Does your God own the Pawn Shop Next Door?

Pawn Shop Jesus by Stephanie McEntire
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Yesterday at 5:59pm

I am sitting on my brothers back porch using his Internet and writing. He has a beautiful yard and the birds are singing and the sun is shining. Life goes on doesn’t it. As I am guessing you all know Jack and I have been having a rough time of it. Jack has been without work since last May and nothing has presented itself except a few odd jobs here and there. He even went to apply for a position at a convience store and was beat out for the job by a about 5 minutes. It’s so bad here in this small town that there are only a few jobs posted in the local paper and most of them are in the medical field of which (thank God) I am in. Some would say move. As the saying goes wherever you go…THERE YOU ARE. Our past is littered with a lot of history. When the job market does get better Jack has odds to beat due to a record and jail time that didn’t matter before..but surely will now that the industry he works in (industrial maintenance) can afford to be pickey and hire the young uns… Thank God for grace huh…blind but know we see is more than just mere words in our household. All this being said…it leads me to our Pawn Shop experience. It’s not that because of our illustrious past that we haven’t had to use a pawn shop before, it’s just that this experience was different for us both. This wasn’t because we wanted some extra money or were doing something we shouldn’t , it was because it was needed in order for us to eat.

Now, why would I tell such a story as this. Humiliating as it sounds and is…I write this because I know that we are not alone and I choose to take off the fig leaves of image management and BE the truth for those in our same position. The lines are gone in our society. There really is no more middle class. You either are..or are not. If you believe you can stay on top financially I don’t know what planet you are on or what kind of blinders you have….cause things change quickly no matter what the T.V. says or the polls. It’s a cause and effect world no matter what you believe. We are proof of that. Not only are the lines disappearing in “this world”, but I think that they are also disappearing at a very fast pace religously…the veil that was rent is being pulled back farther and farther every day….Back to our pawn shop experience.For those who don’t know what a Pawn Shop is or how it operates (if you don’t it is a very humiliating experience because your poverty is truly exposed…you are naked) .. you take something of value, they pay you for it and they keep if for you with intrest and the intrest is outrageous not to mention the item is pawned for a quarter of it’s worth. In order to get your item back if and when you can get it back, in a time frame they have allowed…you pay them back and the intrest in order to get your thing of value back. Most of the time if you have to use the Pawn shop you probably aren’t going to be able to get your item of value back. It’s kind of the hidden secret as you fill out the paper work. It’s not a pleasant experience to know that but hey..you need the money so you put on your game face and “souljer” on. I love what Jesus said about “Blessed are the pure in heart…for they shall see God…everywhere..’ (my paraphrase of course) but I think I did see him in that humiliating experience. Here is how.

Many times most believers I come across have a Pawn shop view of God. God is up in heaven demanding that we Pawn our heart to Jesus. If we are the “lucky ones” we get a few gifts back. Some believe it will be peace, some monetary such as money and success, some exchange it for a dramatic sense of “suffering.” I even know some believers who truly believe that once they have followed the directives of God, and admit they are worthless as they stand alone, if they pawn their heart in exchange they will get a “Godlike” heart. The fact that they have the “Godlike” heart it will eventually eat away every single fiber of their being and they will be mini Jesus but I would rather him be a brother..knowing that he suffered..and sharing in those sufferings. It makes more sense to me…better than any gift that could possibly inflate my ego to a monster. Been there done that. It’s like God is the Don and Jesus is 1st in command…then he has his henchmen (us) with our notebooks in hand judging sin in degrees. It’s as if we read somwhere the heirarchy was to be just like the ones we have here…don’t buy it. Like a pyramid. Most times it is truly unbeknowedst to all that they have a crazy view of Jesus as the Pawn shop clerk. All in all whatever it is you believe, the majority do deeply feel that it is requirment that in pawning your heart you are gaining a road into heaven with intrest of course…because on the last of your days you will be judged according to your works and sent to hell or heaven if you returned Gods heart with all the intrest paid. I believed that for many, many years. What was confusing to me is on one side of our mouth we talk about it being a “free gift” and out of the other we talk of it being a “pawned heart with intrest to collect.” That never jived with me and it shouldn’t…because it doesn’t fit now does it.

