April Blogger Awards

By a quick count via my unreliable blogroller, 44 BBC bloggers blogged in April. Here are some of the better posts:

Gloria Reviews Expelled
AP on Techno-Preaching
AP on Wesleyan Deal Breakers
Steph on Nursing in Public
Dena Reviews a Book
Liz Stewart on Submission

I'm going to give the Blogger of the Month to AP
January: Kelly T
February: AJ T
March: Jess R
April: Aaron P

Idol #5

I don't like Neil Diamond, so I was not a fan of this week's episode. In fact, it was pretty miserable. I have no interest in hearing any of those songs again. The highlight of the episode was Paula Abdul's drug-induced glance into the future (she commented on Castro's 2nd song before he even sang it!). What happened? The problem is that her explanation didn't make any sense. She criticized Castro's 2nd song and then, once she realized he hadn't sang it yet, declared that she was accidentally commenting on David Cook's song. But that doesn't make sense b/c she said David Cook did great. What's more troubling is that her prophetic comments about Castro were actually quite astute. I speculate that she knew she wouldn't be able to think fast enough so she wrote comments based on their warm ups and practice sessions. And then her 'medications' prevented her from realizing what had and had not happened yet on the show. In any case, it was funny how long they let her talk! But enough about Paula.

As I said, the performances were all forgettable. I give the weekly victory to Syesha. She has found her style and is singing with confidence and like-ability. David Cook finishes 2nd with 2 more solid performances (especially the 2nd). Archuleta was 3rd place with 2 solid, albeit boring, performances. I actually don't like it when the contestants pander to patriotism. Simon was right that Brooke's first song was a nightmare. But her 2nd song was bordering on my favorite of the night. I actually liked Castro's first song well enough, but that second song was dreadfully boring. Ugh.

I think Castro and Brooke are in trouble. I have no idea who will join them in the bottom three, but I am quite certain those 2 will be there. If I had to guess I'd say this is the end of the road for Jason Castro.

Wii

Who has a Wii?
Who has played a Wii?
Who wants a Wii?

NFC Draft

NFC EAST

B Dallas
Reached a bit by taking a backup runner in the 1st round (especially since I had him ranked below a couple of backs who were still on the board). Jenkins is a very good CB prospect though and Bennett was, on some charts, the top TE (but was that a need?). Failed to pick up the WR they had discussed.

B NY Giants
Better picks in the middle of the draft that at the top, not that Philipps & Thomas aren't good prospects. Manningham might not be smart, but he made big plays against tough competition and Woodson has the potential to be an interesting QB prospect.

C Philadelphia
Didn't have a 1st round pick (had lots of later round picks), but still managed to snag an intriguing WR prospect.

A Washington
By some standards, they got the top TWO WR's and the top TE. Beyond that, they took one of the most productive QB's in college football history in the 6th round (I'd say he's worth the shot).

NFC NORTH

C- Chicago
I feel they reached in the 1st Round, just a tad. There were better RB's available in the 2nd Round than Forte. Finally got one right in the 3rd round. Failed to address their key and continuing problem: QB

D+ Detroit
Really bad in the first 2 rounds (especially the 2nd), but their 3rd pick made sense (Smith was a very productive RB). But what should we expect with a Bozo managing the organization. Seem to have done better in the later rounds.

B+ Green Bay
Despite not having a 1st round pick, the packers managed to add a very good QB prospect (not to mention a very good backup QB prospect) and picked up some solid pieces with their other early selections.

A Minnesota
Trade most of their early picks for Jared Allen (last year's leading NFL sacker). This, in my mind, makes their draft a success from the get go. Somehow, though, they managed to pick up good prospects at DB, QB & C.

AFC SOUTH

C+ Atlanta
I still think Ryan wasn't worth the 3rd pick, but I understand why they wanted to take a QB. We shall see how it turns out. Baker was a reach for a 1st rounder (especially trading up to get him!). The 2nd & 3rd round picks were solid.

A Carolina
First 4 picks should all make an impact! Stewart & Otah should see plenty of playing time on the offense. Godfrey and Connor can step into the action on the defense. Big fan of this draft day.

