Biblical Beginnings.

Manvotional: Faithfulness

2012-01-28T22:02:00.000-08:00

I rarely do this, but here is a reblog from artofmanliness.com

From Courage, 1894
By Charles Wagner

Steadfastness is the indispensable quality of every man who one day does not wish to be obliged to say: “I have wasted my life.”

A man should not incessantly change with every impression of the moment, but should remain steadfast when he has once determined upon what is right. Of what use are the flowers if they do not produce fruits, and of good ideas if they are not transmuted into deeds? We must encourage stability, habituate ourselves to remain constant, and when we are sure that we are right, must fortify ourselves against invasion. Do not let criticisms or attacks disturb you.

Nothing is so difficult as to remain faithful. At each step of the way outside influences are brought to bear upon us to make us deviate or retrograde. And if there were only difficulties from without, it would not matter so much; but there are those from within. Our dispositions vacillate. We promise one thing with the best intentions in the world; but when the time comes to keep it, everything is changed–the circumstances, men, ourselves; and what duty demands of us seems so different from what we had foreseen, that we hesitate. Those who will fulfill on a rainy day a promise which they have made on a sunny one, are few and far between.

And so we go on casting our hearts to the four winds, giving it and taking it back again, breaking with our past, separating ourselves from ourselves, so to speak. And when we look behind, we no longer recognize ourselves. We see ourselves in the days that are past as a stranger, or rather as several strangers.

There is nothing like a steadfast man, one in whom you can have confidence, one who is found at his post, who arrives punctually, and who can be trusted when you rely on him. He is worth his weight in gold. You can take your bearings from him, because he is sure to be where he ought to be, and nowhere else. The majority of individuals, on the contrary, are sure to be anywhere but where they ought to be. You have only to take them into your calculations to be deceived. Some of them are changeable from weakness of character; they cannot resist attacks, insinuations, and, above all, cannot remain faithful to a lost cause. A defeat in their eyes is a demonstration of the fact that their adversary was right and that they were wrong. When they see their side fail, instead of closing up the ranks, they go over to the enemy. These are the men who are always found on the winning side, and not in their hearts would be found the courageous device: Victrix causa diis placuit, sed victa Catoni.

A profound duplicity, a discrepancy between words and deeds, between appearance and reality, a sort of moral dilettantism which makes us according to the hour sincere or hypocritical, brave or cowardly, honest or unscrupulous–this is the disease which consumes us. What moral force can germinate and grow under these conditions? We must again become men who have only one principle, one word, one work, one love; in a word, men with a sense of duty. This is the source of power. And without this there is only the phantom of a man, the unstable sand, and hollow reed which bends beneath every breath. Be faithful; this is the changeless northern star which will guide you through the vicissitudes of life, through doubts and discouragements, and even mistakes.

Random Observations #2.

2012-01-26T20:31:00.000-08:00

So I have a bit of variety to bring to you today. Before I go on, I want to let you know up front that this is going to be basically a cry for the reinstatement in culture old-fashioned orders. Two common mistakes among Christians are (one) that because culture is wrong, to do the opposite of culture (we are at war with culture after all, right??) is to do the right thing, and (two) that past is automatically right. We can see the latter attitude in the idolization of past events, certain presidents, and founding fathers, among other things.

With those things said, I believe there has been a great deal of good that has come from living in our modern day, and do not want to discredit these.

First is an anecdote from a favorite book of mine, The Family.

"Of course there is no young man with one spark of the true honor of manliness in his breast who will not instinctively defend his sister, if she is insulted in the street. Neither is there any brother worthy of the name who will not defend the honor of his sister if vile tongues asperse it. But more than this is required of a loyal brother. He should make himself a wall about his sister to shield her from every evil and unholy influence. Every young man knows other young men; he knows their character, their habits, their good and evil qualities. He knows the young men whose lives are impure, who are licentious, who consort with harlots. He knows those who indulge in strong drink, those whose lives are stained with the filth of debauchery. Can he be a true brother and permit such a young man to be the companion of his pure and gentle sister? Can he allow her in the presence of her heart to accept the attentions of such a young man, to lean upon his arm, to look up into his face with trust? Can he allow her to give her soul's confidences to him? Can he see a friendship forming, strengthening, between his sister and such a young man and remain silent, uttering in her ear no voice of warning or protest, and yet be a loyal and faithful brother to her?"

This excerpt brings me to my next discovery. I believe I have found the ultimate in blogging experience. It is called the Art of Manliness. It is not an expressly Christian Blog, but with the background he comes from, his Christian roots are anything but undetectable. Anything from how to field dress a squirrel, to how to land a job interview to how to dress like a man, this is the go-to place for all things chivalrous and virile. Basically a call to real, quality manhood: the well-rounded, look, feel, act, and exude manliness in its most gentlemanly of forms. Here is a call for a 'menaissance' that I found to be at least encouraging.

A quick warning, I don't agree with this guy 100%, i.e. his touch on "homophobia," which I intend to speak on a later date. But I agree with his desire to pull out the best of the manliness of yesteryear, and leave the rest in the dust. Learn from the past.

Lastly, a friend of a friend. Great speech. She highlights the effects of abortion on women and the systematic attack on them from the day they are born.

So I hope to have highlighted the old-fashioned ideas of gender-equality, something in which the men and women knew who they were, and felt confident in their responsibilities. Maybe there was never such a perfect age, but we were far closer to it only one-hundred years ago. Perhaps it will not take more than that for the shift to come back around. We can only pray.

Semper Reformanda,
Josiah M Woltersdorf.

Bringing in Your Sheaves With Joy.

2012-01-23T10:46:00.000-08:00

Here is a song our church choir has picked out to sing. It is from Psalm 126:6. I am incredibly proud of it. And I like how they use a tambourine in it ;)

WARNING: Contents may be incredibly epic.

Enjoy.

Your browser does not support the audio element.

Download by right clicking here, and select "save as". If you have a one-button mac mouse or trackpad, hold down the control key near your space button while clicking.

If we go out with weeping,

carrying seeds to sow,

we shall come home with songs of joy,

bountiful harvest to show.

Great is the heart of Jehovah,

who yearns to supply all our needs.

Joy for our sorrow, transforming power,

these are the gifts we receive.

Do not envy the wicked,

who seem to rule the day.

Like the grass that withers,

they shall fade away.

Trust in the Lord and do good,

so you will dwell in the land.

Enjoy the peace and security

offered from God's hand.

Delight yourself in the Lord.

Take joy in all God's ways.

You shall be given the desires of your heart

and blessings all your days.

Commit yourself to the Lord,

trust Him in all that you are.

And He will make your righteousness shine

brighter than all the stars.

~Mark Hayes, Delight Yourself in the Lord (Buy the music by clicking on the Title)

Music from Praisegathering.com

I do not claim any copyright.

Come On, And Kiss Me Kate.

2012-01-22T12:00:00.000-08:00

PETRUCHIO

Katharina, I charge thee, tell these headstrong womenWhat duty they do owe their lords and husbands.

Widow

Come, come, you're mocking: we will have no telling.

PETRUCHIO

Come on, I say; and first begin with her.

Widow

She shall not.

PETRUCHIO

I say she shall: and first begin with her.

KATHARINA

Fie, fie! unknit that threatening unkind brow,
And dart not scornful glances from those eyes,
To wound thy lord, thy king, thy governor:
It blots thy beauty as frosts do bite the meads,
Confounds thy fame as whirlwinds shake fair buds,
And in no sense is meet or amiable.
A woman moved is like a fountain troubled,
Muddy, ill-seeming, thick, bereft of beauty;
And while it is so, none so dry or thirsty
Will deign to sip or touch one drop of it.
Thy husband is thy lord, thy life, thy keeper,
Thy head, thy sovereign; one that cares for thee,
And for thy maintenance commits his body
To painful labour both by sea and land,
To watch the night in storms, the day in cold,
Whilst thou liest warm at home, secure and safe;
And craves no other tribute at thy hands
But love, fair looks and true obedience;
Too little payment for so great a debt.
Such duty as the subject owes the prince
Even such a woman oweth to her husband;
And when she is froward, peevish, sullen, sour,
And not obedient to his honest will,
What is she but a foul contending rebel
And graceless traitor to her loving lord?
I am ashamed that women are so simple
To offer war where they should kneel for peace;
Or seek for rule, supremacy and sway,
When they are bound to serve, love and obey.
Why are our bodies soft and weak and smooth,
Unapt to toil and trouble in the world,
But that our soft conditions and our hearts
Should well agree with our external parts?
Come, come, you froward and unable worms!
My mind hath been as big as one of yours,
My heart as great, my reason haply more,
To bandy word for word and frown for frown;
But now I see our lances are but straws,
Our strength as weak, our weakness past compare,
That seeming to be most which we indeed least are.
Then vail your stomachs, for it is no boot,
And place your hands below your husband's foot:
In token of which duty, if he please,
My hand is ready; may it do him ease.

PETRUCHIO

Why, there's a wench! Come on, and kiss me, Kate.

~From Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew

Left & Right.

2012-01-21T21:39:00.000-08:00

I find both attractive. A clear headed man will always use all of his resources; his powers of creation and creativity in my opinion should always match or excel his powers of organization and logic.

To know who you are, while at the same time, being what you set your mind to, is the highest aim for a man in the use of his brain and all his faculties.

The Manure of Modern Culture.

2012-01-20T00:28:00.000-08:00

As I write this, I wonder what you all will think. Most of you are my friends, and I hope I may be heard as I write on a very sensitive subject. This is the subject of pornography, sexuality, and lust.

The old worn-out adage is that "sex sells." That it does, and that very well. It seems that we like living on the edge as people, trying to see what exactly we can get away with, like my cat, who enjoys being a pill while I search for things in the barn, constantly getting just enough in the way to perturb me. The point is that the reason 'sex sells' is that it is on the edge for us. It is risqué, bold, and gives us an adrenaline rush that would put the Great Flood to shame.

An important distinction that confuses many Christians today, is that they think sex is wrong. Under this, it becomes a matter of course that we believe all sorts of dangerous and needless laws. These include things like the prudish separation of men and women in every situation, which I am very familiar with. I personally see no law that disallows such activity, but I do see warnings to men and women. For great sexual insight, read Paul's Epistles to the Corinthians. I find the duty to tell my reader that a healthy sexuality is that which understands it properly in the proper context.

It is the cultural reactionary that we must be wary of. This is yet another lie from the devil that causes the culture to dictate the way we act. I. E. When the world is full of promiscuity and endless counts of fornication and adultery between men and women, the problem is automatically placed on the idea that men and women have too much contact. The easy answer in that case, is to separate said parties. But in the Bible, we see a Jesus that walks among the tax collectors, the beggars, the lepers, and the prostitutes. Is prudery excusable in a Bible where God made the universe? Think of all created order, and just for a second, think and remember how God has made those things which we think are disgusting. Now be a prude, and serve that God.

My point is not to live on the edge, but to remember that the edge is dangerous. God has warned us, that if we live there, it will only be worse for us. Remember Romans 1:24-25

I must write and speak that as I say these things, I am far from innocent. Lust and pornography have sadly been a part of my existence on this earth, in this flesh, and they eat at me. They deteriorate me. I feel more weakened when I write here, only to turn to a sin so repulsive, I should be ashamed to even show my face in public as a Christian. You may keep this in mind when I write of darkness and sadness more than usual, and you may be sure it is a drawback in my spiritual life due to an increased invigoration of my lust.

Therefore, from a few months of study as well as a recent Mars Hill Church online Event, I have decided to add a few links to my blog. I don't know why, but I feel a need to remind my reader that these websites are not me, and so I will not agree with them 100%. That's just the nature of things. Without any further ado, here are some great resources.

Click on the image to go to the free online book. You may also download it as a PDF

I also have just recently learned from Driscoll and his message of another website. If you struggle with lust, read all of these stories. They should break your heart.

Ex-adult model Stories of redemption

A good resource (but spendy: $60 a month subscription) is a program called Candeo Healthy Sexuality. This program takes a brain-science spin on the disease that is porn-addiction, and in my opinion is indispensable alongside John Owen's "Overcoming Sin & Temptation." I highly recommend the three-in-one edition by editors Kapic and Taylor; publisher: Crossway. Download the PDF

Porntopurity.com Very good. Just visit it.

Another good website on the dangers and truths of porn addiction is Fight The New Drug.

Lastly, here is a website that I honestly think likes to live on the edge as far as addressing this stuff goes, but it is good enough that I have derived very much good from it, is XXXChurch. It has resources for Men, Women, Teens, Parents, etc. and is very insightful.

I hope all of these things are important to you, as well as helpful. I want to make a last note that these dangers are not exclusive to men. Women seem to be left in the dust often when the important issues of sexuality come up, and sadly, that unjustly. So I want to make sure to let those of you who are women that read my blog explore these links if you need to. Remember that these are issues of sexuality, and remember that they are still dangerous. Not bad in any way, but dangerous nonetheless, and must be reviewed with caution and wisdom. Lots.

Avoid Makeup Religion.

2012-01-13T19:42:00.000-08:00

My Thoughts exactly. Willy Wonka beat me to the punch!

Not exactly a wrong video, but in my opinion, quite a hasty conclusion. The premise is that religion is evil. I will tell you right up front, religion is no evil. The basis of this ideology is that religion is empty and without Jesus, which was the problem with the Pharisee's theology to begin with. They did say DO, and they also said that those who do not DO are therefore condemned.

Jesus said himself that he did not come to dismantle the law, but to fulfill it. (Matthew 5:17) The law remains to every dot on an 'i' and every cross of a 't'. (Matthew 5:18)

Ritual, religion, and works are all very empty when they are pure forms, but you breath into ritual the life of believers, religion the zeal of love, and works the grace of our Saviour, you end up with a beautiful skin on a healthy body.

The love of Jesus, the Grace of Yahweh, and our zeal of love should drive us to obey all the forms and rituals of righteous living and obedience, and if they don't it is like a meth addict. The results aren't immediately visible, but soon enough, after the health of their bones is taken away, the results come out on the outside. Their eyes sink, their skin breaks out, and the religion of cosmetics comes out to hide it up.

So, I have no doubt that this man will grow in grace and the love of Jesus, but the video is misleading. The religion he refers to is that of emptiness and falsity. The fatal error comes from a lack of discerning what Religion is.

If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person's religion is worthless. Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.

James 1:26-27

I would like to see much more of this sort of thing happening. Instead of the people being obsessed in the religion of the government doing religion for them, I for one would like to see the people of God take a bit more initiative in the area of caring for the poor. There is a reason that America is the only country in which poverty creates obesity. It is because our welfare system is messed up.

The Cause was made for people like this. These ones, the weak in faith, and the poor in spirit, the povertous need Jesus, and what better way to feed them and clothe them, whether they realize it is from the church or not? That is one of the best things about helping a person, namely, that they never knew where it came from. It makes me happy.

So do, and do well. Run to receive the prize. Pray continually. (1 Thessalonians 5:17) Keep Jesus the reason. Spread the wealth. You don't need the government to do that for you. Jesus allows and even commands us to do it ourselves. It is not until true religion is practiced that we will see a great sunrise of faith in our nation.

Push my Button.

2012-01-12T23:50:00.000-08:00

Hello all. I have made a very cool blog button if you do that sort of thing. It looks like this:

You can get the button and code at the bottom of the page entitled, "The Cause."

Enjoy.

Random Observations.

2012-01-11T18:46:00.000-08:00

I know I'm not often random on the internet, but here goes. I, my sis, and a friend by the name of Ethan started a project. It is called the #hashtagbibleblog, and basically pioneered on a joke. What if we hash tagged the Bible? Well, we are messing around with it and experimenting, so keep that in mind. It is meant to be a fun new way to read scripture, and if you ask me, hashtags may help with scripture memory. I think this is the greatest advantage. You remember the most important words, and then BAM! the rest comes naturally.

Next, I am very excited to tell you all about the new commenting feature in Blogger. Threaded comments have now been made possible by the geeks in the 'Blogger' office. To you, my friends, I offer my sincerest thanks.

Basically how this works, is you comment, then another person can clearly respond to your comment by hitting the reply button under the comment. It is great!

Lastly, I picked up another book, which will definitely spark some thoughts here. After reading the prefaces and introduction, the topic makes me nervous though, itdefinitely dangerous. The book is The Federal Vision and Covenant Theology: A Comparative Analysis, by Guy Prentiss Waters.

I also wanted to share some thoughts on a pretty touchy topic. I was listening to Lars Larson (a local radio talk show host) and he said something that struck me. The essence of it was that to discriminate a presidential candidate based on their religion was both unconstitutional and un-American. My answer: maybe, but since when are Christians concerned primarily with being Christian?

To have a Muslim radical in the White House would definitely be grounds for many many people, and not just Christians, to dismiss his eligibility as president. The reason being, the motivation behind the man's actions would assuredly reflect his theology. Everyone has a theology at the basis of his worldview, and his opinions on this topic will influence his actions in everything he does.

For Larson to call Christians bigots on the idea that they would reject a Mormon president in my opinion is very un-Christian of him, and that is far more important than being American. since when were we first and foremost Americans? Since when was America greater than God?

I like Larson, but every once in a while, he says some things that get my goat. This is one of them. It is fully proper and fitting that we as Christians seek to be led by a first and foremost Christian man. Not a perfect man, but a man like David. A man after God's own heart. Can a man who worships a false god be after His own heart?

Dry Thoughts From a Tired Mind.

