<?xml version='1.0' encoding='UTF-8'?><?xml-stylesheet href="http://www.blogger.com/styles/atom.css" type="text/css"?><feed xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom' xmlns:openSearch='http://a9.com/-/spec/opensearchrss/1.0/' xmlns:georss='http://www.georss.org/georss' xmlns:gd='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005' xmlns:thr='http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0'><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6412974965508260606</id><updated>2011-07-30T14:40:02.758-04:00</updated><category term='seeker sensitive'/><category term='carnal christianity'/><category term='church growth'/><category term='kenyon'/><category term='impotent religion'/><category term='positive confession'/><category term='osteen'/><category term='christian witchcraft'/><category term='false'/><category term='word of faith'/><category term='seeker friendly'/><category term='false religion'/><category term='effeminate faith'/><category term='warren'/><category term='real faith'/><category term='Kenneth Hagin'/><category term='purpose driven'/><category term='faith'/><category term='godly men'/><category term='worldly believers'/><title type='text'>PDub's 'Never Whatever World' Blog</title><subtitle type='html'></subtitle><link rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#feed' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://pdubsneverwhateverworldblog.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/6412974965508260606/posts/default?max-results=100'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://pdubsneverwhateverworldblog.blogspot.com/'/><link rel='hub' href='http://pubsubhubbub.appspot.com/'/><author><name>P'Dub</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/03193358234672146700</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='http://img2.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><generator version='7.00' uri='http://www.blogger.com'>Blogger</generator><openSearch:totalResults>10</openSearch:totalResults><openSearch:startIndex>1</openSearch:startIndex><openSearch:itemsPerPage>100</openSearch:itemsPerPage><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6412974965508260606.post-4158033568942748151</id><published>2009-01-06T12:37:00.004-05:00</published><updated>2009-10-13T18:31:19.763-04:00</updated><title type='text'>Valient Voices New Year Bash</title><content type='html'>&lt;div id="vodpod_widget_4112902"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;We may have made a mistake kicking off the new year by inviting Valient Voices to come to our party. We thought it would be amusing - ya know start 2009 with a chuckle.&lt;br /&gt;We're not laughing.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;script src="http://widgets.vodpod.com/javascripts/recent_videos.js?id=362012&amp;amp;v=2&amp;amp;title=Pdubjackson%27s%20videos&amp;amp;options[theme]=mini&amp;amp;options[num]=1&amp;amp;category_id=latest&amp;amp;options[color]=606060&amp;amp;options[div_id]=vodpod_widget_4112902"&gt;&lt;/script&gt;&lt;br /&gt;We thought it would be amusing inviting Valiant Voices in for our New Year's Bash - you know, like, out with the old in with the new. These geezers were perfect representatives of time-gone- by. &lt;/div&gt;&lt;p&gt;They have no clue about the fine, felt, froliking of the new and relevent gospel of Whatever World. We thought it would be funny hearing them go on about old landmarks and timeless truths. But geesh, these guys are serious about this stuff!&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;They talk about things we put in the closet decades ago. So the evening was a dud. We brought in a crowd to have a good time - they brought in a cross. We were ready to celebrate - they wept. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;What was so confusing...it was hard to tell which of us was more out of place. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Man, are they party poopers.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;noscript&gt;&lt;/noscript&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6412974965508260606-4158033568942748151?l=pdubsneverwhateverworldblog.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://pdubsneverwhateverworldblog.blogspot.com/feeds/4158033568942748151/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=6412974965508260606&amp;postID=4158033568942748151&amp;isPopup=true' title='1 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/6412974965508260606/posts/default/4158033568942748151'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/6412974965508260606/posts/default/4158033568942748151'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://pdubsneverwhateverworldblog.blogspot.com/2009/01/i-collect-with-vodpod-create-your-video.html' title='Valient Voices New Year Bash'/><author><name>P'Dub</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/03193358234672146700</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='http://img2.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>1</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6412974965508260606.post-7613924513713289917</id><published>2008-10-18T22:27:00.007-04:00</published><updated>2009-05-05T23:16:21.833-04:00</updated><title type='text'>Politics at Whatever World</title><content type='html'>&lt;a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_cRusguj3ssQ/SPqi2eg_2XI/AAAAAAAAAF4/SaR35lHLDas/s1600-h/vote2.jpg"&gt;&lt;img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5258694571696576882" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_cRusguj3ssQ/SPqi2eg_2XI/AAAAAAAAAF4/SaR35lHLDas/s200/vote2.jpg" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div&gt;Election years have become good vehicles to demonstrate just how open, intellectual and diverse we are here at Whatever World Assembly.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;No longer pawns to the radical right wing elements of a few outspoken demagogues, we take a holistic view of governing and being governed.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The simplistic days of one-issue voting are far behind us. How can we expect someone who will lead the free world to be absolute on issues that have splintered the country for years? We say, “Peace, peace”. Let’s focus on the things we can agree on.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"&gt;We all agree the air should be clean, don’t we? And isn’t it high time we fed every hungry person in the world? And because we agree that the ground is level at the Cross – we feel it should be level everywhere! Take from those who have saved and accumulated and give it to those who may have handled their opportunities with less foresight or success. Why should they be punished and impoverished?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;That’s what Jesus would do, right? &lt;span style="font-size:85%;"&gt;(Mt.25:14-30)&lt;/span&gt; So should the next president. &lt;a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_cRusguj3ssQ/SPqo8AoH2EI/AAAAAAAAAGY/MALD_mIptXQ/s1600-h/vote3.jpg"&gt;&lt;img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5258701263822379074" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_cRusguj3ssQ/SPqo8AoH2EI/AAAAAAAAAGY/MALD_mIptXQ/s400/vote3.jpg" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Why hand out voter guides that state the obvious? Why get mired in the controversy of abortion and same-sex marriage and whether or not it is constitutional to pray at high school sporting events?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Should a candidate be written off just because he is unable to make a decisive stand on hot topics like partial birth abortion? Of course not.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;To bring up the gruesome act of pulling a full-term child from the womb (but for its head) and then plunging scissors in the back of the skull and removing the brain with suction…well enough said…Why bring such conversation into the homes of millions? How can we expect a man to state definitively where he stands on such a procedure as that?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Now you see, don’t you? There are much more respectable discussions we should be having. Or how will the world ever take us seriously?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;And why be so unreasonable as to demand our next president lift up voice with conviction on the unique role marriage has within the social structure? Is it all that important?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;It’s not as if social adhesion and procreation and common sense were at stake. It’s not as if all of nature would revolt or as if all moral sensibility would unravel. &lt;a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_cRusguj3ssQ/SPqi2FfISaI/AAAAAAAAAFw/ZnCxUWTZ_os/s1600-h/samesex.jpg"&gt;&lt;img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5258694564977854882" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" height="58" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_cRusguj3ssQ/SPqi2FfISaI/AAAAAAAAAFw/ZnCxUWTZ_os/s200/samesex.jpg" width="103" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Do we think simply because a candidate cannot firmly put together words to express outrage at abortion scenes with disembodied babies piled in trash bags…do we think that means he won’t take care of our babies or care about the children in Darfur or not be resolved about human abuses in China, Iran, Korea and elsewhere?