A Thing called The Great Silence (and who's talking about it)

What is this thing called “the great silence”? Some call it the still point in the center of the soul, the void, the cloud of unknowing, the silence beyond sound, the transcendent absolute, or the center of the cyclone.

One meditation website says this:

Forms of Mauna

In yogic parlance, spiritually motivated silence is called “mauna”….
The common goal of all forms of mauna is to experience silence of the mind, the calming of the thought waves, culminating in “maha-mauna”, the great silence. Mauna is therefore not different from the classic definition of Yoga as given in Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras: “Yogas citta vritti nirodha” - “Yoga is the cessation of mental fluctuations” (translation by Gavin Flood).
In this state, the mind has become completely stilled and Brahman, the Absolute Self, can be clearly perceived just like the sky gets reflected on the surface of a still lake.
Source: Mauna - The Path of Silence
[meditation-techniques.suite101.com]

No wonder contemplatives like that "be still and know" verse so much (and use it completely out of context).

One well known person who uses the term "the great silence" is Ruth Haley Barton, a spiritual director who leads retreats and teaches contemplative spirituality. If you watch the following clip where she describes what one of her retreats is like, you will hear her say (at 1:25) “we will go into the great silence” - (video here: National Pastors Retreats | Ruth Haley Barton -youtube).

According to her website, the teaching themes at her retreats revolve around things like spiritual formation and the disciplines, sacred rhythms, and finding God in solitude and silence. This includes going into "the great silence."

And so it was with great surprise that I recently discovered that Ruth Haley Barton is coming to our area next spring to teach spiritual formation at a retreat for the Christian Principals Association of our province!!! (Actually, she is not crossing the border into Canada, the B.C. principals are crossing the border to hear her speak at a Christian retreat center in Sumas, WA). This information can be viewed on her website, here:

April 21-23, 2010 (Sumas, WA)
CHRISTIAN PRINCIPALS ASSOCIATION OF BRITISH COLUMBIA (CPABC) (Ruth Haley Barton)
Leadership Retreat
http://www.thetransformingcenter.org/calendar.php

However, this is not really a surprising thing, especially since just recently (in April), the Christian Principals Association of British Columbia (www.cpabc.ca), had a spring conference at the same retreat center, and look who was there...

Christian Principals Spring Conference 2009
Guest Speakers: Dr. Tony Campolo & David Collins
Cedar Springs Christian Retreat Center, Sumas WA
http://www.cpabc.ca/conferences.html

What will happen to our Christian principals now that they have listened to Tony Campolo? He may be an intelligent, engaging speaker, but he's a radical one. Listen to him speak at the above link (about social justice and changing society), where he tells the leaders of our Christian schools (just after the 24 minute mark) how he has tapped into Roman Catholic spirituality, St. Ignatius and Thomas Keating, and centering prayer, and how he experiences God by going into a deep silence every morning. Interesting thing how Campolo, like Ruth Haley Barton, practices contemplative meditation, and centers himself down to get into the silence, or the thin place (he talks about this again just after the 38 minute mark). It's basically the same thing he has said before...

"The constant repetition of his name clears my head of everything but the awareness of his presence. By driving back all other concerns I am able to create what the ancient Celtic Christians called “the thin place.” " - Tony Campolo (Source)

So now that the Christian Principals Association of B.C. has been introduced to contemplative spirituality by Mr. Campolo (and Mr. Collins of paradigmministries.ca), next spring Ruth Haley Barton will continue that theme by teaching them how to go into "the great silence". Isn't that just great. Kind of makes one wonder if we will soon see this kind of thing finding its way into our Christian schools. Things like yoga, visualization/relaxation techniques, and Rob Bell DVD’s have already been popping up in many Christian schools around here lately (Rob Bell also promotes meditation/breathing techniques - listen to MP3 here).

I’m blogging this in hopes that someone who has some connections with the Christian Principals Association of B.C. will perhaps read this, break the great silence and speak to them about these things - before Ruth Haley Barton does.

Related:

More on Ruth Haley Barton here:

WHO IS RUTH HALEY BARTON?
apprising.org

*More info on Tony Campolo's Red Letter gospel thing, and his views on homosexuality here under The Others.

The author of these books is obviously okay with these things...

A large local community church, which shall remain un-named, has recently recommended two books to their members... The Reason For God and The Prodigal God (by Timothy Keller of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York City). Everyone says these are such good books. I know nothing about them, and perhaps they are.

But what a peculiar thing I saw today. Tim Keller is the Senior Pastor at a church where they are doing this sort of thing...

“The Way of the Monk” at Tim Keller’s Redeemer Presbyterian Church
christianresearchnetwork.com

Centering, the prayer rope, and the divine office hours? Oh brother!

Also see:
Another Popular Christian Leader , Tim Keller, Takes Church into Contemplative
www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com

Note: Tim Keller is also scheduled to be one of the speakers at the 2009 Willow Creek Leadership Summit.
(www.willowcreek.com/events/leadership/2009/index.asp)

Interesting thing of the day - Babylon is being Rebuilt

Here's an interesting thing over at Joel Rosenberg's blog today...

Regular readers of this weblog and my books know that Bible prophecy says the ancient city of Babylon, Iraq will be rebuilt and become the greatest center of wealth, commerce and power in the “last days” of history. The books of Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel and Revelation are explicit on this subject. Skeptics and cynics abound, to be sure, but the fact is Babylon is being rebuilt right now, in part with U.S. taxpayer funds....

Read more here:

BIBLE SKEPTICS TAKE NOTE: BABYLON IS BEING REBUILT, JUST AS PROPHESIED
flashtrafficblog.wordpress.com

Is This Thing in Your Church Bulletin?

Would you be concerned if your church was promoting interfaith spirituality? Oh, they would never do that. Would they? Well, think again. For example, check your church bulletin to see if a seemingly benign little thing has slipped in unnoticed. Like, the announcement of a summer leadership summit with a link under the promotion that looks like this...

www.growingleadership.com

If so, your church could be a member of the Willow Creek Association, and your leaders are being encouraged to attend a teaching seminar (via satellite) to hear about the interfaith plans of Mr. Blair and Mr. Bono (see here).

If you live in Canada, check this map and see where this thing is going to be beamed via satellite to your church leaders:

www.growingleadership.com/2009/sitesmap.asp

If your church is promoting this, you might want to ask your leadership why they are supporters of Willow Creek’s acceptance and promotion of Tony Blair’s Faith Foundation, with is all about peace and co-existence with other religions:

The Tony Blair Faith Foundation is dedicated to achieving understanding, action and reconciliation between the different faiths for the common good. It is not about the faith that looks inward; but the faith that resolutely turns us towards each other.
-Tony Blair, The Globalization of Tolerance
newsweek.washingtonpost.com

That is the obvious red flag about this whole thing, but you might ALSO want to ask your church leadership if they are aware of the summer recommended reading list on that Growing Leadership (Willow Creek) website they are directing their members to. For example, if you click on their summer reading link, here are just a few of the books that the Willow Creek Canada Leadership Centre website recommends for summer reading:

First of all, they recommend, not one, but two books by Ruth Haley Barton called Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership (foreword is written by the contemplative Leighton Ford) and Sacred Rhythms, a book about the spiritual disciplines. Ruth Haley Barton is a spiritual director who studied contemplative spirituality at the ecumenical Shalem Institute and is the founder of The Transforming Center. (thetransformingcenter.org)

Also recommended is a book called Forgotten Ways: Reactivate Missional Church (foreword written by Leonard Sweet) by Alan Hirsch, who wrote this book because he is "convinced that the inherited formulas for growing the Body of Christ do not work anymore."

