Month: September 2017

Posted on

Good Yom Tov

Good Yom TovOh it is going to be a very good year.  Finally my family is over the pains of last year, and we are moving forward together, stronger than we have ever been.  My recent health problems are solved, and I feel strong, and ready to do the Lord’s ministry. Thanks be to the Lord, everyone in my family is healthy, not-wealthy, but wise (if you don’t count the teenagers and younger adults).  Okay, I’m proud of all of them.  Zac is preparing for his Washington D.C. trip next year, and is doing really good applying his grindstone and getting good grades as a Junior in High School.  Jen is doing well in working toward her teaching degree as a Sophomore at University of Idaho, and had a really good interview with the UI College of Education for full entrance into the program. And Elizabeth and Jeremy are figuring married life out, continue to show great love for each other, and…we don’t see them much. LOL. Jo and I are doing so well.  We are healthier and happier than we have ever been.  Oh, it is going to be a very good year!

So why am I talking about a new year when it isn’t January 1st? Because today is the most Holy Day for the Jews, called Yom Kippur. This holiday actually begins with Rosh Hoshanna, ten days earlier as Jews celebrate their lives and begin to examine their shortcomings, which will be fully expressed in prayer today.  They pray to G-d to forgive them of their sins, to release them from vows, and to remember them and keep them in the Book of Life for another year. Good Yom Tov, my Jewish friends!  May your name be in the Book of Life, and that G-d allows you to prosper in this next year.

Ever since Jo and I have been doing works for the Lord, our New Year begins the day after Yom Kippur.  Usually, our works that change, happen about a month or two before; by Yom Kippur we know what we will be doing for the year.  We become charged with the Holy Spirit, and our output of new work flows exceedingly well.  Happy New Year, my precious Joanne!  Its time for us to get to work serving our Lord better than we have ever done before.

Posted on

Don’t worry, I’m not going to knock on your door

Kathy and Joanne

I am not going to force my belief upon you.  I’m not going to go door to door with the assumption that only my belief is the correct one, and be vain enough to try to get you to believe my ways.  I’m not going to stand on a platform and preach Hell and damnation so I can scare you.  I’m not going to lead a revival of emotions to trick you into coming closer to God.  I’m not going to have a weekly altar call that requires non-believers to go to the front of the church and be confronted by a good deal of emotion and confusion. If you invite me to one of your functions, I will seldom speak of my Lord Jesus Christ unless the conversation is first initiated by you. I am NEVER going to reject seekers of Christ and His things, no matter how different they are from me. I am not going to post a bunch of nonsense on the social media pages that is popularly spread amongst people that makes them feel good when they share the posts.  I’m not going to act holier than you; nor am I going to act lower than you; I’m just going to be myself.

But, be forewarned, I am a very strong Christian leader, with constant and true faith in my Lord Jesus Christ.  I take my assignments for the jobs He has given me to do very, very seriously.  Almost all of my waking, and some of my sleeping moments involve planning and leading activities to reach the goals of my Lord.  That’s why I sometimes don’t make good conversation.  I am always thinking of the Lord’s work; social niceties often are difficult for me to navigate.  And by the way, the closer I come to God through my Lord Jesus Christ, the more righteous and holy I do become.  Yet, I always remain me; maybe a little bit better than before me…but I am still me.

I am a Master in Divinity, Pastor, Chaplain, President of an Academy, author, teacher and sometimes activist. Joanne is a Christian Counselor, author, Vice-President of our ministry, and teacher. We are Christian leaders that keep secrets of those that must confess or seek our counsel. We sometimes marry and bury; we are always developing God’s works on the Internet in far-away places. We don’t charge anything for the teaching and sharing of God’s Word to the unchurched.  The only money we receive for the spiritual works we do is the career-developing Academy that we are starting to train up Professional Theologists, Pastors, and Chaplains, with full licensing, ordination, and endorsements. This training equips them to assume their Christian leadership jobs with full licensing by us as we support and monitor their activities. Our paychecks as President and Vice-President of Becker Bible Ministries are required by regulations, and taxes are withdrawn from our income. Most importantly, all the money we receive, including our paychecks every month, are turned back into the ministry to insure its growth. We are also blessed to have trustworthy donators that give their money monthly to ensure we are successful in our ministry development.

