tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2208128743400619891.comments2009-03-03T08:01:46.403-06:00Hand On The PlowMichael Pottshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13731620179493532731noreply@blogger.comBlogger19125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2208128743400619891.post-1438797705957071702009-03-03T08:01:00.000-06:002009-03-03T08:01:00.000-06:00Sorry Anne, not from South Florida but Middle Tenn...Sorry Anne, not from South Florida but Middle Tennessee. Hope you find who you are looking for.<BR/>Blessings,<BR/>MikeMichael Pottshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13731620179493532731noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2208128743400619891.post-64972240583953397702009-03-02T14:42:00.000-06:002009-03-02T14:42:00.000-06:00Hey, are you Mike Potts formerly from South Florid...Hey, are you Mike Potts formerly from South Florida (Calvary Chapel, etc?)<BR/><BR/>If so, I am glad to find you and have a question.<BR/><BR/>Peace,<BR/>AnneAnne Bosworthhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12140212069201212930noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2208128743400619891.post-79671341659480216932008-11-24T21:48:00.000-06:002008-11-24T21:48:00.000-06:00I think you make several good points here, and I w...I think you make several good points here, and I would add that a good way to be shaken out of our greed is to work with those who have nothing. The area serviced by Hope Clinic (in Westmoreland) was already poor, but the situation has worsened with the financial crisis. I have witnessed families who could not even buy food, let alone think about buying Christmas gifts for their children. <BR/><BR/>I realize I am shamelessly using your blog as an advertisement, but let me just say that if anyone reading this feels the urge to help someone else this Christmas, we still have families who need sponsors. Food baskets and money donations are also appreciated and are always put to good use. The clinic phone number is 644=2000, or you can e-mail me at the address below.<BR/><BR/>There is nothing more rewarding than seeing the look on someone's face when you give them something they desperately need and did not expect.Jennyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08810571792319907323noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2208128743400619891.post-14914752731011592532008-11-17T09:09:00.000-06:002008-11-17T09:09:00.000-06:00@ lindsey h:thanks for commenting on the post. A f...@ lindsey h:<BR/>thanks for commenting on the post. A few thoughts in response:<BR/><BR/>1. Your view that "if [a marriage] ends in divorce, then it was not meant to be" comes from the philosophical school known as determinism. Determinism basically says that what will be will be and there is nothing we can do about it. I disagree with that type of thinking--it reminds me of not studying for a test because whatever will be, will be. This viewpoint discounts the fact that we have a great deal of control over our lives, with the choices that we make. Therefore a relationship is not simply 'meant to be' or not, but can be and is influenced by the actions of both parties within the relationship, whether for good or for ill.<BR/><BR/>2. Comparing what is likely our most important relationship to 'trying on a piece of clothing before you purchase it' makes me sad. Relationships are hard work, as you already likely know since you say you have been in a long term relationship. The temptation to abandon a relationship because it doesn't feel good or look good or gets worn (usually times we get rid of clothes) is one of the reasons many people cannot sustain relationships for a long period of time and certainly a cause of divorce.<BR/><BR/>3. "These studies" are not confounded by the "facts" you have asserted. The rate of divorce by those who self identify as evangelical Christians is identical to the rest of the U.S. population. So apparently those "family pressures and values" and "religious implications" you cite are not enough to prevent divorce. Indeed, these people may not be happy, but I get the sense from reading your post that you and I would probably not come to agreement on a definition for the word 'happiness.'<BR/><BR/>4. I congratulate you and your fiance on your 5 years together. However, your citing of one success does not mean that there are not a lot of other failures, just as one exception does not necessarily disprove what happens in most cases. I hope that you will continue to stay together and have a great relationship and a great marriage. Your post makes a lot of assumptions ("deluded to belief divorce is an abomination") that have little to do with what I posted. As a person who has been divorced and who deals with the terrible effects of divorce on individuals and families daily, my desire is to help people avoid divorce. While I have a religious basis for my beliefs, I am at heart a pragmatist. The success rate for first marriages is 50%, second marriages 33%, third marriages 15%, and beyond a third the success rate drops to 10% Perhaps I am deluded. But I will not stop trying!Michael Pottshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13731620179493532731noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2208128743400619891.post-78810646079740042542008-11-11T20:27:00.000-06:002008-11-11T20:27:00.000-06:00There is nothing wrong with living with someone pr...There is nothing wrong with living with someone prior to marriage. If it ends in divorce, then it was not meant to be. My fiance and I have lived together for 3.5 years (together for nearly 5), and are still going strong. Are you religious types deluded enough to believe that divorce is an abomination? If divorce happens, it has nothing to do with living together prior to marriage. It has to do with the couples who don't mesh well together in the first place. Living together