The Father in Abraham

One of the crowning moments of faith in Abraham's life was Moriah. It was a moment where God opened the eyes of His friend to be able to see into His own heart. When asked to offer Isaac, Abraham was given a window to experience the love of God for us. And for a brief moment Abraham experienced what it was like to be in God's shoes. God allowed Abraham access to the deepest parts of His own heart. This is something only a friend gets to see.

The Father in Abraham

It had been three days journey

When finally they reached that hill

A heart heavy father

And a boy that could hardly stand still

He lifted his eyes to see it

The mountain that would test his faith

He choked back the tears when he saw it

And tried to hide his face

He said son take the wood for the altar

I’ll take the fire in my hand

Let’s climb this mountain together

We’ll worship and come again

They set off to climb that mountain

A hill of sacrifice

When the boy looked to his father

With a question that cut like a knife

He said dad here’s the wood for the altar

You’ve got the fire in your hand

We’ve come to this place to worship

But Father, where is the lamb

Oh the heart of the Father

How it ached with love for the son

Oh how it pained him

Knowing what must be done

He tried to give him an answer

As he swallowed the lump in his throat

He fought of the tears of sorrow

As he clung to his only hope

From somewhere deep within him

Faith rushed in like a wave

He lifted his eyes to heaven

This is all I can say

We’ve got the wood for the altar

And I’ve got the fire in my hand

We’ve come to this place to worship

God will provide the lamb

God is incomprehensible but knowable?

I read this verse at thanksgiving and again to my wife tonight and I can't seem to get it out of my head. So, I guess I'll just ponder it openly with the rest of you.

Jer 9:23-24 "Thus says the LORD: "Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches,

but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the LORD."

As I step into the world of theology I come again and again to a wall. God is the wall. He is incomprehensible. His ways are not our ways, His thoughts are not our thoughts, they are higher! Even when I consider His divine attributes I can only see those things in part. Right now I know in part but some day face to face. His grace is without limit. His mercies are new every morning. Yet at the same time His justice and His righteousness are perfect. Though it would seem that His grace and mercy would come into conflict with His righteousness and justice, he holds these attributes in perfect harmony. We can never hit the bottom of this well. The bible calls this the unsearchable riches. And there, looming in the background, is the elephant that many do not want to face. We can't even comprehend what we know in part about God. He is infinite, omniscient, omnipotent, eternal, and triune, and we can't comprehend the depths of His nature or attributes. Theology will always have a blockade when it comes to this point. Often this is where wise men begin to boast in their wisdom. They reach, at times, to grasp what we can not. Like trying to catch a lion by the tail, the Lion of Judah can't be handled. Strong men have tried to wrestle God into the conformity of their own understanding. Men rich in their biblical knowledge have argued and wrangled over the minutest details of scripture all with the hope of purchasing for themselves an understanding of God.

There is only one thing God wants us to boast about. He is incomprehensible, but we can know Him. We can get God's M.O.! We can share in knowing Him in the same way Adam knew Eve. We know that His love is steadfast, He is perfectly just, and righteous. We can know His heart, observe His dealings with mankind and come to conclusions regarding His nature. But we will never be able to comprehend Him. God delights in our knowing Him but cautions our pursuit of knowledge saying that it "puffs up." So what can we know of God's nature and attributes?

There are two Categories:
Incommunicable- These are attributes that He doesn't share with us.
Independence (self existence, self sufficiency), Immutability (unchangeablenesss), Eternality, Omnipresence, Omniscience

Communicable- These are attributes that He does share with us
Spirituality, knowledge, truthfulness, goodness, love, mercy , holiness, peace, beauty, glory, sovereignty

To sum it all up, there are parts of God that will always remain a gorgeous and beautiful mystery. We will not ever be able to comprehend them or partake in them. Like my 3 year old at Disneyland, we don't understand how it all works but it sure is gloriously thrilling! There are some things about God that I will not just know in theory but, He actually invites me to partake in experientially. I can share with Him in the Spirit, grow in grace and knowledge, love truth and mercy, partake in His holiness, rest in His peace, bask in His beauty, let my jaw drop at His glory, and trust in His sovereignty because it is motivated by His love. He is incomprehensible but He is knowable!

God is a person.

I am prepared to get slammed for this but here I go anyway.

