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Have you ever thought that being lead by the Spirit meant that you should hear God speak to you, and that he should tell you what his will for your personal life is? I did. Have you ever thought that because everything in your life is a mess, you must not be yielding to the Spirit's call? I have. Early in my Christian walk I was very zealous for the Lord, and eager to serve him. I spent my spare time as a volunteer for Christian organizations, attended Christian events, watched Christian T.V., and listened to contemporary Christian music. But...

July 10, 2008                                     Thursday of the Fourteenth Week                                 in Ordinary Time       Reading 1Responsorial PsalmGospel Reading 1Hos 11:1-4, 8e-9 Thus says the LORD:When Israel was a child I loved him, out of Egypt I called my son.The more I called them,the farther they went from me,Sacrificing to the Baalsand burning incense to idols.Yet it was I who taught Ephraim to walk,who took them in my arms;I drew them with human cords,with bands of love;I fostered them like onewho raises an infant...

July 9, 2008                             Wednesday of the Fourteenth Week                                 in Ordinary Time       Reading 1Responsorial PsalmGospel Reading 1Hos 10:1-3, 7-8, 12 Israel is a luxuriant vinewhose fruit matches its growth.The more abundant his fruit,the more altars he built;The more productive his land,the more sacred pillars he set up.Their heart is false,now they pay for their guilt;God shall break down their altarsand destroy their sacred pillars.If they would say,“We have no king”—Since they do not fear the LORD,what can the king do for them? The...

Hello and welcome to another broadcast of the White Horse Inn as we are continuing our series "Christless Christianity," and at the heart of Christless Christianity throughout the centuries has been a heresy known as Pelagianism. I know we've talked about it on the program, sort of assuming that people were familiar with it. In this program we want to actually focus on the historical heresy that is identified with a fifth century monk who came from somewhere in Britain, probably Ireland, a lay monk arriving in Rome and he attracted a following for his austere and ascetic piety. At...

I have watched with intense interest over the last several years the direction that America is headed. The title of this article is called, The Arrogant Liberal. But the fact is, the subject matter not only applies to those on the left who have decided to spit in Gods face, but to those on the right who have joined them in their move to push America into a politically correct society. Let me say this before I go on. There as been an attempt by those on the left to pass hate crime legislation that is completely aimed at Christians...

If you are a parent who struggles with what kind of bible to purchase for your children then you and I have a lot in common. For a few months I have been debating what kind of bible to purchase for our seven year old daughter Hannah. I cannot recommend to you enough the ESV Children's Bible. Spanning the ages of elementary to junior high, this is unlike many children's bibles that you see on the market today. Absent are the many cheesy and shallow applications of biblical truth to a child's life. Present is a strong gospel presentation at...

Sola Fide Latin “faith alone” The historic Protestant doctrine that the only instrumental cause of justification, from the human perspective, is faith. While God is the ultimate cause of justification, Protestants believe that faith in Christ through the message of the Gospel is necessary. There are no works, no matter how meritorious they may seem, that can add to justification (Eph. 2:8-9). This doctrine, according to Protestants, finds its roots in the teachings of Paul but was obscured in the middle ages and restored during the Reformation. Many Protestants would be quick to point out that it is not the...

He Meets Your Needs Today's Scripture "God will supply all your needs according to His riches in Glory in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:19). Today's Word from Joel and Victoria Aren't you glad we serve a God who promises to supply all our needs! When you accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior and follow His commands, you have access to God and everything He is; peace, provision, protection and more. That means no matter what is happening in the world today, as you obey God's Word, your needs will be met. No matter what is going on with the...

Will To Be Faithful " . . . choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve . . . " —Joshua 24:15 A person’s will is embodied in the actions of the whole person. I cannot give up my will— I must exercise it, putting it into action. I must will to obey, and I must will to receive God’s Spirit. When God gives me a vision of truth, there is never a question of what He will do, but only of what I will do. The Lord has been placing in front of each of us some...