2012-01-09T21:31:00.000-08:00

Since we began Hebrews in family worship time yesterday, I wanted to give you a few thoughts on my interpretation of Hebrews 2, which we will be reading tomorrow morning.

Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it. For since the message declared by angels proved to be reliable, and every transgression or disobedience received a just retribution, how shall we neglect such a great salvation? It was declared at first by the Lord, and it was attested to us by those who heard, while God also bore witness by signs and wonders and various miracles andd by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will.

Now it was not to angels that God subjected the world to come, of which we are speaking. It has been testified somewhere,

'What is man, that you are mindful of him,
or the son of man, that you care for him?
You made him for a little while lower than the angels;
you have crowned him with glory and honor
putting everything in subjection under his feet.'

Now in putting everything in subjection to him, he left nothing outside his control. At present, we do not yet see everything in subjection to him. But we see him who for a little while was made lower than the angels, namely Jesus, crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.
Hebrews 2:1-9

The great beauty of this passage is the great structure of it. We are called first of all to "pay attention" to what we have heard, and not without reason. He continues in order to tell us of the reason of our awareness. We have been blasted in the face by the truth! It is as if God smacks His people in the face, and says to us, "Now you have no reason to not believe in me! I have given you signs, and wonders, and angels and everything! Pay attention, wouldja?"

Now that He has our attention, the writer of Hebrews finds it useful to tell us our hope in Christ, and our duty within that reality. God has raised us up, to be even higher than the angels, which seems to have been higher than man for a little while, as ministers to men, which you may see in the relatively often occurrence of their presence in the Old days, before the Light came. But now we have gifts directly from the Holy Spirit, among those being glory and honor and subjection of the earth.

But if we are too hasty, we may find ourselves in that disgusting trap that says that Christianity offers full wallets and nice cars, and that we will be above reproach, wise, 'holy,' and invincible to sin. Christianity offers no such thing. It offers only a life of servitude. A hard life, a suppressed life, and a dangerous life. Christianity isn't for sissies. It is not all rainbows (though useful) and butterflies (though perfectly designed by Yahweh), and its end is pure bliss with our maker. Instantly, our glory and honor is that we carry the name of Jesus Christ, and our later glory and honor flows through this, and realizes it in ourselves, as we are made fully sanctified. Praise be to God.

Last, we see that nothing is left outside of God's control, and yet, there is a tension in the world which he allows, one that gives us some work to do. Calvin writes:

It is again asked, "Why does he say that we see not all things made subject to Christ?" The solution of this question you will find in that passage already quoted from Paul; in the first chapter of this Epistle we said a few things on the subject. As Christ carries on war continually with various enemies, it is doubtless evident that he has no quiet possession of his kingdom. He is not, however, under the necessity of waging war; but it happens through his will that his enemies are not to be subdued till the last day, in order that we may be tried and proved by fresh exercises.

I apologize for the dryness of this. Suggestions are welcome for spicing it up!

There's a Change in the Wind, Says I.

2012-01-05T19:18:00.001-08:00

I changed a few things on my blog. Please tell me if you like them, if you notice them, dislike them or otherwise. It included widening the post section. If it is too wide, please tell me. If I get enough complaints, I'll shrink it back down a bit.

And now for today's topic: Trinitarianism.

I have spent a few months now, focused on the reality of grief before joy, sorrow before happiness, and destruction before construction. We are made low, so that we may see Jesus be raised high, and, being in Him, therefore, be raised with Him. Now I wish to dwell on the subject of the Trinity. I do not wish to defend the topic, but I have written a pamphlet in defense of the doctrine, and will post it after some revision.

This doctrine is of supreme importance and relevance. The beauty of the Trinity is the idea of the one and the many. If you look for it, you can see how this is woven into all of created order. This is why anarchy is just as evil as tyranny; it is why biblical freedom is also a form of slavery*. This is why justice, mercy and humility (Micah 6:8) are all needed in the singular pursuit of holiness. This is why holiness is not of ourselves, nor is it of our will that we are saved by faith and that not of ourselves (Ephesians 2:8-9), yet "whosoever believes...will be saved." (John 3:16, of course)

*I wish to be clear, and I know that the word slavery has with it the worst connotations possible, due to the War between the States. I contend there is a biblical slavery, and it is only a matter of time before I delve into the subject. For now I will leave you with Titus 1:1: "Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, for the sake of the faith of God's elect and their knowledge of the truth, which accords with godliness"

I hope this post wasn't too boring, but I felt the need to post a little more something than just, "I changed my blog hope you liked it! Bye now!" If you didn't care, fine. It made me feel better! But, really, I hope you do like it. Tell me if you don't.

A parting gift, from J.C.Ryle's Holiness:

How should you know who are true Christians, if following Christ was the way to be free from trouble? How should we discern the wheat from the chaff, if it were not for the winnowing of trial? How should we know whether men served Christ for His own sake or from selfish motives, if His service brought health and wealth with it as a matter of course? The winds of winter soon show us which of the trees are evergreen and which are not. The storms of affliction and care are useful in the same way. They discover whose faith is real, and whose is nothing but profession and form.

How would the great work of sanctification go on in a man if he had no trial? Trouble is often the only fire which will burn away the dross that clings to our hearts. Trouble is the pruning-knife which the great Husbandman employs in order to make us fruitful in good works. The harvest of the Lord's field is seldom ripened by sunshine only. It must go through its days of wind, and rain, and storm.

If you desire to serve Christ and be saved, I intreat you to take the share of crosses and sorrows, and then you will not be surprised. For want of understanding this,many seem to run well for a season, and then turn back in disgust, and are cast away.

If you profess to be a child of God, leave to the Lord Jesus to sanctify you in His own way. Rest satisfied that He never makes any mistakes. Be sure that He does all things well. But fear not, "He is leading you by the right way, that He may bring you to a city of habitation" (Ps. 107:7).

T.R. Rex on Barbaric Virtues.

2012-01-04T17:57:00.000-08:00

On my journeys today, I found that I had a $25.00 Barnes & Noble gift card in my wallet. Bet you can't guess where I went after that! I successfully found two books and cannot wait to read them.

The First is Ladies of Liberty: The Women Who Shaped Our Nation, by Cokie Roberts. I found it to be interesting, because not much is said about the women who backed the founding fathers, and from what I have read already, she seems to be quite a good author.

Secondly, I found Theodore Roosevelt's History of the United States: His Own Words, Selected and arranged by Daniel Ruddy

T.R. Rex is such a boss.

And an excerpt will be all you need to like this book:

One of the prime dangers of civilization has always been its tendency to cause the loss of virile fighting virtues, of the fighting edge. When men get too comfortable and lead too luxurious lives, there is always a danger lest the softness eat like an acid into their manliness of fiber. The barbarian, because of the very conditions of his life, is forced to keep and develop certain hardy qualities which the man of civilization tends to lose. Unless we keep the barbarian virtues, gaining the civilized ones will be of little avail. Oversentimentality, over-softness, washiness, and mushiness are the great dangers of this age and of this people.

Peace is not the end. Righteousness is the end. When the Savior saw the money-changers in the Temple he broke the peace by driving them out. At that moment peace could have been obtained readily enough by the simple process of keeping quiet in the presence of wrong. But instead of preserving the peace at the expense of righteousness, the Savior armed himself with a scourge of chords and drove the money changers from the temple.

I do not want to see Christianity professed only by weaklings. I want to see it a moving spirit among men of strength. The non-resistance of the Christians in Quo Vadis made me so angry! The non-resistance of good people always does. Christianity was saved in Europe solely because the peoples of Europe fought. If the peoples of Europe in the seventh and eighth centuries, and on up to and including the seventeenth century, had not possessed a military equality with and gradually a growing superiority over, the Mohammedans who invaded Europe, Europe would be at this moment Mohammedan, and and the Christian religion would be exterminated. From the hammer of Charles Martel to the sword of Sobieski, Christianity owed its safety in Europe to the fact that it was able to show that it could and would fight as well as the Mohammedan agressor.

Does militant Christianity scare you? It shouldn't, if you are Christ's. We wage a war of a different kind. We defend our faith with swords only when necessary. Some things seem too strange or cruel to make sense. No sense in the Bible, nor in the real world, but that never has stopped them from their being true. Facts are facts. Cruelty is cruelty, but thank God that we have a new weapon, the weapon that kills the sin, plucks the root, instead of ignore, leave out, and turn away the sinner. We have been given a weapon that will crush the hearts of the cruelest tyrants. God has given his people grace. He has given His son the kingdom which is the earth and heaven, and He rules it.

I pray that you be courageous. Fear God. & Fear Nought.

Thus Ends Discourse with the Trolls.

2012-01-03T19:58:00.000-08:00

I know that it is easy to deny all plain teaching about hell, and to make it odious by invidious names. I have often heard of "narrow-minded views," and "old-fashioned notions," and "brimstone theology," and the like. I have often been told that "broad" views are wanted in the present day. I wish to be as broad as the Bible, neither less nor more. I say that he is the narrow-minded theologian, who pares down such parts of the Bible as the natural heart dislikes, and rejects any portion of the counsel of God.

God knows that I never speak of hell without pain and sorrow. I would gladly offer the salvation of the gospel to the very chief of sinners. I would willingly say to the vilest and most profligate of mankind on his deathbed, "Repent, and believe on Jesus, and thou shalt be saved."* But God forbid that I should ever keep back from mortal man that Scripture reveals a hell as well as heaven, and that the gospel teaches that men may be lost as well as saved. The watch-man who keeps silence, when he sees a fire, is guilty of gross neglect; the doctor who tells us we are getting well when we are dying is a false friend; and the minister who keeps back hell from his people in his sermon is neither a faithful nor a charitable man.
* Acts 16:31

From the chapter, "A Woman to be Remembered" in Holiness, by J. C. Ryle.

I write to you today, dear reader, to warn you of what I shall only refer to as trolls. If you do not know what I mean, I am glad for you, may you never find out. To the rest of you who have had bad experiences with these people, I wish to give you a few words of comfort, and instruction. No doubt they will read this and squabble amongst themselves, whether to roast me, or boil me slowly in a pot, but I say, let them squabble and may the dawn take them, and turn them all to stone!† That is what happens to trolls. In warning to them, that is what will happen to them who are unconverted on the great day of judgment.

To those of you who are hounded or "discussed" or squabbled over, I want to tell you a few things.

They are bullies. Bullies who are constantly anonymous, I may add. Due to their anonymity, they cannot be stood up to, or swayed by either words of the grace of God, or of the fear of God.

There are a lot of them, and they will, if entertained, waste a lot of your time, asking an endless stream of questions. Any attempt to end conversation will be considered "flouncing." Also, they seem to have nothing better to do than sit on the internet and pick on their more conservative counterparts.

They are, for the most part, reprobates. They have left their first religion. Many, I believe, for just reasons even: The empty holiness taught in many "fundy" (as they degradingly refer to quite a generalized group of Bible-believing Christians as) circles is a dangerous doctrine. Please remember that Holiness is attained through Jesus Christ. Any attempt to be holy on your own is hypocritical, if not futile. Jesus is the Way, not personal holiness.

You must have a firm grasp on reality. Know what your doctrines mean in the real world. Like J.C. Ryle wrote, "wish to be as broad as the Bible." If you do not know what they mean in the real world, avoid discussing it with any decidedness. Opinions change, and a reality of what is important, and what isn't is key in controlling what you write. The tongue is like a rudder on a boat. A small piece can turn a great machine. (James 3:4-5) Furthermore, never be afraid of an open mind. Search all facts. Christianity is true. There needs be no one more bold than the Christian when searching out the facts, because our religion is one in which truth is supreme. Beware of spin, but you need not fear it.

Do not whine, about them, please. They thrive on it. Take it like a man, what is not true cannot really hurt you. I counsel you in the words of my personal motto: Fear God. & Fear Nought.

Thus ends my discourse with the Trolls.

†In reference to J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit.

Ubgr; fi.

2012-01-01T19:54:00.000-08:00

During the New Year's day festivities, we smoked a turkey and upon carving it, found what appears to be an alien bone structure in its rear end. From what we can see, Winco Foods (which is an employee owned company) has been infiltrated by alien forces, masquerading as turkeys. I don't know what their motives are at this point, nor am I willing to attach any prematurely. I just wanted to post this as a warning against the further purchase and consumption of 'alien turkeys'.

Here are some pictures of the bone structure in the specimen we have smoked and partly carved.

My major concern is the 'coincidence' of this sighting in conjunction with the beginning of the year 2012, which has been predicted to be the end of the world, mainly due to the coinciding orbits of Earth and Planet 'x' aka Nibiru to the Ancient Assyrians. I am extremely concerned for the well being of my readers, and wish to warn them all to inspect carefully all of their food for similar alien bone structures, or anything else that may be out of place before eating.

I am not concerned with this particular specimen because we have thoroughly cooked and smoked it. I even tried some. Tasted like chicken. That was weird. I will update if any mutations or otherwise occur. Please be careful. I don't know the sdjrlgierub

uyg.

The Politics of Christmas.

2011-12-27T19:31:00.000-08:00

I really liked his clarity on the antithesis of the power structure that separates the Church and the rest of the world.

Sermon: The Politics of Christmas from Canon Wired on Vimeo.

Death the End? No Way.

2011-12-24T00:40:00.000-08:00

Well I am writing this on Christmas Adam, but by the time it is done, it will be Christmas Eve (ba-dum-dum).

We are all ready for our Christmas eve breakfast, which my gracious mother is going to cook for us and almost 40 guests. I am looking for to much bulging of walls in our mobile home tomorrow. We will be packed in, and bellying up like a million piranha surrounding a steak in a goldfish bowl. (sorry, it is late at night, and I know, my humor is stupid)

Since we are on the Eve of Christmas, I want to point out the beauty of the coming of the Messiah. To quote one of my favorite authors, Charles Haddon Spurgeon,

"Infinite, and an infant. Eternal, and yet born of a woman. Almighty, and yet hanging on a woman’s breast. Supporting a universe, and yet needing to be carried in a mother’s arms. King of angels, and yet the reputed son of Joseph. Heir of all things, and yet the carpenter’s despised son. Oh, the wonder of Christmas."

This is the celebration of a baby. A child. This child is the one who has cast out the dragon. I repeat, a child! This man's best plan was to die. And that is the beauty of it. The absurdity to our frail human minds has a hard time wrapping them around the idea that an end is not really an end. It is simply a beginning to a new reality, or, if you will, a continuing reality. So a death is actually a birth. It is a spring-pad for the soul. For one, death launches the soul into eternity, whether that is with or without God (that reminds me of a song. Never mind.) It is also a birth for a great many things here on earth. Think of all the great things that come from dying, decaying things.

Picture in your mind a dead carcass. It doesn't matter what kind of carcass you're picturing, but if you are unimaginative, I'll suggest a cow. So you have this carcass. It is probably on the ground (or buried in it), freshly dead. Now fast forward 2 days. The carcass is still there, but now it is full of life somehow. You start smelling it. That reeking odor? You don't think that comes from stuff that ceases to exist do you? Nay, that is not the smell of death. Billions of bacteria are now consuming that body, letting off foul smells that we like to call "death," and making the carcass quite a home for quite a few other creatures who will soon take up residence like a band of Slavs migrating into that apartment complex that was just built down the street (If they haven't already).

That carcass is now a home. A feast. A miniature celebration, soon to be writhing and flowing with guests, ever increasing in size. To quote my favorite philosopher lion, it is indeed a "circle of life."

Now we will have a feast tomorrow, we will think it a bit more refined (we are using plates, after all), but it will be writhing in guests just the same, and we will leave better fed than when we came, enjoying dead things that are really life-givers. So when you think of it, the fact that Jesus could do so much and conquer so greatly by dying actually fits in with the natural order of things. Death is a beautiful thing. There is only that surprising truth that death that is sad, but not depressing. It is victorious, yet it is never joyous. "Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted." (Matthew 5:4)

Grief always precedes joy. Why? I don't know. But it is a beautiful reality, that when we are low, Christ is brought high.

"When you lead me to the valley, it's there I see you in the heights. And though my humbling wouldn't be my decision, it's there your glory shines so bright. So let me learn that the cross precedes the crown, to be low is to be high, that the valley is where you make me more like Christ."

So enjoy your Christmas. Enjoy celebrating the birth of the Saviour Child. And make merry! Sing and celebrate!

P.S. And now, because I love Christmas music so much, a song from one of my favorite bands, U2, Happy Xmas (War Is Over). I really like the rawness of this performance. Please excuse the video quality.

Lastly, If you like Christmas carols, I suggest you turn some on. All Classical's Festival of Carols is going on through Christmas, and it is absolutely the most beautiful music you will ever hear.

And All That Nonsense.

2011-12-22T07:00:00.000-08:00

Handel's Messiah is simply one of those pieces that gripped me when I first heard it all the way through. It was at a sing-a-long Messiah event in Portland last year. The power of the music spoke to me like a sermon, pulling at my soul. It seemed to say, "God rules!" "You are loved!" and "Praise Him" in more ways than a simple oration could ever deliver. It spoke to my soul in the only way music can. I am definitely a huge fan of the LSO version of this.

Enya used to be a so-so artist in my opinion, just because her 'new age' style weirded me out a little. I learned to like her, and now this has become one of my favorite 'carols' at Christmastime.

The Civil Wars are new to me. I have fallen in love with their Americana style. "O Come O Come Emmanuel" has also been one of those hauntingly beautiful songs that I think has always been part of me. It has been part of me, like that one shade of black on the artist's easel, ever so important, and you would never know its effect until you removed it from the painting.

