The Blog for TodayThe Blog for TodayAn old school Christian perspective on modern times... with erratic bursts of sarcasm. The perspective of a 20 something preacher, husband, father, business owner and Tae Kwon Do student on what's going on in the world at large and in the religious
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One day you?ll have a kid just like you?
2008-04-14 02:25:00 [Copyright notice this is my stuff and carries with it jws blogprint] For those who haven’t already seen/heard this, this is absolutely hilarious, especially if, like my wife and me, you are just getting to that point where you say something to your kid and immediately say, “ACK! I’m turning into my mom (or dad).” Enjoy! WPvideo 1.02 “Children, obey your parents in all things, for this is well pleasing to the Lord.” Colossians 3:20 Share This
Reasons to Homeschool #2038, 2039
2008-04-06 06:47:00 [Copyright notice this is my stuff and carries with it jws blogprint] Soo, Its been awhile, etc. etc. Now that that’s out of the way here are two fantastic headlines that appeared side by side: Elementary lessons on ‘gay’ issues now tied to reading, social studies, worried dad told: Butt Out! Maine Middle School May Drug 11 Year Old Girls with Birth Control Patches Here’s my platform when I run for school board: Let’s teach all of our children to be gay as early as possible, that way we don’t have to worry about birth control and teen pregnancy anymore! Oh and did I mention, HOMESCHOOL! But I guess this means I’m still just a judgemental ol’ fuddy-duddy… and I hope I never lose the knack! Praying for fuddy-duddy’s (and the poor kids that are subjected to this liberal propaganda) everywhere, Share This More About: Reasons
Those Honkin? Christians
2008-01-24 07:02:00 [Copyright notice this is my stuff and carries with it jws blogprint] Do you know which geese in the classic ‘V’ formation do all the honking? Do you know why? Read on for these pressing answers and a whole lot more –> There are few things more important in a congregation than having comitted, qualified, zealous, and willing leaders. We often hear great messages preached on what it takes to lead the church and that is fantastic. We need this preaching and we need men that listen and step up and become comitted to living their lives in such a way that they can be effective leaders in their congregations. Some congregations get a bit overzealous in their quest to install qualified men as leaders however. Never is someone forced into leadership (by an old generation grown lazy and looking for a break?) going to be effective in his post, nor is a man who is leading by default because no one else is there or no one else will do the job. Look at the men who follo... More About: Christians
Being Committed
2008-01-10 06:25:00 [Copyright notice this is my stuff and carries with it jws blogprint] A preacher’s illustration… illustrated. It may have been Joe Hisle (or maybe not) who once illustrated true committment like this, “When a person sits down to have bacon and eggs, the chicken made a contribution, sure, but the pig… the pig was committed!” I saw this picture today and that story immediately came to mind (don’t ask where I find these things!): Disturbing, ain’t it? Just thought I’d share, you can thank me later… Hey, after 4 months of neglecting this blog, I couldn’t just jump into deep theological pondering, that will come later, you know, after I find somebody capable of abstract thought to start posting to this blog. Stay tuned! Praying for the committed everywhere, Share This More About: Committed
A real life (or death?!?) illustration of Romans 6:23
2007-09-18 05:28:00 [Copyright notice this is my stuff and carries with it jws blogprint] Romans 6:23 tells us that ‘the wages of sin is death’. A story from China today, I believe serves to illustrate this point well: BEIJING (Reuters) - A Chinese man dropped dead after playing Internet games for three consecutive days, state media said on Monday as China seeks to wean Internet addicts offline. The man from the southern boomtown of Guangzhou, aged about 30, died on Saturday after being rushed to the hospital from the Internet cafe, local authorities were quoted by the Beijing News as saying. “Police have ruled out the possibility of suicide,” the newspaper said, adding that exhaustion was the most likely cause of death. It did not say what game he was playing. (Full story) Three days of pouring money into one of this life’s great distractions and this man finally hits the jackpot! Oh, that’s not what the story said? …You mean this is yet another s... More About: Life , Death , Illustration , Real
A denominational primer on ?stepping out in faith?