July 8, 2008                             Tuesday of the Fourteenth Week                                 in Ordinary Time       Reading 1Responsorial PsalmGospel Reading 1Hos 8:4-7, 11-13 Thus says the LORD:They made kings in Israel, but not by my authority;they established princes, but without my approval. With their silver and gold they madeidols for themselves, to their own destruction.Cast away your calf, O Samaria!my wrath is kindled against them;How long will they be unable to attaininnocence in Israel?The work of an artisan,no god at all,Destined for the flames—such is the calf...

For some Christians, one of the thorniest problems in the Bible is the apparent contradiction between Paul and James.  It's enough to make anyone committed to complete inerrancy wither. In Romans, 5:1-2, Paul writes, "Therefore having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we exult in hope of the glory of God." James seems to say just the opposite, "You see that a man is justified by works, and not by faith alone."   This appears...

A caller to our weekly radio program asked a question that has come up before: Are Roman Catholics saved? Let me respond to this as best I can. But I need to offer a qualifier because I think this is going to be somewhat dissatisfying for some because I am not going to say a simple "aye" or "nay." My answer is: It kind of depends. The reason I'm saying that is because of certain ambiguities. My point is this, I think that in the area of the doctrine of salvation, Roman Catholic theology, as I understand it, is unbiblical...

Why We Need to Plant New Churches… Nationwide According to the January, 1996 Gallup Princeton Religion Report, there are an estimated 195 million unchurched in the United States. During the last ten years the total combined membership of all Protestant denominations declined by 9.55%, nearly 4.5 million people, while the population of the U.S. increased by 11.4%, or more than 24 million.(4) In 1991, 49% of those polled said they attended church regularly. In 1996, only 37% said they did.(5) Evangelical churches have failed to gain an additional two percent of the American population in the past fifty years.(6) In...

Thank the Calvinists for one of the most thoughtfully provocative moments of the 2008 Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting. (Of course, if you’re a Calvinist, you’ll say: “No, thank God. That moment was preordained from before the foundation of the world.” Just a little theological humor.) The moment happened while messengers considered the sixth of nine resolutions they passed this year. Resolution Six addressed “regenerate church membership and church member restoration.” It exhorted churches and pastors to “implement a plan to minister to, counsel and restore wayward church members based upon the commands and principles given in Scripture.” But Tom...

Thriving Every Day Today's Scripture "...I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance, to the full, till it overflows" (John 10:10 AMP). Today's Word from Joel and Victoria God doesn't want you to live with a "barely-get-by" attitude. He has new seasons of increase in front of you. He wants you to thrive, to live an abundant, overflowing life. Sometimes when things seem difficult, it's easy to slip into a "survival mode." When times get tough, it's tempting to just hunker down and settle where you are. If you're not careful, you'll develop...

All Efforts of Worth and Excellence Are Difficult " Enter by the narrow gate . . . . Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life . . . " —Matthew 7:13-14 If we are going to live as disciples of Jesus, we have to remember that all efforts of worth and excellence are difficult.  The Christian life is gloriously difficult, but it difficulty does not make us faint and cave in—it stirs us up to overcome.  Do we appreciate the miraculous salvation of Jesus Christ enough to be our utmost for His...

Members of the LDS Church often make a big issue of the fact that their ancestors faced terrible persecutions during the early years of the LDS movement. To most people, Missourian sites like Independence, Liberty, Far West, and Caldwell County mean very little. Yet to the faithful Latter-day Saint, these places carry a great amount of significance. It is true that the Mormons were driven from several states before finally arriving in what is known today as the state of Utah, and this violence can never be condoned. However, with all of the talk of the persecution early Mormons faced,...