B- New Orleans
Nothing really noteworthy here. The Saints took players at about the right spots. Ellis will help. Solid, but certainly not spectacular draft day.

C+ Tampa Bay
Took some risks (disciplinary in 1st, small school in 2nd). We'll know in a few years if this was a good draft, but for now I'll give them a pretty average grade.

NFC WEST

A- Arizona
I really like their 1st three picks. Some had Cromartie as the top CB. Solid DE and WR prospects. Very like-able draft. Similar to the Bills draft.

C- San Francisco
First of all, they traded their 1st round pick last year to New England. That made 30 other teams very upset since it ended up being the 7th pick. Then, in the 2nd round with very good WR's still on the board, they took a guard. Ugh. Even still, the other 1st round pick was pretty good.

B Seattle
Maybe reached a bit in the 1st 2 rounds, but I still feel those players will be productive. Solid 2nd day picking up Schmitt and Forsett.

B St. Louis
Obviously got Long in the 1st round. Their 2nd round pick was one of the most confusing of the day for me. He certainly could have been had much later and there were some really exciting WR's still on the board. Very good picks in the 4th and 5th round.

AFC Draft

AFC EAST

D New England
The Pats moved back from their 7th spot, but could have moved back a lot further and still picked Jerod Mayo. At the end of the 2nd round they drafted a mid-level corner. Hardly a replacement for Samuel. They could have picked their favorite Cornerback at #10 and prevented their best divisional competition (Buffalo) from doing the same. NE, of course, forfeited their other 1st round pick as a penalty for cheating.

A Buffalo
The Bills needed a CB and a tall WR. Despite standing pat, they had their choice of CB and got the tallest WR in the draft. Many thought they would have had to trade back into the 1st round to get a good WR, but the Bills were patient, allowing their new red-zone target to fall to them.

B- New York
The Jets took pass rusher Vernon Gholston with the 6th pick which is pretty close to where he was ranked. They moved back into the 1st round to pick Dustin Keller (TE) even though he probably would have been available a bit later on. Now they have to pay him 1st round money.

B Miami got the top OL prospect in Jake Long with the 1st overall pick. Merling, their 2nd round pick, was a good value at pick 32. They created a QB controversy by picking Henne, but is it a 'good' controversy? All in all, an OK day, but nothing to get too excited about considering they were 1-15 last year.

AFC NORTH

A- Pittsburgh
Would be a higher grade if based only on value, but I added the minus b/c they picked more for luxury than need. Both Mendenhall and Sweed should have been picked higher and make Pittsburgh one of the most wealthy teams in terms of offensive skill players. AFC North defenses beware!

F Cleveland
Had no 1st day picks

A- Baltimore
Missed out on Matt Ryan (who it seems they wanted), but made some nice moves to get their 2nd ranked QB (Flacco) while picking up extra picks. Took the best player available with their 2nd choice of Ray Rice, an underrated runner who will push McGahee in time. Set up well for a good day 2.

D- Cincinnati
Pick #9 is pretty high for a player that is good and steady without the potential to be much more than that. Taking a project WR in the 2nd round when plenty of better WR's were available was a curious move.

AFC SOUTH

C- Indianapolis
Not much to say. Didn't have a 1st round pick, but got the top ranked Center in the 2nd round, not that he is without question marks.

C+ Jacksonville
Gave up a ton to move up a lot, but will it prove worthwhile. I like the aggression, but it's hard to justify for a guy who simply didn't show up every play. Solid 2nd round pick, but they sorta put all their eggs in 2 baskets that have me shrugging my shoulders.

Tennessee
D Took a fast RB higher than they should have, especially considering the WR talent that was available. 2nd round pick has lots of question marks. Very surprising picks for a team that had opportunity present itself.

D- Houston
Reached for a question mark OT with their only day 1 pick. Disappointing to say the least.

AFC WEST

D San Diego
They got a corner (Cason) in just about the right spot, but didn't have any other picks and, therefore, won't be helped much by this draft.


C Denver
Clady should be a good OT, but Royal was a reach in the 2nd round when better WR's were available. With no 3rd round pick, it'll be tough for this grade to reach the B level.