Jack Johnson has been a favorite ever since I found him, about 3 years ago. Just fun, laid back, music from the islands. Hawaii that is. Surf's up, brother!

Straight No Chaser? Just watch and learn. You'll like 'em... Comedic, A cappella group.

So there is a bunch of my favorite Christmas songs. A lighthearted post. Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, enjoy the music, and all that nonsense.

A Baal on Top.

2011-12-21T00:48:00.000-08:00

A Blog by Benjamin Berkompas, which I link to from here has brought to my attention the predictable state of the modern church, concerning whether to celebrate Christmas or celebrate the (Holy) Sabbath (Deuteronomy 5:12-14). As if the two were mutually exclusive! He wrote:

I can't decide whether to laugh or cry.

But some churches aren't treating this lightly. This is serious business for them. After all, they have to consider how best to use their staff and volunteer resources, as Cally Parkinson, a spokeswoman for Willow Creek Community Church, said back in 2005 when faced with this "dilemma."
"If our target and our mission is to reach the unchurched, basically the people who don't go to church, how likely is it that they'll be going to church on Christmas morning?" she said. (quoted from USA Today)

I have a question.

WHY?

There is an holy God in Heaven, and now we are plagued with the decision of whether to worship Him, God Almighty, the King of Kings, the Cosmic Christ, The Beginning and the End, or to spend it opening our gifts at home! Those of you who believe in and worship gifts and giving instead of the power of Yahweh, don't even waste your time trying to justify it.

I'll be frank. This really fries me. The Lord God Sabaoth rules, and you wonder whether it would more prudent to celebrate the "spirit of Christmas" when a man ought to worry about celebrating the awesome power of the Spirit of God. What better way to spend Christmas than in His presence, with His church, in His peace. Celebrate His Son. The answer to prophecy, and the consummation of history.

It just doesn't make sense. Why don't you just put a Baal on top of your tree while you're at it?

The crowning jewel of the "Jones'" Christmas Tree this year.

Benjamin wrote further,

Thinking about this prompted me to ask myself some questions:

1) What exactly am I celebrating here? Am I truly celebrating Christ and what He has done? Or has "the season" become an idol?

2) Do my actions line up? Am I more eager to give or to receive? What did Christ model for me?

3) How can I spread the light of the Gospel this time of year? Is it not a golden opportunity for us to share what Christ has done?

4) How often will I think about or give thanks for Christ's incarnation throughout the rest of the year? Is it possible that I've allowed the Christmas season to become the only time I consider Christ's birth?

I concur with my friend... Read his questions, and if you have the wrong attitude, turn from it, and celebrate the true meaning of Christmas. (Psalm 119:9; John 1:14)

A Labour in Vain.

2011-12-17T18:20:00.000-08:00

"Let me, in the last place, offer a word of advice to all who desire to be holy. Would you be holy? Would you become a new creature?

"Then you must begin with Christ. You will do just nothing at all, and make no progress till you feel your sin and weakness, and flee to Him. He is the root and beginning of all holiness, and the way to be holy is to come to Him by faith and be joined to Him. Christ is not wisdom and righteousness only to His people, but sanctification also. Men sometimes try to make themselves holy first of all, and sad work they make of it. They toil and labour, and turn over many new leaves, and make many changes, and yet, like the woman with the issue of blood, before she came to Christ, they feel "nothing bettered, but rather worse" (Mark 5:26) They run in vain, and labour in vain; and little wonder, for they are beginning at the wrong end. They are building a wall of sand; their work runs down as fast as they throw it up. They are baling water out of a leaky vessel: the leak gains on them, not they on the leak. Other foundation of "holiness" can no man lay that that which Paul laid, even Christ Jesus. Without Christ we "can do nothing" (John 15:5). It is a strong but true saying of of Traill's, "Wisdom out of* Christ is damning folly; righteousness out of Christ is guilt and condemnation; sanctification out of Christ is filth and sin; redemption out of Christ is bondage and slavery.

"Do you want to attain holiness? Do you feel this day a real hearty desire to be holy? Would you be a partaker of the divine nature? Then go to Christ. Wait for nothing. Wait for nobody. Linger not. Think not to make yourself ready. Go and say to Him, in the words of that beautiful hymn,

Nothing in my hand I bring,
Simply to Thy cross I cling;
Naked, flee to Thee for dress;
Helpless, Look to Thee for grace."

~ J.C. Ryle, Holiness: Its Nature, Hindrances, Difficulties, and Roots

*"Out of" in that day also meant 'apart from', or 'out from'.

All flesh fades.

2011-12-12T18:29:00.000-08:00

Comfort, comfort my people, says your God.
Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her that her warfare is ended,
that her iniquity is pardoned, that she has received from the LORD's hand double for all her sins.

A voice cries: “In the wilderness prepare the way of the LORD; make straight in the desert a highway for our God.
Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low; the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places a plain.
And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together,
for the mouth of the LORD has spoken.”

"...And I said, 'What shall I cry?'"

A voice says, “Cry!”
And I said, “What shall I cry?”
All flesh is grass, and all its beauty is like the flower of the field.
The grass withers, the flower fades when the breath of the LORD blows on it;
surely the people are grass.
The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever.(Isaiah 40:1-8 ESV)

On Romance.

2011-12-10T22:00:00.001-08:00

Who is that coming up from the wilderness, leaning on her beloved?

Under the apple tree I awakened you.
There your mother was in labor with you; there she who bore you was in labor.

Set me as a seal upon your heart, as a seal upon your arm, for love is strong as death, jealousy is fierce as the grave.
Its flashes are flashes of fire, the very flame of the LORD.
Many waters cannot quench love, neither can floods drown it.
If a man offered for love all the wealth of his house, he would be utterly despised.
(Song of Solomon 8:5-7 ESV)

This is one of my absolute favorite passages in the Bible. You think it a strange choice to be from theSong of Solomon? Well I will tell you right now, if we are not 100% clear, I do not believe the Bible to be a prudish document. Song of Solomon is in it. It also happens to be one of my favorite books of the Bible. Before I begin, I find disgusting the sort of eyebrow-raising the Word of God receives where this book is concerned.

Do you want to know how Christ loves you? Read Song of Solomon. Do you wish to know how to love your wife? Definitely read Song of Solomon. Paul says for husbands to love their wives as Christ loves the church. (look it up: Ephesians 5:25)

Leaning on her Beloved.

How can we love our wives? How can we love the girl who we would marry? Song of Solomon holds certain keys for us to apply sacrificial love between men and women. Notice the first verse: we are given a picture of the 'Shulamite' coming with her beloved, leaning upon him, and trusting him. Notice again, they are coming up from the wilderness, out of the darkness, he is leading her into a garden, bringing her from her sin, protecting her by simply giving her his arm. Her trust in her beloved alone is enough to protect her from the evils in the wilderness behind them.

Second, we are given the picture of the apple tree. We (as humanity) have been brought from our first parents' garden, out from the tree, and now have wandered a wilderness, in the task of taming it, as well as our own sin in it. Jesus is bringing us back into the garden. Back to the tree. We are back into communion with God, because He has chosen to love us, through our backbiting. True love is redemptive love. It sustains regeneration, dies for our justification, and lends to our sanctification. Let me expound.

It sustains regeneration. True love (a picture of God's love for us) keeps us alive and encourages our continual active pursuit of the relationship. Through the Holy Spirit, we are constantly reminded of God's true love for us, and we respond in trust. We lean upon our Beloved. We can do this in our personal relationships: The married man can guide, his wife can support and trust. On a less romantic level, we can practice this with all fellow humanity. We lead our friends out of their wildernesses into the garden which Christ has provided, and you can watch as those who fulfill this purpose are leading their friend, as he leans upon him into the covenant garden of Jesus. The ongoing love of Jesus Christ for us assures that none of His own will be lost. (John 10)

Dies for our justification. Do you wish to be a true friend? No truer words were ever spoken than those by our Saviour in John 15:13. I want you to linger for a moment on the meaning of the statement.

Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.

We do not have the chance to die everyday. Those who do I commend, and with sorrow and joy, I truly thank. Generally we do not have to worry about dying for or in the place of our friends, however, and I wish to say a word or two about that. Notice the words, "...lay down his life..." in this is not meant actual death, but the laying down of life. See a friend. Help him. Care for him. Love him. You do everything in your life to give to others. Are you trying to please yourself? Do you have trouble with pleasing your flesh? You are distorting what God has put in you. Stop. Realize your sin. Notice your brother. The clock marches on, and you would please yourself, and not worry for your neighbor? He has a life too. He has dreams. Learn them. He has loves. Love them. Your sister worries. Worry them. She rejoices. Rejoice with her. Doing so will build our brother up. We cannot justify our neighbor, but by living like Christ, we are better images of His perfect love, which does justify us.

Lastly, It lends to our sanctification. The more we help our brother. Love him, and build our sisters up, the deeper our sanctification becomes. We are made holy like Jesus through His love. Love from a pure heart. Remember that your purest love, your greatest righteousness is as filthy rags, as bloody menstrual cloth. It is ok. God will work through it. He is great, and His ways are not our ways. He uses our love, and the love of others to sanctify us. This is truly the great work of the Holy Spirit. We are being made more and more like God's image, day by day. He is making us holy. "Love one another as I have loved you." (John 13:34-35)

Now, pay special attention to the ending.

Set me as a seal upon your heart, as a seal upon your arm, for love is strong as death, jealousy is fierce as the grave.
Its flashes are flashes of fire, the very flame of the LORD.
Many waters cannot quench love, neither can floods drown it.
If a man offered for love all the wealth of his house, he would be utterly despised.

Here is our beautiful promise. We are promised this love, even to death. We are promised love that makes the visions of Ezekiel pale in comparison, in fact, this great love, this 'flame of Yahweh' is the very glory of God. It is this love which makes us fall on our faces, in awe, not in fear of torment, but in fear of our unworthiness for such attention from the perfect Creator of the universe. He, who holds the heart of a king in his hand. (Proverbs 21:1) We are indeed despised for our attempts to do the right thing, or give the right amount of money or be the right kind of person to earn God's love. This man is despised, but Yahweh loves him regardless.

Bad things Happen.

2011-12-07T21:23:00.001-08:00

A good name is better than precious ointment,

and the day of death than the day of birth.

It is better to go to the house of mourning

than to go to the house of feasting,

for this is the end of all mankindadness,

and the living will lay it to heart.

Sorrow is better than laughter,

for by sadness of face the heart is made glad.
The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning,

but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth.

It is better for a man to hear the rebuke of the wise

than to hear the song of fools.

For as the crackling of thorns under a pot,

so is the laughter of the fools;

this also is vanity.

Surely oppression drives the wise into madness,

and a bribe corrupts the heart.

Better is the end of a thing than its beginning,

and the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit.

Be not quick in your spirit to become angry,

for anger lodges in the heart of fools.

Say not, “Why were the former days better than these?”
For it is not from wisdom that you ask this.

Wisdom is good with an inheritance, an advantage to those who see the sun.

For the protection of wisdom is like the protection of money, and the advantage of knowledge is that wisdom preserves the life of him who has it.

Consider the work of God: who can make straight what he has made crooked?

In the day of prosperity be joyful, and in the day of adversity consider: God has made the one as well as the other, so that man may not find out anything that will be after him.

In my vain life I have seen everything. There is a righteous man who perishes in his righteousness, and there is a wicked man who prolongs his life in his evildoing. Be not overly righteous, and do not make yourself too wise. Why should you destroy yourself? Be not overly wicked, neither be a fool. Why should you die before your time? It is good that you should take hold of this, and from that withhold not your hand, for the one who fears God shall come out from both of them.

Wisdom gives strength to the wise man more than ten rulers who are in a city.

Surely there is not a righteous man on earth who does good and never sins.

Do not take to heart all the things that people say, lest you hear your servant cursing you. Your heart knows that many times you yourself have cursed others.

All this I have tested by wisdom. I said, “I will be wise,” but it was far from me. That which has been is far off, and deep, very deep; who can find it out?
I turned my heart to know and to search out and to seek wisdom and the scheme of things, and to know the wickedness of folly and the foolishness that is madness. And I find something more bitter than death: the woman whose heart is snares and nets, and whose hands are fetters. He who pleases God escapes her, but the sinner is taken by her.

Behold, this is what I found, says the Preacher, while adding one thing to another to find the scheme of things—which my soul has sought repeatedly, but I have not found. One man among a thousand I found, but a woman among all these I have not found. See, this alone I found, that God made man upright, but they have sought out many schemes.

Who is like the wise?

And who knows the interpretation of a thing?

A man's wisdom makes his face shine,

and the hardness of his face is changed.

(Ecclesiastes 7-8:1 ESV)

Concerning Magic.

2011-12-05T14:45:00.001-08:00

The world is magical. If you don't believe in magic, that is too bad.

There is One Magician.

We are all too often the skeptical crowd, too dumbfounded to just enjoy it, exclaiming,

"How does He do that!?"

Go Ahead, Make My Day.

2011-12-02T13:45:00.001-08:00

"From a Guy's Viewpoint" Revisited

Pretty stimulating talk at the above link...

They think I look like this...

Not exactly Clint Eastwood, but still a handsome guy.

"Now that is a Josiah Woltersdorf if I ever saw one!"

A Phoenix From the Ashes.

2011-12-02T02:00:00.000-08:00

Faithful Reader,

I realize who you are. You are a person. You are important. You have hopes, and dreams, and love, hate, and you are complex. You are not a skin. You are deep. You have family and friends.

All people have these things. Like all your brothers and sisters, you have fears, struggles, you feel pain, you have cares. You need reason, for without it, you are purposeless. I am writing right now to tell you that you have a purpose. You have been designed by a God so great, he placed light in the Universe while is was completely void. It had no form, yet, God through is spoken Word, put purpose into that which had none.

This is the result a Saviour, who came and was life, and that life was the light of men (John 1:3). Through Him all things were made. In Him we live and move and have our being. We are of God, whether we know it or not. Our purpose is to do the work assigned to us. What is that work? Well look around you! You are in a broken place, a wilderness, a mess. You have work to do right there. You must repair what is broken, you must till what is untamed, and clean what is dirty.

This is no other purpose other than spreading the Gospel, for the law of the Gospel is tied up in all of creation. "Without that Word, nothing was made that was made." So this means to you that it matters not whether you were placed, isolated from people in the wilderness, in a bathroom stall cleaning the toilets, or the President of the united States. We are all different gears in a great machine (inspiration thanks to an absolutely magnificent movie, Hugo) and we all have a different part to play in God's great plan for redemption.

The plan is to die to ourselves. Think of the book, "Uncle Tom's Cabin," in which, at the end, in the spirit of a true martyr, Uncle Tom dies, an undistinguished man, in an unimportant (and tyrannical) man's house. He lives through the whole book for others, truly a servant, and not only in mark, and in papers, but in his love for the human who obviously thinks low of him. The only thing that allowed Uncle Tom to do this was his own humility, his death to himself, and his repentance to God. This is the fire, the painful, burning truth that drives his great machine of Providence. When man repents, it fuels the engine. It gives the machine purpose. Amazingly, the one thing that we think is ridiculous is the great truth of the Bible.

We must die. To die seems to be antithetical to the Gospel, in which we find life, but there is a death we have die, so that the weaker may live. God is glorified when we are dead, and he raises us to life. Like a Phoenix, we have to be engulfed in the flames of our own sin, so that we may be raised from our ashes to a glorious reality. We can conquer the Monster, with the Child (Isaiah 9:6, Revelation 12) in the lead. We can cast him out, because Christ is our King. He has dominion over heaven and earth already.

He led the way to die for us. He put himself on the cross, and through the worst possible agony (Mark 15:34) died, like Uncle Tom, alone, and rejected, even by his own disciple, Peter. But through this, Christ was raised, and given glory, and he reigns even now over all creation. He gives us His Spirit to remind us of Him, and to reveal to us His will, and His plan. So go forth, be courageous, "Quit ye like men, be strong," (1 Corinthians 16:13) and conquer the world for Him. You don't even have to change what you are doing. Just how you do it. Give your life to God. The gospel is not easy, you must die.

I pray for you with all my love,

Josiah M Woltersdorf.

My Kind of Movie.

2011-11-27T21:34:00.000-08:00

Fiddle My Cello, Please.

2011-11-26T17:10:00.000-08:00

Dear Reader,

In light of the festive season, I give you some cello music. I don't claim to be anything good, but it's coming along, and I thought proof would be good to see that I actually do play it. I absolutely love it.

If you have any suggestions (fellow cellists) please tell me! I want to get good at this :)

We Thank Thee, Our Creator.

2011-11-24T10:54:00.000-08:00

"And albeit we be but worms and dust, yet thou art our Creator, and we be the work of thine hands: yea, thou art our Father, and we are thy Children: thou art our Shepherd, and we thy flock: thou art our Redeemer, and we thy people whom thou hast bought: thou art our God, and we thine inheritance. Correct us not therefore in thine anger (O Lord) neither according to our deserts punish us, but mercifully chastise us with a fatherly affection, that all the world may know at what time soever a sinner doth repent him of his sin from the bottom of his heart, thou wilt put away all his wickedness out of thy remembrance, as thou hast promised by thy holy Prophet."

