A Sunday Drive

Back during my childhood, our parents would often load up my brother and I after Sunday morning church services for a leasurely drive around where we lived. Even though we were seeing mostly familiar sights, it was still good to see them, and this is why “A Sunday Drive” sounded about right for the name of a weekly series revisiting familiar sites that are well worth seeing again and again.

Link: [Irish Traveler]

Link: [LifePrints]

Link: [Peripheral Vision]


Link: [I Draw Girls]

Link: [Adventures in Time and Space]

Link: [Chris Bolmeier Art]

Link: [The Painted Veil]

Link: [Health Nut Wannabe Mom]

Link: [Happy Hotelier]

Link: [Unfit But Print!]

Bittersweet Refinements: III

Bittersweet Refinements is another book that I have been given to publish. If it gets to sounding an awfully lot like a broken player stuck on repeating the same old wrong song over and over again that is because it is to a fairly great extent. For most of it contains rewritten parts of the Bitter/Sweets that were published here before. Hopefully, it will get to sounding a lot better to you very soon, and for the benefit of those who do not have access to multiple versions of our Heavenly Father's Holy Bible, numbered Scripture references in the text (for example, [1]) provide links to such through Bible Gateway this time around. The same also applies to verses included in the text.

Chapter III
A Term Of Endearment

For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. [Romans 8:15-16 NIV]

Before proceeding any further, please let me explain that when I make some reference to our Heavenly Father, I am referring to not only the Lord God Almighty, but to His only begotten Son[1], who truly is the Lord Jesus Christ[2], and His Holy Spirit[3], as well. For I do not want to add to the confusion myself.

Yes, I have been made well aware of the fact that they are three distinct individuals. Well, at least to the extent that I have been allowed and enabled to understand such[4], but the absolute truth of the matter truly is that our Heavenly Father is also One[5] and the Same[6] with His only begotten Son and His Holy Spirit.

No, I cannot explain how that is possible—certainly not physiological terms. I just know that it is indeed true through the witness of His Holy Spirit[7], and it is because of how much more intimate it is to me to refer to Him and Christ Jesus as also being my Heavenly Father that I do so.

More importantly, this is something that our Heavenly Father wants. For we were created to have a very close and personal relationship with Him[8], and rigid formalities get in the way of this, even when they are well intended[9].

Of course, there is something far more serious that gets in the way of us wanting to truly have a very close and personal relationship with our Heavenly Father—instead of just with His only begotten Son. For it has been widely taught that Christ Jesus stands between us and the wrath of the Lord God Almighty[10].

No, this is not to deny that[11], but whole truth of the matter is that Christ Jesus IS the Lord God Almighty[12]! Furthermore, it is written: And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified. What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: "For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered." No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. [Romans 8:28-39 NIV]

Tragically, our Heavenly Father’s Holy Spirit is generally left out of the equation. For He is usually presented as being nothing more than merely a helper to us by those who do openly recognize His existence, but He is never considered as truly being on the same level as Christ Jesus and the Lord God Almighty by most.

Yes, it is indeed a very great tragedy. In fact, it will spell the eternal doom for far too many[13]. For it is written: “He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me scatters. And so I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.” [Matthew 12:30-32 NIV]

It is to miss the point of truly having a very close and personal relationship with Him to think in terms of punishment, however. For it is written: We have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. By this, love is perfected with us, so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment; because as He is, so also are we in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love. We love, because He first loved us. [1 John 4:16-19 NAS]

{1}John 1:14-18; {2}Matthew 3:13-17; {3}1 John 5:8; {4}John 14:20; {5}Deuteronomy 6:4; {6}Genesis 1:26; {7}John 16:13; {8}Matthew 11:28-30; {9}1 Peter 5:7; {10}Romans 1:18; {11}Isaiah 53:1-12; {12}John 10:30; {13}Matthew 12:36-37.

Sites To See

This is the new version of FIVE FOR FRIDAY. As with the former, it is the SOLE purpose of this weekly series to call attention to sites that I think many would find most interesting—in one way or another. Please, go see for yourself.