So, we have this view of Jesus being sent by God as a heart collector, with intrest of course paid in full..or not…on judgment day. We believers think that our way is the only way…period.. and you must present your pawn ticket in some fashion or we don’t believe you. The tickets come in many ways. Church membership rosters or affiliations. Showing up every week so as not to “default” on your pawn ticket. If you haven’t entered the pawn shop…you are not one of us. This warped view of God has spawned the most evils this world has had to offer. I personally am ashamed of it.

I entered into the Pawn shop years ago with “shame” and “embarrasment” as my motivator. I thought that was what God wanted. My filthy heart. So I entered the pawn shop and there stood Jesus in his bio hazard suit…so as not to touch my filthy heart. It didn’t matter about the love in the Gospels…or that time and time again he accepted folks immediately. One of my favorites acceptances of a heart was the theif on the cross next to him as he was dieing. Even in death no ego played into his love..it was a loving immediate response…”come join me dear thief.” I would read stuff like that and hear something else….and I was confused. However week after week I would show up at the pawn shop gatherings to present my pawn ticket and make sure I was gaining enough “works” to pay the intrest back. It nearly drove me nuts.

I remember the day I left “church” as it was for me. It doesn’t matter the brand because everyone has there “group” or “tribe” they like to be around. I think that is human nature. None the less I kept feeling irratable, restless and discontent. I began staring at the exit sign in the auditorium more than listening. My pawn ticket was heavy…like a burden. I seemed to recall a verse that Jesus said about his yoke being “easy and his burden light.” I couldn’t get that out of my craw. So I blamed Jesus in the Bio Hazard suit….the pawn shop clerk..and I told him to go tell God to “stuff it.” I could probably do hell better…at least I knew that in hell all that was required of you was to burn and scream repetitively and feel bad for not paying your intrest or presenting your pawn ticket. I was prepared to do that…creature of habit that I am it seemed more “clear” and “organized” to burn and scream…because the alternative I was hearing and trying to believe..made no sense to me at all. Little did I know that it was my Exodus out of a Matrix…way bigger than I could fathom…I began to see some “glitches” in the system and like the child that I am I thought God was doing a number on me because I really believed he existed…no doubt about that. All I had to do was look around and sense that if nothing else. I just began to judge God (hahahah) that he was a trickster…a Pawn shop owner…a gangsta…and Jesus was his heart collecter going around demanding payment with intrest for him being my protection. Things have changed for me now…but what a road it has been. A road that leads away from the Pawn shop into a vast space of grace…one of those “perks” of being loved without condmenation, judgment or pawn shop tickets. I will write of more of this journey next week…In the meantime think…think about and search your heart and ask yourself…do you see God as the great Pawn shop owner in the sky? Jesus as the man in the Biohazard suit sent to collect them and after dieing for those filthy hearts demanding we follow him so God can collect his hearts with intrest? Think about it. Who do YOU say that he is. I see something beautiful in the Gospels unfold…I hope I can articulate it. My brother says I can come sit and write when he is home on the weekends. See ya next week!

“I have a friend in Jesus…”~priest

About 1:30 PM Thursday…

Interesting character dropped by the church today. 3 days ago he left Ohio with a backpack and $75. Today, he rode the bus to Grace Point Church and found me. He asked if he could see a pastor. But first he asked if we could pray. He is the first I’ve met that asked for prayer before he asked for money. Why is that?

I have a friend in Jesus. There are many who are praying for me. There are a few who I would consider as point people in prayer. Some have said I am under attack by the evil one. If so, I find it honoring the evil one would consider me of import.

The gentleman prayed a powerful prayer. It seemed he was comfortable talking with the Father and believed he was being heard. He didn’t pray for his needs. He prayed for mine. I like to believe this was a devine appointment, a God Spot. He prayed a prayer of encouragement over me. I don’t remember all that was said, I just know when he was done, God had been petitioned to act on my behalf.

I am blown away at the graciousness of God, that He would send someone to genuinely pray for me. He had no agenda. His only asset was love.

I’m thinking that if demons are chasing me, they just had a set back. Thank you, Jesus….
archie

I am not pointing at a specific church, although you may feel obligated too.~just sayin’

.

Stolen from Kimber Cummings, fb friend…

This is funny to an extent, but sadly, it is so true. When I finally came to the realization that things were off in my relationships with most of the folks at the church I was attending almost ten years ago, these were the exact words I spoke out loud to Daddy God after leaving a service.

