If you’re paying attention, this text could put blood in your urine (that’s a veiled reference to a well-placed kidney punch that I hope will not just hurt but heal you): “In the second year of Darius the king, on the first day of the sixth month, the word of the LORD came by the prophet Haggai to Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, saying, “Thus says the LORD of hosts, ‘This people says, “The time has not come, even the time for the house of the LORD to be rebuilt.” ’ ” Then the word of the LORD came by Haggai the prophet, saying, “Is it time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses while this house lies desolate?” Now therefore, thus says the LORD of hosts, “Consider your ways! You have sown much, but harvest little; you eat, but there is not enough to be satisfied; you drink, but there is not enough to become drunk; you put on clothing, but no one is warm enough; and he who earns, earns wages to put into a purse with holes.” Thus says the LORD of hosts, “Consider your ways! Go up to the mountains, bring wood and rebuild the temple, that I may be pleased with it and be glorified,” says the LORD. “ You look for much, but behold, it comes to little; when you bring it home, I blow it away. Why?” declares the LORD of hosts, “Because of My house which lies desolate, while each of you runs to his own house. Therefore, because of you the sky has withheld its dew and the earth has withheld its produce. I called for a drought on the land, on the mountains, on the grain, on the new wine, on the oil, on what the ground produces, on men, on cattle, and on all the labor of your hands.”” Okay, none of us WANT kidney problems, but we all NEED the confrontation from the Word here. And be warned, you may think you’re a Christian, but you might actually be a pagan.
As I looked up information on evangelist Mark Cahill, I came across an article on CARM.org by Tony Miano of Living Waters. The article is not complimentary, yet I also discovered some straw man arguments in Miano's article that made me want to dig a little deeper. I have found that no one is immune to misinterpretation of another's words, whether spoken or written, so I wanted to find Cahill's original message to examine for myself. This post is for those who, like me, want to know the truth behind Miano's claims about Cahill specifically. If you want to see my interactions with Cahill's or Miano's article, go to my article here. I had some searching to do on 29-30 April 2020 to find the text of Mark Cahill's statement against Calvinism. You can find the text of his message here, or read it in full below.
Have you ever watched your past meet up with your present? How the things you once did become a part of who you are now? This is happening for our family in a number of ways. I grew up watching TV shows like Home Improvement and Full House when I was a kid, and now it’s become something of a tradition to watch through Full House with our kids as we’re all eating together. In their unique ways, our kids are drawn to these shows and knit together with us in ways that are both touching and hilarious at times (like Mary treasuring all these things in her heart, am I right?!). So why is this worth a blog post?
On 24 July 2019, in Caracal, Romania, a 15 year old girl was abducted, held, tortured, raped, and finally killed by Gheorghe Dincă. Sunday morning is when I first heard these things, and the later details made this event even more chilling. Eating lunch with family after Sunday morning church services, this matter was repeatedly running on a nearby TV about the ongoing investigation. What has ultimately led me to post about this is what I saw on the TV that shocked me. It shows a profound lack of understanding in justice, in human nature, and in the seriousness of matters like these. To what do I refer?
I'm working on something and I'd love to have some of you help out with it. I want you to consider being a part of something that could extend far beyond your 10 hour day, or even the length of your life. I want some real stories from people like you to help shape the novels I'm writing. I've attached a document to the bottom of this article that will give you more information, ways of contacting me, and the kinds of questions I'd like to ask you over a video chat (and why!). This article gives you a glimpse into the stories I'm telling, and how your unique insight can shape what will hopefully outlive us all... but you're going to have to keep reading to find out how!
Living can be confusing can’t it? As I watch my kids interact with each other and us, I can see them get upset because each of them has a different mental picture of how things should go. Of course, my daughter thinks my son is just being a jerk. Of course, my son thinks my daughter is just being difficult. Of course, they both want to be anywhere else than with mom and dad, and sometimes we agree! Neither of them seek to understand the other’s position.
Considering what another is going through is simply not natural. What is natural is to shame your opponent in battle so they know they are fully responsible for these problems that separate. If we crush them, they will be easier to defeat. And if we defeat them—of course—we win. We all want to win, and we unfortunately face the attacks of others who also want to win even if it hurts us. Today’s blog post is going to teach you how to win! If you’re breathing right now, you’re in transition. Your life began in one place and you’re in another place now. Transition can be good or bad. It can be indifferent as well. If I want cereal one morning and change my mind to an egg omelette, the transition is simple but distinct.
We can be better off or worse depending on how we transition from one place to another. As a married man and father, transitions in my family involve more than just me, and yet so infrequently do we prepare ourselves for the growing pains these transitions can bring. I've been thankful for this time to focus on some powerful worship music, that in turn informs my worship each day. This is the last day of A Week of Worship and I can say it's awoken in me the desire to be more purposeful in my worship. I have worshipped each morning while I run, and hope to continue this. I also chose to include six songs this morning, so I hope you don't mind, but rather enjoy more worship to feed your soul today. Let's get to the music! |
AuthorI write to remember the lessons I learn as a Man, Husband, Father, Son, Brother, Pastor, and Friend. As I come to grips with the blackness within me, I am more appreciative of God's grace-filled grip. We all change in the seasons of life. This is my deep well... Archives
June 2021
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