I've been having a lovely email exhange with a friend this morning about wedding photos and the impending move of the newlyweds to Virginia. The topic turns to my job and my extroverted friend suggests a local bookstore as a "for the time being" employment. As we banter back and forth about other possibilites, I mention that Starbucks might be more to my liking as they have benefits, and reassure him that I'm not in need as my contract doesn't end until June 30th.
His return email contains this phrase, "June 30th is a long way off and you're right, God can do awesome things, especially if you give him 6 weeks. :-) "
And he is so right.
81 comments:
Amen to that, Susan. Amen to that!
Sometimes we do have to think outside the box. And more importantly, we should fear of putting God in a box. He is a God of great wonders!
Glad you have an encouraging friend there. Good words! We need them. And especially you, during this time.
We continue to pray.
Thanks so much for yours and Deb's prayers, Ted! They are much appreciated! It will be interesting, won't it, when we see what God's been up to all along?
Amen! Think what God did in six days, and now He's got six weeks!
Good point, Lt'l Luther!
Yes. It will be Susan. Deb and I are more than happy to be praying for you, and it will be exciting to see all the answers!
> All I know is that if anyone tried to teach in school that the planet's biodiversity is derived from what could be crammed into Noah's boat during or after the Bronze Age, they would be laughed out of court and given the sackI'm sure that's true, Maalie. And yet, people are not sacked for teaching that all living things evolved into existence. Why are they NOT laughed out of the colleges and fired for teaching this??? That's my question. For "science has yet to discover how even one protein molecule could actually have come into existence by natural processes." And yet so many of you educators teach that all life evolved into existence?! Anyone who teaches this should be laughed out of the colleges and canned, since they have no evidence to support the claim. Yet, because the vast majority of educators believe this hypothesis they are not sacked for teaching something for which they have no evidence.
If you say there is evidence, then show me how any life can come into existence through natural processes. You can't! It cannot be tested and retested. It cannot be verified. It cannot be peer reviewed. Only hypothesis can be made. And yet, we are supposed to believe all life came into existence when you can not give a shred of evidence for how even the simplest of life forms could come into existence through natural processes?
Maalie: In a just world, all of you who postulate this theory would be laughed out of the colleges and sacked. But, instead, majority rules and truth is laughed out of the classroom.
Oh, so the flood was only local now, was it? Others will disagree and claim that the bible is the word of god and faultless. Just another little example of making the bible mean what you want it to.
This confirms the allegation that I heard (from a fundamentilist blog that I infiltrated) that fundamentalists are somewhat embarrassed about the flood myth.
So I take it now that you agree that the whole of humanity could not have stemmed from what could be crammed onto Noah's rather small boat?
And for your information, humans most definitely WERE dispersed all over the world before Noah could possible have been building a boat of that complexity (i.e. the bronze age).
You argue from personal incredulity, not from evidence, anmd you blindly deny the existence of evidence that does exist. I think you read too much of the quasi-scientific mis-informatiuon put about by the fundamentalist publishing houses. I suggest you read some peer-reviewed journals.
Halfmom, good luck with the job hunting, but if I may make so bold as to suggest, I would not leave TOO much to the will of God. There is quite a lot that you can do for yourself to seize control of your own destiny. Six weeks will go in a flash.
"There is quite a lot that you can do for yourself to seize control of your own destiny."
This was true for me, and is true, but if I do this, then I will miss out on the joy of serving Christ, and having Him as my Lord, my God, and my Friend.
I thought of this stanza, Susan, as I read your post:
"No guilt in life, no fear in death—
This is the pow'r of Christ in me;
From life's first cry to final breath,
Jesus commands my destiny.
No pow'r of hell, no scheme of man,
Can ever pluck me from His hand;
Till He returns or calls me home—
Here in the pow'r of Christ I'll stand." - Keith Getty & Stuart Townend
Romans 8:28
"seize control of your own destiny" has gotten me in quite a lot of hot water over the course of my life Maalie. I prefer to wait on God and not force things to happen in the way that I think best.
