Prodigal Prayers

This past Sunday our pastor preached a sermon on the passage of the prodigal son, which he entitled The Prodigal Sons (notice the ‘s’). The sermon referenced the actions of both sons: The son who took his inheritance and left, eventually returning, and the son which stayed with the father, as recorded in Luke 15, notably in verses 11-32.

Today I wanted to give emphasis on the Prodigal Prayers we most often pray as Christians, compared to the Righteous Prayers we should consider more worthy to be offered.

The prodigal prayer goes as follows: “Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me.”

Now, what portion of goods did this son mean? Was it not the inheritance in which he would receive upon his father’s death? Therefore, his selfish desires pushed all wisdom aside, giving over to the “I want my way now” attitude, caring not for the wishes of his father.

How often do we, as Christians, selfishly pray and demand that God do that which we voice to Him in prayer? How often are our prayers filled with what we want done, and seldom about the will of God?

It is not necessarily wrong to pray asking God to heal the sick, to help others, and to help us with wisdom in our emotional, physical, financial, and spiritual needs. We just need to realize that we easily become selfish in our prayers by asking all these things of God, never considering His will, not realizing we have taken the glory from God and given it to what we would like to have done.

Scripture declares: “seek ye the kingdom of God; and all these things shall be added unto you.” Therefore, we must adhere to the fact that we must first seek the will of God over our own wills concerning our prayer life. Remember Romans 8:28, and recall we are to adhere to the Spirit in prayer, for we know not what to pray for.

Recount the son’s prayer “when he came to himself”: “Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee, and am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants.”

Here we see a couple of things:
1. Confesses he is a sinner and has sinned.
2. Repents by turning from his wicked ways, and returning to that which is right.
3. Requests to be made as a servant, one who is obedient and cares for the will of their master (father) over their own will.
4. Faith exercised in knowing his father had the power and would do so.

Consider your prayer life, and ponder if by chance it is full of merely Prodigal Prayers.

Just How Thankful Are You?

Coming this Thursday, actually tomorrow, many will be celebrating the holiday we call Thanksgiving here in America.

The meaning behind the title, Just How Thankful Are You, is meant to allow you, the reader, to ponder to yourself what you may be thankful of.

I think too often we spend most of our year considering the things that we are not thankful for, meaning the things we dislike or wish we could change, etc. How often do we actually take a moment to just enjoy a fresh thought toward all of the many blessings in our lives to be thankful for?

What if we could enjoy the entire day, the whole twenty-four hours, of tomorrow expressing our thoughts and appreciation for whatever we are thankful for? How about we refuse to allow anything besides that which we are indeed thankful for to creep in and take over our day of Thanksgiving? Some may say, “that is impossible,” but I assume we could at least try. I completely realize there may be those that are suffering from physical, emotional, and spiritual problems at this very time, but surely even you have something to be thankful of.

Is there not something we can all be thankful for? Is there not someone we can all be thankful for? Should we not be thankful for the good things we are able to enjoy here in America, compared to some of the other countries, or compared to how it could be?

Forget what you dislike about America, things, and persons that you may come in contact with on a daily basis, and choose this coming Thanksgiving to enjoy those things which you are thankful for.

To spend Thanksgiving complaining and sorrowing about those things which we do not have or dislike seems like a waste of the purpose of the holiday.

Enjoy Thanksgiving!

You have a whole year to complain about what you are not thankful for!

Atheism or Anti-Theism Taught In The Classroom?

We seem to hear a lot about “separation of church and state” and about how we need to keep religion and Christianity to ourselves or in the privacy of our own homes, but interestingly Scholastic would like to introduce the concept of The Golden Compass: Language Arts Lessons & Activities to our children through their teachers.

Check out the advertisement:
[http://content.scholastic.com/browse/unitplan.jsp?id=284]

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Welcome Teachers! We hope you enjoy this language arts program featuring The Golden Compass, the soon-to-be-released film based on the multi-award-winning novel by Philip Pullman. You’ll find turnkey, skill-building materials on symbolism and characterization that help students understand the relevance of literary themes in their lives. The lessons and activities, while connected to the book and film, can be taught independently to supplement any language arts curriculum.

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Here are some SparkNotes concerning the book:
[http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/hisdarkmaterials/summary.html]

Now, let’s recount what the author said himself about these books:
"My books are about killing God"

So, let me ask…

We should not allow the teaching of how great God is in school, but the reading and teaching of the “symbolism and characterization” of killing God should be allowed?

