If there’s a copy of the NIV in your house, or even a copy of Purpose Driven Life, you know  Zondervan, the Grand Rapids company founded in 1931 by Pat and Bernie Zondervan, now owned by HarperCollins.

But even if you don’t, you would have a hard time escaping mention of the company online during the last 90 days, as it’s been a wild ride for company executives, and especially company president Maurine (Moe) Girkins, pictured at right, who seems to be making a public statement on one front or another every week.    Imagine dealing with all this:

• The fall announcement that the TNIV translation would be discontinued in favor of a revised NIV.    This re-sparked old debates over the TNIV’s use of gender-neutral language, with some discussion shifting from the anthropos=mankind argument, to the plural vs. singular argument and the translation vs. commentary challenge of Bible translation.   In the process, very few people considered that the much better-loved NIV — as it currently exists –was also being scrubbed in the process.
  
• The hiring of Flickering Pixels author Shane Hipps by Mars Hill Bible Church in Zondervan’s hometown, brought Hipps under fire from the discernment ministries who already had their guns aimed at Rob Bell.   It also showcases Zondervan’s willingness to promote next generation authors and give a platform to younger voices — bloggers Jon Acuff and Anne Jackson come to mind — and Emergent church, social justice and missional voices like Brian McLaren, Shane Claiborne or Dan Kimball.   But the downside of this is going to be inexperience at minimum, or more severe controversy as in the next item; and even the hint of heresy from some extreme sides could diminish the value of the Zondervan brand in the eyes of conservative Christians.    The company is caught in the race against other publishers to sign “the next big thing in Christian writing” on the dotted line.   With that comes risk.   While there are more and more authors in the marketplace, Donald Millers don’t grow on trees.
• The decision to pull Deadly Viper Character Assasins by Mike Foster and Jud Wilhite was probably not easily made.    Taking a title of out distribution is costly and suggests the company wasn’t carefully considering the full ramifications of the book’s content before the presses started rolling.  Most people agree.   Others would say the company got caught in the tide of political correctness and that the book’s Kung-Fu imagery was a valid literary device to express the authors intent.
• The sale of Youth Specialties to Youthworks was the buzz of the recent National Youth Workers Convention, and it follows the release of Youth Specialties head Mark Oestreicher.   Zondervan will continue to hold the print rights to current and future books and resources.
• The downward spiral in the marriage of Jon and Kate Gosselin.   Zondervan is the publisher of Multiple Blessings: Surviving and Thriving with Twins and Sextuplets. The “story of a young couple who trusted in the ever present hand of a faithful God to provide the strength and courage they needed to face seemingly impossible challenges one day at a time” no doubt pales in the light of their recent separation and Jon’s excesses.    Such is the world of celebrity.   Just ask Thomas Nelson, whose biography of Lynn Spears was put on hold a few years back when Britney’s younger sister became pregnant at a young age.
• The lawsuit filed last week against Zondervan by Thomas Nelson, alleging copyright infringement in its I-Can-Read series book, The Princess Twins which they say is ripping off the Gigi: God’s Little Princess book and series by Sheila Walsh.  The similarity in the visual appearance of the characters is complicated by — but also somewhat explained by — the fact that both books used the same illustrator.  It also raises the issue of lawsuits among Christians.
  
• The September decision to jettison the company’s Pradis Bible software and instead work with other software developers such as Logos, with the result that pastors and seminarians don’t have to have a separate Bible program to utilize Zondervan content.
• The shunning of the Christian bookstore market in favor of developing an entire series of specialty Bibles for retail giant Wal-Mart may have been the last straw for those stores.   The backlash could continue for several years as customers bring those copies to the Christian stores looking to buy “another one like this one” which store staff will have never seen before.   To further complicate things, the Wal-Mart series piggybacks on several existing Zondervan NIV brands.
  
• Uncertainties as to how many copies of the new Glo Bible software will be returned after Christmas.   With four computers in the house — two of them recent — there’s a little concern in our home as to whether or not we can install the program which requires a dual core processor and 18GB of free hard disc space.  My youngest son, who is into gaming, offered me space on his, but it’s hard to find time when he’s not using it.
  
• While it’s not a Zondervan title, the company’s sales reps are promoting parent HarperCollins’ release Going Rogue by Sarah Palin in the Christian bookstore market, because of Palin’s unabashed faith commitment.   But Palin is a wild card, and the company can’t afford any backlash from the independent Christian bookstores that still remain.
• Stuff Christians Like blogger Jon Acuff’s book of the same name is due out from the company in the new year.   The blog is somewhat tame at times — he refused to print two comments by this writer, and I’m not known for being edgy — but takes risks in others.    One of the edgier sections is called “Booty – God – Booty” which frankly discusses the North American penchant for compartmentalizing our lives into the sacred and the profane.    But readers may have to read the section twice to get the illustration, and speaking of illustrations, at least one blogger is upset over this one.

And that’s just a few major items.   I’d love to be a fly on the wall in the Zondervan conference room.  It’s hard to imagine one Christian publisher dealing with so many varied issues at the same time.

I can’t wait to see what surprises the company has in mind for 2010.

Now,  more in the spirit of blogging:  How significant is the name on the spine of a book to you?  Do you note who the publishers are?   Do publisher imprints matter?   Do you have a favorite publisher?

Pictured below, some graphics from the now off-market Deadly Viper Character Assassins:

Brannon Howse using GOIP Tech and STRETCH Technology’s Hellescope discernmentalizes that Emergents are actually Atheistic Communists:

Emerging Trouble

 The pastors and authors of one of America’s fastest growing spiritual movements, the Emergent Church, sing the praises of socialism. As I’ll explain in more detail later, the Emergent Church champions the neo-Marxist call for a utopian society through spiritual evolution where good and evil merge to form a “better” third option. This idea derives from the belief system of philosophers such as Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel and finds its contemporary manifestation in the “Third Way” movement of Bill Clinton and Tony Blair. In the Third Way, capitalism, socialism, and communism merge to form a misanthropic combination of the three. This blending is now represented in the terms “the New World Order” and “the new enlightenment.”

 The Third Way promotes Communitarianism, a toxic blend of communism, socialism, atheism, and Cosmic Humanism. Communitarians believe in universal health care, government-subsidized housing and education, radical environmentalism, Fabian socialism, and the like.

