tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-47517509779215433792024-03-05T06:19:07.653-05:00My Journey with GodRalph Poormanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09871762662455018838noreply@blogger.comBlogger34125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4751750977921543379.post-80977801978244977922013-01-12T10:15:00.001-05:002013-01-12T10:15:07.596-05:00The next chapter<p>It's time to begin the next chapter on my path to ministry. </p>
<p>I met with the district Committee on Ordained Ministry this past Tuesday to review my progress. I'm still waiting for the results of an assessment and the related paperwork to finish the requirements to become a "certified candidate for licensed and ordained ministry." However, the dCOM gave me the approval necessary to enter Licensing School, which begins next Saturday, January 19th.</p>
<p>So, I'm now a "conditionally certified" candidate, or at least a little closer to being a certified candidate.</p>
<p>The Susquehanna Conference's Licensing School is 80 hours of instruction spread out over 10 Saturdays, so, that means the next 2 1/2 months are going to be very busy. But, I'm looking forward to class and hope my rusty learning skills come back into play quickly! (Maybe some WD40 and steel wool?)</p>
<p>After that? well, we'll have to wait and see what God has in mind.</p>
Ralph Poormanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08642355282209598721noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4751750977921543379.post-78165668790587310232012-05-24T08:59:00.001-04:002012-05-24T09:02:02.375-04:00Early mornings while on vacation<div><p>What to do when you wake up at 4:30 AM while on vacation? Check the Weather Channel conditions, and if the visibility looks good, head to the beach!<br>
Unfortunately, it's still "pre-season", so, there were no bakery/coffee shops open yet. But, on the bright side, you've got your pick of seating on the beach. Have a seat and wait for the sunrise.</p>
<br/><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTuCCPDf8wbyl7q6iMAPlcaChthV3CoL-AZHiz8Fr-JDZQ3aAt0emkOkDW4EX7z4N8rD51a04o1W_qtboNZuO2yZyqrpB4dO2YZ1zCR3fFAhW43hesByU6wg_i4zaoxabOHVaDOigVOFY/' /></div>Ralph Poormanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08642355282209598721noreply@blogger.com0Bethany Beach, Bethany Beach38.542305 -75.05418tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4751750977921543379.post-68101517498775532482012-05-22T15:42:00.001-04:002012-05-22T15:45:21.993-04:00Backwards Truth<div>Here's an interesting short video from one of the blogs I follow;
Impractical Theology
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</div>Ralph Poormanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08642355282209598721noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4751750977921543379.post-29671925531761496612012-04-08T17:41:00.000-04:002012-04-08T17:43:57.997-04:00No More Discipleship<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I'm currently reading <u>Sacrilege, Finding Life in the Unorthodox Ways of Jesus,</u> by Hugh Halter. (I'm often drawn to books about unorthodox, or unconventional ways of examining our Christian walk, mainly because I think the "church" has missed the point in teaching Christianity.)<br />
<br />
<i>Though these pages are entirely about discipleship, I have an announcement to make: this is the last time I will use that word. It has been too sullied to be meaningful. From now on, let's change the word into what it really meant to Jesus.</i><br />
<i><br /></i><br />
<i>Apprenticeship.</i><br />
<i><br /></i><br />
<i>Apprenticeship is not about morality, church attendance, sticking up for God, or being Republican. It's not about getting hired or fired by Donald Trump either. And as good as these things can actually be if done for the right reasons, it won't matter if you have a "quiet time" or are committed to a small group. It isn't important what denomination you're connected to or what translation of the Bible you like. It's not about giving money, being nice, avoiding alcohol, not cussing or how long your daily prayer list might be. It is not about your end-times theology, whether or not you believe in a second baptism, or whether your pastor preaches exegetically or topically. </i><br />
<i><br /></i><br />
<i>Biblical apprenticeship is about three things:</i><br />
<br />
<ol>
<li><i>becoming just like Jesus,</i></li>
<li><i>doing what Jesus did, and </i></li>
<li><i>doing the above with the types of people Jesus liked spending time with.</i></li>
</ol>
<i>Pretty simple. What's even better is that if we redefine the idea of apprenticeship, it becomes easy to assess how we're doing.</i><br />
<ol>
</ol>
<div>
<i>Here's how you can know if you are actually an apprentice: people respond to you like they did to Jesus. People are drawn to you. People seek you out for help. People like you, respect you, and want to live like you live. I'm not saying every introvert will become extroverted or the socially awkward will become the life of the party. I'm suggesting that if we take on the purpose of becoming like Jesus, the people of the world whom Jesus died for will want to be our friends. That's what an apprentice will experience. </i><br />