Is this because the Scriptures are a work of fact, and His Dark Materials are a work of fiction?

Have Australian Santa’s been told to say “No” to “ho ho ho”

There is apparently a claim that Santas, at least in Australia, will not longer be able to say “ho ho ho.” Some have said that they have been told to replace the traditional greeting with “ha ha ha.”

Why, you ask? Seemingly, some may feel that the term “ho ho ho” could be offensive to women. The claim is that not only can “ho ho ho” offend women it could also possibly scare children.

Honestly, I have seen more children scared of Santa’s beard than his greeting of “ho ho ho.” And I have yet to hear of a mother not bringing their child to see Santa at the shopping centers because of his greeting. Maybe the children are simply scared because it is a big fat man, with a beard, wearing a suit, which they do not know.

My son loves Spiderman and he enjoyed getting his autograph while we were visiting Universal Studios, but when we saw Spiderman in the mall a few weeks later my son was scared to go up to talk to him.

The company, Westaff, claims, “"We ask our Santas to try techniques such as lowering their tone of voice and using 'ha, ha, ha' to encourage the children to come forward and meet Santa. We wish you and your family a very merry Christmas.",” but that they have not told the Santas that they could not say “ho ho ho.”

Interestingly, if they have simply made just suggestions, why did “One would-be Santa has told The Daily Telegraph he was taught not to use "ho, ho, ho" because it was too close to the American slang for prostitute” and “Two Santa hopefuls reportedly quit the course because of the hullabaloo of the ho, ho, ho.?”

To this whole ordeal I say, “Ha ha ha.” Poor old man, give Santa a break.

[Ref. 1]
[Ref. 2]

Christian Children's Book: Salvation, Baptism, & Eternal Security

The initial purpose behind writing this book is to focus on the current questions my children have concerning salvation, baptism, and eternal security.

One of the greatest ministries we have as Christian parents is to teach our children about the things of God. Can there be any teaching more important than the Gospel itself, of how the love of God sent His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ. Willing to suffer the death of the cross, Jesus Christ gave Himself ransom for all those which put their faith in Him. Through His death, burial, and resurrection, we as sinners can find forgiveness of sins and eternal life in Jesus Christ. Our children deserve to know of this great love. As Christian parents we owe it to our children to tell them of the things of God, and as saved sinners we owe it to God to be obedient to His Word.

Although the pages of this book may be read by the children alone, I would suggest that the parent(s) consider spending a moment with their children with it. This book is not meant to save your child, or to convert them to Christianity. Only the Spirit of God can convict the heart of sin, and grant them repentance and faith unto salvation. My hope is that any child that reads, or has read to them, this book, it will cause their minds and hearts to ponder the things of God, and their parent(s) will be there to expound on the Word of God concerning their questions.

Avaliable at lulu.com.

Blue Smoke Screen

[Article]

Well, would you look at that. Your guess is as good as mine.

"Unexplained Blue Cloud Floats, Darts Around Customers At Gas Station"

"A strange blue cloud seen floating and darting around customers, freezing for 30 minutes and then speeding from an Ohio gas station, remains unexplained even though it was caught on security cams. "

Snake Bit Hypocrisy

During my glance over an atheist blog I sometimes visit, the writer references another blog, referencing a Kentucky news article. In reading the article, I can’t help but see why the non-Christian world would enjoy such a tale.

The article’s title is “Family sues hospital over snakebite death,” but that doesn’t really convey what actually transpired to cause the snakebite. Or, should I say what was taking place at the time of the snakebite? Apparently, a 48 year old London, Kentucky woman was trying to handle a yellow timber rattler during a service at East London Holiness Church. Although, it seems, sometimes people that are bitten by snakes during religious services will refuse medical attention, when Linda Long was bitten on the right cheek, she was rushed to Marymount Medical Center in London.

There is apparently a lawsuit pending concerning the medical attention given (or not given) and supposed comments toward the woman and her family regarding the snakebite incident. Please review link, if you would like to see specifics.

The article declares, “Snake-handlers believe the practice shows faith and God's power. The text for the belief is Mark 16:17-18: "And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well."”

