So, I have been attempting to The Way of the Master by Ray Comfort and Kirk Cameron. The book along with some other materials were given to me by a young person in our church. I managed to read about 9 of the bizzilion chapters in this book and had to call it quits.
I have read several evangelism over the years and have never run into a book quite like this one. Most, if not all of the books I have read on evangelism have been written from the standpoint of being one of many effective ways to share the gospel. Unfortunately this book and the teaching that goes with it arrogantly claim to be the only Biblical way to lead someone to Christ.
I am also a person that believes very strongly that in the current culture of the United States, evangelism happens best when it happens within the context of a relationship. Study after study reveals that the majority of lasting decisions for Christ happen because someone had a relationship with them first. This book, on the other hand completely ignores a relational aspect to evangelism, resorting instead to a confrontational presentation of "the Law" that only puts someone on the defensive.
I could really write forever about everything I disagree with about this book, but I will just leave it at the fact that I couldn't even finish it.
By the way, I truly believe that the way Jesus shared faith was that he assessed his culture and used the method that worked best in each setting.
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Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Monday, October 20, 2008
Obama Endorsed by Powell because....
Ok, so I have tried my best to keep politics out of this blog, but with the presidential campaign coming to a close very quickly, I am finding it harder and harder to do. So, instead I will just yield to what is on my mind at this moment.
As most probably know by now, General Colin Powell endorsed Barack Obama for president this past week. I managed to watch some of the interview on Sunday and really found it quite disturbing. Colin Powell said that his endorsement wasn't based on race. He said he wasn't endorsing Obama because they were both black. I absolutely believe him. Based on the fact that it took him so long to endorse him and that he could have done this long ago, I don't believe it was racially motivated. What I did find disturbing was this line from Powell:
"And I come to the conclusion that because of his ability to inspire...he has met the standard of being a successful president, being an exceptional president."
Because of his ability to inspire??? Is that really a qualification to be the president? Is that really a reason to vote for someone. If that is a good reason that means that some of the WORST people on the face of the earth would be good presidents. I am not going to mention names because someone is determined to take it out of context - what I am saying is that some of the absolutely HORRIBLE people that have been on this earth have been able to inspire people. To me, that is NOT a reason to vote for someone and it never will be.
We need to vote for someone because they share our ideals and viewpoints. It has to be based on the fact that we agree with the direction that they would take this country and that they have the EXPERIENCE needed to lead.
In all I really lost a lot of respect for Colin Powell. I used to hold him in high regard thinking that he was a very respectable person. The loss of respect is not due to the fact that he endorsed Obama. He could have endorsed anyone and that would not have changed my opinion. As a matter of fact I could have had a lot ore respect for Powell had he made this decision with some valid arguments for supporting Obama. What made me lose respect for him was this statement, and some others that he made in his interview. I heard someone say the other day that he is doing this to "repair his image with the media". If that is the case, I truly feel sorry for Powell that he would have to take this measure just to make himself look good.
As most probably know by now, General Colin Powell endorsed Barack Obama for president this past week. I managed to watch some of the interview on Sunday and really found it quite disturbing. Colin Powell said that his endorsement wasn't based on race. He said he wasn't endorsing Obama because they were both black. I absolutely believe him. Based on the fact that it took him so long to endorse him and that he could have done this long ago, I don't believe it was racially motivated. What I did find disturbing was this line from Powell:
"And I come to the conclusion that because of his ability to inspire...he has met the standard of being a successful president, being an exceptional president."
Because of his ability to inspire??? Is that really a qualification to be the president? Is that really a reason to vote for someone. If that is a good reason that means that some of the WORST people on the face of the earth would be good presidents. I am not going to mention names because someone is determined to take it out of context - what I am saying is that some of the absolutely HORRIBLE people that have been on this earth have been able to inspire people. To me, that is NOT a reason to vote for someone and it never will be.
We need to vote for someone because they share our ideals and viewpoints. It has to be based on the fact that we agree with the direction that they would take this country and that they have the EXPERIENCE needed to lead.