<i><br /></i><br />
Pretty cool stuff, huh?</div>Ralph Poormanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08642355282209598721noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4751750977921543379.post-11625326204907996302011-10-04T20:19:00.001-04:002011-10-04T20:19:06.000-04:00"Men have become tools of"Men have become tools of their tools." Henry David ThoreauRalph Poormanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09871762662455018838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4751750977921543379.post-50828406539779668232011-05-26T21:24:00.001-04:002011-05-26T21:28:51.022-04:00Walk on the beachI had a nice walk on the beach today, a quiet time to just think, plan & pray. During my walk I came across several trees that had been decorated with "beach treasures" and couldn't resist a few pics.<br />
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<embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="https://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf" width="288" height="192" flashvars="host=picasaweb.google.com&hl=en_US&feat=flashalbum&RGB=0x000000&feed=https%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2F115157349741866694075%2Falbumid%2F5611199155085375393%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer"></embed>Ralph Poormanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09871762662455018838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4751750977921543379.post-19343850424524271512011-05-25T14:58:00.000-04:002011-05-25T14:58:18.835-04:00What to do at 5:00 AM on vacationWell, when you wake up at 5:00 AM on vacation, and happen to be vacationing at the beach, you head out for sunrise pics!<br />
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<embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="https://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf" width="400" height="267" flashvars="host=picasaweb.google.com&hl=en_US&feat=flashalbum&RGB=0x000000&feed=https%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2F115157349741866694075%2Falbumid%2F5610721405729857361%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer"></embed>Ralph Poormanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09871762662455018838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4751750977921543379.post-90311872657973376872011-05-23T21:23:00.002-04:002011-05-23T21:26:32.289-04:00Lifestyle Choices ver. 1I had the opportunity to speak at Mount Nittany United Methodist Church last Sunday, May 15th. This was the first time I've spoken outside the two churches in our charge.<br />
<br />
I'd like to thank Patty DeCapria, Lay Leader of Mount Nittany UMC, for thinking of me. I had a great time speaking at two services and meeting lots of wonderful folks.<br />
<br />
I've posted the sermon from the first service, and will, perhaps, get the second sermon posted as well.<br />
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It's wonderful to spend time with others that are interested in learning more about our God and our church, and to have open, non-judgmental discussions. Between the instructors and the other students, there is a tremendous wealth of knowledge and experience available.<br/><br/>I've also been slowly making myself get back to reading, books. I enjoy reading magazine articles, and the internet, with it's boundless amount of information, good and bad, is like a drug. I've been working hard at forcing myself away from my computer and picking up a book to read.<br/><br/>I've been intrigued by political life vs Christian life (<a href="http://www.sandytoes.org/?p=133">see Politics</a>) and have been exploring some viewpoints that I've never considered before. I have a couple website links in the "Links" section on the left side of the website that you might want to explore if you are so inclined.<br/><br/>I've also had some great discussions with a friend who is very interested in liberation theology. She's passed some of her library on to me, as she is reducing it's size. So my stack of "books to read" is getting pretty daunting!Ralph Poormanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09871762662455018838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4751750977921543379.post-81322263268099374872010-09-11T17:09:00.000-04:002011-02-18T13:55:26.634-05:00Continuation of "Thoughts on tomorrow's scripture"Well, we can see how disciplined I am!<br/><br/>Anyway, during our prayer time, I looked over at the participants and it hit me. I felt that I should concentrate on the plumb line in the scripture, not on the message of doom.<br/><br/>God was holding up a plumb line to judge Israel. It's one of the few tools we use that we can't mess up without a definite action. The force that causes it to work, is gravity, and that is controlled by God. We can ignore the results, or we can hold the plumb bob off to the side, but we really have to make a concerted effort to mis-read a plumb line.