I was interviewing a pastor the other day about a youth event, and we started talking about Asheville, N.C. He said that last year (2005) around Halloween in New York about 50 or so witches, warlocks or so gathered.
Not enough to worry about, you say.
In Atlanta around the same time there were about 80 gathered for the same kind of event.
Who cares you say?
The problem is where it might lead.
In Asheville, there were around 600, yes, I typed 600.
The pastor said the witches and other new age, occult leaders believe there's something mystical in the mountains. Some come for the ancient Indian burial grounds.
Below are two articles about pagan worship in Asheville and a woman from Tennessee who says she is a witch and a Christian. The first story had a fairly lengthy list of events associated around the "holiday"
During Samhain, pagans worship the Earth, ancestors
(Asheville Citizen-Times)
ASHEVILLE — On Tuesday, members of the Earth Religions, such as Wicca, celebrate the most sacred day of the year.
Known as Samhain (pronounced SOW-in), the day is the final of three Pagan harvest celebrations and a day to commemorate ancestors and others who have died.
“This is the big one for us,” said Byron Ballard, a high priestess and a founder of the Coalition of Earth Religions for Education and Support. “This is the beginning of the Celtic winter and the celebration of our new year.”
The biggest event in the region this year is Tuesday evening on the grounds of Unity Center for Christianity on Fanning Bridge Road in Fletcher. Several thousand people are expected to attend the 12th annual Samhain celebration sponsored by Oldenwilde Coven.
“People know we do this every year now, it’s always free, and we don’t allow any selling,” said Dixie Deerman, also known as Lady Passion, the high priestess of Oldenwilde. “We have been promoting it on our Web site, so people know about it.”
Deerman said the Oldenwilde Samhain is joyful and reverent.
“What we do has meaning and purpose,” she said.
The event will include a spiral dance, during which participants dance in concentric circles, plus a maze trance dance, tribal music, a costume contest, harp music around the balefires and more. Children can enjoy autumn games such as “bat bowling” and candy corn relay races.
Earth religions are the oldest on the planet, Ballard said. They predate monotheistic religions by many centuries.
“People worshipped the forces that brought them their food and their lives,” she said. “In ancient times, people celebrated the change of the seasons and remembered the people who had come before.”
Pagans — the umbrella term for people of all Earth religions — believe the veil between the living and the dead is thinnest on this night. Originally, Celtic people celebrated the Feast of the Dead by leaving food on altars and doorsteps for the wandering dead. Single candles were lit and left in a window to help guide the spirits of ancestors and loved ones home, and extra chairs were set at the table and around the hearth for the unseen guests.
Samhain was when cattle and other livestock were slaughtered for eating during the winter, and any crops still in the field on Samhain, considered taboo, were left as offerings to the nature spirits.
Pagans built bonfires (originally called bone-fires, because the bones were thrown in the fire after the feast as offerings for healthy and plentiful livestock in the coming year). Stones were marked with people’s names, then thrown into the fire, to be retrieved in the morning. The condition of the retrieved stone foretold that person’s fortune in the coming year.
Pagans also lit hearth fires from the village bonfire to ensure unity, and the ashes were spread over the harvested fields to protect and bless the land.
Many Pagans believe the six weeks between the autumnal equinox, called Mabon, and Samhain are a time for introspection and contemplation, Ballard said.
Today, Pagan religions are emerging again, after centuries of persecution, Ballard and Deerman said.
“There were times we had to call the police because we felt threatened,” Ballard said. “We have had our religious ceremonies picketed and invaded.”
But the religions are growing as people become disillusioned with what Deerman calls “the dominant paradigm.”
“It’s about universal love of the land and knowing … we’re all integrally connected,” Deerman said. “We find the sacred in the land and in humanity.”
Something Wiccan This Way Comes
By KAY CAMPBELL
Religion News Service
FAYETTEVILLE, Tenn. -- Rebecca Walkoff knows that she could never pass a
psychological test. "I hear voices," Walkoff, 47, said as she enjoyed a
cigarette outside her store, The Moon Willow, just off the Fayetteville
Square. "I see visions."
Walkoff shrugged, her green eyes twinkling, and snubbed out the
cigarette.
"Magic is everywhere you look, if you're inclined to see it," she said.
"I'd rather be a person who sees it."
She's untroubled by an outside assessment of her sanity or what people
think of her when she identifies herself as a Christian Wiccan.
Though she considers herself a believer in Jesus, Walkoff also embraces
a label, "witch," that was a death sentence for an estimated 100,000 people,
mostly women, during the European witch-hunting period from 1450 to 1700.
The mass hysteria by church leaders was "one of the longest and most bizarre
delusions in Western history," says Merriam-Webster's Encyclopedia of World
Religions.
Walkoff is quick to assure questioners that she does not worship the
devil -- Wiccans do not believe in a devil -- and that the Wiccan creed is
"And it harm none, do what you will," a creed that guarantees that she tries
to generate only good energy and deeds.
"We don't do black magic," Walkoff said. "According to the Wiccan Law of
Three, anything you put out, you'll get back times three."
Walkoff pushed open the door of the little shop. Inside, a spicy herb
smell lingered around racks of greeting cards. Tendrils of steam wound out
of the nostrils of a dragon perched over a decorative fog lamp. Halloween
costumes crowded a rack next to a pile of chunky crystals. Somewhere a
fountain splashed.
Walkoff's store features some herbs, minerals and other basic equipment
used by Wiccans for casting spells or making herbal potions. It also
includes jewelry made of simple semi-precious gems, books about magic and
herbs, but also house decorations, candles and the playful kitsch of Harry
Potter, fairies and elves.