In all I really lost a lot of respect for Colin Powell. I used to hold him in high regard thinking that he was a very respectable person. The loss of respect is not due to the fact that he endorsed Obama. He could have endorsed anyone and that would not have changed my opinion. As a matter of fact I could have had a lot ore respect for Powell had he made this decision with some valid arguments for supporting Obama. What made me lose respect for him was this statement, and some others that he made in his interview. I heard someone say the other day that he is doing this to "repair his image with the media". If that is the case, I truly feel sorry for Powell that he would have to take this measure just to make himself look good.
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
McCain as VP????
This video is hilarious. It is from a rally with Joe Biden. The person introducing Joe Biden makes a terrible blunder.
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
A "Townhall" debate???
Ok, so I have made it a point to avoid political stuff in my blog, and this is the first time that I am going to bend that rule a little. While it will be a little political, it will also be objective (I think).
So, I wasted about 90 minutes of my life tonight. I watched what was supposed to be a "Townhall" style debate. This was ANYTHING but a "Townhall" style debate. Actually it was very much like any other debate. Perhaps they shouldn't have screened the questions first. They should have simply let people ask questions from the audience until the time was up. I think that would have been a much more effective debate, and also would have been more enlightening on who each candidate was. As it was, we got a whole bunch of Republican and Democratic talking points. It was the same old stuff we have been hearing for the last several months. Not much has changed.
As I said I was going to be objective, here is the objective part. It was a tie. I know that FoxNews (my favorite news channel) will probably call it barely a McCain win, and all the other cable news stations will call it for Obama, but I really feel like it was a draw. I really wanted McCain to win - but there was nothing in that debate that made me think that. There was also nothing in the debate that made me think that Obama won, so I have to say it was a tie. This actually really means it was a win for Obama because McCain needed a big win.
I have some problems with both of their policies
Obama wants to socialize medicine. He wants the U.S. government to be the insurance company for millions of Americans. He says that those with insurance can keep their current insurance and those that don't have insurance will be able to get affordable insurance just like the senators have. What happens when millions of Americans and businesses everywhere figure out that the government plan is cheaper than their plan? Here is what will happen - they will all switch to the government plan and bankrupt our government. It will also put hundreds of thousands of insurance agents, representatives, and other insurance workers OUT OF A JOB, when their insurance company has to close due to lack of business.
McCain wants the U.S. government to buy up all these bad mortgages. It is going to cost a lot, as he said. McCain also says that it is needed. My problem with all of this is - When does personal responsibility begin to play a role again? Why is it that the tax payers of this country have to pay for the stupid decisions of the few? I have said it other times - there are some people that were the victims of predatory lending, and others that have lost their job and because of this are losing their home. That is the tragedy of this all, but that still doesn't take away the responsibility that each person has to manage their finances, and to be informed when they sign on a dotted line.
So there is my objective point of view. I wish all the media had an objective point of view - but as we all know they have a favorite candidate, and they want to paint the opposition in a negative light.
Goodnight - I am going to try and salvage the rest of my evening since I wasted 90 minutes.
So, I wasted about 90 minutes of my life tonight. I watched what was supposed to be a "Townhall" style debate. This was ANYTHING but a "Townhall" style debate. Actually it was very much like any other debate. Perhaps they shouldn't have screened the questions first. They should have simply let people ask questions from the audience until the time was up. I think that would have been a much more effective debate, and also would have been more enlightening on who each candidate was. As it was, we got a whole bunch of Republican and Democratic talking points. It was the same old stuff we have been hearing for the last several months. Not much has changed.
As I said I was going to be objective, here is the objective part. It was a tie. I know that FoxNews (my favorite news channel) will probably call it barely a McCain win, and all the other cable news stations will call it for Obama, but I really feel like it was a draw. I really wanted McCain to win - but there was nothing in that debate that made me think that. There was also nothing in the debate that made me think that Obama won, so I have to say it was a tie. This actually really means it was a win for Obama because McCain needed a big win.