<br/><br/>Sitting across from me was a gentleman that I consider a well-rounded mature Christian. I realized, as I look to him for examples of Christian behavior, that he is "my plumb line." He is someone that God has placed in my life so that I can judge my behavior. We should pause and think of those people that have crossed our paths, that we have viewed as an good example, or a plumb line. And I think it would be wonderful if we take the time to thank them, in person or letter, for the influence they've had on us.<br/><br/>And, we should examine our own lives and friends, and remember that we could be a plumb line for someone else. Are you living your life such that someone looks to you for an example of Christlike behavior? Or, perhaps I should say, "when" someone looks to you for an example. Are your day to day actions, words and thoughts Christlike? Would you be flattered that others imitate you? or chagrined?<br/><br/>It's time! time to examine your life with a magnifying glass. Because, somewhere, someone is probably watching your behavior and trying to decide if he/she should imitate your behavior. Are you ready for that? I hope so, because you don't get to choose the time and place for Christlike behavior, you need to live it all the time.Ralph Poormanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09871762662455018838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4751750977921543379.post-85494453032760414452010-07-10T17:01:00.000-04:002011-02-18T13:55:26.617-05:00Thoughts on tomorrow's scriptureI'm preaching tomorrow at the 2 churches in our charge, Houserville House of Hope UMC and Woodycrest UMC. As usual, I'm waiting til the last minute to get notes down on paper, partially because they are still forming.<br/><br/>Pastor Renee reminded me a couple days ago to keep my eyes open and be aware of what is going on around me in regards to the scripture. The scripture this week is Amos 7:7-17. I read and reread the scripture last weekend and have been trying to keep it at the forefront of my thoughts this week. But I haven't been paying attention to happenings around me until midweek when she reminded me of this gold nugget of knowledge.<br/><br/>Friday morning, during our church prayer time, I had a sense of where God was leading me this week. So, if I'm disciplined enough, I'll be posting my sermon thoughts tomorrow after the second service. (If I'm not disciplined enough, maybe later in the day)<br/><br/>So, check back tomorrow to see where God leads the lesson.Ralph Poormanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09871762662455018838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4751750977921543379.post-74828716520059312622010-06-24T11:19:00.000-04:002011-02-18T13:55:26.601-05:00PoliticsFor some time now, I've been having a struggle reconciling politics and my faith.<br/><br/>Is it "Christian" to be political? or to get involved in politics? We, as worldly citizens of the United States of America, have such little appreciation for the freedoms guaranteed (not granted) by the United States Constitution (hereinafter referred to as "Constitution"). We really need to talk to folks from other countries that don't enjoy the same freedoms in order to get a better understanding.<br/><br/>So, what should one do when you feel that a particular piece of legislation violates the Constitution? Or when we take time to learn how our founding fathers thought about government, and the amount of time and energy they put into crafting our system of governance. Our government is so far removed from the intent of the founding fathers that it would probably be unrecognizable to them. I know that when I think about the absurdity of our current government, all three branches, I get very, very angry. And when I get angry, at least that passionately angry, I cannot maintain my Christian life. But, if we don't "fight" to return our government to it's rightful size and behavior, at least how the founding fathers intended, what happens to our freedom of religion, speech, and the other freedoms that we take for granted? Is it "Christian" to fight to protect our freedoms and our Constitution? Or, more succinctly, "What would Jesus do?" We know that Jesus was not apolitical, he spoke out (and acted) on oppression of the poor, the weak and the downtrodden. The entire Jewish system, as originally enacted, had built-in methods to eliminate extreme poverty and oppression. Just read about Sabbatical and Jubilee years in the Law.<br/><br/>I found a book, <strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Jesus For President</span></strong>, that looked like it might guide my thinking. It is a fascinating book that described the authors' views of Jesus and his political behavior. I don't think I really grasped all they had to say, I definitely need to read it again, and perhaps again. The lifestyle they describe is radical, but then that's what I believe Jesus was calling us to do, live radically. <br/><br/>Oh my poor, confused aching head! It's a very, very deep concern of mine, and I haven't found any hard and fast answers. I'm going to have to spend some time on their website: <a href="http://www.jesusforpresident.org">www.jesusforpresident.org</a> and obtain some of the books they used as references.