Walkoff believes that her prayers led her to the Fayetteville Square, a
historic district with a thriving antiques clientele and shoppers from
around the region. What she's found in Fayetteville are a lot of friendly
people, she said, even if her shop does raise a few eyebrows.
In case a visitor misses the possibility that the store offers
Wiccan-friendly materials, a banner on the wall is emblazoned with a star
inside a circle. The symbol, for Wiccans, symbolizes that the spiritual
world, the point at the top, rules over the four elements of the material
world: air, earth, fire, water. A Satan worshipper would reverse the
pentagram, asserting that the material world controls the spiritual world,
Walkoff said.
(A Nevada widow recently won a fight to have a Wiccan pentagram placed
beside her husband's name on a veterans' memorial wall. Currently, the
Department of Veterans Affairs does not recognize Wicca as an official
religion.)
One grandmother, Walkoff said, wandered into the store with her
grandchildren. When she glimpsed the pentagram on the wall, she reacted
immediately.
"Come on, kids, we've got to go," she said. "This place is evil."
Joanny Simpler, Walkoff's sister, manages the store most days. She said
most people have been very friendly to her, and the customers they've
attracted since opening last summer have been loyal.
"Everybody needs to meet them," said Mary Ann Marsh, who sells
advertisements for The Exchange, a local shopper, which takes her into every
shop on the square. "It's enlightening."
Walkoff enjoys combining whimsy and witchcraft in the shop. The
combination isn't that unusual in Wicca. The religion is still defining
itself after being recovered in 1939 by Englishman Gerald B. Gardner and his
partner, Doreen Valiente, according to the Encyclopedia of World Religions.
The two culled rituals from English folklore, world mythology and other
writers on mysticism and goddess traditions.
It wasn't the physics aspect that attracted Walkoff to Wicca, she said.
It was the inclusion of a female divine force and the emphasis on letting
people figure out things for themselves.
"They say in society one of the biggest problems we have is families
with just one parent," Walkoff said. "I say, in the church, where's the
goddess? Let's put the mother back."
Wiccan rituals, hinged on the changes of the moon and the seasons,
celebrate the rhythms of life and a feminine appreciation of connections,
she said. When she stumbled upon the system of beliefs that are part of
Wicca, Walkoff realized that she had found the group she had been moving
toward naturally on her own.
Walkoff said she knew early that she had psychic gifts. She said she
gave her mother messages from her deceased grandfather when she was 2. She
grew up with an Irish mother and part-Cherokee father and said her household
was filled with folk knowledge about herbs and some shamanistic practices.
"It was never anything but commonplace with my family," Walkoff said.
"It was only when I got out into the world that I realized what other people
thought of it."
Walkoff wishes people would not fear Wicca. In fact, she thinks other
believers, including Christians and Muslims, could even learn something from
Wiccans.
"I think they could learn to relax, to stop being so serious," Walkoff
said. "And to stop killing people in the name of God. There never was a war
fought in the name of Wicca."
Monday, October 30, 2006
Friday, October 20, 2006
Giving in obedience
When I was little my parents always tithed for me. I never really got an allowance until much later — when I was living with my grandmother and aunt during the week. And then, the money given didn't cover the expenses of buying reeds for my saxophone, paying for lunch, etc. I didn't learn the importance of tithing.
A recent report released by empty tomb, inc. said that according to church members in 2004, giving was down compared to previous years.
The article said: "Church members gave 2.56 percent of their income, down from 3.11 percent in 1968.
"The Illinois-based Christian research organization found that giving to benevolent causes — activities focused outside the congregation — as a portion of income increased slightly in 2004 from the 2003 level. The levels for 2003 and 2004 both rounded to 0.38 percent, the lowest in the 37-year period empty tomb has tracked such numbers.
"Empty tomb reported the rate of giving to congregational finances — the funding of internal operations of the congregation — began to recover in 1993 but was down in 2003 and 2004. The portion of income given to congregational finances declined more than activities focused on benevolences, the study found.
"For each dollar donated to a congregation, denominations spent 2 cents on overseas missions in 2004, down from 7 cents in the 1920s. The study’s authors, John and Sylvia Ronsvalle, said evangelical Christians could complete the task of global evangelization for 7 cents per member per day.
"Using statistics published by the Southern Baptist Convention for 2004, empty tomb determined that 1 cent of each dollar given to an SBC church ultimately makes it way to the International Mission Board to support missionaries.
dditional data is available through the empty tomb website, www.emptytomb.org, and the entire report is available in a book called “The State of Church Giving through 2004.”
I pray this is not correct. One cent of every dollar given to a Southern Baptist Convention church ultimately makes it to the Interational Mission Board. Since Cooperative Program giving and Annie Armstrong reports are up, can you imagine what Lottie Moon might be this year — well, technically next year? And that apparently is only one cent on the dollar given to SBC churches!
Imagine, if you will, a world in which all church members tithed!
I've never seen it, and in a world full of greedy people I don't imagine it will ever happen. But I can continue to pray and share the many blessings I've received by being faithful in tithing to my local church.
A recent report released by empty tomb, inc. said that according to church members in 2004, giving was down compared to previous years.
The article said: "Church members gave 2.56 percent of their income, down from 3.11 percent in 1968.
"The Illinois-based Christian research organization found that giving to benevolent causes — activities focused outside the congregation — as a portion of income increased slightly in 2004 from the 2003 level. The levels for 2003 and 2004 both rounded to 0.38 percent, the lowest in the 37-year period empty tomb has tracked such numbers.