A Kansas City
Sort of hard to mess up when you have 3 of the top 35 picks in the draft, but I give the Chiefs credit for making real solid picks. Dorsey may be the most talented specimen in the draft. Albert was certainly worth a mid-1st round spot and Flowers is a very solid 2nd round CB. Didn't address some major needs, but that's tough to do when needs are so widespread.

B Oakland
McFadden was a no-brainer at #4 and the Raiders didn't have any other picks on the day. Even still, a star RB is just what the Dr. ordered.

Leviticus

I enjoyed teaching Leviticus more than I had imagined
What's your LEAST favorite book of the Bible
Or does answering that make you feel like a scumbag?
Below are the notes from a short series through Leviticus

Leviticus 1-7
Leviticus 8-10
Leviticus 11-15
Leviticus 16-20
Leviticus 21-27

Idol #6

David Cook continues to increase his lead. At first, I just liked him b/c he was one of the only contestants with a contemporary sound. But as the competition progresses, it seems he also has a great versatility and, simply put, an outstanding voice. Can I say one more thing? And I say this with an unblemished record of heterosexuality: He's fabulous. Other than David, it was not a week in which the genre produced excellence. Brook forget the words. David A is still boring. Carlie was good, but was basically yelling. Castro sounded nice, but same old same old. Syesha, at least, showed some personality (though I didn't think it sounded as good as the judges did). Personally, I think Brook, Carlie, Syesha & Castro are all in jeopardy. I tend to think Brook, of those 4, will pick up the most votes from Kristie Lee's fan base. So I predict Brooke will stay. Syesha should stay based on having the 2nd best week. Will it be Carlie or Castro? I am going to predict that Jason Castro makes his exit tonight (though I may just be too biased in hoping that Brook remains). I don't feel sure, that's for sure.

Church Signs

I love church sign stories (like THIS one I posted in September of 2006). It seems a church in South Carolina put the following message on their sign: "Obama Osama Humm Are they brothers"But what's even better than the sign are the quotes from the pastor, who states boldly that the message was NOT meant to be racial or political. When asked if he believes that Barack Obama is Muslim, Byrd said, "I don't know. See it asks a question: Are they brothers? In other words, is he Muslim ? I don't know. He says he's not. I hope he's not. But I don't know. And it's just something to try to stir people's minds. It was never intended to hurt feelings or to offend anybody."

Funeral Service

I have only done about 15 funerals. I have a few different 'styles' of service depending on the situation, but the general content of my main funeral service is as follows (Feel free to critique this or use it to some degree):

Welcome
We are gathered here this morning: INSERT DATE to mourn, to remember, to reflect on, and especially to celebrate the life of INSERT NAME. Such a mixture of emotions and purposes is common for a time such as this. Losing a loved one, especially so POSSIBLY INSERT DESCRIPTION OF DEATH, IE 'YOUNG' OR 'SUDDENLY', is a difficult time filled with silent tears as we grasp our loss… and nervous laughter as we remember the times that were shared. Let us look to God, our help in this hour, for comfort. Please join me in prayer.

Prayer

Testimonials
There’s always an ounce of awkwardness, it seems, for someone like me, who knew INSERT NAME only through a few quiet conversations, to lead a group of those who knew him so well in a memorial service. And so in just a few moments I’m going to invite some of you to share some stories from INSERT NAME life on earth.

INSERT A PARAGRAPH THOUGHTFULLY DESCRIBING THE PERSON'S DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTICS, GLEANED FROM PERSONAL EXPERIENCE (IF POSSIBLE). FEEL FREE TO BE HUMOROUS.

I’m standing today before a group of people who knew INSERT NAME better than I did. You knew him to be INSERT REMAINING CHARACTERISTICS, ESPECIALLY THOSE MENTIONED BY THE FAMILY IN YOUR INTERVIEW WITH THE FAMILY.