An article on the website of the Democratic Leadership Council explains how Clinton and Blair have promoted Third Way thinking across the globe:

On Sunday, April 25, 1999, President Clinton and the DLC hosted a historic roundtable discussion, “The Third Way: Progressive Governance for the 21st Century, “with five world leaders including British PM Tony Blair, German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, Dutch PM Wim Kok, and Italian PM Massimo D’Alema, the First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton and DLC President Al From.[4]

Starting with Bill Clinton’s Presidential campaign in 1992, Third Way thinking is reshaping progressive politics throughout the world. Inspired by the example of Clinton and the New Democrats, Tony Blair in Britain led a revitalized New Labour party back to power in 1997. The victory of Gerhard Shroeder and the Social Democrats in Germany the next year confirmed the revival of center-left parties which either control or are part of the governing coalition forming throughout the European Union. From Latin America to Australia and New Zealand, Third Way ideas also are taking hold.

Not to be hoodwinked by the window dressing of Third Way advocates, however, Vaclav Klaus, prime minister of the Czech Republic, warns against the real future it offers: “The Third Way is the fastest route to the Third World.”[5] But that seems to be where communitarians want to take us.

Grave Influence: 21 Radicals and Their Worldviews that Rule America from the Grave

This is it, the one book you need to read if you want to understand the big picture, connect all the dots, and understand current times, and future events and trends that will be unfolding. This ground-breaking book by best-selling author Brannon Howse is the result of thousands of hours of research over many years and is must reading for every teenager and adult.

Brannon reveals how the worldviews of 21 dead people are still influencing every aspect of American life and vying for the hearts and minds of adults and students. Whether we are discussing, law, science, economics, history, family, social issues, education or religion, the people and worldviews seeking to further their agenda in these disciplines are almost always connected back to four major forces. Brannon reveals the connection between occultism/pagan spirituality, the apostate church, the educational establishment and government/corporations.

Through this book you will come to understand the oppositions worldview, heroes, goals, strategies, masking terms, networks and targets. Those who share the worldviews of these 21 enemies of our constitutional republic and Biblical worldview do not want their agenda and its consequences to be revealed to the American people. Above all, they do not want us to equip and train our children and grandchildren with a Biblical worldview by which to recognize, reject, and fight against their seductive and destructive lies. This book will equip you to do just that as Brannon gives specific and pro-active responses you can take to make this the finest hour for the American church.

Here is the list of twenty-one for which Brannon has dug up worldview facts you must know and prepare to oppose:
 
Saul Alinsky, Karl Marx, John Dewey, John Maynard Keynes, Aldous Huxley, Charles Darwin, Friedrich Nietzsche, Margaret Sanger, William James, Alice Bailey, Helen Schuman, Sigmund Freud, Alfred Kinsey, Benjamin Bloom, B.F. Skinner, The Frankfurt School, Soren Kierkegaard, Julius Wellhausen, Christopher Columbus Langdell, Betty Friedan and Roger Baldwin

Topics covered include:

Corporate fascism, sustainable development, the Third Way, global governance, dialectic process, the Delphi technique, the Cloward-Piven Strategy and deliberate chaos, community organizing, Fabian socialism, the federal reserve and a fiat currency, America’s decline is Europe’s gain, cultural Marxism, government mandated youth service, legal positivism, postmodernism, soft-despotism, higher-criticism, pagan spirituality, feminism, welfare-state capitalism, the false-dominate church, the Emergent Church, the spiritual battle for America, the United Nations and occultism, unmasking the one-world religion, the deconstructionists in the culture and in the church, psychological labeling of dissenters, behavior modification, a planned economy, the assault on parental authority, the two tracks to globalism, Keynesian economics, collectivism, similarities between America and Nazi Germany, national leaders are a reflection of the people, social justice, why the culture war is lost if the church goes weak, is God judging America?, When and why does God judge a nation?, the environmentalist/globalist connection, cultural revolution/sexual revolution, the right to die becomes the duty to die, the true purpose of the law, why the State wants the children, are we all God’s children? And much, much more.

Click here to order now:
http://www.worldviewweekend.com/secure/store/product.php?ProductID=1044

We agree that Emergents are Absolutely evil. Just look at how a typical Emergent looks:

This is why ye must avoid those evil Emergent heretics: Iggy, Tripp Fuller, The Groundworks, Mike Morrell and TheoPoet.

Rob Bell in Columbus, Ohio on December 10 for the Drops Like Stars Tour.

Just found out they are filming the Columbus tour for the DVD.

Already got my tickets.

“Come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord”  2 Corinthians 6:17

2 Cor 6:14,15,17-BE YE (that is you) NOT UNEQUALLY YOKED TOGETHER WITH UNBELIEVERS: FOR WHAT FELLOWSHIP HATH RIGHTEOUSNESS WITH UNRIGHTEOUSNESS? AND WHAT COMMUNION HATH LIGHT WITH DARKNESS?…WHAT PART HATH HE THAT BELIEVETH WITH AN INFIDEL (an unbeliever)? WHEREFORE COME OUT FROM AMONG THEM, AND BE YE (that is you) SEPARATE, SAITH THE LORD

Brannon Howse in his latest missive brings out the importance of the Pure Biblical Doctrine of Separatism. Here is the first paragraph from his laxative missive:

The Emerging Third Way of Apostate Pastors and Globalist Leaders

By Brannon S. Howse

The following is an excerpt from the just released book by Brannon Howse, Grave Influence: 21 Radicals and Their Worldviews That Rule America From The Grave (368 pages, hard-cover)Click here to order your copy today:
http://www.worldviewweekend.com/secure/store/product.php?ProductID=1044 

 

 

The leaders in the educational establishment, the apostate Church, occultism/pagan spirituality, or the government-corporate complex want the idea of social and spiritual evolution embraced worldwide in order to bring about their desired “new order” or “new world order.” Secular humanist and Fabian Socialist Julian Huxley (brother of Aldous) was the First Director General of the United Nations Educational, Science, and Culture Organization (UNESCO). He explained, “The task is to help the emergence of a single world culture…”[1]

 

Did you hear that strong separtist language? That’s right America should not be separated from the other nations as  they are not are Pure and are not full of darkness. This is why GOIP Labs is working on secret technology to totally separate America God’s Chosen and Holy Nation from the darkness of all those other heathen nations–especially Canada, Russia and France.

