Walk Worthy Men's Conference

On Saturday I attended the Moody Bible Institute's "Walk Worthy" Conference for men. What an amazing feeling to worship with 1,600 men. The speakers were very good, and if you have never heard 1,600 men worship in song before, all I can say is it is very amazing!

Moody Bible Institute's President Dr. Paul Nyquist open things up with a challenge of "Drawing the Line Where God Draws the Line" - be a man of integerty. Tiger Woods, Bernie Maadoff, and John Edwards were examples of how some can give a false sense that they are men of integerty. 1 Thessalonians 2 and Daniel were covered.

Christopher Yuan gave his testimony on how after a life of homosexuality, drugs, and prision God called him and he answered.

Dr. Crawford Lorritts spoke on Romans 8 raising the question "What Do We Have To Be Afraid Of?"

Dr. Charles Dryer presented "Human effort is futile, Life is predictable, and Death is certain.

Dr. James Macdonald for me was the highlight of the day presenting on James 1 and "Trials". Pastor Macdonald has a wonderful gift for preaching!

Feel Like A Failure?

Ever feel like a failure and want to give up? Checkout this video which may surprise you...

http://www.allprodad.com/page.php?id=189

The Catholic and Evangelical Viewpoint Debate #2

The second topic for discussion is Teaching and Ruling Authority:

Father John: How do we know that a particular tradition is of the Holy Spirit and how do Popes today still declare dogmas? Our answer is magisterial or teaching authority.

Catholics believe Christ instituted teaching authority to serve the Word, safeguarding it with authoritive interpretation. Jesus replaced Jewish elders and priests with apostles, gracing them with His own authority. These apostles communicated their teaching authority to their successors, the bishops. Everyone ought to read scripture, yet bishops receive the grace and responsibility to interpret and teach God's Word with authority, and resolve disputes. Acting together, the bishops can infallibly interpret Scripture; as Peter's successor, The Pope processes this gift in a special way, confirming his brother bishops in faith.

Pastor Jim:
Succession: You say that the bishops of your church are the successors of the twelve apostles. What is the biblical basis for this belief?

Teaching Authority: In the Bible I find everyday Christians studying and interpreting God's Word. You say, however, that although anyone can read the Bible, only the bishops of your church have the right to interpret and to teach it with authority. I don't see such claims in the Scriptures. Nor do I find a council of men called bishops claiming the exclusive right to interpret the Scriptures for everyone else.

The Papacy: I was surprised how little you said in your letter concerning the ruling authority of the Pope. Rome makes such grandiose claims in this area. The bishops of the First Vatican Council (1870) stated:
...The Roman pontiff is the successor of the blessed Peter, the prince of the apostles, true vicar of Christ, head of the whole church and father and teacher of all Christian people. To him, in blessed Peter, full power has been given by our Lord Jesus Christ to tend, rule, and govern the universal church.

One would think that if such claims were part of the original teachings of Christ and His apostles we would find them throughout the New Testament. Yet nowhere do we read of a "Roman Pontiff" Can you explain the omission?

The Title of Pope: Jesus said "Call no man your father on earth, for you have one Father, who is in heaven" (Matthew 23:9. I am interested in knowing how you can address a man as a Pope, meaning "father" and how you yourself accept the title of Father as a Catholic Priest.

The Catholic and Evangelical Viewpoint Debate

In the book Letters Between a Catholic and an Evangelical - From Debate to Dialogue on the Issues That Separate Us Father John R Waiss and Pastor James McCarthy wrote letters back and forth discuss differences between each others faith. Each topic they touched on will be presented. I am an Evangelical and the purpose of these blogs are to present both sides and come to a better understanding of each. While I cannot blog on every letter and response I will touch on each topic and respond accordingly to each supporting or conflicting views.

God's Word: Is it found in Scripture alone or Scripture plus Tradition?

Pastor James (Evangelical):
The written Scriptures are the inspired, authoritative, and trustworthy Word of God. They are the supreme norm or standard to which Christians must submit, the final court of appeals in matter of doctrine and morals. In the Bible we find all truth essential for Salvation and Christian living. The Scriptures have no equal on earth, for they alone are the Word of God.

