" So You DON'T WANNA GO TO CHURCH ANYMORE?- A.D.68- JERUSALEM

Hello again blog fans, existentalists, luddites,and Jonas Brothers fanatics- it's me again, the agrarian agitator stirrin up the kettle again. Out here on the farm, the harvest has been plentiful and we've been cookin up somethin special, so I thought I'd share some of it with you. Today we are going back in time again. It's another trip back to the early church in Jerusalem. Today we will visit the First Church of Jerusalem( I LOVE those Guys). The year is a.d. 68- and some frightful things have been happening- Lets join the Elder's meeting in progress-



Elder James- Ok men, I call this meeting to order. Things are really looking good! The Praise Team is looking good in their new tunics- I LOVE the new Lyre player that we have now- He is really drawing in the young people. He used to play at Nero's Palace and he was part of the " Let's Fidddle and let Rome Burn "tour- I understand they really packed out the coliseums.... so things are good in the music department- Elder Simon is going to give us a report on some disturbing news



Elder Simon- Yes Brothers, some of you may aware of some books that have been "making the rounds" in the congregations of Christ Followers all over the Empire- It seems that a Brother in the Lord has been stirring up things a little.. He has written some books that seem to imply that being part of a local organized Body of Believers is... well... dare I say it.... OPTIONAL!!??? YES thats right ... He is a gifted writer- and some of the books that he has written are filled with lots of GREAT points about God ALWAYS LOVING US, NEVER FORSAKING US, JESUS IS ALWAYS WORKING IN OUR LIVES-NO MATTER WHAT!!! So, sometimes this guy is right on... but in ALL of his works, he leaves you with the feeling that it's ok( and even preferable) to "bail Out"of what he calls," ORGANIZED RELIGION"... yes, thats right... He has LOTS of his readers thinking that the "institutional" church with it's leaders, worship services, mission efforts, organization, is not God's plan for his people. He criticizes the local church in a round about way in all His writings... My question to you is.... what do we say to our members who are getting excited about this guy's books???



Deacon Simeon- You know ... I read this guys books.. and I gotta say. I really enjoyed, " Yeshua Loves Me"! It was a great reminder of God's unconditional love. But, I must say... lots of his writing is very "anti-church" - no doubt. SO, I have been thinking... HOW DID THIS GUY MISS THE TRUTH about the LOCAL ORGANIZED BODY OF BELIEVERS. We ALL know that the Apostle Paul's letters to the churches are universally acknowledged as SCRIPTURE BY ALL the CHURCHES- The Apostle Peter reminded us in one of HIS letters that Pauls writings are inspired. Well, in SO MANY of Pauls letters, he reminds believers everywhere what they are supposed to do about ELDERS, DEACONS, what to do with the OFFERING, How to OBSERVE the LORD's SUPPER, Things to remember about Baptism,how to implement church discipline, things to do in a WORSHIP SERVICE... I mean this sounds VERY ORGANIZED to me... I think I have figured out the attraction and fascination with this guy's books- You must remember that LOTS of people who are on this anti-church "wagon" have been hurt ... yep. they've had a bad experience with some one at a local church. so naturally this mentality appeals to them. You see it's SO MUCH EASIER to go down to the Jerusalem Starbucks and sit around talking to your friends about Jesus. No committment, No committees, No Elder Board, No Worship "team", it's so LAID back and RELAXED.... it's the perfect atmosphere for great conversation and friendship.... but it's NOT A PLACE TO GROW IN YOUR FAITH. You see, it's true that at the coffee shop, noone is going to get upset because the LYRE player is twanging the strings a little too loudly in the Praise Band... and noone is going to get angry because their favorite Psalm was not sung at the worship service, and not one single argument is going to occur because Miss Martha wants the children to have unleavened "goldfish" for Sunday School snacks... yep.. your right... but here's some OTHER THINGS that ARE NOT GOING TO HAPPEN AT THE COFFEE SHOP: The HOLY Word of God is not going to be expatiated upon by a teaching ELDER- ONE that has been set apart for the ministry by the laying on of Hands, The SACRAMENTS of the LOrd's Supper and Baptism are not going to be observed, The BIBLICAL practice of CHURCH DISCIPLINE is NOT GOING TO BE OBSERVED, .... ALL the things that HELP us to grow are missing with the Coffee Shop Christianity Crowd.... Noone has to be STRETCHED..or . challenged...- as the old folks used to say.. there's no "iron sharpening iron" ( but I will have a double mocha Latte,,, and Please.... NO DOCTRINE )You see the Lord KNEW what he was doing when He planned for us to be in a LOCAL organized body with Leaders. He wanted us to grow... he didnt WANT us to be laid back.... He wants us to be STRONG... IN HIS NAME, we are to be salt and light in EVERY AREA of society... we are to march forward in the power of the Holy Spirit... The POWER is given to us thru the sacraments - and the SACRAMENTS HAVE ONLY ONE HOME, You can "find" them at the local assembly of believers.... They ain't at the Jerusalem Starbucks.... ok guys, thats my report- lets go down to the Judea Java Juice shop- I'll have a double expresso with a shot of MYSTERION.