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;And simply because a candidate might be a bit confused as to whether marriage should exist between two people of the same sex, is that any reason to believe he won’t be able to make clear decisions about right and wrong? Simply because he might sanction the legal establishment of homosexual homes by marriage isn’t a leap to think he had no moral &lt;a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_cRusguj3ssQ/SPqi0MAvi8I/AAAAAAAAAFo/qrPSBMizKPQ/s1600-h/Vote.jpg"&gt;&lt;img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5258694532369714114" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_cRusguj3ssQ/SPqi0MAvi8I/AAAAAAAAAFo/qrPSBMizKPQ/s200/Vote.jpg" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;compass?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Because we uh, need to focus on...uh...things that, you know, really matter…like clean rivers and –uh-…making friends with –uh- …and education, yeah our little babies need…to be smarter…and …so they can grow and...uh...succeed and raise fam….uh...well you know,...whatever.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6412974965508260606-7613924513713289917?l=pdubsneverwhateverworldblog.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://pdubsneverwhateverworldblog.blogspot.com/feeds/7613924513713289917/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=6412974965508260606&amp;postID=7613924513713289917&amp;isPopup=true' title='2 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/6412974965508260606/posts/default/7613924513713289917'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/6412974965508260606/posts/default/7613924513713289917'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://pdubsneverwhateverworldblog.blogspot.com/2008/10/politics-at-whatever-world.html' title='Politics at Whatever World'/><author><name>P'Dub</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/03193358234672146700</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='http://img2.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media='http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/' url='http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_cRusguj3ssQ/SPqi2eg_2XI/AAAAAAAAAF4/SaR35lHLDas/s72-c/vote2.jpg' height='72' width='72'/><thr:total>2</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6412974965508260606.post-2939233861862684510</id><published>2008-05-27T18:53:00.007-04:00</published><updated>2008-06-04T12:23:08.193-04:00</updated><category scheme='http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#' term='warren'/><category scheme='http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#' term='seeker sensitive'/><category scheme='http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#' term='worldly believers'/><title type='text'>Two Words, Two Letters, Two Worlds</title><content type='html'>Well, a most embarrassing blunder has been made here at &lt;span style="font-family:verdana;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Whatever World&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;. But it is one anybody could have made. Come to find out, the often coined phrase describing a believer’s relationship with the world is really, ‘&lt;em&gt;In the world - but not of it&lt;/em&gt;.’ Yeah, who knew? &lt;img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5205262745849215426" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://bp3.blogger.com/_cRusguj3ssQ/SDzO44DqucI/AAAAAAAAAFg/-9zuZd7V2Jk/s400/mistakes.bmp" border="0" /&gt;We kind of misread it and well…flip-flopped it. So here we have been operating on the premise that Jesus wanted us to be, ‘&lt;em&gt;Of the world - but not in it&lt;/em&gt;.’   Oops, our bad.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;We are just now realizing how far this dixletic moment might have set us back. ‘&lt;em&gt;Of the world’&lt;/em&gt; –..... that has been the church growth pattern we have been striving for.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;So we made the business model our guide and the bottom line our purpose. We replaced our pastors with managers and missiology with sociology. ‘&lt;em&gt;Of the world…of the world’&lt;/em&gt;…ask what would the world do...what would the world want?   And that’s what we did, that's what we wanted.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;We put Starbucks in our foyer and cup holders in our sanctuaries.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;No need to take the kids to Chuck E. Cheese. We have one right here.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;We have door prizes and giveaways. It’s like a game show and there are no losers!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://bp0.blogger.com/_cRusguj3ssQ/SDzLMIDqubI/AAAAAAAAAFY/GSUgW1GJuzM/s1600-h/lifebook_words.jpg"&gt;&lt;img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5205258678515186098" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://bp0.blogger.com/_cRusguj3ssQ/SDzLMIDqubI/AAAAAAAAAFY/GSUgW1GJuzM/s200/lifebook_words.jpg" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;We accentuate the positive, eliminate the negative. No crosses, no conviction, no shame. We latch on to the affirmative. You aren’t lost and in danger of God’s wrath. - You ain't no sinner!  You are a &lt;em&gt;Pre-Christian&lt;/em&gt;!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Our doctrines have been tested by Barna, our sermons mass-produced by Warren and our staff reprogrammed by Ryan Seacrest.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;It has worked so wonderfully! We are dynamic! We have thousands of church-going, ‘&lt;span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"&gt;Best Life Now’&lt;/span&gt; believers&lt;/span&gt; who have no condemnation, no conviction and no desire for things above.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;We’re saved! On our way to Heaven! Forgiven and free! And we were able to lay claim to all this without the untidy business of humility, discipleship and sacrifice. We kept our pride, our power, and our greed. (&lt;span style="font-size:85%;"&gt;we should have suspected something was amiss&lt;/span&gt;.)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;‘&lt;em&gt;Of the world’&lt;/em&gt;…But by God, we are “&lt;em&gt;not in it&lt;/em&gt;.” We created the &lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Whatever World Believer's Dome&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt;. &lt;span style="font-size:85%;"&gt;(our take on the BioSphere&lt;/span&gt;.)   No need to go outside.  No need to go ‘&lt;em&gt;in the world’&lt;/em&gt;.  We have it all here under one roof.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;No need to mingle with the pagans outside – no need to buy their goods or attend their schools or listen to their music or laugh at their jokes. – We have our own marketplace right under one big roof.   We have our own cruise lines our own diets plans, our own 'Thirst No More' bottled drinking water!  We have our own concerts, our own comedians, our own magicians.   On stage, tonight. Admission only $27.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;We are so 'set apart' that we eat nothing but Christian vitamins, watch nothing but sanctified soap operas and have our breath refreshed only by sucking on messiah mints.   Our 'Blessed Broadcast Network' increases our faith to the point where we realize any miracle can be bought with a pledge.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;So we did it.   We &lt;strong&gt;are&lt;/strong&gt; ‘&lt;em&gt;of the world’&lt;/em&gt; – we enjoy all the world enjoys – but under our roof pride becomes positive confession and greed becomes godliness.  Sin is softened by our sanctified psychology.  Even our old lusts has found a place where adultery, and porn and prostitution is not condemned - but understood, sympathized, ministered to.   It's like the Garden of Eden!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;We've become disloyal and ill mannered, stubborn and unforgiving, yet all in a very spiritual sort of way.   ‘&lt;em&gt;Of the world’&lt;/em&gt;, you see, ‘&lt;em&gt;but not in it.’&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:verdana;"&gt;My God, what have we done?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;We are reevaluating our new marketing slogan:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:130%;"&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;span style="color:#330000;"&gt;‘&lt;span style="font-family:verdana;"&gt;Come to &lt;strong&gt;Whatever World&lt;/strong&gt; where it never rains on your parade.’