Today we have the Non-Profit ministry of Becker Bible Ministries, Inc. and we are developing Becker Professional Theology Academy. We also have a public Wise Folk Publishing business that has been approved by the government to be an arm of our non-profit to ensure funds can be received from this business. We are tremendously busy trying to keep it all going. Last year, we had over fifty contractors working with us; soon we  hope to hire many full-time skilled workers in the immediate future.

I do not look like a Christian leader.  I am extremely cognizant of my deteriorating looks.  I do the best I can, but it is never enough to look my part.  But, those that get to know me spiritually, honor and uphold my journey and respect my decisions.  Most look to me to guide them to the places they should be in Christ’s world.  We baptize more people yearly, on the average, than do the churches in our area.  Though our creeks run cold most of the time, we’ve got access to warm water tanks, should old bones need it.  Yearly, people we don’t even know knock on our door and ask for Bible Studies.  We have many Bible studies with many student groups who are always different.  I write Bible Studies specifically for the participating students of each group, guided by the Holy Spirit, in order that they are spiritually restored and moved closer to God. With the professional help of Joanne, we are able to counsel sexual abuse victims, drug and alcohol addicts, prisoners, oddballs, and your general broken people found everywhere amongst the unchurched.

Our ministry has missionaries and our teachings in every country of the world.  Many of our missionaries are in dangerous places that we must continually watch out for to ensure their protection.  We are known by the various governments, have been vetted often by the United States Pentagon, Army, CIA, and law enforcement agencies.  Many foreign governments also monitor our teachings, and continue to allows us to place them on their internet; many have embraced Christ as their Savior because of these opportunities!  We even have a pin in our ministry map for a place called “Hell.” We suspect it is a foreign country name, but that is how it was reported, so we stuck a pin in it!  We proudly provided many Bible Studies, including our books to soldiers in danger in the Iraq wars.  We also provided a training and counseling place for Chaplains during this wartime, and we were honored to gather together almost 500 chaplains with the Army and Pentagon into a group ministry.  All of us were blessed to figure ways of accessing and including God in the midst of horror and despair.  What a ministry life we have lived!

So, all of the new people meeting us, that’s what we do.  We do our jobs very well for the LORD God and we try our hardest to be perfect in delivering His teachings to others.  Sometimes our personal lives suffer, and people leave because they cannot rise up to the spiritual level that Joanne and I must maintain.  It breaks our heart each time; sometimes more than others.  But, we have to choose the life that God demands us to live and pray for those that must leave our presence that the seeds we have planted are not thrown away, but quietly waiting a regrowth and regeneration.  Prayer is all we have in many situations.

I am me.  I am different than most.  But, if you are a part of Joanne’s and my spiritual life, you know us and love us just as much as we love you.  It’s the way God made people in His Kingdom, and it promises to be just a small foretaste of what will come when this old earth comes to an end.  I can hardly wait for the pains and disappointments of this life to be over on that Promised Day and finally be able to stand in the presence of my Lord!

Posted on

Do you think that you may be dying?

Man praying

Right before death comes to people in natural ways, the body begins a deterioration, and the mind comprehends the possibility that the downhill decline is leading to death. Strong spiritual Christian leaders can often perceive the “preparation” of the soul for the death or resurrection process that occurs at the same time life begins to slow down and the body declines. While always a sad part of life when we lose those we love and like, there is a joyous ending when we watch saved Christians pass away. We know we will see them again, and we know they are in the presence of Jesus and in the place of Heaven that heals, comforts, and restores them to their truest selves. But, sadly, we also mourn the loss of those that we think unsaved, because of the wasted life of things that might have been available to them if they had only made the choice of Christ.