On the legal side:
“Handling snakes in a religious service is a misdemeanor in Kentucky, but police rarely pursue charges because the practice involves a matter of religious freedom and believers are willing participants.” Apparently it is a misdemeanor, with a fine of $50 to $100.

On the spiritual side:
I have never met a “religious” snake handler (one who does it as part of their church service), but I am sure not all snake handlers are religious and I know not all religious persons are snake handlers.

If it is true that they use Mark 16:17-18 as a proof text to making church service snake handling a spiritual thing, then at first glance, I would have to say to be bit and die from a snake bite must mean the persons (more than just the snake handler) are not believers. For the text says, “these signs will accompany those who believe.” Although it only claims that “they will pick up snakes with their hands,” not mentioning what will happen if they get bit, I would say if a person gets bit and becomes sick, why can’t the others “place their hands on sick people, and they will get well?”

I realize some may say I am taking a stab at Christianity, but this is simply not the case. I am merely noting a non-Biblical, out of context, take on Mark 16:17-18. And, I am only holding the person(s) accountable to their own claims to having the gifts recorded in the Scriptures they proclaim. If a reader here is a snake handler, which partakes in snake handling services, and the mentioned Scripture is not a proof text for you, please feel free to share your interpretation of the Biblical text concerning snake handling church services, for I do not see an example of them in Scripture.

My questions to the individuals doing such snake handling, claiming it is God approved, Scripture verified, and provoked by the Spirit would be:

1. What example of snake handling is being followed from a Scriptural example?
2. How does the handling of snakes in church service glorify God?
3. Does the handling of snakes point people to Jesus Christ for salvation?
4. If one believes the handling of snakes is a spiritual gift from God unto believers, if one is bitten, could that not also be a sign from God that they are not a believer and deserve to die as a punishment for tempting Him?

The only example I can remember off-hand of a person having this gift is Paul in Acts 28. If there is another in Scripture, please post the reference.

3 And when Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks, and laid them on the fire, there came a viper out of the heat, and fastened on his hand.

5 And he shook off the beast into the fire, and felt no harm.

This is my concern with the misuse of taking Mark 16:17-18 and snake handling into the church service, or time to be worshiping God. We don’t see Paul tempting God with handling snakes, or the Christians in the Scriptures handling snakes in church. We have Paul simply doing what needs to be done, the viper biting him, but it brings him no harm.

Miracles and spiritual gifts are not to bring attention to the person or the gift, but to God, from whom they flow.

Demon Dog

Note: I just found this article interesting. You must draw your own conclusions.

Apparently there was a photo taken of Joe Martinez at a relative’s anniversary several years ago, which has the appearance of a dog looking over his shoulder. Of course the dog is not supposed to be in the photo. Apparently, noticing the dog peering over his shoulder in the photo has allowed him to kick his drug habit, claiming it was a sign from God that he had Satan following him everywhere he went.

According to experts, the photo appears to be genuine, with no evidence of tampering, but there seems to be a lack of evidence to support a true conclusion to the story and photo.

I will note for a moment, that as a Christian, I do believe in God, Satan, devils, and spirits, but in cases like this (and the many so-called sightings of Mary, Jesus, and saints) I find myself being hesitant to quickly accept them as miracles of God. I fully believe that God can and does perform miracles, but His miracles are performed throughout Scripture to cause people to come to Him in salvation and to give Him the glory. Too often these sightings and such do not lead people to trust in God, but to further search for more sightings and to continue to look everywhere but to God. Is there more awe found in the sightings or in God?

So again, I just thought the article was interesting, but each reader must draw their own conclusions.

Killing In The Name of Darwin

[Article]

He describes himself as "a social darwinist."

"I am prepared to fight and die for my cause," Sturmgeist declares, "I, as a natural selector, will eliminate all who I see unfit, disgraces of human race and failures of natural selection."

A teenager, claiming to be Pekka-Eric Auvinen, (but authorities will not say for sure if that is his name) has apparently killed seven of his fellow students and the headmistress at Joleka High School in southern Finland, after posting a message to YouTube (as user called Sturmgeist89 - Sturmgeist means storm spirit in German.) predicting the event.

“Hours after posting his last message it appeared the teenager carried out his threat and, shot dead the school's principal and five male and two female pupils, before shouting "This is the start of the revolution" and shooting himself in the head. He was said to be in a critical condition last night and unlikely to survive.”

Is this the next step for mankind in evolution?

