DISQUS

...and our US citizenship is really just a characteristic of our circumstances as an alien in this life, as we are really citizens of heaven first and foremost.

Good post; thanks for the reminder of a very needful perspective that puts our place in Jesus above everything else!

Your response thrills me. I couldn't agree more wholeheartedly.

Ok. If we regard the video as a true reflection on our state, what is there to do otherwise? How does the husband in particular change? We say we believe the husband is the leader. How does he lead other than in the stressed/blessed dichotomy which speaks volumes of how not to be and is, at least in part, an explanation for why second generation Christians follow the OT example of rejecting the faith of the fathers?

Ben, this is my heartbeat. How does the common guy, who pretty much understands what he is told over the pulpit, learn the deeper truth of the way of love?

What exactly is the role of the pastor in feeding this guy so that he is effective in leading his family?

What does it mean to see a convicting video? Does conviction equip someone to walk in the spirit?

These are my thoughts after watching your post.

A crass ass story if I ever heard one.

Now that the two images of the men in prison are mixed in my mind, I can't remember either. I think the ball scene is McQueen in Escape.

uhhhhh....The Great Escape starred Steve McQueen. Paul Newman wasn't in the cast.

My, my! Young people these days.

Our computer is in the same basement area as the TV. The family was watching the Palin interview with Charlie. When I saw you had a video I made sure the sound was off and viewed the clip.

Without the vocals or music, I had the distinct impression I was watching a Lawrence Welk routine fast forwarded into the present.

Since I am old enough to remember watching the show as a child on my grandparents floor --at seven-eight years old, I liked the stuff-- truly, this was a surreal experience! It got me thinking a lot about culture.

That was sad on both sides!! Sad the mom is remembered so, and sad for how she must have lived.

You got some 'tude going on for some of God's little creatures.

You also write with wit. It's fun to read.

There is a permanent marker removal product, though I can't remember it's name right now. We keep it at school for removing permanent marker from white boards used by inattentive teachers.

Glad to know your boy and your monitor were saved.

Thanks for sharing these clips. I enjoyed watching them.
W A as "common man" seem to state lust as a major motivator of life choices, which resonates as a truth about males.
B G as "redeemed man" was gracious, warm and straight up, very refreshing.

Cool.

She is not being simplistic. However, merely suppressing the desire for sin by scripture memorization, increased church duties to distract ourselves, or whatever coping mechanism will not work to stop sin. We may redirect our behavior a while, that's all.

We will never fix or even improve our old natures. As long as self is our identity, we will eat the fruit of self ...
no matter what we mouth about our devotion or needs.

We must recognize we choose sin because we love ourselves as an idol.

Yes, stop sin, by fully identifying with the Spirit of Jesus within. Worship Him as God. (Enjoyed your recent post on this, Ben.) Live riding the Living Water of His righteousness flowing from His heart through our heart. This is not a cool Christian thing to say. It is the reality of appropriating the power of the Cross over sin that enslaves the old man and the glory of the Resurrection in support of the new nature.

We tend to make ourselves an idol. That which stirs our feelings gets our attention until we decide there is something bigger and better to worship. Good post, Ben.

I guess I didn't really attempt to answer the more direct question of the post about Todd Bentley.

First, signs and wonders are either from God or the enemy. Though I am not at all convinced that Todd Bentley is moving in the Spirit of Jesus, I tend to think that TB is able to create a climate that releases the faith of some believers. God our Father is fully willing to meet that release of faith without regard for the messenger.

If that is not the case, I begin to ponder are the signs and wonders actually from the enemy designed to pull the elect away from faith in God? This is problematic, since the Bible tells us that speaking Jesus is Lord can only be done by the Holy Spirit.
(I Cor. 12:3)

Perhaps the question is, "Can the saints walk in faith, even if the teacher/preacher has selfish motives?" If yes, then could we not say believers are often godly despite the speaker being wrong?

Being right and being righteous are two different states.

Godliness is a function of the conscience knowing it is cleansed, the heart then dwells peacefully in the Presence of Jesus' Holy Spirit. We know then a state of righteousness from Him which guides our hearts.

Being right is about intellectually justifying a mental construct.

Sometimes these two states are in agreement; sometimes they are not.

