As The Crow Flies

ok...sin is always out to get us and should be tak...

2009-08-19T15:44:07.828-05:00

ok...sin is always out to get us and should be taken very seriously, in such that we will have to remember to keep a very steady eye on the way of life.

because the way of death can appear as a sweet and handy choice, until one looks at the long term effects of that choice.

i see that i can read a little about john o. on wi...

2009-08-12T10:33:22.073-05:00

i see that i can read a little about john o. on wikipedia. he started out in illinois, and is now in california. a big church pastor and is into writing books.

i agree with john, sin sucks and we do not grasp how much it corrupts. i think that i only have a clue because of my own life, and i can see that choices that i have made and the outcomes. but, i also see how many times it could have been worse, and i chalk that up to grace and others prayers as well.

i have noticed that when i type and i am just one key over from where my fingers should be, that the words do not look quite right.

thanks for the info.

2009-08-06T11:23:29.981-05:00

thanks for the info.

Ted, Yes! To "play with sin" is something surely...

2009-08-06T10:52:22.360-05:00

Ted,

Yes! To "play with sin" is something surely harmful. However, it always has its consequences.

It's interesting Ortberg mentions the same Plantinga book. He says he constantly refers back to the work.

Ah...something else to add to the list.

Blessings,
m

Crowm, Good thoughts. I too like Ortberg. Yes, s...

2009-08-05T21:19:59.614-05:00

Crowm,

Good thoughts. I too like Ortberg.

Yes, sin can't be tamed, but neither does it have to rule us in this life, according to Romans 6 and Romans 8. But if we play with sin it will do its nasty work, and won't leave us unharmed, for sure.

I really like Neil Plantinga's book on sin: "Not the Way it's Supposed to Be: a breviary on sin"- something like that.

Hello Nancy, It is a good article. Unfortunately...

2009-08-05T14:48:04.067-05:00

Hello Nancy,

It is a good article. Unfortunately, they haven't posted it on the net. I should have been more clear. You can reach Leadership by passing over the word near the front of the post. FYI, for future use, www.LeadershipJournal.net is the site. The parent site is Christianity today.

Blessings,
m

sounds like a good article. is the the right web ...

2009-08-05T14:41:54.420-05:00

sounds like a good article.

is the the right web site

http://www.pathwaypress.org/leadership.htm

Mikey! Good to see ya! The KISS method would wor...

2009-08-04T16:10:52.092-05:00

Mikey!

Good to see ya! The KISS method would work good for the Church eh?

Love ya man!

YEA!! It is simple, It is simple in application as...

2009-08-04T13:50:33.571-05:00

YEA!! It is simple, It is simple in application as well. We have the Holy Spirit to guide when we read scripture but it says what it says, it really is simple.

Christ is not simple but he provided for us because he knows we need to understand. He guided the writers because he knew we need it to be simple. So we complicated things.

So says Mike.

i would say that to form a united church community...

2009-08-02T18:03:18.861-05:00

i would say that to form a united church community, it is important to "continuall" encourage one another in the direction of following Jesus.

if this is not first in a Christian community then there is bound to be more division of self interest and sin nature.

thanks for continuing in this.

Hello again JSTW/Nancy. I agree that the Church o...

2009-07-31T10:05:58.057-05:00

Hello again JSTW/Nancy.

I agree that the Church on earth is imperfect because people are involved. However, the Church was instituted by Christ for several reasons - chief of those is to fulfill the "Love others" command.

In my opinion, the problem is when people don't care to invest in true relationship/community. In other words, all communites take work. They demand effort on everyone's part. Too often, people in the Church (who should understand community) don't care enough about the others to invest. It's much easier to just leave.

I anticipate having more posts on this in the future and would like to hear your thoughts.

Blessings,

m

the way i have been looking at it lately is that t...

