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!)

WHY WE SING"JESUS LOVES ME" IN MY CHURCH( and it's NOT because it has a good beat-and is easy to dance to)

Today we had a GREAT TIME in our Children's Church worship time! In our Church , we do'nt do a "babysitting" time, we do'nt watch veggie tales during Children's Church( although, the CHRISTMAS EPISODE IS THE BEST)- nope... we "do "WORSHIP.. we teach the children K-2nd grade about the regulative principle of Worship( the BIBLE alone tells us what the elements of Worship should be...), we teach them the distinctives of our reformed Faith- along with the Apostles Creed, The Catechism, Singing the OLD HYMNS- singing the new PRAISE SONGS( psst....hey do'nt tell anyone but One time I taught them a D.C. TALK RAP song), and we have a message, that's right -a little sermon.. and the "theme" of EVERY message is this: JESUS LOVES ME THIS I KNOW- YEP.. that's it... now I know what you are thinking: you are thinking: "hey... where's the stuff about supralapsarianism??, the continuity between the covenants?? the stuff about the sacramental view of the Church??? this IS CLAY CALLAWAY'S BLOG, is'nt it? HONEY, there's something wrong with our computer! Call Shane- I think we have a virus!!... yeah THAT'S WHAT you are thinking.. but relax ...YOU ARE at the right blog.. but like the young people say- I just "broke it down for ya brother" you see... all the BIG WORDS in our discussions about THEOLOGY are just another way of talking about the MOST WONDERFUL , PROFOUND, and yet SIMPLE MESSAGE in all the WORLD- JESUS LOVES ME!!!I LOVE THAT SONG... in Fact, we sang it today... "For the Bible tells me so" yes.. it tells ALL of HIS children( no matter what age)... He Loves you..." Little Ones to HIM belong" NOW THAT LINE TOTALLY ROCKS( as the young people say... are'nt you glad I am "down with" the young people?)Little ONES TO HIM BELONG!! We were singing that song this morning and "my" children's church kids were singing with ALL their might... I could'nt help thinking how blessed those children are be in a Church that teaches them something SO POWERFUL: They can LOVE JESUS, believe in Jesus, trust in HIM.. no MATTER HOW YOUNG THEY MIGHT BE!They are learning the BIBLICAL truth that GOD works through families to call HIS children unto Himself. God will be our GOD and the GOD OF OUR CHILDREN- The promise is unto us and to OUR CHILDREN and to as many as the Lord will call.. ok you get the idea??? Jesus is OUR GOD and the GOD of our kids.. there.. I said it( well..actually I typed it) what a JOY it is to see these little ones growing up LOVING JESUS with ALL their heart, really believing and KNOWING that HE is their Savior, knowing that He DIED for THEM... and SADLY some adults hear these precious little souls praying to their heavenly Father, talking about how they Love Him, and how he is THEIR FRIEND... and deep down inside these "rationally minded" adults THINK," Now is'nt that "CUTE"??well... at least MAYBE ONE DAY they will grow up and REALLY UNDERSTAND THE GOSPEL"We sort of "wink" and smile when they tell us that they love HIM..." and those prayers for the sick pets??? We smile and pray with them...as if JESUS REALLY CARES ABOUT EVERY THING IN OUR LIVES.. but NO... we really do'nt believe THAT do we?? we ADULTS think that we REALLY KNOW JESUS.. if ONLY these children knew JESUS LIKE WE KNOW HIM!!! We are just kinda playing a little game with this " Jesus Loves Me" stuff..... WELL.... ARE'nt WE????Because you see...if we "got it" like our children "get it" .. we would know and BELIEVE the message," Jesus Loves Me".. the amazing truth that HIS LOVE is a gift... we ca'nt do aanything to earn His favor... He will never Leave us.. He cares about EVERYTHING IN OUR LIFE- He died on the Cross for our sin and we are going to live with him forever- Dear reader- our children "get it"... but sadly some of us do'nt, especially some in the REFORMED community- some of our Brethren who sail on the Sea of Sovereign Grace with us are riding in a leaky boat... they are sinking... and their children are jumping overboard.... because the GOSPEL of GRACE is not being lived out- The children in some of these fellowships are ALWAYS in turmoil.. always wondering if they are "among the elect".. they are constantly thinking about themselves.and WHAT THEY DO( uh oh... we are starting to seek refuge on the ISLAND oF GOOD WORKS.-watch out for the filthy rags of righteousness) and they so afraid that they are not exhibiting the true marks of a believer( spare me the scripture about "examining yourselves to make sure you are in the faith- I will address that in another post)the children of these"hyper-calvinists"can never rest in Jesus' love... I KNOW THIS BECAUSE I HAVE PRAYED FOR SOME OF THESE FAMILIES... The morbid introspection of their parents is passed down to the children( well at least they are covenantal in one sense)... always wondering... always afraid...always hoping that ONE DAY they will REALLY be able to say that they love Jesus.. one day they MIGHT reach that Mysterious age of "accountability"( By the way- not in the BIBLE) when they can TRULY say that they LOVE JESUS... Dear Friends... do'nt do this to your children... do'nt discourage them from believing that Jesus LOVES THEM, and that HE is their GOD... One day some parents took their children to Jesus so that he might Lay hands on them and bless them... the disciples rebuked them...I bet it happened like this... ( hey this is MY BLOG... grant me a little creative license) Here's the scene a little over 2000 years ago-