My early Methodist upbringing often focused upon the Scripture verse that says the “last are first and the first last:”

“Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name’s sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life.  But many that are first shall be last; and the last shall be first.” (Matthew 19:28-30)

The Methodist unsaved, especially the men, took advantage of this declaration of Christ, by committing to themselves to ask for salvation from Christ at the very last moment. They resolved to live the life they chose until the very last minute of their lives on the earth.  At that moment, they reasoned, they would give a shout out to the Lord Jesus Christ to save them, and they were guaranteed a spot in Heaven.  I kid you not; many men I knew that went to after church events with their wives, and I heard this claim to Methodist salvation at the last moment of life many, many times. Sadly, I watched these same men in dying process and attended their funerals. I observed in almost all cases, by the time they should have been shouting out to the Lord for that hoped for salvation, they were instead in a coma, feeble, or mentally changed to the point they were unable to publicly declare or privately ask for the salvation to occur.

Last month, I attended a big event with a great deal of people. I saw three, maybe four people that have begun the process of preparation to die. I do not know any of their faiths, do not know whether they follow Christ as their Savior, and do not know if they have accepted Him and received salvation in their private lives. However, just in case they have not done this, I thought it prudent to offer the steps to salvation:

Step 1: “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.” (Romans 10:9)

There are NO more steps. It is not very complicated. Of course, to make that statement, you must first believe that no matter how much good you have done on this earth, you still are sinful, and need the salvation of the Lord to go to Heaven. However, if you believe Scripture, then Romans 10:9 tells you exactly what you need to do.

If you need someone to confess that belief to quietly, because maybe you are fearful of scaring your loved ones in these last days of your life, speak with a trusted Christian leader. I am available for the simple confession of faith of Jesus Christ and certainty of His Resurrection  anytime, day or night. Just do it if you have not been saved. Grab hold of your hope of Resurrection and surety of faith by claiming it before you die; once you die, it is over, and you do not have any other opportunity for salvation.

The men and women I saw prepared for beginning the process of dying were some of the neatest people I met that day. I hope that they already have a strong faith professed in Christ, and are fully participating in representing the Kingdom of God. However, I suspect a few remain unsaved. It is time folks. Confess Christ and your sure belief in Him and the Father God who is your Creator. My phone number is (208)486-6150 and I will help receive your confession of faith, anytime, day, or night.

God bless all believers in Him. When you soon stand in the presence of Christ, please remember me to Him, and speak good things on my behalf. That would be really cool!

 

Posted on

Our Rewards Come Later with Jesus

Prosperity

Have you seen and heard the fancy pancy Christians that claim great reward and prosperity available to all that pray a certain prayer, belong to a certain religion, or claim reward in order to receive it? It is a lie. God will not give you reward and prosperity for your accomplishments or wishes in this life. It is not going to happen.

So how do we address those Christian leaders that claim such lies?  We call them false prophets and false teachers, and we get away from their mumble jumbo as fast as possible.  Your righteousness, holiness, and life after death depends upon your choice of Christian leadership to follow.  Don’t be tricked!

I have created a “False Teacher” (https://biblestudydata.com/moodle/mod/resource/view.php?id=127) and a “False Prophet” (https://biblestudydata.com/moodle/mod/resource/view.php?id=128) checklist to aid seeking unchurched Christians to find their leader that will shepherd them in the way of Christ and to prevent falling into the hands of the devil.

I know the popular messages on facebook from misguided Christians that encourage prosperity coming to them through prayer.  Don’t waste your time.  The Bible tells us differently:

“And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.” (Revelation 22:12)

The rewards of God come afterwards, when your life on this earth is ended and your works are completed. They never come to you when your works directed by God are unfinished. Reward never comes to any Christian for the stuff they do on this earth, until it is given by Jesus to you in His coming Judgment of your works:

“Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is. If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as holy fire.” (1 Corinthians 3:12-15)

The works I’m doing on this earth that are guided by God, the works you are doing on this earth that are guided by God, will be judged later, after our works are created and our lives are over on this earth. If any pretend Christian leader dares to tell you otherwise, tell him or her “Satan, get thee behind me!” and run like Hell is close at hand!