I have some problems with both of their policies
Obama wants to socialize medicine. He wants the U.S. government to be the insurance company for millions of Americans. He says that those with insurance can keep their current insurance and those that don't have insurance will be able to get affordable insurance just like the senators have. What happens when millions of Americans and businesses everywhere figure out that the government plan is cheaper than their plan? Here is what will happen - they will all switch to the government plan and bankrupt our government. It will also put hundreds of thousands of insurance agents, representatives, and other insurance workers OUT OF A JOB, when their insurance company has to close due to lack of business.
McCain wants the U.S. government to buy up all these bad mortgages. It is going to cost a lot, as he said. McCain also says that it is needed. My problem with all of this is - When does personal responsibility begin to play a role again? Why is it that the tax payers of this country have to pay for the stupid decisions of the few? I have said it other times - there are some people that were the victims of predatory lending, and others that have lost their job and because of this are losing their home. That is the tragedy of this all, but that still doesn't take away the responsibility that each person has to manage their finances, and to be informed when they sign on a dotted line.
So there is my objective point of view. I wish all the media had an objective point of view - but as we all know they have a favorite candidate, and they want to paint the opposition in a negative light.
Goodnight - I am going to try and salvage the rest of my evening since I wasted 90 minutes.
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Emmy Awards - Josh Grobin's performance
Ok, so I am in the middle of watching the 60th Emmy Awards and watched Josh Grobin (sp?) sing. I have to say that was the worst waste of time I have ever sat through. It ranks right up there with watching A.I. That was actually quite painful and I hope I never have to watch something like that again. I have heard Josh Grobin perform before, and to tell the truth I have never been really that impressed, but this absolutely takes the cake. I don't know if it was done because the producers of the Emmy awards asked him to perform this, or if it was his idea, but either way it was BAD. If you didn't get the chance to take part in this painful experience, I encourage you to go to youtube and endure through the worst 5 minutes of your life. You will be stronger for it because you persevered.
Sent via BlackBerry
Sent via BlackBerry
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
When will the bleeding end?
I typically write in my blog about ministry related items, with the occasional non-ministry item here and there. This is one of those non-ministry related items, although I think it has some ministry implications.
If you have been paying attention at all to just about ANY media lately I am sure you are reading about the economic downturn that we are in. Just less than a year ago it seemed like our economy was BOOMING. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was over 14,000 and it seemed like everyone had a house and a job. But this last year has been disastrous. The Dow is down under 11,000 - it lost 504.48 points on Monday, had a little gain on Tuesday, but is down another 363.46 as of this writing (Wednesday). We have seen the failure of many banks, we have seen the Federal Government bail out Freddie Mac, Fannie Mae and now AIG, while leaving others to simply fail. We are seeing people losing their homes at a record pace, and the unemployment going up at a steady rate.
So when will the bleeding end??? It is like when you cut yourself and the wound bleeds and bleeds and bleeds and it seems like it is never going to end. The economy is going through that right now, and all we can do is hold on.
It seems like there are certain political figures that want to blame this on the current Government administration. They seem to want to pin this on the government and say that it is their fault that we are going through all this. They then have a list of all the things the government should have done to prevent it. When it comes down to it, the government is not responsible for this downturn - the Greedy American Public IS!!!
For too long we have said, I want more, more, more. We have turned to credit to try to satisfy our desires. We want a bigger house, so we go and get a loan for that bigger house. We want a better, nicer car, so we go and get a loan for that. We then find out that our funds run out before the end of the month, well we have credit cards to take care of that, and eventually we can't even pay our bills. Now I know that some people out there were the victims of predatory lending, and I really feel bad for them, and I feel bad for the people who have been laid off of work and lost their house or car. But, for the vast majority of people they simply got greedy, and now are paying the consequences for that greed.
The greed goes beyond just the common person and into the corporate world, where corporate greed has caused many of these banks to fail. For goodness sake, there are CEOs out there making hundreds of millions of dollars while the company they are in charge of is filing bankruptcy. There has to be something wrong with that.
In all, like I said it all goes back to the fact that Americans have become VERY greedy.
I love reading the book of Ecclesiastes - the writer of Ecclesiastes, probably King Solomon said this, "Whoever loves money never has money enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income. This too is meaningless."
