What is my reason to teach Eternal Security? It has been my experience that more likely than not if a person does not believe in Eternal Security, two avenues of lifestyle occur.
One would be that “works” or religious activity is used as a way of keeping score, [before man]. They begin to count up the perceived good things in their lives, like Peter the disciple did. You know the story in Matthew 18, “how many times do you forgive your brother?” Peter was trying to be magnanimous and forgive seven times; Christ would have none of that. Jesus was not telling Peter that forgiveness was impossible. He was comparing the magnatitude of the forgiveness. Man’s forgiveness has limitations; God’s forgiveness is limitless.
The other avenue that people try to maneuver would be the “blame game”. At this point I need to make it clear that I am not perfect, and am not free from some of the “works” and the “blame game” experiences of this life.
The blame game has one premise. If; if God would, if the Pastor would, if my wife, husband, or children would, just treat me the way I deserve to be treated, I would be a better person. The “blame game” lets us move the responsibility for our actions to the actions of others.
Now, we are by nature susceptible to the “works” orientation and the “blame game”. Whether we like it or agree with it, our nature will fail even when we desire to do something else. This is why I would want to teach Eternal Security.
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
The Moment
The latest thing I am working on will need to be cleared with Sweet Pea. This Indian Lake story of my early teenage years is one of youthful exuberance.
Background:
Dad and mom would rent a three-bedroom cabin at Turkeyfoot Landing nearly every summer I can remember. With five children and Grandma Nora, friends from dads job coming up one or two days with their children, there could be twenty or twenty-five people sleeping in that cabin on any given night.
Detail:
On one of our two-week summer vacations, I woke up on another bright sunny morning with nothing better to do than have breakfast and think about when we would be allowed to go to the Walnut Islands and swim. Like most other days we had to wait until we had eaten dinner and rested [because you cannot go swimming on a full stomach]. I have decided that this rest was more important to the adults than to my digestive track.
This day we piled into the boat and took the long trip up the channel and then across the lake to anchor just off the beach as usual. The water was only about chest high and the bottom was hard pack sand and easy on the feet. Now here is where it gets a little fuzzy, either, I jumped out of the boat onto someone, or someone jumped out of another boat onto me. In that instant I was face to face with a girl!!
Background:
Dad and mom would rent a three-bedroom cabin at Turkeyfoot Landing nearly every summer I can remember. With five children and Grandma Nora, friends from dads job coming up one or two days with their children, there could be twenty or twenty-five people sleeping in that cabin on any given night.
Detail:
On one of our two-week summer vacations, I woke up on another bright sunny morning with nothing better to do than have breakfast and think about when we would be allowed to go to the Walnut Islands and swim. Like most other days we had to wait until we had eaten dinner and rested [because you cannot go swimming on a full stomach]. I have decided that this rest was more important to the adults than to my digestive track.
This day we piled into the boat and took the long trip up the channel and then across the lake to anchor just off the beach as usual. The water was only about chest high and the bottom was hard pack sand and easy on the feet. Now here is where it gets a little fuzzy, either, I jumped out of the boat onto someone, or someone jumped out of another boat onto me. In that instant I was face to face with a girl!!
Sunday, January 4, 2009
HOW IT BEGAN
How many of you remember citizen band radios? In the year of our Lord 1975 or there about, I entered the world of cb’s.My first one was a Robyn mobile, 23 channels, and it had a blue face. If you know what that is, congratulations.I remember buying that radio from a local shop there in Xenia, Ohio. I knew the owner as Spender. That was his cb handle. That little hole in the wall is also where I met people with names [handles] like Bugs Bunny, Gerty, Roofer, and Tar Baby, Clifton Curley, Lawman, Nova Nine, Blue Bird, Pepsi, and in my family there was Wildfire, Frosty, and Windjammer. What a crazy life we lived in those days. You meet someone on the radio and the next thing you know you are friends for life.After having that radio for a couple of months, my EGO decided that I needed one of those chrome power microphones that I would see in peoples home. You know the tall one that looked like a lollipop. On a desk in front of a base radio they looked impressive. But on the dash of my Chevrolet it looked completely COOL!!!!!Time goes on and technology changes. With the little I know about things like “my space”, things aren’t that different. The only difference between "then and now” might be that with cb’s you could use you imagination to determine what someone might look like.
11/20/08
by
11/20/08
by
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Of what are you a FAN?
The term “fan” is something I have been thinking about lately. Since I am from the southwestern part of Ohio I am a fan of the Cincinnati Reds, and the Cincinnati Bengals.
If you are a sports fan, no matter where you live in this great country you have probably heard of the struggles the fans are going through with our professional teams. Losing seasons seem to breed losing seasons.
Since I am an interested party only and do not go the games, my opinion is just that, another opinion about baseball and football in Cincinnati, Ohio. On the other hand I am a fan in good standing of the Church of Jesus Christ here in Beavercreek, Ohio. I go to the services and invest my money and time in it.