Also on the summer reading list is a book called UnChristian by David Kinnaman. (The Willow Creek website does not mention that it is co-authored by Gabe Lyons, founder of the Fermi Project (fermiproject.com), which is "a broad collective of innovators, social entrepreneurs, and church and society leaders working together to make positive contributions to culture.") The Youtube promotional clip for UnChristian says this book has contributions by Chuck Colson, Andy Stanley, religious left leader Jim Wallis, Rick Warren, Brian McLaren, and Chris Seay (founder of The Voice), to name a few. The promo also says that this book is filled with research that will help Christians know what non-Christians are thinking when they see us at work and when they come to our churches. With this book, so they say, 20-30 years from now the world will see Christians in a whole new light. But...is that true? Do we even need such a book, when Jesus has already told us what the world will think of us if we are truly His disciples? (“If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. John 15:18..."I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. John 17:14)

Another recommended book for summer reading is Wild Goose Chase by Mark Batterson.
The Willow Creek description says:

Celtic Christians had a name for the Holy Spirit An Geadh-Glas, or the Wild Goose. The name hints at mystery. Like a wild goose, the Spirit of God cannot be tracked or tamed. Elements of danger and an air of unpredictability surround Him. Powerful and Practical!

Here’s another explanation of why the Celtics used a wild goose to symbolize the Holy Spirit…

In the Celtic tradition the Holy Spirit is represented as a bird, but not the peaceful and serene dove landing on Jesus at his baptism. For their symbol of the Holy Spirit, the Celtic church people chose the Wild Gose, ( An Geadh-Glas) This has become, the logo and name for the worship branch of the Iona Community.

Why did the Wild Goose speak to those ancient Celtic Christians? To begin with, wild geese aren’t controllable. You can’t restrain a wild goose and bend it to your will. They’re raucous and loud. Unlike the sweet and calming cooing of a dove, a goose’s honk is strong, challenging, strident and unnerving – and just a bit scary.

In much the same way the Spirit of God can be, demanding and unsettling.

Source (www.thisischurch.com)

Note: Some say this is just a legend and that there is no documented proof that the Celtics did use this as a symbol. Never the less, acknowledging and teaching this comparison appears to be a contradiction to the portrayal of the Holy Spirit in the Bible as a gentle dove, and as our Comforter and Helper, Who always points to Jesus.

For those who want to research this book more, there is a book review of Wild Goose Chase here (favorable) and some very interesting insights here for those who are interested in reading through them here. And here is a video of Mark Batterson promoting his book, where he equates the cages in a zoo to what the church does to Christians, and hopes his book 'uncages' bored confused Christians and releases them to be dangerous Christians. He also hopes his book will have a relaxing effect spiritually knowing that God is sovereign and in control. (A good goal, perhaps, but I am always amazed at the fact that Christians think they need to buy a new book to learn that, when the fact is that the only book that will truly "release" us and have a lasting effect on us, through the power of the Holy Spirit, is the Bible... “For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” Hebrews 4:12)

So there you have just a few of the recommended books on the Willow Creek site. It is interesting to note that the common theme in many of the books on their list is returning to the spiritual rhythms of the "early" church (aka desert fathers and mystics) via contemplative spirituality.

The point of this post is this. It’s not just hearsay, finger pointing, negativity, or someone’s wild imagination that many churches, by linking themselves with the Willow Creek Association and promoting their summits (and recommended books), are unknowingly promoting a spirituality that is leading many unwary Christians to an unbiblical spirituality. It’s happening, it’s everywhere, and it’s spreading faster than you know.

Some Things about the Strategy of the Enemy

Are we to walk along in this world, totally unaware of Satan's schemes, or are we to know the strategy?

Now the questions we must ask are, "What is the general strategy of the devil? How does he plan to do this? How is it that he keeps the world in such bondage and such powerlessness?" The only one in all history who has ever consistently and unbrokenly defeated the devil, not only in his life but also in his death, is the Lord Jesus Christ. He put his finger squarely upon the strategy and the tactics of Satan when he said, "The devil is a liar and a murderer from the beginning," {cf, John 8:44}. The strategy of the devil is to murder. The tactic by which he accomplishes this is to lie. If we consider these phrases carefully we will see how accurate they are.
-Ray Stedman

See:

The Strategy of Satan
By Ray C. Stedman
www.pbc.org

[Shorter version here]:

Excerpts from The Strategy of Satan
www.crossroad.to

The Spiritual Dream Team is coming to town

Look who's coming to our corner of Canada to make it a happier place...

Toward a more enlightened society; Spiritual leaders, scientists at Vancouver event will look for ways to make the world a happier place
Tue Jun 16 2009
Column: Douglas Todd

Victor Chan calls them the "spiritual dream team." Even though it's a corny phrase, it's true.

The spiritual, humanitarian and scientific leaders being brought to Vancouver in September by the city's Dalai Lama Center, which Chan heads, add up to an international "who's who" of teachers of wisdom and cutting-edge research.

Tickets go on sale Saturday for the Sept. 26-29 events featuring the Tibetan spiritual leader, South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu, scientist-monk Mathieu Ricard and spiritual authors Eckhart Tolle and Stephen Covey...

Read more here:

Buddhist v. Mormon, Christian v. New Age, monk v. scientist
communities.canada.com

Related:

Stellar lineup for peace summit hopes to get something done
www.vancouversun.com

The (New Age) Department of Peace
www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com

~ ~ ~

"The world of American religion is going through enormous change. It will be increasingly difficult to distinguish Christians and Buddhists."

-University of Chicago sociologist Stephen R. Warner.
(Source)

Relevant Thing of the Week?

Last week, in our corner of Canada, this is how Relate Church, formerly Victory Christian Center (www.familyvictory.com), was being relevant with the gospel...

BLESSED BRUTALITY
The fighter's face wrenches with pain as his opponent slams his fist into his face again and again. The crowd loves it. "Attack!" they yell. "Finish him!" It's hard to believe but this took place inside a church.
Sarah Jackson, Surrey Now
Published: Thursday, June 25, 2009

To believe it, read it HERE in The Now [@ www2.canada.com].

Meanwhile, even the mayor is not impressed.

But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:
Having a good conscience; that, whereas they speak evil of you, as of evildoers, they may be ashamed that falsely accuse your good conversation in Christ. 1 Peter 3:15,16

The Dripping Honey Glory Thing (UPDATED)

Remember about a year ago how a certain ‘revivalist’ would repeatedly mention that he was basking in the thick, glory, liquid, honey cloud of God’s presence? How many times did we hear things like this as we watched this faith healer deceive thousands around the world with false miracles from his televised stage in Lakeland, Florida...

