/no hypocrisy" message a bit too far. So, I had to laugh. Let me state, while free will exists, I will not contribut

Medicine & Idolatry

I received a tweet from @CoconutHealth yesterday and was riveted by their post: Medicine: Idolatry in the Twenty First Century http://bit.ly/e8cUZO Very rarely do I refer or endorse other scriptural material, but I am in agreement with the content in this article. I encourage you to read the article in full as it compares America’s love affair for prescription drugs to idolatry. It makes fascinating and thought-provoking points and comparisons. Here is an excerpt: “Are things any different today in terms of idolatry? It has taken on a different form, but it is in essence the same thing it has always been – trust in idols rather than God to supply our needs and desires. Modern-day culture has changed dramatically since the theory of Darwinian evolution came on the scene and dominated academics in western culture, so that today the physical world is exalted above all other realities. The spiritual world is either denied or ignored. Hence, creation of physical idols is very uncom

Can You See Him?

The beauty of raising seven children is the variety of characteristics that grace our home. There is no shortage of creativity. I absolutely love the fact that these seven babes display a rainforest of personalities, exotic and unique, come from the same people. What an Artist we have in the Lord! And like a rainforest, people populate the earth, all with talents, skills and thoughts, some unique, others not so unique, but all glorify the Creative Artist in Him. Being a member of the WWCG long ago, there was a limit on uniqueness. There was no vision of creativity. Blacks and whites were not allowed to mix. Marriages that didn’t fit certain criteria were to be separated. Women were only allowed to wear specific items of clothing, devoid of makeup and allowed to work only at certain jobs. Having come from this background, there’s no wonder why I’m sensitive to any hint of mainstream conform. Many religious organizations are full of, if not mandatory, then pressured, conformity of gr

The Mouth Speaks

I cannot count the number of times a Christian has used the "Body is a temple" example to justify legalistic measures or judgmental condemnation against behaviors such as smoking, drinking and sex. Yet these same people who proclaim to be holy in body are the first to blurt out "OH My God!" at the most inane and simplistic things. A proclamation that clearly uses the Lord's name quite vainly. How can such a temple speak faithless things? These same people, zealous for what they believe to be true evangelism preach this example of guilt, will in a second, wring their hands quite worrisome when their next meal is in question. How can such a temple speak faithless things? Expressions of doubt of one's salvation. Worries about food, clothing and shelter are common sentiments I have heard from Christians who chastise others who do "physical" wrongs, yet they doubt the security that comes with Christ's blood, going against the very fabric of why

Armstrongism Still Going Strong

Here's an interesting website called BatteredSheep.com that talks about Armstrongism . Here's a portion of what is talked about on the site: It is astonishing that many still bow at the feet of the deceased Herbert W. Armstrong as if he were God himself. There are websites by ex-members of the Worldwide Church of God, that have a great deal to say about their experiences within this modern day church organization. Some such websites are:  The Painful Truth ,  Exit & Support Network , and there are many websites about the Worldwide Church of God on the Internet. There are innumerable personal stories by ex-members of this authoritarian hierarchy and tragically some ex-members are now "atheists", while some over the years have committed suicide. Others have fanned out into many different church organizations, while others no longer attend church, and others are members of various splinter groups. Herbert W. Armstrong still has many followers, including splinter

Creatures of Nature

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Redwood Trees Volcanoes are amazing creatures of nature. They are formed from the dust of the earth to expel the hottest substances known to man. Creatures of geology, they fascinate scientists and laymen alike. The most famous, extinct, volcanic crater is the Diamond Head, located in Honolulu , Hawaii. An unquestionable, landmark it takes a breathtaking landscape and makes it extreme in it's beauty...marry it to the ocean of Honolulu and you have the perfect marriage of land and water. Undoubtedly, the Redwood Trees are creatures of nature in divinity for infinity. They speak of a majestic God. Confident in His ability to create, unafraid to demonstrate the in the simplest fashion the power of his thoughts. Old Faithful Perfectly named, Old Faithful is a nature creature. A cone geyser in Yellowstone National Park of Wyoming that spews thermal water filled with complexity of minerals and dissolved gases. It has fascinated the minds of mathematicians and scientists. A

The Golden Calf

I'm afraid a dangerous practice that has long been in place has taken a hold and has had a dramatic effect on those who profess/confess Christ Jesus and Him, crucified. The practice of reading, studying and interpreting the Word of the Holy God out of it's original context has implemented the start of many denominations, false doctrines, teachings, followings and teachers. But those who do subscribe to sound doctrine and who proclaim the Word of God inerrant and consistent, also fall prey to this practice. Add to the fact that we live in a time where there are translations galore. Translations of every sort that promise "easy" Bible readings, catering to the understanding of the student as opposed to the student catering to the understanding of the Word. Proverbs 2:1-5 This practice has been devastating. It has devastated the integrity, the wholesomeness of the Word as we use stand alone scriptures to "rebuke" ,"reprove" and support a theology

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year everyone! Wishing blessings & accomplishments your way!