Transgender Question

  I was reading this morning in our Santa Monica paper about a problem schools are having defining just what gender a person was. This has to do with what bathroom they will be using. What their acceptance will be by others. And so much more.
   Just what does the Bible have to say about transgender?
   That is a good question to ask. And it is both easy and hard to answer.
    Easy in that the Bible states God created them male and female in the beginning. God did not create transgender. He molded the person in his mother's womb. God makes no mistake in the forming.
    Hard in that society has thrown out the Bible as a book of authority.
    Instead society is looking toward science.. more exactly psychology, as the authority. And I understand psychology has thrown out the definition of transgender as abnormal. They have put the stamp of approval on the .. yes, let me state it plainly-- sinful behavior.
     I don't have to excuse myself. If you have read this blog for any time you know where I stand on the subject of sin. Sin is real. Sin is following short of the standard. And the standard is not what I say but what the God who has created me has said.
   So, no, transgender is not normal.
   So somewhere in that child's upbringing, it wasn't in the womb, he or she was told that it was not usual for them as the gender they were to do certain things or feel certain ways and be that gender.
   I know I may be sounding simplistic. Well, so be it..
    A child's brain is not able to  take in certain concepts. If in the education they receive they are presented with confusing signals and information, and they are approached by chicken hawks (I think that is what they are called) then in order to be accepted by the group they have fallen in, they adjust to the best of their limited ability.
   Okay, so look it up for yourself and come to your own conclusions. I have stated my opinion and now it is up to you to be brave enough to seek out your own answers.

We Have A New Pope

        We now have a new Pope even along side Benedict XVI. It will be hard for him, no doubt, to reign just across the courtyard, more or less, from a living Pope. Normally the last Pope dies and has to be replaced.

         This time one has resigned and lingers. A new Pope is set up.
        Just who is this person? A biography has been written. More like a press release, but you have to start someplace.
       It is not like he is not known by the inner circle. He worked fairly close with John XXIII and with Benedict XVI. He just does not put himself forward to be notriced. He seems to have been working behind the field in the background.
     A book has been written ,as I have noted. Francis, a man of prayer by Mario Escobar. I will place a link to Amazon so you can get this book..
     You should get to know this person. He may do great things.

Francis: Man of Prayer
 

Bible Study Help

     It is necessary for Christian Growth that you be able to feed yourself. You shouldn't stay with one meal a week.. that sermon on Sunday shouildn't be the only interfacing you do with God . But you should be training yourself to feed yourself.
    What I want is for you to study your Bible and get something for yourself. You need bible study help.
     My method is to have a pen and notebook along with me as I read my Bible. I stay with three chapters a day and I notice what is being said.

• I ask to whom is the writer speaking? 
• What is he saying? 
• Is there something there I should take notice of. (this I jot down in mny notebook.)
•  Is there something for me to pray about?
• Is there a sin for me to confess? 

    For those of you out there reading this who would like to try to self feed, and all should, themselves I have a recommended book for you to look at. In  fact I will even give you a link to Amazon so you can purchase it. 

  Rick Warren's Bible Study Methods: Twelve Ways You Can Unlock God's Word

  It is a good book to purchas e and it will give you a handle on some methods that will prove very helpful.

Bible Reading Update

       I was rereading my seminary text books the other day and I was fascinated by the book that had to do with Old Testament Theology. In it was stated something I guess I knew yet was not actively applying.
       It was the idea that when the people before the incarnation were reading their scripture they had yet to have a complete expalination of God and what He was like. Even today, if you were to think about it, we still have pockets of mystery when it comes to understanding completely.
      Yet today we have more understanding and more revelation of what God is like than they had back then.
      Well, this Old Testament scholar, I think it was Claus Westermann and his book," Elements of Old Testament Theology," stated that they only had trust in what had been written down to that point and were finding that God revealed Himself through actions.
     The example I like to use is the one of Abraham and his son Isaac. Abraham was told by God to take his son and sacrifice him on the mount.
     The people around him would sacrifice their first born child as a form of worship. That was all Abraham knew. Would this God he was following be like those of the nations around him?
      Abraham was willing to follow what he knew about God. So he made ready to sacrifice Isaac, firmly believing that God was able to raise Isaac from the dead if need be. After all, God had promised him that it was through Isaac that God was going to bring a great nation. And Isaac had to be alive to do so.
      Abraham found that God didn't want human sacrifice as a worship activity, as the nations around him, but He was different.
       You can explore more about this subject on your own.
      For help you can use this book on research tools using the search engine Google.. It is from the Dummy collection but I have found the series to be more than just written on a dummy level. It is written on a level that is understandable.