I tell you what, there's a glory movement into the room, just go ahead and OH! get under that! OH! [Todd shakes his head] OH! Lord, let it move across the whole place. A drunken glory. [Singing] Heavy heavy, wady wady wady glory, smoky glory, shekinah glory, and all the colours in the glory. I just wanna be in the cloud. Say, Lord, I just wanna be in the cloud. Under the cloud. Moses got to be under the cloud, I wanna be under the cloud! [Todd is shaking] Thick, thick, overwhelming, honey glory. I pray that it gets on every one of you tonight. [Source]

Well, I recently discovered that the honey thing all started way back in 1998…these are his own words...

“There is visitation; there is commissioning that comes from heaven. I had one in 1998. …after being saved for four years when I had an encounter; it was a holy visitation. It came right out of heaven. … All of a sudden a rushing wind came into my apartment. I remember choking on the wind, and the wind went into my mouth down into my lungs and came out of my mouth. I couldn’t talk. The fear of God fell on me and I felt a presence like a concentrated cloud coming out from my kitchen. It was like an electric presence coming out of the kitchen, a cloud of glory or like a liquid honey cloud.” …I just fell right out of the chair onto the carpet and the cloud came over me, the presence, the glory of God, and it was like swimming in warm, liquid, honey. It was like oil. I could feel electricity vibrating from my head to my feet, from my feet to my head again and again. I was lying there basking in this liquid, honey, glory cloud…. I just thought, Wow! God is showing up in glory, liquid, honey clouds. ”

And that’s not all, he said there are rivers of it in heaven as well…

“I even saw rivers of oil, rivers of honey, and I saw bridges. (…)I saw a river flowing between its banks. It was like Psalm 23, green pastures, … as I looked I saw that it was a river of oil and honey.”

SOURCE: An Open Heaven- TB's Highway to Heaven
@ letusreason.org.

Ever since then, the liquid/glory/honey cloud thing seemed to stick. In fact, a book was even written about it called The Reality Of The Supernatural World:

Description: God wants to bring you into a heavenly experience with Him. He doesn’t want to wait until you get to heaven to show you His supernatural realm where you can: experience the throne room, see the sea of glass like crystal, receive visitations by angels, or get caught in the liquid-honey, glory cloud of His awesome presence.

Today, there are still various CD's (like this one that is "dripping with sticky honey from the rock"), and youtube videos and things on the internet where the liquid honey annointing is spoken of with awe, and said to be thick, heavy, sticky, dripping, etc. However, this sort of thing is not supported or mentioned in the Bible. There is lots of honey with milk, curds, flour and oil. There is wild honey, jars of honey, and locusts and honey. In Revelation 10 the little book in the angel's hand (scroll) tastes as sweet as honey. That's about as far as the honey thing goes.

But now - EUREKA! An amazing discovery has been made. Scientists have found a giant sticky dripping honey thing!

Giant Blob Found Deep Beneath Nevada
Hidden beneath the U.S. West's Great Basin, scientists have spied a giant blob of rocky material dripping like honey.
www.foxnews.com

If history indeed repeats itself, it may be only a matter of time before devoted fans {from happier times} get wind of this thing and head to the great basin to 'get some'.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

***Update:

NEWSFLASH!

Todd Bentley is Back
slaughteringthesheep.wordpress.com

...AND (thanks to Rick Joyner) he is selling the same stuff, like The Reality of the Supernatural World, that says... (http://www.freshfireusa.com/store)
"God...doesn’t want to wait until you get to heaven to show you His supernatural realm where you can: experience the throne room, see the sea of glass like crystal, receive visitations by angels, or get caught in the liquid-honey, glory cloud of His awesome presence."

More likely, Todd, not God, can't wait until you get caught in the liquid-honey, glory cloud scam!

A Nice Thing I Found

Here's a nice thing I found...

Finding Hope, Strength, and Comfort
In Times of Trouble . . .
www.alphanewsdaily.com

The Dumbing Down of the Bible and Our Kids

Somehow or another, the 'wise' grown ups of the land have done a dumb thing. They have concluded that the children under their guidance have somehow lost their intelligence over the centuries and are now reduced to using simplified Bible terms, verses, and names, such as calling Jesus 'my forever friend,' etc. To demonstrate this sad truth, here's the link to The Message prayer cards for kids...

Praying Thru the Bible With My First Message by Nav Press
www.navpress.com

Here's what the instructions for these prayer cards say:

The Praying Through the Bible with My First Message prayers can be adapter to various age groups. For younger kids, you might want to take just one sentence from each prayer and have them pray it. With older children, consider asking them to expand on the written prayer as the Holy Spirit prompts them through the words of the (simplified Message) Bible story. Remember these prayers and cards are just a starting point....

Hmmm...the word Lectio Divina comes to mind, but then again, these are published by the contemplative Nav Press. Anyways, the goal, the instructions say, is to develop a habit of prayer in response to Scripture. The prayers are all very simple and cute. For example, the second prayer on Card #1 says:

• Adam and Eve Genesis 2 Thank You, Lord, for giving me family and friends so I don't have to be alone. Help me to love these special people and be kind and helpful to them.

That's all very nice and everything, but here's the thing. The instructions for these cards say that they are designed to be used in conjunction with the Bible stories in My First Message: A Devotional Bible for Kids. Well, you would never know by the raving reviews over at amazon.com, but hullo, this is not scripture! The publishers (and most parents) apparently do not realize that children are perfectly capable of reading (and memorizing) real scripture - even (gasp) King James! Children can comprehend much more than we often think.

I read this quote somewhere...

Old Testament Jews had memorized the Torah by age 10. In contrast, only 59% of today’s U.S. (Protestant) Christians read the Bible weekly.

This memorization achievment was indeed an amazing thing, especially by today's standards...

From quite early in the Second Temple period, one could hardly find a little boy in the street who didn't know the Scriptures. According to Jerome (342-420 A.D.) who lived in Bethlehem and learned Hebrew from local Jewish residents in order to translate the Scriptures into Latin [producing the Vulgate Bible]: "There doesn't exist any Jewish child who doesn't know by heart the history from Adam to Zerubbabel [i.e., from the beginning to the end of the Bible]."

Source: Jesus' Education @ www.cometozion.org

Has the human brain changed since then, or have we just changed our priorities? Obviously, it's better that children learn Bible stories than Harry Potter stories, but shame on us Christian parents and leaders for giving kids the message that they are not intelligent enough to comprehend the words in a real Bible.

***Update: Related:

Message Bible for Little Kids Instructs on Contemplative Meditation
www.crossroad.to

The Shack has been Nailed!

Wow!

Todd Friel (Wretched) has nailed it!

Must see:


Author of “The Shack” Is a Universalist, Denies Penal Substitutionary Atonement
@ 5ptsalt.com

Note: See a partial transcript of that interview HERE.

Richard Foster's Dangerous Journey Inward

This is a brand new Critical Issues Commentary showing that Richard Foster's "journey inward" is unbiblical and dangerous...