Sola Scriptura (Latin, “the Scripture alone”) Belief of Protestants that Christian Scripture is the final and only infallible authority for the Christian in matters of faith and practice. Sola Scriptura was coined during the Protestant Reformation of the sixteenth century, but according to Protestants, is found throughout Christian history. The belief in Sola Scriptura contrasts both the Catholic, Mormon, Jehovah’s Witness, and Eastern Orthodox belief that along with Scripture there necessarily exists an infallible authority which either interprets the Scripture with ultimate authority or adds new revelations to supplement the Scripture. Hence, in these traditions, the Scripture is not the...

Rudyard Kipling realized that when nations rise to wealth and power, just like ancient Israel in Deuteronomy 8, they are inclined to forget God. He immortalized this reality in his poem 'Recessional,' written on the 50th anniversary of Queen Victoria’s reign. Far-called, our navies melt away; On dune and headland sinks the fire: Lo, all our pomp of yesterday Is one with Nineveh and Tyre! Judge of the Nations, spare us yet, Lest we forget —lest we forget! What is true of nations is equally true of the Church. Easily and quickly we forget where we came from and what...

A former youth minister at a Kingston church is accused of molesting at least two teenage girls who belonged to his congregation. Pastor Brian A. Neiswender repeatedly fondled the girls while playing hide and seek in the dark and teaching one-on-one music lessons, according to arrest papers. The 26-year-old Baptist minister surrendered to authorities Wednesday to face charges of indecent assault and corruption of minors in connection with the alleged sex crimes at Christ Community Church, 100 W. Dorrance St. The two girls, now 17 and 18 years old, came forward in February. They said the abuse dates back to...

A Riverside church pastor accused of sexual assault made a guilty plea in court Thursday. Dennis Bowling was the head pastor of Kingdom Harvest Church and back in 2006 a church member made a phone call to police and said the pastor was having sex with young female members in the church, police said. Police said originally Bowling faced 11 charges, but more and more victims came forward with testimony of their own assaults. After nearly two years of sitting in jail, awaiting trial, Bowling admitted to his crimes, police said. Prosecutors said Bowling had sexual contact with at least...

July 7, 2008                                     Monday of the Fourteenth Week                                     in Ordinary Time       Reading 1Responsorial PsalmGospel Reading 1Hos 2:16, 17c-18, 21-22 Thus says the LORD:I will allure her;I will lead her into the desertand speak to her heart.She shall respond there as in the days of her youth,when she came up from the land of Egypt. On that day, says the LORD,She shall call me “My husband,”and never again “My baal.” I will espouse you to me forever:I will espouse you in right and in justice,in love and in mercy;I...

05 July 2008 No Fireworks yet by Frank Turk Welcome back – I hope the fireworks in your part of the world were as lovely and thrilled your kids the way they did here in our part of the world. The last time we cited the Constitution and talked about the hypothetical neighborhood in which we could see something about this question of whether the church – not individual Christians, but churches, acting explicitly in the name of Jesus Christ – ought to go seeking political solutions to the world they live in. It’s about time we turned toward...

Visions Become Reality " The parched ground shall become a pool . . . " —Isaiah 35:7 We always have a vision of something before it actually becomes real to us. When we realize that the vision is real, but is not yet real in us, Satan comes to us with his temptations, and we are inclined to say that there is no point in even trying to continue. Instead of the vision becoming real to us, we have entered into a valley of humiliation.Life is not as idle ore, But iron dug from central gloom, And battered by...

Southern Baptists inherited the most compelling aspects of all the Baptist Calvinists that preceded them. James P. Boyce summarized this well. He encouraged every preacher to get theological education in some way, even if it could not be at the Seminary in Greenville, South Carolina. If no other means were available, he advised, 'work at it yourself.' The fathers of the convention did this, Boyce claimed; 'They familiarized themselves with the Bible, and Gill and Andrew Fuller, and they made good and effective preachers. God is able to raise up others like them.'1 But this is the very difficulty that...