Keep ye separate from heathen political parties and do not mix with their ideologies.  This is another non-essential subjective opinion on a non-Absolute biblical truth highlighted in Brannon’s forceful farceful fartful succint essay:

This “task” is even at work in America’s political arena. Bill Clinton’s mentor and former professor Carrol Quigley made this clear in his book, Tragedy and Hope:

The chief problem of American political life…has been how to make the two Congressional parties more national and international. The argument that the two parties should represent opposed ideals and policies, one, perhaps, of the Right and the other of the Left, is a foolish idea acceptable only to doctrinaire and academic thinkers. Instead, the two parties should be almost identical, so that the American people can “throw the rascals out” at any election without leading to any profound or extensive shifts in policy.[2]

And it’s working. While there are some truly conservative Republicans, most embrace the same worldview and agenda of their fellow politicians across the aisle. This is a form of Marx’s dialectic process, the true intent of which is revealed by Julian Huxley:

…at the moment, two opposing philosophies of life confront each other…You may categorize the two philosophies as super nationalism, or as individualism versus collectivism…or as capitalism versus communism, or as Christianity verses Marxism. Can these opposites be reconciled, this antithesis be resolved in a higher synthesis? I believe not only that this can happen, but that, through the inexorable dialectic of evolution, it must happen.[3]

Those who buy into Darwinian or neo-Darwinian evolution and apply it to society embrace this concept of social evolution. There are others who apply it not only to the social and cultural arenas but also to the spiritual world. Generally, these are New Age devotees of the New Spirituality. Generally-but not always.

We agree that mixing political parties is like the non-evilness of Progressive Christians mixing with Athiests against their commmon foe the nutcase Brannon Howse period. Clearly Athiests and  Emergents are not to blame for all of our political problems.

From my friend and brother in the Lord the ever biblically solid Gary Gilley

Emergent Books.

Great article from my friends and brothers and sisters in the Lord at Herescope

Meditation that is not founded upon the Word of God, like alabyrinth, is a maze that ultimately ends up in futility, going nowhere but endless spirals.

Those who have practiced Eastern-style meditation, with its emptying of the mind and/or visualization (imagery), often do so because they desire to acquire peace, or because they are hurting and desire their inner psycho-spiritual needs to be met. Yet they will eventually find that their needs are not met, and they are more empty than ever. Further, this type of meditation opens one’s mind to occult spirituality – even if it is done under the aura of being “Christian.”

Those who engage in the pantheon of contemplative practices need to beware that it is described as “two intentions that are the foundation of all contemplative practices: cultivating awareness and developing a stronger connection to God, the divine, or inner wisdom.”[1] See “The Tree of Contemplative Practices” posted HERE. This is a graphic representation of how the “roots of the tree encompass and transcend differences in the religious traditions from which many of the practices originated, and allow room for the inclusion of new practices that are being created in secular contexts.”[2]

Looking at this tree, it is obvious that what passes for “Christian” meditation in our modern era springs from the Gnostic roots of this occult tree. Is it any wonder that this tree then bears corresponding occult fruit? Note that this contemplative tree does not promise life, only “wisdom,” which just happens to be what the serpent promised Eve if she ate of the fruit of the tree in the Garden of Eden.

But what about the person who is truly needy? One who is experiencing a crisis of faith? Who is being persecuted? The fragile believer who feels that their faith is floundering or drying up? These struggling believers are being encouraged to run to this “contemplative tree” of eclectic spiritual practices to find refuge, solace and comfort. After all, it istrendy to run to this contemporary contemplative tree, despite its antiquated roots buried in the deep strata of occultism.

This alluring multifaceted tree promises healing, renewal, insight, rest, wisdom and access to God. But, warning! Eating its fruit results in spiritual blindness and deafness, bondage and emptiness.

The Tree of Life

There is another tree, which is found in Scripture. It is based on the Word of God. Psalm 1 describes the believer who finds his ”delight in the the law of the LORD” and says that in this law (God’s Word) ”doth he meditate day and night.” If a believer does this he is promised that he shall ”be like atree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper” (verses 2-3, emphases added). What a promise!

Meditating on the Word of God produces beautiful fruit in the lives of Christian believers. There are many other promises in Scripture for the believer who meditates upon God’s Word. These are personal promises that apply not only to daily living, but also to a wide variety of life crises, feelings, situations, hurts, pains, persecutions, trials, trouble and dangers. Here is just a brief sampling, starting at Psalm 119, which is a treasure trove of promises to those who meditate on God’s Word; i.e. His precepts, commandments, judgments, law and testimonies:

• vs. 25 - My soul cleaveth unto the dust: quicken thou me according to thy Word.
• vs. 28 - My soul melteth for heaviness: strengthenthou me according unto thy Word.
• vs. 97 - O how love I thy law! it is my meditation all the day.
• vs. 104 - Through thy precepts I get understanding: therefore I hate every false way.
• vs. 105 - Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet, and a lightunto my path.
• vs. 130 - The entrance of thy Words giveth light; itgiveth understanding unto the simple.
• vs. 133 - Order my steps in thy Word: and let not anyiniquity have dominion over me.
• vs. 134 - Deliver me from the oppression of man: so will I keep thy precepts.
• vs. 161 - Princes have persecuted me without a cause: but my heart standeth in awe of thy Word.
• vs. 162 - I rejoice at thy Word, as one that findeth great spoil.

Proverbs 30:5 further promises that ”Every word of God is pure: He is a shield unto them that put their trust in Him.”

Isaiah 29 warns about idolatrous hearts (vs. 13) and says that the ”wisdom of their wise men shall perish” (vs. 14). Then Isaiah 30 speaks to those who ”despise this word, and trust in oppression and perverseness, and stay thereon” (vs. 12), but promises that ”in returning [i.e., repentance] and rest shall ye be saved.” This same verse promises the very thing that contemplative practices claim to accomplish -rest! And it further promises that ”in quietness and in confidence shall be your strength.” But, sadly, the verse concludes with the tragic statement: ”and ye would not.”

God’s ways are not hidden like the obscure “wisdom” of the occult that must be meditated upon in endless ways that never satisfy. He has given us His Word openly. Twice in Isaiah God says, ”I have not spoken in secret” (Isaiah 45:19 and 48:16). God’s Word does satisfy, and we are promised in Isaiah 55:11 that: ”So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.”

The New Testament, particularly in the book of Acts, records the power of the Word of God to change human lives. The backdrop to the events in Acts is strikingly similar to our modern era with its rapidly rising idolatry and occult spirituality. God’s Word alone has the miraculous power to change lives. Paul told King Agrippa that the purpose of preaching the Gospel (i.e., God’s Word) was ”To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me” (Acts 26:18). And in Romans Paul states that the Gospel of Christ ”is the power of God unto salvation”(vs. 16).

Many today avoid God’s Word. They do not run to it as a source of strength and sustenance. They will do anything butread God’s Word! In Jeremiah 2:13 we read how readily people will substitute an inferior man-made product for The Way: ”For my people have committed two evils; they have forsaken me the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water.”

Perhaps the reason for avoidance of God’s Word is because His Word is uncomfortable – it is ”quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12). The Word provokes believers to have their conscience quickened to sin in their hearts and lives, and it encourages them to ”Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance” (Matthew 3:8)!

Many Scriptures warn about hardening of the heart, which is the consequence of not obeying the Word. These are not popular verses in our era, particularly the ones that refer to hardness of heart being wicked!

