Monthly Archives: October 2007

Oh My God (Jars of Clay: Good Monsters)

Posted on October 29, 2007 by DN

 

Oh my God, look around this place,
Your fingers reach around the bone,
you set the break and set the tone.
For flights of grace, and future falls
In present pain all fools say, “Oh my God.”
***
Oh my God, why are we so afraid?
We make it worse when we don’t bleed,
There is no cure for our disease.
Turn a phrase and rise again
Or fake your death and only tell your closest friends,
Oh My God.
***
Oh my God, can I complain?
You take away my firm belief and graft my soul upon your grief.
Weddings, boats, and alibis,
All drift away, and a mother cries…
***
Liars and fools, sons and failures, theives will always say..
Lost and found, ailing wanderers, healers always say..
Whores and angels, men with problems, leavers always say..
Broken hearted, separated, orphans always say..
War creators, racial haters, preachers always say..
Distant fathers, fallen warriors, givers always say..
Pilgrim saints, lonely widows, users always say..
Fearful mothers, watchful doubters, Saviors always say..
***
Sometimes I can not forgive
and these days mercy cuts so deep,
If the world was how it should be, maybe I could get some sleep.
While I lay, I’d dream we’re better, scales were gone and faces lighter,
When we wake we hate our brother, we still move to hurt each other,
Sometimes I can close my eyes and all the fear the keeps me silent,
Falls below my heavy breathing, what makes me so badly bent?
We all have a chance to murder, we all have the need for wonder.
We still want to be reminded that the pain is worth the plunder.
Sometimes when I lose my grip, I wonder what to make of heaven,
All the times I thought to reach up, all the times I had to give up.
Babies underneath their beds, in hospitals that cannot treat them.
All the wounds that money causes, all the comforts of cathedrals,
All the cries of thirsty children, this is our inheritance,
All the rage of watching mothers, this is our greatest offense
***
Oh my God
Oh my God
Oh my God

Categories: Music

The Bible: Truth or Fiction?

Posted on October 25, 2007 by DN

 

One of the biggest things that people say when they share the gospel with a non-believer, is “it’s in the Bible.” That phrase doesn’t do much good when somebody doesn’t believe that they Bible is truth. They may be open to the idea that God exists, but the Bible is not the only place that gods are spoken of. So, is the Bible reliable?

The answer is yes and here is why:

1. Ancient Historians Corroborate the Biblical Accounts

The gospels make the claim that Jesus Christ was born in Nazareth of the Virign Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, and resurrected. Other ancient historians also confirm these things, though, not always believers themselves. For instance, Cornelius Tacitus, a man considered one of the most reliable ancient historians, tells us that Nero “inflicted the most exquisite tortures on a class…called Christians. …Christus [Christ], from whom the name had its origin, suffered the extreme penalty during the reign of Tiberius at the hands of one of our procurators, Pontius Pilatus….”

Flavius Josephus, a Jewish Historian of the late first century said, “we learn that Jesus was a wise man who did surprising feats, taught many, won over followers from among Jews and Greeks, was believed to be the Messiah, was accused by the Jewish leaders, was condemned to be crucified by Pilate, and was considered to be resurrected.”

The Jewish Talmud even speaks of Jesus, though biased against him. Here is what it has to say: “we learn that Jesus was conceived out of wedlock, gathered disciples, made blasphemous claims about himself, and worked miracles, but these miracles are attributed to sorcery and not to God.”

2. The Four Gospels are Cohesive

The four counts of the story of the gospel are in complete harmony. While not all of the same events are recorded in each version, none of the four accounts conflicts with each other. The early church accepted these four because they were in unity, and confirmed what was already known about Jesus. Not only that, but they contain cultural and historical details that have been backed by modern archaelogy.

3. Contrary to Popular Belief, Current Translations are Not Corrupted

Many people think that the Bible has been translated so many times that it must be corrected. That would be true if it were translated from the latest translation, but they aren’t. Each new translation comes directly from the original manuscripts. The original copies of the New Testament are more abundant than most other ancient documents. There are 24,633 copies of the New Testament, compared to 630 copies of Homer’s Iliad and 30 copies of Plato’s writings. In addition, the copies agree with each other word-for-word 99.5% of the time. The few mistakes are equivalent to a few typos in the Sunday paper.