Richard Foster—Celebration of Deception
by Bob DeWaay
Issue 112 - May / June 2009
cicministry.org

Boundless Promotion of Contemplative Spirituality

Do you know that Boundless, a webzine ministry of Focus on the Family for 20-somethings, is a promoter of contemplative spirituality? I suspect James Dobson himself may not even realize it, but some of the articles by various writers in this magazine make it pretty obvious.

Example #1

In a Boundless (www.boundless.org) webzine article called Being Seen (dated June 9 on the main page), writer Kara Schwab refers to Donald Miller (and his book, Blue Like Jazz), J. Budziszewski (and his book, Written on the Heart), and Annie Dillard, one of her "favorite authors."

Meanwhile, as we all know (right?), it appears that Donald Miller shares many of the same views on spirituality as many emerging church leaders (see here), and Annie Dillard is someone who "openly promotes and espouses Buddhism and New Ageism as well as contemplative spirituality" (from A Time of Departing, 2nd Ed., pp. 151, 152). As for Mr. Budziszewski, we'll get to him in the next example.

Example #2

In a story called Office Hours: The Lord Told Me (Part 1 of 2) by Boundless writer J. Budziszewski, a young girl receives advice on how to listen to God and find illumination in His presence. Through this fictional dialogue, in Part 2, she is advised further on how to listen to God...

"I said pray John 18 and 19. Pray the words themselves. The first day you might pray the first few verses of chapter 18, and so on. Take your time. Linger over the verses. Let them dwell in your mind. Rest in them. Rest in God. Offer the verses to Him. Pray them. Let Him pray them in you."

"That's a kind of prayer?"

"A very ancient one, used by both Catholics and Protestants. It's called lectio divina, 'divine reading.'"

The writer of this subtle dialogue that makes Lectio Divina sound so nice has written several books. One of them is called How to Stay Christian in College, which some of you may recall reading about at Lighthouse Trails Research not too long ago:

J. Budziszewski (pronounced Boo-jee-shef-ski) was an author and professor who had converted in 2004 from Protestantism to Catholicism. We also learned he was a proponent of contemplative practices. He is a featured professor on contemplative-promoting Focus on the Family's TrueU.org online university, telling students to practice lectio divina as a form of meditation.3

...How to Stay Christian in College, and much to our dismay saw full page advertisements at the back of the book for books by Tony Jones and Eugene Peterson. We could understand why Budziszewski's publisher would place ads for Jones, a major advocate for mystical practices, in the back of Budziszewski's book.

[Source HERE]

As you all know (right?), some have pointed out that Tony Jones promotes mystic spirituality and Eugene Peterson appears to be a contemplative mystic (see here).

Note: Boundless readers who are influenced by the advice in this two part story might might find a much more thought provoking and compelling read in a similar encounter regarding this same subject in this book.

Example #3

Another contemplative Boundless webzine article was called Teach Me to Pray by Sarah E. Hinlicky, (published back in 2001 but is still accessible on the website). Here is an excerpt...

There are two particular kinds of prayer that I've run across lately that fit this model of disciplined desire very nicely: lectio divina and contemplative prayer. They are neither hard nor easy, because that implies measuring progress up to some state of perfection. Instead, they are ways of directing the desire of the soul to God.

Lectio divina is holy reading. Usually we read for information or entertainment. This is neither. It's reading for illumination or devotion. It's why you keep reading the Bible after you know already what it says, in terms of content. The words form and shape you and the way you think and believe, so you keep going back to them for more shaping and forming.

In this kind of prayer, for instance, you might take the hymn to love in I Corinthians 13 and spend half an hour with it. You can get the gist of the argument in 30 seconds, but in the practice of lectio divina you turn all your attention to the words and their meaning and soak it up, sort of the way you tan on a sunny day just from being outside whether or not you're trying. Your thoughts and praises and requests are all shaped by the words before you. The words are teaching you how to pray, instead of making you come up with something on your own.

Contemplative prayer is a form of prayer without words or thoughts — not something that comes naturally to any of us. Thomas Keating, in the appendix to his book Centering Prayer, says that it is "the opening of mind and heart — our whole being — to God, the Ultimate Mystery, beyond thoughts, words and emotions. We open our awareness to God whom we know by faith is within us, closer than breathing, closer than thinking, closer than choosing — closer than consciousness itself."

He suggests you start in a quiet and comfortable place so that you are minimally aware of your own body. Then you choose a word — Lord, Jesus, Mercy, Shalom, Amen — and make that the central point of your prayer. For twenty minutes (the recommended period of time) and with eyes shut, you gently open yourself up to God, not by analyzing or reciting the word you've chosen, but by using it to hush the extraneous thoughts that come creeping in. Such thoughts are inevitable, and not an indication of failure. The point is that every time an outside thought comes in, you're given another opportunity to lay it aside and turn back to God again.

How's that for an unabashed promotion of contemplative spirituality? As you may or may not know, Thomas Keating teaches a form of meditation called centering prayer, which is said to be drawn from Buddhist and Hindu practices (see Who is Thomas Keating?).

Unfortunately, the Boundless webzine ministry of Focus on the Family seems to know no bounds when it comes to introducing 20-somethings to ancient contemplative spirituality.

~ ~ ~

Related:

Ray Yungen Contemplative Prayer Preview - Part 1
(10 minutes)
www.youtube.com

FOCUS ON THE FAMILY AND BRIO MAG ENCOURAGING LECTIO DIVINA
www.reformata.org

[Note: According to their website, Focus on the Family is no longer publishing the Brio printed magazine. Kor Ministries has taken over the digital version, so the links in the above Brio Mag article will no longer take you to Brio.]

New Book on Intelligent Design

Another new book...

New Book Reveals DNA Evidence for Intelligent Design
By: Staff
Discovery Institute
June 23, 2009

Washington, D.C. – The digital code in DNA reveals new evidence of intelligent design, Stephen C. Meyer shows in his authoritative new book, Signature in the Cell (HarperOne, June 23, 2009).

In this anniversary year of Charles Darwin’s birth (200 years ago) and the publication of his Origin of Species (150 years ago), scientists and journalists alike are devoting increased attention to the ultimate evolutionary question: the origin of the first life. Darwin himself never addressed the issue, but in recent days the New York Times, Science, The Daily Telegraph and Wired have all carried reports detailing alleged breakthroughs in understanding how life first came to be....

Read the rest here:
http://www.discovery.org/a/11401

Another Thing about The Message

Did you know...

“The Message was a byproduct of anger”

...AND...

He (Eugene Peterson) put the life back into the ancient text, words originally spoken and penned in the language of the working class.

-How The Message Began
http://www.navpress.com/landing/bibles.aspx

Isn't that just great...that through his anger and frustration, Mr. Peterson was able to put the life back into God's Word so we wouldn't be bored when we read it? (Note: In order to put the life back into something, that means first it must be kind of - dead.) Wow. What an accomplishment.