The other day I ran into a friend at the bank. He is a minister of a small church in another town. Since we had not seen each other for some time, I asked if he was still at the same church, He was, and expanding into a larger area of the same building. I was glad to hear that things were going well for the church. Then he asked me the question that brought up this thought process. Are you still at the Vineyard in Beavercreek? My answer jumped out of my mouth and surprised me, of course the answer was yes I am still there, “and I love it”.
Is it right to think of my relationship to my local church as being a fan? Were the disciples' fans of Jesus? Were Abraham, Issac, and Jacob, fans of God?
It seems to me that, as Christians we are told not to get excited, stay even-keel in your actions, don’t be flashy in any expression of your faith. In my mind those stipulations would ensure that Christians would not be called fans. Maybe I am speaking a little strong with the words “told not to get excited”, could it be that we just catch that idea in our Christian life and assume that is the way to live? Or do we easily live a life quietly, under the radar, so we don’t make waves in our worldly relationships?
The apostle Paul says to try to the best of your ability to get along with everyone. That statement seems to make the case that there will be some people that you cannot get along with. As a Christian, I choose to worship my God by telling people about Him, by showing people what He has done in my life, and if need be wear the scares of being a Christian. That doesn’t sound much different than fans of sports teams.
To keep this short and answer my own question, I will be a fan of Jesus because He chose to pay the ultimate sacrifice for me. Also, important is that I will always be a fan of the Church He died for.
Today I am a fan of the local Church here in Beavercreek, Ohio. Like a sports team fan, this fan will gather together and enjoy the company of others, stick together thru the good and the bad, wear the colors, and on occasion tailgate.
Jim
If you are a sports fan, no matter where you live in this great country you have probably heard of the struggles the fans are going through with our professional teams. Losing seasons seem to breed losing seasons.
Since I am an interested party only and do not go the games, my opinion is just that, another opinion about baseball and football in Cincinnati, Ohio. On the other hand I am a fan in good standing of the Church of Jesus Christ here in Beavercreek, Ohio. I go to the services and invest my money and time in it.
The other day I ran into a friend at the bank. He is a minister of a small church in another town. Since we had not seen each other for some time, I asked if he was still at the same church, He was, and expanding into a larger area of the same building. I was glad to hear that things were going well for the church. Then he asked me the question that brought up this thought process. Are you still at the Vineyard in Beavercreek? My answer jumped out of my mouth and surprised me, of course the answer was yes I am still there, “and I love it”.
Is it right to think of my relationship to my local church as being a fan? Were the disciples' fans of Jesus? Were Abraham, Issac, and Jacob, fans of God?
It seems to me that, as Christians we are told not to get excited, stay even-keel in your actions, don’t be flashy in any expression of your faith. In my mind those stipulations would ensure that Christians would not be called fans. Maybe I am speaking a little strong with the words “told not to get excited”, could it be that we just catch that idea in our Christian life and assume that is the way to live? Or do we easily live a life quietly, under the radar, so we don’t make waves in our worldly relationships?
The apostle Paul says to try to the best of your ability to get along with everyone. That statement seems to make the case that there will be some people that you cannot get along with. As a Christian, I choose to worship my God by telling people about Him, by showing people what He has done in my life, and if need be wear the scares of being a Christian. That doesn’t sound much different than fans of sports teams.
To keep this short and answer my own question, I will be a fan of Jesus because He chose to pay the ultimate sacrifice for me. Also, important is that I will always be a fan of the Church He died for.
Today I am a fan of the local Church here in Beavercreek, Ohio. Like a sports team fan, this fan will gather together and enjoy the company of others, stick together thru the good and the bad, wear the colors, and on occasion tailgate.
Jim
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Life and times at turkeyfoot landing
I may not have lived life to the fullest but I have enjoyed most of it. Some of my earliest memories are of summer vacations at Indian Lake. Thats where I learned to love fishing. When I was tall enough to hold a small cane pole my dad let me walk along the shore and fish between the boats to catch little bluegills. Needless to say I was hooked at that young age.
As I became older and bolder with my cane pole, my dad became wiser and started grinding the barbs off of the small hooks I was using. It seems to me there were many times he had to cut the hook out of my finger.
One reason I bring this up for my first blog post is that I was at Indian Lake a couple of weeks ago and took a walk through the old boat landing there at Turkeyfoot . Of course it's changed a
lot over fifty years but I remember it like yesterday. The best thing was, a dad walking along the shore with two little boys with cane poles, fishing between the boats.
I walked by them and smiled, and said to the dad, trust me on this one, they will never forget.
As I became older and bolder with my cane pole, my dad became wiser and started grinding the barbs off of the small hooks I was using. It seems to me there were many times he had to cut the hook out of my finger.
One reason I bring this up for my first blog post is that I was at Indian Lake a couple of weeks ago and took a walk through the old boat landing there at Turkeyfoot . Of course it's changed a
lot over fifty years but I remember it like yesterday. The best thing was, a dad walking along the shore with two little boys with cane poles, fishing between the boats.
I walked by them and smiled, and said to the dad, trust me on this one, they will never forget.
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