CHICKEN MANAGEMENT?( and No- I am not talking about the COLONEL)

Hi again blog fans, supralapsarians, pre-trib dispensationalists, and Hannah Montana fans! It's that time again... yep sorry..it's time for some of those ramblings from the rural renaissance man, some observations from the agrarian agitator- do'nt be angry.. I just wanna stir things up a little- and get us to thinking bout some things. So, slide your straight back chair up.. a little closer.a little more.. closer.. there.... ok now feast on some crumbs from a poor man's table... Lately , I have been thinking about some of the ways people are choosing to deal with the tough economic times...we are ALL in this together-WE see whats going on . These tough times are going to turn out to be a tremendous blessing for lots of folks.. yep.. I said it( well, actually I typed it)..cause you see- Businesses, institutions of learning, churches, organizations( ok.. you get the idea .. right???) are going to have to make some changes if they intend to grow.. or even survive.. of course managers,bosses, leaders have ALL the pressure squarely on their shoulders. They want to survive, they want to produce, they want THEIR bosses to be pleased with their work.. so... some of them resort to creative ways to manage people.. some times bosses try what SAM WALTON called " Chicken Management"!! in other words, make sure that everybody acts CHICKEN when the boss , manager, crew leader, principal, head master____ ( insert in this space the guy that makes you really nervous when he drives up)is around- you know ...make the employees AFRAID of you- their FEAR will make them WORK harder because they wanna see the angry guy happy... Sam Walton knew that "chicken management" does not work... FEAR paralyzes people.. IT is IMPOSSIBLE for a person to do a good job when they are uncomfortable.. and yet some institutions bring in the guy that curls up his lip like an angry Elvis, rules by intimidation,fires the body guards one day, then buys them a cadillac the next day-he plays little head games with his "inferiors".. oh yeah the BIG guys like him because for a little while it works.... things look good.... but chicken management kills morale, hurts production, and destroys team"spirit"..good, responsible workers start bailing out... they are not willing to pay the price ...Its ALL so sad... I know LOTS of great bosses, leaders, managers, principals,head masters,______( insert here the guy that you are GLAD to see drive up).. they make you feel comfortable! They know how to lead and manage. I have a friend named Jake who is a great boss to his employees. He took a college class for Business Administration and the first day the professor asked everyone to raise their hand if they wanted to be " Business majors so that they could boss people around and tell them what to do".. well, several of the students raised their hands, and the professor promptly told them that if they raised their hands, they didnt need to be in his class" because being a BOSS is really about SERVING OTHERS, being a LEADER is really about being a SERVANT... You equip people to use their talents, you encourage them in their abilities, you serve them by HELPING them to serve others. Servant/Leader...??? yeah.. that's it.. Servant Leader... like I said my friend Jake is a great servant leader.. I know LOTS of good bosses.. most of them really did'nt have to take a course, read a manual, or go to a seminar so that they could be good managers... most of them are effective leaders because they had a great servant leader who encouraged them.. in fact a lot of them learned from the Same Man..He's the Ultimate SERVANT LEADER.. Some of you might Know Him.... so any way the bottom line is :STOP the chicken management, stop the intimidation, serve people, love people, encourage .. I know what some of yall are thinking, " wow, Clay- this is all just common sense..." oh really??? is it?????Is it REALLY??? -- well Friends, thats about it for today- I hope you enjoyed the crumbs off this poor man's table.. oh yeah be sure to clean up after yourself.. and you BETTER do a good job.. or I am going to curl up my lip like an angry Elvis- no cadillac for YOU!

