The Great Separation

Picture Perfect Friday: What a Daring Shot.

Throw'en - Here's a couple of pics from Monday when my buddy Jimmy and I visited two courses in our area; Northeast Coachman and Cliff Stevens. Both pics are clickable for enlargement.

This first one is of me after putting one in.

Here is the pro-tee for basket number 10 at Cliff Stevens. That's Jimmy. The basket is across the lake in those trees on the right of the picture.

Quick Link: Churches 'harassed' in Minnesota.

Papers. Show me your papers. - Here's a quick link to a news item that I find interesting.

Churches 'harassed' in Minnesota:

Officials in Ramsey County, Minnesota have sent letters to more than 800 churches and related entities there demanding various documents to justify the tax-exempt status of the ministries. Christian legal experts call the move illegal harassment.

Douglas Napier, senior legal counsel with the Alliance Defense Fund (ADF), says the county is violating state law just by requesting the information. "Government officials have no right to harass churches in violation of state law," says the attorney. "And the county needs to realize that its threats to revoke the tax-exempt status of hundreds of churches, unless those churches submit their laundry list of documents, is [sic] clearly a violation of Minnesota law."

Some News of Colony Collapse Disorder.

Still dying off. - I haven't had an update on CCD in a while because the information has for the most part been unchanged. But here's a quick link and bit of news on the mysterious Colony Collapse Disorder striking down a large number of bee hives across the US and some new research into the cause.

Honey Bee Losses Continue To Rise In U.S.:

A recent survey by the Apiary Inspectors of America found that losses nationwide topped 36 percent of managed hives between September 2007 and March 2008, compared to a 31 percent loss during the same period a year earlier.

So apparently there's been an increase in loss of 5% - keep in mind that not all were lost to CCD.

The good news is that some are making headway into discovering the source of the problem. One such source might be the Israeli acute paralysis virus. Though according to the press release linked to above, researchers are intimating that it could well be a combination of a number of factors like the virus and pesticides.

The Power of Family.

There's a reason we're not alone. - I'm sitting here in contemplation of a number of things.

• Life's struggles in this imperfect and fallen world.
• A need to post to this blog as it's been over a week.
• Relationships: difficulties and rewards.
• Temptations and weaknesses.
• And my need and passion to work on my current WIP.

And that's just a few of the things bouncing around in my average sized brain.

But in it all I am very thankful to Jesus for the wonderful benefit He has given all those who believe in Him as Lord and Savior.

That benefit is family.

When we are born again into the family of God we gain all these wonderful brothers and sisters with the same goal, to love the Lord our God with all our heart and with all our mind.

One of the great things that Christ asks us to do is to care and uplift each other when we are down or are in need. What a blessed opportunity to serve He gives us.

I experienced that blessing of service this week when a sister came to me and another brother. She has a very serious need and we were able to advise in Christ and enter into prayer warfare with her over this need.

Today. I was sitting alone and waiting for someone who never showed up (and I really wanted to be using that time to work on my current book idea). I was thinking over some of the list above while I waited and feeling a bit frustrated and some what low. Out of the blue one of my sisters in Christ from another state sends me a text message on twitter wanting to know how I'm doing today. Just how great an encouragement is it to know that someone is thinking about you at that moment?!

Earlier today I was able to praise God with two brothers in Christ as both were finding some leading from the Lord in the form of work.

And just a few moments ago, I was talking with another sister online faced with trials at the moment and I was able to share some of that with her.

We are called into a family of believers, as Paul notes in Gal. 6:10, and we are not just labeled as such but are to be active members. The reason is so that we can strengthen the body of Christ. For we are His body in this fallen world, ministering first to each other so that we can minister to the world and share with them the love of Jesus.

What a wonderful blessing we have in Christ Jesus!

Who's Authority are You Under?

For I myself am a man under authority. - The adult Bible study I lead in my small church here in the Tampa Bay area is currently doing a study put together by the folks at RightNow.org.

The study is "The Life of Nehemiah with Marcus Goodloe. It's not a bad study and best of all it's taken some pressure off of me from having to put a study together from scratch.

As is often the case, questions tend to lead our group deeper into other aspects of the Word. Last night while we were talking, the realization came out that Nehemiah was a man to whom God gave a mission, a directive. But Nehemiah was also a man under authority.

How often in our "Western," "Me centered," culture do we or someone we know, get a directive from God in some fashion or another and then set out immediately upon that directive?

For example, like moving, changing jobs, going into the ministry, heading to a mission field, or getting married to that "special someone."

God's given us the directive after all. Shouldn't we in faith, jump to it?

This is where I was in thinking last night on Nehemiah. Here was a man clearly given a heart, desire, and purpose from God to see to the rebuilding of Jerusalem's walls. He had his directive from God after prayer and fasting. He had his purpose. But he didn't cut and run to it which he could have chosen to do. Instead he recognized that he was a man under authority and he went to get the king's permission.

Sure, if he had cut and run the king might have ordered his capture and even death. The king could have taken his life just for asking to leave anyway.

But Nehemiah was a man with responsibilities and knew he had earthly obligations as well. So he went to the person in authority over him and informed the king of the what he was burdened to do. And God honored that, I believe, because the King provided Nehemiah with more than he had hoped. The king gave Nehemiah his blessing and sent him with a force of men to drive home the point to the surrounding governors and bandits that Nehemiah had his blessing.