Peter-" Hey John, we have a problem with some of these folks in the crowd and I am starting to get really angry... I ca'nt believe these people want to bring their children to Jesus so that he can bless them.. they are acting like Jesus cares about their children.. I mean I know they believe that Jesus is from God.. and THEY believe in Him.. but bringing their CHILDREN TO HIM?? Give me a bREAK!

John-" Hey Peter, tell the people that Jesus does'nt have time for CHILDREN.. they ca'nt really love HIM.. they do'nt understand who Jesus is.. why.. some of those kids are just babies.. what good would it do to bring them to Jesus"

Thomas-" I doubt that any of these folks have studied theology"

Judas- " Hey if the adults wanna go get blessed by Jesus, they can drop their kids off at our little daycare service- we could charge a few denari for snacks for the tykes... we could really use the money..."

James-" ok... ok .. I say we let the kids go get blessed by Jesus.. but ONLY THE ONES who can properly explain what Sin REALLY IS.. and show by their works that they have true faith"

Andrew- " I wonder if any of these people have read Rabbi Spurgeons little tract- " Bring your children to Jesus for Blessing- but only when they are old enough to be immersed"

Matthew-"Man, I thought I had a stressful job before I got this disciple "gig" !- but trying to get people to understand Jesus's feelings toward their children???- this is worse than trying to help someone fill out a 1040 form with no w-2s"

well... this discussion went on and on and the scripture says that Jesus became INDIGNANT now This word" Indignant is POWERFUL-.. this is the ONLY TIME IN SCRIPTURE that THIS LEVEL OF ANGER is ATTRIBUTED TO JESUS.. NOT when he threw out the money changers... not when he rebuked the pharisees, NO WHERE ELSE!!!Dear Reader, Jesus rebuked the disciples and said" Let the little children come unto me, and do not hinder them -for to such belongs the KINGDOM OF GOD" .. He took them up in his arms and blessed them...." Dear Christian Friends, Jesus Loves your children.. and let me tell you something EVEN MORE PRECIOUS-THEY KNOW IT... and they LOVE HIM.... Rest in that Promise... what are you going to do with the very words of the One who died for us:?? " for to such belongs the kingdom of God" You can try to explain it away with all your Weust's Keys to the Greek... you can dust off Spurgeon and hold him up as a great Calvinist who knew the truth, .Granville Sharpes rule aint gonna help you explain away his love for your children... Rest, dear friends... rejoice in His LOVE for our little ones.. you can forget all these words that I have written here.. but do this one thing... the Next time your kids are singing "Jesus Loves Me" ... think about the words... be blessed by His promise...Sing it together as a family... It's a great song- and by the way.. it does have a good beat.. and it IS easy to dance to... but most importantly.. it's a great way to remind ourselves that His LOVE for US is a FREE gift.. it's not about what we do.. it's about what HE has done- The Bible TELLS ME SO!