~All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness~ 2 Timothy 3:16

~For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.~ Hebrews 4:12 (NKJV)

Related:

Another Thing Missing in The Message
morebooksandthings.blogspot.com

Books About The End of the World

This looks like an interesting new book. I have noticed, while attending Bible prophecy conferences in the past, that it's mostly older people who are interested in these things. I hope this book will change that.The promo says it "aims to reach a "new" audience with the awesome message of Bible prophecy: students, seekers, and skeptics."

It's called It's the End of the World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine) by Jim Fletcher, director of Prophecy Matters.

~ ~ ~

Here's another new book I read about today (it's not from a biblical perspective but interesting none the less):

Global Warming And Other --------: The Truth About All Those Science Scare Stories, by Prof Stanley Feldman and Prof Vincent Marks
www.telegraph.co.uk

In this new book, two professor from the UK are questioning the end of the world and examining the so called "facts" behind global warming.

Emergent Nazarenes

Here's a sad thing, but it's good that some are willing to take a stand...

'Concerned Nazarenes' to Confront Emergent Error
By Eric Barger

Just imagine if you awoke to realize that the church in which you had invested time, effort, finances, and trust, had slowly slipped into spiritual disrepair? What if it occurred to you that the trustworthiness that you believed would never change was gone and it had become clear that your denomination, yes, even your own local church, had adopted doctrines, practices and beliefs that were just not questionable but were now active and useful tools for the devil? What if you, like so many of our brothers and sisters across America and around the world, were faced with the agonizing decision of either turning your head to attempt ignoring reality, fleeing to a safer place to worship, or standing up to expose and resist error? My friend, these scenarios are exactly what many members of The Church of the Nazarene are facing today....

Read the rest HERE.

More info on the Nazarene's here (on Eric Barger’s Take a Stand Ministries):

The Church of the Nazarene and the Emergent Church
www.ericbarger.com

A Thing called Vigilance

Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour
1 Peter 5:8

What does this thing called vigilance mean?

Vigilance in the Midst of Great Apostasy

Prof. Johan Malan, Middelburg, South Africa (June 2009)

A vigilant Christian is someone who is fully conscious of the spiritual realities of his life in Christ, and derives the motivation and strength for his life from this divine source. He is also conscious of the spiritual dangers posed by the opposing kingdom of Satan and actively resists them. This battle occurs in the spiritual realm of our life since we do not wrestle against flesh and blood but against a hostile spiritual power and its wicked principles (Eph. 6:12). The more we are mindful of the reality of the other, unseen world, the more vigilant we will be. The more secular we are inclined, the lesser we will consider spiritual realities and consequently neglect to order our lives accordingly. To be vigilant in a biblical sense demands that our eyes are open to certain realities and that this knowledge will determine our decisions and actions.

There are three spiritual perspectives which a watchful Christian should have...

Read more @ bibleguidance.co.za HERE.

Another Thing Missing in The Message

I found this at the blog of a fellow Canadian blogger I came across today. (I've been reading a few things on this blog, and I have taken a liking to it. It's called Suspicious Berean.)

Here's one rather interesting thing I found there...

The Lord Jesus Christ is nowhere to be found in The Message
suspiciousberean.blogspot.com

By the way, I found this to be such a fascinating (but disturbing) thing, that I took the challenge and tried this over at Bible Gateway. Indeed, the name of our Lord Jesus Christ appears 81 times in the both the King James version and the New King James, 63 times in the NASB, 61 in the ESV, 60 in the NIV and the NLT, and zero times in The Message.

I would say that's a significant thing to consider, wouldn't you?

Related:

Is the Author of 'The Message' a Contemplative Mystic?
morebooksandthings.blogspot.com

The Message: The Mystical Bible
The 'Message' of Mysticism
by Janet Moser

Another Thing About The Message
morebooksandthings.blogspot.com

*By the way, here's one more interesting thing that I read here...

Judas always addressed Jesus as "Master" -- never "Lord."

A Book called 'Christian Bashing'

I just heard about this book called Christian Bashing that you can get through the Christian Anti- Defamation Comission . Here's what it's about...

Christian bashing, the last acceptable form of bigotry in America, is alive and well and growing more intense and hysterical by the day. For decades, desperate secularists and cultural elites have stereotyped and marginalized conservative Christians in an effort to stop their growing influence on American culture. And the defamation of Christians by “progressives” is only getting worse.
-www.christianadc.org

You can also listen to Dr. Gary Cass (of the CADC) discuss the following things...

• The eventual "criminalization of Christianity."
• Hate-crime legislation that could be passed this summer.
• will you be directly or indirectly affected?
• How safe is your pastor?
• How soon the death of absolute free speech?

...and more. Listen to the June 20th interview, HERE.

A Holy Book?

How about this quote from Cecil Andrews of Take Heed...

For any professing Christian, including President Obama, to refer to the Koran as being ‘HOLY’, a book that denies truths about the Lord Jesus Christ that form the very foundation and bedrock of Christianity, that equates to a betrayal of Jesus Christ.

Source: In Cairo President Obama betrayed Jesus Christ when he claimed to be a Christian
www.takeheed.net

Things you won't hear on the news...

Here's what they aren't telling you about Iran...

"What the media isn’t telling you is that the Revivalists are moving powerfully to share the gospel of Jesus Christ throughout the Muslim world."

Wow! To read about some more things that the media isn't telling you, and pray for the people of this ancient land, check out Joel Rosenberg's latest blog post, HERE.

What would you do if someone started doing this thing?

Here's a thing to think about. What would you do if someone started doing this "treatment" on you?

Would you lie there? Would you get up and walk out? Would you pay on your way out? Would you complain? Would you say something?

Seriously. What would you do? It's probably a good thing to plan ahead for, because I have this feeling it's only a matter of time before this will be everywhere.

I have taken the restrictions off the comment option, and it is now wide open to all.

By the way, you may now vote on the new poll on this subject.

*Update: Poll results:

Have you ever been offered energy healing or Reiki during a chiropractic treatment?

yes 4 (12%)

no 29 (87%)

Speaking Perverse Things

Are the teachers in the emerging church purposely speaking perverse (distorted) things and misleading people?

Watch this short explantion on The Global Vision Channel (www.gv247.tv):

Christian Groups and Deception by Doug Harris
Part 1 HERE.
Part 2 HERE.

Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them. Acts 20:39

Related:

*Emergent" or "Emerging"? Is there a difference?
livingjourney.wordpress.com

*Exposing the Emergent Church
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4

Just adding this new article as well...

Brian McLaren, Christian Social Justice and the Boycott of Israel
moriel.org

(***By the way, please pray for Jacob Prasch of Moriel Ministries, see details here.)

Beat the Brain Drain with Books and Things

How do you keep your kids' brains from draining this summer? That's easy as one, two, three...

1. Unplug the glowing boxes of evil (T.V. and computer) and confiscate all electronic gadgets and other addictive brain sponges. (Remember, boredom leads to creativity.)
2. Go to the library with your kids and get them tons of books to read from every section.
3. Before you unplug the computer (or use one at the library), check out some some local interesting sites and things to take them to every week.

Need more help? Here is some good advice to avoid the summer brain drain...

