How To Be A Christian Without Being A Jerk

Faith in real life

After 100 Days, the Presidential Prayer Team continues…

May 8th, 2009

After the attack on 9/11, an online prayer team was formed to pray for the President, his cabinet, the nation and our Armed Forces, The Presidential Prayer Team. The team has been praying ever since. Originating as a non-partisan group, the prayers on the website would be seen as coming from a “moderate/ conservative” perspective. Quotes from the Founding Fathers concerning our nation being founded on biblical principles and such, are just one example. Not a strongly held viewpoint of those who self-identify as “liberal.”

One of the things that many people wondered is what would happen if we had a “liberal” president elected? Would the PPT continue as before? Well, we do have a president who comes out of a “liberal” worldview, so we can see if PPT holds true to its principles. I went to the site today, because it was just “National Day of Prayer.” Sure enough, prayer continues as before.  The treatment of the President is respectful and the prayers that are lifted up on the pages don’t appear to be agenda-driven. Here is an example.

Supreme Court Justice Douglas Souter is retiring in June. President Obama will nominate a new justice. The PPT prays:

Pray also for President Obama and his advisors as they consider possible replacements for Supreme Court Justice David Souter who is expected to retire at the end of the Court’s term in June. Pray for God’s best choice for this important appointment…

Note there is no petition for a specific kind of Justice or character traits they ought to look for in a Justice. I am impressed…

Pray for President Obama and pray for blessings on all who pray for him.


Posted via web from how to be a christian without being a jerk!

The Best Basketball Player I Ever Played Against…

May 5th, 2009

I am a junior in high school attending “Easy ” Ed McCauley’s Basketball Camp in Green Bay WI. Detroit Piston guard, Dave Bing, is guest coach for the day. He has such a sweet jump shot; he is one of those guys you say, “If they only had the three point line when he was playing…”

Well, the camp all-stars get the chance to play Dave Bing teamed with the other camp counselors. I “luck out,” and get to guard Dave Bing. I will always remember the day.

Not because I played great or anything. Come on, it is tough enough just trying to keep up with Dave Bing; maybe Bing Crosby…

No, the reason I will always remember that day is I can look at my right wrist. You see, Dave Bing had really long fingernails, and he tried to steal the ball from me. He didn’t get the ball, but he did get my wrist. He put a deep cut in my wrist with his nail! The faint scar still remains, 36 years later.

So, why did I think of Dave Bing, all of a sudden?

Meet Dave Bing, newly elected mayor of Detroit.

Mayor Dave Bing

Mayor Dave Bing

10 things you might not know about Cinco de Mayo…

May 5th, 2009
Maximilian's bullet-riddled shirt

Maximilian's bullet-riddled shirt

Cinco de Mayo is a celebration of the defeat of French troops by Mexican troops in 1862.

Why is this a memorable day?

  1. Napoleon III decides to call in the debt that Mexico owes France by taking over Mexico! (Wow, USA better watch out for China!)
  2. 6500 French troops march toward Mexico City to capture the capital in 1862.
  3. President Lincoln is sympathetic, but isn’t able to send support because of a little skirmish going on North of the border.
  4. No problemo. 4500 much-less-equipped Mexican troops rout the French.
  5. This is good for the America because it stops France from continuing to supply the Confederate troops in the Civil War.
  6. Eventually, things go sour when Napoleon sends 30,000 troops and France takes over Mexico, anyway from 1864-1867, A relative of Napoleon III, .Archduke Maximilian of Austria, is made ruler of Mexico.
  7. Things go well again when the United States is able to help out with political and military support, and the French are booted out. Maximilian is executed by Mexican firing squad.
  8. Corona is first brewed in 1925. This is part of the rapid expansion in beer production in Mexico during the American prohibition period (1920-1933). Corona is the best selling imported beer in the world.
  9. The beer facts have nothing to do with Cinco de Mayo, but it seemed appropriate.
  10. Menudo, a popular hangover remedy, is a soup whose main ingredient is sheep intestines. This has nothing to do with Cinco de Mayo either. It might have meaning for some people tomorrow morning, however.

7 phrases Christians use just to confuse you

May 4th, 2009
stayin' alive...

stayin' alive...

It’s tough to learn a new language, but then there is the bonus of realizing a word may mean one thing to one group of people and quite another thing to another group.

British English and American English come to mind. The classic phrase, “Do you have a torch so I can look under the bonnet of my lorry?” comes to mind. If you haven’t been through this drill, in England this means,

“Do you have a flashlight so I can look under the hood of my truck?”

Words can also decline in usage quickly  in certain circles. Just when I was ready to “spit” truth and get “krunk,” rappers have moved on to something else. In case you missed it,

“Spit” means the processing of “rapping,” itself, like “crooning” is to “singing” a couple of generations ago. “Krunk”, well, either “crazy drunk (crazy + drunk, get it?),” “high,” or ?

