I set out to make a short list of essential posts, my list of personal and reader favorites from all the material found on The Master’s Table. Writing a “short list” almost proved too great a task for me. The new page “Best Of” is sort of an anthology of my work here on this blog. I don’t expect anyone to go back and read each post, but the 18 posts listed almost form a working theology of everything I believe. Some of these probably deserve a repost, and I will actually be looking over some of them as I prepare sermon material in the near future.
Biden vs. Palin, VP Debate
The debate is actually ongoing, so I’m not going to speculate who the winner is. I’m sure the media is already prepared to announce Joe Biden won and tells us why, with the exception of Fox News. I would like to point out the obvious to anyone carefully listening to each question and answer: neither candidate will answer the questions being asked. Continue reading
Come Visit Noah’s Ark
Well, sort of. This is a full size replica of the ark based on the dimensions given in the Bible. The ark is 150 cubits long, 30 cubits high and 20 wide. A cubit is about 18 inches. Think of 2 cubits as 1 yard. So an ark 150 cubits long would be about 75 yards in length, 2/3 the size of a football field. A host of animals greet visitors as they enter, but the petting zoo is not quite finished on top. (no joke)
To visit this ark, you will have to travel to the Netherlands. Dutch architect Johan Huibers built the ark, and yes it appears to be floating in water. Thank you Bethany Toranto for the story. She has quite a few more pictures up as well. Hey, I’d rather see the ark than the Creation Museum, but to each his own.
Mom’s Buttermilk Biscuits (Romans 8:28 style)
Here’s a very good post from back in the day (April 2008) when my blog didn’t have any readers. The premise is that understanding Romans 8:28 is a lot like making biscuits. This is kinda’ like shopping for groceries; don’t read this if you’re already hungry.
“And we know that for those who love God, all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” (ESV) Continue reading
Now in the News: Tony Alamo and Gospel Today
UPDATE: A federal magistrate upheld a $66 mill. judgement against Tony Alamo last week. (9/14/2011) source: Washington Post
There are two items that have been getting a lot of press lately. I commented on another’s blog about Tony Alamo, and decided it was time to mention him myself. I read this AP report {no longer available; this post is now 3 years old} to get a little background. It’s a good little biography if you’ve never heard of this guy before. This is not his first 15 minutes, if you get what I’m saying. He’s been in and out of the news (and jail) for about 20 years now. Most recently the charges involve underage sex and marriage scandals, and once again he is defending his organization on the grounds that it is not a cult. Continue reading
Was Jesus a Radical?
The simple answer is yes. Jesus was radical in his ministry and teachings. He questioned the rulers of the Jewish faith, he threw people out of the temple, he pronounced woe to the scribes and Pharisees, he performed healings and miracles on the Sabbath, his disciples did not fast, and even ate without washing their hands. His whole Sermon on the Mount turned the Jewish traditions and laws seemingly upside down. The simple answer is that Jesus was a radical; however, I don’t believe it’s that simple. Continue reading
Show Us a Sign
This is a real church sign located not far from Cleveland, Ohio. Mike Frizzell has been providing us with humorous and amusing church signs for some time in a regular bit he calls Signs of the Times. I couldn’t resist sharing this one also. The church says it is meant to be a “friendly” reminder to teens that the Bible doesn’t condone homosexuality. Many have misunderstood the sign’s meaning, or are unfamiliar with the pop song it is a reference to. Read the whole story here from Fox News.
Verse by Verse Bible Study
I want to share with my friends and readers the different Bible studies I’m in right now, but don’t want to sound like I’m bragging. I work in full time ministry, so there’s lots of people leading many different activities all around us. I’m not trying to wave in anyone’s face how holy I am or anything like that.
I remember my dad teaching through the book of Matthew when I was in the 8th grade. We might do a few verses this week, or just one. Then we’d pick up next Sunday where we left off. It takes months sometimes to get through a book this way (or years) but it provides a thorough understanding. I seem to have wound up in several studies like that at the same time. The Sunday School class I attend is studying the book of Galatians. Anytime you study one of Paul’s letters you get some history of Paul, and often compare what he writes to one church with what is written to another.
Our Sunday a.m. text until advent begins is the book of Phillipians. The a.m. small group my wife and I lead is working through the Gospel of Mark. And our men’s morning devotional group is doing a verse by verse study of Nehemiah. That’s a total of 2 epistles, 1 gospel account, and one Old Testament book of history. I don’t always take enough time to study scripture on my own. This whole situation is a blessing to me because of the consistency.
Where’s the Middle?
I’m not the only one that has noticed the extreme polarization of our nation’s politics. There used to be a middle. In the primaries, Republicans leaned to the right, Democrats leaned to the left, but once the nominations were made by each party the candidates “danced” to the middle to attract voters. The majority of our populace were not way over to the left or right, but somewhere in between. Only a small percentage of people were extreme liberal or conservative, and there were several different degrees of each. It seems to not be that way anymore.
The 2000 Presidential election between George W. Bush and Al Gore was decided by only a few hundred votes in one state. Many are unsatisfied that we know the actual results. Our Congress is split nearly 50/50 right down the middle between Republicans and Democrats, and nearly every vote is decided by a margin of 51 to 49% (or less). There’s a lot of talk about “crossing the aisle” on particular issues, but when all is said and done there is often more said that done.
We used to find middle ground. There used to be shades of grey on issues, but that’s not what Americans are looking for these days. We want everything black or white. It’s right or it’s wrong, and not just a little right or wrong. Each opinion, each decision we face is either a panacea of wonderful or the worst mortal sin every to face a legislative body. It seems like extreme positions on every issue are the only positions acceptable. This leads to a lot of finger pointing, name calling, and the application of labels that often don’t apply. It has brought our political process to a near gridlock. Just this summer the movie Swing Vote set the stage for an election that was to be decided by one single voter. How close are we to that becoming reality?
The only solution is for people to work together and find some common ground. We need a large number of Americans to realize that McCain and Obama have strong points, and that neither is the anti-Christ. Both candidates have ideas to solve the same problems. The election campaign doesn’t have to be Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus. Our Congressional leaders don’t have to cast a ballot for Y or N based on the R or D next to their name, and we as the voting public need to let them know that. That’s not the message they’ve been getting. We’ve been taking sides on every issue for years like we’re fighting a war, but in a sense we’re all on the same side. I’m not proposing we do away with the two party system, we just have to find common ground somewhere. In the words of Benjamin Franklin, we must join or die.
McCain/ Obama race in dead heat.
John McCain has a slight lead over Barack Obama in the latest polls, but it depends on which you poll you ask. I’m getting my data from this site, which tracks the results of several different polls at once, from Gallup to Fox News. None of the spreads are greater than the margin of error, so statistically the two candidates are in a dead heat.
So who will be the next president? I predicted back in the spring that Clinton and Obama would continue dividing the Democratic Party by beating each other’s brains out, such that McCain was guaranteed an easy victory. About one third of Clinton voters said at that time they would not vote for Obama if he was nominated. It’s no longer a sure thing for McCain, but I’m still predicting a Republican victory in November.
What effect do the VP nods have on the polls? Obama’s party line is about change, but Joe Biden has been in Washington nearly as long as John McCain. His campaign doesn’t seem to be hurting any since adding Biden to the ticket, however. Much more attention has been focused on Sara Palin. She’s more conservative than McCain himself, and many Republicans feel better about the ticket with her on it. There is some question if this will help get the vote from women. Maybe women will vote McCain/Palin that were sad to see Clinton leave the race, but there is also the criticism that getting Palin as the VP candidate was a cheap ploy that women voters will see through. I personally feel better about voting for McCain with Palin on the ticket, because if he dies in office I’m okay with Palin being the first woman president. McCain’s wishy-washy on abortion, for instance, but Palin is as conservative as the come. She’s pro-life, pro-NRA, but most importantly has crossed the isle and gone against her own party in the name of good common sense. I hope that appeals to all voters, regardless of the color of state they’re in.
What about the faith issue? This topic has been done to death. No I do not believe Barack Obama is a Muslim, no matter how many right-wing Christian bloggers and spammers say so. And what if he was? You don’t bring down the nation by serving in Congress and then running for president. Obama loves this country, and wants to change it for the better. ISLAM IS NOT A RELIGION FULL OF TERRORISTS. That’s a misconception. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but I will not allow comments that attack anothers faith, so don’t leave them. I’m not voting for McCain because of his Christian testimony. Having a person of faith in the White House makes me feel better, but we’re not electing the Pope here. In the Republican primary I voted for Mitt Romney. Yes, he’s a Mormon. Again, I’m not looking for a Sunday School teacher, but a person to run the administration of our national government. I think the values of Christian character – honesty, integrity, work ethic, etc – make any person a better worker, including the President of the United States. But the issue of faith has gotten way too much press in this campaign. Let’s let it go people.
What’s the bottom line? I think the bottom line is that the economy is headed down a long road that’s a little scarey, and I’m not sure how long it will take to make it back. Neither candidate will be able to do half of things they promise, no matter which one is elected. I’m disappointed every four years by who our choices get narrowed down to. Are either one of these guys the very best we can find in the U.S.A. to lead us? I don’t think so, but that’s who we have to pick from. So much of what people complain about has to do more with Congress than with the President anyway. Neither man can do a blasted thing without the 535 members of Congress backing him up, and it’s nobody’s fault but our own that we have split Congress 50/50 down the middle on party lines. Diehard support of one’s own party is destroying this country, and we’re all responsible. I called the race a dead heat. Gridlock may be more appropriate. The political process bears an eerie resemblance to I-75 traffic at 4:30 p.m. in Atlanta to me.
Also read Where’s the Middle?, a post about how there used to be political middle ground.
