This Meal's On Us!

Used my first "This Meal's On Us!" card at McDonald's today.  I ended up paying for three quarter pounders (one for me), three large drinks, (one for me), and two medium fries, (one for me).  Overall, I paid about $25.00.  When I looked back at the lady in the green Monte Carlo, she was waving to me with a big smile on her face.

My church gave these out a card that says "This Meal's On Us!" on the front and information for the church on the back.  The congregation is suppose to pay the meal for someone either in the restaurant or at the drive-thru.

Kindness goes a long way.

From Pastor Mark Daniels' June 6th Sermon

"I’ve mentioned before the woman who approached me after worship one Sunday in a former

 congregation. She was upset with the words of Psalm 111:10: “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom...” (The same words appear also in Proverbs 1:7 and 9:10.)    

 

She affected that voice that some people use when trying to show their piety and said, “I don’t think that we should be afraid of God.” Look, Jesus says that we are His friends when we keep or strive to honor His commandments. He promises to stick closer to us than a brother."

Read this carefully

"But Jesus, God in the flesh, is not our buddy, not our rabbit’s foot, nor our ATM, nor our good luck charm.

He will be there to judge us at the end of history.

Paraphrasing Bill Cosby’s Cliff Huxtable, Jesus brought us into this world and He can take us out."

-Pastor Mark Daniels

Ten Things That I Need To Do Before the End of the World

Harold Camping and his minions predict that tomorrow, May 21, 2011, a catastrophic earthquake will destroy the world.

Here's a list of things that I need to do before it all ends.

1.)  Take out trash.

2.)  Take my medication

3.)  Get laid.

4.)  Read the Bible

5.)  Take a shower

6.)  Call grandma, (awww do I have to do that?!?)

7.)  

Feel the emotions of exposing myself on public transportation.

8.)  Watch Nine To Five one last time.

9.)  Dig into my secret stash of Four Locos.

10.)  Sing "Let's Have A Party" one last time.

Church isn't for entertainment

This book I'm reading by Biblical scholar Kimberly Smith states this.

"The Church's purpose is not to please the world.  Its purpose is to minister to the saints and to provide a sanctuary from the world...let it me said that if people are serious about finding God, they will come to our churches and won't need weekly entertainment to draw them."

This is exactly what I've been saying all along!  Church is suppose to glorify God; not glorify human.

 

"Have we forgotten that it is the Holy Spirit who draws people to Christ, not "methods" (including the "right" music) devised by man?"

I have to say.  There are a lot of things in this book that I disagree with, (the whole "carnal," or backbeats, complex harmonies, unnatural rhythms, vs. "non-carnal," or straightforward, spiritual music.  However, church suppose to satisfy God, not satisfy the flesh).  But the phrase above has to be true.

On a side note, I think dancing like Elvis or KISS on a stage in a church has got to displease God very much.

 

2 Timothy

I read today's verse in the daily devotion booklet called Our Daily Bread, published by RBC Ministries. This is a fantastic devotion booklet that I think is the best devotion resource I've ever used, (you can read it here at the Our Daily Bread website).

Today's lesson talked about how atheists have a..goal....as I should say to rid the community and our culture of anything that involves a creator, such as displays of a cross or the Ten Commandments. The lesson also states that turning away from God can make one even more angry at God. (2 Timothy 2:24-26).

I have decided to read the entire book of 2 Timothy and post selected comments here for you all to read.

2 Timothy is a letter from Paul to Timothy.

To me, this book seems to be more of a poem than a typical Bible book. The version I am looking at, The NIV's Bible Across America, is written in poem form.

1:4: Recalling your tears, I long to see you, so that I may be filled with joy.

This verse really states what I am feeling right now. As my very public battle with depression still rages, I sometimes pray this very same thought. Even last night while trying to sleep, (I never did get much sleep), I was praying this because I was feeling alone.

1:8: So do not be ashamed to testify about our Lord, or ashamed of me his prisoner. But join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of god,....

Every time I hear something like this, I remember Matthew 10:33 - ...but whoever denies me before others, I also will deny before my Father in heaven.

1:12: This is why I am suffering as I am. Yet I am not ashamed, because I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him for that day.

As you can read in my previous post called Doubt, I have recently had doubts about my faith. The verse above states that I know God is real. There's an old hymn that goes like this.

There are some things I may not know there are some places I can't go
But I am sure of this one thing my God is real for I can feel him in my soul

My god is real real in my soul my God is real for he has washed and made me whole
His love for me is like pure gold my God is real for I can feel him in my soul

Some folks may doubt some folks may scorn
Well they can all go on just leave me alone
But as for me I'll take God's part my God is real for I can feel him in my heart
My god is real real...

I cannot tell just how you felt when Jesus took your sins away
But since that day - yes since that hour
God has been real for I can feel His holy power

2:1: You then, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.

Kinda self explanatory.

2:6: The hardworking farmer should be the first to receive a share of the crops.

One of my college professors stated that I have done the most research for a project that she has ever seen any student do. I felt really good about that comment. I have a belief that I should work hard and not show myself to be lazy.

This past summer I worked at a printing press factory in Lancaster, Ohio. I was a temporary worker, hired by a temp agency. On numerous occasions, my temp agent said that the bosses and other workers at the printing press factory have stated that I am one of the hardest workers they've seen in a while. I did things without being told to do, and I did them the first time. When the trash needed taking out, I took it out. When the printing press was down, (one of a million times), I took a scraper and started to scrape the 20 year old gunk off of the floor, just to keep myself busy.

I believe that working hard will get me far in life.

2:9: For which I am suffering even to the point of being chained like a criminal. But God's word is not chained.

2:11-12: Here is a trustworthy saying: If we died with him, we will also live with him. If we endure, we will also reign with him. If we disown him, he will also disown us.

Kinda points back to my previous comment a few lines above.

2:14: Keep reminding them of these things. Warn them before God against quarreling about words; it is of no value, and only ruins those who listen.

When I read this, I immediately thought about the homosexuality issue again with the ELCA and various other organizations. Why are we quarreling about words in the Bible? Isn't it the meaning behind the words and not the words themselves? If I say very loudly, "OH FIDDLE-STICKS!" what do I mean? Am I yelling at violin bows or am I making an interjection, possibly substituting it for the words son-of-a-bitch? (I would love to see a fight over this though).

2:23-26: Don't have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels. And the Lord's servant must not quarrel; instead, he must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful. Those who oppose him he must gently instruct, in the hope that God will grant them repentance, leading them to a knowledge of the truth, and that they will come to their senses and scape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will.

Hello, WBC.

3:2-4: People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure, rather than lovers of God.

This sounds like a person's teenage years. Hahaha!

3:12-13: In fact, everyone who wants to live a Godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, while evil men and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.

4:1-4: In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his Kingdom, I give you this charge: Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage - with great patience and careful instruction.

Listen to this.

For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, the will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.

We, as Christians, have to be VERY careful as to what we teach from the Bible. The WBC, (sorry that I keep going back to them), teach from the Bible what they want to hear. They take that famous verse from Leviticus and stretch it to suit their liking. However, the ELCA isn't always the perfect organization either. There are times I think they stretch scripture too much to suit their liking.

4:16: At my first defense, no one came to my support, but everyone deserted me. May it not be held against them.

This verse shows that Paul is a truly forgiving person. We all should follow his example.

I hope you learning a few things about me, and from Paul. I sure did. Thanks for reading!

4:22: The Lord be with your Spirit. Grace be with you.