Avoid the Summer Brain Drain
www.albertmohler.com

101 Things To Do This Summer
[Selected by Homeschool.com]

Blending Things Together (Updated)

Blending things. They do it all the time. But when you get to blending faiths, it's not going to work. Take BH and his interfaith Summits, or RW and his interfaith platforms (see here). They think mixing these things will bring world peace. But this will work about as good as sharing the Temple Mount has been working.

And now, we've seen it in a local level as well.

Last week there was an interesting thing in our paper about a Canada Day float that is being put together by the Christian and Sikh community based on building friendship to achieve common goals. On this float during the parade, the Christians and Sikhs are going to act out some of the sports that will be at next year's Winter Games. (Don't ask me why.) This all sounded fine and dandy, until another newspaper arrived that same day, this one with a headline about a Christian church that has gotten the Sikh community upset by refusing to allow them to use their church for one of their funerals (because it was discovered, after it was already booked, that Sikh prayers would be said during the funeral, and this is a Christian church).

Oh oh. So now what? Suddenly, those common goals don't seem so common anymore.

Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness? 2 Corinthians 6:14

On that note, how about this quote from Brian McLaren...

For Emerging Church leader Brian McLaren, this is the future way of life for the Christian. In an interview July 28, 2008, on ChristianPost.com, he said: "I think our future will also require us to join humbly and charitably with people of other faiths—Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, Jewish, secularists, and others—in pursuit of peace, environmental stewardship, and justice for all people, things that matter greatly to the heart of God."

Source: The Shameful Social Gospel
www.thebereancall.org

Related:

Peace by Appeasement - Peace with Islam
by Mike Oppenheimer (June 22, '09)
moriel.org

Why the Left is Not Right
www.worldviewtimes.com

(video expose):
Exposing the Emergent Church-Pt.1-Brian McLaren
www.youtube.com


***Update: Also see this important video clip by Linda Harvey:

The Emerging Lie
www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com

Some Things to Know about Being Still Before God

When the Bible says, "Be still, and know that I am God," does it mean that we are to sit in silence and meditate?

Here's a very good thing to read about that...

BE STILL
Some thoughts on Psalm 46:10 as it relates to comtemplative prayer.
By Pastor Larry DeBruyn of Franklin Road Baptist Church
www.frbaptist.org

New! Ray Yungen DVD's

I got my set a few days ago in the mail and have been watching these...

The New Face of Mystical Spirituality SET
www.lighthousetrails.com

This is for anyone who wants to know about the books, authors and things that are behind the latest controversial church trend toward mysticism. This is a powerful and excellent three part series with powerpoint and a very clear presentation by Ray Yungen, author of A Time of Departing. I don't see how any Christian, after watching these three DVD's, could disagree with his well documented conclusion that contemplative spirituality is spiritual adultery!

Is Our Heavenly Father Male or Female?

Can we decide for ourselves what the nature of God is like, if He is male or female, or whether He even exists? Or has God already told us all about Himself, in the Bible?

If this is the biblical view of the Godhead...

Our Biblical Godhead
www.raptureready.com

...it stands to reason that this would be the opposite of the biblical Godhead...

The Male/Female god…
livingjourney.wordpress.com

...therefore, it also stands to reason that all those who hold to the second view, and write books and things in support of this view, etc., are in opposition to God as He has revealed Himself to us in the Bible.

Christianity Today Promotes Contemplative Book

Can you believe it? Here's the latest thing that Christianity Today is promoting...

Christianity Today Promoting Classic Contemplative Book
christianresearchnetwork.com

Did you know the 12 Step author did this?

This is a rather creepy thing...

12 Step “author” channels spirits
mywordlikefire.wordpress.com

What Next?

Wow. As the interfaith world turns...first it's Bill Hybel's Summit and his interfaith guest speaker. Now it's RW speaking at the annual Islamic convention (see Islamic Society convention lands appearance from Rick Warren @ indystar.com).

Hmmm...I wonder what he will tell them...or if he will just pray in the name of Esa...again...

Funny how these two big giant chameleons mega church pastors both appear to be revealing their true (interfaith) colors at the same time.

Related:

RW, Bill Hybels, Brian McLaren and other Contemplative/Emerging Leaders Invite Muslims to Love God, Neighbors Together
www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com

***Note: This is the message RW will NOT be sharing this weekend.

Hidden in The Book of Esther

Are you going through a trial in your life where you have prayed and pleaded with God, but you see no results and you've begun to wonder if He is even listening? If so, I recommend studying the book of Esther. Just because we can't see our Heavenly Father, that doesn't mean He's not listening, and waiting for the right time to answer and reveal Himself. For example, the name of God is not mentioned once in this book, but although He seems hidden, He is working behind the scenes to prepare a way to deliver His people.

But wait, here's an interesting thing...His name actually is in the book of Esther, it's just hidden...

The name of God is hidden no less than eight times in acrostics in the text. Four times it appears as an acrostic, the famed Tetragammaton, "YHWH" or "Yahweh" or "YeHoVaH"; once as "EHYH" or "I AM" as at the Burning Bush. Also, Meshiach ("Messiah"), Yeshua ("Jesus"), and El Shaddai ("The Almighty"), also appear as equidistant letter sequences.9

Source: The Book of Esther, Chuck Missler
www.khouse.org

For anyone who is interested in digging deeper into this inspiring book, here are a few things to help you study...

Here's David Guzik's commentary on the book of Esther.

Here are Chuck Smith's sermon notes on Esther.

Here's something by Ray Stedman on the book of Esther.

And another study...(much longer, an on-line book) also by Ray Stedman...

The Queen and I
Studies in Esther
www.raystedman.org

Possibly related:

What is Gematria?
by Arnold Fruchtenbaum

'You Were Born For This' Book

In September of this year, Bruce Wilkinson (author of best sellers The Prayer of Jabez and Dream Giver) is coming out with another book called, "You Were Born for This: Seven Keys to a Life of Predictable Miracles".

Watch this video clip promotion by Mr. Wilkinson...
Heresy of the Prayer of Jabez Part 2 Coming in September
www.alittleleaven.com

As I watched this promotion, I began to feel very sad for Mr. Wilkinson. It seemed to me he was grasping at straws as he used more and more words to sell his book so we will finally know how to live a life of 'predictable miracles.'

On the video clip I noticed a link to his website (www.brucewilkinson.com). If you go there, you will notice something called The Dream Assessment...

The Dream Assessment

Are you excited about your Dream Journey, but aren't sure where to start? DISC and the Dream Assessment will give you the tools you need to pursue and achieve your Dream.

To identify your unique personality type, DISC is a simple, effective tool that has been tested and used by millions of people worldwide. The short, online assessment helps you understand what motivates you, your personal strengths and weaknesses, and how you relate to other people.

Once you've taken DISC, a Dream Assessment is instantly customized for you based on your personality type. Everyone approaches the Dream Journey differently, and you have a unique way of pursuing your Dreams! Discover more about each stage of your Dream Journey and how you handle the challenges along the way.

-[Source: http://pdiprofile.com/pdi/login.asp?res=2]

But is this "dream assessment" (DISC) biblical? Apparently not...