~Excerpt from "Evening Prayer." 1599 Geneva Bible Tolle Lege Press

This is the reality of the universe. We are helpless and hopeless without God as our Saviour. Left to myself, I would be off carousing today, enjoying meaningless comforts at the cost of my eternal soul. Choose God? Nay. I would never do such a thing. 'Tis a hard path, and deadly (Romans 6:6). Why wait to have dessert when you can just have it now? (Hint: read more of Romans 6)

But God, in His lovingkindness, gives me, day by day, a love for Him that says, "Trust Me." And I, leaning upon my beloved, do as he says, for what do the Scriptures say?

How can a young man keep his way pure?

By guarding it according to your word.
~Psalm 119:9 ESV

Therefore, I am spending the day with my family and my church body, and we will come to God in reverence, in repentance, in thankfulness for his greatness, and to glorify Him always.
Thank you Lord for repentance, and that I am not in control but you are. Happy Thanksgiving to all.

Placed in the Wilderness.

2011-11-23T12:42:00.001-08:00

John 1:1-5 ESV. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

Everything material has actual roots in the Spirit. All things pour forth from the Word of God. There is absolutely nothing that is not Spiritual ground. When we plant a Garden, we are spreading the gospel actually, not figuratively. When we build a home, or have a child, or drive down the road, the way we interact with the actual created order (the air, the ground, the rain, etc.) is either spreading the Gospel or it isn't. The world is our garden. We are the wardens. Evangelism is simply gaining another gardener for the world. We as Christians are meant first and foremost to take care of creation. To protect it. To love it, and use it. Creation is our tool or instrument to praise God. We use our hands to raise them to Yahweh on Sunday, but this doesn't mean anything if we don't put them down into the dirt on the weekdays. All of Created Order would not exist except through Jesus Christ.

This spills over into our relationship with other people. The Great Commission is:

“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me [Jesus Christ]. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”. (Matthew 28:18-20 ESV)

All Authority has been given to Jesus on heaven and Earth. We can safely say that this is all of created order. So Jesus rules the earth, and we are to go out and make disciples of all the nations. We are to teach them the law of God. Teach them that the universe is God's, and that they are Kings of it with Christ. The race of man is brothers with Jesus. He is chief in that race, and our champion. When we do our duty which has not changed from Adam's duty, which was to be in the garden and take care of it, we are in turn glorifying God. Do not forget, it is never simply enough to take care of the earth, but remember that man is God's own creation. We tend to the sick, We give a hand to the poor, while, at the same time, we grow the Garden to feed the man in need. Glorify God, and learn how to apply this glory in your own corner of creation.

God has placed you in a certain place because you have a certain job to do there. Adam could have been placed on a different planet, or he could have been equipped to live in the bottom of the ocean, or even as a king and ruler of morality (as the serpent promised), but he wasn't, and he did not question his position until the fall. Once he did question his position, it brought all sorts of problems and made our job a little harder. Yahweh our Salvation already had a plan in his Son. He would come, and destroy death by dying, and we would once again have power over the earth.

So whenever you question why you were put somewhere, remember that you were placed in the wilderness not because you did something wrong, or because there was a mistake, but because you have a job to do. You have a garden to cultivate, You have the gospel to spread. Lean on Jesus; you can do it.

Creation of Light Detail. "And the Darkness did not comprehend it."

"Who is that coming up from the wilderness, leaning on her beloved?

Under the apple tree I awakened you. There your mother was in labor with you; there she who bore you was in labor.

Set me as a seal upon your heart, as a seal upon your arm, for love is strong as death, jealousy is fierce as the grave. Its flashes are flashes of fire, the very flame of the LORD.

Many waters cannot quench love, neither can floods drown it.

If a man offered for love all the wealth of his house, he would be utterly despised."

(Song of Solomon 8:5-7 ESV)

Christ the Conqueror.

2011-11-22T23:52:00.000-08:00

Sermon: Christ the Conqueror | Reformation Day (Toby Sumpter) from Canon Wired on Vimeo.

The Love of Christ.

2011-11-20T19:54:00.001-08:00

Here goes another Quote! I absolutely loved this post by Andralea,..... You should give her blog, Penning Poetry a look. She's pretty good. I highly recommend reading the rest of it.

"Who is worthy to receive such a feeling and thought? This love has wrought my soul un-distraught and rendered me further into the fervor of love which one, that is, Christ's own blood has bought. No man is worthy, though some appear close. No woman, no earthly being, here, below, beside or between is worthy to partake of this gift which he brings and of which, I myself am undeserving. All that I've explained of this love, the description lies here, in and of, true and full, by the blood that he poured out for our pour souls."

~Andralea, from Penning Poetry

John Owen.

2011-11-16T18:50:00.001-08:00

Be sure to get an interest in Christ—

if you intend to mortify any sin without it,

it will never be done.

Love Mingled with Grief.

2011-11-10T21:56:00.001-08:00

The world is indeed full of peril, and in it there are many dark places; but still there is much that is fair, and though in all lands love is now mingled with grief, it grows perhaps the greater.

Haldir, from The Lord of the Rings

Reviews, Anyone?

2011-11-09T10:31:00.000-08:00

Hi there, thinking about doing a bi-monthly Review post. I want to see what you all want to hear my thoughts on....

Music Reviews

Albums
Artists
Composers
Songs/Pieces

Movie Reviews

Book Reviews (I have already done a couple of these)

Blog Reviews

Bloggers
Blogs
Interviews
Worldview Summaries

And those would be what you are voting for. The poll is on your right.

Acknowledgements.

2011-11-06T18:28:00.000-08:00

Well, not that you all care, but I just went with some friends of mine to an OPAYCO (that stands for Oregon Pro Arte Youth Chamber Orchestra) Concert which I must say was amazing! The main event was a piece by Antonio Vivaldi (LIKE!). It was a Cello Duet (DOUBLE LIKE)!

Ok, so SarahJayne posted a comment if you all remember on my post, "In Pursuit of Melodic Happiness," pretty much inviting me to come to this concert. So I said to myself, "why not?" And promptly replied, can I catch a ride with you guys? So here I was, a long lost friend (hopefully not too lost) and basically going from not ever seeing them to all of a sudden, BAM! I was going to a concert with them. Anyway, had a blast of a night, regardless of repeatedly breaking (or at least questioning) "protocol" (whatever that means), but was set straight by the Family Violist.

I also learned the bad rap that violists get from everyone else. I caught on rather quickly, and I think I insulted every violist I came in contact with. Of course, we made it up, but soon I was also informed, that cellists and violists get along together quite nicely. So of course I take it all back. Why can't we be friends?

Lastly, I unexpectedly earned my own applause at the concert for being a derelict stage hand, being called out during the performance, and my name announced, and reprimanded for forgetting to remove the music stand out of the cellist's way. But its all good, because I got to see her cello up close. It was beautiful.

So, to all you OPAYCO performers (especially the violists) good job. It was a great experience. Thanks to SarahJayne for "inviting" me, for Mark Moreland for accidentally being the reason I found Sarah's Blog, and for my dad for having a job we were doing in the area of Mr. Moreland at the time.

For Craigslist, for putting the idea in my dad's head that he would help pay for my cello if I traded for my iPod; for Apple for inventing the iPod, so I could trade it in the first place, for Steve Jobs, for starting apple,

And to God, who invented Steve Jobs, Antonio Vivaldi, Mark Moreland, SarahJayne, My dad, and me, and the entire universe; and through his good providence, guides all of history, every speck in a lighted window, to a complete perfect goal. Not saying that last night was a pinnacle of providence, just saying that it all works together, and I got to see it happen with good consequences.

Yet another reason to Fear God. & Fear Nought.

Walking on Level Ground.

2011-11-04T19:09:00.000-07:00

O LORD, I love the habitation of your house
and the place where your glory dwells.
Do not sweep my soul away with sinners,
nor my life with bloodthirsty men,
in whose hands are evil devices,
and whose right hands are full of bribes.
But as for me, I shall walk in my integrity;
redeem me, and be gracious to me.
My foot stands on level ground;
in the great assembly I will bless the LORD.
(Psalm 26 ESV)

Does this convict you? It does me. We all should be walking on level ground, and make a point of it. As Christians, we do stand in the assembly of the Righteous, but I ask that you ponder and meditate: Do you sit with men of falsehood? Do you wash your hands in innocence? That's why I love it at the end: "Do not sweep my soul away with sinners, nor my life with bloodthirsty men." The Psalmist Cries out to God. He says in essence, God, You have the power. I am nothing but your tool, but I pray that you, O Lord, find it in your heart not to give me over to my sin.

It is this verse that is for those of us who sometimes ask God, if he really forgave us. When we sin constantly, and we profane him and show in our actions our real natural hate for him, should put us back in our place. Sometimes, I cry out with Job: "...Therefore I despise myself, and repent in dust and ashes." Yet I constantly seem to forget the preceding verses:

Then Job answered the LORD and said:
“I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted.
‘Who is this that hides counsel without knowledge?’
Therefore I have uttered what I did not understand, things too wonderful for me, which I did not know.
‘Hear, and I will speak; I will question you, and you make it known to me.’
I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees you;
therefore I despise myself, and repent in dust and ashes.”
(Job 42:1-6 ESV)

So remember that love is long-suffering, and kind. That God is Love. That God will not allow any of Christ's sheep to wander off, and that He is yours in times of trouble. Cling to him. Another thing is what I recently wrote during NaNoWriMo (I'm at 4071 words, by the way). I will treat you with an excerpt.

And drought is quite the ordeal. Any tree facing drought I give you this: A year of drought never made a tree so hardy. Quite difficult to handle, but the trees who come out alive on the other end always are so much more beautiful in their character. By character, I mean they have a new sense of importance in the deep things of life. They love to dig their roots deeper, and, at the same time, know that you may never rely on your roots to save you. It is quite a beautiful picture of dependency on the earth and on the faithfulness of knowing our Creator will bring another season for our faltering, withering leaves. Drought always leaves a tree with a sense of overpowering duty, and yet at the same time a lowness that the tree may never do anything to bring itself water or sustenance in time of drought, nor may it manipulate the circumstances in which it finds a steady drought. In all proper respect, it should not care for anything even in times of plenty to be its only support, but only the deep seated knowledge of the care of our Creator. That situation, however, has found me only once, and what a terrifying, humiliating, dark time of life, as short as it is, but looking back, how life seems to teem at the time when everything travails in order to simply live. How much harder does the forest work, and how much more willful all the creatures thereof are to the work of *living*.

Like a Woman in Labor.

2011-10-30T23:29:00.000-07:00

The oracle concerning Babylon which Isaiah the son of Amoz saw.
On a bare hill raise a signal;
cry aloud to them;
wave the hand for them to enter
the gates of the nobles.
I myself have commanded my consecrated ones,
and have summoned my mighty men to execute my anger,
my proudly exulting ones.
The sound of a tumult is on the mountains
as of a great multitude!
The sound of an uproar of kingdoms,
of nations gathering together!
The LORD of hosts is mustering
a host for battle.
They come from a distant land,
from the end of the heavens,
the LORD and the weapons of his indignation,
to destroy the whole land.
Wail, for the day of the LORD is near;
as destruction from the Almighty it will come!
Therefore all hands will be feeble,
and every human heart will melt.
They will be dismayed:
pangs and agony will seize them;
they will be in anguish like a woman in labor.
They will look aghast at one another;
their faces will be aflame.
Behold, the day of the LORD comes,
cruel, with wrath and fierce anger,
to make the land a desolation
and to destroy its sinners from it.
For the stars of the heavens and their constellations
will not give their light;
the sun will be dark at its rising,
and the moon will not shed its light.
I will punish the world for its evil,
and the wicked for their iniquity;
I will put an end to the pomp of the arrogant,
and lay low the pompous pride of the ruthless.
I will make people more rare than fine gold,
and mankind than the gold of Ophir.
Therefore I will make the heavens tremble,
and the earth will be shaken out of its place,
at the wrath of the LORD of hosts
in the day of his fierce anger.
And like a hunted gazelle,
or like sheep with none to gather them,
each will turn to his own people,
and each will flee to his own land.
Whoever is found will be thrust through,
and whoever is caught will fall by the sword.
Their infants will be dashed in pieces
before their eyes;
their houses will be plundered
and their wives ravished.
Behold, I am stirring up the Medes against them,
who have no regard for silver
and do not delight in gold.
Their bows will slaughter the young men;
they will have no mercy on the fruit of the womb;
their eyes will not pity children.
And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms,
the splendor and pomp of the Chaldeans,
will be like Sodom and Gomorrah
when God overthrew them.
It will never be inhabited
or lived in for all generations;
no Arab will pitch his tent there;
no shepherds will make their flocks lie down there.
But wild animals will lie down there,
and their houses will be full of howling creatures;
there ostriches will dwell,
and there wild goats will dance.
Hyenas will cry in its towers,
and jackals in the pleasant palaces;
its time is close at hand
and its days will not be prolonged.
(Isaiah 13 ESV)

Limbs Aren't for Wimps.

2011-10-29T23:32:00.000-07:00

Ok, I have gone out on limbs before. I must say that I am a "by the seat of your pants" kind of guy.

I like to go out on a whim, just to tell myself I can do something. Call it daring or courageous, but probably the correct term is blind stupidity. But sometimes I'm alright with that. It's the excitement of doing something absolutely insane. So with that, I am going to attempt (I will be unapologetic for failure, as well as success) to write a 50,000 word novel by November 30. I'll let the website speak for itself.

National Novel Writing Month is a fun, seat-of-your-pants approach to novel writing. Participants begin writing on November 1. The goal is to write a 50,000 word, (approximately 175 page) novel by 11:59:59, November 30.

Valuing enthusiasm and perseverance over painstaking craft, NaNoWriMo is a novel-writing program for everyone who has thought fleetingly about writing a novel but has been scared away by the time and effort involved.Because of the limited writing window, the ONLY thing that matters in NaNoWriMo is output. It’s all about quantity, not quality. This approach forces you to lower your expectations, take risks, and write on the fly.

Make no mistake: You will be writing a lot of crap. And that’s a good thing. By forcing yourself to write so intensely, you are giving yourself permission to make mistakes. To forgo the endless tweaking and editing and just create. To build without tearing down.

So there you have it. In a nutshell. Limbs are not for planners, trainers, most definitely not for wimps, but for doers, so those who are with me, those who decide to make literary abandon exactly that, don't back down. Fail sure, but don't say you didn't do your best.

And The Winner Is.

2011-10-28T16:22:00.000-07:00

Raquel, please make your two choices for prizes, and Ethan, make your one choice You can choose from this list.

In Pursuit of Melodic Happiness.

2011-10-26T22:58:00.000-07:00

When it comes to finally getting serious about music, the logical step is to learn a stringed instrument. I know this, because most people I have met that at least seem to be enlightened about music play stringed instruments. Ergo, enlightened musicians are stringed instrumentalists. Its just a fact of life. Don't dwell on the logic too long. move on, now.

I post because I thought it would be interesting to the general public (at least, it's interesting to me, so, why wouldn't it be?) that I am finally a cellist. I think though, that I am unworthy of the title as of yet, so, if anyone has a better name that would be worth attaching my name to, I'm open for suggestions.

Well, any way, I have a cello, but I don't have a name for her yet... I'll take suggestions for this too....

and yeah, in summary, I am pursuing my dream of cello playing finally, and thought I would let ya'll know about it.

Praise him for his mighty deeds;
praise him according to his excellent greatness!
Praise him with trumpet sound;
praise him with lute and harp!
Praise him with tambourine and dance;
praise him with strings and pipe!
Praise him with sounding cymbals;
praise him with loud clashing cymbals!
Let everything that has breath praise the LORD!
Praise the LORD!
(Psalm 150:2-6 ESV)

P. S. Giveaway winners will be announced very soon... so watch out!

King Alfred's War Song.

2011-10-24T00:21:00.000-07:00

When the enemy comes in a’roarin’ like a flood,
Coveting the kingdom and hungering for blood,
The Lord will raise a standard up and lead His people on,
The Lord of Hosts will go before defeating every foe;
Defeating every foe.

For the Lord is our defense, Jesus defend us,
For the Lord is our defense, Jesu defend.

Some men trust in chariots, some trust in the horse,
But we will depend upon the Name of Christ our Lord,
The Lord has made my hands to war and my fingers to fight.
The Lord lays low our enemies, but He raises us upright;
He raises us upright.

For the Lord is our defense, Jesus defend us,
For the Lord is our defense, Jesu defend.

A thousand fall on my left hand, ten thousand to the right,
But He will defend us from the arrow in the night.
Protect us from the terrors of the teeth of the devourer,
Embue us with Your Spirit, Lord, emcompass us with power;
Encompass us with power.

For the Lord is our defense, Jesus defend us,
For the Lord is our defense, Jesu defend.

My First Giveaway.

2011-10-13T22:16:00.000-07:00

Hello. So I've Stooped down to the level of promotions. But that's ok, because I'm happy to give away good sound doctrine to those who want it. I am offering two of any of the puritan paperbacks below, if you will enter to win. Here's how to do it.

You will receive 1 entries to your name if you simply leave a comment. Hooray!

To enter in any of the other options, you must leave a comment with the links where you did each requirement.

You will receive 2 entries to your name if you mention me with a link on Facebook or Twitter. If you mention me on both, that's 2 entries per mention.

If you mention me more than one on one or the other, that doesn't count; but feel free anyway. I.E. If you mention me on Twitter twice, you still only receive 2 points for your twitter account.

You will receive 3 entries to your name if you feature me on your blog in a post, of course, with a link provided OR by entering a post on Scriptus. If on your blog, this is simply a post in which I am mentioned; on Scriptus, you must read the entry rules on that page.
If you follow through with more than one of these qualifications, your entries will be added up. Again, you have to enter number one to do any of the above. So:

Entering 1, 2, & 3 will get you 6 entries.
Entering only (1), you will get 1 entries.
Entering only (1) & (2) will earn you 3 entries.
&c.