Link: [The Voices]

Link: [Still Waters]


Link: [Ranger Against War]

Link: [Fatos, Charges & Fotos]

Link: [Funny Dog Blog]

Link: [Daily Weird]

Link: [Photos From Phoenix2Life]

Link: [The Partybluprints Blog]

Link: [Knowledge and Religion]

Link: [The Joy of Homemaking]

WhiteHeart Wednesday

Link: [Souvenirs]



MP3 Audio Player From: [BlogDumps Video]

Eighth Wonder
WhiteHeart
I’ve been thinking about me
Wondering who I am
Trying to be somebody
Wondering if I can
I look into the mirror
Have this silent fear
There is no one really there

They say there are seven wonders of this world
What would the eighth one be
If I could just love myself the way
The way that The Lord loves me
If there are seven wonders of this world
What would the eighth one be

I keep building and building
Walls around the truth
But what I’m really needing
Is to find my rest in You
Nothing will have meaning
‘Til I start believing
Just how much I mean to You
How much I mean to You

They say there are seven wonders of this world
What would the eighth one be
If I could just love myself the way
The way that You love me
Lord I feel the wonder in this world
When I understand
Through your loving eyes You see
The wonder of who I am

Lord I feel the wonder in this world
When I understand
Through your loving eyes You see
The wonder of who I am

Link: [WhiteHeart]

TWO FOR TUESDAY

Not every song that will be featured here will be what is generally considered as being “Christian” in the eyes of this world. For some will be anguished cries from the pit of despair, and others will be quite obviously ferverent rants of rebellion. Nonetheless, be assured that they will all be of our Heavenly Father (in one way or another) and I hope that you have been given ears to hear the message.

***WARNING***
Some may find the imagery of the videos quite disturbing.


Link: [On YouTube]

Trapped
Soulidium
Feel trapped inside this life
Your bullsh#$ overwhems me
Nothing is what I get
Please tell me that it’s over
Your touch is cold like death
Please hurry get it over
I’m not like you
And you don’t see me

You f#$%ed up
Did it again
And I’m tired of healing you
Sorry
You’re stupid
And you got no face
And I’m tired of hearing you
Sorry

It’s time that we realize
That this is really over
I’m losing
Falling
Dying
Sick of your f#$%ing crying
Your touch is cold like death
Please hurry get it over
I’m not like you
And you don’t see me

You f#$%ed up
Did it again
And I’m tired of healing you
Sorry
You’re stupid
And you got no face
And I’m tired of hearing you
Sorry

Jealousy is gone
It’s just lost
Turned wrong
Sex is so passe
Please don’t touch me
F#$% me
Love me
Please go away

You f#$%ed up
Did it again
And I’m tired of healing you
Sorry
You’re stupid
And you got no face
And I’m tired of hearing you
Sorry

You f#$%ed up
Did it again
And I’m tired of healing you
Sorry
You’re stupid
And you got no face
And I’m tired of hearing you
Sorry
Sorry
Sorry
Sorry


Link: [On YouTube]

The Light
Soulidium
I’ve lived my life
I don’t apologize to anybody
Love has come
And now I’m free to be the real me

And now I see
I see the light
Freed from the night
The sun is rising again
And I feel
I feel alive
It’s on my face
Not far from grace
Not far from grace

If it feels right
It can’t be wrong
It’s so extraordinary
Break your chains
Despite their key
You were born to be free

And now I see
I see the light
Freed from the night
The sun is rising again
And I feel
I feel alive
It’s on my face
Not far from grace
Not far from grace

And now I see
I see the light
Freed from the night
And I feel
I feel alive
Not far from grace

And now I see
I see the light
Freed from the night
I feel
I feel alive
Not far from grace
Not far from grace

Link: [Soulidium Official Website]

Link: [Soulidium On MySpace]

Lyrics From: [LyricsMode]

Come Monday...The Trials of Ted Haggard

“Come Monday…” is a weekly series that will involve a review of websites, movies, documentaries, television shows, sports, music, and whatever else may tickle my fancy at the time. Be assured that these reviews will be generally positive, as in accordance to the Jimmy Buffett song “Come Monday.” This is subject to change, however. In fact, I would be most derelict in my duties to neglect going on a rant every once in a while. For rants promote change, and change can be good—right? Therefore, since good is generally considered as being a positive force in 99.3% of the parallel universes that I am aware of, even a rant could be considered as being something positive, and a genuine hissy-fit would be even better (so I'm told).

[The Trials of Ted Haggard] is another HBO documentary by [Alexandra Pelosi], which is [currently airing], and this is not first one featuring “Pastor Ted.” For he played a prominent role in her [Friends of God], which first aired in 2007.

It is a very different story this time around, however. For in Friends of God, Reverend Haggard was the President of the 30 million strong [National Association of Evangelicals] and the pastor of [New Life Church], which is a megachurch that he founded in Colorado Springs, CO. Whereas in The Trials of Ted Haggard, he is shown disgraced after he [confessed] to engaging in homosexual activity and buying methamphetamines.

I must confess that preachers like Reverend Haggard was pose a great stumbling-block for me. For I am instructed to take, “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do,” {Luke 23:34 KJV} to heart, but my hatred for what they are doing often carries the day.

A good example of what I am talking about can be found in the performance by Reverend Haggard in [Jesus Camp], which is a [Magnolia Pictures] documentary by [Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady]. For aside from the way he acted in front of his congregation and the subsequent personal interview, when he met Levi, who was all of 12 years old at the time, the conversation went something like this:
Levi, “Hi. How are you doing?”
Pastor Ted, “What’s your name?”
Levi, “My name’s Levi.”
Pastor Ted, “Hi, Levi. My name is Ted Haggard. I’m the senior pastor here.”
Levi, (Laugh) “I guessed.”
Pastor Ted, “You figured that out?”
Levi, (Laugh) “Yeah.”
Pastor Ted, “Oh, you do some preaching?”
Levi, “Yeah, I preach.”
Pastor Ted, “What’s your favorite subject?”
Levi, “My favorite subject? I like faith.”
Pastor Ted, “Well, that’s fabulous.”
Levi, “Yeah, I like faith.”
Pastor Ted, “So, do people like hearing you preach?”
Levi, “It seems everybody pays attention more.”
Pastor Ted, “Is it your content or is it because you are a kid?”
Levi, “I don’t know.”
Pastor Ted, “Yeah. Well, you’ll know when you are 30. I say, use your cute kid thing until you’re 30, and then you’ll have your content.”

You can judge for yourself. The part with Pastor Ted begins at 1:03:46 and ends on 1:08:51 of the film, but I would highly recommend paying close attention to the entire production. Just brace yourself.

[http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=3929535037535102662]

No, I did not like what I saw in Jesus Camp, and I’m not talking about just the part with Reverend Haggard, neither. For those children were being led down a very destructive path.

Perhaps Reverend Haggard was already well aware of this when he met Levi, but this does not excuse his attitude towards him. For he should have said something much more encouraging, like, “Please hang in there, and the Lord will continue to mold you into what He wants you to be,” instead of dismissing him as being nothing more than a kid. After all, was not the Prophet Jeremiah merely a child when our Heavenly Father first gave him what he wanted him to proclaim in His name {Jeremiah 1:4-10}, and was not Christ Jesus the same age as Levi when he sat with the teachers in the temple and taught them {Luke 2:41-52}? Furthermore, it is written: At that time Jesus said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this was your good pleasure.” {Matthew 11:25-26 NIV}

Nonetheless, this does not excuse my own attitude towards the way Reverend Haggard was, and there is certainly no excuse for the way he was treated by the Christian community, especially in his own church, after he confessed to commiting immorality. For instead of forgiving him for his failures, and seeking to help him be restored into full fellowship with our Heavenly Father (even in the way they see such), they permantly banished him from not only his own church, but from the entire state of Colorado, as well.

Alas, is it not no wonder that more and more have become more and more inclined to think that there may very well be a monkey or two hanging from our family trees? For who would want to believe that we were created by the God who approved of the actions of the New Life overseers and others just like them?

Even as hard as that is to take, the hardest part about The Trials of Ted Haggard for me is seeing that he has still not “found” our Heavenly Father in a very close and personal way. For he has been arguably crushed harder than I was because he lost more than I ever dared to dream about, and yet he still clings to what he used to preach.

Yes, most will undoubtedly recoil at how judgmental I sound, but be assured that there is a big difference between knowing about our Heavenly Father and actually knowing Him. For it is written: “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’” {Matthew 7:21-23 NIV}

No, there is not a doubt in my mind that Reverend Haggard has called out to our Heavenly Father, and asked Him to draw him ever closer. For this has been revealed to me, and I have been assured that his plea has been answered in the same way as mine was.

The trouble is that what our Heavenly Father has been revealing to Reverend Haggard is still unacceptable to him because of how contrary it is to his own beliefs. For if what he is being given now is right, much (if not most) of what he had been preaching all of those years was wrong, and that is a very bitter pill to swallow. So, he would rather believe that all of those crazy thoughts in his head really are just that.

Okay, my plea was not necessarily the same as Reverend Haggard’s. For I was actually offering myself to the devil in exchange for certain favors when the Lord God Almighty Himself made Himself real to me, but you should get the point. Hopefully, Reverend Haggard will get what he is being shown before too much longer.

A Sunday Drive

Back during my childhood, my parents would often load up my brother and I after Sunday morning church services for a leasurely drive around where we lived. Even though we were seeing mostly familiar sights, it was still good to see them, and this is why “A Sunday Drive” sounded about right for the name of a weekly series revisiting familiar sites that are well worth seeing again and again.

Link: [Hunting Life]

Link: [PetLvr]

Link: [Zero RC]


Link: [Jogging In Circles]

Link: [Middle of Nowhere]

Link: [Digital Pixels]

Link: [Red Monkey]

Link: [TABI Hats]

Link: [Renai Photography]

Link: [Wayfaring Travel Guide]