For many in our culture, the word "Calvinism" is synonymous with a grim form of legalistic religion that chiefly focuses on the doctrine of predestination -- the idea that God has determined from eternity who will go to heaven and who will go to hell. This shorthand definition was perhaps given additional ground by the famous essay of Max Weber on "The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism." Weber argued that Calvinism's obsession with predestination led to a "this-worldly asceticism," which caused its followers to reinvest their profits in their businesses rather than to spend them on personal luxuries,...

The 4th of July is a great American celebration. It is always enjoyable to watch fireworks, eat a lot of barbecue, spend time with family and enjoy a mid-summer relaxation. Our country is truly a great place to live and it is active and merciful grace that we are enabled to enjoy such freedom as we do. However, when I hear the word Independence Day and its celebration I think of my daily celebration of just the opposite, namely my dependence. For instead of my pride and value coming from a nation and our independence from another nation, it is...

Chapter II. The principal assertion concerning the necessity of mortification proposed to confirmation -- Mortification the duty of the best believers, Col. iii. 5; 1 Cor. ix. 27 -- Indwelling sin always abides; no perfection in this life, Phil. iii. 12; 1 Cor. xiii. 12; 2 Pet. iii. 18; Gal. v. 17, etc. -- The activity of abiding sin in believers, Rom. vii. 23; James iv. 5; Heb. xii. 1 -- Its fruitfulness and tendency -- Every lust aims at the height in its kind -- The Spirit and new nature given to contend against indwelling sin, Gal. v. 17;...

Eastern Orthodoxy A tradition in Christianity that claims to represent the church the most faithfully due to its adherence to the traditions, beliefs, and practices of the early church. Though many would see the Eastern Orthodox church as simply “Catholicism with out a Pope,” the Orthodox would reject such a simplified identification. Not only do they not have a living infallible authority, such as the Pope, but they approach theology from a more mystical less rational based perspective. Their theology primarily comes from the first seven ecumenical councils as, according to the Orthodox, these council represent a perfect representation of...

July 6, 2008                                 Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time       Reading 1Responsorial PsalmReading 2Gospel Reading 1Zec 9:9-10 Thus says the LORD:Rejoice heartily, O daughter Zion,shout for joy, O daughter Jerusalem!See, your king shall come to you;a just savior is he,meek, and riding on an ass,on a colt, the foal of an ass.He shall banish the chariot from Ephraim,and the horse from Jerusalem;the warrior’s bow shall be banished,and he shall proclaim peace to the nations.His dominion shall be from sea to sea,and from the River to the ends of the earth. Responsorial...

Monday and Thrsday mornings, 7/7 and 7/10Kohen--Numbers 22:2-4Levi--vs. 5-7Yisra'el--vs. 8-12 Strday 7/12--Shabbat Parashat BalaqMORNING Kohen--Numbers 22:2-12Levi--22:13-20Shelishi--22:21-38Revi`i--22:39-23:12Chamishi--23:13-26Shishi--23:27-24:13Shevi`i--24:14-25:9Maftir--25:7-9Haftarah--Micah 5:6-6:8 EVENING Kohen--Numbers 25:10-12Levi--25:13-15Yisra'el--25:16-26:4

Don’t Plan Without God " Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass " —Psalm 37:5 Don’t plan without God. God seems to have a delightful way of upsetting the plans we have made, when we have not taken Him into account. We get ourselves into circumstances that were not chosen by God, and suddenly we realize that we have been making our plans without Him— that we have not even considered Him to be a vital, living factor in the planning of our lives. And yet the only thing...

Protestantism A tradition in Christianity which found its self-identity as “Protestant” in the sixteenth-century Reformation. Protestantism began when the church, according to Protestants, lost the Gospel during the middle to late middle ages and reformers began to “protest” this loss. Martin Luther, often seen as the father of Protestantism, rejected the Pope’s claims to infallible authority, believed that the Gospel was being lost to a system of works-based salvation, and confessed the Bible alone was the only infallible and ultimate source of authority for the Christian. Protestantism is not a church, but a tradition which claims to have restored or...