Here is the list of Puritan Paperbacks the winner may choose two of. The runner up will have to choose between one or two of his choices. (Indicate your 2 choices in your comment) See sample Comment

John Flavel

Facing Grief: Counsel for Mourners, by John Flavel
The Mystery of Providence, by John Flavel

Richard Sibbes

Josiah's Reformation, by Richard Sibbes
The Bruised Seed, by Richard Sibbes
Glorious Freedom, by Richard Sibbes

Thomas Brook

Smooth Stones Taken from Ancient Brook: Selections from Thomas Brook by C.H. Spurgeon
Heaven On Earth

Picture Taken from Monergism Books

The Secret Key to Heaven

John Owen

The Mortification of Sin
Indwelling Sin in Believers
The Glory of Christ
Communion with God
Apostasy from the Gospel
The Holy Spirit
Temptation, Resisted and Repulsed

John Bunyan

The Acceptable Sacrifice
Come and Welcome to Jesus Christ
Prayer
All Love Excelling

Richard Baxter

Dying Thoughts, by Richard Baxter
The Reformed Pastor, by Richard Baxter

Thomas Watson

All things for Good
Godly Man's Picture
The Lord's Supper,
The Great Gain of Godliness
The Doctrine of Repentance

Ralph Venning

Learning in Christ's School, by Ralph Venning
Sinfulness of Sin, by Ralph Venning

Others

The True Bounds of Christian Freedom, by Samuel Bolton
Letters of Samuel Rutherford, by Samuel Rutherford
The Shorter Catechism Explained from Scripture, by Thomas Vincent
A sure Guide To Heaven, by Joseph Alleine
A Puritan Golden Treasury, by I.D.E Thomas
Christian Love, by Hugh Binning
The Christian's Great Interest, by William Guthrie
Justification Vindicated, by Robert Trail

This Giveaway will end October 22, 2011

Introducing Scriptus.

2011-10-12T18:56:00.000-07:00

You may have noticed some changes to my blog. Most notably is my new Page: Scriptus

I built a submission form for anyone who feels they have a blog post that fits into mine just perfectly, and who wants to promote their own page with it. I am happy to accommodate this, so feel free to use it!

Here are the rules and the way it works. You submit your post to me. If I agree with the nature of the post, I will consider it for publication. You can do this up to twice a month if you wish. If I get a bunch of Authors, I will review the posts, and publish the best one. I hope this serves as a good outlet to creative ideas and resources. If you want, you can even write a post simply about your blog or website. I don't care. If I feel like it fits well, I will probably consider it, if not publish it.

A few other changes are in details like the use of the phrase, "Fear God. & Fear Not."

Ok, so I'm not a professional photographer, but hey....

I really loved this phrase after seeing it on an illustration that was on a pot at home. I decided to use it as my maxim. and so it now marks my all my correspondence, and of course, now characterizes my blog.

More Changes are coming in details and bigger to come.

Business Propositions at Galilee.

2011-10-11T08:57:00.000-07:00

The Cause.

2011-10-10T15:01:00.001-07:00

Dear Christian,

In the grand scheme of things, I don't have a good reason why I feel like you should read my blog, and join the Cause, except that I hope that like minded believers would find agree together. The Western world is falling to pieces, and the key to restoration is Israel. I hope you would agree with me, however, that Israel is no longer a piece of land, but a body of believers. And it has always been this. I believe that this truth is vital to the reconstruction of the actual Western way of life. This blog is meant to speak the truth to a lost set of believers, trying to find relevance of an ancient document to a modern way of life; to monitor the destruction of the Western way of life; and hopefully, to band believers together for the cause of restoring what The City of Man has all but obliterated.

- - -

The Relevance of the Gospel of Jesus Christ:

Truth in the whole of the Scriptures is my main goal. Sometimes, the hardest truth for so-called "New Testament believers" to swallow, is the fact that all scripture is profitable for reproof, instruction, and right doctrine (2 Timothy 3:16). They confess this, yet deny the truth of facts in the Bible, most notably those who would play off the Creation story as a fabrication for our edification, and the idea that a six day creation is foolish; other silly notions try to downplay the miracles of God: The Red Sea crossing was in a shallow bed, and many many more instances of unbelief of the miracles God has performed. I confess that it is all true, and that, my friend is the nature of the cause.

Monitoring the Decline of the Western way of Life.

What a wonderful miracle God is performing, even now, in the deep corruption and unrest around the world. Sometimes, as people, we worry and become fearful of the end of the Western way of life. I'm sorry to tell you, the West has already fallen. We are far gone indeed. The sun is set, the night has come. What are men to expect in the West, if the common sentiment is to mass murder thousands upon thousands of children, the very source of generational blessing that built this great nation from the early 1600's. Now the work is to simply to not lose hope. The sun is set, but God also set a light to rule the night, so that we may not lose hope, and always look at the moon and remember that there is a sun that causes the moon to shine.

The people of the West are finding refuge in nothing. Their worlds are coming to an end. They are losing faith in the economy, losing faith in the government, losing faith in the governed, losing faith in everything. Our duty as Christians is to help our fellow sinners to find a footing on the rock, so they may not lose faith in Jesus Christ, and be killed in the night.

Restoring the Cause.

If you are not for Christ, you are against him. Anyone who wants to restore the West, to see a sunrise, must be willing to take the step into the grave with Jesus, so we may be raised up again. Christian, you must realize that we live in a very supernatural world. The Son of God goes forth to war, not because he is bloodthirsty, but because there is an enemy to be conquered. You live in a world, Christian that is so much more dramatic, so much more complex, and so much more important than anything to ever hit the shelves of Hollywood video. The world is at war, and we must free those who are enslaved to the army of the enemy. This is the Cause. Freedom, Justice, and the Fear and Love of God is the Cause.

The Cause is life (John 14:6), liberty(2 Corinthians 3:17) and the pursuit of Happiness(Psalms 33:12).

Sincerely,

Josiah Woltersdorf

Romans 6:23 ~ For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Left for Bear Fodder.

2011-10-09T02:23:00.000-07:00

Sine Qua Non is a Latin phrase which literally means Which without nothing. It basically means that it is absolutely essential. Sometimes, when times are rough, and the string of life wears pretty thin, there comes a point in time when one must abandon all but the Sine Qua Non's of life, and embrace them.

"Wisdom is the principle thing; Therefore get wisdom. And in all your getting, get understanding"

~Proverbs 4:7

There is a time in life (Which I have, thankfully to very dedicated Family devotions in the morning in the book of Proverbs) when you finally have a basic idea of what is being said here. To some (and certainly to me) it did seem painfully obvious, but there is a kind of wisdom that does not come from the Bible alone. A man can read the Bible all he wants, and study every theological treatise until he becomes absolutely fluent and eloquent in the realm of Christian philosophy, and yet never have a saving faith.

Let me give you an example:

"'Not everyone who says to me, "Lord, Lord," shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day,"Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?" And then I will declare to them, "I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!"'"

~Jesus Christ, Matthew 7:21-23

This brings me to my next point. Believing and doing are the same thing. In the same way that a light bulb and electricity make light, faith without doing (or vice versa) is basically useless. The light bulb, which gives electricity a means of manifestation is basically useless and dead without the work of electricity to power it. Similarly, electricity has the power to inflict pain and even discharge power, but its only outlet is destruction without an implement to power. You put the two together, and it produces a light.

This is the very same light that Jesus told us to keep in the window, not under a basket or a bush, but in the open. Wisdom crieth aloud!

In this modern culture, we have come to the conclusion that you can have whatever sort of implement you want in that window. Preferably, modernity would appreciate it if you kept a basket over that pesky light. They're trying to sleep! So we as Christians responded with what we called love and said, "Oh, I'm so sorry, let me dim that a little." We put the dimmers on, we played down judgement, we stopped anything that people would consider haughty, even if that is what we as God's chosen people were commanded to do from the beginning, such as worship with reverence, in order that our fellow humans may have a sounder sleep, and still have the light in their room. This is akin to saying that although we know beyond a shadow of a doubt you will become in the course of the night bear fodder, we decide to let you sleep out of love.

Can you not see the irony in this? We cry "Lord, Lord!" And he does not know us. He does not know us, because we have not changed our heart. He has not done that work in us. Somehow, as he is completely sovereign, yet still we are responsible for our actions, we have not come to him in action, and therefore we are dead. (James 2:14-26) We let our light under a basket to make it more bearable to our neighbor, and in that method, we can put the light right next to his bed, but its not going to make any difference if we refuse to pull off the cover of the light. We can say to sooth the safety of the fear of the dark, "there is a light under that cover..." but until the light is pulled off for them, they will never have a chance to receive or reject the Gospel, and live in eternal denial of it.

What does this have to do with getting Wisdom? Consider the following verses:

"For the commandment is a lamp,
And the law a light;
Reproofs of instruction are the way of life"
~Proverbs 6:23

"Your word is a lamp to my feet
And a light to my path"
~Psalm 119:105

"But the path of the just is like the shining sun,
That shines brighter unto the perfect day.
The way of the wicked is like darkness;
They do not know what makes them stumble.
~Proverbs 4:18-19

When Old People Say Things.

2011-10-02T14:37:00.000-07:00

...The result is a stingy, unrealistic, irrelevant, bias? You decide.

I advise no one to place his child where the Scriptures do not reign paramount. Every institution in which men are not increasingly occupied with the Word of God must become corrupt... I am much afraid that schools will prove to be the great gates of hell unless they diligently labor in explaining the Holy Scriptures, engraving them in the hearts of youth."

~Martin Luther

“Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

~Deuteronomy 6:4-9 (Emphasis added)

Generations Radio.

2011-09-26T18:21:00.000-07:00

A radio show I love Is by Kevin Swanson. Make sure to check it out. laugh with him, or if you don't agree, go ahead and fume. The choice is yours.

Kevin Swanson is a Homeschool father of five, and an accomplished author of many books. He is a preacher in his own church in Colorado, and is intensely committed to the way of truth. Please check him out.

www.GenerationsWithVision.com

2011-09-25T14:48:00.001-07:00

Guilty and Ignorant Does not Make you Innocent.

2011-09-23T17:40:00.000-07:00

I provide no apology nor excuse for my glaring year long absence. So with that, I hope this builds you up....

But I do think it necessary in these times to remind my readers that a man may commit sin and yet be ignorant of it, and fancy himself innocent when he is guilty. I fail to see any scriptural warrant for the modern assertion that "Sin is not sin to us until we discern it and are conscious of it." On the contrary, in the fourth and fifth chapters of that unduly neglected book, Leviticus, and in the fifteenth of Numbers, I find Israel distinctly taught that there were sins of ignorance which rendered people unclean, and needed atonement (Lev. 4:1-35; Lev. 5:14-19; Num. 15:25-29). And I find our Lord expressly teaching that "the servant who knew not his master's will and did it not" was not excused on account of his ignorance, but was "beaten" or punished (Luke 12:48). We shall do well to remember that when we make our own miserably imperfect knowledge and consciousness the measure of our sinfulness, we are on very dangerous ground. A deeper study of Leviticus might do us much good.

~J.C. Ryle on Ignorance, in Holiness

Some New books.

2010-10-11T15:26:00.000-07:00

Today, my I went down to Corvallis to watch my brother's football game. After it was over, we decided to go and look around the OSU Beavers Campus down there, which was pretty cool. We just drove around, but we also stopped at a bookstore, which more looked like a novelty fan store until I discovered the books downstairs (tee hee).

The books I saw down there definitely reflected the liberalist worldview of the college life (sorry OSU fans), but I found a couple gems, and as the bookhunter I am, I decided to walk out with them. One was Jane Austen (Canterbury Classics), which included four novels of hers: Sense and Sensibility, Pride and Prejudice, Emma, and Northanger Abbey. This is an absolutely beautiful book, published last year, it features leather padded binding, gold foiling, marbling in the first pages, and even the text itself is simply a pleasure to look at. More pictures of my own later...

Kind of a rough photo, but here is a picture of it

Marbling

You can't see it in this picture, but it has very nice text, and a bookmark.

Another choice piece of Literature that I found, was a book called The Elements of Story: Field Notes on Nonfiction Writing, by Francis Flaherty, Deputy Editor of the Times' City Section. After reading the preface, introduction, and first chapter, I think will get a LOT out of this book. Not quite so handsome, but still a nice, welcome addition to the bookshelf:

Bob Dylan- When He returns- performed by Marc Scibilia

2010-10-04T21:33:00.000-07:00

If Paul's Epistle to the Galatians was Published in Christianity Today

2010-09-25T22:51:00.000-07:00

Although written satirically, we should honestly take some of this stuff into serious consideration.
From The Sacred Sandwich: If Paul's Epistle to the Galatians was Published in Christianity Today

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Dear Christianity Today:

In response to Paul D. Apostle’s article about the Galatian church in your January issue, I have to say how appalled I am by the unchristian tone of this hit piece. Why the negativity? Has he been to the Galatian church recently? I happen to know some of the people at that church, and they are the most loving, caring people I’ve ever met.

Phyllis Snodgrass; Ann Arbor, MI

————————————————————————

Dear Editor:

How arrogant of Mr. Apostle to think he has the right to judge these people and label them accursed. Isn’t that God’s job? Regardless of this circumcision issue, these Galatians believe in Jesus just as much as he does, and it is very Pharisaical to condemn them just because they differ on such a secondary issue. Personally, I don’t want a sharp instrument anywhere near my zipper, but that doesn’t give me the right to judge how someone else follows Christ. Can’t we just focus on our common commitment to Christ and furthering His kingdom, instead of tearing down fellow believers over petty doctrinal matters?

Ed Bilgeway; Tonganoxie, KS

————————————————————————–

Dear CT:

I’ve seen other dubious articles by Paul Apostle in the past, and frankly I’m surprised you felt that his recurrent criticisms of the Church deserved to be printed in your magazine. Mr. Apostle for many years now has had a penchant for thinking he has a right to “mark” certain Christian teachers who don’t agree with his biblical position. Certainly I commend him for desiring to stay faithful to God’s word, but I think he errs in being so dogmatic about his views to the point where he feels free to openly attack his brethren. His attitude makes it difficult to fully unify the Church, and gives credence to the opposition’s view that Christians are judgmental, arrogant people who never show God’s love.

Ken Groener; San Diego, CA

—————————————————————————-

To the Editors:

Paul Apostle says that he hopes the Galatian teachers will cut off their own privates? What kind of Christian attitude is that? Shame on him!

Martha Bobbitt; Boulder, CO

—————————————————————————-

Dear Christianity Today:

The fact that Paul Apostle brags about his public run-in with Peter Cephas, a well-respected leader and brother in Christ, exposes Mr. Apostle for the divisive figure that he has become in the Church today. His diatribe against the Galatian church is just more of the same misguided focus on an antiquated reliance on doctrine instead of love and tolerance. Just look how his hypercritical attitude has cast aspersions on homosexual believers and women elders! The real problem within the Church today is not the lack of doctrinal devotion, as Apostle seems to believe, but in our inability to be transformed by our individual journeys in the Spirit. Evidently, Apostle has failed to detach himself from his legalistic background as a Pharisee, and is unable to let go and experience the genuine love for Christ that is coming from the Galatians who strive to worship God in their own special way.

William Zenby; Richmond, VA

——————————————————————————

Kind Editors:

I happen to be a member of First Christian Church of Galatia, and I take issue with Mr. Apostle’s article. How can he criticize a ministry that has been so blessed by God? Our church has baptized many new members and has made huge in-roads in the Jewish community with our pragmatic view on circumcision. Such a “seeker-sensitive” approach has given the Jews the respect they deserve for being God’s chosen people for thousands of years. In addition, every Gentile in our midst has felt honored to engage in the many edifying rituals of the Hebrew heritage, including circumcision, without losing their passion for Jesus. My advice to Mr. Apostle is to stick to spreading the gospel message of Christ’s unconditional love, and quit criticizing what God is clearly blessing in other churches.

Miriam “Betty” Ben-Hur; Galatia, Turkey

——————————————————————————-

EDITOR’S NOTE: Christianity Today apologizes for our rash decision in publishing Paul Apostle’s exposé of the Galatian church. Had we known the extent in which our readership and advertisers would withdraw their financial support, we never would have printed such unpopular biblical truth. We regret any damage we may have caused in propagating the doctrines of Christ.

I am now 18 with help

2010-09-13T08:59:00.000-07:00

I have become who I am for no other reasons but that God has raised my exceedingly wicked heart out of the pit and set it on the rock. He has put events (which I have talked about in my last post) and people into my life. I see other people on the streets, and in town, and see their foolishness, wickedness and their obvious lack of God in their lives, and I think, "There go I, to be as wicked and ignorant of the mercy of my Savior, except for the grace of God."

What happens in the families of those that are in rebellion of God is very sad. It is the age-old story of Cain and his family. Cain, who rebelled against God was sent out away from the mountain of Eden, the fountain of graces and blessings of God, which Adam and Eve were cast out of to begin with.

