I was reading the Big Spring, TX newspaper online today and saw this headline:
Blessing of the Animals
"The Rev. Barbara Kirk-Norris, right, rector of St. Mary's Episcopal Church, blesses Mickey, while owner Julie Johnson watches. The church held its annual Blessing of the Animals Sunday in Bennett Garden to honor St. Frances Assisi. (HERALD photo/Lyndel Moody)"
Just to have a little fun... how many things can you find wrong with this? Leave your answers in the comment section please.
"The Christian says, "Creatures are not born with desires unless satisfaction for those desires exists. A baby feels hunger: well, there is such a thing as food. A duckling wants to swim: well, there is such a thing as water. Men feel sexual desire: well, there is such a thing as sex. If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world. If none of my earthly pleasures satisfy it, that does not mean that the universe is a fraud. Probably earthly pleasures were never meant to satisfy it, but only to arouse it, to suggest the real thing."
From the chapter Discipleship and Training:
I recently decided to pick up TNIV's The Books of the Bible and read it for my devotions. So far I have really enjoyed it. (I wouldn't encourage using the TNIV for serious study, but I think it's alright for devotionals.) What I like most about The Books of the Bible (TBB) is its format. All of the verse and chapter numbers have been removed (there is a very faint Scripture reference point at the bottom of each page to give the reader a general idea of where he/she is reading from). Nice. Also, sections of Scripture are broken up by a break, or change, in argument/thought. If it's a minor change in thought then there will be a single space between sections, all the way up to four spaces between the sections for major breaks in thought. Another nice feature is the ordering of the books. The OT is arranged in the Hebrew-esk fashion with the Law through Samuel-Kings at the beginning, the Prophets (in chronological order) next, and the Writings at the end (with Daniel being the last book of the OT). The NT begins with Luke-Acts and proceeds with Paul's letters (in chronological order), then on to a mixture of Matthew and Mark with Hebrews, 1 & 2 Peter, James and Jude, and then finishing with all of John's writings (i.e. John's Gospel, his three letters and Revelation). I think it's a great arrangement. The other great thing about TBB is that it combines 1 & 2 Samuel, 1 & 2 Kings, and 1& 2 Chronicles into one book each as they originally were. All-in-all I'm very pleased with TBB. It flows well and has a great arrangement. Go getcha one.
"The key to understanding the role of the family in discipling children is understanding the purpose of the Fifth Commandment. This commandment was not given for the sake of the individual child as much as it was given for the sake of the community. The Fifth Commandment was the foundation upon which the concept of multigenerational faithfulness is built. God designed the family to disciple children and insure the faithfulness and perpetuation of the community of faith throughout the ages. In other words, God says to us (through the Fifth Commandment), "If you want to continue to exist as the people of God in the midst of the pagan land that I am about to give you, you will have to do so by training and discipling your children." This is the linchpin in every argument I have made or will make in this book. God has designed your family--not the youth group, not the children's ministry, not the Christian school, but your family--as the principal discipling agent in your children's lives. The most important job you have as a parent is to train and disciple your children. This truth completely transformed the way Bridget and I viewed our role as parents. Suddenly we realized that if we raised our children to be great doctors, lawyers, athletes, or musicians but did not train them to honor us and obey God, we would have failed. Thus we had to rethink our schedule, our priorities, everything. In fact, this is one of the key truths that led us to home education. It was inconceivable to us that we could accomplish this monumental task without giving our children an education that completely embraced and undergirded this philosophy."
"When I first became a Christian, I thought that all Christians were sold-out, fire-breathing, truth-telling, water-walking follower of the Lord Jesus Christ. I also believed that I should be able to trust anything that was written by a Christian author and published by a Christian publisher. I soon discovered I was wrong. Most Christians in our culture live like everyone else. There is little distinction between our lives and the lives of the pagans down the street. We wear the same clothes, watch the same movies, read the same books, send our children to the same schools, and sign the same divorce decrees as everyone else. Furthermore, there ought to be a sign posted in every Christian bookstore that reads, "The views expressed in these books do not necessarily express the views of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ." I'm not saying, don't read Christian books. I'm just saying, read with discernment."