&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6412974965508260606-2939233861862684510?l=pdubsneverwhateverworldblog.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://pdubsneverwhateverworldblog.blogspot.com/feeds/2939233861862684510/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=6412974965508260606&amp;postID=2939233861862684510&amp;isPopup=true' title='1 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/6412974965508260606/posts/default/2939233861862684510'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/6412974965508260606/posts/default/2939233861862684510'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://pdubsneverwhateverworldblog.blogspot.com/2008/05/two-words-two-letters-two-worlds.html' title='Two Words, Two Letters, Two Worlds'/><author><name>P'Dub</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/03193358234672146700</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='http://img2.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media='http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/' url='http://bp3.blogger.com/_cRusguj3ssQ/SDzO44DqucI/AAAAAAAAAFg/-9zuZd7V2Jk/s72-c/mistakes.bmp' height='72' width='72'/><thr:total>1</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6412974965508260606.post-2675794503941106362</id><published>2008-04-11T09:05:00.013-04:00</published><updated>2008-04-21T08:42:53.673-04:00</updated><category scheme='http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#' term='positive confession'/><category scheme='http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#' term='false'/><category scheme='http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#' term='christian witchcraft'/><category scheme='http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#' term='word of faith'/><category scheme='http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#' term='faith'/><title type='text'>The Warlocks of Whatever World</title><content type='html'>&lt;span style="font-family:arial;"&gt;“The job is mine. The job is mine. The job is mine! In Jesus name!”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;This was the ritual I was taught to get whatever I desired. As long as I did not allow negativity, doubt or unbelief to creep into my thinking or be expressed with my words I was assured the coveted prize was on its way.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I did this for years with incredible results. Positive confession, positive speech, and daily affirmation that ‘what I speak, will be’.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;And I did this years &lt;em&gt;before&lt;/em&gt; meeting Jesus Christ, before meeting a Christian, or Kenneth Hagin, or attending a church. &lt;a href="http://bp0.blogger.com/_cRusguj3ssQ/R_9l8XYG0II/AAAAAAAAAEg/GdvD9s4aFZM/s1600-h/blog+4.jpg"&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:arial;"&gt;&lt;img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5187977383495782530" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://bp0.blogger.com/_cRusguj3ssQ/R_9l8XYG0II/AAAAAAAAAEg/GdvD9s4aFZM/s200/blog+4.jpg" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;It was in my search of cosmic consciousness that I came upon this approach, wrapped in new age jargon, to changing the world around me, simply by having faith - in my faith. My instructor was a witch ('&lt;span style="font-size:85%;"&gt;a good one' she said&lt;/span&gt;) who introduced me to gurus and spiritual advisors. And along with a small group of disciples I began to learn 'mind over matter' methods of moving the universe by conjuring up realities that I desired to see materialize.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:arial;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;We would discipline the mind to focus on an object or desired result then see that object coming to us – coming to fulfillment. We would center on our core being, progress through a color spectrum, remove all doubt, and deny any reality that was contrary to our purpose. We would breathe in the energy that would cause these things to come to pass, then proclaim, “In the name of Jesus.”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;It worked!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I landed jobs, frustrated enemies, saw visions, garnered favor and possessions. Once in the black of night I ran out of gas on a long empty road. Headlights came my way and I began the ‘technique’. The pick-up truck passed me by and I ‘arrested’ it through a complete emptying of mind of any thought that did not agree with the new reality I was creating. “This guy &lt;em&gt;will&lt;/em&gt; stop and help me.” The truck sped by. I kept ‘hold of it’ confessing aloud, “You will stop. You will help me. You are mine.” The vehicle kept rolling down the road. I stayed fixed on it with no thought of releasing him.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Nearly a half mile away from me, the taillights barely visible, I saw the brake lights brighten. The truck made a slow turn, headed back toward me and stopped at my car. “Need help? Hop in.” The two mid-aged men hardly spoke, drove me about 5 miles, paid for my gas and the gas can, and drove me back to my car.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:arial;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“Thanks.” And they drove off. It was as though they were in a trance. I was smug, confident, in control. It worked.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://bp0.blogger.com/_cRusguj3ssQ/R_9kIXYG0HI/AAAAAAAAAEY/XBNxzp_6mZ4/s1600-h/aaron_snake.jpg"&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:arial;"&gt;&lt;img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5187975390630957170" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://bp0.blogger.com/_cRusguj3ssQ/R_9kIXYG0HI/AAAAAAAAAEY/XBNxzp_6mZ4/s200/aaron_snake.jpg" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;It was demonic.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Countless times I used this ‘conjuring by confession’ to alter my reality. Focus, colors, christ. But the person of Jesus, the value of His name, the foundation of faith, even the existence of God did not weigh in on the process. &lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;I&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt; was in control. &lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;My&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt; thoughts determined the outcome. &lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;My&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt; words created &lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;my&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt; world.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Imagine my confusion after meeting the living Lord and being set free from this ‘faith without God’ to find the very same mantra like mechanics being practiced and promoted in Christ's church.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The technique does work. It did for Mary Baker Eddy, Norman Vincent Peale, Robert Schuller, E. W. Kenyon. Each developed doctrines and disciples to follow their Christ-denying, positive insistence that ‘what they&lt;em&gt; &lt;/em&gt;say, will be’.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;This is not an enlightened teaching of ‘faith in the word’. It is piecemeal plundering of the precious Words of God, a distortion that leads to perversion - robbing God of glory, exalting self and imagining that greed is a virtue and gain a godliness.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:arial;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:arial;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:85%;color:#cc0000;"&gt;" But I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ. &lt;a href="http://bp0.blogger.com/_cRusguj3ssQ/SAN9TmWh_DI/AAAAAAAAAEw/huETPCrUu70/s1600-h/6-Serpent.jpg"&gt;&lt;img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5189128971326979122" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://bp0.blogger.com/_cRusguj3ssQ/SAN9TmWh_DI/AAAAAAAAAEw/huETPCrUu70/s200/6-Serpent.jpg" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;For if someone comes and proclaims another Jesus than the one we proclaimed, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or if you accept a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it readily enough.&lt;br /&gt;I consider that I am not in the least inferior to these super-apostles.&lt;br /&gt;Even if I am unskilled in speaking, I am not so in knowledge; indeed, in every way we have made this plain to you in all things."