Evangelical Options

I've talked to or heard from a lot of Evangelicals regarding how they are voting in the upcoming election and why. Here is a list of the 15 most common positions. Which numbers resonate with you?

I'm an Evangelical and I will...

1. Vote Obama: He's the best candidate
I think his policies match Xianity well

2. Vote Obama: We need a change
We need to shake things up. He's different

3. Vote Obama: To punish the Republicans
That party needs to realize they've lost us

4. Vote Obama: To punish America
If the US gets worse, we'll get on our knees

5. Vote McCain: He's the best candidate
I think his policies match Xianity well

6. Vote McCain: Necessary to stop Obama
They're both bad, but Obama is far worse!

7. Vote McCain: I really like Sarah Palin
Palin is the lone 'Evangelical' of the 4

8. Vote 3rd Party: He/she is the best candidate
I think the CP, LP, GP, PP, other is ideal

9. Vote 3rd Party: To protest 2-party system
We need to break the 2 party system

10. Write-in: A ideal person who isn't running
There's no one good on the list, I'll still vote

11. Write-in: To mock the system
Our government is so corrupt, I'll vote snoopy

12. Not Vote: I'm lazy and/or don't care
It's not high on my priority list

13. Not Vote: There's no one good to vote for
Is this really the best we have to offer?

14. Not Vote: My vote won't make a difference
My state is already decided, the system stinks

15. Not Vote: I'm a pilgrim
Why would I vote in THEIR election?

1 & 2 Timothy

1:1-2 (Introduction)
1:3-7 (Confronting False Doctrine)
1:8-11 (Purpose of the Law)
1:12-17 (Why Paul was Entrusted)
1:18-20 (7 Habits of a Highly Effective Minister)
2:1-8 (8 Ways to Sharpen our Prayers)
2:9-15 (Women in the Church)
3:1-16 (Overseeing the Organism)
4:1-16 (The Tale of Two Mysteries)
5:1-16 (Our Obligation to Widows)
5:17-25 (Our Obligation to Elders)
6:1-10, 17-19 (Keys to Contentment)
6:11-16, 20-21 (Pursuit of God)

1:1-12 (Invitation to Suffering)
1:13-2:13 (What to do with the Word)
2:14-26 (But words forever haunt me)
3:1-4:8 (With Whom to Associate)
4:9-22 (A Life of Relationships)

ByeBye MySpace

After a few more of my solely 'myspace' using friends joined 'facebook,' I finally felt comfortable deleting my Myspace. I never liked myspace and I am glad to be rid of it.

Power Rankings 4

1. Tennessee Titans
2. NY Giants

3. Carolina Panthers
4. Pittsburgh Steelers
5. Washington Redskins
6. Buffalo Bills
7. Dallas Cowboys
8. Tampa Bay Bucs
9. NE Patriots
10. Philadelphia Eagles
11. Green Bay Packers
12. Chicago Bears

13. Arizona Cardinals
14. Denver Broncos
15. New Orleans Saints
16. Atlanta Falcons
17. NY Jets
18. Jacksonville Jaguars
19. Indianapolis Colts
20. San Diego Chargers
21. Minnesota Vikings
22. Cleveland Browns
23. Baltimore Ravens
24. Houston Texans
25. Miami Dolphins

26. St. Louis Rams
27. Seattle Seahawks
28. Oakland Raiders
29. SF 49ers

30. Kansas City Chiefs
31. Detroit Lions
32. Cincinnati Bengals

PAM

Pastor Appreciation Month was pretty cool this year. For starters, we had an awesome potluck dinner. It was one of my favorite church dinners of all-time. We had beef on weck (a WNY specialty) and everyone brought a salad of some sort (bean, pasta, or something creative). After the meal a bunch of people took the mic and shared their appreciation for Pastor Joe and I. I felt very appreciated and humbled. Next, there was a skit in which the roles of Pastor Joe and I were played by 2 of the teens. They did a very good job of noting some of our idiosyncrasies. Then the night ended with a special number from the 'Cast-Off Crowns' (The LBA pretended to play guitars, sing, and whatnot while "If we are the body" played in the background). I guess all I can say about that is... if THAT is the body, we're in big trouble. In any case, it was fun. I dislike being the center of attention, but they did a great job of keeping things light and yet meaningful.