There is something to recognize in the stories of Cain and his families. These people are not only judged for their own sin, but their sin effects their future children. These children you may say are not deserving of this judgement of their parents, but God is perfectly just. The reason God judges families, and not primarily individuals, is that God is a covenantal God. When He redeems a man, God saves the whole household in most cases. In Acts 16:14-15, Acts 16:33, and in the Old Testament, when a man (or in one case, Lydia, the head of her house) is converted to Christianity, he is baptized, and he baptizes his family. A man who is unconcerned with his children's salvation for as long as he lives is a lazy, escapist, weak man. God commands men to teach their children, and save their families. (Deuteronomy 6:4-9)

So the covenant-embracing family of my father and mother is a real blessing to me. They have taught me how to think this way myself: "Everything you do today, effects your children tomorrow." Growing up in the covenant of the family and church in Christ is the selfsame blessing of God upon Seth and his family. To further the analogy, salvation through families is affirmed in the great flood of the early days of the history of the world. Noah, a direct descendant of Seth (not a coincidence) is saved from the destruction of the world, but Noah is not righteous because he chose to be the son of Seth. Noah is righteous because he was ordained from the creation of the world to be descended from Seth and Enoch (who walked with God, Genesis 5:24) who were themselves chosen by God to receive His grace.

Now I live in the same blessing as Noah. I have been saved from the judgement to come, because of my covenantal family which I have been placed in. In my covenant relation to many men, including first and foremost my dad, who has raised me from infancy, I have been given the ultimate gift. Namely, I have been chosen by God to be His son, a brother with Christ. I am not of the line of the seed of the serpent, but at enmity with it, in the seed of the woman, with Christ, in whom I live and move and have my being.

My dad's relationship with the Lord is of the same nature as that of Seth. God saw my dad in his sinful state, and raised him to life. My dad answered the call to be the head of his household, and has baptized his entire household and preached to them the gospel. I love my dad so much, I don't even know what to say here. He is my father, and so I will just say that he has been my evangelist. God has used my dad in the accomplishment of His eternal will, and for that, I am more grateful than I could be for anything in all the earth or in heaven.

While I am a despicable hell deserving sinner, and a rebellious son, I wish to grow in my submission to my father on earth, as well as my Father in heaven. I thank all who have affected my life, whether you know who you are or not. And most of all, I thank God who has looked at my helpless dead state, and risen me to life for the glory of His eternal plan.

1 O LORD, our Lord,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!
You have set your glory above the heavens.
2 Out of the mouth of babies and infants,
you have established strength because of your foes,
to still the enemy and the avenger.

3 When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars, which you have set in place,
4 what is man that you are mindful of him,
and the son of man that you care for him?

5 Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings
and crowned him with glory and honor.
6 You have given him dominion over the works of your hands;
you have put all things under his feet,
7 all sheep and oxen,
and also the beasts of the field,
8 the birds of the heavens, and the fish of the sea,
whatever passes along the paths of the seas.

9 O LORD, our Lord,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!

--Psalm 8

Just a thought...

2010-09-09T22:30:00.000-07:00

Why should or do I sin against the Holy God in whom I live and move and have my being? It is utterly illogical to do this against my very existence.

Truth

2010-09-03T23:51:00.000-07:00

Thought I'd post this again. I think this is a wonderfully powerful video.

I am now 18

2010-08-29T22:11:00.000-07:00

As of August 25, 2010, I am eighteen years old. Mainly, it means that I have lived through 18 of the seasons that God has put in place for us to mark our days. As a good friend of mine told me, a birthday is more than a day, (which I wasn't convinced of until just recently) it is the celebration of the day a soul was brought into the world.

So with that said, my mother whom I must give thanks to more than she or I even know for my birth and raising as well as the evangelist that brought me to my Lord at a very early age. My mother bore me in her womb for 9 long months until it was finally time for me to enter the world and meet my parents. Little did any of us know that I would become the oldest child in my family that would grow to become a whopping 9 siblings, alongside of my two parents.

In my formative years, I learned that I was in need of God's saving grace. Ever since I can remember, I was given a passion for the Lord which I do not yet fully understand. My parents raised me, and they disciplined me, and hearkened to the proverb which says: "he who spares the rod spoils the child." I remember my early spankings, though my parents may not as well. I remember everything about the discipline, and I now must thank my parents for showing me my childishness while I was still a child. (1 Corinthians 13:10-12) I thank my parents for their love which drove this childishness out.

Soon we moved to the country, where I learned how to be the "farmboy" I am today. I learned to milk the cow at the early age of seven.I spent countless hours in the barn milking the cow, while I should have spent only 15 minutes per milking. How I wasted my time as a boy and how I still do, now as I am! However, my time in the barn was full of imagination, reading, sometimes studying, and some days hours of prayer. I would walk into the barn, and it was as if time stopped. If only this was a sin that I would have removed from my flesh as a boy. Today, I thank my Lord for His love which has not removed this thorn. He has allowed it to stay a while longer, while I continue to frustrate myself and those around me with my temptation to lose time. I pray that the Lord would cause this particular stumbling block to be removed from my path.

When I became eleven years old, I became enrolled in Boy Scouts troop 770, which, as of Wednesday, I am no longer a part of. In that troop, I became as brothers with other Boy Scouts. I realized that through the campouts, I was learning how to resolve issues at home with siblings with more forgiving circumstances. I learned many many things in Boy Scouts, and with the help of my scoutmaster, Mr. Washburn, I became an eagle scout this year on July 14, 2010.

We began attending a new church when I was about 11, called Reformed Covenant Church, where my love of the Lord was fueled by intense study and meditation of the scriptures. I distinctly remember my mother poking me in the ribs every time I slouched in Church, and the question and answer time after every sermon, which I was required to attend with my dad, whether I had a question or not. Soon, our season at RCC came to an end, and I had in my mind a distinct blueprint for what attitude we as Christians are to approach worship. I brought this blueprint to Westminster Presbyterian Church, where I found somewhat of a different angle to view theology in, as I learned more practical truths.

In the first days of Westminster, I learned how to adapt to a new situation, and to overcome change. Although I am still nervous of change and love a simple, static lifestyle, I know how to overcome that fear of variance. I learned how to apply deep theological truths in a covenantal lifestyle, which I was quite unfamiliar with. As I became friends with many of the young men at the church, and learned to become a man myself, I found myself learning the art of friendship, and the work of the Lord's day.

As we became members of the church, my dad got very sick for a few months, and spent most of his time very involuntarily in the hospital. At this time, I learned much of why dad did the things he did. I learned what it was like to go to work without a man over me, but rather with a calling that I learned would be much to hard for me to bear for some years to come. I learned how to do hard things and to grow up, to resolve conflicts in my family, to become temperate, and to "carry a big stick." I was the oldest brother, but I had learned that leadership is an act of love.

Since then, have been attending Westminster, getting to know many men who will appear in my next post, who I consider as vital to my knowledge not only of the Lord, but of His commands, His covenant, and how I am to act in that covenant: driving out foolishness, embracing work, and enjoying life.

Today, I cannot attribute my lessons learned to my own goings and comings, or to my own endeavors, nor can I attribute my knowledge to my own intellect. I must attribute the very soul of who I am to the Lord Jesus Christ and His providence. From my birth to my evangelistic parents, to my conversion, to my dad's sickness, to the change of life, as well as all the difficulties and blessings, it is by the Lord, not by any man. And I would like to emphasize that the times which one would think that the Lord could not possibly have done, are the ones I beleive that the Lord planned out with more love.
I thank the Lord, O my Soul! For He has done wondrous things in me and around me.
He has sheltered me from evil, and has given me the strength to overcome.

Unto thee, O Lord, lift I up my soul.
My God, I trust in thee; let me not be confounded: let not mine enemies rejoice over me.
So all that hope in thee, shall not be ashamed; but let them be confounded, that transgress without cause.
Show me thy ways, O Lord, thy tender mercies, and thy lovingkindness: for they have been forever.
Remember not the sins of my youth, nor my rebellions, but according to thy kindness remember thou me, even for thy goodness sake, O Lord.
Gracious and righteous is the Lord: therefore will he teach sinners in the way....
--Psalm 25:1-8

I encourage you to read this Psalm, I believe it accurately describes my sentiments right now, and thank you for reading, and may God richly bless you. I mean that with all of my heart.

John Piper - What about Muslims, Hindus, Buddhist, and Jewish people?

2010-08-03T12:19:00.000-07:00

Explanation of: "Is Science in a Box?"

2010-08-01T19:44:00.000-07:00

When I wrote my last post, I received some input which showed that I may not have been clear enough. I will simply systematically go through some unclear thoughts and expound on each of my points.

Concerning the philosophy of humanism:

The idea of the cloud of faith being a humanistic or materialistic worldview is vital. We must understand that the humanists want us to put down our bible to come to neutral facts; however, the second we do this, we are giving into their plan. They want us to set down the word of God, (the God who is Creator of logic) which is sharper than any two edged sword. [Hebrews 4:12].
We must also realize that there are no such things as neutral facts.

If one agrees to a discussion without using the Bible as some people insist, then they have set the terms of the debate. In essence these terms are...

‘Facts’ are neutral. However, there are no such things as ‘brute facts’; all facts are interpreted. Once the Bible is eliminated in the argument, then the Christians’ presuppositions are gone, leaving them unable to effectively give an alternate interpretation of the facts. Their opponents then have the upper hand as they still have their presuppositions—see Naturalism, logic and reality.

I also believe that we cannot use logic and reason effectively without God. Logic and reason has a definite good and a definite evil. The source of that is God, and it is spelled out in His word. In summary, we must start with the Bible and view Science through that lens.

From: AiG: "Where's the Proof?"

Example: If we see the evidence in Science, and interpret the facts contrary in any way to God's plain and clear teaching in His Holy Word, than we have come up with a faulty conclusion. We must rewrite our thesis to line up with God's Word.

Concerning the Reliability of Scripture

I made a statement in my last post that may have made you scratch your heads. It read:

The efficacy, the sufficiency and the reliability of Scripture is at stake.

By this, I meant the perceived efficacy, sufficiency and reliability. A friend of mine phrased it well:

When non-beleivers see a scientist who affirms God in every area of his life BUT science, they perceive him as a hypocrite and the Bible as unreliable.

Concerning the Idea that Science cannot prove philosophy

My drawing of Science in a box is that way for a reason. Philosophy cannot prove Science, while neither can Science prove philosophy. We can, though, start with the word of God. My motivations flow out of a distaste for heresy, and I know that we can twist the first model to be biblical. The heresy lies there, however, lying in wait for a faint believer to stoop and pick it up. My zeal for the removal of such a model originates at making our philosophy consistent to the Bible everywhere.

I want my point to be clear that we need to swap the way we treat science and the Bible. Currently we treat the Bible with doctrine-first method. We need to realize that our presupposition must not be based on doctrines, but on the Bible.

When we approach Science, we say that we cannot bring any presuppositions in to interpret the evidence. Unfortunately for this view, the only way we can interpret facts is with personal presuppositions and biases. So in one sense, we must swap our methodology in our approaches to God and the Bible, with those that are employed in the philosophy of science.

What this looks like

Here is a basic idea of what this would look like: In the big bang theory, we believe that stars were some of the first things to "evolve" out of the various elements created by the neutrons, protons, and electrons before things like planets, galaxies and supernovae, etc. The bible teaches however, that stars were made AFTER the earth. (As the dry land was created on the third day, and the sun, moon, and stars were created on the fourth day. [Genesis 1:9-19])

Therefore, we need to change our view on how the universe was formed, not twist the Bible. You can see how this is a problem for even Christian Old-earth proponents.

As an end note, I must say that the young earth view heavily influences these thoughts. It is what I believe, because of a presupposition that the Bible speaks of 24-hour days. However, these arguments apply to all Scientists. We need to show the unbelieving world that we do not argue facts about evidence for old earth, but we argue presuppositions and fundamental thinking and interpretation. The debate is not about the facts. It is about the mind-set.

We must show how the unbelieving Scientist is wrong presuppositionally, and use that to show him his sin and error. Only after we introduce the Scripture as condemning a Worldview of lust, can the sinner realize what has actually been done for him through Christ our Lord, Who is maker and shaper of the universe and holds in his hands the entirety of creation.

Is Science In a Box?

2010-07-22T23:37:00.000-07:00

I contend that it is. Science is in a box that can only be viewed through one's worldview. Before exploring this any further, I must state my motivations for such a post. First, I have been attending the Ken Ham/AnswersinGenesis here in Washington. Second, I have often looked back to a principle I was taught, that Science is in a box, and you cannot mix it with Religion, Politics or anything else.

Here we have two world views colliding: one says that humanism wins over biblical morality, and the other is that biblical morality wins over humanism. Of course, I contend that biblical morality beats just about every philosophy out of the water (umm, take a second and look at my blog title). The form of this humanism-beats-morality philosophy that I was taught I would say is a soft humanism, just as there is soft tyranny. If the frog is in the pot long enough, he won't notice the temperature rising. Just as tyranny grows, so does its seed, humanism.

The man who I was taught this philosophy by, is one whom I revere almost as much as my own father. He taught that since science was in a box, it could not include presuppositional ideas. It had to be unbiased to the nth degree. What is not taken into account in this model, is that man cannot be unbiased. He brings all sorts of presuppositions to the table, depending on many factors: his age (a 3 year old is going to interpret the world much differently than a 20 year old of the same culture) his culture itself, his father, mother and teachers, his friends, and many other things.

There are certain presuppositions that are necessary for good science. If you presuppose that the earth is round, you can get very far in science. If you presuppose absolute truth, and that you can make real distinctions from a singular standard, and a lie is just the opposition to that standard, then you can make distinctions and use logic to form scientific arguments. So philosophy is essential to the workings of science for science to be correct. I would say the relationship is symbiotic. Science is conducive to our ideas of philosophy, telling us things like "the earth is round" "some substances are present in multiple forms like: liquid, solid and a gas" etc. These things contribute to the way we perceive the world.

Here are some drawings I drew in my Moleskine® notebook:

The view of Science I was taught

Science never left the box: it was placed upon an ultimate standard!

The Bible of God is Truth. That is the ultimate authority. You may say, "but Galileo was persecuted by the church!" Here is my answer: The church was in sin then. It was corrupted, and there was nothing biblical in its approach to persecution that scientists have faced through time. You can list any moment in History where the scientist was actually right, and the church reproached them, and I could give you a reason why church was wrong according to the Bible. The bible is our ultimate standard, and it is unfortunate that the church would be in sin, but that is also explained by the bible.

We as christians and as a church should and must be conducive to science, as it is part of the dominion mandate to "fill the earth and to subdue it." [Genesis 1:28] We are called as Christians to preside over the earth, and how can we do that, if we have no idea how the earth "works?" We need to take Science out of the cloud, and place it firm on the rock of Christ and the Gospel. Why does it matter? The efficacy, the sufficiency and the reliability of scripture is at stake.

The gospel represented in the whole bible saved you.

What are you going to do to protect it?

No, Mr. President.

2010-06-19T09:03:00.000-07:00

What is in the minds of the men and women at the top of America's Governmental systems?
How long will they continue to get away with abortion through a top-down system.

My only encouragement is this to you: never work from the top down if you want to save our country. You must kill the weed at the roots. I was reading "The Mortification of Sin" by John Owen, in which it speaks about Romans 8:13. If you do mortify the deeds of the flesh, it means to destroy at the very heart. He used the phrase, "taking the axe to the root of the tree"
We must work to remove modernist thinking first from our families (how else can you remove it elsewhere if it is in your family?) and next from our churches, and next in our cities. After that, move the country. Evangelize your county. When and only when your county is ready, work on the state. it has to start with our families, and if we do not care for what God has put right next to us, then we should care more about who is next to us than the rest of the world around us. Start in your own soul.

Uncle Tom's Cabin Review

2010-06-14T22:21:00.000-07:00

Here is the review I wrote in the Bookshelf link above. You can read other reviews there as well.

Wow. This book is a must for every thinking Christian's bookshelf. Often considered as propaganda that was used to start the War Between the States, this book is Mrs. Stowe's depiction of a man named Josiah Henson (Uncle Tom in the book). This amazing novel demonstrates the awesome love of Christ to us sinners. The love of one man unconditional to another is the imitation of Christ. It is the message of my life for yours. The story really brings this out through multiple characters: Little Evangeline, evangelist to the slaves of the home she lived in, and Uncle Tom, whose loyalty to and love for Christ eclipsed all other loyalties, transforming his relationship from Master-Servant to Master-Brother. Uncle Tom sincerely lived like Christ, in Humble servitude to all he could help, even his fellow slaves. The portrayal of Christ's love and of the doctrine of glorification of the redeemed make this an excellent read.

Buy from Amazon: Uncle Tom's Cabin

Venture Academy

2010-06-11T16:32:00.000-07:00

Well, I have to post something:

So here is what I have started just recently:

This is a wonderful tool that my dad bought for me, and I have started. It really teaches a lot, and God bless this man for his work. I am now working on Sales and Marketing, and every time I watch this video, it inspires me to have my own ideas for our business, Accessible Comforts.

Our business is in the Home Accessibility Market and we focus on the bathroom.

Dad took this picture of a lady we did a walk-in bath for.

Dear RSS readers

2010-06-09T10:48:00.001-07:00

dear RSS users: I have changed my feed url, and it will be deactivated in exactly 30 days. Thanks a million.