Father John (Priest):
The Church "forcefully and specifically exhorts all the Christian faithful...to learn the surpassing knowledge of Jesus Christ, by frequent reading of the divine Scriptures. Ignorance of the Scriptures is ignorance of Christ." Catholics do not believe that Scripture is our sole source for the truth and certainty of God's revelation. Does the Holy Spirit entrust us with sound and authoritative doctrine only through Scripture? Where does Scripture claim this?

Pastor James:
Unfortunately we do not even agree on what the Word of God is. Evangelical Christians hold that God has preserved the revelation received from Christ in the inspired writing of Scripture. Your church says that the Christian faith is contained in Scripture and Tradition. Together they make up the Word of God. We have come to significantly different understandings of the Christian faith.

My thoughts: I believe the Bible is the sole source Scripture. I also do not understand why the Catholic church does not promote bringing you Bible to worship (I understand Catholics have Scripture readings). I would also be interested in hearing if the Catholic Church believes the whole Bible is true or just the parts of the Bible that the Catholic church has governed as true. Do you believe the Bible is true and the sole Word of God or do you believe that Popes and hierarchy are in the Bible and directed to make regulations and doctrines on an ongoing basis? Do you believe that when Jesus died on the cross for our sins and a way to God that we received a direct relationship to God, to repent our sins to God directly (unlike the Catholic faith that practices confession of sins through a priest) and eliminated the need for a human intervention on our behave?

I also have future thoughts on Baptism, the Sacraments, priest being called "Father", the Virgin Mary and more but will wait for the topics to be addressed in the order as they are in the book. Again, please take note I hope to use this as a learning experience to understand the Catholic faith better. I know a number of Catholics who I love dearly, but as I learn the Bible and come across things that seem to directly conflict with the Catholic faith I am hoping for additional insight.

The Bible: God's Word Soley or God's Word Plus Man?

Upcoming this week I will be posing a number of questions from a book I have read in the past Letters Between a Catholic and an Evangelical - From Debate to Dialogue on the Issues That Separate Us and as my Pastor always states "you're intelligent people, read the Bible and determine what it tells us" So with that thought I encourage your input and while we will be looking at Evangelical and Catholic views all religions are welcomed for discussion.

I am a member of a non-denominational church, and since I have come to truly have a relationship with our Lord and Savior and have began reading the Bible there are many questions regarding the Catholic religion I now question. The point of these blogs are not to bash Catholics or those who proclaim to be Catholic, but to help me have a better understanding of the Catholic views.

The first questions we will be addressing in the upcoming week is:

God's Word - is it found in Scripture alone or Scripture plus Tradtion?

I am sure these blog posts will lead to some interesting thoughts and my hope a better understanding of each view is achieved.

So Many Books, So Little Time

Well the number of books on my shelf waiting to be read has grown. I am currently reading 2 or 3 books and have more to get to which include:

Counterfeit Gods - The Empty Promises of Money, Sex, and Power, and the Only Hope That Matters by Timothy Keller

When Life is Hard by James Macdonald

One Minute After You Die by Erwin Lutzer

Christ's Glorious Achievements - What Jesus Has Done For You by C. H. Spurgeon

The Top 100 Men of the Bible by Drew Josephs

Leadership as an Identity - by Crawford Loritts Jr.

The Definition of Christianity by John Lennox and David Gooding

Seven Reasons Why You Can Trust the Bible by Erwin Lutzer

The Pursuit of Holiness by Jerry Bridges

What Ever Happened to Hell? by John Blanchard

Bits and Pieces

With it being Valentine's Day today, the topic of love is in the air. Take time today to reflect on the greatest love of all - God's love. "For God so loved the world that He sent His only Son...." for us. I, for one, am very happy God created us with free will and also a way for us to have salvation. Thank you Lord!

Sometimes it is hard to remember that we are God's children and that we are saved based on faith, repentance, and being baptized. Even though there was only one sinless one and we were born into a broken world, I still cringe when I sin but I am forever thankful for God's forgiveness.

I am currently utilizing a "read through the Bible in a year" schedule which has you reading from 4 Books of the Bible each day and must admit after wondering how the schedule was going to work I find that it is working very well for me and I eagerly look forward to the readings each day.