Solid, Leaning, Toss-up

I really enjoy the Real Clear Politics site when it comes to the latest polls. The site is frequently updated and very easy to navigate for solid information. At the bottom of the linked page, it shows which states are SOLIDLY in place for either Obama or McCain. Then there are states that are only LEANING one direction or the other. Finally, some states are still a TOSS UP at this point.

As I was reading that I was thinking of how this relates to doctrines. There are some doctrines that are SOLIDLY believed in my mind. Other doctrines I LEAN towards. Still other doctrinal disputes I'm still very UNDECIDED. It'd be interested to create a massive list of doctrinal controversies and then place one of these terms beside it. For examples:

QUESTION:
In terms of Soteriology, are you a calvinist or an arminian?

Answer:
Arminian: (Solid)

QUESTION:
In terms of Eschatology, are you a futurist, a historicist, a preterist, or an idealist?

ANSWER:
Preterist (Leaning)

QUESTION:
In terms of an intermediate state, do you believe the wicked suffer prior to judgment day or are unconscious?

Answer:
(Toss Up)

Engaged!

I know I have been tricky in the past about such things, but The Matthew Never Knew is now announcing the engagement of Matthew and Katie. Cash gifts accepted.

Disqualified?

Sticks and Stones

"Sticks and stones may break my bones,
but words will never hurt me"

Is this common saying mostly true or mostly false?
I made a new one that I think is more accurate

"Sticks and stones may break my bones,
but words forever haunt me"

Ghost Hunters

Tonight, the Sci-fi show Ghost Hunters will be featuring a local winery (just a few miles from our church). Interestingly enough, I had never been to the winery in 26 years of living here, but this year I've been there maybe 5 times for weddings and whatnot. Anyways, here is a link to an advertisement for tonight's episode (9pm eastern). Even though it makes it sound like it's in Connecticut, it's really in Western NY.

Power Rankings3

1. Tennessee Titans
2. NY Giants
3. Pittsburgh Steelers
4. Buffalo Bills

5. Tampa Bay Bucs
6. Dallas Cowboys
7. Washington Redskins

8. Carolina Panthers
9. Denver Broncos
10. Arizona Cardinals
11. San Diego Chargers
12. Indianapolis Colts

13. Chicago Bears
14. New Orleans Saints
15. NE Patriots
16. Atlanta Falcons
17. Jacksonville Jaguars
18. Philadelphia Eagles

19. NY Jets
20. Green Bay Packers
21. Minnesota Vikings
22. Cleveland Browns

23. Baltimore Ravens
24. Miami Dolphins
25. Houston Texans
26. SF 49ers

27. Seattle Seahawks
28. Oakland Raiders
29. Kansas City Chiefs
30. St. Louis Rams
31. Cincinnati Bengals
32. Detroit Lions

4th Birthday

Today is my blogs 4th birthday! Here are the best posts from the past 4 years:

Year 1
Prison Cell Phones
Red Sox Win LIVE
Songs You Never Knew
A Series of Unfortunate Events
Online Dating Series
Essential Christian Doctrine
Ask and it Shall be Given
When NOT to tell the truth
Fun with Footnotes
Stupid Kids
Pin the Tail on the Antichrist
Saved Muslims?

Year 2
The New Canon
Top 10 Churches Series
You Might be a Dispensationalist If
The Binding of Satan
Worst Pic Ever
The Tall of Laziness
The Counting Post
China Pictures
The 'How To' Story
Card Wall
Alphabet Match Maker
Solomon's Pick Up Lines

Year 3
Kenosis Theory
Disagree with Drury
Please Pray for Me
STIC to the Drink
Matchbox Cars
eHarmony Parody
Jobs I'd Love
5.61
5 Question Quiz
Rent-a-Kitty
Blog Aliens
BBC Blogging Day

Year 4
eHarmony Parody
Odor
Will Rogers Quotes
Online Romance
Why Vote For...
My 5 Flaws
Our Sunday Best
Pastor Matt
Pendulum Theory
Outraged at Outrage
Interview w/Ruth
Yearbook Yourself

My Failure

I absolutely forgot to do BBC Blogging Day this year (9-4-08). This, and the fact that I didn't even realize until this week, is a reflection of my general failure at being the kind of blogger that I have been in the past. But alas, I still love blogging and have a special announcement about my blog coming in a few days.