<br/><br/>Thoughts?Ralph Poormanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09871762662455018838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4751750977921543379.post-80568964173950648242010-04-06T09:01:00.000-04:002011-02-18T13:55:26.585-05:00ResurrectionHoly Week is my favorite holiday of the year, it's what makes it possible for us to come before the Father directly, no intermediaries, no priests, no animal sacrifices. Just coming to God and communing with Him the way He intended in the beginning.<br/><br/>Here is a good video from Rob Bell about Resurrection:<br/><br/><object width="500" height="300"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/wjXYlwvS5LY&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/wjXYlwvS5LY&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="500" height="300"></embed></object>Ralph Poormanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09871762662455018838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4751750977921543379.post-56432663179181536992009-11-14T17:28:00.000-05:002011-02-18T13:55:26.571-05:00Advent Conspiracy<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/LkTyPzRzuwc&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en&feature=player_embedded&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/LkTyPzRzuwc&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en&feature=player_embedded&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>Ralph Poormanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09871762662455018838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4751750977921543379.post-78195155595273539762009-10-02T05:30:00.000-04:002011-02-18T13:55:26.556-05:00Beginning a new study<p style="text-align: center;">I'm beginning a new Bible study on John's letters. If you are interested, click on the image below, or the link to the right and join in!</p><br/><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.jesuswalk.com/123john/"><img class="size-full wp-image-119 alignnone" title="123john-top-300X64" src="http://www.sandytoes.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/123john-top-300X64.gif" alt="123john-top-300X64" /></a></p><br/><p style="text-align: center;"></p>Ralph Poormanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09871762662455018838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4751750977921543379.post-85588269122684511342009-10-02T05:13:00.000-04:002011-02-18T13:55:26.538-05:00A Great Prayer<table style="height: 693px;" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" width="470"><br/><tbody><br/><tr><br/><td valign="top">A wonderful prayer that I received from a good friend this morning. This would be great to print out and put it somewhere you see it first thing in the morning.<br/><h3><strong>Relax your mind and humble your heart to focus on Christ. Allow God to be the only person on your mind while you read this prayer. </strong></h3><br/><strong><em><br/>Dear Lord, I thank you for this day. I thank You for my being able to see and to hear this morning. I'm blessed because You are a forgiving God and an understanding God. You have done so much for me and You keep on blessing me. Forgive me this day for everything I have done, said or thought that was not pleasing to you. I ask now for Your forgiveness..</em></strong><br/><br/><strong><em>Please keep me safe from all danger and harm. Help me to start this day with a new attitude and plenty of gratitude. Let me make the best of each day to clear my mind so that I can hear from You.</em></strong><br/><br/><strong><em>Let me not whine and whimper over things I have no control over. Let me continue to see sin through God's eyes and acknowledge it as evil. And when I sin, let me repent, and confess with my mouth my wrongdoing, and receive the forgiveness of God.</em></strong><br/><br/><strong><em>And when this world closes in on me, let me remember Jesus' example -- to slip away and find a quiet place to pray. It's the best response when I'm pushed beyond my limits. I know that when I can't pray, You listen to my heart. Continue to use me to do Your will.</em></strong><br/><br/><strong><em>Continue to bless me that I may be a blessing to others. Keep me strong that I may help the weak. Keep me uplifted that I may have words of encouragement for others. I pray for those who are lost and can't find their way. I pray for those who are misjudged and misunderstood. I pray for those who don't know You intimately. I pray for those who don't believe. But I thank you that I believe.</em></strong><br/><br/><strong><em>I believe that God changes people and God changes things. I pray for all my sisters and brothers. For every family member in their households. I pray for peace, love and joy in their homes that they are out of debt and all their needs are met.</em></strong><br/><br/><strong><em>I pray that every eye that reads this knows there is no problem, circumstance, or situation greater than God. Every battle is in Your hands for You to fight</em></strong><strong><em> </em></strong><strong><em>. </em></strong><strong><em>I pray that these words be received into the hearts of every eye that sees them and every mouth that confesses them willingly..