Paul wrote to Timothy in 1 Timothy 6:10 and said, "For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs."
It isn't our money that has caused the problem for the U.S. economy. It is our greed for MORE. Once again scripture proves itself right - when you get greedy (love of money) you open yourself up to all kinds of trouble.
So America, we go through another great economic downturn - will we ever learn to be content because Greed destroys.
If you have been paying attention at all to just about ANY media lately I am sure you are reading about the economic downturn that we are in. Just less than a year ago it seemed like our economy was BOOMING. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was over 14,000 and it seemed like everyone had a house and a job. But this last year has been disastrous. The Dow is down under 11,000 - it lost 504.48 points on Monday, had a little gain on Tuesday, but is down another 363.46 as of this writing (Wednesday). We have seen the failure of many banks, we have seen the Federal Government bail out Freddie Mac, Fannie Mae and now AIG, while leaving others to simply fail. We are seeing people losing their homes at a record pace, and the unemployment going up at a steady rate.
So when will the bleeding end??? It is like when you cut yourself and the wound bleeds and bleeds and bleeds and it seems like it is never going to end. The economy is going through that right now, and all we can do is hold on.
It seems like there are certain political figures that want to blame this on the current Government administration. They seem to want to pin this on the government and say that it is their fault that we are going through all this. They then have a list of all the things the government should have done to prevent it. When it comes down to it, the government is not responsible for this downturn - the Greedy American Public IS!!!
For too long we have said, I want more, more, more. We have turned to credit to try to satisfy our desires. We want a bigger house, so we go and get a loan for that bigger house. We want a better, nicer car, so we go and get a loan for that. We then find out that our funds run out before the end of the month, well we have credit cards to take care of that, and eventually we can't even pay our bills. Now I know that some people out there were the victims of predatory lending, and I really feel bad for them, and I feel bad for the people who have been laid off of work and lost their house or car. But, for the vast majority of people they simply got greedy, and now are paying the consequences for that greed.
The greed goes beyond just the common person and into the corporate world, where corporate greed has caused many of these banks to fail. For goodness sake, there are CEOs out there making hundreds of millions of dollars while the company they are in charge of is filing bankruptcy. There has to be something wrong with that.
In all, like I said it all goes back to the fact that Americans have become VERY greedy.
I love reading the book of Ecclesiastes - the writer of Ecclesiastes, probably King Solomon said this, "Whoever loves money never has money enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income. This too is meaningless."
Paul wrote to Timothy in 1 Timothy 6:10 and said, "For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs."
It isn't our money that has caused the problem for the U.S. economy. It is our greed for MORE. Once again scripture proves itself right - when you get greedy (love of money) you open yourself up to all kinds of trouble.
So America, we go through another great economic downturn - will we ever learn to be content because Greed destroys.
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
A couple EYE opening reads
I just finished reading "They Like Jesus but not the Church" by Dan Kimball. I actually have just a short bit of reading to do in the book, which is an appendix where Dan answers some questions that critics of the book may have. This book, along with "UnChristian" by Dave Kinnaman and Gabe Lyons really confirmed many of the thoughts that I have had over time. The primary one being that the most effective form of evangelism is through relationships.
I think it was John Maxwell that once said, "People don't care how much you know until they know how much you care." I think this really sums up a good portion of what these books are about, or at the very least the portion of these books that spoke to me the most.
Both of these books cover similar material, but they come at it from a very different way. UnChristian comes to their conclusions based on a great amount of polling research done by the Barna Group, while They Like Jesus comes to these conclusions based on conversations with non-Christian people. Regardless of how they came to their conclusions, they came to basically the same conclusions. Through their research they found that by and large people have a negative opinion of Christians. These opinions can only REALLY be changed through relationships.
It is through these relationships that as Christians we begin to build trust with those that have a negative opinion of us. It is through that trust that we then have the opportunity to introduce them to Jesus Christ.
So anyway, if you don't have anything else to read, I would encourage reading both these books. As I said, they come from a completely different angle, and so both of them kind of work together to give the whole picture.
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