&lt;/span&gt; (2 Cor. 11:3-6)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;There is a real faith that speaks with authority into the world around us. A faith that is God-honoring, Christ-exalting and self-denying. A faith that does not need to deny truth to operate. A faith that believes there is no reality into which you have to speak falsely in order to bring God's grace, glory and power to bear upon the circumstances.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Don’t allow false prophets and the warlocks of Whatever World to pull the old switcharoo on you.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6412974965508260606-2675794503941106362?l=pdubsneverwhateverworldblog.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://pdubsneverwhateverworldblog.blogspot.com/feeds/2675794503941106362/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=6412974965508260606&amp;postID=2675794503941106362&amp;isPopup=true' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/6412974965508260606/posts/default/2675794503941106362'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/6412974965508260606/posts/default/2675794503941106362'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://pdubsneverwhateverworldblog.blogspot.com/2008/04/warlocks-of-whatever-world.html' title='The Warlocks of Whatever World'/><author><name>P'Dub</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/03193358234672146700</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='http://img2.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media='http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/' url='http://bp0.blogger.com/_cRusguj3ssQ/R_9l8XYG0II/AAAAAAAAAEg/GdvD9s4aFZM/s72-c/blog+4.jpg' height='72' width='72'/><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6412974965508260606.post-4916437350045072116</id><published>2008-03-08T11:44:00.036-05:00</published><updated>2008-04-02T08:01:14.208-04:00</updated><category scheme='http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#' term='false religion'/><category scheme='http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#' term='kenyon'/><category scheme='http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#' term='Kenneth Hagin'/><category scheme='http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#' term='faith'/><title type='text'>Fiddling with Faith</title><content type='html'>Listen to the mantra coming from within 'Whatever World Assembly'. “Peace, peace. Peace and safety. &lt;a href="http://bp0.blogger.com/_cRusguj3ssQ/R9MLgHe_vrI/AAAAAAAAAEA/bAc9DrK-HYI/s1600-h/mantegna_samson.jpg"&gt;&lt;img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5175493043171606194" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://bp0.blogger.com/_cRusguj3ssQ/R9MLgHe_vrI/AAAAAAAAAEA/bAc9DrK-HYI/s200/mantegna_samson.jpg" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;Peace, prosperity and safety!”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The damning drone of 'wordfaith' philosophy while peddling prosperity has left the church, - well... - faithless and bankrupt.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;If 'Word of Faith' teachings sound a bit like Mary Baker Eddy's 'christian science' there is good reason. 'Word of Faith' magnifies the magic of the mind rather than the Person of God. They have no fear distorting Scripture to promote their wares and mocking the faith once delivered to the saints. &lt;span style="font-size:85%;"&gt;&lt;span style="color:#ff6600;"&gt;&lt;em&gt;("If Paul had only read what he wrote later he would have never suffered his thorn in the flesh." Copeland)&lt;/em&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;But 'Word of Faith' and christian science come into their most awful harmony in the God-demeaning, man-exalting doctrine both sects espouse.&lt;span style="font-size:85%;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:78%;"&gt;&lt;span style="color:#666600;"&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:100%;color:#ff6600;"&gt;"The believer is as much an incarnation of God as Jesus Christ" (K. E. Hagin, Sr."The Incarnation," The Word of Faith, 12/80&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="color:#ff6600;"&gt;).&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="color:#ff6600;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;em&gt;"Christ's physical death on the cross was not enough to save us."&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:85%;color:#ff6600;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:100%;"&gt; (K. E. Hagin Sr.)&lt;br /&gt;The material blood of Jesus was no more efficacious to cleanse from sin when it was shed upon 'the accursed tree,' than when it was flowing in his veins." (Mary Baker Eddy)&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="color:#666600;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:78%;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:78%;"&gt;&lt;a href="http://bp3.blogger.com/_cRusguj3ssQ/R9MG73e_vnI/AAAAAAAAADk/ihqLF-uo8HE/s1600-h/hagin.jpg"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:85%;color:#666600;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5175488022354837106" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://bp3.blogger.com/_cRusguj3ssQ/R9MG73e_vnI/AAAAAAAAADk/ihqLF-uo8HE/s200/hagin.jpg" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span style="color:#666600;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:85%;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt; &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:100%;"&gt;&lt;span style="color:#000000;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:180%;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Hagin's conceit goes supernova&lt;/strong&gt;.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="color:#ff6600;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:100%;"&gt;&lt;em&gt;"Man was created on terms of equality with God, and he could stand in God's presence without any consciousness of inferiority...God made us as much like Himself as possible...He made us the same class of being that He is Himself...Man lived in the realm of God. He lived on terms equal with God...The believer is called Christ...That's who we are; we're Christ!" Kenneth Hagin, Sr. (How Jesus Obtained His Name &amp;amp; Zoe: The God Kind of Life&lt;/em&gt;)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:100%;color:#000000;"&gt;Now, to be fair, Kenneth Hagin's words aren't exactly Kenneth Hagin's words.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:78%;"&gt;&lt;span style="color:#666600;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:100%;color:#000000;"&gt;His ‘faith on steroids’ shtick, was not a revelation found in Scripture, but in the teachings of E. W. Kenyon. Hagin’s writings are not similar to Kenyon's - they are identical! &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:78%;"&gt;&lt;span style="color:#666600;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:78%;"&gt;&lt;span style="color:#666600;"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:85%;"&gt;&lt;span style="color:#ff6600;"&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Kenyon &lt;/strong&gt;- Man is a spirit who possesses a soul and he lives . . . in a body. He is in the same class as God. We know that God is a spirit and He became a man took on a man's body, and when He did it He was no less God than when He didn't have a body. Man, at death, leaves his physical body and is no less man than he was when he had his ... body. (The Hidden Man [Seattle: Kenyon's Gospel Publishing Society, 1970]&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Hagin&lt;/strong&gt; - Man is a spirit being, he has a soul and lives in a body.... He is in the same class with God. We know that God is a Spirit. And yet [He] took upon Himself a man's body when God took upon Himself human form He was no less God than He was before He took the physical body... Man, at physical death, leaves his body. Yet he is no less man than he was when he had his body. (Man of Three Dimensions [Tulsa: Faith Library, 1973]&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Hagin's plagiarizing is so extensive, (&lt;span style="color:#666600;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:100%;color:#000000;"&gt;75% of one of Hagins' best-sellers, 'The Authority of the Believer' was taken from Jack MacMillans' work with the same title)&lt;span style="font-size:78%;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:100%;"&gt; that 'word of faith' teaching is actually '&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;word-for-word'&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt; the teachings of Kenyon&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;!&lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href="http://bp2.blogger.com/_cRusguj3ssQ/R-ri-vfMD-I/AAAAAAAAAEQ/l3EgyCW1PZQ/s1600-h/kenyon.jpg"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:100%;"&gt;&lt;img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5182203888770224098" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://bp2.blogger.com/_cRusguj3ssQ/R-ri-vfMD-I/AAAAAAAAAEQ/l3EgyCW1PZQ/s200/kenyon.jpg" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:100%;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:100%;"&gt;&lt;span style="color:#000000;"&gt;The roots of Kenyon's life and ministry weave throughout the cults of Science of the Mind, the Unity School of Christianity, Christian Science and New Thought metaphysics. In essence it is E. W. Kenyon who is most truly the godfather of the 'faith-in-faith' phenomana. Even&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="color:#666600;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:100%;color:#000000;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:78%;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:100%;"&gt;&lt;span style="color:#000000;"&gt; the phraseology used by today’s prosperity preachers, &lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;("What I confess, I possess.")&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt; are Kenyon originals.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="color:#000000;"&gt;What we balk at admitting - if the source of this 'new faith' is revamped new age spiritualism - what we balk at admitting - having chosen to call the practice of confessing, claiming, and coveting an enlightened christianity - what we balk at admitting - is that the 'positive confession/prosperity gospel' isn't skewed, it is a destructive substitute to the faith of Jesus Christ! &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="color:#666600;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:100%;color:#000000;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:78%;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:100%;"&gt;&lt;span style="color:#000000;"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="color:#666600;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:100%;color:#000000;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:78%;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:100%;"&gt;&lt;span style="color:#000000;"&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="color:#ff0000;"&gt;&lt;em&gt;"Some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons..."(I Tim 4)&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:85%;color:#ff6600;"&gt;"He wants His children to eat the best, He wants them to wear the best clothing, He wants them to drive the best cars, and He wants them to have &lt;strong&gt;the best&lt;/strong&gt; of everything. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:85%;"&gt;&lt;span style="color:#ff6600;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Don't pray&lt;/strong&gt; about money anymore, claim whatever you need!" (K. E. H.)&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:85%;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:78%;color:#666600;"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:78%;"&gt;&lt;span style="color:#666600;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:100%;color:#000000;"&gt;A church that has breast fed on the idea that they deserve "to wear and eat the best!" will not shed the cloak of self-righteousness to put on the silly suit of God's armor. What can you possibly teach a crew who believe themselves to be Christ, a god, equals with Jesus? Nothing. They receive no rebuke and need no correction.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;span style="color:#ff0000;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:85%;"&gt;Paul says, "He is puffed up with conceit...imagining that godliness is a means of gain...those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into senseless and harmful desires..."(I Tim. 6)span&gt;&lt;em&gt;"...the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listiening to the truth and wander off into myths." (II Tim. 4)&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:85%;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Jude&lt;/strong&gt; warns, “&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:85%;"&gt;&lt;span style="color:#990000;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;B&lt;/strong&gt;eloved...I found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints. For certain people have crept in unnoticed…who pervert the grace of our God into sensuality and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href="http://bp2.blogger.com/_cRusguj3ssQ/R9sR4ne_vsI/AAAAAAAAAEI/1iYs3EyCMeI/s1600-h/MUS_050C.jpg"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:85%;"&gt;&lt;img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5177751860961853122" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://bp2.blogger.com/_cRusguj3ssQ/R9sR4ne_vsI/AAAAAAAAAEI/1iYs3EyCMeI/s200/MUS_050C.jpg" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;Woe&lt;/strong&gt; to them! For they walked in the way of Cain and abandoned themselves for the sake of gain to Balaam's error and perished in Korah's rebellion.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;These&lt;/strong&gt; are blemishes on your love feasts, as they feast with you without fear, looking after themselves; waterless clouds, swept along by winds; fruitless trees, wild waves casting up the foam of their own shame; wandering stars... &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="color:#990000;"&gt;It is these who cause divisions...&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:85%;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:85%;"&gt;&lt;span style="color:#990000;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;But&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;strong&gt;you&lt;/strong&gt;, beloved, build yourselves up in your most holy faith; pray in the Holy Spirit; keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life.&lt;/span&gt; (Jude 1:3-21)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="color:#000000;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:100%;"&gt;Small wonder the church in America is anemic, impotent and without the faith once delivered to the saints. We gorge ourselves on 'the best', - and while the world draws nearer to the flames we fiddle with a faith that is false, foolish and finally... fatal.&lt;/span&gt; &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6412974965508260606-4916437350045072116?l=pdubsneverwhateverworldblog.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://pdubsneverwhateverworldblog.blogspot.com/feeds/4916437350045072116/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=6412974965508260606&amp;postID=4916437350045072116&amp;isPopup=true' title='1 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/6412974965508260606/posts/default/4916437350045072116'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/6412974965508260606/posts/default/4916437350045072116'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://pdubsneverwhateverworldblog.blogspot.com/2008/03/fiddling-with-faith.html' title='Fiddling with Faith'/><author><name>P'Dub</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/03193358234672146700</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='http://img2.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media='http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/' url='http://bp0.blogger.com/_cRusguj3ssQ/R9MLgHe_vrI/AAAAAAAAAEA/bAc9DrK-HYI/s72-c/mantegna_samson.jpg' height='72' width='72'/><thr:total>1</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6412974965508260606.post-3704442951584599312</id><published>2008-02-17T18:24:00.011-05:00</published><updated>2008-04-14T07:39:57.220-04:00</updated><category scheme='http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#' term='godly men'/><category scheme='http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#' term='effeminate faith'/><category scheme='http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#' term='impotent religion'/><title type='text'>Are You a Man or a...uh Pass the Mousse.</title><content type='html'>&lt;a href="http://bp1.blogger.com/_cRusguj3ssQ/R7jK0eqOisI/AAAAAAAAADQ/KgvWGxdDsZ4/s1600-h/guy-shopping-~-bst0020.jpg"&gt;&lt;img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5168103575339829954" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://bp1.blogger.com/_cRusguj3ssQ/R7jK0eqOisI/AAAAAAAAADQ/KgvWGxdDsZ4/s200/guy-shopping-~-bst0020.jpg" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt; My God! We didn’t even notice. Whatever World Assembly has no men! Oh, we have males, plenty of males, but we have no men.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Walk through any mall, any office building, down the streets of the city, in the local Starbucks or Aeropostale. It will strike you – we have no more men.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Our males are soft, delicate, sensitive. They talk of clothes and hair gel and color coordinating their blue-tooths.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;They pout and are easily offended. They are protective – not of God’s glory but of their own image – of what other’s might think – not of the beauty of Christ – but of their own beauty, their own fame, and their own uniqueness.