Category: Religion

Spiritual Takeaways

Many, many years ago, a preacher I respected mispronounced “concupiscence” — or maybe it was “incontience” — some “bible” word — and I made the mistake of pointing it out. It was even privately, one-on-one, well after the fact. He proceeded to tell me a long story about how he heard his pastor mispronounce a word once, and as he struggled to get a note to him to point it out, he heard him explain the word correctly anyway. The lesson was obvious. You shouldn’t try to correct your spiritual superiors. It’s not your place.

Several years later, he told a story about a woman in Las Vegas getting into an elevator with 2 black men, and thinking they wanted to rob her, and she got all scared and dropped her bucket of slot machine coins. As the story goes, it turns out it was Eddie Murphy and Michael Jordan, who thought it was funny, and sent her a bunch of money wrapped around roses or something. It was one of those stupid email chain letter things in the 90’s, the kind that Snopes was invented to debunk. It never happened.

Having seen this long before, and not being about anything spiritual, and ignorantly thinking he wouldn’t want to relay “fake news,” I sent the Snopes article to him. Just him. I didn’t CC anyone else. I wasn’t trying to embarrass him. A few months later, he told the whole story again, with nary a hint of it being fake. I took that as a direct shot at me, to show that he was going to say whatever he wanted in the pulpit, no matter what. I understood the point to be that I should never question him. About anything. Ever. After that day, I didn’t. In fact, I can’t recall ever saying anything to him about what he preached again, good or bad.

Because I never brought it up, and never talked about his preaching again, I’m sure he felt the “teaching moment” had achieved its intended effect. However, the lesson I actually learned from it was that he played fast and loose with the truth, even if he was in the pulpit, and I never looked at him the same way again.

Little did I know that this was the first few snowflakes that would eventually start an avalanche.

Saudi Arabia Outraged At Ben-Gvir’s Call To Build Synagogue Over Al-Aqsa Mosque | ZeroHedge

Source: Saudi Arabia Outraged At Ben-Gvir’s Call To Build Synagogue Over Al-Aqsa Mosque | ZeroHedge

In recent years Saudi Arabia and Israel have been moving remarkably fast toward the restoration of official relations, in what’s been called a highly anticipated ‘deal of the century’ – but the Gaza war in the wake of Oct.7 have put these efforts on hold and looks to derail the initiative altogether.

This week tensions have escalated, given that Muslims see current Israeli policies toward Al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem as very seriously threatening and an affront to their faith. Israel’s hard-line Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir this week went to so far as to call for a synagogue to be built atop Islam’s third holiest site.

Today, in Mark of the Beast news… You can’t fulfill the prophecy of Dan 9:24-27 until the Third Temple is rebuilt, and this goal is a prime motivator for a lot of Jews, even if Americans don’t realize what’s going on. I don’t think that this will happen without extraordinary circumstances, even for the Middle East, but we are living in extraordinary times. In a similar way that it took World War 2 and the Nazi concentration camps to reinstate the nation of Israel, it seems that it would take a third world war — involving Israel and, oh, I don’t know, say, Iran — to force the Muslim “world” to allow Israel to rebuild the Third Temple. I don’t think anyone doubts that this will eventually happen, and we seem to be inching closer and closer to it, in Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and Taiwan.

Something is Coming

Something is Coming

I feel this in my bones, and it’s been getting worse, quickly.

It’s not the economy.

It’s not COVID.

It’s not the vaccine.

It’s not illegal immigration.

It’s not DEI.

It’s not ESG.

It’s not AGI.

It’s not corporatocracy.

It’s not the uniparty in Washington.

It’s not the ticking time bomb of the national debt.

It’s not the deep state.

It’s not the wars in Ukraine or Israel, or the burgeoning war with China and Taiwan.

It’s the spirit of anti-Christ. These are the prophesied End Times. Literally.

I need a giant banner at the top of Twitter, constantly reminding me: It’s the last days, dummy.

Crushing Traumatized People

After I got struck with chronic health problems a few years ago, I was forced to notice how much Pentecostal churches preach that if you just make some grand display of worship, you will be miraculously healed. But I’ve done the things, and I’m still sick, so I guess I did them wrong? It can be confusing, and if I were new at this, or hadn’t actually read the Bible, I would be defeated by my experience.

This approach to healing is not scriptural. No one ever came to Jesus wanting to be healed (or to get healing for someone else) where Jesus said something like, “Hey, worship God like your life depended on it, and maybe I’ll do it.” He never demanded worship to heal. He often asked for a display of thanksgiving AFTER the healing, but not before. If He asked for anything, it was a confession of FAITH.