This is not a Christian system or assessment process. Its the world's system and means of control! But when supposedly Christian ministires promote it, they tend to cloak in Christian terminology (such as love, service, God and hope) and new age terms such as dreams imagination, visualization, etc.

This is big business. The overall goal of the disc assessments is to measure, monitor and mold human resources for the global workforce, welfare service, global solidarity and local community. New global management calls for systems and set standards and assess everyone to make sure people function in the ways and places and groups where they will best serve the greater whole. Churches and enthusiastic 'Christian' leaders are the primary catalysts in the social sector (in contrast to private business sector and public government sector) for bringing people around the world into the massive web of human resource management, assessment and remediation or relearning.

Source:
The Dream Giver Coach and DISC Assessments
www.crossroad.to

The purpose of this post is not to judge Mr. Wilkinson's heart, or discredit the power of God to do miracles or bless us. Here's the thing...sadly, there will always be people who try, for whatever reason, to use the promises in God's Word for personal gain. And there will always be those who are fooled into believing in these new ways to 'get things' from God (i.e. magic keys to blessings, dreams and miracles). This campaign (which will be underway until the book comes out) appears to fall into the same category as many authors and their 'magic formula' success books (like 'The Secret') who have recently been on Oprah.

Now, here's a little 'secret' about what you were really born for...you were not born to have your territory enlarged, to be blessed, to receive dreams, glory or gain, or to have pleasure or predictable miracles every day. You were born to give glory to God, for His pleasure.

Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name; worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness. Psalm 29:2

Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created. Revelation 4:11

But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Matthew 6:33

Related:

Wilkinson's Dream for Africa is Shattered
herescope.blogspot.com

Mr Jabez's Dream Turns to Nightmare
herescope.blogspot.com

Heresy of the Prayer of Jabez Part 2 Coming in September
www.alittleleaven.com/

The Book is Already Gone

Ken Ham (of Answers in Genesis) has a new book called Already Gone. In this book he says the reason that kids who have grown up in Sunday School end up leaving church is basically because of the church's slack attitude to a literal interpretation of the Bible vs. the theory of evolution. The generation growing up during the last century has been taught (even in church) that "the age of the Earth is not an issue as long as you trust in Jesus and believe in the resurrection and the Gospel accounts."
[Source: Why are young people leaving the church?
Groundbreaking study says Sunday School makes exit more likely
www.wnd.com)

For more info, see the Already Gone Blog (alreadygonebook.wordpress.com).

Look who's coming to tea!

Isn't this just lovely. Look who's coming for tea...under the willow creek tree...(via telecast)...

The Willow Creek Leadership Summit 2009
willowcreek.com/events/leadership/2009/tony-blair.asp

Hmmm...I wonder if Mr. Hybels, pastor of Willow Creek Church, has invited Mr. Blair to chat with all the leaders and pastors who flock to hear him about his interfaith work, or perhaps his born-again story...you know, the rebirthing ritual he and his wife had in the Mayan pyramid sweat lodge (in fact, some have reported he liked it so much he has done it twice):

Exotic spa rituals
The Mayan rituals performed at Kinan Spa purify your body, mind and soul
www.ellecanada.com/living/exotic-spa-rituals/a/25216

Here's how it happened:

The Blairs, however, preferred a gentler, A-mock-alypto Mayan vibe. Holidaying on the Mexican Riviera in August 2001, they underwent a "rebirthing ritual" in a temazcal - a Mayan steam bath which represents the womb. Herb-infused water was thrown over heated lava rocks to create a cleansing sweat and balance the Blairs' "energy flow", while their therapist, Nancy Aguilar, told the credulous couple to imagine animal-shapes in the steam and explained what such visions meant.

The Prime Minister of Great Britain and his wife, a Crown Court judge, wished for peace on earth, then screamed to signify the pain of rebirth before venturing outside again.

They were offered watermelon and papaya, then told to smear any uneaten fruit over each other's bodies, along with mud from the jungle outside. They then walked hand in hand down the beach to swim in the sea.

[Source: Is Cherie Blair misunderstood or bonkers?
@ www.dailymail.co.uk]

Surely Mr. Hybels is aware of who he is bringing in to speak at his church. Oh, by the way, another guest speaker at this year's Willow Creek Summit (via telecast) is former guest, Bono. (For Bono's spirituality, see Bono, Universalism, and the Emerging Church.)

No further comment necessary.

~ ~ ~

Related:

Global Spirituality
Tony Blair, Global Banking, UNESCO and the EU
www.crossroad.to

Emerging Church Willow Creek Adds Globalist Tony Blair to Leadership Summit Faculty!
truthspeaker.wordpress.com

John 10
biblegateway.com

~ ~ ~

Note: To find out if your church is a misinformed member of the Willow Creek Association (and supporter of their yearly interfaith apostasy), see here (in Canada) and here (in the U.S.). I mention this because a lot of Canadian churches are not only members, but also encourage their leaders to attend the annual WC Summits (via satellite).

Confronting Sin is an Unpopular Thing

I really don't feel like addressing this 'in your face' thing, but it doesn't seem like it's going to go away. Some people are saying this thing is not a sin anymore...others who say it is a sin are being hastled.

What do you think? Actually, what does it matter what any of us thinks? What does God think?

For example, Jay Bakker says this...

“The more I follow grace, the more I’m drawn to him [God], the more I’m willing to stand up for people being persecuted,” said Bakker. “It sounds so churchy, but I felt like God spoke to my heart and said ‘[homosexuality] is not a sin.’ ”

Source: BECAUSE I LOVE JAY BAKKER AND GLBTQ PEOPLE
apprising.org

Meanwhile, across the ocean in the UK, don't even imply it's a sin or you may be silenced (watch this video)...

Video: Police Attempt To Silence Street Preacher
moriel.org

As this issue gets in your face more and more (and it will), and more true Christians become targets, are you going to say the easy thing, like Jay Bakker, or the unpopular thing, like the street preacher, and speak the truth, no matter what the cost?

Related:

Oprah tackles new issue: 'Gay is a gift from God'
Pastor claims Almighty made all people, saying, 'You are good' – no exceptions
worldnetdaily.com

The Books

I had Revelation 20:12 pinned to my bulletin board for years until I cleaned up our office this winter. It was a constant reminder to me that the books we keep are not as important as the books God keeps, and what is written of us. We will all give an account someday. But the interesting thing is, there is more than one book that will be opened when all is said and done, as the following article explains...

The Books
In Defense of the Faith
Jack Kinsella - Omega Letter Editor

"And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works." (Revelation 20:12)

Permit me to set the stage for the scene just described. We are being given an eyewitness account of the Great White Throne Judgment.

"And I saw a great white throne, and Him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. " (Revelation 20:11)

The Great White Throne is the third of the three great judgments outlined by Scripture; the first two being the Believer's Judgment at the Bema Seat and the judgment of the sheep and goat nations.

The Judge is at all three of these judgments is Jesus Christ....

Read the rest here @ omegaletter.com.

