Most popular posts in 'Spiritual Health' category.
Archive for the 'Spiritual Health' Category
“for the Bible tells me so” — documentary on homosexuality
Published by Jeff, on September 2nd, 2009 in Front Page, Tough Questions.
UPDATE: This film has been posted to YouTube if you want to watch it. link
Tonight, our life group skipped our normal routine to watch a documentary purportedly on the relationship between homosexuality and religion called For the Bible Tells Me So However, the documentary was actually on the relationship between homosexuality and the conservative/fundamentalist “Christian right.”
Basically, the title calls to mind the song Jesus Loves Me (which should communicate that God loves us) in contrast to the words of those who would claim homosexuality is an “abomination” simply because “the Bible tells me so.”
Since I have already written a few articles on the topic, I won’t take the time to rehash my position. However, I need to make a couple comments.
» Click here to read the rest. «
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4 Communication Tips for Couples
Published by Jeff, on August 26th, 2009 in Front Page, Spiritual Health.
This past week, I gained an insight into some communication skills that should be standard fare for all couples. For many years, I have been teaching some very basic principles on communication, but this past week I learned a little more and thought it was time to put it together into the following guidelines. » Click here to read the rest. «
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Trials prove how strong you are
Published by Jeff, on August 11th, 2009 in Front Page, Spiritual Health.In 1 Corinthians 10:13, we read:
No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.
— 1 Corinthians 10:13
In this passage, we are given three promises:
- You are not unique or alone in your temptation. Every temptation or trial (in the Bible, the two words are interchangeable) that you face has been faced by someone else.
- God will only allow you to face a temptation if he knows you can handle it.
- God will always provide you a “way out.”
- The “Way Out” is not an “escape” but a light at the end of a tunnel so “you can stand up under” the temptation.
Are you going through a struggle, a trial, or are you facing temptation. Know this. Whatever you are facing is only in your life because from God’s point of view, you are strong enough for it. If the trial is 100 pounds heavy, God must know that you are capable to lift at least 101 pounds. If the trial is 2 tons, that’s God’s way of telling you that you can handle 2.1 tons!
How big is your trial? That’s God telling you how strong you really are.
I can do everything through him who gives me strength.
— Philippians 4:13
God knows that you and I are able to endure far more than we are generally willing to put up with.
How big is your trial? How strong are you? How strong is your God?
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More on Homosexual Recovery
Published by Jeff, on August 6th, 2009 in Front Page, Stuff I Find, Tough Questions.
This week, CNN posted an article describing a recent report that attempts to help homosexuals “recover” do more harm than good.
Since I wrote an article on this very topic (see Is There Recovery for the Homosexual?.), I thought it would be good to have a link to this new article here and to add a few comments of my own.
It just seems that the secular world is trying to ignore the truth that SOME people who self-identify as homosexual are able to ADJUST desires or at least find fulfillment outside the homosexual lifestyle.
What if we lived in a society with a VERY vocal and VERY strong lobby promoting the use of smoking? What if in the context of that society, a report was done testing the effectiveness of anti-smoking programs? What kind of news articles would we be reading? “Programs to change smokers to non-smokers don’t work, report says”
It’s the combination of a VERY vocal lobby, a VERY supportive society and the inherent attractiveness of sexual sin that wage war against any “change” programs.
It’s exactly the same as when you read about how “Abstinence Programs Fail Among American Teens.” If the society fully supports something that’s pleasurable, all programs opposing that position will fail more often than not.
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Quick Study on the Rapture
Published by Jeff, on August 1st, 2009 in Front Page, My Beliefs, Tough Questions, VIP.
This week at my Life Group, we looked at the clearest teaching in the Bible regarding the rapture, and I’ve become even more convicted about one particular position. This post is intended to guide you through the same study we considered this week and to give an inside track on what I’m currently thinking about the matter.
What is the Rapture?
Before I talk about anything else, I should probably define what I mean by the rapture and why I want to talk about it now.
The Rapture refers to the event described in the Bible of Christ returning to earth and his followers being “caught up” to meet him in the air.
The major biblical controversy is twofold:
- Do the biblical statements on the rapture event indicate a literal and physical departure from the surface of the earth?
- When does the rapture event happen in relation to the rest of prophesied end-time events? » Click here to read the rest. «
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You Can’t be Both Pre-Trib and Calvinist
Published by Jeff, on July 30th, 2009 in Front Page, My Beliefs, Tough Questions.If you are a Calvinist:
- you believe that God has “elected” or “chosen” those who would be saved from before the foundation of the world.
- you believe that those whom God has chosen have been predestined to respond to the gospel when God woos them.
- you believe that salvation comes entirely without regard to human works or merit.
- you believe that “elect” and “true followers of Jesus” are two ways of describing only one group. » Click here to read the rest. «
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Apparently, with the legal pressure provided by pro-homosexual lobbies, there is a threat that churches will be liable to lawsuits for anti-homosexual practices unless our position on the issue is clearly stated in religious terms.
The recommendation is that we amend our statement of faith to describe our core convictions in this matter. Therefore, I’m putting here what I’m preparing to present to our church leadership on the matter. Your comments will be helpful. » Click here to read the rest. «
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"Our biochemistry is about 97% the same as a mouse.
Our biochemistry is about 50% the same as a banana.
Human Cytochrom 'C' is closest to that of a sunflower.
Human eyes are closest to the eyes of an octopus.
Human skin is closest to that of a pig."
Explain to me, how this fits in with primates??? With all due respect, i think his aim with "god set it up that way" was meant to be an insult of some kind. He sounds very passionate about this subject and with passion comes biases. While i'm not researched in anyway on this specific argument, generally speaking i'm convinced these people only look at their "evidence" with one prospective; 1st proves evolution or doesn't.. They don't even consider any other possibility of what it could mean..Taken at face value because i don't know anything about the human gnome and could be missing key things due to pure ignorance. Start of video; You had plenty of time to research and form a "theory" on something then proceed to drop this well researched project on someone and expect them to refute you on the drop of dime?? I dont think you need a PHD to say; you should allow someone to try refute your findings within a respectable time frame. That seems like the most objective thing to do. Although i think this would show insecurity on "Ken's" part. (To have holes punched in something your just presenting would be kind embarrassing. or was it arrogance?) Rest of video: Sounds like its not an exact match, "within 15 bases", and something about Telomeres not belonging? The choice of "correspond with" instead of something like is "exactly like", implicates some differences as well?.. But i could be completely wrong.. "no reason, no rhyme" sounds like he is insulting the bible as well. Would be very interested in hearing a completely objective view on these findings..