If Nehemiah had jumped and run he would not have received the blessings of the king and the job would have been that much more difficult if not an out and out failure.

Nehemiah isn't the only Biblical figure who was a man under authority, who went to that authority before heading out on the call God gave him.

Moses was also such a man. After his discussion with God at the burning bush, Moses headed back to his father-in-law, Jethro, and sought release from Jethro before heading out to Egypt and leading millions of Israelites to the Promised Land. Jethro gave Moses his blessing and sent him on his way.

But had Moses just up and said, "I'm leaving. See you later," or just one day left, he would have dishonored the man God had placed him under and worse, probably lost a valuable adviser. You see, after Moses lead the Israelites out of Egypt, Jethro came by to visit and saw the trouble that Moses was heading toward in having to deal with the needs of the people. His advise allowed Moses to refocus and took much of the burdens of dealing with day to day difficulties out of his hands allowing him to go to God for the people as was his calling. You can read about it in Exodus 18.

In each of our lives we have people under whom we work or move. Whether they are people we have placed ourselves under or under whom God has placed us through birth. There is a reason for those people in our lives and I believe God uses them to guide and direct us.

One of the biggest fears we have in going to those people when we feel God is leading us to do something life changing, is that we fear those people will disagree. That might be the case. But in faith we can see that God prepared the hearts of the people in the lives of these men of the Bible. And I believe that if God is directing us to do something and if that authority figure in our lives is set against it then God will remove or change the mind of that person and accomplish His purpose for our lives.

The likelihood is that God will provide a clearer vision for what He is directing you toward.

Picture Perfect Friday: Disc Golf Course View.

Snapping away - Several weeks ago I snapped this at Maximo where Jimmy and I were playing a round of disc golf.

It's on the Gulf and it was a beautiful day. Click on it to enlarge it.

Christians, A Question for You.

??????? - Okay, here's a question for you if you're a believer in Jesus as the Son of God.

Do you memorize scripture? If no, why not? If yes, do you have a technique?

Disasters on the Backs of Disasters.

What time is it? - I don't know about you, but all the news over the past couple of weeks has me scratching my head and looking to the clouds.

Volcanoes erupting in Chile, typhoons in Burma (Myanmar), fires here in Florida, floods in the north east, devastating tornadoes across the United States, a horrible earth quake in China, wars in the Middle East and elsewhere, and famine across the globe.

Have you read Revelation or Matthew lately?

Is the season changing?

It sure makes one wonder.

ADDENDUM:

I just clicked over to saw this photo linked to by the Drudge Report because it shows lightning over the volcano in Chile. Very cool photo by Carlos Gutierrez for Reuters.

But I got to say it is a bit eerie. Check out the upper right area that's illuminated in the cloud. What's that look like to you?

Here's a close up of that area.

Kind of looks like a face doesn't it? I'm not saying it is, because I know it's easy to see images in clouds, but hey, it's eerie.

Chile Volcano and Myanmar Cyclone. Birth Pains?

Is this really happening? - With all that is going on in the world it's hard not to look at Scripture and wonder if the signs of the end of the age Christ spoke about in Matthew 24, aren't taking place before our media saturated eyeballs.

“Jesus answered: "Watch out that no-one deceives you. For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many. You will hear of wars and rumours of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of birth-pains. (Mt 24:4-8 NIV)

I'm thinking today of two major events costing thousands of lives. The cyclone in Myanmar, or Burma as it used to be, and the volcano in Chile which has been dormant for thousands of years and just upchucked debris 20 miles into the atmosphere.

Nasa has before and after images of cyclone damage to the country of Myanmar (Burma) that is terrible to think about.

Eduardo Gallardo reports for the AP on the volcano and the evactuations and damage being wrought in that country.

As Christians we should consider what we can do to aid those suffering and above all be in prayer.

Also, keep in mind the next phase of the birth pains.

“"Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved.” (Mt 24:9-13 NIV)

The Great Separation continues.

Video Game Mayhem, Violence, and Barbarism.

Garbage in, Garbage puked out over all society. - The video game industry and those excited about huge profits in the finance industry are all agog over the latest installment of "Grand Theft Auto IV".

Having once worked in the retail side of the video game industry for more years then I care to remember, I have long since proclaimed the dangers and depths of depravity that the industry is delving into which are impacting our society.

Matthew Cullinan Hoffman has a notable commentary over at LifeSiteNews.com that is worth reading, particularly if your a parent with video game playing kids.

The debut of "Grand Theft Auto IV", a highly-realistic video game in which players "win" by committing violent criminal acts, is notable for several reasons, but most importantly because of what it says about a society that is engaged in an orgy of self-destruction, and cannot even recognize what is happening.

The Grand Theft Auto series makes the player into a criminal who wins points by stealing cars, assassinating rivals, killing police, running over pedestrians, and even murdering a prostitute with a baseball bat rather than paying her. It is, in short, a game that glorifies brutal criminality and enables players to fantasize their participation in mind-numbing barbarism.

Hoffman notes how one video game player waiting in line to get a copy reacted to the big release day of the game. The gamer stabbed a passer-by. You can read about that episode on the Telegraph.

Not to be out done by Londoners, I suppose, another punk in San Diego attacked store clerks on the big release day of the game. Mercury News has that story.

What does the Scripture offer as advice when it comes to our entertainment choices? Here's a good verse worth looking into:

“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable-if anything is excellent or praiseworthy-think about such things.” (Php 4:8 NIV)

The Great Separation continues.