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;They are primped. More time has been spent in front of the mirror than in front of God’s throne. They rush to make their salon appointment and while viewing their time in worship as discretionary. My God, we have no men.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;How did this happen?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;We don’t have to look far. We have spent years getting guys in touch with their emotions. We’ve taught them worship songs that focus on their feelings. We even showed them how to lift their hands and bat their eyes in effeminate praise.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://bp2.blogger.com/_cRusguj3ssQ/R7jI5uqOipI/AAAAAAAAAC4/-2pkXvqUm2U/s1600-h/samson.jpg"&gt;&lt;img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5168101466510887570" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://bp2.blogger.com/_cRusguj3ssQ/R7jI5uqOipI/AAAAAAAAAC4/-2pkXvqUm2U/s200/samson.jpg" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Many of us removed songs from our worship volumes that hinted of warfare or battle.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Even our Bible is neutered. Impotent. Gender neutral.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Will these men lift the shield of faith or sword of Spirit? Will these men fight for their sons and daughters or pout at home till their offspring apologize for making the family look bad.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;My God! Please don’t let us be attacked by foreign enemies now.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Our call after 9-11 was not to enlist but – to go shopping! I’m not kidding – on the 12th we were told not to let the terrorists win. Go to the mall, use your credit card, and don’t be afraid.”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;We have no men. If they can’t fight for soil how can we expect they will fight for souls? Their soft techniques will be void of battle cry or bloodshed. &lt;a href="http://bp1.blogger.com/_cRusguj3ssQ/R7jJqeqOirI/AAAAAAAAADI/seh4Y2KwepI/s1600-h/jesus-carrying-cross-~-1774584.jpg"&gt;&lt;img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5168102304029510322" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://bp1.blogger.com/_cRusguj3ssQ/R7jJqeqOirI/AAAAAAAAADI/seh4Y2KwepI/s200/jesus-carrying-cross-~-1774584.jpg" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;There will be no cross, no harsh words, no ultimatum.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;div&gt;There will only be negotiation, trade deals, gentle embraces, &lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;and a latte' after the service.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt; &lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Give me men to match my mountains, &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;Give me men to match my plains,&lt;br /&gt;Men with empires in their purpose, &lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;Men with eras in their brains.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6412974965508260606-3704442951584599312?l=pdubsneverwhateverworldblog.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://pdubsneverwhateverworldblog.blogspot.com/feeds/3704442951584599312/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=6412974965508260606&amp;postID=3704442951584599312&amp;isPopup=true' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/6412974965508260606/posts/default/3704442951584599312'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/6412974965508260606/posts/default/3704442951584599312'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://pdubsneverwhateverworldblog.blogspot.com/2008/02/are-you-man-or-auh-pass-mousse.html' title='Are You a Man or a...uh Pass the Mousse.'/><author><name>P'Dub</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/03193358234672146700</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='http://img2.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media='http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/' url='http://bp1.blogger.com/_cRusguj3ssQ/R7jK0eqOisI/AAAAAAAAADQ/KgvWGxdDsZ4/s72-c/guy-shopping-~-bst0020.jpg' height='72' width='72'/><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6412974965508260606.post-7014901547401117504</id><published>2008-01-11T16:56:00.001-05:00</published><updated>2008-04-02T00:24:54.387-04:00</updated><category scheme='http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#' term='real faith'/><category scheme='http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#' term='carnal christianity'/><category scheme='http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#' term='worldly believers'/><title type='text'>Worlds Apart</title><content type='html'>Christians at Whatever World Assembly are faced with a disturbing dichotomy. As a whole, those who profess faith in Christ are as likely to divorce as non-Christians. Church going teens as likely to engage in pre-marital sex as their unchurched peers.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;A favorite creed of Whatever World - ‘name it and claim it’ - reveals a love for material possessions as heartily as their unsaved ‘worldly’ neighbors. Less then 10% give 10% of their income, as the Bible instructs, to church and missions.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://bp2.blogger.com/_cRusguj3ssQ/R4gaTOZokMI/AAAAAAAAACg/vnCpod8BIBw/s1600-h/Global.gif"&gt;&lt;img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5154398691110981826" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://bp2.blogger.com/_cRusguj3ssQ/R4gaTOZokMI/AAAAAAAAACg/vnCpod8BIBw/s200/Global.gif" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:85%;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:78%;"&gt;&lt;em&gt;"If then you have been raised with Christ, &lt;/em&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:85%;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:78%;"&gt;&lt;em&gt;seek the things that are above, &lt;/em&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:85%;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:78%;"&gt;&lt;em&gt;where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. &lt;/em&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:85%;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:78%;"&gt;&lt;em&gt;Set your minds on things that are above, &lt;/em&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:85%;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:78%;"&gt;not on things that are on earth."&lt;/span&gt; &lt;span style="font-size:78%;"&gt;Col 3:1,2&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:85%;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;Familiar with the same sit-coms, the same Hollywood gossip and the same porn sites, the Christian in America, if polls are in the ballpark, live lives remarkably similar to that of the non-christian.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Whether members of Whatever World believe in God there is little doubt. But that is not the heart of Christianity(that is, back when it was Christian). Indeed, the Bible attributes a God-believing respect found in Satan himself.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“Do you believe that there is one God? You do well: the devils also believe, and tremble!” (Jam 2:19)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;No, the core of Christianity is not found in our creed but in our craw. The stuff inside that makes us who we &lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;are&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt; as apart from who we &lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;were&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;While in California some kids from Youth With A Mission would take us out in pairs, knock on doors and see if anyone wanted a free Bible. Most would assure us one or two already occupied their shelves.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“Then you know why the Bible was written?” We would innocently ask.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“What do you mean?”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“Well, the Bible says for itself ‘why’ it was written. Here, read this.” And we would hand them a little folded card with Bible verses on it. The first verse read, “These are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in His name.” (Jn. 20:31)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://bp2.blogger.com/_cRusguj3ssQ/R4gb_OZokNI/AAAAAAAAACo/5pimiDwgv5k/s1600-h/heart-on-cross-~-1783790.jpg"&gt;&lt;img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5154400546536853714" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://bp2.blogger.com/_cRusguj3ssQ/R4gb_OZokNI/AAAAAAAAACo/5pimiDwgv5k/s200/heart-on-cross-~-1783790.jpg" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;We would then ask if they believed that Jesus was indeed the Christ, the Son of God. With rare exception the answer would be a matter-of-fact, “Yes.”