July 5, 2008                             Saturday of the Thirteenth Week                             in Ordinary Time       Reading 1Responsorial PsalmGospel Reading 1Am 9:11-15 Thus says the LORD:On that day I will raise upthe fallen hut of David;I will wall up its breaches,raise up its ruins,and rebuild it as in the days of old,That they may conquer what is left of Edomand all the nations that shall bear my name,say I, the LORD, who will do this.Yes, days are coming,says the LORD,When the plowman shall overtake the reaper,and the vintager,...

Two men, including a former Ravena minister who is now a prison chaplain, face criminal charges after they were allegedly caught in a sex act Saturday at a Northway rest stop near Exit 24. State Police said Joseph A. Loux Jr., 62, of Hannacroix in Greene County, and Eugene F. Barnaby, 34, of Thurman in Warren County, admitted to investigators that they engaged in oral sex along a path behind the rest stop, about 15 feet from an outdoor picnic area. Loux, a chaplain assigned to the Washington County prison, was suspended without pay Tuesday, said Linda Foglia, a spokeswoman...

Two years after a woman filed a damage suit alleging Bolivar Baptist Church pastor Dale “Dickie” Amyx molested her as a 14-year-old and impregnated her when she was 18, the suit has been settled out of court. Debbie Vasquez, now 47, sued Amyx and the church in June 2006, alleging that he began having sex with her when he was 28 years old, married and the youth pastor of a now-defunct Lewisville church, Calvary Baptist. According to the court documents, he continued having sex with her after he was pastor of the Bolivar church by threatening her with guns and...

Jerry Darian Sawrie, 39, has pleaded not guilty to viewing and possessing child pornography. He allegedly told an employer about his conduct earlier. Sawrie was working as the youth curriculum editor for Disciple Guide, a publisher of church and Bible literature, when he contacted his supervisor about images of young males he'd been viewing with his work computer last February. He was also the associate pastor of Richmond Road Baptist Church in Texarkana.

An employee of a Baker County home for troubled youths has been arrested on a child abuse charge by deputies documenting evidence of sexual activity between teenage residents. Deputies also arrested an 18-year-old resident of Camp Tracey on a charge of fondling a younger resident, but said sexual acts between the younger teens weren't criminal because they were consensual. The children's home, located on farmland north of Glen St. Mary, is run by Harvest Baptist Church of Jacksonville. Since 2003, the church has settled a half-dozen lawsuits filed by former residents citing physical and sexual abuse by camp workers and...

Royden Wood leaves the courthouse with his wife Linda yesterday after being charged with six new counts of sexual assault. (Mike Hensen, Sun Media) Already awaiting sentencing on 12 charges, a former London pastor was back in court yesterday -- charged with six counts of sexual assault.   Royden Wood, former pastor of London's Ambassador Baptist Church, was released after a bail hearing with conditions, a $10,000 deposit and his employer acting as a surety.  Wood declined comment as he left the court, holding his wife's hand and accompanied by his employer, Earl Dunn, owner of a Muskoka-area marina where...

Rembember!

I'm really tired, so the formatting may be off. I have a really good reason for trying to find out more about this guy, but I need to research more before I share that. LOL This is from a book review about Berger's latest book: Berger’s theological method is reminiscent of the ancient pseudonymous writer Dionysius the Areopagite who asked the question "what are the affirmative theologies and what are the negative?" Below I have excerpted some of the taken-for-granted negative theological notions discussed by Berger, followed by the reasons they ingratiate him. Religion is supposed to be necessary as...

Declare Your Freedom Today's Scripture "You have been set free from sin..." (Romans 6:18). Today's Word from Joel and Victoria Today we celebrate Independence Day in America. July 4, 1776 was the day America declared independence from Britain, but the battle for freedom went on until 1783—seven years later. Even though they declared their freedom in 1776, they had to stand and fight for many years before the British would accept and recognize the United States of America. In the same way, we have to be determined to stand against the opposing forces in our lives. We have to...