• John 12:40 - ”He hath blinded their eyes, and hardened their heart; that they should not see with their eyes, nor understand with their heart, and be converted, and I should heal them.”
• Romans 2:4-5 - ”Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance? But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God;”
• Proverbs 21:29 - ”A wicked man hardeneth his face: but as for the upright, he directeth his way.”
• Proverbs 28:14 - ”Happy is the man that feareth alway: but he that hardeneth his heart shall fall into mischief.”
• Proverbs 29:1 - ”He, that being often reproved hardeneth his neck, shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy.”

Hebrews 3:8 warns particularly, ”Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness,” which is followed by verse 11, ”So I sware in my wrath, They shall not enter into my rest.” This is that true rest which can only be found in obedience to God’s Word. It cannot be obtained through the pursuing of meditative mechanisms.

Eating the fruit of “The Tree of Contemplative Practices”cannot result in either repentance nor rest, but rather in an increasing tolerance for doctrinal ambiguity, sinful living, ecumenism, and mysticism. Romans 1 describes the downhill progression that begins with being ”vain” in one’s”imaginations.” This vanity seems an apt description of all entry-level contemplative practices. It quickly degenerates into one’s ”foolish heart” becoming ”darkened.” Romans 1 indicates that this downward spiral becomes outright idolatry, vile affections, a reprobate mind, and a long list of evil practices.

Where is God’s sovereignty and majesty? Job was chastised by God for his inadequate and inferior view of Him. Couldn’t the same thing be said today to those who worship at “The Tree of Contemplative Practices”? While they pursue their various pilgrimages, meditations, chantings, journalings, sweatlodges and visionquests, God is saying to them:”Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? declare, if thou hast understanding?” (vs. 4).

Likewise, Isaiah 66:5a cries out: ”Hear the word of the LORD, ye that tremble at his word.” Does anyone tremble at His Word anymore? Jeremiah Burroughs, in his classic workGospel Fear: Developing a Tender Hart that Trembles at the Word of God (1647)[3], describes the effects of having a”fear of the Lord” which is the ”instruction of wisdom,” as stated in Proverbs 15:33, and notes that those who tremble at the Word must have a “teachable disposition.”[4]. Citing Proverbs 17:10 (“A reproof entereth more into a wise man than an hundred stripes into a fool”), Burroughs asks: “Do you find your heart so tender that a word works upon you? This is a sign of the wisdom of God that is in your soul.”[5]

Once again, ironically, the very thing that those who pursue after contemplative mysticism desire - wisdom - is there all along for those who immerse themselves in God’s Word! It is interesting that Proverbs 3, especially verses 13 and 18, promises wisdom, saying that it is a ”tree of life” - ”Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding… She is a tree of life to them that lay hold upon her: and happy is every one that retaineth her.”[emphasis added]

The Truth:

“He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.” (Revelation 2:7)

Endnotes:
1. “The Tree of Contemplative Practices,” the Center for Contemplative Mind in Society, http://www.contemplativemind.org/practices/tree.html
2. Ibid.
3. Jeremiah Burroughs, Gospel Fear: Developing a Tender Hart that Trembles at the Word of God (Soli Deo Gloria Publications, 2001), www.SDGbooks.com.
4. p. 46.
5. p. 86, emphasis added.

The New [Age] Spirituality: The Folly of the Ages.

 Deception Driven Church? You decide…

 Stuart L Brogden Home

Rick Warren Purpose Driven Rick Warren Purpose Driven Rick Warren Rick Warren Purpose Driven Rick Warren Purpose Driven Rick Warren Rick Warren Purpose Driven Rick Warren Purpose Driven Rick Warren Rick Warren Purpose Driven Rick Warren Purpose Driven Rick Warren Rick Warren Purpose Driven Rick Warren Purpose Driven Rick Warren Rick Warren Purpose Driven Rick Warren Purpose Driven Rick Warren

yesterday i rode the train into cape town by myself. on the way back the train was very crowded, and i spent the 45 minute journey making faces at the little boy beside me.  as i sat there, the only white person in the train car, it was so evident to me.

this, is what i want my life to be.

i love this place of

questions

hope

adventure

beauty

joy

difference

learning

and love.

i may have written something to this effect before, but it was really on my heart to write it again.

then this morning i went for a walk to kalk bay.  as i listened to the waves crashing, the cars going by, the wind blowing in from antarctica, and people’s voices traveling in the breeze, i had to smile.

and i smiled hugely.

my smile was so big that my cheeks started to hurt, the muscles even felt a little cramped.  so i tried to push at my cheeks to make it go away.

it wouldn’t.

then as i passed people going the other way, i was aware that it is not always a good idea to smile giddy-ly at the people passing by. it can sometimes be taken the wrong way…  so i tried to think of things to make me sad, or at least more blah, and once again

nothing.

so i ended up just smiling and saying good morning very cheerily to everyone who passed.  i even slipped into a bit of a south african accent on one of them.  this may have tricked the person i said it to, for they proceeded to ask me for directions. and they were south african, and i even knew where the place was that they were looking for.

made my day even more.

here are two quotes that i found this morning that i think perfectly describe this peace…

the peace that lies within me is one of eternal pain but surpassing faith in God’s ultimate desire to shower mercy in the heaviest and most broken places – jenna lee

you can’t be connected with God until you’re at peace with who you are. if you’re still upset that God gave you this body or this life or this family or these circumstances, you will never be able to connect with God in a healthy, thriving, sustainable sort of way.  you’ll be at odds with your maker. and if you can’t come to terms with who you are and the life you’ve been given, you’ll never be able to accept others and how they were made and the lives they’ve been given. and until you’re at peace with God and those around you, you will continue to struggle with your role on the planet, your part to play in the ongoing creation of the universe. you will continue to struggle and resist and fail to connect. – rob bell

there’s just something

beautiful

wonderful

magical

about this life.

Thanks to Philip for sending this link. Bell talks about everything from the end of the Nooma series, new projects, how he looks at content and saying more with less, the challenges of church leadership, Christians in society and assembly, etc, etc. Whatever you think of Bell, there are some interesting insights in the interview worth reading. Also, if you are unfamiliar with Philip’s blog, have a look there too. He does some really good work there.

We’ve shown you the look of a discernmentalist. Now we present to you—with our Absolute Truthiness—the look of a heretic. Now you will be able to tell when a liebral is in your vicinity trying to corrupt your Pure Doctrines. Our resident Redneck GOIPer has more to add with his 9 Steps To Identify Liberals:

I have already stated that liberals are killing this country, but it is quite hard to tell a liberal from a normal God Loving American. I have developed this simple system to help us weed out the good guys from the bad guys (liberals). I call it my Liberal Identification System (LIS).