"Empty tomb reported the rate of giving to congregational finances — the funding of internal operations of the congregation — began to recover in 1993 but was down in 2003 and 2004. The portion of income given to congregational finances declined more than activities focused on benevolences, the study found.
"For each dollar donated to a congregation, denominations spent 2 cents on overseas missions in 2004, down from 7 cents in the 1920s. The study’s authors, John and Sylvia Ronsvalle, said evangelical Christians could complete the task of global evangelization for 7 cents per member per day.
"Using statistics published by the Southern Baptist Convention for 2004, empty tomb determined that 1 cent of each dollar given to an SBC church ultimately makes it way to the International Mission Board to support missionaries.
dditional data is available through the empty tomb website, www.emptytomb.org, and the entire report is available in a book called “The State of Church Giving through 2004.”
I pray this is not correct. One cent of every dollar given to a Southern Baptist Convention church ultimately makes it to the Interational Mission Board. Since Cooperative Program giving and Annie Armstrong reports are up, can you imagine what Lottie Moon might be this year — well, technically next year? And that apparently is only one cent on the dollar given to SBC churches!
Imagine, if you will, a world in which all church members tithed!
I've never seen it, and in a world full of greedy people I don't imagine it will ever happen. But I can continue to pray and share the many blessings I've received by being faithful in tithing to my local church.
Giving in obedience
When I was little my parents always tithed for me. I never really got an allowance until much later — when I was living with my grandmother and aunt during the week. And then, the money given didn't cover the expenses of buying reeds for my saxophone, paying for lunch, etc. I didn't learn the importance of tithing.
A recent report released by empty tomb, inc. said that according to church members in 2004, giving was down compared to previous years.
The article said: "Church members gave 2.56 percent of their income, down from 3.11 percent in 1968.
"The Illinois-based Christian research organization found that giving to benevolent causes — activities focused outside the congregation — as a portion of income increased slightly in 2004 from the 2003 level. The levels for 2003 and 2004 both rounded to 0.38 percent, the lowest in the 37-year period empty tomb has tracked such numbers.
"Empty tomb reported the rate of giving to congregational finances — the funding of internal operations of the congregation — began to recover in 1993 but was down in 2003 and 2004. The portion of income given to congregational finances declined more than activities focused on benevolences, the study found.
"For each dollar donated to a congregation, denominations spent 2 cents on overseas missions in 2004, down from 7 cents in the 1920s. The study’s authors, John and Sylvia Ronsvalle, said evangelical Christians could complete the task of global evangelization for 7 cents per member per day.
"Using statistics published by the Southern Baptist Convention for 2004, empty tomb determined that 1 cent of each dollar given to an SBC church ultimately makes it way to the International Mission Board to support missionaries.
dditional data is available through the empty tomb website, www.emptytomb.org, and the entire report is available in a book called “The State of Church Giving through 2004.”
I pray this is not correct. One cent of every dollar given to a Southern Baptist Convention church ultimately makes it to the Interational Mission Board. Since Cooperative Program giving and Annie Armstrong reports are up, can you imagine what Lottie Moon might be this year — well, technically next year? And that apparently is only one cent on the dollar given to SBC churches!
Imagine, if you will, a world in which all church members tithed!
I've never seen it, and in a world full of greedy people I don't imagine it will ever happen. But I can continue to pray and share the many blessings I've received by being faithful in tithing to my local church.
A recent report released by empty tomb, inc. said that according to church members in 2004, giving was down compared to previous years.
The article said: "Church members gave 2.56 percent of their income, down from 3.11 percent in 1968.
"The Illinois-based Christian research organization found that giving to benevolent causes — activities focused outside the congregation — as a portion of income increased slightly in 2004 from the 2003 level. The levels for 2003 and 2004 both rounded to 0.38 percent, the lowest in the 37-year period empty tomb has tracked such numbers.
"Empty tomb reported the rate of giving to congregational finances — the funding of internal operations of the congregation — began to recover in 1993 but was down in 2003 and 2004. The portion of income given to congregational finances declined more than activities focused on benevolences, the study found.
"For each dollar donated to a congregation, denominations spent 2 cents on overseas missions in 2004, down from 7 cents in the 1920s. The study’s authors, John and Sylvia Ronsvalle, said evangelical Christians could complete the task of global evangelization for 7 cents per member per day.
"Using statistics published by the Southern Baptist Convention for 2004, empty tomb determined that 1 cent of each dollar given to an SBC church ultimately makes it way to the International Mission Board to support missionaries.
dditional data is available through the empty tomb website, www.emptytomb.org, and the entire report is available in a book called “The State of Church Giving through 2004.”
I pray this is not correct. One cent of every dollar given to a Southern Baptist Convention church ultimately makes it to the Interational Mission Board. Since Cooperative Program giving and Annie Armstrong reports are up, can you imagine what Lottie Moon might be this year — well, technically next year? And that apparently is only one cent on the dollar given to SBC churches!
Imagine, if you will, a world in which all church members tithed!
I've never seen it, and in a world full of greedy people I don't imagine it will ever happen. But I can continue to pray and share the many blessings I've received by being faithful in tithing to my local church.
Thursday, October 19, 2006
Talk about obedience
Part of my job is looking at other articles about Baptists and the work God has called them to around the world. The other day when I was looking at some Baptist newspapers online and came across this photograph.The caption said: If new believers wish to be baptized before Spring, Siberian Baptist church members carve a hole in the ice of a local lake with axes for the ordinance. The Siberian pastor who conducted this baptism last winter gave this photo to members of a mission team from Hillcrest Baptist Church in Pensacola who worked with an International Mission Board strategist to send pastors and wives to Siberia.