I have recently had quite a few discussions with some Calvinists, and reformed brothers. The discussions have been stimulating for thoughts and the debating has been courteous and fruitful. I have been reading a lot of the puritans, listening to Piper, Keller, Driscoll, and Chandler. I have a deep respect for their opinions but sometimes find myself at opposite conclusions mainly because of the staring point of our logic. They start from a view of Sovereignty and free-will that pits the two against each other, I start from a view that sees both being woven together. I don't bring this up to start yet another round of scriptural loopty-loop but to say both sides are very cerebral. I wonder if that is not a part of the problem.

Here is what I mean. Theology is like a good Jock-strap and a cup. It is necessary for protection but not to be a badge of honor proudly displayed. I wonder if the end of theology amounts to nothing more than finite man trying to "nail down" the infinite God to a process or system. I know all the stuff about God's word being infallible, and truth lasting forever, and how Jesus is the same yesterday today and forever. I am not talking about being able to depend on His promises. I am talking about trying to pin God under our intellect and reduce Him to being constrained under our logic. I have found this to hold true for me, that the deeper I delve into theological circles the less I enjoy my relationship with God. Some of it is necessary and I do my best to know why I believe what I believe. Having said that theology almost killed me recently. Everything becomes about trying to figure God out rather than trying to relate to Him. I find myself studying Him rather than enjoying Him. It's like having a picture of my wife and spending hours a day staring at and examining every detail of who she is but never, or rarely coming home to enjoy her. As necessary as it is to study to show ourselves approved, as workmen that don't need to be ashamed, it is far more necessary to be like a child and relate to God as a father. In my learning I forget that God is a person.

The Gospel According To Ellie

This morning started like lots of other days. I heard the footsteps of little feet entering my room and then I heard my daughter, Eva, crawl into bed on my wife's side of the bed. My son was soon to follow and he ended up crawling up on my side. It has to be one of my favorite ways to wake up! My wife was the first one out of bed and threw on some coffee. The coffee, full of the Spirit of Christ, raised me from the dead and I entered the land of the living as well. After a hurried morning ritual I took off to work doing some remodeling at a friend's house. Shorty after I arrived, my wife called. Her voice trembled as she spoke. "Ellie died this morning...."

Immediately my heart imploded.

All I could say was "Ohhhhh noooo!", as my heart broke for our friends.

I called my dear friend Tano to just let him know I am praying and love him. His daughter Ellie, and my oldest, Acacia, are the same age. Our wives were pregnant at the same time and we both experienced the joy of first time fatherhood in the same season. But, his experience would be much different than mine. For the first 18 months or so we shared much of the same things. We enjoyed playing with our little girls and naps on the couch. But things began to change with Ellie. Tano and Abbey began to notice different things about Ellie's development. Ellie began to shake sometimes and didn't seem to be developing at the same rate as others her age. Ellie had been born with Rett syndrome, a debilitating disease that seems to occur in girls due to it's genetic nature. Due to the way that this disorder affects the nervous system little, precious, Ellie, became a prisoner in her own body. Ellie would never learn to walk or talk. Ellie's mind would continue to grow but her body isn't able to respond. Tano and Abby developed a blink language that seemed to allow Ellie to communicate simple needs but only in a limited way. For 8 years now Tano and Abby have loved, nurtured, and cared for their daughter through some of the most difficult circumstances. Ellie fought for life here on earth for 8 long and grueling years. Not a single day went by without struggle. There was never a morning when Tano or Abs heard the sound of Ellie's little feet on their floor, nor did they ever hear their daughter tell them, "I love you." Our friends never saw their daughter's first steps, or heard her read, nor did they watch her run and play like other children.

BUT..............

Today, everything changed. Ellie is prisoner no more. Her first "I love you" will be to Jesus. Her first steps will be on streets of gold. Her new resurrected body now works perfectly. Ellie no longer sits long hours to watch while others play. She is no longer in constant pain. Ellie will never know struggle again. Her hands can be lifted at any moment to the King of Kings, her voice soars with sounds of praise to the only immortal, wise, God. Ellie's suffering in this present life isn't even worthy to be compared with the glory she shares in now. Her face glows from the radiance of the Father and her feet can dance to the tunes of thousands upon thousands as they sing "Glory, honor, and power!!" And from heaven's vantage point Ellie will declare, along with the others in heaven, "Righteous and true are Your judgments Oh Lord!" All the damage that a fallen world has done to Ellie, is now undone so that she, (and we) might be able to say, "Death is swallowed up in victory! Oh Death where is thy sting? Oh grave where is thy victory?" And if she could talk to us right now I think she might remind us just what the "gospel" means......