In Christian circles we have fun with language, too. There are the normal “Christianeze” words like “sanctification,” “atonement,” and such, that “normal” people don’t use. (come to think of it, “Christianeze” is “Christianeze,” isn’t it?).

Then there are those phrases that use “normal” words but translation is still necessary. Here are seven.

7 phrases Christians use just to confuse you

1.    Father God- As opposed to Mother God? No, it’s just that there are only so many ways to address God in the Bible (Almighty God,  Our Father, LORD God…),  so we just decided to invent one that isn’t in the Bible and this becomes our favorite prayer phrase.

2.    Christianity is not a religion;  it is a relationship- When you hear the word, “religion,” you think of a bunch of rules and rituals people follow. So, we differentiate ourselves because being Christian is having a relationship with Jesus. Except that this phrase isn’t in the Bible. Jesus never says, “Have a relationship with me.” But, you get the gist, right?

3.   Bible-believing- This is a little dig that Christians use against each other. It means, “I am really serious about the Bible being God’s Word and you are not as serious.” Maybe it will catch on with other faiths.  “Q’uran- believing” mosque, anyone?

4.    quiet time- No, this isn’t in contrast to our “loud time.” it is a phrase used to say, “I am spending time alone with God.” It is supposed to be a daily time of prayer and Bible reading, and Christians use this phrase to check-up on each other. “How’s your quiet time going?”

5.  spiritual warfare- Another term we use that is not specifically in the Bible. It is alluded to, however, in the struggle that we have with Satan and forces of evil.  Using military metaphors for living out our faith is a powerful technique the biblical authors use, but connecting faith and potentially violent-sounding language with a public that doesn’t know our metaphors, especially in the present cultural climate…it may be time to give “warfare” language a rest for a while, at least in public settings.

6.    how’s your walk?- Related to “quiet time,” it is not asking specifically how your gait is going when you move from one location to another, like this, for example. “Walk,” here, refers to how you are presently living out your life as a Christian. As in, “If you talk the talk you better walk the walk.”  Confusing though, as “talking” in  this context is not what God is looking for in the first place (see Isaiah 29:13).

7.    love on them- I agree, I have no idea why Christians use this phrase, either. I think I get the meaning, as in, “Christians have to stop judging people and start loving on them,” and so forth. Yet, if I am “loving on you,” it sounds a bit creepy, don’t you think? Like something The Bee Gees wanted to do to the  ladies in the 70′s.

“Let me love on you, baby…”

Oh well, It does help me learn graciousness though, because this is my current “drives me crazy,” phrase of choice.

no comparisions

May 1st, 2009

When we realize we are judging someone else, we can realize we are not in a place where God settles down. We take our cue from the Trinity.

A scene you will not see…

“Hey Jesus, look at my abs. I am really getting a six pack, don’t you think?”

“You, da’ man, God the Father! (though you are a non-physical reality) Really getting pumped!” “Whoa! What was that? Holy Spirit, was that you again?!”

“Got you, Jesus! You are never gonna be quick as me! You don’t know when I’m coming or when I’m going…”

Or something like that.

Jonathan Christopher, of Stuff Christians Like, had this to say on his Facebook this morning.

Jonathan Christopher Getting cocky about doing what you were created to do is like bragging about your natural eye color.

Amen

Spiritual maturity? The dead end of judgmentalism

May 1st, 2009

Understanding personality types and how God wires us, prevents us from making errors in judgment in spiritual matters, as well as in personal judgments. Here is how it works.

Example one. If someone is wired as a “Sensate,” where they carefully make decisions in a specific and detailed analysis of the facts and possibilities, they will have a hard time just “going for it” if God is calling them to change. This would be easy for a person wired as an “Intuitive.” They are always read to go with their “gut;” ready to try a new thing. So, here is what can happen.

“Intuitives” can quickly think that “Sensates” aren’t as “spiritual” because they don’t immediately grasp on to God doing a new thing. If “Intuitives” will just be specific and clear about what this “new thing” means, many “Sensates” who examine this vision will embrace the change, as well.

Example two. When “Thinking Judgment” people (“Thinkers”) work from their strength of logic and reasonability, and not their emotions or what other people will think, they are many times labeled, “uncaring” or “un-Christian.” Especially if they are being asked to respond to a situation where courage and consideration are called for; not co-dependency. “Thinkers” are always vulnerable when people are attempting to bring drama into their lives. If “Feelers” realize their vulnerability of acting from emotion rather than wisdom, they will have the opportunity to influence “Thinkers” if true compassion is in order.

Actually, to be too vocal or too judgmental about someone else’s spiritual maturity is a very good sign that one may be lacking spiritual maturity.

evil

April 29th, 2009

In Genesis 3:5, evil is part of creation all along. The idea that creation is a perfect world doesn’t come from the creation story. This truth stops so much false teaching concerning God. Creation is the best possible world where people can exist and choose to reject God. This brings nasty consequences, yes, but evil is always possible even before the “Fall.”

How To Be A Christian Without Being A Jerk

Faith in real life