I thought a bit more about this burger, Ben. We do no know if those are Christians or not chomping away. If they are not, then there is no moral reason for that $200 burger to go away. On a per ounce price comparison, there is more expensive food being sold to diners. In regards to keeping food from the hungry because that amount of money went for personal consumption, we don't know how much money the diner has given away to help the poor. When someone is worth millions, $200 for a burger isn't all that extravagant. Sarah is right, the economics of it are a very relative thing.

However, humans in their blindness to make a buck engage in some very empty, even evil, moves. As a Christian, I know two realities. I know I am a sinner in my natural heart capable of all the evil around me. In this vein, I don't condemn the lost for their lost behavior. They are condemned already and thus have my compassion. I am also regenerated by the Spirit of God. This alters my perspective on everything. What many may see as frivolous fun are from this vantage point actions of disrespect toward God and His creation.

So do I relate to the lost in order to evangelize and keep quiet about some of their behavior? One can't build an honest, trusting relationship with a lost person, if everything noticed and spoken about is the perceived wrong the person commits. Sarah is right to point to the ice cream in our freezers. Can we call the lost's indulgence in food as any different than our own? Is there not a way to hold up God's honor and speak of reverencing Him? If so, what is it?

Two possible helps to put this conundrum in order:
1. All things are lawful for the Christian, but not all things are profitable. (Of course, keep all scripture within the parameters of the whole of scripture--many actions are rooted in selfishness and are avoided by choice). There is little or nothing to be gained in the growth of godliness within one's heart by seeking out such extreme human experiences. 2. Trust the Spirit in the moment to help you relate and speak the truth in love to your lost friend, when he wants to buy you a $200 burger. You may or may not feel led to eat as the means for reaching for that person. God has the wisdom to guide such decisions.

Sarah, before you tut-tut the comments away with your completely true assessment of the flip side of the coin:

I don't condemn anybody eating at Burger King when a cheaper more nutritious meal can be found at home, nor when someone decides to spend $11,000.00 on a gourmet meal while suspended with 20 other diners, 300 hundred feet above the local city by a construction crane. I agree, expense is a matter of income and relative to a number of factors. Spending money on indulgences is not what I saw.

Altruism tied to consumers' desires for indulgence is the evidence to me that God correctly labels our righteousness filthy rags. Consider the guy who can afford that truffled, Wagu beef extravaganza, but won't spend the money because he sees it as ridiculous. Yet, secretly his mouth waters for it. The description of the ingredients has him intrigued and salivating. Then he hears, "the proceeds go to charity" and he gives in. Did giving money to charity pull on his heart or give him the justification he needed to be doing something other than pampering himself? And I fully make these comments recognizing that I used a "we." I am as filthy as the next one.

So what's wrong with me saying we are dirty little creatures who are whacked out over indulging ourselves?

I have read of burgers in that price range before, never in a fast food chain. The bitter irony of that adds to the surreal nature of our contemporary culture. The decadence supports charity? Humans will often tie the most selfish behaviors to something "good". Our righteous rags are filthier every day.

There is a war on "dad" in the culture, no doubt. It reflects the rebellion against our heavenly Dad, I think. If earthly dads have sense and wisdom and love and guidance that means one would have to listen to them. Kind of makes one feel like an alien in these part, you know!

You will both be glad to know my teaching methods have become...uhhh...more mature.

You are both funny and literate, an unusual combination for a guy.

That is just part of what I like about you.

My fourth grade teacher, Mrs. Sanford by name, often wore a navy blue dress with golf-ball size, white polka dots. She terrified me with her icy glare under that head of all white, yes it's true, bunned hair. However, she managed to convince me I would never be able to do fractions, which resutled in me finally mastering reading an analog clock. I studied it intensely while Mrs. Sanford taught fractions.

Self-forgetfulness is part of abiding in Christ. In order to be conscious of being in communion with Him, one's eyes of the heart have to be off of self.

Thanks for sharing the video.

Geisha? Definitely too long. Visually beautiful though and I got it.

People often feel trapped by cultural tradition.

Moral of the story? Thumb your nose at tradition, get an education, and don't be a high paid prostitute. Somebody might burn your house down.

Nice. Artsy. Never heard of Coldplay before, but just label me ignorant...not a "hatuh".

clarification:

I do not mean to imply that teenage sneeking is inevitable. Just that it is more likely when as Christian parents, we have made the issue rules instead of heart before God.