And The Hits Keep On Coming

2010-06-07T18:00:00.000-07:00

From a blog from a Catholic Lady, but I just love her views on children. Go to her blog here:
http://beelieving.wordpress.com

~-------------------------------------------------------~

I’ve previously shared my disgust at the battery of commentary and critiques that have been thrown my way simply because I’m pregnant, and more specifically because I’m pregnant with my third child when my oldest is only 4. Random strangers, pseudo-friends, family members, anyone and everyone seems to think that I’m an open target for their nasty comments and whacked logic. Today I got hit from an entirely new angle. While reading up on all of the drama, discussion, and debate surrounding Elena Kagan, I came across thislovely little blog entry where I read the following statement:

“Now that the sex lives of Supreme Court justices have become grist for commentators, we are finally free to discuss a question formerly only whispered about in the shadows: Why does Justice Antonin Scalia, by common consent the leading intellectual force on the Court, have nine children? Is this normal? Or should I say “normal,” as some people choose to define it? Can he represent the views of ordinary Americans when he practices such a minority lifestyle? After all, having nine children is far more unusual in this country than, say, being a lesbian.”

Granted, this statement wasn’t directed at me or even at anyone I know. Truthfully, prior to reading this I couldn’t have even told you who Antonin Scalia was, let alone how many children he has. (And don’t get on to me for that unless you can name all the Supreme Court Justices without google’s assistance.) But that’s not the point. The point is the general mindset of this “modern liberal thinker.” The problem is his view of children and of life and how rampant it is in society at large. And to make it even better, what are a slew of the reader comments about? How it’s “irresponsible” to have your own children when you could be out there adopting children. In case your unfamiliar with my response to that absurd argument, click here.
I am so sick of people’s general attitude towards children. They’re people. They have dignity. I hate to break it to Mr. Kinsley and whoever he has cocktails with after work, children aren’t the problem. The problem is that people like him put off having children until they’ve conquered all kind of ultimately meaningless goals at work and in their bank accounts. Then, when they finally decide the time is “right”, and assuming their wife hasn’t been rendered infertile by those ridiculous artificial hormones she’s been consuming every day for the past 25 years, they bring a child into the world. But guess what? They’re old and they don’t have the patience to learn how to be good parents. So they don’t. They hire a nanny or send their kid to day care or give him 50 bucks and tell him to get lost for the evening. They view children as a nuisance, not a gift, which Mr. Kinsley captures so beautifully in is quick yet utterly offensive entry.
I’ve got news for you, Mr. Kinsley, I have no doubt that I will find immensely more happiness in this life (and not to mention the next) due to my openness to life than you will ever find being “normal”. And as for your obnoxious commenters, I (and I would be willing to make a very large wager that the same is true for Antonin Scalia and his wife) do not have children to “prove something” to you selfish, leftist, baby-killers. I have children because they are a joy and they bless my life in ways that you can’t fathom because you’re too busy trying to get your kid out of your hair for five more minutes. And, based on the statistics regarding contraception and divorce, there’s something else that the Scalias and I have in common: COMPLETE satisfaction with our marital partners. Yes, Mr. Kinsley I’m implying that Supreme Court Justice Scalia has a better sex life then you, despite having 9 kids and being married since 1960. (I am NOT implying that is why he has 9 kids in the first place.) I’d also be willing to bet that you’ll never hear about the Scalias divorcing. I could almost guarantee that he loves his wife more and respects her in ways you could never even fathom. These are things that today’s “normal” people just can’t wrap their heads around. They’re too self absorbed to even contemplate self-sacrifice as the means to real happiness.
Truth be told, I feel sorry for you and all of the sheep out there who are just like you, Mr. Kinsley. I know that without a major renovation of your lifestyle you will continue to jump from one fleeting happiness to the next, never understanding what it really means to live, and taking it out in your bitter little news columns. I hate it that your opinion corresponds with the majority of society because I know what that means your lives will be like. It’s not a matter of differences of opinions. Statistics are on my side. The “normal” life that you so vehemently protect is empty. You have to recognize that it’s empty. Yet, you write of it as if people like the Scalias and my family are the abnormal ones. Do you do this just to make your self feel better? Or are you really so blinded that you wouldn’t recognize true happiness if it bit you on the behind?

Of Cycling, Trial, and Enjoyment.

2010-06-04T00:22:00.000-07:00

Today, I got to go off on a bike ride. This is a big thing. You see, I have not been on a bike ride since shortly after my ride last July which was the Seattle to Portland.

>So, Of Cycling, This week, I have ridden just over 80 miles. This was not out of ease, or my own will. It started up again because of necessity. The goal is eagle Scout. I must do this rigorous cycling for the end goal of attaining the eagle scout rank.

>Of Trial: Well, let me give you a recap of my week:

Monday: I hopped on the bike to go for a spin on the trainer. I couldn't find anything to go riding except my bike. It was very sad and discouraging. I finally got ten miles in that day. After that, I had to run a mile.

Tuesday: I had to spend an astronomical amount of money on my bike to get it in working order. I had run the mile earlier that day, and after we had got a bunch of stuff ready, off I went to take it for a spin. When I almost reached home, I received myself a flat tire, So, without delay, we went to the bike shop. I had to buy two new tires, a multitool, and tire irons, as mine had broke as I tried to repair the flat I had. That was almost as much money I had spent earlier that morning.

One of my biggest frustrations was that this was my money I had set aside for buying myself a cello. I felt rather like the couple in "Up" when they had to smash the jar of change to fix their roof, among other things.

Last night, I left for a bike ride to get to work with my family where we were painting an office building. I do not like to paint. I had a pretty lazy attitude that night. Once we got home at 10:23 PM, I had to run a mile, do 40 push ups and sit ups and I did 8 pull ups. after that, I took out my stretching board of death, which I lean over and feel like I am going to break my legs in half while trying to touch my toes.

>And Lastly, of Enjoyment. This Morning was pretty bad for me. I was in a bad mood from the last night, and I did not want to go on another...bike....ride. I had to do 24 miles. I finally got the gumption to take off, and I was gone. By the time I hit probably 23 miles, I had a lot of time to look back on the week. The Lord had done some pulling on my heart, and I have come around to see the morning sun. I realized many of my problems have always had the same solution: Go out and defeat them. Go out on that bike ride, no matter how much you hurt. And of course I will have saddle sores. (like I do) Of course my legs will feel like jelly. (like they do) I am tired, and worn out, and guess what... Tomorrow I get to ride ten more miles.

But I have realized a few things: that just as it says in James 1:2 "Count it all, joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials...for you know that the trying of your faith brings forth patience." (I wrote that from memory, I'd suggest looking it up) I will gain more muscle from straining it hard this week. I will come away with strength this week, but more importantly, I have come away with what it means to slay the Proverbial "Lion in the Street" and trudge along.

I came into this for one goal: to get my eagle badge: but now I have a greater vision of why the Lord put me in this situation. I live for Him, not the other way around. He has thrown this challenge at me, one that I had preconceived notions for, to earn a badge, and now I know that he put me here for the testing of my faith.

I praise my God and my Savior, because he is good, His love endures forever.

The Ball Rules

2010-05-30T18:43:00.000-07:00

A video of ballroom etiquette: funny and informative.

Evening of the Arts

2010-05-22T16:54:00.000-07:00

Evening of the Arts was great at church. There were many people performing or exhibiting some kind of art or food. There was a great diversity of skills presented there, and so I thought I'd list a couple.

My Favorite was a piece done by the Not-So-Irish Dutchmen, called "Paddy's Green Shamrock Shores"

I also liked Andralea and her sister Anna's performance, an Irish Jig which was a cello/violin duo

Another that I really enjoyed was Prelude in G for solo cello by Jonathan Berkompas.

One of the best there was the Sturdevant's "The lonely Goatherd" From the Sound of Music. That was very funny.

Here is mine:

If I have permission to post any of those videos above, please comment. Thanks to all who helped out including Galena and Rebekah and Brian V. for being our [very funny] Master of Ceremonies. Also thanks to Daniel B. for video, and Mr. Siefert and Ethan G for sound.

Blog Spotlight: Eleventary

2010-05-20T08:32:00.000-07:00

This is a great unique blog. Dr. Grant lists things in elevens.

Eleven places to go, eleven good quotes to hearken, eleven good books to read, even eleven good meals that you should try eating.

And I love the header. That makes it all worth it.

Socialism's Worst Enemy

2010-05-18T09:14:00.000-07:00

I recently told a friend of mine that the term 'socialism' is going to be vital to each and every American who cares for their liberty. So, are you not sure what socialism is? Here is the dictionary definition in the New Oxford American Dictionary:

a political and economic theory of social organization that advocates that the means of production, distribution, and exchange should be owned or regulated by the community as a whole.

Here is the danger: Men want control and power, for no other reason than it makes them feel controlling and powerful. As sinners, we seek this. To control another man's life is to be what God is. (As a side note, this is also the danger in Armenianism: to have control and power over your own salvation and soul.) Men are sinners. Men naturally will not do that which pleases the Lord due to our original sin in Adam. We are so blackened by the sin of the fall of Adam that we cannot do any good work apart from the Lord.

But if it were not for the above fact, socialism would be great! All men receive a great deal: Free healthcare, free food, free education! Is this not the epitome of freedom? No, it is not, for very plain reasons: to get free healthcare, someone must provide that service. To get free food, someone must grow it. To get free education, someone must teach it. That may seem an obvious prospect, but if you think about it, it means that you will be forced to provide these things. If no one wants to produce food for the rest of humanity, or they are unable, they will have to be removed.

This is where the second part of this comes into play. Socialism is government driven. Since the socialist agenda requires equal work from all, to give equally to all, you will produce, or you will be chucked out with the hay. This flies in the face of God and the Biblical reality. Men are made in community to serve and fight for themselves and their family.

The Biblical Model:
The Biblical model is covenantalism. This simply means that we are in covenant with God. God saved us, because we could not save ourselves. He brought us out of the pit because we could not. He did this through Christ, the head of the church. Remember that word, "head" it will be very important.

Many times in the life of Christ, he says that God is His head. He does the will of the Father. He represents the father.

If we are to be Christ-like we need to follow the mantra confirmed in 1 Corinthians 11:3:

³But I want you to understand that the head of every man is Christ, the head of a wife is her husband, and the head of Christ is God.

This is the epitome of covenantalism. It brings many together, knowing that they do no have the same function, but they can be brought together to a common goal. My favorite image of the relationship of Christ and the church is that of the man to the woman.

This is not just any woman or man though: This is from a Woman to her Husband, and from a daughter to her father. Men are to lay down their lives for women. They need to give their lives away as Christ gave his life away for us, the church. Read this post for some more background on this topic. I would now like to apply this principle to American Government.

In Biblical Covenantalism, the one who comes first lays down his life for those who come last. He honors the lowly. The man in charge was to give his life for those whom he was representing. Here in America, we have a representative Government. That means that all the Senators, Representatives, Mayors, County Commissioners, Governors, Policemen, and even (nay, especially) the president are servants to us. When they are elected to power, they do not have any power whatsoever except that which comes from us. They are to lay down their lives and reputations and whatever else they may find important to them to represent the people and the God whom they serve.

Men in the government must stand for God first, and lay down their lives for the people. This is the conclusion of the whole matter:

Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. ²And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

Ephesians 5:1-2

Here is a great blog.

2010-05-12T13:25:00.001-07:00

http://godreformamerica.wordpress.com/2010/05/01/the-purpose-of-this-blog

More later...

I was just thinking...

2010-05-03T21:30:00.000-07:00

Funny how it is cruel for a police officer in Portland to put a dog out of his misery (Recent event, I apologize I can't find a link; if any of you know more information please share), but it is perfectly moral to kill a baby in the womb. My thoughts after linking two unrelated events. please listen to this podcast by Kevin Swanson: "Bundle of Joy or a big Pain in the Bundle?"

Day two at Washington, DC

2010-04-21T17:12:00.000-07:00

I have not been able to post this for a while. Lots of stuff going on right now: lets have a recap:
Healthcare Bill
Senator Don Benton
Business: www.AccessibleComforts.com
School: :( Not much I'm afraid
Life in General
50+ Senior Connections Expo and much more...

Anyway. I am still stalling after such a period of not posting this one. There is some good news and there is some bad news. Good news first: I have some actual stories! Bad news: our camera battery went dead and so I have pictures from the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History but that's it. I have not the pictures which I took with our aunt's camera, but when I do, I'll get some choice photos to you guys.

In the morning, after waking up (I almost forgot to do this one!), I got dressed in my new suit coat, tie shirt and pants after taking a shower. I got a new suit so that I could look nice when I met the State Rep, Brian Baird, and we headed out for a good continental breakfast at the hotel we were staying in.

First place we went was the National Museum of Natural History. It was really cool driving down the streets and seeing the great buildings like the Archives Building and the National FBI Building, as well as looking down the street to see the Capitol Building.

When we walked into the Museum first thing we saw as "Dum-Dum" He wasn't quite like he looked on the movie though. This Easter Island man had arms, and he wasn't quite that big, even with a full torso. :)

"Dm-Dum"

Next we saw the dinosaurs. Of course, we saw that the entire exhibit was utterly impregnated with that awful (and in my humble opinion, hellish) notion of evolution and the "millions-of-years" label on everything, to illustrate how the world could come to be without any sort of help, and therefore being free of all kind of personal responsibility to a Creator, and therefore, to anyone else, simply because it doesn't matter anyway. Man is created to do whatever he wants and ruin all the lives he can as long as it makes himself happy anyway, right?

Needless to say, we disagreed with that point of view and looked at the dinosaurs the a Christian Biblical Worldview lens. God obviously didn't want these enormous creatures to roam the earth today for whatever reason, and so he put an end to them through his own means.

When I saw the Tyrannosaurus Rex, I remembered all the fond memories of learning about dinosaurs with my Papa (Grandpa) who I used to ask questions just so I could find something to stump him on. (I remember the first time I did it too, but that is another story). Papa taught me and my cousin all about dinosaurs, and by the time we were done, we were going to be archaeologists and study fossils for the rest of our lives. That was so much fun.

RAAWR! lol

BTW I am NOT a bug person. And that is a hissing cockraoch. Mom had to pay beg me bigtime to hold that one.

I will tell about the next part of the day once I get the pictures from that!

I will survive

2010-04-20T18:53:00.000-07:00

Random Saturday

2010-04-16T18:17:00.000-07:00

Ok, here goes:

Today, I worked with Mr. Mack (Mack Plumbing) and we got out a huge amount of concrete out of a floor that we are working at today with our business, Accessible Comforts.
I am currently reading a book by Douglas Wilson, which I highly recommend, called "My Life for Yours" Now, every time I walk in our front door, or sit in our front room, I think of its purpose, and how we are to use it.

This book is great because it teaches you to think about where you are. What you own is a reflection on who you are, and who you represent. I recommend this book to everyone, and especially those who do not put their all into what their house looks like.

Tomorrow I am going on a plane flight over my eagle project.
In 1789 today President-elect George Washington left Mount Vernon, Va., for his inauguration in New York.
In 1992 this day, The House ethics committee listed 303 current and former lawmakers who had overdrawn their House bank accounts. (And these guys in debt and irresponsible were making our laws!)
I have been reading a great blog by a good friend of mine: Ethan's "God Reform America" I recommend you go there and read some of his stuff (or whoever's stuff he decides you ought to see)

Question of the week:

I want your opinion

What does it mean to you that Twitter donated all tweets to date to the Library of Congress?

Please vote on the poll as well.

About me...

2010-04-13T11:02:00.001-07:00

On the People's Republic of Portland

2010-04-08T21:57:00.000-07:00

Recently, My dad and I earned a bathroom remodel in Portland on Fremont & 25th Area. Before this, I have had minimal experience with cities of any kind. I live out in the country, protected for the most part from the evils that occur in the city and the oppression that dwells there. The problem I saw there was a godless community. The sad part about this is the amazing amount of Churches there. There is literally one church every 5-7 blocks in every direction. People don't care.

The only interpretation I can make of this is that the churches are defunct. It is a sad day when God's temples are everywhere, and God's people are nowhere.

And so I urge the churches in Portland. I urge the men in those churches, the women and the children. I urge them to WAKE UP ALREADY! As in Bob Dylan's song,

You got some big dreams, Baby, but in order to dream, you gotta still be asleep"

The point is, you have to do something, no matter how overwhelmed you are about it. Some people just talk about how they are going to make their churches more appealing, but all those churches in Portland are beautiful. You see amazingly designed billboards, and "pop" style art. The problem lies here. The churches are so focused on evangelizing, that living for God has been out dated.

Yes, we need to love Him, but if we love God, we need to show it. God sent His only begotten Son for us. We recently celebrated His resurrection on Easter Sunday.

He sent his Son, so we have no choice, but to show that we love God, and follow His commands. Quit dreaming, and start living it out. We are called to the everyday life, and therefore live it. You don't need to look "cool" to get in to people's hearts, you need to love. And so do that: Love with the love of Christ, for He is risen for you, therefore, with His power, rise for Him.

Random [Saturday]

2010-04-05T08:46:00.000-07:00

Yes it is Monday. But that will never stop me from making a Saturday post.

Here are your random facts for Saturday, April 5, 2010

I bought a beautiful song from iTunes by Yo-Yo Ma and James Taylor: a cover of the Beatles "Here Comes the Sun
Apple's iPad came out on Saturday, and they sold 300,000 of these amazing devices that day. I am so not surprised...
This day in History, Pocahontas married John Rolfe in 1614
When I was in Virginia I saw the baptism bowl used to christen Pocahontas as Rebecca
I don't have much else to report
I don't have a riddle of the week...

Vote: Benton for Senate

2010-03-30T19:28:00.000-07:00

I have exciting news! I get to vote this year! Yessiree: I turn eighteen before the elections, and I am very excited.

With that out of the way, I had the privilege of giving State Senator Don Benton a phone interview. Overall, I liked his responses, and thought he was well put together and has his priorities straight.