The Meeting

      Just got back from a morning breakfast meeting of some of the planners of ACTS church men's fellowship. Seems we are on the move again.
        Pastor Joe put forth the vision of claiming a whole corridor of our city to go door to door on foot. We would put on our Nike or Puma footwear and carry a survey with us.
      We would ask: "In the community, what does the church look like to you?" and the second question, " What services should your church be giving you in the community?"
      We would compile the answers and move in that direction of a needs service meeting church.
      So I have wondered also, since you are not my community how would you answer that type of survey if someone came to your door and asked you? Or maybe just talked to you? In other words, what would a church look like  which is meeting the needs you have?
     Interesting question.
     Feel free to comment.
     Also feel free to purchase what is offered here.

               

Bible Study for Growth

   Welcome. I want to spend a little time on the basics of Bible study for growth.
   We start off with a good translation of the Bible. It doesn't matter to me if you have a revised, a New King James, a New American Standard, or the New International translation.
   You just need one that you can read.
   In the study of your Bible you may want to mark up passages that you wish to note as important to you.
   You can get your suppies for this adventure at any stationary store.  I like to use a store like Office Max. They seem to have the products I need. Such as Paper Mate Flair Point pens.
     I also use a notebook-- it is a computer that I store my observations on. I tend to buy my electronics from the large stores such as Staples and Office Max.
     A Toshiba Notebook can also be purchased on line from technooutlet.com . but you can get a notebook from any good computer store also. You don't need to go ouline for everything. You can use a brick and mortar store.
    So now you have a Bible and a notebook and a pen.
   The pen is for jotting down observations in a notepad. so you will need a notepad.
   Open your Bible. Note what book you are studying. All scripture is given by inspiration of God, so we know who overshadowed it and caused it to be written. But we are searching here for the human writer. So you note that down,

Prayer Helps Interpretation

    Let's start with the gospel of Mark. Mark was the human writer. It says so in the title. That one was easy.
   Now you read to see what is being said.  What is the purpose? Who are the characters? Is there something there I should know? Write that down. Make note of it.
   After all, you are doing a Bible study for growth.  You need to record things to be able to go back and see your growth.
    You may also want to mark up your Bible. Yes, go on. It is permissible. You can underline verses you want to remember. Or verses that made an impression on you. You can write notes in the margins.                                  
    A Bible is meant to be interacted with. God is speaking to you through the words used. You talk back to Him in prayer.
    Feel free to comment with me. I will answer.
     

Family Devotions is a Good Idea

    Let me post about something very important. That is important if you want to grow as a family as well as a Christian.
    That is the subject of family devotions. It is also known as family altar. 

The family that does devotions together stays together

    But I very much prefer the term family devotions.
    You gather the family together. Start small. Read from God's word, the Bible. Or you can use a devotional.
      Start where you are.
       So we will use the devotional for this discussion. We will use it because it is easy to explain what to do for family devotions.
    Have one person read the scripture passage suggested. Then have the next person read the explanation. Then have the group discuss what is being said. How it applies to their daily existence.
    If there are needs expressed, have someone record these in a journal somewhere. This is so you can refer back to it as time goes on and see how the answer has been developing.
    Don't make it too literary. Just something like, "Mike was mean to me at school today. Guess I have to learn how to forgive him."
     You can pick up supplies to record these needs such as pens and paper from an office supply store such as OfficeDepot.
      Let me know how you are doing.