C.R. Mooney

So I was reading in Matthew 5 (the Bible) and I got stuck here: “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.”

So, what is peace? Well today’s short answer comes from philosopher Baruch Spinoza, “Peace is not an absence of war. It is a virtue, a state of mind, a disposition for benevolence.”

I like that.  Simple and to the point.

Webster says: Peace:

1: a state of tranquillity or quiet: as a: freedom from civil disturbance b: a state of security or order within a community provided for by law or custom <a breach of the peace>

2: freedom from disquieting or oppressive thoughts or emotions

3: harmony in personal relations

4 a: a state or period of mutual concord between governments b: a pact or agreement to end hostilities between those who have been at war or in a state of enmity

5—used interjectionally to ask for silence or calm or as a greeting or farewell — at peace : in a state of concord or tranquillity

What do you say Peace is?

I was surfing the “God channels” on my TV a few weeks ago and after skipping through a couple of the regular faces, I ran into an individual I generally enjoy, and though I only caught a snippet of what was said, John 10:10 was mentioned, followed by some pretty heavy prosperity doctrine.

Here is the verse in several translations:

NIV: “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”

Message: “A thief is only there to steal and kill and destroy. I came so they can have real and eternal life, more and better life than they ever dreamed of.”

NKJ: “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.”

The last version was the one used.

I have taken the time recently to listen to some of this theology (names like Dollar, Meyer, White, Roberts, and Robertson (I love how some of their websites are .org)) I would like to pose the question, Is Jesus saying that if we follow Him, we will have “life abundantly,” or “lifestyle abundantly?”

The consensus I have come to is that these individuals are teaching “lifestyle abundantly.”

Honestly, I’m glad they have succeeded in making some money, and I would say they are definitely gifted fund raisers, but do they honestly believe that is what God wants for his people?  Is it wrong for followers of Christ to have wealth? By no means do I believe that.  I just think that these preachers (as well as parishioners) need to be more prudent in explaining that in the Bible, God’s blessing is not equal to an overflowing checkbook.

Looking in the Old Testament, you can clearly see that one sign of God’s blessing is wealth.  The short list contains Abraham, Job, David, and Solomon, who all had wealth that few today have achieved.  But it is just as clear that wealth does not always follow a faithful servant of God.  I think this list is just as long, including most of the prophets and disciples.  Clearly individuals like Elijah, John the Baptist, Peter, and John the Beloved were following the ways of God, yet their life in no way reflects this monetary blessing.  I still believe however that they did have the “abundant life” that Jesus says will follow his disciples.

With titles like 8 Steps to Create the Life You Want, Your Best Life Now, Total Life Prosperity, Miracle of Seed Faith, and Rich Church Poor Church it’s pretty clear the message that is being sent.  Why they are pushing this agenda for personal gain, or out of a misinterpretation of what Jesus says of abundant life, I am not sure of their motivation.  God alone knows their heart.  But it is clear that they need to bring some balance to the message.

The blessed abundant life that Jesus speaks of is one of relationship, joy, suffering, obedience, and service. See Matthew 10, Mark 10, and John 15 to start with.

I don’t believe it is wrong for Christians to have wealth, but don’t let it be your ambition.  Seek God first, and He will provide your needs.

And unless it wasn’t already obvious to you, sending some minister on TV your first paycheck of the month, sowing a seed of $500, and becoming a “Gold Member” of someone’s ministry will not guarantee you any sort of return or Godly influx of cash.  Listening to the Father and obeying Him will however keep you in His blessing, and I am sure that whatever He decides your blessing will be is worth it.

Lastly, Abraham first left all, Job first lost all, David first suffered all, and Solomon, well you can read Ecclesiastes to know his thoughts on wealth.

Thanks,

- mooney

In a press release given yesterday, Obama has declared June Lesbian Gay Bisexual and Transgender Pride Month.

My thoughts: Why is it not listed with the other press releases at WhiteHouse.gov? I had to search for it to confirm it wasn’t a scam.  Somehow this doesn’t surprise me.  Though Obama doesn’t support gay marriage, he will declare them a “Pride Month” to keep them somewhat happy.  If I were in this group, I’m not sure how I would take that.

Please leave your thoughts.

THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary

___________________________________________________________
For Immediate Release                                     June 1, 2009

LESBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL, AND TRANSGENDER PRIDE MONTH, 2009
- – - – - – -
BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
A PROCLAMATION

Forty years ago, patrons and supporters of the Stonewall Inn in New York City resisted police harassment that had become all too common for members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community. Out of this resistance, the LGBT rights movement in America was born. During LGBT Pride Month, we commemorate the events of June 1969 and commit to achieving equal justice under law for LGBT Americans.

LGBT Americans have made, and continue to make, great and lasting contributions that continue to strengthen the fabric of American society. There are many well-respected LGBT leaders in all professional fields, including the arts and business communities. LGBT Americans also mobilized the Nation to respond to the domestic HIV/AIDS epidemic and have played a vital role in broadening this country’s response to the HIV pandemic.