That does not, of course, preclude the fact that God expects me to be diligent on a daily basis, as I have been for the past 13 months since I found that this might happen. So far, all the doors have been closed. So, He will quite literally, need to open a door that either is not on the horizon yet or where the door appears to be closed.
Don, that is one of the hymns that the "kids" chose to be sung in their wedding. It also is one of my favorites and helped to get me through the fact that I was standing in a church singing in the physical condition I was in (10 days post surgery) and in the row in front of my ex-husband and his new wife. Jesus controls my destiny. He knew about this before the beginning of time. He allowed it even though it was not what I wanted. I was thinking more in terms of Rom 8:29 though! Thanks for your encouragment and prayers.
Not Starbucks Susan. They have such poor morals.
Actually about the flood, I thought it said in the Bible 'the whole world'.
Susan, if I may be so bold, I believe it is okay and even right to make plans but at the same time realize that the Lord is directing your course (but you know this).
"A man’s heart plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps." (Prov. 16:9)
Maalie, perhaps you have misunderstood my take on Noah and the flood. Let me clarify:
* Yes. I believe it was probably local, not global—though it was definitely a literal event.
* No!! I am not embarrassed about that story being in the Bible (nor do I consider myself a fundamentalist).
*No. I do not believe it happened during or after the Bronze Age. It was long before that--before ship building was known.
* Yes. Since I believe the Bible, I believe it happened before humans were dispersed throughout the earth because that is the order the Bible gives (Noah first, then people multiplied on the earth and were dispersed.)
So, all you really have against this theory is that ship building and the art of making tools was not known at the time of Noah. But God knew all these things and taught Noah. Besides, Noah spent a literal 100 years building the ship to get it right!
vw: checefla (like "Cheeky fella")
"Actually about the flood, I thought it said in the Bible 'the whole world'."
It does Llama. I agree, the whole world. It's the Father's world.
"This is my Father's world,
and to my listening ears
all nature sings, and round me rings
the music of the spheres.
This is my Father's world:
I rest me in the thought
of rocks and trees, of skies and seas;
his hand the wonders wrought.
This is my Father's world,
the birds their carols raise,
the morning light, the lily white,
declare their maker's praise.
This is my Father's world:
he shines in all that's fair;
in the rustling grass I hear him pass;
he speaks to me everywhere.
This is my Father's world.
O let me ne'er forget
that though the wrong seems oft so strong,
God is the ruler yet.
This is my Father's world:
why should my heart be sad?
The Lord is King; let the heavens ring!
God reigns; let the earth be glad!"-Maltbie D. Babcock
Lorenzo,
World doesn't always mean the whole planet in the Bible. Besides, it says "I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth" but all that means is that God is going to kill every human being. It doesn't mean people had dispersed throughout the whole earth yet. That doesn't happen till five chapters later in Genesis.
But Luther, you believe that Genesis took place just a few thousand years ago, and humans dispersed out of Africa hundreds of thousands of years ago.
Your theory would only work if Genesis was written in hindsight.
Very nice hymn Donsands.
> World doesn't always mean the whole planet in the Bible errrm...
Always? Sometimes? never?
Hmmm. Oh I see more clearly now. The bible means what you want it to.
Just like when Donsands said: Jesus didn't mean 'this', he meant 'that'.
"Just like when Donsands said: Jesus didn't mean 'this', he meant 'that'."
It's called hermeneutics Maalie, which I'm sure you're aware of, probably better than me.
"Biblical hermeneutics - refers to the study of the interpretation of written texts, especially texts in the areas of literature, religion and law. Contemporary or modern hermeneutics encompasses not just issues involving the written text, but everything in the interpretative process. This includes verbal and nonverbal forms of communication as well as prior aspects that impact communication, such as presuppositions, preunderstandings, the meaning and philosophy of language, and semiotics."
Some Scripture study is not cut and dry. Other Scripture study is pure and simple.
For instance:
Jesus died on a Cross, and rose from the dead is the pure and simple portion.
Baptismal mode is more difficult.