1. Minorities. Don’t ask me why, but the vast majority of niggersblacks and chinksasians vote Democrat, and therefore they are making their liberal bias known to the rest of the world. I have talked to them, but these people are just plain stupid! They cannot understand for example the greatness of the war in Iraq, and are focused on WMD rather than the larger plan. So point one in the Liberal Identification System is to write off minorities as liberals. They are really not worth our time. After all, there is a reason that the founding fathers made the White House white.

2. French. French people are probably some of the most arrogant and ungrateful people in the world. They would speaking German right now it it were not for us. And how do they pay us back? They defied Saint Bush in the run up for the Iraqi War. It is unbelievable to me that after 5 years after the war began, they still cannot see the wisdom of the war. French people must be blind or stupid, but either way, one thing is clear, they are liberals.

3. People with accents. I just got back from Europe, and they all tried to speak to me in English. Despite their efforts, their English was HORRIBLE. They really need to practice more if they ever want to get in good with me and other conservatives. Plus you know that God speaks English perfectly. Heck, I don’t even think that God can understand some of these retard Europeans.

When I was in the airports in Europe, I noticed one thing right away. You don’t have to remove your shoes at airport security. These people are clueless. Removing our shoes is like a ritual to fight away terrorists and evil. It is a communion against terrorism. Since we have started removing our shoes at the airport, has there been another 9/11? Case closed. I felt like teaching them the American way, but I knew they would never understand. Why? Because they are all liberals.

4. College Professors. This is a special and perhaps the most dangerous breed of liberals because they are educating our young people. That’s the scary part. They devise these wicked curriculums, and the underlying goal is to get young people to think and use logic undermining key Republican and conservative ideals

Think about this. Many of Saint Bush’s economic advisers come from American universities. And these liberals are piping the same old lies. Our economy is in recession, the dollar is weak, the price of oil is rising, and federal spending is out of control. It makes me laugh. We all know the truth. Our economy is strong, the dollar is strong, price of gas is falling, and Saint Bush’s government is the most frugal in the world. There is only one conclusion to make. College professors are liberals.

5. Charities. Is there any doubt that Bill Gates is a liberal? He quits his day job to give away his money to improve world health. This is such a stupid idea I am not sure where to start. If I had that kind of dough, I would stop working so I could have more time to spend it. I really wish that Gates had called me, because I could have found a lot more fun ways to spend his money.

Worse yet. World health? I have already demonstrated that non Americans are liberals. So why in the world would we want to help them? In a subtle way, Gates is aiding the enemy by helping non Americans. Ultimately, Gates will get his punishment, but either way, charities such as these are chock full of bleeding heart liberals. They are probably the worst kind.

6. Non Christians – God doesn’t like non Christians and God does not like liberals either. Don’t you see that the two go together? God sent down his one and only son to save the world, and these non Christians are choosing to ignore God’s generosity. There is only one place for these people in God’s eyes, and in my eyes too.

7. Immigrants. Just another bunch of free loading poor people that don’t speak English. They want us to treat them as equals. HAHAHA. Fat chance, hermano. You guys need to go back to your disgusting little country, enter legally, get a legal American job, learn English, pay taxes, and maybe just maybe, we will treat you with a certain level of respect. Furthermore, any sign that you also might be a liberal, and your butt is out of here. Got that, Pedro?

8. Writers. What does the liberal media consist of? Writers. Lots of them. I know this is a slippery slope, because not all writers are liberals, but almost all of them are. It is a fair bet that if someone is writing a piece and it is not for Fox News, then they are feeding the liberal media machine. If it were not for the liberal media, our soldiers would be home, and the war of terror would be won. The war of terror is a war of emboldenment, and every slimy piece they write further emboldens the enemy. Remember Abu Ghraib? Of course you do, and so do the terrorist. What about Guantanomo Bay? The liberal media keeps on printing this stuff, and we will never win the war on terror, and our children will never be safe.

9. Hollywood. We have a dilemma as conservatives. I like my action movies as much as the next guy, but the people behind these films are liberals with a capital L. I have actually considered boycotting movies but it just isn’t any fun, even though every time I know that I am putting more money in a liberal’s pocket. Why can’t someone come out with some great movies by conservatives? Enough is enough already.

After having traveled Europe, there is one thing that is clear. The world is full of liberals. So this is just a humble beginning at weeding out the good people from the bad. God’s job is much easier figuring out who does to heaven or hell.

I completed the book Sex God: Exploring the Endless Connections between Sexuality and Spirituality. It’s by Rob Bell and I think this was his second book. I listened to the audio version. More due to the title, I chose it out of curiosity.

This particular work by Bell didn’t hold my interest like many of his others did. Part of the problem was that he trailed off onto other topics briefly. One of the many underlying points was God and sex are connected. God’s unity (Echad) mirrors a relationships unity (Echad). Echad is the Hebrew word that could be translated ‘one’ or ‘one in a group sense’, but even then I don’t think that fully captures the depth of this word.

Of all books I’ve completed, this is one of the hardest to summarize. While this book doesn’t skirt the woman/man and submission/giving aspects of scripture, it’s not written from a Protestant complimentarian perspective. As much as Bell drew on scripture, I think he also draws on some of his trainings in physiology psychology. If you have an interest in this area, this book might be for you. If you are relationship challenged, this book is definitely for you.

Why Many Modern American Evangelicals Don’t Like Reformed Baptist Preaching

11/18/2009 – James White

Humanists with a thin coating of religion won’t put up with this for long.

Reformed Baptist Churches tend to be between 50 and 350 congregants in size, generally. Here is a contrast. A “church” with 16,000 in attendance. Listen to the message.

While I did not add the text to this video, the final verse provided says it all.

07:39:44 – Category: Reformed Baptist Issues – Link to this article -

This blog was copied from http://www.aomin.org/aoblog/index.php?itemid=3630

The three kinds of love. Don’t settle for less than all. ♥

God bless.