It was as if a light bulb finally came on for me and I woke up and realized what was so wrong! We weren’t living loved or relationally. We were workers (servants/slaves) fueling a mechanical machine; driven, controlled, manipulated with emotional blackmail and drama…”robots”; not a living, breathing, loving “Body”. Maintaining the machine took precedence over the “members”…so sad and lonely!

Mike Xpietoe Pollie Transparently Shares Life – unedited real life

From: michael pollie <swansonjohnsonjr>
Date: Tue, Feb 16, 2010 at 7:50 PM
Subject: mike xpietoe pollie
To: 37stories

Well i was asked to give the full tilt version of my story by my friend archie so here i am. Please excuse the grammar and punctuation as when i write a though i think so quick sometimes that i just want to let the Spirit take it over and let it ride like i was just talking and when i change it then the thought never seems the same. So here i go im just gonna let it fly. I grew up in central NY in the sticks in a highly disfunctional broken home of sex drugs and alcohol. It was actually common for me to see porn with my dad and his friends when i was really young. Probably needless to say i grew up desiring sexual pleasure as not just a means to an end but actually as an end in itself. But thats just the early years. Later it turned into other things as well. But back to the sex thing. I first had my known sexual encounter at about seven when my dads friends daughter and sister would come "babysit". we would play strip poker and truth or dare (usually dare) and spin the bottle and other strange sex games. So at some point this started to just be normal. Some may say "oh well you were abused". But in all honesty i wanted it. It felt good and its all i knew i guess and i would be willing to bet that it was the same for them. I had no mom and they had no dad so we were filling eachothers needs in that group of "friends" i hung out with. Strange days those were and even stranger when i was in school and realised that all the other kids werent into what i was into (for the most part). Kids know a lot more than most adults want to admit (at least in my town they did). So this was a theme from early on in my life.

Along this journey i started experimenting with "innocent" things like cigarettes and alcohol at around the same time but didnt really get into smoking and drinking until i was about 13. By 15 i was addicted to drugs alcohol and sex like there was no tomorrow by 16 i couldnt stay out of jail. On top of the sex drugs and alcohol i couldnt seem to keep my hands off of things that werent mine. In other words i was a cleptomaniac. This didnt help the jail thing. Most of my jail time was over really petty stupid things but they were all theft drug or alcohol related.

Fast forward to 25 years old and heavy into crack/cocaine addiction. I started out by just doing a little here and doing a little there and then doing a lot here and there and eventually i stopped being an alcoholic because i was always smoking crack. By 26 i was just robbing everyone and anyone i knew. Also i started actually having sex with men for crack. This was the lowest of lows and even though i had dabbled with this man on man thing in the past it was never like this and was just because of my sex addiction not because of attraction so this was strange for me but i needed the crack so i did what i had to do to get it. There arent many stores to rob or people to bum money off of at 2 in the morning. So anyways for about 3 strong years i just did what i needed to do to get crack. When you are in deep (and i met people 20 years strong into crack addiction) you actually have to smoke crack every day and you have to smoke a lot of it or its not worth it. When its 5 in the morning and you got to work at 6 you dont care because you need a hit of crack. I didnt sleep anymore. I passed out. So after i had robbed all my family and all my dealers and all of everyone i could rob i decided that i would hitch out to the west coast. So i did. I hitched from VA to CA in 40 DAYS. I would later learn the signifigance.

