Thursday, November 20, 2008

  • Obama's Faith

    posted @ Thursday, November 20, 2008 5:46 AM | Feedback (0) | Tags: Redemption Presidential Campaign

    I was sent this link today about the new President-elect's faith....you judge for yourself.  Remember being discerning!

    Can Obama Call Himself a Christian?
    Sarah Pulliam
    A mini debate has exploded on several blogs over whether President-elect Barack Obama can call himself a Christian.
    If you're just catching up, first read this 2004 interview with Obama, but here are the relevant sections.
    FALSANI: Who’s Jesus to you? (Obama laughs nervously)
    OBAMA: Right. Jesus is an historical figure for me, and he’s also a bridge between God and man, in the Christian faith, and one that I think is powerful precisely because he serves as that means of us reaching something higher. And he’s also a wonderful teacher. I think it’s important for all of us, of whatever faith, to have teachers in the flesh and also teachers in history.

    On Sin
    FALSANI: What is sin?
    OBAMA: Being out of alignment with my values.
    FALSANI: What happens if you have sin in your life?
    OBAMA: I think it’s the same thing as the question about heaven. In the same way that if I’m true to myself and my faith that that is its own reward, when I’m not true to it, it’s its own punishment.

    On Hell
    Obama: …There’s the belief, certainly in some quarters, that people haven’t embraced Jesus Christ as their personal savior that they’re going to hell.
    FALSANI: You don’t believe that?
    OBAMA: I find it hard to believe that my God would consign four-fifths of the world to hell.
    I can’t imagine that my God would allow some little Hindu kid in India who never interacts with the Christian faith to somehow burn for all eternity. That’s just not part of my religious makeup.

    On Heaven
    FALSANI: Do you believe in heaven?
    OBAMA: Do I believe in the harps and clouds and wings?
    FALSANI: A place spiritually you go to after you die?
    OBAMA: What I believe in is that if I live my life as well as I can, that I will be rewarded. I don’t presume to have knowledge of what happens after I die. But I feel very strongly that whether the reward is in the here and now or in the hereafter, the aligning myself to my faith and my values is a good thing.
    Here are just some of the bloggers weighing in.
    1. Obama is not a orthodox Christian. He may call himself a "Christian" in the same way that some Unitarians use the term to refer to themselves. But his beliefs do not seem to be in line with the historic definition.
    2. In the 20 years that Obama attended Trinity, did he never hear a clear exposition of the Gospel? Did the Rev. Jeremiah Wright never once preach on the need for a saving faith in Christ? If not, then that is more scandalous than any of the anti-American remarks Wright made from the pulpit.
    3. Although I already pray for Obama (as the Bible commands me to do) I now realize that I also need to pray for his eternal soul and not just that he be an effective leader of our nation. I also pray that he will find a spiritual leader who will help lead him to a true knowledge of Christ.

Sunday, November 16, 2008

  • Maximizing Our Generosity

    posted @ Sunday, November 16, 2008 3:30 PM | Feedback (0) | Tags: Stewardship

    Today I preached on the issue of generosity. Yes I discussed giving but it was much more than just a giving message.  At the core of our giving must be the motivation of generosity. We must be convinced that being generous and free with our material possessions is all apart of being a Christ Follower.  Generosity is much more than sacrifice.  Sacrifice is the maesurement of our giving -- its the standard that God uses when he evaluates our giving. Just look at the passage on the widow's mite - her gift was EQUAL in weight but exceeded in sacrifice.

    What is really funny is WHILE I was preaching these thought struck me.  Like right in the middle of the message these ideas began to spew out.  I wanted to ask everyone to take a few minutes for contemplation and let me jot down the ideas. Problem would be they would think I went Post Modern on them. So here was my message in a meassge that I hope people caught....

    "GIVING is the method by which we express our love and worship to God with our material possession."

    "SACRIFICE is the measurement by which we determine if the worship and faith in God with our possessions is costly enough to truly honor Him."

    "GENEROSITY is the motivation by which our giving and sacrifice is drive to the extent that God is pleased with our worshipping of him with our possession."

    WOW - I even rock my own thinking during a message and don't even try!  God is awesome to show up by the Holy Spirit and pull these ideas from my study of the passages on the issue.  Check out the full message at www.newsongfellowship.com

    PJM

Thursday, November 13, 2008

  • HUMOR - We need a Good Laugh!

    posted @ Thursday, November 13, 2008 7:51 AM | Feedback (0) | Tags: Encouragement
    I stumbled upon this while looking for an illustration for my message on Sunday.  I have read this before - I laugh every time....remember I was a "son of an insurance man" -- we use to hear some unbelieveable claims alongthe way. BUT no as good as this....
    Accident Report
    This one needs an introduction, so you won't be lost at the beginning. This man was in an accident at work, so he filled out an insurance claim. The insurance company contacted him and asked for more information. This was his response:
    "I am writing in response to your request for additional information, for block number 3 of the accident reporting form. I put 'poor planning' as the cause of my accident. You said in your letter that I should explain more fully and I trust the following detail will be sufficient. I am an amateur radio operator and on the day of the accident, I was working alone on the top section of my new 80-foot tower. When I had completed my work, I discovered that I had, over the course of several trips up the tower, brought up about 300 pounds of tools and spare hardware. Rather than carry the now unneeded tools and material down by hand, I decided to lower the items down in a small barrel by using the pulley attached to the gin pole at the top of the tower. Securing the rope at ground level, I went to the top of the tower and loaded the tools and material into the barrel. Then I went back to the ground and untied the rope, holding it tightly to ensure a slow decent of the 300 pounds of tools."
    "You will note in block number 11 of the accident reporting form that I weigh only 155 pounds. Due to my surprise of being jerked off the ground so suddenly, I lost my presence of mind and forgot to let go of the rope. Needless to say, I proceeded at a rather rapid rate of speed up the side of the tower. In the vicinity of the 40-foot level, I met the barrel coming down. This explains my fractured skull and broken collarbone. Slowed only slightly, I continued my rapid ascent, not stopping until the fingers of my right hand were two knuckles deep into the pulley. Fortunately, by this time, I had regained my presence of mind and was able to hold onto the rope in spite of my pain. At approximately the same time, however, the barrel of tools hit the ground and the bottom fell out of the barrel."
    "Devoid of the weight of the tools, the barrel now weighed approximately 20 pounds. I refer you again to my weight in block number 11. As you might imagine, I began a rapid descent down the side of the tower. In the vicinity of the 40-foot level, I met the barrel coming up. This accounts for the two fractured ankles, and the lacerations of my legs and lower body. The encounter with the barrel slowed me enough to lessen my injuries when I fell onto the pile of tools and, fortunately, only three vertebrae were cracked. I am sorry to report, however, that as I lay there on the tools, in pain, unable to stand and watching the empty barrel 80 feet above me, I again lost my presence of mind. I let go of the rope..."