Marina

I recently went to a conference in St. Louis that was all about Servant Events. It was a really great conference and I met a lot of really cool people. I shared a room with my friend Jasmine and we were up late one night talking with this guy who we met at the conference, his name was Kyle. We were sitting outside talking and he asked us, “where do want to go in your life? like what is your desire for your life?” And I thought about it for a while.
People have always told me I’m great at the behind the scenes stuff. And I love doing that stuff–it’s great! I get so much joy from it. So I always thought, I’d love to be the person who organizes conferences and youth gatherings–i’d love that. But the most I thought about it, I realized that’s not really what I desire–it’s just what I’m good at.
I began talking about just wanting to pour myself out onto a ministry, or a family, or a person. I see the pain and hurt in the world around me—in myself—and I want to meet people where they are and share God’s love with them. Not by just telling them, but by showing them compassion and love. It doesn’t matter to me what job I have, all I have is this hunger and thirst to do something…you know?
And then today, I was listening to the Podcast from Mars Hill –where Rob Bell is the Pastor. I was listening to his sermon about the sermon on the mount when Jesus says, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.” (Matt. 5:6)
Rob talked about how Jesus wasn’t saying, “blessed are you when you got it figured out and you have lived a perfect life.” Jesus was saying, “Blessed are you when you don’t have it figured out. I won’t wait for you to get it together, I will join you and bless you in the tension.” Rob said that Jesus blesses the absence, not the achievement, the longing, not the action, the desire, not the doing.
Now of course, I believe that God blesses the action and the longing both. But I think that we sometimes get so wrapped up in needing to figure out the tension, the hunger and the thirst–that we forget, that God blesses us in that moment.
I long to pour myself onto others. We are told as church workers to keep boundaries and not to get too involved in people’s pain. I say forget that! If God meets me in my pain and feels it with me, for me to be like Christ, would be to meet people in their pain. I want to serve and allow people to meet a God who loves us just how we are and yet still refuses to let us stay that way.

And who knows where I’ll be later in my life or what i’ll be doing, but i’m okay with that. I hunger and thirst for more and I know that God blesses me and that He will guide me where I need to go.

I’m not totally sure where this post is going… so be patient with me. We’ll go somewhere and I think I have a point, just not sure if I’ll find the point along the way.

You know the game Telephone? Where there is a line of people and the first person comes up with a message and whispers it to the person next to them. They whisper it to the person next to them. And so on, until you get to the end and the last person announces the message. Somehow the sentence “Look at those beautiful blue skies by the sea” turns into “The cat throws beautiful poop pies on Chelsea.” If you are like me and grew up going to church camps, you probably played that game and then got a message about how gossip is similar. You may tell someone something but then they could pass it on and somehow it ends up being something totally different that could hurt someone. (Let’s not have the discussion about the true reason gossip is wrong- it really has nothing to do with the fact that your message might be misheard and told improperly. But that’s not my point today.)

I think telephone is a funny game. It’s always entertaining to hear how it’ll turn out. But what’s even more fascinating is when multiple people can listen to the exact same thing, but hear something completely different.

I was at a meeting last week at church. Someone asked me how Stephen was doing so I started giving my update. One of the men in the room hadn’t heard the story so I gave a quick recap. “Well Stephen was in an ATV accident and beat up his face pretty good.” Another man in the room said, “OHHHHHH!! An ATV accident!” I looked at him and said, “Yeah, an ATV accident.” And he laughed a bit and said, “I thought he was in an HEB accident!! I wasn’t sure what happened and I was scared to ask. An unruly cart or something like that? I just couldn’t figure it out.” (For those of you who don’t live in Texas, HEB is a grocery store.) Hilarious.

This weekend I went to the Women of Faith conference at the Toyota Center. I have been to my fair share of conferences throughout my life but I wasn’t quite sure what to expect from this one. I was excited nevertheless. I was going with a big group of women from my church. A friend of my mom’s came in town for the weekend so I was going to get to spend time with her. Another bonus – Lauren and her mom met us there. So after work on Friday, I headed downtown to find the hotel. I wasn’t nervous about my drive into “the city” but soon realized that I was arriving a few minutes after 5:00. Not fun. Not fun at all. I only had to do one U-Turn and cut off one person to get to my location though. I think that’s a win.

We walked to a nearby restaurant to grab a quick dinner before the 7:00 session started. It seemed to be a neat place except for the man at the table next to us that didn’t understand that he wasn’t actually part of our conversation. I almost turned into a 3rd grader and said, “This conversation is between A and B, so C your way out of it.” Yes, I know. We should have been Christ to him and loved him. We tried. But when he kept staring at me (like super creepy stare) and smiled and said, “Cat got your tongue?” all of my friendliness vanished.

We headed to the Toyota Center and this is actually the point of my post. I know the quickest route from Point A to Point B is a straight line, but I like to take you on the scenic route. I make no apologies.

Like the ATV/HEB confusion, I think every woman heard something different this weekend. We were all sitting in the same arena listening to the same speakers but we all heard different things. If we are going to be completely honest, this conference wasn’t my cup of tea. I came with my Bible and a journal for note-taking. I didn’t use either. My cup of tea includes the Bible and large quantities of notes. These speakers were funny and had great stories to tell about some rough lessons they’ve learned. I know they reached many women and I definitely see their passion for the Lord in what they are doing. There just weren’t many things that were said that really left a mark on my heart. But there was one thing.

On Friday night, Steven Curtis Chapman took the stage. I love him. LOVE him. His music is beautiful and his heart for God is just amazing. He told a story about when he and his wife were about to go meet their first adopted child, Shaohannah. His wife Mary Beth struggled with a few fears before they met her. What if she didn’t love her the same as she loved her biological children? What if she just couldn’t love this child enough?? But when she took Shaohannah in her arms, she was overcome with love. She instantly loved this child more than she could ever imagine.

They grew to have a new understanding of Christ’s love. He says He’s our Father. What does that mean? How could love us all the time, no matter what? Could he really love me more than my own dad? More than my own mom? There are so many of us, how does he even have enough love to love us all?? I can understand that He loved Jesus, Jesus was His own son. But me? I am half Kurt, half Alice. How could he love me as I’m His own?

Because I am His own. Just as Shaohannah belongs to the Chapmans. Just as my friend Lyndsey belongs to her parents. Wholly and completely. Without condition or exception or an asterisk. Adoption is a beautiful portrait of unconditional parental love.

As a childless married woman, this hit me. I don’t know if that’s God’s plan for my life. I would love to have a half Stephen, half Chelsea child. But it’s possible that God has other plans. And, my gosh, God’s plans are fabulous. So if He chooses adoption for us, we will gladly accept that calling on our life. Maybe He’ll want me to learn a lesson about what love is really all about. I don’t know. I’m sure there are many women who didn’t hear that message. They heard something else, something that God wanted them to hear. All I know is that SCC’s message was something I was supposed to hear.

On Sunday morning, we watched a NOOMA video called Lump. Can you guess what it was about? Love. Specifically a parent’s love for their child. Hi God, I hear you. So I’m going to chew on these things for a while and see what I’m supposed to learn. If you have any morsels of truth, share away.

For now I’m going to focus on the sentence Rob Bell spoke to his son: “There is nothing you could do to make me love you less.”

