Benny & the Feds

Looks like Benny & other well known preachers & preacherettes are under investigation. Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) is questioning how the churches are allocating their funds. He's concerned about tax issues & charitable organizations. I'm glad that it will bring attention and scrutiny, because some these "ministries" are the worst purveyors of the word-faith/prosperity deception. The others "minstries" being examined along with Benny Hinn's are those led by Eddie Long, Joyce Meyer, Creflo Dollar, Kenneth Copeland and Paula White.

Sermon Warning

This week I'm addressing the Charismatic movement (& surrounding issues) and specifically answering why we are not a part of it. Simply put, it's a counterfeit of the real thing. What is happening today is nothing like the authentic recorded events in the Bible. Just compare Jesus' healings with those of Benny Hinn! It seems, however, that charismatics have no problem preaching, teaching and advocating their beliefs. We, on the other hand, often refuse to speak clearly on these matters. It is a sensitive/controversial subject so I'm employing a sermon warning label this Sunday. What we need is not ambivalence; rather we need clarity and correct handling of the word of truth. I hope people will open their Bibles & their minds. It's a lot to cover, but I'm giving it a shot. I'll cover miracles, prophecy, tongues (everyone's favorite), healing, etc.

Go Navy!

Wow! I know Soren had to be stunned, but it was nice to see Navy win.

Election Day

I just voted and this year we have a very controversial and close race for state senate. I'm with Tricia Stall. She campaigned in my neighborhood and stood in my yard and talked at length with me and with my family. Moreover, I like where she stands on the issues and she strikes me as someone with conviction and abiding philosphy. She is on the "fringe" in the minds of many (i.e., the liberal paper) and that is okay by me because I'm one of those "extremists" too! This will be a close race in an otherwise "republican" district. Some of the repubs aren't "comfortable" with Stall and are supporting her opponent! I hope they realize that door swings both ways.

Anonymity

Recently here at WTBW? we've seen an increase in anonymous replies. I'm not sure what to make of it. It could be coming from my regular readers - this I seriously doubt. Maybe my blog is becoming popular - this I more seriously doubt! Maybe it's just an anomaly.

It does raise the issue of people writing in anonymity. I leave this blog wide open and don't even screen replies. I've never removed a reply either, even the asinine ones. I will, of course, remove anything that is blatantly offensive or immoral. I've just never been a fan of writing in anonymity because it seems so cowardly. I know the anonymous reader/replier will be offended but so be it.

On the positive side, however, it does give you information you would otherwise be denied. And maybe that's a good thing.

I'm convinced

I'm convinced my friend is right. He says, "People don't want counsel; they want confirmation." The longer I'm around and the more I counsel people, the more I believe the above statement is accurate. People generally want someone to agree with what they already think. They want someone to confirm their decision(s). They want people to tell them what they want to hear. And they virtually never listen to the bible when it disagrees with their plan or view. I am amazed by the number of folks who fake interest in biblical counsel when they are going to do what they want anyway! Sadly, this is common among those who are alledgedly mature in the faith.

Proverbs 1:7: The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.

Preaching Plan in 2007

My buddy Soren has been doing some sermon planning for next year so I thought I'd share my loosely organized plan. There are 260 chapters in New Testament. There are 52 weeks in a year. That means we can read the entire NT in a year by reading one chapter daily every Monday thru Friday. My plan is to get the church to do this together in 2008. Each Sunday I will bring a message from somewhere within the 5 chapters read the previous week. For example: Matthew 1-5 & I preach from 4:1-11 on the temptation of Jesus. It's simple, straightforward and it encourages Bible reading. My challenge is rearranging the reading plan so we don't do the 4 gospels consecutively, but that is doable. Also, keeping it "fresh" will be imperative so I''ll try to build mini-series within the year long plan.

Conservative?

Conservatism is a Tower of Babel is the title of Pat Buchanan's latest column and it is a good one (as usual). I am a political conservative (some might say "extremist") but less and less these days do I define myself as a Republican. The G.O.P. is old but not not so grand in my estimation. Soon social/religious conservatives (whatever they call us thsese days) may have a most difficult choice to make: compromise and support the new direction of the Republican party OR say goodbye and let the country club attending, big spending, pro-abortion, government expanding, foreign nation building, illegal immigration tolerating, neo-con types go it without us. I'm leaning toward the latter. I've frequently seen the "mainstream" & "moderate" elements of the party both locally and statewide all to willing to switch their allegiance when a real conservative gets nominated. So I say, "What's good for the goose..."