Susan - may you be at peace as God leads you to the next thing he has planned. When we're in the middle of searching, it can be easy to forget that he does have a plan for us, revealed at its proper time.
Blessings to you
Lorenzo wrote: "But Luther, you believe that Genesis took place just a few thousand years ago".
I do?? That's news to me! I believe Moses wrote Genesis a few thousand years ago under the inspiration of God. But when God actually created the universe, our planet, Adam and Eve, etc. may have been millions of years ago for all I know.
I've talked about this before but I'll say again briefly that Genesis says God created everything in six days (admittedly they sound like six 24 hour days). Then it tells us that God rested on the seventh day. If the first six days were 24 hour days then we must assume that God rested for only 24 hours as well. However, the book of Hebrews tells us that God's seventh-day-of-rest goes on eternally, and that God invites us into His rest. If God's seventh day is an eternal day, that seems to be a clue to me that the first six days were probably quote long periods too, perhaps many millions of years.
Therefore I have no problem with the hypothesis that "humans dispersed...hundreds of thousands of years ago". And, if that's the case, then I believe Noah came before they dispersed. You know, Maalie's theory is a stack of cards. He assumes that Noah couldn't possibly build the tools to build a ship before the Bronze Age. But God gave Noah the floor plans and the know-how! Also, God instructed Noah to put pitch on the inside and the outside of the craft (probably to seal up any imperfections so it wouldn’t leak). Anyhow, that's my take on it. The Noah event was probably something that took place a hundred thousand years ago or more and God told Moses about it a few thousand years ago about it, who in turn told us.
yes god is awsome!
"A mans heart plans his way but the Lord guides his steps"
So, my heart tells me to visit a strip show, and its god who controls my feet? ahahahahah Awsome!
I can now see why you carry a gun.... ;o)
Now, I believe the bible- every word of it... There can be no room for interpretation, none whatsoever..
So, who is going to drink deadly poison first? (giggle)Oops Now I understand!
Deadly poison is actually beer!@
Simon,
You know better than that! The gist of the Story in Scripture, the beginning and end, and all that's in between, and how it's all fulfilled in Jesus is not unclear.
Just like any book, you read it in context. You and Maalie like to say the Bible can mean anything. And of course it can, if one chooses not to read it in context.
And what brings it all together is Christ. It's a person, not a book that makes us Christians. The book points and leads us to that person. And that book is alive in doing so, because it's of God. And so we can understand something of this reality in Jesus, and live in it with others. And see in Jesus, the new creation begin here and now.
smile.. well said Ted
BTW, just in case any didn't know, for all who know Craver, he had an operation last night, and had his bladder removed.
He was hurtin' pretty bad, but was joking around as Craver does.
Simon wrote: "Deadly poison is actually beer".
Well there is a brew out there called "Dead Man Ale". A friend of mine who stopped by here in the past (Fonster) turned me on to this delicious beer. It's excellent! I only wish I could get it in Nepal!
Actually his gallbladder Don.
I don't have a direct report yet from the Cravers - I either had an old telephone number or the Craver children have gone missing playing hookie from school when daddy and mama are away and won't catch them.
craver? really! Well my prayers are with him for real......
p.s. there is also a brew called Bishop's Finger.
Poor Craver. Hope he gets better soon. Give him a big llama hug.
Craver is home and doing ok - just in pain, so on medication. He'll be back up at his blog (linked on my home page if you wnat to go there) soon, I'm sure.
"Besides, Noah spent a literal 100 years building the ship to get it right!"
Yeh, right! And another guy lived in the guts of a fish for three days!
Madness! My students would have reported me to the Dean if I had told them that! Thank goodness kids in Great Britain are getting a sound biological eduction in school and from the BBC.
Halfmom, please pass on my best wishes for a speedy recovery to Craver vii.
[Noah spent a literal 100 years building the ship to get it right!] "Yeh, right! And another guy lived in the guts of a fish for three days!"You're starting to get it right Maalie! I'm so proud :)
Craver's blog is hyperlinked on my blog roll if you'd like to tell him yourself, but I'll be glad to pass the wishes along too. Right now he's home and doing ok. Just some pain, which is normal. Mostly they're concerned about a bout of high blood pressure at the moment.
