Is there such a thing as an "amoral" decision? Some friends and I were discussing this issue yesterday in light of the passage of Scripture that tells us unless something is done in fath, it does not please God (and therefore is sin). So the question then becomes this... when I decided to don the pink shirt I am wearing, I didn't do it "in faith"... so does that mean that wearing this shirt is a sin?
So I am curious to hear from those of you reading... what makes a decision "amoral"?
Monday, August 15, 2005
Friday, August 05, 2005
God's Word... and Paul's words
I just finished reading 1 Corinthians... and a few thoughts occured to me.
First... Paul has to be one of the coolest dudes ever. Most of the letter is written to set the church in Corinth straight on some issues, so there is some strong language. But through it all, what do you see? You see Paul's love for God... and his love for the people in Corinth. He is frustrated with them, but not to the point of writing them off. Rather, he takes great pains to instruct them in the way they should be living.
Second... (and I have Matt Chandler to thank for this thought) The problems being discussed in 1 Corinthians probably came about because the Church grew so fast. When you see 3,000 added to your number in one day, discipleship of those people is a pretty difficult thing to accomplish. So it seems to me that much of what Paul is clearing up for the Corinthians are things that just had not yet occured to them... or said another way, they were ignorant of the truth. But Paul tells them at the outset that they are "sanctified in Christ Jesus" which affirms that they have been bought by His blood and He will teach them by His Spirit.
Third... The words contained in this book (and all of Paul's letters) are inspired by God. I do not doubt that or discredit that. But they are Paul's words (guided by that inspiration) to the people he loves. His pastoral nature comes through so clearly in this letter... it is touching, actually. I guess the point of this third thought is that this letter is actually a letter from one man to a church. He wrote this to them specifically;and yet because it is God breathed, it applies to us as well. I think sometimes we think that these letters were written by Paul with the intent that Christians everywhere would read them. But that is not true. He wrote this letter for a purpose... and it was God's intention that they be preserved for our edification. I may not be making sense... so I will stop there.
Bottom line... dig into the Word of God. Dig in deep because it is a beautiful piece of literature... and one that I can't imagine my life without.
First... Paul has to be one of the coolest dudes ever. Most of the letter is written to set the church in Corinth straight on some issues, so there is some strong language. But through it all, what do you see? You see Paul's love for God... and his love for the people in Corinth. He is frustrated with them, but not to the point of writing them off. Rather, he takes great pains to instruct them in the way they should be living.
Second... (and I have Matt Chandler to thank for this thought) The problems being discussed in 1 Corinthians probably came about because the Church grew so fast. When you see 3,000 added to your number in one day, discipleship of those people is a pretty difficult thing to accomplish. So it seems to me that much of what Paul is clearing up for the Corinthians are things that just had not yet occured to them... or said another way, they were ignorant of the truth. But Paul tells them at the outset that they are "sanctified in Christ Jesus" which affirms that they have been bought by His blood and He will teach them by His Spirit.
Third... The words contained in this book (and all of Paul's letters) are inspired by God. I do not doubt that or discredit that. But they are Paul's words (guided by that inspiration) to the people he loves. His pastoral nature comes through so clearly in this letter... it is touching, actually. I guess the point of this third thought is that this letter is actually a letter from one man to a church. He wrote this to them specifically;and yet because it is God breathed, it applies to us as well. I think sometimes we think that these letters were written by Paul with the intent that Christians everywhere would read them. But that is not true. He wrote this letter for a purpose... and it was God's intention that they be preserved for our edification. I may not be making sense... so I will stop there.
Bottom line... dig into the Word of God. Dig in deep because it is a beautiful piece of literature... and one that I can't imagine my life without.
Thursday, August 04, 2005
Jerry, this is George... I got nothin' to say
So the title of this post pretty much says it all... I am dry. I guess after knocking on death's door and then being caught in the women's bathroom, a person's "life excitement level" can only go downhill.
The title of this post is from Seinfeld (that is probably one of the more obvious things ever to be said on this blog). It is one of those lines that is applicable and useful in many situations. If you have not guessed, I am a movie/TV quote fiend. Specifically, I can usually bring just about anything back to an episode of Seinfeld. Well, anything that has very little substance to it. Deep things never happened on Seinfeld. They never took themselves too seriously - which is why it is my favorite sit-com. Friends, while entertaining, had moments of sappy love story drama. Seinfeld, on the other hand, even made fun of Schlindler's List (in a tactful and humorous way).
So for all the Seinfeld fans... share your favorite quotes.