</em></strong><br/><br/><strong><em>This is my prayer.<br/>In Jesus' Name,</em></strong> <strong><em><br/>Amen.</em></strong></td><br/></tr><br/></tbody></table>Ralph Poormanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09871762662455018838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4751750977921543379.post-41917182445088076602009-09-28T17:38:00.000-04:002011-02-18T13:55:26.497-05:00Getting back on trackIt's been a little over a week since my meltdown, and it's taking a long time to get back on track. Spending time in Bible reading, journaling, prayer & listening to sermon podcasts has helped tremendously.<br/><br/>We also had a good time of prayer at church this past Wednesday that helped.<br/><br/>I guess I can't be too anxious to get back to "the way things were", it took quite a while to get to this point, it will probably take just as long, if not longer, to heal fully.<br/><br/>Dear Lord, grant me grace and patience in this time.Ralph Poormanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09871762662455018838noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4751750977921543379.post-83992426496907946522009-09-28T17:22:00.000-04:002011-02-18T13:55:26.480-05:00Lay Seminary IIWell, Lay Seminary is going to wait until next fall. I found out, yesterday, that the work that I had been doing for my "discretionary" funds, is no longer available. So it's a good thing that I decided to postpone classes.<br/><br/>I'm checking out the education options available on BiblicalTraining.org. I really don't want to stop trying to gain more Biblical knowledge. It's not the easiest task to start learning after nearly 30 years away from a formal education setting.<br/><br/>As to a replacement source of "discretionary" funds, I think I may try to get a part-time job with either Office Depot or Staples. Plus, I need to get back to earning additional money to help pay down some debt.Ralph Poormanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09871762662455018838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4751750977921543379.post-37531593692202849472009-09-20T04:11:00.000-04:002011-02-18T13:55:26.465-05:00Lay SeminaryUnfortunately, I think I'm going to have to postpone my second year of Lay Seminary. I haven't finished paying for last year's classes and am far, far away from being able to pay for this year's classes.<br/><br/>I think the most fiscally responsible, and most Biblical thing to do is to take the year off and concentrate on becoming more financially stable. Both in general and to be able to pay my tuition in full, before beginning classes.<br/><br/>I need to add that to my prayer list ASAP and discuss it with God.<br/><div class="flockcredit" style="text-align: right; color: #CCC; font-size: x-small;">Blogged with the <a style="color: #999; font-weight: bold;" title="Flock Browser" href="http://www.flock.com/blogged-with-flock" target="_new">Flock Browser</a></div>Ralph Poormanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09871762662455018838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4751750977921543379.post-56068196596345329522009-09-20T04:08:00.000-04:002011-02-18T13:55:26.427-05:00HealingWell, I spent about 4 hours yesterday sitting alongside a nice little stream, reading, napping and talking with God. The only other creatures present were some bugs and a brief visit from a playing dog that ran up over the hill that separated me from the trail. I could really use another 20 hours or so! There's still lots of work to be done to clean up this current mess. I think yesterday's mini-hermitage took the edge off, and will allow me to "hold my tongue" a little easier. But I know I need to be very careful, there are some issues that still are capable of an explosive reaction if I'm not careful.<br/><br/>But, I left feeling a little better, and a little closer to God. I wish I could say that I spent the whole time in prayer and reading scripture, but I didn't. I also read quite a few chapters in <span style="text-decoration: underline;">The Last Week</span>, by Borg and Crossan. It examines, in detail, the last week that Jesus was on earth. It's a fascinating book that really sheds light on the events, and the timing involved. The political side is particularly good. It gets me to thinking about how I should be acting and reacting in today's political environment.<br/><br/>Perhaps that's the next direction of exploration! How would Jesus act in this current political environment, and how should I act as His disciple? (I don't think he'd approve of bigger government.)<br/><br/>It's time to finish getting ready for church, we're having our Open House today at Houserville House of Hope, and anticipate a packed house! Unfortunately I'm not in the frame of mind to enjoy it fully, but with God's grace I can at least contribute what's expected of me, and control my attitude!