WOW! I remember when I was baptized. I was 15. It was February, and the church had just built a new sanctuary in a new location. I was among the first baptized there. The day I was baptized the water heater went out so the water was pretty cold. But I will say it was Alabama cold, not Siberia cold!
To this day tears form in my eyes each time I see a baptism. It is such a public demonstration of complete submission to God and His complete cleansing of our sins. Being raised to a new life takes on a whole new meaning.
PRAISE GOD from whom all blessings flow!
Thursday, October 12, 2006
Feeling the crunch!
Some days it just seems you don’t have enough time to get all you need done. Well, I should say most days. Now that I’m working full time and going to school full time, I have a lot more days like that…This summer, it was quite different. I moved to Raleigh in May and started work. May, June, July and much of August was spent getting to know the area, looking for a few pieces of furniture for the apartment, etc. I also managed to read a few books — for fun!
But that is all over. And, oddly enough, I’m enjoying myself now too. I never thought I would enjoy learning Hebrew as much as I am. Don’t mistake this emotion for in any way being fluent or to indicate that this is easy.
Being one of three women in the class of 50+, I feel the pressure to represent. I am also the oldest woman in the class but definitely not the oldest person.
Since I’ve been out of college a little more than 10 years, I’m definitely feeling the crunch — a certain number of hours to work, homework piling up for all three of my classes, classes to attend, papers to write, quizzes and tests to take, church to attend, orchestra, quiet time — did I say quiet? When do I have TIME for that?
One of things I’ve learned is that if you are following God’s will, which is what I believe I am doing, He makes TIME stretch. TIME has no hold on my GOD! He is beyond all we can imagine.
Friday, October 06, 2006
Facing the Giants
If you haven't already seen it, go see "Facing the Giants". I finally got to see the whole thing Sept. 29. It was wonderful. Please support Christian movies in the theater.
Monday, September 25, 2006
Witnessing
Well, Saturday, I went to an evanglism seminar/class at my church in North Carolina. I attended two classes and then went out into the area to do door-to-door evanglism. We stopped by several houses with no one answering the door, but kept at it. We finally talked to a mother and daughter in a mobile home park. We invited them to church and told them about who Jesus is. They seem to already be involved with church but it seemed to cheer the woman up to have us there.
Anyway, all that to say ...
This cartoon was on Baptist Press' web site. It is a weekly feature on their lighter side section. I'm just glad we made it back to the church safely — not like this guy.
Thursday, September 07, 2006
The Fern and the Bamboo
One day I decided to quit...I quit my job, my relationship, my spirituality.... I wanted to quit my life. I went to the woods to have one last talk with God.
"God", I said. "Can you give me one good reason not to quit?"
His answer surprised me.
"Look around", He said. "Do you see the fern and the bamboo?"
"Yes", I replied.
"When I planted the fern and the bamboo seeds, I took very good care of them. I gave them light. I gave them water. The fern quickly grew from the earth. Its brilliant green covered the floor. Yet nothing came from the bamboo seed. But I did not quit on the bamboo.
In the second year the fern grew more vibrant and plentiful. And again, nothing came from the bamboo seed. But I did not quit on the bamboo.
"In year three there was still nothing from the bamboo seed. But I would not quit. The same in year four.
"Then in the fifth year, a tiny sprout emerged from the earth. Compared to the fern, it was seemingly small and insignificant.
But just six months later, the bamboo rose to over 100 feet tall. It had spent the five years growing roots. Those roots made it strong and gave it what it needed to survive. I would not give any of my creations a challenge it could not handle.
"Did you know, my child, that all this time you have been struggling, you have actually been growing roots? I would not quit on the bamboo. I will never quit on you.
"Don't compare yourself to others." He said. "The bamboo had a different purpose than the fern. Yet they both make the forest beautiful.
"Your time will come", God said to me. "You will rise high"
"How high should I rise?" I asked.
"How high will the bamboo rise?" He asked in return.
"As high as it can?" I questioned
"Yes." He said, "Give me glory by rising as high as you can."
I left the forest, realizing that God will never give up on me. And He will never give up on you.
Never regret a day in your life.
Good days give you happiness; bad days give you experiences; both are essential to life.
--Author Unknown
"God", I said. "Can you give me one good reason not to quit?"
His answer surprised me.
"Look around", He said. "Do you see the fern and the bamboo?"
"Yes", I replied.
"When I planted the fern and the bamboo seeds, I took very good care of them. I gave them light. I gave them water. The fern quickly grew from the earth. Its brilliant green covered the floor. Yet nothing came from the bamboo seed. But I did not quit on the bamboo.
In the second year the fern grew more vibrant and plentiful. And again, nothing came from the bamboo seed. But I did not quit on the bamboo.
"In year three there was still nothing from the bamboo seed. But I would not quit. The same in year four.
"Then in the fifth year, a tiny sprout emerged from the earth. Compared to the fern, it was seemingly small and insignificant.
But just six months later, the bamboo rose to over 100 feet tall. It had spent the five years growing roots. Those roots made it strong and gave it what it needed to survive. I would not give any of my creations a challenge it could not handle.
"Did you know, my child, that all this time you have been struggling, you have actually been growing roots? I would not quit on the bamboo. I will never quit on you.
"Don't compare yourself to others." He said. "The bamboo had a different purpose than the fern. Yet they both make the forest beautiful.
"Your time will come", God said to me. "You will rise high"
"How high should I rise?" I asked.
"How high will the bamboo rise?" He asked in return.