2007-09-13 05:19:00 [Copyright notice this is my stuff and carries with it jws blogprint] What do you find when searching the ‘interwebs’ for the phrase ’stepping out in faith’? Well, you get a lot of interesting things. I thought I better research this phrase since it seems to be in popular usage among some of our own brethren. One theme that I found interesting is the denominational idea of stepping out in faith to take on a ginormous building project or some other project without the necessary funds in place. Others ’step out in faith’ to further their evangelistic efforts in some strange ways. Some ’step out in faith’ in making investments with faith that God will bless them with astounding increase… I think this is all just grand and biblically sound , don’t you? An example, from St. Matthew Lutheran’s Church: Stepping Out in Faith - Building Program All too quickly the summer passes and one morning you can feel Fall in the ai... More About: Rime , Prim , Mina
I hate you, ~love, Satan
2007-08-20 23:15:00 [Copyright notice this is my stuff and carries with it jws blogprint] This is the message from the New Life Center in Cedar Grove, WV, a small community just outside of Charleston, the capitol of our humble little state. Evidently, some folks are offended by the display, here’s the scoop from the Charleston Gazette: Satan hates a Kanawha County church, and the church has a billboard that says so. Now personally, I’m not offended by the message. I would be honored for the Devil to count me and my congregation as an enemy, after all… the Devil is bad. A radical message to put out? Maybe, but Jesus was pretty radical with the messages He put out too. So am I supporting this church? Well, as a Christian who tries to live by the precepts of the New Testament, one of which says “Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities (Romans 13:1),” I feel obligated not to support this group’s advertisement. You see as one who is asked by God to... More About: Love , Hate , Hate You
Is it part of God?s great plan?
2007-05-31 21:13:00 [Copyright notice this is my stuff and carries with it jws blogprint] Well, no one is arguing with me, which either means I’m on the right track or no one is reading… At any rate, I’m going to argue with myself a bit… and compare God with the roadrunner (meep! meep!) In the first article in this little series (this being the third), I began the subject of ‘why do bad things happen to good people’ by speaking of the recent death of Jim Shaw. I then went on to say that something like this is most certainly not a part of God’s plan. I meant that, and I believe that, but I would like to now append a caveat. I was looking at some of my brethrens’ blogs on a popular social blogging site and ran across the site of a family member of brother shaw’s. In a post speaking of the tragedy, she had posted the lyrics of a song which says “… and it surely is a part of God’s great plan.” Well, that seems to go right a... More About: Great , Part , Plan
Allow me to promote promiscuous teleology
2007-05-29 21:45:00 [Copyright notice this is my stuff and carries with it jws blogprint] No, it is not part of the free love movement gone sci-fi, it is the newest scientific method for explaining away us Christian types that don’t buy into the evolutionary worldview. In a recent article titled, “Why do some people resist science?”, psychologists Paul Bloom and Deena Weisberg grope for some psychological problem to explain…. me. A grown-up-who-ought-to-know-better still believing that things have purpose… kinda pitiful, ain’t I? Here is an excerpt from their article that will explain the title of my post: …One significant bias is that children naturally see the world in terms of design and purpose. For instance, four year-olds insist that everything has a purpose, including lions (”to go in the zoo”) and clouds (”for raining”), a propensity that Deborah Kelemen has dubbed “promiscuous teleology.” Additionally, when aske... More About: Evolution , Promote , Promo , Ology , Romo
The Leviathan and the Lighthouse.