Are you attending church to worship God and have fellowship with other believers? If you have not been to church lately I encourage you to go today. If your church is not changing you, you may want to change your church.

Have a great day today!

Losing Your Religion

Losing Your Religion, Part One - Reflections of a Zealot

Many horrible things have been done and are being done in the name of God. So, it’s easy to understand why people turn away from religion. We want to have faith, to believe our lives have purpose, but our experiences contradict everything we trust in.

If you’ve ‘lost your religion,’ if everything around you is saying there is no God, is it even possible for you to ‘find it’ again? In this message, Andy Stanley uses the story of a zealot’s radical conversion to reveal the answer to this question.

Acts 26:9-18; Micah 7:18

See Part One on the Gospel Music Channel (Directv 338) at 9:00 a.m. this Sunday.

Plugged In Online

http://www.pluggedin.com/familyroom/podcast.aspx

Join your favorite Plugged In reviewers as they pull up a chair—and a mic—to talk about what’s on their cultural radar. Personally. Passionately. And in their own words. We often look at things from a parent’s point of view, but you don’t have to be a mom or dad to care about cultural trends, or to enjoy a brisk roundtable chat about the latest box-office smash.

So join us! Go to the website and just click any of the "listen" buttons to stream a podcast. Or hit "download" to save an episode on your computer or mobile device. If you’d like the show delivered directly to you each week, you can subscribe by clicking the orange RSS logos, visiting Feedburner or going to iTunes. We’ll save you a seat in Studio E!

When Life is Hard

In the midst of the storm it's tough to remember when you first heard thunder. Some years ago my wife and I sailed into a series of trials that increased from gentle breezes to a Category 5 hurricane. At the time I wondered what God's purpose could possibly be in making life so hard.

How do we make sense of suffering? All I knew was that I had to find out. I needed help and I needed it fast, so I searched God's Word, not as an academic exercise, but as a desperate soul crying out for help.

What He gave me during those weeks has changed my life, and you now hold the written record in your hands. If life has been hard for you, you're in the right place. I'm eager to share with you what God revealed to me through His Word...

-Dr. James MacDonald from the back cover of his new book When Life is Hard

Hello World

Have you ever heard the song Hello Word by the country group Ladt Antebellum? If not I recommend you check it out...

Game Plan for Life

I recently finished reading Game Plan for Life by Joe Gibbs. I found this New York Times Best Seller a very powerful, easy read that I believe many men will benefit from. The book is broken down into different topic chapters by expert writers in that field on the topics of Can I Believe in the Bible?, Who is God?, How Did Life Begin?, How Do I Deal With Sin?, Salvation, Relationships, Finances, Vocatation, Helath, Purpose, Heaven, and Joe Gibb's story.

If you know of anyone looking for a "Game Plan for Life" and enjoys a book with powerful short chapters that you can pickup and set down this book would be a great thing for them.

Ashamed of the Gospel Free Book Offer

http://www.gty.org/freeoffer

Join the Grace to You mailing list (click above) and they will “automatically mail you an offer in March for a FREE copy of the new edition of Ashamed of the Gospel. No pressure, no obligation—we simply want to minister to you.”

God and Dog

Dog lovers will relate to this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H17edn_RZoY

Can You Imagine This

Checkout this video from All Pro Dad...can you imagine training for years to run in the olympics and then pulling a hamstring during the race...but refuse to give up and walk the rest of the race...and then have your father come out of the stands to help you finish? Great example of dedication and love!

http://www.allprodad.com/videos/view_video.php?viewkey=0ef399b63a72d0e4ab57

Just finished listening to Tobymac's new CD "Tonight" which was released today....simply AWESOME! - Blog update from my mobile phone.

GMC Free Music of the Week

http://www.gmclife.com/news/insider/download-week-power-of-one

Download the title track from Israel Houghton's GRAMMY-winning The Power of One

Focus on the Family Super Bowl Commercial

If you missed the Focus on the Family Tim Tebow commercial you can view the commercial via You Tube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6BIOTItUwvk

Kid's Corner: VeggieTales Premiere Event February 27th!