I dont want to glorify or bore too much with the same info over and over again but lets just say i went throught many crazy things and finally made it to cali. When i made it there i immediately found a way to get, you guessed it, crack. So i got the hook up (and some food stamps because i was part of the problem). So there i am in cali and for about two weeks i just smoked crack in venice beach and santa monica and in what they call "ghost-town" and belive me i am blessed and spared by God alone to be alive. Not that LA is any worse than the rest of the US as i found out. Its all the same just different politics. So after two weeks of doing the same ol pimpin hookin and lyin cheatin stealin something happens that i never expected. To fully explain this i have to give a brief background on my "church-life". My church-life consisted of pretty much never going to church as a kid and when i did go to church it was when i was older and homeless. While homeless i slept in a lot of different churches through programs and missions and stuff like that. I also slept in outhouses and abandoned buildings and on the side of the highway. Not too glamorous to say the least. I really dont enjoy sex with men for money but worse than that was sleeping in outhouses because until you take a shower and change you smell like……well…….yeah. So back to the church thing. I pretty much used churches as my get dry get cleaned up and get food and money place. There were a few places in my life during this time of "church-hopping" that i actually felt bad about my sin and lifestyle but not enough to really do anything about it. So, back to the "something happens" part of my story. One night after smoking about 100 dollars of crack and not being able to get high i decide to go find somewhere to sleep. The is a mission right outside of santa monica and i went there to try to get in but they were full. I dont know where it was or how i got there but i turned around and went back into santa monica toward the beach. I saw some people coming out of a restaurant and asked if i could have the leftovers i saw them carrying (i was pretty bold,still am). So the people gave me their leftovers and i went down to the santa monica pier and ate some leftovers and curled up with an american flag i found under there (because i was the picutre of america at this point lol). Then out of the blue i woke up the next day. I say out of the blue because i woke up like i was surprised to be homeless. But right then i heard something that i have never heard and only knew it was real later. I heard God speaking to me. When i read the story of samuel as a kid hearing Gods voice i think of this moment. God was calling. "Come and get Me" is what He was saying. I didnt know why or what was going on but i know i needed to follow the voice. Some might dismiss this as me detoxing from crack but from experience with that i can say that wasnt the case. So off i go to find "the voice". In my heart i knew it was God and not only God but actually could feel that it was Christ. I started wandering around santa monica asking everyone where i could find a christian ministry because i needed to find God. I knew what i needed though i didnt really know God yet. I was kind of like samuel going back and forth to eli. I even went and knocked on a cops window which was not my regular thing to do since i tried my best to avoid them like the plague. The cop pointed me to a place called the clare foundation and that place didnt have a bed for the night. They gave me a bag lunch and a couple bus tokens (which i sold thinking i could get crack with them) and told me to go to a place called the bible tabernacle. When i realized i couldnt get any crack i went to the bible tabernacle and got a bed for the night. I got there and hung out talking about how i couldnt believe in the bible or God because of all the contradictions in it. The man who ran the house i was at (there were a bunch of houses) just sat and listened to me and understood my misunderstanding of God and His Word without denying how hard it was to reconcile the bible and just talked with me. I think thats what kept me talking with him. The next morning when i woke up we had a choice to read the bible (or just sit with it open and awake) and then go eat breakfast and get lunch or we could leave before bible reading and just get a bag lunch. I was pretty hungry and curious still as to what it was God was trying to say to me. After the bible reading and prayer and before the breakfast, the main house guy told me about a "program" that they had in a place called canyon country in northern LA county up in the hills. I was tired and needed to know what God wanted so i decided to try this route and find out if this was what God was trying to say. So i accepted and went to the ministry up in the boonies. I was there for a while and i wont talk of all the stuff in the ministry but we read the Word every morning and had to look up and write a list of memory verses to stay at the ministry. That and work daily was all we had to do. They gave us a week to relax and write the memory verses and detox as well because the majority of people that came in were drug users. After about a month and a half of being there and reading and writing the verses we had to look up i actually started understanding the bible a little and not just making up my own blind perceptions based on others interpretations and/or out of context misinterpretations. Well one day i broke down totally and just had a knock down drag out fight with God cursing Him out and just trying my hardest to fight with my brain to deny the fact that the one i was arguing with was even real. To this i now laugh just realizing how hard i fought to not believe in something i didnt believe. It now seems so hard to even imagine that i used to think i was an atheist. After this argument and many tears and sorrow for my sins and understanding that i needed Jesus and my life was feeble and i only had one thing left to do in my soul and that was to give up and give my life to Christ. Thats how it happened for me and from that day on God has not ceased to amaze me and show me that i am now His and even when i fall and fail i am still His because of what He did for me by becoming a man and taking my punishment on the cross and allowing me to take on His righteousness. Praise Glory and Honor be the the One and only True Lord God and Savior Jesus Christ.

Well now God just leads me daily and i have so many testimonies but this is just the beginning of the best of my life =D

“The Spirit has left the building”~priest

So it seems to me we all understand that we as believers in “The Way” are each temples. But there is a confusing issue where the Bible says, “Ichabod” was written above the door. Meaning something like “The Spirit has left the building”. There is also the knowledge that sometimes uniquely, the Spirit is thick in a building.