<br/><div class="flockcredit" style="text-align: right; color: #CCC; font-size: x-small;">Blogged with the <a style="color: #999; font-weight: bold;" title="Flock Browser" href="http://www.flock.com/blogged-with-flock" target="_new">Flock Browser</a></div>Ralph Poormanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09871762662455018838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4751750977921543379.post-3483614481257152152009-09-18T10:02:00.000-04:002011-02-18T13:55:26.391-05:00Anguish, Torment, Pain, BlacknessWhere to begin? A disclaimer seems to be in order.<br/><p style="padding-left: 30px;"><strong>Disclaimer: this post is not going to be cheerful, pleasant or "nice", it's about some problems I'm experiencing right now. So if you're looking for something of a "sunny nature", pass this one by.</strong></p><br/><br/>Next a prayer seems in order.<br/><p style="padding-left: 30px;"><strong>Dear Lord, please guide me so that my words offer some relief from my, largely self-imposed, anguish and at the same time not speak out of turn, or harm anyone.</strong></p><br/><br/>I've been experiencing numerous trials that have been chipping away at the armor with which I've surrounded myself. The armor I rely on to protect myself from angry thoughts, angry feelings, blackness and, in general, attacks by the forces of evil.<br/><br/>Little things like being upset with someone's behavior. Something breaking. (like my desktop computer at work.) Financial stress. (car needing unexpected repairs to pass inspection.) Being in close proximity to other people for too long (I cherish occasional "alone-ness" and sometimes wonder if I could live in a solitary commune.) General physical stress from working too many hours, too little sleep, too little time spent at home. And then, a very close friend and co-worker makes, in my opinion, a bad mistake that will have unpleasant repercussions if I'm correct. I pray that I'm wrong.<br/><br/>Several of these caused anger, in one case extreme anger, that wouldn't have been extreme if not for the preceding issues. Immediately, 2 recent lectionary readings and their related sermons came to mind.<br/><p style="padding-left: 30px;">August 9, Ephesians 4:26-27, NLT</p><br/><p style="padding-left: 60px;"><em>26 And “don’t sin by letting anger control you.”[a] Don’t let the sun go down while you are still angry, 27 for anger gives a foothold to the devil.</em></p><br/><p style="padding-left: 30px;">September 13, James 3:1-12</p><br/><p style="padding-left: 60px;"><em><sup id="en-NLT-30280">1</sup> Dear brothers and sisters,<sup title=""See">[<a title="See footnote a" href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=James%203:1-12&version=NLT#fen-NLT-30280a">a</a>]</sup> not many of you should become teachers in the church, for we who teach will be judged more strictly. <sup id="en-NLT-30281">2</sup> Indeed, we all make many mistakes. For if we could control our tongues, we would be perfect and could also control ourselves in every other way.</em></p><br/><p style="padding-left: 60px;"><em><sup id="en-NLT-30282">3</sup> We can make a large horse go wherever we want by means of a small bit in its mouth. <sup id="en-NLT-30283">4</sup> And a small rudder makes a huge ship turn wherever the pilot chooses to go, even though the winds are strong. <sup id="en-NLT-30284">5</sup> In the same way, the tongue is a small thing that makes grand speeches.</em></p><br/><p style="padding-left: 60px;"><em>But a tiny spark can set a great forest on fire. <sup id="en-NLT-30285">6</sup> And the tongue is a flame of fire. It is a whole world of wickedness, corrupting your entire body. It can set your whole life on fire, for it is set on fire by hell itself.<sup title=""See">[<a title="See footnote b" href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=James%203:1-12&version=NLT#fen-NLT-30285b">b</a>]</sup></em></p><br/><p style="padding-left: 60px;"><em><sup id="en-NLT-30286">7</sup> People can tame all kinds of animals, birds, reptiles, and fish, <sup id="en-NLT-30287">8</sup> but no one can tame the tongue. It is restless and evil, full of deadly poison. <sup id="en-NLT-30288">9</sup> Sometimes it praises our Lord and Father, and sometimes it curses those who have been made in the image of God. <sup id="en-NLT-30289">10</sup> And so blessing and cursing come pouring out of the same mouth. Surely, my brothers and sisters, this is not right! <sup id="en-NLT-30290">11</sup> Does a spring of water bubble out with both fresh water and bitter water? <sup id="en-NLT-30291">12</sup> Does a fig tree produce olives, or a grapevine produce figs? No, and you can’t draw fresh water from a salty spring.<sup title=""See">[<a title="See footnote c" href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=James%203:1-12&version=NLT#fen-NLT-30291c">c</a>]</sup></em></p><br/><p style="padding-left: 30px;">But, I wasn't then, nor am I now in a position to discuss the anger without hurting others.</p><br/><p style="padding-left: 30px;">So, (in the manner of Rob Bell), what do I do? hold my tongue and let the sun go down on my anger? or explode and hurt others but sleep without anger? what do I do? <strong>what do I do?</strong> <strong>WHAT DO I DO?</strong> Unfortunately, I can't answer that. Perhaps there isn't an answer, maybe that's one of those "chicken or egg" questions?