Whats the Big Deal??( Letterman was only joking.. right?)

You've heard havent you??? it's been on Foxnews and EVERY other news station ... David Letterman made a crude joke about Sarah Palin's daughter... and LOTS of folks were outraged... and thats SO SAD.- it's sad that they got angry about that joke... ok... let me say it this way.. it's SO SAD THAT it TOOK THIS INCIDENT TO ANGER THEM.. I mean , if you stop to think about it( please think about it, it will make my blogging worthwhile- sorry... Mr. Camus said I needed to be authenticated) , I think you will agree that our culture has become so crude and coarse- it's been that way for a while...I think it was when our good friend , the television came to live in all our homes! Well, he certainly helped us to be creative with our crudeness. All of us have learned lots of humorous ways to be vulgar. You know , we 've learned to laugh at those who are having a hard time. We chuckled at our leaders when they fell into sin- We REPUBLICANS felt like we had struck comedy gold when President Clinton committed adultery... and while we were laughing... a wife was heartbroken because her husband had lost the battle with his flesh one more time, a young girl 's heart was torn apart because her Dad had betrayed the family, and a hurting, confused young woman who was reaching out for affection and affirmation saw her name turned into a description of a sexual act ... funny stuff huh??? hilarious... but hey.. there's nothing wrong with a few laughs is there???.. well YES... in FACT there is.... especially when there's nothing funny ... say like when your so called "witty comments" come down to this: treating WOMEN like OBJECTS to be laughed at, to be joked about, reduced to sexual playthings- and even if they are not YOUR playthings... you think it's funny that SOMEONE else is "playing" with them.. or could be... WOW are'nt we cool and clever??? A LONG time ago a Leader of a great people was being a little lazy... sleeping during the day. He got up from his nap , walked around on his roof.. and saw a woman bathing. His FIRST thought was to treat her like a THING... yeah thats right ... he was thinking,' Man, I got an itch that needs scratching- she'll do quite nicely... I need to get her up to my place for drinks- a sloe gin fizz will help to take the edge off)... Now you know who I am talking about.. yep.. it's King David.. and the woman was Bathsheba.. we've heard the story a million times.. but there's a guy that gets left out of the story...You see, David told one of his servants to find out about this beautiful woman that he saw- Here's the man's report," Is'nt this Bathsheba, The DAUGHTER of Eliam, and The WIFE of Urriah the Hittite" Do you get what this man was trying to get David to see.????.. Maybe( ok just maybe)he was trying to say, " KING DAVID, this woman has a name, she is not JUST a BEAUTIFUL BODY, This woman is SOMEONE's DAUGHTER, This Woman is SOMEONE's WIFE, and YOU WANT to treat her LIKE a plaything, to use her to satisfy your lust, you want to treat her like an object..." well, this man who gave David this report just disappeared... he is'nt mentioned again... but what wisdom is displayed in those couple of verses!!! We know what David did... and the consequences of his actions. I am certain that there was lots of laughing going on that evening when Bathsheba came up to the King's palace.. everything was so funny... I wonder what Eliam was thinking when he heard that HIS DAUGHTER was seen with the KING on the roof that evening. He knew what was going on.. I bet he was'nt laughing... I wonder if the servants who "fetched" Bathsheba for David were joking.. I bet they were... laughing about what was going on in the King's bedroom...hey.. there's nothing wrong with a little laughter is there... It's just Bathsheba... SOMEONE's wife- SOMEONES daughter.... go ahead... laugh.!!!...lighten up...it's only a joke ... What's the Big Deal??