So it seems to me, we can’t limit what the Spirit chooses to inhabit or when the Spirit chooses to be there. I consider it a possibility the Spirit might choose to hang around a building even though the believers have gone to Luby’s for lunch.

~priest just sayin’…

God’s love may not get more real than this…

Daniel C. Hatch Background and Testimony

I was raised in The Church of Christ and we religiously attended church 3 times a week, studied the bible in Sunday school, and prayed over every meal. At the young age of 8, I sincerely accepted Jesus as my savior and was baptized, but was quickly discouraged. That night, after being baptized, the other kids came up to me and wanted to play, and the adults congratulated my parents and slapped me on the back, said well done and told me to go play, then left. I’ll never forget the thought of, “is that all there is to it?” All too soon, I learned that the “Christian life”, (as presented by the church), was lacking something and I couldn’t live out in practice very well what I thought God wanted me to. As I grew into a young man, I followed my own ways more and more, and not wanting to be a hypocrite, quit going to church.

Never finishing college, I got married, went into the military, got a broken heart because of an adulterous wife, and spiraled down to a life of rebellion and self servitude. In 1975, the spirit of The Lord brought me to my knees and I knew He was real! I could actually see into the spiritual realm and saw a spiritual battle waging war all around me and I knew I needed Jesus to save me for real! I became a true Jesus freak! In my zeal, I proclaimed how “I” found The Lord” (ha), and preached to everyone, including my old church, about how God’s spirit is alive and still working today! They were not receptive to that revelation and before long, kicked me out!

Now I was certainly young in the Lord, and hungering for more and more knowledge of God, I listened to many, many tapes and teachings. I would read the bible, but would mostly look to the “pentecostal or charismatic” teachers. I found myself caught up in one of the charismatic churches that proclaimed some bad teachings and “doctrines”, and when I got close to the internal functions of the church (business and daily workings of the leadership), I saw a lot of the heresy that has permeated “the church” today. When that leadership fell because of sin, along with several personal struggles and failures in my life, business and family, and not being well grounded in GOD’S truth, I was crushed and spiritually wounded. I was filled with confusion, anger, inner guilt and disappointments. Again I spiraled down to a life of rebellion and eventually screwed up my second marriage. Alcohol, drugs, sex, you name it, I was into it.

Over the next decade and a half, I was a miserable soul! Tortured by the knowledge of the reality of God and yet not fellowshipping with Him, I struggled with trying to put my life in order to the best of my ability. Disappointments and hurts, failed marriages and unfulfilled expectations that were prevalent in my life eventually gave way to a form of stability and success. I married again; Janie was a good woman with 3 children she had raised on her own; two girls and a boy and all young adults. They graciously accepted me into the family and I soon found the pleasures of being looked at as a father figure and before too long a grandfather! Life was good at last. We considered ourselves Christians, but just didn’t go to church or get too carried away with it.

Time passed until once again, life dealt harshly with us with the loss of our business and after another horrific and tragic event that I won’t get into detail about now, I knew the emotional turmoil and devastation was far more than I could handle on my own. I cried out to God and in His grace and mercy, He answered me! I guess it took that much for me to finally surrender ALL and be still before Him. Janie, on the other hand, was embittered and even openly against God and wanted no part of anything that included Him, even me if that’s who I wanted to follow.

The next five or six years were filled with open hostility on the home front and downright persecution. I kept pleading for God to intervene on my behalf and make Janie change. Each request was answered by an instruction for ME to change and surrender another part of myself and leave Janie to Him. I can truly testify of going “through the valley”, but God was with me and my relationship with Him deepened.

You know, the bible says that bitterness will rot your bones and I actually saw that happen to Janie. As time went on, and Janie’s health deteriorated, she rebelled so hard against the gentle prodding of God’s spirit, while the more I surrendered myself to Him, He revealed more and more of Himself to me. Prayer that typically revolved around helping me, changed to one of praying FOR her. I believe God allowed me to once again see into the spiritual realm and witness the warfare taking place, not only in Janie, but inside of me too. I saw the battle, not as a Rocky Balboa type fight where good finally or barely triumphs in the last moment, but as the truths in God’s word standing firm against all lies and efforts of the enemy to change it. The truth is the truth and it can’t be changed! What a revelation!

