we only know in part

I Corinthian 13 8-12


8Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. 9For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears. 11When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. 12Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

very interesting

got this link Inclusivism??? Universalism??? Judgement???
from ybmt. i don't really have a comment about it, not now anyway. i find the topic to be very interesting though. i will say this. it does make one wonder about all the different ways people look at the gospel in Christiandom. and to some degree it makes me sad that we all seem to think we have it right and the other "groups" don't. and i'm talking about each so-called "side".

my little man

this is my chubbawubba!! i never thought i'd post a pic of my kid on the 'net but man....i'm in love with this kid. i can look at pics of him all day and can't help but be proud!! we've been married for 12 yrs and this our first, so you could understand if i was thinking we weren't gonna have children. sometimes i still can't believe i have a child!!! i got to hold him right after he was born for a good half hour, even before mom!! what a blessing!! and i'm proud to say that this daddy has been doin it all from day one. changing diapers, feeding, helping give baths, takin work off to go for support when he got his shots, getting up in the middle of night to help out. i don't regret it. i've never been so tired in my life lol, but its' all love. don't get me wrong, i've been very frustrated at times and the crying would drive me insane at times, but i love him. he's alot of fun and has a face full of expressions. we think we have a character on our hands (and with mom and dad's personalities?!? we've got a little comedian) and man is this kid gonna be active!! he was constantly on the move in the womb and is still kickin those feet today!! he'll be six months tomorrow! its hard to believe that we just had him. thats what it feels like. he was so small when he was born and he's just blown up! i call him chubbycheeks or chubbawubba and that gets a big smile from him!!! anyway, i was feeling like i needed to put some kinda picture up, i love photos, and thought these would be good to put up today.

"killing my old man"

that title is from an old Petra (lyrics) song!!

You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; 23to be made new in the attitude of your minds; 24and to put on the new self...Eph. 4:22-the first part of vs. 24

taken from today's our daily bread - He's not interested in merely changing our spiritual appearance. Instead, He intends to replace our character with what is called "the new man," made in the image of Christ (Ephesians 4:24). The flesh has a tendency to perform religious activity, but this is not the work of the Holy Spirit. He will completely transform us on the inside.


But the process is a partnership (Philippians 2:12-13). As we daily lay aside our old behaviors and replace them with godly ones, the God of grace works in us through the power of the Holy Spirit.



12Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, 13for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose. - Philippians 2:12-13

Church

Why go to Church?, picked this up at Say What Now?. i've been wanting to go to church myself, been missing the fellowship with others. hopefully things'll will work out soon. i haven't been to church in a minute!! "minute" used in that sense is slang for quite a while!

so much static

Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD. - psalm 27:14

wow...i dunno if i'm amazed or confused. last summer i had something happen at work that was very disturbing to me. but the good thing about it is i took it to the Lord. i went to church and prayed at the altar about what was tearing at me. now i could have easily just been angry about it and went with that anger. but i went to God for guidance in how to handle the situation and myself in that situation. while on my way to the altar i looked for a friend of mine in the pews and didn't see him. when i opened my eyes from praying, he was right there next to me! and we talked about was going on and also about my desire to know God better, that i was tired of living off of "milk". and we made a commitment to each other to meet on a regular basis. and we did. and we did a study on a very tough topic. lust and its negative effects on the christian man. whew...at the time i didn't think i'd open up as much as i did, and he was thinking the same thing about himself. and it was a blessing in many many ways. although the battle rages on...lol.

now here i am a year later and so much has happened between now and then. in terms of my relationship with God. that inner desire to know God has not died or faded. but i have come across sooo much stuff (that's the best way i can put it now) that sometimes my head is spinning. and now as i'm writing this i'm wondering if some of this "stuff" distracts me from knowing Him better. this "stuff" has been sitting and listening to and/or having debates with other christians i just "happened" to meet (wink wink...i know God was in the mix) on the commuter rail. and now some of the blogs i read. all these different opinions and interpretations of the bible and what this or that verse meant. don't get me wrong, alot of it has helped fuel the desire to know God's Truth, to understand Him as He wants me to. whew...talk about meat!