Now, don’t ever doubt the grace-filled Providences of the LORD God when you are given exactly what you need to accomplish His Works.  When you are doing His extended works, He provides the tools, materials, and strength to accomplish it fully; He even sends people to help you with your job.  If you run into a situation that you need more help, supplies, strength, or any other material need, your prayers to Him will alert your situation. He will then evaluate and provide the best solutions for your task at hand.  Immediately.  Supernaturally.  Happens often in my life and many other Christian leaders lives as we do the things He wills.  I’ve seen it happen in common Christian’s lives also, so it is not just restricted to the officers and leaders of His Kingdom.

Don’t expect prosperity or reward on earth.  Money and materials coming your way from God’s Hands are restricted to the use towards His tasks, to the penny.  Misspending and misappropriating His things can even result in death coming to you, should you misuse them in deliberate ways:

“But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession, And kept back part of the price, his wife also being privy to it, and brought a certain part, and laid it at the apostles’ feet. But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land? Whiles it remained, was it not thine own? and after it was sold, was it not in thine own power? why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart? thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God. And Ananias hearing these words fell down, and gave up the ghost: and great fear came on all them that heard these things. And the young men arose, wound him up, and carried him out, and buried him. And it was about the space of three hours after, when his wife, not knowing what was done, came in. And Peter answered unto her, Tell me whether ye sold the land for so much? And she said, Yea, for so much. Then Peter said unto her, How is it that ye have agreed together to tempt the Spirit of the Lord? behold, the feet of them which have buried thy husband are at the door, and shall carry thee out. Then fell she down straightway at his feet, and yielded up the ghost: and the young men came in, and found her dead, and, carrying her forth, buried her by her husband. And great fear came upon all the church, and upon as many as heard these things.” (Acts 5:1-11)

Do you see what I am saying? When you are doing works for the LORD God, take great care and consideration of all resources that come your way to the job He has given you.  The natural life gifts of shelter, food, and livelihood that come to you from our Lord that is taking care of His flock, is much different for the materials and gains received from the LORD God for completion of works.  In the first case of natural life gifts, praise the Lord often; it is nothing you did that merited such a gift!  In the case of resources coming your way for the completion of His works, use them wisely! And, in the case of reward that will come to you and bring you exceedingly great prosperity, look for it when you are in the presence of the Lord and He rewards you for a job well done!

 

Posted on

You must become a Monk

Monk in Prayer

“A man is driving down the road and his car breaks down near a monastery. He goes to the monastery, knocks on the door, and says, “My car broke down. Do you think I could stay the night?”The monks graciously accept him, feed him dinner, even fix his car. As the man tries to fall asleep, he hears a strange sound. A sound unlike anything he’s ever heard before. The Sirens that nearly seduced Odysseus into crashing his ship comes to his mind. He doesn’t sleep that night. He tosses and turns trying to figure out what could possibly be making such a seductive sound.The next morning, he asks the monks what the sound was, but they say, “We can’t tell you. You’re not a monk.”

Distraught, the man is forced to leave. Years later, after never being able to forget that sound, the man goes back to the monastery and pleads for the answer again.The monks reply, “We can’t tell you. You’re not a monk.”The man says, “If the only way I can find out what is making that beautiful sound is to become a monk, then please, make me a monk.”The monks reply, “You must travel the earth and tell us how many blades of grass there are and the exact number of grains of sand. When you find these answers, you will have become a monk.”

The man sets about his task. After years of searching he returns as a gray-haired old man and knocks on the door of the monastery. A monk answers. He is taken before a gathering of all the monks.”In my quest to find what makes that beautiful sound, I traveled the earth and have found what you asked for: By design, the world is in a state of perpetual change. Only God knows what you ask. All a man can know is himself, and only then if he is honest and reflective and willing to strip away self deception.”The monks reply, “Congratulations. You have become a monk. We shall now show you the way to the mystery of the sacred sound.”