I've had a message from Craver saying he only wants e-hugs at the moment as he's a bit sore!
>...Madness! My students would have reported me to the Dean if I had told them that! -Maalie
I wonder why your students haven't reported you to the Dean for teaching that all life came into being through natural processes when you don't have a shred of evidence to support such a claim?
Lorenzo, Bishop's Finger sounds like a bloody good beer!
Luther, you and your Litl mind are so funny :-)
I believe Moses wrote Genesis a few thousand years ago
may have been millions of years ago for all I know.
If the first six days were 24 hour days then we must assume that God
If God's seventh day is an eternal day
that seems to be a clue to me
And, if that's the case
Anyhow, that's my take on it.
The Noah event was probably something that took place Well,
Litl Luther, there are so many if's and but's and assume's and seems and probably's that I'm not sure if you have actually got your Litl brain round it! All so vague! Scientific evidence for evolution is tangible, independently verifiable and durable. Much more trustworthy than a 2000 year old out-dated and discredited book!
You make me laugh!
Ah Lil-Luther, in a just world students would do just that, and every teacher who perpetrated such lies would be fired instead of the other way around. I for one look forward to the day when truth will be revealed to all. Then Maalie, at that day you will beg for the rocks to fall on you to escape God's wrath if you have not repented. You will bow the knee to Jesus Christ. EVERY knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father!
Let God be true and every man a liar.
My dear Maalie King, a hearty good morning to you!
How is it "independently verifiable"? Just because multiple investigators have come to the same conclusion does not make it verifiable. It just means they think in the same fashion - as do we Christians.
Neither of us can actually prove anything. You think evolution, as you define it (yes, I do understand that you are in agreement with majority of scientists at present) is the least parsimonious conclusion for the evidence. I happen to think not.
Now - tell me what you think of this new fossil they've dug up?? I haven't had time to read about it yet. Have you? What do you think? The one picture I saw looked like a tiny dinosaur, so I'm not sure I was looking at the right thing.
This new fossil could well be the missing link. So far, I think, the nearest is Lucy, astralapithicus afarensis (check with Maalie for the spelling) who was found in Ethopia a few years ago.
I don't think that "all" of Lucy was found in the same place though - I mean that it was a complete skeleton. I think this one is complete - with hands no less. I always want to see pictures of the actual find, not the reconstruction. We are so often offered the reconstruction which supposes what the missing parts looked like that it's frustrating - I just want to see the data! I do love fossils!
Australopithecus afarensis
I think Lucy was whole. I remember reading the book about her discovery. I really must google her.
>I just want to see the data! Oh,
It's all out there in the peer-reviewed literature, Halfmom, it is not difficult to find.
It perplexes me how fundamentalists deny, evade, ignore, dispute, disregard, re-interpret highly documented scientific evidence without offering alternative explanations for peer-review themselves.
To accept the science of medicine for your their benefit, but then to reject that of other disciplines (and medicine, anatomy and anthropology are very closely related) is just perversity.
Just how, exactly, do your own interpretations differ from the world-wide scientific community which includes some of the best brains in America?
Ahh Maalie, my dearYou do make me laugh! You caught me using, as I am so prone to do, imprecise grammar. I should have said, "I want to see ONLY the data, not just reconstructions where someone has filled in the black box of missing pieces and parts with their own interpretations of what the whole looks like.
And, I haven't been called "perverse" in quite a long while :). Whatever give you the idea that I ..."accept the science of medicine ... but then to reject that of other disciplines...". I'm afraid you really would find me perverse if you knew how skeptical I was about much of even my own field! Spinning stories around the data to suit our own hypotheses is just far to easy.
My personal interpretation of the data? As I've told you many times before, it's all so very interesting - the data I mean. How they fit together with Creator God no man has yet figured out and may never. The conundrum just doesn't bother me.
Other AndrewWhy ever do you leave comments only to delete them? The comment you left was perfectly fine. I saw it in my inbox because they are emailed there as soon as they are left. So, I see them even if you delete them immediately after posting.