last nite i mentioned to my wife that a relationship with God is tough. i explained what i meant by saying that i see her on a daily basis, i can physically touch her, i can feel her touch me. when she speaks i can hear her voice audibly. do i need to say more? i will, just in case what i'm trying to get across is not clear. with God it's different. the bible is His voice, i see Him in creation. teachers of His Word are also His voice. what i want is to have a relationship with God. and maybe that's not the correct way of putting it. i dunno how else to say it at this point. but sometimes, i wanna shut the world out so i can focus on what it means to have a relationship with God. but as humans we tend to look to others to see what they do. so when i read or listen to what other people have to say it can be, to say the least, a bit much. sometimes people use words that are just not part of everyday vocabulary and they talk about this doctrine vs. that doctrine. what this author or that author had to say on the topic. all the different denominations, inerrancy of scripture, the historical Jesus vs the Jesus of the bible. faith, grace, salvation, redemption, reconciliation, death, life, hell, religion. it gets to be overwhelming. are there two people that believe the exact same thing? and what is up with this distaste for organized religion??? when i read what some people say it sounds as if all churches are no good and that they might as well be cults. i don't go to church often, alot of times its due to the wife's work schedule or this or that. but the church i go to doesn't come off as judgemental. sure, there may be people with that mentality, but not the church as a whole. i could go to church in shorts and sneakers if i chose to. i could be covered in tattoos, with my nose, ears and even lip pierced and i think i'd be accepted and not just accepted but loved. i believe that i could express my opinion on a certain verse or passage and not have someone try to force feed me something else. not all churches are organizations that try to force people to believe their way. not in my experience anyway, and obviously if that is the case at a particular church then its not the place to be.

i dunno, sometimes it seems there are too many trains of thought that can distract one from getting to know God. i think we often forget to do this - "Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth." - psalm 46:10 we're too busy trying to put our own thoughts and feelings into the who/what/where and when that we don't just sit and listen to who God tells us He is.

the purpose of the Crucifixion?

it's always interesting and sometimes confusing to find out what others believe. especially other "christians" or "believers", i only use the quotes because we say we believe in the same Christ or the same things about Christ. as for the quotes around christians, many many people call themselves christians even tho they don't believe that Christ is the Son of God. anyway, i've been surfing and come across blogs of people that believe that Christ died for all and thus all have been saved. (at least thats what i think i'm getting from them) and that God being loving and merciful would not condemn people to be eternally seperated from Him since Christ died on the cross for all. how does that explain Jesus saying "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." -John 14:6. would God send His son to die for a world that doesn't believe in His son? how does that reconcile man to God if he still doesn't believe and accept the gift of His son? as i understand it, Christ is the bridge for man to God, He's our intercessor.
how does that way of thinking of the work of the cross work with what Jesus said -

"Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life."

"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. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son." - John 3:14-18

now i've seen where just verse 17 is quoted, but verse 18 is left out. what about what John says at the end of chapter 3 regarding Jesus when someone came to him because Jesus was baptizing people?

"The Father loves the Son and has placed everything in his hands. Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God's wrath remains on him." - John 3:35-36

I've also seen arguments that this would go against the nature of a loving God. God is Holy and yes He loves us, but He loves us enough to give us a choice to choose Him or not. isn't that one of the aspects of love? i have a son, who is still very dependent on me (5 1/2 months). at some point he will grow up and do what he wants. to me, to love him, is to allow him to persue his interests. now i can guide him and tell him what i think is best, but that's it. i shouldn't try to force him to live the life i think he should live. if i try to force him to do things my way then how is that love and how is that me listening to him and allowing him to be who he thinks he is? now he may choose to do something that i'm totally against, but that doesn't mean that i love him any less. i will still love him no matter what and hope that some day he chooses to do something different with his life. in the same way, i think that's how God loves us. He gave us our own minds to make decisions. His desire is that we choose His way. He knows better, He knows whats best for us, after all He created us.

For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother's womb.

I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.

My frame was not hidden from you
when I was made in the secret place.
When I was woven together in the depths of the earth,

your eyes saw my unformed body.
All the days ordained for me
were written in your book
before one of them came to be.

- psalm 139:13-16

But we still have a choice, "free will". God is all knowing and all powerful, doesn't it seem like He'd find another way to save all mankind without sacrficing His only son? i dunno, i just think we need to be careful about what we do with the purpose of the cross and why Christ came. God is a loving God, and He is also a Holy God and we cannot forget that part. His nature is Holy and He shows that by the flood, the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah and the fact that a price had to be paid for sin. IMO, The mercy and grace of God is shown in the sending of his son to pay that price.

btw, i am in no way judging what someone else believes, just explaining why i believe what i do.