"As high as it can?" I questioned
"Yes." He said, "Give me glory by rising as high as you can."
I left the forest, realizing that God will never give up on me. And He will never give up on you.
Never regret a day in your life.
Good days give you happiness; bad days give you experiences; both are essential to life.
--Author Unknown
Thursday, August 31, 2006
Was it the coffee you wanted?
A group of alumni, highly established in their careers, got together to visit their old university professor.
Conversation soon turned into complaints about stress in work and life. Offering his guests coffee, the professor went to the kitchen and returned with a large pot of coffee and an assortment of cups--porcelain, plastic, glass, crystal; some plain looking, some expensive, some exquisite--telling them to help themselves to the coffee.
When all the students had a cup of coffee in hand, the professor said: "If you noticed, all the nice looking expensive cups were taken up, leaving behind the plain and cheap ones. While it is but normal for you to want only the best for yourselves, that is the source of your problems and stress.
"What all of you really wanted was coffee, not the cup, but you consciously went for the best cups and were eyeing each other's cups.
"Now consider this: Life is the coffee, and the jobs, money and position in society are the cups.
They are just tools to hold and contain Life, and do not change the quality of Life. Sometimes, by concentrating only on the cup, we fail to enjoy the coffee God has provided.
"So, don't let the cups drive you .... enjoy the coffee instead."
--Author Unknown
Conversation soon turned into complaints about stress in work and life. Offering his guests coffee, the professor went to the kitchen and returned with a large pot of coffee and an assortment of cups--porcelain, plastic, glass, crystal; some plain looking, some expensive, some exquisite--telling them to help themselves to the coffee.
When all the students had a cup of coffee in hand, the professor said: "If you noticed, all the nice looking expensive cups were taken up, leaving behind the plain and cheap ones. While it is but normal for you to want only the best for yourselves, that is the source of your problems and stress.
"What all of you really wanted was coffee, not the cup, but you consciously went for the best cups and were eyeing each other's cups.
"Now consider this: Life is the coffee, and the jobs, money and position in society are the cups.
They are just tools to hold and contain Life, and do not change the quality of Life. Sometimes, by concentrating only on the cup, we fail to enjoy the coffee God has provided.
"So, don't let the cups drive you .... enjoy the coffee instead."
--Author Unknown
Thursday, August 24, 2006
Facing the Giants
See this movie. It is coming to some theaters Sept. 29. Click on the picture to go to the web page to find out if it is showing in a city near you.
For a $100,000 movie, it is really good and has an all-volunteer cast. The only paid people were the NFL cameramen they brought in to film the football games.
Go see it and support this church's ministry.
Tuesday, August 22, 2006
Why go to church?
A Church goer wrote a letter to the editor of a newspaper and complained that it made no sense to go to church every Sunday.
"I've gone for 30 years now," he wrote, "and in that time I have heard something like 3,000 sermons. But for the life of me, I can't remember a single one of them. So, I think I'm wasting my time and the pastors are wasting theirs by giving sermons at all."
This started a real controversy in the "Letters to the Editor" column, much to the delight of the editor. It went on for weeks until someone wrote this clincher:
"I've been married for 30 years now. In that time, my wife has cooked some 32,000 meals. But, for the life of me, I cannot recall the entire menu for a single one of those meals. But I do know this.
"They all nourished me and gave me the strength I needed to do my work.
If my wife had not given me these meals, I would be physically dead today.
"Likewise, if I had not gone to church for nourishment, I would be spiritually dead today!"
--Author Unknown
"I've gone for 30 years now," he wrote, "and in that time I have heard something like 3,000 sermons. But for the life of me, I can't remember a single one of them. So, I think I'm wasting my time and the pastors are wasting theirs by giving sermons at all."
This started a real controversy in the "Letters to the Editor" column, much to the delight of the editor. It went on for weeks until someone wrote this clincher:
"I've been married for 30 years now. In that time, my wife has cooked some 32,000 meals. But, for the life of me, I cannot recall the entire menu for a single one of those meals. But I do know this.
"They all nourished me and gave me the strength I needed to do my work.
If my wife had not given me these meals, I would be physically dead today.
"Likewise, if I had not gone to church for nourishment, I would be spiritually dead today!"
--Author Unknown
Monday, August 21, 2006
Bridge out?
A priest and a pastor from the local churches are standing by the road,
pounding a sign into the ground, that reads:
The End is Near!
Turn Yourself Around Now
Before it's Too Late!
As a car sped past them, the driver yelled, "Leave us alone, you
religious nuts!"
From around the curve they heard screeching tires and a big splash. The
priest turns to the pastor and asks,
"Do you think the sign should just say: 'Bridge Out'?"
pounding a sign into the ground, that reads:
The End is Near!
Turn Yourself Around Now
Before it's Too Late!
As a car sped past them, the driver yelled, "Leave us alone, you
religious nuts!"
From around the curve they heard screeching tires and a big splash. The
priest turns to the pastor and asks,
"Do you think the sign should just say: 'Bridge Out'?"
Thursday, August 17, 2006
What is a sandwich?
Put two slices of bread together or fold one slice in half and there you go -— a sandwich. A delicious, mouth-watering feast, right? Wait a minute. Does that sound right? Webster’s says no, and I would have to agree with them. There has to be that filling. THAT makes the sandwich!
(And if you’re on that carb diet, you shouldn’t even be eating that bread, so drop it!)
Our relationship with Christ is like a sandwich — please excuse the simple analogy.
It has to have substance — exhibited in the fruits of the Spirit.