MY COMMENCEMENT SPEECH TO THE CLASS OF 2009( if anyone had asked me to give one)

OK... I HAVE to admit... no institutions of higher learning( or lower learning.. or even in- the middle learning.).. asked me to speak to their graduating class... to be honest with ya... I have been busy laying stone on a cabin in Alabama, stripping floors at Grace Christian Academy.and packing herbal wormer for the goat supply business.. not much time for speech making.. so EVEN IF YOU HAD asked... really.. it did'nt hurt my feelings, I had nothing prepared.. and I ALSO was busy trying to decide which wheel barrow to use on next weeks project... ok enough about me.... here's the "charge" to ALL the Jesus Followers who are moving on to the next level- Thanks to my friend Pastor Louis Wilson who inspired this "speech" with his sermon," The American Dream without God is a Nightmare"





Congratulations Class of 2009- and thank you for the opportunity to talk with you today! Today is your graduation.. . you ( and your parents) have said things like," MAN, I am glad this is finally over...I never thought this day would come".. Well , IT'S HERE ! CONGRATULATIONS!Now,we can talk about the fact that this is the beginning of the rest of your life... this is a milestone... this is the end of one chapter of your life- and you are about to turn the page on another-. SO many commencement speakers say things like: study hard at your next institution of Higher learning, believe in yourself, work hard, go to college so that you can BE SOMEBODY, get a good education so that you can get a good job and make a lot of money... you've heard it.. Parents have said these things to their children for generations... and those PARENTS ARE SO MISGUIDED.. ( ok kids.. respect your parents.. just make sure they read THIS SPEECH.. they'll be ok)... Now it IS TRUE that you need a good education.... and it is true that you need to study/work hard... ( I bet you figured out where I am going with this have'nt ya??) THE REASONING BEHIND these admonitions is wrong... First of all... no matter what you do after this graduation YOU ARE ALREADY SOMEBODY!!! YOU are a Child of the KING.. you have been created with a soul that will never, ever die. He sent HIS SON to die on the cross for your sins- HE LOVES YOU... the scripture says that he "rejoices over you with singing" , " He Will comfort you like a Mother comforts her Child"... sorry my republican Brothers... Jesse Jackson is CORRECT.. I AM ( YOU ARE!) somebody!!! No matter if you are "Sophie the washwoman" or the CEO of a huge corporation...SO NOW THAT YOU KNOW THAT.... it's time to take your eyes OFF YOUR SELF!!!Your response to your "somebody-ness" should not be sitting around all day practicing Rose-colored introspection... Your response should be THANKSGIVING.... ok ... NOW we are moving in the right direction.. are ya with me.?? Yep.. you got it now.. I can feel it.. now you know that YOUR KING came to SERVE.... uh oh... I am liking that word," SERVE".. in fact lets park it right here for a moment.. because thats the REASON that you need to study hard/work hard/ go to college.. etc... so that you can help people, SERVE OTHERS... You can HELP MORE PEOPLE if you continue your education... MANY MORE DOORS OF ministry will be opened to you if you take advantage of every opportunity to grow .God will use it to mold you into the person you are supposed to be. Maybe the BLESSING of our recession is going to be clear in the days to come... yes.. I said BLESSING... because the way it looks now... a College degree is no guarantee of a great job, lots of money, or prestige...things are tough... they might get worse... who knows.??. we are in God's hands... we do not know what will happen.. but we KNOW WHAT WE ARE TO DO.. We are to LOVE OTHERS.... SERVE OTHERS.Maybe we will stop thinking about the things that pass away.. Maybe our economic down-turn will help us to look "up" and to set our affections on things that are eternal... maybe..! Well..... study hard... but do'nt worry.... there isnt a test.... well in a way there is... more to come.. later...

" DOES HE FEEL THE NAILS, EACH TIME I FAIL?"- or Church signs: clever lines that rhyme? or Bad theology time after time???