All I ask is that at the end of your comment you identify yourself by something other than "Andrew" so that the other readers know you are not my son-in-law Andrew. For eg., "Andrew from Florida"
Maalie - I have a formatting question for you. What is the HTML tags for end of paragraph? I am so frustrated that I cannot, just by hitting enter a couple of times, get my paragraphs to separate like you do yours. What are you doing??
I did not delete any comments Susan. I stand behind, and am fully persuaded of what I wrote in my comment that is still visible. May I humbly inquire as to why just plain old Scripture is not being used more here, instead of the going around and around in circles about evidence, data, etc? God's Word is sufficient. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.
Andrew from Florida
"..instead of the going around and around in circles about evidence, data, etc?"
That's how we learn Andrew.
I agree that Scripture is the all sufficient and final authority from God to us about His will and who He is. It's a treasure really.
But there's a lot of things we can discover in the world Andrew. As Copernicus and Galileo showed us.
Just a couple cents worth from my pea brain.
Have a great holiday all. All the "Yanks" that is, not the Brits.
Donsands: if you have a pea brain, then I have a lentel brain!
Hi Florida Andrew - I can see your comment now. However, there was a deleted comment right above Maalie's
"Australopithecus afarensis" link that I thought was yours as well - so, I'm glad you're still with us - sorry for the confusion.
As to why not more scripture or scripture only? That's an interesting thought. Scripture does say of itself that it is sufficient for all things concerning life and godliness. However, I think that perhaps that promise is condition on the interaction of scripture in the life of a believer. Since spiritual truth is spiritually discerned and sound doctrine teaches us that nonbelievers do not posses the Holy Spirit, I'm not sure what a nonbeliever would be able to do with it.
Moreover, I do not want to "christianize" nonbelievers. It's rather like taking the pressure off the pressure cooker - the green beans take forever to cook that way!
PS - I have to go now. Craver is craving cookies! I've got to find out what kind he is allowed to have.
Thank you Susan. I think you misunderstood me somewhat. I only meant that if you want someone to have faith, it has to be by the Word of God. Of course, the Spirit has to also attend the words, but I think far too often we use our own words instead of using God's word. The mistake I see everyone making here is getting sucked into the trap of trying to defend the Bible. We don't need to defend it, God's Word stands alone.
Consider this verse. For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
And again, faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.
We can't expect someone to come to faith if all we are doing is using our own words.
It almost sounds like you are saying that God's Word is only for believers!
May I also so humbly yet boldly say that when we use all our own words, it is basically prideful and a lack of belief that God's Word really is true and enough to impart faith.
Interesting, Andrew. I'll think and pray over what you've said.
> Litl Luther, there are so many if's and but's and assume's and seems and probably's that I'm not sure if you have actually got your Litl brain round it! All so vague -Maalie
That's because the Bible doesn't say Noah sailed his ship on October 15th 103007 BC. If it did, I would be much more precise. I was only presenting a theory, that's all. I don't know how old the earth is, how long ago Noah existed, etc. Where the Bible is clear, I am to be clear. Where the Bible is silent, we can only speculate.
If we were talking about whether Noah existed and sailed his ship, the answer is indeed “Yes, he did.” If we were talking about whether Jesus died for our sins and rose from the dead, never to taste death again, the answer to that is also "He did!"
Where the Bible is clear, I will be much more dogmatic. Where it is silent I can only give my educated guess. I'm not going to put words in God's mouth or twist the Scriptures (as you accuse us of doing).
> Then Maalie, at that day you will beg for the rocks to fall on you to escape God's wrath if you have not repented. -Fl Andrew
I agree Andrew. In that day, I bet there will be quite a number of inter-continental swimming atheists too, begging for huge sea creatures to eat them or swallow them, similar to Jonah, to hide them from the fury of Christ's glorious Second Coming.
>And again, faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. Well,
Andrew, of course "faith" (I call it delusion) comes from indoctrinating little children with biblical mythology as if it were true. And perpetrating the shameful "home-schooling" scandal that prevents children from encountering the evidence from "dreadful science teachers who might tell them about evolution".