Unless the ingredients are fresh, each grows crusty, stale, hard, moldy ... you get the picture -- or the turned stomach?
God wants us to maintain a fresh, growing relationship with Him. We have to stay committed. We have to stay motivated.
Most of all, we have to remember we are loved, blessed and highly favored!
(And if you’re on that carb diet, you shouldn’t even be eating that bread, so drop it!)
Our relationship with Christ is like a sandwich — please excuse the simple analogy.
It has to have substance — exhibited in the fruits of the Spirit.
Unless the ingredients are fresh, each grows crusty, stale, hard, moldy ... you get the picture -- or the turned stomach?
God wants us to maintain a fresh, growing relationship with Him. We have to stay committed. We have to stay motivated.
Most of all, we have to remember we are loved, blessed and highly favored!
Thursday, August 10, 2006
Interesting articles
Generally, I don't put too much effort into updating my blog. I save a few things I get through emails or share articles I find interesting. Sometimes I put urgent prayer requests on here and also on my web site.
I wanted to share some interesting information about house churches.
Click on this link; House Churches.
Also, I am including a link to the first story in a series about the differences between our Bible and the Qur'an.
Click on this link: Bible and Qur'an.
Another interesting story I wanted you to share was one about the crazy/funny people who call 911. Please don't misuse this vital link to our police.
Click on this link: 911.
Let me know what you think.
I wanted to share some interesting information about house churches.
Click on this link; House Churches.
Also, I am including a link to the first story in a series about the differences between our Bible and the Qur'an.
Click on this link: Bible and Qur'an.
Another interesting story I wanted you to share was one about the crazy/funny people who call 911. Please don't misuse this vital link to our police.
Click on this link: 911.
Let me know what you think.
Wednesday, August 09, 2006
What's in your dash?
In Sunday school, my teacher talked about the importance of the dash. When you look at most tombstones, it lists a birthdate and the date a person died, but the writer of a poem emphasizes that the dash in the middle makes the most difference.
Click on this link to watch the dash movie: Dash movie
ENJOY!
Click on this link to watch the dash movie: Dash movie
ENJOY!
Friday, August 04, 2006
Lord help us
I found a horrible article I wanted to share with you...it shakes me at my very core. We need to realize the evil that is out there. Please be in prayer for this man. He needs the saving grace only God can give through His Son Jesus.
Pedophile Says Sex With Boys Is Sacred Religious Ritual
By James F. McCarty
Religion News Service
CLEVELAND — An admitted pedophile offered a bizarre defense this
week to 74 charges of rape, drugs and pandering obscenity to minors.
Phillip Distasio, 34, told a Cuyahoga County judge Wednesday (Aug. 2)
that his apartment in Rocky River was a religious sanctuary where engaging
in sex with boys and smoking marijuana were considered sacred rituals and
are protected under civil rights laws.
"I'm a pedophile. I've been a pedophile for 20 years," Distasio said
during a pretrial court hearing. "The only reason I'm charged with rape is
that no one believes a child can consent to sex. The role of my ministry is
to get these cases out of the courtrooms."
Judge Kathleen Sutula warned Distasio, a self-appointed friar who
compares himself to St. Francis and St. Ignatius, to confine his arguments
to secular laws at his trial, scheduled to begin Sept. 11.
"If you want to challenge the law, that's your right to do so," Sutula
said. "But we're going to follow the laws of Ohio in this courtroom."
Police arrested Distasio last September on charges he molested two
disabled boys he was tutoring at his home and raped seven other autistic
children at a Cleveland school for special-needs students. All but one of
the boys was under 13, which carries a mandatory life-in-prison sentence if
he is convicted.
Police found journals at Distasio's apartment in which he described his
activities, plus child pornography and videotapes of him engaged in sex with
boys.
Distasio tried unsuccessfully in June to fire his court-appointed
lawyer, Thomas Shaughnessy, who refused to go along with his
religious-freedom defense.
"Not all pedophilia is bad, and sex (with boys) can be healthy,"
Distasio said. "It's an argument that I'm willing to make, but my attorney
is not."
Sutula decided to allow Distasio to represent himself at trial on the
condition that Shaughnessy remain as his advisory counsel.
In motions filed with Sutula, Distasio accused prosecutors of
threatening to dismantle his church, which he calls Arcadian Fields
Ministries.
He described his apartment as a sanctuary, a place of worship, and a
safe alternative to prison for a congregation of social dissidents. Distasio
said he and his congregation consider the justice system to be corrupt and
addicted to punishment, and believe it should be abandoned.
Pedophile Says Sex With Boys Is Sacred Religious Ritual
By James F. McCarty
Religion News Service
CLEVELAND — An admitted pedophile offered a bizarre defense this
week to 74 charges of rape, drugs and pandering obscenity to minors.
Phillip Distasio, 34, told a Cuyahoga County judge Wednesday (Aug. 2)
that his apartment in Rocky River was a religious sanctuary where engaging
in sex with boys and smoking marijuana were considered sacred rituals and
are protected under civil rights laws.
"I'm a pedophile. I've been a pedophile for 20 years," Distasio said
during a pretrial court hearing. "The only reason I'm charged with rape is
that no one believes a child can consent to sex. The role of my ministry is
to get these cases out of the courtrooms."
Judge Kathleen Sutula warned Distasio, a self-appointed friar who
compares himself to St. Francis and St. Ignatius, to confine his arguments
to secular laws at his trial, scheduled to begin Sept. 11.
"If you want to challenge the law, that's your right to do so," Sutula
said. "But we're going to follow the laws of Ohio in this courtroom."
