Read this book if you desire a greater understanding of the suffering and persecution which our Christian Palestinian brothers and sisters have undergone in the past thirty years.
This book is the testimonial of how Brother Andrew's life in Christ and the works set out for Him to do began.
Saturday, July 4, 2009
Sad day for American politics (and not for the reason you might be thinking)
Another example of how elected officials have no understanding of statesmanship. Washington stepped down...after he finished his terms. He did not want the position, but he discharged his duties for the sake of his country. He was serving his fellow man. The Founding generation wanted to live private lives with their communities.
Public SERVICE is just that, SERVICE. (done for the sake of others, not ourselves)
Perhaps the most corrupting perspective is that public service is, ought, and inevitably has to be a career.
Elected officials have given their time and energies to the public for an allotted period of time. They are "not their own."
While Sarah Palin stepping down to be with her family (perhaps some of the reason?) may be something for the church to rejoice about in their lives, it's not a moment of political joy; that is, she's not a better politician for it, and the U.S. isn't better off politically because of this precedent (if it is one).
Public SERVICE is just that, SERVICE. (done for the sake of others, not ourselves)
Perhaps the most corrupting perspective is that public service is, ought, and inevitably has to be a career.
Elected officials have given their time and energies to the public for an allotted period of time. They are "not their own."
While Sarah Palin stepping down to be with her family (perhaps some of the reason?) may be something for the church to rejoice about in their lives, it's not a moment of political joy; that is, she's not a better politician for it, and the U.S. isn't better off politically because of this precedent (if it is one).
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Time to post
It's been a long time since I've posted something thoughtful. No, I'm not trying to beg your applause or give you false hope of what to expect with the rest of what you now read. Nevertheless, I do hope what follows is edifying and encouraging.
What is the Gospel? (in 140 characters or less) [a throwback from a couple months]
Jesus is God’s promised King. Repent of independence & depend on His life, death, and resurrection. Then you shall live in His kingdom.
Why must God be a Trinity?
God, being perfect in every way, must delight in everything that He does, for everything that He does demonstrates His perfection. He's glorious and demonstrates His glory through the goodness of all His work. He requires nothing - He's dependent on no one or no thing, for there was nothing before Him. God the Father, Creator, must exult in Himself so that He receives the just delight and praise He's due for His goodness. However, in order for Him to glory justly in the perfection of His wisdom (in which all that He has done has been done), He must be able to objectively regard such work and the perfect wisdom in which it was done. Thus, He must be more than one person, separate in order to give due compensation to the Father Who created all in His perfect wisdom which "The LORD possessed...in the beginning of his way, before his works of old" (Prov. 8:22). The second person of the Godhead is the Son Who can give His Father the perfect praise and love which the Father deserves. This love relationship between the Father and the Son is perfect in that the Son gives God-worthy praise of which only God is capable of giving and the Father receives God-worthy praise which only God ought receive and by which justice is satisfied (He receives from the Son the full due of His goodness). This love-forged relationship which they have is so intense, as their love for one another is perfect, that the Spirit they share is God too. For instance, when a group of people are united in some cause they are said to be of the same spirit. In the realm of education this might be called "school-spirit." The group is unified with a similar mindset/focus. Now obviously in the case of the Father and the Son, their understanding of one another is as perfect as their selves. And so this Spirit is perfect to the extent that He is fully God too. Thus, the Father and Son are of one Spirit which proceeds from them both. Consider the following to better understand the Son's relationship to the Father.
In this relationship of three, the perfection of the Godhead is maintained. Only in a trinity can God be just and perfect (One is unjust, two lacks perfect love, more than three is impossible as each would be imperfect).
[Credit to God and his servants Professor Donald Westblade and Daniel P. Fuller for helping me grow in understanding]
What is the Gospel? (in 140 characters or less) [a throwback from a couple months]
Jesus is God’s promised King. Repent of independence & depend on His life, death, and resurrection. Then you shall live in His kingdom.
Why must God be a Trinity?
God, being perfect in every way, must delight in everything that He does, for everything that He does demonstrates His perfection. He's glorious and demonstrates His glory through the goodness of all His work. He requires nothing - He's dependent on no one or no thing, for there was nothing before Him. God the Father, Creator, must exult in Himself so that He receives the just delight and praise He's due for His goodness. However, in order for Him to glory justly in the perfection of His wisdom (in which all that He has done has been done), He must be able to objectively regard such work and the perfect wisdom in which it was done. Thus, He must be more than one person, separate in order to give due compensation to the Father Who created all in His perfect wisdom which "The LORD possessed...in the beginning of his way, before his works of old" (Prov. 8:22). The second person of the Godhead is the Son Who can give His Father the perfect praise and love which the Father deserves. This love relationship between the Father and the Son is perfect in that the Son gives God-worthy praise of which only God is capable of giving and the Father receives God-worthy praise which only God ought receive and by which justice is satisfied (He receives from the Son the full due of His goodness). This love-forged relationship which they have is so intense, as their love for one another is perfect, that the Spirit they share is God too. For instance, when a group of people are united in some cause they are said to be of the same spirit. In the realm of education this might be called "school-spirit." The group is unified with a similar mindset/focus. Now obviously in the case of the Father and the Son, their understanding of one another is as perfect as their selves. And so this Spirit is perfect to the extent that He is fully God too. Thus, the Father and Son are of one Spirit which proceeds from them both. Consider the following to better understand the Son's relationship to the Father.
Imagine two books.... That is, you made an act of imagination and as a result you had a mental picture. Quite obviously your act of imagining was the cause and the mental picture the result. But that does not mean that you first did the imagining and then got the picture. The moment you did it, the picture was there. Your will was keeping the picture before you all the time. Yet that act of will and the picture began at exactly the same moment and ended at the same moment. If there were a Being who had always existed and had always been imagining one thing, his act would always have been producing a mental picture; but the picture would be just as eternal as the act. (C.S. Lewis)
In this relationship of three, the perfection of the Godhead is maintained. Only in a trinity can God be just and perfect (One is unjust, two lacks perfect love, more than three is impossible as each would be imperfect).
[Credit to God and his servants Professor Donald Westblade and Daniel P. Fuller for helping me grow in understanding]
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