THE FIRST CHURCH OF JERUSALEM WORSHIP TEAM MEETING #4

Here we go again Blog-fans, Marcionic Dualists, neoplatonists, and race fans... it's time for another trip back in time to the Early Church in Jerusalem. It has'nt been long since Jesus ascended to the Throne in Heaven- Paul's letters are being accepted as Scripture and the early believers are attempting to worship in Spirit and in Truth.. So lets crawl in the Delorean, load up the flux capacitor with some plutonium... and lets go...



Elder James- Ok, everyone , I call this meeting to order- I want to congratulate the music ministry on the recent changes that were made- The Praise singers are FINALLY getting color-coordinated on the Tunics.. it really helps to create the mood...uh.. for Worship.. and I really like the way that you installed the giant scroll on the wall of the church so that everyone can see the words to the Psalms and spiritual songs.. I know there have been some complaints from some of the older members! They say that we are'nt singing enough of the OLD Psalms.. but lets throw one or two old ones in and keep em satisfied...



Deacon Simeon- uh.. Elder I do'nt want to interrupt but some of the congregants are saying that they miss using the Song scrolls that we have in the pews..! It was easy for them to learn the tunes to the songs.. you know some of our people read music.. and the Hymnal scrolls were working out good for lots of folks..some of our people are learning to read music and it would really be helpful if...



Elder James- Ok Deacon, we will take all that into consideration- ok lets move on.. as everyone knows the recent economic downturn in the Empire has hit us all... our attendance is down.. we've gotta do something to bring in the people... I recently heard about a congregation that bought one of the old coliseums from Caesar - they refurbished it, they are packing the place out.. and the really surprising thing is this... The Teaching Elder Jo-el NEVER mentions SIN, The blood of Christ, Holiness of God.. or really any thing that resembles scriptural teaching about the atonement.. He mostly reminds people to stay "positive", do'nt worry,be thankful, and they will be happy.. thats really about it.. and MAN, He is filling that coliseum every Sunday... when he was asked by a reporter from the Jerusalem Times if Jesus was the only way to Heaven.. he danced around that question so skillfully, you would have thought he was a Philadelphia Lawyer.. Cicero would have been proud.. now I am NOT saying we go as far as this guy to soften our message.. but maybe we should just lighten up a little....Would anything be wrong with easing up just a little ??? Would it???