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Then came the defining moment, “In your believing have you received life in His name?”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Sometimes there would be a bright smile and a glad, “Yes, yes I have.” But most often, a pause, a quizzical look and “I’m not sure I know what you’re talking about.”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;There’s the catch, the transforming difference, the life or no-life difference. Has believing given birth to receiving? Has receiving the Son of God’s grace in your heart and being transformed by that power made a lick of difference!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Is your creed wonderfully stuck in your craw?&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6412974965508260606-7014901547401117504?l=pdubsneverwhateverworldblog.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://pdubsneverwhateverworldblog.blogspot.com/feeds/7014901547401117504/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=6412974965508260606&amp;postID=7014901547401117504&amp;isPopup=true' title='1 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/6412974965508260606/posts/default/7014901547401117504'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/6412974965508260606/posts/default/7014901547401117504'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://pdubsneverwhateverworldblog.blogspot.com/2008/01/worlds-apart.html' title='Worlds Apart'/><author><name>P'Dub</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/03193358234672146700</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='http://img2.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media='http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/' url='http://bp2.blogger.com/_cRusguj3ssQ/R4gaTOZokMI/AAAAAAAAACg/vnCpod8BIBw/s72-c/Global.gif' height='72' width='72'/><thr:total>1</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6412974965508260606.post-1495557112341397515</id><published>2007-11-13T09:26:00.001-05:00</published><updated>2008-04-02T00:26:07.374-04:00</updated><category scheme='http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#' term='church growth'/><category scheme='http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#' term='osteen'/><category scheme='http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#' term='purpose driven'/><category scheme='http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#' term='seeker friendly'/><title type='text'>Outside Help</title><content type='html'>The past 40 years of new technique, programs, vision casting, leadership models, small group -cell group - home group launches, seeker-sensitive, purpose-driven, post-modern, emerging, gen x, contagious, christianity has resulted in... (drumrollll...)... absolutely nothing! Zero net growth! Flatline!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;With no shame, in fact downright aggrogance, we roll out the next new paradigm. We WILL grow a church! With new target demographic...and the promise of madison avenue prophets...the next campaign is bound to grow a church and reap a disciple.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;So we turned church into family centers ... and divorce among believers increased!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Now attendence in one church might mushroom when the next new promotional pack rolls out, (and when it does we all scurry to clone the campaign in our marketplace). But the numbers tell us the growth is one of migration not mission. We are winning the war...for transplants...not the transformed.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Still we continue to formulate new strategies empowered by even more dazzling, eye-popping visuals and ear-tingling verbiage...empty as ever of life and power.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Now that is the very definition of insantity.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;One problem is that our consultants are as deep in the quagmire as any of us. We all have been raised and baptized into a church culture breast-fed on consumerism, fabricated faith and a gospel that serves merely to cloak the American Dream. &lt;a href="http://bp0.blogger.com/_cRusguj3ssQ/R1ZEsPhEW1I/AAAAAAAAABs/_2vdnWkPzTE/s1600-h/slide1_GrandOpeningWide_.jpg"&gt;&lt;img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5140371551560162130" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://bp0.blogger.com/_cRusguj3ssQ/R1ZEsPhEW1I/AAAAAAAAABs/_2vdnWkPzTE/s200/slide1_GrandOpeningWide_.jpg" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Our plan? Go outside the firm, outside the machine, outside the age. We needed input outside of ourselves. So we called on those whose words have outlived the bartering of days gone by. Whose words were otherworldly with no interest in the current market price. Words of no value to the marketeers of our day.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;We reached into the past because the future voices are so rare, so silent. (They would be so valuable. Telling of the time in history (our time) when the love for things, the doctrine of prosperity and the metaphysics of faith brought in the age of cosmopolitan christiantity.)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;We brought in church consultant, 'Valiant Voice Ministries'. It might take us a while to digest their findings considering their first set of proposals.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;1. "They who preach the gospel must not think of themselves as public relations agents sent to establish good will between Christ and the world. They must not imagine themselves commissioned to make Christ acceptable to big business, the press, the world of sports, or modern education. They were not called to be diplomats but prophets, and their message is not one of compromise but ultimatum." A.W.T.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;2. While “purpose-driven” sounds better than “market-driven” it is basically the same thing.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;3. New paradigm churches, are identified by a philosophy of ministry intentionally designed to &lt;a href="http://bp3.blogger.com/_cRusguj3ssQ/R1ZG7_hEW2I/AAAAAAAAAB0/XGamDqe8xLE/s1600-h/money%2520changers.jpg"&gt;&lt;img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5140374021166357346" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://bp3.blogger.com/_cRusguj3ssQ/R1ZG7_hEW2I/AAAAAAAAAB0/XGamDqe8xLE/s200/money%2520changers.jpg" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;effect numerical growth. More attention is paid to market strategy, business technique, and demographics than to New Testament instruction...bucket loads of consumer design and only passing references to the book of Acts or any other Scripture for that matter.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;4. &lt;strong&gt;"That very church which the world likes best is sure to be that which God abhors most."&lt;/strong&gt; C.H.S.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Yes. This may take some time to digest.&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6412974965508260606-1495557112341397515?l=pdubsneverwhateverworldblog.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://pdubsneverwhateverworldblog.blogspot.com/feeds/1495557112341397515/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=6412974965508260606&amp;postID=1495557112341397515&amp;isPopup=true' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/6412974965508260606/posts/default/1495557112341397515'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/6412974965508260606/posts/default/1495557112341397515'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://pdubsneverwhateverworldblog.blogspot.com/2007/11/outside-help.html' title='Outside Help'/><author><name>P'Dub</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/03193358234672146700</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='http://img2.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media='http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/' url='http://bp0.blogger.com/_cRusguj3ssQ/R1ZEsPhEW1I/AAAAAAAAABs/_2vdnWkPzTE/s72-c/slide1_GrandOpeningWide_.jpg' height='72' width='72'/><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6412974965508260606.post-3987586314775552071</id><published>2007-11-10T19:06:00.000-05:00</published><updated>2007-11-30T11:05:03.645-05:00</updated><title type='text'>'Whatever World Assembly'</title><content type='html'>Faced now with the challenge of making consumer-driven Christians, disciples, the staff of Whatever World Assembly gathers for another brainstorm meeting. How can we bring self-seeking believers into the self-denying, cross-carrying life of a follower of Christ?