Is there anyone here who’d like to share something from your relationship with Paul? (THIS CAN BE DANGEROUS, BUT IF THE FAMILY IS WILLING, I LIKE THIS PART, THE KEY IS NOT ALLOWING TOO MUCH SILENCE BEFORE YOU JUMP TO THE NEXT SECTION OF THE SERVICE)

No doubt we remember more and if we were to tell all of what this man meant to those here today, this service would be far from over, but we’ll have more opportunity for that later today and in the coming weeks. Let us just take a moment of quietness together to honor INSERT NAME life.

Prayer

Sermon
On most days in this life we can make it from morning to night without really considering the big picture. We concern ourselves with the daily grind, too busy to consider tomorrow or next week, let alone next year. The big picture of life tends to confront us only once in a while as we’re falling asleep at the end of another mundane day. But today is different. Today we have the opportunity to look more closely at 1 particular life and to see it with some perspective. This bigger picture causes us to ask bigger questions and seek a purpose to the pain we’re going through. If God allows something to happen, He must, ultimately, have a good purpose that He can produce through it.

Our goal today is to honor INSERT NAME by finding those good purposes. Our goal is to celebrate his life by learning from his legacy. Our goal is to discover what good can come from the loss of one we loved so much.

If we can discover the good purposes that God is working in the midst of our great loss, we can best honor INSERT NAME life. I think there are 3 initial ways that we can do this:

#1 Death brings people closer together

There is nothing more important than relationships. Death brings families and friends together and that is not by coincidence. God intends for those who are grieving to support one another in love. I encourage all those here to continue to draw closer together through these days. There is strength in numbers. Family and friends were important to INSERT NAME. You can honor him by continuing to unite together in love. We can honor his life today by celebrating the memories of his interaction with family & friends.

The close of INSERT NAME life on earth opens the door for new phases of family relationships. It may require changes to schedules and agendas. It may call for longer phone conversations or more family get-togethers. Ask yourself, and ask the lord, what can I do to help meet the needs of those who will miss INSERT NAME the most. Once we’ve asked that question, we can become an answer to someone else’s prayer.

#2 Death causes us to carry on a legacy

We can honor INSERT NAME today by drawing closer together in love. But I see another way that we can honor his life in the years to come. His death causes us to carry on an important legacy. INSERT NAME was an important part of this family and network of loved ones. That piece to the puzzle is missing now, and there are no pieces quite like him. No one person in this family can replace INSERT NAME role. You all have to grow as individuals, filling the void. You have to pick up where he left off. You may want to take up some of his passions, his hobbies, his concerns. Those good things that excited INSERT NAME, let them excite you.

Ask yourself, what were INSERT NAME greatest characteristics? Then require yourself to emulate INSERT NAME best. Forgetting the bad and focusing on the good is a mark of a mature individual. INSERT NAME would be honored if his life, even in death, led to a positive change in your character.

#3 Death causes us to re-examine life

Not only does an event like this draw people closer together in love. And not only does it cause us to carry on an important legacy. But it also has the good result of causing us to re-examine life. It calls us to ask those key questions: Who is behind it all? What is the purpose to life? Why does God allow things like this happen? When will I breathe my last breath? Where will I be one moment after I die?

Every person asks those kinds of questions. And they are questions well worth asking. Hundreds of answers have been given, weighed, and found wanting. And while there are no easy answers, I do think we can, at least, be reminded of a valuable lesson today by recognizing how fragile life really is. Tomorrow can’t be depended on. INSERT NAME would have loved for his life to continue, but time is not a right, it’s a gift. If we knew this was our last year, how would our lives change? Would we take more risks? Give more to charity? Would we be more honest? More compassionate? More loving? Would you stop doing certain things? Would you start doing certain things? How are you doing in this thing called life? Don’t waste it. Today brings this challenge to mind.

And, of course, the most important way we can honor and celebrate INSERT NAME life is to re-examine our relationship with our Maker. INSERT STORY, IF POSSIBLE, THAT INDICATES THE PERSON HAD A LIVING RELATIONSHIP WITH JESUS CHRIST. INSERT NAME was a man that knew his limitations and knew the Lord’s limitless power to forgive. If INSERT NAME is looking down on us today, I’m sure there is nothing that would honor him more than for us to raise our hands, before it is too late, to an Almighty God.