My Plan

I have a plan that will never happen, but would work (in my opinion). ALL the political conservatives in certain blue (democrat controlled) states should vote 3rd party (Baldwin or Barr). What's more, all the liberals in the certain red (republican controlled) states should vote 3rd party (Barr or Nader). In this way, both corrupt parties will realize the extent of the dissatisfaction of the citizens. Battleground states are, in my plan, encouraged to vote as per usual. Let's look at a map:

The gray states (NV, CO, MO, IN, OH, VA, NC, FL) are toss-ups at this point. They can fight it out. The light blue (WA, NM, MN, WI, MI, NJ) are leaning toward Obama, but it's still close enough to fight it out. Likewise, the light red states (WV, GA) are leaning McCain and are free to fight it out, under my plan, as well. But this leaves 34 states that aren't up for grabs. McCain is going to win the bulk of the mid-west. Obama is going to win the north-east and west-coast.

One thing Americans agree about is that our leaders are doing a poor job all around. So why would people in these 34 states support candidates that they know won't win their states? All this does is encourage the two party system that we all agree stinks! Americans in these 34 states should unite in our rejection of the 2 party system. While this would, by definition, not impact the electoral process 1 iota, it would significantly impact the popular vote. And even though the popular vote doesn't count, it does get noticed.

In 2004, only just over 1 million people voted for candidates OTHER THAN Bush & Kerry! With my plan, at least 31 MILLION votes would be cast for 3rd party candidates. If you took 15 million votes away from each party in 2004, the results would have looked like this:

47 Million for Bush
44 Million for Kerry
31 Million for Other

Will the Republicans and Democrats take note of America's dislike for the 2 party system if 3rd party's only get just over 1 million votes? I certainly don't think so! But with numbers like those shown above, they will take notice. And, even more importantly, a good third party candidate would actually be in the media mix.

Paul on Bailout

Life of Wesley

I am going to attempt to teach about John Wesley's life in a 45 minute Sunday School block. I created 23 bullet point which I hope will give me room to cover the key material. Anything vital missing in your opinion?

The Life of John Wesley

•  Born June 17th, 1703
•  Number 15 of 19 children (10 survived)
•  Rescued from house-fire (1709)
•  School in London (1714), Oxford (1720)
•  Leader of the ‘Holy Club’ (1729)
•  Missionary to Georgia (1735-1738)
•  Charles converts, writes 1st hymn (1738)
•  John’s heart ‘strangely warmed’ (1738)
•  England’s pulpits close to Wesley brothers
•  Begins preaching outdoors (1739)
•  3 point circuit (London, Bristol, New Castle)
•  Societies, Classes, and Bands created
•  Fell on London Bridge, married nurse (1751)
•  Spouse separated in 1771, died in 1781
•  Ordained 28 ministers, separating Methodism
•  Traveled about 250,000 miles for preaching
•  Preached 40,000 sermons (3,000 unique)
•  Wrote/Edited b/w 200 and 300 books
•  Gave away more than 30,000 pounds to needy
•  Movement reached 50,000 English members
•  Movement reached 15,000 Americans
•  Wrote final letter (to William Wilberforce)
•  Died on March 2nd, 1791

Miracle Series

I just finished teaching through the list of 37 miracles provided by Strong's Concordance. It was a worthwhile 20-hour series. I had 2 goals: 1) To come to a proper understanding of each of Jesus' recorded miracles and 2) To teach our Sunday night congregation the value of studying parallel accounts.

Introduction
Water into Wine
Healing the Sick Son
The Great Catches
Casting Out Demons
Early Healing Miracles
Healing the Paralytic
Paralytic at the Pool
Man w/Withered Hand
Stilling the Storm
Sick Servant, Dead Son
Sick Woman, Dead Daughter
Feeding 5000, 4000
Walking on Water
Strange Method Miracles
The Man Born Blind
Contextual Miracles of Luke 13-14
The Raising of Lazarus
The Tale of 10 Men
Blind Bartimaeus, Fig Tree, Temple Tax, Servant's Ear