</p><br/><p style="padding-left: 30px;"></p><br/><br/>Taken individually, none of the problems caused much damage. But, I've not asked God, sincerely, to help deflect them and to repair my armor, my faith. It's a continual problem I encounter. I've known since childhood that "my" verses are Proverbs 3:5-6, NLT<br/><p style="padding-left: 30px;"><sup id="en-NLT-16436">5</sup> Trust in the L<span style="font-variant: small-caps;">ord</span> with all your heart;<br/>do not depend on your own understanding.<br/><sup id="en-NLT-16437">6</sup> Seek his will in all you do,<br/>and he will show you which path to take.<br/><br/>I try to deal with, and "fix" things myself. When I'm able to force myself to abide by these verses I do very well, or more correctly, allow God to guide my path. When I fight and flail, I suffer. This time it's pretty bad, it's dark and painful. Deep. Black. Cold.<br/><br/>When I get like this my anger controls me, I cling to it, embrace it, and internalize it. If I could harness the energy of the anger, the way fright was harnessed in Monsters Inc, the world energy problems would be over! It tends to be a vicious spiral, anger, temptation, failure, internalize, anger, temptation, failure, internalize, etc. Meanwhile, the armor is breached and the forces of evil are wreaking havoc on my soul.<br/><br/>The best way that I've found to deal with it is, obviously cry out to God for help. But sometimes my cries don't seem to be effective. Am I not sincere? is God not done teaching me? have I not become desparate enough to receive His grace? That is one of the answers I read in <span style="text-decoration: underline;">Prayer</span> by Ole Hallesby, sometimes we need to be helpless, our attitude of heart needs to be helpless before we can pray effectively. It's painful, very painful. And I know I'm not pleasant to be around, I'm short-tempered, moody and, in general, a real pain in the ass.<br/><br/>Maybe this is the perfect time to remove my self from the presence of others and retreat to a "hermitage", even if it's a quiet walk in the woods to sit beside a stream and read the Bible, pray and pour out my anguish to God. Problem is, when you have committments 7 days a week, when do you retreat?<br/><br/>Father, Abba please hear my cries and release me from my anguish and blackness, grant me the wisdom to trust in You and to allow you to lead my life once again, grant me the grace to be more bearable to others, and grant me the wisdom to remove myself, if needed, from the presence of others to effect the healing needed in my soul.<br/><br/>Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: as it was in the beginning, is now and be forever. Amen.<span style="font-family: verdana,arial,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span></span></span>Ralph Poormanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09871762662455018838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4751750977921543379.post-54193537653426259272009-09-11T17:09:00.000-04:002011-02-18T13:55:26.372-05:00Thoughts on WorshipToday's <a href="http://www.lifejournal.cc">lifejournal.cc</a> devotions included Revelation 16. I've been using <span style="text-decoration: underline;">Conversations, The Message Bible With Its Translator</span> by Eugene H. Peterson for my devotions. This version includes authors notes and reflections throughout the text. I'm including the following, which is a note from the author. I could not find any information at the front of the book to indicate whether a direct quote of the author's notes requires written permission or not. It does specify that one can quote scripture, up to 500 verses, without written permission, so I'm going to work under that premise.<br/><div style="margin-left: 40px;">The celebrated negotiations between Moses and Pharaoh had a single theme: worship. Moses' opening petition to Pharaoh was "Free my people so that they can hold a festival for [God] in the wilderness" Exodus 5:1; "Let us take a three-day journey into the wilderness so we can worship our God" (verse 3). Moses' task was to lead his people in worship. Pharaoh's sin was that he prevented them. The judgment plagues are visited over this issue, and this issue alone. The greatest evil that people of faith face from the outside is the <span style="font-style: italic;">obstruction </span>of worship. The greatest evil that they face from the inside is the <span style="font-style: italic;">subversion </span>of worship. This is what we have most to fear. <span style="text-decoration: underline;">Conversations, The Message Bible With Its Translator</span> pg 1971</div><br/>Let's take a long hard look at our worship services. Are they truly worship services? worshipping God? or are they just what we do on Sunday morning?<br/>Are the songs we sing heartfelt praise and worship of God? or are they what we routinely sing, just plodding along?<br/>I know for some folks, singing the traditional hymns are worship, for some it's just plodding along. For me personally, I enjoy some of the "old" hymns, but for the most part, I feel the "KLOVE" songs, as we call them, are much more worshipful. That's what works for me, it may not be your method.