Scan me!

so im walking back from class with my old man floppy hat a coffee mug and a messanger bag…. i got this creepy feeling that im turning into you…

Ha! I love my life.

Ez. 34:17-24

“As for you, my flock, thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, I judge between sheep and sheep, between rams and male goats. Is it not enough for you to feed on the good pasture, that you must tread down with your feet the rest of your pasture; and to drink of clear water, that you must muddy the rest of the water with your feet? And must my sheep eat what you have trodden with your feet, and drink what you have muddied with your feet?

“Therefore, thus says the Lord GOD to them: Behold, I, I myself will judge between the fat sheep and the lean sheep. Because you push with side and shoulder, and thrust at all the weak with your horns, till you have scattered them abroad, I will rescue my flock; they shall no longer be a prey. And I will judge between sheep and sheep. And I will set up over them one shepherd,my servant David, and he shall feed them: he shall feed them and be their shepherd…

[2/20/08]

I.
All things come of Tee, O Lord.
An of Thine own have we given Thee.
Amen.

II.
We give Thee but Thine own,
Whate’er the gift may be;
All that we have is Thine alone,
A trust, O Lord, from Thee.
Amen.

III. (Call and Response)
To the preaching of the good tidings of salvation…
We consecrate our gifts.

To the teaching of Jesus’ way of life…
We consecrate our gifts.

To the healing of broken bodies and the soothing of fevered brows…
We consecrate our gifts.

To the leading of every little child to the knowledge and love of Jesus…
We consecrate our gifts.

To caring for helpless age and the relief of all who look to us for help…
We consecrate our gifts.

To the evangelization of the world and the building of the kingdom of God…
We consecrate our wealth, our efforts and our lives.

[1/24/08]

Democracy was (arguably) first truly applied to public government through the application of Calvin’s ideas of church government to the secular politics by John Knox.

[1/19/08]

As I read and learn more and more about the history of the basic branches of the Protestant church I find that the pattern of too-hard - too-soft - just-right in almost every run down of their distinctives and doctrines. There are issues of the “real presence” in communion, baptism (both child and believer’s), church political structure and its interaction with the secular politics, defense of the doctrines (or dogmas), the interpretation of the Bible, the nature of God, the nature of salvation and election… I find truth and different kinds of “missing it” in all of them.

Am I Goldilocks with my theology? Will I find the high Papa Church always too big, and hot but with the right firmness? Will the Mama church always be too soft and cold, but the right size? And the infantile church “just right”? And will I find myself thrown out of the house altogether?

Maybe the metaphor of the story breaks down around here - finding the extremes too much but comfort somewhere in the middle. It’s as if I’m looking for the medium sized, hard and cold… and not all of them go with the same system (Papa, Mama, Baby)…

Is it that I just find myself uncomfortable in every house but still welcomed… as if the bears welcomed Miss Locks into their home to stay.

[1/19/08]

Calvin’s greatest contribution to the Protestant church is the ability he demonstrated to be able to be build a solid basis of theology on the Bible…

It’s crazy to me that it was any other way at other post-canonical period of time! This just betrays the success of Calvin’s main and foundational idea.

I need to read Calvin’s Institutes.

[1/11/08]

Is there an example of anyone in the scriptures who died because of bad doctrine on par with a bad understanding of baptism (or less)? I know not of even one! For pride; for lack of pursuit of God; for disobedience and dishonor of God; for a sin in action or condition that is not confessed? Yes, yes, yes, yes. For ignoring God’s Word - yes. For blasphemy - yes. For heretical action - yes. For heretical words - none that I know of. Killing for worldview, for belief or for understandings does not fall in line with any definition of biblical - then, how can any judgment be leveled against a heretic or theological opponent?! For, all righteous judgment is a judgment that can (at some degree) be taken to judgment unto death… and indeed it will on that great and terrible day.

[1/10/08]

Wouldn’t life on Mars have evolved in such a way that the substance would either end up being beneficial (at best), guarded against or a non issue (worse)? There are plenty of chemicals and compounds here that can be harmful, but life here uses or just ignores (oxygen, carbon dioxide, etc.) would that not also happen with this specific chemical if life were to occur on Mars?

I think the issue lies in the fact that people who hear these things don’t understand how the evolutionary theory is supposed to work - things evolve to adapt to their environment. Life adapted to Earth’s environment would not be able to hand the compound well, but then again life from Mars might find some other substance that we don’t even think about deadly.

There seems to be one article that I’ve found that at least questions these evaluations as well.