I look at 'em.. well.. it's more than "look at 'em" it's more like "look for 'em".. I enjoy reading the signs of the churches that I pass on my way to wherever..lately I have been driving back and forth to a job that is pretty far away.. down little country back-roads- so I pass a LOT of old country churches. I love them! Sometimes , the signs tell me: " Established in 1873" , or " Gospel Singing This week- All are invited". "Pray for Our Nation" is a popular "posting"- and a GOOD ONE- we need to pray... without ceasing!You can always tell when a community is about to vote on the sale of Alcohol- That's when the CREATIVE stuff gets put on the sign..." Be not decieved- Wine is a mocker"... I saw one church sign that tried to get the voters to think WWPD- What would Paul Do? They summed it up like this :" PAUL VOTED NO".( I actually think Paul would have voted NO to using that Store brand Grape Juice for Communion- ca'nt you guys spring for some WELCH'S?). cool stuff.. you gotta admit.. Here's another one: " Walmart is not the ONLY SAVING PLACE", or how bout,"This is not your Aunt Gertrude's Church" ( hey !!!!wait a minute...MY AUNT GERTRUDE was a baptized, catechised, and sanctified Presbyterian- I WANNA GO to her church, thank you very much)... sometimes these signs make us smile, or laugh, or even CRINGE... yep sometimes the most blasphemous lines are posted on these structures ... like this one, " He feels the Nails, every time I fail" This is probably the worst.. because it goes against the very heart of the Gospel; The TOTAL PRICE was paid on the Cross- remember" It is FINISHED" ? This idea that Jesus suffers( or is sacrificed) over and over again for our sin is nothing short of heresy.. Dear Reader, IT IS DONE... The Lord Jesus took ALL of The Father's wrath upon Him , HIS blood was poured out and the Price was paid... there is NOTHING you can do to add to that payment- If you trust in Jesus alone for salvation, you need to get your eyes off yourself.. and look to Jesus... " stop thinking about what YOU DO.. it's not about that.. it's ALL about what HE HAS DONE...Once an old man at an airport was being witnessed to by some young enthusiastic college students. They were convinced that if someone was a true Christian, they would know the time and place when they trusted Jesus. They asked the elderly gentleman, " Sir, WHEN you were SAVED??" the old man thought for a minute.. scratched his head and said, " I think it was about 2000 years ago"!!! Dear Friends, this gentleman was SO right.. that's when it ALL happened... That perfect Lamb was slain and He secured the salvation of HIS people- Thats when we were saved.. and thats when He felt the nails... but He felt so much worse than the nails.... HE felt the Wrath of the Father.... for us... I LOVE those Church signs .. but sometimes I want to stop and "re-arrange some of the letters" how bout this... " Jesus Said........ It IS FINISHED" hey, I know it does'nt rhyme.. but it's a beautiful message, the most wonderful message that has ever been proclaimed...

" The Shack" Part Three( More Mysterion Please)

