Christian Enlightenment
HT: Gene Pensiero
the moment a Christian, or a church, departs from the principle of revelation and goes into high criticism or intellectual understanding of the Bible, all spiritual authority is lost.
this is very relevant to the days in which we live and to the land in which we live. instead of attacking a city in the name of the Lord, the very spirit of the city gets into the life of the church. the local church becomes full of party strife and division, and believers become materialistic. the Bible is approached on the basis of ‘what i cannot understand, i will discard.’
if we submit the Word of God to our own intellect and refuse to believe in the possibility of absolute, authoritative revelation, the church loses its power and authority. and if it loses the ability to say, ‘thus saith the Lord,’ it has no answer to the problems of our times.
during the last century we have talked about the spread of modernism &neo-orthodoxy as if those things were new. but they are as old as the New Testament.
…if you want an enlightened mind on the Word of God, you have to live a crucified life.
that’s the principle.“
{ alan redpath >> the royal route to heaven }
Funny Kid
Watch and enjoy!!
I have to admitt I have my reservations about the validity of this video, but it is brilliant none the less.
In My Head
this is one of those quick thought posts. a passage that has been in my head for about the last week is from ps 1.
Blessed is the man
who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked
or stand in the way of sinners
or sit in the seat of mockers. But his delight is in the law of the LORD,
and on his law he meditates day and night.
back in my junior year of college this passage really challenged me to take a look at where my priorities and such were. i feel God trying to put this on my heart for that reason. so if you see me around ask me about it.
also i have some big plans that i am trying to process through. it is a big life change that i am not sure if i am ready to make yet. but at the same time it would be a great life change. more on this to come as i continue to process.
This One Brought Me To Tears
DISCLAIMER: this is a long read, but please find time to get through it.
when i started writing this i had just finished watching the movie “seven pounds”. this was the first time i saw this movie and had no inside information outside of the previews. [i'm sorry if i ruin the climax for you] this movie immediately struck so many cords in my heart that i had to share about it.
the movie peaks when “ben”, played by will smith, commits suicide so that his organs could be used to save lives. the reason this struck a cord was because my dad had a liver transplant nearly 9 years ago. i have to say the movie did add a bit of “hollywood” to the donation process, but it really depicted the struggle/frustration that waiting for an organ transplant places on a person and/or family.
my dad’s story started in 1996 when he was diagnosed with a liver disorder that was causing his liver to slowly fail. i had many questions for God about why this would happen to such a ‘good’ person like my dad. this was one of the seasons of my life that i am most thankful for because it gave me the opportunity to really see how a Godly man handles adversity. my dad had every right to be frustrated, but he was the strongest one of the family; constantly finding his strength in God. i know this experience was just as much for me as it was for my dad and family.
in october of 2000 we received “the call”. i was the only one home at the time when the answering machine picked up and it was the doctor from san francisco. when i frantically dialed my parents cell phone i could barely talk i was so overwhelmed at how that simple call would change our lives. needless to say we put into motion our calling chain, had friends and family over for a send-off and were off to san francisco that evening.
the transplant went off without a hitch and my dad was out touring a navy warship in san francisco within 5 days.
before i move on i would like to share about the donor. david was an avid mountain climber that lived in ashland, oregon. he was a just getting started on a journey with his new wife of 6 months, kris. he was a family man that shared his love of shakespearean theater with his wife. in his last days he was doing something he loved; climbing the ice face of mount shasta.
david slipped and fell on the ice nearly 1400 feet and sustained serious brain injuries. he was very resilient, but after a week of surgery after surgery to reduce swelling in the brain the doctors had nothing else to do. david’s family had previously talked about donation and decided they would donate his body.
this was THE greatest example of selflessness i have every experienced. even though there is nothing that can be done, the process of donation is still very hard because you are giving away your mother/father/son/daughter. i am eternally grateful for david’s family deciding to donate his body.
one of the most amazing experiences to date with this whole process was getting to meet david’s mother and wife about a year after the transplant. it was at a celebration of life ceremony in palo alto, ca. we had been in communication by letter for sometime and finally had the opportunity to meet part of david’s family. the first moment when we met is etched in my brain and heart forever [i'll be honest i am holding back sheding tears writing this part because it truly showed me first hand God's love for me].
when we first met david’s mother i don’t think she said any words until she walked up to my dad, placed her hand on his stomach where his scar was and said these words.
“MY SON WAS BORN TO GIVE YOU A SECOND LIFE”
it was like Jesus himself was standing in front of me telling me how much He loved me.
side note, i was not expecting to have a sob fest while writing this and i am finding it hard to write and wipe my tears at the same time.
to continue the story, my family has had the pleasure of spending more time with david’s family and it was truly been a blessing. after watching the movie “seven pounds” i just had to tell my story to shed light on a personal experience of organ donation.
for those of you that have not considered it or have second thoughts please reconsider. if you have questions feel free to call me, send me an email michaelfast@gmail.com or ask in the comment section.
No, Mr. President. Killing is Killing no matter what we call it
A friend on Facebook posted this video today and when I watched my blood got a boiling. I know it is crystal clear that God creates each and every baby in His own image. All abortion does is take this LIFE. This video is an exerpt of a message by John Piper on the Womb.
This exerpt is pointed at President Obama’s support of a “Woman’s right to choose”. Just watch and listen to how beautifully Piper pulls back the curtain on why abortion IS NOT protecting women/reproduction.
You can read or watch the full sermon @ www.desiringgod.org
Unintentional
Today I had lunch with a friend I met about a year and a half ago. I met him through my girlfriend at the time and I am glad I did. When we first met it was an instant friendship and it has grown from there. It just made me think how thankful I am of people that I don’t meet intentionally. I have quite a few friends of friends that I have had the pleasure of getting to know.
Back to my first thought, we had lunch and just talked about life. Neither of us had many answers, but we were able to just listen to each other and share experiences.
The take away point to this is, be aware of those people that you wouldn’t meet “intentionally” because they can spur great relationships.
Oh and one last personal plug….if anyone has a friend [that is a girl] I could unintentionally meet I am down! :)