Due in no small part to the determination and dedication of the LGBT rights movement, more LGBT Americans are living their lives openly today than ever before. I am proud to be the first President to appoint openly LGBT candidates to Senate-confirmed positions in the first 100 days of an Administration. These individuals embody the best qualities we seek in public servants, and across my Administration — in both the White House and the Federal agencies — openly LGBT employees are doing their jobs with distinction and professionalism.

The LGBT rights movement has achieved great progress, but there is more work to be done. LGBT youth should feel safe to learn without the fear of harassment, and LGBT families and seniors should be allowed to live their lives with dignity and respect.

My Administration has partnered with the LGBT community to advance a wide range of initiatives. At the international level, I have joined efforts at the United Nations to decriminalize homosexuality around the world. Here at home, I continue to support measures to bring the full spectrum of equal rights to LGBT Americans. These measures include enhancing hate crimes laws, supporting civil unions and Federal rights for LGBT couples, outlawing discrimination in the workplace, ensuring adoption rights, and ending the existing “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy in a way that strengthens our Armed Forces and our national security. We must also commit ourselves to fighting the HIV/AIDS epidemic by both reducing the number of HIV infections and providing care and support services to people living with HIV/AIDS across the United States.

These issues affect not only the LGBT community, but also our entire Nation. As long as the promise of equality for all remains unfulfilled, all Americans are affected. If we can work together to advance the principles upon which our Nation was founded, every American will benefit. During LGBT Pride Month, I call upon the LGBT community, the Congress, and the American people to work together to promote equal rights for all, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim June 2009 as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Pride Month. I call upon the people of the United States to turn back discrimination and prejudice everywhere it exists.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this first day of June, in the year of our Lord two thousand nine, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-third.

BARACK OBAMA

http://www.whitehouse.gov/the_press_office/Presidential-Proclamation-LGBT-Pride-Month/

Where are these kinds of people in our Congress?  Why don’t our politicians have the moxy to call the president out like this regarding his “stimulus?”  His blog is at www.hannan.co.uk My hat’s off to you Daniel Hannan!

I found a link to this video at my friend Christopher Hopper’s website, and thought I would pass it along.  Watching it, I ask myself, “How far am I really willing to go to answer the call of God, knowing that there is a world in need of a selfless act of love?  (John 15:13)

It’s Dark.  It’s Deep.

Leave your thoughts.

Edit: The site only has a quicktime version, so I also found it on youtube for your viewing pleasure.

Click photo for video

Wake Me Up by Tim Reimherr

I feel a shaking though its faint
Something’s coming am I too late
I need to be ready
The earth is groaning as it waits
Longing for the coming day
I need to be ready

Pre-Chorus:
Grant to me the grace I need
To live a life found worthy in the end
Violently I will seek
For wisdom is justified in the end

Chorus:
Wake me up, wake me up
I don’t want to be sleeping
When You’re coming
Wake me up, wake me up
I don’t want to be lying down
In this final hour
Wake me up

The nations gather as they say
Let’s break their bonds
And cast their chains I need to be ready
Deep darkness is coming soon
Do I have oil to make it through
I need to be ready

Bridge:
Time is running out, I say to all who hear
Lift your voice and shout
The bridegroom is in the land
Turn while there’s still time
The Lord He may relent
Will the way you live your life
Make it through
When God judges you.

Copyright © 2006 Tim Reimherr/Forerunner Music

Well, that slogan should be familiar to everyone.  It’s President Obama’s campaign slogan.  Whether you believed in it or not, change is here.   With the signing of the Stimulus Bill, change is no longer knocking on the door, but sitting on the couch waiting dinner to be put on the table.  That’s change for sure, but not change I want to believe in.

I have spoken with many people, Christian and non, not about the content of the bill, but where they think it’s taking the country.  I heard answers all along the spectrum from, “Finally, we can get out of this recession,” to “lock and load, there’s going to be a revolution.”  Some see it as positive, some as the express lane to the Socialist Republic of American States.

Either way, there is a lot of fear because none of us really know (see Biden’s 30% chance of failure comment).  People are very disturbed at the way our social order is being rearranged.  With taxes going up, politicians effectively dividing the country, hundreds of thousands are losing their jobs and homes, and a war that seems never-ending, people are starting to panic.  And panic demands a me-first attitude.

People are starting to grab onto what they believe is theirs, and holding it close. Even the church.

Many of the people in know that are screaming, “The sky is falling!” are the people who claim to have a relationship with the Prince of Peace (Jesus).   I can’t find that attitude from Him, and certainly those times when His disciples acted in that manner, he quickly reprimanded them.

Well, this is no reprimand, but it is a heads up!

We should not be the over-reactors, nay-sayers, or messengers of doom, we should be holding fast to the rock that does not move, and offering others the Hope that we (are supposed to) cling to.

So to those those of you, even in the church, that see the world falling about you and are afraid, may I offer you a change you can believe in.  There is a God (Jehovah) who loves you.  His Son Jesus came to make a way so that we could be in a relationship with God.  Believe in Him!  All of your problems may not disappear and this country may fall into a tailspin, but He is our hope.

In the light of eternity, a recession is nothing.

” Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a penny[a]? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. 31So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.

Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven. But whoever disowns me before men, I will disown him before my Father in heaven.” – Matthew 10:28-33 (NIV)

You can find many things on the internet; information to support or deny most any claim. Oft times we use it for our own advantages to cry out from out tiny blogs and tell the world how we feel. Once in awhile you can find a little gem, and for me, today is one of those days. One of my friends mentioned a site that let you adopt a terrorist — for prayer! Man, it blew me away. Oft times I pray for the situation in the Middle East, the safety of our troops and the salvation of the Muslims and other terrorists. This site allows you the opportunity to put a name on that prayer.

So, today I have adopted my first terrorist. I am not sure how the international community will handle this, and what lines I may be crossing religiously, but since I don’t need his permission or do I have to feed and clothe the guy, the process was pretty easy. The site lets you scroll through the profiles of terrorists and you can post a prayer for them.

My terrorist is Abd al-Aziz Awda. He kind of reminded me of Paul, so I will pray for him in that direction: That God would knock him off his horse that we would lead many to the cross. Here’s his profile:

Role: Palestinian Islamic Jihad Religious Leader

Status: At-Large

Bio: Born December 20, 1950, in the Gaza Strip next to the world’s largest Palestinian refugee camp, Awda (aka Sheik Odeh) co-founded the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) in the 1970s as a branch

of the Egyptian Islamic Jihad. He studied Arab and Islamic studies at a university in Cairo, and has grown to become known as the PIJ’s spiritual leader. Presumed to be operating from the PIJ’s current headquarters near Damascus, Awda orchestrates bombings, murders, extortions, and money laundering.

Now, go take a minute and adopt your own. We need to be praying for their salvation, and God’s mercy on them.

- mooney

If you read this blog regularly, you know that I am a Christian; if this is your first time, now you know. Today I opened my Inbox to find an email with an Ad for Heinz Deli Mayo. (The email is from the AFA which I subscribe to.) The email was titled: Heinz ad pushes gay marriage and family, features homosexual kissing. You can watch the ad if you like:

I can’t help but ask myself the question, “What is the purpose of this ad? Is Heinz pushing a product, or an agenda?” To answer this question, I also had to ask, “Would this have the same impact if it were made with a hetro couple?” The only conclusion is that they are making a public statement in their support for the gay family. (You can read how I feel about this lifestyle in a previous post)

Whether you support homosexuality as a corporation or not, I guess that is for the Board and stockholders to vote on. Some people will boycott Heinz, myself NOT included, and email them about how outrageous it is to show this on TV. But let’s face it, we live in a world of diverse opinion and moral belief. It’s going to happen. Heinz has since pulled the ad, but I think with a little more discretion, they could have gotten their point across and kept the commercial in circulation. I think had they clipped the kiss at the end, everyone would have gotten the idea.

Is this where advertising is going? Will the next decade be consumed with political and moral statements made with a quick reference to the product? I don’t think so, but if companies continue in this, my advise is to use a little more discretion. Homosexuals don’t like being told they are wrong any more than Christians like being told they are. So in the name of the “tolerance” that the liberal media seems to glorify as their position, try to be a little more tolerant of those who believe opposite your view. Don’t throw kissing men in my face, and I’ll try not to throw a Bible in yours.

- mooney

Well, where do I start? First, let me say that the last post was mostly satirical. The purpose of it was to see what some people might say about a possible end to evolution in humans (if we are even evolving). I thought I might get a few different types of replies, but apparently only a few people of the many who read this post left a comment.

Evolution Map

I am not a scientist and have no degrees even remotely connected to the sciences, origin of the species, or the human genome; but I do have the power of observation and a love of finding the truth. Maybe what I say next will just prove my ignorance even further.

It is odd to me to think that if one accepts evolution as the process by which man is the result of millions, possibly billions of years of changing from a single celled organism into what we are today, that they think we cannot move on to some other type or variety other than what we are today. I mean, at some point in the process, all species branched out from their parent in some fashion. From fish to crawler, from gills to lungs, from walking to flying, at some point a major change would have had to take place and survived. My point in brining up the story of young Lakshmi Tatma was to ask the question, would social prejudice and scientific or moral process interfere with further evolution in humans if it meant us taking on a new form?

I believe, as is evident, that Lakshmi’s extra limbs are a mutation, and doctors are correct to remove them if she chooses. However, those who believe in evolution have to stop and ask the question, “Are we stopping further evolution because her limbs are not socially acceptable?” And if the answer to this question is yes, would that elimination of the next evolutionary step be considered survival of the fittest, or survival of the moral and scientific majority?

The fact that this question (no matter how legitimate) can be asked is evidence that there is a difference between man and animal. Since there is this difference, that we can contemplate things outside of our own needs, or discuss the relevance of a moral code or origin of life, I ask what made the difference? Is it a change in our genetic coding, or was it programmed to be that way from the beginning? If we were made with a distinct, intentional, intelligent design, was it for a purpose?

I believe in the six day creation of the world and life, as laid out in Genesis, so I answer those questions with God (Jehovah), programmed to be that way from the beginning, and yes.

- chris mooney