4. Archealogical Support
Archealogy cannot support the existence of God or prove that the Bible is the living word of God, but it cannot help to support the historical accuracy of the Bible. The Bible has tons of historical details and so not everything has been discovered yet. However, no archealogical finds to this day disprove the Bible, but many discoveries have actually supported the records of the Bible. The same things cannot be said of other ancient documents such as the Book of Mormon, in which no archeaogical evidence supports the peoples or places of the book.

These are just a few of the ways that the Bible is supported by outside means. But don’t take my word for it, find out for yourself. One of the best ways is to read the Bible and begin applying its principles to your own life, and you will see the truth that it speaks.

Most of this information came from everystudent.com

Categories: Apologetics

I Hope I Don’t Get Fired For This

Posted on October 23, 2007 by DN

 

I’m so nervous now about anything that I post or publish on the internet. You see, I am an RA in the dorms at my school. Being an RA is a tough job. It is stressful, for one thing, but it is also critical that the RAs are available to all the students. Over the last week and a half, the Lord has been moving my heart in the direction that my dorm needs Jesus Christ. It is an all freshman male hall, and so you can only imagine the culture here. Don’t get me wrong, I love working here, but it is NOT the best place in the world and it is NOT problem free.

I recently wrote a note on Facebook containing the scripture that the Lord has been leading me to and to the conclusions the Spirit has whispered to me. After a few days, someone became offended by the note and turned it into my hall director (my boss). We had a long discussion basically on why the note was wrong to post. A lot of the things that were said seemed circular to me. While the HD has no problem with my religion, me tying it into the workplace is unacceptable. It also came out that the HD is Christian too. But none of it makes sense. My religion consists of bringing people to the Lord. The greatest command of Christ is to love God and the second is to love others. How can I love others without sharing the story of God’s love and mercy? It is the second most important thing that I can do.

I was not fired, though I could have been for the content of the note. I took the note down, but now I wonder if the department can actually do that. Can the department really regulate my speech and ability to express opinions? I never actually mentioned the department in the note, it was simply my opinion and belief about the place that I live, and the things that God is doing in this place.

At the same time, I shouldn’t worry. No man or woman can halt the plans of the Lord. Even if I end up getting fired for my beliefs, the Lord is still much more powerful than any person on this campus, than all the people of the world put together. He has big plans for my hall and nobody can stop him, whether my voice is here or not.

I pray continually for the men in my hall, my HD, and all of the higher-ups in the department, that they may come to Christ. I also pray that this blog post does not get me fired. Honestly, there is nothing that bad in here. If you look, the love and salvation is Christ is the most beautiful thing that could happen to this campus, why does everyone have to act like we are bad people or that our opinions are bad?

I ask for your prayers, thanks you, and God Bless!

Categories: Miscellanea

Greetings!

Posted on October 21, 2007 by DN

 

Hey, truth is something that is very important to me and so I am compelled by the Holy Spirit to share and spread the truth to the World. I know that many people are not going to like the words that they read here, but that sometimes people can’t stand to see the truth staring back at them in the mirror because then they see what they really are.

Here are some of the basic concepts that will be discussed in this blog:
1. The truth that the Bible is the inerrant Word of God.
2. The truth that all men are worthy of hell.
3. The truth that Jesus Christ died on the cross for our sins.
4. The truth that Jesus’ payment is only applied (and this is important) when you REPENT of your sins.
5. The truth that all men can have this gift of salvation, no matter what their past looks like, if only they turn from their sin and follow after the face of God.
6. The truth that God actually DOES exist.

This is meant to be a discussion, not just a place where I talk at you. I welcome your comments, questions, and criticisms, because your interaction with the truth will open your eyes to it’s promises, and it’s reality.

May the Lord, Jesus Christ, pour the Holy Spirit upon you until we meet again! Amen.

Categories: Miscellanea

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