One of God’s Great "Don’ts" " Do not fret— it only causes harm " —Psalm 37:8 Fretting means getting ourselves "out of joint" mentally or spiritually. It is one thing to say, "Do not fret," but something very different to have such a nature that you find yourself unable to fret. It’s easy to say, "Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him" ( Psalm 37:7  ) until our own little world is turned upside down and we are forced to live in confusion and agony like so many other people. Is it possible to "rest in the Lord"...

Durham, North Carolina - Police filed more charges Tuesday against a Durham accused of beating and raping people as part of a satanic cult. Joseph Craig, 25, was charged with two counts of second-degree kidnapping and one count of second-degree forcible sexual offense. His wife, Joy Johnson, 30, was charged with felony aiding and abetting. The couple was arrested last week after a man and a woman told police they were beaten, shackled to beds, kept in dog cages and starved inside a home on Albany Street. Assistant Durham County District Attorney Mark McCullough said during a Monday bond hearing...

Above title edited due to space constraints. Full title is: Are We Justified By Faith Alone? - What Still Divides Us: A Protestant & Roman Catholic Debate Referring to the schism of the 14th and 15th centuries, one scholar observes, 'For nearly half a century, the Church was split into two or three obediences that excommunicated one another, so that every Catholic lived under excommunication by one pope or another, and, in the last analysis, no one could say with certainty which of the contenders had right on his side. The Church no longer offered certainty of salvation; she had...

A pastor was arrested in Kelso in late June and charged with a series of rapes going back to 1998. Portland investigators arrested 31-year-old Maximo Ake-Be, who is now a senior pastor at Iglesia de Dios in Kelso, Wash., and he was later charged with a series of rapes that occurred nearly 10 years prior, police said. Portland police said they received reports from two girls that they had been sexually assaulted by a leader of their private in-home church, The Peach House, between 1998 and 2000. The alleged victims were about 8 and 12 years old at the time,...

July 4, 2008                               Friday of the Thirteenth Week                                     in Ordinary Time       Reading 1Responsorial PsalmGospel Reading 1Am 8:4-6, 9-12 Hear this, you who trample upon the needyand destroy the poor of the land!“When will the new moon be over,” you ask,“that we may sell our grain,and the sabbath, that we may display the wheat?”We will diminish the containers for measuring,add to the weights,and fix our scales for cheating!We will buy the lowly man for silver,and the poor man for a pair of sandals;even the refuse of the wheat we...

A Watertown pastor suspected tonight of having sexual contact with a child. KSFY obtained these court documents which lays out the case against Dennis Hayes. In documents released by Watertown Police, we're told the suspected contact happened last Friday when Hayes took a juvenile boy he had been mentoring from the "Southwest Youth Services Center" in Magnolia, Minnesota to a library in Luverne, Minnesota. The boy claims during the drive to Luverne, Hayes held his hand and told him he loved him. While at the Luverne library, he claims Hayes rubbed his back outside his shirt. During the drive back...

The minister of Brentford Free Church has said the "thoughts and prayers" of the church community are with those involved in the case of pastor Andrew Gilroy, who was jailed for child sex offences last Friday. Rev David Beazley said the paedophile pastor of the Syon Mission had been a "colleague and friend". He said: "We share the sadness of the whole situation, and our hope is that there will now be opportunity for all those directly and indirectly affected to move on." Gilroy abused his position to befriend teenage boys and invite them to his home for photographic sessions....

After a woman filed a $10 million lawsuit claiming she was sexually assaulted by the Rev. Jeffery Stallworth, the Jackson, Miss. pastor turned around and sued her for $200 million. Hinds County Circuit Judge William Coleman dismissed Stallworth's countersuit. And that means the woman's lawsuit can move forward. The woman is also suing the Mississippi United Methodist Conference and Anderson United Methodist Church. Stallworth used to be pastor at Anderson. The Associated Press does not identify sexual assault victims. Stallworth's lawsuit said the woman tricked him into believing the two had a personal relationship to try to sell insurance policies....