THE REASONS FOR CHRISTIAN EDUCATION- J. GRESHAM MACHEN

J. Gresham Machen would'nt fare very well in todays world of cool hip Bible teachers- He probably would'nt wear a brightly colored Hawaiin shirt in the pulpit- heck- he probably would'nt be able to "put on" that sparkly white TV preacher grin for more than a second... much less for an entire church service-and todays sermons that show us "How to Be a 5 star personality for God's Glory " would never come from his lecturn or pulpit.. he was'nt a cool hip dude... Machen was a SCHOLAR.. a visionary, and a defender of the TRUTH of God's Word.He was a Professor of New Testament at New Testament at Princeton Seminary until 1929. Machen left that seminary in obedience to the Biblical command to seperate from unbelief, and he founded another. He helped launch a new Presbyterian denomination after being expelled from the mainline Presbyterian Church because he took a stand for inerrancy, infallibility, Virgin Birth, Sola Scriptura,and the importance of Christian education- In a previous post, we saw that Machen encouraged Christian schools for two reasons: Maintenence of American Liberty- and the Propagation of the Faith. Many Christians do not realize that in the19 20s and 30s, attacks upon Christian education were occuring at an alarming rate-Laws were enacted in some states that prevented Parents from educating their children at Home or in Church affiliated schools- Machen did not sit on the side-lines. He encouraged Christian parents to become involved in the POLITICAL/ JUDICIAL ARENA. These Christian families answered the call.. what did they do??? They contacted their representatives, the hired Lawyers, they worked together to make sure that their CONSTITUTIONAL rights were not being violated. They wanted to make sure that future generations would not be denied the right to HOMESCHOOL and/or start Christian Schools. Are'nt you glad that the Christian parents in the past sacrificed so that we can enjoy the freedoms that we enjoy today?? They did'nt sit around waiting for the RAPTURE- They did'nt try to "shirk" their responsibility of being salt and light by saying ," are'nt things going to get worse before Jesus comes back??? .. You do'nt polish the brass on a sinking ship-Is'nt Jesus' kingdom a SPIRITUAL KINGDOM- we are'nt supposed to get involved in "political stuff" are we????" NO- THEY DID"NT SAY THESE THINGS... The Christian parents of yesterday knew that JESUS IS LORD of EVERY AREA OF LIFE.. The WORD of GOD IS THE STARTING POINT FOR EVERYTHING WE DO!!! Many Christians today subscribe to an eschatology of DEFEAT-" we ca'nt change the world, we are'nt supposed to change the world, besides I am really busy reading the "LEFT BEHIND" SERIES...and oh yeah.. I do'nt have time to get involved, I am doing a study on "10 Reasons Jesus is coming in 2010".. BLAH, BLAH... it goes on and on- and the really sad thing is that this week- BECAUSE OF THE ACTIVISM OF CHRISTIANS OF THE EARLY 1900s - hundred's of thousands of Christian young people get back to their studies in CHRISTIAN schools and Homeschools, they will have a BIBLE lesson, and their BIBLE lesson will be seasoned with a smattering of neoplatonism, a dash of Manicheanism( google it.. spelling might be wrong- sorry- I'm only a High School graduate) , and they will wash it all down with a huge glass of pre-trib defeatism.ALL MEANT TO TEACH THEM THAT TRYING TO CHANGE THE CULTURE IS FUTILE.. they will be taught that things are supposed to get worse, there is nothing you can do to change the culture, The Rapture is happening soon!! DEAR READER... do you see the IRONY in this??? I am glad that the Christians of the 1920s and 30s did'nt believe in this "gospel" of Defeat... if they had believed it, we would'nt have our Christian school and home schools where we have these enlightening Bible lessons that tell us that we should'nt try to change the culture.. hey wait a minute........ ok , sorry yall.. I can tell by the old clock on the wall that it is time for me to sign off now... MORE ABOUT MACHEN and Education later.... besides.. the new LEFT BEHIND movie is on.. I gotta watch..

I'LL HAVE A "TRIAL AND TRIBULATION COCKTAIL"( With a LITTLE LESS VERMOUTH)