2009-07-30T12:11:25.534-05:00

the way i have been looking at it lately is that the church as it is on earth is not perfect, and it will not be perfect until Jesus returns. i think that each generation and each individual is looking for what "they" think that church should be, in their minds eye, from desire for what the church being perfect to the church being what they remember in their youth. everyone has a different reason for gathering and this is reflected in what is going on right now. it has not helped that there are leaders have used many different ploys to increase their numbers. so it is many mans's expectations that causes most of the problems of the gathering of believers. and it seems that right now the expectations are pretty high, because people are afraid, distracted from the truth, and mainly thinking of themselves and the bottom line.

the answer to it all is simple, but it is not simple to put people's mind where the answer truly is.

i agree that if someone is seeking a chruch to belong to, that they should be looking in the right frame of mind.

and if somone already belongs to a church that has problems, the problems should be looked at carefully in the light that no gathering is perfect, and what the problems are.

are the problems really something to leave, or are they something to be loved and supported in or through together.

are the problems our perception and desire for perfection? are they our personal expectations?

being a part of a group takes accepting others faults along with our own. patience and kindness...actually, well, here i am again, following Jesus, so that the fruit of the Spirit is there.

are wereally encouraging each other to look to Jesus every day?

it is easy for each and every one of us to get caught up in finding flaws, and finding many other things to concentrate on besides looking to Jesus in our day.

i honestly think this is where the main problem sits...quitely in the center, right in front of each of our noses...and we keep looking off to the side for something else.

thank you for such a good and thoughtful post and reply. it really had me thinking.

nAncY

Kevin, Thanks for noticing the return. I look fo...

2009-07-30T09:44:05.374-05:00

Kevin,

Thanks for noticing the return. I look forward to catching up on your blog over the next few weeks.

I do see the same idea of commitment in marriage. Thanks for stopping by!

m

Nancy, I agree that all should be welcome around ...

2009-07-30T09:41:35.896-05:00

Nancy,

I agree that all should be welcome around the table. However, what Jones (and I) is concerned about is the redefining of committment in our society. The attitude of "If I don't like it, I'll just take my toys and go home," has even permeated the Church. That is what I think is sad.

Have a blessed day!

m

Hi Mike, it's nice to see you posting again on the...

2009-07-29T15:54:50.278-05:00

Hi Mike, it's nice to see you posting again on the blog. :)

I agree, it is important to stay committed to the church that one attends. I think the issue has some parallels to marriage. Just as one does not lightly give up on a marriage, one should not lightly give up on his church.

God bless,
Kevin

i see nothing wrong with attending a different gat...

2009-07-29T10:53:45.488-05:00

i see nothing wrong with attending a different gathering once a week. and i see noting wrong with attending the same gathering once a week.

i think that all should be welcomed into a gathering that have come to worship God and that God will deal with everyone's heart.

Ted, Thanks for stopping by. I don't know about ...

2009-07-29T09:58:24.204-05:00

Ted,

Thanks for stopping by. I don't know about profound - but surely simple.

Blessings Friend,

m

Thanks Nancy. It's good to "see you" again.

2009-07-29T09:57:11.058-05:00

Thanks Nancy. It's good to "see you" again.

Crowm, I agree. I think your point is well taken ...

2009-07-28T20:47:20.806-05:00

Crowm,

I agree. I think your point is well taken when you say that we sometimes err in thinking WE can be a guide to those in the dark. When in reality only Jesus is our Guide.

And we love God by learing to follow Jesus, by trusting in him. Then we can learn to love God, and only then. Simple yet profound.

simply, well put.

2009-07-28T15:55:37.898-05:00

simply, well put.

enjoy your 4th of july time :-) hope you are havi...

2009-07-03T15:04:53.866-05:00

enjoy your 4th of july time :-)

hope you are having a good break.

Just checking in. Hope all is well with you. God B...

2009-06-30T02:17:21.359-05:00

Just checking in. Hope all is well with you. God Bless!

Hope you're enjoying your time away, Mike. Blessi...

2009-05-31T06:19:26.055-05:00

Hope you're enjoying your time away, Mike.

Blessings.
Ted

Hi Mike, hope you're doing well. Just checking in....

2009-05-14T04:09:00.000-05:00

Hi Mike,
hope you're doing well. Just checking in. Blessings.

Hello Mike. I think it's great that this church de...

2009-05-14T03:29:00.000-05:00

Hello Mike. I think it's great that this church desires to partner with this group, and others, for a great cause. Blessings to them for their desire to give of their time and resources. But, it could be time to shake the dust from their feet and partner in another direction? It could be that the organizers have some "issue" or legality with their giving, or, it could be that God is up to something here. Perhaps, God wants them to share His blessings elsewhere?

Is their a school near their church where they could go in and provide refreshments and thank yous to teachers who are exhausted from working all year? I know from experience that it means the world to teachers to have people donate refreshments for big staff meetings. Tachers are under tons of stress these days and a little TLC is a nice way to say thanks.

Just an idea. Sounds like a giving church. God Bless their efforts, wherever they be!