Will the real slim shady please cast the first stone?

Where’s the pot of gold, anyways?

My Pastor, Pete  http://withoutwax.tv/ , made a good point today at church.  He said that the reason “the church” has picked on homosexuality so much over the last many decades was because it was something that they (Christians) didn’t seem to struggle with.  Therefore, it was so easy to throw stones at the gay community.  I agree!   Thank God for people like Ted Haggard and all of the child molesting priests, because now the modern, judgmental church realizes that it’s not just “non-Christians” that struggle with homosexual lust. 

Rubel Shelly http://www.rubelshelly.com/ was the first person I ever heard say that we should invite alcoholics and homosexuals to church.  At that time, I was a practicing alcoholic, and boy did I practice, LOL.   Seriously, lets put this in the form of a joke or a game show question:  A homosexual, a young unmarried woman (who just had sex with her boyfriend that morning) and a husband who is having an affair all walk into a church.  Which one is going to Heaven?   (BUZZZ) “I know the answer, as long as they all accept Jesus Christ and repent of their lustful sin, all of them!”   (Ding, ding, ding!)  “You’re right, and what do we have behind door # 1 for our contestants?  That’s right, an all exclusive paid for (by Jesus Christ), life long vacation away from playing God.” 

I am ready for that vacation myself, because the reality is, “I am just a Christian who struggles with heterosexual lustful sin on a daily basis.”  I know that my permanent vacation will be in Heaven, but while I am here “at work” on earth, I will be damned if I give somebody else a hard time for screwing up on a job, after I just screwed up earlier that same day, but on a different project.

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Pray for my buddy, Pete

 

OUR rights

 

“Enemy-occupied territory, that is what this world is.” -C. S. Lewis

I know that there are way too many blogs writing about this, but I have to point out that Ms. Prejean even said “no offense to anyone…”  Would a gay rights activist be polite enough to say “no offense..?”  I respect her for standing up for her beliefs.  Heck, she probably would’ve won with a more politically correct answer.  See, I don’t care about the laws.  Do I think abortion is murder? Probably.  Do I think any homosexual act is immoral?  Definitely, yes.  Did I commit a form of lust today? Yes.  Therefore, does the U.S. need to make lustful thoughts against the law and punishable by death?  No, because then there would be no men left on earth to run for Senate or preach Hell, fire & brimstone sermons from the pulpit.  Seriously, if we disagree with someones decision or lifestyle, then we should pray for them and let God do the judging.  Let’s debate/fight for OUR rights, not someone elses.  Oh, and by the way, it’s called free speech, Mr. Hilton.   Look it up!  It was our first right in this country and the reason you can cuss her out on the internet.

 

God Cruise Control

1971 Chevelle SS

 

 

 

 

^{1 Thessalonians 5:17} Pray without ceasing…..¹⁹ Do not quench the Spirit (quench-to put out or extinguish).

For most of my life, I have driven with God somewhere in the backseat of the car of life.  And by the way, ‘the car of life’ is a 1971 Chevelle SS.  Sometimes I would kick him out, but he would hold on underneath like “Indiana Jones.”  I was at my best when he was riding “shotgun,”  which was rare.  For the last 2 years I have been practicing letting God drive and not because I heard Carrie Underwood’s song “Jesus take the Wheel.”  I have always liked songs about driving, though.  Whether it is Alan Jackson’s “Drive,”  Bruce Springsteen’s “My Hometown” or Pearl Jam’s “Rear view Mirror.”  In Robert Frost’s days it was about a path, because cars were still new.  To my generation, “Life is a Highway.”   Boy, could I get anymore Cliché.  I am just thankful now that God is riding shotgun and we are taking shifts at the wheel.   Hopefully, one of the days I will let him drive all the time.  God cruise control!

 I used to pray at scheduled times (ie. dinner, bed, chapel, church).  Lately, I have been talking to God all day.    Society says that you are crazy if you talk to someone that is not present in the physical sense or if you have voices in your head.  Then I guess I am crazy.  I think it is the most sane way to live, if you are a believer.  In college I would hear Atheist professors of sociology refer to what I knew was the Holy Spirit as “a conscience.”  I cannot go through life living the way God wants me to live unless I pray constantly and listen to the Holy Conscience.

 

Matthew 1

I am taking on my Pastor’s challenge of reading a chapter from the book of Matthew everyday from now until Easter. Here is what I got from the 1st chapter:

18 “This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. 19 Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.”

Can you imagine if this happened today to what society calls a “righteous man?” They would be on every talk show and court TV. Way to go Joseph! By the way, nice name.

Joseph's dream

 

Read my pastor’s blog

I have never done this before, but I was inspired to do so. If you do not read Pete’s blog, please at least read this post. WOW! I just hope he can lead us through that walk, without a lot of talk.

http://withoutwax.tv/2009/01/07/be-the-church/

 

I am a preist, are you a Superman?

James 5:16-Confess your sins to one another.  When did “one another” become “a dude in a robe? ‘

Our church is putting a strong emphasis on community groups this up coming year, as well as many other things.  Throughout my experiences AA is all about confession.  In my opinion, their groups are more honest and transparent than most Sunday School Adult classes.  Why is this?  I believe because everyone in an  AA meeting is obviously a publically admitted “sinner” and they are not afraid to wear that scarlet “AA” on their chest during those meetings.  There is nothing to hide!   The funny thing is that whether we want to talk about it at dinner parties or not, we are all wearing an “S” underneath our shirts, except the “S” stands for sinner.   The only difference is: I don’t think that God wants us to only strip down in a phone booth or a confession booth.  What say you?

 

What a sad blessing

Angela Brannon

Angela Brannon, from Nashville Christian School’s Class of 1992 died on Friday night after a five year battle with cancer. During the Eulogy, the preacher said that Angela was running in a new, healed body running in Heaven today. This is why it is a blessing.

 

 

 

UPDATE:  Kenny Dill was signing the guest book at Angela’s funeral and accidentally put his childhood address down.  Upon entering the room he noticed a picture of him and Angela on a board when they were kids.  After analyzing the photo, he realized that it was taken at the house of the 20 year old address that he had accidentally wrote down.  Notice how many times I have written “accidentally.”  Let me make myself perfectly clear, this was no accident.  You may say, “man, that was weird.”  In my opinion, this was no accident, nor was it weird: it was GOD.  Isn’t that awesome!   HE still talks to us, you just have to listen.  Some may say, “prove it.”  I cannot, however can you prove that it wasn’t.  I believe that is why they call it “faith.”

 

Time to take out the trash

 

I am a firm believer that God speaks to us through our children.  Last night, my son Daniel (4) was saying a prayer and he said “Lord, help daddy and Blake to take out the trash.”  It is time for me to take out some personal trash.  Lustful thoughts about anyone but my wife, judgemental thoughts about others and being a cynic about anything I don’t like.  What about you, what kind of garbage do you need to take out?

 

I’m wordless, just watch this inspiration…