One of the benefits of being self-employed is that I can take a day off pretty much when I want( God had to heal me before I found this out- I used to think I had to work ALL the time- more about this in another blog).. so the othe rday I took a day off and took my son John Calvin to the local Jr. College so that he could SEAL the DEAL-he took the entrance exam, convinced the Religion professor that Presbyterians named John Calvin are kinder, gentler calvinists, and he filled out a ton of paperwork.. SO I think he got in... !!! While all this was going on, I decided to go to the local chickfila and Chill.. and relax.... or as the young people say," CHILLAX"( Those young people better stay off my lawn, I hear em talking and I have picked up some weird words from them) so there I was enjoying my coffee, chillaxin and in walks one of my good friends- he is a teaching Elder( ok my Baptist buddies- He's a PASTOR).. and we talked about all the wonderful things that God is doing in the life of his church!! AND we talked about the challenges.. ministry is HARD WORK... we need to pray for those that shepherd the local flocks... so I prayed for my friend before we said goodbye- we prayed for each other- our prayers were kind of similar. We thanked God that He is our Father, we thanked Him for HIS blessings .. and then.... we downed a HUGE GLASS OF THE HARD STUFF- yep... we asked God to "REMIND US THAT EVERYTHING WE GO THROUGH IS USED BY HIM TO MAKE US STRONGER IN OUR FAITH.. and let me tell you something... those"thankful for trial and tribulation cocktails " kinda burn going down.. they taste yucky- we do'nt deal with hardship very well9 Hey Lord, It's kinda uncomfortable here.. could I have a pillow, and one of those coconut drinks with a little umbrella?).. so I drove away feeling REAL spiritual- FAST FORWARD TO NEXT DAY- I am trying to get started on new project in Newnan, drive to get material, get to Newnan, discover I LOST my phone, drive back to ALL the places I had been that morning, looked for phone- didnt find phone-wentto AT&T place to get NEW phone, couldnt get phone because my NAME is NOT on account, called Maria to come to AT&T, Got new phone, went outside to see ANTIFREEZE pouring from my truck- went to Parts store, got part, went back to fix truck, I am trying to put on new hose and HUGE rainstorm crashes down on me, I am soaking wet( Baptizoed??).. I jump inside truck.. and all of a sudden I see an image in my mind- It's me and my Friend at the chickfila, praying for each other, and the first thing I think is this: " IF I GET THIS TRUCK FIXED, I AM GOING TO MY FRIEND'S HOUSE AND PUNCH HIM IN THE NOSE.. and HOPE HE PUNCHES ME BACK....What were we thinking?? what were we praying??? well.. then I started laughing uncontrollably... now I mean LAUGHING.. not a "sniker" not a "chortle"- I am talking FULL BLOWN laughter..it was HOLY LAUGHTER, see my charismatic friends, you ai'nt got nothin on us baptised, catechised,sanctified presbyterians.. we got Holy laughter too.. and It's all because GOD SHOWS up when our vehicle breaks down and we are stranded, He shows up when we lose our phone with all our business contact numbers, He shows up when we are caught in a rainstorm, or a LIFESTORM- the REAL ONE, you know when the bad test result comes back from the lab, when there is not enough money to pay the bills, in THOSE storms there is'nt any laughter... but He still shows up , He taps us on the shoulder and says:: I will NEVER leave You,All things work together for good for those that love me,Nothing can separate us from the Love of Christ"I will comfort you like a mother comforts her child"... these promises are ours... we have to TRUST HIM, HE will susutain us- He "proved" His love for us more than 2000 years ago- the tomb is empty-whatever HE tells us, we can believe... for sure.. and Oh yeah- NEXT TIME I have a little time to kill, I am going to hang out at Waffle House- all the "name itand claim it" preachers hang out there...

SARAH PALIN- 100% GUILTY AS CHARGED!

I 've been thinking( I know what YOU are thinking- uh oh.. NOT AGAIN) and I have decided that Sarah Palin is GUILTY- yep.. I said it... I mean come on... ALL the media attention on the Governor of Alaska?? She HAS to be guilty.. and when the prestigious MSNBC tells me that she's guilty.. something has to be going on..So .. I did some thinking and I have come to the conclusion that INDEED SARAH IS GUILTY.. so Now That I've got her in my courtroom.. I'm going to do me some "charging" and "pronouncing" ( and later some Ciphering)-here goes:





I Charge Sarah Palin(hereafter referred to as SP) with the crime of believing in The Triune God of the Universe who has revealed Himself in The Savior of the World- Jesus Christ


I charge SP with believing in the sanctity of Marriage and showing her belief by being married to the SAME man for all these many years



I charge SP with being 100% pro-life- she loves her children- and she chose to allow her Downs child to live, when other women in her position would have opted for an abortion



I charge SP with the hideous crime of loving her daughter that conceived a child out of wedlock, for encouraging a culture of Life, and displaying unconditional love in a challenging situation



I charge SP with the unspeakable acts of working hard, getting an education, wanting to serve her community and her state, looking for ways to save taxpayers money,and in additon to these barbarous acts- she has the unmitigated gall of reminding all public servants that they work FOR the PEOPLE!