2007-05-29 05:56:00 [Copyright notice this is my stuff and carries with it jws blogprint] So after all the blame of his three friends, assuring Job that no one is punished unless they had it coming to them, and Job is unable to figure out why such horrible things are happening to him, he challenges God to speak already and show him what terrible thing he did to bring this punishment down upon him. So God speaks. But His answer is not the account of sin that Job asked for… it is quite different. First of all, God says, “Gird thyself up like a man.” (Job 38:3). This pretty well shatters the effiminate image of a God who is all soft words and loving gestures. God is love, no doubt, but God loves masculinity as well and at this point in time, Job needed to muster up every bit of manhood he could scrape together because he was about to get a ‘talking to’ of Jehovic proportion. But enough of that aside (for now). Next His answer takes a turn. [vastly condensed paraphrase of... More About: Leviathan , Lighthouse , Ouse
a mad world, a loving God, and a leviathan
2007-05-23 22:46:00 [Copyright notice this is my stuff and carries with it jws blogprint] I’m sure the madness and wickedness of this world has peaked in the minds of many of my brethren this week as they heard of the deplorable murder of a dear brother in Christ. Jim Shaw was 73 and while I never personally met him, I have heard his name come up on several occasions and know he was/is well loved by his brethren and was a diligent worker for the Kingdom. I also know assuredly that such a violent death was not owed him. What sense does it make that the person who robbed him had to kill him? Surely if they could overpower him to take his life, they could have easily overpowered him and restrained him instead, leaving him hurt and frightened, surely, but leaving him alive… and yet the attacker made the choice to take another man’s life, altering the lives of many, shattering our feeling of safety, perhaps shaking our faith a little too? Or a lot, even… If you are trying to puz... More About: World , Leviathan , Loving , Ving , Mad World
Polka Dots of Gratitude
2007-05-21 06:53:00 [Copyright notice this is my stuff and carries with it jws blogprint] A man had a son, whom, as father’s have a tendency to do… he loved dearly. One day while fishing at the lake, as they often did on a sunny afternoon, the man had to go back to their car to fetch their lunch. In the few short moments that he was away, his son fell into the lake and being small and a poor swimmer, he began to sink. A good samaritan saw him fall in and ran to his rescue just in time. As you might imagine, the boys father was full of gratitude for this stranger who rescued his son. Being a poor man, he wanted to do something to express his thankfulness and affection towards this heroic fellow, but with limited means, could not think of how to do so. He asked the hero how to repay him and was told, “Just let me come fishing with you sometimes, I don’t have many friends and I would enjoy having someone to talk with while I’m at the lake.” “Hog warsh,R... More About: Gratitude , Dots , Polka Dot
Oh where, Oh where has my little blog gone?
2007-05-04 04:06:00 [Copyright notice this is my stuff and carries with it jws blogprint] Thirteen Reasons/Excuses why I haven’t posted in weeks 1. I’ve been somewhat busy installing 540 square feet of hardwood flooring. 2. I’ve been somewhat busy training for, testing for, and now recieving my next rank at Tae Kwon Do. 3. I’ve been in a slump and can’t think of anything of my usual high quality caliber to write about :-) Unlike some blogs out there, I don’t just throw out any ol’ thing for my readers to muddle through. 4. It’s warm outside and I’ve got kids… ’nuff said. 5. I wanted to give the liberals a little bit of a break… 6. I’ve actually been busy at work and unable to waste productivity time on my blog. 7. Mowing. Mowing. Mowing. 8. I’ve been too busy reading Dave Ramsey books. How am I? Better than I deserve… 9. I’ve been busy researching my 82 year old piano and trying to learn how to do a lit... More About: Blog , Gone , Here , Little , Where
Thirteen odd pictures featuring ?loveable? Easter mascots
2007-04-06 06:38:00 [Copyright notice this is my stuff and carries with it jws blogprint] So, with all the hype surrounding easter and the prolific appearances of all the fuzzy little pagan-inspired mascots of fertility and fancified eggs, I figured I’d show you the dark side of some of these cute little critters, Thursday Thirteen style. What an eye-opener. I knew there was a reason we don’t have East er baskets in our house, and this just confirms my fears. Enjoy my oddball sense of humor and don’t buy into the ‘holiday’, Jesus wants our service everyday and has set aside a special remembrance, every first day of the week, in the communion that He Himself instituted. Let’s give Him the service and remembrance He has asked for and leave the hype behind. Here’s the rather disturbing photo evidence of furry-creature mishaps at the highest levels –> 1. Happy Easter, now go out and sell your young at the nearest market. 2. We just hatched, now wher... More About: Pictures , Love , Picture
Behind the great firewall of China?