I was thinking about my friend, Harold recently- He was the FIRST Christian brother who tried to tell me about Mysterion. You see , Harold and I were members of a church that was having some struggles( news alert- that happens sometimes) Some disagreements caused a rift between a couple of the Elders- and it was bothering Harold( by the way, I NEVER called him by his first name- he was older than me.. and I AM a southern boy- he was a MR. )Well, One Saturday night I was at Harold's house and we were talking about the recent problems at our church and he remarked, " You Know, we are having Communion at Church tomorrow.. and I really believe that God is going to do something miraculous.. and heal the relationships of those men" You see, Harold KNEW something.. He knew that God does something special for us when we celebrate HIS SUPPER.. it is a nurturing, faith strengthening ordinance- and that God wants to use that time to heal us and to meet with us in a special way.. it's a MYSTERY-mysterion.. or a Holy Secret that God reveals to His people. I did'nt know about "Mysterion".. I thought that Communion was just memorial... an empty symbol that just reminded us of Jesus' sacrifice.. I did NOT know that God wants to use it strengthen, heal , and nurture us.It's not only a Gospel Mystery, holy secret- It's also a Sacrament( more about this later).Thats the problem with so many believers today- they do'nt have a SACRAMENTAL VIEW of the CHURCH- thats why SO MANY are running to " The Shack" and all the books that seem to "bash" organized "religion"... They ARE looking for something that helps them to "connect" with God on a deeper level, they are longing for a "taste" of Heaven in this life, they know that their worship time at the church has not "fed " this hunger... so they run to and fro looking for something else.. they sense that something is mising at "church" and THEY ARE RIGHT.. and We( the Elders) of the local Churches are to Blame.. we have not properly encouraged a Sacramental view of the church. The Word, Sacramentum can refer to a Pledge, a downpayment, a sample, an oath, or a Holy Secret. In Reformed circles, we refer to Baptism and The Lord's Supper as sacraments. Augustine said that they were" Visible signs of an invisible grace" We believe that there is something special that happens when we participate in the sacraments. Remember when Paul told the church that they better be careful about celebrating communion( do'nt be using grape juice... not really.. just kiddin) Paul told them that their improper attitude caused some to "be sick.. and even some have fallen asleep( died)... DEAR READER.. if this was an EMPTY SYMBOL ,.do you think that people would be getting sick and dying??? NO... it is not empty.. it is filled with POWER... and it is one of the ways that God uses to strengthen us, to empower us, and to heal our wounded souls.. we in the Reformed Churches have said that we believe these things .. but we have not shown it by our actions... many in Presbyterian churches in this country celebrate communion only 4 times a year! Is this acting in accordance with the admonition of Jesus to " celebrate this often until I Come" ??Is this consisitent with the teaching that "we are feeding upon Christ SPIRITUALLY" with the Bread and the Cup- If We think "sacramentally" we will begin having Communion more often in our local churches... Believers will be strengthened by God, the "thing" that they have been longing for will be in their hands. as they feed upon Jesus and he gives them more Grace, more power, and a sense of His prescence.THIS IS WHAT"S MISSING... and we ( Elders, Pastors, leaders) are to blame... We MUST TEACH the truth about Communion, and we MUST observe it often- we told people that Worship at the local Church is the time when they will be strengthened and fed... and we have given them only appetizers: A few really upbeat modern sounding "praise songs", some "special music", a little of the Word, and a closing hymn... we leave them hungry...they go away yearning for more and we deny them the great feast that Jesus wants to give them- a SPIRITUAL FEEDING upon his BODY AND BLOOD"( Ok Bible scholars, I am NOT talking about transubstantiation NOR Consubstantiation.. GOOGLE some of this stuff- it will be fun).. NO WONDER people are TIRED of going through the motions. No wonder that they are longing for more... When God's people are FED and strengthened by the Sacraments(along with the WORD, and Prayer), they will experience the "more"... they will have a supernatural sense of HIS prescence..Their souls will be healed... and they will be equipped to "work through" the challenges that we face in loving each other with a forgiving, agape love.... THOSE ELDERS that Harold was praying for??? They eventually reconciled... I Believe the seeds of healing were planted that Lord's Day during Communion.... and Harold???? well.. he went to be with the Lord many years ago... and He is havingTRUE Communion with the One who gave His Body and Blood so that we might be forgiven and live forever... it's a Holy Secret.... but God has told you ALL about it... He spoke to us through His Son many years ago... and he is still speaking ... He is whispering this Holy Secret, this mysterion; to you right now... can you hear Him???

" THE SHACK" PART TWO( WHY SO MANY RAN TO THE SHACK)