Saturday, February 27th (one day only) you can watch the entire new Veggie Tales movie Pistachio: The Little Boy That Woodn't
at your local Family Christian Store at 10:00 AM, 12:00 PM and 2:00 PM.
The first 40 children will receive a poster and a balloon, and all children will learn a lesson about the importance of family and receive stickers and coloring activities (while supplies last).

A little under the weather but will be back to blog soon!

Walk In The Word

I have recently began listening to Jame's McDonald Walk In The Word program (free daily podcasts are available through Itunes) and really like what I am hearing. It is also very cool that on their website www.walkintheword.com after you register on the website you can play Pac Man and Tetris. Spend some time diving into the Word and then play a game or two....

Barney and God

Pastor James Ford spoke at the Moody Founder's Week Conference yesterday and used an illustration with Barney the big purple dinosaur. Click on the link below then select James Ford from Tuesday, 2-2-10, then listen to audio and use your slider/forward bar to advance to 26:47.

http://www.moodyconferences.com/con_mainPage.aspx?id=31364

Pretty neat - check it out

"My God is True" for Those Battling Cancer

Reviews:

My search is over for the one book to give to someone battling cancer. This material is exceptional - the most helpful I have read on this subject. --Pastor Alistair Begg

One of the hallmarks of 'My God Is True!' that makes it stand apart, is not only the engaging modesty with which the story is told, but the framework within which it has been written - a deep sense of the undergirding sovereignty and grace of God, his faithfulness, and his wisdom - a recognition that his ways are higher, deeper, and wiser than ours. While this is the story of a young man's pain, his struggles, his journey through a valley of deep darkness, it is also a story of love - Paul's love for Christ, his shared love with his wife Christy and their family circle. It is a testimony to what it means to belong to the living fellowship of Christ's people, the church. --Dr. Sinclair Ferguson

Product Description
CANCER! Nearly everyone knows someone who has had it. But do we know well the Bible's teaching that will strengthen us in the face of it? Everyone undergoes testing and trials. But do we do so trusting firmly in the goodness, wisdom and power of God? Here is a book that will help.
'My God Is True!' is one man's chronicle of cancer and the lessons he learned through it. In these pages Paul Wolfe tells his story of diagnosis, treatment and survival, and he points to the glory and grace of God along the way. Above all he points to the faithfulness of God whose promises will certainly prove true. Read this story and be reminded that there is good reason - even in the midst of suffering -- to worship and rejoice.

Love Letters Contest

Make this a Valentine's Day to Remember: Enter the Love Letters Contest from Focus on the Family®!

Focus on the Family is delighted to announce its first-ever Love Letters Contest!

It's easy: All you have to do is visit the contest Web Site and tell us why you want to grow old with your spouse.

Every day from Feb. 1-11, we'll pick the four best love letters--and award popular Focus on the Family resources to each of the writers.

Then, on Feb. 12, we'll pick the Grand Prize recipient from the daily winners--for an unforgettable trip to the live Focus on Marriage™ simulcast on Feb. 27 in Colorado Springs, CO!

So, put your heart and soul into a love letter about your spouse. (Among other things, it will be a great thing to save, print and slip into a card for Valentine's Day.) And--who knows?--you might win an all-expenses-paid trip to the live Focus on Marriage™ simulcast!

Visit www.focusonthefamily.com to learn more and enter!

Quick Quote

You are the only person on earth who can use your ability.
- Zig Zigler

Baptism, The Lord's Supper, and ?

Infant baptism or adult baptism? This topic (along with are there 2 Sacraments or 7?) seems to be widely divided among denominations. I believe there are 2 Sacraments Jesus clearly provides us in the Bible (Baptism and the Lord's Supper)and also believe that a person should be baptized when they are old enough to make their own decision on what they are doing. What are your thoughts? For those who believe there are 7 sacraments can you provide where in the Bible Jesus commands us to do the other 5?

Good Stuff

If it's broken, fix it.
If it's open, shut it.
If it's out, put it up.
If it's empty, fill it up.
If it's messy, clean it up. And if you can't, report it."

Now if I can just get my kids to read and ACT on this....

Christianaudio.com: Free Audiobook for February

http://christianaudio.com/free

Religion Saves: And Nine Other Misconceptions (Unabridged) by Mark Driscoll