GOOD NEWS!!!!

Where Is Thy Victory?

Heavy hearts, broken groans
Sleepless nights, in sorrowed homes
Feelings rule the rainy night
While He sits silently upon His throne

How could you do this?
Why allow such pain?
You claim a sovereign
And righteous name?

The questions dissipate in the air
While He just sits silently there.

Then comes anger
wielding the sword
" A pound of your flesh
For not keeping your word
You promised it would all work for good
But that's not how it's happening in my neighborhood"

The gavel slams down, as I hand out my judgment
"I find you guilty, of breaking your covenant!
This world is full of sadness and pain
And your only solution is "believe on your name?!"
Away with this soul ache, and away with you
If you have the power
then there's something you could do

"Why settle for a pound?" came the reply
"I've given it all, I came and died.
It was that soul I purchased, the one for which you grieve
It's her I redeemed, it's her I've received
All that I have is now hers to keep
Do you question my love, is this why you thus speak?
Your eyes haven't seen, your ears haven't heard
you can't imagine, you can't put it into words...
There is a place with me here
That's waiting for all
That understand my love and respond to my call
The world you live in is all upside down
I've made a place to turn that around !
When life ends there it's the end of the story
But here we go from glory to greater glory!
You go from birth, into life, then death
The world you live on goes from order to mess.
But this place I've prepared
Won't need to be repaired
It's where all is made right you see
Lay down your sword and come to me
Put down your gavel and give me your pain
I know that you're hurting, just call on my name
I mend the broken, heal the hurting, and give sight to the blind
It's all included in this gospel of mine!"

My lips became silent, what more could be said
by His loving power, He raises the dead!
So even while the torments of death still loom
I can rejoice in the victory found at His empty tomb!

The Desire for Beauty

I got this thought off of a page where a guy was giving his top ten list of lessons from great christian minds.

(The picture is of me and my son, Elijah at the beach in Brookings on Saturday! It was a "Beautiful" sunset!)

Jonathan Edwards (18^th century): God is beautiful, and all beauty is divine. The fine historian Mark Noll—who spoke here at Taylor last week—has called Jonathan Edwards the “greatest evangelical mind.” If that isn’t an incentive to study this man’s brilliant work, then nothing is. Like Augustine, Luther, and Calvin, Edwards emphasized the sovereignty of God. Everything God does, he does for his own glory. This is, in fact, the point of history and the point of your life and mine: the glory of God. But Edwards recognized that the concept of glory is essentially an aesthetic concept. It falls within the category of beauty. So what this world is all about is showing the beauty of God. And all of our longing for beauty—whether in the form of art, good music, good films, poetry, or the beauty of other people—is really an aspect of our longing for the One who is beauty itself. And all of the finitely beautiful things we experience are so many expressions of God’s beauty.

So here is the question for our blogging purposes;

What do you think is beautiful?
How is that beauty exemplified and ultimately fulfilled in God's person and nature?

Pondering doubt???????

Ok, I'm reading this book by Tim Keller called "The Reason For God". So far it is a great book! In the opening chapter he brings up the issue of doubt. He made a really profound statement that I have been thinking about ever since. On Page 17 of the introduction he states" All doubts, however skeptical or cynical they may seem, are really a set of alternate beliefs. You cannot doubt belief A except from a position of faith in belief B."

That got the wheels spinning for me about the doubts that I have as a believer. All the doubts that I have are really a belief in something else. Can I identify the underlying belief that is at the root of the doubts that I wrestle with?

For example:

I sometimes have trouble believing that a miracle has occurred. Someone may say to me, "God healed me from my migraine headache!" To which I will respond outwardly" Praise God! That's awesome!" But on the inside I am really questioning if a miracle really took place or if the migraine headache just went away. Why do I doubt that it was a miracle? It could be that I believe that God only does miracles in big ways like blindness, leprosy, and raising the dead. Or , more likely, because my experience with people and their propensity to claim God did something that He in fact, did not do, I believe the person telling me the story is embellishing or just emotional.

What doubts do you struggle with and what are the corresponding beliefs that accompany them?