I want to close with a passage of Scripture written by a man named Paul. He comforted his brothers and sisters with these words of hope:

Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope. We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him

Prayer

Eternity Series

Below you will find the handouts from a series on 'Eternity'

Were We Made for Eternity?
What Happens When we Die?
Hell: Eternal Torment?
Hell: Universal Reconciliation?
Hell: Conditional Mortality?
Heaven: Death to Judgment Day
Heaven: The New Earth (AM Sermon)
Heaven: Common Questions

Bike Bets

It's that time of year again! Last year, a bunch of you made bets as to how many miles I would ride my bike during the nice-weather season of 2007. Jessica B & Dena I tied for 1st, each only 25 miles off in their predictions. My sorry statistic was 150 miles. This year I am predicting 325 miles for myself. Feel free to make your new prediction:

Matthew 325
Elizabeth 300
Elliott 296
Dena 275
Kris 230
Robert 207
AJ 168
Jessica 140

Time Warp

I had an interesting dream last night. My town had been on the national news for some supposed 'time warp' associated with a bed in an abandoned house round the corner from my home. Even though I thought the whole story was silly, I felt a little odd as my car raced past that house late one night. The clock said 11:50. Then, seemingly 5 seconds later, it said 11:52. I figured my mind was playing tricks on me. But as I turned the corner, something definitely happened and instead of pulling into my driveway, I found myself pulling into a small restaurant.

Once inside, I soon discovered it was the year 1982. What's more, I was no longer Matthew Rose. I was George Bush Sr. There were only a few people in the restaurant (some Bush family, political advisors & locals). I played it cool. I didn't want anybody to know I was someone from 2008. But after about 10 minutes I started to get nervous and started asking for help to find a guy named "Doc Brown" (They didn't know, of course, that I meant the guy from Back to the Future).

But when they couldn't find him, I began to contemplate what impact I could have as George Bush Sr. in 1982. Could I change the future (my present) for better? As I began brainstorming, I woke up.

*also, at the beginning of the dream, I was involved in some sort of inter-galactic battle, but I'm not sure how that flowed into the George Bush dream.

Idol #7

I'm not really a Mariah Carey fan, but this episode wasn't too bad. I agreed with the judges that David Cook was the best and he'd still be my pick to win the competition. Brook White is my 2nd favorite, but I only had her ranked 4th this week. In terms of my personal opinion, there is a big drop off after those two. David A had a very good week (ranked 2nd). Syesha continues to get stronger (3rd). I like Jason Castro, but he seems locked in to a particular style of music that just isn't my favorite. Carly and Kristy Lee should probably be in trouble. I'll get those two and Jason Castro as the bottom three and I'll guess that Carly is gone this week.

PC: CE

In chapter 10 of Pagan Christianity, Viola argues against the idea that only 'formal Christian education qualifies a person to do the Lord's work.' He claims this is the mindset of most Christians. He comes out against 'academic' (instead of 'hands-on') training. He says 'every church' was a 'seminary.' Viola is against Aquinas's main thesis that God is known through human reason. We have made Christianity mostly about the head when it is supposed to be about the heart (he later phrases it that we are more interested in the tree of knowledge than the tree of life). He describes the pagan origin of seminaries, bible-colleges, sunday-school, and even the position of 'youth' pastor. All of these are organizational and have the ability to cut-off the headship of Jesus Christ in Christian gatherings and/or the unity of the church.

Reaction: I, personally, don't know many preachers or teachers who don't preach and teach the priesthood of all believers from within institutional churches. I don't know many educational institutions that aren't moving towards a more 'hands-on' approach to ministerial preparation. I don't know many churches that don't highlight the idea that head-knowledge, alone, is of no spiritual value. I don't know of many Wesleyan churches that would keep a highly degreed but spiritually unqualified pastor around for long. Because of my ignorances in these realms, this chapter seemed, again, like over-statement in my context.

The Calf Path

By Sam Walter Foss

One day, through the primeval wood,
A calf walked home, as good calves should;
But made a trail all bent askew,
A crooked trail, as all calves do.