I charge SP with believing that the God that she worships created the world and everything in it- for this unspeakable crime- she must surely be held accountable



I charge SP with holding the archaic belief that TRUTH is NOT relative

I charge SP with "shaking up" the status quo, enraging the liberal media, shocking the GOP, angering the pundits, confusing Karl Rove, Mike Huckaby, Charles Krauthammer, and ALL the others,and turning the political world upside down

I charge SP with "connecting" with AMERICA, being epistemologically self-concious( ok.. philosophy majors- do your homework), and becoming a thorn in the side of SO MANY who HATE HER

I charge SP with being a bright and shining star- a breath of fresh Air

I, therefore, in light of all the evidence , do find Sarah Palin 100% Guilty as Charged-

whats the 'SENTENCE" going to be??? well..... we shall see.... we shall see...

THANATOPSIS REVISITED( or- THRILLER WAS A GREAT ALBUM- no matter what)

If you happen to be living on planet earth, you probably have noticed that LOTS of so-called celebrities are dying... and how could you NOT NOTICE?We are being bombarded with news of EVERY DETAIL of their lives.. or should I say deaths.. isnt it strange.???.Human beings die..we are ALL headed in that "direction".. but we act like something unusual has occurred.." He( or she, ) has died... THAT ca'nt be!!! Well... YES IT CAN... part of the shock is our deification of anyone that we have EVER seen on our TV screen .. - We expect our "stars"and "idols" to be super - human.( you mean the guy that did the "moon walk" could really die?). yep thats part of it.. but MOST of it comes down to this- When one of our "idols" dies, we are reminded of our mortality... and THAT makes us uncomfortable.. we do'nt want to think about it... the really strange thing is that we NEED TO BE UNCOMFORTABLE SOMETIMES.. yep, I said it( Ok, my hedonist friends, you know I love ya- but I gotta break it down for ya).. when we are uncomfortable, or faced with difficulty, tragedy, tribulation,sadness, obstacles_________-( insert your yucky situation here in the space provided)- we tend to DO A LOT of thinking.. now I know that morbid introspection is not healthy.. but sometimes we need to THINK about what's important! The late theologian Greg Bahnsen in his last sermon put it this way:" Death helps to focus the mind"He also used the sermon to talk about those that live their lives in defiance of God, those that have no regard for spiritual things:Cornelius Van Til said, " In vain they seek to die the death of the righteous".. what does this mean??? - that the unbeliever seeks to die the death of the righteous?? I think it means this: They are grasping for SOME MEANING to existence; they are looking desperately for something that validates their life.. you know what I am talking about... " Yeah, Michael Jackson was pretty messed up with those kids, he hated who he really was, he thought that he could be fulfilled by living a Disneyland existence... but HEY He was an AWESOME singer, dancer, and he sold MILLIONS of albums..." Do you see what we do??? we look for something to hang onto.. some goodness.. some virtue... some accomplishment that gives meaning to everything they did...but we do so in VAIN... because this game of stacking up their good deeds on one side of the scale- and their bad deeds on the other.. it never works.. and deep in our heart of hearts , we KNOW this... We still feel empty and sad when we think about our idols leaving this earth.. no matter how many times we listen to "Off the Wall", we are unfulfilled.. we are still faced with the awful truth, that one day the Bell will toll for us... but we can have hope.. we can die the "death of the Righteous" it's NOT OUR righteousness, it is given to us by a Gentle Sheperd who washes us with His blood, and clothes us with HIS righteousness- it's not about any GOOD WORKS that we do... it's about what HE has DONE on the cross. He offers you this FREE gift...and remember.. " Death be not proud though some have called thee mighty and dreadful, but thou are not so..."(I wonder if John Donne ever danced, I wonder if HE ever did the "moonwalk" ... I will ask him when I see him.. because ONE DAY I will meet Donne.. IN ANOTHER LAND... NOT NEVERLAND- it's really FOREVERLAND!)