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The answer can't be too far off. It was after all, our ministries, our techniques, our packaging and pandering that created this new breed of believer. The solution must be close at hand. We know how to make 'em - the plans to reverse the process must be laying around here somewhere. (I smell a new Maxwell title right around the corner. "Leading Quail-Hungry Christians Out of the Wild, or, &lt;span style="font-size:85%;"&gt;How to show the way - while you're choking on feathers&lt;/span&gt;.")&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;How could we have not seen it coming? We've been coached insistently on how to shape our ministries and messages into a fashionable faith for the Consumer Christian.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Who hasn't rolled out the Saddleback template? During it's hay day '40 Days of Purpose' banners hung from nearly every church in town. Ahh, Whatever World Assembly has no prophets, just marketing outlets.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Who hasn't applied the 'new math' drawn out by Barna's calculations. The numbers don't lie. the conclusion, though, do.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Rick Warren seems like nice guy but to base a philosophy, a ministry approach, a worship enviroment and message content on polling data gathered throughout neighborhoods asking, "What do you want church to look like?"... and then implementing it...! Man, we are some mad scientists.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Of course you'll fill the seats!...with consumers!&lt;br /&gt;And they are all pretty s a v v y about the whole 'bait and switch' thing.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Our entire church growth strategy has been based on catering to the consumer. - and you've got to keep catering if you intend to keep them coming. Christian or Carnal, Disciple or Dabbler can all feel pretty comfortable at Whatever World Assembly.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://bp3.blogger.com/_cRusguj3ssQ/R0-PY2fXy4I/AAAAAAAAABk/_4dJukQZIGE/s1600-R/wilderness+journey3.bmp"&gt;&lt;img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5138483356959755138" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://bp3.blogger.com/_cRusguj3ssQ/R0-PY2fXy4I/AAAAAAAAABk/wl7-cMrtInk/s200/wilderness+journey3.bmp" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Calls to lead these sweet church-goers into discipleship is certainly what is needed. But it's not going to be pretty.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;What might be most troubling?...If we weren't keen enough to realize what kind of 'christian' we were creating - how can we assume to be the agents to bring Christ to the fore of the church-goer's heart and mind?...since it appears, He was so far from ours?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;We may need to get some outside help.&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6412974965508260606-3987586314775552071?l=pdubsneverwhateverworldblog.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://pdubsneverwhateverworldblog.blogspot.com/feeds/3987586314775552071/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=6412974965508260606&amp;postID=3987586314775552071&amp;isPopup=true' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/6412974965508260606/posts/default/3987586314775552071'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/6412974965508260606/posts/default/3987586314775552071'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://pdubsneverwhateverworldblog.blogspot.com/2007/11/consumer-driven-dilemma-at-whatever.html' title='&apos;Whatever World Assembly&apos;'/><author><name>P'Dub</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/03193358234672146700</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='http://img2.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media='http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/' url='http://bp3.blogger.com/_cRusguj3ssQ/R0-PY2fXy4I/AAAAAAAAABk/wl7-cMrtInk/s72-c/wilderness+journey3.bmp' height='72' width='72'/><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6412974965508260606.post-1249127154051560824</id><published>2007-11-01T15:49:00.000-04:00</published><updated>2007-12-01T15:47:27.114-05:00</updated><title type='text'>Never Whatever!</title><content type='html'>&lt;span style="font-family:verdana;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:130%;"&gt;Some weeks ago I offered a few profound insights to my admiring offspring. Their response? &lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href="http://bp2.blogger.com/_cRusguj3ssQ/R0s5tmfXy3I/AAAAAAAAABM/f9iHFCjuioc/s1600-h/0729071644.jpg"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:130%;"&gt;&lt;img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5137263255535209330" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://bp2.blogger.com/_cRusguj3ssQ/R0s5tmfXy3I/AAAAAAAAABM/f9iHFCjuioc/s200/0729071644.jpg" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:130%;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:verdana;"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:verdana;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:130%;"&gt;"Whatever."&lt;/span&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:verdana;"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:verdana;"&gt;After my fifteen minute tirade as to why it is &lt;em&gt;never&lt;/em&gt; 'whatever' we calmly decided to ban the use of the flippant phrase from our vocab.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:verdana;"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:verdana;"&gt;‘Whatever’ is lazy, disrespectful but most of all, and this is why we want it squashed from our daily discourse, ‘whatever’ says, "I've decided to live in a world where nothing is certain, nothing is absolutely true, anything is acceptable and anything rejectable."&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Ever heard it from a kid doing his homework? “Hey Johnny, this answer is wrong. 3x3 is 9 not 11.”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“Whatever.”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The worlds of science and math abhor the stupidity (oops, that's another banned word) of relativism. The shrug of ‘whatever’ belittles and defies reality.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;When it comes to matters as critical, as constant, and as absolute as God, ‘whatever’ can be deadly!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;You got your truth I got mine. You say it’s wrong, I say it’s okay.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Jesus saves? ‘Whatever.’&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Jesus is 3 x 3. (and I don't mean in the Benny Hinn way...who claims each member of the trinity has a trinity...but that discussion is for another time...and with Martians.)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The resurrection of Jesus is a frustrating fact in 'Whatever World'. In its light 'whatever' is anti-truth.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“The times of ignorance (‘whatever’) God overlooked, but...He has fixed a day on which He will judge the world...by a Man whom He has appointed; and has given assurance to all by raising Him from the dead." (Acts 17:30)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Whatever World and its citizens have, with lazy, pragmatic ease populated school boards, congress, courts and, most astonishingly, pew and pulpit.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:Verdana;"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:Verdana;"&gt;Welcome to Whatever World Assembly. Come be a part of...whatever it is you think it should be.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6412974965508260606-1249127154051560824?l=pdubsneverwhateverworldblog.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://pdubsneverwhateverworldblog.blogspot.com/feeds/1249127154051560824/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=6412974965508260606&amp;postID=1249127154051560824&amp;isPopup=true' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/6412974965508260606/posts/default/1249127154051560824'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/6412974965508260606/posts/default/1249127154051560824'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://pdubsneverwhateverworldblog.blogspot.com/2007/11/few-commonly-used-words-have-been.html' title='Never Whatever!'/><author><name>P'Dub</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/03193358234672146700</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='http://img2.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media='http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/' url='http://bp2.blogger.com/_cRusguj3ssQ/R0s5tmfXy3I/AAAAAAAAABM/f9iHFCjuioc/s72-c/0729071644.jpg' height='72' width='72'/><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry></feed>