2007-03-30 05:26:00 [Copyright notice this is my stuff and carries with it jws blogprint] … you will not find my blog. How bout yours? That’s right, nothing from Garrett’s Creeks’ domains can break through to the masses of China . Not the blog, not the home page, not thegospelfortoday.org. I assumed that any site with Christian content was probably blocked, but it turned out that asiteforthelord.com (brother Tony Denton’s site) ,livingletters.org (Spring Valley’s site), biblepattern.com (Fossil Creek’s site) and oldpathsadvocate.org were all able to break through! (I tried testing Bro. Risener’s site, but it seems to be down right now!) So this begs the question… Why do the Chinese hate me? Is it because I’m tall? …Oh well, I’ll continue beating down barriers here on the homefront! Share This More About: Firewall , Great , Wall , Fire
Video Blog: Walking by Faith with Wyn Baker
2007-03-26 06:30:00 [Copyright notice this is my stuff and carries with it jws blogprint] “Walking by Faith ” Hebrews 11:1 - 2 Brother Wyn preached a very good lesson this morning, simply outlining what it means to walk by faith. Walking by faith is not an easy way to walk, but it is the way the faithful of old ... More About: Video , Video Blog , Blog , With
Video Blog: Gospel Meeting - part 8 with? Wyn Baker?
2007-03-25 14:29:00 [Copyright notice this is my stuff and carries with it jws blogprint] Yes folks, you read right. Brother Ron was called back home due to an emergency at his home congregation. We certainly hated to see him go when we were getting such excellent sermons, but we understand, appreciate, and support his obligation to take ... More About: Video , Video Blog , Blog , With , Gospel
Video Blog: Ron Alexander?s sermons - part 7
2007-03-24 12:59:00 [Copyright notice this is my stuff and carries with it jws blogprint] “Where is our Affection?” Colossians 3:1-4 This is the title and text from Ron’s lesson tonight. Ron takes a very basic Bible thought and challenges us to ask ourselves some tough questions and to think very seriously about those places known as Heaven and ... More About: Video , Video Blog , Blog , Sermons , Sermon
Video Blog: Ron Alexander’s sermons - part 6
2007-03-23 12:32:00 [Copyright notice this is my stuff and carries with it jws blogprint] “Knowing Jesus” Galatians 4:8,9; 1 John 2:3-5 This is the title and the opening text of Ron’s lesson from Thursday evening. Do you know Jesus? Do you know that you know Jesus? Again, this seems like such a simple topic for each and every soul who has an interest in religion at all, and yet many of us are woefully ignorant about what it means, and how to begin to know Jesus. So take a little time to play the following video and “Get in the know” (thanks Sean and Wyn :-)  Enjoy! Loading... Again, here is the audio only player if you prefer and you may also download the .mp3 file by right clicking on the ‘download audio’ link below and choosing ’save target as’ from the menu: DOWNLOAD AUDIO I would ask you once again to take a moment to pray for brother Junior Whitt as he will be undergoing surgery for colon cancer on Friday (3.23.07). Still a few mo... More About: Video , Video Blog , Blog , Sermons , Sermon
Video Blog: Ron Alexander’s sermons - part 5
2007-03-22 14:06:00 [Copyright notice this is my stuff and carries with it jws blogprint] “The Strait Gate” Matthew 7:13-14 Ron preached a first principle type lesson tonight, after all, what comes before learning how to enter the strait gate? First principle it may be, but Ron makes it interesting and looks at it any a way that many of us may not have. Ron’s background also made this subject one that is near and dear to him which is very clear as he preaches this lesson. Click play and stay tuned for a very sincere and thorough look into the closing remarks of the sermon on the mount. Enjoy! Loading... Or here is the audio version if you prefer. You can also save the .mp3 file to your computer by right clicking on the ‘download audio’ link below and choosing ’save target as’ from the menu. DOWNLOAD AUDIO We’re already halfway through the meeting, so hurry out to Garrett’s Creek to hear some fantastic preaching ASAP! 7:30 through Satu... More About: Video , Video Blog , Blog , Sermons , Sermon
Video Blog: Ron Alexander’s sermons - part 4
2007-03-21 13:50:00 [Copyright notice this is my stuff and carries with it jws blogprint] “A Reed Like Unto a Rod” Revelation 11:1 This was the title of Ron’s lesson tonight. It was a doozy! My lovely wife quite quotably said that it was ‘edifalicious’. Ron very adeptly explains the prophecy of Revelation chapters 10 and 11 as applying to the gospel, the old and new testaments, the ‘dark age’ of the church, and last but certainly not least, a day when the church, its worship, and the worshipers will be measured with ‘a reed like unto a rod’. This is exactly the type of preaching that brought me to an understanding of the truth seven years ago, when Ron’s preaching prompted me to obey God’s word and be baptized. Revelation is often hard to understand, so I urge you to watch this video where Ron makes it all very simple. Enjoy! Loading... If you prefer to listen, or are having trouble with the video stream, you can play the aud... More About: Video , Video Blog , Blog , Sermons , Sermon