In overview, I asked him about mainly three issues: Education, Abortion, and Healthcare.
Though I felt he was a little lax as far as it goes with public school, on further thought, I agreed. His stance is to give the individual states the sole responsibility to choose whether or not they will have a public school, how it will be run and paid for, and will vote to not allow Federal funding of schools. He is an strong opposer to abortion and believes life starts at conception, and that children are a blessing. Last, his main goals in Congress is to limit Government and spending

I had to push this post out due to technical difficulties, and so I will update later. For now, suffice it to say that he needs to be voted in place of Patty Murray. He has 24 hrs. to file, and so he needs YOUR contribution! Go to his website at: www.bentonforsenate.com

-God bless!

Random Saturday

2010-03-27T22:37:00.000-07:00

Here you go...

I still like to blog.
I unloaded lots of wood today
I have a great idea (uh-oh)
This is the most random post I have ever produced...
I am going to make a Saturday night random post with a random list and question/riddle/problem of some sort for you, my reader to answer...
I am still working on Mr. Benton's Post
I will have it out next week
I am going to start periodically making videos, but I need some support from my readers: First of all, I need a decent microphone for recording for now, and I'll be pretty happy.
I love America, Freedom, and the Bible it was founded on!
I love Christ, because He first loved me.

Random question of the day:

How do you kill a North Dakotan?

One of my dad's jokes from growing up in Montana :)

Happy Birthday, Hannah

2010-03-24T22:24:00.000-07:00

I love you Hannah!

Here are some things I love about my sister who just turned sixteen today!

She is always giggling and adds life to our home, even when we don't necessarily expect it :)
Hannah loves to help her little sisters, and watches out for them.
She makes me lunch before we go to work (Reason enough, right?)
She loves to read, and I can talk and discuss with her about almost any book. Now I just have to get her to read the books that make the "almost" list
She gives great hugs
She is a very talented seamstress, and makes very beautiful period clothing
She makes great cookies
She is easy to love.
She loves me
She is my sister

Eleventary: Post-Health Care Reform Resolves

2010-03-24T22:06:00.000-07:00

From Eleventary, Dr. George Grant's Blog

1. Pray more. 1 Thessalonians 5:17
2. Listen first. James 1:19
3. Work harder. Colossians 3:23
4. Serve others. Galatians 6:9
5. Defend life. Proverbs 24:11-12
6. Grumble less. James 5:9
7. Do justice. Amos 5:24
8. Love mercy. Micah 6:8
9. Walk humbly. Proverbs 15:33
10. Rejoice always. 1 Thessalonians 5:16
11. Trust Jesus. Revelation 19:6

Happy National Utopia Day, Everybody!

2010-03-23T22:03:00.000-07:00

Did you get your free band-aid and kleenex yet? That's about all your universal healthcare will get you.

"You cannot legislate the poor into prosperity by legislating the wealthy out of prosperity. What one person receives without working for, another person must work for without receiving. The government cannot give to anybody anything that the government does not first take from somebody else." ~ Ronald Reagan

That right there is exactly why. Continuing the thought from my last post, I'm not buying it. The Liberals are shackling the American people to the Government, and they will not have it. Man was not made for bondage and nobody is that stupid. I can just see now the eagle in our coat of arms bound with great shackles, and the name of America is the United Socialist States of America. Americans are not buying it, and I can only hope it is the beginning of a cultural reformation, starting with each of us.

Let me make some observations:
The liberals, progressives, purple flying monkeys, or whatever you want to call them (they keep switching it up: let's just call them what they are: MARXISTS) are taking control. The greatest areas that we see now are, private property, a graduated tax system, centralism of bank credit by the state, centralization of transport, free education for all children in public schools and now free healthcare for all. I think Marx says it well himself in his own list:

1. Abolition of property in land and application of all rents of land to public purposes. 2. A heavy progressive or graduated income tax. 3. Abolition of all rights of inheritance. 4. Confiscation of the property of all emigrants and rebels. 5. Centralization of credit in the banks of the state, by means of a national bank with state capital and an exclusive monopoly. 6. Centralization of the means of communication and transport in the hands of the state. 7. Extension of factories and instruments of production owned by the state; the bringing into cultivation of waste lands, and the improvement of the soil generally in accordance with a common plan. 8. Equal obligation of all to work. Establishment of industrial armies, especially for agriculture. 9. Combination of agriculture with manufacturing industries; gradual abolition of all the distinction between town and country by a more equable distribution of the populace over the country. 10. Free education for all children in public schools. Abolition of children's factory labor in its present form. Combination of education with industrial production, etc.

This man's goal in life was to "dethrone God and destroy capitalism." Now who do we see on the side of the Liberals? Atheists, non-Christians, and God haters, almost exclusively! Ours is a great nation infected by the bug of outright marxism! With the passing of this bill, we can see that America has been woken up by the devious deeds of all the marxists in our society. "Why are they marxist?" you ask? They are marxist because they were sent to public schools, run by the federal government. When someone owns a school, they have the inherent right to indoctrinate whoever goes there. The answer to this is don't go there! Public schools are a lie that the marxist left wants you to believe. "Everybody has a right to education, healthcare, jobs, and money!" I am here to tell you that that is not America's road.

America was a nation conceived in Liberty. It was founded by distinctly Christian men, with a Christian vision, to secure the rights of the people that they had fought for. John Quincy Adams voiced it well:

Posterity: you will never know how much it has cost my generation to preserve your freedom. I hope you will make good use of it.

A good example of the evil in America came to me today in a life-changing event. Recently, my dad and I earned ourselves a job in Portland, Oregon. Today, we decided to go to the store to get something to drink. As we pulled up, we saw the sign where a Planned Parenthood was located, essentially in the same building as Whole Foods, where we walked in among the great stiff-necked people for a root beer. As it is, the name of that eugenics movement makes me shudder every time I hear or say it. Sitting there, drinking my root beer, less than a hundred feet away from that door, and seeing those people just made me feel terrible. It was the worst feeling I have EVER had. I believe that that was the feeling of evil. It is indescribable, like standing in hell's doorstep. I wanted to get out of there as fast as I could. I hated sitting there like we did, because I just felt a great weight on my heart that said, "get the heck outta there, now!"

And so I come to the great question which most men try to put a damper on, sadly, even on the far conservative side: Why do men throw away the God which America was built on? Because we have, as a people, taken for granted our God-given rights. In our wealth, we have grown comfortable without God, and God is about to change that, let us pray that we will be shown mercy and that God would reform the nation as it is, and cause a revival in the land, and not destroy us like we deserve. America needs the Gospel, and conservatism is not strong enough to save it. We need God, not conservative principles. God save America.

Healthcare bill Passed!

2010-03-21T21:58:00.000-07:00

Today is a great moment in history, one that we will long remember as the beginning of a great turnaround for America, but not in the way you are thinking I might mean. I mean by that statement that this is the beginning of a turnaround for this country: there are millions of people outraged by the passing of this healthcare bill. They are not quiet, and they are a majority. The Senate and the House passed this bill Against the will of the people, and they will pay dearly. What they value as most important will be taken away from them: their office. A couple observations about today's healthcare vote:

They are voting into pass a bill on the Sabbath, an holy day to the Lord God. What happened to Church? Why are they in session on a Sunday, when they should be worshipping the Creator who put them in their place?
During the debates, I heard repeatedly from the side of the conservatives that we need to start over with a new bill: I believe that this is also the wrong path. We need not only to scrap this bill, but to scrap the new sheet of paper, and start cleaning up the mess under it.

Barack Obama's Twitter:

Tonight’s vote is not a victory for any one party – it is a victory for the American people. Tonight, we answered the call of history.

I'm not buying it. The facts are that I have way too much to say about the topic, I will have to write some stuff at home in my notebook to organize my thoughts and provide a comprehensive overview of my thoughts on the future of our country. All I can say for now is that I would urge you to pray for America, for the president and for the people. And that I finish up my DC posts... :)

PS: look at my previous post about the inauguration of our current President and continue to "Trust and Obey:" http://www.biblicalbeginnings.com/2009/01/trust-and-obey.html

A Big Weekend...

2010-03-20T14:13:00.001-07:00

New Domain

2010-03-16T10:37:00.000-07:00

Hello there! Welcome to Biblicalbeginnings.com! I now have a new domain, but unfortunately, I have lost all previous comments. I am working hard to get those back, and once I get that fixed you will see a post about my next day in DC and a phone interview I had with Senator Don Benton.

God bless you all!

Days 5-7 of My trip in Virginia

2010-03-09T10:17:00.001-08:00

As you already know, I took a trip to Virginia for 10 days which started out with a bang. by the time day five had come around, I had seen a naval base in Norfolk at Chesapeake Bay, Yorktown and Williamsburg. Day five was yardwork day for my Aunt. I volunteered. :)

Day six involved goin with my Uncle to see his base and a few cool airplanes. Isn't it amazing that these machines give man levity to actually be upheld by something we cannot see, and seemingly weightless?

Standing underneath the wings of a Grumman A-6E Intruder

Next to a Blue Angel with my two cousins

On day seven, we left for D.C. On our way up, we stopped at St. John's church where Patrick Henry gave his "Give me Liberty or Give Me Death!" speech.

Inside St John's Church in Richmond. I wasn't quite as impressed with this church as I was with the church in Williamsburg due to remodeling and a few other differences. I think the Williamsburg church was much prettier.

The story behind this church though is that when the house of burgesses was no longer allowed to meet, the founding fathers instead met here in secret as the continental congress, so that the king of England could not find out.

That day, we went to the Arlington National Cemetery where we saw the changing of the guard at the tomb of the unknown soldier. It was absolutely amazing the way it was perfectly timed and executed.

The tomb says: Here rests in honored glory an American Soldier, known but to God

Next we went to the Iwo Jima Marines memorial, a recreation of symbolic image taken of the Easy Company at the conquer of Mt. Suribachi on Iwo Jima, one of the most bloody wars in the history of the United States. Amazingly, the photograph was the product of an accident, recovered by men in the US when they processed the film. The monument is a bulwark of the American soldier, and his fight for freedom. On the monument, there are nine hands lifting the flagpole: the ninth hand is the hand of God. The most striking thing about DC was the intense Christian symbolism among all the buildings, memorials and other landmarks there.

Standing in front of the Iwo Jima Memorial

Coming soon: look forward to tales of lost shoelaces, arguments with liberals, and good chocolate.

Help me fix my blog

2010-03-05T12:10:00.001-08:00

Days 3 & 4 in Virginia

2010-02-23T20:26:00.001-08:00

Sunday was very nice as far as weather went. We went to church and the pastor there preached a great message about the Tower of Babel and our desire to be in paradise like God. He concluded that man is made to live in paradise with God, but because all of us have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, that we are unable to live in Paradise.

After church, we took off for Yorktown. Yorktown is where General Cornwallis surrendered to General Washington on October 19, 1781.

The British surrender at Yorktown

The Kitchen (the house is just out of the picture to the right)

Drying vegetables, fruits, and herbs

Mom is leaning on the tobacco barrel

The medicine tools. Boy, am I glad I did not have to be worked on in the Continental Army


I am ~~shooting~~ holding a musket that the gentleman next to me showed us how it worked (and shot it)

Colonial Williamsburg
Yesterday, colonial Williamsburg was amazing. It's funny how stepping back in time, that if you say that you are from Washington state, let alone the west coast, people think you are crazy. One man recognized the Oregon territory, but all in all, the general consensus was that nobody thought that Washington would ever have a state named after him, and that the west was savage and they didn't blame us for coming east.

The oldest in use Church in America is in Williamsburg. Inside is the largest organ on the East coast (I was told not to quote that, so take it with a grain of salt)

We're in the Jailhouse now.... (that bar you have to sit on really digs into your behind.)

The supposed biggest organ on the east coast

an old ad in the window of a cobbler's home


And last, but definitely not least, the house of burgesses, where the declaration of Independence was initially approved.

When I walked into the house of Burgesses, I could just imagine all of the founding fathers, debating what should go into the Declaration. I can imagine Patrick Henry, and George Washington, and Thomas Jefferson, and all the other men debating passionately what should be said in such a treasonous document as that.

This was an amazing day. So far it is my favorite because of the authenticity of it. The actors did so well, I almost forgot about 2010, and was transported to the 1760's, where the colonists were still loyal to king and England. I bought a great little pamphlet entitled, An Essay for the further Improvement of Dancing; being a collection of Figure Dances, Of several Numbers, Compos'd by the most Emminent Masters; Describ'd in Characters after The newest Manner of Mosieur Feuillet.
Hopefully I can get someone to help me read the diagrams...

Day 2 in Virginia

2010-02-20T19:19:00.001-08:00

Well, as my title says, it is day two in VA. I am having fun seeing all the east coast license plates and the freeway signs that I have only ever seen on maps or (more likely) in history books.

Starting from where I left off yesterday, we (My aunt, Mom and Myself) left to do some errands, when I b0ught myself a coat and went out for dinner for her birthday at P. F. Chang's, a fancy Chinese restaurant, and had dessert at Cold Stone.

Today I was awakened rather rudely by two young boys who call themselves my cousins, and bugged throughout my amazing day by the same said rambunctious duo. After some yardwork, we left for Norfolk to see the military base there and some really amazing ships. We saw the George H. W. Bush, and the Harry Truman Aircraft Carriers. These are absolutely huge ships!

I am standing in front of the George H W Bush!

The Turret Two memorial. That water is Chesapeake Bay.

This is a really cool memorial. It remembers those who were on the Turret Two when it sank on April 19, 1989. The inscription lists names of those who died and, at the bottom, reads:

They that go down to the sea in ships that do business in the great waters, these see the works of the Lord and His wonders in the deep.

What an amazing testament both to those who serve our country and the Lord who has given us this country.

We then went out to dinner and had Greek Pizza after going to the Forest Lawn Cemetery in Norfolk where my great great aunt Minnie is buried. (for the pizza) I thought this would be a fitting picture...

Markopoulos (I don't know who this is)


Great Great Aunt Themides

We then went to Barnes and Noble to pick up a Moleskine *City Notebook for Washington DC which I plan to use heavily in Washington. It is really a neat book. It has street maps, metro maps, blank pages, pages for places we ate, people we met, and other things. It is like a fill in the blanks travel notebook, that has plenty of room for whatever you want to do.

I also saw a really cool church, and I wish I couldv've taken some pictures.
All in all, it was a great day, and now I am looking forward to my day of rest and church and a trip into Jamestown tomorrow

Airplane flight and my first day in Virginia

2010-02-19T11:23:00.001-08:00

Well, I don't have any pictures yet to prove it, but I am in Virginia!

I am staying, like I said in my last post with my "Auntie," and so far it has been great, however, I am getting ahead of myself. Let's start at the very beginning, "a very good place to start."

Yesterday morning found me at about 3:00 yesterday Morning, at which time we left the house to get to the Portland Airport. After getting through security, and I apologize that I have no interesting stories to share about security yet, we made our way to the gate. The flight said that we were going to Denver, but underneath it said "Orlando." The plan was to go to Orlando, and then come straight up to Virginia from there. When we got to the gate, they were getting ready to board. Mom immediately got up and stood in the family boarding area, at which point I said,

"I don't think that this is our flight..."

"Oh?"

"Yeah, it says it is going to Denver..." I replied.

Mom gave me her usual "crumpled" face that communicated that she thought it was weird.

"Ok, well then, we have plenty of time. Go ahead and go find a McDonald's or something somewhere."

At this point I wasn't very hungry but decided to go look for something anyway. (I had nothing better to do, so off I went.) I mozied down about two of those moving walkways, and looked casually for something to eat. On my way back from my assignment, I again mozied, but this time right into Powell's Books. There I picked up a very interesting title called Synfonia about how the brain responds to music. I opened it up and read a few pages in the book.

So after that, I realized I should probably head back to report my failure, and as I walked back, I suddenly heard: "Run Josiah! RUN!" and so I ran as fast as I could.

"That was our flight!" Mom exclaimed.

I was devastated. Now what were we supposed to do? I ruined our whole day because I got sidetracked on a stupid book. Apparently, my name was announced on the intercom, but I was far too engaged to hear it. Mom was crying out my name, but it was no use. We ended up leaving at 9:30, three hours later than we were supposed to at the beginning of the flight. We had to cancel dinner with Nana and Papa, who we were going to meet at the airport in Orlando, while we were waiting four hours for the next plane. Now we weren't even going to Orlando.

I retrospect, I remember a certain set of reprimands and announcements made by my dad at baggage check in. One of the statement was, and I quote, "I don't know why I am sending the two most absent-minded people in my family off together for 10 days."

We finally arrived in Norfolk at 11:45, and we are here. It is my Aunt's birthday, and so we will be going to dinner tonight. That is the update for today, so look forward for more posts about Washington D.C. as well as some other historical cities. I am so excited!

Trip to the Capitol(s)

2010-02-17T22:30:00.001-08:00

Well, as it is late and I have JUST learned (an hour ago, at 9:50 about) that I have to catch a plane tomorrow morning, I am going to be very brief.

Today I visited the Washington state capitol and shadowed Ed Orcutt, Representative for 18th district, and boy does he have a job. There is a lot that goes into that and I was very impressed with the person of my representative in the House.

I have to write more later, and this brings me to my second point. I am leaving to get on the plane early tomorrow morning for Virginia to visit my aunt and uncle. I will write more, and do my best to update daily.

Wow am I excited! Pray that I have a safe trip with my sister Liberty and my Mom!