Music That is My Style

Finding good music as a christian is hard to do. As a reflection of the church our music tends to be geared to a time that has already passed. There are few artists that come on the scene that are a reflection of what it means to be real, normal, and in love with Jesus. Every once in a while some pops up that surprises me. I look for someone that isn't singing what is canned and sells. Someone that thinks more about how they relate to God than coming up with some cookie cutter christian version of the same old repeated lines and phrases..... And it doesn't hurt if they've got a little soul. (Just cause that's my flava!) So here is a dude I just discovered tonight.

Josh Garrels



You can listen to some more here if you want. I loved what heard!

Things I love from the body of Christ:

The passion of the Pentecostals and Charismatics....
It reminds me of the fact that God isn't just after my brain but my soul. Jesus said true worshipers worship in truth but also in spirit. (Jn4 )

The compassion of the Catholics...
I am totally inspired by the selfless live of those such as Mother Theresa, Saint Francis, and others. They remind me that having a heat like God's wil give me a love for the hurting.

The conviction of the reformed...
I love the fervent passion that these guys have for the truth. The doctrine from the reformed church is very thought out. They inspire me to know why I believe what I believe and that the truth of God's word is beyond our ability to exhaust.

The community of the house church Amish-ish type movements...
I love to see the deep sense of love and community that these folks have for one another. There is a total dedication to help one another out and hold each other accountable as they travel life together.

The cultural sensitivity of the post-modern movement....
While most of these churches tend towards liberalism. I am totally in agreement that Jesus didn't come to change each culture (including our own) into some cookie cutter version of the church. I love the thought that churches should be a reflection of the culture that you live in (i.e. music style, decoration, building structure, and the way you dress) while not compromising the truth of God's word. It reminds me that I am a missionary and not a mercenary.

The purpose of the evangelical movement...
God chooses and uses all those who will say "here am I, Lord, send me!" It reminds me that my life automatically serves a purpose and that purpose is to reach the unreconciled. 2 Cor 5

The christocentricity of the Calvary movement...
They inspire me through the verse-by-verse study of God's word that Christ is the message of the bible from cover to cover. I am challenged to remember that if I can preach the message I have in a Buddhist temple or a synagogue that it is not a "christian" message and not good news.

The simplicity of the Applegate Fellowship family...
I love how keeping things simple has been guarded by our church family. Through strong leadership we have all stuck to simply teaching the bible simply. I have seen the radical and continual transforming power of keeping the main thing the main thing.


And, while I have not exhausted the list of all the things I have learned from the body of Christ, I sit here, even now, amazed at the working of God through the different giftings and callings that He has placed in each of our lives. So, I rejoice in knowing that I have a place that is prepared for me here and now. I have a spot in the plan of God. I am free to be who God has created me to be and as I grow in that freedom God is glorified in who He created me to be. In an effort to encourage the we often make the mistake of trying to get others to do what we are called to do. We can even look at the other parts of the body of Christ and begin to be critical because they specialize in one particular area or giftingand are not like us. While this doesn't mean that you don't deal with issues, it does mean that we should not be so quick to see the world through the lenses of our own glasses. At the end we will all stand before the same Lord, saved by the same cross, on the same crystal shore, with each of us throwing the crowns we earned at the feet of Jesus. Why? Maybe because while we were all busy fighting with each other here, by His grace, we managed to get some work done. And when we see us the way He sees us we will realize that our diversity was His idea. What do you think?

Are we over-thinking the church?

What if God never made the church in the way we think of it in it's present state? Is the "stage atmosphere" that we see in today's church the same format that existed in the early church? I'm not advocating chaos, and no order, but I often wonder how God sees the things that we would consider a "church service"? Are the essential elements of church (ie. worship, prayer, communion, the word) just building blocks and we are free to construct the order, style and length according to the needs of a particular body of believers? Is it helpful to rearrange those elements frequently so that the elements themselves do not become the idolatrous pattern that people perceive to be the way that we earn God's favor or blessing? To keep a grace centered church, that understands that it is not about works of righteousness that we have done, is it essential to dismantle the paradigm of worship to keep them from clinging to processes? These are the questions that I wrestle with as a pastor much of the time. Does God want less formality and more normality? Is formality a thin veil that hides our imperfections and keeps us from coming to God like we are? Has church, in the business style model that we see, become the next newest "fig leaf?" Do we hide behind formality because we are afraid that God will not receive the offering of ourselves apart from some ritual that makes us feel like we have checked off a checklist?