Since then three hundred years have fled,
And, I infer, the calf is dead.
But still he left behind his trail,
And thereby hangs my moral tale.

The trail was taken up next day
By a lone dog that passed that way;
And then a wise bellwether sheep
Pursued the trail o’er vale and steep,
And drew the flock behind him, too,
As good bellwethers always do.

And from that day, o’er hill and glade,
Through those old woods a path was made,
And many men wound in and out,
And dodged and turned and bent about,
And uttered words of righteous wrath
Because ’twas such a crooked path;
But still they followed — do not laugh —
The first migrations of that calf,
And through this winding wood-way stalked
Because he wobbled when he walked.

This forest path became a lane,
That bent, and turned, and turned again.
This crooked lane became a road,
Where many a poor horse with his load
Toiled on beneath the burning sun,
And traveled some three miles in one.
And thus a century and a half
They trod the footsteps of that calf.

The years passed on in swiftness fleet.
The road became a village street,
And this, before men were aware,
A city’s crowded thoroughfare,
And soon the central street was this
Of a renowned metropolis;
And men two centuries and a half
Trod in the footsteps of that calf.

Each day a hundred thousand rout
Followed that zigzag calf about,
And o’er his crooked journey went
The traffic of a continent.
A hundred thousand men were led
By one calf near three centuries dead.
They follow still his crooked way,
And lose one hundred years a day,
For thus such reverence is lent
To well-established precedent.

A moral lesson this might teach
Were I ordained and called to preach;
For men are prone to go it blind
Along the calf-paths of the mind,
And work away from sun to sun
To do what other men have done.
They follow in the beaten track,
And out and in, and forth and back,
And still their devious course pursue,
To keep the path that others do.

They keep the path a sacred groove,
Along which all their lives they move;
But how the wise old wood-gods laugh,
Who saw the first primeval calf!
Ah, many things this tale might teach —
But I am not ordained to preach.

Sexist?

Am I sexist? I have to consider this possibility since the other day I came to the realization that I don't recall EVER having read a book written by a woman. Seriously. And I read a lot of books. I can't think of one. Can someone please help me remember a book I've read by a female author?

House-Sitting

I have been house-sitting this week for my aunt & uncle. This explains my lackluster blogging. Even though they have a beautiful house, they only have dial-up internet (which I don't even bother using). They do, however, have pool & ping pong tables (not to mention a slot machine... Actually, I just did mention it. I've never really understand the phrase 'not to mention'), so I've improved my billiards skills.

Idol #8

I think America got it wrong. Michael Johns was never in the bottom 3 until this week and now he's out. Seems like more of a fluke than an actual evaluation of his talent. In my opinion Michael had been getting better and better and was shining over the past month. Nevertheless, that's how the show works. It was neat to see the money raised during 'Idol Gives Back' and I doubt that many millions had heard 'Shout to the Lord' at once before, so I suppose that is cool.

My favorite guy, David Cook, was the worst performer this week IMO. That sounded really bad, especially at the beginning. Carlie wasn't very good either and thought she was going home. Brooke, my personal favorite, was probably the 3rd worst (I like her better at the piano). Syesha & David A. were pretty good, but not very memorable to me. I thought the best 2 performances were Kristie Lee (surprisingly) and Jason Castro (I've always loved that version of the song).

Ezekiel & Psalms

Below are my handouts from a survey of Ezekiel

Ezekiel 1-3
Ezekiel 4-7
Ezekiel 8-11
Ezekiel 12-17
Ezekiel 18
Ezekiel 19-24
Ezekiel 25-32
Ezekiel 33-36:15
Ezekiel 36:16-39:29
Ezekiel 40-48