John Piper: The State of the Pulpit in America Today

I had know idea!!!

I'm being lazy one day and I'm mindlessly watching the idiot box. An infomercial comes on - you know the kind - trying to look like an informative talk show. This one even had a gal with British accent (they sound smarter I guess). This particular show was on the apparent need we all have for a thorough "colon cleanse." It was scarey actually. Apparently many of us have several pounds of "impacted fecal matter" we are carrying around. We also have something like tire rubber coating our bowels as a result! There's maybe as much as six feet of this stuff! Also, parasite & worms are probably living in there too! Not to mention toxicity! WOE! So what are the symptoms of this toxic build up? This is the best part. Here they are...

• Constipation
• Headaches
• Skin problems
• Trouble sleeping
• Bad breath or body odors
• Depression
• Mental dullness or poor memory
• Fatigue or low energy
• Joint aches (especially knees)
• Low back pain
• Poor circulation
• Stomach bloat or gas
• Nausea
• Acid reflux
• Heartburn
• Acne
• Poor digestion
• Weight gain
• Premature aging

...Just to name a few! Wow! It looks like everybody needs a good colon cleansing!

Good news & bad news..

After a recent tennis match I called my wife and opened the conversation with those famous words: I have good news and bad news, which do you want first? She asked for the bad news. "I broke my tennis racquet tonite! BUT the good the good news is I have to get a new racquet! "

For quite awhile now I've held to the idea that a new racquet would elevate my tennis game. Well, I'm about to find out. After much deliberation, consideration and negotiation I now own a Wilson n1 ncode tennis racquet. I got it for a third of the retail price and it was the one I'd been eyeing for months too. I hit with it and it has some pop to it. In the end all I really want to do is hit a big (really big) serve, so hopefully this will be a weapon in that regard.

Tennis anyone?

And the prize goes to....Al Gore?

I heard a caller on the Neal Boortz radio show today nail it. He said, "The Nobel Peace Prize is the liberal Man of the Year Award." EXACTLY!

This is "Church?"

Recently I was considering the modern church and I've concluded that this simply cannot be what Jesus had in mind when he said he would build his church. I suspect it must be disappointing for the Lord to see what the "church" has become. Club members. Consumers. Christianity lite. Un-converts. Judgement Day will no doubt be quite a surprise for many! The more ecumenical among us like to say that we'll be surprised by who is in Heaven, but I think we will be more surprised by who is not! May God have mercy on us!

Women in the Church

Gender roles and the Bible have become quite the controversial issue in the modern church. I fear that the biblical text has been so thoroughly assaulted by "professionals" that the egalitarian perversion of Scripture is beginning to take hold and become entrenched. I fear that the church may never evict this compromised position, at least not in this current generation. The timing of this erroneous doctrine is particulary damaging because the modern "pew sitter" walks in biblical ignorance. Add to that an increasingly feminized culture and you have what we have today = a gender ignorant & gender neutral movement. Morever, today's church is dominated numerically with women...they do the work, they "man" the programs, etc. So, the modern preacher-pastor-minister guy can & will be tempted to go soft on gender roles because he might lose his flock or a portion of it. I strongly recommend a book to aid you in this morass of gender issues. "Women in the Church" by Andreas Kostenberger & Thomas Schreiner is the best single volume resource available. It is scholarly yet readable. It is thorough - they even refute bogus arguments you probably haven't even encountered...yet. Please get it and read it.

And now why tarriest thou?

The Associated Press quoted Senator John McCain recently. He said:

"I was raised Episcopalian, I have attended the North Phoenix Baptist Church for many years and I am a Christian," McCain said. He added that he has considered being baptized in the Baptist church, but he does not want to do it during the presidential race because "it might appear as if I was doing something that I otherwise wouldn't do."

The Senator might want to check out the following Bible verse - Acts 22:16 (KJV): And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord.