AND THE WINNER IS....!

I will now outline for you what gave Parker the edge.

It was not his right-ness or wrong-ness.

First, he was clear and concise, as well as concilliatory.

Second, he groveled. Groveling is a highly respected tactic on this blog.

Third, he did something unusual for him...he commented twice. (Others of you did, too, but it is not unusual for you...it is for him).

Fourth, he works at the same place I do (Christian radio, heard on the web at www.kingdom.fm). I could not bear to look him in the eye today if he did not win after working so hard. Besides, he is young and could easily beat me up.

For your information, the runner up was Darlene, who was the only one willing to run at all. She ran over with the pail of water. Her theology was very fluid.

There is a serious element to all of this. Several of you either hit on it or danced around it.

Theology has a tendency to get WAY too thick and its practitioners too stuffy (one might use the term 'stiff-necked').

It is important to know what you believe, but it is more important to know who you believe in.

His name is Jesus. He prayed for us to be unified (check out John 17).

To be unified, we MUST, MUST, MUST turn from this attitude of "I know more about this than you do." "I'm right and you're wrong." "I'm more spiritual than you."

It's all a part of dying to self. If we do not die to self, we cannot be responsible followers of Him.

In short, we must decrease and He must increase (I read that somewhere).

Thank you for participating, whether as a participant or a spectator.

Now, if you call yourself a Christian, go out and love others more than self. Think of others more highly than you think of yourself. Be willing to lay down your life for a friend.

Jesus showed us how. All we have to do is follow Him.

A challenge

Today I want to do something quite different.

A few rules, first.

1) Don't attack each other (attack me, if you must).

2) Be concise.

3) Be coherent.

4) Don't just flood me with scritpure...I've already read them. Use scriptures to illustrate principles.

5) Write something pertinent and convincing.

If you are a Calvinist, define and defend your position.

If you are an Armenian, define and defend your position.

Finally: To which of the camps did the apostle, Paul, belong? Prove it.

The best entry will be declared the 2006 winner of the coveted Calvenia.

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT: By popular demand we are adding a third category it's the niether category category. Same rules.

SUNDAY PRAISE

Father, one our favorites went to be with you last week.

We thank you for his life, his talent, his ministry and his faith.

We thank you for his testimony.

Father, we are poorer for having lost him, richer for having had him among us and we look forward to seeing him again as he praises you throughout eternity.

As he sat at the piano play one of the century's greatest songs, we know he was doing what he loved. Would that each of us could come into your eternal presence doing that which we love the most.

Thank you, Father, for lending us Anthony Burger.

We anticipate the time when, with him, we shall behold Him.

1 Thessalonians 4:16-17

For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout,
with the voice of the archangel,and with the trump of God:
and the dead in Christ shall rise first:

Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds,
to meet the Lord in the air:
and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

We Shall Behold Him
by Dottie Rambo
http://my.homewithgod.com/heavenlymidis2/beholdhim.html

The sky shall unfold, preparing His entrance;
The stars shall applaud Him with thunders of praise.
The sweet light in His eyes shall enhance those a waiting,
And we shall behold Him then face to face.

Chorus

And we shall behold Him, we shall behold Him
Face to face in all of His glory;
And we shall behold Him, Yes, we shall behold Him
Face to face, our Saviour and Lord.

The angels shall sound the shout of His coming,
The sleeping shall rise from their slumbering place.
And those who remain shall be changed in a moment,
And we shall behold Him then face to face.

Chorus

And we shall behold Him, we shall behold Him
Face to face in all of His glory;
And we shall behold Him, Yes, we shall behold Him
Face to face, our Saviour and Lord.
We shall behold Him, our Saviour and Lord.

Director? Of What?

As a worship leader, one of my assignments is to direct the music ministry of our church.

What does that mean?

It means that, working with the Music Committee, I oversee the calendaring of music events. Selection of music is also one of my (our) jobs. I (we) also establish music policy, develop the music budget, determine the space for music groups to use, and plan, coordinate and evaluate the worship services of the church.

All of those events take place out of sight of the congregation.

It is not until I step onto the platform on Sunday morning, evening or whenever, that the congregation becomes aware of me.

At that time, I become the music director.

I give a down-beat and I expect the musicians to react.

I tell them when to start.

I tell them when to stop.

I tell them when to sing or play fast and when to sing or play slowly.

I tell them how loudly to perform and how softly.

I expect them to sing or play their respective parts: soprano; alto; tenor; bass; drum; guitar; trumpet; claranet; oboe; harp; piano; organ or whatever.

In order for it to work, each member MUST do as I say when I say. I certainly cannot do them all. They must.

When that happens, so does beautiful, God honoring music.

When it does NOT happen, chaos does.

In fact, when I step in front of the musicians, I become a dictator. A benevolent one, but a dictator, none the less.

It's a big responsibility...and a real trip!

If I did not accept the dictatorship, I would not be doing my job and the congregation would leave at the end of the service saying, "What was that the (choir, praise team, instrumentalists) was doing? That was terrible!"

For me to do my job, each musician must relinquish his/her will to "mine."

That's the way it should be with the church body.

Christ is the Director.

He tells us what to do, when to do it. how to do it, where to do it and even why (sometimes). He does so in His word.

Our job (corporately) is to do what He says.

If we do, we progress in harmony and unity.

If we do not, the result is chaos.

"My way!" "No, MY way!" "No, no, no! It has to be MY way!"

"I don't like the way 'they' are doing this or that, so I'm going to pick up my ball and go home."

"You need to pray and do what God wants you to do. Oh, but I don't have to, because I already know how this or that should be done."

"They picked the wrong carpet color, against my argument in business meeting, and I'm MAD!"

"That Youth Director tried to tell my kid how he/she should dress in church. How DARE he?"

"The preacher stepped on my toes and I'm not going to have it!"

"I was really hurt by this event or that happening, and I'm not going to put up with it any more!"

"Did you hear what HE/SHE said about me?" "What nerve!"

Wouldn't the church experience be much better if you (and I) took personal responsibility to follow the director (whether the others do or not), Christ, and be a unit of harmony in the body?

We must relinquish our wills to Him.

All to gether now, uh-one and uh-two and uh 1, 2, 3, 4.

Not What I Had Planned

If you have followed the music of Bill and Gloria Gaither, been to one of their concerts or watched them on television, you have heard the piano playing of Anthony Burger.

Anthony Burger was one of the premier Christian pianists and had a most inspiring of testimony of the healing power of God. You can read about it here

http://www.gaither.com/news/news.php?uid=1100

The evening of February 22, Anthony Burger was playing, 'We Shall Be Hold Him' on The Gaither Cruise, when he collapsed and died. A couple of people took him backstage and tried to revive him, but couldn't. Anthony, it is believed, had a heart attack. (From Mark Lowry's web site).

Christian music has lost one of its most innovative and talented instrumentalists. Fingers that should not have worked at all flew unbelievably over the keyboard.

We can now look forward to seeing him over there.

Pray for the family and loved ones of Anthony Burger.

Staying In Trouble

In order to keep myself in trouble, insult as many as I can at one time and help men understand everything that I understand about women, I offer the following explanations of a woman's vocabulary:


FINE

This is the word women use to end an argument when they are right and you need to shut up.


FIVE MINUTES

If she is getting dressed, this is half an hour. Five minutes is only five minutes if you have just been given 5 more minutes to watch the game before helping around the house.


NOTHING

This is the calm before the storm. This means "something," and you should be on your toes. Arguments that begin with 'No! thing' usually end in "Fine"


GO AHEAD

This is a dare, not permission. Don't do it.


LOUD SIGH

This is not actually a word, but is a non-verbal statement often misunderstood by men. A "Loud Sigh" means she thinks you are an idiot and wonders why she is wasting her time standing here and arguing with you over "Nothing"


THAT'S OKAY

This is one of the most dangerous statements that a woman can make to a man. "That's Okay" means that she wants to think long and hard before deciding how and when you will pay for your mistake.


THANKS

A woman is thanking you. Do not question it or faint. Just say, "You're welcome. "


WHATEVER

It's a woman's way of saying, "Nuts to you!"

Send this to the men you know to warn them about future arguments they can avoid if they remember the terminology!

(Is it at all possible that I should stick to spiritual and political subjects? It occurs to me that I might be treading very deep water, going where few have dared.)

Putting All Seriousness Aside

You've probably seen this before. I have. I just can't remember where or when. (Why do I feel a song coming on?)

Any way, my sweet wife, Bonnie, shared it with me so I thought I would share it with you.


A Wal-Mart store that sells husbands has just opened in Dallas, TX, where a woman may go to choose a husband from among many men.

Among the instructions at the entrance, is a description of how the store operates.

There are only 6 floors. It states that the attributes of the men increase as the shopper ascends the flights. There is, however, a catch....

As you open the door to any floor you may choose any man from that floor, but if you go up a floor, you cannot go back down except to exit the building.

So, a woman goes to the Wal-Mart Husband Store to find a husband..... On the first floor the sign on the door reads:

Floor 1 - These men have jobs.She continues on.

The second floor sign reads:

Floor 2 - These men have jobs and love kids.

She continues on. The third floor sign reads:

Floor 3 - These men have jobs, love kids, and are extremely good looking.

"Wow," she thinks, but feels compelled to keep going.

She goes to the fourth floor and the sign reads:

Floor 4 - These men have jobs, love kids, are drop-dead good looking and help with the housework.

"Oh, mercy me!" she exclaims, "I can hardly stand it!"

Still, she goes to the fifth floor and sign reads:

Floor 5 - These men have jobs, love kids, are drop-dead gorgeous, help with the housework, and have a strong romantic streak.

She is so tempted to stay, but she goes to the sixth floor and the Sign reads:

Floor 6 - You are visitor 3,456,012 to this floor.

There are no men on this floor. This floor exists solely as proof that women are impossible to please.
Thank you for shopping Wal-Mart.

I'm truely sorry, ladies. I meant no offense. Please forgive me. I'll try never to do it again. I'm usually not like this. I just couldn't help myself. O, wretched man that I am! Who has believed my report? I can't believe I stooped so low. I feel so depraved. I am a man of unclean lips. When in the course of human events. Have mercy on me! Way down yonder and not far off. Oh, de agony of de feet. A thousand pardons. Mia culpa! Mama Mia! Antidisestablishmentarianism!

Puff, puff, puff! I'm all out of breath!

Sunday Praise

As you have told us in your word, Oh Lord, you have lifted us from the mud and mire and set our feet on the rock of Jesus.

From the unfathomable depth of our sin, you, in your loving kindness, have sent your Son to redeem us.

From before the stirring of our hearts by your Holy Spirit caused us to turn in faith to you, believing, you pierced the brow of Jesus, you tore his hands and feet with nails and placed on Him our iniquity.

And for your love, mercy and grace, we give ourselves to you.

Though we cannot understand why your would have saved the likes of us, we offer you our praise for having done so.

He Lifted Me
by Charles H. Gabriel
http://my.homewithgod.com/heavenlymidis2/helifted.html

In loving-kindness Jesus came
My soul in mercy to reclaim,
And from the depths of sin and shame
Through grace He lifted me.

From sinking sand He lifted me,
With tender hand He lifted me,
From shades of night to plains of light,
Oh, praise His name, He lifted me!

He called me long before I heard,
Before my sinful heart was stirred,
But when I took Him at His word,
Forgiv'n, He lifted me.

From sinking sand He lifted me,
With tender hand He lifted me,
From shades of night to plains of light,
Oh, praise His name, He lifted me!

From sinking sand He lifted me,
With tender hand He lifted me,
From shades of night to plains of light,
Oh, praise His name, He lifted me!

His brow was pierced with many a thorn,
His hands by cruel nails were torn,
When from my guilt and grief, forlorn,
In love He lifted me.

From sinking sand He lifted me,
With tender hand He lifted me,
From shades of night to plains of light,
Oh, praise His name, He lifted me!

Now on a higher plane I dwell,
And with my soul I know 'tis well;
Yet how or why, I cannot tell,
He should have lifted me.

Introductions

I want to introduce you to some very good blogs. These are, for the most part, new to my blogroll.

The newest blog I have "discovered" is Job's Tale by "Curious Servant." Here is a middle school teacher who writes with style and substance. Check him out.

She's been in my blogroll for some time, but I have never highlighted her. If you like humor, mixed with poignant points, read Bonnie Writes .

I guess the entire universe knows Free Grace Theology , and I have mentioned him before, but Antonio is always a good read. If you blogsurf much, you have seen his pointed comments. But take my word for it (or not), he's a good guy and loves the Lord.

Gordon Cloud's Heavenly Heartburn offers a balanced view of theology, politics and current events (according to his headder). He writes some pithy stuff...very nice.

Things That Make You go Hmm is self explanitory. This is not a new blog, but is newly back, for which I am grateful.

Erlenmeyer Flask describes himself as a strange blogger with alien righteousness, who came to blogging with logic and persuasion abilities far beyond those of mortal chipmunks. He's over at Metaschema .

If you want to make him nervous, call him Mr. Challies. If not, just read his work at Putting the Fun in Fundamentalism .

Well, there you have it. Some introductions to some of my newer blogophiles.

How do you make it into my blogroll, anyway (as if you cared)?

1) Write in English. "The King's English." Pay attention to grammar except when making fun of someone or something.

2) Be interesting, write from a Christian perspective (with exceptions here and there), be mildly controversial, write from personal experience or perspective and/or get my attention by commenting on my blog or being seen on a bunch of other blogs that I read.

Hey! Have a Christ-filled day!

Three for One

One:

If you do not read Free Grace Theology from Antonio, you are missing a treat.

Whether you are a Calvanist, an Armenian, a Calmenian, an Arvanist, he has a very interesting and arresting style of writing and is, shall we say, firm in his theology.

Another interesting, thought provoking blog is Jeff H's Think Sink. Give these a shot and see whether you are challenged.

Two:

A further thought on my previous blog about commitment.

From the comments, there is some confusion as to what "commitment" means.

Let's put it this way: If "commitment" does not mean "determining to see something through to the end no matter what, never, never, never giving up, " then we are going to have to come up with a new word that does mean that.

But that won't be necessary, since we already have a word to mean that. The word is "Commitment."

Can you be committed and then quit being committed?

Not really.

You can be fervent about something and lose your fervency.

You can be emotionally involved with something and then lose your emotionalism about it (happens in lots of marriages).

You can be intellectually attached to something and then change your mind.

(You can be prohibited from fulfilling a commitment by outside forces over which you have no control, such as illness, injury, moving or the like, but these will not affect your commitment to the person of Christ.)

But, by definition, you cannot be committed to something and then come uncommitted.

That is not about salvation, it is about behavior and attitude.

I have iterated it once, and I now reiterate: Be committed to the Lord. You will thereby find His greatest joy for you.

Three:

Neither is yours.

A perfect church, that is.

There are no local congregations of believers (churches) that are perfect.

Now, if you could just get the people out of the churches you wouldn't have as many problems. But that might not work so well.

Let's face it. We are all human. We do stupid things. We do illogical things. We do unspiritual things. We say things we should not say. We think things we should not think. We make decisions we should not make. We go places we should not go.

And so on.

Christians are, by nature of their humanity, wierd. Christians are so wierd that if it were not for Jesus, I would not be one.

We are all members of the Body of Christ(the Church). But sometimes I think we have a few too many spleens and bile ducts and not enough hearts, feet and hands.

Which one are you, by the way?

Committed

An aquaintance of mine told me, "I used to be a committed Christian, but I don't believe in Jesus any longer."

NEWSFLASH!

That person was NEVER a committed Christian.

I used to have a set of posters in my office.

The first poster had two frames. In the first, a man was climbing the ladder of a diving board and saying, "I am going to dive into the water."

The second showed him having gone back down the ladder and walking away.

He was not committed to the dive.

The second poster had two frames. In the first, a man was standing at the end of the diving board and saying, "I am going to dive into the water."

The second showed him having gone back to the ladder, having climbed down the ladder and walking away.

He was not committed to the dive.

The third poster had two frames. In the first, a man was standing at the end of the diving board and saying, "I am going to dive into the water."

The second showed him having leaned forward past the center of gravity and falling through the air.

He was committed to the dive. There would be no turning back.

That is the picture of the committed Christian.

For the committed Christian, there is no possibility of turning back.

If there was held back the possibility of turning back, there was no commitment.

Now I believe anyone can be saved who turns to Christ in faith, believing, and trusting in and only His finished work at the cross of Calvary.

Whether the "whosoever will" only applies to those God has chosen from the beginning of time or not I have not the mind to opine.

But this I know: "No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God." Luke 9:52

So, at some point there must be commitment to ploughing the row...keeping the faith...staying the course.

Don't tell me you USED to be committed. You cannot "used to be committed," you were either committed or you were not.

If you ever stopped being committed, you never were committed.

Your commitment to Him will never go unrewarded.

If you have never done so, receive Him today, trust Him today, serve Him today and commit to Him today.

Sunday Praise

Father in Heaven, we come to You in the name of your wonderful Son, Jesus, to sing your praise for your goodness, mercy and salvation.

We praise you for leaving your home in glory to become a man, dwell among us and to give yourself at the cross of Calvary.

We were without hope as sheep without a shepherd, overcome with darkness, filled with sorrow and woe.

Yet you loved us with the cross and placed your arms around us, to keep us now and forever.

We look to that day when we shall dwell with you in all eternity, reunited with those we love and praising you with them.

I Will Sing the Wondrous Story
by Francis H. Rowley and Peter P. Bilhorn
http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/i/w/iwilsing.htm

I will sing the wondrous story
Of the Christ Who died for me.
How He left His home in glory
For the cross of Calvary.

Yes, I’ll sing the wondrous story
Of the Christ Who died for me,
Sing it with the saints in glory,
Gathered by the crystal sea.

I was lost, but Jesus found me,
Found the sheep that went astray,
Threw His loving arms around me,
Drew me back into His way.

Yes, I’ll sing the wondrous story
Of the Christ Who died for me,
Sing it with the saints in glory,
Gathered by the crystal sea.

I was bruised, but Jesus healed me,
Faint was I from many a fall,
Sight was gone, and fears possessed me,
But He freed me from them all.

Yes, I’ll sing the wondrous story
Of the Christ Who died for me,
Sing it with the saints in glory,
Gathered by the crystal sea.

Days of darkness still come o’er me,
Sorrow’s path I often tread,
But His presence still is with me;
By His guiding hand I’m led.

Yes, I’ll sing the wondrous story
Of the Christ Who died for me,
Sing it with the saints in glory,
Gathered by the crystal sea.

He will keep me till the river
Rolls its waters at my feet;
Then He’ll bear me safely over,
Where the loved ones I shall meet.

The Scam Scam

Here is an audio post you will enjoy, especially if you are a woman. (Maybe I should run and duck for cover now).


Whymechanicsliketodealwithmostwomen.asf
Powered by Castpost

A Sad Day Made More Sad

It was the summer of 1964.

I was a wide-eyed "liberal" who identified with the leadership of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

I never met him, but I heard him a lot.

When he announced plans to stage peaceful protests in St. Augustine, I decided to be a part of it.

I marched the streets of St. Augustine with the throngs.

I sat at the lunch counter at the local Rexall drugstore with the other sit-down protesters.

After lunch, two large caucasians greeted me on the sidewalk and threatened to take me out back and paint me black with shoe polish.

Had a sheriff's deputy not pulled up to the curb at that time, who knows what would have transpired.

I admired Dr. King and was heartsick and enraged when he was cut down by a savage coward.

Tuesday I watched the funeral of Coretta Scott King.

It was totally outrageous.

CNN ran the following notice:

The service Tuesday featured tributes from political leaders, longtime friends and celebrities, including Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton and Edward Kennedy; poet Maya Angelou; singer Stevie Wonder; and Joseph Lowery, Andrew Young and Jesse Jackson, onetime lieutenants of the slain civil rights leader.

The whole article was a ruse. Those were not tributes to her, they were blatant, unadulterated political assaults on The United States of America and her elected leaders. They were attacks on the very country that has struggled to overcome past wrongs and set them right.

Andrew Young and Jesse Jackson's remarks were in the poorest of taste, as were the remarks of most of those who spoke, the likes of Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton.

If you are a black American, you should be hanging your head in shame over the disgusting comments of those who are supposed to be your leaders and your inspiration.

If you were inspired by Maya Angelou's poetry, or Andrew Young's rhetoric or the rest of those who chose to turn a solemn memorial into a political dung-fest, you are descecrating the work Coretta Scott King and her husband spent their lives accomplishing.

If this is the legacy the Kings meant to leave for us, I appologize to all Americans for having marched with Dr. King, because I want no part of it.

It is sad, but I do not believe a single one of those who chose to politicize this occasion have the intelligence to know why their remarks were inappropriate and out of place. And I know they do not have the character to apologize for them.

To those leaders I say:

You made a fool of Coretta Scott King. You made a fool of yourselves. You made a mockery of the work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

You seemed to think this was all about you, or some real or imagined wrongs you have suffered. It was not. It was about a woman who stood by her husband's side as he led his people into what should have been a new era of equality and opportunity.

You have impugned his integrity and demonstrated your lack of it.

You are no better, intellectually, than the terrorists who attacked us on 9/11. You are worse in many ways.

You hide behind pseudo-philosophy, seeking, not opportunity or equality, but special treatment. You do not want a level playing field, you want priviledge without accountability.

I respect pond scum more than I respect you.

Like Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and his wife, Coretta, I dream of a nation where people are not "...judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character."

May the Lord grant us this dream should He tarry.

Computer Stuff It

The first real PC I ever worked on was an old 386 with Windows 3.1 on it.

Actually, I had tried my hand at programming using Basic, but was a total flop at it.

Now, after years of computer use, I know everything there is to know about computers, only they haven't found out about it yet.

For instance, in my last post I dutifully copied and pasted a link to my post as I have done many times before.

Try as I might, though, the link would not work.

So I tried adding the actual URL.

That didn't work either.

So my last post, in which I tried to direct you to "Things that make you go Hmmm" just would not direct you there.

Here's what I have learned from the experience: Every time I think I know all there is to know, or at least as much as I need to know, I discover that there is much more yet to learn than I have already learned.

The same is true of God.

Just when I think (in my unbelievable self-aggrandizement) that I have Him figured out, He reveals to me what should have been obvious: There is more to know about Him than I will ever have learned.

That is a good thing, because if I could figure Him out completely, I would be Him, and none of us would want that.

See, because I would not even have saved ME. And I sure wouldn't have saved you. So aren't we all glad that I am not Him.

I sure am.

By the way, if He hasn't saved you already (from the presence, power and penalty of sin - for which we owe a debt that we cannot pay), He stands ready to do so as soon as you trust in, and only in, His finished work in Christ at the Cross of Calvary.

Trust Him today. Find out how much more there is to know about Him.