• Below you'll find study notes through the Psalms

• Part 1: Introduction, Moses (90)
• Part 2: Solomon (72, 127), Heman (88), Ethan (89)
• Part 3: Sons of Korah (42-49, 84-85, 87)
• Part 4: Asaph (50-73-83)
• Part 5: Anonymous '2 ways' (1, 95, 112, 125)
• Part 6: Anonymous 'Praise' (33, 66, 117, 146, 150)
• Part 7: Anonymous 'Vindication' (71, 92, 94, 102, 118, 120, 123, 135)
• Part 8: Anonymous 'History' (106, 114, 126, 132, 136)
• Part 9: Anonymous 'Hezekiah' (121, 128-130, 134, 137)
• Part 10: Anonymous '119' (119)
• Part 11: David (2-9)
• Part 12: David (11-16)
• Part 13: David (17-22)
• Part 14: David (23-29)
• Part 15: David (30-32, 34-41)
• Part 16: David (51-65)
• Part 17: David (68, 70, 86, 101, 103, 105)
• Part 18: David (108-110, 122, 124, 131, 133)
• Part 19: David (138-141)
• Part 20: David (142-145)
  

PC: Sacraments

Chapter 9 of 'Pagan Christianity' was pretty hard to disagree with in my opinion. He was basically pushing for the Lord's Supper to be part of a regular meal instead of a special ceremony and for baptism to be done by immersion immediately upon conversion instead of after a period of preparation. He's against the idea that an ordained clergy must officiate these sacraments. Any believer can serve communion. Any believer can baptize. I have long agreed with these positions.

PC: Clergy Salaries

In his book 'Pagan Christianity,' Frank Viola lists 3 reasons churches should not give salaries to ministers. Frankly, I'd love to work my way out of the job, so to speak, but I don't think his arguments stand up to scrutiny.

1) Salary elevates pastors above the people
Viola says this system, by default, turns the church into a business with a CEO. Can this be a problem? Yes. Is this a problem? Again, yes. Must it be a problem? Absolutely not. If a paid pastor preaches about the priesthood of all believers and thinks of himself as an equipper first and foremost, these harmful mindsets need not take root.

2) Salary makes a pastor a people pleaser
Viola says this system, by default, makes the minister a slave to men. He says the minister is, then, 'not able' to speak freely. Can this be a problem? Yes. Is this a problem? Again, yes. Must it be a problem? Absolutely not. In my experience, the people have freely chosen to salary their pastors and specifically want them to preach the truth, not please the people. I, personally, have never felt afraid to say something just b/c it wasn't the most traditionally 'wesleyan' viewpoint.

3) Salary makes a minister feel stuck in ministry
Viola is saying that to get a salary you have to go to Bible college and/or get a Master's and by the time you are salaried you are 'stuck' in full-time ministry b/c you feel you don't have any other employable skills. In other words, even if a pastor realizes Viola is right, he's too afraid to resign b/c he doesn't feel equipped to make a living. I suppose my only reaction to this argument is that I think it would be fairly easy to get a job with a similar salary as a minister. And I'd get to work a lot less!

Top 16 CI Verses

Here are the verses I find most often used by the 'conditional immortality' (CI) camp:

Genesis 2:17
But you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die.
God didn't say they'd die and suffer eternal torment. He said the penalty for sin was death. If ET was part of the punishment, was God very honest in His description?

Psalm 21:9
At the time of your appearing you will make them like a fiery furnace. In his wrath the LORD will swallow them up, and his fire will consume them.
Both phrases here convey and 'end' to the wicked.

Proverbs 12:28
In the way of righteousness there is life; along that path is immortality.
Immortality is not natural to humanity. It is only found in 'the way'

Proverbs 24:20
For the evil man has no future hope, and the lamp of the wicked will be snuffed out.
First part dismisses UR. Second part dismisses ET.

1 Timothy 6:15-16
The King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone is immortal
The Bible clearly states, here, that only God has natural immortality

Ezekiel 18:4
The soul who sins is the one who will die
Sin results in death for the person/soul

Matthew 10:28
Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.
God is capable of killing both the material and immaterial aspects of a person

Luke 13:3
I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish.
The word 'perish' suggests and end

John 3:16
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
Eternal life is only found in Jesus

Romans 2:7
To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life.
Immortality is something we must seek to gain

Romans 6:23
For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
The result of sin is death, not eternal torment. Eternal life is a gift, not a characteristic of our nature.