I’ve heard it preached that God led Abraham to the Promised Land because he “worshipped” God by being willing to offer his son as a sacrifice. Nonsense. His attitude wasn’t joyful or thankful. It was depicted as somber and resigned. That was a story about OBEDIENCE and FAITH that God would somehow work it out, regardless of what it looked like. The same message referenced marching around the walls and “shouting” at Jericho, as though that “worship” brought down the city. But the army of Israel wasn’t “shouting” in worship the way the phrase is understood in modern churches. They were letting out a war cry in OBEDIENCE and FAITH in what God had promised.

It’s been a very frustrating few years for me now, and it’s been compounded by these “Pentecostalisms.” Let’s just worship, shall we? God is still God, and worthy of praise and worship regardless. Let’s not make it into something that obligates God to do anything for us. And it’s OK if I can’t run laps or stand on my head anymore, isn’t it?

I can’t find a book called “Thriving Forward” by Diane Langberg, but she has several with intriguing titles that make this quote seem legit.

Holding to God’s Promises

James 5:14,15 – “Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.”

I’m standing on this promise, and holding God to His Word about it.

Gen Z Bible Stories

These things are great. I guess it’s time for a whole new Gen Z Bible translation.

After Jesus started live streaming, and the chat filled up, he began to go off saying:

W to those who aren’t thirsty for this mid life, for they will have eternal life.

W to those who take L’s from this life, for they will receive an everlasting W.

W to those who don’t throw hands, for they will secure the eternal bag.

W to those who want help passing God’s vibe check, for he will say bet.

W to those who don’t cancel others, for they will not be cancelled by the top G.

W to those whose spiritual fit is immaculate, for their hearts will be cuffed by god.

W to those who turn opps into bros, for they will be called CEOs of peace.

W to those who catch hands for being valid, for they will not be left on read by God.

W to you when the opps be cappin hard and do you so very dirty because you’re my fan,

Trust you have crushed it and have the eternal W, for so they did the true bros before you.

https://www.tiktok.com/@gen.z.bible.stories/video/7347722777505402154

Church Embezzlement

There were a lot of stories in the 80’s about Jim and Tammy Baker embezzling millions from their church. Closer to home, there have been stories about UPCI preachers embezzling hundreds of thousands of dollars from their local churches. When I hear stories about church embezzlement now, as someone who has been deeply involved with a church for 30+ years, I’m realizing that it’s not just about the money that was selfishly and illegally extracted out of the church. There’s an additional “opportunity cost” of what that money could have done in the mission of the church: more staff, more programs, more outreach; more of the work the church is supposed to be all about. And as someone who supports the idea of the mission, it’s an added disappointment to an already-dismal occurrence.

Big Companies

Have you ever worked in a big company? Say, more than 1,000 people? I’ve spent the majority of my 30 years so far working at three Fortune 250’s.

Have you ever seen a manager do things that promoted their personal success, knowing it was at a cost to their peers or their subordinates? Have you ever seen decisions get made that you know are going to hurt the company in the long run, and which run counter to the company’s stated goals? Have you ever watched people do things to better their careers and boost their compensation packages, and then exit the organization, and leave a giant mess for everyone else?

Boy, I sure have. I’ve actually seen this sort of thing A LOT. I could write a book about it.

With all of this in mind — and while still trying to make sense of some recent events in my life — it has occurred to me that every corporate church organization is — at its core — just another big company.

Oh, wait, someone already wrote that book: https://www.ribbonfarm.com/2009/10/07/the-gervais-principle-or-the-office-according-to-the-office/

Return to Organic Church Services

We have special church services many times a year. Can I suggest a new one? Can we have a service where there are no directions?

These days, it feels like we never go more than a couple of minutes without being told to do something. Come to the altar. Raise your hands. Shout. Dance. Jump. Clap. Say amen. Pray for someone. Tell someone your deepest problem. Reach across the aisle, and pick your neighbor’s nose. On and on and on. All the time. Every service.

And there’s this looming fear that we should do it because the person with the microphone is saying it under the unction of the Holy Ghost, but it’s so frequent these days that it’s no longer special. It just feels like spiritual calisthenics and time stretching.

There’s power in letting conviction take root. There’s power in letting it be awkward. There’s power when someone steps out and walks down to the altar without being asked. I’ve been that guy many times, and it changes your life. With all of the constant instructions, there’s very little room for steeping in the worship and the preaching, and being obvious about changing your direction any more.

Just once a year, can we have a service where we aren’t asked to do anything? Nothing. Sing or don’t sing. Say amen or don’t. Just let it ride. I just want to have an “organic” service for a change. I just want to sing the songs, listen to a sermon, and let everything else happen as the Spirit leads. All I ask for is altar music and enough volume so that I can pray without people hearing what I’m confessing over in the next section. Is it just me?