Jesus said in John 4:23-24 "... true worshipers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth; for the Father seeketh such to worship Him. God is a spirit and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth"

The word "truth" used here in this text is Strong's # 227 in the Greek. It literally means without concealing. The question from this woman at the well is essentially," What is the correct way and place to worship? Is it here in our worship house or there in theirs? Is it their way or ours?" Jesus responds by saying the Father is seeking those that will worship Him with the inner man (in spirit), and without hiding behind anything (in truth)? Is it possible that we have made the search for truth more about academics and less about coming to Him as we really are? Are we hiding behind our systems, policies, and methodologies? Does God desire something more real and natural, something that looks a little more like real life?

What if church service is supposed to look like life and not like a ceremony? Could we as a culture indoctrinated and raised with a ceremonious church service get past that concept? What if, what we know as church had never come into existence and all we had was people that were Christ followers? What would it look like if they got together and there was no blueprint for what to do? What would a natural, spontaneous time of fellowship look like?

In the past I have made the incorrect assumption that the church in the book of Acts had no preconceived ideas of what to do in organizing a worship get together. The truth is that they had two working models of what it means to gather together in worship. The one they pulled from what they saw before Christ came. The second example they had after they had walked for 3 1/2 years with Jesus. In the first model, man became the center. In the latter God Himself was the center. Are pastors (myself included) more concerned about making a name and reputation for themselves? Or are we willing to be made of no reputation, an environment where there are no "superstar" Christians in order that Christ might be the superstar.

What do you think?

The Gates Of Hell!

The last three weeks at our little church has been a great for me. I have been so refreshed in going over the simplicity of the gospel with our church.

Week 1:
We did a study of the "The Power Of The Gospel" in which we talked about the fact that the gospel does not need to be played up to make it more effective, or played down to make it not offensive, but played out as we share what God has done for us. We just need to proclaim the news of what He has done and..... Nothing else

Week 2:
We talked about "The Way We Share The Gospel". If we share from having been affected by the gospel ourselves it changes the way that we share. When we have daily come to the cross in need of God's grace, then we share from a place of humility and compassion.

Week 3:
We talked about "Why We Share The Gospel". In a word. Hell. The gospel doesn't just give us a better life. It is the only hope of salvation for a world that is condemned already.

Summation:
There are many difficulties in reaching out to the community that we live in. We can't expect that the world is going to walk through our church doors, fall on their knees, and ask us if we know Jesus. As a result, the typical forms of evangelism can often leave people feeling tricked because unbelievers show up for the "goodie" (concert, turkey giveaway, toy drive, etc...) and then realize that they have been hoodwinked like some sort of timeshare gimmick. As a result we are often pedaling the gospel with salesmanship rather than proclaiming the gospel in sincerity. Evangelism is often better received from someone you personally know, and in an environment where you don't feel like you were tricked or trapped. In other words evangelism should begin with the church going to the people that they already know and love and happen in a place where they don't feel like they are being targeted to sign up to be a part of an organization or club. We decided at CCF that the best way we could reach our community with the gospel is to give our people a platform and environment where they could share the gospel with their loved ones. So we handed out envelopes with cash amounts in them that were for they express purpose of taking someone they already know out to lunch or coffee and sharing the love of Jesus Christ with them!! In the coming weeks we will see what God does with those who used His resources wisely! Getting sixty people to walk into our church to hear the gospel would be next to impossible (apart from God) but the sixty or so people that took an envelope this Sunday will be reaching out to sixty plus people in our community with the gospel!!! May God fill their words with His power!

There are squatters (those who wait to be attacked) and there are soldiers (those storming the gates of hell!) Which one are you?

For Who's Glory?

I was pondering the issue of rest yesterday in regards to taking a sabbath. Something hit me right between the eyes and I feel like it is worth sharing. God commands this day of rest for his people and also sets the example of resting Himself, even though He Himself is not tired. Why? As I thought of this in regards to my own labor (especially ministry) I suddenly realized that much of my identity is wrapped up in what I do. There is a part of us that feels value when we "do" something. We attain a certain level of worth by "doing" things. I wonder if taking a sabbath rest is partially about resting and partially about reorienting your life around who God is as opposed to who we are? Do people work themselves to death because they are seeking to be made valuable in the eyes of others or in their own eyes? As I talk to other pastors, I have noticed some of the same ideas coming up. On Mondays, many pastors feel like quitting their jobs and grabbing a nine-to-five somewhere else. This usually comes after a bombed teaching, disgruntled parishioner, or just an exhausting day where they find themselves weary. I wonder, would pastors still feel that way if so much of our identity was not wrapped up in what we do? Maybe the sabbath and vacations are more about us being reminded that when we step away from our activities and rest, the world continues to turn. Life still moves forward and in fact, we are not as important as we think... (wish) we are. Something about stepping back from our labor helps us to refocus our energy on things that do matter and things that will last. Things like our relationship with the Lord and our relationship with our families. When Jesus said ," the sabbath was made for man and not man for the sabbath" it seems He meant what He said.