Janie began to show signs of listening to God’s call and one glorious day, surrendered to the love of God in Christ Jesus! Bitterness was traded for forgiveness and rebellion traded for surrender. What a transformation and what a joy! She was so energetic and eager to share with the kids and grandkids and for several months we all enjoyed going to church together. On September 24, 2008, Janie went home to be with The Lord.

I have agonized over this writing (it’s taken me all day). The mental and emotional strain has been intense, and I have tried to condense everything to keep it reasonable in size but it’s still lengthy. I would like to conclude by letting you know I have so much more to learn and although I’m not where I want to be in the Lord, I’m not where I once was and the work that The Lord began in me (and now I pray in you), He will complete! Praise God for He IS worthy!

Dan Katka thinks, “Uh-oh, the jig might be up.”

Dan Katka has seen many saints leave traditional church and their lives have not come to ruin because they were no longer under the protective "authority" or "covering" of the clergy or the institution itself. They’ve realized they have the same authority/covering in Christ as the clerics or systems they’ve left behind. Uh-oh, the jig might be up.

10 hours ago · Comment · Like
Karen L Gritter and 6 others like this.

Sarah Culverhouse Ain’t dat de twuth LOL

9 hours ago

Dwayne Doty Heard that ! My Bros n Sis at IC are asking how I will escape the attacks. Others said the power and anointing of the Holy Spirit comes from the IC. Have had a closer walk with the H.S. and have had less attacks. There is freedom in Christ. Interesting too to hear the law thrown at me from IC people.

9 hours ago

Karen L Gritter The institutional people and attitudes were the SOURCES of the attacks, thank you….

5 hours ago

Mark Harris I think people who go to church to be "under the protective authority or covering of the clergy or the institution itself" are going for the wrong reason in the first place. We are called to gather together as the body of Christ to worship collectively, not to submit to earthly authority. And there are LOTS of "traditional churches" out there that focus on worshiping Jesus Christ and NOT the clergy and/or the institution. Be careful not to throw the baby out with the bathwater.

4 hours ago

Skip Newby Mark ~ good word.

3 hours ago

Jennifer Morgan Pritchett I always love to see what you are going to say

3 hours ago

Vickie Deppe In 1 Pet 5:5, he instructs the "young men" to be submissive to the older men or elders. Literally, that’s "recently born," so I think he’s talking to new converts here, not men of a certain age. I think if you compare this with Eph 4, 1 Cor 3:2, and Heb 5:12 it would seem to me that the apostles expected every believer to grow and mature to the point that they no longer required the perpetual protection of the elders.

The New Testament church as a whole performed many of the functions that we consider the domain of clergy now: dealing with sin (Matt 18:15-17, Gal 6:1); evaluating doctrinal matters (Acts 17:11, 1 Cor 14:29); and teaching (Col 3:16), for example. In my experience, very few Christians would feel competent to step up and do any of these things today. I think to have a clergy class and a laity class at all, even if Jesus is truly the focus, is intrinsically debilitating to the body and burns out the clergy as well.

3 hours ago

Warren Aldrich I’ve been thinking about the statistics about men and the church. Is it a problem with it not being dynamic enough and results oriented as John Eldreldge argues or does it have something to do with the emasculation of men because of the power structures in some, perhaps many churches.
Recently a woman was describing how she had come to the realization that her relationship to the pastor and the church undermined her relationship with her husband. Sometimes that problem has also to do with the husband leaving the wife looking for support.
Any church, IC or not, can work to support the freedom and work of the Holy Spirit in humans whether married or not.
The jig is up, and the IC is not very effective but I guess it’s too scary for people to take a hard look at that.

2 hours ago

Bill Baker No time to contribute much, but I do need to say thanks for those of you seeking along with me, keep encouraging each other in love.

2 hours ago

Vickie Deppe Warren, I would submit for consideration that it’s not that the church is not results-oriented enough, nor that men find the power structures of the institutional church emasculating. Rather, I think it’s that Christ’s call itself is emasculating, at least for men in our culture.

Think about it…what is prized as masculine in America?Assertiveness, power, accumulation of material goods, sexual conquest, success, independence. But what does Christ call us to? Meekness, self-sacrifice, generosity, purity, interdependence…characteristics that are typically ascribed to women.