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I can’t help but ponder an atheist’s blog I sometimes visit, whereby the writer has a phrase he often writes about concerning Christians. The phrase used is “Know Them By Their Deeds,” where the writer usually speaks about Christians that have veered from the path of Christianity. I ponder can we also say we can know the atheist or Darwinist by his deeds also? Should we judge all Darwinists by this one’s deeds?

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UPDATE: "In rambling text posted on the site two weeks before the shooting, Auvinen called himself "a cynical existentialist, anti-human humanist, anti-social social-Darwinist, realistic idealist and god-like atheist.""

Preview: Ekleipsis, In the Land of Erde

Coming soon will be my first attempt at writing a fictional book. Entitled Ekleipsis, it will be the first book, in at least a two part series, taking place in the Land of Erde. Feel free to check out the preview: http://www.landoferde.com/

The book has been edited for grammatical mistakes, and is now in the process of being reviewed for content. I hope to have the book completed and available at http://www.lulu.com/ by the end of the year.

The book is a medieval type, with a religious theme. No, it will most likely not be found on the Best Seller List, but I have enjoyed writing it none the less. I shall post an update when it is had been completed.

Until then, enjoy the blog!

George's Secret Key to the Universe

Apparently, Stephen Hawking and his daughter, Lucy, have written the book entitled, “George's Secret Key to the Universe” to explain the universe and black holes to children. Different than a simple science fiction book, this book is supposed to be “an adventure that is based on real science rather than on fantasy. I thought it was important to weave science into the story line because I wanted to make “George’s Secret Key to the Universe” appealing to children who wouldn’t otherwise pick up a book on physics.”

According to the interview, the following question was asked to Mr. Hawking:

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Q: In your children's book, you describe the universe without a creator. Does this reflect your personal beliefs?

A: The lesson of the book is that the universe is governed by the laws of science. One could regard these laws as the work of God but discussion of such theological issues is not appropriate in a children’s adventure story.

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Has anyone read this book?

If so, what is your opinion of the content?

Replacing Scripture with Scientology Literature

It never ceasing to amaze me when so-called Christians, especially pastors or teachers, claim that the Scriptures are ancient or merely too hard to read (apparently just for their congregation), so they find literature by various kinds of authors (Christian or non) to take its place, believing it will do a better job than the Word of God in people’s lives.

Apparently, “Two [Pentecostal and Methodist Episcopal] pastors who spoke recently with CNN explained that when it comes to religion, they still preach the core beliefs of Christianity. But when it comes to practicing what they preach in a modern world, borrowing from Scientology helps.” [article]

They would have us believe, “As men of God rooted in Christian values, they do not see Scientology as a threat to their faith, but rather as a tool to augment it.”

Note: “Scientology was founded in the 1950s by L. Ron Hubbard, a science fiction writer. Followers are taught that they are immortal spiritual beings called thetans. Although the church says there is a supreme being, its practices do not include worshipping God.”

Apparently, one of these persons attended a meeting at the spiritual headquarters of the Church of Scientology in Florida, and fell in love with the book entitled "The Way to Happiness" written by the Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard. “It constitutes Hubbard's attempt at developing a non-religious moral code based purely on common sense.”

The 21 precepts are: [wikipedia]

• Take care of yourself.
• Be temperate.
• Don't be promiscuous.
• Love and help children.
• Honor and help your parents.
• Set a good example.
• Seek to live with the truth.
• Do not murder.
• Don't do anything illegal.
• Support the government designed and run for all the people.
• Do not harm a person of good will.
• Safeguard and improve your environment.
• Do not steal.
• Be worthy of trust.
• Fulfill your obligations.
• Be industrious.
• Be competent.
• Respect the religious beliefs of others.
• Try not to do things to others that you would not want them to do to you.
• Try to treat others as you would want to be treated.
• Flourish and prosper.

Tell me again, just by looking at this list, why one must turn from the Scriptures to an atheist’s book, claiming, “it is easier to understand and clearer to follow than ancient Scriptures taken from the Bible?”

Point blank, sir, does Scientology contract the gospel of Jesus Christ?

“"Sometimes yes. Sometimes no." But, the “congregation can relate to "The Way to Happiness."”

If this person (so-called pastor) can honestly say that he and his congregation can relate to an atheist’s writing more than they can relate to the Word of God, there is a deep spiritual problem, which can’t be found in the broad way which they are walking.