In the list of the ten commandments in Exodus 20 God gives the commandment to rest in verses 8-10. God couches the commandment to rest in the story of creation and the example set by Him from the beginning. He is saying essentially, "be like Me!" My identity is not in what I do but who I am.

In the list of commandments found in Deuteronomy 5:12-15, God couches the commandment to rest in the fact that the children of Israel used to be slaves in Egypt. He says in verse 15, "and remember that thou wast a servant in the land of Egypt, and that the Lord thy God hath brought thee out thence through a mighty hand and by an outstretched arm; therefore the Lord thy God commanded thee to keep the sabbath day." It is as if the Lord is saying, " your value as a human used to be determined by how hard you worked. But, I set you free from that. I want you to leave behind the slave-value system and embrace the glorious freedom of a God-centered value system." We have worth. Our worth is not based upon what we do or don't do. Our value scale is based upon what God has done in redeeming us. We have worth by the work of the cross and redemption. Even the word redemption should bring us to that word picture. Like an empty soda can that is trash to be discarded, we have "redemption value" to our manufacturer.

Heb 4:9-10 exhorts us, "There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God. For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God [did] from his. Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief."

Not an excuse to be lazy, but an exhortation to prioritize your life to be God centered and not self centered. What think ye?

The "High"-Jacking of Jesus

Jesus ‘Healed Using Cannabis’

Published

by

DrQuickbeam

on January 9, 2006

in Cannabis and Religion

.

Jesus was almost certainly a cannabis user and an early proponent of the medicinal properties of the drug, according to a study of scriptural texts published this month. The study suggests that Jesus and his disciples used the drug to carry out miraculous healings.

The anointing oil used by Jesus and his disciples contained an ingredient called kaneh-bosem which has since been identified as cannabis extract, according to an article by Chris Bennett in the drugs magazine, High Times, entitled Was Jesus a Stoner? The incense used by Jesus in ceremonies also contained a cannabis extract, suggests Mr Bennett, who quotes scholars to back his claims.

“There can be little doubt about a role for cannabis in Judaic religion,” Carl Ruck, professor of classical mythology at Boston University said.

Guardian UK

Referring to the existence of cannabis in anointing oils used in ceremonies, he added: “Obviously the easy availability and long-established tradition of cannabis in early Judaism _ would inevitably have included it in the [Christian] mixtures.”

Mr Bennett suggests those anointed with the oils used by Jesus were “literally drenched in this potent mixture _ Although most modern people choose to smoke or eat pot, when its active ingredients are transferred into an oil-based carrier, it can also be absorbed through the skin”.

Quoting the New Testament, Mr Bennett argues that Jesus anointed his disciples with the oil and encouraged them to do the same with other followers. This could have been responsible for healing eye and skin diseases referred to in the Gospels.

“If cannabis was one of the main ingredients of the ancient anointing oil _ and receiving this oil is what made Jesus the Christ and his followers Christians, then persecuting those who use cannabis could be considered anti-Christ,” Mr Bennett concludes.

It seems every nitwit out there has their own agenda on how to make a God of their own design. When you come from a personal perspective or preconceived bias that you can read just about anything you want into the story of Jesus and the bible. How do we guard against seeing the bible from only our perspective? What controls do we have to guard us from deception. This deception can come from without or within. It can be the gospel according to "Mr Bennet" or it can be the gospel according to Jeremy Nehf. What is the gospel according to God and how do we know that it is the true gospel? Are there any controls or does anyone with some half-baked new theory about the gospel have a leg to stand on?

All things are better in Koine!!

Saw this video on another guys blog and loved it so much I thought I'd share the Joy. Sorry it has been so long since a for real post. I'll get back into the swing of things and get some of the things I've been pondering posted soon. God bless for now!!!