Police arrested Distasio last September on charges he molested two
disabled boys he was tutoring at his home and raped seven other autistic
children at a Cleveland school for special-needs students. All but one of
the boys was under 13, which carries a mandatory life-in-prison sentence if
he is convicted.
Police found journals at Distasio's apartment in which he described his
activities, plus child pornography and videotapes of him engaged in sex with
boys.
Distasio tried unsuccessfully in June to fire his court-appointed
lawyer, Thomas Shaughnessy, who refused to go along with his
religious-freedom defense.
"Not all pedophilia is bad, and sex (with boys) can be healthy,"
Distasio said. "It's an argument that I'm willing to make, but my attorney
is not."
Sutula decided to allow Distasio to represent himself at trial on the
condition that Shaughnessy remain as his advisory counsel.
In motions filed with Sutula, Distasio accused prosecutors of
threatening to dismantle his church, which he calls Arcadian Fields
Ministries.
He described his apartment as a sanctuary, a place of worship, and a
safe alternative to prison for a congregation of social dissidents. Distasio
said he and his congregation consider the justice system to be corrupt and
addicted to punishment, and believe it should be abandoned.
Tuesday, August 01, 2006
Not worthy
There are some days when I feel like I can do no right, that I'm the ugliest person in the world, that no one likes me — let alone loves me. It seems like everyone goes out of their way to anger me, insult me, etc.
Through it all God loves me. Satan is the one who feeds me the lies.
The thing is, I am unworthy, but God has created me. He chooses to love me. And Jesus, who took my place to pay for my sins, stands in my place at judgment. When God asks "Dianna, show me your heart," He doesn't see my heart, He sees Jesus.
That makes me smile — one of those big, stupid, goofy grins that just won't stop.
You can see what I mean in His word:
c/o Father Heart Communications
You may not know me, but I know everything about you. Psalm 139:1
I know when you sit down and when you rise up. Psalm 139:2
I am familiar with all your ways. Psalm 139:3
Even the very hairs on your head are numbered. Matthew 10:29-31
For you were made in my image. Genesis 1:27
In me you live and move and have your being. Acts 17:28
For you are my offspring. Acts 17:28
I knew you even before you were conceived. Jeremiah 1:4-5
I chose you when I planned creation. Ephesians 1:11-12
You were not a mistake, for all your days are written in my book. Psalm 139:15-16
I determined the exact time of your birth and where you would live. Acts 17:26
You are fearfully and wonderfully made. Psalm 139:14
I knit you together in your mother's womb. Psalm 139:13
And brought you forth on the day you were born. Psalm 71:6
I have been misrepresented by those who don't know me. John 8:41-44
I am not distant and angry, but am the complete expression of love. 1 John 4:16
And it is my desire to lavish my love on you. 1 John 3:1
Simply because you are my child and I am your Father. 1 John 3:1
I offer you more than your earthly father ever could. Matthew 7:11
For I am the perfect father. Matthew 5:48
Every good gift that you receive comes from my hand. James 1:17
For I am your provider and I meet all your needs. Matthew 6:31-33
My plan for your future has always been filled with hope. Jeremiah 29:11
Because I love you with an everlasting love. Jeremiah 31:3
My thoughts toward you are countless as the sand on the seashore. Psalms 139:17-18
And I rejoice over you with singing. Zephaniah 3:17
I will never stop doing good to you. Jeremiah 32:40
For you are my treasured possession. Exodus 19:5
I desire to establish you with all my heart and all my soul. Jeremiah 32:41
And I want to show you great and marvelous things. Jeremiah 33:3
If you seek me with all your heart, you will find me. Deuteronomy 4:29
Delight in me and I will give you the desires of your heart. Psalm 37:4
For it is I who gave you those desires. Philippians 2:13
I am able to do more for you than you could possibly imagine. Ephesians 3:20
For I am your greatest encourager. 2 Thessalonians 2:16-17
I am also the Father who comforts you in all your troubles. 2 Corinthians 1:3-4
When you are brokenhearted, I am close to you. Psalm 34:18
As a shepherd carries a lamb, I have carried you close to my heart. Isaiah 40:11
One day I will wipe away every tear from your eyes. Revelation 21:3-4
And I'll take away all the pain you have suffered on this earth. Revelation 21:3-4
I am your Father, and I love you even as I love my son, Jesus. John 17:23
For in Jesus, my love for you is revealed. John 17:26
He is the exact representation of my being. Hebrews 1:3
He came to demonstrate that I am for you, not against you. Romans 8:31
And to tell you that I am not counting your sins. 2 Corinthians 5:18-19
Jesus died so that you and I could be reconciled. 2 Corinthians 5:18-19
His death was the ultimate expression of my love for you. 1 John 4:10
I gave up everything I loved that I might gain your love. Romans 8:31-32
If you receive the gift of my son Jesus, you receive me. 1 John 2:23
And nothing will ever separate you from my love again. Romans 8:38-39
Come home and I'll throw the biggest party heaven has ever seen. Luke 15:7
I have always been Father, and will always be Father. Ephesians 3:14-15
My question is.Will you be my child? John 1:12-13
I am waiting for you. Luke 15:11-32
Love,
Your Dad
Through it all God loves me. Satan is the one who feeds me the lies.
The thing is, I am unworthy, but God has created me. He chooses to love me. And Jesus, who took my place to pay for my sins, stands in my place at judgment. When God asks "Dianna, show me your heart," He doesn't see my heart, He sees Jesus.
That makes me smile — one of those big, stupid, goofy grins that just won't stop.