1 Corinthians 15:53
For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality.
We have to be clothed with immortality, it is not natural to us

Philippians 3:18-19
Many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their destiny is destruction.
Destruction implies an 'end'

2 Thessalonians 1:9
They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the majesty of his power
Destruction implies an 'end'

1 John 5:11-12
And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.
Eternal life is only found in Jesus. Those not 'in Christ' don't have eternal life

Revelation 21:8
But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars—their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death
The end, for the wicked, is a 'death.' Death implies an end unless otherwise stated.

Our Sunday Best

Should we dress up on Sunday's?

Arguments FOR
God deserves our best!
Many mothers have convinced us that if we were going to meet with the President, we'd dress up so we BETTER dress up for God. The counter-argument would be that this is an Old Testament mindset. We don't GO to meet with God in the New Covenant. God is always with us. If we were going to be consistent with the New Covenant, we'd have to dress up every single day.

The OT Priests dressed up!
Aaron and his sons wore elaborate clothing when they went into the tent of meeting. But in the New Covenant, we are ALL priests and so we should ALL dress up! The counter-argument would be that Aaron's garb was symbolic for the glorious nature of Christ, the High Priest. The Priesthood of all believer's is not about clothing, but ministry.

It's part of our culture!
Sure, dressing up for Sunday is not a biblical mandate, but it's a cultural tradition and there's no good reason to break it. The counter-argument would be that there ARE good reasons to break this tradition, as listed below.

Arguments AGAINST
Creates Unnecessary Formality!
It puts us in the mindset that God can't be approached except through rituals and religion. The early church was a simple church and church was meant to stay that way. The counter-argument would be that informality can occur while wearing formal clothes, you just have to work at it.

Breeds Hypocrisy!
It puts us in the mindset to be weekend worshipers. We can argue the whole way to church and then put on our happy faces while displaying our Sunday best. It's not real. The counter-argument would be that one can be 'real' in any outfit. You can't blame hypocrisy on clothing.

Rejects Lower Class!
It makes a lower class person uncomfortable or, even worse, unlikely to attend the church gathering b/c they feel like a 2nd class citizen. The counter-argument would be that everyone is welcome in the church no matter what they are wearing.
What arguments am I missing? Which arguments are the strongest? Do you dress up on Sunday?

Crazy News X3

A Tree is Bigger than a Branch!!!
It was recently reported that there are now more Muslims in the world than Roman Catholics. This was, apparently, a shocking revelation despite the fact that Islam is an entire religion with various branches and Roman Catholicism is one branch of a much larger religion.

A Woman is Pregnant!!!
It was recently reported that a man is pregnant despite the fact that said man is actually just a woman who has taken steps to become a man while maintaining her female parts.

A Rod is More Valuable than many Marlins!!!
It was recently reported that New York Yankee Alex Rodriquez will make $28 million dollars this season despite the fact that the entire Florida Marlins roster will make only $21 million. By the way, the Marlins have won a World Series more recently than the Yankees.

Idol #9

My ranking system still places David Cook in the lead despite finishing a distant 2nd place this week. Michael John's continued his comeback with, by far, the best performance of the night. David Archuleta had a strong night to regain some of his lost momentum. I thought Syesha was better than the judges gave her credit for. Brooke was middle of the pack this week, but I was still surprised that she was in the bottom 3. Carlie's music just isn't memorable to me, but she had a good week. Jason Castro continues to underperform. He needs to step it up big time to regain his favored status. Kristie Lee actually had a solid week, saving herself yet again. I thought Ramiele was lousy and it made all the sense in the world to send her home.

Predicted finish: David Cook, David Archuleta, Michael Johns, Brooke White, Carlie Smithson, Jason Castro, Syesha Mercado, Kristie Lee Cook

Bad Bloggers

The Following blogs will be deleted in 24 hours
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Nalesa M
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Matt Stats

Monthly Stats for March
From my secret Matt Stats Blog

Spent: $1,337
--547 (giving)
--236 (food)
--225 (gas)
--130 (car)
--75 (clothes)
--64 (books)
--60 (entertainment)

Miles: 1,196

Movies: 6
--Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium 5.0
--The Postman 8.2
--Stardust 7.5
--A Knight's Tale 6.9
--Big Trouble 5.0
--The Money Pit 8.2