That 2000 year old volume is so riddled with inaccuracy and contradiction it is a joke.
Luther, your Litl mind doesn't seem to be big enough to avail itself of the incontrovertible evidence that exists. Thank goodness for the BBC and all its wonderful documentaries about life on earth and how it evolved, aimed at the younger generation.
A man surviving in the guts of a fish for three days! ROTFL!!
Halfmom: the HTML tag for "paragraph break" is the letter 'p' within angle-brackets, but that seems to be a tag that blogger doesn't accept. I have noticed weird things going on too, for example I can't get a paragraph break immediately after a section in italic.
So glad to hear that Craver vii is asking for cookies (we call them biscuits or cakes) and very comforting to know that he was able to entrust his mortal body into the hands of skilled surgeons who have clearly benefited from an excellent education in medical science.
>For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Oh,
Andrew, since the notion of "God" is a product of man's imagination, not anything that is actually "there", we can ascribe any attribute to "him" that we want to. (Or maybe "her" in some cultures - may I just use "it" for simplicity?). "It" is omnipotent, because we ascribe that to "It". "It" is omniscient, because we ascribe that to "It".
"It's word" being sharper than a two-edged sword is mere rhetoric, and doesn't actually mean anything real at all.
All cultures have their creation myths, our is no different. Thankfully credence in this mythology is rapidly diminishing thanks to the educative power of the media and universities.
OK, that's enough from me for today :-)
Oh give it a break Maalie. You need a holiday.
I think you will find Andrew, there is no marrow in joints. Marrow is in bones.
> Luther, you and your Litl mind ….I'm not sure if you have actually got your Litl brain round it! ….Luther, your Litl mind doesn't seem to be big enough to avail itself of the incontrovertible evidence that exists. -Maalie
Thank goodness Maalie never resorts to ad hominem attacks instead of merely arguing the evidence! :-) LOL
Lorenzo, I'm afraid I can't let such nonsense go without comment I'm afraid!
I agree with you about the marrow - fundamentalism is all based on simile, metaphor, analogy, tautology or rhetoric, and usually bad at that! I mean, a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart - what the heck does that mean? It is meaningless if you analyse it word by word. Why can't anybody say anything real for once?
As a matter of fact I am going away for a well-deserved holiday next week.
And don't be so bossy, Litl Sister, I shall observe requests made by the blog owner, not from you ;-)
Litl Luther, I have reached the conclusion that you have already made up your mind to discard scientific evidence that I have been trying to describe here for months. and your Litl closed mind refuses to consider anything outside that 2000 year-old unbelievable and discredited tome! LOL!
I never thought of Maalie as a sexist before: This seems like a good quote for him:
“There have been geniuses with tiny brains and idiots with huge ones. Women have smaller brains than men, on average. Smaller people, particularly midgets, often have smaller brains. Unless you are prepared to defend the stance that women and short people are dumber, you’d be wise to drop the “big brain = big smarts” argument.”
Does that Litl gun at your hip make you feel important?
Andrew from Florida,
I agree that you have a good point. The word of God is powerful by itself.
But God does give teachers to the church. They can't just read Scripture out loud; they need to explain it, and help the listeners to apply it to their everyday lives.
And when we read Scripture to ourselves, we want to hear God's voice through them to us. And God gives us a mind to participate in that.
That reminds me of the passage in Isaiah: "Come, let us reason together. Though your sins are red as scarlet, they shall be white as snow."
Just some thoughts on what you say, here.
Well I see, Andrew from Fla, that you do that yourself- so good!
I will have to say that if you read any good book by a good theologian or pastor throughout the entire history of the church- take Augustine's "Confessions" for example, you will run into many of the author's own words. But they are given with deep reverence in response to God and to God's word, and the Word- Jesus.
Halfmom: Is atheism a non-prophet organisation?
LOL!
Wow. This sounds like one of those British comedies, like "Keeping Up Appearances". I think a lot of this must be being done with some fun and jest.