In last weeks episode, we saw that all the fuss over " the Shack" was really unfounded- it's a Novel.. and I reminded you that YES, the author wrote the book as a way to deal with the questions, "Where is God when things are tough?- and "Does God REALLY love me?" The author did some creative maneuvers to show us that God is RIGHT THERE with us no matter what, AND YES , HE LOVES US WITH ALL OF HIS LOVE! I told you in part ONE that I enjoyed "The Shack".. SO.... here's part two- if you are going to read the book, you might want to change the channel.. because I have got to get a little specific about some things- do'nt wanna spoil it for ya!.. ok, I will look away for a sec.... ok..back...- I warned you-here goes:The Writer of the Shack ( and lots of other Authors I have been reading lately) have "problems" with "organized Religion".. you have heard the arguments: Too INSTITUTIONALIZED... too much like a business,,, blah , blah... People ran to "the Shack" because they believe that the "traditional", organized Church is too much like.. uh... well.. it's too much like an ORGANIZATION... but I HAVE NEWS FOR YOU- we ca'nt escape the fact that THE BIBLE TEACHES AN ORGANIZED CHURCH- yep.. I said it( well, I actually typed it) .. Now Dear Friend, you are going to have to do some work here for me, help me out - get your Bible out.. and research this.. remember Gentle Jesus , Meek and Mild?? He taught that believers would be part of an ORGANIZED group that would NEED to EXERCISE DISCIPLINE( ok.. I will "give you this one: Matthew 18).. yep that's right.. brothers and sisters WILL SIN( disappoint each other, gossip, go on EGO TRIPS in the Church... ok .. think about that person at Church that did YOU WRONG... insert their SIN here_______.) SO... Jesus says that you have to work together to RESTORE your brother and THAT TAKES ORGANIZATION... yep.. we gotta work together- ALSO be sure to read ALL the scriptures that TALK ABOUT: ELDERS, DEACONS, directions on HOW to USE MONEY THAT'S Collected, directions on how to observe the LORD's Supper, How to obey THOSE THAT ARE OUR LEADERS in the CHURCH( ok.. another free one - Hebrews 13: 17)... WHAT IS SUPPOSED TO BE Happening DURING A WORSHIP SERVICE!!!SOUNDS uh... well.. sounds ORGANIZED to me- (I am glad that these guys writing these books criticizing organized "religion"are not against ORGANIZED PUBLISHING FIRMS who publish their books.. we'd miss out on some good reading..). Get the IDEA???Dear Friends, The NEW TESTAMENT IS CLEAR : Believers are supposed to be part of a LOCAL body that meets together for Worship, they are to have "leaders" : Teaching elders, Ruling Elders, Deacons,.. SORRY FRIEND.. having coffee at Starbucks with fellow Jesus followers, talking about " The Shack" is NO SUBSTITUTE for the ORGANIZED,LOCAL BODY of Christ- !Friends, we are going to have problems with our brothers and sisters in Christ. We are still sinners. Why do you think that the New Testament is filled with admonitions about LOVING each other, being patient with each other, forgiving one another?? It's all part of HIS plan. It did'nt start with Constantine helping Christians build cathedrals after legalizing Christianity.. really it did'nt... .It's all in HIS WORD.. and thats another thing.. ( I'm "ranting" huh?).. The author says that we put God in a box- by insisting that OUR PARTICULAR INTERPRETATION of the BIBLE is correct. He says that we should'nt do that.. we are "putting God in the pages of a Book" .. but let me tell you something friends.. the writer of the Shack presents the TRINITY in HIS novel.. WHERE DID HE GET THE IDEA for this ONE GOD IN THREE PERSONS?? HIS INTERPRETATION ??? HE APPEALS TO SCRIPTURE TO TELL US WHAT GOD IS LIKE!!! why should we trust his interpretation of this doctrine?? the Jehovah's witnesses have THEIR own ideas about the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit...The writer believes the "Traditional" "orthodox" teaching of the Trinity that is taught in the Scripture AND was "formulated" at the Council Of Chalcedon( 451 a.d.- thanks Mr. Mac).. Wait.. whats that word?? COUNCIL?? sounds like an ORGANIZED meeting to me.. with leaders... and an agenda....can anything good come out of organization?? Dear Friends.. We MUST work together as believers.. in Worship, in service, in ministry, AND IN formulating what we believe about the Bible... . I am so Blessed to be a member of a Church that has a Confession of Faith.. it's not enough to say " I believe the Bible"- EVERYBODY says that.. we have to discover what we believe about specific doctrines and join with like-minded believers.. it's essential for our growth and for the growth of the Kingdom... I KNOW exactly what so many Shack "fans" are saying when they complain about "traditional" Church services being dead, cold,and powerless- believers have not"connected with God" in a meaningful way"In the NEXT installment( sorry, ...) I will tell you HOW THE LOCAL CHURCH MISSED THE MARK, what needs to be done to bring power, meaning and life-giving GRACE back to the local congregation. ok... here's a hint: " MYSTERION" ... yep that's your clue.. and remember Greek students : Granville Sharp's Rule is very helpful when you leave " the Shack"