Video Blog: Ron Alexander’s Sermons - part 3
2007-03-20 19:50:00 [Copyright notice this is my stuff and carries with it jws blogprint] “The Establishment of the Kingdom” Isaiah 2 This is a must view! Ron preaches about the establishment of the kingdom in this sermon and very simply boils down the prophecy of Isaiah chapter 2 to show that the things the prophet spoke of were fulfilled in Acts chapter 2 when the church was established. This is a very fundamental thing for us to understand and yet it is a subject that there seems to be very little consensus on in the religious world. After Ron was finished, brother Wyn made some closing announcements and stated that he still remembers Ron preaching about this very topic from when he was a young boy in Missouri and remembers it being very simple and powerful to him even then. It is no different today and I know you will benifit from checking it out. This is a long video, about 45 minutes, so set aside some TV time and get into some good preaching this evening! And as an adde... More About: Video , Video Blog , Blog , Sermons , Sermon
Video Blog: Ron Alexander’s sermons - part 2
2007-03-19 21:17:00 [Copyright notice this is my stuff and carries with it jws blogprint] This is from the Sunday evening service, 3/18/07. Ron began at Luke 12:49 and exegetically presented his thoughts through the rest of that chapter. There are some worthwile tidbits within these verses, so please listen and enjoy. Again, hit play and then be patient, this is a large file! Loading... Looking forward to another good sermon from Ron tonight! If you’re a yocal, come by and see him firsthand, 7:30 nightly through the week, otherwise, check back tomorrow for the most recent sermon. ~JW, for thegospelfortoday.com Share This More About: Video , Video Blog , Blog , Sermons , Sermon
Video Blog: Ron Alexander’s sermons - part 1
2007-03-19 19:19:00 [Copyright notice this is my stuff and carries with it jws blogprint] I plan to video and share each service of our meeting with brother Ron Alexander. I apologize for the audio on the first two videos. After that, the audio will *hopefully* be better as I will be recording directly through our wireless mic receiver. For the first two, however, you’ll have to turn the volume up and tune out the jabbering of my little girl :-) Here is the sermon Ron gave Lord’s Day morning (3/18/07) titled, ‘Spirit and Truth’ Loading... (Note: This is a BIG file, so hit play and please be patient, also you’ll have to use windows media player, sorry microsoft haters ;-) More sermons to come… Soon! ~JW, for thegospelfortoday.com Share This More About: Video , Video Blog , Blog , Sermons , Sermon
The anti-Nietzche presents: Satan is Dead!
2007-03-15 03:10:00 [Copyright notice this is my stuff and carries with it jws blogprint] That’s right. In breaking news, Satan has been slain. The culprit? One Jesus Christ. This is according to eyewitness reports, and as Christians I’m certain they wouldn’t bear false witness, nor capitalize on a crime by charging 10 bones a pop for Satan’s funeral… The question on my mind is, with a $50,000 check from God not being able to be cashed recently… who will spring for Jesus’ bail? And why does no one from this church seem concerned that they saw Jesus come back to Earth and yet He left without taking any of them with Him?  On the bright side, I guess we can stop being wary of all that ”walking about as a roaring lion” business… anyway, here’s the vid, enjoy: Loading... ~JW, for thegospelfortoday.com Share This More About: Presents , Dead , Present , Anti
Thirteen ways to tell if you may be attending a megachurch
2007-03-09 04:34:00 [Copyright notice this is my stuff and carries with it jws blogprint] Thursday Thirteen time again. With the ever growing trend toward megachurches out there, I thought perhaps I’d provide a little PSA to help you discern whether or not the church you attend may indeed be a megachurch. Read on to determine wether you have been taken in by the McChurch movement –> 1. You may be attending a megachurch if you have never actually met the dude that you see preaching on the big screen monitor every week. You tried to shake his hand once, but his security detail took you down at a 100 foot perimeter. 2. If the place where you worship is made of crystal, titanium, slightly used basketball arenas, or a borrowed beer hall, it may indeed be a megachurch. 3. Hymnal? What’s a hymnal? Rock of Ages? We have a rock band, does that count?   …Yup, you’re at a megachurch. 4. If the place where you go to worship is referred to as a ‘campus’, ... More About: Tend , Ending , Mega
Holy Bottled Water, Batman!