The title of this post is from Seinfeld (that is probably one of the more obvious things ever to be said on this blog). It is one of those lines that is applicable and useful in many situations. If you have not guessed, I am a movie/TV quote fiend. Specifically, I can usually bring just about anything back to an episode of Seinfeld. Well, anything that has very little substance to it. Deep things never happened on Seinfeld. They never took themselves too seriously - which is why it is my favorite sit-com. Friends, while entertaining, had moments of sappy love story drama. Seinfeld, on the other hand, even made fun of Schlindler's List (in a tactful and humorous way).
So for all the Seinfeld fans... share your favorite quotes.
Tuesday, August 02, 2005
And God Created Them... Male and Female He Created Them
Last night, I went to see Jack Johnson in concert (and yes, some of the songs did sound different from the others). Anyway, I had been drinking a lot of water throughout the day, and it was time to let nature take take its course... so I mosey over to the restroom.
(Now, if you have ever been in the Verizon Wireless Theater, this may make sense... otherwise, it will not make sense at all.)
I saw the Men's Room sign, and an opening to the bathroom. So I walked right on in. As I walked in, I did notice that certain fixtures that are typical in a Men's Restroom were not in view. I thought this odd... but decided not to question it. I entered a stall and went about my business.
The next thing I notice is a high-pitched voice... a group of them, actually. They were entering the very bathroom I was in. I thought to myself, "they must be drunk." Well... turns out, they were not drunk (and neither was I, for the record).
The young ladies began to laugh at the situation as I asked them (from inside the stall - with the door opened) "Am in the women's bathroom?" The affirmed my suspicion... and I laughed at the whole deal. They told me to at least shut the door if I was going to use the girl's bathroom. I walked out and apologized to one of the girls - who simply could not believe what had just happened.
Later, I thought about how great a story it would be if I had asked her for her number... and we actually dated. But alas... I was not drunk, so this did not happen.
Oh... and to fill you all in, the Men's Room sign was directly over the entrance to the Women's Room... but the actual Men's Room was around the corner. The Women's Room sign was there as well... but it was lower and not as well lit. Throughout the night, others almost made my same mistake.
(Now, if you have ever been in the Verizon Wireless Theater, this may make sense... otherwise, it will not make sense at all.)
I saw the Men's Room sign, and an opening to the bathroom. So I walked right on in. As I walked in, I did notice that certain fixtures that are typical in a Men's Restroom were not in view. I thought this odd... but decided not to question it. I entered a stall and went about my business.
The next thing I notice is a high-pitched voice... a group of them, actually. They were entering the very bathroom I was in. I thought to myself, "they must be drunk." Well... turns out, they were not drunk (and neither was I, for the record).
The young ladies began to laugh at the situation as I asked them (from inside the stall - with the door opened) "Am in the women's bathroom?" The affirmed my suspicion... and I laughed at the whole deal. They told me to at least shut the door if I was going to use the girl's bathroom. I walked out and apologized to one of the girls - who simply could not believe what had just happened.
Later, I thought about how great a story it would be if I had asked her for her number... and we actually dated. But alas... I was not drunk, so this did not happen.
Oh... and to fill you all in, the Men's Room sign was directly over the entrance to the Women's Room... but the actual Men's Room was around the corner. The Women's Room sign was there as well... but it was lower and not as well lit. Throughout the night, others almost made my same mistake.
Monday, August 01, 2005
Near Death... It Wasn't So Bad
This is a quick "lunch-time" post... not enough time to actually develop a story or anything, but I almost died this past weekend (or as Dave Bray tells it, I attempted to kill him and Adam O'Kelley).
Possibly to the chagrin of some and the joy of others... God chose to allow me a few more days on this earth. Honestly, by the laws of physics... I should either be dead or seriously injured. God was certainly guiding my Saturn along Loop 610 Friday night as I had a 18o degree spin out that almost cast us into the barrier on the side of the road (going around 70 mph). But as you can tell (because I am actually typing this post), all is well...
Oh... and Dave, Adam, and I agree that in retrospect, the experience was actually pretty fun. I would do it again, but that whole "don't put the Lord your God to the test" thing keeps getting me...
Possibly to the chagrin of some and the joy of others... God chose to allow me a few more days on this earth. Honestly, by the laws of physics... I should either be dead or seriously injured. God was certainly guiding my Saturn along Loop 610 Friday night as I had a 18o degree spin out that almost cast us into the barrier on the side of the road (going around 70 mph). But as you can tell (because I am actually typing this post), all is well...
Oh... and Dave, Adam, and I agree that in retrospect, the experience was actually pretty fun. I would do it again, but that whole "don't put the Lord your God to the test" thing keeps getting me...
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