*Related:

And After This, The Judgement
by Jack Kinsella

Matthew 24 - to the church or Israel?

Do you think that the Olivet Discourse was given primarily to the church or Israel? Do you think when Jesus is talking about the temple He is talking symbolically about believers or...the temple? I've heard some very confusing interpretations about this thing lately. If you are one of those who assume that the disciples represent the Church in Matthew 24, you may want to rethink that after reading this article...

The Three Questions of Matthew 24
by Jack Kelly

Monday Morning Read

I am sipping on my morning coffee and reading a very interesting thing...

A Spirit Of Antichrist And The Era Of Obama
By Thomas Horn

Things Certainly are Changing

The people voted for change, and change they are getting. Here are some things to think about with your morning coffee...

A slumbering giant has been awakened
by Joseph Farah
www.wnd.com

A Word on Citizenship (America is sinking fast)
by Heidi Swander
Olive Tree Ministries

The Late Great United States
By Mark Hitchcock
bible-prophecy-today.blogspot.com

Why are there so many of these things?

Here is a new article I just found that covers all the flood legends...if the creation, flood/evolution debate is something that interests you, check this out here:

Flood Legends
By Daniel Nuckols
worldviewtimes.com

Why are there so many of these things? Figure it out.

Popoff Pops Up Down Under

Do you know that Peter Popoff wants to pray for you? He also wants to give you some Miracle Spring Water so you receive a breakthrough in your life spiritually, physically and financially
(www.peterpopoffministries.com). If you look at his website, it also seems like he tells people things and they come true. But is he really hearing from God?

I also noticed testimonials from a lot of Canadians on his website. One has to wonder if any of these are the same ones that got ripped off a few years ago? See here:

Canadian woman sucked in by Peter Popoff gets reimbursed
www.benedictionblogson.com

And how about this letter a few years ago that Peter Popoff sent to Sandy Simpson...

Peter Popoff Back to his old tricks!
by (Mr.) Sandy Simpson, 3/17/06
deceptioninthechurch.com

I bring your attention to these things for a reason. Since there are a few readers who visit this blog from the land down under, here's a word to the wise - recently, I was amazed to hear that Peter Popoff seems to have popped up again...

Popoff Pops Up Again (April 2009)
www.abc.net.au

Disgraced faith healer Peter Popoff resurfaces in Australia
reasonweekly.com

Hopefully he will be stopped before he has done too much damage to unsuspecting, gullible Christians.

Related:

Peter Popoff exposed - documentary
www.youtube.com

Stop Peter Popoff
www.stoppopoff.com

Peter Popoff is listed on Western Australia Scam Net here:
www.docep.wa.gov.au/ConsumerProtection/scamnet/Scams/Peter_Popoff.html

Things to do when Witnessing to Cultists

But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Romans 5:8

~ ~ ~

I was planting seeds and watering the beans one sunny morning last week when they got out of the van and headed down my driveway, oblivious to the barking dogs. These two lovely ladies were nicely dressed, smiling, and beaming with confidence. I admired them for that. I was sweaty and dirty from working in the garden, but as soon as they started talking and pulling out their pamphlets, I said, "Oh, I know, you're Jehovah's Witnesses!" I gave each of them a great big hug, apologizing for my appearance. They were taken aback, a look of disbelief and shock on their faces.

"Oh my, that's different," one said.

We talked for a bit and they went on to the next house. Maybe they will come back, maybe they won't. Later on I thought, now, why on earth did I give them a hug...they are preaching another gospel about another Jesus. Should I have done that? But I think it was something the Lord just put in my heart to do at the moment. He died for us while we were His enemies, while we were lost, so shouldn't we demonstrate that same love to everyone? Not only that, but He knows everything about people, what will drive them away, what will attract them to Him...our job is just to listen for His direction, be full of grace, be available and obey. (On second thought, hopefully my sweaty hug didn't drive them away!)

You just never know when you are planting or watering a seed.

So today when I read this, I realized I might just have done the right thing after all. Here are a few important things to remember when those nicely dressed people come knocking on your door...

The Do's and Don'ts of Witnessing to Cultists
www.waltermartin.com

Some Things to Watch

A few videos for thought...

Convicting, compelling...
The Fire
http://blip.tv/file/2220280
(12 minutes)

Inspiring...
Louie Giglio - Laminin
www.youtube.com
(8 minutes)

Trips to Heaven and Hell?

Here's an interesting thing to listen to...

Visiting Heaven and Hell
Pastor Bob DeWaay joins Jan (Markell) to discuss what several claim to have experienced: Trips to Heaven and Hell. How legit are these experiences? Isn't what the Bible says sufficient about these topics? Apparently not, for many have either had "near-death experiences" or are just selected to be taken to Heaven, talk with Jesus, Paul, King David, and others. DeWaay encourages you to avoid such teachers. The secret things (including details of Heaven and Hell beyond the Bible) belong only to God (Deut. 29.)

Listen online now, HERE.

Update: The link has now been corrected.

*Note: Some popular books discussed on this program are The Final Quest by Rick Joyner and a book by Bill Weise called 23 Minutes in Hell.

Mainstream Mindfulness

As the world rotates...uh...meditates, that is, looks like meditation is going mainstream...

'Mindfulness' meditation being used in hospitals and schools
www.usatoday.com

It's all about relieving stress and anxiety, they say. The article states: "Once thought of as an esoteric, mystical pursuit, meditation is going mainstream." The reasoning here is, that if something is being marketed as a non-esoteric, non-mystical pursuit, it's not esoteric or mystical, even though it always has been and still is. Hmmm. As CS Lewis said, “Doesn't anyone teach logic anymore?”

Related reading:

Mantra Meditation
lighthousetrailsresearch.com

Some Important Things to Know about Israel and Prophecy (Updated)

Here is a new and important article...

Jesus Christ in Biblical Prophecies

Prof. Johan Malan, Middelburg, South Africa (June 2009)

The spiritual and doctrinal value of various articles currently published on Israel is extremely poor. Authors mostly offer only a secular review of news events without giving a balanced biblical perspective on them.

It is an alarming fact that even Christian analysts on the situation in the Middle East reveal very little insight into Israel’s end-time position. Obama is now blamed for isolating and forsaking Israel. Is he responsible for these actions or did the Lord ordain them?

Read more HERE @ www.bibleguidance.co.za

[*Note: Read Joel Rosenberg's analysis of Obama's recent Cairo speech HERE.]

Also of note:

America's first Muslim president?
worldviewtimes.com

Obama’s Stunning Offense to Israel and the Jewish People
moriel.org

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UPDATE

Here's an excerpt from a related article I am adding...

"On a long forgotten shelf, alone... stood a clock. The clock was not forgotten because of lack of greatness....for the clock was a marvelously crafted clock....but for many, many years the clock lay silent. In years before it ran and chimed, and ticked and tocked, but for many, many years it lay dormant...Frozen in time the clock sat quietly until it happened...On May 14, 1948 God's prophetic clock started ticking again....LOUDLY."

Read the entire article here:

Signs of the Times – Part I
by J.R. Hall
bible-prophecy-today.blogspot.com