Actually Maalie, I'd say a good share of Christians who hold to the Bible as God's word, also accept evolution. It's not an issue with us. We don't struggle over the Genesis account and mainstream science. They are two different things.
But I'm not trying to say there's no value to the discussion going on on this blog. Not at all!
I am in agreement with these words, from a Baptist scholar and professor, who teaches at a well known evangelical college in Vancouver.
Maalie's always been a bit on the sexists side. When I was little he locked me in the chicken shed and traumatised me for life.
I must add though, that some of the most intelligent people I know, brighter than I, don't agree with me on this. And Susan is certainly in that category, though I have yet to meet her.
No fun and jest Ted. The things Maalie did to me when I was little would make your hair curl!
I should say something like, people who like to think a lot.
I hate comparing people or myself with another. We're all so different. Different gifts in the gift we each are. So that I don't have to be discouraged that I don't have what so and so has, but can also be thankful for what I do have, the unique person I, and each of us, are.
(and you're NOT a pea brain, Don. Nor is Lorenozo a lentil one!)
So I correct my last comment, a little.
I think you misunderstood me again, Ted and Don. I did not mean to never use your own words, but I don't see Scripture used at all in these discourses. And when you are dealing with an unbeliever, using Scripture is the only means to bring about salvation. I don't care if this man laughs or not, I know the Bible is true and I know it has the power to do just what it says.
Don't get sucked into the trap of debating evolution. Just keep going back to the truth of God's word. Don't get discouraged from it by his mockery. It still has the power to save, and IT only has the power to save.
Andrew, you sound just as bossy as my sister! No wonder so many people have turned away from the cult of Christianity!
Of course evolution has to be debated; it is debated among the scientific community so why should anybody be excluded? Darwin was a devout Christian until the evidence turned him away. Other refuse to acknowledge the evidence in order to maintain their delusion.
God's Word? Come off it, it was written by men to explain the unexplainable at the time. Our knowledge and understanding of how the world works has improved quite a bit in the last 2000 years, you know!
You would not expect your doctor to bleed you with leeches these days: medicine and molecular biology go hand in hand, based on the same principles. You are going to have to get used to it.
Andrew from Fla,
You caught me in a dead space here as I await something.
I think your point is well taken. You seem to mean we must use quotes from Scripture. I think that's well and good.
However I'd say we need to speak forth the word of God into our lives and into people's lives in creative, imaginative ways. I believe God helps his people do so.
If my language does not reflect God's word, and is just merely my own words, than I agree with you, that it's a waste of time. And we do need to separate the wheat from the chaff, always, in our reading and listening.
Let me add to this that I don't believe discussing whatever it might be, and especially with regard to faith- is necessarily empty, if it's done in love, and to help someone come to Christ, or grow in him. And God does give things simply for us to enjoy and marvel over.
Also I think when Christians use Scripture and give Scripture quotes to people, quite often they're taken out of context. And though God can still powerfully use them, it might have nothing to do with what the Christian's intent was.
Just the same, you still have a valid point. Though if you go to my blog (I do link to Scripture), you'll see that I try to say only what is scriptural on all my posts. Therefore I believe I'm speaking forth in a teaching mode, the word of God.
I believe I say nothing new at all to you, but am just letting you know my thinking right here and now.
And I appreciate your good comment in reply.
Amen, God's word alone has the power to save. Through Christ and by the Spirit in the gospel. Amen to that, brother!
Maalie,
Here's a molecular biologist herself, and her excellent book on Jesus as a Rabbi.
Andrew from Fla,
I don't mean to say for one second that you are one of those Bible bashing, hitting people over the head with Bible verses. I doubt that, based on what I've read from you on this blog.
Interesting link Ted, I have followed it. However, I bet that she, like Francis Collins (human genome project), does NOT believe that a man survived in the guts of a fish for three days; that mankind stemmed from Mr Adam and Miss Eve (in a garden with an apple and a talking snake; everybody knows that hominids had their origin in Africa) or that the world's biodiversity evolved from what could be crammed into Noah's boat as recently as the Bronze Age.
Bossy? Me?
Poor Llama! I bet Maalie was a fair terror when you werre wee ones! Hopefully that long held love of birds was just live ones!
You have my permission to be as bossy as you like with him here Llama! And Maalie, you shall listen to your little sister!
I will try the paragraph tag but I fear the formatting will still be strange. I couldn't get it right in the post I just put up either! So frustrating.
Now I am off with my daughter to a baby shower and later with both of the newlyweds to a graduation party.
And there are still those cookies for Craver.....
"I bet that she, like Francis Collins (human genome project), does NOT believe that .... that the world's biodiversity evolved from what could be crammed into Noah's boat as recently as the Bronze Age.""
Would she believe what Dr. Luke wrote: "In the first book, O Theophilus, I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach, until the day when he was taken up, after he had given commands through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen. He presented himself ALIVE to them after his suffering by many proofs, APPEARING to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God." (The Book of Acts 1:1-4)
Here's a little something about Luke the man,[the historian], (you should check him out Maalie):"Professor of classics at Auckland University, E.M. Blaiklock, wrote: "For accuracy of detail, and for evocation of atmosphere, Luke stands, in fact, with Thucydides. The Acts of the Apostles is not shoddy product of pious imagining, but a trustworthy record...it was the spadework of archaeology which first revealed the truth."[
Cookies? Did someone say cookies?
"he locked me in the chicken shed and traumatised me for life."
I've heard that lamas and chickens just don't get along.
"God's word alone has the power to save." -Fl Andrew & Ted
I agree, but I would like to amplify your words, for Scripture teaches that "the GOSPEL of Christ is the power of God for salvation" and "CHRIST [is] the power of God." (1 Cor. 1:24) Since Christ is the Gospel, there is no contradiction of words. The Scripture makes us wise for salvation (2Tim 3:15), meaning that God uses His Word to open our eyes to the good news of Christ, enabling us to put faith in Him and be saved from our sins.
I know you guys don't disagree with me, nor do I disagree with you. I'm just a stickler for words, and it is the Gospel alone which saves us, through our faith in Jesus Christ—not Scripture.
Fl Andrew: You haven't been around this blog long enough to realize how much Scripture has been dispersed here. At times Maalie and Simon have gotten so sick of it saying "All you do is through Scripture at us!" I’m sure they would confirm this.
vw: begme (Is God speaking to you, Maalie?)
His Fl Andrew,
Ted is right that our words must be in line with the Scripture for them to have meaning. Paul exemplifies this when he preaches to the Athenians in Acts 17. Never once does Paul quote Scripture, yet because all his words were in line with Scriptural teaching and the fact that he spoke of the resurrection of Christ, people came to faith in Christ, despite the fact that Paul did not quote Scripture.
Similarly, here are the words of a great song, which though it does not cite Scripture, it is nevertheless powerful and can lead people to faith in Christ because its words are so in accordance with Scripture:
In Christ alone my hope is found
He is my light, my strength, my song
This cornerstone, this solid ground
Firm through the fiercest drought and storm
What heights of love, what depths of peace
When fears are stilled, when strivings cease
My comforter, my all-in-all
Here in the love of Christ I stand
In Christ alone who took on flesh
Fullness of God in helpless babe
This gift of love and righteousness
Scorned by the ones He came to save
'Til on that Cross, as Jesus died
The wrath of God was satisfied
For every sin on Him was laid
Here in the death of Christ I live
There in the ground His body lay
Light of the world by darkness slain
Then bursting forth in glorious day
Up from the grave He rose again
And as He stands in victory
Sin's curse has lost its grip on me
For I am His and He is mine
Bought with the precious blood of Christ
No guilt in life, no fear in death
This is the power of Christ in me
From life's first cry to final breath
Jesus commands my destiny
No power of hell, no scheme of man
Can ever pluck me from His hand
'Til He returns or calls me home
Here in the power of Christ I'll stand
'Til He returns or calls me home
Here in the power of Christ I stand
Here in the power of Christ alone
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