Groups as diverse as Christians for Biblical Manhood & Womanhood and The Council for Biblical Equality agree that Eldrege’s theology contains some heretical elements and his hermenutic is poor. When theologians from both ends of the spectrum unite to denounce someone’s theology, I think we really need to sit up and take notice of that.

about an hour ago

Warren Aldrich Good thoughts, Vickie. I think that Christ’s call is for the heroic but in the sense carrying out what you described; Meekness, etc.
Based on four churches I’ve been in and the sense I get of others, if men look to model themselves on the leadership of churches and the leadership of Jesus, they are going to be mightily confused because they can be so different.
Re; John Eldridge, I’m afraid that when opposite ends of the spectrum combine in criticism I have to wonder if that means the criticized are somewhere near the truth.
I’m also very leery of anyone that "denounce(s)". That by definetion puts them in opposition to the characteristics of Christ you listed.
He at least hit something that lives in men’s hearts, I think, mine included.

about an hour ago

Vickie Deppe "Denounce" is my word, so please don’t reject what these other folks have said because of that. (When heresy is in view, though, I think it’s perfectly legitimate in light of texts like Titus 1.) Here are some links you might be interested in if you’d like to hear what they have to say for yourself:
http://www.ouruf.org/d/cvt_wildatheart.pdf
http://www.intervarsity.org/mx/item/5602/download
http://www.cbmw.org/Resources/Book-Reviews/Wild-at-Heart-by-John-Eldredge
http://www.gforceministry.com/book_review%20wild%20at%20heart%202.htm
http://www.ccwonline.org/wild.html
http://www.psychoheresy-aware.org/wahbkrev.html
http://www.deceptioninthechurch.com/orrel18.html

20 minutes ago

“Is religion good or bad? HELP! Save me!”~priest

I borrowed this dialog from my friend Richard Glenn. His blog Truth From the Hip. He is an avid blogger and purveyor of truth. Thought you might like this discussion on religion. This is what Richard says….

That’s a great question because religion is one of the most misunderstood and abused words in the world of faith. Are you aware that religion can either be a good thing or a bad thing? Yes, contrary to most full gospel, independent Christians there is such a thing as “good religion”. Alright then, what is it? James 1:27 tells us that, “Pure and lasting religion in the sight of God our Father means we must care for orphans and widows in their troubles, and refuse to let the world corrupt us.” New Living translation.

That is “good” religion. Caring for the needs of one another and walking out our salvation in this world through our actions. And yet, even though they are the right thing for a Christian to do, they cannot earn you your salvation. And then there is another, more well known understanding of religion. It’s the ultimate deception, if you will. It’s the ill-conceived thought that man can somehow earn his right to eternal life in heaven by obeying certain rules, performing certain rituals, perfect church attendance and doing enough good works. Not so. And that’s the “religion” most people are familiar with. That is the false religion.

Simply put, bad (or false) religion is man’s attempt to worship the God he doesn’t have a personal relationship with. And he has been led to think that by faithfully performing ceremonial duties God will approve of his efforts, overlook or somehow forgive his sin without coming through His Son, and let him earn a right into heaven. False religion is a deadly form of worship because it never takes into account the sacrifice of Jesus for the remission of sin. They recognize the cross of Jesus but they do not feel Jesus’ sacrifice was enough. They are still trying to earn salvation because without a relationship with the Lord they are not sure they have it.

Surf to: http://www.freshc.org for a Fresh Connection…

Fresh Connections – 1st Gathering Wed. Night 7:00 2/3/10

Think about dropping by for a Fresh Connection. These blogs do a fair description of what a Fresh Connection might evolve into. I look forward to meeting you and your friends.

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Email 37stories at gmail dot com for additional information. Peace. Archie

Posted by: bajanpoet….

Stumbled onto this blog post Fulcrum Express, and this post, Improbable Church, where the author starts off with

The church that meets together at my home each Friday evening to share a meal, encounter God and minister one to another is an improbable assembly of believers and even not-yet believers. We cut across races, cultures, nationalities, social status, and so many other lines — producing a rich tapestry of interwoven lives.

I love his explanation of how the church meets in his context – share a meal, encounter God and minister to one another. That is so simple, yet so profound! A mottley crew of people of all walks of life – even people who have not yet committed to the faith… that’s so awesome!://www.freshc.org for a Fresh Connection…