Rob Bell is one of the most popular pastor-teachers in America today.  He is best known for his Nooma short films used by churches everywhere.  He was recently interviewed by YouthWorker Journal at a national conference to give us some of his thoughts on youth ministry today.  Here’s the interview originally published on October 2, 2009 in YouthWorkerJournal.com:

YouthWorker Journal: What are some specific tools youth pastors need for effective ministry? Back in my day, if you could play guitar (you needed to know chords C, F and G, but not much more) and could lead kids in wacky games, you pretty much got the job. If you could provide an insight into a Bible verse at the end of some activity, well then, you were gold. What are the magic bullets for today’s youth minister?

Rob Bell: I don’t begin to think about that by wondering, “How do you do youth ministry?” I begin with, “What kind of person are you?” Let’s explore your own experience with the resurrected Christ. So if a youth pastor says, “How do I create a safe place where my kids can deal with their pain?” Let’s first talk about your own parents’ divorce. Let’s talk about how Christ is helping put you back together. A lot of times we’ve been burned because even if someone could play the guitar and got the job, then it turned out the person had a lot of other stuff he or she was carrying. Who doesn’t have some story of a person they respected having a massive collapse spiritually, emotionally, sexually, whatever?

YWJ: OK, the magic bullets, if you don’t mind.

RB: The dominant paradigm in churches is production, not discipleship. It’s about how to keep kids coming—how are the numbers? In the gospels, whenever there were large crowds, Jesus gave a difficult teaching that thinned out the crowd. Over and over, He chose those moments: John 6—Unless you eat my flesh and drink my blood. Nice. Very accessible for kids. There is a certain pattern where He’s trying to find out who is serious. Youth workers are put in this position where their paychecks are based on how many people they can keep in the place. When they read the gospels, they realize this whole system seems to be going the other direction. Many youth pastors I’ve met are promoting something they don’t believe.

CONTINUE READING INTERVIEW HERE.

Recently, you without a doubt heard of the church in NC that was planning to burn non KJV Bibles and other superfluous writings on halloween. This morning I heard that the American Family Association was organizing a boycott of a large clothing retailer because of their non-Christian beliefs and actions.

I am not saying there is no merit to the concerns of groups that coordinate boycotts and burnings. I am asking whether boycotts and burnings are the best use of our time.

The problem I have with these protests is that the boycott and the fire get all of the attention and the reason for them gets little if any… Remember about 15 years ago when a Christian group was boycotting Disney? I do.

I remember this coming up in conversation with a friend. They said they were glad the Christians were boycotting Disney. Maybe Disney would not be so crowded for them… Wow, is this what a boycott accomplishes?

I offer a suggestion. Prior to boycotting or burning, why not schedule a series of meetings to discuss with the community why you have reason to boycott someone or to burn something? This way, you can use scripture to teach a lesson. If the plan to boycott or burn gets a bunch of attention, at least you can direct some of that attention to the meetings and the information you will provide.

Just a thought… What do you think?

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Long Distance Relationship

____________________________

Long distance relationships…

Long – meaning far and away. Because you know… some couples could always be not away and yet so far apart still; and I know I had no need to explain myself twice.

Relationship – … … … … …

…relationship.

Today I realized that I hate being in a long distance relationship. Well I don’t hate it, I just hate that it’s long distance. I realized, after two months of complete okayness with this situation, that I am absolutely not okay with the current state of being.

Days pass and I don’t talk too much with Loreena, but then when I do, I find that those times are some of the most bittersweet moments in the history of my entire life. Tender, simple moments – constantly being haunted by the fact that no matter what we talk about, that no matter how much we connect, that no matter how good it feels to hear her voice, the moment the phone hangs up… the moment the email ends… she’s still not there in the physical to sit down with and enjoy a meal with – or even the simple gesture of eye contact… still no physical presence.

Bitter… … … … … … … … … … … … …sweet

Long distance relationship

Long distance relationship with God.

How many of us have them?  (Yes I have to go here – everything revolves around our relationship to God)

I have to write about this, no matter how mad it makes you feel that I even mentioned such a subject. I mean just the phrase “Long distance relationship with God” alone carries so many implications. But I will only explain my experience – anything else would not do.

Long distance. A vast divide. An Expansive Chasm. A world apart.

Sin.

Sin comes in many shapes and sizes. It comes in a variety of flavors too! Some like it spicy, some like sweet, sour, salty, thick ketchup, potato mashed or smashed… everything simply to say that I realize more and more that I hate sinning hate sinning, and how capable I am of it.

The other day in fact I caught myself lying three times! And I followed through with those lies. I stayed true to them. It was about whether I had made phone calls or not – I didn’t make them. But I said I did! It felt just like denying Jesus. Three times… three times I made an effort and succeeded in sinning. By the third time I broke down in my heart; knowing that I had sinned. I had to consciously repent.

But here’s the thing.

(There’s a always a thing – a point to be made – a problem to be addressed)

I never wanted to admit it, but I have been in a long distance relationship with God too! No wonder I prayed all those days and never felt him near. No wonder that every conversation I had was so bittersweet it killed me. I made connections with God, but never physically – well, as physical as you can get with God – spent time with him. I wasn’t searching for the will of God in my life or the plan of God for my life or for inspiration from God to feel alive again, I was longing for his presence in my life. I longed to feel him close, holding me, simply being there with me. Isn’t that what’s so great about being in a romantic relationship?

Romantic relationships offer two very solid elements that are not only pleasant but necessary in life. One is emotional, cognitive commitment, the mental decision to love and to be with that person. The other is the physical connection that takes place – the hugs, the kisses, the providence, protecting – all those things that flow from having the emotional/spiritual connection. I bid to you that it is the same with God.

I’ve learned a few things in my years. I’m not old, I’m still inexperienced, but I can say with confidence that just because I make a connection with a person does not mean that they are to be my soul mate, or that I’m supposed to establish a physical relationship with them also.

This happened a lot in college.

There were soooooo many girls there it was ridiculous. I was making connections on a daily basis. Connections that I thought were like, “Wow – let’s start dating immediately”. Up until then the only friends I had were from church. And the secular friends I did have, our tie was because of Music. And music for me was always associated with God and worshipping Him. So to me, I felt love from God… but so many girls? Having good personalities, attractive, good head on their shoulders PLUS they loved Jesus?! – What was I supposed to think?

I established many connections. None of them ever came to fruition as far as dating. And I’m way glad now because God has provided the perfect person for me. But then, it was not so easy to see. Sure I was friends with a lot of people, but that desire to establish the physical closeness of dating was always in the back of my mind. Praise God for a busy schedule and the constant reminder that college would be over one day and I would be heading back to Salinas or San Jose. God had a way of reminding me that I cannot fully explain.

Emotional/Spiritual Connection is not a basis for physical/dating relationship.