is like trying on a piece of clothing before you purchase it. <BR/><BR/>What confounds these studies you quote is the fact that those who don't live together prior to marriage put more pressure on themselves to stay married because of their religion, family pressures and values, and the fear of divorce because of familial and religious implications. While you say this may be good, what about the happiness of said couples? Are they happy simply because they stay together? They probably stay together because of the factors listed above, not because they are truly happy. <BR/><BR/>So, since the studies are confounded by such factors, there is nothing out there leading anyone to believe unmarried couples living together leads them to a higher divorce rate.Lilyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17932041315345657025noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2208128743400619891.post-4066017873363070482008-06-08T00:05:00.000-06:002008-06-08T00:05:00.000-06:00There is an actual tent that is sponsored by a gro...There is an actual tent that is sponsored by a group of denominations called More than Music. I know this because, well I live there and help.<BR/><BR/>We love music too, but we also realize how important a relaationship is with Christ. Look harder. It might be like finding the Real Shakedown Street : )<BR/><BR/>God blessxharthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06359602947192687072noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2208128743400619891.post-35645922565054929412008-03-15T12:08:00.000-06:002008-03-15T12:08:00.000-06:00Science and religion exist on such different plane...Science and religion exist on such different planes, I get a little embarrassed watching the two intersect.<BR/><BR/>When I read Genesis now (and I grew up in a fundamentalist, young-earth community), I have to realize that the writers didn't have a telescope or even the most basic understanding of science (the sun, moon and stars are created on the fourth day, for example, AFTER the plants had been made, apparently).<BR/><BR/>As you said, Genesis explains God and sets up a time frame (the seven-day week) in which to understand all that he had done.JDhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17406757121672582364noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2208128743400619891.post-57544440744004447672008-02-01T20:06:00.000-06:002008-02-01T20:06:00.000-06:00Thanks for the link to my Einstein post. My sermo...Thanks for the link to my Einstein post. My sermon on relativity left a lasting impression on the Bethpage church. Now every speaker begins their sermon with, "Don't worry, I'm not going to go into physics!"<BR/><BR/>I read a study recently that said that <I>practicing Christians</I> spend more money supporting sports teams than they spend in tithes and offerings.<BR/><BR/>It is idolatry, methinks. And I'm just as guilty as anyone.JDhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17406757121672582364noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2208128743400619891.post-65242366329758436602007-09-21T15:10:00.000-06:002007-09-21T15:10:00.000-06:00i'm telling you, thats a miracle...amazing.i'm telling you, thats a miracle...amazing.Hannah Ruthhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15586151108915248928noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2208128743400619891.post-76704115204708567062007-08-31T19:45:00.000-06:002007-08-31T19:45:00.000-06:00The belief that the Second Coming is at hand becau...The belief that the Second Coming is at hand because natural disasters have increased is common, at least in my former church. For many years, Seventh-day Adventists have tabulated the number of natural disasters occurring in the world. They say that the frequency of these events has increased exponentially in recent years.<BR/><BR/>I would love it if they were right. I, for one, am ready to meet Jesus. I'm ready to learn the ultimate truths to all the puzzling questions I have about the universe. And more than anything, I'm ready for the suffering to end. Wouldn't it be great to live in a world where you knew that no child would be abused or go hungry? To know that such things as torture and death would no longer be possible? <BR/><BR/>But for me, the climax of Jesus' speech in Matthew 24 actually occurs in Matthew 25, with three of the greatest parables Jesus ever told: the parable of the Ten Virgins, the parable of the Talents, and the parable of the Sheep and the Goats.<BR/><BR/>If you will notice, the transition from Matthew 24 to Matthew 25 is all in red. Jesus' advice to his disciples progresses in a long continuum, from signs of his second coming to directions about how to be ready, contained in the three parables of chapter 25.<BR/><BR/>All three parables end with some being saved and some being lost. In the first, those saved remained filled with the Holy Spirit, even through the dark of night and a delayed arrival. In the second, those saved used the gifts God gave them to their utmost, shrewdly working to increase the yield on the master's investment. In the third, those saved treated everyone around them, no matter how destitute and poor, as they would have treated Christ.