Oh, and if you haven't gone to "Things That Make You Go Hmmm" yet, and thousands of you have not, just click on the link in my blogroll. It will take you there, and it's worth the trip.

Neat Trick

I am happy to note the return of Things That Make You go Hmm ( http://ttmyghmmm.blogspot.com/ )to the blogosphere. I have always enjoyed the quirky things he comes up with.

The latest took me to the fullest. It is the February 1st entry.

It is a card trick that should be so very obvious, but because of masterful misdirection is not.

Wait until you see the explanation.

But don't peek until you have tried it several times and tried to figure it out.

It is a major league hoot!

Go there now!

In Jesus' Name

To the tune of "Puff the Magic Dragon"

God the magic genie
Does what I ask
If I ask "In Jesus' Name"
He must perform the task.

Oh, God the magic genie
Hears when we pray
And if there are enough of us
He'll do just what we say.

That is the attitude of many Christians toward God when they pray. They take a couple of sentences from the Bible, turn them into catch-phrases and try to make God conform to their wishes.

Two of us get together "in His Name" and ask for a DeLorian. God, therefore, is obligated to provide us with a DeLorian.

Five people on one side of the road run a farm with a crop that needs lots of water. They get together "in Jesus' name" and pray for rain.

Five people on the other side of the road run a farm with a crop that needs little water. They get together "in Jesus' name" and pray that it will not rain.

Poor God. What is He to do? Whose prayer must He answer?

(OK...He could make it rain on one side of the road and not the other. Did you think I did not know that? Of course that misses the entire point. You don't want to do that, do you?)

Well, the key is the phrase, "in Jesus' name."

"In Jesus' name" is not just an ending to a prayer to be tacked on at the last minute.

Nor is it an incantation by which we can make God do what we want Him to do.

"God, heal my illness, in Jesus' name."

"God, find me a job, in Jesus' name."

"God, make my spouse love me, in Jesus' name."

Don't go out of here saying Joe said that we should not pray in Jesus' name. That is NOT what I said.

But the phrase "in Jesus' name" has a specific meaning in scripture.

"In Jesus' name" is an identification of ourselves with the person and will of Jesus.

It is an act of submission.

The phrase, "In Jesus' name" expresses the idea that we have conformed ourselves to Jesus in voluntary slavery to Him.

By using the phrase, we are declaring our harmony with Him; our oneness with Him.

When we pray, "in Jesus' name," we are saying, "Lord, Jesus, I am yours. Do with me as you will. Heal me or not. Find me a job or not. Make my spouse love me or not. Give me a DeLorian or not. Make it rain or not. Whatever you do, Lord, Jesus, I will delight in it because you have done it."

See, the real question is, "If Jesus never did anything else for us, is what He did at Calvary enough to satisfy our deepest longings?"

If it is not, we need to recommit ourselves to Him (or, if we have never done so, accept His finised work on our behalf and receive His salvation),

If it IS, then what we want is what He wants for us and we will get what we want because what we want is what He wants.

James tells us that we have not because we ask amiss.

I suspect that many prayers "in Jesus' name" are not "in Jesus' name" at all, but are simply wishes that "the magic genie called, 'God'" will do what we want.

When you pray, be certain you are really praying "in Jesus' name."

Update

I have not ceased blogging in spite of what you may have thought).

We had another issue at the Christian radio station where I work (heard world-wide at kingdom.fm.)

I had to go into the registry to correct an issue. When I did, a lurking virus snapped to attention and invaded the registry, causing the computer to reboot continuously.

We had to re-format the hard drive and re-load all of the programs, applications, etc.

I saw Charlie in the hospital yesterday. He is himself, only his left side is without feeling or movement.

He jokes, "I'm holding my left arm over my head. Can you tell?" (It is lying motionless in his lap).

Thank you for your prayers for him. He appreciates it, too.

Pray for me, too. These are horrendously stressful times.

We'll be visiting my mother in Inverness, Florida for a few days. I'll be back on Monday.