Maybe that’s why it seems that more and more in the world are becoming “confused”. They are confused because they have had so much trouble making connections, or never had a genuine one, that the moment they do establish a connection on an emotional/spiritual level, they think “Wow! I’ve never felt this before! It feels so good! I feel SoOoOo complete!” – And the next thing you know they are in a relationship everyone can see is totally unhealthy, or even same sex relationship, and worse it often leads to divorce and people being torn apart.***

All because they didn’t have a little wisdom to differentiate between a genuine connection and a genuine basis for relationship.

Back to my topic.

We are aware of God. We even have His words to Follow. Having his words and seeing His actions, however, don’t seem to be enough to breathe life into your dead, dry bones.

I am learning to value the presence of God.

This is a phrase that I’ve heard a bunch of times in the past few years. “Value the presence of God”. And I hated it! I didn’t want to listen to that cliché garbage that is such annoying jargon – especially since I knew it was something I needed to do. I always associated the presence of God with getting all crazy and being very charismatic during church – which I am finding out is not necessarily the case. Simply spending time with God has been what I’ve been looking for. Yes, I want God to speak to me, I want to hear his voice and read his words… but what I’ve really wanted all this time is to know, to feel and know, that He is with me. That when I get down to pray, or am just walking on the road, He is really there with me.

This isn’t just a cognitive exercise to remind you that God is always with us, this the assurance, the physical part of a relationship. That’s what makes the romantic relationship so special. The connection goes deeper than just talking and getting to know a person really well. And that’s what valuing the presence of God is like, it’s a relationship that is closer than just knowing or getting to know a person. It’s the physical presence of someone you love that brings into a deeper relationship.

Don’t get me wrong, the words and communication matter just as much, if not more! They form a foundation for the relationship, but it’s the being there, the company, the presence of the person that makes all the difference.

Long Distance Relationship.

They are not good. Maybe for a short time, but to try and have a real relationship with a person… no.
I am assured that I will get to spend the rest of my life with Loreena, and I have been far from God for a long time, truly though, my time here is bringing me back to life and back to him.

_______________________

Here comes the time when I challenge you in something. It’s like an alter call, or a response time at the end of a preaching.
Be far away from God no more!
Why do you torture yourself and let yourself believe that you are close to God when you are no where near him?! Don’t just spend your time reading and thinking of God – actually spend time with Him.

But how do I do that? you might be asking.

I had to let go of every thought and logic and simply ask God to come. To forget about every theology class, to forget about everything that I thought I knew about the presence of God, and come – humble myself, admit my wrong, admit that I’m far, and that I want Him near.

It’s like being saved all over again. Or maybe it’s just being saved. I know for sure, though, it is as David expressed, “Restore to me the JOY of my Salvation!“. (Psalm 51)

***Now, I’m an inspired idealist. I’m inspired often to write and think of the things I do, so if anyone wants to do a particular study on this, and use my ideas as a basis for your hypothesis – have some class and give credit where it’s due – First off ME – Cause i acted and wrote this out. Second, whether you believe in him or not, God – I would have killed myself three times already if i had no inspiration for life and inquiry from Him.

It has been readily admitted that discernmentalist thinking  (aka truth warriors) is unique among the world. It has been admitted by a number of truth warriors such as DonJobson ” It is because of our ability to read minds, and dissect truth unlike other ‘normal’ apologists. We can see when they ‘think liberal’….” ITodyaso, CEO of ODMafia weighing in suggested “we think differently because we are a special gift to humanity. When you know it all, you want to share it all.”

Other truth warriors elaborated on all of our unique thinking abilities….

1) If John MacArthur states 2+2=5 (ie because of his expertise in biblical math) whereas John Armstrong declares it to be 4 (ie not using Biblical math)….Armstrong is obviously wrong. Even IF the answer flies in the face of logic, or the fact that the Bible does not teach math. MacArthur is by his nature correct, because he is a truth warrior…Armstrong is ’soft’ on Post-modernism,  liberals and the Emerging Church and therefore if follows that MacArthur MUST be right on all things.

2) If Dan Kimball says “Jesus is Lord” he really means “a false new-age, post-modern, man-made-Jesus-is-Lord” because no emerging church member can be saved. Only right-wing-republican-conservative-Christians who support war can actually be saved.

3) When Rob Bell is declared an Emergent by numerous discernmentalists….he is therefore Emergent. If Rob and Mars Hill denies the claim it is because he is lying. All Emergents are liars….and they seek to deceive the masses and generally take over the world.

4) Shane Claiborne wears natural fibers….he is therefore not saved.

Remember, we at ODMafia set the standard.

Rob Bell seems to have a knack for provocative titles. You know, the kind of titles that offend certain people without even knowing what the book is about. I will start by saying I’ve never been a huge fan of Rob’s writing. I feel like he can be a little over the top at times. But with all that said, Jesus Wants to Save Christians is definitely my favorite of his books.

Bell tells the reader immediately what the purpose of the book is. He says it is a book about New Exodus theology. I must say that from Bell’s book, which is my only introduction to New Exodus theology, I found nothing particularly exciting about this lane of thought. He basically took you through the entire Old Testament and then talked about the parallels in the life of Jesus. Some of them seemed like good thoughts, while others seemed to be stretching it a bit. One of Bell’s parallels is the fact that Jesus’ transfiguration and the delivery of the ten commandments both occurred on mountains. Right…

Bell, on a couple of occasions, seems to pull off one of my biggest pet peeves of preachers. In analyzing a part of Scripture, he ventures so far into the background and culture that he possibly loses sight of what the verse actually says. Don’t get me wrong, I feel like these things are important. Without knowing the context, we can make a verse mean anything. And I applaud Bell for wanting to know the way of the culture in Jesus’ day and how that affects his teachings. But I feel the greatest problem in our study of the Bible is we have a tendency to over analyze things a little. Let me suggest to you that when Jesus said we should love one another, what he really meant by that is we should love one another.

Of course, with all of that said, the book was entertaining. Bell is humorous at times, writes very clearly, and is easy to understand. The way the text is set up you can almost hear Rob reading it to you. If you have ever seen any of the Nooma teaching videos, and you know how he pauses between words and emphasizes certain phrases you will know what I mean. The format of the text does the exact same thing.

By the end of the book, somewhere along the way, Bell has turned it into a book about social activism. The transition is rather beautiful, in that I didn’t even realize it had happened until I was reading about war, poverty, and things like that. These couple of chapters were easily my favorite of the book, as Bell makes some very relevant points.

All in all, it was just a so-so book for me. Nothing terrible about it, but nothing spectacular either. I would compare it to a Max Lucado book, but not as well written. Bell makes some good points and you will come away enjoying the read, but he isn’t going to blow you away with some new thought. Of course, I’m sure there are many who will disagree with me. I don’t mind.