<BR/><BR/>Since I became Methodist, my focus has shifted almost completely from Matthew 24 (which, as an Adventist, I learned almost word-for-word) to Matthew 25. I agree with Mike that it's more important to work to relieve the suffering around us than to smugly use it as proof that the end is near. <BR/><BR/>Now, not only do I want to know the message of Matthew 25 word-for-word, but also to live it word-for-word - not because I'm afraid of Christ's coming, but because Christ calls us to change the world in his name. Everything I read in this chapter makes it clear that when he comes back, he wants to find us hard at work righting wrongs, correcting inequities, healing the sick, feeding the hungry, comforting the sad, and in general working to make our world as much like heaven as we possibly can. And in fact, this may be the best preparation we could ever have to enjoy and appreciate the beauty of a perfect world.Jennyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08810571792319907323noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2208128743400619891.post-69779022768889490292007-08-19T14:20:00.000-06:002007-08-19T14:20:00.000-06:00I forget how many times Johnny Carson was married,...I forget how many times Johnny Carson was married, but I'll never forget when he said, "I don't seen anything wrong with 50% of marriages ending in divorce. Just think about how the other 50% end."JDhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17406757121672582364noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2208128743400619891.post-41717178596471290862007-07-30T10:27:00.000-06:002007-07-30T10:27:00.000-06:00Do deer really have antlers? I would have agreed w...Do deer really have antlers? <BR/><BR/>I would have agreed with Mike, that deer have horns. So this morning as I was grooming the dog and my six-year old son, Owen was riding his bike in the driveway, I asked him.<BR/> <BR/>"Owen, do deer have horns or antlers?"<BR/>"Antlers," he immediately replied.<BR/><BR/>Kind of reminds me of the time a year or two ago that we were at the Knoxville zoo.<BR/>"Owen, look at the deer."<BR/>"Those are gemsbok antelope, Mom," he replied, in the patient tone of voice you would use with a child.<BR/><BR/>Sometimes I think God gave us children to keep us humble!Jennyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08810571792319907323noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2208128743400619891.post-60190976040516107732007-06-30T09:51:00.000-06:002007-06-30T09:51:00.000-06:00That sounds cool. Put me down for a shift in the ...That sounds cool. Put me down for a shift in the water booth.<BR/><BR/>Was Bonnaroo anything like the plaza in Santa Fe? There I saw people with more piercings than braincells, and grew flush with embarrassment when the kids asked, "Daddy, what's that smell?"<BR/><BR/>I've got video of my road trip up on my blog now.JDhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17406757121672582364noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2208128743400619891.post-68223064163420172992007-06-03T21:28:00.000-06:002007-06-03T21:28:00.000-06:00that is a really good point. i even struggle with ...that is a really good point. i even struggle with that alot(i know, hard to believe, isn't it.) school and sports really hold me back from doing God's work. i mean, instead of going on my youth's mission trip, im going to cheerleading camp.bummer how life works.Hannah Ruthhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15586151108915248928noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2208128743400619891.post-48972323321211341882007-03-08T08:47:00.000-06:002007-03-08T08:47:00.000-06:00Laypeople and ServiceDo we make joining a church r...Laypeople and Service<BR/>Do we make joining a church resemble joining a country club? We want our children to become a part of a group that will benefit them. Is this wrong? We choose our home church according to how much they have to offer us. Not how much can we contribute or "Will this church let me serve?"<BR/><BR/>In order to judge the success of a church or minister we look at numbers. What is the membership number? How many new members this month? What is ther offering this month? If we really want to change how laymembers serve, we really need to improve our measuring stick. You think we don't do this? Then why do most churches print the number attending church and amount of offering in the weekly bulletin? We could publish opportunities for service this week in our church and how many are serving.<BR/><BR/>Some churches won't let you become a member until you are serving. Some churches are more in a hurry to get your name on the membership role and then they talk about you serving. I wonder which church has more laity serving?<BR/><BR/>Maybe the Catholic church has the best ideas on worship and service. The worship hour is an hour for you to spend time with God. A holy time for you and God to spend time together listening for God's direction in your life. Isn't this what worship is about? All this "fellowshipping"! Does it improve our worship and service or is it a distraction?<BR/><BR/>As a part of God's laity I feel I need to use my talents and I need to recognize the Spiritual gifts God chooses to let me have as He needs them. The church should make available avenues to serve. As laity we should encourage one another, build one another's confidence up, look for the positive about one another and be open about our differences. Thus working together as laity to bulid God's Kingdom.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04223371111215728190noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2208128743400619891.post-78622648678551117532007-02-22T20:34:00.000-06:002007-02-22T20:34:00.000-06:00i don't think that it i our reasponsibility to dec...i don't think that it i our reasponsibility to decide who is going to hell and who isn't. the video goes against what god has told us," those who judge will be judged by God"<BR/> i think this video is tring to get christians all around the nation stired up with something we all know is not important.Hannah Ruthhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15586151108915248928noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2208128743400619891.post-77342816016366373472007-02-16T11:57:00.000-06:002007-02-16T11:57:00.000-06:00How about not calling church members laity anymore...How about not calling church members laity anymore, and instead giving them titles more descriptive of their particular roles in the church? "Laity" has taken on somewhat of a pejorative