The monks lead the man to a wooden door, where the head monk says, “The sound is beyond that door.”The monks give him the key, and he opens the door. Behind the wooden door is another door made of stone. The man is given the key to the stone door and he opens it, only to find a door made of ruby. And so it went that he needed keys to doors of emerald, pearl and diamond.Finally, they come to a door made of solid gold. The sound has become very clear and definite. The monks say, “This is the last key to the last door.”The man is apprehensive to no end. His life’s wish is behind that door!With trembling hands, he unlocks the door, turns the knob, and slowly pushes the door open. Falling to his knees, he is utterly amazed to discover the source of that haunting and seductive sound……But, of course, I can’t tell you what it is because you’re not a monk. ”

Image Citation: French Painter Portrait of a Monk in Prayer,
Oil on wood; Overall 13 1/4 x 9 1/2 in. (33.7 x 24.1 cm); painted surface 13 1/8 x 9 1/2 in. (33.3 x 24.1 cm)
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Fletcher Fund, 1937 (37.155)
http://www.metmuseum.org/Collections/search-the-collections/436337

Thanks for the laugh, Dung Huynh, in your comments on September 2 on the National Geographic video on tornadoes.

Posted on

Orofino Lumberjacks and Lumberjills…It’s Fair Time!

  

Its fair time! What fun it is going to be this weekend as friends, neighbors, kids, frenemies, and others gather to celebrate the end of summer, the loading of logs, the bringing in of harvest, and cooler weather. The crowds of people, gathered in large groups talking loudly, with beers in hand and laughter generously spread throughout the fairgrounds, becomes more fun than the sideshows and rides. What fun it is to be a part of a community that laughs and drinks safely together, with guns and knives strapped to their bodies to ensure their constitutional rights are boldly displayed. Incredibly, attendees have no worries of violence or gunplay; it is a way of life for everyone in Idaho, and to not be a part of that culture soon makes one not fit to belong.

The few hard working employed men and those hard working unemployed, thanks to laws governing green tree harvests, meet together and talk the trade, while the women compete in the barns with baked goods and quilts. But, come Sunday, the Lumberjacks and the Lumberjills show their stuff at the Lumberjack show attended by people all over the United States.  The competition is fierce and reveals the strong character, work ethics, and talents of the people in Clearwater County in Idaho. Don’t mess with the Idaho people; and take care not to judge us wimpy or weird.  We all live our natural lives according to our community standards and traditions and refuse to be lessened by silly laws that keep us from our forests. Ya’all come up to the Orofino Fair and Lumberjack Days and share with us tough Idahoans as we enjoy the real way to do hometown fairs.

Posted on

Vote for the Choices Made by God

woman conflictedI just finished listening to Hillary Clinton interview on the “Today Show.” No, you are not privy to my political views in this post. In fact, seldom in my activism will you find me focused upon politics; secular activists will tell you that change can only come at the voting box. I say change must come to hearts that have heard the messages, and then voting at the political box will reflect that. I place matters of righteousness above matters of the state. Balancing righteousness is one of the jobs the Lord expects me to do expertly.

So, Hillary Clinton speaks of one of her admired feminist heads that said race, as in the matter of the election of President Obama, is much more likely to stir voters to that side, when compared to gender. While I suspect that claim is probably true in the secular world, I know with total confidence that I can speak about female leadership in relationship to the things of God associated with faith.

Most of the churches are filled with women; you would be hard-pressed to find one that had a majority of men. Yet, most of the churches are led by the leadership of men. There are many qualified women that have sacrificed a great deal to receive the highest level educations in religion, yet, confined to leadership of a Sunday School for children, or one the worship team; seldom are they promoted to the place of leadership in the major denominations of Christianity.

This problem of ignoring legitimately “called-by-God” Christian leadership by the separation of women from men in the eligibility of application is active.  What do “called-by-God” educated women do? At this time, there are just a few options:

  1. Go to an Independent Church that sometimes restricts the conservative Word of God from being preached, and where the congregation controls every aspect of the leader’s management.
  2. Find a denomination that liberally accepts everyone, of every religion. Universalism is their mantra, the Word of God loses its authority, and the issues of activism and politics are usually focused upon more than the shepherding of God’s people.
  3. Reject churches and stay away, while trying to ignore the compulsion of God that is forcing you to move toward, rather than away from the establishment of His Word.
  4. Demand a platform opportunity, stand strong in the midst of hatred and ridicule, and do the job given to you by God. If it is His Will, He has prepared the path. If it is not, move on.