<br/><br/>One Sunday, when I was filling the pulpit, I started by asking folks for a show of hands; "How many of you have ever left a Sunday morning worship service and said "I just didn't get anything out of that"?" I lifted my hand, because I've done that a number of times. Then I told them (and myself) that we were wrong. The reason we were in church was not primarily to be "refilled" or "recharged", we were there to offer praise and worship to the King of Kings!<br/><br/>Unfortunately, I find myself forgetting that. I need to be intentional about worshiping God in our worship service, and I need to remind the rest of the church of the true purpose.<br/><br/>Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:<br/>as it was in the beginning, is now and will be forever. Amen.<span style="font-family: verdana,arial,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span></span></span><br/><div class="flockcredit" style="text-align: right; color: #CCC; font-size: x-small;">Blogged with the <a style="color: #999; font-weight: bold;" title="Flock Browser" href="http://www.flock.com/blogged-with-flock" target="_new">Flock Browser</a></div>Ralph Poormanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09871762662455018838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4751750977921543379.post-14004443597376293412009-09-10T17:24:00.000-04:002011-02-18T13:55:26.348-05:00The increasing importance of social mediaJust saw this on www.theresurgence.com, pretty impressive information. Definitely something disciples of Christ should consider.<br/><br/><object classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000" width="425" height="344" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always" /><param name="src" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/sIFYPQjYhv8&rel=0&color1=0x3a3a3a&color2=0x999999&hl=en&feature=player_embedded&fs=1" /><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true" /><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="425" height="344" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/sIFYPQjYhv8&rel=0&color1=0x3a3a3a&color2=0x999999&hl=en&feature=player_embedded&fs=1" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object>Ralph Poormanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09871762662455018838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4751750977921543379.post-6265234056289645962009-09-10T11:36:00.000-04:002011-02-18T13:55:26.324-05:00Psalm 22<object classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000" width="480" height="295" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="never" /><param name="src" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/gO2oajaiUck&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0" /><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="480" height="295" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/gO2oajaiUck&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0" allowscriptaccess="never" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object>Ralph Poormanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09871762662455018838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4751750977921543379.post-48386636992038602932009-09-07T13:14:00.000-04:002011-02-18T13:55:26.300-05:00Sabbath restWe've been making some huge changes to our church, Houserville House of Hope, recently. Tons of painting, new carpet, lighting, you name it! And, since we've been doing most of the work ourselves, there are quite a few of us that are BEAT! This has included working most of the Saturdays and Sunday afternoons this past month.<br/><br/>My wife, Sharon, and two of our friends, Jeff and Amy, left after church yesterday to head to Chincoteague, Virginia for vacation. I was sitting outside the motel room this morning, reading today's scriptures from the devotion I'm using. (lifejournal, click <a href="http://lifejournal.cc">here</a> or on the link in the right column) One of the scriptures was 2 Chronicles 36. I've been using The Message because I find it to be very understandable and very easy to read. Verse 21 jumped out at me:<br/><div style="margin-left: 40px;"><sup id="en-MSG-5416" class="versenum">21</sup> This is exactly the message of <span style="font-variant: small-caps;">God</span> that Jeremiah had preached: the desolate land put to an extended sabbath rest, a seventy-year Sabbath rest making up for all the unkept Sabbaths.</div><br/>It couldn't have come at a more appropriate time. God's timing and His word continually amaze me!<br/><br/>This week, I hope to minimize my time on the computer (major time waste and addiction) and spend more time reading, writing, sermon writing, praying and getting back in touch with God. And since this week has started with rain, and the next few days are forecast to be rainy, this will be a perfect opportunity.<br/><div class="flockcredit" style="text-align: right; color: #CCC; font-size: x-small;">Blogged with the <a style="color: #999; font-weight: bold;" title="Flock Browser" href="http://www.flock.com/blogged-with-flock" target="_new">Flock Browser</a></div>Ralph Poormanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09871762662455018838noreply@blogger.com0