meaning, possibly because it is always paired with the word clergy, the implication being that the clergy are the more qualified of the two because of their training. <BR/><BR/>I sometimes get the idea that pastors try to motivate the laity to do the work while also seeking to keep all the control in their own hands - much like JD's analogy of a CEO passing down orders to the line workers. <BR/><BR/>Empowering laity as ministers involves risks on the part of the pastor. Maybe someone isn't properly trained. Maybe they will make a mistake and embarass the church, or worse, do real damage to a person. It also may take the pastor out of the spotlight. <BR/><BR/>I'm not sure how to overcome those problems, but I can tell you from experience in a lot of different church congregations that if the members do not catch the vision, feel valued and empowered, they will not do the work. Line workers get a paycheck; church members don't. Their payback comes from feeling they are a valued member of a team, and from seeing the positive results of their work.<BR/><BR/>When I think of the word "layperson," I think of someonw who's not trained, not called - kind of a novice. I think that word should be done away with and replaced with words like "minister of worship," "minister of music," or more specific titles for groups (like our church's womens group which calls itself Women of Hope and has a specific ministry at Hope Clinic). Titles should be given which describe the job a person is doing, and non-clergy should just be called members or team members or church body or whatever else you want. Whatever meaning it originally had, the word laity now pretty much means someone who's not important.Jennyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08810571792319907323noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2208128743400619891.post-47357311110210579922007-02-15T22:01:00.000-06:002007-02-15T22:01:00.000-06:00Looks good, Mike!I studied some management in grad...Looks good, Mike!<BR/><BR/>I studied some management in graduate school, and I remember an interesting definition of the layers of management. The CEO spends his time on issues that are years in the forefront. The General Manager covers issues that are months away. The line worker's job is to focus on the day-to-day.<BR/><BR/>I think this might help define the laity. Clergy are the upper levels of management within the church. They sights are set upon Eternity (as well as the future of the church community: building projects, outreach, etc.)<BR/><BR/>The laity are the line workers in the community. Their focus is the day-to-day, although some move into board positions where they are given a further view.<BR/><BR/>The problems I've seen in churches have been where pastors got bogged down in the jobs of the laity, or where laity had to take on the role of pastor and steer the church without a caption (this wasn't just from lay-bullying, but also from pastoral and district-level incompetence).JDhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17406757121672582364noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2208128743400619891.post-47460767896254646762007-02-14T22:49:00.000-06:002007-02-14T22:49:00.000-06:00This video gave me chills. It was downright spook...This video gave me chills. It was downright spooky. Having said that, I think they got it wrong. I don't think that the denial of the existence of the Holy Spirit is what the Bible means by "the blasphemy against the Holy Spirit."<BR/><BR/>I still remember the day this passage (found in Luke 3) came to life for me. Last summer our family visited our old church in Globe, Arizona - a little Seventh-day Adventist church set up on a hill outside the town, and one of the most loving churches you've ever seen, despite all the rules they follow. The Sabbath school lesson that Saturday focused on the unpardonable sin. <BR/><BR/>One peculiar thing about the Holy Spirit coming into my life is that after it happened, Bible verses that I had never understood started to come to life. The meaning just about leaped off the page. And that was what happened that day during the study - almost instantly, I understood what the unpardonable sin really was.<BR/><BR/>In the passage (starting at verse 20), Jesus is pretty ticked off with not only the Pharisees but also his own family for mistaking the Holy Spirit, whose power enabled His ministry, for the Devil. They were putting themselves in a position only God can occupy: that of passing judgement on someone's actions, motive, and fitness to do God's work. In doing this, they were actually trying to shut down God himself.<BR/><BR/>I believe that blashpemy against the Holy Spirit is the sin Lucifer committed - putting himself in the place of God and seeking equality with God - which would allow him also to pass final judgement on someone's actions. Anyone who sets him or herself up as a rival God, and claims powers only belonging to God, and persists in that endeavor, commits blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. <BR/><BR/>It should make us think twice before we judge others, or assume someone's ministry is not from God. Mark 9:40 says that "whoever is not against us is for us." Jesus'inclusiveness extendeded to many people who broke the traditional model of service; he makes it clear that there are many correct paths we may take in serving God.<BR/><BR/>So, I say that the unpardonable sin - also called blasphemy against the Holy Spirit - involves judging people in a way that only God has the right to do, and persistently trying to occupy a space only God can occupy.<BR/><BR/>I would like to hear other views on this. I have often heard people say that this is a hard verse to interpret. I would like to hear from any theologians reading this blog, since I am not a theologian.Jennyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08810571792319907323noreply@blogger.com