The rejection of Christian woman leadership is real, especially in the conservative branches of religion. It seems very, very wrong to me that women are forced to quiet their conservative belief in order to fulfill their God directed works by moving to a liberal Methodist or United church.

If you are a conservative woman, and God is moving you to ministry, and you have received your Master of Divinity degree, email me. I’m going to start a list of conservative ministries that are seeking educated leaders; let us start applying even if it means rejection.  When the Lord senses your commitments and sees your dedicated effort to break that glass ceiling, I suspect it will fall.

Email me! As our list of job opportunities grow, I will forward those to strong Christian female leaders who have been prepared for that important job. Keep looking, applying, and praying for your chance to assume the leadership role that God has chosen for you to accomplish. Christian conservative, called by God, women leaders, you have my vote!

Posted on

We teach that too!

Today friends, I am going to illustrate our teaching goals as we are training Christian leaders at Becker Professional Theology Academy.

The Traditional Sunday Worship Experience

Traditional worship

The Sunday services that joins together like-kind people in neighborhood churches. Usually a generational church with people that have been there a lifetime, as had their parents and grandparents before them. Pastors preach a steady program of basic Christian messages that their parishioners can apply in their lives during that week. It gives the congregation a chance to remember God and pray to him once a week at least. This type of church is often exclusionary and sometimes cruel and rejecting of believers that do not look or live like them.

Never fear, part of our Academy teaches our Pastor recruits on how to conduct neighborhood churches, with a focus on traditional hymns and the benefits of pot-lucks. Really! Church pot-lucks are the best; it not only feeds the people and gives a chance for sharing amongst themselves, but, the food is always good as the women in the church bring their foods that they have perfected over the generations. Fellowship is fueled perfectly! So we teach our Pastors about tradition and hymns and neighborhood fellowship; but, we do it a bit differently by insisting that all people, even those that are ornery, ugly, lonely,  different, or just plain weird are welcomed to the table.

The Spirit-filled Worship Service

Hoply Spirit worshippers

How wonderful these services are when the Holy Spirit surges through the congregation of believers and all worshipers lift their hands to praise the Lord! Members excitedly attend most services and expect to see His wonderful presence always. Church services often leave members refreshed and spiritually restored; exhaustion from unlimited praise to God justifies the sharing of food after the service. It is good also! Raised hands, singing, and sometimes-supernatural activities such as Spirit-guided talking in tongues and healings happen regularly in these type of churches. Though Holy Spirit churches are all over the world, the South gathers a good deal of them together in the places where black worshipers can join their neighbors and praise their Lord. I have never experienced an exclusionary attitude amongst Holy Spirit worshipers and have seen countless instances of inclusion, fellowship, and Christian love greeting newcomers.

We seriously teach every student the importance of the Holy Spirit presence in worship and in daily activities. We insist upon His inclusion in every part of their ministries, and will not accept exclusion of His presence in their works; thus, we teach them how to make contact with God, and be a conduit of His moving to the people they are ministering to. Though we focus less on the worship service, and more on the day-to-day activities and works for the Lord, our students are fully equipped to lead the revival of Spirit worshipers.

This is us!

Perfect Coaching

 

This illustration reflects perfectly our primary focus in training up Pastors and Chaplains at Becker Professional Theology Academy.  Check out this apparent “oneness” of the coach and his assistant. How great would it be if Pastors and Chaplains in this world did their jobs with perfect reflection of Christ? Watch the assistant reflecting the actions of the coach, right down to the tiniest of motions. This assistant duplicates his main coach’s actions with unceasing “oneness.”

There is little focus placed in teaching the preparation of Sunday best or waiting upon the Holy Spirit in planned times. It is about being so well trained, and so confident of their Lord’s expectations, that it gives our students a different perspective on ministry. Rather than being limited by traditional Christian expression or celebrating in a church building once or twice a week, we are training up our Pastors and Chaplains to reflect the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ perfectly, with attention to details and practice, practice, practice of the Lord’s ways.