You can see what I mean in His word:
FATHER'S LOVE LETTER
c/o Father Heart Communications
You may not know me, but I know everything about you. Psalm 139:1
I know when you sit down and when you rise up. Psalm 139:2
I am familiar with all your ways. Psalm 139:3
Even the very hairs on your head are numbered. Matthew 10:29-31
For you were made in my image. Genesis 1:27
In me you live and move and have your being. Acts 17:28
For you are my offspring. Acts 17:28
I knew you even before you were conceived. Jeremiah 1:4-5
I chose you when I planned creation. Ephesians 1:11-12
You were not a mistake, for all your days are written in my book. Psalm 139:15-16
I determined the exact time of your birth and where you would live. Acts 17:26
You are fearfully and wonderfully made. Psalm 139:14
I knit you together in your mother's womb. Psalm 139:13
And brought you forth on the day you were born. Psalm 71:6
I have been misrepresented by those who don't know me. John 8:41-44
I am not distant and angry, but am the complete expression of love. 1 John 4:16
And it is my desire to lavish my love on you. 1 John 3:1
Simply because you are my child and I am your Father. 1 John 3:1
I offer you more than your earthly father ever could. Matthew 7:11
For I am the perfect father. Matthew 5:48
Every good gift that you receive comes from my hand. James 1:17
For I am your provider and I meet all your needs. Matthew 6:31-33
My plan for your future has always been filled with hope. Jeremiah 29:11
Because I love you with an everlasting love. Jeremiah 31:3
My thoughts toward you are countless as the sand on the seashore. Psalms 139:17-18
And I rejoice over you with singing. Zephaniah 3:17
I will never stop doing good to you. Jeremiah 32:40
For you are my treasured possession. Exodus 19:5
I desire to establish you with all my heart and all my soul. Jeremiah 32:41
And I want to show you great and marvelous things. Jeremiah 33:3
If you seek me with all your heart, you will find me. Deuteronomy 4:29
Delight in me and I will give you the desires of your heart. Psalm 37:4
For it is I who gave you those desires. Philippians 2:13
I am able to do more for you than you could possibly imagine. Ephesians 3:20
For I am your greatest encourager. 2 Thessalonians 2:16-17
I am also the Father who comforts you in all your troubles. 2 Corinthians 1:3-4
When you are brokenhearted, I am close to you. Psalm 34:18
As a shepherd carries a lamb, I have carried you close to my heart. Isaiah 40:11
One day I will wipe away every tear from your eyes. Revelation 21:3-4
And I'll take away all the pain you have suffered on this earth. Revelation 21:3-4
I am your Father, and I love you even as I love my son, Jesus. John 17:23
For in Jesus, my love for you is revealed. John 17:26
He is the exact representation of my being. Hebrews 1:3
He came to demonstrate that I am for you, not against you. Romans 8:31
And to tell you that I am not counting your sins. 2 Corinthians 5:18-19
Jesus died so that you and I could be reconciled. 2 Corinthians 5:18-19
His death was the ultimate expression of my love for you. 1 John 4:10
I gave up everything I loved that I might gain your love. Romans 8:31-32
If you receive the gift of my son Jesus, you receive me. 1 John 2:23
And nothing will ever separate you from my love again. Romans 8:38-39
Come home and I'll throw the biggest party heaven has ever seen. Luke 15:7
I have always been Father, and will always be Father. Ephesians 3:14-15
My question is.Will you be my child? John 1:12-13
I am waiting for you. Luke 15:11-32
Love,
Your Dad
Friday, July 28, 2006
UPDATE ON URGENT REQUEST:
Earlier today (July 28) I asked for prayer for my uncle Robert. Apparently he's going home today. I told you he was in ICU in a Birmingham hospital. That was overnight after a fall from a horse yesterday (7/27/06). Everything had checked out OK except there was bleeding in the brain. After a CAT scan this morning, the doctors said there is a small amount of bleeding which should be absorbed into the body and there is no swelling which is what they were concerned about... My sister Dedra is supposed to take him home in a little while. Please continue to lift him up in your prayers because he is going to have some serious headaches for a long while. Also, my aunt Faye did not handle the whole episode very well. Please continue to pray for her as well.
Urgent prayer request
Please pray for my uncle Robert. He is a Birmingham hospital in ICU with bleeding in his brain. He had a fall from a horse which resulted in a busted noggin'. No one at all is allowed to see him right now. Please pray for him, his doctors and especially his wife — my aunt — Faye.
Check out the link to my website for more updated prayer information. Click on the prayer tab.
Check out the link to my website for more updated prayer information. Click on the prayer tab.
Another wonderful story
LESSONS FROM LEGOS
By Steve Klusmeyer
Life might be less complicated for all of us if we each received our own Lego kit at birth.
Yes, I realize there is a choking hazard for children under three. But when you are old enough, you can learn a lot from Legos. I have learned that:
I thought about each of these statements as it relates to the church. Some of the statements apply more than others.
For example, unity is a biblical concept. When Christians stick together, great things can be accomplished.
And it is an important biblical truth that every Christian has a purpose. As Paul describes it in 1 Corinthians 12 using the analogy of a human body, some of us are eyes, some are hands, still others are feet, but we all have a purpose and a role.
But while it is technically true that "no one is indispensable", the teaching of scripture is that each one of us is needed and the body suffers greatly if we don't do our part. (1 Cor. 12:20-22)
The greatest comparison between Legos and Christianity, though, is that we are indeed a building shaped by God's own hand. And every Christian is a part of that building -- not a plastic building block, but a "living stone":
"As you come to him, the living Stone — rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to him — you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ." (1 Peter 2:4-5)
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