2007-03-07 05:26:00 [Copyright notice this is my stuff and carries with it jws blogprint] Ah the entrepreneurial spirit, captured so lovingly in fat-cat televangelists like Kenneth Copeland and trumped up reality TV shows. Following in the footsteps of ‘Kosher‘, that is, Rabbi blessed foodstuffs, a company has now decided that Christians need to get in on the act, with…Bottle d water. Bottled water carrying the above warning (or pretty near). Read on for a story that will have you saying, “(H2)O, brother.” By Michelle Machado Record Staff Writer March 05, 2007 6:00 AM http://www.recordnet.com/ LINDEN - A local entrepreneur hopes his company’s bottled water will refresh - perhaps even redeem - those who drink it. “Our mission statement is to do anything in technology or otherwise that benefits law enforcement,” said Brian Germann, president and chief executive officer of Wayne Enterprises Inc, a Linden-based high-tech company. “What could... More About: Batman , Water , Holy , Bottled Water
A blast from the past
2007-03-03 05:47:00 [Copyright notice this is my stuff and carries with it jws blogprint] At this years Alabama New Year’s Meeting, brother Ronny Wade provided a bit of humor when he related a story from way back in his preaching career. If memory serves me right, the story went something like this: “In 1951, I went to Kinston, AL to preach my first gospel meeting. In those days I thought everyone in the brotherhood must live at Kinston, AL because that is where the byline in all the OPA articles was from, so I was surprised when the bus dropped me off in downtown Kinston… I stayed with Brother and Sister Cohe (spelling?). At the time, my hair was a bit unruly and I used a hair grease that was a little better than 30 weight motor oil. When I’d preach, the grease would start to run down my face, but sister Cohe had a solution. She was a beautician and she decided to give me a perm… when my mother came down for the meeting, she hardly recognized me…&rdqu... More About: Last , Blast from the Past , Past , Blast
These two should get together? ?Next round?s on God, everybody!?
2007-03-01 18:41:01 [Copyright notice this is my stuff and carries with it jws blogprint] Two spiffy bits of news to share for today. One story I read awhile back, but hung onto it for awhile and the other just came out today. Here’s the scoop(s) 1. In God he trusts, but police don’t buy it 2. Beer-vangelism at young church has Missouri Baptists hopping mad I was interested to note that God uses Bank One and that His checks won’t clear the bank! Our church has its account at Bank One and I am glad to know that this is the divinely approved establishment. His account is running too low to clear $50,000? I wonder what He spent it all on… Ebay Auction Another Auction And Another Oh dear, it looks like God has maxed out on his PayPal purchases… that explains it. On the Evangelistic front, The Journey church in St. Louis figures, if young folks can’t find Jesus in the Bible, maybe they can find Him at the bottom of a beer stein. At least these folks would have a bet... More About: Body , Next , Together , Ever
Technology in the church - an interview
More articles from this author:2007-03-01 18:41:01 [Copyright notice this is my stuff and carries with it jws blogprint] A few weeks back, a lady named Ms. Bolyard contacted me to conduct an interview for an article she was writing for Marshall University’s student newspaper. As far as I know the article has not been published, but I thought I’d share the raw interview with my readers anyway, so here you go –> Ms. Bolyard’s questions are in bold and my answers are in regular typeface: I noticed on your website that the church uses blogs, and Podcasts. If you could, would you please explain a little about why these types of technology are used. We use all types of technology for the same reason. Evangelism. In Matthew 28:19 Jesus admonished his disciples, ? Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit…? We feel that it is important for us to ?Go? in as many different ways as we possibly can in order to reach as ... More About: Church , Technology , Techno , Inter , Tech 1, 2 |
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