Becker Professional Theology Academy teaches its Pastors and Chaplains how to do ministry outside the four walls of a church. We teach them how to reflect Christ’s movements perfectly, and confidently complete the works given to them with a precision so apparently Christ, that it is recognized by all.  We believe that Christ’s works are not limited to the exclusive religions or perfected worship services behind four walls.  We believe that unchurched believers can have supernatural contact with God given the chance, and it is the job of our Pastors and Chaplains to bring Christ to them in the way He would respond, perfectly.

 

 

Posted on

To bee or not to bee

Congratulations Elizabeth and Jeremy Establishing Professional Theology, where its Christian leaders go out into their communities and minister to the unchurched believers, is not without a bit of unplanned drama sometimes. The four-walls of traditional churches offer some protection from surprises at more formal events; Pastors must always be alert to the unplanned happenings that can quickly pop up in formal ceremonies outside.

Officiating at my granddaughter’s wedding and exposed to the forces of nature on a deck overlooking the Clearwater National Forest and the Clearwater River flowing provided many good memories for attendees and me. I warned the bride and groom, though, that almost every marriage ceremony has a few hiccups that memories are built upon. They believe me now.

The bride was so beautiful walking down the aisle to join her tearful groom. They had courted each other for a year, and had done everything right in that courtship to ensure that they were legitimately joined by God as husband and wife. And the bride had planned every part with exacting detail, and demanded all of her supporters to follow her lead precisely.

As the bride’s hands were placed in the grooms, I had to pause for a few moments just so they could gain their composure before we began the formal ceremony. Suddenly, without warning, the bride gasped, and looked to me with an anxiousness that I knew something was terribly wrong. She dropped the hands of her beloved and started squirming gently, then much more than that, as she tried to signal to me what was wrong. Finally communicating to me that a bee had flown into her bosom and was crawling further and further into the places no one would want to be stung. Her husband-to-be responded quickly, and reached out to help his beloved remove the insect before it took a bite out of her. She gently slapped his hands away, reached into her bosom, deeply, and pulled out the offending bee without a sting. The bride’s family had no idea what had happened and some felt cheated; some of the groom’s family members, who were in perfect position to witness the excitement, were trying to hold in their laughter as she released the bee unharmed.

Later, I asked the bride what thoughts she had as the drama unfolded. She said her first fear was being stung; but then, when she saw her groom begin to reach into her bosom and find the offender, all she could think of is protecting their honor and go fishing in her bosom by herself, since the vows had not yet been shared. She imagined how some of the elderly folks would react if her groom had reached inside and aggressively searched for the offender.

So as she was squirming, I was trying to figure out how to protect the sanctity of the event and still go after that ornery bee that must have been seconds away from a sting. Thankfully, after wiggling and readjusting things inside her dress, the bride found the offender, pulled it out and sent it flying away without a sting. But, you can be assured that every witness, every family member and friend upon finding out about the bride’s squirm are joking about the “boobee” that created such a ruckus on that beautiful and hot day by the river in the wilderness of Idaho.

Posted on

Hello world of unchurched peeps!

Raising HandsWelcome to my personal blog, filled with my adventures in the realm where church folk seldom walk.  Follow my foibles as I attempt to illustrate to the  perfumed pews of Christian congregations that the Lord walks amongst those He chooses, and those He is a choosin’ are not always gathered in the congregated judgments of the perfects hiding within the steepled buildings with Christian elites.  Expect a great deal of Bible looks, a fair amount of stories from the places of the unchurched believers, some new developments in Christian belief, and a bit of activism that upholds the right of all believers to be embraced in fellowship, regardless of whether they are ornery, ugly, or different.

That’s my focus.  Join me for a daily posting of serious contemplation of Scripture, deep journeys in the Word of God, and every once in a while,  pithy, possibly scandalous reports about the underside of privileged Christian exclusivism. Looking forward to the journey with you all!